Chapter 1: An Ominous Interaction
I was shot into a sea of color, and one by one I felt my senses tested. It made sense; it wouldn't be 'Full Dive' if one of the five imperative senses was malfunctioning. Briefly, I wondered how the system would handle the blind or deaf before shrugging and tossing aside the thought. It didn't matter to me.
After some indefinite amount of time I found myself at the character creation screen. Like in any game where such a thing was customizable, every aspect of the avatar had a slider or button to toggle for the amount of detail. The default male skin was an exact copy of myself; with a few manipulations, I eliminated the unattractive veins and smirked at my now unblemished face. After a moment's hesitation, I confirmed my choice in appearance and followed the system's prompt to a text box in which I was meant to enter my desired username.
I thought for a moment more before coming to my conclusion and typing in five simple letters. I had fallen in love with the name early on in my career as a gamer; I had come up with it while debating over the name of my persona in some other trivial MMO. Sarok, I thought fondly. It is long past the time I actually became you. I touched the confirmation button and my vision went dark.
When I was able to see again, I noticed the HUD first. It wasn't too detailed, but I studied it just the same. All the usual things were there. Health bar and HP count, level, and slots for party members could be seen. Before I did anything else, I scrolled through the menu, ignoring the obvious 'settings' key that would no doubt take me to a screen where I could adjust the options, call a GM for help, or log out.
I took a look around; I didn't need to mess with the options. The game was beautiful enough on its own without my meddling. Glancing back down at my menu, I examined the remaining sub-menus. The first one down appeared to be my inventory and equipment tab. When I tapped the button, a display opened on the left with my character and another opened on the right with the typical sub-menus for equipment, items, and skills.
Closing that particular sub-tree, I went to the next one to discover it was geared toward friends and guilds. Since there wasn't much to deal with at the current point on that menu, I moved on to the communications tree. As soon as I saw the option to befriend players, I typed in the name Ryō had given me along with one for Andrew. Hopefully 'Klein' and 'Agil' would respond favorably.
The last button on the main menu was the option to open the maps and quest. I examined the map for my current location, the Starting City, familiarizing myself with the local vendors and opting to first visit a weapons shop. It wouldn't do me much good to wander around without a sword of some kind.
Browsing the local stores, it didn't take me long to find a weapon I liked. I called over the NPC who owned the shop and asked him for the blade; it was a weak starting German-style dagger. After paying for my weapon, the ding of an incoming message sounded. Klein had accepted my friend request and wanted me to join him with some beta tester he had met so we could learn the ropes. I sighed fondly and sent an acquiescence before heading in the direction my friend had specified.
When I arrived at the coordinates given to me, I found that my roommate had partnered with a man whose avatar and pose suggested experience with the game already. He was wearing light-colored cloth boots and brown pants along with a blue long-sleeved shirt and a leather chest piece. There was a since one-handed longsword strapped to his back and he had black hair and a seemingly permanent smirk. "Yo, Klein. This the beta tester you told me about?" Klein nodded.
"Sarok, my friend, meet Kirito. He's going to show us how to fight and kill in this world. Right, Kirito?" The new man nodded, waving three fingers in my direction. I noticed then he was wearing fingerless tan gloves, but the detail wasn't too important so I moved on. "Ready to go?"
"Yup. Lead on, oh great beta tester!" I called jokingly. The group of laughed and left the Starting City, heading for the nearest monster spawning grounds. Once we had found a suitable field, Kirito aggravated a nearby Frenzy Boar and drew it over to us.
"Alright then, guys," Kirito started, settling into his role as our instructor. "First let's see if you can get it on your own. Some people just pick up the Sword Skill system naturally. If you don't get it, I'll go into more detail. Which one of you would like to go first?" He looked over to us, expertly dodging the beginner mob's charges.
Almost mockingly, I raised my hand and entered the field of view for the Frenzy Boar, pulling out my dagger and settling into a combat-ready position, the weapon held in a reverse grip in my right hand. It felt natural for whatever reason, and I shook myself of any concerns to help myself focus solely on the enemy in front of me.
The boar charged, and I smiled, starting a downward stab as I maneuvered myself out of the way. Suddenly, my dagger started glowing a bright blue as the system kicked in to help my aim and my dagger landed square into the boar's back, draining about half its HP gauge. I grinned broadly; it seemed I was one of those people who just got a hang of fighting by myself. I'm sure my extensive real life experience with knives and daggers meant nothing. Nothing at all. I laughed at my internal sarcasm and at the joy of fighting the boar.
"Looks like you've got it, Sarok!" Kirito encouraged me. "Let's let your buddy have a shot, yeah?" I nodded and let Klein replace me as the object of the boar's aggression. My friend, determined not to let me win, only succeeded at getting knocked flat on his back in front of the boar. I sighed and put my head in one hand, chuckling silently at his misfortune.
