Floor 1, Town of Beginnings

Soma made his way through the Town of Beginnings, noticing that it was bustling with many other players. There were already stalls and markets and shops. They looked similar to Soma (or Sammy), with the armour and the gloves and the boots.

Gee, only my first day here and it's already crowded? Cool! I love this place!

As he made his way through the town, he was stopped by another player.

He was a man with long, purple hair, a red and yellow striped bandanna, and a white shirt under his simple armour. Like Soma, he had that simple armour, fingerless gloves and simple boots. He grinned at him and said, "Hey, you were in the beta test?"

Soma stared at him. "N-no."

"Aw, I thought I got a hunch. Nevertheless, we can make it through."

"With a complete stranger?" asked Soma, eyebrow rising, then grinning. "Well, I could use a helping hand."

"I've been waiting in line for this game for days, man!"

"So have I."

"And only 10,000 lucky ducks were able to purchase it! That makes us lucky ducks. Oh, and where are my manners?" The purple haired man took out his hand for Soma to shake. "I'm Klein."

Soma smiled and said, "And I am So- I mean, I'm Sammy. And if you want to look for a guy who's been in the beta test? My friend has been in the beta test."

"What're ya waiting for? Let's look for him!"

"Oh, okay."

They walked through the Town of Beginnings, until Klein told him to stop and they noticed another player in an alleyway. Klein ran over to him and got his attention.

"Hey, you there!"

"Uh, Klein," quipped Soma, "we can't just randomly get people off the streets."

"Is this your friend?"

"Uh, no."

The player that Klein had found had black, unkempt hair, the usual fingerless gloves, the boots and the armour. He wore a blue shirt and trousers under the armour. He looked confused that Klein had come and just stopped him. Soma felt embarrassed, but smiled warmly for the sake of it.

"Uh..." stammered the player. "M-me?"

"From the looks of your confident stride," panted Klein, "I'm guessing you're a beta tester?"

"Y-yeah."

"Great!" Klein grinned. "I'm new here. So's my buddy." He ruffled Soma's hair. Gee, Soma thought, I am NOT five years old, man.

"Mind if you show us the basics?" Klein asked. "Please?" He held the player's shoulder, then he began to beg. Soma tried not to laugh as Klein began to entreat the player. "Please! I'm begging you!"

"How about your friend?" asked the player, pointing at Soma. Finally! thought Soma.

"Oh yeah!" Klein pointed at himself. "I'm Klein! And this little dude here-" Klein began ruffling Soma's hair again - "is Sammy. We're both new. We just met a while back. In the game, you know, not in real life. So, nice to meet'cha."

The player smiled warmly at both of them and said, "I'm Kirito. Come on, guys, let's go."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

First Floor, Starting Town, West Field

"Ah!"

Soma grimaced as Klein was slashed in the body and fell to the ground.

According to their new-found friend Kirito, they were fighting a Level One monster called a Frenzy Boar. And even though it was on first level, it was certainly hard to kill. Soma gripped his sword and advanced, but Kirito told him to stop. "And Klein," he said, turning to the hurt guy, "you're making it worse than it really is."

"No kidding," agreed Soma. "Plus, exaggerating doesn't help when a boar wants to kill you in a virtual game."

"You can't feel pain in a game," explained Soma. "Especially in a game like SAO."

"Oh... yeah. Got it." When Klein stood up, Soma noticed that his HP bar had gone yellow.

"Like I said, the key is your first action."

"I know! Stupid pig doesn't stay freakin still!"

"Um, guys?" Soma pointed at the Frenzy Bull, who was ready to attack again.

"Okay." Kirito seemed relaxed. "First up, if you get your first action right and activate a sword skill..." He picked up a rock then threw it at the bull, whose HP was incredibly low, with great speed that the rock hit the bull's backside with amazing force, "the system will correct your aim and ensure a pen accurate hit."

Soma couldn't help staring. That was cool. He wished that he was an amazing swordsman like Kirito...

