Post by Novakid on Mar 12, 2016 5:16:41 GMT
(Well. This turned out a bit longer than intended.)
DAY ONE
DAY ONE
2022 NOV 6
13:42 JST
The Castle Aincrad was magnificent. It had gone above and beyond any expectations he had; they were quite high as well, given his optimistic attitude toward life. He hadn't put much work into his avatar, only selecting a few features that vaguely reflected how he desired his online persona to work, and selected a name with some vague importance that he also thought sounded 'cool'. The brunette's avatar reflected his offline appearance in some ways, particularly the colour and shade of his skin, his hair, and his eyes. He was dressed in the likeness of so many others whom had just logged in, with a single blade on his left hip to match. His jade eyes shimmered as he glanced around the Town of Beginnings, taking in every little detail. From the cracks in the stone to the texture of the grass, to the gentle movements of the clouds as they lazily floated in the deep blue sky.
It was, in a word, perfection.
"Wow." He said, words nearly catching in his throat. He spoke to nobody in particular, only allowing his thoughts to verbalize. "So this is Sword Art Online, huh?" His ears twitched as the leather soles of his boots creaked with each step he made, only to be drowned out in a sea of voices. Takao started down one of many roads that were packed with small portions of the ten thousand whom had just began their experience, not unlike him. His twitchy gaze darted from one player to the next, examining their features. "Ah, man... I didn't even think to ask what Iki's avatar would look like." He muttered, the realization that his friend was likely as unrecognizable to him as Takao would be to them. "Ah well. I'll get his name in class tomorrow and get his name. Then we'll meet up somewhere. Buuuut for now..." His expression grew into a wicked grin; it was a bit more malicious than he had intended, but the idea of leveling himself up before his friend could do the same was just making him so giddy.
"Off to the fields!" He yelled out, garnering the attention of a few nearby players as he happily trotted off in the direction opposite of where he'd intended to go.
15:22 JST
"Agh!" His yelp of exaggerated pain escaped as a guttural groan. The boar had slammed its tusks into his side, sending the teen tumbling across the ground in an almost comical manner. Despite the rather brutal nature of his thrashing, he hadn't necessarily felt a thing, only an odd sensation which he could only assume was used as an indication of sustaining damage in place of legitimate pain. He glanced up at his health gauge and watched the green bar slowly dip down into the orange, eliciting a low grumble from his throat as he regained his senses and stood back up. "I thought that NPC said you guys were like... the lowest of the low..?" Takao muttered to himself, reaffirming his grip on the handle of his sword and pointing it at his adversary. Their bout had been brief and insultingly perfunctory on the boar's part. The concept of seamlessly integrating Sword Arts into his strikes was unfamiliar to him, and as such the affording of opportunities was few and far between.
"Bah, whatever. I've been doin' this sword bidness for a long time, buddy, so I ain't goin' down just yet!" said Takao, rolling his wrist and fanning the blade a single time before it came to rest in a specific poise. The Alber Guard, more known to him as the Fool's Guard. The tip was pointed at the ground and the majority of the blade covered his lower body, which was where the monster's strikes had been centralized as a result of its waist-tall body.
It was only then, as his blade and his body were poised in that specific position, did the digital metal of his sword begin to radiate a quiet, low hum. It adopted a pale red hue, vaguely reminiscent of a slab of metal after being plunged into the hot coals of a furnace. Takao's eyes widened slightly in a mixture of confusion and intrigue, and narrowed only a second later on the boar. "Ohhh, you in for it now! Ya' boy just stepped his game up!" He said, the corners of his mouth curling upward into a gleeful smile.
He could feel it. The pull of the system was urging him to release control. It wasn't invasive, it wasn't yanking his avatar's motions away from him, but rather nudging him to do so. But from his understanding, the system's control wouldn't be a sure kill. It was like a gun, it needed to be aimed and timed correctly, so he resisted the urge. The boar snorted out a large breath and slammed its hind legs into the ground whilst preparing to charge with its forelegs, allowing Takao a moment of observation. It took off, barreling closer as its hoofed feet dug into the programmed soil, wildly kicking up the pixels of dirt on its set journey in his direction. The brunette waited, and waited, and waited... until finally the boar stood before him, tusks ready to send him flying again, only they were never given the opportunity to do so.
Takao's blade swung upward, cleaving through the boar's neck in a single swift motion. It sliced through the fur and tore open the hide of the monster, revealing a deep wound that glowed red and was overlayed with a bright white grid pattern. The blade then came down like a guillotine, slamming into the boar and chopping away the final remnants of health that kept it standing. The glow of his blade faded as the monster erupted into colourful, shimmering pixels before him, slowly fading away into oblivion whilst his body instinctively struggled against the sword art's post-motion rigidity.
"Hrng... Okay... That'll take some getting used to." He said aloud once more, speaking freely to nobody in particular. His jade gaze fell to the rewards window as it appeared, listing off the spoils of his battle. "Oh, loot. Neat!"
