AN: I forgot to mention this, but to those who wish to submit a character, PMs are preferable, but leaving them in reviews is also acceptable.
Also, as of now, I will be trying to make these chapters epic length, explore the experiences of different characters and planets and whatnot, but I will only make reference to canon characters when they are encountered, I won't focus on players like Kirito and Asuna as much as I will Kibishin and other OCs.
Anyways... Enjoy!
Chapter Start
-Star Wars Online-
It was said by Kayaba Akihiko during an interview about SWO that as the player leveled up, more planets would be unlocked and visitable. He went on to say that this could be bypassed if the player bought their own starship...
Though the standard starship with a hyperdrive unit capable of travel between systems in the galaxy was quite... expensive, the cheapest being 550,000 Credits that could carry only a single pilot and an astromech droid, with a speed of only half a parsec per hour.
But the starship that Kibishin and the others were staring at was not that.
"Oh my God..." Gokugo mumbled, glancing back at Kibishin. "Dude! That's a Fury!"
"A what?" Indra questioned.
"A Fury-class Imperial Interceptor!" Kibishin exclaimed, his eyes sparkling like he had just received the greatest gift for his birthday.
"Shiranai's Fury?" Gokugo suggested, causing the pinkette to turn towards the older male.
"My Fury."
Back during the days when servers for Star Wars: The Old Republic were still online, Fury-class transports were given to Sith Warrior and Sith Inquisitor players as their bases of operations throughout important missions they were assigned on.
100 meters long, 88 meters wide, and 33 meters high, it could house a crew of twelve. It housed two escape pods, main and secondary engine rooms, a meditation room, a galley/recreation room, combat training and exercise room, two common rooms - one that could lead to a turret on the bottom of the ship and the other to a turret on the top of the ship, a player's and captain's quarters, a bridge, a conference room, a bathroom/showers room, crew quarters with double bunks, a medical bay, a cargo bay that could carry nearly all types of supplies, a vehicle bay that could hold up to four 74-Z speeder bikes - which came complimentary with the ship - and an airlock that also doubled as the main entrance/exit to the starship.
To top it all off, the Imperial interceptor had four high powered laser cannons, two on each of the far ends of the wings, missile pods that were capable of firing off four missiles at once, military grade shielding that could regenerate from depleted to fully charged in five seconds flat, and an engine capability of 1.5 parsecs per hour.
All in all, its worth on the market was 250,000,000 Credits, enough to buy not only a Guild Bank, but two Guild Flagships with almost all the rooms unlocked.
"... Is it too late to-" "Yes." Kibishin interrupted. "This is my ship." he stated, walking towards the Fury-class interceptor with the others quickly following suit.
"*SSZZZHH*!" a hissing sound came from the starship's entrance as it de-pressurized, the walkway opening up seconds later.
"Which one of you organic lifeforms is 'Kibishin'?" a synthetic, male voice called out.
"Umm... That would be me." the pinkette replied. A light blue droid with red markings and red eyes walked down from inside the ship, making its way towards Kibishin.
"Greetings, master! I am 2V-Seneschal-series factotum droid R8, but you may call me 2V-R8!" the droid exclaimed. "I am tasked with personal etiquette and starship upkeep, as well as being programmed with extensive knowledge of Imperial starship design, making me capable of performing advanced maintenance and upkeep, which includes everything from cleaning the ship's fuel injectors to dusting the crew's personal quarters."
"A pleasure to meet you, R8. As you already know, I am Kibishin. These are my companions: Indra, Asura, Gokugo, and Sinon." Kibishin stated.
"Greetings, meatbags." 2V-R8 stated dully, causing the four players to facefault.
"Well! What are we waiting for?" the pinkette exclaimed, clasping his hands together and rubbing them eagerly. "Let's have a look inside."
-Star Wars Online-
Clean and neat. That was the best way to describe the interior of the Fury-class interceptor. The floor was padded with square heat-and-cold-resistant steel tiles, the same material made up the walls and ceiling, the edges of said tiles emitting a light blue glow that lit up the room. On either side of the room was a set of stairs that descended into a lower level of the ship.
