Life is… Hard... Messy… Disorganized… Chaotic, filled with Problems that no man or woman, young or old, should have to deal with… But We Do.
We've all heard the old adage, "When Life gives you Lemons…" and all the pathetic excuses for mediocrity and self-defeatism that come with it, none of us want to read or, in my case, recount any more of them at this point in our lives.
The simple truth is that the World isn't Kind.
You don't need some mystical self help bullshit to teach you that because, if you're reading this, then you already know.
This book isn't for the masses, it isn't for those people who can still see that glass half full, for those who didn't see what We did.
This book is to honor the lost, a eulogy for the damned, for those who just couldn't stand anymore damn Lemonade.
This story is for us.
Long live the 21st.
Masako 'Arum' Arita, "The Bloody 21st : Foreword"
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Tokyo, Japan, November 12th, 2022.
Escapism.
A bit of a sore topic for most of us, I know, but it is the topic of the day. Why else would well over five hundred thousand people buy a gaming console that costs almost as much as a new car?
The Nerve Gear is, honestly, a truly fantastic bit of technology that fills me with a sense of wonder still. Inserting a living breathing person into a completely tactile and lively false reality, and bringing them back unscathed? Pure fantasy.
At least that's what I thought right up until the boss threw his little princesses future birthday gift at me, talking about how he spent so much money getting a beta model to see if it was safe and functional.
'Oh, what if it wasn't and it just kills the new Associate?', well, that's on me I suppose, just never should have taken the job, right bossman?
The sheer existential terror I felt putting that death trap on for the first time just cannot be summarized. Religion had never been my cup of tea, but in those sparse moments of calibration, jumping, jogging, and going through all of those hyper specific movements the headset demanded, with a blossoming neck pain that would last for months to come, I did, just a little, wish for a God to pray to.
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It was a whirlwind of colors and lights, tastes and smells, textures and sounds, It was fantastic and horrifying all at the same time.
Those six months were a constant fever dream, eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, only six hours to wash, eat, and sleep before slipping myself back into the Abyss.
The boss wanted this thing as well vetted as it could possibly be before he let his little princess stick her head in it, someone had to pay the price.
Some days I wouldn't even get to go home because I found a new mechanic to fully test out or a bug to write a full report on. I'd end up sleeping in my chair, living off of cup noodles and microwave dinners most of the time, and yet… I just couldn't bring myself to care.
The world of Aincrad was Beautiful and Vibrant, filled with all kinds of creatures, magics, and stories.
It was, Is, Escapism at its finest.
Even if for a moment, whenever I was there I could feel alive, like the expectations of the world weren't crushing me, like life was still worth living.
It got to such a point that I just sold all of my furniture, and stopped renting my apartment, living out of a few boxes and a hotel room whenever I got the chance to leave the office.
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But, as all things must, the six month beta ended. My bank account had been fattened, my debts paid off from the sheer amount of overtime I had to put in, and I had my normal job to get back to.
The doldrum of standard legal work both soothed and chipped at my soul, pounding at the back of my head like a war gong.
I wanted to go back, needed to go back, I couldn't wait to see the verdant greens of the plains and forests again, to hear the lapping of waves on foreign shores, I Burned to go back. Nothing could take my mind off of it, that burning, screaming, ringing desire to go back. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and soon it had been half a year.
And then, like divine providence, as if the machinations of the universe had aligned, just for me, the boss layed that work order on my desk one last time, talking once more about how he wanted to be extra sure that his little princess wouldn't get her head fried.
But this time there was no fear, no existential dread or prayers to a god I didn't believe in.
This time when I put that helmet on It was with gusto and verve, unyielding excitement.
It was with shaky hands that I connected the nerve gear to the top of the line gaming rig It was to accompany, loading up my old profile, calibrations locking into place. With cheek muscles that couldn't stop aching I said what, unbeknownst to me, would possibly be my last words ever.
"Link Start."
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Valia, The Verdant Fields, The Floating Castles of Aincrad, November 12th, 2022.
The rush of wind that surrounds me is almost intoxicating, a familiar experience, one I've had hundreds of times, but that could never possibly get old.
These smooth flagstones, the colorful and vibrant streets? How could anyone ever tire of this?
I feel my cheeks begin to ache and I force a smile I can't remember initiating, drop and start walking.
