A/N: Anyone get the song reference?
Year 1, Day 3
Floor 1
Alexandria
We've been getting along pretty well. Nobody else has died, and we're slowly but surely making our way to the southern exit of Alexandria. We're still being hunted, and have had to hide a few times; other than that, things aren't so bad.
There's July, who seems a bit worried but confident at the same time; Gabe, who seems unaffected but always aware of what's going on; Klein, whose emotions are wack since his friend was murdered but is still managing; Lonius, who hasn't spoken much as usual but seems to be fine, and is always on the lookout; and then, there's me.
"Alright, team. We go down this road," I tell my group, pointing to the right, "and scare the crap out of anyone who wants to mess with us."
"What if they scare the crap out of us?" asks July.
A half-smirk appears on my face.
"Well, that's not going to happen."
"You're being awfully cocky, lately, Kirito," Gabe tells me as he passes me by, along with all of my other guild mates.
"I prefer the term confident, but whatever floats your boat."
And so we traverse the city. Sneaking past restaurants filled with players that are supposed to on the lookout for their rival guild, knocking out players that try and take us by surprise and kill us, and slicing arrows out of midair that are shot by cowards hiding on rooftops; yeah, it's not so bad. And at one point we find a large weapons store, and it's the only one we've seen so far. It's surrounded by other shops, apartments, houses, and even a few pizzerias, and is the only one of its kind.
"Let's go there," I tell everybody, pointing towards the building out in the distance. In big, green, bold letters sitting above the double doors on the building are the words, "Weapons Shoppe."
We quickly jog on the concrete pavement and past the gate with a sign saying "Southern Alexandria" before we're eventually standing in front of the large store. I crack open the door to check if anybody that could cause us problems is there, and, fortunately enough, there isn't. Just the shop owner, who isn't an NPC this time.
"Non-NPC shop owner," I say under my breath, looking through the door. "Strange."
"That's not that rare, actually," says Gabe. "I saw them all the time before this city went to hell. People founding their own shops, building from scratch… Some even gave out items for free."
"Interesting."
I open the door, finally, and my entire guild (as well as Klein, who's in our party anyways) enters. The pink-haired female shop owner with the username Lizbeth initially appears frightened by our sudden presence, but after July spots a pink bow and runs towards it, saying, "this is the cutest thing ever!" she calms down and welcomes us all.
"Hello! Are you guys pacted with College Dwellers?"
"Huh?" I ask, a bit confused, until Gabe replies as he looks around at the different swords hanging from the brick walls.
"Isn't that the biggest guild in this city? Said something like that in the newsletter…"
Then, it comes back to me, and I realize we're in the CollegeDwellers part of town, and this is a shop for the actual College Dwellers and their friends.
Maybe we shouldn't be here….
Ah, who cares.
"Uh, no, we're not pacted with CollegeDwellers. We're on our way to Stone Tower but had to take a detour through this city."
"O-oh… Well… That's okay! I was just asking. So, whatchya lookin' for?"
"Well, swords, I guess. Maybe a bow for the girl, and axe for that guy. Got any potions?"
"Well, we've got the potions that are considered weapons. They're in the other room, want me to show you?"
"Show him," I tell her, pointing to Gabe. He looks over at us.
"What?" Gabe asks.
"Potions," I say.
"You got potions?" he asks Lizbeth.
"In fact, I sure do. Hey, uh…Kirito? Is that how you pronounce it?"
"Yes, and yes?"
"Where'd ya get that cool ring?"
"What rin- oh."
I remember on day one, right before I was teleported to the coliseum for the second time, I had noticed a green ring on my index finger… I haven't questioned it since then.
"I… don't know. Couple of days ago I just kinda noticed it here on my finger… Don't know where it came from, and, actually… This thing is kinda cool! It's like a perfect diamond…"
"Diamonds aren't green, Kirito," Klein tells me from across the shop. He's standing there by the door, waiting for us to get going.
"Hey. You."
"What?" Klein replies.
"Go look for a weapon or something and stop judging me."
"Fine, fine…"
A blue interface suddenly appears in front of me, saying, "Message from 'Mell'." I choose to open it.
-From: Mell
-Mell: are you dead
-Kirito: yes
-Mell: WAIT SERIOUSLY
-Kirito: if i were dead would i be able to message you
-Mell: oh my GOD you scared me
-Mell: i thought like you were about to die or something
-Kirito: you're a little bit of a retard
-Kirito: just a little bit
-Mell: oh shut the fuck up
-Mell: so are you really okay? everybody else okay? klein's friend died, can the people who killed him kill you?
