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

"Its just a game, get over it"

As a guy who loves playing rpg games, I have always heard that line from my friends whenever a player would overreact about something happening in the game.

Whether they were suddenly killed just before they landed the final strike on a hard boss,

Or when a teammate turns out to be a noob

Or even because of an annoying player.

Sure, I have heard this line a couple of times, with a few being said to me.

But, never had I actually taken this line seriously.

Well, that was until I played Sword art online

/

Chapter 1: logging in

November 6 2022

To most people, that was just an ordinary date A normal date with nothing much happening.

But, to those players who were eagerly waiting for the release of the Nerve gear's first VRMORPG, it was a day worth waiting for.

Since the release of the gaming console that allowed players to literarily "feel" the game by stimulating the 5 senses of the players mind known as "nerve gear", players have been waiting patiently for the first game's release.

"Good morning everyone!" a joyful female voice plays out on a certain radio station on the wed

"This is Game juice; bringing you the latest 'juice' about the gaming world and everything you need to know about it." A catchy tune followed, before she continued

"Good news to all those gamers out there: The latest innovation from otherworld technologies has just been released. The world's very first VRMMORPG, Sword art online, and the first game to be played on the Nerve gear. Only 10,000 copies have been sold. So, what are you waiting for? Go and get your copy of Sword art online, and we'll see you on the other side."

And with that, the broadcast ended.

And, just 3 hours after this was broadcasted, the game had been sold out.

Those who were lucky enough to receive a copy were eager to wait for the server's official start, at exactly 11:59 pm tonight.

Out of all those excited to get play their games, there is one who wasn't as happy.

Having his game stolen earlier this morning, he just sat there moping, looking on his Facebook news feed on all his friend's photos and statuses about buying the game.

*sigh*

Sulkily, he just kept scrolling down the news feed.

Most of his friends seemed to have gotten their hands on the game.

"if only my game didn't got stolen…I would have had my picture here, with the game console…" he said softly, before letting out another sigh.

Just then, a pop-up suddenly appeared on his messenger.

Pinkyprincess12: Hey, Nate, you there?

And, as if the dark clouds looming above his head suddenly faded, so did his sadness

He hesitated for a moment, before typing a reply

Darkushunter: yeah, I'm here.

Pinkyprincess12: Yay!

Darkushunter: let me guess. You've got yourself a copy of the game, huh?

Pinkyprincess12: yeah! Of course! What kind of gamer wouldn't get them a copy?

Darkushunter: uhm….me….

There was a sudden pause in the conversation after this. Probably around 5 seconds before she replied

Pinkyprincess12: oh….that's too bad.

Darkushunter: tell me about it

Pinkyprincess12: what happened!? Tell me EVERTTHING

Darkushunter: some bastard stole my cd as I came out of the store.

Pinkyprincess12: good

Darkushunter:: why would that be?

Pinkyprincess12: check under your pillow on you bed.

Nate looked a bit suspicious, glancing at his blue covered pillow lying on his bed to his right.

_What does she mean?_

He started to doubt a bit about his friend. Sure, he knows that she sometimes came over to play games with him, so she knows his house. But, its summer breaks? So how could she…

Pinkyprincess12: I ASKED YOUR MOM TO PUT IT THERE, ALRIGHT!? DON'T THINK I CAME OVER AND PUT IT THERE!? 0/0

And, as if she had read his mind, she replied

A small grin grew on his face.

Darkushunter: you did? How?

Pinkyprincess12: I would tell you, but it's already 11:56 pm. If you want to know, just meet me up online.

Darkushunter:wait! How am I supposed to know who you are there?

Pinkyprincess12: what kind of question is that!? I think you know me well enough to know it's me, even if I'm hidden by an avatar mask.

He just nods, obviously not understanding what she just meant.

Darkushunter: ah….i see

Pinkyprincess12: you didn't understand that, didn't you?

Darkushunter: nope

Pinkyprincess12: ok, one minute till game initiation. I gotta go calibrate my Nerve gear.

