Fandom Let's DIB: Sword Art Online

[Dark Souls]

It was to be the greatest revolution of technology in decades. It was just a video game, perhaps, but in truth the doors it would open were beyond just some form of entertainment. No, if it worked, the applications would be endless. This technology, the Nerve Gear, was the first "Full-Dive System" to pass testing, and was advertised as being the first affordable device that could completely submerge a user in a virtual reality environment. Their senses would be diverted, muscles stalled, and mind wired into whatever program was loaded. The machine was just released that day, as were the first hundreds of thousands of downloaded copies of its primary release title, which had been followed by many faithful video game nuts for years since it was first teased in an American convention: Sword Art Online.

It was an MMORPG, and a rather generic one in very blatant ways, but it was also the first to ever take advantage of the Nerve Gear's FDS programming. As the players hoped, it would allow them to interact with environments and enemies in much more meaningful ways. Gone would be the days of WASD controls, and battles which only went so deep as where someone stood or in what order their abilities were used. Now, players would be able to seek out the most minuscule of secrets, in their digital worlds and in combat. Those who didn't care for the technology's practical applications still eagerly anticipated the launch, and pre-order numbers broke records. At the turn of noon, the servers were opened, and the players flooded in.

Due to the popularity there, Japan's server had to be divided, and so instead of one impossibly crowded server the game was hosted across three. It seemed that two would have worked better, as with three available to choose from, one gained the largest playerbase by far while the other two were left with smaller numbers. The middle of the three, affectionately titled "Excalibur", was left with roughly ten thousand players total. It was on the Excalibur server where a few certain players joined who would play key roles in the events to pass soon after the game's release. Soon enough, it would not be considered a mere 'game', and its reputation would instead be one of accursed infamy. Those logging into the game were completely unaware of this, at the time.

It was that server which he joined. At the moment he logged in, he was among the other normal, hyped players, excited to finally enter the world they'd been anticipating for so long. They loaded their games, strapped on those fresh plastic helmets, powered on the FD System and stripped their minds from their bodies. From there, they were thrust into the game. They appeared in flashes of light on a large platform of brown, sun-baked stones in the center of the first environment. It was the starting area of the game, called "Aincrad: Town of Beginnings" in their heads-up display. It was made up of wide streets, plazas and a number of small stone buildings and markets, through which the many players were already milling through in search of beginning quests and items. Those who weren't aware of the inflation mechanics crowded around the same merchants, hearing about the cheap equipment, only to find prices were already rising. Others left the city immediately, wanting instead to face the wilderness to test the natural gear drops. Some forewent this entirely, and sought out crafting tutorials to take advantage of the newly-spawned market.

He was there among them, as fresh into this system as any other.

 

[Noivian]

He shielded his eyes, peering to the sky. Light, was that from a sun? This was exactly like real life! Squinting, he turned his gaze to the environment of the town. Vibrant hues and dull browns clashed as plants grew around official-looking structures. The markets beyond the initial plaza were already brimming with people. Hm, where to start first, though? Kirito knew that the prices would inflate greatly - that was just inherent in beginning MMO's. If he wanted cheap stuff, he should have logged in quicker. He should also perhaps drop his gold immediately into buying the rare stuff before it could soar to higher heights. Play the long game, play the game's stocks.

Mmh, but that wasn't what the game was about, now was it? The starting gold was to get you starting gear, so you could go out and fight monsters and bosses to get better gear, right? Kirito never bothered much in the crafting and trading aspect of the MMO's he partook in the past, why start now over some fake money that could easily be made later on in the game? Besides, things dropped from bosses were always inherently more profitable than gear made by players. He still needed a sword and some basic armor, though, so stepping over to the nearest vendor, he looked over their stall to examine the wares.

 

[Dark Souls]

There were many stalls in the market, divided by what themes dominated their wares. None of the NPCs stationed at them seemed enthusiastic about their booming business, and aside from the widely fluctuating prices, all they sold seemed to be the same. Each carried similar flavors of rusty weapons, and though it was all fittingly low-level and nowhere near costly, the variety was astounding. The game was called "Sword Art Online", but each arms vendor had everything between daggers and greataxes available for sale. The common choices were the Rusty Longsword and Katana, as they were not only straightforward, but were used by the shadowy characters featured in all the trailers and other advertisements. There were also some modification items to add a boost to whatever weapon they were applied to, but no players even considered them. They were expensive, and would probably be outclassed quickly. They looked like something to help out veteran players should they pick up a new kind of weapon.

