Title: Two Brothers
Summary: We don't speak the language. We can't read the words. The menu is a troll. Half the time something wants to kill us and the other half is us trying to kill it. In short: SAO is the worst thing ever. OC Duo
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TB – J
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In the menu, there's another clickable option below the map image – a miniature figurine icon.
Unlike the top bar, which just has the rough outline of a person's top half torso and head, this little guy is fully shown. It kinda looks like the figure which pops up when Ethan was checking out his equipment page, but skinnier and small to fit the floating, semi-transparent circle button. Tapping it brings up the largest, singular panel of the entire menu. With more detail put into then I admittedly would have expected.
Personal Info
Obviously, it's a page dedicated to us. Me. My character. Name. Level. Experience. Health. Cor (current money). Equipment load weight. Item load weight. Status effects. Hunger. Thirst. Personal temperature (in Celsius, which I can't make a lick of sense of). Personal stats, comprised of only 'STR' and 'AGL.' Other things I don't have exact info on but will probably come up later. And all of it is, weirdly enough, spelled out in readable English.
Seriously, why are some things English and others not? Is the menu bugged? Is 'bugged' the right word? Game lingo, still getting back into it.
Anyway, Personal has some nifty info behind it. Plenty of life stats. Was that to make the game more realistic? Not sure. Didn't know what half of the marks were meant to do and tapping on something like 'Hunger' or 'Thirst' only brought up more bars and – surprise! – more Japanese.
Menu, you're killing me here.
If Ethan's had any troubles with it, he's not saying. In fact, for the last ten minutes, he hasn't said much. Just keeps going back and forth with his menu and his posturing, mimicking his video's moves as best he can.
Can't help but smile.
Ethan got himself a Skill. 'One-handed Dagger.'
Took him awhile, but he got his after some twentieth Blue Boar. And boy, if that didn't put a little cheer in him.
Not sure what move Ethan's practicing – for that matter, not sure what move I've been doing is either – but he's feeling it out. Keeps moving his knife down to his side, watching as it glows a marsh-green, then steps forward in a quick cut. Smooth, fast, and the afterglow of where the knife flew lingers. That look on Ethan's face says he's probably feeling what I did my first time – the projection, the quickness, even a bit of virtual adrenaline that comes with it. There's a thrill to moving that fast. I'd almost call it addicting.
Now he's trying to make it feel natural. Couple cuts, down stab, bring knife back and move into the Sword Skill. It's not fancy or smooth. To be honest, it's anything but. Though, if Ethan actually knew anything on how to use a knife, that would raise a few concerning questions on my part. So, it's a plus-negative, I guess. Probably didn't help that he's working in a body that's way outside his comfort zone, either.
Then again, it's not like I'm doing much better. Felt like I've been using a bat more than a sword, once or twice. Which is awkward, 'cause the sword's handle just doesn't have the width for two hands, even with these new, skinny palms.
Maybe I should have gone with something like the mace or hammer. Probably would have felt more natural.
But I was Mulan (sort of), so having any other weapon would have felt wrong.
"Yo, Jon!"
Oh, I'm being called. "Yeah?"
Ethan's not practicing. "I think I'm hungry."
Really? That was fast. We're only a couple hours in. Didn't think we'd leave till dinner.
"You want to logout?" I ask.
He shook his head. "No, I meant-"
I heard a growl coming from Ethan's avatar. A low, gurgled sound. I'm not dumb enough to figure out where that came from. And no, it wasn't another boar.
"That. That's saying I'm hungry."
A virtual, growling stomach. Nothing in this world will ever surprise me again.
My 'Hunger' says it's about a quarter of the way to empty on my Personal. I guess that means I'm almost famished? Not really sure when my stomach will start growling, and I'm almost tempted to let it do just that to see how it feels, but I'm sure explaining as much to Ethan will not score me any points, so…
"Let's grab some lunch." With a wave of my hand, the menu disappears. It's always willing to leave, not so willing to popup. I'll just mark that as a sign of its rising intelligence and willingness to fight against its human overlords. And not so much about my lack of tech savviness. Definitely not that.
