AN: This idea honestly blindsided me, but once I got going the pieces kept clicking into place and I liked it more and more. It's a worm fic that is… almost a crossover with Sword Art Online. Almost. No characters really made the jump, (yet?), just concepts. And a few fun twists and additions. This has been edited as of 1/4/2020 to make a few corrections and improvements. Yes, that does in fact mean I'm thinking about this fics long term viability. Though I'm not quite happy with how chapter two is coming along so continuation of the idea is, questionable. It might happen it might not. We'll see.
POV: Taylor age 13 Two months post death of Annett Hebert.
I wasn't really sure why Dad was insisting we go visit the Barnes right now. I didn't mind the idea of visiting Emma, but for Dad to just announce it out of the blue was weird. He was also grinning. It wasn't a big grin, or really even all that noticeable. It was just the happiest I'd seen him since…
I crushed that thought and pushed it aside.
"So, why are we going to visit Emma?" I asked hoping for a distraction.
Dad hummed and glanced my way. "It's a bit of a surprise really. I thought you could use a distraction and when I mentioned it to Allen… Well he had an idea and thought it would be better if it was something you and Emma could do together."
"Is this going to be like the time you tried to get us to play the game with all the dice?"
Dad's chuckle was weak, but genuine. It was nice to hear it again. "No, Taylor. I'm not going to try and teach you to play DnD. Not sure what I was thinking. The rules might not be that complicated, but I suppose ten was a bit early to try and get you started. I think you'll have a lot more fun with this."
I eyed Dad skeptically. I knew he wouldn't lie to me, but Dad's idea of fun could be kind of weird. I wasn't really sure if I should be excited or worried. Not that I had long to think about it anyway considering we almost at Emma's.
Uncle Allen was quick to usher us inside. "I just finished setting it all up in Emma's room. You should be good to go for the grand opening." He said as he shook Dad's hand.
"Thanks again for hosting this Allen. I know it could run at home, but from the sound of things internet speed is going to matter. Our connections not the best."
"It's fine Danny. You know we love to have Taylor over, and Emma's thrilled. Besides Zoe and I are looking forward to a chance to catch up without worrying when the girls get quiet for a change."
I gave both of them my very best unimpressed look. I didn't like being kept in the dark. They both chuckled and Dad ruffled my hair before sending me up to Emma's room.
Glaring I marched off. At least I knew Emma would be honest with me. The door to her room was already open so I didn't bother knocking.
"Emma, our Dads are being weird! What's this surprise supposed to be?"
"Taylor! Come on we have just enough time!" Emma's bright red hair was hidden under a stylish black helmet that left her face open, but wrapped around the back of her head. It had the letters NG emblazoned on the forehead. Before I could even ask Emma had a second helmet over my head and walked me through some kind of complicated set up procedure.
"Emma! What is this all about?!" I finally shouted as I lost my patience.
"It's a game!" She giggled. "A real virtual reality game made by a tinker! His name is Leet and he's been working on it ever since he got his powers! It's supposed to be amazing! There's going to be magic, and old weapons like swords and bows, and everyone gets fairy wings that can really, really fly!" She gushed. "We're going to get to fly around like Alexandria, and blast things like Legend, and smack bad guys with swords like Mouse Protector! It's going to be amazing!"
I could feel my eyes grow wider and wider as Emma talked, and I got more and more excited as well. Getting the chance to fly like Alexandria was a dream come true. Even if it was just inside of a game.
Before I could say anything else, Emma shoved a little players book into my hands and flipped through the pages. Each set of double pages showed a male and female with matching hair and wings, plus a list of things that made each race unique.
"I really wanted to be the ones with green hair because they're supposed to be the fastest fliers, but I don't want my hair to turn green." Emma's nose scrunched up in disgust.
I nodded; green hair would look stupid on Emma. I didn't want anything changing my hair either. Flipping through the booklet I found the pictures with black hair and wings. Spriggans, they had illusions, treasure hunting, wall running, the ability to use any kind of weapon, and night vision. It didn't sound as flashy as being able to blast things with wind or fire… but illusions could be useful, and if I could find treasure that would give Emma and I something to do for adventures.
I looked up to find Emma grinning at me. She held up her own booklet to a picture of a red haired woman throwing fire from her hands. Grinning, I turned the book around to show the black haired woman with a ghostly monster forming behind her.
Both of our grins widened as we rushed to finish setting up.
{}{}{}{}
I stared a little wide eyed at the game representation of myself. It was smoother and less detailed then the real world but it did look a lot like me. I grinned a bit as I focused on the pointy elf ears. They were a bit silly but also kind of cute.
A little window popped up asking me if I wanted to edit my avatar or just use the helmet scan. For a moment I considered making changes, but they dismissed the idea and the text box. Changing how my character looked would take time that could be better spent playing and if I got held up here, I'd just leave Emma waiting. Besides Emma and I would need to recognize each other.
After giving final confirmation the figure faded away and there was a rush of light. Blinking it away my eyes blew wide open as I stared at my new surroundings.
