A/N: Sword Art Online is the property of Reki Kawahara, A-1 Pictures, Yen Press and Aniplex USA. Please support the official release.
Floor 1 - Woodland Forest
"Goddammit Klein, you had one job!" Sinon growled as she threw herself sideways, narrowly avoiding the incoming vine with naught but a second to spare.
"How was I supposed to know that was the wrong flower to pick?!" he shouted back, blocking an attack with the flat of his blade before retaliating with a vicious diagonal slash.
"I literally told you five minutes ago!"
"Ah… right. Forgot about that," he grimaced.
"Duck, now!" Sinon commanded, swinging her crossbow around and pulling the trigger in one swift motion, the iron bolt missing Klein's head by a whisker before burrowing itself deeply into the side of a nearby Little Nepenth.
"Sweet Jesus! You nearly took my head off with that thing!"
"Oh, quit whining! If you have time to complain, then you have time to fight!"
"I am fighting!"
Despite being called "Little Nepenthes", there was actually nothing "little" about these predatory plants. They stood at nearly two meters tall, and had a set of arm-like vines with pointed leaves attached to either side of their body. Their lower half consisted mostly of countless roots that were used to move around, and the center of their heads held a wide, red mouth that had viscous liquids dribbling out at frequent intervals.
They were among some of the tougher mobs inhabiting the First Floor of Aincrad, and was best fought either on their own or in packs of two. So, naturally, Klein had managed to aggro four of them.
"If I die here, I'm definitely coming back to haunt your ass," Sinon grunted as she deflected a wild strike with the top of her crossbow, the force of the blow sending rippling waves of pain trailing down both of her arms.
"Hey, that's uncalled for!" Klein responded as he cut off an incoming vine with a well-placed slash, the now open wound spraying green blood all over his robes. "Ugh… Plant blood…"
Sinon's off-hand knife came up just in time to block yet another attack, before she retreated all the way until she was standing back-to-back with Klein.
"Is it?" she scoffed, utilizing the short break in fighting to reload her crossbow. "Who was it that picked the flower I explicitly told him not to pick again?"
"There were so many of them! And they all looked the same! You can't fault a guy for messing up in a situation like that!"
"Oh, watch me," Sinon muttered, taking aim and firing at a nearby Little Nepenth. Her bolt struck true, and proved to be the final hit necessary to bring the creature down. It collapsed in a heap of green leaves and vines, whereupon it let out one final death-cry before falling still.
"Got one!"
"Same here," Klein responded, having just finished off an opponent of his own with a two-hit Sword Skill.
"Two down, two to go," Sinon nodded, staring down their remaining enemies with an ice-cold glare.
"I'll take the one on the right if you take the one on the left," Klein proposed, a stern gleam in his eyes.
"Deal."
Much to Sinon's surprise, however, she didn't even get a chance to properly raise her crossbow before Klein suddenly darted past her, his body a swirling mess of crimson and silver. She was rather sure she had never seen anyone move quite so fast in SAO before, and the sight of it left her momentarily bewildered as the katana-wielding samurai started tearing into his enemies with reckless abandon.
Gone were his usual, aloof mannerisms. Gone was the confident yet slightly dim-witted smile.
All that remained on Klein's face now was a look of complete concentration, mixed with pure, unadulterated killing intent.
What the...
He fought like a man possessed; ducking, weaving and sidestepping every attack that came his way before delivering furious strikes with his katana, slashing through vines, leaves and plant fibers alike. There was no hesitation in his moves, only grim conviction and fearlessness. No reluctance, just... determination. A desire to live, to triumph, backed by an ironclad will that would not falter.
It was like watching a dance of death, and Sinon found herself completely entranced by its savage beauty.
Moments later, Klein dispatched with his final foe, returning his katana to its sheathe as the monster fell at his feet.
"H-H... How..." Sinon stammered, her words failing her.
"Hm? What?" Klein asked, turning around to face her, now back to his usual self.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Sinon blurted out, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Uh... What was what?"