'I'll need to grab some basic potions, armor, and a weapon. The boss wants this tested so that's what I'm going to do..'
Breaking out into a jog feels normal, simple almost, I'm glad the last six months of office work hadn't made me any weaker than I was before.
Shaking off the haze I'd slipped into, I slow to a calm walk, making my way into the Petyr's Poultices.
Seeing another player at the counter, clearly using the trade menu, I make my way over to Petyr.
"Hey Petyr, I need five basic health, stamina, and endurance potions, Mind Getting that for me?"
The Alchemist gives me a polite nod, reaching below his counter and passing me the vials, accepting the small bag of Col I hand to him.
He gives the bag a little toss in his palm, gauging the weight, before giving me a nod, "Thank you for having your coin ready sir, you've got no idea how many towns folk can't be bothered. Have yourself a fine day."
Giving Petyr a nod and a smile, internally wincing as my funds are cut down by almost a third from one purchase, I pass by the player still fiddling with the trade window and make my way back out onto the street. Time to Pick up the pace, off to Hewards I go.
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The trip over to Heward is always a bit dodgy. A few too many boars, far too many wolves, but at least you can get his 'quest' specifications done before you reach his shop.
Fifty five boar pelts, a hundred and five wolf pelts, five stacks of chopped wood, completely exhausted of all endurance potions, and a nearly broken Elven Shortsword later, finds me trudging into the out of the way wooded smithy where good ol' Heward lives.
Honestly, not enough people bothered to fiddle with his questline back in the beta. Sure, His weapons and armor are a bit on the pricey side, probably one of the main reasons people didn't try, but that's only if you don't offer to trade him drops instead of Col. It's like everyone in the beta forgot that these aren't just NPCs but reactive and functional people, for all intents and purposes at least.
With a grunt, I wrench the smithy door open, getting blasted by a wave of soot and heat. 'God it's hot, did they really have to make it so that he doesn't have any ventilation. Eh, it doesn't matter, I'll be out of here in just a few.'
"Hey! Ya in here Heward? I want to trade some goods! Jonathan from the Tarnished Spear sent me!"
I can't help but cackle a bit to myself when a series of grunts and gripes comes from behind the smelter, a short and hairy dwarf coming round the bend into sight.
"Yeah yeah, no need ta shout Leaf Licker, whatcha got and whatcha want?"
He leans himself up against the countertop, peering up at me with eyes filled with annoyance.
"Got enough Col, Boar Pelts, Wolf Pelts, and Lumber for five things. A lance, a saber, a bow, some throwing knives, and a quiver of arrows, sound good?"
"What quality 're them pelts at, Elf?"
"Good or higher," I say, pulling the lowest quality pelts I have out of my pack.
"Those yer worst ones?"
"Naturally, I wouldn't come here and waste your time if I didn't have anything better than this. Fifty five, a hundred and five, and five respectively." I say, laying out pile of pelts after pile of pelts, setting the wood off to the side.
"I'll take all o' this and about 3,762 Col for those weapons Elf, sure ya got the funds?"
"I already told ya, Gravel Muncher, I have them ready and waiting." I drop a sack of Col on the Countertop
"Alright Elf calm yerself. I've got a Blacksteel Lance and Saber, a set of Silver Needles, and some basic Yew Arrows. On the bow I've got a Wolf-Tooth Composite Recurve and A Reinforced Blacksteel Warbow."
With a grunt, Heward pushes himself away from the counter and starts puttering around the back of the shop, gathering up a long black needle tipped spear, a refined and simple black saber, a brace of silver throwing darts, and a large quiver of gray shafted and black feathered arrows.
Unceremoniously dropping all of the weapons on the counter, with a grumble he reaches to a rack off on the side, grabbing two bows. The first is a pale white and gray recurve bow with a black string and high gloss coating. The second is a long, hefty, gray stained matte Yew bow with dull black steel reinforcements along the limbs and a taught gray string.
"It all looks good, I'll take the longbow and the rest." I said as I strapped the quiver onto my back with its three point harness, slipping the sword onto my left hip using the provided frog, strapped the brace of needles onto my left forearm over my bracer, and hooked the longbow over its quiver before hefting the lance in my right hand.
I turn back towards the counter to see Heward giving me a shrewd look, taking in my cheap armor and solidly built form, at least for an elf that is,"Ya lookin ta start a war lad?"
