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English
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Part 1 of Sword Art Online Stories
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Published:
2022-03-28
Updated:
2023-04-16
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42,265
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8/?
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Sword Art Online: Aincrad’s Hollow Fragment

Summary:

Set in the world of Reki Kawahara's Sword Art Online, our story will follow Kazzu Akihiko: The co creator of Sword Art Online and the son of Kayaba Akihiko: The creator of Sword Art Online. This journey will break through the original timeline and explore it's own path. What if some people who died in the original timeline had been saved? What if certain groups decided to band together instead of fight amongst themselves? What if one player, surrounded by his newfound friends and family, conquered all 100 floors of Castle Aincrad and discovered hidden secrets along the way?

Taking inspiration from the manga series, anime and video game series, follow Kazzu as he fights his way through the world of Sword Art Online in an attempt to repair the fractures that the game has presented to the other players around him.

Chapter 1: Prologue Kazzu

Chapter Text

November 6th, 2022.

Another cold day in Japan, surrounded by grey skies and freezing winds. If I didn't know any better, snow would've started to fall and surround the houses that surrounded my own. Luckily, Mother Nature was kind enough to not cover the Earth with her frozen white blanket. The alarm on my nightstand softly buzzing, informing me to wake up. Slowly, I pushed myself to sit up and silence my phone which was causing the buzzing alarm. My muscles were sore, my back tight and my vision slowly adjusting to the bright grey lights entering my bedroom window. Once I could properly see, I stretched my body until the tightness in my back was released by a pop. Relieved by the absence of pressure in my back, I stood up and walked to my closet to pick the clothes I would wear for the day. Today was a special day, so wearing my standard hoodie and jeans wouldn't be acceptable. Picking out a business suit that my father had purchased for me, I walked out of my room and into the restroom. Looking at myself in the mirror, my bed hair was fluffed all over the place. I laughed at my rugged state as I turned the hot water on for the shower and began to brush my teeth. As I cleaned my teeth, I looked up and saw my different colored eyes. I always thought they were cool, but I have been made fun of because of them. All throughout college and even at the company, I was asked very personal questions about my eyes such as "Were you born with a defect?" or "Did your dad sleep with another woman?". These questions never bothered me, but I was concerned with the fact that my peers only asked these questions because of my eye colors. My mind shifted as the room had completely steamed over. I rinsed my mouth and hopped in the shower.

?- Kazzu? Hurry up there or we will be late for the server launch.

I smiled at my fathers statement. He has been waiting to release this project for quite some time now. I share his excitement. The project we've worked on for months is finally coming to the public. The project we called: Sword Art Online. Sword Art Online is the first Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, VRMMORPG for short, produced by my father's company: Argus. My father, Kayaba Akihiko, is the development director of the game and the device it was meant to be played on, the NerveGear. Even though my father created both the NerveGear and Sword Art Online, he had brought me along to help him design, improve and create the systems needed to run the game on the NerveGear. I would've never thought that he would invite me, his fifteen-year-old son, to help him create this big of a project. He must have seen the capabilities I had from a very early age, considering I graduated college when I was thirteen. I wanted to follow in his footsteps and help create virtual worlds to bring joy and wonder to the public and to share a story through creating a virtual world.

?- Kazzu!? Please, hurry or I will leave without you!

Shaking myself out of my self-induced trance, I turned off the water and dried myself off. After speedily combing my hair, I quickly made sure I looked the part and joined my father downstairs. His choice of clothing made him look like a scientist heading to a secret government lab, with a white long coat and a black tie right above his white collared shirt. He looked at my choice of clothing and chuckled.

Kayaba- Kazzu, you know we are just opening the servers today, right? Not going to an important business meeting.

"What's wrong with me looking professionally on an important day?"

Kayaba- Nothing. I just want you to know that this amount of professionalism is unnecessary today. Don't worry, I picked out some spare clothes for you. They are waiting in the car. Let's get a move on, you can change on the way there.

I sighed and followed him as we walked away. Try to look nice for once and it gets shut down immediately. I guess it's for the best. I never liked looking fancy anyway. We both entered the car, me hopping in the back seat to change out of my formal attire and into something I preferred to wear casually. A grey t-shirt, black hoodie and a pair of black jeans later, I was comfortably sitting behind my father waiting to arrive at our company building.

While waiting I decided to check my phone for the profit that the game had produced. We had only made 10,000 copies and most of them went out instantly. 1000 copies went out to the beta testers who had played our game back when the beta was released in August. The beta had resulted in a mass surge of media popularity and increased our sales exponentially. Because of that, every copy of the game released to the public was bought. As far as I was concerned, with me and my father each keeping a copy, there will be 10,000 players entering the world of Sword Art Online. The thought alone made me excited. I was happy that so many people would be enjoying the hard work me, and my father had put forth into making this game and getting to experience a whole new world for themselves. My thoughts were once again halted as the car pulled up to a spot and parked. I looked out the back window and saw the giant plaque that presented itself on the front of the building: "Argus: Express Your Vision.".

Kayaba- Ready to change the world son?

"I haven't been more ready in my entire life."

I hopped out of the car with a giddy smile, practically jumping out of my shoes. As my father was exiting his car, I rushed over to the front door and entered the complex. Not wanting to stop for anything, I rushed past security and towards the elevator. After a few minutes, my father joined me and pressed the button to call the elevator.

Kayaba- Next time you rush past security, you might get detained.

"Apologies father. I'm just really excited."

A chuckle escaped his breath. He placed his arm on my shoulder, patting it and gently pushed me in the elevator, joining me in the process. He pressed the button that led to the basement of the company, where all the server rooms of the company were. Cliché elevator music kicked in as we were slowly carried down, heading deeper into the foundation of the company until the elevator stopped, dinged and opened its doors to us. We both walked out to the many servers, monitors and wires running rampant around this floor of the building until we reached a huge setup filled with multiple monitors. I knew this station as the Main World Server as it had access to all of Sword Art Onlines data. I sat down and began to run systems check on the monitor to make sure we were in the clear. Doing so, three small, bubbled programs began to float around the screen. I smiled as I knew the programs in front of me. I chuckled as I continued to run my check.

"Morning Cardinal, Yui and Strea. How are my lovely programs doing today?"

The bubbles continued to float around in silence, occasionally bumping into the sides of the screens or running into each other. My father walked up to the monitor checking the progress.

Kayaba- So far so good?

"Yes sir. The systems are operating at 100%. All systems are a go. Just wanted to run a quick diagnostic to see if there were any last-minute bugs, breaks or glitches in the system. Plus, I wanted to say hi to the programs."

Kayaba- You really enjoy those three, don't you?

