The quest Asuna was on proved to be far more hectic than she anticipated. In the streets of the western district, Imperial Guards did battle with bipedal rat creatures wielding rusty iron weapons and wearing patchwork armor. It was a little overwhelming to be perfectly honest. Fighting one enemy at a time was one thing, but taking on multiple enemies at once felt a bit daunting. Yet Kirito assured her the system was designed in such a way as to keep players from being swarmed without at least giving them a fighting chance. Especially in starting zones such as this one.
He explained how aggro worked in the game. That was his word for it, anyway. Essentially, enemy monsters could only detect a player's presence upon getting within a certain distance. At which point they would immediately attack whichever player had the highest aggression rating. A player's aggression rating was determined by a variety of factors. Their threat level and base level being the two biggest deciding factors. However, other things could affect your aggression rating such as the equipment you were wearing or certain combat skills such as taunt or warcry.
There was a strategy certain Beta Testers used known as 'switching'. While it wasn't an official skill in the game, switching was recognized as a legitimate strategy employed primarily in boss dungeons and large raids. The premise was that two players would take turns switching out as the front man. One would pull the monsters towards them and attack, then once their health had gone down too far, they would switch out with their partner, who would take over, giving that player a chance to recover their HP.
Kirito used the battle in the west district to teach Asuna the basics of switching as well as a few other non-skill based strategies that proved to be really useful. Though he himself abstained from most of the fighting, as he was so hideously overleveled that the skaven couldn't even put a dent in his HP. This was Asuna's time to get practice in and get a good rhythm with her weapon established.
Clearing out the ratmen on the surface didn't take long once she got the hang of her rapier. And from there, the quest went from insane to insanely fun. Dodging axe swings and countering with well timed jabs and slices of her rapier was intensely satisfying, and she loved the way their bodies shattered into light with every kill.
No doubt about it, she was becoming addicted to this.
After killing fifteen of the skaven, the rest fell into a full retreat. Asuna thought perhaps they were done, until an Imperial Knight informed her that they'd found the source of the ratmen invasion. Turns out, they'd snuck past the city's walls by tunneling their way beneath them and then breaching into the west district's sewer system. Apparently Master Piandao mentioned her excellence as a fencer and thus the guard requested her aid in destroying the skaven's warren.
So it was they now found themselves in the west district sewers, clearing out skaven while heading towards their warren. There, they were tasked with killing the ratmen's shaman leader whereupon the Imperial Guard could sweep in and mop up the rest before destroying the warren and sealing it.
The more Asuna got used to combat, the less of a challenge it seemed to prove. Maybe it was just because she'd made it to level four, but these skaven really weren't putting up much of a fight. Even getting hit with one of their axes didn't seem to cause much of an issue. The initial impact stung a little, and it never felt great whenever she got knocked on her butt, but beyond that, the pain always ebbed fairly quickly and there was never any bruising or soreness to deal with afterwards. She found herself ignoring physical pain more and more while focusing primarily on her health bar, using healing crystals and health potions to keep herself in the green. That said, Asuna did have one fairly big question weighing on her mind.
"What happens if you die?" she asked while they trekked through a particularly foul smelling sewer tunnel.
"It depends," he admitted frankly. "Certain items will let you resurrect fallen players. But they're extremely rare. Most of the time, if you die, you're taken back to the Chamber of Resurrection."
"Where's that?"
"It's in the Black Iron Palace," he explained. "If you die, your avatar is taken back there and any money or items you had on you that weren't equipped to your body are destroyed. Including your money."
"Yikes." She grimaced at that. "Seems a bit harsh for a simple screw up."
"You can always store money and important stuff in the bank," Kirito assured. "That way, you're not at risk of losing everything any time you die."
"Still, you risk losing all the stuff you collected up to the last time you were at a bank," she insisted. "Isn't there something you can do to stop that from happening?"
He thought about it for a moment when a thought occurred to him. "There is...one way," Kirito responded softly, his face flushing slightly in embarrassment.
She quirked an intrigued brow at him. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
"Well…married players share inventory space. So theoretically it's possible that..."
"Woah woah woah, wait." She stopped walking and glared at him. "Back up a second. Did you just say married players?"
"Yeah…" he admitted awkwardly. "You can get married in this game."
Her heart skipped in her chest and her mouth hung open in surprise. "You...you can?"
Kirito nodded meekly. "Any two players who want to can buy an item called Vows of Solemn Binding. The item is a pair of silver rings worn by the two players to signify they're married in game. It's also the item that allows you to share inventory space with your significant other."
She seemed a little put off by that answer. "That's it? You just buy an item and you're married?"
"Well...technically yes." He blushed even more. "But, I know a lot of couples take it very seriously. There's a pair of Beta Testers I know who decided to get married in game. They put on a big elaborate ceremony, the groom's best friend acted as the preacher, there was a party afterwards, it was a huge deal."
Asuna bit down on her lower lip thoughtfully, her face heating up as she clutched her hands to her chest. Her heart thumped rapidly in her ears.
"So...you can have a wedding...and get married...with whoever you choose?"
"Yes," he replied.
Her mind was whirring into overdrive. At first this was just a really cool game. Then it became something more as soon as she got her rapier. But now? Now it had just become something else entirely. Even if Asuna couldn't build the life she wanted to in the real world, maybe...if she kept playing SAO...she could one day build a life of her own in here. Within the world of Castle Aincrad.
With whoever I choose.
"Is everything okay?" Kirito asked worriedly.
"Yes…" she spoke softly, her mind still racing. "...I'm fine."
He smiled and nodded at her. "Well then let's get going. The warren is right over here."
She looked up at him. "Kirito…"
"Hmm?" He turned around.
Asuna smiled at him radiantly. "Thank you so much for showing this world to me."
He blushed fiercely at her beautiful smile. "O...oh. Well…" He quickly regained his composure and got back in character. "It's no problem. I'm just happy you agreed to play with me."
She nodded at him. "Yeah...me too."
As he walked towards the skaven warren, she lowered her head, a single tear falling down her cheek as the emotion she'd been holding back leaked out.
"Me too…"
Killing the shaman proved to be surprisingly easy. Maybe Asuna was just underestimating herself, but she felt like she wasn't supposed to be doing this good considering she was a complete novice. Kirito seemed to think she just had a lot of natural talent, which in all honesty made her feel tingly all over. The idea that she'd found something she was legitimately good at that didn't involve school or accessorizing really meant a lot to her.
After successfully killing the shaman and achieving level five, Asuna turned in the quest and the instance vanished, just as Kirito said it would. The west district returned to a state of peace, and Asuna received her first accessory for her trouble. A ring that increased her agility and speed by +5.
With the quest complete, and Asuna properly geared, they could finally step into the world of Aincrad. Or at least, the first floor of Aincrad. As Asuna took her first tentative steps outside the Town of Beginnings, she stood in awe at the majesty of Floor One's rolling hills, sprawling valleys, and massive forests off in the distance. It was beautiful. A world free of pollution or the corrupting footprint of mankind. This land was wild, untamed, free.
Just like how she desired to be.
The only question now was what came next? The first floor seemed to stretch on endlessly. There was so much to see, so many places to go to.
"We need to be on our guard," Kirito cautioned as they began their journey down the dirt trodden road leading away from the Town of Beginnings. "Out in the wild, there's no Imperial Guard to keep you safe should something happen."
"Is there a chance we'll get attacked by another player?" she asked nervously.
"Well...it's highly unlikely," he admitted. "Most of the normal Beta Testers are up on floor nine or ten right now. But there could be Beaters on this floor."
"That's those Beta Testers who use cheats and exploits, right? I remember you talking about them."
Kirito nodded. "There's no sense in you trying to fight one. Even if you were the same level as them, they're all using gear and abilities that exploit loopholes in the games code. You'd never win, no matter how hard you tried."