Other, more exotic-looking salesmen carried a special sort of item. They were the primary weapon for healers, supposedly, and an odd addition. One of the game's points of interest was the lack of accessibility to magic, and so many predicted that alchemy would be extremely important. That was before the Hypoderm was announced as one of the available Styles. They had a focus on disabling enemies and healing allies with special edgeless daggers, and a few players were huddled around the stalls which sold them, cheerfully stabbing each other and watching the visual effects from the healing before moving on to something else. They would become the backbone of the game's Raid groups, and seeing their enthusiasm was disconcerting to some, who deliberately avoided the Hypoderm weapons.

Thus was the primary system in Sword Art Online: The Styles, which centered around the unique functions of certain weapons. The Hypoderms, with their status-based abilities, would not be a damage-dealing force in any right. That role belonged to players who went for Swordsman, Samurai and the like. Since the game allowed much more freedom of movement, there were no definitive tank classes, which had several hardcore communities worried. Players used to tanking would have to adjust to damage or healing-based roles, and everyone would have to find new ways of thinking about enemy aggravation. Pre-release reviews praised the ambitious changes to the long-loved formula, and others warned that it may not work well.

"So what d'ye want then, eh?" asked the weapon vendor, catching on to the attention of the new player in his midst. "Can't spend all day starin' at some new bloke, so state yer business'n buzz off." Clearly, the dialogue was designed for when the bulk of the playerbase would have moved past the start, and the Town of Beginnings would become much less heavily populated. It was a rather pessimistic view, considering any confident developer would be hoping for a constant flow of new players. At least it was fitting enough here, as this was one of very few stalls which wasn't crowded by a swarm of shoppers.

 

[Noivian]

The sight of needles or needle-named weapons in an MMO like this didn't make sense to Kirito, however he was aware that due to the lack of magic in the game, this made the most sense for a healing class. What would be better, however, is if one could fashion such a weapon onto the end of a pole and make a healing staff or spear...

He shook his head. That was a job for the game devs, not him. No, his choice of weapon should be a utility at the moment. Something versatile that could easily be discarded or sold later on. It would be nice if scythes were actually functional in combat, and didn't make him look like an edgy teenager. Combat scythes in anime and games always looked so cool, but with an inward blade, it'd be hard to use such an aesthetic- and tool-based weapon in a realistic setting. One would have to get very close to an enemy to properly use a scythe in combat, and even then it probably wouldn't do that much damage. It not only defeated the damage boost most two-handed weapons had, but also negated the range poled weapons had. So literally the only reason to get a scythe was to be a try-hard or an edgy teenager. Kirito cast a glance sideways at the player beside him, who was picking up and swinging around one of the scythes he had been prior looking at. He knew it was a bad decision, and wanted to step in and help the other player, but... sometimes you got to let people live their own life.

Turning back to the weapons vendor, he picked up a good-sized katana, feeling the weight of the weapon in his hand, the rub of the pooly bound leather on the grip. The edge was dull, as to be expected of low-level weapons, and the balance was off, but leaning towards the tip. It made his down strokes heavier. Kirito doubted it would affect his damage, but it certainly did feel easier to swing with his body, with that little bit of weight adding a direction for the blade to fall. "I think I'll take this one," he stated lowly, not wanting the other players nearby to hear his girlish voice. Digging into his pockets for the gold in his inventory, Kirito quickly paid the vendor. He cast another glance over to Hypoderm weapons. Perhaps he'd pick one up.. but later. Right now, he needed to save his money for basic armor, so he could start leveling.

 

[Dark Souls]

The coins weren't picked up by the merchant. Rather, they flashed and disappeared once striking the counter. Once the appropriate number had been dispensed, the NPC waved him off. "Eh, have fun with it. Pro'ly doesn't not how to swing the thing anyhow..." With the business concluded, it didn't make any other interactions. A hand landed on the player's shoulder, however, as someone leaned in beside him. "Going for Samurai?" he asked with no real introduction. He already had some rather comprehensive armor equipped over his starting tunic, and it clashed rather poorly even if it was the most protective set anyone in the crowd had. His voice was young, as was the face of his avatar. A goatee was present on his chin, but it was weak enough that it was difficult to see. Over a red bandanna curled long strains of strawberry hair. He frequently jerked his head to rid it from his face, but with his digital appearance constantly resetting to its defaults, he couldn't get it to stay.

The second player was eyeing the same stall He just bought his first weapon from. "I was thinking about it too, but it seems plenty of guys already chose it. May as well go for something more normal, like..." His hand reached for the straight sword on the table, only for the NPC to smack it away. They glared at each other for a moment, but the player's attention was drawn away by a notice informing him of insufficient funds. He swept it away and reached for a scimitar, but he was denied again. The same issue stopped him from buying a hand axe and a ladle. Eventually, he swiped a dagger from the display, and finally he was able to empty his pockets of the gold to pay for it. "Well, uh... Thief it is, right?" Another notification came up in front of his face, and he read through it, his face falling as he corrected himself. "Apparently it's called 'Thug' in this. Should've bought a sword first." A smile returned to him, and he elbowed the first player. "Looks like you're the smarter one, doesn't it?"

