Sorry if this is a bit… rough, I'm not doing the best.
-X Izuku X-
Izuku dodged the wolf lunging for him, pulling back his right fist. The system assist took over and he slammed a jab glowing gold into the wolf's jaw. Swiping away the little pop up of col, experience and the tenth Wolf Pelt quest item, he opened his menu and scrolled to his friend's list and picked out two names.
They listened to the complaint about Martial Arts, Izuku typed with a hum, shaking his other hand. A boar entered the agro radius right after he sent the message off and he sidestepped the charge and activated another jab. The fist lowered the health of the boar before taking a second to let go of the slight stiffening.
Driving a foot into the boar to flip it over, Izuku pulled back his arm and drove a fist into the boar's unprotected gut. In the corner of his vision, the mail icon appeared. Izuku opened his menu and the mail while flipping the knife in the air.
Well, there goes a whole lotta col on the second floor, Argo's message flashed, Thanks, Ku-Ku.
Like people weren't just gonna log off and find the knowledge themselves, Kirito sent.
But that takes effort, Argo sent, and some people aren't gonna wanna put in that effort, Ki-bou.
I'll help you find more information, Izuku sent, before pulling up another friend from the beta.
Hey, you on?
- X Denki X-
Kaminari Denki slid on the helmet. Lying down on the bed, he closed his eyes and breathed in. This was gonna be weird…
"Link Start!" Denki said, loud and clear. Then there was a feeling like he had fallen off his bed and he had to force himself to keep his eyes closed. Crap, that was a bad feeling…
"Ah," Denki's eye jumped open to a blue-white void stretching out for as far as the eye could see. Standing in front of him was an old man leaning on a wooden staff, grey robes covering his body and a wide brimmed hat.
Give him a pipe and you had the most blatant reference to Gandalf you would ever get, "You there… you're the one I called, yes?"
Right, probably a tutorial or something like that, "Yeah."
"Good, good," the man said, coughing into his hand and staggering, "I am… I am Wuthering. An old wizard, and one nearly dead. Come closer, let me see your face."
And that was his cue to design his character. Male, middle age, black and grey hair… check, check, check.
"What's your name?"
Thunderer, Denki typed into the floating text box, hitting the pair of buttons to confirm the name. The old NPC nodded, looking at Denki with unseeing eyes.
"I've had to… to put more mana than I care to admit into this spell," he said, "To teleport you from Ainground to Aincrad. But I know quite a few of my friends are doing the same. Summoning Adventurers from across it into the Steel Castle. You will help us, won't you?"
"Yep," Denki said dryly. C'mon, hurry this up.
"Then I can bring one weapon with you," Wuthering said, and a dozen weapons appeared around Denki. He swept his hand to the side. One Handed Sword, Two Handed Sword, Curved Sword, Warhammer, Rapier…
Two Handed Assault Spear.
Denki grabbed the weapon, twirling it in place and stifling a yelp as he nearly dropped it. He was gonna need to practice that before he started PVP!
"Are you sure that's the weapon you want?" Wuthering said, and another confirmation window appeared in front of Denki. He hit the yes button, and Wuthering nodded, "Good, good. Then go, journey into Aincrad and defeat the Monsters who infest it. I… I have done my part."
The man shattered into fragments of light as a pathway opened in front of Denki. He walked along it, a glowing light growing in front of him before…
{Welcome to Sword Art Online!} The banner appeared in front of his eyes as he stepped out into the castle, a dozen people doing the same. The exit in front of him was bottlenecking at least a hundred others.
Well, he guessed there were lines even in cyberspace.
- X Ejiro X-
Kirishima Ejiro stared into the helmet with a gulp, weighing in carefully. Finally, he slid it onto his head and laid down, closing his eyes. He could do this, he would do this.
"Link Start," Ejiro said, slipped into unconciousness. Before he could do anything, an old man appeared, clutching his staff.
"Ah," he said, tliting his head so Ejiro could see one blinded eye, "You there… You're the one I called, yes?"
"Yes," Ejiro nodded, and the man cracked a smile before coughing violently. Despite knowing he wasn't a real person, Ejiro rushed forward to support the man.
"Thank you," he rasped, "I am… I am Wuthering. An old wizard, and one nearly dead. Now, let me take a good look at your face."
Ejiro's perception shifted, a male and female avatar appearing before him, both kinda genaric. Raising his hand towards the man, he stepped forward and the woman stepped back, becoming slightly transparent. Ejiro hit the conformation button, and the girl disappeared completely.
