:: Author's Note ::
In this chapter, we'll finally be getting a bigger look at the world of Aincrad. But this will not be quite the same Aincrad you're used to. Like with the characters, I'm adding a few changes here and there. Mostly regarding some of the core rules of how the world of SAO works. Mostly regarding how players will level up, skill acquisition, and the way pvp works. Basically, I'm doing what I can to make the actual game of SAO itself more interesting and immersive.
All the same familiar landmarks will still be present. I'm not taking anything away. Merely adding on what has already been laid out. To put it simply, get ready for a boat load of references to other videogames and popular media. I have a massive backlog of videogaming history that I'm gonna plucking from for this, and if I've succeeded, will be blending it with the world Aincrad in such a way as to feel organic.
Also, be on the lookout for references to SAO Abridged. I'm gonna be regularly adding references to SWE's work as an homage to their creative influence on the story.
With all that said. Here is Chapter Four.
:: End Note ::
Asuna would have been lying to herself if she said she didn't feel a little silly wearing this thing on her head. The NerveGear headset looked like some sort of astronaut helmet crossed with a gaming console. Definitely not something she'd normally pair with her navy blue school uniform.
Upon putting the helmet on her head and turning it on, Kazuto guided Asuna through the onscreen prompts that appeared on the helmet's visor. Essentially, in order to use the NerveGear she had to 'calibrate' its sensors to match her body's physical data. This involved a lot of weird motions like touching her body all over and bending down to her toes that sort of reminded Asuna of yoga, only not nearly as relaxing.
"You need to bend down a little further," Kazuto insisted.
"I'm trying." She grunted into the bend. "It's not easy with this thing on my head. Why's it gotta be so heavy?"
"That's the internal battery," Kazuto explained. "It takes up thirty percent of the helmet's weight and has a lifespan of five months."
"Why that big?" She asked while doing another weird stretching motion. "Why not just plug it into a wall socket or something?"
He chuckled. "Because if you did that you could fry your brain."
"Wh...what?!" Asuna fell backwards onto her butt before groaning in pain.
"NerveGear uses microwave transceivers to send fake sensory signals to the brain." He tapped his forehead as he spoke. "Not only that, but they also inhibit signals sent to the cerebral cortex involving movement. So that way you're not wandering around blindly while you play."
"And that's safe?" she asked skeptically while standing up and rubbing her sore bottom.
"As long as the energy output is regulated appropriately, then yes, it's perfectly safe," he assured. "But using an external power source is too dangerous. You'd risk frying your brain any time a thunderstorm cut power to your building. That's why the internal battery is designed to last for so long. Once your battery dies, you can get it recharged for about twenty thousand yen."
"Seems like a lot just to play a video game," she commented while doing another awkward stretch.
"It's not just a game. It's virtual reality," he insisted excitedly. "A new world recreated on a one to one scale. Trust me, it won't be like any video game you've ever played before."
That wasn't really saying much considering she'd never played a video game before in her life. Still, the idea of getting to explore those places in Kazuto's sketchbook made her feel tingly all over. So putting up with these ridiculous aerobics and cumbersome headgear wasn't too much to ask in the grand scheme of things. Or at least that would have been the case, had it not been for the little 3D figure on her heads up display depicting a rather embarrassing position requiring her to bend over in such a way that was definitely not a good idea in a skirt.
"Turn around," she requested while twirling her finger.
He quirked his head at her in confusion. "Why?"
"Just turn around," she insisted, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "I'll tell you when you can look again."
"O...okay." Confused, but otherwise compliant, Kazuto turned his head around.
Once he'd done so, she slowly bent over the way the character on her HUD was showing her. It was terribly awkward, but as long as Kazuto respected her request, she didn't mind doing it.
"Do all girls wear underwear with spots on them?"
Her eyes went wide and her face heated up like a thermometer. Asuna made a girlish scream before dropping to the floor and covering herself with her skirt.
"Kazuto, I told you not to look!" she shouted, her face crimson.
"B...but I didn't!" he assured, panic in his voice.
"Then how do you know what my panties look like?!" she asked hysterically, her eyes shut, completely mortified.
"B...because of the mirror!" he answered, his body shaking.
Asuna turned around and glared at him in disbelief. "The what?!"
"The mirror!" He pointed at the mirror hanging on his door with a single trembling hand. Upon looking behind her and seeing it, Asuna realized she had essentially just flashed him without realizing.
"I'm sorry!" Kazuto curled up into a ball and started to shake. "I didn't mean to make you mad at me!"
After taking a moment to let the initial shock subside and her face to return to a normal color, she quickly got back up and sat next to him on the bed.
"It's okay, Kazuto. I'm not mad."
"A...are you sure?" He slowly raised his head out of his hands.
She nodded. "I'm sure. It was my fault that happened. I should have asked you to close your eyes instead of just turning around."
"I don't understand. Is it because I saw your underwear?"
Asuna turned her head away, her cheeks flaring red with embarrassment again. "Y...yes. That's why I reacted like that."
"Why?"
"Because I'm a girl," she explained. "You can't look at a girl's underwear without consent first. It's the same as touching."
"It is?" He just looked even more confused. "But I see my sister in her underwear all the time and she's a girl."
"When it's your family, that's different," Asuna explained. "You two grew up together. Your siblings." Her face grew even redder at her next words. "But when it's a girl like me., one who's not your sibling, well...it's just very personal. You should always look away if a girl is naked or her underwear is showing. Unless she gives you consent to look at her first. Okay?"
He nodded in understanding. "Okay. I promise. I won't look without consent."
She smiled at him and nodded approvingly. "Good. I'm sorry if I scared you. You just really startled me is all."
He lowered his head shamefully. "I'm sorry I startled you."
"Hey, it wasn't your fault," she assured while placing a hand on his cheek. A small flashing green light blinked on her heads up display. "I think the machine is done calibrating or whatever."
His smile returned. "Then we're ready to begin."
"So how does this work exactly?"
"I've already logged you in as a guest on my account," Kazuto explained while placing his own NerveGear on his head. "So all we have to do is establish a link and the system will take over from there."
"How do we do that?"
"First we need to lay down," he explained while scooting over on the bed and patting the spot next to him.
Her cheeks flushed. "Oh...okay."
She laid down next to him, resting her head on the pillow while staring up at the ceiling.
"Next, I'll select the game and establish a connection," he continued. "Once I do that, you just say link start in a loud clear voice and you'll be pulled into the game."
A surge of fear hit her being. Suddenly this had become just a little too real. This thing was going to send microwaves into her brain and shut off her ability to move? And she was just going to lay there and let that happen? Was she crazy?!
Asuna quickly reached over and grabbed his arm. "W...wait!"
"What's wrong?"
Her heart was pounding in her chest. "Is this gonna hurt?"
"No?"
"Okay but…" Her hand was trembling. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"Have you ever jumped into a cold pool before?"
"Yes?"
"It sort of feels like that," he explained. "I promise it won't hurt. And it's perfectly safe."
"Kazuto, this is scary," she insisted nervously. "I...I'm not sure I can do this."
He was silent for the longest time. When she suddenly felt his hand take hers and grip gently. She gasped in surprise, her cheeks heating up.
"You trust me, right?"
She bit her lower lip nervously before nodding. "I...I do."
"Then trust me when I say I won't let anything hurt you."
Her heart skipped in her chest. Kazuto's hand was so...warm. Something about him holding her hand like that really calmed her down. This was his world she was entering, she reminded herself. Asuna was in good hands.
"Okay," she finally spoke resolutely. "Okay. I'm ready."
"Then let's begin." He reached up and pressed a button on the side of his NerveGear.
A sharp metallic noise rang in their helmets followed by a dull beeping that repeated itself while the game booted up.
"Okay...it's ready," Kazuto declared. "Now say it."
Asuna gripped his hand tightly, took a deep breath, and shut her eyes.
"Link start!"