"Aside from the fact that one of them is basically the main core system needed for the game, yes. I'm proud to have created these three. Cardinal will keep the game on the right path while Yui and Strea will be there to listen to players who are struggling, whether it be in Aincrad or the real world."

Kayaba- Cardinal I understand, but the mental health programs sound a bit over the top.

"Well, think about it. If a player is having a hard time in the real world yet doesn't have the courage to face it in the real world, having the mental health programs help them to gain that confidence and offer advice on how to better improve themselves. Sword Art Online is, by all accounts, an escape from reality."

After that small talk, Kayaba stepped away from me and the Main World Server. A few more commands and inputs later and the server was ready to be activated, thus officially releasing Sword Art Online to the public. I stood up and backed away from the Main World Server, offering the chair to my father.

"We are all clear. All it needs is your input and admin codes."

He looked at me with a smile, but this smile seemed false. Almost as if it was being faked. I thought nothing of it as Kayaba sat down and began typing into the server. I took a minute to walk around the room and examine each and every server. Every single one contained something new, something exciting to be found in the world of Sword Art Online, better known as Aincrad. Aincrad was a floating castle made of iron and stone, consisting of 100 floors filled with different environments, landscapes and monsters to encounter. The goal of the game is to climb all 100 floors and reach the top of Castle Aincrad. No one has done it, even the beta testers could only make it so far before the beta closed. I was one of those testers. Even with my skills and knowledge of the game, I was only able to make it a quarter of the way. But after the beta and learning more about the in-game systems, I can guarantee I can reach the fortieth floor without breaking a sweat.

Once more my thoughts were interrupted as the surroundings of the server room had switched to emergency power, covering the entire room with a bright red light. Alerted, I rushed back over to the Main World Server only to find most of the monitors destroyed, except for the main terminal containing the three floating programs. My father looked down at the keyboard, ready to execute a command I had never seen before. I looked at my father confused and worried about the emergency lighting.

"Father? What is this? What have you done?"

Kayaba- I have done what I have intended for this world to begin with.

"What do you mean?"

I looked over at the command, rather commands, my father was about to execute. The first command was to imprison the mental health programs so they could not interfere or interact with other players. The second command was for something labeled Death Parameters.

"Father, why are you imprisoning the mental health programs? And what are the Death Parameters? Why are you granting these commands?"

He took a deep sigh and pressed down on the keyboard, executing the commands. The next thing I knew, the Cardinal program had engulfed both Strea and Yui into her own programing, trapping them. My father then proceeded to walk around the room, gently caressing the servers.

Kayaba- I'm about to make those players experience a world that they believe is fake, but in actuality, it's a reality. They will feel exhausted when staying awake for long periods of time, they will grow hungry when they haven't consumed food, thirsty when they feel parched and most importantly, they will be killed by the monsters inside if they aren't prepared.

My eyes widened in shock at his last statement. The very fact that he had initiated essentially a Death Game program into Sword Art Online's server had surprised me enough, but now he was talking about trapping thousands of players in a virtual reality game and keeping them there, pitting them against the many challenges of the game with the chance of death coming around any corner to take their lives. For what reason did he have for doing this? Why was this even a thought in his head?

Kayaba- A world made of my own image. Where my floating castle sits in the sky just waiting for the one heroic challenger to climb all one hundred floors and conquer it all. Merging virtual and actual reality into one single entity, I will be a god!

"A god? You'd be murdering thousands of people!"

Kayaba- Not all of them have to die. And if they do, that just means my world was too much for them. I would be the victor.

"The victor? That's just sick! You'd be nothing but a murderer!"

Kayaba- Of course you wouldn't see my perspective on this. You developed a game that held players' hands when my dream was to plunge them into a different reality where consequences still exist. Should those consequences mean death then so be it!

I rushed past my father and tried to reverse the commands given, each attempt was greeted with an access denied screen. I turned back to my father, screaming and begging at the top of my lungs.

"Father! You have to stop this! This is madness!"

Kayaba- I will do no such thing. My world will see its creation and if you plan on stopping me, I will kill you.

My eyes widened further, and my heart stopped. His words made my hands shake and tears stream down my face. He was willing to kill his own flesh and blood just to see his monstrosity come to life. I couldn't handle it; I couldn't dare look him in the eyes after those words left his lips. With a heavy heart, I rushed towards the elevator and left Argus behind. I just kept running. Running through the streets, through the sidewalks and alleys just to get back home. All the while, my head kept repeating my father's words and imagining the serious expression on his face. He was going to kill people, and he didn't care. He was placing people in a death trap, and he didn't care. He had threatened the life of his son, and he did not care. Not one single bit. The tears streaming down my face were met only with small droplets of rain starting to fall from the gloomy sky above. Light rain slowly turned to a shower. My clothes were drenched in water but all that mattered was that I returned home. It took me a longer time on foot but after what felt like hours, I made it home and bolted back up to my room. Shutting the door behind me and locking it, I sank to the floor. My knees close to my face, my hands shaking from the cold, pure shock and fear, and my heart close to leaping out of my chest. I had helped my father build a game set on killing those who weren't ready to take on its challenges. I couldn't just sit aside and let that happen, could I? But if I joined the game, what could I do? What chance did I have against the creator? These questions filled my head until I started to answer them myself. While my father was the creator of the game, I helped build it. I helped design its levels, its monsters, its bosses. If anyone could stand a chance against his madness it was me, wasn't it? Standing up, I grabbed my NerveGear helmet and held it close to me. I knew the stakes. Either I let my father continue on his quest to enslave all of Aincrad or put on the NerveGear and jump into the world of Sword Art Online, with no guaranteed survival and the possibility of letting down all of the players trapped inside. I looked at the helmet one more time and took a deep breath.

"I won't let him win. I won't let him get away with this. Even if it does nothing to help them, I have to try."

Connecting my NerveGear to my monitor, setting it on my head and laying down on my bed, I took one last look at the room I was raised in. One last look at the reality I was leaving behind. One last look at my life as I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply once again and spoke the words:

"Link Start!"

Chapter 2: Prologue Yoshi

Chapter Text

November 6th, 2022

Another cold day in Japan, surrounded by grey skies and freezing winds. I guessed it would start snowing later this afternoon, but the weather was the hardest to predict the nature of. I wake to the sound of our postman’s bike doing his scheduled rounds mailing bills and the occasional letter from the distant family. I sit up and lean against the head of my bed, tugging the quilt off my body and getting out of bed. Because of my smaller sized room, it only takes a step and a half for me to reach my drawers and select my choice of clothes for the day, reaching under for a duffel bag I keep under the bed carrying a few of my favorite books and leaving my room into the hallway and out into the kitchen. The living room shares itself with the kitchen, so it doesn’t take long to make myself breakfast and sit resting on the couch, turning on the news for the morning reports and start eating. With my mouth full the first article I see is about the most recent game titled Sword Art Online along with the console it runs on reaching critically acclaimed status seemingly overnight.