"-so guys, you two, Soma and Klein, should fight together with me. 'Kay, and are you ready?"

Soma shook his head out of thought, while Klein seemed thoughtful, and he kept muttering to himself the word, "Action, action..."

Soma drew his sword again. He liked his sword, a medium sized blade that fit perfectly into his hands. The Frenzy Boar advanced.

"Sammy, Klein," Soma addressed them. "First, you have to pause for a second, and once the skill activates, let 'er rip." He was holding back the Boar with his sword. Let it rip... Soma pondered carefully over those three words. He felt as if he wanted to go out and fight, and Klein seemed to feel determined too. Soma nodded at him, and Klein gave him a thumbs up as he drew his sword. "On it!"

Kirito kicked away the bull, and it charged at Soma and Klein. They both ran together towards the Boar, and with several swings and slashes of the swords, the Boar's HP reached zero then it evaporated in the form of shards of glasses. At least that was what Soma thought of how the Boar died, and how it looked like.

Then a box showed the results, ending with 24 exp, 30 Col (which happened to be the currency of SAO) each for Soma and Klein. Then they had 2 items, and each of them were able to keep one.

Klein grinned. "HECK YEAH!" He lifted his arms up in celebration. Kirito smiled and said, "Well done.", and they all exchanged high-fives. "But unfortunately, a Boar is a Level One low-level fodder, like a slime."

"Well, we are Level One right now, so it's okay... I think," said Soma, but Klein gaped.

"Wha-? Ya crazy, man? Seriously? And I thought it was some sort of mini-boss, like... a preparation for the REAL fight."

"Of course not." said Kirito, and Soma noticed that more Frenzy Boars appeared. Soma reached for his sword, but Kirito interrupted, "Don't. Plus, ya both did well today."

"Well, I like my sword. You don't get Swords in real life."

"I know, right?" Klein smirked, drawing his sword and grinning at it. "Wait, Kirito, isn't their other skills like blacksmithing, and that sort of stuff?"

How 'bout a master chef? Soma smirked at the thought.

"Well, there is supposed to be an unlimited number of them, you know? However, there's no magic-based skills. But I think we can live without magic. After all, is there magic in the real world?"

"An RPG with no magic?" Klein said. He swung his sword with great strength.

"Can't you use your own body to fight also?" asked Soma. "Like... self-defence and stuff like that?"

"Course!" Klein grinned. "Sure is!"

"Come on guys, let's go to the next area."

"I am ready! Are you, Sammy?"

Soma gripped his sword. "Ready when you are."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You know what, Kirito, Klein?" Soma asked his new friends. "I'll never stop being captivated by this place."

"I know, right?" agreed Klein."Can't believe it's all a game. The guy who made it... he's an utter genius. Oh no... we were supposed to find your beta tester friend!"

"Ah, don't worry. I'll find him."

"You know what, Sammy, Kirito? We're all lucky to be born in this generation. Those 20th century peeps... they'd pay their whole lives just to enter this game I think."

"Klein, you're being melodramatic." Kirito smirked.

"Hey this is my first full dive experience you know!"

"Same for me," chided Soma.

"So, SAO is the first Nerve Gear game you've played, both of you?" queried Kirito.

"Yeah," replied Klein. "Truth be told, I rushed to get the hardware just because of SAO. Some people were sleeping for days just because of the game."

"Kirito, you're luckier than most of us," said Soma. "You participated in the beta test. Only one thousand people got that opportunity."

"Yeah, I guess." Kirito brushed his hair away.

"Say, what level were you in ? I mean, how far did you go in the beta?"

"Me?" asked Kirito. "It took me two months to get to the eighth floor. But now, I'm determined to do it quicker now, in half the time."

"You seem absorbed in this game."

"Well," Kirito admitted, "to be honest, during the beta, awake or asleep, I could only think about SAO." Kirito drew his sword and gazed into the blade. "In this world, a single blade can take us far here. It might just be a virtual world, but I feel more alive here than I ever did in the real world. Now then, let's go monster-hunting now?"