Darkushunter: ah, ok, I see

Pinkyprincess12: remember, under your pillow. Your copy is under it. Upload it to your Nerve gear, and then activate it by saying the activation command "link start!" Ok? Also, I'm sure you remember my pretty face well enough to know how I look like in the game. I'll be a fencer there. Hope to see you on the other side.

Darkushunter: yeah, you too

Pinkyprincess12 has logged off

Seeing this, Nate stood up, logged off his computer.

He opened closet, pulling out a black motor cycle helmet styled device: the brain gate

And, with hesitation, he held to the sides of his pillow. And, after a moment of hesitation, he raised his pillow.

Like the girl said, there it was.

Resting on the white mattress, in its white plastic cover, with its iconic cover photo, rested the game set.

On a large, playful font, the words "Sword art online"

"She was right, after all" I said to myself softly, picking up the game.

I savoured the moment for a while, but my gamer anticipation couldn't last any longer.

Quickly, I uploaded the game onto the Nerve gear, read the instructions….slightly

Placed the oversized helmet over his head, and lay down on his bed.

He looked through the display, showing only the time on the left side, and the charging side on the right. A light humming noise notified him that the machine was on standby.

Once he felt he was comfortable enough, he took a deep breath.

And, with a smile on his face, he opened his mouth, and uttered the words

"Link start!"

Those words I've uttered that day were the very thing that changed my life.

For on that day, was when I started to play

Sword art online  
/


	2. Chapter 2: No longer a game

"link start!" Nathaniel uttered those words, activating the Nerve gear

A white radiance suddenly blocked his view, as he went through a tunnel of light, towards a world other than his own.

The feeling of the nerve gear's calibration exam took his breath away, as he felt like sky diving into a white sky, with colored clouds.

The feeling of the wind blowing on his face,

The sound of the air zooming past his ears,

The taste of the air,

The smell of pure oxygen,

And the sight of it all.

Calibration only lasted for a minute, but he kind of wished it to last longer.

Slowly, he felt his virtual decent slow to a halt.

A login screen appreared suddenly.

He was puzzled for a moment, for he couldn't move-or even feel-his arms. He started to panic a little, but realized that the font can be inputted from his mind.

"How advanced technology has become" he thought.

Using his mind alone, he inputted his login credentials

Username: Thanatos

Password:********

The system quickly registers his account, followed by showing him in big font

"WELCOME TO SWORD ART ONLINE"

He held his breath, and prepared himself, as the Journey soon came to an end.

/

Floor 1: town of begginings

He opened his eyes, seeing his virtual self's hands for the first time.

He clenched his fists, and with a smile, shouted at the top of his lungs

"Game on!"

And began running off the login platform, eagerly wanting to explore the first town: the town of beginings.

No matter how much he told himself it was just a game, he could easily forget, being so immersed in it all.

He walked the narrow passageways of the marketplace.

Medieval styled buildings in rown bordered in a straigh line, making a one way exit to town square.

"Potions, potions here!"

"only i make great weapons around here"

"gather, gather around!"

Voiced of the npcs seeking the attention of players filled the marketplace.

Nat, or as his avatar was called, Thanatos didn't take that long in the marketplace. He wanted to try out the battle for himself.

Even before the game was released, thousands of waiting players also wanted to try what it feels like to be the hero in the games they play, what it felt like to fight monsters head-on, instead of just commanding an avatar on a flat screen monitor.

To most gamers like thanatos, SAO was a dream come true.

So, quickly, he bought all the recommended begginers gear: a blue wool vest, copper plate armor, loose work pants, and brown boots, and a starting weapon: a simple silver colored rapier.

No, not at all did he look anything like a hero, making him a bit dissapointed looking ay himself at the mirror wearing the full starters armor set. Even with the impressive looking rapier on his belt, he still looked a bit more like a farmers kid who stole a fencer's sword.

He heaved a sigh.

"rpg rule no.1, begginer armors usually look bad. But, it gets better anyway..." he mummbled, heading towards town square.

There, a sign pointed towards training grounds, which was where he headed right away.

/

"Ah, ah, aah-oof!"

