Sword Art Online/ソードアート・オンライン 1. Prologue

**Re: Escape Route Express Case  
**Gywen Empress Of Sound

**Prologue**

* * *

Reality is a difficult world to live in especially those people who are highly exposed to various kinds of stressful environment. When humans are stressed, their logic and reasoning wavers—intelligence will tend to dissipate as soon as fear and anxiety are present. Stress is accumulated when a person thinks and interacts even in the most simple manner one could ever imagine with either an object or another life form. So with that said, if stress is something that humans undergo through and accumulate every possible second of their existence, at what point does it strongly affect a person? Every human—possibly any intelligent life form, posses a maximum Stress Level. When that maximum Stress Level is reached, that is the time when a turning point inside the brain happens—either good or bad changes will occur. The Stress Level fluctuates as problems occur in a person's life. Philosophers and psychologists claim that problems and stress can enhance critical thinking and potentially helps the person to grow mentality or emotionally. But it can also be the cause of mental health problems or disorders.

It is a proven fact that humans are highly intelligent creatures—even though the IQ rate varies from each individual. Humans does not succumb to mental devolution or insanity so easily. Since humans are creatures with high intelligence, how they to control the Stress Level is debatable but the goal is achievable—although some might control their stress level unconsciously under certain circumstances. The method of controlling the stress level varies from each individual. Some might devote themselves to a certain religion, some might relieve their stress of by eating certain types of food, some devote themselves to idols, some do crimes to relieve off stress.

Yes. To maintain or avoid being in a certain Level of Stress, the person has to "escape reality" temporarily.

Another method of escaping is by going to a different world—a completely different reality.

I took another sip of my cigarette and blew the smoke out of my lungs. My two eyes could not help but reflect the pity I felt for the people who were trapped in the "Virtual Reality". Over the thick transparent glass that I was in front of, about a hundred of comatose patients were line up on separate bed in a file. The life support machines continued to make an ephemeral sound that might fall flat and take away the patients' lives at any moment by the wired-helmet their were all equipped with.

Sword Art Online.

The first Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) to be released and is playable using the game console "NerveGear"; of which both are made by the same person responsible for the deaths and comatose victims. It was called as the phenomenal "Game and Game Console of the Century" by most critiques in the Gaming Industry. Everyone inclined with the internet were excited to test or play the Game. Every Sword Art Online game installer and every NerveGear was sold out.

A week after the Official Start of the Game, a certain phenomena occurred that shocked the world. People are trapped in the Virtual reality. Of course, the affected were only the people who were playing the game, but how the case escalated was brutal. Most of the players had their brain fried or exploded into bits by the gaming console solely created for Sword Art Online. The news was quickly delivered by the media to the mass all over the globe—as the game was released internationally as well. People panicked and quickly took out the NerveGears and the internet connections without precaution to save the players, only to make the situation worse. The unlucky ones who got their consoles off met the same fate as the others who died before them.

As the case escalated into an exponential growth, we, the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, was quickly dispatched by the Japanese government to investigate and find the mastermind of this case.

"Sir, here's the file you wanted." My co-worker said as he handed me the folder.

Every clue we find, we always ended up finding the same person's name on top of the list. "Kayaba Akihiko."

Kayaba's company was raided as soon as the papers came in from the supreme court. Obviously, he was not in the company when the raid happened; only his employees were present. Most of the employees had an alibi or rather, they did not know the plans of the founder of the company. The main server that was used to host the game was not located inside the company either, so the game still could not be stopped. What we found in the company was a mere proxy server to mislead the investigators and give Kayaba extra time in his hands to do his misdeeds. The intelligence team was not able to locate the point of origin or the main server and the location of Kayaba Akihiko.

I sighed as stress started to build up on my end.

It was almost a year now since we started to investigate the case. No sheer luck on finding out where Kayaba Akihiko is and what exactly his motives are. To summarize our current situation, we have not made any progress with the case.

"Please, please! Just let me see my daughter just this once!" Someone cried out at the end of the hallway. It was another relative of a comatose victim. The containment facility took every victim inside to sustain and monitor their health properly. The man was not the only one who wanted to see his relative. But unfortunately, the government does not allow the anyone to visit the victims due to security protocol.

"No. Please... my daughter... Anemone! Anemone, sweetheart, Papa's here!" The man who looked like a foreigner broke down in tears as he exclaimed his daughter's name. "Papa's here... papa's here now... you have to wake up."

The man's face was covered in tears of regret. From what he said, it looks like he did not monitored his daughter well enough that eventually led her to enter the game. Well, regret is only felt when it is already late to change anything.

"Sir, you are requested to meet the chief in his office within 10 minutes." My co-worker told me before he walked towards the sad man and tried to calm the uprising situation.

I took the flame off my cigarette before I threw it at the nearby trash bin. The chief did not like the scent of tobacco. I sighed once more as I head out to the chief's office in the different building. Hopefully, he would tell me something positive that could help the investigation progress.

I knocked on the door, turned the knob quickly and let myself inside the chief's office. "I'm coming in sir."

"Anatolli, sit down." He said in a dead tone voice. Judging the look on his face, I could tell that he was going to tell me something that would make my job a bit stressful than it already is.

I quickly sat down on a vacant chair in front of him with the desk as our boundary in between. "What is it, sir?"

He looked at me in the eye first before he took a sigh and proceeded to talk. "The intelligence team had just confirmed that Kayaba Akihiko is playing as one of the players inside the game. They tried to trace Kayaba's IP address only to confirm his location, but unfortunately the plan back fired. Our systems were hacked—our main servers were tampered. The systems went temporarily offline—with the systems cut off, you know what happens." He paused for a moment but continued. "The agents dispatched to monitor and investigate the inside community of the game are all wiped out with their brains fried."

He took another sigh once more before continuing to his point. "Currently, we don't have any agents to check the situation and investigate inside the game. The INTERPOL had been requesting for information that we currently cannot provide. If the situation prolongs, the Japanese Government and Security will be ridiculed even further than it already is."

I knew where this conversation was headed to. It was a part of my job. But still, the risk was just too high.

"Son, I want you to get inside the game and locate Kayaba Akihiko."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Comparison and Updates of Prologue (Discussion):**

The rewrite actually makes so much sense rather than what I've written before. I mean, I was even confused before when the Chief told Hotaki (Anatolli) how the agents assigned in the game were wiped out. The previous prologue suggested that there was only one(?) agent sent to observe the game from the inside, which was not a smart move since usually a mission like this would be a partner or group mission. Sword Art Online is a wide virtual world so one person alone cannot do the job properly. Which will give me a contradictory question of: If so, then why is Hotaki sent alone? Well, that question can be answered by the later chapters.

Other than that, I tried to maintain the consistency of the descriptions. Hopefully, I managed it well enough.

(I do apologize for being so critical with the story and myself. Most of the time it scares me a lot but it's kind of my disorder.)

