9/9/22 Edit : spelling, punctuation, capitalization.
"This now ends the tutorial for sword art online," Kayaba Akihiko stated with a chuckle, much to the horrified stares of the player base below him. "Good luck, pla-"
"Not so fast!" Suddenly came a booming female voice that interrupted Kayaba's dismissal. Then, much to everyone's, including Kayaba's, surprise a woman appeared in the air on the opposite side of the huge gathering plaza. She looked gorgeous, with golden blonde hair that reached her ankles, a simple grey strapless dress, and a pair of huge wings, one white and feathery like an angels, and the other black and leathery like a bats. She was also easily fifteen feet tall, not as huge as Kayaba's hooded avatar, but still large enough that it had a major effect as she floated there and gestured to the players below while smiling at Kayaba. "You who masquerades as a God and torments those you think below you, you are not worthy to consider yourself as such!"
"What? Who are you? How did you manage to customize your avatar like that when, are you some Hacker, or-" Kayaba began demanding, clearly confused by the woman before him.
She however did not let him continue as she suddenly beat her wings, sending a wave of wind over everything. "Silence impersonator! You may have created this shallow recreation of a world, but you are no god!" she declared as she swung a hand at him, sending a bolt of purple energy into his avatar, blowing it apart in a burst of polygons. She then flew elegantly across the plaza and took up a position where Kayaba had been and turned to the crowd. "Now that the pretender is gone, we may speak. Noble and young Heroes who have been imprisoned in this farce of a world, I am a Goddess of another world and I have transcended the barrier between our worlds because I require your help. My world requires your help! I offer you an escape from this place in both mind and body, to come to the world I call my home to help save it as the heroes you could be!"
The people below, players numbering now just under ten thousand, instantly began murmuring like a tide of confusion. No one knew for sure what was going on, but it was clear that many people had ideas. And then after almost a minute or murmurs from the crowd, one person spoke up, loud enough to be heard by all. "Are you meaning like that Isekai crap? You know, being brought to another world that's high fantasy, having magic powers, meeting fantasy races? Like that kind of thing?"
"Yes, that is in essence what I am speaking of!" the goddess stated, chasing many to start talking amongst themselves again.
"What would this entail, precisely?" one person called out loudly. "Is this actually helping us, or just exchanging one prison for another?"
"A good question. Alas, one whose answer may not be what you wish it to be. My world requires heroes and warriors, but travel there would be difficult to undo without the powers of an ArchMage of considerable power. Those who come to my world shall likely never return to the real one that you hail from," the goddess answered, instantly chasing the masses below to start roaring and yelling, mostly profanities. A few voices rang out louder than others with honest questions and remarks however.
"Why should we accept one prison for another?"
"What would we even get out of accepting your proposal?"
"Can we still get out of SAO if we don't accept your proposal?"
These were the best, most sensible, and loudest asked, or more accurately demanded, questions. And after a few more moments the Goddess raised a hand. "Please calm yourselves that I my respond to your honest questions, noble ones," she asked, making much of the crowd noise lower down to a murmur. "Thank you. To answer your most prominent questions, I shall explain in depth what accepting will grant you, and those who do not accept. Firstly, those under the age of fourteen will not be able to accept, and I shall make sure they are released from this prison of a fake world. Secondly, I cannot of course bring everyone of you to my world ten thousand people cannot be suddenly cared for or equipped. What I ask if for roughly a fifth of you to volunteer to come to my world and be the saviors it needs, and for each of you that volunteers, I can forcibly remove three other people from this matrix of fallacy. As for those that do volunteer, you will gain a mark allowing you to gain levels in the new world, as well as skills and abilities, and will begin with a substantial boosts to your physical prowess and skills based upon what you have in this world right now. Additionally those who accept will be able to have their forms changed to the looks or gender they wish so that they may be most comfortable in the new world."
The crowd was almost deathly silent as it took in what the Goddess had proclaimed. Over three quarters of them could escape the death game before it even had a chance to truly begin, but for that to happen upwards of two thousand other people had to sacrifice their ability to escape and accept being Isekai'd into a fantasy world with little chance of return.
"How do we know you are not just leading us on and giving us false hope for sick amusement? Do you have any way to prove what you are suggesting?" came one mans strong and deep voice from the crowd.
"You, do not believe the words of a Goddess?" the Goddess asked in surprise.