Similarly to this stranger, a notification appeared in front of Him, stating explicitly that he'd, "chosen the Katana, weapon of the proud Samurai's Style." It advertised abilities to close distance to an enemy and perform powerful counter-attacks when damaged, as well as offering the option to either confirm or refund the weapon purchase. The notifications only seemed to be appearing now, as suddenly many players were stopping in place to address their own. For the first time, they were being given clear explanations on how the different Styles worked. Some were straightforward, while players who had chosen Styles like Hypoderm sought a bench to sit down in while they sorted through all the data. Players who carried daggers all seemed to be rather happy with themselves, and were already giving suspicious looks to other rookie players. Judging by the name of their Style, "Thug", it was obvious what their gimmick would be.

 

[Noivian]

Jumping with a slight yelp when a firm hand clasped on his shoulder, Kirito turned to the newcomer with the strawberry hair, only moving his head to look, eyes wide with shock. He held his breath as the guy made comments, wanting to make remarks back but also refraining from doing so, so as to keep the stranger from following him around due to his voice. Kirito had internally been slightly angry about that - there was no voice modifications to be had for in-game chat. Nothing to turn one's girly voice deeper into a man's voice. He spotted a female avatar being doted on by a small group of guys, and wondered if perhaps that person had found a way to hack the system and change their voice - there was no way they were actually a girl. Looking down to his katana, Kirito assumed perhaps he could carry on being a mute. Gestures and sounds would have to be enough.

With something between a sassy and good-natured humor look, mouth quirked in a half smile, eyebrows scrunched towards each other and one raised slightly, Kirito looked to the goatee guy and pointed to his mismatched armor, and then rubbed his thumb over the pads of his first and second finger, indicating money. The question was 'did you spend all your money on armor?' Kirito wasn't sure how well that question got across, however. He dreaded using his voice, not wanting to tip the other off of his true identity. The one down side to this new virtual reality was the lack of text chat.

Startled again when the popup showed the stats for the katana, Kirito took a moment to read them over. It was pretty simple, really, compared to some other classes he spotted sitting down to read. The problem was going to be getting the hang of combat using his virtual body. Granted, it felt like a normal body, but it wasn't like Kirito spent any of his time in the real world practicing martial arts or anything. No, he spent his time playing MMO's and team-based shooters. Granted he had no aim in the latter, but still... Accepting the weapon, Kirito figured that if this were a permanent decision, he could always just make a new save and pick another weapon if this one wasn't to his liking. After all, this was only to get the feel for the game, and using a simple class like a Samurai would be the best to start out on.

 

[Dark Souls]

The stranger paused as he registered the quiet gestures, and it took a bit too long for him to grasp their meaning. He knocked away the accusing hand and responded, "Sure there's no Paladin in this, but that doesn't mean I can't run a Tank anyway." Though the statement was dismissive enough of the point of wasting money, he couldn't keep eye contact as he made it. As much as he tried to make it appear so, he didn't look all too proud of his purchase, especially when considering the lack of importance Tanks would possess here. From the looks of things, other Thug players were also seeking out more armor from shops, though their actions were entirely of their own choice.

He didn't dwell on it for long. "I'll see if I like it, at least. By the time I figure that out, I'll have more than enough gold to go Swordsman, and from there I can just do whatever." He strode past, giving Him a firm pat to the back, but that wasn't the end of the discussion. "So my friends haven't shown up just yet, but I'm thinking, and I think I should get a head start on that first round of grinding before they do. Gonna see how all this stuff works, get some gold, and maybe pick up a few free drops too! Wanna tag along?" A mirthy, teasing look was shot over a shoulder. "Doesn't look like you've got a group of your own yet, and we could use another member. Nobody knows the game yet anyway, so there's no sense leaving each other behind."

 

[Noivian]

He couldn't help but frown when his hand was smacked away. It felt almost as bad as a slap to the face, knocking aside one's unspoken questions. What if he had been a mute in real life? Would it have been appropriate to just knock away one's hand when they were signing something? Of course not. This wasn't any different. Despite the other player's rude impression, Kirito couldn't help but enjoy his company, if only just a bit. He didn't have any real life friends like this stranger did, or at least, none that would be joining him in game. With a quick smile and a nod, Kirito followed after the stranger, checking his heads-up display for the other player's name. Since Kirito refused to speak, there wasn't any other way he could ask about names, he had to rely on HUDs.

