/ Y3Ars: +/\ dAys: / H0Urs: \/ M!nUt3: ? S3conds R3mA1n1ng
AaAaaaAaaAh, WHY?!
/ Y3rs: +/\ dAs: / H0Us: \/ !nUt: ? S3c0ds RmA1n1n
/ 3rs: +/\ ds: / H0s: \/ !nUt: ? S3c0ds RA1n1n
[Rath/System/LCC/LC1000: Critical Failure]
[Rath/System/LCC/LC1000: Initiating Emergency Shutdown Protocol]
0 Years: 5 Days: 11 Hours: 35 Minute: 6 Seconds
"Well, that could have gone better."
"At the very least we're getting closer to the problem."
"How did you know him again?"
"We met right after the SAO incident. He was friends with my younger brother in-game."
"Oh, sorry...it's really too bad what happened to him. Are you going to the funeral?"
"There's nothing we can really do about it now. Besides, even if I only met the boy at first for official reasons, we were pretty good friends. It's up to us to fix what Kayaba destroyed."
"Should we bring them in?"
"I hate having so many possible security breaches, but this is of the utmost importance. I'll make the arrangements later today."
…
"I'm sorry Kazuto. I should have taken this more seriously. Now you're...you're..."
"If you're not comfortable continuing we can postpone this."
…
"No, we have to keep going. I need to take responsibility for my own negligence. We can fix him. Boot it back up."
[Rath/System/LCC/LC1000: Critical Memory Errors Discovered]
[Rath/System/LCC/LC1000: Beginning Stabilization]
[Rath/System/LCC/LC1000: ...]
[Rath/System/LCC/LC1000: Stabilization Complete]
0 Years: 0 Days: 0 Hours: 0 Minute: 0 Seconds Remaining
I'm sorry. Let's try this again. I suppose this story isn't quite over yet.
0 Years: 0 Days: 0 Hours: 24 Minute: 17 Seconds Remaining
I'm running as fast as my legs can carry me. I'm barely in control. I can feel the anxiety rising up in me. I'm not exactly a stranger to panic attacks, but this one feels like it's going to be particularly bad. No one listened to me. They all told me I was being paranoid. But no one knows the ghosts of my past like I do. I've been running from them long enough to know that they would catch up eventually.
I can only barely register my surroundings. I'm still in Tokyo, but it's a less urban area. It also appears to be a richer neighborhood. The houses here are far bigger compared to the ones in my neighborhood.
The contents of my stomach feel like they're rising up. I'm not exactly in shape, but regardless I start to hyperventilate. I can feel my brain slowly collapsing into hysteria. I stop being able to hold a coherent train of thought. The still park the moonless sky they're coming a tree the streets are silent. Every muscle in my body threatens to collapse. I want so much to collapse. A light goes out in a house this place seems vaguely familiar a single streetlight a chestnut-haired girl.
"What are you doing here."
I shouldn't stop. But my mind has had enough.
"I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again."
I fall to my knees. The girl's eyes flicker for a moment as she notices my condition.
"Huh? What's going on?"
I notice that something has been clenched in my hand this whole time. An umbrella. Oh right, it was raining earlier. Just like my tears. Wait, I'm crying? Tears of hysteria, but tears nonetheless.
"What-what the hell is going on?"
My brain comes back into just enough focus to recognize the person in front of me. Then:
"There you are...Kirito."
He found me. Just like I knew he would. Why does he insist on calling me Kirito? It's just Kazuto. Kirito has been gone for a long time. I wipe the tears away from my face. I might as well look my best for our final confrontation. Or at least, as well as I can. I turn around to face him. My eyes immediately track to the syringe. I try to meet his gaze.
"Atsushi."
The girl behind me does a double take. "You mean he's..."
"You recognize this don't you", Atsushi states.
Suxamethonium.
"You don't have a sword to protect you anymore, Kirito", he continues, laughing maniacally.
He's right. In the end, though, that sword was just a way to hide. Kirito is nothing more than a facade. I'm not a hero. Just a kid who's had everything taken away from him. I could never stand up to all the people who tried to put me down. I could never rise up to the expectations of my friends. And yet, everyone insists on calling me Kirito.
"Let's put an end to this", Atsushi declares.
Atsushi rushes towards me. This is it. In a last-ditch effort, I drop down. I don't have anywhere near enough leg strength to kick his leg out from under him. That used to be so easy. Instead, I throw my umbrella out in front of me. Our blows land at almost the same time. I hit him in the stomach with the sharp point on the end of my umbrella. He hits me in the stomach with the syringe.
