Sword Art Online

World Wide

Chapter 1 – The Death Game´s Beginning

~Sebastian´s POV~

I softly sighed and leaned back in my chair as I had just finished the last bit of homework for the day. My mother had forced me to do it, even though I had told her a hundred times that the entry ceremony of SAO, the new VRMMORPG game, was starting today, and that I didn´t want to be late for it. She didn´t think too highly of these games however, saying they were nothing but a waste of time.

But for me it was a way to be social. It was a way to explore the world. A way to communicate. If I hadn´t had these games, I wouldn´t know what I would do with myself. In the real world I was a geek, nothing more. Loved games and anime, hated being around others, hated talking to people, and was mostly quiet in school, unless I was asked something by my teacher. I didn´t have many friends in school either, so what i´m telling you is basically the stereotypical geek/nerd scenario.

But in the VR world, I changed into another person. Whenever I would log on to my VR games, I became a handsome and strong warrior, that was able to serve and protect. I became social, it became easy to speak to other people, and it became easy to explore and understand the world. I became someone else. I became someone else than myself.

Loneliness was not a thing in my world, cause when I was alone I was relaxing. Not that I had a problem with being in a crowd, but there was something about being alone that always dragged me back to my room, to my anime and my manga. Something that my mother and father just couldn´t understand.

In the VR world, everyone else understood me. Many other people like me, went to VR to escape reality, to explore a different, and much more exciting world. One where you could trade, buy, sell, equip, and fight your way to the top, and to function in a world where everyone around you was doing the same. For me, this world made sense. The other world was utter chaos, without any meaning. But this world… Was beautiful.

Which is why as soon as I finished my homework, I threw it in my bag, and proceeded to hurriedly and excitedly plugging my Nervegear into the VR system. The game had officially been launched at 1 this afternoon, and the ceremony would start at about ten minutes. If I hurried to the main plaza, maybe I would make it.

I sighed softly and stared up at the ceiling through the helmets glass, smiling softly as I would finally return to the VR world. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as the clock stroke five.

"Link, start!"

A flash of many different colors and sounds, and a quick system check was all the logging in process was made of. I smiled softly as I began to feel my virtual body take form, forming my being. I smiled even brighter as I felt tight leather forming around my hands, and concrete floor under my feet. I softly blinked my eyes open, smiling around at my new virtual world in wonder.

It was absolutely stunning here. A big city with many houses, a tall dark castle in the middle, and giant brick walls began forming around me. Lush trees and various bird life was surrounding the plaza I was standing in, the birds tweeting and the trees soothingly singing to me with the cool summer breeze through the loud mumbling of players and NPC´s alike all around me.

I looked down at my hand with a soft smile, and I realized it was no longer bare. It was covered by a well crafted leather glove.

"Hehe… A new adventure is beginning…" I mumbled softly as I clenched my hand.

I looked up at the world with a confident smile, before trying to run with my new VR avatar, which I had named, Rintar. It always took a bit of practice to get used to your virtual body, but I had been playing these kind of games for so long that it was a bit easier for me to get used to my avatar than usual.

I smiled a bit as I began getting used to the feeling of heavy leather and hard concrete stone under my feet, and began walking down a buzzling street nearby. I passed one booth after the other, several NPC´s was either selling weapons, armor, or cheap stat boosting accessories.

Players from all over the world was buzzling about, talking, laughing, or dueling each other in short fights by sword, axe or knife, and everywhere you could see that peace truly had filled this city.

I smiled silently as I stood against a wall and watched the lively crowd.

"Damn, there´s a lot of players in here already" I mumbled silently to myself as I noticed how little space was left "I feel like exploring the fields outside town. It would be good to get some training and quests as well"

I smiled softly as I yanked my right hand downwards to open my menu. Once inside I equipped my basic armor and weapon I had had handed to me from my login, and began heading down the street, towards the nearest town gate, which led to the outside world.

I smiled softly and took a deep breath as the bathing sun and the silent summer wind brushing against my face. I smiled silently as I brushed my raven colored hair out of my face with my fingers. I watched how lakes and mountains levitated in midair, creating an adventurous but still beautiful and peaceful atmosphere, even out here where you could be attacked by monsters any second.

I smiled softly as I felt how the tall grass under my feet tickled against my angles with the soft wind. Several boar mobs walked around and silently ate from the lush green grass, minding their own business or doing what they were meant for, which was battling players.