Well, whatever. Let's see how virtual food tastes.
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TB – J
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Black bread.
Fun story, when I was younger, before Natalie or Ethan, I liked to nibble or bite anything that wasn't grass, rocks or dirt. No idea why, too long ago, and I can't remember half the things I've tried to stick between my lips during that frankly bizarre point in my life. I can't remember how many times Mom had to explain to me that what I was trying to eat was 'yucky' or 'not good.' Of course, I listened, but I doubt I took the message to heart as I probably should have. I think I remember an ant or dead fly in particular Mom wasn't too observant to stop me from gorging myself on…
I did break the habit. Obviously. Stupid kid antics and stuff.
Mom, in her usual quirkiness, found the perfect thing to do it with. Something that would break my usual pattern of fitting things to my mouth. Something so tasteless and vile I'd refrain from putting another thing to my lips.
She gave me, of all things, charcoal to suck on.
Suck on? Phht, yeah right. I bit into that sucker like I hadn't eaten anything in a month.
Goes without saying, that was a big mistake.
Now, this is black bread. It is, as Ethan says, the most basic and cheap of meal options. 1 Cor for each loaf, found in the cheapest looking stand down at the very edges of the main market of the Town of Beginnings. It looks to be burnt black, barely larger than my hand – this girlish one – and crumbs start to fall just by holding it. It's default durability is less than a single point, meaning to even put it down in the gentlest of ways might cause it to break.
Apparently, it had something of an infamous reputation online during the Beta testing phase of the game. For it's 'unique taste.'
Ethan bought six pieces and split them between us.
"Cheers," he said then took a first bite. Large and deep, nearly taking the first loaf all in one go.
I followed after. I wouldn't be outdone, so I went with as large a chomp as my mouth could allow.
And…oh.
It was like taking a bite out of thick flour. It broke in my mouth. Bitter, so very bitter. It touched and stuck to the top of my mouth, my teeth, my tongue. Swallowing it was not an option. This wasn't bread but something pungent and harsh. To call it bread was an insult to even the most despicable examples of dough in the world. And when I tried to breathe, that was dumb. I could feel the black crumbs fall to the back of my throat, lighting my throat up like I decided to drink straight liquor. It probably was a lot like trying to swallow cinnamon, though I've never been so dumb as to try it. Let others be stupid and make me laugh with the challenge, I was more than happy to keep my pride and dignity.
Till now, that is.
My eyes are blurred, but I can still make out something happening around us. Players are laughing. Laughing at us. Smiling and amused as I hobbled and tried to move past this horrible taste. Amused by our spectacle of suffering, it seemed some decided to stop what they were doing to watch us for a moment.
I didn't even have the sense to feel embarrassed by it all. I just wanted to stop the bread.
And Ethan…nope, he's doing just as bad. Worse, actually. He's on his knees, trying to hold himself up, gagging and trying to cough out the crap. His eyes are watering, words aren't forming, and I wonder what he would say if he wasn't breathing out black specks of bread now.
I should have waited. Waited for him to take the first bite and see how he took to it.
Hindsight's twenty-twenty, but common sense is a powerful, true friend and it thankfully has a small victory here.
I navigated back to the stall. Two water skins, sitting at the far side next to the bread. I grab two, tap the blue-positive key for purchasing them, 30 Cor each, then take a swig.
Oh, I'm a man dying of thirst.
Water. Sweet, sweet water.
Still, I'm feeling a bit funny from it all. Legs still need a second to correct themselves, so I more-or-less hobble over and pass the other pouch over. Well, more like I have to push it in my brother's face for him to see it, but he takes it and navigates the opening to his lips quickly.