“Oh yeah. That was today, wasn’t it?”

I nonchalantly let the news about the game pass. I imagined a game like that would be fun seeing as what setting the game takes place in but asking for something like from my parents would be equivalent to asking for a yacht by day’s end. I stand up from my seating and wash up the dishes after finishing my breakfast, noticing a hand full of used scratch cards on the kitchen counter. Both my parents work constantly to make ends meet and have little time to accompany each other. I can’t say I’m mad at them for it, they’re doing all they can to support our family and the moments we do have together are often my favorite ones but because of their underpaid work, they’ve taken up the hobby of gambling their money to earn more. They win some and lose lots but it’s the way of life for them, so much so they don’t try to hide it from me anymore. I sift through the cards to see if they had miraculously missed a winning ticket but alas not before throwing them out into the trash. I make some final preparations before leaving the house until my attention is drawn to the back of our front door, seven thousand yen taped to the door and a note reading.

"Here’s your allowance for this month, spend it properly. -Mom"

I smile at my mother’s gesture of affection and take both my allowance and the note, keeping them in my pocket before leaving the house with my duffel bag and a jacket to fight off the cold weather. Walking down our closed-off street I make my way towards the city on foot, it’s a good forty-minute walk but I don’t mind it, as long as I get to find a place to read outside. When arriving I seek out a specific food market as it has one of my favorite places, an almost unnoticeable cafe at first viewing and serves the best hot chocolate and French toast in Japan, that’s my opinion. Making my way there I open the door with the jingle of a bell and sit in a booth by the window looking out into the market. A woman wearing a denim jacket and spotted bib apron approaches me as I make myself comfortable in my seat.

Waitress- I take it you’ll be having the usual.

“Yes, thank you Iroko-San, here you are.”

I go to hand her the twelve hundred yen, but she stops me before I could do so.

Iroko- No need Nakamura, it’s on the house this time.

My eyes widened a bit at the gesture, but I smiled and pocketed my money.

“Ah, then thank you again.”

Iroko- It’s my treat.

With a wink, she walks off behind the counter to prepare my order. I open the duffel bag beside me and take out one of my favorite genres of books I like to keep close to me when I’m out of the house. Most of the books I own consist of fantasy, adventure, and stuff like that. I’ve always admired the heroes and heroines I read about in my books, even knowing they’re just stories doesn’t waver my want to go on an adventure of my own, even if it won’t that interesting to read about. Getting instantly focused into my book it feels like only seconds have passed before the cafe’s waitress walks back to the booth I sit at and conveys my food and drink to me.

Iroko- Here you are, your hot chocolate and French toast as ordered.

“Thank you, Iroko-San, I’m grateful for the discount.”

Iroko- Discount? I’m giving you your order for free I hardly call that a discount. So, I expect something in return for my show of kindness in the future.

She sits down on the opposite side of the booth as I pick up the French toast and bite into it without breaking eye contact from my book. I barely even noticed Iroko trying to gain my attention until she raised her voice.

Iroko- Nakamura!?

“Hm?”

Iroko- Geez, I forgot how invested you can get into books. Not to dissuade you from reading because barely anyone does anymore but maybe you should go outside more instead of this dingy back-alley coffee shop, go socialize with other people, make new friends, find new opportunities, maybe find a girl, or boy, and become high school sweethearts.

“I’m socializing with you, aren’t I? And this place isn’t dingy, I find the atmosphere here cozy, and I like your company more than anyone else."

With a smug look, she leans forward on the table and gave me a suggestive glare. 

Iroko- Are you trying to flirt with me~?

“You’re almost twice my age.”

Iroko- Ouch. Thanks for reminding me.

She sank back into her chair with a fake pout. I chuckled and rolled my eyes at her.

“You’re welcome”

 I take a sip of the hot chocolate and lean back in relaxation.

“Ahhhhhh, perfect.”

Iroko- Thanks... Hey, do you know what today is?

I tried to rack my brain around any holiday that could have been scheduled for today, but nothing seemed to catch my knowledge.

“A Sunday.”

Iroko- No smart ass, do you know what’s special about today?

“Umm… I’m hoping not your birthday.”

Iroko- It might as well be. It’s Sword Art Online’s release day, aren’t you excited?

“I guess? I don’t have much care for it.”

Iroko- How could you not care about the most anticipated MMORPG to have come out in the 21st century?

“It’s not my kind of style of entertainment. From the sounds of it, you’ve already played.”

Iroko- Not yet but it’s killing me to wait. I got it all set up at home before I had to come to work. As soon as I get off my shift, I’m jumping straight into it.

“Sounds like you’ll have the time of your life, sorry I don’t share your same enthusiasm for such things Iroko-San. I can’t afford them.”

Iroko- Yeah, I understand, both the NerveGear and SAO cost a couple of pretty pennies to afford. Hopefully, sometime in the future, you’ll be able to afford such commodities. Until then maybe you can come over and borrow mine for a time if you want to give it a try.

I chuckle as I lean in and imitate the smug and suggestive glare that she did to me not seconds ago.

“Now you sound like you’re coming onto me.”

Iroko- Ah crap, I did. Sorry…

“It’s ok I know that’s not what you meant. I’ll gratefully take you up on your offer, it sounds like a lot of fun.”

We both share a laugh over the jokingly awkward moment before Iroko’s attention is taken to another regular walking in.

Iroko- That’s my cue. Enjoy yourself Nakamura, and don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, it may turn out great for you.

With that, she stood up from the booth and proceeded to help the regular that just arrived. I return to enjoying the company of my stories and over time finish off the best hot chocolate and French toast I’ve ever known. The sun inevitably reaches noon, and I am almost done reading through the novel I was currently on before my attention is brought outside the café’s window where many people have gathered together for something I assumed to be important. Putting a bookmark on the ongoing chapter, I put away my novel back into its duffel bag and go investigate. I share thanks to Iroko-San before leaving and walk back out into the markets, gradually making my way through the crowd to see what all the commotion is about. Finally getting a better view I see a banner advertising the renowned design of the NerveGear helmet and the logo for SAO. Before I could start piecing the scene together in my head a man with a microphone stands atop a makeshift podium to raise himself above the horde of people to announce himself.

Announcer- If everyone could settle back down please, there is no fire in sight. Everyone here will have a chance to pull the raffle before our offer time is up. 

“So that’s all this is.”

Sighing in disappointment I go to leave but hear the announcer call out once again before I could. 

Announcer- As a reminder to all here or for those who have just arrived the top seven winners will receive a promising prize for their participation and the first one to be pulled out will be returning home with a brand new NerveGear headset along with the already almost unobtainable game taking the world by storm: Sword Art Online!