What followed was a high pitched synthesized ringing in her ears and the sensation of cold water flowing through her veins. When Asuna opened her eyes she couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was as if her spirit had been ripped from her body and she was now flying through space and time. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, it was like she was just drifting away.
A screen appeared in front of her. Several loading bars flew across the screen really fast before disappearing, followed by one giant loading screen that filled a little more slowly. As soon as it was completely full, her vision opened up and Asuna went tumbling forward, catching herself on her hands and knees.
Asuna took a moment to catch her breath before inspecting her person. She still had all her appendages. Touching her face still felt the same. She could hear her surroundings just fine and move her body appropriately. So far, everything seemed to check out.
Whereupon she finally looked around at her surroundings. Asuna was in a large cylindrical room surrounded by different shapes and blends of light and color. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. As if her body had been transported into what she imagined the inside of a computer to look like. She slowly stood up and looked around, completely in awe of the sight.
"No way…" she spoke allowed, clear amazement in her voice.
"See? I told you it wasn't that bad," a voice she'd never heard before spoke up.
Asuna gasped in surprise before turning to see a tall stranger standing in front of her. He had raven black hair with a fringe that fell down past his left eye. He was wearing matching black armor with a black trenchcoat over it. And he had a menacing looking sword strapped to his back.
"Who...who are you?" She took a step back.
He chuckled at her in amusement. "I look a lot different, don't I? Don't worry, it's still me Asuna."
"Wait a minute." She squinted at him searchingly. "Kazuto?"
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well...in here I'm Kirito."
"Sorry, who?"
"Kirito," he repeated. "That's my screen name. IRL my name is Kazuto, but when I'm in here, it's Kirito."
"O...okay? But why do you look like that? And what happened to your voice?"
"This is my avatar." He gestured to his body. "Do you like it? I made it myself."
She wanted to be supportive but was having a hard time getting over just how different he looked. This sudden shift was incredibly jarring. Kazuto...or rather Kirito...looked almost nothing like the boy she knew while in his avatar. He was taller for one, with more well defined muscles on his arms and torso. His facial features were far more defined too. To say nothing of his voice, which was noticeably deeper. This was definitely going to take a minute to adjust to.
"Wait...if that's you, then what do I look like?!" She looked down at herself, looking for any noticeable changes. Yet the only thing she immediately noticed that was different was her clothes were gone, replaced with a skintight black bodysuit with glowing blue neon lines running through it.
Again, he chuckled at her. "Well, you haven't made your avatar yet. So you should still look the same. Your IRL appearance will act as your default form until you finish setting up your account."
She inspected the skintight bodysuit a little more thoughtfully before glancing over her shoulder and checking the backside. Not the most appropriate thing in the world given it left nothing to the imagination. But at least she could confirm it was still her body she was currently inhabiting and not a dwarf or something. Having finally had a chance to reorient herself and calm down, Asuna finally looked around at her surroundings more appreciatively. A bright smile formed on her face as wonder set into her eyes.
"Wow...this is…" A sparkle formed in her features and, for just the briefest moment, Asuna was six years old again. "This is so freaking cool!"
He gave her a weird look. "But...this is just the menu."
"Still!" She turned and looked at him, an ecstatic smile plastered on her face. "Just...just look at this place! Just look at you!" She spun around, taking it all in for a moment. "Kazuto, we're inside a game! We're in virtual reality!"
He finally smiled back at her. "I'm really happy I got to see this."
"See what?"
"Your first dive," he admitted. "I'll never forget the first time I linked in to my NerveGear and dove into virtual reality. The first time is always the best."
Whatever doubts or insecurities she'd had before were completely blown away by the sheer majesty of this realm of cyberspace. They'd barely even started and already it was like her world had just gotten so much bigger.
"So...what happens now?" she finally turned around and asked him with eager eyes.
He grinned at her. "Now? We create your avatar and head to the Town of Beginnings."
Kirito walked Asuna through the process of opening up the user interface and creating her avatar step by step. He really was an excellent teacher, showing her how to navigate the menus and which icons to push despite the fact that she was absolutely clueless about this sort of thing. First and foremost, she needed to pick her screen name. As he explained it, your screen name could be whatever you wanted so long as it wasn't too vulgar. Some people opted to use their real names, while others chose a nickname of their own creation. For example, his screen name was a combination of the first part of his last name and the last part of his first name. Kiri-gaya Kazu-to. Kirito.
As interesting as that was, Asuna decided she didn't want any special nicknames. Rather, she opted instead to just stick with her first name and go by that. Kirito didn't seem to mind, so long as she remembered to call him by his screen name so long as they were in the game. For some reason, he was very insistent about that.
After choosing her screen name, next she had to create her avatar. And Asuna would have been lying if she said the sheer level of customization that was available to her wasn't a little bit daunting. Using the sliders and dials that were offered to her, she could change her height, change her build, change her race, her sex, anything. The amount of freedom the game offered in terms of what you looked like when you played was honestly even more mind blowing than the fact they were in a virtual world. Not only could she explore this place with Kirito, she could do so as theoretically whoever and whatever she wanted to be.
That said, she was rather happy just getting to explore this world at all. And frankly, there wasn't enough time for her to figure all this out. So she decided not to bother with messing with all those sliders and changing her looks. Asuna was perfectly content with the skin life gave her, and getting to wear all these magical outfits on her own body made it even more personal and fun. So while she didn't change her avatar at all, she did pick the cutest starting outfit she could find. Consisting of a white long sleeve shirt and red vest with a matching skirt and adventuring boots. Once she was satisfied with her look, Asuna hit the confirm character button whereupon a countdown began. Upon hitting zero, they were magically whisked away into parts unknown. When she opened her eyes again, Asuna's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide with shock.
"Oh wow…" she spoke breathlessly while looking at her surroundings.
They were standing in the middle of a massive courtyard under a clocktower. All around them, a sprawling city opened up with large stone paved roads, surrounded by streetlights. Citizens dressed in renaissance clothing went about their day and a massive blue sky hung overhead. The entire thing looked like something straight out of the middle ages, only somehow more magical. Asuna stepped down from the clocktower and did a little twirl, really taking it all in. She giggled in excitement, her inner child really starting to come out.
"This is amazing!" she beamed happily. "Just look at this place! I've never seen anything like it!"
"This is the Town of Beginnings," Kirito explained. "As the name implies, this is where every player's adventure officially begins. The Town of Beginnings takes up twenty percent of the first floor's surface and is large enough to hold an entire Tokyo district. Thus, it is capable of housing over five thousand people.
"What's that huge building off in the distance?" She pointed to a large palace that overshadowed all the other buildings.
"That's the Black Iron Palace," Kirito explained. "It's the largest building in the town and can accomodate a guild of up to one thousand players."
She wheeled around and gawked at him incredulously. "You can live in that thing?!"
He nodded. "It's really expensive though. Only a guild with a lot of money and active members could do it."
Asuna stared up at the giant building in utter delight. Expensive or not, this game let you live in a freaking palace! Everything about this world just kept getting better and better.
"Good day, Adventurer! How fares your road?"
Asuna jumped in surprise before turning around to see an older looking man in official robes with a long beard smiling at her in a friendly manner.
"Umm, hi." She waved at him, yet the man simply stood there, not saying anything. "Uhh...Kirito? Why is this guy just staring at me?"
He snickered quietly. "That's an NPC."
"A what?"
"An NPC. It means Non-Player Character. He's not real, Asuna. That man is just a part of this world's coding."
"So...sort of like a robot?" she guessed while considering the bizarre man in a different light.
"Well, sort of. They're more like AI programs," he corrected. "Some of the AI's in SAO are super advanced to the point where they can mimic human behavior. But most are like this guy. NPCs with very low user input capability. He'll only respond to very specific prompts."
"Okay? But what prompts?"
As if having heard her question, a chat bubble appeared in the bottom left corner of her heads up display with several options for how to respond. After going through the list of options, she picked the one she thought sounded most like her.
