Sword Art Online
Worldwide
Chapter 3 – Midnight Stroll
I sighed silently as I plopped down on the soft bed of the rented room of the inn. I looked up at the wooden ceiling beams, wondering what our first move in the outside world would be.
"Obviously we have to get stronger, but…" I sighed again and closed my eyes "If we go for the more powerful monsters, we risk getting killed"
I frowned a bit as I looked at the door to my room. Outside across the hall, Celine was sleeping peacefully. I could even hear some of her snoring from the other side.
I smiled a bit as I thought about her. The danger she was put in… She must have been scared out of her mind. All of a sudden, she was forced to play a game that might get her killed in the end. I wondered what thoughts had and was running through her head, and if she would make it through mentally.
"I hope she's okay" I mumbled as I looked back up at the ceiling beams "I can't imagine the pain of losing someone precious… I would like to spare her family of that fate"
I sighed a bit and rolled over again, unable to sleep. It was only the first night, and already, I had trouble sleeping, and being calm. My nerves of the upcoming dangers was irritating beyond measure, and it made it so I couldn't sleep.
I decided to stop trying and go for a walk through town. Even if it was night, I could easily get something to eat somewhere in town. I might even be able to gear up extra well for the upcoming battles.
A lot of preparation had to be done before we would head off. I felt how my fear of dying kept rising. I felt it strange, how much I missed my family all of a sudden. I mean, before I realized that SAO was a death game, I couldn't wait to get away from them. But now I missed them more than ever.
My thoughts fell onto my parents. My mom and dad. I wonder what thoughts was running through their heads. Were they scared for my sake? Were they worried? Earlier, about 10.000 players had collapsed all of a sudden, without any kind of explanation. It must have been because they were moved to hospitals so they could be taken care of, me included. I think I was face first in the pavement for about 10 minutes.
So I must be lying in a hospital bed by now, with an IV and several other machines attached to my arms and body with tubes and such. Was my family there with me? How long were they willing to stay there at my bedside before they had to go home for school and work? How much would my situation strain on their minds?
All these thoughts ran through my head as I equipped some casual wear and wrote a note for Celine to read if she ever looked after me. I put on my boots and headed out into the peaceful Aincrad night.
Even at night, the town was beautiful, maybe even more than it was at night. Streetlights was silently illuminating the city streets as players and NPC's walked and talked to each other in serious conversation, most of them either being about the choice of leaving or staying town, or strategies of beating a certain monster or opponent.
I sighed silently as I looked up at the night sky above The Town of Beginnings hanging like a blanket over the town and the surrounding landscapes. Millions of stars shined brilliantly onto the city, trying to calm down the riveting people.
I smiled a little and sighed. Even if this was a death game, it's beauty was a thing you could always be thankful for if you gave yourself the time to do so. Currently I had all the time in the world, so I could see how beautiful this game really was.
I looked down from the sky as I suddenly realized I had arrived at a small plaza near the black castle near the back of the city. I hadn't really noted where I was going, so I had just went. It surprised me how far I had already wandered, and I looked around with a perplexed expression.
"Huh? Where am I?" I mumbled silently as I looked around the small plaza.
Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around to see who it was. Maybe it was Celine? But no one was standing behind me.
"Wait, what the hell?" I mumbled as I again felt a tap on my shoulder, and I spun around again.
Still nothing.
Who was teasing me?
"Hey, would you stop doing that whoever you are?" I yelled loudly "it's getting irritating"
"Hehe, sorry, sorry. You just looked a little confused so I figured I would have some fun with you"
Suddenly I felt another tap on my shoulder and I turned around with an irritated grunt, but though I thought I once again would see nothing, I saw something way different.
It was a girl. She was wearing dark brown short shorts that reached to her upper thigh and was kept up with a crafty leather belt. Her shirt, or tank top maybe, was dark red and reached a bit over her belly button, which was pierced with a needle with a bright red ruby in its tip.
She was wearing a bright red jacket around her tank top which was a bit more crimson red then her tank top, and had long sleeves that was almost too long for her arms. By her hips, two long bladed daggers hang in her belt on each side of her body.
Her hair was a bit long, almost reaching her shoulders. Some of it hanged off her head while some of it was braded into a few strings that was neatly put into a bun. Her eyes was a bright blue, and warmly inviting.
I blushed a little as I looked at her. She was very beautiful, I had to give her that. She seemed to have a very playful attitude, so I stepped over to her with a wondering expression.
"Would you care to explain why you're picking on strangers?"