Cursors appeared around the body of the man, letting Ejiro change details. Haircut, hair color, default armor color. He flicked through the haircuts, before stopping on one that was slightly spiked. Then he began to do the same with hair colors.
Red, black… natural hair color or something different? Let's see…
Finally, Ejiro settled on dark red hair. Swiping the armor to a black and red, he hit the check mark and let the next bit of dialogue play, before a menu popped up prompting his came.
Great, another thing he hadn't thought about before getting into the game. Uh, let's see, something he'd be able to respond to, that worked… Kiri? Ei? Cutter?
Finally, heaving a tired sigh Ejiro typed in Cutter… only for a red flash to come from the screen as he tried to lock it in. Someone else had already grabbed that, huh?
Then let's try Kiri…
Huh, that one was open. Kiri it was.
Wurthing staggered theatrically, before using his staff to brace himself, "I've had to… to put more mana than I care to admit into this spell, to teleport you from Ainground to Aincrad. But I know quite a few of my friends are doing the same. Summoning Adventurers from across it into the Steel Castle. You will help us, won't you?"
"You bet!"
"Then I can bring one weapon with you," Weapons flashed into existence around Ejiro… Kiri, now, he guessed. Staring between the two handed sword and axe, he worried his lip. Which to use, which you use…
"I can buy new weapons in Aincrad, right?" Ejiro said.
"And find them off monsters," Wuthering confirmed.
Right then, uh… Dore ni shiyou kana…
Kiri wrapped his hands around the haft of the axe, feeling the weight. It was heavy, but strong.
"Are you sure that's the weapon you want?" At Kiri's nod, Wuthering nodded back, "Good, good. Then go, journey into Aincrad and defeat the Monsters who infest it. I… I have done my part."
And then he shattered, leaving a path for Kiri to walk down.
- X Memoir X-
The memory is a fickle thing.
That may seem like a non-sequitur, but it's the honest truth. My memories of the first day are fallible, and it was only while asking my friends what they did that I realized how much so they were. For one thing, remembering them there at all is one. They were, of course, we all were. But we didn't know each other, and many of us wouldn't meet for the first time until days to months after the start of the Death Game.
I remember them with the weapons and armor that would become their signature on the latter floors, which is another one. Denki could not have unlocked his glaive skill on day one, nor Kiri the suit of heavy armor.
And their reactions were more in line with what they would do later. Izuku quietly, awkwardly wandered off and out of the town, even though I know with absolute certainty that wasn't what happened. Ejiro and Denki joked together, trying to bleed tension from the fifty thousand men and women that had been trapped.
All wrong, of course.
-Memoirs of the Rangers, Vol. 1. Yaoyorozu Momo
- X Suguha X-
Suguha bit the inside of her cheek, swinging the saber with one hand, then two, "Why does the katana skill require curved swords? They're not that curved, and kenjutsu is normally two handed."
Kazuto… Kirito gave a shrug, sitting on the ground and watching the red haired man they had joined up with, Klein, fight a boar with the same weapon.
"Somethings don't make sense," Suguha whipped around, watching the tall man that had spoken approach them. Well, he was an All Might fanboy, there was clear from his Avatar's uncanny resemblance to the Symbol of Peace. Golden hair, blue eyes, and a wide grin on his face. Suguha tensed, but Kaz- Kirito stood up with a stretch.
"I thought you and Pito were going to patrol the areas around the Town?" He said, and the man gave a nervous laugh.
"She isn't on yet," he said, taking Kirito's hand and bumping shoulders with him, "So I decided to come see what you were up to."
"Teaching my sister and this guy the ropes," Kirito said, "Sugu, Klein, this is I-Might… but we call him Nine, it's a bit of a long story."
"Nice to meet you," he said, giving a bow before hopping onto the boulder Kirito had been sitting on.
"Nine's was one of SAO's premier PKKers, during the Beta," Kirito explained.
"PKKer?" Suguha asked, tasting the word.
"Player Killer Killer," Klein explained, "They go around fighting gankers…people who ambush other players and kill 'em. They're not popular in PvP, since PvPers view it as ruining the fun."
"If people want to fight they can fight," Nine said with a shrug, "but jumping a player and forcing them to PvP isn't fair or fun for them. Plus, when you're getting slashed or stabbed or hit for real, it's scary."
"Yeah," Klein nodde, "I guess so. Mind sparring with me? I wanna get a taste for PvP."
"Sure," Nine slid off the rock, pulling up his menu and sending a request for a 50% duel to Klein. The redhead accepted, and moved his sword as the timer slid down, at the same time Nine rolled his arms. 3. 2. 1.