"What's important is your initial motion input, Klein," Kirito started. I tuned in, curious as to his personal take on the process and never one to turn down a few tips, even if they weren't directed at me at the time. Bending over, Kirito picked up a pebble and threw it to himself, catching it easily. "If you do the initial motion right," he continued, winding back as if to throw the pebble, "and activate a sword skill," the pebble started glowing a light red and my eyes widened, "the system will ensure that you hit your target." While he said this, Kirito lobbed the pebble at the boar. The rock flew through the air with an inhuman speed and slammed into the boar's flank, only taking away a few points of HP.
"How should I put it?" Kirito spoke again, deflecting the boar's attacks with ease. "Add a slight pause, and when you feel the skill begin to activate, drive it home, like 'Bam!'" I laughed outright at Kirito's use of my native language. It wasn't that uncommon a word, it just seemed weird given the circumstances. Klein mumbled a few things to himself and readied himself for his strike as Kirito redirected the boar towards him.
Klein lay his scimitar over his shoulder and waited as the boar drew close. The blade glowed with an orange energy, and as the boar came within range Klein charged forward with a yell, his sword stabbing straight through the mob. His strike finished off the last of the enemy's HP, and it blew up in a blast of harmless blue polygons.
Blankly, Klein stared at the 'Enemy Killed' menu before shouting with glee. I sighed; he probably thought that had been a boss or something. I met Kirito's eyes and rolled my own; he laughed and gestured for me to handle it. "Yo, Klein," I said, catching his attention. "You know that was only an entry-level mob, right? Not a boss or anything? 'Cause if you did that would be pretty stupid."
Klein scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, you see, uh, yeah, I thought… yes. You're right with the second guess." My friend hung his head in shame and I patted him on the back.
"There's no reason to get all bent out of shape, man!" I exclaimed encouragingly. "There's plenty more enemies and bosses alike, and I bet we can reach at least Level 5 by dinnertime!" Klein straightened with his usual smile at my words. Kirito looked on at us with his perfect smirk and I high-fived him. "Ready to go?" I asked, turning to face the monster-filled plains ahead.
"Of course I am! Let's go! I bet we can hit Level 7 at most!" Klein replied enthusiastically, his competitive streak showing itself. Laughing, the three of us sped into the wilderness, eager to strengthen our characters as much as possible in the first few hours to gain an extra edge.
All too soon, it was time for us to log out for the evening. Klein and I had our pizza to eat, and I was excited to see Yuki again. Lounging on the side of a cliff with my friends, I threw an arm over each of their shoulders. "It's about that time, isn't it? Time to go?" Klein's face contorted in realization.
"Oh yeah! Say, Kirito, you mind if Sarok and I friend you? You're a pretty decent dude!" Kirito shifted a bit before nodding. "Awesome! I've got some other friends that I'm hanging out with later if you'd like to join me!" At this point, Kirito visibly fidgeted. It seemed that crowds disagreed with him, even if it was only a few people. "Of course, I won't force you. I'll just send you my own request for now, alright?"
Obviously relieved, Kirito nodded and we exchanged messages in the blink of an eye. Once we finished, we said our goodbyes and turned our separate ways. Klein opened the menu to log out first. "What the…" he trailed off and I felt a thread of panic wiggle itself into my heart. Something was clearly wrong. "There's no button to log out." Klein's voice had quieted to a near whisper, and the small thread of panic became larger and more pronounced.
"You must be mistaken," Kirito was skeptical. "There's no way there would be a bug like that! Just open up your menu and navigate to the lower right of the settings…" Kirito stopped speaking, having opened his own menu. "What? That should be impossible!"
"The GMs have to be frantic by now trying to fix it," I said, but I knew I was grasping for straws. "It's just a bug, right? Right?"
"No, it can't be. This is too large not to have come out during testing, and there was nothing like this in the beta. There's something else going on here." Kirito's mutterings unknowingly drove the panic inside me straight to my heart. I sunk to my knees, unfeeling. It could just be a bug, but I had a sinking suspicion that something more sinister was going on.
Idly, I heard Klein despairing about his pizza. Suddenly angry, I turned to him. "Klein!" I barked, perhaps a bit too harshly. Given the circumstances, though, I supposed my vehemence was warranted. "The pizza doesn't matter if we're stuck here more than a day. Yuki…" I stopped speaking as the thoughts of my bookish friend filled my mind. Somewhere along the line I noticed Klein had also gone quiet.
Before I knew it, I was being hoisted up from under my arms. I didn't fight the support; I barely even felt it. "Sarok." I heard a voice say my name and my pupils dilated. "Charles!" The sound of my real name startled me into reality again. I blinked and looked around, finding that we were back in the Starting City. In fact, it seemed that every player in the game was gathered around in the spawn area.