"I said sorry already. I was just having a little fun" She said with a wink before turning away from me "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"
I was slightly taken aback by her way of changing topic. She must be really good at changing the situation to her advantage.
"I-I guess it is" I mumbled as I stepped up beside her "It's not all who stop to think about it"
Her happy and quirky attitude surprised me a lot. You would think that she would seem scared and nervous when she was in this situation, but she didn't seem to care about what had happened at all.
"U-Uhm, you seem pretty upbeat" I mumbled as I looked at her "Aren't you scared at all?"
"Scared? About what?"
Was she completely oblivious to the situation we were in!?
"Are you stupid or something?" I mumbled softly and she looked over at me "You know we all die if we die in here right?"
"Oh right, people die when they are killed" She said with a sarcastic tone "Very keen observation"
"No I mean, in this game" I mumbled with a blush "If we die in the game we die in real life too. Aren't you scared of dying at all?"
"Oh so that's what you mean" She said with a smile "No, I'm not afraid of dying"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Well, first of all, I trust my gamer instincts" she said with a smile "Second of all, I think that if I die, there's not much to do to prevent it. And there isn't that many people back home that will miss me if I do"
"Huh? You don't have a family?"
"Not that much" She said with a smile "I only have my grandparents, and they're so old that if I die they will follow close by"
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that" I mumbled as I sighed "Well, I am scared. I'm scared to leave my family behind"
"I understand that" She said with a little smile "But I think, if you do die, that your family will know that you fought bravely to stay alive"
"Thanks" I mumbled silently Are you staying here in town?"
"I think I'm going to battle to get out of here. There's still a lot for me to do in the real world"
"Like what?"
"Well, first of all, I have never fallen in love"
My heart almost skipped a beat when she said that.
"L-Love? How old are you anyway, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I'm fifteen. Why?"
"You just seemed like someone a little young to talk about love"
"Hey! I'm a refined young woman. I'm mature enough to think about that kind of stuff"
The way she was acting before and teasing me told me something else though.
"Sure, whatever you say"
I chuckled a bit as I sat down on a nearby bench, and looked up at the stars.
"So, I never really got your name stranger" she said with a wink as she sat beside me.
"Oh right. Avatar or real?"
"Real please. I wish to know the people I befriend"
"Then, my name is Sebastian"
"Sebastian, huh? You from Europe?"
"How'd you know?"
"It just seems like a name from around those parts" She said with a wink and a smile "Just so you know, my name is Eva"
"Oh, like the Eva's from End of Evangelion?"
"People still remember that old show? I'm shocked"
"Well, I'm a bit of an otaku I guess" I said with a chuckle "Why are you out here anyway?"
"Well, I was hoping some of the NPC shops was still open" She said with a smile "my old weapon is pretty worn down. I wanted to know if I could get a new one"
"Really? I think there's a pretty decent shop somewhere nearby. I could take you if you want?"
"Wow, really!? Thanks! Let's go right now!"
She smiled widely and giggled heartfully as she skipped down the street. I followed after her in a rush.
"Hey! I'm supposed to be in front if I should lead the way!"
"Think you can keep up?" She said with a playful giggle as she stuck her tongue out at me.
"Just you watch!" I said with a smile as we sprinted along the street.
It was a bit weird to be this playful and close to pretty much a stranger already, but it felt nice too. I soon slipped past her and she giggled as she followed me towards the weapon shop.
When we arrived there, I turned around to face her, with a bit of a pant in my breathing from the long run.
"Here you are!" I said with a smile.
Weird. It had never been so easy to talk to someone when I was just being… Me. I had a weird connection with this girl, I could tell. I wonder if she could tell too? I guess her open nature made it easier to talk to her, and made her more open and confident. That, and the fact that I knew she was playing this game, gave me the feeling she might be a gamer just like myself.
A cool breeze wafted through the street as she smiled and nodded at me.
"Thanks!" She said with a smirk as she skidded up the steps to the shop "Wait here, I'll be right back"
Huh? She wanted me to wait? I thought she only needed me to guide her to the shop?
I shrugged a bit after I had watched her disappear through the shop's door, and I stood against the wall of the building, staring up at the sky and counting stars to waste time. I knew that, unless she had a hard time picking a new weapon, this wouldn't take long.
I smiled a bit as I heard the bell of the shop, and looked up at Eva as she exited the shop with a big grin on her face.
"Thanks for helping me today" She said softly "Are you on the raiding team?"
"Huh? Why would you assume that?" I asked softly as we continued down the street.