She gulped. "So what do we do if we encounter a Beater?"
He grinned at her. "You just leave them to me. I can handle a few Beaters, no problem."
Asuna's face flushed, but it wasn't with embarrassment. Was this...arousal she was feeling? Yet it was directed at Kirito. After learning about SAO, she'd gained a much healthier appreciation for her guide's abilities. Kirito wasn't just a good player, he was likely one of the best players in the game. Good enough to defeat not just other Beta Testers. But Beta Testers who were cheating of all things.
For whatever reason, that was a bit of a turn on. It didn't hurt that he'd created an especially attractive avat-what the hell was she doing?! Stop it! Stop it! She thought to herself frantically.
Asuna quickly shook the horribly uncomfortable thoughts from her mind before saddling up next to him. "So what's that giant tower way off in the distance?"
"That's the Labyrinth Tower," he explained. "Each floor has one which connects to the next floor above it. In order to get to the next floor, you have to pass through the tower at least once."
"Sounds interesting," she admitted, a hint of intrigue in her voice. "Can we go see it?"
He chuckled awkwardly. "You...might not be ready for that just yet. The monsters in there are much tougher than the ones out here."
"Do they have like super high levels or something?"
Kirito shook his head. "Not exactly. They're actually not much higher than you are. But they're all elite monsters."
"Okay, those sound scary," she spoke frankly.
He chuckled. "They can be. Elite monsters have twice the base stats and health that a normal monster of their level would. They're not meant to be taken on solo or in pairs. You only want to go up against elite monsters if your level is high enough to make up for the difference, or you're in a large enough dungeon or raid group."
She smiled at him. "I think I understand."
"And then, there's the Floor Boss," he spoke in an ominous tone. "The single hardest monster the floor has to offer. You have to beat him at least once to pass on to the next floor and he always has crazy high stats. The Floor Boss is usually around five to ten levels higher than the players facing against him and his stats are obscenely high even by the standards of an elite monster."
She shivered at the thought. "Yikes. Yeah, I don't think I'm quite ready for that, yet."
He smiled. "Don't worry. We won't be doing anything like that this time. We'll just adventure around on the first floor for a bit. Then I'll give you a tour of all the places you wanted to see. Then from there, we can join the end of Beta event. If we use our time wisely, we should be able to see everything we want to in about two and a half days. Which will give us plenty of time to drop back down to Floor One for the party."
There it was again. They were really going to spend three freaking days in this place while time moved at a crawl out in the normal world. This place...it wasn't just a game. It was an opportunity. An opportunity for boys like Kazuto to build a better life for themselves.
And as she'd just decided, a better life for her too.
"That sounds really great, Kirito...but I've decided I wanted to change our plans," she admitted quietly.
He stopped and turned back around. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're bored."
She shook her head vehemently. "Far from it. I still want to see all the places in your drawing book. And I will...one day."
A bright smile formed on her face as she stared up into his eyes.
"When we both start our SAO adventure together."
His face lit up into an ecstatic smile. "W...wait. Are you saying you..."
She nodded excitedly. "If you're still okay giving me that reserved copy, I want to keep playing with you for as long as I possibly can. And one day…"
Asuna looked up towards the sky.
"I want to earn the title of Fencing Master."
His ecstatic smile turned into a slick grin. "Well in that case, we need to get you prepared." Kirito opened up his map of Floor One and showed it to her. "We'll start by getting you familiar with the surrounding area. As well as train you on how to better fight monsters out in the wild."
"I'd also like to learn some more about the non-combat skills I can learn," she admitted while looking at the map.
He nodded in understanding before pointing to a small village. "Once we're done adventuring, we'll stay in the town of Goldshire for the night. There's an inn there that's super popular among Beta Testers. So you might get to meet some of the others."
"The Goldshire Inn, huh? Sounds like fun," she replied excitedly.
"It will be," he assured enthusiastically. "The people there are always super friendly."
Asuna looked up from the map to gaze out on the horizon once more. She could build a life for herself here. Maybe not a perfect one, but one where she held some sort of modicum of control. This world didn't promise her eternal happiness. But it did have the potential to grant her a modicum of peace.
As she breathed in the fresh air and felt the cooling breeze hit her skin, Asuna couldn't help but notice how happy she was. More so than she'd been in a very long time.
The day was everything she'd hoped it would be. By the time night had fallen, Asuna had explored and mapped out the Eversong Woods outside of the Town of Beginnings, killed her first griffon, and learned how to cook the meat over a spitroast, raising her cooking skill to level three. After that, they explored a cave that was filled with annoying little critters known as murlocs. Kirito continued to abstain from most of the combat, and there was something Asuna found hilarious about seeing these small little frog beings poking at him with tiny spears while he barely seemed to register they were there.
Within that cave, she faced off against her first elite monster. A level four elite murloc known as Gill'Mar. It was nearly the size of a person, and fought with a poison barbed spear that it wielded with incredible precision. Yet with Kirito ever present by her side, Asuna was able to overcome the harsh adversary, achieving another level up for her troubles. In the back of the cave, they found a treasure chest containing three thousand cor and a pair of enchanted leather wristguards that offered her a boost to her dexterity and luck.
By the time they'd made it to the other side of the Eversong Woods, night had fallen. As Kirito explained it, the game tended to become a lot more dangerous at night. There were multiple different types of monster spawns that only came out during this time that could be hideously dangerous to new players. Demons and beasts as high as level thirty. Well beyond anything she'd be capable of fighting.
According to Kirito, this was also the time where Beaters were the most active.
"So tell me more about these Beater Players," Asuna spoke enthusiastically as they walked down the road towards Goldshire. "Are they really as dangerous as you make them out to be?"
He nodded. "Absolutely. Beaters don't play fair, so there's really no chance a player who's following the rules can beat one. That's my job."
Again, that made her get all fidgety thinking about it. "So how do you do it?"
"By using my own system exploits and cheats," he explained. "Beaters don't fight fair, so neither can I. But whereas they use computers and malware to create their cheats and system exploits, mine come directly from the Cardinal System itself."
"And your slicing," she added while nudging him playfully.
He blushed. "Yeah...that too."
Asuna heard something off in the distance that caught her attention. "Wait, what's that?"
Kirito perked up an ear, activating his listening skill to enhance his hearing. He could hear the sound of sword skills activating as players did battle with an unknown enemy. Yet something about them sounded off. Distorted. Incorrect.
Kirito frowned severely. "Beaters."
A knot formed in her stomach. "Wait, for real?"
He nodded in confirmation, suddenly all business. "Probably data mining. Recording their battles to their NerveGear to build new exploits."
"So what do we do?" she asked nervously.
He beckoned for her to follow. "Come with me and stay low."
"Okay?" she replied reluctantly. "But what do you mean by low?"
"I mean crouch," he insisted before showing her. "Like this."
"So...like this?" She bent down the way he was doing and continued to walk.
"Now you've got it," he complimented. "Your armor increases your agility which will slowly increase your stealth skill whenever you crouch like this."
"That's convenient. Is the stealth skill good?"
"As long as your stealth skill is higher than an enemy player's detection skill, they won't be able to see you until you get within a certain range. It's a tricky skill to master, but helpful."
"But...if you're going up against Beaters, couldn't they just boost their stats into infinity or something?"
He chuckled before shaking his head. "No. The Cardinal System would be able to detect a breach that violent and shut it down without me intervening. But they can mess around with the game's code in more subtle ways that will ensure they always have a decisive edge in combat."
As they reached the crest of a large hill, Asuna and Kirito bore witness to a group of five players fighting a level thirty-two black daemon. They seemed to all be really good, but she couldn't see how they were exploiting the game.
"I don't get it," she whispered quietly to him. "How are they cheating exactly? It looks like they're using the same sword skills that I was."