I feel a smirk curl across my face at the familiar weight of the Blacksteel Lance, hefting it to rest across my shoulders, and giving Heward a shrug, "No, I just like to be prepared."
"Well, take yer prepared self up and outta my shop unless ya want to buy anything else, 've got business to take care of."
With a nod and smile, I turn and make my way over to the door, pushing it open and out into the world of Aincrad once more.
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The Next few hours were a blur as I forced myself to go through as many of the early level weapon arts as I could. Gaining the Spearman, Swordsman, Bowman, and Throwing Weapons skills as I do.
'Hm, I've made enough Col for another round of weapons from Heward, I suppose it's time to start heading off to grab myself a Mace, Shortsword, Shield, and Longsword, I need to stress test them after all. Then again, I might just save that for later and grab a set of Blacksteel Scale… I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something though… eh, if it's important I'll remember. Well, off to-OW SHIT WHAT THE FUCK, WAS THAT A ROCK'
While rubbing at the side of my head that was just oh so rudely introduced to the business end of a rock, I slowly turn towards said rock hurling offender. Off to the side, down one of the alleyways stands a relatively tall young woman with electric blue hair, sharp features, and elven ears, holding a few stones and looking rather embarrassed.
'Am I really curious enough to check this out, do I really want to deal with this shit?', "Did you need something miss?",'Welp, guess I am… time to talk to the Rock Chucker'
With an almost strangled squeak, she starts to shake her head before slowly stopping, giving a nod, "I… I was just wondering where you got your bow. I've been looking around all day for one and haven't managed to find a single one… I couldn't even find a proper set of throwing knives. I decided to try and make do with these but… well, I haven't exactly been making much progress."
The woman finishes strong, giving me a firm nod as she says her piece… seemingly seeing no problem with throwing stones at strangers over just asking questions…
With a bit of a drawn out sigh I gesture for her to step out of the alley, "You do know that information has a price in Aincrad, or at least it used to…"
'Speaking of which…', I'll have to see if that little cat has decided to continue scurrying around, otherwise I'll have to find a new Broker.
Her response knocks me back into the land of the living, "Well… I figured as much but I was hoping you wouldn't mind just pointing me in the right direction?"
I see the hope in her eyes, the earnest tone in her voice… 'No! You Don't Get to act like a hopeful Junior! You threw fucking rocks at me!'
She sees something on my face that makes her go into panic mode, "Ah! I can Find Something to pay you though! I still have some Col!"
'God, are those tears? No! You can't make me Kayaba! I am not taking on a NEWBIE.' She looks at me, tears in her eyes, slowly folding in on herself like a house of cards, ' Shit I'm taking on a newbie aren't I?'
With a near explosive sigh I give her a nod, " Haaaaah, fine, I was heading there anyways. Come on, we need to grab a few things before we rush off."
With a clipped pace, slowing myself so that Ms. Doe Eyes could keep up, I headed back towards the Petyr's, "How fast can you run?"
"OH, umm decently fast? I'm no athlete but I'm ok I guess?" The Concern in her voice was so thick that I could barely suppress my wince.
"The reason that I ask is because during the calibrations you did for your nerve gear it got a grasp on your musculature and stamina. Your speed and strength in the game, at least in the beginning, is based off of your real life body and the race you picked during character creation."
At that she seemed a bit more at ease, continuing to follow me to the potion shop.
'Honestly, I had kinda grown to miss this place', is all that can go through my mind as I cross back over the threshold of Petyr's for the second time today. 'Sure it smells like rotten eggs and off ham, but there's just something that kept me coming back here for the entire beta.'
Grabbing 15 potions of endurance, Seven Stamina and Health from Petyr, to refill the ones I'd had to use already and for the tag along I'd picked up, I stepped back out of the shop, seeing the very green at the gills young woman trying not to heave on the flagstones. 'Huh, I should probably grab her name, if I'm gonna be teaching her the ropes that is… eh, I'll do it later'
"Here, five basic health, stamina, and endurance potions, slip them into the bandolier at your waist. The health and stamina are for if you need healing, naturally, are feeling tired, or are hungry. Health potions may taste foul but they're the single best source of food in the entire first five floors for their potency and affordability. These fifteen potions will keep you awake, moving, and satiated for eighteen hours with a full set of equipment and all the loot you might want to carry, what more could you ask for from 1.9k Col. Always keep that bandolier stocked up, even in the late game when you have access to crystals, for emergencies. Now grab the backpack you got on start out of your inventory and put it on."