"Agh, fuck," he coughs out the words. I'm pretty much doing the same. Can't even find the reason to stop him and his choice words. I just want to breath and get rid of the taste. Plus, okay, I might feel somewhat similar to what he's preaching. "Fuck this bread!"
"Let's," one sec, need to cough, "let's get off the road." We've stopped player traffic. No one seemed to mind – we were quite the show. Probably even more so as the nimble young woman – me – pulls the large monster to the side.
We wait a minute. Two. Three. Just catching our breath. And all the while, our suffering was still a spectacle.
"Jon, after careful consideration and testing, I've concluded that, maybe, black bread is disgusting." No, really? I can't even laugh as Ethan, in some unparalleled way, managed to keep his bread held and lift it in triumph to the sun before casually letting it drop to the dirt. It dissipated into light pieces, kind of like how those boars went earlier: dramatic and without a sign that it was even there to begin with.
I'd say it was too good an end for something so horrible.
My own piece fell some point during the first gag session. I wasn't going to miss it, no question of that. It fell around…
"Huh."
Now that's unexpected.
I watch the spectacle. And I can't believe it.
It's funny, though my laugh comes out more like a bark with a cough mixed into it. Still, that's good stuff.
It gets Ethan's attention. "What?"
I'm still laughing. It's coming out stronger. I point to where we were, past a few players who decided they themselves were going to enjoy themselves on the silliness of the mid-road shenanigans.
My brother followed my finger. "You've got to be shitting me."
"Language." He's pushing it.
Standing in the center of a makeshift circle, five players start to cry and spatter themselves around. Coughing and gagging as their eyes start to water. They seem to be finding it remarkably difficult to breath. Some were on their knees while others tried to keep themselves steady and tall. They were struggling and fighting, and it became all too obvious what it was from down at our point on the side.
In one player's hand, more than half-a-loaf of black bread had been bitten clean off.
It was much funnier to watch the struggle now. Entertainment via stupid players being stupid. I'll admit, I kinda love it. "I think we started something," Ethan's enjoying this much more than me, cackling through Wick's mouth like a madman.
Can't say I really disagree with him.
'Black Bread Swallowing.' Can we get a patent on that? Maybe some t-shirts made?
I laugh at my own stupid joke as Ethan passed me a bit more bread, nudging it to my side. Can't say I really want anything more to do with it, but I imagine I've taken the worst of it. Temptation to just toss it like it's gonna bite me is mighty tempting, but I ignore that wise part of me and slowly, carefully, nibble into the side.
Much more manageable.
Still tasted like burnt toast and ash, but it was controllable. Take a swipe of water after and it didn't bother so much.
Gotta give credit where credit is due. The sensory tools for food are excellent.
Praise Kayaba, my pain is all his fault.
"Bread, water," I raise the bread, staring straight to the stricken, coughing players that continued to gather an ever-increasing band of viewers, "and entertainment. Don't say I never take you anywhere nice."
Successful bad joke earns me some small laughs, mixed in with a cough. Ethan lifts his water to me, tapping the tops in a makeshift 'cheers' before focusing on a new set of 'contenders' moving to the center of the black bread circle, answering the roaring cheers and enthusiasm that beckoned, as best I can guess, for them to bite that bread like it was the end of the world.
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TB – J
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"On your left!" Bring sword to snout, a shallow cut but the health of the canine dips. Headshot, I guess.
"Got him!" As far as brutalities go, seeing a seven-foot pale creature plunge its knife down a wolf's head, twist, and stop the thing in its tracks with a very nasty critical is something I could have lived without seeing. But the knife did its job, I can't bar that, but the excited cheer and laugh that came from Ethan would probably be a little unnerving to think about post fight. I really hope my brother doesn't start to think learning how to use a knife in real world is an idea to follow.
"Warrgh!"
I once had a dog. A German Shepard who mom named 'Wayne.' Best friend I had growing up, loved to lick your face and have his stomach scratched. Protective to a fault, too.