-Kirito: oh my gosh mell yes im fine everybodys fine why do you care so much u dont even know me
There's a long pause.
-Mell: i dont really care
-Mell: you just reply the quickest so i ask you
-Kirito: sounds about right. anyways gtg
"You guys find weapons?" I ask.
"Yeah, and Gabe's blowing all of his cash on whatever crazy potions they have back there," July tells me as she puts her long, blonde hair in a ponytail. "I bought that pink bow and named it Leverdeen."
"Alrighty then. Lizbeth, what's your best sword?"
"It… Probably costs too much. How much gold do you have?"
"Lemme check," I say, as I pull up my menu. "Oops - yeah, I don't have that much at all. I've helped pay for my guild's apartment and bought a sword, so I don't have enough right now."
"You said your guild is going to Stone Tower… Do you plan on somehow obtaining gold in that city? i've heard it's basically the Wall Street of SAO floor one."
"'Wall Street'?"
"Nevermind. It's a place of… Opportunity. Anyway, if you have some more gold by the time you're on your way back I'll give you my best sword… But if you don't pay me back I'll have to tell my guild and they might target you. But you seem like a nice guy, so I'm sure that won't be a problem."
"Heh. 'Nice,'" Klein says. "Yeah, right."
"Shut up, Klein. I'll pay her back. Why are you giving me your best sword, anyways? I mean, if I won't pay you off you'll be set back a lot of gold."
"Don't tell anybody I said this, but this guy in my guild really wants this sword and he goes to my school IRL, and he… Let's just say he does things I'd rather him not do. And I don't want him having this sword. The look on his face when he comes in here, finally having enough gold to buy the sword, and then I'll say, 'sorry! somebody already bought it' and he'll freak out and it'll be amazing. Sorry, rambling. Anyway, here you go," she tells me, handing me a black sword with its scabbard already on it. "It's my best sword I've created so far."
"You created this?" I ask, in awe. It's a freaking great sword created by her on day three.
"You created this?"
"Yes! I did! Is there something wrong with that?"
"N-no! Of course not! I'm just surprised, because it's only day three and this beast has already been hand-crafted…"
. . .
"Whether you're a mother or whether you're a brother you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive, feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin' and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive…" July sings as we walk down the streets of Alexandria. Nobody's even bothering to try and attack us anymore.
We're too good for them, I think.
Either that, or they're planning a mass surprise attack on us.
"What are you singing?" asks Gabe, slowing down to July's position.
"Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' aliiiiiive - oh, sorry. an old 70s song."
Mell hasn't messaged me back after our conversation in the store. She's a weird girl, so I don't know what's going on in her head… Probably better not to question it.
"Klein, how much longer do we have?" I ask him.
Scanning over the map, he replies, "We're a little more than halfway there."
And so we walk, and walk, and walk, and walk… And actually, it starts getting a bit boring after fifteen more minutes of doing the same thing. At least the guys trying to kill us made things interesting.
And that interest is curbed when a shadowy figure appears on one of the many tall rooftops looming out beside us. We all halt once we notice it, and stare up at it as it stares down at us; after a brief moment of silence the unknown player unsheathes its sword and slowly strides across the rooftop, his gaze still fixed on our group.
Abruptly, he hops down from the building and towards our position, revealing his name: Ulf. He reaches into his pocket and then hurls some kind of splash potion at us, and we all simultaneously fall to the ground. When I try to reach my arm in the air, I fail, and then realize he just threw a cripple potion on all of us.
Ulf stumbles back to his feet after tumbling two stories down onto us and smirks about his clear advantage.
"You see, people, this is what happens when you get cocky. You don't expect the worst, which is what you're supposed to do in situations like this. That wrong choice, ultimately, is all of your undoings."
He begins rambling on about how we're all stupid and other stuff of that nature when I catch Gabe trying to get my attention. He has a green potion in his hand, and he's mouthing the words "throw this". I'm the closest to Ulf, and he's the farthest, so I guess that makes sense. He rolls it over to me and I clutch it with my left hand and look back up at Ulf, who's still talking. Then, with all of my might, I throw it at him, but it does not even come out of my hand.
Damn, I think. This is some strong cripple potion…
I weakly turn my head back to Gabe, who hasn't changed position. He stares at me for a second before another potion appears in his hand.