It takes a moment for the spell to be broken. Then Atsushi pulls back screaming. He drops to his knees, bunching up his shirt to try and staunch the bleeding. I let all of the muscles in my body relax. That final attack was all the great Kirito could muster. I guess it's my turn to die now.
3 Years: 93 Days: 4 Hours: 32 Minute: 6 Seconds Remaining
Floor fifteen is themed after a subarctic forest. Most of the trees are birch and seem to have permanently lost their leaves. Even so, the floor is a sight to behold. Snow and icicles have crystallized onto the trees forming complex frozen structures. Several frozen rivers run through the floor. The water seems to have been frozen instantly preserving the complex flow mid-action.
Currently, though, I'm sitting in one of the floors dungeons. Almost all of the dungeons on this floor are caves made of ice. Most of the caves are completely covered in ice, and icicles drip down from the rockier portions. They exist only slightly below the ground to allow light to filter and refract through the ice, illuminating the caves with a soft glow. I'm in one of the deepest safe rooms in the cave system, resting a bit for the moment.
Things have been going pretty well lately. Floors are being clear at a rate of once every week to two weeks. Even though that's good progress, unless we speed things up it might be another two to three years before we escape Sword Art Online. Hopefully, the clearing group will be able to pick up the pace.
"I swear to god, Kirito. I only ever find you when you're moping."
I do a double take.
"Argo?"
She's still wearing her signature brown cloak and a few strands of her golden-brown hair peeked out from behind her hood. She still has her signature whiskers on her face. It occurs to me that I haven't even seen her since the second floor. I'm also in a particularly difficult region of the floor. I'm pretty sure Argo puts most of her effort into leveling stealth and observational skills.
"Yeah."
"I'm not moping."
"Yeah, I'd be more inclined to believe that if you hadn't vanished off the face of the earth for the last month and a half."
"You noticed?"
"Everyone noticed! Seriously even Matrix was a bit concerned."
"Since when do you know Matrix?"
"It's good to diversify your informants."
She pauses.
"Look I know you haven't participated in a single boss fight since floor 8."
"Well, good for you."
"Are you really just going to give me the cold shoulder."
"If you're really so observant, you probably should have noticed that I'm not really in the most sociable mood."
I turn away and look up at the ceiling above. Focusing in, I can see little bubbles of air frozen into the ice. I'm starting to get really tired of Kayaba's attention to detail. The only thing I have on his system is its over perfect simulation of water. Then, all of a sudden, I feel a pair of arms around my chest. I look down.
"Argo?"
She pulls back and sits down next to me. I notice that her hood has been pulled back. I almost never see her without it on. She has a sort of wavy hair that's been cut back into a bob.
"Look I'm not all that great at this whole consoling thing, but I'm sorry."
"What for?", I say.
"Okay don't even pretend this isn't about Jackson and the elven war."
"It's about a lot of things, Argo. Not just that."
"Well, at least you're being honest with me."
Argo pauses for a moment.
"Also, I'm sorry about what happened on floor 2. I wanted to help you back then, but I didn't know how."
"What are you referring to?"
"Really? You were off hiding somewhere, not unlike now. I dropped by and tried to raise your spirits."
"Yeah, I'm not that dense. I just don't particularly remember that conversation being all that comforting."
"Yeah, that's what I'm apologizing for asshole."
"Oh, sorry."
"Anyway, I'm sorry I got mad when I saw you with Iota. He didn't exactly have the best reputation. But I was really upset that he was to able to help you, while I wasn't."
"Oh..."
"After that, even though I wanted to apologize, I decided to be stubborn and wait for you to try and get in touch with me. Real mature, I know."
"Well, I guess that makes two of us."
We both laugh for the first time in a while.
Argo continues, "For a while, I watched you and Iota and those other guys you started hanging out with. Johnny, PoH, and Xaxa, right? You seemed to actually enjoy being around them and it started to get harder and harder to try and talk to you again."
"To be honest, they've helped me out a lot."
Argo has a bit of dejected look on her face.
"That doesn't mean I wouldn't have enjoyed talking with you though", I reassure her.
Her face brightens up a little.
"Well I feel pretty stupid now", she replies chuckling.
"Me too...wait, hold on, did you say you were watching us?"
Argo turns away and averts her eyes, looking very suspicious all of a sudden.
"Argo?"
"I-I'm sorry if you want any more information you have to pay."
"Argo, I swear to god!"
"Fine, I tailed you guys sometimes. I just wanted to check on you, I swear."
"Geez, I guess that's just the way you are."
"Hey, what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with that though."
"Oh...well thanks then."
Argo pauses again.
"So, partners?"
She says holding her hand out.
