Chapter 1

After logging into Sword Art Online for the first time, I decided to head out into the fields for a few hours to train. I don't really get along with any other people, and to me, there are two types of people. People I work with, and people I don't know, so I decided to train in the fields solo.

After a couple hours of killing wolves and boars, I had decided to log out. I flicked my right hand down to bring up the menu to log out. After searching a couple minutes, I couldn't find the log out button. Confused, I looked around to ask anyone else that was around me about this. All of a sudden, a blue light enveloped me. I had read in the manual about the blue light, it meant it was a teleportation crystal.

I didn't know where it was taking me; I had no choice but to allow it to bring me to the destination. Before I knew it, I was back in the Starting City's central square. I looked around and noticed everyone else was teleported as well. Wondering what was going on, I heard someone say that there was something in the sky. I looked up and saw a red system announcement message blinking. By the time everyone had noticed, it had quickly expanded to fill the sky. Everything around us had turned a bloody shade of red, and some liquid had started dripping down. It had finally formed a glob in the shape of a robe; there was no face under the hood, only eternal blackness.

I heard some people around me asking what was going on and if that was a GM. After a few seconds, the robed figure raised its right hand as if to silence everyone. It then said in a low rumbling voice, "Welcome to my world. I am called Kayaba Akihiko, and I am the only one in control of this world."

Somehow, I was able to keep my composure as this man was talking about us players being imprisoned in this virtual castle. He had also told us if our families or friends tried to force off the Nerve Gear, our brains would be fried to a crisp. "By now, two hundred and thirteen players have lost their lives because of family and friends. Just remember, if your HP hits zero, there is no way to revive you, in both this world, and the real world. If you look in your inventories, you will notice I have given you a gift. Treasure it well." I flicked my right hand in a downwards motion and checked my inventory.

In it was a small hand mirror. I tapped the item name and it appeared in the air before me. I slowly reached out and grabbed it, thinking something would happen right when I touched it. I was surprised when there was no reaction. I again looked around and saw many other people had taken out the mirror.

Suddenly, a bright white light surrounded me. Just as quickly as it had come, the light vanished. I looked in the mirror again and found that my face had changed to how I look in the real world.

"What? But…how?" Everyone in the town square was stunned. In games, we try to make our appearances different from how we look in real life. That being said, most of the female population of Aincrad had disappeared, replaced with male characters.

After a few minutes of confusion, Kayaba starts speaking again. "Why am I, the creator of both the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online, doing all this? Am I a terrorist? Am I holding you for ransom? No! I am doing this because I want to watch the progress this world makes and intervene in it. How many of you make it, are up to your skills and luck."

With that, Kayaba's body starts to dissolve before our eyes. After disappearing, the whole crowd erupted into a panicked yell. Looking around, I notice a young black-haired boy talking to an older red-haired man. After a little while, the boy hesitantly left the man behind. Wanting to ask him where he was going, I tried to follow him. I was lost within the first five minutes of following him.

Finding my way out of the city by pure luck, I decide to hunt a bit more before the other players come to their senses. After fifteen minutes, I notice other players heading out of the city. Knowing other players will start hunting out here as well, and because I generally try to avoid being in a large crowd, I start heading to the second town.

"Oh great, stuck in a forest, with nothing to eat, and monsters appearing every now and then. On top of that, I'm starting to talk to myself. How much longer can I take this? I don't know. But if I don't see another person soon, I probably will start going crazy." I start complaining to myself.

Before I can continue my thoughts, a wasp like monster pops out at me again. "And here's another monster, just go away will you?" I say, taking out my initial sword. The wasp charged towards me, I take my stance and my sword lights up. I let my body relax as the Sword Skill takes over my body. I used the beginner Sword Skill Vertical, which, as the name suggests, is just a vertical strike.

The wasps' body shatters into little pieces, and I get a message saying I leveled up. "Oh hey, something new." I tap the "O.K." button and allocate the new points into the skills of my choice. I put most of the points into the "One Hand Sword," along with the rest of the points into "Searching," as there are only two skill slots available to a level one player.

