EDIT: 12/30/14- Reworked the Boss fight to be better written and changed name from Crusade to Xylotian Campaign
Disclaimer: I appreciate and honor the fact that you are taking the time to read my story. Please enjoy this story after the following disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online, nor do I own any of its characters. Sword Art Online belongs to Reki Kawahara. Please support the official release.
Character Ages
Kirito- 16
Asuna- 17
Sinon- 16
Jace- 17
Chapter 3
Friday, December 2nd, 2022. Continent: Ianides. Nefaria
The amphitheater was much like the rest of the city of «Nefaria»–black metal with blue glowing lights that made the whole atmosphere look a bit more like a science-fiction film. There were ionic columns made of obsidian along the top arc, with stairs in between bleachers covered with black leather. The stage itself was made of something that seemed not quite metallic, but certainly not stone. It was in the shape of a semi-circle with a radius of what looked like fifty-five or so feet–big indeed.
Kirito yawned, leaning back against one of the columns of the amphitheater as he waited for all of the others who had been gathered by the «Guild of Vendors» to settle down. He didn't want to sit down just yet. He was thinking about other things.
Kirito was used to being alone in this world–no– alone in general. After he had discovered his cousin Suguha had acquired feelings for him, he had taken an interest in video-games. Everything about it was wrong, from the fact that she was a good three years younger than him to the tiny detail of her being his cousin. He couldn't quite blame her for not knowing she was his cousin though, considering they had been raised as brother and SISTER. He wasn't disgusted, of course; Suguha was just an innocent girl who had grown fond of his personality. She surely couldn't have felt true love for him. Her confusion even made him laugh to himself; the idea of her actually having fallen for him was a slight bit laughable.
What Kirito had been thinking about was the rising hate of players like himself–Beta Testers. Many people had died due to small discrepancies in changed missions or higher-leveled monsters spawning in what had previously been lower-level hunting grounds, and the inexperienced players had been quick to blame Beta Testers. After all, it was "the Beta Testers that told us where to go and hunt! It was the Beta Testers who said these places were good hunting grounds!"
Kirito's attention snapped back to Earth–well, back to «Ianides»–as a man walked up and stood on the stage. Few of the other players who were bantering about took notice of him and continued talking about the missions that they had been on and the items they had garnered through the weeks since they had entered this world. They took much more attention to the man when he began to clap to get everyone's attention.
"Okay, people!" the man in blue shouted. "Now that everyone's here, let's get this meeting started!"
People around him began sitting on the leather bleachers, feeling the hot material sticking to their skins and causing not too little discomfort. Kirito found the noises of peeling skin and such to be more than a little grotesque, so he decided to say standing.
"So anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming," the man said in a loud voice that carried well. He had a very charismatic smile, and Kirito knew this guy was accustomed to being a leader. "Good to see you. My name is Diabel, and in this game the job I rolled is 'knight!'"
A few people chuckled, understanding the reference to stereotypical tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons–or more applicable, Warhammer 40K– and shouted "There's no job system in this game!" or "a joke just like this meeting!"
"You guys wanna hear this or not?" Diabel asked seriously, raising his hands. The crowd quieted down quickly and his cerulean eyes shimmered as they took on a much more serious look. "Right. Here's the deal. Our party fought our way to the top of the «Command Center» today and found the Boss Room."
Various responses flew through the air as their speakers cried "What?" "Seriously?" and–Kirito's personal favorite–"You're shitting."
Diabel ignored the comments. "First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to the next «Command Center». The next step is, we have to tell everyone waiting in «Base Camp» that it is possible to beat this game! Fact is, it's our duty as the most capable players out here! Do you agree? Or not?"
There was a brief moment of awkwardness. A few people mumbled, but gradually everyone had decided that they were correct. The «Guild of Vendors» had chosen them to do this, and with that knowledge a few players began to clap. Soon enough, all of the players in the amphitheater had begun clapping and whistling.
"Okay!" Diabel said with a relieved smile. "Glad to hear you're all with me on that. Now, let's figure out how we're gonna beat this boss and we'll get started on this Campaign."
Kirito liked the sound of that. The Xylotian Campaign… No longer would anyone call the battles with the Planetary Bosses of «Aincrad» a Boss Fight. From then on, the legacies of those who risked their lives fighting the Planetary Bosses would be called the Campaigners; they would fight in the epic battles that would be known as the Xylotian Campaign.
"First off, we'll team up into Squadrons of six."
Kirito did not like the sound of that.
"A typical Squadron doesn't stand a chance against a Planetary Boss," Diabel said over the commotion of people around Kirito trying to form a party. "We need a raid group made up of multiple Squadrons!" As he said this, Kirito looked back up and glanced around.
Everyone but Kirito had formed a Squadrons.
Maybe it hadn't been everybody though, Kirito thought as he looked to the left. Just as far away and alone as Kirito had been was a shady figure in a reddish-chocolate cloak. Strapped to their back was a Light Rifle that Kirito recognized as the «New Tech Trident», which was very popular among players who wanted power and speed in a gun. It was one of the few missions in «Base Camp» that awarded decent weapons.
Kirito scrabbled closer, a look of determination in his eyes. As he got closer, he realized this figure was a female. Very few girls played GWO, and the fact that there was a girl skilled enough to be in the elite group that was chosen to clear out the Boss Room was a humbling one.
"You got left out too, huh?" Kirito asked.
After a brief moment of silence, a small voice came from beneath the girl's hood. "Not even," she said. "I wasn't left out. It's just… everyone seems like they're already friends."
"So you're solo too," Kirito said aloud. He felt his voice tremble slightly for an unknown reason as he asked the question that would change the course of history in Aincrad: "You want to form a party with me?"
The girl glanced at Kirito with a look of incredulousness. It was obvious the message she was trying to convey: "a stranger partying with her? Fat chance."
"You heard what the guy just said," the raven haired boy explained. "We can't beat the boss on our own. And it would only be for this fight."
The girl considered for another moment before nodding. Kirito then opened his menu and slid every slider until he finally reached the option to form a Squadron with the girl. The menu popped up in front of her, and she pressed the blue circular button to signify that she accepted this stranger into a Squadron with her. Her name popped up in the corner of his vision in white beside a full green HP bar: Asuna.
"Alright!" Diabel shouted. "Looks like everyone's teamed up! Now then."
"Hold up a sec!" a high raspy voice called from behind Kirito. Standing behind the group was a figure in gray clothes, silhouetted by the sun. He jumped down the steps, performing a series of acrobats that would have been seemingly impossible if not for the system assists before landing on the stage in front of Diabel and turning around to face the others.