"Partners", I reply, shaking her hand. "Shall we engage in our customary exchange of information."
"Oh my god, I forgot you talked like that."
I raise an eyebrow.
"Right, right. I'm not implying that there's anything wrong with that. Anyway, what do you got for me?", she replies.
I have to think about that for a moment.
"Shit! I guess I have just been moping for the last month."
Argo starts to laugh hysterically.
"Wait, wait, I just remembered. I can basically give you the map data for any obscure dungeon that's completely isolated from memory. I mean, I spent so much time hiding from people I've bound to have discovered some random part of the map you haven't seen yet!"
Argo starts to laugh even harder. After a minute she calms down.
"To be completely honest", Argo replies, "being an information broker is a lot different now. We're all in unfamiliar territory now. Also, I'm pretty curious as to how you managed to avoid us for so long. Iota, Klein and I were actively looking for you, and although Asuna refuses to admit it, I think she was keeping an eye out for you as well."
"I'm not really sure how. The last few months have been a blur. I did figure out pretty quickly that you can hide your location from friends if you want to. Oh, wait a minute, I just remembered. I, may or may not, have found out how to get teleport crystals."
Argo looks at me incredulously for a moment.
"Why didn't you lead with that!"
3 Years: 91 Days: 8 Hours: 40 Minute: 51 Seconds Remaining
So, as it turns out. Isolating yourself from society for a month and a half leaves you pretty far behind. Apparently, guilds are a big thing now. In my mind, guilds are just glorified, permanent parties with meager benefits, but nevertheless a lot of players like them. Guilds have existed since floor three, but most of them were just small groups of friends. However, from what I've heard, two guilds have risen to dominance lately. The Aincrad Liberation Front, or ALF for short, and the Divine Dragon Alliance, DDA for short. I don't really know anyone in the Divine Dragon Alliance, but the ALF was founded by Kibaou and a player I haven't heard of named Thinker.
Although I'm not particularly interested in joining a guild, I happened to pass by the headquarters for the DDA. As a guild, you can declare an area as a safe location for a base. As far as I know, you can either claim a base within a safe area or participate in a quest to clear out mob spawns from an area you want to claim. The Divine Dragon Alliance set up their guild headquarters in an existing safe area on floor 13.
Floor thirteen is dominated mostly by a massive city. From what I can tell, it's almost as big as the Town of Beginnings. The city exists surrounding a massive castle with buildings and shops spiraling down from the main structure. Generally speaking, elevation corresponds to social class and the various NPC shops and Inns get nicer and more expensive as you go up. There are a lot of guild halls available in the city and coupled with the variety of item and services, it's quickly become a sort of hub within the game.
The Holy Dragon Alliance headquarters exists in one of the upper rings of the city. As such the material and general furnishings of the place are pretty high quality. The building itself is made out of marble and the flags that advertise the guild's flag are dyed with rich colors. Typically, I stay in less expensive inns and taverns, that is, when I'm not sleeping in dungeons. Most of the time I don't see a particular need to indulge in myself here in SAO. That being said, I will spend a bit more money on food than most. Much like the other senses, the NerveGear simulates taste as well. Call it my one guilty pleasure, but I got sick of eating hard, dry bread all the time just because it was cheap a long time ago.
Deciding it's about lunchtime, I leave for an area of the city with more options. I get to a square of sorts and enter something like a deli. Technically speaking, restaurants originated in Paris during the mid-eighteenth century, meaning that Kayaba look some liberties when it came to time periods, but tavern food would probably get boring after a while, so I don't have any complaints. From what Argo has told me, a lot of people have tried to use the cooking skill. However, it's supposed to be pretty difficult to level up and the food usually tastes pretty bland. No one has succeeded in recreating more complex flavors yet.
Leaving pseudo-restaurant with my sandwiches, I decide to sit down on a park bench in the square. The city is sprinkled with areas like these and they even have grass sometimes. The city even has built-in aqueducts. Currently, the most surprising thing about the square is the number of people that are gathered. Scanning for a moment I quickly find the reason. Someone seems to be performing in the middle of the square. They appear to be singing and using what I believe is a lute as accompaniment. Looking closer at the performing, I identify it as a girl who appears to be a year or two older than I am. Her hair is soft brown and is cut just above her shoulders. Surprisingly enough, she has pretty high tier equipment. She wears a white dress with blue trim that I don't really recognize but judging by the quality it probably cost a decent bit. From what I can hear she's got a decent voice and she seems to be playing the lute skillfully. I laugh to myself a bit. Every day I learn something new about SAO. Then I notice some red hair peeking out amongst the crowd. Walking up, I tap the red-haired, bandana-wearing samurai on the shoulder. He turns around to face me and his expression goes from a goofy grin to a look of shock, and back to a goofy grin again.