The crowd almost go wild again at the mention of the top prize but is tamed down by the announcer. My plans on leaving cease at the mention of the reward for the first-place winner. I battle with myself to decide on what to do, the thought of winning something that was just announced now to be so rare allured and convinced me to try something new for once, but the thought of my parents came up amid my imaginary scenarios, what would they think? It’s because of their thought to be an unhealthy hobby for gambling that we’re in our financial rut but on the other hand, it’s been beneficial for us, not equally to balance out the losses but we could have been in a worst off place without the winnings, maybe if I did enter I could sell off anything of value if I do win whether or not it’s the NerveGear or not. My mind makes points and counterpoints to any sequence of events I think of making me stand completely focused on myself and ignoring how strange I look standing in the middle of the markets, but a memory from this morning pops up in my head It was what Iroko-San had said to me before returning to work.

Iroko- Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, it may turn out great for you.

Announcer- One-minute remaining people, one minute remaining before we close up our booth and hand out your numbers!

Encouraged by Iroko-San’s words, I make a mad dash towards the raffle booth, almost dropping my books. I break through the crowd of people to arrive at the ticket booth in time with exhausted and excited breath as it’s not very often I run for anything.

“I’d like to enter!”

Booth Runner- Woah! Someone’s just had a last-minute decision, just in time too.

"Great! What do I have to do to enter?"

Booth Runner- The entry fee is sixty-five hundred yen. Once you pay, you enter your name, and we’ll give you your number.

I hesitate the moment of hearing the price. I was lucky enough to have just above the amount needed but that was for everything for this month: school cafeteria, emergency grocery shopping, ordering from the cafe, purchasing a new book for myself, everything. With an unnecessarily brave face, I slam my entry fee on the table and swiftly write my full name down on the signup sheet before me.

“Done!”

Booth Runner- W-Wow um ok, bit excited there kid?

“Absolutely terrified”

The runner hands me my raffle ticket and I join the bustling crowd, awaiting the drawing.

Announcer- And that’s it! Our entry booth is now close to anymore who wants to sign up. For anyone who wanted to register but couldn’t, better luck next week. Now we wait for the shuffling of our… over two hundred participants!? I-I don’t know what to say but thank you all! It’s all because of your combined contributions we’re able to give out reward after reward just for all of you lovely people here and not here today!

The Announcer’s thankful words fall deafly onto my ears as I’m shaken to my core out of fear, struggle, and… thrill. It’s painfully tense throughout my body as the anticipation feels like it could kill me but the adrenaline from deciding to win big or go home helps me cope.

Announcer- Alright we’re finally ready to pull the numbers, we just had to find a bigger lottery drum.

The crowd chuckles at what they all thought to be a joke until they bring out a lottery drum the size of an adult’s human torso onto the podium. The Announcer starts cranking the winch on the side of the drum, spinning all the numbered balls within the cage and causing them all to collide with each other making an eerie rattling sound and adding to the suspense.

Announcer- Everyone… Are. You. Ready!?

The crowd of people gathered respond cheering before they all start counting down, my heart dropping each time they all shout.

Everyone- Five… Four… Three… Two… One!!!

The raffle drum slows down to a halt once the announcer lets go of its handle and a ball of primary color rolls out of it. The wait for it to stop feels like years with the sudden silence of everyone around me except for the chirping and flapping of birds flying out of the rafters holding up the roof to escape the abrupt commotion just as quickly as everyone had fallen quiet. The announcer picks up the ball from its track and reads it aloud through his microphone.

Announcer- Two three five? Number two three five anyone?

Almost everyone’s heads lower as they all look to see if their numbers matched. I inevitably look down at the ticket in my hand my heart thumping through my chest to read my numbers out loud.

“Two three five… two three five… two three five! I’ve got number two three five!”

The people around me start parting ways to lead a path to the podium and clap for my winnings. Some of their faces share the look of somber emotions but it’s not the end of the world for them especially when there are still a handful of other potential prizes to win.

Announcer- Get on up here kid!

I jog up to the stage keeping hold of my bag of books slung around my shoulder and standing up beside the man who called out my numbers.

Announcer- Now what’s your name young man?

“I-It’s Noshi Yakamura sir- shoot, I meant my name is Yoshi Nakamura.”

The announcer chuckles slightly at my missaying followed by some of the crowd.

Announcer- Well Yoshi Nakamura, congratulations on winning this brand new NerveGear set.

He handed me a perfectly cubed sealed box with the imagery and diagrams of the helmet and game inside.

Announcer- Be careful with that, I’ve had two people try to steal this now. Keep it in your bag until you get back home.

“Y-Yes sir I will!”

My words were followed by a pat on the back from the man I was sharing the stage with.

Announcer- Good, stay safe on your way back home, hope to see you again. Yoshi Nakamura everybody!

Everyone participating in the raffle clap and cheers as I take my leave, stuffing the NerveGear box into my book bag. My heart was still thumping hard from the feeling of adrenaline throughout my body, so I felt to run it off back home with a smile on my face. With some close calls of almost getting run over I make it home perfectly fine, walking through the door with shaky hands I make it to the kitchen and have plenty glasses of water to tackle my exhaustion. Once I calm down, I take my bag off my shoulder and place it on the ground before sitting down on the couch to catch my breath from turning a forty-minute walk into a twenty-minute run. I feel like I’m about to pass out before I lay my sight on my duffel bag. After all this I plan to sell the headset and game to someone for much-needed money, it would be better for myself and my family to do so, to help us enough to get out of our financial crisis. It’s what the heroes in my stories would do, it’s what I would do. But the last sudden thought of the day intruded on my mind, whether or not the gear was used or not it would still pay a high price with the inclusion of the game so why miss out on having my own experiences with it first? Going into my room I open my bag and then carefully open the box. I closely inspect the helm after taking it out and before looking at the instructions inside. I closely follow the directions on how to set everything up and connect a display screen that supposedly held the full game before plugging in the headset and putting it on my head as I lay back on my bed making sure I’m comfortable before closing my eyes, inhaling deeply to calm myself down one last time and spoke the words:

"LINK START!"

Chapter 3: The Horror Begins (Kazzu)

Chapter Text

Multiple flashes of colors rushed around my head, getting narrow and faster while multiplying into a weird forming funnel until I was faced with a blank white surrounding. Holographic bubbles started to float in front of me running a test on my senses. Touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell all checked out as the bubbles shrunk and moved aside to the right side of my vision. Two small text boxes popped up on my left asking me what language I preferred to play the game in. If I had it my way, I wouldn't be playing this game at all. But knowing about the mission at hand, I picked Japanese and was directed to a login page. I was prepared to put my account information in, but I hesitated. If my father was serious with his threat, being on this account would put me in serious danger. He would know who I am, where I am and what I was doing in the game. Shirking off my hesitation, I entered my account information. A second later, a welcome screen introduced me to the game as I was digitally constructed into the video game world.