"My name's Kibaou, got that?" He asked, apparently not caring if he made a scene and a fool of himself. "Before we take on the Boss, I wanna get something off my chest.
"We all know about the thousands of people that have died so far in these past weeks, yeah? Well some of you need to apologize to him right now!" On the last word, Kibaou threw his finger out to the audience and any member of the group that had apparently been responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
Diabel nodded. "Kibaou, I think I know the people you're referring to. You mean the ones who are ex-Beta Testers, right?"
"Of course I mean them," the overgrown child yelled, turning around and gaining support from people in the crowd. "The day this stupid-ass game started, the beta guys just up and vanished, right? They ditched all us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests too! They were the only ones getting stronger in here. This whole time they've ignored us like we're nothing. Hell, I bet there's some of them here! Come on out, Beta-Testers! We should make them apologize to us, and we should make them give up all the money and the items they've got! They can't expect the party to trust them when they don't trust us! Why should we?"
Kirito felt a panic rising in his throat. His sword alone, the «Pyrolith Anneal Blade» which he had gotten in a mission, was proof that he was a Beta Tester. He had been the first to arrive in the town and to snag up the reward–and the fact that he used it meant he most likely had practice with swords in this game before, considering people rarely fought with swords in GWO. He closed his eyes and was about to have a full on panic attack when a deep, rich voice from behind him belted out a few simple words.
"Can I say something?"
Kirito turned to look at the largest man he had ever seen in his life walking down to the stage. He had dark skin–he was clearly of African descent and stood at least seven feet tall. He was built like a tower; his arms were easily the size of Kirito's head. He wore dark grey, skintight clothes that looked like they were going to rip due to the man's oversized muscles at any second. On top of all that and adding still to the intimidating aura he exuded, he was bald except for a scruffy black goatee that screamed "don't-mess-with-me-or-I'll-kill-you."
"Hey," the giant said. "My name's Agil. Kibaou right? I wanna make sure I'm on the same page. You say the ex-beta testers should be blamed for the rookies' deaths because they didn't help 'em. And you want them to apologize and give up their winnings. I leave anything out?"
"No," Kibaou hesitantly said, sweat dripping off of his brow. "You didn't…"
Agil pulled out a small, leather-bound book–Kirito recognized it as the GWO Beta Manual–and showed it to Kibaou. "The item store still hands these out for free. It's a guidebook. You got one didn't you?"
"Sure I got one," Kibaou said, trying to regain the arrogant image from earlier. "What about it?"
"You know who was handing these out?" Agil asked. When no response came, he continued. "It was the ex-beta testers."
A soft commotion rose from those in the audience as they realized that Kibaou had been publicly called out. None of them may have liked Kibaou, but he was a powerful figure from the clearing of Nefaria and anyone who could stand up to him so easily was worthy of making more than a small ruckus for. Kibaou realized his hold on the audience was slipping, but could do nothing about it now; Agil was addressing the crowd.
"Listen up, everyone had equal access to this information. Even so, lots of players still died. Now I didn't come here to point fingers at anyone. I'm here because I want to learn from those players' deaths. I'm here because I wanna find out how we're gonna beat the boss." Agil turned around to Kibaou, looking down a good foot and a half. They stared at each other for a minute before the latter left with a grunt.
"Okay," Diabel called, only slightly taken aback by the events that had transpired. "Can we get back to the meeting now?" A few players nodded and he continued, holding up a guidebook like the one Agil had shown Kibaou. "For info on the boss, it's all in here: the latest issue of the guidebook you just heard about.
"According to the book, boss's name is «Sergeant Illfang» Also, he'll be surrounded by his minions–the «Sentinels of Illfang». «Illfang» carries a Solar class Shotgun and a mid-level energy shield. He has four health bars, and when the last one turns red, he switches to a type of LMG. He can change his patterns of attack, too."
This news caused a wave of mumbling and quiet whispers to ripple through the amphitheater. Very few Xylotes were programmed to be able to change their attack patterns; it was usually shoot one way, another way, three more ways and maybe a physical attack or two. But with a Boss that could change attack patterns, it was a whole new game. Players had to figure out the attack patterns by playing cat-and-mouse for a while until they could accurately prepare to defend from the Boss's new attack patterns.
"That's it for the briefing," Diabel said, putting away the guidebook. "As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the EXP, and whoever gets an item gets to keep it! Any objections?"
Not a single person disagreed.
"Good!" the boy with blue hair yelled. "We meet tomorrow at 10. Meeting adjourned, people!"
"Wait!" A deep voice came from behind the amphitheater.
Kirito looked behind himself. Dashing towards the edge of the amphitheater was an extremely tall and thin boy who looked a bit older than him. He was dressed in a white long-coat with blue markings that flapped as wildly as his longer hair did when he ran. Behind him was a girl with black hair who looked like she was struggling to keep up with him. The boy tripped as he reached the edge and flung himself down seat by seat, grunting as he came in contact with the hot leather of each bleacher. He fell all the way down and landed in a heap on the stage.
Kirito looked back up at the girl who was standing where the other boy had tripped. She looked worried for her companion and embarrassed at the same time. She didn't have to wait long to figure out if the boy was okay though; the blonde boy had leapt onto his feet and was brushing himself off immediately after his fall.
"Jace?" Diabel asked. "You're late."
"Yeah, just a bit though," Jace said in a deep and dark voice that didn't seem quite right for his body. "I have an important announcement. Before the meeting is adjourned, it would be quite helpful to mention something."
Diabel looked conflicted for a brief moment, but nodded. Then he turned to the crowd. "Before you go–and you may stay standing if you already are–this player, Jace has something to say."
A few groans came from the crowd. This guy couldn't have been a serious player; he was a complete klutz! But as he stood, he held himself with an aura that demanded attention–almost like Diabel had, but in a slightly different way. This was an aura that came when the boy's face changed from self-mockery to one of the most deadly serious masks. The crowd was silent as Jace spoke.
"Things have changed since the Beta."
With those simple words, a shade of uneasiness was cast upon everyone in the crowd's faces. A quiet mess of whispers was all Kirito could hear for a moment but Jace held up a hand and the crowd became silent.
"Yesterday, my companion Sinon and I were working on a mission–the «Cetme» mission in «Glasswaters»," Jace explained. "In the Beta Test, the only Xylotes in the area were «Barbarians». But upon the official release, that mission changed drastically. There was a Boss added and I got this coat, which wasn't a thing." To emphasize the last point, he picked at the fabric between his fingers.