"Kirito?!"
"Hey, Klein."
"Geez, man. Maybe a little more warning next time. I haven't seen you in what, two months."
"Yeah, not since...well you know? Also, I've been meaning to ask you how you're holding up without Dale. Sorry to be so blunt about it."
"It's no trouble, probably best to talk things like this out anyway. We've been holding up pretty well. We found a nice place to make a grave for him."
"You made a grave?"
"Yeah, I guess we just wanted a better way to remember him, you know. A way for him to leave a mark on Aincrad."
"Hmm, that actually sounds pretty nice."
"Yeah, it really helped. Dale was always just a nice, goofy guy."
"You're all pretty goofy", I reply, chuckling.
"Yeah, I guess we are", Klein says. "It won't get us anywhere dwelling too much on the past though. We've got to move on and beat the game for him!"
Klein pumps his fist into the air for a moment and looks back at me.
"Also, before I forget, where the ever-loving potato sandwich were you? I heard you were missing in action from Argo and I've been trying to help her find you."
"I was in a lot of places, most of which were nowhere near people."
"Well, you would have dropped by towns sometimes, right?"
"Not as many times as you might guess. Also helps that I had teleport crystals, as long as I'd been to a place before I could teleport back."
"Wait this game has teleport crystals?!"
"Yeah, don't tell Argo I told you. She probably would have you made you pay out of the nose for just that much."
"I swear, she'd sell a person's darkest secrets if she could turn it into a profit."
We both chuckle at that one.
"Uh, excuse me", I hear another voice say.
Klein and I turn and see the girl who was performing earlier. The crowd seems to have cleared out, meaning she probably finished her performance.
"Wait, you're the girl who was singing earlier! Thanks for the performance, you're a great singer!", Klein exclaims.
"Glad you liked it. Also, I couldn't help but overhear you two talking about teleport crystals."
"And just like that everyone knows", I mumble to myself. "Argo's gonna kill me."
"What was that?", she asks.
"Oh, nothing. Yeah, I did mention teleport crystals. They're hard to get this early on, but it's still possible."
Klein responds this time, "Well, spill it, Kirito. You haven't even told me yet."
Both Klein and the girl look pretty eager to learn.
"Alright, alright. You can either get it as a rare item drop from a few mobs that spawn from floor eleven onward, or you can craft them, kinda like a potion. The ingredients list includes some pretty rare items though."
I proceed to list them off while Klein and the girl make a list using their menu.
"Thanks, a lot", the girl says. "By the way, my name's Yuna. Feel free to drop by anytime you see me performing. I like to think that my music helps cheer people up."
"Sure cheered me up", Klein replies. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you."
"Thanks, I'll be going then!"
She waves and runs off.
"She was pretty nice. Pretty good looking too."
"Really, Klein? Are you really going to hit on girls over video games?", I deadpan.
"Hey, come on. A guy's got to dream, am I right?"
"I mean if all you want is an Xbox relationship then go ahead. I mean I guess college students who spend all of their spare time playing MMOs can't afford to be choosy."
"I'll have you know that I don't just play MMOs."
"Then pray tell, what else do you do?"
Klein seems to be about to saying something and then freezes.
"Uh, I also...play RPG games."
We both chuckle at Klein failed defense of his lifestyle. Then again, I guess I'm really no different.
"Exactly", I reply, with a mock condescending tone. "Besides, you're probably quite a bit older than her."
"Hey, I'm only twenty. You just want her for yourself."
"Yeah, no."
After a moment we both bust out laughing. I guess it was kinda strange that we were having such a normal conversation in Sword Art Online. It sounded like something that friends in real life would talk about. Both of us were trapped in a death game, and I still had plenty of time to poke fun at Klein's life choices.
3 Years: 90 Days: 10 Hours: 5 Minute: 32 Seconds Remaining
Floor fourteen has a sort of magical feel to it. The floor has an interesting mix of terrain, there's a good chunk of forests along with a sort of terraced, rocky outcropping in the western portion of the floor that collects in large pools of water from a natural spring at the top of the rock formation. The water flows into waterfalls and tumbles further down the rock formation into rivers that run across the floor, through the forests and various other terrains. Like the fifteenth floor, there's a pretty extensive cave system. However, this one goes much deeper and is decorated with clear, crystal formations that seem to emit their own light.