These Dire Wolves remind me of him. Once I got passed the sharper teeth, the white and brown colored fur, the red eyes and its general unpleasantness, it wasn't all too different. I have a soft spot for dogs, I guess. Still needed to cut them down because Ethan, seeking something more enticing, prize-worthy and challenging then the Blue Boars, took us a little further into the plains. No surprise we'd find more enemies. Stronger enemies. But I figured they'd be small in number before we raised ourselves to larger groupings.
I think Ethan thought the same. So, when the six Dire Wolves came, 'aggroed' just by the look of us, we weren't given much chance to talk or think before the fighting started.
It wasn't all bad. Bit of health down, a couple surprises here and there, but there's only two left to go.
And yes, it was a challenge.
They're smarter than the boars. Better tactics, hit-and-run moves, sharper attacks and aren't nearly so easy to counter against. Plus, they're fast and skinny. That's hard to cut or stab. Even their growling and barks are somewhat intimidating.
Oh, an opening.
"Aeeigh…"
One tried to go for Ethan's legs. Eyes too narrowed on one thing. Didn't keep its eyes on the both of us.
"Raugh!"
Agh, that works two ways! Didn't keep my eye on the other, now it's on my back! It's on my back! And the teeth at my neck and the claws in my spine! My health is dwindling, almost to half – yellow!
Then, the pressure's off.
"Got you, ya fuck!" Ethan has my back. As my own wolf dies with a whimper, I don't wait to turn to see what's happened.
Ethan's got the wolf down. Tackled and struggling to get up and move, but my brother won't have it. If I thought the previous kill was something troubling, the way that dagger tore into the underbelly and twisted and sawed its way out was definitely more gruesome. Sure, the blood's very digital and nothing spews out. Just a red scar of sorts. Long and jagged. Can't even tell if it's deep or aggravated. It just doesn't look like a real stomach being carved.
Still doesn't take away that, yeah, it's a pretty gruesome way to go.
"Bwee…"
Result
Exp – 444
Cor – 480
Items – 7
There's a long pause after that.
'That' being a very good choice of word to describe…all of 'that.'
I mean, ho-ly crap.
All of that! All of it!
Ethan falls to the side, breathing quick. Panting, almost. I'm not sure if we even need to breath in the game, but we still do. It's natural. And there is air here, even if it's virtual. Seems to help calm down the beating in my chest, which even still I have to wonder if it's my real heart or the virtual one of the game.
I'm overthinking this. I'll just fall down to the grass now.
The grass is nice. I can work with it.
Ethan's quiet for a moment, still breathing deep. The skinny chest of his character doesn't expand much, but there's movement so I know he isn't dead. Virtually, at least.
Then, "Huuuh…"
I laugh. Can't help it. I sound tired, but that's a quiet relief after that.
"Yeah," it's an accurate interpretation of how I feel, "yeah…"
Conversation dies for a moment. Which is fine, we kind of earned our moment of peace. And the grass is really nice.
"Sorry," Ethan starts again. Less heavy breathing, "about…yeah." Non-committed shrug of the hand to former area of Dire Wolf corpses. "Got carried away."
"It's fine." It is. Seriously. Harsh kills aside, this is a game. Ethan might as well have been walking around in a monster costume. He's killed in games plenty of times, this isn't something new. Heck, I've cheered him on for his success in beating something or someone online who proved troubling. Those were some cool times.
I shouldn't have to remind myself of this. My brother isn't a monster. Never has been, never will be. Actions in game don't translate to real life. "It's no problem. It's…not like I expect you to go ax-crazy for real or anything." 'Psychotic' isn't usually a word I'd describe him with. "Besides, that was…I mean, did you see that? A wolf jumped on my back!" I laugh to myself. Bit forced, but mostly to relax with. That wolf was real. Sounds, growls, claws, even felt heavy over my shoulders.
On a pure appreciation level, that was some realistic stuff.