"It's the way they're using them that's unfair," Kirito explained before pointing to one player in particular. "See the way that guy is bouncing around the map like that?"
"Yeah...I just thought he was really good."
He shook his head. "He's porting. It's an exploit that lets you jump around the map however you want. You're not supposed to be able to do that." Kirito then pointed at another player. "And that guy? He's dual-wielding two-handed battle axes. Which means he's using an armor mod with a cheat he installed to give him that ability. Normally, you can only hold shields or side-arms in your offhand. Definitely not that."
"What's up with the little icons on their heads?" she asked.
"They're orange players," he explained before pointing at the green icon above his head. "See how our player icons are green? That makes us green players. If you get caught committing a crime or kill another player in the game, your icon will go from green to orange. If you become an orange player, then normal NPC merchants will refuse to trade with you. Kill enough players, and it turns red. Meaning the Imperial Guard and Town's Guard in NPC cities will attack you on sight. Red players are always bad news. They've become extremely efficient at hunting and killing other players to the point they make a living off of just doing that."
"But why? What's the reason for it?"
He shrugged. "Because it's fun? Because some people actually enjoy role-playing the villain? I don't claim to understand it, but that's just how some people play." Kirito glared down at the five players below. "The thing is...these guys are also Beaters…."
She scowled at them. "Meaning they used cheats to kill other players. That's so unfair."
Kirito nodded in agreement. "There was one Beater I faced. Some guy who went by the name of Morte...he was really bad news."
"Why is that?"
"He was a red player," Kirito explained. "The only red player I've ever met in this game so far. He'd gotten seriously efficient at killing other players that he started creating exploits to teach others how to do the same thing."
She shivered in disgust. "Sounds like a complete psychopath."
"Yeah, we all agreed he was dangerous. And I don't just mean he was a good player," he spoke severely. "That guy had some serious issues."
"He's not still playing, is he?" Asuna asked nervously.
Kirito shook his head assuredly. "He already used up his third strike after Diavel caught him making IRL death threats to another player. He's been banned from the SAO servers. As far as I know, he'll never get to play the game again."
She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness for that at least." Her expression soured upon seeing the Beaters finishing off the daemon. "Still..I hate that there are corrupt assholes looking to lord their power over everyone even here."
"Evil exists wherever people do," Kirito spoke frankly. "But there's one big difference here."
"What's that?"
A wicked grin formed on his lips. "Where there is evil in SAO, there are also the heroes who put a stop to it."
Asuna smiled at him proudly. "Go be a hero then, Kirito."
A black cloth mask appeared over his lower face and his eyes began to glow yellow. The green icon that appeared over his head turned red, and his demeanor took on a more threatening edge.
"This won't take long," he assured in a calm, intimidating voice. "Just wait here until I'm back."
Kirito suddenly vanished right before her eyes. Asuna blinked several times before rubbing them just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Whereupon her attention turned to the group of Beaters down in the valley below. Off in the distance, she spotted Kirito dashing behind rocks and bushes, in and out of cover like a shadowy blur. Stalking his target like a predator zeroing in on its prey, his eyes glowing an eerie yellow color. Those poor fools in the valley below were clueless, yucking it up and high fiving each other while deciding what to do next.
Asuna watched as Kirito knelt down low and slowly drew his sword. One of the players saw him from the corner of his eye a fraction of a second too late whereupon Kirito seemingly flash stepped straight through him. The Beater fell to the ground, his health dropping to zero in less than a second.
"Oh God, not you!"
"Wait! Please! We just got back to where we-yaaaaaaah!"
It was over so quickly Asuna didn't even have time to fully process what happened. Within the span of about five to six seconds, Kirito darted between every single one of them. An incomprehensible blur of speed and motion as he cut down each one, dropping their health to zero in a single swing.
When all was said and done, five bodies lay upon the ground. Kirito twirled his blade through his fingers before slowly resheathing it with a satisfying click. Whereupon all five bodies vanished in a flash of light and particle effects. Asuna was completely stunned. That was nothing like any sword skill she could pull off. It didn't even look humanly possible, Cardinal System or no Cardinal System.
It was a little frightening, truth be told. Not only that, but with those minor changes to his avatar, Kirito looked like a ruthless assassin, cold and completely detached from what he was doing. Less a man, and more a phantom...a ghost.
But as soon as that phantom had appeared, it was gone just as quickly. Kirito's eyes returned to normal, his mask vanished, and his player icon went from red to green. With his work complete, Kirito smiled up at Asuna and waved her down.
"All clear! You can come out now!"
Asuna stood up and ran down to where Kirito was standing, a look of amazement in her eyes.
"That was amazing!" She marveled at him. "Kirito, you're like...a superhero or something!"
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm really not that big a deal."
"Are you kidding me? I knew you were probably good, but that was like, on a whole nother level."
Kirito chuckled in embarrassment. "Thanks...what's important though is that these Beaters accounts were deleted and the information on their exploits was saved to my NerveGear. Once the new patches are in place, all these cheats and exploits will be completely useless."
"And the players?" she asked while looking around at the now empty field.
He shrugged. "They'll have to start over. They're not banned from playing. But they can't use those tainted avatars anymore."
"Well, good riddance, I say," she declared. "That's what they get for cheating."
"I can't get too upset with them," Kirito admitted. "In a way, they're helping us out. That's why Dr. Kayaba invited them to the Beta to begin with."
"Hold on...he purposefully let cheaters into the Beta?"
Kirito nodded in confirmation. "Yep. There were around a hundred thousand players who signed up for the Beta, but only a thousand available slots not counting the one hundred that were reserved for the Alpha Players. It was chosen mostly by lottery, but some people tried to rig the system by hacking it to give them a better chance of getting selected. Those players were all invited to join the Beta."
"Why?" she asked in confusion.
He gave her a slick grin. "Because we knew they'd try to break the game. Actually...we were counting on it. Dr. Kayaba wanted to see if there were any hackers out there skilled enough to crack the Cardinal System. Sure enough, there was. We've been studying their methods, recording them, and adding them to the Cardinal System to be patched. Dr. Kayaba and I have spent the past three months making this game completely hacker proof. And we have the Beaters to thank for it."
"I've got to admit, that's actually really smart," Asuna commented, sounding impressed.
"I told you Dr. Kayaba was a genius. Thanks to him, you don't have to worry about any Beaters popping up after launch day. They're about to go extinct."
She giggled sweetly at him. "I have you to thank for that too, you know."
He blushed deeply at her comment. "You do?"
Asuna clasped her hands behind her back and nodded. "After all, you've been the one taking them all out in game."
"I guess," he responded demurely. "Really, Dr. Kayaba's been doing most of the work. I just help however I can."
She shook her head vehemently. "You've still been doing most of the leg work. Thanks to you, normal players like me can enjoy this game without fear of being attacked by hackers and cheaters." Asuna smiled at the ground, her cheeks turning red. "In a way, that makes you this world's guardian. You should be proud of that."
He was speechless. No one had ever said something that nice to him before. As they stood there, gazing into each other's eyes for a moment, the trance finally seemed to break. Whereupon Kirito gestured for her to follow.
"Come on. Goldshire isn't far from here."
The town of Goldshire was about what Asuna expected from a small hamlet in the middle of nowhere. It certainly wasn't as grand or imposing as the Town of Beginnings. Yet there was still something oddly magical about it all the same. Kirito explained to her that these small hubs had relatively low security. With guards that were mostly composed of local militia. Nowhere near as powerful as the Imperial Guard.
Still, they made for good meetup spots among Beta Testers, small little villages away from large crowds where friends could gather and share stories of their adventures. According to Kirito, the Goldshire Inn was one of the most popular.
"So if every floor is as big as this one, then how do players get around? Wouldn't it take forever to walk all the way back here?" Asuna asked as they made their way into town towards the inn.