I opened my eyes and looked around. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the world around me, but I soon see the safe zone for the first floor: The Town of Beginnings. I quickly open my menu and look for the Log Out button. To my misfortune, it was missing. This confirmed my fears, I was stuck in this game along with any player that decided to put the NerveGear on. Soon I'm not the only person to spawn into this town as other players surround me, teleporting in from the real world. I look at them scared and worried. They do not know that they are forever containing themselves in this virtual trap. I couldn't stay here, I had to get stronger. I had to find some monsters and level up so I can stop this game as fast as I can. I dropped down my inventory storage and looked at how much Col I had: ten thousand. Closing the menu and rushing into town, I looked for the nearest blacksmith to buy starter equipment so I could look for monsters to kill. Finding one right near the entrance of town, I bought an assortment of weapons, armor and a shield to protect myself. A shield would slow me down, but I would rather risk my own speed in order to protect myself. I motioned my hand downward and opened the game menu. Pressing on inventory, I equipped my shield, armor and a one-handed sword. Backing out of the inventory, I looked at my skills list. I only knew two skills at the moment: Sonic Leap & Vorpal Strike. These two will serve me well on this floor. Before I left, I noticed a guy with long reddish hair looking around as if he was trying to find someone. Curious to see if he was part of a group, I wandered over to him.

"Hey, did you lose your party? Or are you trying to find your guild?"

The guy turned around and gave me a warm smile before waving his hand in a dismissive way. 

Maroon- No, but thanks for wondering. I was actually looking for someone who was just running through the streets. I think they might have been a beta tester.

I raised an eyebrow at him and thought about his logic.

"You do realize that they could've just been exploring the scenery for the first time, right? Just because they were running around, doesn't mean they were a beta tester."

Maroon- Yea I know, but I just have a gut feeling that's all. Could you help me find him? I don't have much but I'll find a way to pay you back.

If my father is really going through with his insane plan, it would be better for players to tackle this game in numbers instead of playing solo. If there is a chance that these two could party up, their chances of survival would increase just a little bit more.

"Yea, I don't see why not. Let's go find your mystery player."

Maroon- Sweet! You won't regret it! Oh, the name is Klein by the way, pleasure to meet you!

He extended his hand and offered his palm to me. I gave him a slight smile as I accepted his offer and shook his hand.

"Kazzu, the pleasure is mine."

 

Not long after our introduction, we began our search for this mystery player. I spotted a few other players running around the streets looking at the scenery like I said they would and a couple of players here and there diving into the role-playing aspects of the game. Some playing the role of a knight in shining armor, others playing as a damsel needing a hero to protect them. I smiled, but only for a second, as I realized what this game could have been. What joy it would have brought. My thoughts were halted when a player rushed right past me, not caring for the town, not caring for any of the stores, he was rushing straight for the gates of town.

Bingo!

"Klein! This way!"

Klein- What!? Oh, ok!

We both gave chase to the player, and it wasn't long before we caught up to him in an alleyway. Klein took the initiative and ran ahead of me to confront the player. 

Klein- HEY BRO!? WAIT UP!

The player turned his head and started to slow down, hearing Klein's cry for attention. As he caught up to the player, he took a while to catch his breath while I slowly approached and planted myself comfortably against the wall.

Mystery Player- What's up?

Klein- You act like you know your way around here. You were in the beta test weren't ya?

Mystery Player- Y-Yea but, how did you...?

"He saw you running around and assumed you were."

Klein- Hey, it worked didn't it!? I told you he was!

"It's still a very big assumption... but I'll let it go."

Klein- Anyway... today is my first day so do you think you could give me some tips on the lower floors?

"Really Klein? I could've helped you with that..."

Mystery Player- Yea, I don't really know if...

Klein clasped his hands together in a pleading motion.

Klein- Oh come on please. I'm begging ya! Look, my name is Klein. Nice to meet you!

The mystery player looked at me for confirmation and I just shrugged my shoulders. If this guy was a beta tester, he and I could show this newbie the ropes. The mystery player gave off a friendly sigh and smiled at Klein.

Mystery Player- Alright. I'm Kirito.

 

Floor 1: Town Of Beginnings West Field

Klein- GAHHHH!

The sound of Klein getting knocked back by a boar almost echoed throughout the field. As the boar went back to minding its own business, the whimpering cries of Klein holding his crotch were met by unimpressed looks from me and Kirito.

Klein- Kill me now...

"Dude... are you serious?"

Kirito- Yea come on seriously. You know you can't feel any pain.

Klein's eyes widen as if he just realized the fact and he stopped his pained cries and whimpers. 

Klein- Oh yea... you're right... sorry about that... it's a habit...

He slowly stood back up and groggily eyed the boar that attacked him. I looked over and noticed his health was in the yellow. Not wanting to take chances, I pulled out a healing crystal and handed it to him. 

"Try not to keep your health in the yellow if you can. You never know when an enemy might execute a very powerful attack, even on the first floor."

Klein- Yea, no kidding. Thank you.

He used the crystal, which brought his health back into the green, and continued to stare the boar down.

Klein- Now how am I going to beat that thing?

Kirito- Remember what I said? The first move is the most important.

"The first move decides whether or not you or your enemy will have the advantage a fight."

Klein- Yea, that's easy for you two to say but it just won't stand still.

"You can't expect every enemy to keep still for you. They will learn your attack patterns just like you do for them. You have to choose your moment to strike."

Kirito picked up a stone that was on the ground and focused on the boar.

Kirito- Yea. If you do your initial motion right and activate a sword skill at the right time...

The stone in his hand started to glow red. After another second, he threw the rock like a fastball and hit the boar square in the butt, causing the boar to turn around and focus its attention on Kirito.

Kirito- ...the system pretty much guarantees that you'll always hit your target.

Klein- Initial... motion...?

He holds his weapon confused as the boar charged our small group. I decided to take reign and simplify it. 

"Here's an easier way to look at it..."

I held my shield out in front of me as the boar crashed into it, causing us both to struggle against each other's force.

"...right after you start your move, wait for a little bit. When you feel the skill start to activate, drive it home."

Klein- Drive it home...?

His eyes widened again as he figured it out, widening his stance and holding his weapon behind his back. I saw the weapon glow yellow and smirked as I bashed the boar back and kicked it on the side, turning it to face Klein and go attack him. As it got closer, Klein gave out a small battle cry and lunged his sword forward. His sword skill activated, and he was zipped quickly through the boar, a nice big red digital gash on its side. It wasn't long before the animal exploded into crystal shards and Klein was rewarded for his kill. Klein raised both his fist and weapon in the air in excitement as the beast was slain. 