Soma stood up. "Sure."

Klein wasn't so sure. Or at least, his stomach that rumbled and grumbled. "I'm starving. I'd better log out and eat dinner first."

"Eating food in this world only tricks you into not feeling hungry," Kirito explained.

Klein gave a thumbs up. "I ordered a piping hot pizza for 5:30 ahead of time! Anyway, I'll log back in as soon as I finish my pizza."

"Don't worry. I guess I'll be going now. Sammy, you logging out?"

"Nah, I think I'll pass."

"OK. Nice meeting you guys." He shook hands with Soma and Kirito both. "I'll see you soon."

"Message me if you have any questions," Kirito said.

"Or me!" Soma volunteered.

Klein grinned, then turned and waved his hand, and the menu appeared. Suddenly Klein turned around again.

"Eh?"

"What is it?" asked Kirito.

"There's no logout button!"

At first, Soma wanted to laugh. No logout button? He'd be joking! Any genius who invented SAO would have a logout button. The beta testers did. But Klein was in a serious tone. Maybe...

"Take another look," suggested Soma.

"I have, man! Like, the whole thing! Check yours!"

Soma did, and he waved his hand. Kirito did also, and said: "You see? It should be at the bottom of the main menu-"

Kirito's voice wavered away when he noticed there was no logout button. Soma stared. What the hell?

"Don't worry," Klein reassured them. "After all, this is first day out of beta, right? Maybe it's a defect. There's bound to be some bugs. Heck, I'll bet the server is freaking out right now!"

"You will too," noticed Soma as he pointed at the clock. "It's... 7:25."

Klein freaked out so much that Soma almost laughed. "AH! MY TERIYAKI MAYO PIZZA AND GINGER ALE! I CANNOT MISS IT!"

"Hurry up and call the GMs," Kirito snapped.

"I did!" protested Klein. "But nothing is happening! There has to be another way to logout."

"No." Kirito replied. "For a player to logout on his or her own, they must press the logout button on the bottom of the main menu.

As Kirito explained this, Klein did strange moves and jumped in the air as he yelled, "Logout! Return! Escape!"

The clouds moved faster, and they blocked out the sun of Sword Art Online.

"I told you," said Kirito. "There was nothing in the manual about emergency logouts."

"You're joking, right?" asked Soma, and Kirito shook his head. Great... I'm really worried now... what about Totsuki? Damn it!

"I know," said Klein. "I'll just pull the bloody NerveGear off my head."

"You can't," said Soma. "I think in this world, your body becomes inactive in the real world. It's... well, just lying still. Doing nothing. You can't move in the real world when you're in this virtual one." Kirito nodded in agreement. "A component in the NerveGear is designed to intercept all brain signals concerning movement."

"So... we have to wait for the bug to fix?" said asked Klein nervously. Soma couldn't blame him. He was nervous and anxious too.

"Yeah, either that or someone takes the NerveGear takes it off for you."

"But I live alone!"

Soma was lucky. He had the whole Polar Star dorm that could help take off the NerveGear. Kirito had his family. Klein had no one. "I live with my mum and my sister. They'll notice at dinner, I think-" but then Klein had clenched Kirito's shoulders. "How old's your sister?"

"She's athletic... and hates games... like SAO," Kirito quavered. "She wouldn't fit in-"

"That doesn't matter!"

Then Kirito had enough, then judo-flipped Klein to the ground. "How about you, Sammy?"

"I live with my dad, but I'm in a... boarding school." Soma almost blew it - I go to Totsuki Culinary Academy.

"Oh. Never mind."

"Anyway," said Soma darkly. "You think it's strange? It's not that simple. Players can't log off. It's a major flaw that could impact the game. It could also damage SAO's already famous rep."

"If you reboot the server," continued Kirito, "which could be the best and only option, it could disconnect the players. But there hasn't been an announcement."