Kirito pulled a small square blue crystal from his coat pocket and showed it to her. "With these. This is a teleportation crystal. With it, you can teleport to any town or city you've visited before simply by saying its name."
"That's handy."
Kirito nodded. "It only works if you activate the hearth in each town you visit." He pointed to a stone hearth with a red flame at the center of town. "Like that one over there."
"Can I go activate it?"
"Go ahead," he encouraged.
Asuna jogged over to the hearth whereupon she was greeted with a prompt to light it. Upon pressing the appropriate button, the hearth's flame turned from red to blue.
"There. Now you can teleport to Goldshire whenever you want."
"Are the crystals expensive?"
He shook his head. "Not really. But you're only allowed to have two at a time in your inventory. And since they're an item, they can be pickpocketed by enemy players."
"Good to know."
Kirito pointed over at a large building with a golden sign hanging on the front. "There's the tavern. If you're hungry again, we can get something to eat after I say hi to everyone."
"It'll be fun meeting some other Beta Testers," she commented cheerfully.
"Like I said, everyone here is super friendly."
They approached the entrance to the Goldshire Inn. A sign on the door read 18+ only beyond this point. AP required for entry. After reading the sign, Asuna reached for the door. Upon touching the handle, however, her hand was zapped.
"Yow!" Asuna jerked away and clutched her sore hand. "What the hell was that? It felt like I just touched an electric fence."
"Oops…" Kirito spoke in embarrassment. "Sorry. I completely forgot about that." He opened his console and made some adjustments. "One second. I'll fix it." After a moment of fiddling with his console commands, he exited out of his menu. "Okay. Try it now."
She eyed the door handle warily before slowly placing her hand on it again. This time, however, it didn't shock her. Asuna breathed a sigh of relief before slowly opening the door.
"What was that?" she asked. "Why did the doorknob zap me?"
"That was my fault," he explained apologetically. "When I logged you in as a guest account. I forgot to activate your access pass."
"What's an access pass?"
"Some buildings require you to be at least eighteen years old to enter. Players are age verified by biometric scanning, and anyone who's over the age of eighteen gets an access pass added to their account which lets them enter buildings like this one."
She stopped dead in her tracks before narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. "Hold on...why do you have to be at least eighteen to enter here?"
He shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure. I think it has something to do with the drinks they serve? A lot of them simulate the effects of alcohol. But considering they're not actually real, I've never understood why that's a big deal."
Asuna could think of a few other reasons. But she kept that squarely to herself for now. That said, she decided to keep her guard up as long as they were here. Upon entering the building, Kirito and Asuna made their way down a small corridor, the sound of tavern music echoing in the distance. They passed through a set of double doors where they were greeted by the sight of dozens of other players dressed in more casual clothing. Mostly leather jerkins for the guys and cloth or silk dresses for the girls. They looked like cosplayers at a renaissance fair. The outfits were fairly creative, if a bit provocative. Especially what the girls were wearing. Most of them were sitting at tables, drinking colorful drinks from metal tankards, or helping themselves to food served by the NPC tavern wenches.
Several players immediately recognized Kirito upon entering and began murmuring to one another. One male player turned to his buddy and whispered something before pointing. Whatever he said, it made his friend go wide eyed with surprise. Something else Asuna was very quick to notice was some of the amorous looks several of the girls were giving him. Two in particular were whispering to each other and giggling in bubbly voices upon seeing him enter the room.
"Well I'll be. Do mine eyes deceive?" one player with greenish blue hair and near perfect pectoral muscles approached Kirito with his arms outstretched. "Could it be the legendary Black Swordsman himself has graced us mortals with his presence?"
Kirito chuckled at the obtuse man. "Good to see you, Diavel."
"Good to see you, my friend!" Diavel declared boisterously before clasping Kirito's wrist in his as a show of friendship. "You're certainly a sight for sore eyes. I figured you'd be up on floor fifty right now, scaring the pants off some scumbag Beaters."
He grinned at him wickedly. "Funny you should mention it. We ran into some on our way into town. They were...less than pleased when they saw me coming."
Diavel laughed thunderously at him. "Of that I have no doubt!" He then turned to Asuna, a slick smirk forming across his features as he ran a hand through his hair. "And who, pray tell, is this lovely creature you've brought with you?"
"Ehehehe…" Asuna waved at him awkwardly, feeling just the teensiest bit overwhelmed by his...rather obtuse personality.
"This is Asuna," Kirito introduced. "I have her logged in as a guest on my account."
He quirked a brow at her, looking even more intrigued than before. "Indeed? And here I thought SAO's most infamous assassin always worked alone."
"We're friends IRL," Kirito explained. "I decided to show her the game while the Beta was still open."
"Any friend of Kirito's is a friend of mine," Diavel declared with a slightly flirtatious voice before gently taking Asuna's hand and kissing the back of it. "Diavel the Renegade Knight at your service, fair maiden."
"Oh…" She looked like a deer in headlights at that moment. "...uhh...thank you...that's awfully...umm…"
He chuckled at her before speaking a little more casually. "Alright, I can see you're pretty green so I'll lay off the theatrics. The name's Diavel. I hope my terrible roleplay doesn't scare you off."
"Umm." She really had nothing here.
Diavel laughed. "I'm just joking around, Love. You've got nothing to worry about here. We're a very laid back group."
"Diavel here was an Alpha Player just like me," Kirito explained. "Argus hired him to run dungeons and test for bugs or glitches with the enemy AI during Beta."
"My jobs not nearly as intense as his is, I assure you," Diavel spoke honestly, a charming smile on his face. "So tell me, how does it feel getting your feet wet in SAO?"
She finally smiled back at him. "It's been a little overwhelming, but so far I absolutely love it."
He nodded in understanding. "We were all pretty overwhelmed when we first dove in. You'll get the lay of the land in no time though."
"Thanks."
"Now then!" Diavel seemingly returned to character. "What can I get you two to drink? You'll find no fresher ale around than a Goldshire brew."
"So we can really drink in here?" Asuna asked in confusion. "But Kirito and I are only eighteen."
He laughed thunderously again. "That's hardly a concern, good lady. The only laws that matter here are the laws of Aincrad."
"Well...as long as it's legal, I don't see why not." Asuna shrugged.
"That's the spirit!" He gestured for them to follow. "Come, I'll introduce you to some of the other regulars."
Kirito nudged Asuna's arm. "I'm gonna go say hi to some friends. You go with Diavel."
"Okay, but…"
He smiled at her assuredly. "Don't worry. Diavel is a really great guy once you get to know him. You'll be fine."
"Well...okay, if you're sure."
Kirito left to go say hi to a group of girls who had been waving at him, leaving Asuna alone with Diavel.
"So what's the story with you two?" Diavel asked in that more laid back voice again. "I've known Kirito since Alpha, and I've never seen him bring a guest onto the server."
"It's...a long story," she admitted. "We go to the same school together."
He nodded in understanding. "Hey, say no more. We have a strict policy on respecting each other's IRL privacy around here. Your business is your business. We're all just here to have fun."
Asuna smiled and nodded approvingly. "I'm glad to hear it."
"I just can't help but be curious is all," Diavel admitted. "Kirito's always been the strongest player on SAO since Alpha, but he's also the biggest enigma. In case you hadn't noticed, he can be a little difficult to read."
She chuckled nervously. "Yeah...I know what you mean." Something he said caught her attention. "Wait, is Kirito seriously SAO's strongest player?"
He laughed. "Oh, indubiously. Kirito's been dominating the leader boards since day one. There was some debate for a while whether or not it was him or me, but after he completely trounced me in our duel, that debate was settled quickly. No one can compete with him. No one."
She glanced over at Kirito in amazement, who at that moment was chatting up a group of players.
"I had no idea. I mean...I knew he was strong and all, but SAO's strongest player?"