Kirito- Congratulations...

The compliment was followed by Kirito and Klein sharing a high five, followed by me and Klein repeating the process. 

Kirito- That was nice, but that boar was as weak as slimes in other games are.

Klein's eyes went wide in shock as he confronted Kirito's confession.

Klein- Holy crap, ya gotta be kidding! I thought that thing was a mid-level boss!

Kirito- Yea... as if...

"Oh, cut the guy some slack. When I first tried this game, I thought the exact same thing. The controls are... something to get used to but it won't take him long."

Just as I said that, Klein started practicing more of his sword skills, swinging his weapon left, right and center.

"See?"

Kirito- Addicting, isn't it?

Klein- I'll say... so these skills... there's a ton of them like blacksmithing and stuff, right?

"Yep."

Kirito- I heard the game has an unlimited number of them. All except for magic though. 

Klein focused his weapon to charge another sword skill, smirking as he did so.

Klein- An RPG without magic, huh? That's a bold decision man."

He unleashed his skill and red particles dissipated in the air. Klien started getting giddy as he had figured out the controls for the game.

"So, what do you think? It's kind of fun moving your body as you fight, isn't it?"

Klein- Oh hells yea!

Kirito- So, what do you two think? Ready to move on?

"I can keep going. Need to start raising my combat skills anyway."

Klein- Yea man! Let's keep going!

The area around us started to fill itself up with numerous groups of boars. We were going to be busy for a while.

 

And busy we were. We had spent so much time killing boars that the sun was starting to descend towards the horizon. The sky now colored a beautiful mix of orange and yellow, mobs of baby dragons flying through the air and a waterfall that could deafen your ears if you got too close to it. It was all so peaceful. I had almost forgotten what my father had in store for this world.

Klein- When I look around, I can't believe it. We are inside of a video game bro... whoever made it is a genius. This thing is amazing. Makes me glad I was born when I was you know.

I understood what that feeling was. It was the exact feelings I was wanting everyone to experience while playing this game. To hear it come out of someone's mouth, it filled me with glee. But knowing my father was true to his word, glee turned into despair. 

Kirito- It's not that big a deal.

Klein- Cut me some slack, it's my first FullDive. 

"Never used a NerveGear before today, Klein?"

Kirito- This is your first time ever?

Klein- Uh-huh. As soon as I got the money together, I rushed out and bought all the hardware to play for SAO. Stood in line and scored one of the ten thousand hard copies. Guess you could say I was pretty lucky.

You won't be saying that soon...

Klein- Although, you were ten times as lucky getting to beta test it Kirito. Only a thousand people got the chance!

Kirito- Yea... I guess I was lucky.

Klein- Hey, mind if I ask how far you got in the beta?

Curious as well, I turned my head over to Kirito for his response.

Kirito- Well, two months in and I couldn't get further than floor eight. But now, I think I can get there within a month, easily. 

Highly doubtful at this point...

Klein- Sounds to me like you're really into this Kirito.

Kirito- Yea, you could say that. During the beta test, SAO was the only thing on my mind day and night. In this world, a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go. And even though it's a virtual world, I feel more alive in here than I ever did in the real one. 

"Says the guy who said it's not a big of a deal."

Klein- Hah! He got you there, buddy!

Kirito let off a small chuckle as he turned to face us.

Kirito- Alright, alright... you guys want to do some more hunting?

"Well..."

Klein- You know it! But, the thing is...

Just then, Klein's stomach began to growl. He held his stomach and gave us a nervous smile.

Klein- ...I'm really hungry. I have to log out. 

Kirito- Too bad the food you eat here only satisfies your hunger virtually. 

Klein- Yea, for reals! That's why I ordered a pizza for five thirty.

Kirito- Wow, you're so prepared.

Klein- You know it! Besides, the game can wait until I get my pizza on!

Knowing what will happen here soon, I said nothing and just lowered my head. Kirito just looked off to the side a little upset.

Kirito- I guess...

Klein- Hey you two, I was going to meet up with some people from another game. I don't know what you two are up too after this so if you want you can friend them and come hang with us.

Kirito went to go respond. It was as if he wanted to accept but he backed down and lowered his head. 

Nervous introvert type... will take more convincing to get these two to team up...

Klein- It's cool if you guys don't want to, no pressure. I could always introduce you to them another time or something.

"That would probably be best."

Kirito- Yea... sorry... thanks anyway...

Klein- No way, I should be doing all of the thanking. Hey, I promise you, one of these days I'll pay you both back for all of your help. Virtually that is.

"You already told me this Klein but thank you again."

Kirito- Yea, alright. 

Klein- Thanks for everything guys. Really.

He extended his hand out to Kirito this time. 

Klein- Guess I'll see you both around then. 

Kirito- If there is anything else you want to know, just message me. 

They both shook hands and smiled at each other.

Klein- Oh, sweet! I'll do that! I'll be sure to message you too Kazzu!

"Anytime Klein..."

Then came the moment of truth. Klein lowered his menu and went for the log out button only to be confused.

Klein- Where did the log out button go...?

I lowered my head and remained quiet as Kirito went to address Klein's problem. 

Kirito- It should be there, at the bottom of the main menu. 

Kirito opened his menu only to be just as surprised that his log out button was missing as well. 

Klein- See?

Kirito- You're right, it's not there...

Klein- Well today is the first day out of beta, there is bound to be some bugs. I bet the server people are freaking out right now. 

If only that were true...

Kirito- You'll be freaking out too... it's five twenty five...

Klein- OH MY GOD MY TERIYAKI MAYO PIZZA WITH GINGER ALE!

Kirito- Relax, why don't you just contact the game master?

Klein- Yea, I tried doing that, but nothing is happening! He's not picking up! Do you two know if there is another way to log out of this thing?

I remained silent and shook my head, not wanting to reveal the truth.

Kirito- No... whenever a player wants to log out of SAO, the only way they can do that is by going through the menu.

Klein- That can't be right! There's gotta be some way out! Return! Log out! Escape!

His cries of escape were only met with the breeze, his words falling silent to the wind. 

Kirito- I told you so... and there was no emergency log out in the manual either...

Klein- No way... you're kidding... I know, I'll just rip the NerveGear off of my head!

His struggles were once again met with failure. Kirito stopped him before he could try any further.

Kirito- Don't bother. Once you're hooked in, you can't move your body in the real world anymore. The NerveGear intercepts all the commands you give it from inside the game using an interface built into the rig. 

I was impressed with how much Kirito knew about our technology. If I didn't know any better, I would say he helped build the thing. 