"What's your point?" Kibaou jeered from the bleachers.
"The point, Spike, is that if a mission was changed and an entire Boss Fight was added into it, there's a high likelihood that the Planetary Boss here in Nefaria was changed too," Jace said, making Kibaou's face grow a nice shade of scarlet. "I would just like to advise everyone here to be careful, especially in this Boss Fight." He stood there for a moment, waiting for everyone to let it sink in before going back and talking with Diabel. "So I missed getting put in a Squadron?"
As people started to leave, their conversation became harder to hear, but Kirito thought that he heard Diabel say that the blonde boy and his friend at the top of the amphitheater wouldn't get to go since they didn't have a party of an adequate size.
Kirito fought his way to the front of the crowd and approached the two. "Excuse me," he said to Diabel. "We only have two party members as well, and four is a lot better than two parties of two; he could join up with us if he'd like."
The blonde boy turned to Kirito and smiled gently. "Thank you," he said in his deep baritone voice. "I'm Jace. It's a pleasure to meet you…"
"Kirito," the raven haired boy said with a nod. He extended his hand and the two of them shook hands briefly before turning back to the females in their respective Squadron. "Come on down!" They both shouted.
Asuna and the other girl slowly headed towards the group in the center. They seemed uncomfortable with these new arrivals. When they finally got there, Diabel turned to Kirito. "So since you aren't a full party, we'd like to have you taking care of the «Sentinels of Illfang». I know you probably want to fight the boss, but–"
"No problem," Kirito said with a nod, "We'll take care of their entourage–unless something really drastic happens and you need us on the Boss."
Diabel nodded, a slight look of shock on his face. "A real team player. Just what I like to hear. Now go and get some rest, we've got a busy day ahead of us."
Kirito nodded and turned around, prepared to head off to one of the various restaurants or inns when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw that Jace was holding him back. "You aren't gonna just leave yet, are you?" He asked with a smug smile. "We need more people to pitch in for a room here; would you be willing to go splits with me and Sinon here?"
Kirito frowned pensively. Kirito hadn't even planned on staying in an inn; as soon as the city had been cleared of its Xylotes, he had bought a safehouse that had everything from a walk in closet to a working bathroom. And he wasn't sure that he should just invite these people over.
Then again, the boy said he that he and the girl needed a room…
"Well, I have a safehouse so I don't think I'll need a room," Kirito said. "You're welcome to stay there for the night with me if you'd like–you all are. I have two beds and a couch, so it might not be the most comfortable accommodation for one of us–"
"Oh, that sounds like too much of a hassle," Jace said with a wave of his hand, as if swatting the offer away. "Forget it."
"No, it's okay," Kirito said. "I'd be glad to house you all for the night. Besides, I have more space than you'd get from a room at some random inn here, and I've got enough stuff to make the floor comfortable. I really don't mind."
Jace and Sinon shared a glance, wordlessly asking each other if it was a good idea. After a moment Sinon turned to the raven-haired boy and quietly spoke. "I get a bed."
"I'll get a room in an inn," Asuna said.
"Well I'll meet you tomorrow then Asuna," Kirito said. Then to himself, "Man, I really need a bath."
Kirito was astonished by how quickly he felt four hands grabbing his shirt collar. Then, Asuna's and Sinon's voices both rang out at the same time: "You have a bath?"
"Um… yes?" Kirito said, unsure of himself.
"Can I use it?" The two simultaneously asked again.
"I guess," he said. "Can I have my throat back now?"
Asuna and Sinon turned to each other and hugged, jumping with glee. The chestnut haired girl then hugged Kirito. "I guess I will stay at your house after all!"
)-0-(
Kirito's safehouse was much larger than an inn room indeed.
The living room was a fairly large space, with a long sofa that was set against the wall. There was a small table on either side of the arms, one with a small lamp, the other with a small stack of books. A few bookshelves lined the walls, filled with what looked like 30,000 Col's worth of novels and informational books.
Asuna and Sinon ran through the house, desperately searching for the bathroom; they were rare in Galactic Warfare Online. The sound of light slapping was audible as they fought each other for control of the bathroom. It sounded like Asuna had gotten there first (Sinon made a pouty noise), and soon the sound of a tub filling was heard throughout the house.
Jace, however, went immediately to the bookshelves. "I didn't know they added books to the release," he said to himself as he picked up and opened Kirito's copy of Gone with the Wind. "They even added books from the real world?"
"Yeah," Kirito said, picking out another. "Once Argo started making the manual, they decided to add a ton of books. There are even some books written in Xylose about Aincrad and Xylotes as a society. I guess he put them in to make us think this place could become a home."
"I suppose there's no better way to do that than books," Jace said. "Sick bastard." Then to Kirito, "Hey, do you mind if I borrow some of these? I've always wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo, but I never could in the real world."
"Sure," Kirito said with a nod. "I really liked all the plot twists of that book. I never read it in this world though. Funny how that works. To me it was just something I bought because it would be nice to have around, but to others, books here are like a sense of security."
"Yeah, it is kinda funny." Jace closed the book he was holding. "Thank you for taking us in for the night. The fact that you just offered your home to a few strangers like Sinon and I was very generous, and I swear that if I ever get the opportunity I'll repay you and help you out of any sticky situation I can."
"I'll be fine," Kirito said with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it."
"This is quite the unpredictable game," Jace said, jokingly punching the boy in the shoulder. "There are two things you should never give up here: help and advice. Those are the two things that'll keep you alive in this world."
"Alright then. I accept your offer," Kirito said, walking over to the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I think I have enough food to make a semi-adequate meal for all of us. I hope you like bread and noodles."
"You mean like the bread from the markets?" Jace wondered. "That stuff is awful!"
"I have a little secret to make it a bit better," Kirito admitted, pulling up his trade box and putting an item called «Cream» inside of it. "I got it from the quest, 'The Heifer Strikes Back' in «Glasswaters» a bit ago. Next time you buy some bread, spread this over it."
"Oh, that quest?" Jace wondered, suddenly recognizing the item. "It seemed like a lot of work for something as simple as cream."
"Heifer was one of my favorite missions," Kirito said with mock offense.
"Nah man, 'Jailbird Jim' all the way," Jace said with a grin. "Best mission in all of Ianides–maybe even all of Aincrad, depending on how good missions on other continents are."
"No man, 'Jailbird Jim' was okay," Kirito said with a laugh. "But if we're being honest, the real best mission was «Ghillie of Babel»."
"Well as a former sniper, I would have to agree," Jace admitted with a smirk. "But it must have been much more difficult since you mainly use a «Plasmid Sword»."