"That! The... The battle! The skill! The killing intent!"
"Oh," Klein blinked, before running an awkward hand through his spiky red hair. "I told you I was the leader of FuurinKazan, right? Well... I wasn't lying when I said that we are a pretty big deal on the frontlines."
"I... I didn't..." Sinon sputtered, completely nonplussed by this unexpected turn of events.
"And what kind of leader would I be if I couldn't stand up for myself?" he finished with a cheeky grin. "What? Did my impressive display of skill leave you all hot and bothered, perhaps?"
And just like that, Sinon's burgeoning admiration for him was smashed back down into the ground again.
"Hah! You wish," she scoffed, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Ahh, shame. Can't fault a guy for trying though!"
"Just... go get the last flower you need. And try to pick up the right one this time!"
"Ha ha, very funny."
As Klein went over to do as instructed, Sinon couldn't help but feel a strange sensation well up in her chest. For some reason she couldn't quite explain, she really, really wanted to befriend this guy. And that was not something she had wanted for a very long time.
To befriend someone else.
Maybe... Just maybe... He's not so bad after all...
"So, uhh... Forgive me for asking, Sinon, but... how come you're so into VRMMO's anyway?" Klein asked as the two of them made their way back towards the village of Horunka, having collected all the necessary flowers needed to complete the quest.
"Where did that come from?" Sinon frowned, a pang of anxiety flaring up at the question.
"Just curious, is all. You're clearly skilled, so you must've played other VRMMO's before jumping into SAO."
"Oh. Well... yeah. I did."
"Cool! Which ones?"
Sinon bit her lip in consternation. Did she really want to talk about this right now? And with a person she had only known for a couple of hours at that?
"Uhh... I've played a fair bit of Alfheim Online, and Gun Gale Online."
"Ahh... Those are good ones. I personally prefer ALO to GGO, but that's just because I like melee combat more than ranged. GGO has the cooler aesthetic though. SBC Glocken is something else."
"Y-Yeah... It truly is," she nodded, taking a deep breath to compose herself.
It's alright, Sinon. He's not going to ask you about your past.
"So, how long have you been playing VRMMO's for?"
Ahh, fuck...
"Oh, you know... A couple of years," she answered timidly, trying her best to remain calm.
Keep it together, girl. You don't have time for a panic attack right now.
"Same here. I think I started like... 3 years ago? Back when ALO first launched. Man, I still remember how awesome the Amusphere tech felt back then. Now though, it easily pales in comparison to the NerveGear. SAO is miles ahead in terms of immersion."
"... Yeah. It is," Sinon responded, thinking back to her first time trying out FullDive, during the SAO Beta Test. It truly had been a night-and-day difference. The Amusphere was good, but not NerveGear good.
"A shame it had to end up like this..." he sighed, a wistful expression on his face. "SAO could've been something truly awesome, you know. And in some way, I guess it still is. But... with the threat of death constantly looming over us, it's kinda hard to appreciate."
"Tell me about it," Sinon breathed. A moment of silence followed, before a stray thought crossed her mind, and she opened her mouth to speak again. "Actually, now that I think about it... Why did this Information Broker friend of yours send you to do this quest in the first place?"
"Oh... It's because of the quest reward," Klein explained. "According to my acquaintance, the reward is randomized for each player, and she doesn't have info on all the different variations yet."
"... Seriously?" Sinon asked, one eyebrow raised in surprise.
"Yeah. Once you turn in the flowers, Dalia gives you a potion, right? Well, that potion can apparently have many different effects. If you're real lucky, you'll get a potion that you normally wouldn't be able to find until much later in the game."
"Huh... I didn't know that," Sinon shrugged.
"Me neither. Guess that's why she's an Info Broker and I'm not... But anyway; I've taken up enough of your time as is. I really ought to leave you alone now."
A sudden rush of emotion stirred within Sinon's heart, but she quickly beat it down before it could rise to the surface.
"Y-Yeah..."