He nodded in confirmation. "Yup. Why do you think he gets paid the big bucks to take down Beaters? He's the only one who can do it and make it look easy."
Asuna watched as even more players flocked to Kirito. Each of them looked less like friends and more like adoring fans asking for an autograph. Kirito, for his part, barely seemed to notice their fawning, causing Asuna to giggle.
"Kirito has become something of a celebrity around these parts," Diavel insisted. "If you stick around until launch day, don't be surprised when you see his name pop up in gaming magazines. I'm telling you, that kid is about to blow up."
This was starting to make her head spin. In the real world Kazuto was a socially withdrawn loner scorned by most of their fellow students. But in here? He was basically a rockstar.
No wonder he prefers this world to the real one.
"Anyway, let's get you a drink and I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew." The Renegade Knight declared while guiding her over to the bar. There, a couple of players were hanging out, chatting with each other while enjoying foamy drinks from their tankards.
"Everyone, say hello to Asuna," Diavel introduced with a grand wave of his hand. "She's a guesty of none other than Kirito himself."
"No shit?" one young looking blonde with cat whiskers and a healthy bust commented, sounding slightly surprised as she gulped down another portion of her ale. "Well welcome, Miss Asuna. You picked a hell of a player to show you the ropes."
"This is Argo," Diavel introduced before adding with a chiding grin. "Our resident mascot."
She responded by flipping him the bird while downing another portion of ale.
"Next to her we have Pitohui," he continued, introducing the girl with long dark raven hair.
"You are so freaking lucky getting to play with Kirito," she insisted. "Honestly, I'm a little salty about it."
"Next is Coper. Our biggest otaku."
The well built man with shortish brown hair laughed at him. "Oh that's rich coming from you, Diavel."
"The strong silent one hiding in the corner over there is Chrysheight."
The young Japanese man with well defined arm muscles and jet black hair with red extensions waved at her. "Call me Chrys. Everyone does."
"And finally, we have the sweet and ever so lovely Merida."
The startlingly pretty girl with long green hair tied into a ponytail placed a hand up to her lips and giggled, her cheeks turning rosey red. "Diavel, you are simply too much, you silly man." She turned and offered Asuna a radiant smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Asuna. I simply adore your hair, by the way."
"Why thank you," she responded. "Yours is super pretty too."
"So what would you like to drink?" Diavel asked. "We've got ale, mead, hard cider, you name it."
"Well…" Asuna ran her hands through a strand of her hair nervously. "I don't do a lot of drinking IRL, so I'm not too sure."
"There are non-alcoholic options as well," Pitohui spoke up while raising her tankard. "No pressure if that's not your thing."
"Maybe just a glass of milk then?" she offered.
Diavel nodded. "Milk it is! Will that be chocolate, strawberry, or chateau romani?"
"Uhhh…" She froze again.
"Oh for God's sake, Diavel. Get the poor girl a glass of white before you give her an aneurysm," Argo insisted sharply.
"Right then! One glass of white coming up." Diavel approached the counter and began shifting through menu options.
"I apologize for him," Argo spoke to Asuna. "Diavel has a great ass but he can also be a great ass too."
Asuna chuckled nervously. "It's okay."
"I love your avi by the way," she complimented.
"My what?"
Argo gestured to her with her tankard. "Your avatar. It's super cute. You've got that whole innocent girl from down the street vibe going for you."
Asuna turned scarlet. "Errr...I'm not actually wearing an avatar."
"Huh?" Argo blinked at her in confusion for a moment before realizing something. "Ohhhh, I get it. Sorry, I meant to say your 'true form'."
"My what?" Asuna just looked more confused.
"Honestly, I think it's smart keeping IRL information like that to yourself," Pitohui spoke up, having joined in on the conversation. "As long as you've got that AP tag on your profile, the less I know, the better. Especially in here."
"Maybe she really isn't wearing an avi, you guys," Merida offered.
"Oh come on!" Argo gestured to Asuna. "Would you look at her? The girl looks like a freaking underwear model, Merida. It has to be an avatar."
Asuna blinked at her in bewilderment. "I'm sorry. What?"
"Alright! That's one glass of milk for our newest guesty and a tankard of Red Wyvern Ale for my friend in the black trench coat." After giving Asuna her milk, Diavel gestured to Kirito who was still talking with a group of players. "If you lot will excuse me, I'm gonna go play matchmaker."
Diavel left with the tankard while Asuna watched on in confusion. Did he say matchmaker?
Coper nudged Chrys on the arm. "Hey, let's go see what trouble we can get into over in the red room."
Chrys rolled his eyes at him. "If you insist. Just try not to get us booted out again, please?"
"Okay, that was one time!" he griped.
As the two boys left to go upstairs, Argo hopped off her stool and approached an increasingly more suspicious Asuna.
"Okay, so since you're still adjusting, I'll show you the ropes." She gestured to two different corners of the room. "That corner over there where Kirito and Diavel are currently standing is the designated chat area. You can mingle a bit, get a feel for the environment, and if you happen to see something sweet you'd like to try, drop a DM." She then pointed to the other corner. "If you'd rather just get straight into the action, then that corner is our hookup station. Everyone over there is good to go if you catch my drift. Just give them a name and your preferred gender, that is if you have one, and pick whichever best fits your type."
"Personally, I recommend Davick," Pitohui, who had since hopped off her stool and joined Argo, spoke up next. "He's good with a mace, but even better with his tongue." She then pointed to a man sitting at one of the tables whose lap was currently occupied by a young blonde. "If you're feeling adventurous, Serenity doesn't mind sharing her boyfriend, Tano. But I'll warn you, he likes to bite."
Argo finally pointed up towards the ceiling. "Upstairs is the red room. But I'll warn you right now, don't go in there without establishing boundaries first. People in there tend to get a little...handsy."
"I'm sorry," Asuna shook her head vehemently at them. "I haven't got a clue what you're talking about."
Pitohui gave her a confused look. "Uhh, what the heck do you think we're talking about."
"Girls...I think she's legitimately clueless about where she is," Merida commented, a hint of concern in her voice.
After a moment, Argo gawked at her in disbelief. "Oh my God, I think you're right." She chuckled at Asuna and shook her head. "Oh you poor sweet summer child."
Asuna narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously. "What do you mean by 'summer child'?"
She blew an exasperated breath through pursed lips. "Ooookay. So I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that Kirito never bothered to explain to you what this place is, did he?"
"So it's not a tavern?"
"I mean...technically yes?" Pitohui admitted awkwardly. "We've sort of repurposed it as something else though."
A nervous pit formed in Asuna's stomach. "What...exactly?"
Argo grinned wickedly at her. "Let me put it to you this way. Whenever a player gets tired of hunting down loot. They come here to hunt down...booty."
Asuna turned white as a sheet, her eyes growing wide as she regarded the room with a level of awareness she wished she didn't have. She watched as two couples sitting on a nearby bench traded partners with each other before walking hand in hand up to the second floor.
Oh dear God...it's a virtual swingers club!
Pitohui burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. "Oh you poor poor thing. I'm so sorry you had to wander right into our little den of iniquity like this."' She downed the rest of the ale and tossed the tankard behind her, causing it to shatter into light on the ground. "Well, guess we have the honor of giving you the really good news. Turns out, this game rules even more than we first thought it would."
"Any player eighteen years or older has the privilege of turning on AP options," Argo explained. "Basically, that means your avatar is made...anatomically correct."
"And considering the NerveGear recreates physical sensation on a one to one scale, that means everything we do in here feels just as real as it would IRL," Pitohui added.
"Translation: this game isn't just an awesome escape from our adult responsibilities, it has something else to offer." Argo gestured to a group of swingers who were apparently all heading back up to the same room together. "Totally one hundred percent consequence free sex with anyone you want, whenever you want."
"No more worrying about failed birth control or getting something you can only get rid of with a penicillin shot," Pitohui sighed happily. "Glorious, is it not?"