The raven-haired boy stepped back slightly, shocked that Jace had figured out that he was one of the few players that used swords over guns. He took care to never have his sword equipped when he wasn't in battle, and Jace hadn't ever seen the boy in a fight. There was no way he could have known... was there?
"You don't have a back strap equipped," Jace explained, pointing to his shoulders. Then his finger traveled downward to his right wrist. "Your wrist is pretty muscular, which gives me three thoughts. The first would be that you primarily use a pistol, but your lack of a holster would suggest otherwise. After all, almost everyone carries a pistol, which means you'd have to be hiding something everyone uses. The second would be that you use a sword in battle, which seems the most likely considering anyone just looking at you would assume you as no threat at all. The third option… well that's a bit more vulgar than I'd be willing to say aloud."
Kirito blushed a dark shade of scarlet. "No, it's not that! I do use a sword!"
Jace raised his head and smiled devilishly, looking into Kirito's eyes with a malicious humor. "I know. It's apparent by your wrist."
Kirito put away the book he had been holding and cleared his throat loudly, looking down as if there was something quite interesting about the tips of his shoes. "I'm going to make lunch, make yourself at home." And with that, Jace ran to the kitchen with the sound of Jace's snickers as his anthem.
Kirito decided to make sandwiches for everyone. He grabbed a jar of «Cream» and spread it over the bread he had. Then he grabbed some «Slimy Stag Steak» and made sandwiches for everyone. He cursed as he accidentally cut his finger when he was cutting the meat, and figured he probably needed to clean the wound.
Kirito quickly walked away and turned to the bathroom to go and wash his hands. He threw open the door and walked to the sink so that he could wash his finger. As soon as he turned on the faucet, he heard a scream and turned around, startled by being screamed at for walking into his own bathroom. Then he felt his cheeks heating up even more when he realized why someone was screaming at him in his bathroom.
He had just walked in on Asuna bathing.
His first realization was that Asuna didn't have her cloak on. Granted that was a bit obvious considering the fact that she was bathing, but it was only now that he got a quick glimpse of her without the mask of the cloak. She had long, ochre-brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders to about her waist, but the tips that had been dragging through the water were slightly darker. She had eyes the color of bronze, and her skin looked as smooth as silk. She sat with her chest pointed away and arms covering herself. Her cheeks were redder than his own (Kirito felt that the thought of having cheeks burning hotter than his was astonishing) with her head tilted to glare at Kirito over her shoulder. She opened her mouth and screamed at him. "What the hell are you doing in here? Get out! NOW!"
Kirito scampered out of the room as he felt canisters of shaving cream and shampoo being hurled at his head. He would get a few goose eggs tomorrow, he thought as he tripped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Jace was laughing at him, keeled over on the couch.
"Oh man, I wanted to warn you but it was too perfect," he gasped through uncontrollable laughter.
"I hate you!" Kirito growled, cheeks ablaze with embarrassment, dashing to his room, where he sat alone. His walking in replayed over and over in his mind. He hadn't seen anything, but he still felt like his cheeks were going to burst into flame from his embarrassment. He could only imagine how Asuna must have felt. How could he have forgotten that she was bathing? He chalked it up to Jace's comment getting him much more flustered than he had accounted for.
He climbed onto his bed and kneeled in front of his pillow, just staying there as still as he could be. He would come back out of his room in a moment, but right now he couldn't face anyone. He frowned and stared at his pillow.
After around fifteen minutes of sitting on his bed, Kirito moved from his bed back to the door and reached for the handle. As his hand came into his view, he had neglected the cut. After all, he couldn't just stay in the bathroom and wash out his cut while Asuna was bathing.
Kirito wrapped his finger in his black «IGAF Shirt» to stop the bleeding. While the cut was small enough that it didn't bring a «Bleeding» effect, it was a habit Kirito had picked up in the real world. Taking a note from real world medical practices, applying pressure to a bleeding wound wouldn't heal the effect, but it would slow it down to the point where he wouldn't lose HP.
He walked out of the room, putting enough pressure on his finger to keep the bleeding to a minimum, and walked over to the sandwiches he had made. It may have sounded gross, but Kirito thought the meat one could get from a «Slimy Stag» was quite delicious–the meat tasted nothing like one would think from the name.
Kirito took the sandwiches and preheated the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. After it heated to the proper temperature, Jace put in the sandwiches and waited for about ten minutes. Then, the «Slimy Stagwiches» were ready.
"Jace," Kirito called. "Sandwiches are ready."
Jace walked over to the kitchen with a smirk on his face. "Thanks Kirito. Did Asuna tell you if she wanted condiments on her sandwich?"
"Shut up," Kirito grumbled, throwing the sandwich at the tall blonde.
"She'll get over it," Jace said as he sat down with Kirito. He then took a bite out of his sandwich and continued through bites of the sandwich "It was an accident, after all."
"Yeah, I hope so," Kirito mumbled. "Is Sinon bathing now then?"
"Yeah she is," Jace said through a bite of his sandwich. "Is this made from «Slimy Stag Meat»? It's delicious."
Kirito nodded and saw Asuna coming back out of the bathroom, fully dressed again from the corner of his eye. His cheeks flushed a bright color of pink and he stared at his sandwich. From the way Asuna came and calmly sat down next to him though, it was almost as if she had forgiven him.
"I'm sorry about that," Kirito mumbled to the girl beside him as he stared at the bread of his sandwich.
"It was an accident," Asuna said nonchalantly. "At least I assume. If it wasn't, I might have to hurt you."
"It was!" Kirito said quickly looking over at her in disbelief. "I didn't mean to–"
It was at that point that Kirito noticed a shadow of a smirk on Asuna's lips. He then looked back at his plate and grumbled about how "everyone was turning into Argo these days."
"Got ya," Asuna said with a giggle. "But seriously, if it happens again, I'll have to kill you."
"Well let's hope it doesn't happen again," a voice came from around the corner. Then, Sinon came from behind the corner, drying off her hair. "Cause then we'd have to leave. It's a bit rude to hang out in someone's house after you kill the host."
"Sinon!" Jace said, pushing out a chair with his foot. "Sit on down."
Sinon sat beside Jace and smiled at Kirito. "Thanks for letting me use your tub. Those were the best ten minutes I've had since I got stuck in this game!"
Kirito smiled back and then the four engaged in pleasant conversation that lasted for hours. Eventually, Jace and Sinon grew tired and retired to their respective rooms. It was just him and Asuna now. They sat in silence for an awkward moment before the both opened their mouths to speak at the same time. Asuna was the only one that actually spoke, however.