Speaking of HUDs, the HUD for this game didn't seem too difficult to navigate, if not a little tricky to figure out how to call up. Kirito took a moment to explore the different options on the HUD while following along behind the other player. It was always best to familiarize one's self with the controls of a game before launching into combat. It was foolish, really, to just go fight and mash buttons, hoping to win. At least, it would be foolish to do so during high-level raids. Beginner levels were all but designed to be button mashed through, and were only difficult if you didn't start picking up the controls by your fifth or sixth battle. Given how this game was mostly focused around body movement, hence the platform it was presented on, Kirito had a nagging feeling that perhaps the controls were going to have an extremely high learning curve. It wasn't bad, per say, but it wasn't the best way to start off for new MMO players. Granted, Kirito wasn't anywhere near a new MMO player, having sunk over six hundred hours on many different MMO's. If anything, the steep learning curve only served to excite him further. He grinned to himself, fantasizing about a future where he was the leader of a successful raid guild, and had all the rare and expensive armor... Ah, yes. That was going to be fun.

 

[Dark Souls]

This other player, whose username read, 'Klein43', led them both to the city's nearest gate, and finally they were outside of the crowded streets and alleyways. There were nowhere near as many players in the open fields surrounding the Town of Beginnings, but there were a few who had stuck close as they tested out their basic abilities. "Well, would you look at that fancy thing?" Klein remarked as a scythe-carrier floated by. He moved through another player, who consequently began to panic about someone having phased through his avatar. The floating scythe wielder seemed overjoyed about the strange ability. Until it wore off, at least, upon which he pranced off in another direction to see what else the strange weapon was capable of.

"I guess that's what Harvester does. Seems cool enough." Klein gave another regretful look at his knife. "I'm sure I'll have plenty to work with," he consoled himself, and he continued for another step before a notice appeared in front of both him and his new friend. They were tutorials, and he read through his quietly. The text for the Samurai tutorial explained their Pride and Vengeance abilities. They were simple to activate. "Place the sheathed sword behind oneself," it said, "to activate Pride and brace for an incoming attack. After taking damage, slash at the attacker for a powerful Vengeance attack!" Klein dismissed his own tutorial and looked to his knife again. "I've got 'Sabotage' and 'Pickpocket'. Seems like Thug is mostly PVP-based," he lamented. "I don't even like PVP! I guess I could go find some new players and see if this Pickpocket skill works as advertised, but that just seems mean..."

What he didn't notice was that, while he was reading the tutorial pop-up, one of the previously defeated enemies in the area had respawned. A generic 'Wild Boar', roughly the size of most players, had snuffled around in the nearby dirt for a few moments before its AI kicked in and a holographic red arrow linked it to Klein. The arrow disappeared immediately, but the animal had already turned toward him, and was kicking up the dust rather aggressively.

 

[Noivian]

Kirito looked about the open fields, watching the kid with the scythe float through another player. Envy pushed to the forefront of his mind, a sour taste on his tongue. That would have been so cool, especially if one could double class Harvester with whatever the Hypoderm wielders were called. The ability to phase through other people, and potentially enemies would work amazingly with being able to heal allies in battle. Shaking his head, Kirito turned back to Klein. He had to affirm himself that he'd stick to this class for now, and double back to pick up new weapons once he got more comfortable with the combat system this game used. New hardware and all that, along with new game, meant go vanilla first and work one's way up to new things.

Hearing Klein complain about the pickpocket ability and his lack of interest in PVP, Kirito tapped Klein on the shoulder, before turning his back to Klein and patting his own pockets. It was during this turn, however, that the samurai noticed the boar respawning. Moving between the Wild Boar and Klein, Kirito widened his foot stance, bracing for impact with the Wild Boar, moving his sheathed sword behind him to activate the Pride ability. His hand hovered over the hilt of the katana, ready to draw quickly in retaliation for the Vengeance ability.

 

[Dark Souls]

As expected, the boar gave no further warning, and soon charged forward. At first, it stormed straight past Kirito, but another arrow shot from it as Pride didn't just add a defense buff notice in the corner of its user's vision, but also pulled the creature's attention away, causing it to target the Samurai instead. It turned sharply, kicked off again and buried its forehead in the gut of its new target. At least, that was the intention, but with a streak of cyan light the Vengeance ability was triggered, and the sword was unsheathed and swung. The boar lost all its force as it passed, and its attack couldn't land. The counter-attack, with the bonus "critical" damage it guaranteed, drained the boar's entire pool of HP instantly. A bar appeared floating by it, only to be completely drained in but a single moment. It was even gibbed, though there was no real gore to it. The gap in its flesh was covered with a grid of bright-red, which soon faded as the creature's separated parts dissolved away.