"Well, I don't know, curiosity made me ask I guess" She said with a giggle "I assume you're not then?"
"Well, no, I am, but…" I mumbled silently "I was just wondering what gave it away"
"I just had a feeling I guess" She said softly.
The raiding team had been formed already a few hours after the game had launched, and they had taken responsibility for raiding and clearing the floors as a form of attack group for all players. I had been thinking about joining them, but I hadn't had the time to think much about it.
"Well, to answer your question, no, I'm not" I said softly "But I think I will join them"
"Really?" She asked quietly, looking down at the ground quietly "Aren't you scared at all?"
"Of course I am" I mumbled quietly as I stretched my arms in tiredness "But I don't think I have a choice in this situation"
"Huh? Why not?" She asked with a confused expression.
"Well, I want to survive" I said with a quiet smile "And if I want to do that, I also think I have a part of the responsibility of getting everyone out of here"
"That makes sense I guess" She said quietly, looking over at me.
I felt a little nervous talking to her, and every now and again, I casted a short glance over at her, as if almost to study her facial expression. I was sometimes very negative, and I often studied people's facial expression to see if they had any dark back-thoughts about me when we talked, or if they were lying to me.
Though I couldn't really read anything about this girl. Actually I caught her staring at me sometimes, and whenever I did, we would both blush and look away nervously. I had no idea why I was feeling or acting that way, though one of the reason's I came to, was that she was just a cute girl, and that I was nervous because of that.
When we arrived at the inn in town, I sighed quietly and looked over at Eva with a neutral expression.
"We'll, this is my stop" I said with a smile "Do you live somewhere else in town, or?"
"Nah, it's way too early in the game for that" She said with a chuckle "I don't have nearly enough money for an apartment. This is actually the place I've rented, so let's not just stand out here"
I chuckled softly and shrugged my shoulders as I followed her inside, walking along the carpet in the middle. As I knew it had already turned way past midnight, I decided to pay for an extra day at the inn for both me and Celine, just in case we would need it. As soon I was done paying, it was Eva's turn, and when she was done, she turned to me with a smile.
"Alright, it was nice meeting you Sebastian" Eva said with a smile "I better go catch some Z's if I want to have even the slightest hope of getting stronger tomorrow"
"Yeah, me too" I mumbled as I stretched and yawned "If I want to make it through the boss battle in a couple of days, I need to be at my best"
"Yeah, I guess so" She mumbled and sighed as we followed each other upstairs "I wish I could be there with you guys"
"Why can't you?" I asked silently "The extra help would always be appreciated, and to be honest, me and my partner could use an extra team member"
"Huh? Your partner?" Suddenly a sly smirk crossed her face and she patted me on the back "You don't mean that kind of partner, do you?"
"H-Huh!? What the hell are you suggesting!?" I almost yelled as a blush instantly rose all the way to my ears.
"There's totally something going on there" She said with a smirk "Look at your ears! They're blood red!"
"It's nothing like that, okay?!" I said sharply as I stepped towards my room embarrassedly.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" She said with a giggle as she skidded after me "I haven't added you to my friends list yet!"
"Huh? We're supposed to do that?" I said in an attempt to get back at her "Meh, I might as well do it"
"Don't be a dick" She said with a giggle before she asked for my name and sent me a friend request.
I chuckled softly and accepted it, before taking hold of my doorknob.
"Well, I'll see you sometime" I said with a smile "If you're not here tomorrow morning that is"
"Don't worry, I'll stay here in town" She said.
I nodded and turned to walk into my room, but looked back over my shoulder as Eva called out to me.
"Oh and, about that whole, teaming up thing?" She said softly as she looked at me "I'll think about it, okay? See you later"
And with that, she smiled, winked at me, and closed her door behind her. I blushed a little at her wink but didn't put much thought to it before I walked into my own room, and closed the door.
I sighed a bit and unequipped my stuff, before jumping into bed, staring up at the ceiling beams for a bit, just like before.
"Eva huh?" I mumbled silently as I closed my eyes with a smile "She seems interesting. I hope she is willing to help us advance to the next floors"
And with that thought, I fell asleep, nervous and afraid for the upcoming battle, but also reassured and confident. I had Celine, and possibly Eva with me after all. I hadn't spend that much time with Celine, but I knew that she was trustable. And Eva… Well, I didn't know that much about her, but since I had apparently gotten better at sociably conversing and interacting, I was excited to see if she was going to join or not.
I sighed deeply and tried to force myself to sleep, and ignore my nervousness for the boss fight. Eventually I succeeded, and felt myself fall into slumber.