Suddenly, Sammy, Kirito and Klein heard the pealing of a bell. Then, Soma found himself engulfed in blue light.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Aincrad, First Floor

Soma found himself teleported to another part of SAO. He looked around, and then noticed with relief, Kirito and Klein. Other people were being transported in strange light. Many were confused and wary, muttering and talking in hushed tones. Soma joined his friends, who were confused too. "Where are we?" he asked.

"I don't know," Soma heard Kirito whisper. "A forced teleport? That can't be a bug."

"Look." Klein was pointing up in the air. A red hexagon flickered. Then two. Then hundreds, multiplying with the words: WARNING. System Announcement.

Soon, the sky was embedded in red. Soma shivered. He didn't need to be a fortune teller to know that something really bad was going to happen. Red liquid that looked horribly like blood oozed out. It formed into a strange shape. "What... the hell is that?" Then it transformed into a red cloak, with a bit of yellow.

Suddenly, someone from the back yelped. "A Game Master!"

Soma could hear many mutters: "A GM? What does he want with us?"

The Game Master stretched out his arms. "Attention players. Welcome to my world."

Soma wanted to say, Shut up, but he didn't want to offend him.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko."

Gasps and whispers erupted from the crowd. Soma was speechless. The Kayaba Akihiko, the inventor of the NerveGear and SAO? No...

"I am the one and only person who controls this world."

We're not your servants, Soma thought angrily.

"Players," continued Kayaba Akihiko, "you might have already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu of the game." He waved his hand and the menu appeared. "I tell you, this is not a mistake. I repeat, this is not a mistake, nor a bug or defect with the system. It is not a mistake, but a feature of my game, Sword Art Online. The true Sword Art Online."

Soma looked at Klein, who looked back at him. "F-feature? Ya kidding me?"

"You are all unable to log out of SAO, and nobody in the real world can remove the NerveGear or interrupt its operation. Should the event happen when one in the real world attempts this, a powerful burst of microwave radiation emitted from a transmitter in the NerveGear will destroy your brain, thus ending your life."

The other players were saying: "What is he saying? Oh come on, he wants us to get excited. Enough already!"

Soma began to sweat. He knew that Polar Star could be crazy sometimes. What if they went loopy enough to try and play a game of tug-the-NerveGear-out-of-Soma's-brain-only-to-find-out-you've-killed-him? Klein interrupted his thoughts. "Sammy, Kirito, do you believe this guy? He's crazy, out of his mind. This is stupid!"

"The signals emitted by the NerveGear's transmitter are really the same as microwaves." Kirito's tone made it sound like he was serious, not joking or being funny at all, which spooked Soma out. "If the safety was disabled, then it would be possible to fry your brain. It's scary. You won't like it."

"But what if the power runs out?" Klein asked.

"It can't. The NerveGear runs on an internal battery."

Klein shook his head. "No! That is ridiculous! That can't be true! And the pizza guy will be at my door and he'll have to wait for a long time... until we can all log out!"

Soma had totally forgotten about Kayaba Akihiko the GameMaster until he said, "Unfortunately, it's certainly possible that a player's family or friends would ignore this warning, and attempt to remove the NerveGear. The result is that there are 213 less players here in this game today, and also in the real world."

Suddenly, from the back, Soma heard a man screaming, then it died out abruptly after the sound of shattering glass. "Two hundred and fourteen people now. Did you see that, players? You have just witnessed the death of a player, whose loved ones have attempted to remove the NerveGear."

Two hundred fourteen dead already on first day? Soma thought. No way, it can't be true. Please don't let it be true!

The GameMaster waved his hand again, and thousands of websites in multiple languages appeared, with many photos that looked like players that could've died in SAO. "As you can see, news of my warning and the numerous victims are being spread worldwide. Not just in Japan, not just in major places like USA or U.K, but also Australia. Europe. Asia. Africa. Every country, poor or rich, as heard of the news. Thus, it should be safe to say that the danger of removal attempts has become minimal."

But you haven't met Polar Star. They're crazy.

"I hope you are all at ease and you all focus on clearing the game."