I smiled softly as I saw another boar spawn right nearby, and I decided to go for it. After all, boars was some of the most basic and easy mobs in any kind of RPG game. I should be able to kill one or two of them before having to go back to the city to buy healing crystals and potions.

I smirked a bit as I draw my sword from my side, and positioned myself with a smile. I whistled in its direction to get it´s attention. It´s ears pointed upwards as it heard my whistle and it turned towards me, it´s eyes glowing a bright blood red.

It grunted a bit and scarfed it´s hoof into the ground for a bit, before charging at me full speed. I smiled a little as the boar´s movements was too predictable, and I easily stepped out of it´s path. I smirked a bit as I sliced my blade along one of it´s back hips, teasing it as I knew I had much superiority against this low ranked animal.

I smirked a bit as the boar turned back towards me, and I stepped out of its path once again, before stabbing it in the back and butt with my sword. After about half an hour of repeating the same strategy, I had already collected tens of boar hides, tusks and even leveled up a couple of times.

"Awesome" I mumbled silently to myself as I went through my inventory menu "I can craft some wicked items from all the stuff I decide not to sell"

I smiled softly as I went through my friends list. Until now it was still empty, but I smiled on softly as I thought how many possible people I could befriend in this game.

"I wonder how many friends I will gain in here?" I asked myself as I stared down at the still empty menu "Oh well, no reason to think about it now. Maybe I should head to to-!"

My silent mumbling to myself was suddenly cut off when I heard a loud scream from the forest nearby. I widened my eyes a bit and jumped a bit in my place, but hurried over to see what the commotion was about.

I panted a bit as I ended up right outside the forest, peaking in between the lush trees. I saw several figures inside, two larger figures holding on to a smaller figure´s wrists. The figure kicked and lashed out the best it could, desperately calling for help. It´s voice was very high pitched, so I guessed it was a female.

As I got a little closer, I could see the three people more clearly. The girl the two people was holding wasn´t very old, maybe 15 or 16. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and she was wearing a long sleeved brown shirt and a short brown skirt. She was also wearing various metal plates along her shoulders, elbows and legs, and small light brown shoes to complete the starting set

I growled silently as I drew my sword and rushed forward, yelling loudly as I charged forward, and giving the culprits a chance to get out of the way on purpose. I didn´t want to hurt them if it turned out they were players, and I certainly didn´t want to turn into an orange player myself.

The culprits jumped out of the way from my slow slash, and let go of the girl they had been holding onto, who immediately jumped onto her feet and ran behind me, covering behind me. It turned out that, indeed, all three were players, the culprits, orange, but the girl was green.

I growled silently as I readied my sword, and the two orange players did the same. One of them, a large well-build man, growled silently as he drew his axe from his back.

"Hey, what the hell!?" He yelled threateningly as he stomped towards me "What´s the meaning of this!? That your boyfriend or something!?"

The question was directed towards the girl, who simply flinched at the harsh question and dug behind me even more.

"I could ask the same thing to you guys" I answered back in as cool a tone I could "What are you doing to her?"

"Don´t worry, don´t worry!" Now the other person, a bit smaller red-blonde female entered the conversation "We just want our money, that´s all!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused as to what they were talking about.

"That little shit behind you owes us money from another VR game" the man said as he pointed at the girl aggressively "We´re just taking what is ours"

"How much are we talking about?" I asked silently, knowing I already had for a smaller fortune in my inventory.

"Hmm.. Considering the money rate between games," The tall man mumbled to himself "It would be around 10.000 col!"

I sighed silently as I opened my menu and opened the trading tab.

"Here, take this" I mumbled silently as I traded him every boar pelt, hide and tusk "If you sell all of this, you should have more than enough"

"Huh?" The man stood there baffled, before getting his wits back "Hmph, do what you want"

He pressed the accept button and turned on his heel to exit the forest.

"Merida, we´re leaving" The man said in a commanding tone.

The woman, apparently called Merida, jumped in her place and hurried after him.

The girl behind me sighed a bit and loosened her tight grip in my shoulder as the two people disappeared over the planes. I sighed a little and turned to the girl, who still seemed nervous and afraid.

"Are you ok?" I asked her as I smiled at her gently.

She blushed a bit in return and nodded quickly.

"Y-Yeah… Thank you" She mumbled silently as she looked up at me with shy eyes.

I nodded a bit and patted her silently on the head.

"No problem" I said with a smile.

I looked around me and heard silent and soft growls coming from deeper within the forest. Since I knew the forest had even stronger monsters than the plains outside it, I decided it would be best to retreat.