The blue boar charged straight at Thanatos, knocking him backwards off his feet. The bar on the top right side of his field of vision grew a bit smaller, along with the letters HP bellow the bar. This was his health, the standard health meter like in most rpgs. His name was on a smaller bar bellow.

"you do know that boars here equal slimes in other rpg's, right"

A large built guy weilding a hammer resting on his shoulderd said playfully to Thanatos, handing him a hand.

"i, i just ain't used to actually rolling to dodge. That's all" he snapped back, slapped the man's hand, and stood on his own.

"ooh, tough guy we gave here. Why not you show me what that katana can do?" still, the man named Crimxon said playfully, teasing thanatos.

He met this big fellow near the exit gate of the town, where he told him if he wanted a quick tutorial, since he was a beta player, and wanted to teach new players a bit how to play.

Mainly because thanatos was too lazy to go through the tutorial training course, nor read the in-game manual did he accept the man's offer without second thought.

Thanatos gripped the rapier tightly, readying his stance, as the pig brushed his hoove on the grassy floor, before charging straight at thanatos.

"You know about sword skills, right?"

"yeah yeah, i'm not much of a nood, you know?" he said with a slight of annoyance

"ok then, you're the boss." crimxon said with a shrug.

As thanatos readied, taking the lunge fencing stance, he recalled what little he had read about skill deployment.

Skills in this game can be used though 2 simple steps. First, correct stance, then concentration.

Since he had already taken the stance, thanatos focused on the attack.

He felt the energy build up on his rapier, as it started to glow with a yellow light.

The pig came closer, charging at its full speed.

When it came close enough, he shouted.

"Linear!"

Releasing the energy stored in the rapier, he stepped forward. The system recognized the command, making him dash a few meters past the pig as he ki ged his sword.

two red holes appeared on the pig, one in the fromt and back, before shattering into thousands of shining polygon shards.

With a triumphant smile, he turned to his back, raised his hand with the rapier, and said with a wide smile.

a similar yellow bar appeared bellow the hp bar. Written on it were the words EXP: my experience bar.

"I did it, crimxon! I did it!"

"yeah, sure you did." he told me with a smile, giving me a thumbs up.

we spent the rest of the afternoon after that learning the basics of the game.

health potions, leveling up, skills, skill points, most rpg things that every player should know to survive playing one.

I tried out other weapons as well. Since sword art online doesn't have any kind of class system, any player is capable of wielding any weapon in the game, just as long as they can carry them basing on their stats. So, I tried out every one, checking which one felt right. I liked the rapier at first because of its speed, but hated how most attacks would just go straight. I also wanted to use dual blades, but hated how it didn't have a single skill on it. So, I went with a fast weapon that I can hold on both hands: dual daggers.

"-Although, its reach is quite short, it can compensate for its quick speeds" Crimxon said, raising his finger proudly, after giving me a short lecture about the weapon class.

I just nodded, since I was a lot more interested in how it feels than how it works.

"well, any more questions?"

"Nope. Nada" I shook my head, twirling the two plain brown-hilted daggers and returning them to its sheathes on my back.

I glanced at the clock on the corner of my eye, and realized its already morning.

"Um, I got to go now Crimxon. Its been nice meeting you though."

'What? You're leaving now? You've got school tomorrow huh?"

"yeah. Been playing all night and all."

"Oh, now that you said it, we have been playing all night, haven't we? We've gotten up around three levels by now, haven't we?"

"Yeah, I guess. Well-"

He swiped his right index and middle fingers down, opening a menu with a light chime of bells.

A list of white items appeared in front of him. He pressed the fourth tab: Options, but paused suddenly, realizing something.

"Um…Crimxon, do you know where's the log out button?"

"Uh, yeah. Its at the options tab, at the lowest part. Why?" Crimxon asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, options bar, lowest part, but there's no log out button."

"Really? Let me check"

He did the same gesture, pressed the same tab, and made the exact same expression as Thanatos. Maybe even a bit more exaggerated.

"What!? Th-there's supposed to be a log out button here!"

"Yeah, I know. Weird huh? Must be a glitch"

"…yeah…I hope its one."

The two both closed our menu's, and decided to head back, hoping that the guide NPC (non-player character) might know how to log off.