"As you can see, master, meatbags, this starship is in pristine condition for cleanliness." 2V-R8 said. "The two stairways lead to the vehicle bay and cargo bay respectively, with platforms that can lower to a maximum of fifteen meters at a speed of one-and-a-half meters per second. Both bays connect by a door on the lower level, and there is a second door in the vehicle bay that will lead to the lower turret."
"I'll check those out later." Kibishin said. "Say, R8, do you happen to know what time it is right now?"
"The local time on Dromund Kaas is 12:05, but the Galactic Standard Time is 21:05, master." 2V-R8 replied.
"Close enough for me. Where are my quarters?" the pinkette questioned.
"Right this way, master." 2V-R8 stated, guiding his master into the next room.
"Really, Kibishin? You're really going to sleep now?" Indra asked, the other four players following after the NPC droid and pink haired Sith Assassin.
"None of us have gotten a lot of sleep in for the past three days." Kibishin stated. "And I plan to get a good rest in before I crash and burn, I suggest you guys do the same if you so wish."
...
"And here is the first common room, your quarters are the leftmost door, master." 2V-R8 said, the pinkette quickly walking towards the door, pausing only when he realized one crucial fact...
"Uhh... how do I open these doors?" he asked, laughing sheepishly and scratching the back of his neck.
"The doors are activated by control panels on the left, master." 2V-R8 replied.
"Right! I'm out!" Kibishin exclaimed, the door to his quarters sliding open and closing when the pinkette was inside.
...
"... I guess getting some sleep in isn't such a bad idea." Gokugo said.
"Screw that! Does this place have a shower of any kind?" Indra questioned.
"I guess perhaps just this once I will show you meatbags where the crew quarters and bathrooms are." 2V-R8 stated, walking ahead of the four players and out towards the bay area, said players following shortly after in hopes of rest and relaxation.
-Star Wars Online-
"Huh. Neat..." Kibishin muttered, looking around at his personal quarters.
The walls were red, with yellow-orange lighting that made the room have almost a 'warm' feeling, contrary to the metallic grey walls and blue lights in the other parts of the ship. Instead of a cold, hard, metallic floor, there was a plain white carpet.
The room itself was large enough to hold a book/trophy shelf, a fridge that was somewhere between mini and regular in size with what appeared to be a microwave on top, a dark oak dresser, and a king-sized bed with red-and-black vertical-striped sheets and dark red pillows.
The pinkette wasted no time in pulling up his character window and moving his items into his inventory, the armor on his body vanishing into light pixels until he was left wearing red-trimmed black boxers with the Sith Empire insignia in white on the front left.
"I'll just..." he mumbled, crawling under the sheets and finding the red-themed bed to be very... very... comfortable...
"Zzzzzzzzzzzz..." Kibishin immediately fell asleep, a combination of his exhaustion and the silky sheets to be enough to knock him out in seconds.
The pinkette didn't even hear when the sound of giggling filled the room.
Eta found it adorable that Kibishin immediately went straight for the bed, ignoring her not-so-hidden presence completely in one of the corners of the room.
He didn't even bother to turn off the lights first.
"Kibi-kun... ne?" Eta spoke to herself, her tattered maroon cloak dropping down to her feet before she began to unravel her bandages.
She giggled once more, stepping out of the pile of bandages that surrounded her, reaching for the control panel and dimming the lights, her naked alabaster skin and bright golden blonde hair almost emitting a glow in the darkness.
The mysterious girl then sneakily made her way over to the sleeping pinkette, pulling the sheets up slightly and worming her way underneath. Her hand brushed over Kibishin's hair, her delicate fingers playing with the pink locks of hair while a smile found its way to her face.
Eta inched herself closer and closer until she was pressed up against Kibishin, the warmth his body gave off causing her eyes to droop ever so slightly.
A content sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, hugging the half-naked pinkette like a teddy bear and allowing the sandman to lull her to sleep.
She planned to enjoy this while she could, before the chaos ensued...
Before everything went to hell.
-Star Wars Online-
"These are the crew quarters?" Indra questioned, almost in disbelief.
"Yes, meatbags." 2V-R8 replied.
While the condition of the room was not outright deplorable, it was not five-star hotel quality. There were five bunk beds - three on the left and two on the right. Each bed had dark blue sheets and a single white pillow, and for every bunk bed there was a nightstand...