"It was nice getting to know you, Sinon. And despite the mortal peril I put us in, I... actually had a good time today. So if it's not too much to ask... care to add me to your Friends List?"
A moment of silence passed as Sinon considered his request.
"... Eh, sure. Why not."
"Sweet!"
With a smile, he opened his menu and sent her a Friend Request, to which she responded by pressing the blue circle button. A second later, and his name appeared at the top of her otherwise empty Friends List.
"Alright! Now we'll be able to send each other messages across Floors and stuff. And I'm sure we'll bump into one another again in the future," Klein nodded.
"Of course. So long as you don't go and get yourself killed," Sinon responded with a smile.
"No promises. But, yeah... I'll guess I'll see you later then."
"Yeah. See you later, Klein."
A strangely melancholic feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she watched him walk away.
I'll see him again... I'll make sure of it.
"... And that's pretty much it," Kirito nodded, concluding his explanation to Argo with a wry grin.
"Hmm..." the lithe girl mumbled in response, her eyes focused on nothing in particular as she went over the details in her head. The two of them were currently sharing a room at the "Wayfarer's Rest" inn, candlelight illuminating the wooden interior as they sat opposite of one another on either side of a small, sturdy table.
"Well, if the girl is as good as ya say she is, I can definitely understand why my contact wants her in his guild..." Argo finally stated.
"Yeah. She's good," Kirito confirmed, grabbing his half-empty mug of Honeyed Beer from the table and taking a swig. "Scarily so, in fact. She must have quite a lot of VRMMO experience from before."
"Maybe so."
A moment of silence passed between them as Argo finished off the last of her drink.
"Got some new information for ya, by the way," she said after placing down her now empty mug.
"Oh? And what's that?"
"1000 Cor and I'll tell ya."
A dry chuckle escaped Kirito's lips at her words.
"The grind never stops with you, does it?"
"Hey, I'm runnin' a business here, not a charity," Argo replied with a smile, before extending an open hand in his direction. "Now cough up the dough and I'll give ya the deets."
"This is basically highway robbery," Kirito sighed, opening up his menu to send Argo a Trade Request.
"Oh, don't even try to pretend like ya don't get somethin' good in return," she grinned in response. "My info is solid, plus ya get to sleep with me on the side."
"Very true," he conceded.
"Alright, here's the deal; earlier today, a group of players managed to find the Boss Chamber."
"Wait... Seriously?"
"Yup. They stumbled upon it whilst explorin' the Labyrinth. And, accordin' to my sources, there's goin' to be a strategy meetin' in Tolbana in two days in order to plan a raid."
"Well... shit," Kirito mumbled. "That's actually kinda big."
"For sure. You should be there."
A glint of something closely resembling doubt flashed across Kirito's face for just an instant before his usual mask of nonchalance returned.
"I'm not too sure about that. Don't really feel like dying yet."
"I'm bein' serious, Kii-bou. You're stronger than most because of your status as a Beta Tester. Don't let that go to waste."
"What, so I should throw myself into danger just because I'm a little bit stronger than your average noob?"
"Hey, if it's any consolation, I'll be there too. There's no way I'm gonna miss out on the chance of gettin' some rare drops from the Floor Boss."
"Sounds about right," Kirito smiled. "But I dunno. I'll have to think about it. Maybe I'll be there, maybe I won't."
"Yeah, you definitely should. But anyway… enough about that. For now, I can think of somethin' much more fun for us to do, Kii-bou," Argo purred, a mischievous look plastered on her face as she suddenly rose from her seat.
"Oh… can you now?" Kirito smirked back, following her lead and getting up as well.
"You can start by takin' off your clothes," Argo smiled, walking around the table and moving in close to the point where only a couple of inches separated their bodies.
"Just like that? With no foreplay or anything?" Kirito grinned, leaning down slightly so he could stare into her brown eyes. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down even lower.
"I'mma let ya in on a little secret free of charge, Kii-bou," she whispered in his ear. "I'm already wet."
The soft, seductive tone in which she spoke sent jolts of electricity running up and down the length of his spine.