**Regarding OCs Submitted and is OCs Recruitment still open? (Gywen Reporting):**

As I've stated before, the OCs that seems very substantial to the plot and are phenomenally interesting will be given a role in the story. I do apologize if I have to cut down the other OCs submitted before since some of them are repetitive, too cliche, and generic. But because of the cut down with the previous submission, I have plenty of room for new OC submissions. If interested, please PM me or type in a review that you want to send me your OC. I will PM you the OC format as I avoid putting an extra chapter that is not relevant to the story.

**Feedback:**

If you are interested in this story, please write a review. Questions, Comments, Suggestions, and Constructive Criticisms are welcome. See any grammar or spelling error? Please tell me so I can fix it right away. Really, the review helps out a lot.

**Date of Next Update:**

Confirmed to be released on June 2 2013 (Canadian Time).


	2. Chapter 1

**Re: Escape Route Express Case  
**Gywen Empress Of Sound**  
**

**Chapter One**

* * *

Under the grace of the moon, the city lights had never been so dazzling and appealing to my eyes before. The scenery viewed from a sky scraper's rooftop was colourfully vivid as the ambiance made by the sound of passing vehicles set a colourful yet lonesome mood. It was a perfect environment to carefully contemplate with my thoughts and feelings.

I recalled what happened earlier in the chief's office.

"Son, I want you to get inside the game and locate Kayaba Akihiko."

It was my job to investigate and solve the case. Risks were everywhere, especially if you are associated with the Public Safety Bureau. I knew that death was just around the corner—that my life could be taken away easily at any given time. But why was it that I hesitated?

"Sorry sir, but can you give me some time to think?" I told the chief with a wavering voice.

"Well, alright." The chief rubbed the back of his head. "I don't blame you for hesitating but it's not like I'm giving you any choice. We need someone to be in there so everyone gets updated with the status of the people trapped inside the game and also provide the intelligence crew a bridge to trace our man. I'm still contacting the higher ups for more agents to be dispatched. But for now, you'll be the only Japanese agent inside until the higher ups give us reinforcements."

I did not respond so the chief took a deep sigh. "Call me when you've pulled yourself together."

Was I afraid? No, that was not possible. If I remembered it correctly, I was ready to throw away my life if it was necessary. I had no one waiting for me to come home. I was not strongly attatched to anyone nor anything to be afraid of leaving someone or something behind. Nothing held me back on giving my life away. What I felt and what I did was questionable. I started to doubt myself.

Just as I was about to sink myself down to self-criticism, someone interrupted me from my thoughts. A brown haired lad with black coloured eyes wearing the same black suit as me entered the rooftop without any notice. It was another one of my co-workers, Beeto. From the looks of it, he seemed to be taking a cigarette break as well. We were all stressed from the case, and taking a cigarette break was our only way of temporary escape from our job—it was our form of a stress reliever.

He took out a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and pulled out a single stick of tobacco. He patted his other pocket as if searching something, then muttered curses when he failed to find what he was looking for. "Shit, forgot my lighter." Beeto's eyes fell on me as he desperately said, "Hotaki, pass me yours."

I sighed as I took out my lighter and threw it at him. He caught the lighter and got his cigarette lighted. Beeto took a sip and bell a ball of carbon dioxide into the air before starting a conversation between us. "With that look on your face, let me guess. The chief's sending you in." He said as he leaned his back on the wall near the door frame.

I did not respond; instead, I took out a cigarette and started smoking as well.

"The situation's pretty much fucked up man. The backfire case with Kayaba aside, most of the agents sent in were killed-in-action by the very same players who we're all trying to save." He paused, inhaling the tobacco and releasing the smoke out of his lungs before continuing, "In the end, it just proves that everyone's got a few loose screws in the head and would go coo-coo-crazy at some point."

I gazed at the scenery as I digested what he said before saying what I had in mind. "Hey, Beeto."

"What?"

"Do you think I'd make a change if I go out there? I mean, I am only one man." I asked him while looking at the distant horizon.

Beeto cracked a laugh and responded, "Hey now, you're seriously not asking me this question."

I looked at him seriously, implying that I was not fooling around. Does it look like I was fooling around?

"I'm surprised you made it this far as a cop with that mentality of yours man." He mocked me as he inhaled another smoke. "You're a cop. It's your job to make a change when you go out there—even if you're only one man on the job."

Beeto dropped his cigarette and put the flame out by crushing the bud with his foot. "Don't ask me idiotic questions man. My respects for you would go down the gutter if you tend to go on that way." He said as he decided to go back inside.

"It's my job to make a change, huh?"

I chuckled to myself while I shifted my gazed at the stars. An ephemeral wavering resolve? Why did I even became a cop in the first place?

* * *

Morning had never been so clear and vibrant before. After the talk I had with Beeto, I regained my composure as a man who serves to protect and execute the law. Consulting other people for advice does quite help from time to time. I scratched my head and yawned. I went to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink to ponder over my thoughts. I washed my face with water just as usual. After that, I gazed myself at the mirror. Golden hair, blue eyes, and a slightly grown beard. Heh, when was the last time I shaved?

It was time to prepare for work.

I picked up my suit, grabbed my phone and tapped the office's number.

"Hello, chief? It's Hotaki." I took a deep breath and clenched my hand into a fist.

"I'm in."

* * *

"Agent Hotaki Anatolli, welcome to the Public Safety Bureau's Technical Specialist Division's Main Laboratory. My name is Masamune Genra and I'm the person assigned to provide you specific information as you venture inside the game." A black haired woman wearing a white lab coat said as her fierce and stern onyx eyes started at me, sending extreme pressure to my end. It was as if she was telling me that I could not possibly screw up the mission because she was on my side.

"Before we proceed with the mission, I would like to remind you of the things that you should know when you're inside the game. I want you to know that my access to the game is limited. The system codes in the game undergoes through constant change from time to time. The game's system called 'Cardinal' updates itself to fix glitches and bugs that might disrupt the game. The only time I can gain access to the system codes is when Cardinal fixes itself or when there's a glitch in the game. Since my access to the game is limited, our communication is limited as well. So when you report your progress with the investigation, make sure you report every necessary detail there is. Oh, and our means of communication in the game would be different from what you imagined it to be. So be prepared for the unexpected.

Also, do note that my primary job is to relay to you an alert when Kayaba Akihiko's relative signal can be detected. All in all, you can pretty much sum up that I cannot provide you any physical support in the game—but of course, if you exclude trading information that is. So you're pretty much on your own." She paused for a while to let the information sink into my head first. After a few seconds, she continued.

"Now when you dive into the game, you will start from level one—like in any other Online Role-Playing Game. To provide security for yourself and as well as to progress with the mission, you will have to level up and gain good equipments or items. I assume that you've played an online RPG before, yes?"

I nodded and replied, "Yeah. I played a few games way back in high school."

"Good enough. I don't have to brief you on how to play the game then." Genra smiled. "Well, that's it."

I took a deep breath and started to put on the NerveGear while I lied on the bed equipped and connected to the life support machines that would sustain my health for years. Living inside a game sounds like something that any child would dream of. But unfortunately, dreams could turn into nightmares.