But, suddenly, a pillar of light suddenly shrouded their avatars, blinding their vision with a bright blue luminance. Fading a moment later, they found themselves in an unfamiliar surroundings.

"What the-!?" crimxon gasped, seeing as other pillars of light appeared, fading a second later revealing players with a shocked expression as well.

"A, forced teleport?" thanatos asked, but crimxon couldn't answer, still recovering from the shock.

Soon, what seemed like almost every player in the game were trapped in the middle of a large, coliseum like place.

Questions filled the place, as players all questioned each other about what happened.

But, suddenly, everyone grew silent.

The virtual sky suddenly turned blood red.

Thick, red liquid suddenly flowed down from the sky, forming a red cloaked figure floating above.

Speechless, everyone stared in confusion and awe on what was going on.

"Players"

the figure spoke, its face hiding behind the cloak's dark hood.

His rough, low voice shot fear onto the hearts of players, spreading fear onto their faces.

Thanatos readied his stance, placing a hand behind, and gripping one dagger's grip.

"You may be wondering why the log out button has gone missing on your menus. May I just inform you that this is no glitch; This was done on purpose."

Faint muttering once again started, people asking what was going on.

"What do you mean on purpose!?" one player shouted loudly.

"The reason this game was made, was to achieve a new world. Where I am God. For this to happen, I have trapped all of you here into this new world I call 'Aincard'"

From a slight mumbling, slowly, the crowd grew louder in protest. But, still, the figure continued on.

"Also, for this to be more than a game to you all, I have attached a special device in each of your nerve gear, that once it has detected your avatar's death, it is designed to send powerful signals to your brain, melting it down. In other words: avatar death in this world equals to player death in reality. This may be a game, but this is not meant to played"

At this very point, the crowed it peak.

Players either began shouting in anger, shivering in fear, or asking if this was some sort of joke.

"Also, those players who have tried to remove the nerve gears would have the same effect"

With a wave of his hand, holograms playing news feeds played, all having one common headline. "Player's found dead while wearing the nerve gear, or after having the nerve gear removed"

"As of now, 215 players have already died because of forced removal. And, as of now, the only way you may leave this world, is to clear Aincard. Starting on this floor, there are 99 other floors above this. The only way between floors is a single, straight tower containing a dungeon. Each dungeon is guarded by a powerful boss, whom you have to defeat to get to the next floor. Only once you have cleared the 100th floor, will I allow each and every single player to log off."

"this…is…just…crazy…" Crimxon said, without turning away from the red cloaked man.

Thanatos, In panic, grabbed his dagger, and threw it at the man

"LET US OUT!" he shouted, at the top of his lungs.

The dagger flew through the air, but just passed through the man, disappearing.

"That is all. I wish you best, and good luck" saying as he used to, then disappearing, returning the blue sky to its usual brilliance.

But, this didn't get noticed, as the crowd grew in panic.

Thanatos's knees grew weak, sliping him down onto his knees, eyes wide open, he spoke breathlessly.

"This…is….isn't…a…game…anymore..."

Chapter 1- End


	3. Chapter 3: Close call

I just want to say thanks to DuelingFreak for letting me use his OC. Hope u like it.  
/

It's been a week since the [Death game] has started.

Since Kayaba Akihiko-the game master-has announced that "manual log-out was disabled" and that "the only way out was if someone 'cleared' the game", the 10, 000 players trapped in Sword art online have either tried to level up and 'clear ' the game, frantically completing quests, and getting to the third town of the floor, where the staircase was.

Although, not every gamer was successful. The unfortunate few were killed by the mobs while clearing dungeons; while others, who couldn't take it, jumped off the edge of Aincrad, ending their lives.

But, there was a third group: a small number of players, less than 100, hid themselves in inns, unable with the fear of dying inside the game but are not strong enough to kill themselves.

One of those players was me.

I was never confident with my skills as a gamer, nor was I even sure how I was going to survive in this game. Having tried out every weapon available, I realized that I was very bad at this game.

I stumbled, stuttered, missed, flinched, and every single thing that could kill me.