"I'm well, thank you," she responded politely to the NPC.
The NPC nodded. "You must be new here. I don't recognize your face and I know just about everyone there is to know in the Town of Beginnings." He bowed his head with a sweep of his arm. "My name is Torrin. Welcome to the world of Aincrad."
"Torrin is the game's Tutorial AI," Kirito explained. "If you want, he can walk you through some of the basics of the game. Combat, skills, leveling, that sort of thing."
"Would you like me to show you around town?" Torrin asked politely.
Asuna looked at the options that appeared on her HUD. Most of them were fairly benign questions such as Where am I again? How do I get to so and so? Can you teach me about combat? That sort of thing.
Finally, she turned around and smiled at Kirito with her hands behind her back. "That's fine. But I'd rather let you teach me."
He looked slightly surprised and his face flushed. "Oh…"
She looked away shyly, her own face heating up as well. "I think I'd learn better from a person than I would from an AI. And honestly...it'll be more fun with you as my teacher."
After a moment, he grinned at her. "Then I'll teach you a trick. If you ever want an NPC to go away. Just say, safe journey to you."
Asuna nodded in understanding before turning back around to the NPC. "Safe journey to you."
Torren bowed his head respectfully before turning and walking away. Asuna was giddy as a schoolgirl. This was easily one of the coolest things she'd ever seen in her life.
"So where do we go from here?" she asked, practically bouncing with excitement.
He waved for her to follow. "We'll start with a tour of the town. From there, we'll get you your equipment."
Asuna spent a healthy portion of time just wandering about the sprawling city, really taking it all in. She had no idea what to expect when she first dived in. But it was nothing like this. The sheer scale of this one city alone was a little daunting, considering they only had until midnight to explore everything they wanted to.
That was until Kirito mentioned the time dilation effect to her.
"So explain it to me again," she spoke up as they walked down one of the town's many brick laden streets. "How does time work in here exactly?"
"The NerveGear uses a time dilation program that distorts your perception of the passage of time," Kirito explained. "By the current parameters the Cardinal System has in place, one hour in the real world will feel like ten in here."
"But how does it do that?" She asked, clear disbelief in her voice. "How does a simple VR program slow down the passage of time like that?"
"It doesn't really," he corrected. "It only slows down your perception of time."
"But how?"
"It was one of Dr. Kayaba's earliest discoveries while perfecting the NerveGear," he explained. "By manipulating the hypothalamus with microwaves, he discovered a way to alter the circadian rhythm in the human mind."
She scratched her head, completely lost. "Ehh...the circadian whatnow?"
"Our bodies are regulated by an endogenous process known as the circadian rhythm," he replied. "It's basically an internal clock that tells us when to eat, when to sleep, that sort of thing. Under normal circumstances, the circadian rhythm keeps us on a constant twenty four hour cycle. Dr. Kayaba discovered a way to use this function of the human brain to distort our perception of time, essentially making it seem like time is moving slower around us."
She chuckled. "I find that school has the same effect."
He seemed confused. "It does?"
"Well...yeah. Because, I mean…" She groaned. "...nevermind."
He remained silent for a moment, as if really thinking about what she said. Finally, he chuckled quietly.
"Okay, I get it."
She smiled at him and a thought occurred to her. "Hold on. If our perception of time is slowed down in here. Then wouldn't we see everything in slow motion?"
He shook his head. "It doesn't work like that. The Cardinal Program adjusts its processing power appropriately to give us a normal perception of time while we're playing. The end result is a normal perception of time in game, while time moves at a crawl IRL."
"But why do that?"
He smiled. "Because SAO is too massive to be played in a normal twenty-four hour cycle. Time has to move slower in here if you want to see everything and still live a normal life IRL."
Asuna was beginning to wonder exactly what it was she had just signed herself up for here. She thought she was gonna get to see some cool scenery and maybe swing a sword around for a couple hours. But this was starting to sound less like an afternoon of fun and more like a mini-vacation.
Suddenly, her stomach started growling.
"Is it normal to get hungry in here?" she asked while placing a hand on her belly.
He nodded. "It's a side effect of your circadian rhythm slowing down. You'll experience hunger and fatigue while in here the same way you would back in the real world. So it's necessary to eat and sleep the way you would normally."
"That's a thing in here too?!"
He smiled at her before pointing to a nearby food vendor. "Want something to eat?"
"Sure!" she replied excitedly. "I'm curious to see what virtual food tastes like."
Kazuto chuckled before guiding her over to the food stall. Asuna was blown away by just how good the kebabs cooking on the vendor's grill smelled.
"What'll it be?" the vendor asked.
"Two meat kebabs please," he responded politely.
The vendor bowed his head. "That'll be twenty Cor."
Asuna watched curiously as Kazuto placed two copper coins into a wooden box. The coins vanished and the vendor produced two meat kebabs which Kazuto grabbed. Whereupon he offered one to Asuna who took it gingerly in her hand before taking a bite.
Her eyes went wide in surprise at the taste. The meat was well seasoned and had been cooked perfectly. This was unbelievable, she felt. Even the food tasted real here. Not just real, but really good.
"Do you like it?" Kazuto asked while chewing on his own kebab.
"Mhmm!" She beamed at him, her mouth full of food. "It's really yummy! I'm genuinely surprised by the quality."
"Just remember to finish it before its durability hits zero."
She blinked at him in confusion. "Its what?"
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Right...I forgot I didn't explain that. Most items in SAO have a limited durability that will slowly decrease due to factors like damage, extended use, or just the passage of time. Once the items durability hits zero..."
"Oops!" She slipped on a crack and accidentally dropped her kebab. The moment it hit the ground the item shattered into brightly colored pixels.
"...it's gone forever," he finished.
"Awww." She pouted in disappointment.
Kazuto smiled at her before offering up the rest of his kebab which she took happily.
"Thanks," she replied sweetly to him.
"You're welcome." He continued to explain durability to her as they walked. "Certain objects in SAO are what we call immortal objects. Meaning they won't be destroyed, no matter what happens to them. For instance, the buildings in this city that aren't player made are mostly immortal objects."
"And the NPCs too?" she guessed.
He shook his head. "No, actually they're not. The NPCs here can die if you attack them."
She blanched at that. "They...they can? That's kind of grim."
He nodded, frowning sadly. "Yeah, I don't like killing NPCs. If they die, they'll eventually respawn after about a week or so. But they never come back the same. They'll return with a randomly generated new face and personality setting."
"So...it's like they actually die," she commented. "Once they're gone, that NPC can never come back the same way again."
"Exactly. Not that killing NPCs is easy, mind you. Most live here in the Town of Beginnings. And attacking them is a good way to get the Imperial Guard called on you."
"Are they like the police?" she guessed.
"Sort of," he admitted. "If you commit a crime in town they'll confront you and force you to pay a fine of cor based on the severity of your crime."
"That's what those copper coins were right? Cor?"
He nodded. "It's the currency of this game. Those copper coins were worth ten cor each. Silver coins are worth a hundred. Gold coins are worth a thousand. And platinum coins are worth ten thousand."
"So what happens if you can't pay the fine?" she asked curiously, becoming more and more engrossed in this world.
"Then you get sent to the prison," he answered candidly.
She laughed in disbelief. "That's a thing too?"
"It is."
"So how does prison work in this game?"
"The same way it works IRL. If you commit a crime and you can't pay the fine, you're given a sentence of time based on the severity of your crime and sent to a prison cell where you stay until your sentence is up."
She gave him a disbelieving look. "And you have to just...wait there?"
"Well, you can still log out," he admitted. "The sentence is based on in-game time, not IRL time. So if your sentence is three days in game, you can spend it logged out of your character. And because of the time dilation effect…"
"Oh, I see!" she spoke up excitedly. "So instead of spending three days in a cell..."