"You could only be claiming to be a goddess and could be a simple hacker toying with us for all we know. We cannot believe what you claim without some form of proof to your claims!" The same man called out, a substantial number of people gathering around him and vocally agreeing.
The goddess looked down at the big dark skinned man in shock, before realizing that he did have some logic to his argument. "Very well, I shall use some of my power to do this!" She declared as she snapped her finger and panes with a message appeared above all of the players who were younger than Fourteen. A pane saying log out unlocked. "All those too young to be of use to my world can now log out and return to their families! If they so desire."
Within seconds a sizable number of the kids with the notices above them began touching their menus and disappearing in brilliant flashes. Which of course led to some people yelling and swearing.
"If you can let them log out, why not log us all out damn you!?"
"Charity is for those who deserve it, and those who could not understand their situation as many of those children could not. And I still need noble and strong souls to help save my world," the Goddess claimed calmly.
"What happens if enough people do not, volunteer to agree with your request?" One person, a young man with reddish brown hair and slight stubble asked, his voice traveling surprisingly far and telling of skills in talking over others or garnering attention to himself.
"Sadly, if enough do not agree, then others will be left behind in this world," The goddess said grimly, her expression crestfallen, while her tone was oddly neutral.
"How do we know when enough people have agreed to your mad deal then?" a girl called out angrily.
"Yeah, and what about our families that we would leave behind?" called another who sounded on the verge of crying.
"You may write letters once to your loved ones on the first night of being in my world, and I shall have them sent to them. This meeting of ours right now is also being revealed to your lands, and if you agree your bodies would come with your minds, so your choice would be obvious to your families. As for how you will know if enough have volunteered to free the rest of you-," the Goddess paused as she snapped a finger, causing a crystal goblet to appear floating beside her, as large as a four story building. "This goblet will give you a visual aid. For each person that agree, a orb of light shall appear within it. And when it is full, enough of you will have agreed to come to my world to allow the rest of you to return to your normal, mundane lives."
"How, how do we agree? If we choose to I mean!" a young sounding man from the crown asked, his dark hair a common feature of those below.
"It is simply a matter of raising your open hand with the back of it facing toward the sky for five seconds. Do so, and you shall accept my offer and be marked as such," the Goddess explained before turning her head slightly and mouthing something without a voice, much to many peoples confusion. She then turned back and looked down at the masses and smiled at them in a way that was oddly strange. "Now then, who shall answer the call to be heroes and noble ones in my world of fantasy, magic, and . . . . . camaraderie?"
Almost instantly a small number of hands went up, then a few more followed. Glowing balls appeared in the goblet in small clumps, very quickly filling the goblet halfway, and then slowly filling more and more as others below raised their hands to let others escape. It kept filling slowly for a good few minutes until it almost was filled and stopped. No one moved nor said anything, and then suddenly without anyone raising their hands, more orbs Appeared and filled the goblet to the brim, causing it to crack, explode, and disappearing a flash of light and mist.
"Excellent! Most of you are now free to go!" the Goddess declared as she clapped her hands, making a flash of light that blinded everyone. And when they could see again, there was barely of fifth of the people that there were in the plaza, the rest gone without a trace. "My deal was offered to those in the real world as well, so those that you see around you, and a total of seventy one people from outside, are those who shall become heroes in my world! The spell to bring you all shall begin in a few moments, so you have some time to see those you shall fight beside. Good luck, heroes!"
And then the Goddess disappeared without a trace.
For a few seconds no one moved or said anything, but after a time people began talking and forming groups around them now that they could be partly sure that Kayaba would not reappear.
"So, you agreed too, Kirito?" A red haired man who had called out at least once, asked to the black haired boy standing just a few feet away from him.
Kirito turned to the red head the had been tutoring barely half an hour before and nodded. "Yeah. Why did you, Klein?"
"Well you know, I can't let others who have families just not be able to go back to them," Klein said, his voice low and grim, yet still filled with strength of virtue. It was odd. He looked both sad, but also proud of what he had done. "What about you?"
"Ah, well. I guess it was just, easier, " Kirito admitted as he glanced around, noting a couple people he thought he recognized as other Beta testers.
"I don't think choosing to leave behind your friends and family should be easier," Klein said in a complicated tone before sighing and shaking his head. "I'm going to see if any of my friends who were going to be on agreed. You okay here on your own?"