Soma had flashes of his dad, Polar Star, and the rest of his friends and family all worried for him, some of them weeping and crying, others pleading for his almost lifeless body to wake up, in Soma's room. He clenched his fists. If he never joined Sword Art Online...

"But I'd like you to keep this in mind, everyone. From this point onward, all methods of revival in the game will no longer function. If your HP hits zero, your avatar and your life in the real world will perish for eternity, and at that moment... the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

Silence.

"Right now, you are currently on the first floor of Aincrad. There will be a boss on each floor. If you defeat the boss of a floor, you will advance to the next one. Reach the one hundredth floor and defeat its boss, then you have officially cleared the game and everyone will be able to log out. And lastly, I have prepared a present for all of you in your item storages; your inventories. Go on, take a look."

Even though Soma was growing agitated, he did, and he was surprised with what he found. "What the heck? A mirror?! What do we need it for? To help us look pretty on the day of our deaths? Crazy!" He gazed at it, and for a moment, he saw his avatar face. Then suddenly, he noticed people being engulfed in blinding blue light. "Klein? Kirito? Guys?"

More people were disappearing, and it wasn't long before Soma found himself disappearing and being engulfed in blinding blue light too.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Soma blinked, as if there was water or dust in his eye. "Sammy? Y'all right?" It was Klein's voice.

"That was a pretty damn thing," was Soma's reply.

"Agreed."

The mirror was still in his hand, and Soma gazed at it and gazed at the reflection the mirror gave him. That was his own reflection! Red spiky hair, yellow eyes... that was his face in the real world, wasn't it? What had happened? He heard Kirito groan beside him, and Klein asking if he was alright, then the trio looked at each other and said in unison, "Who are you?"

And then, "What do you mean? I'm Klein."

"I'm Kirito."

"I'm Sammy."

A wave of shock overflowed through all of them, then:

"You're Kirito?"

"You're Klein?"

"You're Sammy?"

After the shock, Soma looked around, and sometimes heard some comments like, "You're a guy, not a girl! I thought you were seventeen!" and stuff like that. Soma couldn't help but smile, but then he frowned again. Somehow the NerveGear knew what their real bodies looked like. He realised he was the same height in SAO as he was in the real world. It was the same for his physique. "I don't believe it!"

Kirito had black hair, but in a different hairstyle, and to Soma, he didn't look that different. Klein now had brown hair (still with the ol' bandanna) and he didn't look and more different. Soma knew that he was the one out of the three who had changed the most. Klein and Soma said in unison: "But... why?"

"The scan..." Kirito began to explain. "The NerveGear covers your entire head with a high-density signalling device. So it can see what your whole face looks like."

"But how does it know your height? Your body shape? Your weight?" asked Soma.

"When we first used the NerveGear, it had us calibrate it, right?" asked Klein. "You had to touch your body like this." He patted his arms.

"Right! That's where the Gear must have gotten all the data."

"BUT WHY?" Klein yelled to the sky, and Kirito pointed to the GameMaster, saying, "I think he's about to tell us."

The GameMaster asked, "Surely, you are wondering why? Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of the NerveGear, and Sword Art Online, do this? Well, the answer is simple. My goal has already been achieved. I created SAO for one reason. To create this world and intervene in it. To decide all my people's fates. And now it is complete."

"Kayaba..." Soma and Kirito snarled together in unison.

"This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online tutorial. I wish you all goodbye and good luck in clearing the game."

Then he disappeared, and the red hexagons in the sky disappeared with him.

All the players stood speechless. Then...

An angry mob.

"Screw you, Akihiko!"

"You want us to die?"

"I don't want to play this crappy game anymore!"

"Let me out of this damned thing!"

"I can't stay here. I've got a meeting!"

"I've got school!"

"Someone help us!"

"Tell us it's a lie!"

Then Kirito said, "Come, Sammy, Klein!"

Shivering, Soma followed.

I think I should leave it there.

Soma won't be staying with Kirito forever... but I won't be spoiling anything. The first episode is in this Chapter.

Anyway... review!