"That's...one word for it," Asuna admitted. Mortifying is another one!
Argo wrapped her arm around Asuna's shoulder. "Kay, so since you're really new, let me backup a few steps. This tavern is where we go to blow off some steam after a hard day of adventuring. Everyone here is age and gender verified by biometric scanner. So you don't have to worry about being catfished."
"That said, we do have some transgender and nonbinary players here using avatars that match whichever gender they most identify with. If you encounter one of them, please try to be supportive. We're trying to create an atmosphere of tolerance in here," Merida added sweetly.
"Leave your IRL biases and hangups at the door please," Pitohui insisted.
Argo nodded in agreement. "If you just wanna chat and get a feel for the room, that's perfectly okay. We're a super chill group, there's no pressure to play here." She then added with a mischievous little grin. "But if you do want to play, just pick a corner and start a conversation. I'll warn you though, we've got a couple of roleplayers here who take their storylines very seriously. Even those involving ERP."
"But those are pretty easy to spot," Pitohui assured.
"Girls, I think we might be overwhelming her a teensy bit," Merida commented before walking up to Asuna and placing a reassuring hand on her forearm. "Are you okay, Sweetie? We're not making you uncomfortable are we?"
"N...no," she lied.
Merida giggled at her sweetly. "I know this is all a bit much. But I promise everyone in here is very understanding. For a lot of us, SAO is more than a game. It's a place where we can live less inhibited lives."
Asuna cast her gaze over towards Kirito. "Yeah...I gathered as much."
A mischievous look gleamed in Argo's eye. "Soooo, what's the deal with you and Mr. Tall Dark and Broody over there?"
"What do you mean?"
"Duh! She means what's the deal with you and Kirito," Pitohui insisted. "Are you his girlfriend, or what?"
Asuna's face heated up like a thermometer. "Ex...excuse me?!"
"Aww come on. Spill." Argo nudged her playfully. "He never comes in here with another player. Let alone a super cute guesty. Are you two dating, or is this just a fling?"
"We...we're just friends!" Asuna insisted indignantly, her cheeks burning from embarrassment. "Kirito was kind enough to buy my NerveGear for me so I could play."
"Woah woah woah, this dude bought you NerveGear? And he's not even your boyfriend yet?" Pitohui asked incredulously.
"Girl...you are so in!" Argo declared while slapping her on the back. "I'm a little salty if I'm honest. We've been trying for weeks to get his attention but he's always so stoic and polite about everything."
Pitohui whispered in her ear. "In case it wasn't obvious, he's a liiiitle hardcore."
That was one word for it. Clueless was another. That poor boy probably didn't have any idea what this place really was!
"I'll go ahead and warn you right now, you've got a lot of competition," Argo cautioned. "You may wanna keep an eye on him if you're looking to become Mrs. Tall Dark and Broody."
She blanched at that. "Wait...what do you mean by competition?"
Argo snickered at her. "I mean that every female player in here has tried to get into his pants at some point or another."
The glass of milk slipped from Asuna's hand and shattered into light on the floor. She looked over at the gaggle of ladies who had flocked around Kirito. He seemed to be smiling and nodding along politely, completely oblivious to the fact that most of them were actively pressing their chests out to draw his eye, or batting their lashes at him like a swooning fangirl.
Suddenly, Asuna had something a lot more urgent to worry about than just her own discomfort.
"Yeah, in case Diavel didn't make it obvious enough already, Kirito is kind of a big deal around here," Pitohui commented.
"Why…" Asuna cleared her throat to keep her voice even. "...is that exactly?"
She gave her a weird look. "Isn't it obvious? It's because he's SAO's strongest player."
"Looks alone don't count for much in this world," Argo explained. "Sure he's got a hot avi, but so does everyone else. So that hardly matters." She sighed wistfully, her face flushing in arousal upon gazing over at Kirito. "No, in this world, skill talks more than anything else. Kirito has more skill in his pinky finger than most of the rest of us do in our whole bodies. Which around here...basically makes him Daddy."
Pitohui giggled at her comment before glancing over at her favorite piece of eye candy as well. "Yeah, even Diavel couldn't compare. We had them go head to head and Kirito beat him pretty handily. Since then, just about every girl in the game has been trying to get his attention."
Argo groaned in frustration. "Emphasis on trying. He's so stiff all the time. He's always a perfect gentleman around us but it's like he completely ignores every hint we throw his way."
"I mean, just look at Jessie right now," Pitohui commented while gesturing to Kirito. One of the girls, a darker skinned young woman wearing a silk two piece dress clearly inspired by Arabian design was getting waaaay too close for Asuna's comfort.
"Hey, for the record, I haven't made a move on him," Merida pointed out.
Argo scoffed at her. "Oh please! You so do not count, Little Miss Sellout."
Merida giggled playfully before wiggling her fingers, showing off the silver ring prominently displayed on one of them. "That's Mrs. Sellout to you. You ladies are just salty you haven't gotten one of these yet."
Argo rolled her eyes before nudging Asuna again. "Hey, you said you know this guy IRL right? What's his deal exactly? Is he just dense or playing hard to get?"
"Please, for the love of God, don't tell us he's gay," Pitohui practically begged. "Because it's gotten to the point that some of the guys have been making passes at him."
"He's...not gay," Asuna finally managed to respond, her eyes still worriedly fixed on Kirito.
Both girls sighed in relief.
"Thank freaking Christ. At least now I can tell Pip he's barking up the wrong tree," Pitohui commented.
"So if he's not gay, then what's the deal?" Argo asked in frustration. "Don't tell me he's one of those buzzkill purists who don't believe in virtual relationships."
"I don't think that's it either," Asuna spoke while shaking her head. "Kirito doesn't touch women without their express consent first. It's kind of a rule for him."
Argo and Pitohui both shared confused looks with one another.
"Well...yeah, we gathered that," Argo admitted while pointing to her chest. "But I've literally spoken to him with my tits nearly hanging out. Shouldn't consent be implied by now?"
"Yeah, implied consent isn't really a concept he can understand that well," Asuna responded. "You have to be pretty direct with him."
Pitohui quirked a brow in intrigue back over at Kirito. "So...what you're saying is...if I just ask him if he wants to practice his 'sword skills' on me…"
Asuna shook her head vehemently. "He won't understand. Kirito doesn't get euphemisms."
"Oh come on," Argo insisted with an amused chuckle. "No guy is that dense, surely."
She frowned in concern. "He's not 'dense' per se. He's just not...built that way."
"What do you mean by that?"
She shook her head vehemently. "I really shouldn't talk about it. It's not my business to share."
Argo raised her hands up assuredly. "Hey, it's no sweat. Our rule here is to always respect the Law of Nunya."
"Law of what?"
Pitohui snickered. "Nunya business! Basically the Law of Nunya is just a fancy way of saying we respect each player's right to privacy regarding their personal lives."
Asuna smiled at that. "Well okay then. Just know that he doesn't really understand flirting."
Argo narrowed her eyes at Kirito before adjusting her corset. "Well girls, I'm going in. Time for this kitty to catch a big fish."
"Hey! Not if I catch him first." Pitohui quickly intervened.
As the two girls prepared to join the group, Asuna quickly jumped in front of them.
"I...really wish you wouldn't," she insisted vehemently. "He's really not used to that sort of attention."
Both girls glared at her in confusion for a moment before knowing grins formed on their features.
"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Argo giggled at her mischievously. "Okay Little Missy, I see the game you're playing here."
Pitohui nodded in agreement. "We'll back off for now, given you're his guesty and all. Just know that if you don't scoop him up soon, someone else most likely will."
She blushed fiercely at their comments. "H...hold on! You've got the wrong idea here!"
Argo rolled her eyes at Asuna. "Uh huh. Suuure we do."