"Thank you for inviting me into your home and letting me use your shower," she mumbled. "I really do appreciate it."
"Uh, any time," Kirito said, his hand coming to his neck on instinct as he flushed a gentle shade of pink. "I'm really sorry about the whole thing; me and Jace were talking and I got flustered and then I accidentally cut my finger when I was making the sandwiches, and–"
"Now would be the time to hush," Asuna said, putting her hand on the table. "I just wanted to thank you, not dwell on the fact that you saw me naked. Just take the thanks and forget what happened."
Kirito swallowed and looked down at his plate. "Yes ma'am." As he heard a slight giggle from Asuna, he stared harder at his plate and felt his cheeks heating. Kirito had never blushed once before, and now he was doing it like crazy! What was up with that! Was the sight of a naked woman that powerful?
"I also appreciate the meal," the girl said.
"I can show you how to make it if you'd like," Kirito offered, thankful to have a new conversation to talk about.
The girl frowned and shook her head. "I didn't come here to eat good food," Asuna explained.
"Okay," Kirito said. "Why did you?"
Asuna clasped her hands together, now following Kirito's lead and staring down. "So I don't lose sight of who I am. I don't want to lock myself in a room in «Base Camp» just to slowly rot away. I'd rather stay the way I am to the last moment. Even if a Xylote beats me and I die, I won't lose… to this game or this world. No matter what."
In that moment, Kirito noticed many things. The way that she was speaking was quiet, but with great determination. Asuna was fighting to stay herself, not to stay alive. It was for the wrong reasons, but Kirito knew that if she was fighting to save herself there was no stopping her. She was long in motion on the path of fighting.
"I wouldn't want a party member dying on me," Kirito responded slowly. "So try not to die tomorrow."
Asuna nodded. They talked quietly for a few more minutes before the girl yawned quietly. "I'm going to go to bed now. Have a good night's sleep." Then she got up without another word and closed her eyes, walking to the couch with a stretch. "See you tomorrow."
Kirito nodded and waved, moving over to the room where Jace had gone in. Jace was laying on the bed staring up at the ceiling without moving. He did acknowledge Kirito's entrance with a polite nod. "Hey Kirito," he said. "You sleeping in here? I'll get the floor."
"Oh, I've got the floor; you're the guest," Kirito explained. "Why are you still awake?"
"Not quite something I can help," Jace answered. "I haven't had good sleep in about three days just thinking about this Campaign tomorrow. I just keep wondering what will happen if I die, if Sinon dies. I have to make sure that at least she survives to the end of this. I promised her that I would protect her until we escaped. Big promise to keep now that we're finally fighting in the first battle of the Xylotian Campaign, you know?"
"Well Sinon is quite the shot from what I've heard," Kirito said. "She can apparently get her Aiming Circle less than the size of a cranberry from a distance. Accuracy like that comes around once in a lifetime. You're lucky that a sniper like that is willing to spot you; I don't think anyone or anything would come near you guys planning to hurt you."
"Well so far, you would be right," Jace grunted. "Have you heard? There's been a lot of player deaths due to other players. The criminals are called «Player Killers» by the few that have heard about them. I'm afraid it won't be long before they start banding up and forming killing clans."
"Why would they kill other players?" Kirito asked. He was not at all prepared for the answer that would follow.
Jace turned to the boy for a moment before looking up at the ceiling. "They kill for the thrill of it. Because there's nothing better to do with all the time they've been given. And here, they can't be punished for it, not really. At most, they get locked in the «Jail» back at «Base Camp». If they can kill and only have to deal with that, it's no big deal."
Kirito shivered. He had heard of some pretty evil people, but these people just made his skin crawl. They killed for fun? They ended the lives of other human beings–that had families; wives, sons, daughters, fiancées, grandparents at that–just to get a few gruesome laughs at the end of the day. He had to know more.
"Where are they now?" Kirito asked.
"Somewhere far away from you, bud," Jace answered. "Don't worry."
"I'm not worried!" Kirito grumbled. "I want to go after them."
Jace instantly sat up straight. "I know that you're skilled; your being at the raid meeting was enough proof of that. But if you go after them, they won't have a problem with killing you. You're a good person, and if you killed anyone, it would weigh heavily on your conscience. You could freeze up, and they wouldn't wait for you to unfreeze. They'd just put a bullet through your skull. The best thing to do now is to wait."
"Wait?" Kirito repeated.
"Trust me, Kirito," the blonde boy. "You aren't strong enough. You may be leveled close to the top, but so are they. If you go after them, you'll be killed where you stand. Just trust me, when I tell you to wait–and when it's time, I'll go into battle against them with you."
Kirito stopped for a moment and nodded slowly. The knowledge that there were red players that killed others bothered him greatly, but all in all, the raven-haired boy would have to deal with it. At least until he was ready to go against them. And the first rule of war was to know your enemy.
Kirito turned over and opened his menu to get to his message feed with Argo. Then he typed a short message.
"Hey Argo. I need all the info you can get on Red Players."
)-0-(
Saturday, December 3rd, 2022. Continent: «Ianides». «Nefaria».
Kirito, Asuna, Jace and Sinon stood with the rest of the players involved in the first battle of the Xylotain Campaign in front of the door to the Planetary Boss, «Sergeant Illfang». The door was ebony black, and looked like it could stop anything from coming through–despite the fact that it would open if the wall was pressed by a player's right hand for more than three seconds.
"Listen up, everyone," Diabel said, slinging his Assault Rifle into a position he could easily fire from. "I've only got one thing to say to you… Let's win! Come on!" He then put his hand on the door until it opened, various parts swinging and unlocking into place. Soon the entirety of the group was just staring into the Boss Room.
The room was dark as they walked in, but Kirito already knew the layout of the room: A few columns here, a throne in the back of the room there and a group of low walls to provide cover in between… the only thing that made Kirito even slightly anxious was the pair of glowing red eyes where the throne was, watching the large group of soldiers as they entered the room.
Diabel led them forward, rifle raised and at the ready–the Boss was invincible until the lights came on and his health bars sprung into existence–through the first few yards of the room. As soon as they were about fifty meters from the Boss, the lights flew on as if triggered by a pressure pad, bathing the room in yellow light
As soon as Kirito thought he could see well, the room lit up and he saw the red shape of «Sergeant Illfang» hurtling through the air. He landed on the ground with a heavy rumble, knees bent to absorb the impact, and threw his head back with a loud roar. «Illfang» stood about fourteen feet tall and must have weighed one or two tons. Four health bars came into existence around his head, along with a red diamond and his name. He roared again and three forest green Xylotes that were much smaller came into existence from a bunch of blue crystals in the air. Then, they all pulled out Shotguns–«Illfang's» was much larger than his sentinels'–and sprinted forward.