"You'd just spend seven hours doing something else IRL," he finished. "It's annoying, but it keeps people from breaking the law." He narrowed his eyes at a passing NPC. "That said, some of the punishments can get insane. Murdering an NPC in the Town of Beginnings, for example, means a fine of two hundred thousand cor or a sentence of several months in prison. Killing another player in the Town of Beginnings will net you a fine of two million cor and if you can't pay, you get sentenced to four years in prison. That's several months of game time lost."
"Geez. That seems a bit harsh," she admitted.
"There are ways to work around it," he explained. "If your lockpicking skill is high enough, you can attempt to escape. Or if you don't want to go to prison at all, you can just resist arrest. Though I don't recommend that. The Imperial Guard is composed of obscenely high level NPCs who have a tone of health and deal a ton of damage. Nine times out of ten it'll just end badly."
"They sound scary."
"They are, trust me," he insisted. "The Imperial Guard exists to keep the Town of Beginnings and new players safe from harm. They're so OP practically nothing can kill them. Now that said, their reach only extends so far. Once you leave the Town of Beginnings, you're on your own. Out in the wild, the only law that's enforced is done so by other players."
"What's the maximum sentence a player can receive?" she asked in intrigue.
"Well that depends. Killing a player character, or PKing as we call it, will net you the maximum sentence the Imperial Guard can serve out. But the Cardinal System can assign far harsher punishments if you violate the games terms of service. Harassing other players, making IRL death threats, cheating…." He coughed awkwardly. "...touching the NPCs inappropriately."
She gawked at him. "Wait...people actually do that?"
"We first caught someone doing it in Beta…" he explained, his cheeks turning red. "...people are weird. Let's just leave it at that."
She laughed. "I imagine. So what happens if you violate the terms of service?"
"You're instantly teleported to a much stronger prison that you can't break out of no matter what you do," he explained. "The sentences for those prisons are usually far harsher. Months or even years of game time can be lost. But to answer your question, the maximum sentence a player can get is banishment from the game. Their avatar is taken to the gallows and executed publicly in the town square. Never to be seen again."
She grimaced at that. "Jeez, that's morbid."
He nodded in agreement. "Rules are respected in Aincrad. And the Cardinal System keeps everyone honest. Anyone caught violating those rules is dealt with severely."
Asuna giggled at how serious he was getting. "Well don't worry. I promise I'll be on my best behavior."
He smiled at her. "I know you will. You're good about that."
She smiled back at him. Something Asuna was quick to notice was how Kazuto seemed far less inhibited as Kirito. As if the real him was finally able to shine through. When normally, something was holding him back. If she had to put it into words, Kazuto...or rather Kirito, seemed far more in control. Of both himself, and his environment.
"So what's next?"
"We get you your equipment," he declared chipperly. "You'll need to outfit yourself before we head out of town."
"So how do we do that?"
"First we stop by the weapons and armor merchant. And then from there, we take you to the training grounds."
She saddled up beside him. "Lead the way, mon Capitaine."
He smirked at her. "Laissez les bons temps rouler."
Asuna stopped and stared at him in astonishment. "You speak French?"
"Yeah, but only Cajun French," he admitted.
"What the heck is Cajun French?" she asked. "I've never heard of that dialect."
"It's also called Louisiana French," Kirito explained. "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it, it's only spoken by a small minority of Americans in the state of Louisiana."
"So...how do you know it? Last I checked we're still in Japan."
Kirito chuckled at her. "Remember I told you my dad travels for work? RECT Progress has an office in New Orleans. The last time he was there, dad brought home a Cajun French dictionary."
"And you just...taught yourself how to speak the language?" Asuna was giving him the weirdest look at that moment.
He shrugged. "Why not? It's an interesting language. Though I can't say I speak it quite the same way they do." Kirito then gestured down a road leading to the merchant. "Now then. Et nous y allons, mon cher."
He started walking in the direction he pointed to, but Asuna didn't follow. Not at first anyway. She was too busy marveling at Kirito from a distance. After everything she learned today, seeing him like this, it really began to put things into perspective for her. This boy wasn't just smarter than their classmates. He was smarter than most people in general. All day, everyone had gone on and on about how Kazuto was on the autistic spectrum. Yet looking at him now, here in his element, it was clear he was on a different spectrum entirely when it came to intelligence. His brain operated on a completely different level from hers. And she was seriously beginning to suspect that his autism wasn't the only reason he felt so detached from society. What made this all so especially jarring was that he didn't seem to be aware of just how much more intelligent he was than most people.
It was really starting to make her mad, honestly. There was no reason people should have been treating him like an invalid. If anything, Kazuto Kirigaya had more to offer the world than most adults did. If they gave him a chance, that boy could do so much good for so many people. Yet instead, he was here, escaping from reality into a virtual fantasy. Changing his voice, his face, and his name. Pretending to be something else. All so he could feel some sense of normality.
It wasn't fair. It honest to God wasn't fair how someone so gifted could feel so inadequate they felt the need to hide behind an avatar.
Asuna absolutely loved shopping. Given clothes and makeup were one of the few luxuries her father allowed her to indulge in, she'd learned to appreciate a good spending spree. That said, she had a strong inkling that this was gonna be different. Just looking at the storefront, Asuna could tell already she was in for a wild ride.
"Just so you know, I am completely clueless about this stuff," Asuna warned as they stepped into the weapons and armor shop.
"That's okay. We'll find something that works for you," he assured while holding the door open for her.
"But a lot of these weapons look ridiculously heavy," she pointed out while looking at the rows upon rows of melee weapons hanging in the store. "And...most of them don't even look real."
He snickered at her comment. "They're real. SAO has no magic system and a very limited range combat system."
"So no bows and arrows or that sort of thing?" she guessed.
He shook his head. "Nope. There are throwing knives, hand axes, small things like that. But nothing purely ranged. Melee combat dominates SAO. Which is why the game boasts such a wide variety of melee weaponry from all around the world. Everything in here is based off of melee arms from different cultures and time periods throughout world history."
She quirked her head to the side and eyed up a massive weapon leaning against the wall. "What the heck is this thing?"
"That's an iron zweihander," he answered. "Used primarily by the German Landsknechte of the sixteenth century. It's a two handed greatsword class that has crazy high attack power, but very low agility."
"That thing is almost as tall as me," she commented in disbelief before backing away from the intimidating weapon. "For God's sake, Kirito. I don't think I could even lift one of these things, let alone use it in combat."
"How strong you are physically doesn't matter," he assured. "Your ability to use weapons in this game is based on your skill stats. Not on your real life athletic ability."
"So...physical ability really doesn't matter at all?"
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well...it matters a little. SAO has a one to one physics engine that the brain translates to physical exertion. You can still get tired if you run for too long or exert too much force. But by leveling the appropriate skills you can raise your stats high enough to where it doesn't matter. The system will balance it out for you."
"So...I could potentially use that thing?" she asked disbelievingly.
"Not just the zweihander, any weapon in this store," he assured. "Everything in here is a starting weapon. Which means every player has the base stats to use them." Kirito pointed at another weapon. "If you don't believe me, try picking that giant mace up over there."
Her jaw dropped at the site of the weapon he was pointing at. "You mean the one that's the size of a highway traffic cone?!"
He nodded. "Trust me. You'll get what I mean once you try."
She gingerly approached the weapon and gripped it in her hand. "Kirito, I seriously don't think I'll be able to lift this thing."
"Just trust me. You'll be fine," he insisted.
"Okay. But when I tear a hamstring you'll be the one-wah!"
Asuna put all her strength into lifting the weapon only for it to go flying over her head before slipping out of her grasp. Kirito just barely had time to duck whereupon the mace went sailing through the storefront window, shattering it to pieces. Asuna stood there petrified with her hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and horror. Kirito blinked a few times in bewilderment whereupon he locked eyes with Asuna, who shook her head repeatedly, refusing to believe what just happened.
Out of nowhere, an Imperial Guard came bursting through the door.
"Stop! You've violated the law! Pay a fine or serve your sentence. Your stolen goods are now forfeit."