"Anatolli." Genra called my attention. "Just a quick reminder that your mission is only to find and get Kayaba Akihiko. Nothing more, nothing less." She put a sad smile on her face as she continued. "So don't dig your own grave trying to become a hero. Many agents have died trying to be one. I hope you won't meet the same fate as them."

I chuckled. "Thanks for reminding me."

"Good luck."

I equipped the helmet on and calibrated it to my preference. Sword Art Online, the game that sent thousands of people in a state of coma and delivered hundreds into their deathbeds, is a death game that I would take my chances on. In order to stop the madness, I was assigned to get the creator of the game, Kayaba Akihiko, and bring everything back into order. I am a cop and it's my job to make a change for the better.

"Link Start!"

* * *

A calculative observer gazed at the Monument of Life with much interest. His brown eyes sparkled as he scanned the names of the players trapped in the game. Out of 10,000 players, there were only 5,614 players left. Day by day players die with their deaths either caused by suicide and traps or caused by a deathblow of a monster or a player's weapon. Madness consumes people as they are driven into the corner of despair.

He needed to find a way out of the game quickly. It was impossible to wait for the front liners to reach the 100th floor. Since by the time they reach there, everyone would most likely be dead. So in order to find a different way to get out of the game, he needed to gain specific information. But in order to gain information, he needed to make a relations. He looked at the names engraved on the Monument very carefully, scanning every name of potential allies.

But something disrupted him from doing his work.

A strong gust of wind blew by, ruffling his brown hair into a mess. The Monument of Life made a celestial light as it engraved another name on itself.

"Atoli?" He read the newly engraved name on the stone.

The man laughed hysterically. He found it so amusing to see that someone entered the game this late. Surely by now, the game had been banned and everyone in the outside world was in fear of the death game called Sword Art Online. Who was this Atoli? Why did he dived into the game knowing that death lies ahead? Hundreds of questions were formulated inside his calculative mind. But there's one thing that he was certain of about.

"What a fool!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Comparison and Updates (Discussion):**

I've added a few little details to the dialogues and I also revised some of them so it would be much clearer for me and everyone else who's reading this. Personally, I really liked this chapter. I almost didn't touch it because it was so right as I imagined it to be. Well, I got some ideas from Gods Eater Burst, ./Hack G.U and especially Psycho-Pass with this one and the other chapters. But because the ideas are so abundant, I still have problems sorting it out and refining it.

Oh but hopefully, this is as much more enjoy as the previous chapter one.

**Feedback:**

If you are interested in this story, please write a review. Questions, Comments, Suggestions, and Constructive Criticisms are welcome. See any grammar or spelling error? Please tell me so I can fix it right away. Really, the review helps out a lot.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

**Date of Next Update:**

Around Late June 5-6 2013.

(Sorry for the delay today. My wifi is a bit wonky.)


	3. Chapter 2

**Re: Escape Route Express Case  
**Gywen Empress Of Sound**  
**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Lights entered my retina, signalling that my mission has begun. As a beginner, I respawned on the centre of the first location of the game called the Town of Beginnings. I blinked for a few times—adjusting my vision, while I gazed at my surroundings carefully on where I stood. The environment was quite remarkable; every detail seemed so realistic, it was fascinating. If somehow I wasn't aware that I was inside a game, I wouldn't have noticed the difference.

"Hey watch it!" My thoughts were interrupted when a man—quite taller and more muscular built than myself, bumped in to me. The strong impact of our collision made me lose my composure and made me take several steps back from where I was standing. The man sent me a death glare as if he was asking for a fight, but then he clicked his tongue and continued to walk towards his destination.

I said nothing as I clutched my shoulder while gazing at the man's back, quite surprised that I felt pain from our sudden contact. The pain I felt was a wake up call that I must be cautious—for where there is pain, there is the possibility of death. My eyebrows knitted as I realized that this was now my reality until I finish my mission.

I regained my composure and continued to observe the location I was transported to. The stalls, the merchandises, the conversation that the players were having where leading to only one conclusion; I was in the middle of the busiest part of the town, the market place.

This place would've been a great place to start gathering intelligence, but unfortunately I had no means of buying information nor gaining at least recognition that I was worth talking to. I sighed as gazed at my current set of armour and weapon: a starter leather set and a broadsword. I clicked the tip of my tongue and patted my rear pocket in search for a cigarette and a lighter. The stress started to get to me. I needed to take a cigarette break only to be disappointed that there is no such thing as a cigarette and a lighter in this game—or is there?

I shook my head at the thought and started to focus on my current situation. I needed to gain experience points to level up, some money, and decent equipment to start off. I swivelled my index finger to the air and summoned my menu. I find the menu quite laughable as the buttons seemed too musical for my taste. But I digressed at the thought and searched for the map of my current location. Town maps where always available for every player especially the map of the starting town. Every corner of the town should be visible in the map.

I quickly pinpointed my current location in the map as there was a blue dot that indicated where I was. I took the coordinates of the gate that lead to the outskirts of the town and started to move towards my destination with much caution.

As much as I thought that my experience in reality as a cop made my senses and intuition sharper than most people, I was proven wrong when I didn't realize that a set of hostile eyes were already affixed to my back—following every move that I made and were waiting for the right time to strike their prey.

It was the start of my rowdy adventure in Sword Art Online.

* * *

The perception of time in the game was no different than that of the real world. The sun started to head west, stating that it was already noon. I made haste as I ran out of town and looked for a decent spot to start my hunt.

The field was beautiful—it was a scenery long lost in the real world. The grass were gently swayed by the wind, the hum of the birds that resonated with the sound of the sea of trees, it was a tranquil site that made me thought it wasn't so bad to be sent inside the game after all.

A squeak similar to that of a pig intervened from my sight-seeing and set a starting course of my swordplay. The blue boar with medium length tusks became my first target. I grabbed the hilt of my sword and unsheathed it from its scabbard. Quickly, I lunged myself at the boar and took the advantage of a surprise attack. The boar shrieked and its eyes became red, signalling that it was now aggressive towards the attacker—which was me.

Good thing that the surprise leap attack was effective that it took half of the boar's health instantly. But the battle was long from over as the boar scraped its foot on the ground and charged itself towards me. The tusks of the boar reflected the light towards my eyes, blinding me for a second.

"Shit." I muttered as I blinked rapidly to regain my vision. But when my eyes had adjusted, the boar was too close that it almost seemed impossible to evade. I took evasive measures as fast my body could react to. The left tusk of the boar scrapped my side when I dodged roll, taking some points off my health. I gritted my teeth as I held my wound. No blood came out but there was the cut and the pain.

A monster of this level was a hard target, I couldn't imagine how hard to defeat the dungeon bosses. I stood up, having my sword as a support and then regained my composure. I switched to my battle stance once more and delivered consecutive blows to the monster. Finally, it died. Although it left myself with low health and stamina. I gasped for air while I collected my spoils of war.

"How barbaric. Not beautiful at all." A voice of a female said with a tinge of mock. My eyes searched for the owner of the voice quickly. A young woman with red hair gazed at me with her pair of stern blue eyes while she laid on the grass without any caution towards her surroundings. "Your way with the sword has no finesse, barbarian." She said with a superior tone of voice.