"Commence attack!" Diabel shouted.
Instantly the room was filled with the cries of hundreds of players. Kirito and the others from the front lines flew forward, dodging the concentrated blasts of energy while Sinon and various others hit the floor and begin to take potshots at the Boss and his Sentinels. A few LMG-wielders also took cover and fired a steady stream of bullets at the Sergeant from behind some of the pillars in the room.
Kirito dashed forward and smacked a Sentinels' shotgun away with his Plasmid Sword, the «Pyrolith Anneal Blade», shouting "Switch!" Jace rolled into position from behind him and unloaded an unhealthy amount of plasma into the Sentinel's face. Kirito knew the Xylote's Energy Shield would be depleting as Jace fired and that Asuna would take care of sapping away the Sentinel's health as soon as the shield was down. And when she did that, Kirito felt as if he was watching someone hammer an iron nail into stone; it was incredibly satisfying to watch.
Kirito had thought she was a beginner at first, but as he watched her move, he was doubtful. She was fantastic at placing her shots exactly where they needed to be, and even better at making sure she wasn't in one place for too long, doing a series of acrobatic twists, rolls, and jumps to avoid incoming fire from the sentinels. "Good job," the boy murmured to himself as he watched the girl.
It wasn't until Kirito heard a shot being charged from behind him that Kirito remembered he was not supposed to be watching Asuna, but rather fighting other enemies. He jumped over the shotgun blast and sent it flying back with a flick of his «Pyrolith Anneal Blade». It crashed into the second Sentinel, who fell back and burst into tiny prisms of refracted light.
Kirito glanced over at the boss, surprised to find that he was down to his last health bar–and into the red at that. «Illfang» seemed to respond to this by baring his teeth–Kirito now knew why he was called "Illfang"–and hurling his weapon of you the side where Sinon was, who barely managed to jump over, shooting off for shots at the boss on the way.
"Looks like the guidebook was right," Kibaou said with a smirk, aiming his gun to take a potshot from behind one of the low barriers where his Squadron was positioned.
"Stand back!" Diabel shouted, drawing some confusion from the others as he dashed forward and charged a «Weapon Skill». "I've got it!"
Kirito got a sudden concerned feeling in his stomach. Hadn't the plan been for everyone to surround «Illfang» once he had been put into the red? But as Kirito caught sight of the smirk on Diabel's face, he knew what was going on.
Diabel was going after the Last Attack Bonus.
He jumped forward, leaping over the red Xylote's last minion with ease and somersaulting once in the air. As he turned end over end, he also drew his Assault Rifle to take out the Boss. But Kirito could tell something was up, that something unexpected was about to happen as the red alien reached for his side instead of his back. The boy watched with wide eyes as «Illfang» pulled out an Atomic-class SMG and held it in his right hand as if it were a pistol. It was just as Jace had feared: the Planetary Boss of «Nefaria» had been changed in the release of the game.
"Wait!" Kirito shouted, eyes wide. "Stop! It's no good! Get out of there!"
But Diabel didn't get out of there. «Illfang» leapt up and ricocheted from one column to the next, making a triangle and then leaping down once he got back to the first column. He unleashed a wave of exploding bullets that ravaged Diabel's HP bar. But the red Xylote's conquest of Diabel was not over; he whizzed behind him and sent him flying up and away.
Kibaou watched with a look of horror on his face, screaming "Diabel! No!" But as «Illfang» shoved himself in the middle of good old Spike's Squadron, Kibaou found that his focus needed to be directed elsewhere.
"Diabel!" Kirito cried, running over to the fallen warrior. He picked up the soldier's head, muttering "What the hell were you thinking?" and pulling out a health potion. He went to push it to their leader's mouth, but the blue-haired man refused it, pushing the hand away from his face.
"You know," He whispered shakily. "You were a Beta Tester too, weren't you?"
Kirito hesitated for a moment before nodding with a slight look of alarm. "You were after the Last Attack Bonus, the rare item. You're just like me… a Beta Tester."
Diabel closed his eyes in pain and gasped for breath. "Please," he breathed. "You have to… defeat the Boss... for everyone here." With a nod of encouragement, and a fierce look, Diabel burst into cyan fragments.
When the death game started, the only thing Kirito thought about was how he was going to survive. Nothing else mattered. But Diabel hadn't been like that… he never abandoned the other players. He led everyone and he fought brilliantly. He tried to accomplish something Kirito couldn't, and Kirito would say that he had succeeded.
Kirito turned back to the red Xylote, who roared violently at the other fighters, shooting bullets at a few of them who managed to dodge or take a small few of the bullets. He had to kill the Sergeant now… for Diabel. He had just been thinking about taking «Illfang» solo when Asuna stepped in. "I'll go too," she said, apparently guessing what Kirito was thinking from the angry grimace on his face.
"Okay," Kirito said, throwing her a glance. Then, as if their minds were in sync, they both dashed forward at the same time. "We'll hit them just like we did the minions!" He said, turning over to look at Asuna. "You got it," came her response.
The two charged at «Sergeant Illfang» at an astonishing speed, who began to prepare a shot for the two of them. Kirito got there first and swung his sword up into the Xylote's gun with a vigorous «Uppercut» skill before yelling "Switch!"
Asuna dashed in, swinging her «New Tech Trident» up to aim for the Sergeant. She also used a skill, pulling her Light Rifle back a few inches before thrusting it forward an shooting it. «Illfang» also shot back ("Asuna!" Kirito cried), but missed her body and tore up her cloak. Its durability ran out at that point, and the item exploded in a flurry of cyan crystals. It was briefly after that that Asuna's shot connected, sending «Sergeant Illfang» flying backwards, and Asuna standing heroically in front of his fallen figure.
Kirito ran forward with a shout. "He's coming back!" Kirito slashed a bullet from the monster's gun and let Asuna dash up to its stomach, unloading a three-hit skill called «Trident Strike» into the monster's stomach. «Illfang» became more and more enraged, and launched another shot at Asuna. Kirito dashed in, intercepting the «Prediction Line» and deflecting the bullet with his «Pyrolith Anneal Blade». He blocked bullet after bullet until seven smacked him straight in the chest, sending him sprawling backwards into Asuna and fully depleting his shield.