KIein had only just turned in time to see the aftermath, and blinked away a bit of confusion. On a whim, he took into consideration the class he'd been given, and lunged a hand forward. He swiped at nothing, closing his hand around empty smoke as the fingers took on a black, smoky coating from the activation of a Skill. He followed through with his zealous lunge, and stumbled past his friend and target in the process. Upon turning back around, he held his fist out, his other hand firmly planted against his hip and a wide grin running across his face. "Gotcha!" he proclaimed, opening his fingers up to reveal two floating, holographic letters, "XP," levitating over his palm. Consequently, when a notice appeared to signal the defeat of the Wild Boar, there was only a small amount of gold as the reward. The XP was listed as a measly zero. Klein seemed bewildered upon revealing his plundered loot. "Wait, I can take experience with this? I thought it was just gold..." He swept a finger across the air to open a menu, and brought up a grid display of his inventory. Sure enough, there was one item there, a consumable represented by the same holographic "XP" he was holding. "Looks like I can give it back, at least. That's good, I guess." His words slowed then, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the primary menu again. "Huh. That's odd," he remarked. "I don't see any settings or account options here. I guess we can't change preferences if the game's running, but then how do we log out..?"

 

[Noivian]

Kirito nodded, smiling. The boar was an interesting encounter, though Kirito was very upset he didn't get any EXP from it. Turning to see Klein holding his EXP, Kirito gave a playful pout and crossed his arms, showing off a more girly side than he initially intended. Regardless, the fake upset melted off quickly, and Kirito held out a hand to ask for his XP back, having a good feeling Klein would give it back. However, if the Thug insisted on keeping it, Kirito figured he might just have to drop him like a sack of potatos. Might... It's really no fun playing for no gain. The meager gold hardly made up for the loss of XP, but Kirito would be willing to trade if it went to Klein changing classes.

When Klein said something about how to log out, Kirito made a face. Shouldn't it be really easy to find the log out button? Pulling up his own menu, Kirito scanned over the user interface. Where... was the log out button? Starting to panic, Kirito patted along his hair, as if he could feel the headset on him. Naturally, he wouldn't be able to, given how his real world arms weren't the same as his in-game arms. He was probably in a sleep-like state in the real world. His breathing picked up as panic set in. How did he get out...? What if he had to pee? What if he missed dinner? How was going to eat or live if he was stuck in a video game?

Stuck in a video game... Was this real? Was this how he was going to die?

 

[Dark Souls]

The item- An "XP Packet" as the game called it, was returned to its proper owner with no objection from Klein. He closed his menu with the swipe of a hand and dismissed the strange glitch. "You'd think their testers would pick up on that sort of thing. That, or we're not looking in the right... What are you doing?" He smirked openly at his friend's panic. "Don't worry about it too much, man! It's not like we're trapped here. There's probably a mechanic I missed, or it is a glitch and they'll shut down the server, kick us out and fix it. It'll kill their ratings to have a problem like that on release, th-"

He stopped talking, or rather he wasn't able to continue, for in that moment he was enveloped in a pillar of white light. When that glow faded in the following second, he was gone, and other such lights crawled up around the other players in the area, including him...

The white light disappeared from their vision, and suddenly they were no longer where they were. Instead, they had been placed in familiar locations within the city grounds. Klein and his new friends were set down in its central plaza, where most players had first appeared before the game relocated the spawn point elsewhere to prevent fragging. From no discernible point in space, a voice began to speak. It was one that many of the players had come to recognize, having been featured in many broadcasts, interviews and announcements prior to the game's release.

"Good afternoon," greeted the humble voice. Players scanned the air to find its origin, and had no luck. "My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am the lead director of Sword Art Online and the lead developer of the Nerve Gear Full-Dive System. If all has gone well, you are all currently using this system... Ah, except for a scant few. You know who you are, and I do too. I'm flattered by the effort you have put in to participate in this game, so know that you will not be punished for violation of the Service Agreement. You may suffer some unforeseen side-effects as a result of using alternate equipment, however."

"But all that is unimportant. As some of you may have noticed, your player menu does not have an option to log out of the game, nor are there adjustable settings of any kind."

"Do not misunderstand me when I say this is not an error. Nor is it an error that, upon defeat by enemies and hazards in the environment, two hundred and thirty-seven players did not respawn."

They stopped, then. Those who were looking saw nothing, and those who had been milling around in their initial confusion were silent once again. Klein, next to his new friend, wasn't smiling anymore. "What did he say..?" he asked to no one in particular. He, as well as many other players nearby, had begun to draw the overall meaning of the developer's words. The voice of Akihiko continued to speak, asking simply:

"Are there any questions?"