I raised an eyebrow at the girl, taken quite a blow over her insult. When I was about to say something witty, she threw a vial containing a thick red liquid to me. "Drink it. You'll feel better."

I must be a man without pride for I did what she said without any hesitation. I opened the vial and chugged down the red liquid. As soon as it entered my system, I felt better in no time. "Thanks."

"Hm, your swordplay is barbaric but it seems that your etiquette and personality is not." She commented as she pushed herself off the ground and stood up with a proud composure. "My name is Lagann. What's yours?" She asked with a toothy grin equipped on her countenance.

She must be talking about the in-game name. "Atoli." I responded.

Lagann nodded in recognition and put a hand on her hip. "Atoli, allow me to teach you the basics of two-handed swordplay."

* * *

"A two-handed sword is heavier than a single-handed sword. The advantage of having a two-handed sword is its range and damage while the disadvantage of it is its weight. The key to the art of two-handed swords is to be able to manipulate your strength and weight to your advantage. In other words, it's a matter of physics." She said as she summoned her menu and equipped a two-handed sword.

"Unlike single-handed swords, evasion would be difficult to perform with a two-handed sword. But unlike single-handed swords, you have a much higher end when it comes to repelling and parrying attacks." Lagann whistled to attract the attention of a boar. "Here, I'll show you."

The boar scrapped its foot on the ground and lunged itself towards her. She waited for the boar to come at her; when it was almost close, she deflected the tusks which made the boar rolled towards the side. The boar stood up again and lunged itself towards her. This time, instead of repelling the boar's attack, she evaded it by dodge rolling towards the side. "When you execute this, it might be slightly different from mine because of our gap in character stats. But the idea is still the same."

"Now you want to incorporate parrying with an attack. When you successfully deflect an attack, it leaves your opponent's defences open—their vulnerability lies at that point. That's when your attack becomes extremely effective." She whistled again, attracting the attention of the same boar.

The boar attacked but she deflected its tusks swiftly and then at the right timing she delivered an instant killing blow. "Do note that when you attack, the body takes several milliseconds to respond. The timing is necessary to each attack for it to become successful such that the damage will not only depend on the weapon but also the time of the attack's execution."

"It's easier said than done." I muttered as I digested her explanation in mince.

She sat down at a nearby rock with her arms and legs crossed as she looked at me with much determination. "I will refine you from a grotesque rock into a pulchritudinous gem. So don't waste my efforts and start practising."

I sighed and practised the basics of two-handed swordplay. It was convenient to have someone knowledgeable on my side but her personality of being pushy was a bit irritating. But nevertheless, I had to be a better swordsman to progress with my mission.

I started to get busy.

* * *

After I killed a few dozen boars, I halted and took a rest. From level 1, I rose up to level 4 and also gained a good sum of Col. It wasn't much progress but it took so much effort. I sighed as I slumped on the ground and gazed at the sky.

It was already twilight. I was still amazed at how the environment seemed so real. It was a long time ago when I played any games to give a convincing review but I know that Kayaba Akihiko certainly made a lot of effort in making this game. It was a mystery to me on why he sullied his creation into such a massive crime pit. What was his motivation? I might never know.

"Hey." Lagann called. She handed me some kind of sandwich. "Here, eat this."

"Thanks." I said as I took and unwrapped it. "Looks appetizing."

She nodded and took a bite out of her share. "Dig in."

I examined her briefly. She seemed to be a high level player with her current armour which was of colour white mixed with black linings. This Lagann was strangely helpful. Was it just normal for her, or was there something to it? "Why are you helping me?" I asked out of curiosity.

She laughed for a second and gazed over me. "I'm a good Samaritan." Lagann claimed. Of course, I did not buy her reason in one bit which she noticed right away. Lagann sighed and turned her gaze towards the distant horizon. "You look a lot like my father."

So the avatar that I made was similar to her father's appearance, huh? Seems like such a coincidence. "Is that a compliment or an insult?" I decided to play around to lighten up the mood as the tone in her voice began to settle in a teary situation. Clearly, she misses her old man.

Lagann looked at me and grinned. "Depends on how you take it, old man."

Our conversation quickly ended. After that, we did nothing but sit together and bathe over the moonlight as we thought of different things in silence. I somehow knew that she was thinking of her family back home and something else since her face was rather easy to read. While I, myself, was thinking if capturing Kayaba Akihiko will really end the game and rescue all the players inside.

* * *

The quiet and serene environment around us became a hideous ambiance for an attempted murder. Violent clanks of weapons surrounded both of us, trapping us in the midst of carnage. Laughter impregnated with madness never seemed so diabolical as the hunters' eyes glistened brightly in the shadows. In the wide and open fields, we felt confined, cornered and trapped.

"Lookie here, a couple of children playing under the moonlight fully unattended by a babysitter. You two are just asking to be killed!" It was a voice of a man soaked in insanity. A choir of several different voices embedded with the same amount of insanity joined the previous man in his song of murder. "Come on, let's kill them already!"

"Shit." Both Lagann and I muttered.

Before any of us could prepare for battle, we were shot in the back by some kind of paralysing agent. Currently immobilize, our chances of survival became less than zero. I gritted my teeth in anger and frustration. Player Killers. How could I forget about the possibility of encountering them and lower my guard?

"Prepare to die!" The player killers cried out in excitement as they leap at us with their weapons glistening—hungry to taste flesh.

Was this the end? Would I not be able to accomplish my mission?

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Comparison and Updates (Discussion):**

It would be hard for everyone to make a comparison with his and the previous chapter since only I have the copy of the former one. But if someone had noticed, I added details everywhere in this chapter. Also, do note that Lagann, She/Woman, and Sandwich are written in one line. We all noticed the Kitchen Joke, right?

**Feedback:**

If you are interested in this story, please write a review. Questions, Comments, Suggestions, and Constructive Criticisms are welcome. See any grammar or spelling error? Please tell me so I can fix it right away. Really, the review helps out a lot.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

**Date of Next Update:**

Approximately by June 6 or 7.


	4. Chapter 3

**Re: Escape Route Express Case**  
Gywen Empress Of Sound

**Chapter Three**

* * *

"Hunting children in a pack? I never knew that the PKers Guild had stoop down this low."

In the midst of carnage, hysterical laughter broke out of nowhere—adding another sheer of insanity in the uprising scene of death. It was an ephemeral ring of madness that sent shivers down my spine. The murder intent was strongly present in the voice of the late comer. As ironic as it sounds, his maniacal laugh gave me little hope that our survival rate would go up by a notch.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind was evoked. I could hear growls and noises of unknown beasts growing louder and louder from the shadows as if they were getting closer to where we were. In a matter of seconds—when the player killers were about to decapitate us with their weapons, two beast riders deflected their attacks with a fast bash of shield and lance—sending the player killers rapidly down the solid ground.

