"Got it boss, I can have that written up for you by the end of the week. I've got a friend that works for the company that's developing it, I'm sure I can persuade him to get me some details. Oh, grow up. Talk to you later." A young woman riding in the back of a small sedan hung up her phone, chuckling as she slid it into her purse. Slight bags rested under her green eyes, along with the yawn that she let out, signaled that she was fairly tired. Kari worked for an on-the-rise gaming website, a writer and on-air talent, making articles and videos for the site. Her lethargy came from the convention she'd just gotten home from, the car she was in having just picked her up from the airport. Her small hand moved a strand of her red hair behind her ear, pointed, cute face giving a smile as she saw her building fast approaching.<br/><br/>With her luggage in tow, she stepped off the elevator onto her floor, wheeling the bags down to her apartment. Her head cocked to the side a bit, seeing two fairly large men standing outside her apartment, along with a box that looked like it could fit a mattress. "Hey boys, can I help you?" she asked. One turned, looking her up and down. "Yeah, you Kari...whatsis....uh, Kari McConnell?" She answered with a nod, cocked eyebrow telling them she had no idea what was going on. They didn't need to answer though, the logo and name on the box told her everything. She gave a gasp, bags falling as she moved to it to inspect the thing, the words 'Sword Art Online' marking the sides.<br/><br/>The game was a remake of one from about twenty years ago, a bunch of controversy had surrounded it back then, but this company had taken the risk and redesigned the virtual reality-based game from the ground up. A whole new code and platform, the thing was basically only available to the excessively wealthy that could pay for early access. At the convention they'd announced they were working with a company to sell them a bit cheaper, and would be sending preview copies to select members of the community. Kari had never thought she'd be one, that their site was even on their radar. Here it was though, sitting just outside her apartment. "HolycrapImsorryIwasnthereletsgetthisinside!" she cried out, moving in a blur to open the door for the movers. About fifteen minutes later, after they'd gotten it inside and helped her get it all set up with a decent tip from the girl, Kari stood with a bright grin, the small screen telling her it was downloading everything it needed from the servers.<br/><br/>Her tiredness had faded from excitement, Kari removing her clothing and changing into a swimsuit. She knew this stuff was supposed to cover your body, the weird gunk that kept you able to play for potentially days on end. The woman slipped into the device, pulling down the helmet and switching everything on. She gave a slight jump at the pulse that pulled her into the game, the nutrient material slowly pumping and surrounding her in the chamber. It would probably feel creepy if she wasn't already being transferred into the virtual reality, her mind and senses converting into digital signal and dumped into the world of the game.<br/><br/>Kari listened to the first NPC explain the hub for character creation and revival, then moved on to her favorite part, designing her avatar for this brave, new world. A human, red hair and red eyes, choosing to go into the Bard talent. "Got it, thanks, Nao!" she said, giving the busty woman a wave. She was already engaged, the AI in this was pretty good. White light surrounded her and suddenly faded, and she was in a city. Tir Chonaill, the base starting area for the early access. She looked down to her<a class="link link--external" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0cnBOlyzNEM/VWgIpC8lV7I/AAAAAAAAZoY/izBrIYrmxSE/w1240-h1754/59195.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">virtual self</a>, and grinned at what it had given her. A tight, lacy, black and red corset was laced to her torso with matching sleeves along her arms, with a flowing black skirt, gold, rune-like accents along the bottom. Floating in front of her for her to take was a violin, her Bard item to use for her abilities. "Let's do this then," she said, gripping the neck and taking it, moving to walk around and explore the area. The immersion was incredible, she felt the ground beneath her, smelt and heard the city come alive as she moved through the streets, moving to the center of town to perhaps find some beginning quests, maybe some other players.