"Who was the one struggling to kill a boar just minutes ago?" Kirito replied with a snarky grin.
"Yeah okay, fine. You should see if anyone you know stayed behind as well. I'll talk to you later!" Klein called as he ran off into the crowd, disappearing in bare seconds.
Kirito stood there and looked around impassionedly, noting a couple other Beta testers around. He didn't know them personally, he just knew of them, and about the only other Beta he knew personally was the information broker Argo. Being a solo player had its advantages as he only had to care for himself outside of raids.
"Hopefully this isn't to different," he muttered as he noticed a glowing circle appearing on the ground below him, and symbols forming on the walls. He then noticed everyone had a circle forming under them. Then the circles started glowing brighter, making him smile. "Alright, let's see how this goes then!"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"What have you done!?" demanded the Goddess known only as the Chief Deity to the goddess that had just been in SAO as she returned to her abode. In the places between the mortal and immortal realms.
"Oh greetings to you Chief, and what can I do for your illustrious presence?"
"Do not play coy with me Tilthiria, you proclaimed you would not pick sides in this conflict, so why are you getting in the way!?" the Chief Deity demanded to know, their power enough to shake the reality of the place they both stood.
Tilthiria, the Goddess of Twilight and Balance however, simply chuckled to herself, as if about to reveal a cruel joke. "You created the world, the humans, the monsters, the Overlord, and all other gods, yet you do not know what I am doing? How sad, but if you need me to spell it out for you, I will do so! I felt the souls of human stuck between the boundary of life an death, walking the line without knowledge of it, forced to by the machinations of a human who thought himself a God. At the same time, those who live in the area of the Mathrynian Basin, who worship myself as one of their prime deities, were asking for an answer to their prayers, for some way to not take part in the grand war going on, to not have to choose between your order, or the Overlords monsters. So I found an answer to both problems by saving them from the deaths they were stuck to, by bringing them to this world as potential heroes, warriors, Smith's, and whatever else they can be to help protect those who cannot protect themselves!"
"You have brought over those who do not understand our world into a conflict no their own and have given them gifts that may endanger the balance of this world!" The Chief Deity declared angrily.
"If it truly would endanger the worlds balance, I would not have been able to do it!" Tilthiria declared smugly. "And the gifts I gave them are simply a simple boon that they might have some resistance to the overlords influence, and the Orders."
"You dare even insinuate that the Order be even close to the Overlord!?"
"No, I'm just insinuating that you have not had control over them for generations, and that their more fanatical would kill children if they so much as looked at a Mamano without fear or disgust!" Tilthiria retorted almost violently before composing herself. "All I have given them was the ability to somewhat choose their own path, and to improve themselves in a way they would be familiar with."
"And what if they would fall and turn into more of the overlords monsters? They would become even more powerful!"
"No, they would not. While their bodies may change due to the effects of our world, and other effects, their minds may as well, but still have greater resistance. As long as they consider themselves, themselves, their power will be, however as soon as their sense of self breaks, be it by Mamano corruption or The Orders work, my gift will leave them. Unlike you, I do not do things in half measures and I make sure I have back up plans!"
"You, dare!?" the Chief deity fumed.
"Yes, I do, because there is so much proof to the contrary. Now if you would be so kind as to leave, I must conserve what energy I have left to do as I promised those who shall be, in mere moments, coming to our land."
" . . . . . . This will not go as you hope, whatever your plan is. They will fall to the Overlords corruption, and the balance will fall apart because of you!"
"Oh, just like how your last chosen hero fell to the Overlords charm as well hmm?" Tilthiria toyed. "If they fall, then it is simply a case of them being weak. I brought over enough that a few hundred falling to either side of your damnable conflict will not change anything. Please leave."
"You will regret this, mark my words!" the Chief Deity said as she disappeared.
Tilthiria let out a sigh of relief as she began channeling energy and smiled. "Now then, welcome to this world of chaos, corruption and lust, my new army of would be heroes!"
Xxxxxxxxx
So, this idea has been in my head and I have no idea if it's good or not, so instead of wondering aimlessly about it I figured that putting it up for people to see would be the best bet!
Now, this is a Monster girl encyclopedia and sword art crossover, so things would definitely not stay at its current rating of T as things would get very lemony/rapey depending on the situation and characters, so if this is something people would like that would be a major thing.
So yeah, tell me what you think of this and if you think it should continue at some point!