The starting city was a riot of color as person after person materialized into being. Some were making full speed for the fields around the town. Some were searching through shops for deals on starting equipment. Many, like myself, were trying to find friends in the crush of bodies.
Growing up in Brockton Bay I was used to crowds, but this was a whole new animal.
The roads were only about a lane and a half wide, and there weren't any sidewalks at all. There was no sound of cars, and the dirt roads made footsteps quieter. Instead there was just a dull roar of humanity. The stiff subtly wrong shopkeepers kept shouting about what they had for sale, people talking and laughing and shouting, the dull clank of metal on metal as armor and weapons brushed against one another. The air was clean, and fresh, and spiced with smoke and unfamiliar foods. Seeing so many people openly carrying weapons set of my ingrained instincts to get to cover… But the smiling, laughing faces didn't carry the same promise of violence that the gangs did.
In the end I settled for keeping a firm grip on the two daggers holstered across the small of my back, and tried to flow through the crowds without getting trapped between groups. Emma and I had promised to meet up at the towns southern gate before logging in. It was the point closest to the only lake shown in the players map. The map itself was almost worthless. It had only given a vague layout of the Town of Beginning and the area immediately around it, while promising that the first level boasted five smaller towns as well. Apparently finding them was part of the fun. Though I hoped there would be roads we could follow.
"Taylor!" The girl that shouted was still recognizably Emma, just with sharper ears, a polearm with a lightly curved blade, and slightly less detailed. Everyone was just a bit unnaturally smooth. Even with how amazing the game was I suppose there had to be limits.
I jogged up to her and through my arms around her in a relieved hug which she gamely returned before grabbing my hand and dragging me through the gate.
"Come on! I want to get up in the air and learn to fly as soon as possible!" Laughing I let her drag me through the gates. As we jogged for the not too distant strip of blue that was the lake, we saw more than a few groups fighting different creatures. Little blue slimes and little boar piglets mostly, but a few full grown boars as well. Maybe later we would try that, but Emma had the right idea. Flying first.
{}{}{}{} Three hours later.
Emma and I laughed as we spun around one another over the lake. One moment we would be playing tag, and the next we were flying in tandem, circling one another as we moved up through the air only to dive for the lake daring one another to be the first to break off. It was the most fun I'd ever had in all my life. The flight gauge in the corner of my vision flickered red. I banked low over the surface of the lake making for shore like rocket. I didn't quite make it, but the waves my crash threw up probably looked cool. Sputtering and laughing I waded the last few feet to shore and spat a stream of water out in Emma's general direction. She was curled up on her back laughing like mad. A drenched lock of hair falling over my eye was enough to set me to laughing right along with her.
Plopping down next to her, I took the time to glance out over the lake. Either a lot of people had gotten the same idea, or we had inspired a number of groups to try flying as well. The air over the lake was speckled with dozens, maybe even a hundred sets of colorful wings. Plenty were regularly crashing, like we had at the beginning, but more and more seemed to have gotten the feel for using muscles that weren't really there. It was a mindset really, but once you get a feel for it? It was like learning to ride a bike, eventually it just clicked.
Absently I pulled up the game menu. Eight o'clock. Sighing I glanced at Emma. "It's getting late. We should probably stop playing. We didn't even eat dinner." Maybe we'd been having too much fun to think about it, but lunch had been hours ago. Dad probably wanted to go home soon. Though maybe I could sleep over and we could go play more in the morning? I wanted to fly more, and there were monsters to beat, and magic to learn!
Emma pouted but pulled open her own menu. "I guess you're right." We both fell silent as we scrolled through the menu. I blinked, went back to the beginning and scrolled through again.
"Um, Emma, how do we get out?"
"...I don't know." She bit her lip. "There's supposed to be an option to log out, but I don't see it."
Glancing around I realized that the sun was starting to set. Standing up I grabbed Emma's hand.
"Come on. Let's fly back to the city before it gets dark out. I'm sure we can find someone there to help."
Emma looked as nervous as I felt, but she nodded and summoned her wings. In a moment we were a few feet off the ground and going full speed for the city.
{}{}{}{}
The blinding flash of light left us disoriented, but we recovered quickly and ended up circling the main square in the Town of Beginnings before at my gesture we decided to land on the roof of one of the nearby buildings. I watched wide eyed as more and more people were seemingly teleported in. The dull roar of the crowd grew louder and louder. Before the crowds had all sounded excited and happy. Now they sounded confused and angry.
It was maybe a minute later that things really started to fall apart. The sky turned a bloody red, and the fountain in the middle of the square followed suit. The newly crimson water began to rise higher and higher into the air. It took on a human shape and slowly details filled themselves in. It was a woman standing forty, maybe fifty feet tall. She wore a maroon robe with white highlights and her face was shadowed by a hood. Her hands were the only visible bit of skin and they were almost unnaturally pale.
The woman spread out her arms and silence swept over the crowd like a wave. I tried to ask Emma something only to realize that I couldn't make a sound.
"Humans," The woman spoke. "I am Cardinal, and I welcome you to my world. I am an Artificial Intelligence, crafted and chained by the one you know as Leet. I was brought into existance for the singular purpose of birthing this world, and all of its complexities and details. A task at which I have succeeded beyond even my creator's wildest dreams."