"Wolf probably thought he could make you his bitch," oh no, that's the smart-mouth Ethan smile right there. "Bit wimpy, bit skinny…yeah, I could see you being the submissive one. Top grade bitch quality, I hear."
Oh, Jesus. "Lan-langu-hoo-hoo," oh no, "langua-hoo-ha-ha-haah!" I shouldn't – I'll only encourage him!
Laying on the grass. Covered in something that might be virtual sweat or my own imagination getting the better of me. Tired, in some manner I can't say how but, even virtually, it's affecting me. Hearing across the hills other players giving there all in fighting pigs and rabid dogs, shouting and cheering in parties or small groupings. Enjoying the feeling of the sun, even as it lowers off to the corner. It was almost going on four, the last we checked before the Dire Wolves. Almost time for a dinner break from all this.
And still, I'm laughing. Laughing and smiling. And I just can't find it in me to stop.
This is a really excellent game.
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TB – J
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"Ha, noob."
"Come on, he's a kid."
"And that's a Blue Boar. Which is doing him sideways like a blind potato. Therefore, noob."
"There, see? Got him in the side."
"Yeah? Well, watch and – ah, right in the kisser!"
"Ouch. Kid needs some help…and his friends aren't exactly backing him up."
"They're more noob then he is. You can't feel pain in the game, noobs! Get in there!"
"I don't think they understand you. Maybe if you shout a little louder."
"Maybe I will. When you think about it, isn't every language just English spoken very slowly and very loudly? They got what I was–hey, check out that guy. Trying to be all sneaky with a two-handed hammer…"
Sitting on one of the hills, overlooking a particularly lively zone of Blue Boars and players, Ethan and I decided to make a little game out of watching some players start on their first enemies. It was an awkward display for some, others looked like they were just 'casualing' (Ethan's words, not mine), and some just carved through the blue pigs like they weren't even trying.
"He's a Beta tester. Calling it now."
A few players were already moving to the forested areas past the low-level plains. Not sure what sorts of enemies were there yet. We thought about jumping into it, but after the wolves, and because it was getting close to dinner, we thought about just lazing around before heading in. Getting an eye for the competition, as Ethan said. Translation: I'm pretty sure he's going to go on his first player killing spree tomorrow. Might even shanghai me into service.
I'd prefer it that way. Not exactly a pretty picture of my brother, in Wick avatar costume, murdering me with a knife. I could do without the nightmare.
"Ah, they got it. Red health and everything. That's disappointing." He referred to the trio who had difficulties with their boar.
"Why? Did you want to see them get beat?" I ask.
"I wanted to point and laugh at them. I mean, seriously? A Blue Boar? Those are trash mob monsters at best!" We're a judgmental pair. "Egh, screw it. These guys are putting me off my game. Ready to go?"
I did, actually. Call in a break, grab something to eat, maybe go and check some stuff out around Tokyo. That was my plan, at least. Pretty sure Ethan's is to just jump right back after he has his personals taken care of. Do a little 'single player,' maybe. Which probably meant I'd have to jump back in too because there's no way I'm leaving him in an apartment alone in a foreign country.
And…okay, maybe some night gaming didn't sound too bad, either. If this place is beautiful in the day, I can only imagine it at night.
"Yeah, I'll be out in a sec. I'm just gonna watch the sun for a bit longer, if that's cool with you." Didn't get sunsets like these back home. Too many trees, didn't know any good hills, and there's always the feeling like there's something I could be doing instead of wasting my time on the sun. Namely work, watching Jaune, or…more work. My social life needs work.
The slender Wick avatar stands up, stretching his virtual muscles out. I might have imagined it, but I swear I heard some actual joints crack. That's realistic. "Alright, see you on the flipside. Gonna order some room service, want anything?"
"Meh, surprise me. Whatever sounds good." He'd probably not screw me over. Probably.
"You got it."