Kirito stared at the guard as an awkward silence filled the room. Finally, he raised up a single finger.
"I can fix that."
After the debacle at the weapons and armor shop, Kirito paid off Asuna's fine and used his Slicing to repair the broken glass, resetting the store to its default setting. Not wishing to break anymore windows, Asuna kindly requested something a little more her speed. So Kirito suggested they look at some of the lighter armaments.
While browsing the store's selection of lighter slashing and stabbing weapons, Asuna happened upon a thin nimble looking blade with a circular guard that got her attention. According to Kirito, the sword was known as an iron rapier. A versatile blade that was both a slashing and stabbing type weapon. Though its overall damage output was relatively low, the agility bonus it offered made it one of the most nimble choices for close range dueling options. Rapiers emphasized overwhelming an opponent with lightning quick strikes and utilizing full mobility of one's terrain to avoid enemy attacks.
Most of what he was saying went completely over her head. Asuna just knew that she was drawn to this blade in particular. Having recalled a book her mother used to read to her when she was a little girl. A story known as The Three Musketeers. Though she could barely remember the plot, she recounted how enamoured she became with the main character. A swashbuckling hero becoming involved in affairs of state and court, weilding a lightning quick sword that looked pretty much exactly like this blade, cutting down bad guys one by one with the skill of a master fencer.
The story actually caused her to become interested in the art of fencing for a short time. It felt more akin to a dance than actual combat. When she thought of swords and the art of swordplay, fencing and rapiers invoked images of a gentleman aristocrat running his enemies through with grace and refinement that could only be achieved with the nimble little blade. In many ways, Asuna was herself an aristocrat of the modern age. And in those early years, she would often fantasize about playing the role of a beautiful Duchess. Wielding her nimble rapier to protect her subjects from the hordes of uncivilized barbarian men.
Of course, that fantasy was particularly short lived. Given her father shut down any thoughts she might have had of actually practicing the art of fencing very quickly. By the time she was twelve, it had been made very clear to her what her responsibilities would be after graduating high school, and practicing swordplay was definitely not one of them.
But here? In this new world? She could indulge in that childish fantasy to her heart's content. With her mind made up, Asuna informed Kirito that she'd made her choice, whereupon he encouraged her to pick up the blade and take it to the vendor. Picking up the rapier and holding it by the grip sent a jolt of energy through her body and made her hair stand on ends. She knew this was definitely her weapon.
Upon bringing the weapon to the vendor and paying, it appeared in her inventory along with a sheath on her belt to store the weapon. She had to physically stop herself from dancing around like an excited seven year old. Just when she thought it couldn't get any better, however, Kirito then escorted her over to the other side of the store where she was to pick out her first set of armor. As he explained it, every new player always picked their weapon first and their armor second. This way, they could choose armor that complimented whatever combat style their weapon emphasized. In Asuna's case, she desired armor that didn't hinder her speed and boosted her agility stat.
While she was hopelessly clueless at first, he did a good job explaining the core mechanics she needed to focus on when leveling her skills, as well as picking out everything she would need for her first armor set. Given she was still a fresh player, Asuna would be starting out with a simple leather chestguard that could be worn under her red vest. Along with leather gloves and matching leather boots in place of her basic ones.
It took her a second to figure out how the menu worked. As advanced as this game was, actually putting on and taking off clothes seemed to be beyond the limit of the Cardinal Systems processing abilities. Instead, in order to equip weapons, armor, or in fact any garments at all, you had to do so through the game's inventory system. Whereupon it would just magically appear on your body.
After finally managing to figure out how it worked, she put on her new armor. Asuna couldn't help but wonder just how much of a time saver this little feature would be to her daily routine if it existed IRL. Having clothes just magically appear on your body was hella convenient. Regardless, once she'd fully equipped her new armor, Kirito showed her to a full body mirror so she could check out her new look.
Whereupon she found herself tearing up. It didn't make sense when she thought about it. This was just a game in the grand scheme of things. Why was she getting so emotional over this? It was just a silly little outfit with a silly little sword attached to her hip. So why did she feel like crying at that moment?
He didn't say anything, but Kirito seemed to understand. Or rather, he could see how much this meant to her, even if she couldn't just yet. Something about seeing herself like this. Dressed like an adventurer, like that Heroine from her childish fantasies, meant more to her than any A on a test, or pat on her back from her parents ever did.
For the first time in her life, Asuna felt like she was dressed solely for herself. And not for the whims of someone else. As emotional as she was getting, Asuna kept herself composed long enough for them to leave the store and make their way to the training field. Now that she had her gear, it was time for her to learn how to use it.
"So how is this going to work, exactly?" She fiddled with the rapier strapped to her belt. "Considering I've never held a sword up until this point? Doesn't it normally take like...years of training to master one of these things?"
He shook his head. "Not with the Cardinal System. Your stats will determine things like dexterity and reflexes for you. All you really need to focus on is mastering the basic movements to perform each sword skill. Starting with basic strikes, dodges, and parries and then working your way up from there."
"Will we have enough time for that?" she asked while checking the time on her HUD. "I mean, I know it's technically only been about twenty minutes since we started, but we could be here all day."
"We won't be," he assured. "The weapons master will teach you everything you need to get the basic grasp of combat. From there, I can teach you everything else you'll need to know."
"So who is this weapons master?" she asked curiously. "He sounds pretty hardcore."
He nodded. "The weapons master is an advanced AI programmed with extensive knowledge on every type of weapon in the game. He trains every new player in basic use of their weapon of choice."
"That's awfully helpful."
"His first lesson is always free, but if you want to learn how to use anything different, it'll cost you," Kirito warned. "Each new lesson gets progressively more expensive. So it pays to know in advance what kind of weapon you'll prefer using."
She shook her head assuredly. "Don't worry. From the moment I saw this rapier, I knew it was for me."
He smiled approvingly. "You should tell the weapons master that. He respects players who show confidence in their choices."
"So...is this AI like...you know, sentient?" she asked nervously.
He shook his head. "No, he's not that advanced. The weapons master came close to passing the Turing test but he's not quite there."
"Turing Test? What's that?"
"The Turing test is a test designed for artificial intelligences." Kirito explained. "It was named after Alan Turing, the man who first invented the computer."
"Neat," she commented in a chipper tone.
"The Turing test itself is fairly simple. The idea is, you place a human in a room with an artificial intelligence and have them hold a conversation. If the human can tell he's talking to an AI then it fails the Turing test. But if the human thinks he's talking to another human, then that AI passes the Turing test."
"And the weapons master failed the Turing test?"
He nodded. "He's got a ton of knowledge about weapons and combat to the point he could almost pass for sentient as long as you stick to that topic of conversation. But the moment you deviate, his programming really starts to show," Kirito cleared his throat abruptly. "That said...he's still really advanced. Just remember to be respectful around him. The weapons master can be a bit persnickety if you're not showing due regard during his training.
She nodded in understanding. "I'll mind my manners."
"One more thing," Kirito cautioned. "The weapons master may ask you to prove your worth in some way."
Asuna gulped. "Wh...what do you mean by that?"
He shrugged. "How should I know? Some of the Beta Testers were apparently given tests to prove their worth. But when I went to train with him, he told me I was already worthy."
She rolled her eyes, a small amused smile forming on her face. "Of course he did."
They entered the training ground whereupon they were greeted by the site of dozens of training dummies around them of various shapes and sizes. As well as an obstacle course and dueling arena. In the very back, a man in silk robes of red and black rested under a canopy. He was kneeling in front of a table practicing calligraphy, his back turned to them. Kirito nudged Asuna encouragingly before gesturing to him.
"Go introduce yourself."
"Ehhh…" She sounded a little uncomfortable. "...are you sure? I feel a little silly."
He nodded. "Just trust me. It'll be fine."
Asuna slowly began to approach the weapons master with a hesitant look in her eyes.