"S-snare trap, activated." I heard Lagann said in a strained voice. I looked over to her side, quite confused with the expression that was on her face. She was smirking as she gazed over the men who attempted to murder us.

The cries of the falling players shifted my attention back right at them. Just before the player killers could hit the ground, tangles of yellowish light spurted from the ground and caught them. The tangles were like glowing vines that wrapped itself around the player killers to immobilize them. "S...shit." They muttered in frustration as they struggled to get out, but failed to do so.

What was happening exactly?

"How unfortunate of them. I don't know how they fell for that one. I'm sure by now everyone fears your bloody red hair, Lagann." A man with brown hair jumped out from the shadows and landed in front of us. He looked down at Lagann with a smirk on his face.

Lagann laughed as she pushed herself up and stood up from the ground. She flicked her long red hair to the side and looked back at him with a grin equipped on her countenance. "Not everyone is given the given of a decent brain, Shadow. It's a luxury not everyone could afford to have."

I was surprised to see Lagann standing up, looking completely fine as ever while I was still immobilize and could not even lift a finger from where I was. What was even more surprising was that she seemed to be an acquaintance of the three men who just came to rescue us from distress. Was it a set from the start? Was I a part of the bait?

Shadow chuckled at her response and moved closer to Lagann. He took out a vial containing a purple liquid inside and passed it to her. She took it swiftly and drank it without any hesitation. The man said with a grin on his face, "A bit overconfident now, are we? I wonder what could've happen if we didn't arrive in time."

Lagann threw the vial to the side with much effort and raised an eyebrow at him while she placed a hand on her hip. "I would've slaughtered the 6 of them without breaking a sweat and marked the three of you next. As you know, I despise men who can't fulfil their promise."

A glint of malice sparked in her eyes for a moment and disappeared quickly. It was a jest, but what she said was probably half-meant. Shadow smiled and raised both of his arms to concede as he did not want the conversation to go on any further. "Alright. Whatever you say."

"F-fucking vigilantes!" One of the player killers spat as he struggled to be free from the trap. A lance was quickly pointed at him by a black haired man who was riding some sort of a wolf. The man had a murderous glint in his onyx eyes while he kept his position still and spat a retort. "Shut up, maggot."

All attention was on them. I heard a sigh coming from another wolf rider who was equipped with a lance and a shield as well. The man unequipped his weapon and shield and then ruffled his silver hair with his hand. "Stop it, Souji. Gargant would be pissed at us if we kill any of them."

Souji clicked the tip of his tongue and withdrew his lance away from the outlaw. "Lagann, Yuta and I will go back to the headquarters to deliver these maggots. I don't want to stay around these pests any longer than I should."

"Ah." Lagann nodded. "Tell Gargant that I won't be back for a while. I got something I need to do."

The two beast riders looked at Shadow for a brief moment, quite intrigued about something I was not sure of and then, their eyes fell on me with much curiosity. But later, they digressed as they moved on forward on what they had to do. "Alright. We'll wait for your arrival at the headquarters. Take care until then." Souji bid farewell and then transported off to somewhere using a small blue device. In a blink of an eye, Souji, Yuta and the captured player killers disappeared out of sight.

I struggled to get up as I pushed myself off the ground. Why was it that the effect of the paralysing agent did not go away yet? How come Lagann could perfectly stand straight now after suffering from the same poison as I did? Was the dosage shot at me stronger than the one given to her? No matter how hard I struggled to get up, I failed.

Shadow's eyes fell on me. "Who's this?"

"Oops." Lagann bit the bottom of her lip as if hinting that she forgot about me for a moment there. "He's just someone who got involuntarily involved with the hunt."

"Hoo." The man smiled as he asked while looking down at me, "You. What's your name?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. In this kind of situation, he was supposed to offer me help instead of asking me for my name. Have people lost their common sense and care for others when they got trapped inside the game? Maybe. Nevertheless, I responded to him. "Atoli."

The moment he heard my name, a weird grin blossomed on his face. "Ah. Interesting." He said in a relative pine tingling tone. Shadow continued to observe me, not minding that I was lying on the ground completely immobilize for some sort.

My eyes twitched at the same time as Lagann did.

"Oh come on now, Shadow. Don't just look at him!" She exclaimed in an irritated tone.

Shadow observed me for a moment as he diagnosed, "The paralysis agent was too strong for him. If we make him take a normal ailment recovery potion he still won't be able to move within five days."

She looked at Shadow and told him to do what was best to be done. "I can't afford to wait for him to recover. Time is scarce and both you and I have important matters to attend to. Do something about him, Shadow."

The man smirked as he swivelled his index finger in the air and summoned his menu. After clicking a few buttons from his menu, a dagger of some sort that was coated with a green substance appeared on his hand. "Well, you leave me no choice but to use this." He said while he looked me in the eye and slowly approached me with the dagger ready.

My eyes widened as I caught the scent of danger coming from him. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Don't worry, this will only sting a little bit." He gave me a toothy grin as he stopped in front of me. Shadow raised the dagger high up to gain momentum as gravity pulls it down. "Good night, Atoli." He said as he stabbed me in my back with a smile on his face.

I screamed for my life.

* * *

"My apologies for what happened before. I didn't intend to have you be caught in our hunt." Lagann sincerely apologized.

I shook my head. "It's alright." Never mind that, I was more disturbed by Shadow thrusting a dagger coated with some kind of poison on my back. It was excruciatingly painful and the effects of whatever kind of liquid that was felt as if it sucked my life away. I thought I was dead for sure.

She looked at me with concern, taking off my mind from the topic that I was thinking of. "What were you doing out in the fields without a high level companion? I was clearly sure that everyone who didn't want to join the front lines were told by the Crusade and Paladins to stay off the dungeons without the presence of a friendly high level companion."

"I was thinking of joining the front lines to help out. So I head to the fields to level up and gain money for equipment. But I didn't think that the PKers would be lurking in the beginning town nowadays. It was naive of me to assume that they had gone off to the higher dungeons." I lied.

Thankfully Lagann had bought it. "That was very stupid of you, Atoli. Not only is your battle stance comparable to that of a grotesque rock but your head is as well." She sighed as she muttered something underneath her breath before she continued, "If you still want to join the front lines, I could recommend you to the Crusade."

She eyed on me as if I was some kind of idiot when she read the look on my blank face. "Was the poison too strong that it damaged your brain cells as well?" Lagann sighed once more. "The Crusade is currently the largest guild that comprises of skilled high level players that focuses on clearing the game. Skilled weapon masters, blacksmiths, alchemists and scouts mostly."

I nodded as I digested the information. "So, you're a part of the Crusade?" I pressed on.

"Are you seriously asking me that? What is wrong with you?" Lagann looked at me once more as if I was suffering from mental illness. "Of course not! I just happened to know someone from that guild."

"Sorry. You tried to recruit me there for a second so I assumed..." I trailed off to sound natural.

She sighed. "Anyway, I know someone who can buff you up quickly if you're quite hyped up to join the front lines."

I smiled at her. "You're being a bit too kind to me which seems to be somewhat out of your character. Is it because I look like your father?"