After I finished, I noticed there was another person in this forest other then I. "Show yourself! Or face the wrath of my sword!" Of course, I wasn't serious, I just felt like saying something random.

Out of the darkness came a small woman, looking to be just about a year younger than I. She had on a purple shirt with a pair of pants. Covering her was a green robe that helped hide her face from strangers and help her blend into the forest. She was roughly 5'6", with jet black hair and hazel eyes.

Had I not upgraded my "Searching" skill, I would not have sensed her presence. "How long have you been following me?" I ask, uncertain of what else to say.

"Since the fields outside the Town of Beginnings." Came her short reply. I try to see her face to see if she was lying, but I detected no trace of deception.

"Oh well, if you mean no harm, then, by all means, why don't you join me?" Going against what I usually do, I invite her to party up with me. Not knowing how she'll take it, I hope for the best.

She silently nods her head. I bring up the menu and issue a party invite to her, which she accepts. "My name is Slasher, pleased to meet your acquaintance." I say, bowing my head a bit.

"Alice." Another short reply. Oh well, I'll get her to talk more one of these days.

After a while, we reached the next town, we try to find an inn. After searching a few minutes, we couldn't find any trace of one, so we opt to try out an NPC house.

We check the nearest house to us, and a woman has her back towards us. When she hears the door open and close, she turns and says "Ah, journeying swordsmen, welcome. You must be tired, but all I can offer is a cup of water." Not really expecting anything, I nod my head and accept her offer.

After handing me a cup, she heads back to her kitchen in front of her stove. I notice a pot boiling with something. After a few seconds, a question mark pops up, indicating a quest. "Is something wrong?" I ask the woman, after hearing a child's cough.

After seeing her shoulders slump a bit, she started off by saying her child was sick. After about ten minutes of backstory, we were finally sent on our way. To complete the quest, we each had to find a monster called a "Little Nepent," but we couldn't find any random one, we had to find one with a flower growing out of its head. After a little bit of searching, we found one. It wasn't small, but it wasn't big either. I stop, gesturing to Alice to stop as well.

"If we switch out after every few hits, we can take it down easily." I whisper to Alice, explaining to plan. All I got for a reply was a silent nod. After a few more seconds, I start running out to attack. I start preparing the Sword Skill "Vertical" just as it senses I'm there.

I yell out as the Skill takes over my body, my sword slashes the top of the head of the Little Nepent. I get in a couple more slashes in before I decide to switch out. "Alice, switch!" I yell out. As I'm backing away, Alice runs right in with "Diagonal," a skill that starts from either the top left of top right, depending on what hand you strike with, and ends on the opposite side on the bottom. She gets in more strikes before switching. "Switch!" I hear her yell and get in a "Horizontal." After two more hits it finally decided to attack. It had started inflating its pitcher of a head in preparation. Not knowing what was going to happen, I run straight at it without switching and prepare a "Vertical." As I'm getting closer to it, it spits out a pale green fluid and hit me. I tried to pay no heed to it and continue my attack. After the Skill hit, it had awkwardly stopped, and after a few seconds, it burst into tiny little pieces.

"Yeah, we got him!" I yell out in triumph.

"It's not that big of a deal you know. It's a pretty common enemy. More importantly, are you okay? You got hit didn't you?" Hmm, Alice seems a bit worried about me. Maybe I should try and bug her about it?

"I'm not hurt, but if you want, you can treat my wounds." I smile playfully. Right after I said that, I feel her hit me.

"You idiot, if you were really hurt, would you try to make me laugh?" I smile even wider.

"Of course, I wouldn't want a party member to worry over me. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." I explain. "Now let's continue our search." Alice nods and we head off deeper into the forest.

A/N

Well, it's finally out, the first actual chapter of Sword Art Online: The Chronicles of John Smith. If you have any critiques, or if you want to add party members to Slasher's party, you can either message me or leave a comment on this chapter. I will be starting the next chapter tomorrow and it will hopefully be up soon.

Thrasher