And a mint on each pillow. How nice.
"The showers are in the next room over, meatbags." 2V-R8 stated. "Do you have any more questions?"
"Yeah, just one." Gokugo said. "Can you pilot this ship?"
"Of course I can, meatbag. However, my capabilities do not cover combat flying. I was not designed to pilot a ship into battle." 2V-R8 responded.
"Then why don't you move us out of this valley and to somewhere less conspicuous?" Gokugo asked.
"Negative, meatbag. Unless told otherwise, I will only respond to my master's orders." 2V-R8 retorted before promptly walking out of the room.
"... Fuck it. I'm getting some sleep." Gokugo mumbled, quite literally collapsing onto one of the bunks, which were surprisingly more comfortable than they appeared to be...
He was lights out in a matter of seconds, a tag team of physical and mental exhaustion taking its toll on the man.
...
"M-Might as well get a shower in too, while we're at it." Asura said, making her way across the room and towards the bathroom.
"Yeah, I guess so..." Indra conceded, following after her sister shortly after.
-Star Wars Online-
Nal Hutta, or Hutta, as it was commonly referred to as, was the capital of Hutt Space, the adopted homeworld of the notorious Hutt Cartel. It was a planet of semi-toxic swampland broken up by industrial facilities and urban centers...
One would never find a more wretched hive of scum in the galaxy. The fact that it was the starting planet for Imperial Agents and Bounty Hunters did nothing to deny this stereotype.
And on this planet, in its capital Bilbousa, one could find a livelihood of colorful merchants, mercenaries, gangs and the likes, as well as the rich upper class hidden behind the closed doors of luxurious mansions and estates, at least those that decided to take up a residency on Hutta.
Originally, in SWTOR, Bilbousa appeared more swamp-like and smog-filled from natural toxins in the air, but in SWO, it was an entirely different story...
The smog was still there, except it was more due to the industrialized areas of the city, the city itself being ten times the original size it was before, limestone-like pavement and buildings, factory buildings, underground cantinas, abandoned buildings... Even some more vile buildings were on display.
But more importantly, in the heart of the city, there was an arena, a coliseum of sorts. The rich upper class, as well as the majority of the middle class merchants and tourists, frequented the viewing stands of the arena, placing bets on fighters or simply watching the carnage that unfolded in each fight.
'Two things only the people anxiously desire - bread and circuses' was etched into the fighters' entrance into the arena, as a solemn reminder that they were merely entertainment in a gruesome, ever-changing, bloody sport.
"Brac, jetar madle? (Why, meat maggot?)" the Trandoshan warrior, Rakta the Fearsome questioned, towering above the Bounty Hunter-class player by a good ten, eleven inches, at 6'8".
"I have nowhere to go, no clue what to do..." he mumbled, his eyes glazed over with a dead look. "I just... I just need something - anything - to be my purpose."
"Byager. Ashkrik, hak davjaan inyameet... lu mi lowe ink byager. (Victory. To bleed your foes dry, burning in the blood... never give up our victory.)" Rakta the Fearsome responded, clearing his throat slightly before speaking again...
"What. Is. Name?" Rakta asked, barely forming a sentence in a language he understood, though he still knew what he was trying to say.
He cast his eyes upward, staring into the Trandoshan's eyes. Standing at 5'9", he had short black hair with hazel eyes and a slightly Asian appearance, despite being of Canadian nationality. While his original avatar had a more muscular build, his real body was built more lean. His outfit consisted of simply the starting armor that was provided to every player.
"Jaylan." he replied, causing Rakta to 'tsk' before turning away, grabbing a weapon off the wall and tossing it to Jaylan.
"Take. It." Rakta said.
"O-Okay..." Jaylan muttered, gazing at the weapon that was tossed to him...
It was a vibrosword fashioned into the shape of a katana, scabbard and all. The blade was a polished metal, one that he could not recognize offhand, and the sheath was pure black in color, with an orange and yellow flame design licking at the bottom of it. Etched into the scabbard was Mandalorian writing - 'Tal, Tor, Kote (Blood, Justice, Glory)'.
"Try. Not... Die." Rakta stated, walking away from the shocked nineteen-year-old player.