Scared, I feared the worst case scenario, and decided to stick with my stay-in-an-inn-and-wait-for-someone-to-finish-the-game plan. Which invlolves me doing nothing, but hug my legs in a corner and hope for whoever completes it to do it quickly.

But, something quickly got in my way.

"I'm sorry sir, but it seems you don't have enough gold to stay for the night"

"ah, is that so.."

After spending the first 7 days after the game master's appearance in a inn, I have used up every last gold I have left.

I'm starting to regret even buying every weapon type on the market, since that really ate most of the gold I given to me at the start.

Heaving I sigh, I waved goodbye at the npc at the inn's counter

"Please take care. And come again soon" she said, bearing the same warmth and welcome feeling similar to humans.

It seems a bit hard to believe that it's from a computer program simulation of a human being.

But, there was one obvious difference between the two-

"Umm… can you, well, give me just one night free?"

"sorry, I can't help you there"

"Uh, how about letting me stay in your room, just one night?"

NPC's, unlike players, they only respond based on a reaction tree system.

In other words

"You really can't help me out, can't you?" I said, in one last attempt

But, the answer didn't change

"Sorry, I can't help you there"

And with that, I gave up, and left.

/

Three lizard humanoid creatures stood around in a circle, seemingly speaking to each other.

They haven't noticed my presence, as I hid at a nearby bush, peeking in and waiting for the right moment.

My primary weapon was a dagger. Quick speed, but short reach, but makes up for its flexibility

I was comfortable this way, and being comfortable means you'll be able to move right, and moving right is exactly what I needed to survive.

One of the lizard men nodded, followed by the two leaving him.

In this moment, I assumed that this lizard was the leader of the pack. If I attacked him first, others would follow, but disorderly. So, all I need to do was hack and slash, and I'll clear this part.

I raised the dagger just above my brow; it started to glow with a red light.

The energy started to build up within the blade, as if it was finding a way out.

But, even if it did, I held it in.

The lizard man still held his shield up, expecting as if something was going to happen.

But, a small window of opportunity appeared.

For some odd reason, the beast held his head up high, looking at something on his left.

In that instant, my gamer instincts kicked in.

I let out the energy stored inside the blade, causing my body to dash forward.

Because of system assist, I was able to dash a few meters, closing in the distance between me and my target.

"Rya-"

The beast let out a cry, but was cut short, as I stabbed the dagger in between his lizard eyes, causing him to shatter into countless polygon shards.

"…one down…"

I said quietly in my mind.

One of the other two noticed my presence, turning my way and letting out a lizard squeal.

He raised his curved blade high above his head, charged towards me.

He closes in quick, slashing down his blade on my head.

I parried it, then slashed its head as a counter.

It stepped back in response, but I didn't give it time. I quickly raised my right hand over my brow, the blade pointed towards the beast in front.

A red light engulfed my blade, an energy built, and was quickly released.

The dagger skill [piercing needle] activated, lunging me towards the lizard, plunging my dagger onto him.

But, he managed to block using his shield, and pushed me away, dagger still stuck on the shield.

"chh…"

I clicked my tounge seeing this.

But, he didn't give me time to recover, dropping his sword on my arm.

"arrghh"

I gritted my teeth, as the blade slashed my arm, lowering the green bar on the left of my vision around 70%.

The lizard stepped back, putting up his shield in guard.

The black hilted dagger still stayed wedged on the shield

_A man without a weapon in a dungeon is as good as dead in this world_

With that thought in my mind, i began thinking irrationally.

Without second thought, I dashed forward, trying to grab my dagger. My outstretched hand held onto its grip, but was thrown back by the shield.

I was knocked out balance, landing on my butt.

My health bar went down further, its green colour suddenly turned yellow.

I gripped my dagger, but before I could activate a skill, he pinned me down, slashing me with his sword.

"Gyah!"

Although the game didn't simulate pain, I could still feel the blade slashing onto my body. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

Helplessly, I watched as my life bar lowered down to 50%

…40%...

…25%...

Even lower to a 10%, where the bar turned red: the danger limit.

When it reaches 0%, my nerve gear would kill me.