She smiled at me. "Yes. If something were to happen to you while I was around, I can't make myself sleep as comfortably as I could've."

A knock ended our conversation. "Lagann, your pets are excitedly wagging their tails for your presence." A familiar voice said from the other side of the door.

Lagann laughed as she stood up and opened the door. "Alright. I'm going." She quickly exited the room without looking back at me. As soon as she went out, Shadow entered the room and closed the door. The smirk on his face was getting a little bit irritating that I wanted my fist to wipe that smirk off of his face as a payback to what he did to me last night. But I digressed as I had to be careful on who I was dealing with for I was out in a different territory. If this was not virtual reality, I would be sending him off to jail for attempted murder.

"Thinking of joining the front lines to help out? Such a facade. You could've fooled Lagann with those lines and with the help of that face of yours but not me. I'm not gullible, Atoli." He said as he took a chair and sat in front of me with his arms crossed and his feet planted firmly on the floor.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked. Clearly, he was trying to nail something.

"A man who recently dived in the game of death claims to take a toll in the Crusade just to join the front lines? Indeed, a very dumb and pathetic decision but we both know you're just acting dumb right, Atoli?" He laughed. How did he know that I just recently entered the game? Could it be that it was him? My eyes narrowed as I gazed at Shadow. Either he was a sharp one or he was something else.

"By now, the game has already been banned in the real world and all of the Nerve Gears have been surrendered already and have been confiscated by the government. It's impossible to access the game unless you're stupid enough not to surrender the game and gear or... you're an agent sent by the government." He stated with a huge toothy grin on his face.

Ah, I see it. He was doing a miss or hit interrogation. I just have to play it cool until he backs off and swallows everything that he just exploited. But I have got to say that for a man stuck inside the game for almost a year, he sure is pretty updated with what was happening outside. If he was a normal player, Shadow would be known as a man with an extremely accurate and broad foresight.

"Which one are you, Atoli? What are your motives in diving into this world?"

I am a cop. I was suppose to be the man doing the interrogations and not him. But as an experienced cop who was assigned to different kinds and types of cases, I knew that it would be wise not to answer his question straight away as I also had something that I needed to check up on him. Was he Kayaba Akihiko or not? It was only logical for me to assume he was since he knew things that a normal player could not have possibly known. How he found out the time of my arrival to this world and the status outside was very intriguing and very suspicious.

I raised an eyebrow. "If I answer your questions, what's in it for me?"

This world is ruled under the law of equivalent and exchange, Shadow. I give you information, you give me something in return. If I somehow manage to get any proof that this Shadow is Kayaba Akihiko, then my mission would end as soon as I get in touch with Genra.

Shadow, will you bit a hit or a miss?

* * *

**Author's Notes**

* * *

**Owner of OC used:**

Shadow - **Takei Daloui**

**Comparison and Updates (Discussion):**

I've added and changed a lot of details in this particular chapter. I found Hotaki a bit of a pansy who doesn't sound like an experienced cop back in the old one—which was something that wasn't supposed to happen. Of course, except for when he screamed when he got stabbed. Anyway, this chapter was to give a bit of a background with Lagann, Shadow, Souji and Yuta. The Crusade is a guild that hunts down PKers as discussed by the characters. Everything will be minced down in the future chapters.

**Discussion with Chapter Two:**

Thank you for pointing that out, **Mahrac**. To be honest Sword Art Online's game mechanics are a bit wonky and inconsistent. They can feel someone's boobs (Asuna) but not pain. They can have sex and feel the greatness of sexual intercourse but cannot feel pain(?). They feel the poison or paralysis but not pain. I honestly got confused and frustrated with that so I made sure that this story would be a bit different from the Canon story. The only game mechanic I'll buy is that the players can't feel hunger inside the game.

Also to point out that the part when the boar's tusk reflected the light. This story is mostly narrated by Hotaki, so whatever he thinks happens is what we see or assume to be. He's not an accurate and trustworthy narrator. You see, what actually happened was that the camera angle from whatever he's viewing is blinding so he probably got his eyes flared by the light and thought that the boar's tusk reflected the lights.

I hope that clears out something.

Thank you for your review!

**Feedback:**

If you are interested in this story, please write a review. Questions, Comments, Suggestions, and Constructive Criticisms are welcome. See any grammar or spelling error? Please tell me so I can fix it right away. Really, the review helps out a lot.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

**Date of Next Update:**

Moved to next week Sunday.


	5. Chapter 4

**Escape Route Express Case**  
Gywen Empress Of Sound

**Chapter Four**

* * *

"The fulfilment of your mission."

Shadow gave a smile that felt so real and yet so fake. It was as if he was hiding another agenda behind his offer. Whatever move that I will make with him involved will be a gamble of my life and my mission. I looked at him with eyes filled with hesitation. Nevertheless I needed to do everything I can to finish this since it was my job to make a change. I sighed and opened my mouth once more to tell my reply. But Lagann reentered the room in haste—panting as if someone was chasing her, which shifted everyone's attention off the topic.

One of her hand held onto the door frame while she panted and gasped for air. "Shadow, Gargant summons you to the headquarters." She said as she fixed up her composure before continuing with a grin on her countenance, supported by sparkles of satisfied blue eyes. "He finally acknowledges your capabilities."

The man laughed as if he found what she had said somewhat hilarious. "Good. Everything's going according to plan." He muttered under his breath.

I looked at both of them in confusion and curiosity as I didn't know what they were talking about. Who was this Gargant? The name was constantly being called throughout their conversation since last night. I could only assume that he was an important guy and this headquarters that they were talking about was his realm. But what was his connection with Shadow and Lagann?

"You should probably go now. Souji's waiting outside to escort you there." Lagann raised an eyebrow at him. It seems that he was supposed to be in a hurry about meeting this Gargant.

Shadow chuckled to himself as he uttered softly, "Heh, that hot-headed guy, huh?" and then replied to Gargant while looking at her, "Yeah, just a sec."

His attention shifted to me. A smile blossomed once more on his countenance as he swivelled his index finger in the air and summoned his menu. "Atoli, think about what I said before." He said as he clicked buttons off his menu.

A note pop up on my menu and stated that I have received a private message from the player named "Shadow". I looked at him with the questioning look posted on my countenance. Shadow stood up from where he sat with a smirk on his face and began to walk out of the room. "I doubt you'll give out any response right now. So if you're ready to tell me your answer, then go to the place stated in the message. We'll meet again once you get there. Until then."

With that, Shadow had left the facility—leaving Lagann and I inside the room. Lagann gazed over me with a curious look. "What's that about?" She asked.

I shrugged. "Nothing. He was checking if I've got what it takes to join the Crusade." I lied of course. Lagann didn't seem to be involved too much with Shadow and his dark agendas. I knew that having this mindset about someone was not advisable since people change constantly and that I only knew so little about Lagann; but my gut feeling tells me that she was innocent.