"New guy, eh?" Jaylan turned his head slightly to glance at the owner of said voice, a female Chiss.
One of the playable avatar types was Chiss, a tall, humanoid species that was known for their jet black hair, fully red glowing eyes, and blue pigmented skin.
This woman, however, seemed a bit more... unique.
Her blue-pigmented skin seemed to be a slightly lighter shade of blue than the average Chiss, as well as dark blue hair done up in a bun with black-tipped bangs framing either side of her face, fully red eyes that held a slight glow, and a slender build. She stood at the same height he did, 5'9", donning gladiatorial armor that was clearly meant more for cosmetics (Read: Fanservice) than protection, consisting of a silver-like metal bikini top, metal arm bracers, metal high heels, and a tan loincloth that shielded her nether region from view from both the front and the back, splitting on either side of the front to show off her smooth, blue legs...
It would have been likely he would have continued staring, had he not found himself at the business end of a spear.
"My eyes are up here, sweetheart." she said, a sly grin on her face despite having just threatened him not even a minute ago...
But that's not what caught his attention. No, what caught his attention was the orange diamond above her head.
"You're a player too..." Jaylan stated more than asked.
"Yep!" she replied cheerfully. Almost a bit too cheerfully. "I've been here ever since Day One!"
Day One...
Noticing the frown beginning to form on Jaylan's face, she lightly nudged him, catching his attention.
"The name's Cypersix..." she said, giving the man a genuine smile. "You can call me Cy, Cyper or Six though."
"Jaylan..." he responded, a small smile of his own appearing on his face.
...
"Hey rookie!" a new, synthetic voice called out, catching both players attention as a cybernetic human approached them. "You're up!"
Cypersix took a sharp intake of air, making an audible hissing noise.
"Heh. Just your luck Jay." Cypersix stated. "Not even a few minutes here and you're already scheduled for a fight."
"Wait, what?" Jaylan questioned dumbfounded.
"You're up for the next fight. You've got five, ten, maybe even fifteen minutes before the fight going on now is finished, another five for bets to be made and for the losers to be, uhh... cleaned up." Cypersix replied, motioning to the cybernetic human. "Jaax here will take you to the armory and then to your entrance to the arena."
"C'mon, I don't have all day here." Jaax stated, turning around and walking away, not even bothering to look to see if Jaylan was following.
"Might wanna follow him fast, he won't hesitate to leave you behind." Cypersix said, resting her head on the spear as support with a grin etched on her face. "Make it out alive, will ya?"
"... I'll try." Jaylan responded, turning and following after Jaax...
And for the first time since Day One, he felt a determination to live on.
-Star Wars Online-
"I feel ridiculous." Jaylan mumbled, shifting around uncomfortably in his new 'battle gear'.
Turns out, perversion in the audience went both ways. Every fighter, regardless of species or gender, was subject to the very few rules that existed in the arena...
Rule Number One: Unless told otherwise by the Munerator, all fights were to the death.
Rule Number Two: Fighting is reserved for the arena and only the arena. All fights outside the arena are punishable by the heaviest penalties.
Rule Number Three: All gladiators are restricted to melee weapons only.
And lastly...
Rule Number Four: Cater to the crowds.
That last rule mainly meant that the armor that they wore was mostly for show, rather than for actual protection...
He was having second thoughts as he adjusted the outfit he currently wore, consisting solely of a circular metal right shoulder guard, what he assumed were leather forearm bracers, leather sandals... and a tan loincloth that barely reached his knees.
He was still shivering slightly from the cold breeze that danced on by a minute ago.
"Look, mate, I'll be blunt with ya." Jaax started. "You don't really look like you're gonna last out there. Maybe you have a chance, but... well, it's a bit too late to, you know, back out."
"I know." Jaylan responded, fingering the sheathed Vibrosword in his hands.
"Step onto the platform. You've got less than a minute before you're fight begins." Jaax said.
"Any advice on my opponent?"
"Yeah. Try not to die."
"Okay..." Jaylan muttered, stepping onto the platform seconds before it began to ascend.
"Good luck, mate." Jaax called out.
...
"Hey Jaax!" Jaylen exclaimed. "If I die, let it be known that my only regret is wearing this skimpy outfit!"
"Pffffft!"