Go.
Klein rushed forward in a Sword Skill, only for a golden fist to bat his sword off course. Izu swung his leg for Klein's head in the next second, hitting where neck met shoulder with a nasty thud and a noticeable drop to Klein's health bar. Finishing the spin, Nine carried it into a punch to the neck the dropped Klein below the fifty percent, finishing the duel.
"What that…?" Klein said.
"The game tracks where you hit for calculating crits," Nine explained, "so when fighting another player, or a human shaped mob, going for the neck is the best move. Though you should be careful. The game doesn't hard lock HP for duels, so you could accidentally drop them to zero."
"Makes sense," Klein nodded, "mind grinding with us for a bit so you can tell me some more pointers?"
"Until Pito messages me, sure," Nine said, voice jovial, "Though I might not be much help. I still have muscle memory for Sword Skills I don't have anymore."
- X Yuuki X-
Konno Yuuki stepped out of the castle, rolling her shoulders to work out the kinks. There had been a lot, and she did mean a lot of people in there. But still, she could get to partying and playing!
Yuuki twirled the one handed sword she had picked out in her right hand, before seamlessly passing it to the other behind her back and doing the same. Turning her head, she looked around for anyone else who would be a good partner. Maybe a cute girl?
Guy with a black beard, guy with an axe slung over his shoulder… there they were!
"Hey!" Yuuki called, walking towards a black haired girl holding a dagger. She offered a smile towards the girl, who offered it back, shyly, "I'm Yuuki. Wanna party up?"
"Sure?" The girl said, "I'm Koharu."
"Nice to meet you!" Yuuki chirped, "I'm Yuuki! C'mon, let's head into the field and get hunting, partner! I've waited an hour, I wanna try out our new home!"
- X Rain X-
Rain swung her sword through a Dire Wolf's side, sending it flying past her with a long wire frame gouge. That was one…
Now there were ten others she had accidentally aggro'd. Grea-
Before she could continue that thought, an All Might clone rushed in grabbing one wolf's jaw and forcing it onto its hind legs. His knee flashed up and into the gut, before he dropped with it, slamming it onto the ground with a heavy thud and raising his fist, giving an inarticulate cry as he drove his hand down.
Three others rushed to join them, two holding curved swords and one holding the same sword Rain had chosen out of the gate.
"Thanks," Rain said, nodding to them, "It'd suck to have to walk back from town after I died."
"Yeah, it does," the black haired boy said, launching a Horizontal and cleaving the wolf in two, "kinda expected you to yell at us for taking your kills when Nine ran in."
Nine?
"Better yelled at then leaving her to get swarmed," Fake-Might said, "I'm Nine, by the way. This is Kirito, Klein and Sugu."
"Rain," she introduced herself, offering him a smile. Nine shot one back, before rolling his arms, "Mind helping me grind for a bit?"
"Sure," Nine said.
"Pito still isn't on?" Kirito said.
"Give me a second," Nine said, sweeping open his menu and frowning, "strange… she's on. Give me a second…"
Nine stepped away and sent a message out, knocking another wolf towards Rain as it attempted to lunge at him. Launching a Vertical, she let the wolf shatter on either side of her.
"She got caught up in the new players," Nine said, eyes reading the message, "She thinks it'll probably be a half hour before she gets ou-?"
Before Nine could finish, there was a flash of blue light all around each of them, and a feeling like Rain was plummeting. What the-?
"A teleport?" Kirito yelped just before they vanished.
- X Yuuki X-
Yuuki laughed, dodging away from one boar and deflecting an attempt to gore her from the other. Oh, wow, this was fun and got your blood pumping! It reminded her of that fight she had gotten into a few months ago.
Launching a Horizontal, Yuuki split the first boar in two. Her sword bit into the jaw and ripped through the beast like plastic, a red line appeared for a second while the health bar dropped to zero. Finally, the boar tipped over and the top half slid off second before it shattered. Stepping back, she twirled her sword around and watched Koharu fight off the other boar.
She was definitely less comfortable with the weapon than Yuuki was with hers. Her stance was… spotty, to say the least. Her grip on the rapier was too tight, her legs bent too much. Still, she launched a silver glowing Linear at the boar, sending it falling to the ground with a loud squeal and a steady drop of the health bar. Finally, the boar shattered, and Yuuki held out a hand for a high five.
"Good job," a voice said from behind them, and they turned to see a man wearing a hood and dragging his two handed sword along the ground. He lifted one hand, before sending a message towards Yuuki.