Hopefully, death I this game wasn't painful; that It was quick, and painless.

In the darkness, I awaited the inevitable end.

All the lizard needed to do was hit me once more, then I'll be dead

I gripped hardly to my dagger.

A tear slipped out of my eye.

I was scared. I didn't want to die. But, I cannot.

It's not like a miracle would suddenly happen.

I opened my left eye slightly, seeing the lizard man raise his silver sword above, and, like an executioner, swung it down.

At that moment, I shut my eyes.

But, silence followed.

No sword pierced my skin.

Nothing hit me

And, when I slightly peeked open my eyes, my health bar remained dangerously at 10%, with a faint warning siren like tone playing in my eye.

But, the lizard man was gone.

I couldn't see him.

He was gone, but how?

I forced myself to sit up, still holding on to my blade.

I glanced at it, and thought.

_I'm switching to sword._

Not taking chances, nor wanting that to happen again, he tossed his dagger aside, which shattered upon landing.

With that dagger out of the way, he thought to himself:

"What happened?"

The lizard man's sword was all that was left of him. But, he was nowhere to be scene.

Gingerly, I reached for the weapon.

When I held it, a menu popped out.

New item received

Grunt Lizardman word

Somehow, seeing the word _grunt_ in its name made me a bit disappointed.

_I almost got killed….by a grunt…?_

In most RPG's, grunts are the weakest of the weak minions of a boss. And, being almost killed by one meant I was merely a noob.

"I have a lot to learn…" I mumbled softly to myself.

"Yeah, you sure do"

What I didn't expect, was that I was answered.

I quickly took my stance, facing the area where the voice came from.

The figure, the one who spoke, raised his hands up, showing that he meant no harm.

"Well that's no way to treat someone who saved your life."

He said a guy around my age or so, with brown hair on his head, with bangs that covered his left eye. He also wore a blue shirt, copper breast plate, baggy pants, and leather boots: the typical beginner gear.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked, stuttering slightly

"Just a fellow player like you, I guess" he spoke, in a matter-of-fact kind of way, which made me slightly pissed.

_I nearly got killed, and now this guy acts all nothing happened on me?_

"I said who you are!?" I repeated, saying it firmer this time.

"as I said, a fellow playe-"

I pointed at his throat with the heavy sword. Although I was not used to its weight, I managed to keep it up, even if it wobbled a bit.

"Who…are…you…?"

"Vendette. Ven for short. And,"

He placed a finger onto the blade, applying a bit of pressure on it.

Even if I tried, the sword became too hard to hold, causing it to fall out of my hand, and onto the floor.

"Don't do that. We are all players here, so be friendly, alright?"

What I hated the most about him was how he was able to smiel in admist this situation.

He knelt down, and picked up my blade, handing it over to me.

"You're lucky I just so happened to be around, or else you could have been another killed by this stupid game."

I didn't trust him, but it's not like I have much of a choice right now.

Besides, if it wasn't for him, I'd be dead.

"Fine" I said simply, grabbing the blade's hilt from him.

With the blade back on me, a sheathe appeared on my back, on which I sheathed my blade.

As I did, the guy just casually walked past me, hands behind his head.

I simply watched him, not really sure if I should trust this guy or not.

After a few more steps, he stopped, turned a half a half circle around, and started walking backwards.

"Are you coming?"

"Where are we going?"

He shrugged.

"Where else? To the next village."

"But, doesn't that mean we have to complete this dungeon together."

"….oh yeah."

As if he remembered something suddenly, his eyes popped open.

Doing a swiping gesture with his right I index and middle finger, he opened the menu, pressing a few buttons, and then a menu appeared in front of me.

Vendette wants to form a party with you

0 yes X no

I paused for a moment to think. I even hesitated, but in the end I pressed yes.

A smile grew on his face, as another green bar appeared bellow mine.

With it, his name was shown.

"Well, it's great to have you with. Let's beat this game, shall we?"

He stretched his hand forward to me

"…yeah, let's"

I grabbed it, and shook it.

"Names vendetta. Ven for short."

And, with a smile, I said.

"Thanatos."


End file.

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