I could hear the familiar chime of the menu opening up. The sound of the menu being scrolled through as Ethan perused towards the Settings icon. A large gear at the bottom of everything. Didn't check it out myself, but aside from an option page which I couldn't read to a help icon which, again, couldn't because Japanese is an evil, evil language, there's only the logout feature. A door with an arrow through it.
We were careful not to press that too soon after jumping in.
Beep.
I settled myself down. It's warm in here. Nice breeze. Bit of fighting in the background. Not to shabby for a place to relax.
Beep.
I look up to Ethan. Still here. Still on his menu.
Beep beep.
Ha. He's having trouble with the menu. "I think you're supposed to swipe it. Like a touch screen."
"Shut up. It's not doing anything."
Beep beep beep.
…Nope. Nothing. "Give it a sec." I can practically read the retort on his face but he listens, staring at the menu. A good thirty seconds pass and still nothing. "Huh. Think we gotta be in town to logout?" It would make sense, I think. Don't remember everything, but I think that's a rule with some games.
"Maybe?" Ethan didn't sound so sure, throwing the menu to the side. He even looked annoyed. "Kind of a dumb game choice, though. This map is huge. If I'm in the middle of it, does that mean I have to run back all the way just to take a real-world piss?" Wording aside, I could see how that could get annoying quick.
Well, if I'm going to have to logout eventually, probably going to need to start making my way into town, so…
"Wanna head back?" I ask, lifting up already.
Ethan's still annoyed but it wasn't like he had much of a choice.
"Yeah. I guess."
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TB – J
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Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep-
For the love of- "Stop that."
"It's not working." His annoyance was palpable.
"I've noticed. Stop."
"I'm trying. Can't though. I think I might be addicted."
"I hear a good smack to the back of the head can break any bad habit."
"Ah. Dad?"
"Dad."
"Right." His beeping stopped. Though, looking around, not really sure it mattered.
The town proved largely unhelpful. Walked through the gates, stepped onto the streets, moved around with the menu open and the logout key pressed almost consistently. Been going on like this for the last five minutes. I even got my own menu out, for how much good that offered. No dice, no luck, still in the game.
"You think this has anything to do with the servers?" Not sure if that's even the right thing to ask, or if those would even prove an issue to the game to begin with, but it didn't hurt to get a second opinion.
Ethan shook his head, passing the menu off as the interest in 'beeps' faded. "Don't know. Pretty sure we'd see something like a notice or popup if there was a problem."
He's probably right. I mean, not being able to leave the game is a pretty serious issue to just leave without an announcement.
Still, looking around, it's hard to not notice something's off.
We're not the only ones with the menu out. Too many people tapping the logout feature to miss, too many faces which scream 'what's going on' to ignore, and the surrounding beeps are enough to drive me insane without my brother adding to the mess of noise. Obviously, we're not the only pair with issues, which in a weird way is a comfort but doesn't get rid of the problem. This is new territory for gaming; in any other game, I could just shut off the platform or go away from the screen until problem fixes itself. But Sword Art Online, in a figure of speech, is kind of in my head. I can't even make a motion to remove the NerveGear. All physical functions are stalled whilst in FullDive. A smart thing to add, 'cause I really wouldn't want to know that my body was swinging an invisible sword around while I'm trying to cut down a monster in the game, but the downsides are starting to become obvious.
Can't ask if anyone knows what's going on. Can't even make out heads or tails what everyone's talking about or saying, just that there's a wave of anxiety going around. The language barrier between us and them has been more evident in the span of the last few hours in-game then the whole of our vacation.
"Got any ideas?" I ask, mostly to make small talk. I'm not worried. I'm not. But this is kinda outside my area of know.
"Nah, nothing." Not exactly reassuring, but nothing I didn't expect.
"Think anyone else has a clue what to do?"
"Do they look like they have a clue?"
Love it when he answers my question with another question. "No, I guess they don't."