"Let´s go, it´s dangerous to stay here" I mumbled as I grabbed the girl´s wrist and pulled her along as I began to run.

"R-Right" She mumbled silently as she obediently followed me.

After some time we ended up by a small lake at the plains. I sighed softly and sat down in the lush grass, and the girl I accompanied followed suit, sitting down next to me on the arm ground.

"Thank you again…" She mumbled silently as she casted her gaze downwards "You know, for saving me…"

"No problem, I hate people like that" I mumbled back silently as I watched the sun beginning to set.

I spawned a flask of water from my inventory

"You thirsty?" I asked the girl as I handed her the flask.

She nodded silently and nervously took the flask, placing the tube on her lips as she silently drank.

I smiled silently and lied down in the warm grass, looking over at her.

"So, why did you owe those guys?" I asked silently "I mean, they seem like the wrong people to be around"

"Yeah, I know" She mumbled silently "I was desperate… In another game, I needed some money for a powerful weapon. I had almost all I needed, but I had no potions left, and I was too scared to go out and take the risk. So I borrowed the last bit from some people I met at an inn"

"Right, I guess that makes sense" I mumbled silently "What are you going to do now?"

"Oh, don´t worry" The girl said with a small smile "I have a place I can stay, so…"

"Oh, that´s great" I mumbled silently "So, what´s your name?"

"Celine" She said with a smile "And what is yours?"

"Rintar" I said with a smirk "I know it´s a nerdy name, but what are you going to do?"

Celine giggled a bit and smiled softly as she stood up.

"Well, Rintar, would you mind escorting me back to town?" She said with a smile, seeming more open now "Those people might come back"

"Sure, I was going back there anyway!" I said with a smile, but we never made it that far.

Suddenly, as soon as the sun had settled completely behind the last hill, a blinding light appeared around the both of us. I gasped a bit in surprise and reached out for Celine, but right as I did we both disappeared in the light.

When I once again could see, I looked around me. I was currently standing in the Town Of Beginnings´ main plaza, thousands of players spawning all around me in the same light that had just disappeared from me. Beside me a few feet away, Celine spawned, looked just as bewildered and confused like everyone else.

"W-What the hell just happened!?" I said softly as I stepped up to her, trying to get an explanation from someone.

"I-I don´t know…" She mumbled nervously "M-Maybe it´s some kind of event"

"I don´t know… It might be the opening ceremony" I mumbled silently "But, why didn´t we get a warning on our message board?"

"I don´t know" Celine mumbled again, surely having as many questions as me.

Suddenly, and completely out of nowhere, the sky began blinking with red hexagonic messages. Several reading warning, caution, or other warnings like that, and others just warning us that a message was being displayed.

A blood red liquid looking mass then began drooling from the sky, and began taking form of a giant hooded person. Soon the hooded figure was complete, and the mass of people began screaming for answers.

"Hey! Who the hell are you!?"

"What´s happening!?"

"Why can´t we exit the game all of a sudden!?"

I widened my eyes a bit as I heard that. I quickly opened my menu to check, and sure enough, everything that I saw where the log out button should have been, was a blank open space, without any value. I even tried pressing it, but nothing happened.

I widened my eyes even more as the shock kicked in. 100.000 players, including myself. Was caught in this game. In SAO. There was no way out, at least what I knew of, and the reason for our entrapment was unknown, at least, until now.

I began to panic a bit, but tried to calm myself down, telling myself it might just be a bug, and that big figure must have been one of the game masters, about to explain him or herself. Sadly, it wasn´t a bug, as I was about to find out.

The hooded figure held his hands over the crowd, and cleared his throat to get everyone´s attention. The panicked yelling and nervous whispering died down, so the figure could speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Aincrad," The hooded figure, said in a loud and deep voice "I am Kayaba Akihiko. Head programmer of the game. Welcome to the one and only experience that is, Sword Art Online"

The crowd nervously began whispering again, but quickly died down as Akihiko continued to speak.

"I´m sure everyone must have noticed by now," Kayaba continued "that the log out button from the manual no longer exists in the menu. There is a simple explanation for this"

A hushed silence fell over the audience.

"Let me ensure you, this isn´t a game bug"

I widened my eyes as I heard that.

"This is one of the game´s features. As of today, a hundred thousand players is trapped within my masterpiece of a game. And there is No. Way. Out"

A/N

Hey guys! Welcome to SAO – Worldwide!

Hope you liked the first chapter of my new story! I really liked making it, so I hope you enjoyed!

See you again next week guys! And keep reading!