"Just remember to be respectful!" he called to her from across the room.
"Right…" she mumbled to herself before approaching the canopy.
"Who stands before me?" The weapons master asked while continuing to write.
"M...my name is Asuna, Sir." She bowed politely. "It's very nice to meet you."
"You have manners, at least," he replied. "What brings you to my humble training ground, Asuna?"
That threw her for a loop. She wasn't expecting the AI to be able to replicate her name.
"Well, Sir...I've come seeking guidance on how to properly use my rapier. I was told I needed a weapons master to teach me."
"From where do you hail, Asuna?"
She stood up straight. "I'm...I'm from Tokyo, Sir."
"Well, Asuna..." The weapons master continued. "Allow me to guess your story. You've come from your humble little village of Tokyo…"
She chortled under her breath. Okay, she could definitely tell she was talking to an AI now.
"I'm sorry, did I say something that was funny?" he asked in a slightly aggravated tone.
Asuna immediately stood straight again. "N...no, Sir! Not at all."
After a moment of thought, he resumed his calligraphy. "Allow me to guess your story. You've come from your humble little village where you're the very best swordsman among your people. And now you believe you are worthy to train with the master. Does that sound about right?"
"Well, I've actually traveled all over the world, Sir," she responded.
"Yep, here we go," he commented to himself.
"And I know one thing for certain." She dropped to her knees and bowed her head. "I have a lot to learn."
He stopped again before turning his head back to her in intrigue. "You're not doing a very good job selling yourself, young lady."
"That's because I don't know how, Sir," Asuna spoke in a humble voice. "I was allowed to come to this world due to the kindness of a friend. He's the one who brought me to you."
"I see…"
"Kirito told me I would have to prove my worth to you, Sir. But the truth is...I don't know if I am worthy of this sword. Or this world," she admitted in a slightly melancholy tone.
"Hmmm." He finally set his brush down and stood. "Well then, let's find out together shall we?"
She perked her head up whereupon he turned around and made eye contact with her, revealing a grizzled face with a long grey beard.
"I will train you, Asuna. My name is Piandao, and as of this moment, I am your instructor in the way of sword arts."
Kirito watched from a distance as Asuna received instruction from Master Piandao in the way of sword arts, the combat system that ran the world of SAO. Asuna stood in the middle of the training grounds listening to Piandao's lecture intently. For an AI program that wasn't truly sentient, the weapons master was surprisingly engaging.
It was the darndest thing. Asuna could have sworn she recognized Piandao's character model from something else. According to Kirito, some of the character models in SAO were based off of figures from other popular media. Though damned if she could place her finger on where she knew this one from.
"The way of sword arts is an elegant and refined process of combat and movement," Piandao instructed while drawing his one handed longsword. "You must think of your weapon, not as a simple tool, but as an extension of yourself."
He struck a pose and his sword began to glow, whereupon he slashed at the air, moving at speeds that should have been impossible for a normal human to pull off.
"Your initial motion is the most important," he continued. "To successfully use a sword skill you must begin with an action movement." Piandao posed again and his sword glowed a different color. "Your weapon will tell you if the initial motion is correct. From there, the blade will guide your way."
Piandao made a twirling motion that sliced through the air, creating a small shockwave. Asuna was enthralled. She couldn't wait to try it out for herself.
He sheathed his sword and folded his arms behind his back. "Now, draw your weapon and present it to me."
She drew her weapon and turned to Kirito for help. He showed her how to hold the blade with his body movement, whereupon she imitated him, presenting the blade to Master Piandao.
"Ahhh, the rapier. A versatile blade for those who prefer to be light of foot and nimble on the battlefield. A most excellent choice."
Master Piandao held two fingers up to his head, whereupon he became enveloped in smoke. When it cleared, he was dressed differently. In place of his robes, he was now wearing a traditional sixteenth century dueling outfit. Complete with leather trousers, a silk undershirt, and red jerkin. On his belt was a rapier, same as Asuna's.
"The rapier, also known as the espada ropera, is a cut and thrust weapon." As he lectured, Piandao drew his blade and entered a fencing stance. "This weapon, more so than any other, emphasizes grace, refinement, and artistry in its usage. In the hands of a master, it becomes more than a simple blade of humble size."
His rapier began to glow, whereupon he began dashing in multiple different directions far faster than before. She could barely keep up with his movements, he was lightning quick.
"In the hands of a master, this blade becomes the very wind itself. And just as there are no limits to the imagination. So too are there no limits to the potential of the rapier."
Her heart started beating rapidly in her chest. Asuna was ready.
"Now, approach the dummy," he instructed while pointing to a straw training dummy.
Asuna readied her blade and approached the straw dummy with a determined look in her eye.
"We will begin by learning the most basic art of the rapier. The thrust." Piandao took a fencing stance again, whereupon his weapon started glowing. "Position yourself thusly, then extend your arm outward with a sharp jerking motion."
He demonstrated, whereupon his body dashed forward, striking the straw dummy in the chest with the point of his blade.
"Now, try it for yourself."
Asuna took a deep breath before lowering herself into the stance he had just taken, her arm slightly bent and her sword tilted upwards. Sure enough, the blade began to glow just like his did.
"Now…thrust!" he commanded.
She snapped her arm outward and hit the target, almost falling forward onto her face in the process. The movement was so sudden and so unexpected she hadn't been prepared for it. One second she was several feet away from the dummy, the next she was standing right in front of it, the tip of her blade buried deep in its chest.
"Excellent," Piandao commented. "You now understand the basics of the thrust skill."
Asuna beamed with excitement before turning and waving at her friend. "Kirito! Kirito, I did it!"
"Good job, Asuna!" he called back to her.
"Next, we will learn how to slash," Piandao instructed.
Kirito continued to watch from a distance as Asuna learned the basic maneuvers with her sapier. After the slash skill, she learned how to dash, then parry, and finally, riposte. As Asuna learned each move, her demeanor began to change. Where at first she came off as shy and reserved throughout the training, she was slowly becoming more and more bold with each new skill she learned.
"Take your stance, parry, and...riposte!" Piandao instructed aloud while guiding Asuna through the motions. Upon successfully performing a riposte against his blade, a chime went off in her ears and the words Level Up! appeared in front of her field of vision. According to her HUD she was now level two.
"Congratulations, your proficiency has increased," Piandao declared. "We can now move on to more advanced forms of combat training."
Asuna completely immersed herself in the weapons training, learning how to stack moves on top of each other in order to pull off even more advanced ones. She learned about combo attacks, and skill synchronization.
Finally, it was time to practice on a live target.
"Using everything you've learned, strike at the boar with the intent to kill," Piandao instructed.
Asuna looked at the level one boar that had been released from its pen. The creature seemed to regard her warily while she gingerly approached.
"Do I really have to kill it?" Asuna asked Kirito sadly. "It's kinda cute. I'm not sure I can hurt an innocent animal."
"When's the last time you had ginger pork?" Kirito asked.
She frowned at him in annoyance. "Okay, I get your point, but this is different. I'm not actually having to look the poor thing in the eye whenever I order takeout."
He shrugged. "That just makes this more honest."
"In Aincrad, life is a constant struggle of survival and death," Piandao lectured, having sensed Asuna's hesitancy. "You must show no fear, no hesitation, when confronting the creatures who call this landscape their home. Otherwise, they will use that weakness against you."
Before Asuna could ask, the boar flared its nostrils and charged, ramming her with its tusks. Asuna squealed in surprise as she was sent tumbling onto the ground, hard.
"Owww," she whined while rubbing the back of her head. "Why can I still feel pain?"
Kirito winced at the impact. "Sorry...but that's another side effect of SAO's Cardinal System. Because you can still feel every impact, your brain will interpret that sensation as your body having just taken damage. It's not as bad as if you were to really get hurt. But, taking a hit like that still doesn't feel great either."
"Okay, but I don't see how..."
The boar charged again, ramming into Asuna with enough force to knock her back several feet.