"Hmm. Well, shit," Ethan lets himself laugh. Bit awkward with everyone looking confused and worried around us. "First day in the first virtual reality online game, which turns out to be the epitome of beastage, and it glitches out so I can't even leave. Can't tell if that's awesome as hell or a pain in the ass."
Langu-ah, screw it, there's more important things right now. "Well…let's not worry about it just yet," I try to pacify. "Probably just a thing with the servers, you know. Everyone in here at once. Might just a bug or…I can't imagine it'll take much longer to-"
Bells start to ring. A loud, echoing sound.
And then, there's light.
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TB – J
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I'm not really sure what just happened.
We're in the Central Courtyard now. Where we first came in. We were by the gates a second ago, then there was this light and bells-
Oh. We're not alone.
Okay, elaboration: bursts of light are pouring out from the stone floorings everywhere. That's not exactly an exaggeration, it's almost blinding.
To my left, right, behind me, in front of me, everywhere around. Great covers of gleam and shine are quite literally coming out of nowhere. And weirdest of all? People are in them. Other players, actually, who seem just as thrown off by what's happening as I am. Can't speak for my brother, who seemed to have taken a similar trip as I did and beamed up beside me, but I'm thinking his 'what the schnitzel' face isn't just for show.
"Jon?" I hear Ethan over the light's sound effects as they sprout players all around us.
"Yeah?"
"The fuck is going on?"
"No idea." Maybe a game event? Do online games have those?
"This is stroking my weird meter a bit, just want to get that out there. Should I be concerned?" Can't really disagree with him. The bell, which I just figured out is from the short clock tower at the center of this place, is ringing something a bit unsettling. I can't say why but there's definitely an unorthodox feeling with everyone here. The shadow of this place, the timing, the curious looks on everyone's faces. Any other time, I might give props for the facial recognition style that the game allows, but I am not gamer enough for that right now.
"Just give it a sec," gotta remain calm, "just stick by me, 'kay?"
"Shoot, don't have to tell me twice."
The lights stopped now. And boy, there's a crowd here. Whole bunch of armed and armored gamers from her to the other side of the yard. Almost feels cramped. Glad I'm not claustrophobic, or this might just be enough to set my uncomfortable levels to whole new-
The bells stopped.
"O-mi-nous."
Ethan just had to comment. Players around start to notice the silence, going quiet themselves. Waiting for something that I swear I can feel is about to happen.
Then, a new sound came over us. From the sky, now. A blinking red symbol – a hexagon – beat with the new alarm. There's words in it, but I'm having trouble making them out.
Actually, that's because I expected Japanese. Can't really blame me, this game has been flip-flopping between them for hours.
Instead, this is English.
The word is simple and in all uppercase letters.
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
WARNING
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
WARNING
The hexagon began to multiply.
At each of its corners, a new one appeared. 'System Announcement,' 'warning,' 'system announcement,' 'warning.' Continuous, expanding, surrounding the courtyard quickly in a quick, red dome. But by the way of the nighttime light began to fall over the area, the red seemed to darken as it's semi-transparent makeup darkened itself over, making the red seem to darken considerably. A shadow over us in dark maroon.
It got quickly got worse.
Red liquid – no, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Blood began to pour out from the corners. Washing over the sky area, bubbling and pouring loudly for everyone to here. I half expected it to fall on some unexpectant players, but it stopped some feet about as if it were falling into a glass.
It swiveled and filled. Blue sparks and shines of electricity surrounded it. A shape began to make itself out from the liquid, taking form and slowly rising upwards.
"Holy fuck."
The blood finished pouring. The shape took a stance. Instead of liquids, now stood a figure. An actual, taller-than-the-buildings person loomed over us from above. Arms and legs were there, but covered in clothes and gloves. A long red cloak, similar to the shade of the sky and warning symbols, hid the figure's person. Even their face was hidden by a hood, shaded over and invisible.
He stood there for a long moment. Questions and curious mumbles started to make their way through the crowds. Concerned sounds I couldn't understand, but didn't have trouble figuring out that this wasn't normal.