Kirito felt Asuna getting up behind him and watched as his own HP bar fell to halfway. Kirito saw a shadow over his body and knew the Boss was right there. He didn't even look as «Illfang» raised his sword. He was going to die right then and there.
Just as Kirito heard the red Xylote charging his «Weapon Skill», he heard Agil yelling and charging one of his own. Kirito looked up just in time to see Agil hurtling through the air above him. He took the bullets in his stride, due to his heavy Energy Shield and slung a small stream of LMG bullets into the Sergeant's side.
"We can hold the bastard off until your health is back up!" Agil said as a small group of heavily armed troops-and Jace close behind, SMG blasting a multitude of rounds already-lumbered into battle with a behemoth of a monster.
"You guys…" Kirito breathed with a thankful look towards the massive man. He then watched as the giant and a small group of players unleashed bullet after bullet at the giant Xylote. «Illfang» was much faster than one would think, however, and dodged a good many of them. Then he leapt up and prepared to shoot downwards again at the others.
"Watch out!" Kirito shouted to them as he sprung forward to intercept «Illfang». "You're going down!" he shouted at the Sergeant as he sliced bullet after bullet in half, flying forward all the while. He clashed his blade against the gun and swung himself around the red beast, hacking deep into the Boss's back and sending him to the ground with a booming thud.
Kirito hit the ground, rolling forward and running ahead as he shouted "Come on Asuna! Help me beat this sucker! One last attack!"
"You got it," Asuna said as she ran forward with Kirito. They both ran with their chests low, barreling ahead at top speed as screams of fury rang from their throats. Kirito blocked a shot from «Illfang», and let Asuna strike with a hard «Trident Strike». Kirito followed up with a «Slant».
«Illfang» roared as his body began to glow red, symbolizing he was down to less than five percent of his total HP. Kirito took the chance to rush forward with a loud yell, and sliced up the Boss's body. He could feel the red flesh tearing beneath him as he traveled up the Xylote's body, sword in hand, until he finally soared high over «Illfang», sending him flying backwards until he exploded in a violent flurry of rainbow colored crystals.
There was a moment of silence where everyone stopped, as if waiting for another monster to appear. But as a massive system announcement that said "Congratulations!" in big, white letters began floating in the air above them, one of the players shouted "W-We did it!" All around, people were cheering, screaming that they had finally killed the Boss in the First first battle of the Xylotian Campaign of Aincrad.
Kirito knelt alone, just off to the side of the crowd of celebrating players. He read the system announcement that had popped up in front of him silently as he gasped for air. "Congratulation: You got the last attacking bonus! BONUS ITEM: Coat of Midnight."
From behind him, Kirito heard the words, "Good work," from Asuna. He then turned to see Agil, who was standing just beside her. The sight of the friendly giant was enough to bring a smile on Kirito's face, despite nearly being killed. The giant black man then said "That was a splendid job. Congratulations. Today's victory was all thanks to you."
"No," Kirito said quietly. But the cheers from others told him otherwise. Players had died–only one player, technically, but it had been Diabel. Now there would be no one to lead them into battle. Kibaou was too mean, Kirito was too much of a hot-head. This was not a victory.
"Stop cheering!" shouted Kibaou. Everything stopped as the crowd turned to face him. He sat, legs crossed with a look of pure anger on his face. He sat there for a moment in silence before whispering, "Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you let Diabel die?"
"Let him die?" Kirito repeated, confused.
Kibaou's head snapped up, tears streaming down his face. "That's what I said!" He cried. "Admit it! You knew what technique the Boss was gonna use! You could have told us! Then Diabel would have stood a chance! He wouldn't have had to die!"
The crowd began to quietly murmur. The accusations Kibaou were making were pretty outrageous. There was no way Kirito could have known what attack pattern «Illfang» would use. That information was unknown. Unless…
"I know why he knew!" one of the guys in the big group shouted. "He used to be a Beta Tester! Think about it! He knew the Boss's attack patterns! He knew, but he kept it from us! And I bet he's not the only Beta Tester here, too. Come on, show yourselves!"
The crowd grew more and more restless. Soon, the Players began to turn on other Players, claiming that the other was a Beta Tester. It almost looked like everyone was literally going to start fighting in the middle of the Boss Room.
This was bad, Kirito thought. At this rate, it seemed that people were going to start attacking each other. At this rate, the other Beta Testers would be hunted down like witches from Salem in America. At this rate, there was no hope for them if the others decided that it was all the Beta Testers' faults.
"Hey," Agil said, physically blocking Kirito from Kibaou. "Calm down!"
"This is absurd, Kibaou!" Jace told the man, keeping an arm behind him to block Sinon from the raving lunatic. "You've stereotyped us beta testers, and not even to the majority. The odds that you find a beta tester that wouldn't help a new player, let alone kill one are about as high as the change of getting a PIG right out of Base Camp."
"Are you one of them too?" Kibaou asked, raising his LMG subconsciously as tensions soared. "If so, don't be a coward! Admit your crimes!"
As Sinon huddled behind Jace in fear, Kirito knew that everything was getting bad, out of control. If someone didn't do something quickly, Jace could have gotten hurt. And it seemed like Kirito was the only one in a position to make a move; he was the only one who was openly a beta tester. He had a plan, and it wasn't ideal... but it was now or never.
Kirito laughed quietly, just loud enough for the others to hear. He was shocked by its cruel sound, but it was what was needed if his plan was to work. It grew in volume and intensity until the sound coming from his lips was akin to that of a witch's evil cackle. "So you guys think I used to be a Beta Tester," he said coldly. "It's not cool to put me in the same class with those noobs."
Kibaou's confused voice came from the crowd. "W-What'd you say?"
"You heard me," Kirito said, getting up and walking to the crowd. "Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in GWO's beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Hell, even you guys were better than they were. But me? I'm nothing like those guys, man. During the Beta, I made it to floors that were higher than any of the other testers. That's a fact. I knew about the Boss 'cause I fought tons of monsters with way more «Weapon Skills» on higher floors! I know a bunch of other things too; more than you can imagine. More than any info broker."
"W-what the hell?" Kibaou uttered in shock. "If that's true, then you're worse than a beta tester! You're a goddamn cheater, that's what you are!"
"He's a beta tester and a cheater!" one voice said as the crowd erupted in anger. "He's a beater!"
"A Beater…" Kirito said quietly, but loud enough that the crowd could hear. He continued, pulling up his inventory to get to the Coat of Midnight. "Yeah, that's good. I like it. Okay. From now on, you can call me a Beater. Just sure you don't confuse me with those beta testers anymore." With the last word, Kirito equipped the coat and let it materialize around his shoulder, wrapping him in the darkness that would eventually mark him as the Black Swordsman and the Beater. Then he walked away, allowing his footsteps to echo behind him.