 

[Noivian]

Kirito had calmed down slightly, listening to Klein be the voice of reason. He nodded and smiled, but the smile faded as they were summoned in columns of light to the center of the beginning town. Kirito could feel his knees going weak again, his hyper-active imagination running a mile a minute as it was announced that the lack of a log out button wasn't a glitch. Did that mean they really were stuck in the game? He wanted to sit down, but the ground looked like a bad choice right now... He stared at his shoes, uncertain. What did Akihiko-san mean when he said two hundred and thirty-seven players didn't respawn?

"Are they... dead?" he muttered in a surprisingly girlish voice. If there was no way to log out, and no one respawns, does this mean that death was the only way to log out? Did you loose all your stats? Your character? A lump of dread settled in the pit of his stomach, and the male avatar turned his face to the sky, before yelling out in a manner unbecoming of him, "Are the defeated players dead? In real life?" Hadn't there been something like this in a story or a fan fiction or something he'd read online? A horror story or something? His hands shook in fear, not wanting to die, and desperately hoping it was merely an option to log out rather than actual death.

 

[Dark Souls]

There was no response at first. The developer gave no confirmation of the accusation, nor did he deny it. Klein spoke again. "No respawns, no leaving? Dale went dungeon hunting, as a joke- You mean you just let them run off and die before they knew the risks?" As he spoke his voice was raised, flaunting his anger at the outrageous circumstance. Before he could continue, however, he froze in place, completely unmoving as gravity took him and he fell. Below his display name, a lightning bolt icon appeared. He'd suddenly been hit with Paralysis, an easily identified Affliction that rendered him completely unable to move. It was only then that the voice answered the hanging questions.

"They were unaware of the dangers presented to them, and it was a lack foresight to allow them to proceed uninformed. They have not been removed yet. They have been quarantined upon reaching critical HP, and are safe from harm." Klein's Paralysis status was removed then, after an exact ten-second period. He drew in several deep breaths immediately, clutching hard at his chest now that he could move again. A nearby Hypoderm realized the potential danger and knelt down to make sure no real damage had been done. "Since most were in dungeons," Kayaba continued, "they cannot be removed until they exit the area themselves. Consider your first Quest to be finding these friends of yours. Some compensation will be offered for your troubles. No such mercy will be offered again."

Klein released a sigh upon hearing that. None of the deaths so far were final. That said, there were still more questions, and the players nearby began to voice them. They called to the sky, asking about what was going on, what to do about glitches, and the inevitable "Why would you do this?" which seemed to repeat many more times than was necessary. Kayaba said nothing until they calmed down at last without his intervention. "I will keep watch on the happenings of this world. Periodically, players will be placed in quarantine as the game is updated to fix problems as they arise. All basic functions of the game are explained in tutorials and manuals available at no cost within the Township and surrounding areas-"

A single voice rose from the crowd nearby: "What about my kids?" There, a woman stood there with another player. The two were holding hands, albeit digitally. It was unclear as to whether the other was a son or husband, by the avatar. Again, Kayaba was quiet for some time. Eventually, he spoke again, and it was the last thing he would say that day. "I'm sorry."

Nothing more was said. Not from the crowd, and not from the developer. The only further interaction was the duplicate notification sent to every player on the server. "Warp Mirror added. Player appearance will be reset. Server updates will take place weekly. Ever watching, ART."

 

[Noivian]

Kirito sunk to his knees, the weight of his reality now settling in. This was his life now. There was no leaving, there was no winning... Death wasn't assured, but it wasn't denied either, which wasn't a good sign. In real life, Kirito lived with his older brother and mother. He was lucky. He was only nineteen, with no one to look after except himself. His brother had recently left for work when he had plugged himself into the game. His mother wouldn't be home for another four hours. Heck, he didn't even know if time still passed the same in this game. Someone would find him. Someone would take care of him if they didn't try to forcefully remove his helmet. In four hours, word would probably have spread that the players were trapped in this video game, and someone would probably come looking for the people who would have gone missing. But that lady over there with her children... would they survive four hours? How old were they? Two? Three? Ten? Would they know to call emergency services when their mom wouldn't wake up? He was visibly shaking like a leaf, fear and sympathy for that woman, and a sense of dread washing over him.

Hands trembling, he reached into his pack, his inventory, and pulled out the new item. A mirror? He looked into it, and let out a surprise yelp. Appearances had really been reset. In the mirror staring back at him, was no longer the avatar Kirito. It was herself. Wavy brown hair pulled back into a pony tail with bits of bangs hanging in her heart-shaped face, but not covering her almond-shaped blue eyes. The game had gotten everything right about her, all the way down to the dark circles under her eyes and the size of her breasts. Her username had even changed from Kirito to Nova. Her real name. At first, she was shocked how accurate her new avatar was, but then remembered all the body calibration she had to go through when first setting up her Nerve Gear. Setting the mirror down on the ground, reflective side down, she shivered, fingers clutching her upper arms in a desperate attempt to hold onto something stable. This was what she truly feared. Being a female online. Everyone was gonna try and hit on her. Everyone, of course, being the twenty-something hormone-enraged males. Her eyes glanced around in an accusing manner. There were reasons she pretended to be male online.