16:33 JST
"So boars have a pretty predictable attack pattern... I'm pretty confident their main attack is charging, maybe their only attack really, and there's a few moments of preparation where they kinda stamp on the ground a little bit before that." Takao said, gesturing with his hands as he walked alongside another player. Their avatars were about identical in height but differed in appearance otherwise. In his efforts to level up before his offline friend did, he had encountered another player in the fields, and the two had shared what little information they had gathered so far. "So when they're preparing to charge, you can get a sword art ready?" The player said, earning a nod of agreement from Takao. "Yup. I don't think they have a whole lot of health either, so it's not hard to bring them down. I still can't believe they're the lowest level enemies though, when I fought one for the first time a few hours ago it whooped my butt, man. Proper thrashing." The two shared a laugh and engaged in more idly conversation as they strolled down one of the first floor's dirt paths.
17:27 JST
"This game is incredible." Takao said. He and his new found friend, a player whom had named his avatar "Kistral", had come to rest at the edge of a tall hill. It provided an amazing view of the fields, a brief glimpse of the Town of Beginnings in the distance, and the heavenly orange glow of the sun as it set over the horizon. "You gonna be on tomorrow, dude? I'm gonna meet up with my buddy then, so we could totally party up and go huntin', if you're game."
"Maybe later on in the day after school, but... yeah, I should be. I'm down for partying up too, just send me a message if you see me online." said Kistral, resulting in Takao's typical warm smile flashing in his direction. "I think I am gonna bail for tonight though. I'll see you tomorrow, Nova." He said as he swiped open his menu.
"Alright man, peace." Takao said, listening to the quiet chimes of his companion's navigation through the menu. He folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, only briefly enjoying the peace of the first floor's evening before Kistral's voice caught his attention.
"Hey uh... Nova?" The tone in Kistral's voice caught his attention immediately, and he glanced up at the male who stood behind him.
"Whassup?" Takao asked, tilting his head to one side. "Aren't you loggin' out?"
"Yeah, uh... That's the thing. I can't find a logout button anywhere." His raven haired companion continued scrolling through the menu, trying and failing to locate the aforementioned feature.
"Really?" Takao said, swiping open his own menu. He scrolled to the bottom and, sure enough, the button was absent. "Huh... That's odd. Probably just the typical day one glitchiness, I'm sure they'll sort it ou-" Takao was interrupted by the loud sounds of a bell in the distance. His voice trailed off and was quickly replaced with a moment of surprise as a bright light encased the two of them. In the following seconds, they had reappeared in the main plaza, just as thousands of other players spawned in around them. His surprise and confusion were quickly replaced by a serene calm as he glanced around. "Well... I guess this is probably them announcing the logout glitch." He muttered, not finding the friend he'd been with just moments prior.
The bells stopped, but the loud confused chatter around him continued. His gaze turned skyward and his eyes narrowed in on a blinking hexagon, though the words were too difficult for him to read. As if on cue, the message duplicated itself and erupted across the plaza, covering the area in a dome and casting a deep red light onto those below. Sanguine fluids seeped from the cracks between them, pooling beneath the reddened sky to take the shape of a massive robed figure.
« Attention players. Welcome to my world. »
Takao's eyes narrowed as the masses fell silent around him. Only the booming voice of the massive floating figure could be heard. His confusion was narrowed onto the sole faceless mass of robes now, hoping for an explanation.
« My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world. I'm sure that you've already noticed the logout button is missing from the main menu. But this is not a defect in the game. I repeat... This is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out of SAO yourselves, and nobody on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. »
As the figure spoke, now identified as Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of their freshly announced prison, Takao's eyes widened. He wasn't stupid or oblivious, nor was his mind clouded with shock or confusion any longer. He knew exactly where this phenomenon was headed.
« Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life. Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the NergeGear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world. »
His breathing hitched and his jaw clenched tightly. He would've been grinding his teeth together if the muscles in his face weren't keeping his mouth from moving in the slightest. Now he was scared. The information was flooding his mind and scrambling his thoughts, trying to process everything that was being said whilst silencing his own opinions and doubts. Kayaba's robed arm extended outward as several different streams from news outlets began to encircle him.
« As you can see, news organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game. But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP ever drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost, and the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one means of escape. To complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad. Floor one. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game. Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves. »
Intrigued by the notion, Takao swung his hand down and delved into his inventory. The menu navigation, while confusing at the start, was already starting to seem like second nature to him. Oh what terrible foreshadowing that had turned out to be. A single item resided in his storage, which Takao selected and spawned in his hands. His head tilted. It was... aptly named. A mirror, working precisely as a mirror was expected to do. It displayed the reflection of his avatar. It wasn't until flashed of light began to appear around him, engulfing various players one by one, did he realize what was happening. Light engulfed him too, and when it faded, those around him looked... different. He saw more males than females, which was in stark contrast to the gender spread just moments prior. Physiques had changed, heights, hair colour and styles... Then he looked to the mirror and saw his reflection. His own reflection, how he looked in the real world.
« Right now, you're probably wondering, "Why?" Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do all this? My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason... To create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. »
« Good luck, Players. »
Kayaba disappeared, and with him went the bubble trapping them in the plaza. Takao dropped the mirror and let his gaze linger on the sky as it returned to its previous orange and purple hues. Sounds flooded his ears. Crying, yelling, confusion. It was a lot to take in all at once, but Takao didn't want to cry. He didn't want to yell either, nor was he confused. For a person who radiated emotions like he did, it was strange to feel one single emotion drown out all others. One simple natural instinctive state of mind, pointing him in a single direction like a gun. He had a goal and a clear path forward to achieve it.
He was motivated.