"You're hopeless, you know," he breathed back, placing his hands on either side of her slender torso. "So horny… I've never met a girl quite like you before."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should."
Passion and lust burned in Argo's eyes as she slowly started closing the distance between their lips.
"I want ya to fuck me, Kii-bou, and fuck me hard."
"I'll happily oblige," he shuddered as her hand drifted down to the lower parts of his body, where she started massaging his rapidly swelling cock through the fabric of his pants.
"I know ya will. I've trained ya well."
"Well, let's not get too cocky now," Kirito grinned. "It's more like I've let you."
"You're helpless to resist me and ya know it," Argo fired back, before biting down softly on his lower lip. Kirito merely groaned in response, half-lidded eyes locking onto hers. "So I'll say it again… Take off your clothes…"
He did not need any further motivation. Moments later, he was standing in nothing but his birthday suit as his clothes disappeared in a flash of blue.
"That's more like it," Argo smiled, taking a moment to admire his relatively well-trained body.
"Like what you see?"
"I do," she breathed as her eyes landed on his erect cock. Kirito loved the expectant look it evoked in her.
"Now it's your turn," he stated with a nod.
"Fair enough," she responded before opening up her menu. A second later, her normal attire disappeared, only to be replaced by a white laced bra and matching panties.
"You look fucking amazing," Kirito commented as his eyes took in the sight of her. Everything about her was sexy; from her sun-kissed skin to her golden-brown hair, petite breasts and shapely ass.
"You're not half-bad yourself," she retorted, brown eyes ablaze with desire. "Now come here and kiss me like ya mean it."
"Yes sir," he smiled, before closing the distance between them yet again so he could press a lusty kiss to her lips. It quickly grew fierce, as Argo's tongue came forwards to dance around his own.
"I want ya inside o' me right now, Kii-bou," she whispered once they finally broke apart for air. A soft groan was the only response she got as Kirito pushed her up against the wall, dragged her panties to the side with one hand and pressed his engorged head against her lower lips.
"Here we go," he breathed, before pushing himself inside of her in one swift motion. Argo made a little whimpering sound as she took him to the base.
"Oh, God…" she moaned.
Kirito started off slow, moving at a sluggish pace as he slid in and out of her. His instinct was to go hard and fast until he exploded, but he knew that would not make for a very good session. And so he resisted the urge, and proceeded to fuck her at a slow, steady rhythm.
"More…" Argo whispered in his ear as she lifted one of her legs up to grant him better access. "Go faster…"
His thrusts grew deeper and more urgent, and she clung to him with her entire body, her lips crashing against his own in an impressive display of lust and desire.
"You feel so fucking amazing, Argo…" he groaned as he pushed himself all the way in, filling her with as much of him as she could take.
"Hah… Ahh…" she mewled in response, pressing her forehead against his so their eyes were mere inches apart. Looking into her eyes as he fucked her, Kirito could feel his orgasm approaching already, but quickly beat it down by ceasing all movement.
"H-Huh?" Argo asked, confused by this sudden interruption. Said confusion soon evaporated, however, when he moved her over to the bed and placed her down on her stomach, a pillow lifting up her lower regions at an incline.
"W-What's this, Kii-bou? A new position?" she asked, turning around to send him a cheeky grin. The sweat rolling down her forehead only made it that much sexier.
"Yeah, it's called the Flatiron," he explained, positioning himself behind her. "And I think you're gonna love it."
She didn't get a chance to respond as he rather abruptly plunged himself deep inside of her, eliciting a loud groan of pleasure that reverberated against the wooden walls of their room.
Kirito brought himself down low, resting his chest against her back and craning his neck to the right so he could kiss her. Their mouths met in a furious clash of desire as he resumed thrusting, fucking her into the pillow with long, rapid strokes.
"Oh J-Jesus… Fuck… That feels so good…" Argo moaned into his mouth.
"Yeah… It does," Kirito groaned back as he upped the pace.