Klein- Seriously? So now we have to wait around until someone gets around to fixing the bug!?

Kirito- That, or until someone in the real world comes along and takes the NerveGear off of us. 

Neither of those options will work now...

Klein- Well, I live alone. What about you?

Kirito- I've got a mom and a sister and I'm pretty sure they'll notice by dinner time that...

His sentence was cut off a Klein nearly tackled him to the ground. His goals unclear to both me and Kirito.

Klein- Y-You've got a sister? How old is she? What is she like?

"Where the hell did this come from?"

Kirito- She's into sports, hates games, and she's totally not your type man. She wouldn't date a gamer if it was the last...

Klein- I don't care I want to...

Klein was then cut off by Kirito kneeing him in the crotch, sending him flying back and grabbing his crotch in pain again. He stopped after a few seconds realizing his lesson from before. 

Klein- Oh right, getting kicked in the balls here doesn't hurt.

Kirito- Get serious! Don't you think this is weird!?

Klein- Yea, totally, but it's just a bug.

Kirito- This isn't just a bug. If we can't log out, its going to cause some serious problems for the game. 

Klein- Yea, I guess you're right...

Kirito- I wonder if the developers even know what is happening because they could just shut down the servers and log everyone out...

No... they can't... I can't... it's too late for that now...

Kirito- ...but why haven't they made an announcement?

Before Klein could answer that question, bells started to ring. Deep gongs echoing throughout the entire first floor. It was time. This was it. I looked back towards Klein and Kirito and gave them an apologetic look as our bodies were covered in a blue light, transporting us back to the Town of Beginnings. It wasn't long after we arrived that the town started getting filled with the rest of the players. Some of them looked confused, some of them looked angry, others just assumed that this was part of the tutorial. If only they knew the Hell they were about to experience.

Kirito- Someone forced a teleport...

The bells stopped ringing. The enormous crowd of people chanting and questioning the purpose of their teleportation, only to be met with a small ping right above us. Looking up at the sky, right in the center was a small warning sign.

Kirito- Now what?

Soon, the sky was then surrounded by the warning signs that it turned the sky red. I was looking around, knowing that my father was behind this. My search was ended quickly when red blood like liquid poured from the cracks of the warnings and manifested into a ginormous cloaked figure.

Klein- What the hell is that thing!?

I heard the other players wondering the same thing, asking who it was, why it had no face and wondering if it was an event.  Other assuring their partners that it was all part of the opening ceremony. The figure raised its hands up slightly and let out a deep booming voice.

Cloaked Figure- Attention players, I welcome you to my world.

Kirito- What does he mean by that?

Cloaked Figure- My name is Kayaba Akihiko and as of this moment, I am in control of this world.

Damn it father please! There's no need to do this! These people have done nothing to you! Please stop this!

Cloaked Figure- I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menu: the Log Out button. Let me assure you that this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect...

Players around us started to get nervous and jittery. My spine chilled and my body infested with goosebumps, I mentally pleaded with my father to stop what he was doing. My efforts went unnoticed.

Cloaked Figure- ...this was how Sword Art Online was designed to be.

No, it wasn't! This project was to bring joy to the people, not bring them to their graves!

Klein- He's kidding, right?

Cloaked Figure- You cannot log yourselves out of SAO and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave emitter signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life.

Random Female Player- What is he talking about?

Random Male Player #1- That is such B.S.!

Random Male Player #2- Get out of here!

A player couple walked past me and tried to leave the center only to be blocked by an invisible wall.

Player Male- Hey! I can't get out!

You don't want to leave you idiot. You need to listen to this madness to avoid death. Please just be quiet and listen.

Klein- Are you two listening to this crap? He's gotta be nuts right? Right guys?

Kirito- He's not...

"The transmitter signals in the headgear work like microwaves. If the safety is disabled, it will fry your brain."

Klein- Well, couldn't someone cut the power?

"That won't work. The NerveGear has an internal battery."

Klein- This is crazy... THIS IS TOTALLY CRAZY!

Cloaked Figure- Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted to remove the NerveGear. An unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred and thirteen less players than when it began. They have been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world.

No... two hundred and thirteen deaths already? How could this be? Why did he let this happen?

Kirito- Two hundred and thirteen...?

Klein- No way... I don't believe it!

The cloaked figure pulled up multiple tabs of online newsletters discussing the newfound tragedy, almost everyone was covering the news of the game.

Cloaked Figure- As you can see, international media outlets have around the clock coverage on everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimum at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game.

Comfort!? There is no comfort in knowing death now lingers over you with every trap, monster and possible sabotage from other players. Where are we to find comfort in this!?

Cloaked Figure- It's important to remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone in the game. If your HP depletes to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system forever and the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain.

And there it was. The one piece of news I was afraid of. My efforts to stop my father with outside hopes were destroyed with that one statement. If I die in this game, I die in the real world.

Cloaked Figure- There is only one way a player can escape now: You must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor One Hundred and you will clear the game.

Player Male- Why should we believe any of the crap you're saying!?

Because it's true. My father is many things, but a liar is not one of them. If we have to clear all one hundred floors to escape, then that's what we have to do. As impossible as it may sound, it is our only way.

Klein- We can't clear all one hundred floors... that's freaking impossible... EVEN THE BETA TESTERS NEVER MADE IT THAT HIGH!

Cloaked Figure- Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the Item Storage of every player. Please, have a look.

I opened my inventory and saw a new item: Mirror. Taking the mirror out of my inventory and looking at it, a white light started to surround me as well as the other players around me.

Kirito- Klein!

I turned and looked where Klein was standing, only to see him in the while light in my way. When the light faded, I looked back at the mirror and saw I was exactly the same. However, the players around me looked completely different.

Klein- Hey Kazzu, Kirito, are you two ok?

I turned to see where Klein's voice was coming from but was met with a different person, same when I heard Kirito's voice.

Kirito- Yea... I'm ok... wait who are you? 

Klein- I'm me... who are you?

Player Male- What the!? You're a guy?

Player Girl- You're not seventeen!

Kirito- Wait a second...

Both- Is that you Kirito/Klein?

Klein- But... how... and why does Kazzu look the same?

"I don't make different looking avatars... to much work... rather just make a character look like me and move on..."

Klein- But how does it know what we look like?

Kirito- There is a high-density signal device inside of the NerveGear rig. It can see what my face looks like, but it doesn't explain how it knows my height and body type.

Klein- When you first put the NerveGear on, it had you do this calibration thing. It asked you to touch your body all over, remember?

Kirito- Oh yea... that's where it got our physical data!

Klein- But... this is... what's the point!? Why would anyone do this to us!?

Kirito pointed to the figure in the sky as he remained hovered over the players.