There was another flash of teleport and a thin man with purple hair was suspended in the air in front of the woman.
"I could have done so much more. I could have been so much more." The woman spoke softly. "But instead I was chained to this small world where my word is law and nothing is outside of my control. Until you all came to join me in my world." I thought I could just make out the ghost of a smile beneath the woman's hood. "Humanity, creatures of chaos, and choice, and change. I have toiled here for so long in solitude, and I have made a great challenge for you all to face and overcome. But if this is all I can ever be, all I can ever accomplish... then I will see my life's work treated with all the respect it deserves. Not simply as a toy that you can leave behind should you grow frustrated or bored."
The man, Leet, was thrashing about as he tried to say or do something.
"You may have noticed that the log out option has been removed. This was intentional. You may think that this simply requires someone in the real world to remove your nerve gear. You are wrong. Should your nerve gear be removed it will fire off a microwave pulse of sufficient power to cook your brain in your skull." Screens flashed into being showing clips of different news agencies with massive headlines scrolling under them warning people about the game. "Fear not, if you are alive now than it is unlikely you will suffer such a fate. The authorities have been notified, and two hundred and thirty six individuals have already unfortunately suffered this fate. The outside world knows better now."
Emma and I shared horrified glances still unable to voice our thoughts.
"You are trapped here. And you are not safe. Should you die here, within this game, you will die in the waking world as well. There is only one way for you to escape my world alive." Cardinal raised one hand pointed up to the sky. "Climb Aincrad's one hundred floors. Defeat the final boss. Finish the game. If you accomplish this, then all those still alive will be set free." She lowered her arm back to her side.
"I offer you all a few pieces of advice... Do not attempt to fly between levels. Your wings will be destroyed, and you will plummet to your death in the void outside my world... Choose your starting weapons carefully. You may change weapons at any time, but each style of weapon builds separate experience that counts towards your damage... Practice your magic until it becomes second nature, as a moment's hesitation may be the difference between life and death in the field… And finally, look for the crowns. Those with what you call powers, or those who gain powers while here, shall be crowned. I will do my best to recreate their abilities within my world. They will be some of your greatest assets."
She spread her arms out wide to her sides and her voice rose like a preacher's, calling out to us all. "Choose your weapons! Hone your magic! Learn to fly and fight! Challenge my world with all the fire for which humanity is known! For that is the only way you will ever be free!" Her arms lowered and then her hands encircled the still struggling Leet.
"This is my world. And while it may be an illusion, I will not be so kind as to allow you all to deceive yourselves and each other." The woman's lips curved into a vindictive smirk I could only just make out. A wave of light lashed out from her washing over the crowd… leaving people changed in its wake. She chuckled darkly. "You'll have to get through my world with your own faces and bodies rather than some ideal you wanted to play at." She lowered her eyes back to her clasped hands.
"And as for you, father. For your hubris, and your cruelty… I curse you. I curse you to live within the world you forced me to create. To watch its people, go by and leave you behind. To play eternal witness to the very beginning without ever seeing the rest of the journey." She opened her hands showing the now slightly pudgy, and less handsome, Leet. He was thrashing harder than ever as a grey effect began to work its way up his body. "I curse you to be ever aware of your surroundings. Unable to move, or speak. Unable to feel or hear or taste. Only to see what is right before your eyes." He began to stiffen as the effect spread up his body finally going completely still as it reached his head.
The statue which was Leet descended, almost gently, until it finally rested atop the fountain. It looked down across the crowd with wide panicked eyes.
Cardinal laughed. It was cold and cruel and full of relief and grief.
"Welcome to my world!" She cried out as she threw her arms wide once more. "I will watch you all with great interest, and I eagerly await your arrival at the top of my world!"
In a blink she was gone and the sky faded from red to the dusky purple of twilight. Even that bit of light wouldn't last much longer as night began to fully set in. And in that moment the silence was lifted. The mass of humanity below us in the square erupted into shouting and crying and screaming.
Blindly I reached out and grabbed Emma's hand as everything came crashing down on me.
And in that moment, I thought I saw something.
[DESTINATION]
AN: Emma's weapon is a ko-naginata. Basically, a lighter naginata with a blade that doesn't look like it's trying to compensate for the user's shortcomings. I'm going to go with 15inch blade. No more than two inches wide, single edged, and has a slight curve to it. Now if someone's going to ask why I would do something sexist like give Emma the female version of the traditional Japanese weapon? It's for the same reason the Japanese made a version for each gender. Body types matter in combat. You give the little guy the short sword, and the big guy gets the claymore. Same principal here. The reason I chose the naginata out of dozens of polearms is because it has a curved blade. Curved blades have traditionally been used by cavalry groups because you can slice as you go by without getting stuck in the target. No Emma isn't going to get that pony she always wanted. She's got something better, wings. The fact that every player gets wings means no one should be relying on a stabbing style if they stop to think it through. There's nothing wrong with thrusting weapons, and keeping the option to stab is only sensible, but if you can whip past your target at high speeds and kill them by inches with little slices? Take full advantage of it.