 

[Dark Souls]

Unlike what some other players had similarly expected, no such advances came. Those in the crowd were too busy wondering about the implications of the developer's statements, and any who weren't were pre-occupied with the faces around them which, just a moment before, had looked entirely different. Plenty had already begun to flee from the plaza, and the crowd thinned with their departure. Soon after, a hand firmly grabbed the arm of the newly-dubbed 'Nova', tugging her upward and pulling her away to one of the many alleys which wound away from the area. Several feet deep into one, the player stopped, released her and bent down, hands on the knees as they caught their breath.

"This.. is bad!" Klein stated once he'd regained some stability. Strangely enough, his 'real' appearance wasn't very different from his avatar. The primary difference was that his hair was shorter, and was a dark brown rather than the strawberry he'd chosen. In fact, his real body may have been thinner than his avatar. "I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna be stuck here. Nobody does!" He slammed the bottom of a clenched fist against the wall. In it, his fingers clutched the dagger that had dictated his Style. Whether he was properly addressing Nova or talking to himself was unclear.

 

[Noivian]

"You're telling me," Nova stated, dusting herself off and standing from where she had been unceremoniously pulled towards, having stumbled and landed on her knees after the grip on her released. Nova was shaking still. Her hands wouldn't stop, no matter how hard she clenched them or gripped her arms. Thankfully, however, her legs had gained enough sense to keep her from planting into the ground. Her gut twisted and wrenched in knots, and she felt like throwing up, but thankfully restrained herself. The girl could only laugh dryly to herself. Hadn't she called this when they were out in the meadow? Not called, per say, but predicted... yes, that was the word. The voice of the developer hung in her mind. The people who went dungeon hunting immediately... if saved, would they be 'removed' or restored to full health? Nova shuddered, the idea of ghostly players wandering in dungeons making her skin crawl.

She looked back to Klein, taking in his new appearance. He had a friend, Dale. More than likely, Klein would go off looking for Dale. Not going into combat wasn't an option, not this early. One would easily run out of money and starve to death, if that was even possible. Regardless, combat would be unavoidable. There was safety in numbers, and health was going to be important this early on when there were only basic abilities available. Given Nova's choice of class, she'd probably do more damage to enemies per second than Klein would ever hope to achieve. Taking a moment to organize her thoughts and calm her rushing emotions, Nova weighed the pros and cons. "Your friend Dale went dungeon hunting... We should go rescue him," she stated. "If I have enough money to get a Hypoderm, you should switch class, momentarily at the very least. You have the best armor, and I'll be doing the most damage. We could save him."

 

[Dark Souls]

Klein turned to her quickly, and took in a breath to speak, but stopped when his eyes met hers. He hesitated, and adjusted his grip on the knife in his fingers. His drooping eyes displayed a wordless conflict in him as he silently considered a number of different options. Whether they concerned her suggestion or something else entirely was unknown. He seemed to come to some conclusion eventually, and stuck the knife into the sheathe mounted onto the underside of the gauntlet on his other arm.

"Sure. Yeah, let's do that," he agreed in a voice that implied he wasn't quite there for the whole discussion. He offered a hand to shake and introduced himself, saying, "Name's Klein," though he had introduced himself already when they first met. "I think Thug has some kind of grapple if I go up another level or so. I hold them still, you bring them down, then we find Dale and we leave."

Pilot nearly concluded.

 

[Noivian]

Nova nodded. That made a little more sense and was more frugal than the Hypoderm idea. "My name's Nova. Nice to meet you, Klein." Hesitantly, she takes his hand and shakes, wary regardless of her having spent time with him already. Now that she was more or less exposed online, she was much more wary of everyone. She frowned to herself, wondering if perhaps she should switch to Hypoderm in case someone needed healing. "That sounds like a plan. I'm just concerned about our HP is all, so give me a moment to get a Hypoderm at the very least." Moving aside, outside the alley, she headed to the Hypoderm stand, purchasing one if she had enough, before returning to Klein. "Ready when you are."

 

[Dark Souls]

Upon purchasing the basic item, another notification appeared, showcasing the Hypoderm's abilities. They were more straightforward than that of Samurai, actually. Most attacks would deal blunt physical damage, while stabbing attacks would carry different effects depending on what Salve (Their ammunition item) was last applied using the Load ability. Using Load was as simple as readying the weapon (Its official name was apparently "Fluted Stiletto", but it was unlikely the full name would stick) in one hand, readying the Salve in the other and smashing the two together. It was simple, and could be done quickly, which would probably be essential for difficult encounters. How these Salves were made was not explained, and only a few very simple ones were available in the shop. There was one to heal, and one to poison, and no more fancy than that.