He was not laughing, he kept telling himself. But to anyone passing by, Jaax was on the floor busting a gut.
"Kid's got moxie... Too bad it's gonna be torn out his stomach."
-Star Wars Online-
"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeelcome ladies and gentlemen or otherwise miscellaneous creatures!" The roar of the crowd was nearly deafening, the announcer's voice booming even louder than their cries.
Gamorreans, Chiss, Cathars, humans, hell there was even a Wookie in the opposite corner of the arena. Four-dozen gladiators total, including himself...
All of whom were male, carrying weapons, and wearing scantily-clad armor, if it could even be called such.
"These forty-eight contenders will take part in our special melee madness tournament!" The forcefield suddenly sprung to life, dividing the rather spacious arena into four sections, nearly bisecting three gladiators and actually killing a fourth.
"Oh! And that's one gladiator down already! Poor bastard - A-Anyways, these forty-seven gladiators will fight to the death! All bets are final! No refunds, no pulling out now!"
"Boska schuttas! Je buttmalia Creedas porko tah bu newpa bukee! (Let's go bitches! I bet big Credits to the new boy!)" one of the Hutt audience members cried out, waving down at Jaylan when the player noticed him.
"Nyeta ashuna nekkel juuvar obwegadada! Hkeek nkulla!" a Jawa cursed, 'politely' telling the Hutt to "go fuck himself," or something along those lines...
Surprisingly the creature still kept its head. The arena was the one place that could be defined as a meeting of worlds, so to speak. A single bet could make or break a person, send them from rags to riches or riches to rags...
And apparently he had the backing of a Hutt.
...
He didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
-Star Wars Online-
"Penny for your thoughts?" Cypersix perked up as Jaax called out to her, breaking her from her stupor as she stared at the live Hologram feed of the soon-to-commence tournament taking place above them.
"Just watchin' the tournament is all..." Cypersix stated halfheartedly.
"Ah banthashit." Jaax retorted, crossing his arms and leaning against a nearby wall.
"..." Cypersix remained silent, turning back to observe the holographic display with nary a word.
"Now! Without further delay! Five! Four-!"
-Star Wars Online-
"-Three!"
His heart was pounding in his chest, the roaring crowds silenced by its steady rhythms.
"-Two!"
Was this real? Was this his reality? Was this actually about to happen? Fighting in a life-or-death situation against others, possibly other players?
"-One!"
This was it! He wouldn't have any more time to think about it. If he hesitated, he would most certainly be killed...
"BEGIN!"
The other eleven warriors dashed after each other, one of whom immediately ran towards Jaylan - a Cathar, NPC if the lack of a diamond hovering above his head was any indication - wielding a curved vibrosword raised above his head.
Jaylan rolled to the left, dodging the rather cumbersome strike only to be met with a backhand to the face. He was sent sprawling to the ground by the very warrior he had attempted to avoid, a sharp edge in the Cathar's eyes as centuries upon centuries of warrior instinct took hold...
Panicking, Jaylan brought his vibrosword up, sheath and all, slamming the weapon into the Cathar's skull with enough force to nearly send the sheath flying off.
"GAH!" the Cathar cried out, bringing up his free hand to massage his pulsating bruise. With adrenaline now coursing through his body, Jaylan grasped the end of his vibrosword's sheath, pulling the blunt coating off and revealing the sharpened and tempered blade.
The next few moments became a blur to him, almost as if it wasn't his own actions, but that of a choppy first-person perspective animation like on MeTube.
His vibrosword still raised high, Jaylan slashed at the warrior standing over him, eliciting a gurgled cry of pain from the Cathar as blood seeped from the recently-inflicted wound on his neck, slit in such a way that the dark-red substance that made up life not only poured outward, but also inward, filling his lungs with blood with each passing second.
The Cathar dropped to his knees, clutching his neck as the light faded from his eyes...
Jaylan could only stare in shock.
'W... What have I done?' he thought to himself, panting and watching in horror as the Cathar warrior slowly died... by his hands.
He was numb. Real or not, it felt like he had taken a life for the very first time...
He didn't even acknowledge the searing pain on the side of his head, nor the warm liquid that oozed from the very same area...
Nor did he acknowledge when the Cathar's eyes widened at seeing the inscription etched into the vibrosword.