"You may wanna focus on your target," Kirito pointed out matter of factly. "That thing's just gonna keep hitting you until you fight back."
Okay, that was it. No more Ms. Nice Gal. Asuna was pissed.
"That does it, Porkchops. You're going down," Asuna declared while standing back up and readying her blade.
The boar charged again. Asuna performed a thrust, knocking it back successfully and staggering her enemy.
"Remember to riposte when your enemy is staggered," Piandao lectured sternly. "Always capitalize on every available opportunity."
Asuna went on the attack, hitting the boar with another thrust attack before dashing to the side to avoid its tusks. She then hit it with a diagonal slice attack before dashing backwards a couple feet. The boar charged with its tusks, Asuna parried, and then successfully riposted, dropping the creature's health to zero, causing its body to shatter into light fragments. A small text box on her HUD showed her the items she acquired. Boar meat, boar tusk, and twelve Cor.
"Congratulations, you've killed your first monster," Piandao declared.
Kirito couldn't help but be impressed. For a complete beginner Asuna had a lot of natural talent for this. If he didn't know better he would say she was almost doing better than he did his first go around.
"Umm, Kirito, I killed the boar and now it says I have XP. Is that bad? Am I dying?" she asked nervously.
Then again…
She'd learned the fundamentals of combat with a rapier. She'd learned how to string attacks together, how to dodge, parry, and kill a boar with her weapon. Asuna had run the obstacle course and mastered weapon management in her inventory. But there was still one last thing left for her to learn, combat against another player character. To that end, Piandao prepared what would be her final test. A one on one duel with the man himself.
Asuna was definitely nervous about this one. Kirito assured her she couldn't actually die given she was still in the training grounds, but that didn't change the fact that the weapons master was legitimately intimidating. He could go on and on about how the AI wasn't advanced enough to be sentient, yet that intense look he was giving her was genuine enough to be unnerving.
But she wasn't going to back down from this final test of everything she'd learned. Not after coming so far. According to Kirito, only about thirty percent of players actually managed to beat the weapons master in a one on one duel. Whether she did or not would have no bearing on her final grade. But if she did manage to beat him, she'd be rewarded with a special gift.
She wasn't sure why, but Asuna wanted this. Badly. With a steely look in her eyes, she placed herself into a fencer's stance and prepared for his first move.
Piandao's weapon began to glow and the duel began. He attacked Asuna with a thrust which she parried, following up with a riposte just like she practiced. Yet he was able to parry the blow and follow up with a slash which she dodged by jumping backwards. He tried for another thrust, which she dodged out of the way of before countering with a thrust of her own .
"Excellent! Using your superior agility against an older opponent. Smart," Piandao complimented.
As they parried each other's attacks, Asuna jumped up onto a fence and began balancing on it while striking at him from below.
"Good use of terrain, attacking from the high ground."
He swiped at her feet, whereupon she jumped into the air and thrust, jabbing him in the shoulder and dropping his health. Feeling confident, she followed up with a slash which he was able to riposte and follow up with a quick jab to the shoulder. Her health decreased along with his, whereupon she dashed back three times before bending back a tree branch and snapping it in his face.
Piandao sliced clean through the branch before it could hit his face. "Yes! Use your environment. Make it fight for you."
Their swords continued to clash, filling the training grounds with the sound of iron clanging against iron as the two nimble blades created sparks. Asuna had never felt so alive. This feeling of power, the physical act of fighting with her rapier, she felt just like the musketeer in that book.
Her overconfidence got the better of her and Piandao managed to hit her with a slash she wasn't able to completely avoid, knocking her off balance. Rather than panic, she instead elected to swipe the tip of her rapier through the dirt. Activating the 'dirty shot' skill she learned. The attack hit him directly in the eyes, staggering him back and inflicting a momentary paralysis status effect. She capitalized with a thrust, managing to knock off another portion of his health.
"Very resourceful," he praised before raising his guard again.
The two circled each other for a moment. Asuna wanted to finish strong but she'd already lost more than half her health. She was in the yellow, whereas her opponent was still in the green. If she was going to win, she had to pull off the big finisher, her first special attack. Asuna had only managed to do it once, and it was against a straw dummy. But if she managed to pull it off, she'd do critical damage and the match would be over.
She just had to wait for the right opening. Asuna waited for Piandao to make his next move. Sure enough, he attacked with another thrust, which she parried, staggering him perfectly. Rather than riposte, however, Asuna pulled her blade back, causing it to glow bright pink. She twirled the grip in her hand thirty degrees to the right and an aura of power formed on her blade.
"Hyaaaah!" Asuna shouted upon initiating the level two special attack known as Linear, while getting lost in the moment. Pink sparks flew from her rapier as she dashed forward with inhuman speed, striking Piandao directly in the chest and passing clean through him.
Asuna appeared behind him, her rapier pointed out in front of her. Piandao, meanwhile, fell onto his back, his health bar falling all the way to zero. She'd done it, Asuna won. Kirito's face immediately brightened into an ecstatic smile. As did hers. Dopamine flooded her system upon seeing the text box pop up declaring she'd ascended to level three.
"I did it! I won!" Asuna jumped up and down excitedly while clutching her new favorite thing in the world to her chest. When suddenly, a thought occurred to her.
"Wait a minute." She looked back at the downed weapon master. "What about Piandao?"
His body vanished in a puff of smoke, causing Asuna to blink in bewildered confusion. Whereupon the weapon master reappeared a few yards away, now back in his normal robes.
"Well done, Asuna." Piandao bowed before her with respect. "You've surpassed my expectations and proven yourself a worthy disciple of the rapier." He held out his hands, whereupon a shiny new rapier appeared in his palms. One with a decorative golden guard and blade with a glossy sheen.
Asuna took the blade in her hands, a look of wonder in her eyes. "It's...beautiful."
The weapon's name appeared in her inventory. Regal Rapier. Asuna immediately equipped it, whereupon her boring brown scabbard was replaced with a much sleeker red one with golden embroidery.
"Take this weapon and go forth with my blessing," Piandao spoke proudly. "If you stick to this path, I've no doubt you'll one day prove worthy of the title Fencing Master."
"What do I have to do to become a Fencing Master?" she asked.
"Train hard, perfect your skills, gain power, and one day, you will reach the fiftieth floor of Castle Aincrad," he explained. "There, in the city of Algade, you will find the Steel Masters Guild. Within its halls you will find the Steel Masters. Weapon experts who will teach you in advanced sword arts. Prove your worth to the Fencing Master who resides there, and he will grant you the title."
Asuna smiled ecstatically back at Kirito before bowing before the weapons master. "Thank you so much for everything you've taught me, Master Piandao."
"Think nothing of it. The way of sword arts belongs to all of those who prove themselves worthy of its power. I've no doubt, Asuna, that you will one day prove yourself to be..."
"Master Piandao!" A random NPC came running into the Training Grounds, a frantic look in his eyes.
"Owain? What is it lad? Speak up," Piandao insisted.
The boy took a moment to catch his breath while Asuna just watched on curiously. Finally, he managed to raise his head up and speak.
"The sewers in the western district are under attack by Skaven! The Imperial Guard was dispatched, but we need your help to stem the tide!"
His gaze turned severe, whereupon he looked to his newly trained pupil. "What say you, Asuna? Will you aid us in pushing back this evil?"
A text box appeared in front of her with a prompt that read A Swarm of Troubles. Confused, she turned to Kirito, who had since walked up beside her.
"What's this?"
"A quest," he explained. "You should do it. It'll get you to level five which will make the road ahead easier."
"Okay but, will you be able to do it with me?" she asked nervously.
He nodded assuredly. "We're both in a party together, so we'll appear in the same instance. Don't worry, I'll be with you every step of the way."
She smiled at him thankfully before turning back towards Piandao. "I'm ready. Let's go."
He remained silent, still looking at her expectantly.
"Uhh...Piandao? Hello?"