Rock Girl took the potions with a bit of surprise and concern, strapping them on how I told her before taking out her bag in confusion, "But If we have an inventory why do we need a bag?"
"Honestly? A few reasons. Firstly is because merchants, NPC ones at least, give you better prices when you don't use the trading menus, they buy higher and sell lower. With what you want to get your hands on you'll likely need all of the discounts you can get… Secondly, The inventory is limited. The game won't tell you until you hit it, but it is. The Max capacity of your inventory is based off of your Vigor, Endurance, and Strength Scores, all added together and multiplied by twenty. Now, In the late game, that'll be a pretty big inventory, but for the first two or so hundred levels, you're gonna have to live off of your back, especially because armor and weapons contribute to the inventory max. Third is that stamina training never hurts in this game. Because of how the game works, you experience fatigue and exhaustion like a real person, thus If you can run with 300 lbs. on your back, you can book it away from a boss you don't want to die to and can keep attacking even when you're dead on your feet."
Over the long rambling explanation I could see her eyes grow a bit wider by the second, matching my pace as I slowly walked us towards the outskirts of the city limits.
Finally finished with my explanation, I started jogging out of town, picking up the pace a bit more and a bit more as Rude Rock Woman managed to keep up with me, a thought occurred, 'Damn, still haven't figured out what I forgot, what is it? This is getting ridiculous!'
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Another long run, a frankly ludicrous amount of pelts, wood, and used endurance potions later, I found myself outside of Heward's for the second time in five hours, this time with a sweaty and panting woman.
"Knock back a health and stamina potion before we head in, this place is hot as all hell."
She pulled the potions off her belt and went to knock them back only to start retching at the taste.
Not wanting to watch a grown woman throw up on the grass, I turned to head into the smithy, hand reaching towards my own potion belt before drawing away as that pervasive thought comes back, 'Something is really wrong… I know there was something I needed to do but I just can't figure out what!'
I pull the door open with a grunt and a heave and shout out into the smithy, "Oi, Gravel Muncher! I need to do more trading and I've got another customer for you!"
Another round of crashes and swearing later sees Heward coming to the counter, "How much've ya got fer me this time?"
"Triple the amount from before between myself and Rock Girl here. She needs equipment." I vaguely gesture at the green looking woman next to me.
Looking her over, Heward gives me the stink eye, "I presume she ain't gearin up to go ta war like you did , right Lad?"
I just give him a shrug and gesture for her to take a step towards the counter.
"Uhm, If it isn't too much trouble Mr. Heward, I'd like some throwing weapons and a bow like what… He has."
Near the end I feel the need to beat my own head against a wall as I realize one crucial detail, I hadn't given her my name either.
"Well at least some o' you Knife Ears have some manners, unlike the one to yer left. I've got some more of the Silver Needles I sold to your friend and a Wolf-Tooth Composite Recurve and a Reinforced Blacksteel Warbow. I'm assuming ya want tha same one yer friend bought?"
Receiving a bit of a shaky nod, Heward heads off to grab her order, coming back quickly with a pair of throwing needle braces, a set of Yew Arrows, and another Reinforced Blacksteel Warbow.
"Here ya are then, that'll be costin ya right round a Half o' those pelts ya got there lass and 2,012 Col."
She nods and starts taking the pelts out of her bag before freezing at the Col amount. Before she can do or say anything I just toss out the expected amount.
Letting out a bit of a sigh I step forward, catching the smiths attention, already regretting what I was about to do, "We're also going to be needing a set of medium armor each, preferably on the lighter end, as well as an extra five bundles of arrows each."
Heward narrows his eyes thoughtfully, before nodding and heading to the back, coming back a few moments later with two sets of black scale esque armored tunics and pants alongside boots, gloves, and half masks of metal plated black leather. Tossing them onto the counter alongside her weapons he goes back and grabs the arrows I'd requested and a pair of dark gray traveling cloaks.
"Fer two sets of Blacksteel Scale an ten bundles o' Yew Arrows, thas gonna run ya tha rest o' the pelts the two of ya got alongside bout 20,120 Col, tha cloaks 're on the house.'