"Y... You..." the Cathar whispered, wincing at the pain that came with every syllable. "Evaar'la Verd (Recruit)."
...
"W-What?" Jaylan managed to muster, the bloody battle raging onward around them.
"Aliit ori'shya... tl'din... (Family is more than... bloodlines)" the Cathar said before hocking up a glob of blood. "Gar su'cuyi... ni kyr'adyc... Gar partayli, ni darasuum (You are still alive... but I am dead... Remember me, so that I am eternal)."
And with that, the Cathar moved its right hand to Jaylan's face, a lone claw extending out of his index finger as he carved a strange symbol into the player's left cheek, shallow enough to not cause permanent damage yet deep enough to leave a scar.
"Mhi Mando'ade tome, ner vod... Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la... (We are children of Mandalore, my brother... Not gone, merely marching far away)" the Cathar finished, unable to speak any longer as he gasped for air, eyes unmoving and his final breath escaping his body seconds later...
The body began to dissolve into bright particles, leaving no trace of there ever being a death save for a single item...
It was at this time that he was reminded that he was in the middle of a free-for-all battle to the death as he narrowly dodged having his left arm ripped off by a battle mace, leaving instead only a small scratch by comparison, the sharpened points on the weapon tearing off a chunk of his shoulder the size of a golf ball.
"FUCK!" Jaylan cursed, biting his lower lip and gripping his vibrosword's sheath tightly. He raised his katana up and blocked the mace before it could slam into his skull, his gaze meeting his opponent's - a Gamorrean by the looks of it...
He didn't even bother to hesitate this time, sweeping his enemy of his feet using his blade's sheath. Before the Gamorrean could react, gravity took effect, his skull slamming into the ground along with the right side of his body.
Jaylan's katana pierced through his skull shortly after, granting the Gamorrean at least a swift and painless death.
... Two dead. By his hands no less. Even if they were NPCs, it still did nothing to ease his mind.
Burying those thoughts for now, Jaylan looked around at the section of the arena he was in. Of the twelve that had originally been competing, only three remained, including himself: a Chiss and a human like himself, the former wielding a vibrospear and the latter a vibrosword fashioned into the shape of a spatha and a circular shield.
The human warrior immediately charged towards the Chiss, perceiving him to be the greater threat that needed to be dealt with of his two opponents. The Chiss spun, using his momentum to slam one end of his spear into the human, only for the vibrospear to clang against his shield.
...
As their battle waged on, Jaylan took a moment to catch his breath, carefully eyeing the two adversaries as they remained mostly ignorant of him.
The very moment one fell, he would swoop in for the kill...
At least, that was the plan.
The Chiss warrior quickly fell dead, the human warrior pulling his blade from the blue-skinned alien's chest and casting his gaze towards Jaylan...
And immediately tossed his shield off to the side, catching Jaylan off-guard.
"A good death." he simply said. "Live by the blade... die by the blade."
"Bushido..." Jaylan muttered, fully understanding what his opponent was aiming at...
From what he could understand about the Japanese warrior's code of honor, his opponent wished to make a spectacle of one of their deaths...
A fiery determination was kindled in Jaylan's eyes as he tossed his scabbard aside, grasping his vibrosword firmly with both hands.
'For honor...' he thought, releasing a battle cry as he charged at the human warrior, who in turn ran towards him with a battle cry of his own...
-Star Wars Online-
"Heh. Not bad for his first time in the arena." Jaax stated, watching the arena deathmatch alongside Cypersix.
"He still froze up near the beginning." Cypersix countered.
"Yeah but not all of us can be stone-cold killers just like that." Jaax retorted, snapping his fingers near the end of his statement.
...
"Hey how come you're not up there today?"
"Don't you remember? This is the rookies tournament. You know, get some new faces, some fresh bloods for the crowds to eat up."
"Oh right. Forgot that... baka."
"Who are you calling baka, baka?!"
"Humph!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... Baka."
-Star Wars Online-
"*CLACK* *CLANG*!" The two blades clashed against each other in a flurry of movement, neither warrior budging the slightest, even as small cuts from their strikes began to liter their bodies.