"Come on, Argo. Let's go see if Diavel wants to fool around," Pitohui suggested.
She nodded before whispering to Asuna. "Just so you know, Pitohui and I swing both ways. So if you're ever in the mood to get extra freaky, you know where to find us."
And here Asuna thought she couldn't possibly get any more uncomfortable than she already was. Yet lo and behold she was oh so wrong.
Argo waggled two little fingers at her flirtatiously before leaving. "Byyyye."
"God, noobs are so precious," Pitohui insisted as they walked away.
"They really are. She's so transparent."
Asuna grumbled in aggravation at them before glaring back at the girl still talking to Kirito. She'd taken it upon herself to reach up and grab the hilt of his sword, stroking it suggestively while she pursed her lips at him, causing Asuna to make a disgusted noise.
Oh yeah, that was real subtle there, Hussie.
"It's Asuna, right?"
She turned around to see Merida giving her a warm smile.
"It is," she answered.
Merida giggled sweetly at her. "Well Asuna, I just wanted to say I admire you for not wearing an avatar. It's awfully brave showing so much of yourself in here. Most of us don't have that kind of courage."
Asuna smiled at her in gratitude. "That's really kind of you to say. But my looks are one thing I've never been ashamed of."
"I can see why," she spoke frankly. "You're incredibly pretty."
Her cheeks flushed at Merida's words. "Thanks…"
"I've a question for you, if you don't mind. And please, feel free to not answer if you're not comfortable with it."
She nodded in understanding. "Okay. Go ahead."
"Kirito...is he on the autism spectrum?" she asked gently.
Asuna didn't respond at first, instead biting her lower lip nervously and turning back to him. Essentially answering her question without saying anything.
"Don't worry," Merida spoke assuringly, having already guessed where Asuna's head had gone. "I won't breathe a word of it to anyone else. I was just curious is all." She joined Asuna in looking over at Kirito. "The truth is, I've suspected for some time that that might be the case. I just didn't want to make any assumptions."
"How'd you figure it out?"
"I have a friend IRL who's on the spectrum as well," Merida explained. "Kirito hides it well, but he exhibits a lot of behavior that's similar to her. The quietness, the reserved demeanor, the way he can pass for just another player yet something about him is a little bit…"
"Off?" Asuna offered.
She nodded. "Exactly so."
"I worry about him," Asuna admitted, a concerned look in her eyes. "His condition is so much worse IRL than it is here. In the real world, he can barely say more than a few words to anyone at a time without looking like he might fall apart at any moment."
"It's like that for a lot of people born with a mind like his," Merida assured. "But you shouldn't worry yourself needlessly. People born like Kirito have been known to thrive in this kind of environment. One where they have much more control over their surroundings and how they interact with others."
"Even still, I don't want him to get overwhelmed," Asuna insisted worriedly. "Even if he's the best player in the game, they don't know him the way I do. The way his family does. Those girls still need to be respectful of his boundaries."
She giggled. "Well...to be fair, I don't think it's just because of his talent. Kirito is seen as something of a leader among us Beta Testers. Even if he is a little on the quiet side, his talent with a sword alone causes people to look up to him. Many are convinced he'll be Aincrad's first King."
Asuna gave her a curious look. "First King?"
She nodded. "That's the objective of this game. This entire world is actually just one giant castle composed of a hundred floors." Merida pointed towards the sky. "At the very top of this castle lies the Ruby Palace. Every player in SAO is trying to reach that palace."
"And what's in that palace?" Asuna asked, intrigue in her voice.
"The Throne of Aincrad," Merida explained. "Said to be the seat of the King of Castle Aincrad. But it's empty, waiting for one player who is worthy to take it. Whoever so beats the final boss of this game, and sits upon the Throne of Aincrad, shall be declared its King. The sovereign ruler of this land."
"You're kidding..." she spoke incredulously. "Whoever reaches the top of the castle gets to be King?"
"That's what Diavel and the other Alpha Players claim, at least," Merida admitted. "Supposedly, any guild or raid party who manages to successfully beat the final boss of the game may choose one champion to fight for control of Aincrad. This champion will face a final duel against the Throne Guardian. A high level NPC controlled directly by the Cardinal System's AI core. If that player can defeat the guardian, he will then sit upon the throne of Aincrad and become King."
"But what does that mean exactly? What can the King do?"
"In this game? A lot, apparently," she spoke in earnest. "It's been rumored that the player who's declared King will be granted special system admin powers that allow them to effectively decide how the game gets played from there on. They can change up the topography of the floors, decide on new laws and rules for the game. They won't be given total control of everything, but they can effectively change Aincrad in whatever way they choose."
"That seems like a lot of power for one person to have. Even someone as honest and good willed as Kirito."
Merida nodded in agreement. "Which is why it won't be forever. The player who first sits upon the throne will get to rule for a single year IRL. After which, anyone who has cleared the final dungeon boss can challenge his right to the throne. That's how the King will be decided from that moment forward."
Asuna turned her gaze back to Kirito in bewilderment. "And...everyones already agreed that Kirito will be Aincrad's first King?"
"For the most part," she confirmed. "There's a few doubters among us, though on the whole, we all seem to be in the same boat. One day, Kirito is going to lead a destined few players to the very top of Castle Aincrad and become this world's first King. That's why so many are drawn to him despite his reclusive nature. Whoever gets to be King also decides who gets to be this game's nobility. Right now all the major cities are run by the Cardinal System. But once a player is declared King, he supposedly can elect a cabinet to serve on his council, as well as players who will act as rulers of each floor." She then added with an impish grin. "And of course...a King always has to have a Queen to rule by his side. Which is part of why so many girls are interested in gaining his favor, I imagine."
Asuna felt her anger rising. "So...they're just using him. They see Kirito as a potential payday in the long term."
Merida shook her head vehemently. "It's not nearly as callous as you're imagining. Sure, there are a lot of players who see the opportunity that Kirito's potential offers them. But it's more than that."
Her expression relaxed as Diavel proceeded to break up the gaggle of girls surrounding Kirito, offering his friend an ale whereupon they toasted each other.
"Kirito has become something of an inspiration to the rest of us Beta Testers. He's been with the game since Alpha and has been defending it from Beaters and those who would try to exploit the system for their own gain. We don't just want him to succeed because we'll benefit from it. We want Kirito to be our King because we've all agreed that, more so than anyone else, the Black Swordsman has earned that title."
"I see…"
Merida smiled happily and clutched at her chest with her hands. "I for one, would love to call Kirito my King. I owe him a lot, after all."
"You do?"
She nodded. "He saved my wedding. Not only that, he's half the reason I get to be here."
Asuna smiled at her. "He didn't tell me that."
Merida blushed sweetly before gesturing to a handsome man in thick iron armor at one of the tables. "That goofball over there is, Gatrie, my husband. The one playing cards. He's a bit scatterbrained and makes a lot of terrible jokes." She sighed contently and shut her eyes. "But...he's mine. And I wouldn't trade him for anything."
Gatrie looked back at her and offered a charming smile. Merida responded by blowing him a kiss which he caught in his free hand. Causing her to cover her mouth and giggle, her cheeks turning rosey again.
Asuna's heart melted at the display. "You two must be very close IRL. Is he your husband there too?"
At that, Merida's smile slowly faded. "No...we've never met IRL before. Gatrie and I both agreed it's better this way."
She frowned at that. "Why?"
"Because...I'm living on borrowed time."
A terrible pit formed in Asuna's stomach. "Borrowed time?"
Merida nodded, a distant look in her eyes. "When I was little, I was diagnosed with leukemia. I spent most of my early life in a hospital hooked up to machines, undergoing daily treatments while other kids got to live normal healthy lives."
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Asuna spoke sincerely.