Argo writhed beneath him, making little noises that drove him wild with pleasure. His desire had grown so strong now that he was utterly helpless to resist it. His body moved on its own, slamming into Argo's slender form with precise movements.
Wishing to bring her over the edge, he snaked his hand underneath her body in order to massage her swollen clit as he continued thrusting in and out of her. He could feel shivers running through her body as he rubbed the little nub with just enough pressure to make it pleasurable.
"Shit… I'm gonna cum… very soon…" Argo panted. "Please… Don't stop… Don't ya dare fuckin' stop…"
Kirito had absolutely no intention of doing so.
"Yes… Cum for me, Argo…" he whispered in her ear as he felt her walls starting to contract around him. "Cum for me…"
A couple of seconds later, she finally gave in to her climax, and let out a high-pitched whine as her back arched. At the same time, an overwhelming pressure suddenly clamped down around Kirito's cock, and orgasm overcame him without warning.
He burst deep inside of her, his entire body shaking as he released shot after shot, until he had nothing more to give. Collapsing on top of her, he breathed hard as Argo's body finally went slack, and they were left a sweaty mess on the bed.
"Holy shit…" he panted.
"Yeah…" Argo shuddered back. "That was… somethin' else…"
Kirito could still feel her inner walls massaging his now shrinking cock, and a wicked smile crept its way onto his face.
"That has to be one of the bigger orgasms you've had so far," he stated with clear pride.
"Hah, don't let it get to your head, Kii-bou. And speakin' o' orgasms, I could feel those cumshots deep inside of me, ya know," she teased. "Couldn't hold it anymore?"
"Nah. Not a chance in hell," Kirito laughed in response. "It just felt too good."
"Glad to hear it. Now, as much as I enjoy this little cuddlin' session of ours… would ya mind pullin' out of me?"
"Ahh, my bad."
He immediately removed his cock from her slit, which caused a small amount of his release to leak out onto the mattress. It disappeared soon after, not leaving so much as a single stain behind.
"Much better," she smiled, turning around onto her back so she could get a better look at him. She was still wearing her underwear, but both her panties and bra were in a state of complete disarray, doing a very poor job of covering up her private bits.
"You look very good like that, you know," Kirito grinned, drinking in the sight of her exposed body.
"Ya like?" she responded with a wink, pushing her breasts together to deepen her cleavage.
"Very much so, yes."
"I'm down for a second round if ya want," she tempted him, using a finger to trace circles around one of her stiff nipples.
"Hmm…" Kirito pondered, before a cheeky smirk appeared on his face. "Alright, give me 10 minutes and we'll go again."
"That's my boy," she smiled, pushing herself up into a sitting position and shifting forwards to place a lusty kiss on his lips.
Tserkovnoye, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia
Tall, shadowed pines stretched towards the night sky like arrows, blocking out the moonlight, casting everything below into darkness. Wet leaves and slick rocks covered the forest floor, barely visible black trails snaking through the undergrowth seemingly at random.
A deep, undisturbed silence permeated these woods, unbroken by man and beast alike.
Then... a sound. The rustling of leaves. The creaking of wood as sticks broke underfoot.
A man. No… four men, traversing through the woodland terrain. Dark clothing, tactical rigs and metal objects in their hands.
Guns.
On their heads, strange, visor-looking pieces of equipment. Night-Vision Goggles.
They travelled roughly 15 meters apart, spread out in a formation as they made their way through the dark underbrush.
"Foxtrot 2-4 Charlie to Foxtrot 2-4 Alpha, we have a visual on the target location, over."
A soft breath leaked from Cliff's lips as his earpiece suddenly buzzed to life.
"Copy that, Foxtrot 2-4 Charlie. Blacking comms until intercept, over," he responded, before shooting a quick look to his left. The green outline of his teammate showed up crisp and clear on the HUD of his NVGs.
Finally, Cliff thought to himself as he scanned the woods around him for any potential threats. Nowhere left for this guy to run.