Hiding my wince, I toss over the money, drop five replacement arrows into my quiver before putting the rest into my inventory, placing the armor into my equipment slots, bringing me within spitting distance of the Medium Encumberment line.
Hurrying to match my pace, the Rock Girl slips her quiver and needles into place before hooking the bow onto her back, putting away her spare arrows and dropping the armor into its slots.
Giving a nod and wave to Heward, I move to step out the door and into the sun before it hits me, the thing that had been worrying me so much for the past couple of hours, that for the life of me I just couldn't figure out. As the grumbling sound of my stomach reaches my ears I finally remember that my 2 P.M. Alarm hadn't kicked me out of Aincrad.
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Upon stepping foot outside I began to race through the menus, looking for the manual logout button. The concerned shouts from the Rock Girl wash over my ears, but are succinctly ignored.
'It has to be here somewhere, cmon, cmon, where is it!'
A wild shout claws its way out of my throat, "Log Out! Exit Simulation! Leave! Sign Out! What the hell, why isn't it working!"
A tug at my arm pulls me back to reality, behind me stands a very concerned elf woman, "What's wrong?"
"The game's logout button is missing. So is the exterior messaging service, internet access, and the GM Tipline. For all intents and purposes, until someone figures out that all of us can't log out, we're trapped in here."
After malding for a few moments I make a decision. Scrolling through my old contacts from the beta I finally find her, Cheshire. 'Going into debt with this woman already? Damn.'
Arum : {Oi, Chesh. I need some Information.}
Eventually the elven woman breaks the silence, "My Name is Shion, what's yours, if you don't mind at least."
So caught up in my own little world I barely even register the question, "Arum… I suppose we should get going. I still have some things to teach you before they figure out that we're all stuck in here and just mass eject us from the game."
"Why do you need to do that? Can't you just friend me and teach me later if they do?"
"Unfortunately no. I work a pretty hour intensive job so after today I likely won't have enough time to teach someone how to play, assuming I can even get an hour or two in at all."
"Oh…" The crestfallen look on her face almost makes me feel remorseful but I push on.
"So we need to make all the progress we can now, Right? Our time was already limited and it's now been cut further down by the game devs. So let's make the best of it eh?"
With a bit of a watery smile and a nod, we push out of the clearing and into the world of Aincrad.
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Minutes stretched into hours as we walked our way through the rolling hills and fields that surround Valia, discussing the finer details of Aincrad and its Systems. About how to use weapon skills, how to level, even how to do more mundane things like buying food or potions.
With wind rustling through the long grass of the plains, I move to hop down burm between the trail and fields to recover one of my arrows.
"Now Remember Shion, when trying to use weapon skills you absolutely need to make sure that you've memorize the starting positions of all your skills before trying to use them in combat. You shouldn't be over reliant on them or put too much weight on them in the first place, what with standard shots and strikes being more efficient nine times out of ten, but going into battle without knowing for sure where the exact position the skill starts in is the perfect way to get yourself hurt and sent back to the town of beginnings."
'If this breeze were to keep up, I'd probably be able to talk for hours…' Pulling myself up to the trail again I hear a soft pinging noise.
Cheshire : {Oh, well if it isn't Arum.}
Cheshire : {So eager to get back into my books again?}
Arum : {Not particularly, but I figured you might have some information about what's going on.}
Cheshire : {And what exactly is going on?}
Arum : {You mean you haven't noticed yet?}
Cheshire : {If I had, would I be asking?}
Arum : {The Logout Button is missing.}
Arum : {So is the IM service, Internet Access, and the GM Tipline interfaces.}
Cheshire : {... You Have to be shitting me Arum. Really?}
Arum : {Go ahead and check for yourself Chesh, I trust You Remember where they should be.}
Cheshire : {Fuuuuuuuck Arum. This is bad.}
Arum : {You're telling me.}
Cheshire : {Either Way, Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have anything on this.}
Cheshire : {Secondly, I don't have the funds to pay you for this bit of info right now.}
Cheshire : {Ya mind holding onto an IOU?}
Arum : {Don't worry about it, I still owe you for that map from the Jade Temple on the third. }
Arum : {Call it even?}
Cheshire : {Yeah, I guess.}
Cheshire : {I'm still pissed about that though.}
Cheshire : {The thing could've earned me soooooooo much Col.}e
Arum : {Yeah yeah, ya big old baby.}
Cheshire : {Bite Me Arum.}
"Arum… Arum? Are you alright Arum?"Just like that, my attention snaps back to Shion.