She smiled at her assuringly. "That was years ago. I won that battle and went into remission." Merida sighed in a melancholy tone. "Still...I missed out on so much because of it. Kids like me never fully recover from an ordeal like that. And there's always the chance that our disease will one day come back." Merida's gaze looked distant again as she stared at the ground. "Some of us are lucky...some of us aren't. For me, I was one of the unlucky ones."
"Don't tell me your leukemia came back," Asuna sounded deeply concerned.
Merida shook her head. "Not...exactly. It didn't have to." She shut her eyes and sighed. "Six months ago, I went in for a normal checkup with my doctor. A routine procedure, nothing out of the ordinary. When they noticed my knee-jerk reflex was a little off. So they ordered an MRI." A dark gloom fell over her. "A week later they called me back in and I just knew something was wrong."
Asuna fell into despair for her.
"Come to find out, the MRI revealed I had a tumor growing near my cerebral cortex. Inoperable and...fatal. I was given three to five years to live at most."
"Oh Merida…" Asuna was already welling up. "...I am so so sorry that happened to you."
She once again regained her smile despite the rather dour look on her face a second ago. "It's really not that big a deal. Not anymore, at least. I've made peace with my fate, Asuna. I don't need to worry about that anymore."
"You...you don't?" Asuna wiped her eyes dry.
She shook her head, a beaming smile still present on her face. "Nope. Not since I discovered NerveGear and SAO. All that was taken away from me has been given back again."
Asuna finally found it in her to cheer up before taking a seat next to her at the bar. "I'd love to know the story if you'll tell me."
"Of course! Just about everyone I'm close to knows it already." Merida leaned against the counter as she recalled the memory. "After the diagnosis, I started to notice it was becoming increasingly more difficult to walk. It started with my legs giving out for no reason but by the end, I was wheelchair bound."
Asuna shook her head repeatedly, unable to believe what this poor woman had been through.
"That time was especially hard," she admitted, a hint of melancholy in her voice. "It felt like winning my fight with cancer meant nothing. Like those four years of struggle meant...nothing. I wasn't going to get to live a normal life. I wasn't going to get to finish college."
She looked over at her husband.
"I wasn't going to get to find love…"
Asuna placed her hands over her heart as it slowly dawned on her the true gravity of how important the relationship she formed with this man truly was.
A radiant smile enveloped Merida's face. "But then I learned about NerveGear, and about SAO. The idea that a VR helmet could give me the ability to walk again was enough. But when I heard about how SAO could be played in real time, in an environment where days felt like weeks and months felt like years, I realized that...this could set me free. In here, I could build a life for myself even if my life in the real world was taken away."
"How'd you get into the Beta?" Asuna asked curiously.
She smiled, a light blush creeping over her cheeks. "The same way you did. Kirito helped me."
Her heart leapt in her chest. "He did? How?"
"There were over a hundred thousand applicants for the Beta Test of SAO when it was announced. So I knew my chances of actually getting in were slim. Still, I decided to give it a shot. The hospital I was staying at was kind enough to raise funds for my NerveGear, and I sent in my application along with a brief history of why I wanted to Beta Test SAO."
"And Kirito responded to you?"
She nodded happily. "It was the most amazing thing. Apparently, he'd spent close to a week speed reading through all a hundred thousand applications. Looking for people he felt genuinely deserved to be here. And when he saw mine, he insisted I be included in the Beta."
Asuna was on the verge of tears again. Bless that boy, she thought to herself. Bless him and his golden heart. What he did for this woman was beyond anything she'd ever done for anyone before.
"I'll never forget the first time I put the helmet on and entered the game." Even Merida was starting to get glassy eyed at the memory. "It took some doing and the assistance of several nurses to get me calibrated to the system, but once I had my avatar, I was free to move on my own power again. Everyone else was ready to explore the world they'd just been thrust into. But me? I just wanted to walk on the streets of the Town of Beginnings for a while. Just the act of getting to walk on my own legs again meant more to me than words can describe."
She blushed fiercely as a particularly strong memory bubbled to the surface.
"I was so enthralled with my ability to walk again I started running. Just watching my feet go one foot in front of the other. I was so engrossed with myself that...I completely failed to notice a player standing in front of me and knocked him to the ground."
Asuna chuckled quietly at that. "Oops."
She giggled and nodded in agreement. "Oops indeed. Of course, I immediately apologized and he told me it was no trouble at all. We got to talking and eventually decided to go on our own little adventure together in Aincrad." Merida smiled lovingly at her husband from across the room. "We've been together ever since."
"And you eventually got married?" Asuna marveled at her.
"It was his idea," she admitted bashfully, her cheeks turning red again. "After we started dating in game for a bit, I eventually found the courage to tell him about my condition. And how I planned to make Aincrad my new life for as long as I could." Merida shook her head in disbelief, pure love in her eyes for the one sitting across the room. "And that man...that silly silly man...he looked me right in the eye and he said well, if this is your real life now, then I guess I need to make an honest woman out of you. Then he got down on one knee and proposed right then and there."
Asuna got butterflies in her stomach. That was easily one of the sweetest, most romantic things she'd ever heard in her life.
"I wasn't expecting much for a ceremony," Merida continued. "Just a small gathering of friends I'd made in game." She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "But of course as soon as Diavel found out he had to go and tell everyone about our engagement. Come to find out we were the first two players in Aincrad to actually do that, so the wedding ended up being a lot bigger than I anticipated."
"How many people showed up?" Asuna asked, having become fully invested in the details of the wedding.
"More than half the server. Over five hundred people in total," she admitted, still sounding a little overwhelmed by it. "I hadn't known them for very long, but everyone was still so supportive. Diavel and the other Alpha Players especially. They helped Gatrie and I set everything up. Built us a gorgeous steeple overlooking the ocean here on Floor One…" Again, she had to keep herself from getting choked up. "It was...so much more than anything I could have possibly asked for. I was getting the wedding I never thought I'd have. Marrying a man I genuinely loved. The real world had taken so much away from me. But Kirito, Diavel, and the others gave that dream back." She wiped a stray tear from her eye. "I owe them all so much. Not just for being my friend. But for helping me find a reason to keep going."
Asuna wiped her own face dry as well. "That's so beautiful. But what did you mean when you said Kirito saved your wedding?"
She sighed morosely. "Well, as wonderful as most of the players here have been. There are some who are less empathetic towards people like me. Our ceremony was almost ruined by a party of Beaters trying to PK everyone."
'You can't be serious!" Asuna looked genuinely astounded. "No one is that malicious. Surely."
"I'm afraid I am," Merida replied despondently. "I'm not sure why they did it. Maybe they just saw it as an opportunity to wipe out a whole bunch of players at once. Either way, Kirito put a stop to it. And the ceremony resumed without a problem."
Asuna beamed with pride at Kirito. "He really is amazing, isn't he?"
She nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. And knowing what I do about him now, I'm all the more inspired to see him become Aincrad's first King. Kirito, whether he's aware of it or not, has done so much for so many people here in the Beta Test. A lot of us owe him a great deal, and we look to him as an example of one who most exemplifies the spirit of what this game was meant to be. In my mind at least, Kirito is an inspiration to others like me, those who feel like they've been beaten down by life, that here in Aincrad, we can make our own lives. Free from the burdens of IRL."
Merida bowed her head and shut her eyes.
"To me...that makes him more worthy to be our King than any other player that will ever come to SAO on launch day."
Asuna's heart swelled with joy. A day ago, Kazuto Kirigaya was just a quiet kid whom everyone picked on at her school. But now? Seeing him as Kirito? She realized that he was so much more than that. The more she thought about it, the more she recalled his words back at the Town of Beginnings.
It's my turn to be the one at the top of the castle.
If her mind wasn't made up before. It was now. Asuna was going to do exactly as Merida had done and build a life for herself in this new world. She would reach Floor Fifty, become a Fencng Master…
...and help Kirito become King no matter what.