Up ahead, the forest finally opened up a bit, revealing a medium-sized wooden building standing in the middle of a large clearing. It looked abandoned and decrepit, ruined due to years of neglect. Way off in the distance, a waterfall could be seen, spewing out torrents of water into the cold, night air.
Cliff thought back to the briefing he had received 3 hours earlier.
According to our intel, Dr. Kayaba is supposed to be holed up in an old, abandoned cabin in this part of Russia, his commander had told them. The sick bastard has been on the run for several weeks now, so it is of utmost importance that this mission proceeds smoothly and we ensure his capture.
Kayaba Akihiko. Better known as the man responsible for the SAO Incident. He had vanished from Japan roughly 36 hours before the SAO servers went live, taking his private jet to an airport in northern Norway before seemingly making his way across the border into Russia. Nobody had seen nor heard from him since. Well, until now, that was.
We're gonna bring this fucker in and force him to end this wicked death game, Cliff thought. And then... I'll get my son back.
He came to a stop in the outskirts of the treeline, making sure to stay hidden as he stared at the log cabin up ahead.
"Foxtrot 2-4 Delta to Foxtrot 2-4 Alpha, we are in position. Ready to commence attack, over."
Alright… Here we go…
"Foxtrot 2-4 Alpha to all units, you have permission to proceed. And remember; we go in non-lethal. Our objective is to secure Dr. Kayaba and bring him in alive, not eliminate him, over," Cliff responded.
"Copy that, sir. What about any other potential hostiles, over."
"All other Tango's are to be considered KOS, over."
"Solid copy. Over and out."
Cliff took one last look around him to make sure his squad-mates were in position before he stepped out into the open field, weapon armed and at the ready.
I'm getting too old for this shit, he thought to himself as he started closing in on the seemingly abandoned log building. On either side of him, he could see his squad-mates doing the same thing, all of them closing in from a 90-degree angle, trapping the cabin in the center of their pincer maneuver.
A deafening silence filled the void left behind by the earlier radio-chatter as their group of four gradually moved in on the target.
Then… a loud creak. The sound of a wooden door opening.
"Foxtrot 2-4 Delta to Foxtrot 2-4 Alpha, I have a visual on the target. Moving in to secure, over."
Yes! We've got him no-
[I can't let you do that.]
The unknown, deeply-baritone voice on the radio came out of nowhere, catching both Cliff and his squad-mates by complete surprise.
... What the fuck?
"Who is this? Identify yourself immediately!" Cliff barked into his earpiece.
[Leave this place.]
"Uhh, sir?" Foxtrot 2-4 Charlie suddenly said. "Something is wrong… with the target."
"What's going on? … Talk to me! What's happening?!" Cliff replied. He could not see the front door from his current position, as he had been approaching the cabin from the back.
"I don't know, sir, but… there seems to be some kind of metal contraption attached to his chest."
"That could be a bomb. Exercise extreme caution, over," Cliff warned as he broke off into a light jog, breaking formation in order to get a clear visual on the front door.
"N-No… That's not a bomb… Fuck me, what the hell is that thing?" someone muttered over the radio.
[Leave this place.]
"Do not engage! I repeat, do not engage!" Cliff roared as he upped the pace yet again, attempting to reach the cabin as quickly as he could.
"Jesus… It's welded to his fucking skin…"
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Back off, right now! That's an order!" Cliff's heart was beating wildly in his chest now, adrenalin surging through every part of his body as he broke out into a full-on sprint.
"Oh… Oh God… What is he… Oh, fuck! Fu-"
Foxtrot 2-4 Charlie's words were cut off by a loud bang, followed by a scream of pure terror that reverberated against Cliff's eardrums.
"Target is hostile, I repeat, target is hostile. Opening fire!" Foxtrot 2-4 Delta announced over the radio.
The sound of gunfire followed moments later, ringing out loud and clear in the otherwise silent woods.
"What the fuck?! How can he move like that?!"
"He's headed directly for you, 2-4 Delta! Watch out!"
[Leave this place.]