{Player: Diavel would like to duel. Y/N?}
Yuuki glanced up at him, where he had shifted his sword to be in front of him, though still facing the ground, "Really? Day One?"
"We all enjoy the game in different ways," Diavel said.
Fair enough.
"Alright," Yuuki said, hitting the accept button and preparing her one handed sword. Diavel finally finished moving his two handed sword into a combat position.
3. 2. 1.
Go.
Yuuki dodged backwards, sliding away from the heavy overhead Sword Skill Diavel dropped on the spot she had been standing, the dirt being cleaved into like a hot knife through butter.
Yuuki rushed forward, a Slant glowing along her blade. Diavel ripped the two handed sword he was using up in another Sword Skill to deflect hers. Both of them took a staggering step back as their arms locked up with the post motion. So Yuuki did the only logical thing.
She pried the blade from her right hand and launched another Slant with her left. It bit home in the leather armor, dropping Diavel's health by ten percent. Switching hands again, she prepared for Diavel's next move. Instincts spreading, even without her Quirk to help her. And when the next attack came, a Horizontal's older brother, she ducked under the heavy sweep of the claymore. Lashing out with the pommel of the hilt, Yuuki put it to good use against the man's crotch before rolling behind him and slashing at his tendons.
Or she would have if he hadn't span, bringing his sword down in an overhead slash that dropped Yuuki's health by a quarter. Yuuki jumped back, preparing her sword…
And suddenly, a sign declaring the duel a draw flashed between them, giving Yuuki and Diavel just enough time to share a look of absolute confusion before the blue light overtook them.
- X Momo X-
Yaoyorozu Momo stabbed the spear she had picked at the start of the game out from under the shield she had bought in the town of beginnings, stabbing the boar through the side and watching its health bar drain before it shattered like fragmented grass. Watching another dig its feet into the ground and prepare to charge, Momo quickly braced her lance and prepared for the charge, letting the boar gore itself on the lance.
Then a set of small spikes hit into the eyes from above her. Looking up, the blacked haired daughter watched another woman approach her, a staff draped across her shoulders with casual ease. In a flash like a serpent, it moved from its place and glowed, crashing into the boar's skull and sending the health bar plummeting.
"Any particular reason you aren't using Sword Skills, newbie?" The woman drawled, returning her staff to its place and stretching.
"I'm practicing fighting for real life," Momo said, standing up and resting the butt of her spear on the ground. The woman nodded.
"That… sounds super boring," she said.
"Wha-?"
"C'mon, kid," the woman said, "Look around you. We're in the world's first VRMMORPG. And those last three words are the important ones. RPG, Role Playing Game. It's a chance to cut loose, have some fun, be what you aren't in the real world. Heroes can be villains here, and normal civies can be anything we want. Heroes, villains, blacksmiths, carpenters, chefs. You name it, we can be it, and you're using it as a glorified training simulator?"
"I… I'm sure I'll do it at some point," Momo admitted, "but-"
"Hey," the woman said, "Look, how about we hang out for a bit? You cut loose and have some fun on day one? I don't have anything be- oh, seriously?"
Before Momo could say anything, the woman opened her menu and read a message before snorting and opening up a virtual keyboard below it, quickly typing out a message, muttering aloud, "Got caught up with a newbie. Give me half an hour…"
Hitting the send key, she waved her hand dismissively and held out the other, "Anyways, run with me for a bit. I'll cut you free."
Momo worried the inside of her cheek, marveling at the lack of a pinch. It couldn't hurt to be a little social, could it?
"Ok," Momo said, taking the hand and blinking as the woman bumped her shoulders together with a grin.
"Good," she said, "I'm Pitohui, but call me Pito, ok? I got some guys I run with sometimes, I'll introduce them to you later. Got a name?"
"Momo," Momo said. She hadn't felt a need to hide her first name. There were hundreds, if not thousands of Momos in Japan alone.
"Using your real name for your handle?" Pitohui laughed, spinning her staff, "that's your first problem. How're you supposed to make a new persona when everyone is constantly callin' you by your real na- What the shit?"
Blue lights began to overtake Pitohui and Momo, sending them flashing away.
- X Denki X-
Denki blinked as the light faded, still swinging his spear in the sword skill it had been in the middle of before the sudden teleportation had overtaken them. It smacks into a panel that formed around the girl in front like it was a brick wall, knocking him off balance. What? What the-?
{Safe Area} Flashed on his HUD, making Denki stare in confusion. Safe area? He was in a safe-?
"What's going on?" Someone around him asked. Before they could say anything else, a huge hologram appeared hanging over them.