"Ah yeah, sorry. I was just having a conversation with an info broker I knew back in the beta. Was asking if she knew anything about the missing parts of the menu and got caught up in a conversation."
She gives me a bit of a nod before looking out at one of the fields, fiddling with her menu a bit. Deciding to just cut to the chase I give her a poke on the shoulder.
Twitching minutely, she turns to fully look away before talking, "So… I've learned most of the things you can teach me right?"
I give her a bit of a considering look before nodding, "Yeah, pretty much. I can't teach you the Sorcerie or Incantations Systems yet because they haven't been unlocked by anyone, Alchemy was never really my thing so I won't be much help there, same with the rest of the crafting skills, we've already gotten you all of the ranging skills like Bowmanship, Stealth, Detection, Tracking, and Thrown Weapon Mastery… Yeah, I think I'm about out of things I can really teach you."
Hearing that she seemed to take a moment to steel her resolve before speaking again, "Ah, then I was wondering if you wouldn't mind friending me. I have a bit of a bad Idea and we might not be able to find each other easily if it goes wrong…"
"Oh, is that it? Sure." Honestly, the look of surprise on her face is priceless, albeit a bit depressing. I swipe through my menus sending her a Party Invite and a Friend Request, "There ya go. Now, what was this about a Bad Idea?"
"Well… I've been wondering if it actually hurts all that much to die to one of these monsters and I figured, since we've gone over most of the basics, this wouldn't be a bad idea! And well, in case I get logged off I wanted to make sure we could talk again, I mean, if you don't mind, that is…"
'Dear god, the sheer nervous energy rolling off of this girl…'
"Are you sure? The experience is pretty jarring and your account might get corrupted. We don't know what the bug causing the logout issue is yet." For some reason a yawning abyss opens up in my stomach, 'Something's not right here…'
"Yeah, I think I'm sure! If I lose anything you'll help me get it back right?"
'Haaaah, those bright and hopeful eyes… god I need to get out more.'
"Yeah I will. I guess if you're sure, there's a boar right over there. Might as well get it over with right?"
Giving me a resolute nod, Shion marches across the field, and starts hucking those rocks she'd picked up earlier at the boar. As the red marks start to appear on her arms and legs, the abyss grows deeper and deeper. A ping pulls my attention away from those thoughts momentarily.
Cheshire : {Hey Arum, something odd just reached my ear in response to the tidbit you just gave me.}
Cheshire : {People are talking about names disappearing from their contact list when someone dies.}
Cheshire : {I don't know if there's anything substantial behind it but something feels fishy.}
Cheshire : {With how finicky the nerve gear is, there's a chance that it might be dangerous…}
Cheshire : {Keep yourself safe and don't die.}
I didn't get to read the last message Cheshire sent me. Sprinting full tilt, I rip across the field towards Shion. 'Cmon, Cmon! I need to stop this!'
Leap after leap, bound after bound, growing closer and closer by the second, but I know. I know how fast the boar's charged attack comes out, the very charged attack Shion had been struggling to dodge all evening. I know how fast my voice travels, how fast a knife, arrow, or spear will travel with my stats. I know that I'm not going to make it in time.
I feel the abyss begin to grow beyond control as I'm stuck hurtling midair, watching as the boar cleaves Shion in half at the waist, forced to watch as she turns to smile at me, the horror at my expression slowly stretching across her face.
Frozen in time and space, I watch as Shion, the Bright, Hopeful, Lonely, New Player, evaporates into motes of red and gold light.
Then the world speeds back up. My body finishes its lunge. My spear finds itself into the boar's heart.
There's no reason to feel so sure, so completely and irrevocably sure, but somehow I know, I just watched someone I had come to see as a friend die.
[Dissolve Party?]
Yes :
No :
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I don't know how long I stood there, staring at that glimmering [Dissolve Party] icon, hovering right above Cheshire's final message.
Until I heard them.
The low tolling bells of a system announcement.
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—
In a flash of gold and red light, I find myself back in the Center Square, a cacophony of noise surrounding me.