As he climbed the stairs at the far end of the room to reach the roof, where Kirito would activate the teleporter and then teleport back down from, he heard Asuna running up behind him. "Wait," she said. After Kirito stopped moving, she went on. "When we were fighting the boss, you called me by my name."
"I wasn't trying to be rude," Kirito said quietly. "Did I mess up the pronunciation?"
"How did you even know it?" the girl asked.
Kirito raised his index finger. "If you look right about here, you'll see another HP gauge written under yours. There's a name written right next to it, yeah?"
Asuna squinted a bit and mumbled "Ki-ri-to. Kirito? Your name's Kirito."
"Yeah."
Asuna closed her eyes and chuckled. "I'm so dumb. It was there the whole time, and I never knew!"
Kirito turned away. "You can become powerful here on your own. But if the day comes when someone you trust invites you to join an Army, don't turn it down. 'Cause there are limits to what a solo player can do."
"But you're solo," Asuna said in confusion.
The raven-haired boy frowned and disbanded the Squadron with him and Asuna, ignoring her with pain in his heart. He then opened the door to the roof of the Command Center and stepped outside. He would have to face the hate from the others, but if everyone else was safe, that was okay with him.
Author's Notes
In this section, I'm going to talk about a few things: the comment about Suguha, Diabel's monologue and the crowd's reaction, Kibaou's monologue, Agil's monologue, Jace's… weirdness, the bath scene, Campaign dialogue, the abrupt ending, and finally, the notes about the story as a whole.
In the beginning, I briefly mention the KazutoxSuguha ship. I don't not ship it like one may think, but I want to keep things somewhat close to canon. That's why I use the direct quotes from long monologues and such. God bless you if you ship KazutoxSuguha, God bless you if you don't. I just thought I'd add some of the insight.
Speaking of monologues, let's talk about the monologues in the amphitheater scene. Those are taken directly from the anime and only adjusted to make it relevant to the story. For example, instead of «Illfang, the Kobold Lord» the name was adjusted to «Sergeant Illfang». I changed that specifically because Kobolds are fantastical creatures that one may find in Dungeons in Dragons, not homoreptilliae one could possibly find on another planet. So other than a few minor changes to make the monologues relevant, the monologues given by Diabel, Kibaou, and Agil are all accurate to the anime.
The amphitheater scene breaks canon when Jace arrives with Sinon–Jace is a main character and a leader in the story, so it would be impossible to add him without letting him be a background character. As for the slapstick-like trip, Jace is a bit clumsy despite his high «Dexterity» stat, especially in very serious situations. Essentially, he isn't perfect.
The dialogue between Kirito and Asuna at dinner is from the bread scene in «Tolbana». Also canon. Had a bit of trouble working it in at the table, but I felt that it was a tad bit necessary. Especially since I'm trying to make an accurate account of all of the canon happenings in the anime. Hopefully I can set them so that they all happen through Kirito's eyes.
The dialogue in the first Campaign is also accurate. Kirito's thought monologue about Asuna is just about the same as in the anime, and the things said are pretty much–if not completely–canonical. Kirito is also the only Beater in this story because that's a title that only Kirito should have in my opinion, and I think that making an OC a Beater is really corny. (No offense anyone that's made an OC a Beater.)
The ending to this chapter was abrupt, but it was just as abrupt in the anime. So… well no need to dwell any more on that.
Now onto the notes of the story as a whole. I have noticed that since the last chapter, most of my reviews have been simply OC Applications. So from now on, I will not be accepting OC Applications in the reviews section. I'd much rather have actual reviews than OC apps. I will still accept OC's, but only as posts on the GWO Thread in the SAO Fandom Nexus or as PM's.
Also, I finished this chapter on Veteran's Day. But since I posted the second chapter exactly one month after the first, I figure it might be better to keep to a schedule. I got grounded on thanksgiving though, so I couldn't post it on the second. I will post Chapter four though– which is completed on the second of January.
Speaking of the GWO thread in the SAO Fandom Nexus, I would highly advise leaving questions about the story there or ideas for the story. I will give credit and answer any questions on the forum if possible.
Fourth, I'm willing to write individual boss fights if wanted, but I kinda doubt that that's what y'all want from the story. So I don't think I'll write every one. I do plan to do a fair amount, though, and I plan to make them use less weaponry as they become higher levels.
Thanks for reading! Ask me anything on the SAO Fandom Nexus thread if I didn't answer anything.
Terms
Aincrad: The fictional quadrant in space where Galactic Warfare Online is set
Ianides: The first continent in Aincrad
Xylote: The most common type of mob in the game, humanoid lizards that inhabit the planet of Aincrad.
Col: The currency of the IGAF
Xylose: The language of the Xylotes
IGAF: International Galactic Armed Forces
LMG: Light Machine Gun
Kirito's Game Data
Level: 24
HP: 1,400
Col: 37,056
Pyrolith Anneal Blade- A variant of the Plasmid Sword, used by a group of beta testers called the School of Swordsmen. Not ideal for use without hours of practice.
Isodex Infiltrator- Entry level pistol with low stats; ideal for players below level 14. Real counter-part, M1911.
Black Jeans- Black Jeans with no stat boost.
Black IGAF Shirt- Black shirt with the IGAF Insignia on the chest.
Coat of Midnight- Black long-coat with studded shoulders. The Last Attack Bonus from the first Planetary Boss, «Sergeant Illfang».
Kryptus Type 2- Mid-level Energy Shield available on Ianides. Has a low health, but gives the wearer a +6 DEX boost. Ideal for players below level 16.
Skill Slots: 8
Skills (Basic Mastery 0-249 pts, Advanced Mastery 250-499 pts, Proficient Mastery 500-749 pts, Expert Mastery 750-999 pts, Mastered 1000 pts)
Plasmid Sword- Makes the player more proficient in the use of Plasmid Sword-type weapons. 203
Sprint- Allows the player to sprint forward a set distance at superhuman speeds. 145
Regeneration- Allows the player to regenerate a set amount of health every ten seconds. 213
Extended Weight Limit- Allows the player to carry more weight on their person. 178
Perception- Allows the player to find other players using the «Stealth» skill. 137
Acrobatics- Allows the player to perform acrobatic techniques. 83
Unarmed- Allows the player to inflict large amounts of damage with their hands. 96
Stealth- Allows the player to hide from other players easier. 412