"Th – Thanks, Ryō," I stated without much feeling. Kirito glanced at us with a hint of concern, but whatever he was going to say was cut short when the sky turned red with the glow of a system announcement. When a complete dome had formed around us, a viscous red fluid that looked eerily similar to blood seeped out of the ceiling, defying gravity until the flow stopped. Then, a massive red-robed being was formed from the fluid, and it spread its arms to us in a salutation.
"Greetings, players," the figure said, its voice deep and unknown. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba. Welcome to my world." Furious whispers broke out among the crowd as the multitudes wondered if this was an event unique to opening day. "By now many of you have noticed the game lacks a log out button. I'm here to assure you that this is not a bug. In fact, this is a key feature of Sword Art Online!"
Kayaba finished with a flourish, giving us no time to process his words before continuing. "The only way to escape this game – defeat the final boss on the 100th floor. Only then will the system allow you to log out into the real world." Panicked screams burst from the mouths of a few players; in the month the beta had been out, the testers had only managed to reach the 8th floor. It would be years before the 100th floor was reached.
"I'm here not only with the announcement, but also a warning. If you are to die here in this world, the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave in the real one, killing you instantly. Therefore, your life in here will be your reality." At Kayaba's announcement, nothing could stop me from falling to my knees. "The authorities have been notified of the proceedings, and as we speak, your bodies are being transported to hospitals around the country." A tear fell down my cheek.
"Many of you are probably wondering: 'How could Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of Sword Art Online, do such a thing?' Well, I have this to say: My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason... To create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete." The man in front of us – no, the monster in front of us – chuckled softly as the players before him reacted to his sickening news.
"243 of your number have already passed beyond the realm of existence. Many more of you will die before this is over. Before I leave you, however, I have gifted you with an item. You will find it in your inventory shortly." Curious despite my despair, I opened up my menu to find an item labeled as Hand Mirror. Blindly, I materialized it, catching it and gazing into it before finding myself enveloped in blue light.
When my sight returned, I found that Kirito's and Klein's avatars had changed in appearance; with a start, I realized that Klein looked the same as he did in real life. Now filled with rage, I stood and shook, facing my friend. "Klein," I muttered. "Are they back? Are they visible?" he knew what I meant, and carefully, my friend turned and met my eyes. His wince let me know that my condition was now visible for all the world to see.
Tears of pure rage filled my eyes as I fought to control my anger. First, that damned developer tried to control my life. Now, he was taking away my freedom of anonymity; now, I could no longer wander freely with a face that was free of unnatural blemishes. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and found Klein had moved forward; I was hyperventilating.
I took a deep breath and finally wrested control of my anger, pushing it deep into myself. Steeling myself, I faced Kirito, who stared back at me unflinchingly. Shocked, I pointed to my face, then to his. He shook his head without a sound; he really didn't care that I was a freak. With his acceptance, I was finally able to calm the rest of the way down. Kayaba had disappeared after his announcement; the dome stayed until everyone had changed.
"We should go. The mob is going to start soon, and we need to be far away from here before then." I was surprised that my voice held no tremors, but pushed the thought away with a shake of my head. "Klein, find your guild. Things are going to go to hell, and they need you. I'm going to stay with Kirito." My friend was shocked at my suggestion, but I stopped him with a wave of my hand.
"I need to go alone from now on. We're friends in the system; you'll be able to find me from here on out. Don't worry about me. I'm with Kirito, and I grew up on gaming. I won't let this one conquer me, do you understand?" Reluctantly, my roommate nodded and ran into the crowd to find his buddies. I turned to Kirito. "Ready?"
"Y – Yeah, let's go. We need to get to the next town by nightfall since the spawning grounds outside of the Starting City are going to be swamped over the next few days. I hope you can keep up with me, Sarok," Kirito's reply made me grin as he turned and sprinted away from the spawn area. I quickly followed him, matching his pace easily.
Once we had made it out of the safe area that was the town, Kirito stopped to get his bearings before shooting in another direction. Shrugging, I continued to follow, staying slightly behind to avoid getting lost or left behind. In front of us, a pair of Dire Wolves spawned, blocking the way with menacing growls.
I glanced at Kirito to see his eyes screwed up in determination. It appeared as though he was deep in thought about the situation we had been thrust into, and I smiled grimly. I was just as committed as he; however, I wasn't much for showing it. I preferred to be quiet and calculating, and silently pulled my dagger as we ran full speed towards the wolves. When we passed, I slammed through my enemy, stabbing it through the eye and consequently the rest of the head while my partner bisected his own.
The wolves had barely slowed us down, and I began to laugh. Despite the enormity of the danger presented to me, I knew somehow that everything would turn out alright. Eventually, we would clear the game and bring our nightmares to an end. It might take years, but I would at some point be able to see Yuki again. I just knew it.