Klein didn't offer much of a response to Nova's return. In fact, he didn't even look at her. He was busy standing atop a nearby hill, scanning the horizon for the beacons of thin light which supposedly indicated instances like dungeons. They were supposed to change color and fade whenever a player completed them, but none had changed since they had first appeared. Any one of them could be attached to the Dungeon which Dale had chosen.

Pilot concluded.


Episode Two: Dale

"Just, ah... gimme a minute..." Klein braced himself against a tree with one hand while he dropped his pack and swung his opposite arm slowly, stretching out the shoulder that had spent the last few hours burdened under leather strapping and doing little else. "I could've sworn these things were closer to the city."

The journey had been relatively uneventful thus far, save for the occasional Boar or Wolf, and that was exactly the issue which was plaguing the two. They had made a straight course in the direction Dale had supposedly gone in, which also happened to be in line with one of the Instance beacons, but so far all they'd found was the beginnings of an uncomfortably dense forest- One in which Klein had to frequently take breaks in, in order to catch his breath even though they had been going at a modest pace during their journey. His explanation was that real fitness seemed to have some influence on their movement abilities in the game. On top of that, actions in the game like stretching would still impact them, meaning that their avatars here were not static copies as many players had begun to assume, but were instead replicas which, from the time of creation, would function independently. Improvement was an option, and Klein claimed that it would be his next objective after helping Dale.

For now, however, they were stuck in this cycle of small bouts of progress broken up between breaks which seemed to get longer each time. It didn't help that the sun was setting now, and the light of the sky was dimming. This, of all things, didn't bother Klein as he stood up again, bounced a few times on the balls of his feet and set foot forward once again. "I'm thinking I really shouldn't have gotten the armor," he admitted, though it wasn't a very serious statement. He understood that, as much as it would make long journeys more difficult at first, the extra protection would be liable to save his life later on. Extra protection was not a genuine regret of his.

 

[Noivian]

Nova stopped, and restrained a heavy sigh. She hadn't been the most fit of persons, but honestly.. how out of shape was Klein? Turning, she kicked up against a tree to keep an eye out on their surroundings while he recovered. She didn't voice her concerns, however - that would have been rude and inconsiderate. As he righted himself from the break again, Nova kicked off the tree and gestured for him to take the lead forwards. "Yeah, maybe..." Nova muttered a response. Her words seemed half-hearted, like she genuinely didn't like how the armor slowed them both down, but understood the tactical advantage to being protected. That was just never Nova's preferred mode of attack. Sure, she stuck with the Samurai, but that was intended for her to learn the mechanics off of, and eventually switch off of to a weapon type more becoming of her play style. Her play style, being to move fast and hit hard, or hit weakly but rapidly. Sort of like an assassin type of deal. Samurai would do for now, but later she might have to look into better weapon classes.

"Hey, it looks like it's getting dark. If this game has stronger enemies at night, we might want to find a place to camp. Perhaps in a tree to avoid the Wolves and Boars." Not that Nova was really tired - with all the breaks they'd been taking, she still felt like she could go for a bit more. But rather, Nova didn't want to die in a video game. Taking a safer approach seemed like a better idea than charging blindly through a dense wood at night in an unknown game.

 

[Dark Souls]

Klein didn't argue at all with the suggestion that they stop moving. In fact, he was all too eager to start sifting through a tutorial menu for base-building notes. "We're in luck," he claimed. "It wasn't a selling point, but there are some building tools here. There's some class-based stuff, but all we really need is a raised platform." He pressed a button in his menu, then started turning his head as if to track something that was moving through the air. His gaze moved upward into the canopy above, and with the push of a second, unseen button, it sank away into the ground. A notification soon appeared, informing him that he'd gotten a number of "Wood" items. He looked to another tree and pressed a third button, and a wood pallet appeared, lodged in its side. Another few pallets alone the length of the tree, and about three more attached to the side of the first, and there was a broad stairwell leading up to a large platform.

The whole thing looked pretty crude, and certainly wouldn't be possible in reality, but going by the rules of most base-building games, the finer points of physics wouldn't really matter. Klein began scaling the splintery steps without much thought. "I'll scrap the stairs once we're both up, and we should be safe from melee stuff 'till the morning." At the top, he put his fists to his hips and looked out to the other trees, clearly proud of his creation. Of course, there was no way he could actually see anything there, as the canopy was at just the right level to be blocking his view of anything else. "It's got options for wooden beds too. Why not give it a try?"