Tens of thousands of people fill the square, all shouting in surprise, in concern, jostling each other around, looking for friends and, in some cases, party members.
A chining from the sky begins to catch people's attention.
Whispers begin to circulate amongst the crowd as we all stare up at the setting sun.
Ever the one for theatrics, he has to have something planned,
Almost as if on queue, Kayaba's voice rings out.
"Greetings Players, I am sure that you all must be quite confused, Allow me to provide a bit of… Clarity."
With the sound of snapping fingers, the square falls silent, leaving only the sound of cloth rustling as a large avatar dressed in Vermillion robes bleeds out of the sky itself.
Slowly, hope begins to fill me, the belief that maybe, just maybe, I'm wrong, begins to blossom.
"Today is quite the auspicious day!"
"The Beginning of a new age of Technology, of Science!"
"And You will all be a part of it!"
A burning sense of dread fills me once more at his words, washing away the burgeoning hope, with how… particular they are. Slowly fear begins to rise inside of me once more. 'Nononono, tell me I'm wrong Kayaba, tell me that this is all a poorly framed joke and everything is fine…'
"As some of you might have noticed, Some of your friends have Disappeared!"
"Let me assure you, this is in fact not a mistake!"
The Terror filling the square is palpable. No words are said, no words can be said.
"As some of you may have deduced, having your HP Gauge reduced into the negatives Kills you!"
"Aren't you all so deductive!"
"What you most assuredly did not notice, was that this action will place your body in the Waking World into A Permanent Coma!"
In a single moment, 485,961 people froze collectively.
"Oh, Don't look SO scared, It doesn't necessarily kill you!"
"You see, when someone's HP Gauge is reduced into the negatives, their consciousness will be locked into a cute little trinket that I like to call a Damocles Shackle!"
"If you are reduced to such a state, someone of your choosing from your party or friends list will be given this item!"
"If they like you enough they can decide to complete a quest attached to the item and bring you back to Life!"
A wave of relief washes over us all. We won't be dying, we can survive this, whatever this is.
Any thoughts of rejoicing die a quick death in our hearts at his next words.
"Though this quest is quite difficult, costing tens of millions of Col and dragging you all across the first fifty floors, so I suppose it'll be up to the receiver whether or not they want to put the effort in!"
If his prior words of discouragement hadn't already crushed our souls, his next ones finished the job.
"And the Damocles Shackles come with another effect! "
"Wearing one provides you with a skill, stat bonus, or special ability that the 'holder' had or, in the case that they have nothing to give you, one that is completely random!"
Making revival so difficult and bound to an item that provides copious amounts of benefits… This is an MMORPG, not a charity.
"Even better is that you can hold and wear an infinite amount of them!"
"They are completely tradeable, have no weight, and the benefits they provide can not only stack but don't interfere with your individual skills, stats, or special abilities!"
"Nifty, Huh?"
I take back everything I said about Divine Providence you bloody vermillion fuck.
"So, time to dole out the first set of Damocles Shackles and give you all your starting gift!"
"All of you who lost someone on your friends list or in your party, will be given a chance to argue your case to receive their Damocles Shackle over anyone else they associated with."
In a flash of red and gold light, everyone in the clearing was holding a small ornate mirror. With a flash of silver and white light I could feel myself gain seven or so inches of height, a foot and a half of hair, and my dull violet eyes reflect back at me in the mirror framed in an all too familiar face. My hair was back to its normal silvery white, my skin having regained the pale ivory color it had been all my life.
"I hope that all of you enjoy the gift!"
"It was a bit hard to get right but I just felt like it would help you all cope with never seeing your friends or families again!"
At that the crowd stills once more, catching onto the meaning of his words.
"After all, None of you will be leaving this place for a very, very long time!"
"If ever at all!"
"Now, good luck to you all, and I'll see you at the top of Aincrad!"
With a swirl of red smoke, he disappeared, allowing the sound to come back into the Square.
Terrified shouting filled the square. Ignoring the commotion of the masses, I began to push myself forward through the crowd, navigating towards Petyr's, staring at the bright golden box floating in front of me all the while.
Damocles Shackle : Shion the Elf - Mage Killer's Intuition
Accept :
Reject :
'I suppose this isn't much of a choice, now is it?'