Then, just as fast as their movements began, their blocks and counter-strikes were broken when Jaylan pushed his opponent back slightly, taking advantage of the opening in his enemy's defense and delivering a kick that sent him flying a few yards back.
Jaylan himself jumped back a few yards as well, giving him space between himself and the warrior that meant to end his life.
...
The crowds roared in excitement, to the point that Jaylan could barely hear himself think. Amidst the cheers he could hear a few booing, but those paled in comparison to the former.
Raising his sword up, once more grasped firmly with two hands, Jaylan charged towards his opponent, still slightly dazed from the kick he received.
The warrior tried to slash at him, but Jaylan twirled to the side, moving his blade so that it would make contact with his opponent's torso...
"*SHIIING*!"
Jaylan and the human warrior both froze, but for different reasons. The former was striking a pose kneeling with his sword extended and the latter...
"GHH!" Blood shot out from the warrior's torso, a horizontal gash going all the way from one end to the other.
Time began to move once more, the warrior dropping to the ground dead and dissolving into particles with Jaylan standing triumphantly in victory...
...
"THERE YOU HAVE IT, FOLKS! Our four champions in the arena!" the announcer yelled. "Thanks for coming out everyone! Let's have one last round of applause for our newest gladiators!"
Jaylan walked over to the spot where the Cathar warrior had died and picked up the item that was dropped, a strange, smooth cube of stainless steel that burst into particles the very moment he held it up for inspection.
"Congratulations! You received x1 Clan Ordo Shoulder Tattoo!" was the textbox that opened up, along with a smaller box underneath it with a choice...
"Do you wish to equip? Y/N."
"... Equip."
-Star Wars Online-
"So this is it, huh?"
"Yeah."
Two players stood at the base of the stairs of an ancient building dubbed 'The Forge'. The first was a young man, seventeen years of age that stood at 5'8" and had a mop of blond hair cut short, dark blue eyes, and wore the standard starting garb of a Jedi Knight class. The second was a fourteen year-old boy, garbed in the same outfit, stood three inches shorter than his companion, at 5'5" with neat black hair and black eyes, and a face that showed no trace of masculinity whatsoever.
"Welcome to The Forge." the second player said.
In Star Wars The Old Republic, the predecessor to Star Wars Online, The Forge was significant in that it meant a player was strong enough to leave the starting planet for Jedi Knights and Jedi Consulars, Tython. It was a place where Jedi Padawans would go to construct their first lightsabers, meaning they were responsible enough to wield one, strong of mind and body, and having proven their prowess to their teachers...
This did not accurately apply to players, however.
"So let me get this straight..." the first player began. "Right after we construct our lightsabers... we have to face a mini-boss?"
"Hai, the Forge Guardian." the second player stated. "But you aren't limited to just lightsabers if you were a Beta."
"Wait, what?! What other types of weapons can be made?!" the first player exclaimed.
"Double-bladed lightsabers - including the spinning ones, lightsaber-blaster hybrids, shoto-style lightsabers, and a few others I've heard." the second responded.
"Damn! And this is only for Betas?"
"Well, Betas get first picks in the beginning is all. Normal players can unlock the schematics and build them on their own with their own parts or free of charge here."
"How... How do you know all of this stuff, dude?"
"Gamer magazines, guides, those kinds of things."
"So what kind of lightsaber are you gonna make?"
"Well... I guess you'll just have to wait to find out, Dann." the second player stated mysteriously, grinning as he walked up the steps of the ancient building.
"Tch..." Dann grunted, though the smile on his face said otherwise about his attitude towards the response.
He was actually very fortunate to run into his partner, and would have not found The Forge in the first place were it not for him.
The kid was also actually pretty damn good with a blade too, despite his young age. And Dann was certain, without a doubt...
Kirito was destined for great things.
Chapter End
POST AN: Four more OCs have been introduced, as well as another main character. Sorry this chapter took a bit, but I stress the fact that I've been busy with other things.
And also, before you start with me on how easily the gladiators died, there is a reason for that. My own twist on something that was in Sword Art Online, something that is big yet small, living yet with no life, an unknown force that can be a double-edged sword...
The question that will soon need to be answered is... well, I think it's a bit too early to ask that.
Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Ja mata!
-CrimsonKyuubiSage out!