Right now, I'm collecting some map data on the caves for Argo. I camped out in the deeper portions of these caves for a decent chunk of time during my "lost month and a half". Most of the mobs in the cave are wraiths and other undead creature along with bats and golems, essentially just monsters made of rock. Most of the bats are harmless, but occasionally you'll find swarms of them, which can cause problems if you're not in a group. I've learned to just avoid them. It was on this floor that I initially discovered the teleport crystals as a drop item of some golems. So, my sub-objective here is to try and farm for some.
Noticing, a smaller, and likely lower leveled golem, I pull out my Anneal Blade and engage it in combat. Its attacks are mostly wide sweeping swings with its arms, but some of the higher leveled ones can shoot crystals as a projectile. I use a combination of low dodges and skill augmented jumps to avoid the attacks. I attack using mostly "Vorpal Strike", which has quickly become my favorite skill. Before long the golem shatters. Unfortunately, there's it doesn't drop the crystal so I decide to move on.
It's kind of amazing to think that I've been using my Anneal Blade since floor one. I've already enhanced it the maximum amount of times and sword is definitely starting to show its age. I have a backup sword that I got from the Elven War campaign called the Queen's Knightblade, but I'm still a little reluctant to switch over.
My reminiscing is suddenly interrupted by the distant sounds of combat and a scream. I take off running hoping that no one is in danger. I emerge into a large cavern and see a party of people locked in combat. My brain goes into overdrive and I start to analyze the scene in front of me. A small party of five is struggling to hold their own against a high-level golem. It might even be a field boss. The party is clearly underleveled and underprepared. Their gear is adequate for floor twelve at best. Most of them seem to be below fifty percent health. Cursing my newfound sympathy for people who are acting rashly and are in over their heads, I jump in to help. Dodging a volley of crystal shards, I activate an "X-Slash".
"I need you to back me up", I call back to the nearly defeated group. "I'll do what I can to keep it occupied. You guys take the flanks."
I pour all of my effort into diverting the golem's agro. I use a similar strategy to the one I used for smaller golems, except I force myself to be more aggressive. I attack the golem more often, and even though I take more damage, keeping its attention off of the wounded players is my priority at the moment. A flaw quickly becomes apparent in my plan. My sword doesn't have enough weight to properly defend against the heftier attacks of the higher-leveled golem. I keep trying to stun the monster, but even with the two strikes "X-Slash" gives me, it's not enough. I quickly realize what I'll have to do. I have to switch to Queen's Knightblade. Even in this situation I still feel reluctant. For the most part, it's the only thing I have left from the beta days. Maybe it's the nostalgia, or maybe it's the sense of seniority my beta tester status gave me. I grit my teeth and make my resolution. The beta test is behind us. Were in unfamiliar territory now and I can't keep clinging to the past.
"I need someone to switch in for me!", I yell.
"Uh, on it", a sandy-haired player responds, taking my place. Navigating my inventory using mental commands I switch my Anneal Blade out for the Queen's Knightblade and jump in to rejoin the fray.
Although not being quite used to the sensation of the new sword puts me at a disadvantage, I'm able to make it up with the extra weight from the sword. I'm not fighting quite as accurately as before but when my hits land, they deal more damage and I finally stun the golem a few times. Noticing that the golem is about to fall, I decide to show off just a little. I activate a brand-new skill, "Horizontal Square". The four-hit combo is a success and in a final burst of light, the golem vanishes. Looking down at my loot, I notice that I received two teleport crystals. Silver lining, I guess. The group of five runs up to me.
"Thanks!", one of them says. "You really saved our skin."
"No problem, but you seriously should be sticking to lower level floors. You're not at a high enough level to be fighting up here yet."
"Yeah, that's on me", the sandy-haired player says. "I wanted to try and get some extra experience, so I dragged my guild up here. I was hoping that tackling a more advanced area would make us stronger. I guess I rushed things a little. I'm still getting used to this whole leading thing."
"You don't say", I say, mildly sarcastically, before smiling. "Well, all's well that ends well, as they say. Just be more careful next time. I take it you're the guild leader?"
"Yeah, my name's Kieta by the way. What's yours?"
"Kirito."
"Nice! Hey guys, why don't you introduce yourselves."
"I'm Ducker", a blond-haired player says. He's a bit shorter and looks a bit younger than the rest.
"Tetsuo", a taller brown-haired player says. "Nice to meet you."
"Sasamaru here", a player with curly brown hair says, emphatically.
In contrast to the first four, the fifth member of the guild seems much timider. She has straight black hair that falls just past her shoulders and she doesn't seem to have anywhere near as much energy as the rest of the group. In fact, she looks rightfully scared.
"Uh, nice to meet you mister Kirito", she says. "I'm Sach1"