"Hello," the hologram said, "I am Kayaba Akihiko, the lead developer of Aincrad… and as of thirty minutes ago, I am a villain who has you all hostage."
What.
"I'm sure that seems to be a non sequitur, but I don't have much time to explain it if I want to succeed. You are all now my hostages, trapped in SAO. If you check your menus, you'll see that your log out button has been removed. This is not an accident. Until Sword Art Online is cleared, you are all trapped within this world. Any attempt from someone outside the game will unleash a blast of microwaves into your head, killing you instantly… furthermore, if your hit points reach zero, rather than respawning, the same will happen. The authorities outside of SAO have been made aware of this."
What… what the fuck?
Denki, like all the people around him, began to hammer the empty log out button, gut dropping. No, no. Wait, if it fried his brain, would his Quirk save him? No, that was too much of a gamble for something like this...
"Alongside this," Kayaba said, "I have implemented it so your true appearances will as soon as I depart-"
"Then what was the point of having us create our avatars," someone snapped, but was ignored.
"I will see you at the Ruby Palace on the hundredth floor," Kayaba said, "Good luck."
And then he vanished, leaving them standing there to deal with the bombshell that had just been dropped on them, people shoving each other and arguing.
-X Toshinori X-
Toshinori was one of the first people in the room, his signature smile gone. There was a time and a place, and it wasn't here. Not with what had caused this meeting.
Other heroes filtered in. Endeavor, Edgeshot, Ryukyu, Nighteye. And on screens set up, people too far away to arrive in person were appearing. The Wild, Wild Pussycats, Gang Orca, Mirko, Ingenium.
Naomasa was pacing as one last screen turned on, revealing someone Toshinori really hadn't expected. Dave.
"That's everyone," Naomasa said, voice and face grim. Breathing in, he began, "Thank you for coming now. This… this really isn't something that can wait until morning, because every minute counts. On that note, I have to summarize for posterity. At 17:30, JST, Kayaba Akihiko released a statement, declaring that he had locked all fifty thousand players in the new Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, Sword Art Online, with the threat that anyone who attempted to remove the helmets used to access it would cause a lethal dose of microwave radiation to be released by the helmet. Due to… unfortunate attempts by concerned loved ones who didn't listen to the warning, we can confirm that this is true. With the exception of Mr. Shield, you're being called upon to track down Kayaba and bring him to justice. Meanwhile, Mr. Shield, we are requesting the support of I-Island to find a way through the firewalls and to disarm the NerveGear, though you need to be careful. We can't say that Kayaba does not have a failsafe or dead man's switch in place to kill the hostages."
Grim nods all around.
"Then good luck gentlemen, ladies," Naomasa said, meeting Toshinori's eyes. The Symbol of Peace clenched his fists.
Fifty thousand people's lives were on the line. They couldn't afford to let Kayaba get away.
- X Izuku X-
Izuku followed Kirito, having to take two steps for each of the older boy's one as he dragged his sister and Klein along, Rain next to him. Behind them, shouts of outrage and loud sobs bounced in his ears, while ice gathered in the pit of his stomach.
Trapped, they were trapped here.
Izuku looked down at his shaking hand. Breath, keep breathing. Don't hyperventilate.
"Where are we going?" Sugu asked.
"Horunka," Kirito said, "it's a small village north west of here, where we can get better equip-"
He couldn't… he wouldn't… he…
"Go without me," Izuku said, quietly but with heart slowly hardening with resolve.
"What?" Kirito said.
"People are going to need help," Izuku said, turning to watch the riot happening, "advice, guidance… I can't just leave them, Kirito. You go get the Anneal Blade, I'm going to stay here and help them. I might not be All Might anymore, but…"
"You sure, Nine?" Kirito asked.
"Yeah," Izuku said, "Yeah, I am."
"I'll stay with you," Rain offered, having shrunk considerably and gained light brown hair once Kayaba's 'gift' had taken effect.
"I have to help my friends," Klein said, "but if you need me, any of you, don't hesitate to message me for help."
"...Alright," Kirto said, nodding, "Keep in touch, you guys."
"Same," Izuku took his hand, bumping into Kirito, "I-"
{New Message from: Diavel.
Subject: I Need To Talk}
"-I'll catch you around." Izuku finished, looking at a nearby merchant. If he wanted anyone to take him seriously at his age… "I'd like to buy a green cloak."
The menu asking for the confirmation popped up then, floating in the air. Izuku tapping it, and a hooded green cloak formed around his body.
- X AN X-
Thoughts, questions, opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?