Kirito chuckled at her. "Sorry, but this part is scripted. He can't respond to you unless you say the correct prompt."
She blushed in embarrassment. "Oh…" Asuna then turned and looked at the list of prompts that were given before responding. "Lead the way, Master Piandao. I'm right behind you."
He smiled at her approvingly and nodded. "Glad to hear it. Now come! There's no time to waste!"
The two NPCs began running to the exit whereupon Asuna was about to follow them when Kirito suddenly stopped her.
"What's the rush?" he asked.
"Didn't they just say we needed to hurry?"
Again, he chuckled. "There's no time limit. Like I said, this whole quest is scripted. We can walk."
Asuna and Kirito casually strolled towards the sound of danger off in the distance. All around them, NPC civilians were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. To them, the world was coming to an end. Houses were on fire, the Imperial Guard was dispatched in all their armored glory. It was chaos.
Yet despite the chaos, Kirito was less than bothered. As he explained it, they were in what was known as a dungeon instance. A special area isolated from the rest of the game world that looked like an exact copy of that part of the world. But that would only appear to whichever players were on the designated quest or event that triggered it. Along with any party members they had with them at the time.
"So what you're saying is, the city isn't really on fire right now?" Asuna asked while watching a random woman run by her screaming for help.
"Nope," he assured. "This is all just one giant, elaborate dungeon disguised to look like the game world. Once we complete the quest, it'll vanish and everything will go back to the way it was."
Something occurred to her as they walked down the streets towards their quest objective. "Hold on. How are you able to stand this? It's so freaking loud and chaotic out here. Wouldn't this...you know…trigger your..."
"I have my environmental audio turned way down," he explained. "I can hear you just fine, but everything going on around me is barely a whisper."
She gave him a bewildered look. "You can do that?"
He nodded. "You can too. Want me to show you how?"
"Please," she insisted desperately while placing her hands against her ears. "I can only handle so much hysterical screaming."
He laughed at that. "I agree. Okay, just go to your menu, then head to settings."
Asuna opened her menu the way she always did, by swiping down with her hand in a vertical direction. Whereupon a series of options appeared in front of her. She picked settings, where she was given even more options.
"Now go to audio," he instructed. "Once there, you should see a slider for environment. Slide that one down."
She did as instructed and began pulling the slider down. As she did so, the world around her grew progressively more quiet. Until she could barely hear what was going on around her. The city was still burning, people were still screaming, but everything was much...calmer now. All she could really hear was the sound of her footsteps and Kirito's voice.
"That's so much better," she insisted.
He nodded in agreement. "It's great, isn't it?"
"Can you imagine being able to do that in the subway? Or during one of those obnoxious school pep rallies?"
"I really wish I could," he insisted, a slight frown forming on his features. "There's...a lot of things I can do here that I wish I could do IRL."
A slight gloom fell over them. Asuna decided to quickly change the subject to something more cheery.
"Master Piandao sure was something else," she commented cheerfully. "If it wasn't for that scripted whatever I'd have never known I was talking to an AI program."
He nodded in agreement. "Their programming gets more and more advanced with every update."
"Are there any AIs in SAO who could pass that Turing test thingy you were talking about?" she asked curiously.
"Aside from maybe the Cardinal System itself, none of the AIs in SAO are advanced enough to be fully sentient. At least not to my knowledge. There's some sort of mental health counseling program that will be implemented in the next patch that's supposed to come close. But I've yet to actually see that one for myself."
"Mental health counseling program?" She sounded confused. "So like...a therapist AI?"
"Something like that. I don't know the specifics of that one," he admitted. "It's been in development since early Alpha though. From what I understand, it's supposed to take up a decent portion of the Cardinal System's processing power."
"But what's the point of that?"
He frowned in annoyance. "It was a small stipulation the Japanese government put in place before SAO was given the greenlight to launch. Apparently a couple of doctors with ties to the National Diet were concerned that there might be 'unforeseen psychological effects' on playing a game for what feels like days at a time. Personally, I think it's a giant waste of resources. But that's just my opinion."
"But what's it supposed to do?" She couldn't help but be curious.
"Officially, it's supposed to monitor and record the players mental states and report if there's a potential problem. In emergencies, it can supposedly even be dispatched to players showing signs of severe emotional imbalances such as anxiety and depression and provide counseling and comfort to them."
"Well that would explain why the AI is so advanced then," she observed. "It's dealing with the human mind. Any AI that can understand how we think would have to be pretty intelligent. Enough so to be potentially sentient, wouldn't you say?"
Kirito stopped walking as a sour look formed in his eyes. "I hate it."
She quirked her head at him curiously. "You do?"
Kirito nodded. "Think about it. Its only function is to remind you that you're just playing a game. It totally ruins the immersion factor."
"I suppose…"
"And besides!" He continued to rant, getting legitimately agitated over this. "We could have added so much more to the game if we didn't have to have that stupid thing eating up so much processing power. We could have tightened up the physics engine, added more variety to the combat system, all sorts of things. But noooo, we've gotta have a stupid shrink watching our every move! A bunch of snobby doctors said so."
"Goodness, Kazuto that's..."
He glared at her sourly.
"Sorry...Kirito," Asuna quickly corrected herself. "That's awfully harsh. What's wrong with making sure everyone is safe and healthy while they play?"
He sighed in aggravation. "I guess I just don't see the point. I mean, I've been going to a shrink for six years. I know better than anyone there's not much they can actually do for you in a practical sense."
She frowned at him in concern.
"My shrink didn't stop the bullies at school. Or fix the arcades so I could enjoy playing games in public too without being overwhelmed. Or tell those cops I did nothing wrong when they tackled me to the ground and stuck me in handcuffs. A shrink doesn't fix your problems, he just reminds you that those problems are never gonna go away and then tells you what you have to do to live with them."
"I get that this upsets you, but there's no reason to take it so personally. I'm just offering my perspective."
"That's fair," he responded flatly.
"Aincrad is beautiful, but I can see how it might be intimidating to some people," she admitted. "I've only been here for a few hours exploring this one town and it's already a pretty massive shock to my system." Asuna looked up at her HUD. "Especially the whole time dilation thing. I mean for God's sake, my HUD is telling me we've only been in the game for twenty minutes but it's felt like hours. That's a lot to take in. It can be...overwhelming."
His features darkened. "Yeah? Well, now you know how I feel IRL. To me, the real world is more intimidating than this place ever could be."
She very nearly said Kazuto again but managed to catch herself before saying it out loud. "Kirito, you know I didn't mean to imply that..."
"I know you didn't," he assured. "But that doesn't make it any less true. Here, if there's a crowd of people, I can just adjust my scope of vision so as to focus on an objective marker and ignore them. If things get too loud, I can adjust my audio so it's not panic-inducing." Kirito slowly raised his hand up and drew his sword, gripping the handle tight as he inspected the blade.
"And best of all? If anyone in here calls me freak or tries to push me around, I don't have to just sit there and take it. With my weapon and my sword arts, I can cut them down to size. I can make them feel small and helpless for a change. No one can tell me what I can and can't do here, and anyone who tries will feel the wrath of my blade. Here, I'm free to choose my own path. Here...I finally get to be the person I've always wanted to be."
She remained silent, unsure what to say.
"In the real world, I was always struggling just to adapt and survive. But here? As the Black Swordsman? As Kirito? The world will have to adapt to me."
He aimed his blade up towards the sky.
"It's my turn to be the one at the top of the castle."
After a moment of silence, she finally smiled at him. "I believe in you. Even if no one else does."
Kirito's smile finally returned. "Thanks. I believe in you too."
She gasped quietly and blushed.
"You'll become a Fencing Master one day for sure. I just know it," he spoke enthusiastically. "You've got a lot of natural talent for this, Asuna. More so than just about any other player I know."
For some reason, hearing that made her unbelievably happy.
"Now come on," he gestured for her to follow. "We've got a district to save."