Overcoming Destiny

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Ch 4

It was a dreary day with a light drizzle and lightning and if you were to listen closely you would hear the clash of swords and people screaming battle cries. This is the game known as Alfhiem Online and the sounds of battle can be traced to the gigantic tree that makes up the centerpiece of the game's world map. Outside the entrance stood a few Undines that were currently healing players so they could go back into the fray with a few of the higher leveled undines braving the battle to resurrect the remain lights of players that had died during the fight. The first stage of taking the world tree was made to be nearly unbeatable because of the sheer number of the Yggdrasil guardians that made up the mobs for the first level of the interior of the tree.

A long hard battle with the guardians found Kirito and 'The Collective' hovering at the gate at the top of the chamber trying to figure out the trick to it. They were glad that a ledge rimmed the chamber so that they were above the level that guardians could fly or attack while the players rested their wings when the ten minute limit was up. Silica was the first to notice the symbols spaced evenly around the circular gate; each symbol represented one of the nine fairy races meaning that they needed a representative from each race to proceed. This caused a little bit of a problem as they had to send a message to the other group leaders to get the remaining keys to open the door.

About another half hour passed before the players were able to proceed. When they did the two extra players stayed with them because it was unknown if there would be another door like the first. But they shouldn't have worried because the remaining challenges were somewhat of a disappointment seeing as the mobs, while stronger individually, were still easy. Kirito though was impressed by the puzzles that allowed them to open the doors made all the harder because it required the players to insert their magic into the symbol that represented their race within a certain timeframe. The clock starting when the first was activated.

After getting through three other doors the group of nine found themselves in what appeared to be a throne room.

"Glad to see that you could join me." A voice said haughtily from what appeared to be an elaborate throne.

"Sugou Nobuyuki." Asuna ground out with a growl. "You're the one behind all this?"

"Why yes I am." Sugou answered smugly as he stood from his throne. "I tried to make sure that you were one of the three hundred but someone kept you from me my sweet Asuna."

"Kirito let me handle this." The Undine declared as she stepped forward.

"We would have made a lovely pair you and I." Sugou continued walking down the dais to the floor. "But you always rejected me, Asuna. I was going to use my research to make you my perfect bride."

"You disgust me you egotistical bastard." Asuna shot back. "Is it any small wonder that I found you beneath me since we met?"

"Well I must tell you that I am head honcho here, because here I'm King Oberon!" Sugou yelled manically throwing a hand forward as the other players collapsed unable to remain standing. "So bow before me you useless worms." He said before he started cackling.

The players tried to stand as Sugou produced a sword using a system command before slicing up the Pooka and the Sylph making them respawn within Arun. While the rest of them were fighting to move but unable to get anywhere. Next he advanced on Silica, before he got too far with her he was interrupted by a call to stop. "Who are you to order me?" Sugou asked enraged.

"I am the rightful ruler of these lands false king Oberon. I am Queen Titania." Louise called her challenge as she entered the chambers after having unlocked the doors.

"You can't be, that account was set aside for Asuna so that I could manipulate her!" Sugou yelled as he hefted his sword allowing Silica's battle healing to refill her HP.

"Irregardless of your intent this is my account including all of it magic and abilities." Louise shot back not giving an inch.

"You thief." Sugou growled as he advanced on her, stepping on the other players as he went.

"You're the thief, you stole this world from its original creators calling it your own. You stole players, keeping them in stasis. You, Sugou Nobuyuki, are a king of thieves."

"You mouthy bitch!" Sugou yelled as he swung his sword while Louise calmly moving just enough to dodge it.

"Pathetic you're not worth my time." Louise said as she effortlessly moved out of the swords path. "Kirito remember how you felt during your duel with Heathcliff?" She got a minute nod from him before she continued with authority tingeing her voice. "Awaken that other part of yourself because you will need it in the coming conflicts."

"What are you babbling about woman?" Sugou asked growling before he felt a rumbling behind him. Turning Sugou watched as Kirito's body grew, his clothing replaced with fur. When he stopped growing he took up a good portion of the throne room as he stood protectively over his friends. "What madness is this?" Sugou asked shakily, dropping his sword causing it to shatter as it hit the ground while he stared into an eye that was bigger than his head. Before Sugou could so much as scream Kirito flipped his head on its side and snapped his jaws around Sugou's body severing his head from his shoulders everyone watched the shock and fear play across his features before the head along with the rest of his body shattered into pixel's. After that Kirito shrank into his human form before collapsing gasping for breath.

"Personally you did very well for the first transformation in here." Louise said as she nodded approvingly. "Considering that you accomplished it in a few seconds instead of a few years it would make sense that you're tired out."

"So what is going to happen to us?" Kirito asked sitting up.

"After I awaken the other 300 SAO players and give them the option to come with me or awaken to their old life. That's pretty much all that I can do before I can't keep from getting summoned back to my world." Louise explained to him feeling the pull getting stronger by the second.

OOooOO

Suguha awoke after having just logged off of SAO to a white expanse. "Choose your race Leafa." A mechanical voice said which Suguha found reminiscent of the one for the opening of SAO.

Before she could question what it meant the white expanse colored to look like the interior of a medieval stone hall. Over her head were nine different looking types of being. "So this is another game huh." She said sighing as she hung her head. "I wonder what the requirements to leave this one are?"

After a few minutes to look through each of the races Suguha chose the Sylph and decided to modify her avatar rather than leave her SAO avatar completely alone so she gave herself longer hair as well as lightening it considerably leaving it a bleached blond with light green eyes to complete it. After pressing the ok button she blacked out.

OOooOO

Slowly consciousness returned to Suguha as she heard voices in the background. Groaning she started to sit up causing the voices she heard to stop. She opened her eyes to see her brother or at least someone that looked like her brother looking back at her.

"Kirito?" She asked her eyes not wanting to open fully.

"I'm here Leafa." Kirito answered with a smile.

"Where are we?" She asked getting her eye's to finally open. "Huh of course you'd be a spriggan." She said incredulously take in her brother's new look.

Kirito smirked at that before answering. "We're currently within the throne room within a city that happens to be in the largest tree you've ever seen."

"Oh that's nice." Leafa said closing her eyes before snapping them open and jolting into sitting up. "WHAT!"

Louise stood off to the side grimacing in pain as the pull of the summoning became steadily stronger. "Suguha I have a question for you."

Leafa looked at Louise warily before nodding her head.

"What would you say to this world becoming your reality instead of just a game?" Louise asked barely keeping a straight face from the pain.

"It's possible to make this my real body?" Suguha asked surprised.

"Yes. Everyone else here has made their choice so I ask of you what is your decision?" Louise asked in slow desperation.

"I will stay." Leafa answered.

"Good and welcome to Alfhiem." Louise said with a smile as she released her hold on the summoning causing her face to contort before she screamed out in pain, after less than a minute of this she blacked out falling into Klein's arms before everyone else felt a sharp blinding pain before they too blacked out.

OOooOO

The first indication the people maintaining the servers for Alfhiem online had that something was wrong was the energy spike that their sensors picked up before the servers blanked leaving no indication there was ever anything on them. All around Japan people that were either wearing an Amusphere or Nerve Gear disappeared along with those that received a mysterious text and answered yes to the yes or no question.

There was one exception to this. Within a small apartment a blonde haired man awoke laying in a bed. He shot up looking around before asking no one in particular. "Where am I?"

OOooOOooOO

Really nothing to say that wasn't said in the first two chapters