"Mhm." She hummed, not satisfied with my response. But Lagann seemed to digress on pressing up the issue as she sensed that I was uncomfortable discussing it with her. "Anyway, get ready. Your sword is on the side of your bed and the dinning room is on the right end of the hallway. We're leaving the house once we finish up breakfast." She said as she pointed at the sword and the direction of the dining room.

I sighed as I ruffled my current black hair. I stood up from where I was lying before and took up my sword. A series of unanswered questions floated inside my head as I walked in to the dinning room and ate breakfast with Lagann. Who was Shadow? How did he know things that he shouldn't have? Who was Gargant? How is Lagann and Shadow affiliated to him? What will I do now? From this point on wards, where will I go to progress with the case? I sighed. Such questions could only be answered by asking those who are involved themselves or involve myself with their deeds to gain sufficient information. Everything inside Sword Art Online was still a mystery to me.

The system, the environment, the NPCs, the monsters, the people, everything.

It was one of those time when I prayed that Genra would contact me and fill me up with information.

* * *

After Lagann and I ate breakfast, we quickly head out of the house and travelled towards the gate. She was still hyped up about helping me with the basics of the game. "I still need to teach you a couple more of things before I hand you over to the Crusade. I don't want you to be labelled as an ignorant fool when you join that guild."

I knew that she was helping me, but the way she talks was just a little bit irritating at times. Her almighty attitude was annoying but nevertheless, I simply nodded and said nothing else as I was thankful for her troubles. Lagann didn't say anything more which gave me a chance to take a good look of the environment as we head out of town.

The building looked the same as the time I saw them, but there was something that made them look distinguishable from one another that I must have overlooked before. I could probably sort out the buildings according to the flags hanged either in front or on the side of each building. But of course, there are also buildings that were not decorated with a flag. I wondered what the flags symbolizes for.

"Lagann, what are those flags for?" I asked as I pointed at different flags hanged on different facilities.

I heard a sigh before an actual reply. "The flags are to announce which guild owns or supports that facility. If you see a building with no flag, that means its own by either an NPC or a low ranked guild." She halted and gazed over me. "Currently, only the main guilds have the ability to put up the flags because of the guild level and skill that they possess. The Crusade, the Paladins, Mordred, Gilgamesh...and Altruism are the current main guilds in Sword Art Online." She continued to walk as she talked.

"The Crusade reigns under the Blue Flamed Cross. Mordred dances with graceful fury of Dead Roses. Gilgamesh counts from within the Golden Scale. The Paladins smite in the oath of Sword and Shield. Altruism reaps alongside the bleeding Odin.

Sword Art Online not only became a game of life and death, but also, it became a game of conquer and terror because of those guilds. Anyway, the flags that you see now are only present in neutral floors to state which guild is in control of what facility. The other floors are claimed territories by either the Crusade, Mordred or Gilgamesh. As you already know, the Paladins and Altruism are not officially allowed to have floor territories—especially Altruism, since the members are all outlaws.

Don't worry, you'll learn all of it yourself once you get on the rest of the floors." Lagann explained briefly as she walked at a much faster pace than before. She seemed uncomfortable discussing the leading guilds of this world.

I decided not to press on about the flags and guilds to her and put the rest of my questions for later even though I was more curious than ever before. I learned a short summary of the existing powers in the game. Probably one of the reasons why the players trapped in this world were progressing slowly on clearing the game is because of their discord and division.

Lagann and I continued to walked towards the end of the town in silence.

* * *

We finally have arrived at our destination. Lagann and I quickly travelled to the fields where we first met and settled down for a while to fully grasp our surroundings. Lagann did a few stretch ups before calling the official start of the tutorial. "Alright, this tutorial will be all about Character Skills." Lagann said with a smirk on her face.

"Character Skills?" I repeated in question.

I heard Lagann laugh at my answer.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" I asked her, looking a bit insulted by her action.

Lagann shook her head and explained. "No, no. My apologies. It's just that I forgot how oblivious I was when I just started living in this game." She coughed to stop her erupting laughter. "Just so you know, there isn't any correct answer. I'm just asking on what can be seen from your perspective—on and around that tree."

I didn't really get what she was trying to say until she explained it to me. "Besides the tree being surrounded by grass and mushrooms, there are other things that can be sensed or observed around that area. See that upper left branch over there? There is a bird's nest sitting there, sheltering 5 birds and 3 eggs. And under the roots of the tree, there is a squirrel residing and holding an acorn on that ford. Let me show you."

Lagann took a rock and threw to where the claimed bird's nest was supposed to be. I heard the startled chirping of the birds as soon as the rock hit the target. Five birds flew off the tree, leaving their nest fallen on the roots. Startled by the commotion, a squirrel holding an acorn came out and ran for another tree.

I was completely shocked. How come I didn't notice their presence there before but she did?

"Have you ever wondered what else resides within and around that tree as soon as I asked you the question? Can you sense any creatures or artifacts around that tree? The answer would be no and no." She smiled. "The game stops you from thinking beyond your current thinking capacity in accordance to your level."

"The Character Skills are your senses and strengths in the world of Sword Art Online. As your character skills are upgraded, your sensitivity in your environment increases. The same thing goes for your strength. Just like most RPGs, the three types of character skills are present: Active, Passive, and Individual Skills.

I'm sure you know what those three means. Active Skills are mostly Battle Type skills such as Slash, Hack, Pierce, Evade, etc. Passive Skills are skills that doesn't usually have a cool down. One example of that is the skill called 'Alert' which I just demonstrated to you a while ago. Individual Skills are Cooking, Synthesizing, Mining, Alchemy, and a whole lot more.

Now there is another type of skill that makes Sword Art Online different. As you branch out your Active, Passive, and Individual Skills, a skill so unique that only you can have—will be unlocked; that is called as a Unique Skill." She paused and waited for me to digest the information.

I nodded and noted the one I saw earlier. "So the 'Snare Trap' from the ambush before is a Unique Skill?" I recalled the previous encounter with the PKers. Lagann used some sort of a skill that entangled the PKers down to immobility.

"Yes. When the Character Skills: Planting, Synthesizing, and Throwing are upgraded to a certain amount of point, the Trapping Skill can be unlocked. Of course, my character stats played a huge role upon unlocking the Skill; but mainly its my Character Skills. So, in conclusion, you can state that SAO has a skill tree system.

Without high character skills, your senses and strength is in equivalent of that with an infant. In your current state, I bet you don't even pay attention to the detail of armours and weapons of the players around you without us pointing it out." Lagann laughed at the end.

Only by then have I noticed that she was wearing a one piece white leather armour that goes just below her thighs, with some sort of an iron shoulder guard on her left shoulder. "They can manipulate our senses? That's a frightening fact." I told her bluntly.

She smiled. "No matter how keen you were with your surroundings when you were in the real world, it doesn't matter here. Everyone starts with the same perspective and with the same stats. It will only change once you upgrade your skills and go up to a higher level. But of course, your logic, reasoning and personality stays with you from the start to the end. So no matter how high your level is and your skills are, if you are dumb and rotten from the beginning, nothing will change. The system can only go so far after all."

"So that's the Character Skills?" I muttered.