Damocles Shackle : Shion the Elf - Mage Killer's Intuition
Accept : X
Reject :
Return of the Dead : Shion the Elf
Accept :
Reject :
'Neither is this one eh? Don't worry Shion. I'll make up for my mistake…'
Return of the Dead : Shion the Elf
Accept : X
Reject :
Even as I continued forward, the rest of the sentence was left unsaid.
—
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—
A leather band found its way into my hair, cinching it tight at the back of my skull.
A blitz of movement took me around the city. First to Petyr's to collect enough Health, Stamina, Endurance, and antidote potions to get me all the way to Charnam village.
Second came the Tarnished Spear, guided by Pure muscle memory, to grab fire starters, a tent, skinning knives, a mess kit, a surgical bag, an alchemy setup, and a bedroll, all of which beyond the surgical bag found their way into my inventory, the bag being strapped to my back below my quiver.
'One last stop, here's hoping no one else has gotten to it yet.'
A blind sprint took me across the rooftops, not even deigning to bother with the streets, before I finally arrived at a burnt out husk of a former manor house, charred and rent apart by flames, everything was in a state of ruin, other than a single flagstone beside the fireplace.
Rushing up to it I started to dig around it with a throwing needle until with a light pop it shucked out of the ground, revealing a simple leather bound blue book with a curling rune on the front.
Looking around to make sure no one saw me, I slip the book into my inventory before taking the flagstone as well, dusting myself off, I began tearing off towards the city's limits, heading to the south. Everything was going smooth, right up until a familiar, willowy, piebald figure dropped off a roof into my path.
"Hey Arum, got a moment to talk? I need a favor or two."
"God damnit, Cheshire, what is it now?"
—
—
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A.N.
So... I've had this concept bouncing around in my head for a couple of years now. I've always thought that Aincrad was just a bit too... Flimsy? Too lack luster? Too Shallow, maybe? Eh, it doesn't really matter. I want to make a version of Aincrad that actually feels... real. No stupid weapon limits, no lack of magic or diverse skills, and no artificial difficulty tweaking. SAO, to me at least, always felt like it could have just been a bit more lethal if there had just been a little more wiggle room when it came to the mechanics. People would be more willing to throw themselves into the meat grinder, more willing to risk everything for little to nothing, because they have all of the tools that should guarantee their survival.
It always felt a bit stupid to me that in the later portions of the original story Kawahara dropped in those stupid 'anti crystal' traps like they actually changed anything from a gameplay perspective. Sure, losing out on your main source of utility items would suck, but that would really only apply to teleportation as a utility, seeing as they still had potions for every occasion.
It just always felt like a pointless difficulty tweak that only served as a temporary moral degradation.
There were so fucking many things like that, to be fully honest. The arbitrary weapon limits. The lack of proper ranged weapons. The lack of magic. The contradictory presence of spears, maces, hammers, and all other non sword based weaponry, that invalidates the lack of said proper ranged weapons. The lack of magic. The dual wielding limitations. The lack of magic. The 'special skills' that are either just simply fucking useless or are completely bullshit and broken, the perfect comparison being dual wielder next to divine sword. The lack of magic. Battle healing completely invalidating any need for crystals and potions, just fucking dodge and heal. The lack of magic. The general lack of a reason to ever rely on player craftsmen when boss and miniboss drop items are just sooooo fucking much better, yes I am talking about the Elucidator and Anneal Blade. The lack of magic. The miniscule level of design that seemingly went into every floor, just a basic set of terrain and mob choices with only marginal differences from the floor prior or the next floor. The lack of magic. The general lack of NPC characters other than like a hot elf and a little girl. The lack of magic. The lack of actual players beyond Kirito, his fellow clearer buddies, and like two craftsmen, only one of which ever appears in the show. The lack of magic. The fact that the world seemingly decided that Kirito was, in fact, the center of it and everything in it would revolve around him, looking at you Yui. Were a pair of 'IN LOVE' teenagers really the happiest people in the entirety of Aincrad, really? OH YEAH, have I mentioned the lack of magic yet, I should really mention the lack of magic.
In this story I am going to endeavor to write something that I can look at and say, "Now that's some anime nonsense that makes some sense!' So, if you Like it, read it! If you don't, tell me why. If it's something that should be fixed or changed, you can bet I'm going to.
Read, Enjoy, & Review.
P.S. : Silica with a gun. Think about it. How funny will that shit be.