Another round of gunshots. Only a couple ten meters remained before Cliff would have a clear visual on the front door.
"He's not slowing down! What is going on?! Oh… Oh God. What are those? WHAT ARE THOSE?!"
"I-It's coming out of his fucking mouth!"
"Help me! HELP ME! ARGH!"
"Shit! Opening fire!"
"FUCK! FUUCK! IT HURTS! HELP! HEELP!"
[Leave this place.]
Cliff finally rounded the corner of the cabin. His stomach lurched at the sight that awaited him.
To his right, one of his team members lay still in the grass, his head entirely caved in. It looked like something had smashed his cranium wide open, popping both of his eyes in the process. The only thing left of his face was a distorted smear of blood and broken bones.
To his left, Foxtrot 2-4 Bravo was firing wildly at the… thing… standing in the middle of the field.
On first glance, it looked to be a normal, middle-aged man wearing some kind of strange-looking metal contraption on his chest. But upon closer inspection, it became clear that the contraption had been welded to his body, attached with crude metal screws that burrowed deeply into his very flesh. Tears of blood leaked from the location of the screws, coloring his skin a dark crimson as they streaked towards the ground.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Cliff screamed, raising his weapon and opening fire. The recoil of his rifle slammed into his shoulder, but he stood firm, unleashing a full magazine upon the hideous creature.
His bullets tore into the man-thing's flesh, painting the air in a red haze, and yet… the man did not seem to care. He merely stood there, taking their fire whilst toying with something in his hands.
Once Cliff finally ran out of ammo and was forced to switch magazines, he got a better look at precisely what that something was.
It was the mangled torso of Foxtrot 2-4 Charlie.
"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!"
"Watch out, sir!" Foxtrot 2-4 Bravo shouted out, moments before the man-thing suddenly turned around and threw the torso directly at him. The mangled body-part collided with Bravo at what looked like mach 2 speed, causing him to go flying off into the distance.
[Leave this place.]
"Bravo!" Cliff screamed into his earpiece as the creature in front of him slowly turned around to face him.
Oh… Oh God…
The man-thing's face was a broken mess of metal plates and steel nails. A large, flexible cylinder extended from his mouth, having been forced down his throat and connected to something in his stomach.
WHAT IS THAT?!
The last thing Cliff saw before the creature dashed at him was two red, mechanical lights shining bright from vacant eye-sockets.
A/N: The plot thickens.
I'm usually not a fan of utilizing scenes that feature the "outside world" too much, but I thought it appropriate to introduce here simply because there is a plot-thread in this story that will be taking place in said "outside world". How prominent this plot-thread will be remains to be seen, but there will be one. I am hesitant to speak more on it simply because of spoilers, but I just thought I'd give you a minor heads-up so you know why I've chosen to implement it here.
And yes, I did recently play through Resident Evil Village, and yes, it did influence my writing a bit. Blow me :)
I'll say this, though; things in the "outside world" might not be as black-and-white as they appear.
As always, big shoutouts go to the SAO Fanfiction Central Discord server. If you're looking for like-minded individuals with whom to share your SAO interests, you really ought to join in on the fun. Here's a link:
discord . gg / z9Pz3Jzc7y (remove spaces).
Oh, and be sure to leave a review with your thoughts on the story, by the way. I'm very curious to see how people will react to this particular chapter, and if I don't get any feedback, I might just take another 2 months to write the next one :)
Follow the story if you're interested as well. The last chapter was read by well over 300 people, yet the story only has 20+ Followers. That might be due to the fact that it is currently only 12,000 words long (now 18,000) but still. I would appreciate some involvement from my readers (outside of those originating from the SAO Fanfiction Central server, you guys are great and I'd die for you).
I can't promise the next chapter will be out any time soon, but the more involvement I get, the quicker I write. I have quite a few on-going stories, so I tend to jump between them at random depending on what I feel like scribbling on. But this story is far from finished, so I can promise you there'll be more... sometime in the future. So until next we meet, have a good one fellas.
-Twisted