"Where did you get that potion, Kir- and you, too! Did you really think you could stop this? I applaud your efforts, but it really is useless. You can't even drink them, let alone throw them. Back to business, now… Who will die first?"
"WAIT!" a feminine voice screeches in the distance. Clearly confused, Ulf turns his head, and spots Lizbeth, running towards us, with a couple of other CollegeDweller members as well.
"Ulf! Don't kill them, they mean no harm!"
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the shop! Is my sword ready? I'll have the gold once I kill these loners."
"I already sold the sword you idiot!"
"To who?"
To me, I think.
"It doesn't matter now! I'll - I swear I'll make you a new and better one if you just leave them alone."
Ulf looks over us.
"Just this once. If I ever see any of you again, whether it be on a floor 75 boss we're both fighting or in this very spot in the near future, you're all dead, you got it?"
I'm filled with relief before I notice Gabe hop up to his feet, with two different colored potions in his hands. He steps back and takes a defensive position, ready to hurl potions at Ulf. I attempt to stand up, seeing as he can, but to no avail; still crippled.
"What are you doing? Do you have a death wish?"
"What?" Gabe asks.
"You're all free to go!"
"Oh! We are? Awesome!" he replies before throwing one of the splash potions down at us, thereby un-crippling us.
We all stand up and continue moving. I look back at Lizbeth, and mouth the words "thank you".
. . .
The virtual sun is just now being replaced by the virtual moon as we finally find the exit to Alexandria. As we pass through the giant, overarching gate, we all can finally teleport to the south exit of Alexandria, and sooner or later we'll be able to teleport to Stone Tower, where they'll possibly take us to the floor one dungeon and the floor teleport station, and then we'll be all good.
I receive a message from Laker; I open it while I'm walking with my guild, who are all a bit shaken by the Ulf incident and Sko's death but are all still hanging in there.
-From: Laker
-Laker: what did you say to mell she locked herself in her room and wont come out
-Laker: i asked her if it was boy troubles or something stupid like that and sshe opened the door and screamed at me
-Laker: *she
-Kirito: i didnt do anything
-Kirito: last time we talked she asked if i was okay then i asked why she even cares then she said she doesnt care
-Laker: oh
-Laker: OH
-Laker: hold on
There's a few minutes of silence before he messages again.
-Laker: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
-Kirito: what what did she say
-Laker: dude you dont talk to people much do you
-Kirito: maybe i do maybe i dont
-Laker: well im not helping you with this one youll have to figure it out for yourself
-Kirito: aw what
-Laker: good luck, you'll need it
"People are so weird," I say to myself. "But they keep things interesting."
Kayaba's Point of View
I'm done developing the fake game that will lure more players into SAO, and I've been keeping a devblog about it, posting fake updates and snapshots… Said devblog pulls in about a hundred dedicated users for every post. They're most likely to buy the game once it comes out, and they'll tell their friends, and it will spread like wildfire…
And then, I'll have even more players to control. More chaos.
Chaos… That gives me an idea…
Maybe I can mess around with the new players' brains to make them more aggressive. I might not keep it that way for a while, just for a bit so the players with no guilds and the small, weak guilds will perish, and the game will get more competitive. Players will toughen up and realize they can't trust anyone. It won't be like last time where they are all driven to unite and beat the game… Yeah, they'll be so focused on protecting themselves from each other instead of focusing on the real task at hand…
This chapter was betaread by ParadoxxFoxx.
A/N: This is the last chapter until I start really working on THaBA more, as I haven't worked on that story as much. As always, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next chapter!
Twitter: byzeldro
Tumblr: zeldro
Review Response for Chapter 4: Back to Alexandria
Gussy Phantom: I really enjoyed this chapter! I think it might be my favorite one so far! I'm glad Kirito and Klein are working together for now! Maybe he'll end up doing more quests with Kirito and his guild! But, I feel bad for him. His friend just died and he couldn't do anything to help him. Such is life in SAO, though. I'm a bit concerned for Kirito and his friends now that war has been declared on them. And now they're stuck there. But, I think they'll make it out alive. Hopefully. I'll definitely be anxiously waiting for the next chapter! Keep up the great work!
Thanks! I had a blast writing it as well. And let's just say this isn't the last the guild will be hunted by the three major Alexandrian guilds. Maybe they'll get revenge for killing Tero, maybe not.