She tapped her white leather equipped foot on the ground. "Unfortunately, in your current state, I can't show you anything else." Lagann swivelled her index finger in the air and summoned her menu.

"Which brings us to the next and final tutorial."

A glaive appeared out of her hands which she skillfully and swiftly manipulated to her command. "The Art of Duelling." Lagann grinned while she tapped the ground with the edge of her pole-arm. "But before we start, I want you to distribute your skill points first."

I nodded as I summoned my menu and went to the Character Skill category. I chose to heighten up my skills that involves my senses. My mission was to locate where Kayaba Akihiko is and get him. Other things such as helping the players escape from the game was not my priority. "Okay, let's go."

She swivelled her finger once more into the air. In no time, I received a duel invite from Lagann. "Do you want to have a duel with Lagann?" Before I accepted the duel request, I looked over to her. She stood there with a smirk plastered on her face. She was confident and determined. Of course, why shouldn't she? I pose no threat to her. I could hardly harm a boar. I sighed as I pressed "Yes."

Without further ado, the countdown began.

Lagann held up her stance with the glaive on her hands. "This is a test of what you've learned from the past two tutorials that I've had with you. The basic two-handed sword strategy and the character skills."

I nodded and I gripped the handle of my sword even tighter while I set up my battle stance. From what I recall in basic two-handed swordplay, it's all about timing and parrying. So far, my character skills didn't improve much from what I've done before—the distribution of my skills points didn't really help me view things in a much detailed vision.

"3, 2, 1. Start."

As soon as the countdown ended, Lagann quickly lunged herself and the glaive at me. "Think fast!" She exclaimed. It was so quick that dodging didn't become an option. My only choice was to either parry or defect her attack. Timing Atoli, timing.

"Remember Atoli, parry, deflect and recover!"

I focused onto her attack. My right foot slightly shifted as I readied myself for the clash. Her attack speed had a far gap in comparison to mine, so before I can swing my sword she would've pierced me with the edge of her glaive. As soon as she reached a foot apart from me, I made an arc upwards with my sword.

My attack flung her weapon upwards, although she had quite a grip on its middle part. The upper slash made our defences both open. But because of her attack speed, she quickly regained her hold of her weapon. Lagann abruptly pulled her glaive and then swiftly rotated it. She launched another attack with the end of her weapon which successful connected to my side.

I cringed as by body flung sidewards and rolled over the ground in pain. My health bar quickly turned red as it signalled that I was at my fatality. Automatically, our duel had ended with Lagann as the winner. I managed to made my body face the sky with the little stamina and power I had left.

I gasped for air. Wow, was the sky this blue? I thought to myself.

While I was lying on the ground, a fast pierce attack was aimed at my head. The tip of Lagann's glaive hovered over my head firmly. Lagann's red eyes showered me fear that probably stopped the beating of my heart. A wicked smile with a matching glint of madness in her eyes appeared on her countenance as she talked in a manner that sent shivers down my spine.

"Atoli, I'll give you an advice as a service: Don't trust anyone."

After that, she withdrew her glaive and turned back. "Well, that concludes our tutorial. Tomorrow you will meet the friend I was talking about before. He will be the one to train you until you're fit enough to join the Crusade." Lagann flipped her hair to the side and walked away—heading straight towards the town.

"I'm going back to the house. Follow me after you've recovered."

I huffed and closed my eyes. My sides hurt and I don't think that I have any strength that stand up any longer. This mission was harder that I thought it was. But I just looked the bright side. Hopefully when I get back, I could get even just a letter of recommendation from the Chief to be promoted—that would be very nice. When I do, I hope I could gain the power to allow smoking inside the office.

I sighed and completely sealed off my thoughts as I closed my eyes.

* * *

"A...lli."

Was there someone calling me?

"A...to..lli."

My eyes opened abruptly. As soon as my eyes had adjusted to the light, I saw a big insect on top of my nose. When it bit me, my vision became hazy and swirly as if I was injected with a hallucinogen. The graphics and the environment that I was surrounded with became disfigured. "What's happening?" The insect became enormous as it hovered on top of me in the air. It flew still just above while it gazed over me, as if it was trying to communicate.

"Anatolli." The bug called out to me with a familiar voice. "It's me, Genra."

I tried to get up as quickly as I can. But the bug, who claimed to be Genra, didn't approve my action. "Don't move, or you'll raise suspicion. We don't know who's watching you."

I lied still as I nodded. Genra quickly started to fill me up. "I've explained to you before that I could only contact you if there is an error in the game. Just moments ago, I detected an anomaly within this area so I decided to move right away to confirm your status. Note that only you can see me since I've tweaked your character codes, but it's only temporary. Soon, Cardinal will be able to detect this Trojan Horse that I've created and quickly exterminate it. Anyway, I'm not going to further explain with my methods. What's the status, Anatolli?"

"I've found something that might lead me closer on Kayaba's location and identity in the game. But there's still a probability that it's a miss. A player named Shadow seems to know a lot of things in and outside of the game. He seems awfully suspicious, enough for him to become a suspect." I told Genra.

"A player? Do you have some sort of a link with him that I could use to trace his IP address?" Genra asked.

Some sort of a link? "I don't have anything in link with him other than the private message that he sent me a while ago."

I heard Genra clicked the tip of her tongue. "No, that won't be useful. The private messaging in Sword Art Online doesn't hold anything about the Player's location. I decrypted a PM once, it holds nothing but the Player's location inside the Game—where and when the message was delivered. I need a live link that could trace Shadow wherever he goes as well as pin point the location of his real body."

"A live link? I don't know anything about that." I only just started playing the game. I don't know anything other than what Lagann had taught me.

"Hold on." Genra paused for a moment in deep thought. "Alright. I want you to have Shadow as a part of your friend's list."

"What? Why?" I grew confused.

"You can track the location of your friend using it. I could manipulate the codes and pin point his location in reality as well. I don't have to remind you that our department has gathered every single player whose mind is still trapped inside the game. If ever his body cannot be found inside our facility, it means that he is Kayaba Akihiko." Genra explained to me in a monotonous voice.

"Those facts must have slipped my mind." I muttered to myself before replying and reassuring Genra that I'll do what she asks for. "Alright, give me sometime. I'll make sure that I add his in my list."

"Alright. I'll be counting on you then."

Before anything else, a thought escaped my lips. "Before we end this Genra, I like you to do a background check for me. She doesn't seem suspicious but we have to be thorough with the investigation. She is affiliated to the player named Shadow."

I heard a laugh before she could reply to me. "She? Interested in a woman now I see."

"That's not it."

"I was just teasing you, Anatolli. Anyway, our communication will end in less than twenty seconds. Make sure you add that woman in your friends list as well so I can track her location inside the facility. So far there isn't much progress in the outside world as well so I don't think I'll have to inform you the same stuff you already know. We'll talk again if the opportunity comes. Until then, take care of yourself. I will be expecting progress in our next chat." After that, everything had returned back into normal.

"I guess I should start filling up my friends list then."


End file.

Sword Art Online/ソードアート・オンライン, Adventure, Romance