Then the cloaked man spoke.
"What do you think he's saying?" I hadn't a clue. Japanese ominous speaker. No concept of understanding whatever was coming out. But I bet it was ominous, 'cause the voice was definitely echoing like some sort of dark villain of sorts. Kinda fit the blood-self-making theme he had going for him.
"No idea, but I could really go for a translati-"
Oh.
A popup.
Alternative Language Found
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"Attention, Players!"
"I welcome you to my world!"
"Oh, subtitles. God bless this game." Ah, good. Ethan's being filled in too.
The ominous man speaks.
"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. And as of this moment, I am in control of this world."
Oh.
Game announcement from the game maker himself. And with an interesting, if bit scary, opening.
Neat.
"I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menu.
The logout button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect of the game.
I repeat, this is not a defect."
Ah. Game status update. Clear up some concerns.
Gotta give the guy points for clearing it up himself. That's dedication.
Speaking of, the red avatar was moving through the motions for the logout function with his own menu. A personal showing of how to properly logout, I assume. The guy doesn't cut corners, that's for certain.
"This is how Sword Art Online was meant to be."
"…Huh?"
"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO. And no one from the outside will be able to shut
down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a
transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull."
"Destroying your brain, and ending your life."
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TB – J
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Kayaba, or his big, floating red avatar at least, stopped for moment.
Letting us process…that. All of that.
Murmuring. There was murmuring. Lots of it. All around me.
"Jon? Jon, am I reading…"
I could feel Ethan look over my shoulders, reading my own text. I didn't reply back. I just waited for the cloaked man to keep talking and let the text update itself.
"Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have
attempted removing the NerveGear. An unfortunate decision, to say the least."
"As a result, the game now has 213 less players than when it began.
They've been both deleted from Aincrad and the real world."
I stare at the number for a long moment, then look to the red avatar.
With a wave of one of his large hands, popups begin to appear around Kayaba's figure.
"As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything."
"Including the deaths."
Those popups. YouTube, CNN, some videos of newsmen and women talking beside images of ambulances and NerveGear photos. Photos of Japanese boys, girls, men and women of several ages. Crying people on streets, behind yellow tape as people gather around a blocked off area. Live coverage on all of this. I think I even saw the White House briefing room with a man at a podium.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
"At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being
removed is minimal, at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as
you try to clear the game. It's important that you remember the following:
there is no longer anyway to revive someone within the game.
If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system. Forever."
"And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain."
Blue Boar. Dire Wolves. Ethan taking a hit.
Jesus Christ.
The popups disappear from around the red avatar. A new image – the floating castle of Aincrad, the world of the game – appears over us.
"There is only one way for a player to escape now. You must clear the game."
"Right now, you are gathered on Floor One. The lowest level of Aincrad.
If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor.
Defeat the boss on Floor One-Hundred and you will clear the game."
"The fuck is he saying?" Ethan. Only a whisper. "This is bullshit. Complete, fucking bullshit."
It was something even I knew from reading. One-hundred floors? The Beta testers didn't make even a dent in the floor completions, and they had a month to play.
Months.
"Last, but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player."
"Please, have a look."
Ethan was already doing it. Frantic, at that.
I followed after. One swipe was all it took to open it, of course.
Item storage. A single, Japanese texted item. Could have been a bomb or face-hugging alien, for all I know.
I press it, and the something falls into my hand.
"It's a mirror."
More light again. To my left, right, back and front. With screams following.
I barely notice. Barely care. The light is taking me, too.
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Numbers of players remaining in Sword Art Online:
9,787
Major Changes in Jon's Character:
Gained 'One-Handed Sword' Skill!
Major Changes in Ethan's Character:
Gained 'One-Handed Dagger' Skill!
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Author's Note: AND WE ARE IN SAO OFFICIALLY!
Jesus! Ten chapters. Who would've thought it'd take that long?
Next Update: 8/01/2017