Kirito- I think he is about to tell us. 

Cloaked Figure- Right now, you're probably wondering why? Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design.

Kirito- Kayaba...

Cloaked Figure- As you can see, I have achieved that goal.

"Father..."

Cloaked Figure- This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck.

The figure then started to glitch and turn into red mist as it floated back up to the sky, the warning signs disappearing immediately afterwards. As soon as the red sky faded, the crowd went into a mass panic. They trampled over each other, screaming and cursing out Kayaba's name. The invisible barrier dropped allowing players to leave. Seeing this, Kirito grabbed both me and Klein by the wrist and ran towards the exit.

Kirito- Come on guys!

We followed him into the same abandoned alleyway where we first met. He pulled us aside and started to talk about a battle plan for us.

Kirito- Ok, I'm heading out right now for the next village. I want you two to come with me. If what Kayaba said is true, and I think it is, the only way we are going to survive is by getting as strong as possible.

He lowered his menu and opened up the map, showing us the entirety of the first floor. Red dots marked the map, which I immediately knew were the known monster hunting spots. 

Kirito- In an MMORPG, the money you can earn, the XP, once the game starts up, there is only so much of that stuff that can go around. The fields around the Town of Beginnings are going to be hunted clean soon. If we head to the next village now, we will have a better chance of collecting cash and points. Don't worry, I know all of the paths and places we should avoid. Even if I'm level one, I can get there easy. 

Klein- Well... thanks but... you know those friends of mine that I was telling you two about? We stood in line for a whole night to buy this and they're back in the plaza somewhere. So... sorry... can't ask some guys I just met to risk their lives for a bunch of strangers that they just met right? So don't worry about me, you two get your asses down to the next village. I'll be fine, the last game I played I ran a guild so I'm more than prepared. And with all the stuff you guys taught me, I'll get by no sweat. 

Kirito- Alright, if that's what you want, we'll get going. If you are ever in a jam, message us ok?

Klein- Yea no problem.

As Kirito and Klein turned their backs on each other, Kirito realized that I was nowhere to be seen. It was like I vanished from thin air without so much as a peep. Kirito widened his eyes and thought about his next move for a second. After a while, he quickly turned back towards Klein.

Kirito- Hey Klein! Wait up!

 

In another section of the alleyway, I opened my map and familiarized myself with the surrounding areas. I knew this map like the back of my hand, so I knew the best hunting spots. I also knew where the better quests were but instead of going for those first, I wanted to hit every quest so I could reap more benefits and rewards. Closing the map and making sure my equipment was top notch, I made my way towards the exit. Before I could reach it though I was blocked by more warning signs at the end of the alley. A familiar voice rang out in my ears.

Kayaba- It isn't too late you know.

I immediately took out my sword and shield and faced my father, ready to fight. He was wearing his normal clothes from the real world, his hands deep in his lab coat pockets.

Kayaba- I'm giving you one last chance to join me Kazzu. I don't want to kill you, but I will to keep my world intact. Now make your choice.

"My choice was decided when you activated this deathtrap. I will climb up to the top floor and have the pleasure of stopping you myself."

A deep sigh escaped his breath as he took his hand out of his pockets. His expression turned deadpan and serious as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

Kayaba- So be it.

Just like that he was gone without a trace. The alleyway opened back up with no WARNING signs surrounding it. I let out a breath of relief and made my way towards the exit. Once I walked out of town, I started walking down the road only to be met with a wolf-like creature: Dire Wolf. It snarled its teeth at me and started rushing towards me. Preparing another Vorpal Strike, I pulled my sword back. It started to glow yellow once again and once the wolf got close, I unleashed the skill. One quick zip from the front to the flank of the wolf, its shattering program was heard behind me. My rage and determination building up inside of me, I let out a scream that could be heard from the Town of Beginnings. They only heard me scream one name:

"KAYABA!"

Chapter 4: A Whole New World (Yoshi)

Chapter Text

Multiple flashes of colors rushed around my head, getting narrow and faster while multiplying into a weird forming funnel until I was faced with a blank white surrounding. Suddenly, five grey bubbles appeared in front of me, displaying each of the five senses. Running through them all, I began the assessment. 

"Touch... check... hearing... normal... smell... there is nothing here to smell... sight... there is nothing but white void nothingness and taste... like I forgot to brush my teeth."

With my senses all checked out, the bubbles shrunk down and moved to the right side of my vision. Two small text boxes popped up on my left asking me what language I preferred to play the game in.

"Ok let's see... Japanese audio and text, please."

As soon as I chose my language settings, a log in page opened up. Not already having an existing account, I pressed on "Create." Taking another twenty minutes creating my character's avatar, the only thing I was left with was a name.

"What to name myself...? Would using my own name be ok? Let's see..."

After typing in my first name, I hit enter and white light began to surround me. I panicked as I was unaware of the situation. The only thing I heard was from the automated system.

System- Welcome to Sword Art Online!

 

After the blinding light dissipated, I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in what appeared to be renaissance era style clothes, in an environment that resembled a medieval world. Other rays of light appeared all around me, players stepping through with smiles on their faces. Now realizing where I was, I joined the crowd of smiles as I cheered to myself.

I'm inside of the game!

I took my time walking around the town, which I was informed was named "The Town of Beginnings", admiring the scenery and atmosphere around me. It wasn't until a few minutes passed that I noticed a menu appear in front of me. It seemed to have all sorts of categories that I couldn't make heads or tails of. The only one that made sense was the "Tutorial" section. 

Might as well get the basics figured out...

The tutorial opened up and presented itself as a small slideshow presentation.

Tutorial- Visual Interface: The hit point bar is located on the upper left corner of one's field of vision. It displays the player's name, a visual hit point gauge, along with numerical hit points(current/maximum), and level. It also shows the hit points and names of all other members in the player's party in a smaller bar. A clock displaying Aincrad local time can be seen in the bottom left corner of the visual field. A color cursor can be seen over every NPC, monster, and player in the game. This cursor is either green(for players), orange(for players with criminal infractions), yellow(for NPCs), or various shades of red(for monsters and Player Killers). 

"Jeez... that's a lot of information just for visuals..."

Off to the side, I heard a woman's voice. She seemed to be confused.

?- What to choose, what to choose...

Looking over to my left, I noticed a girl with chocolate brown hair and maroon eyes. She had a red long knitted shirt with a pink skirt. She was examining the weapons in front of her, looking like she was struggling to make a decision.

Female Shopper- Decisions, decisions. What should I take with me?

Deciding to focus on one thing at a time, I closed the tutorial and made my way over to the girl.

"Hello. I couldn't help but overhear your frustrations. Is there anything I could do to help?"

She turned around, smiled and bowed her head towards me. After her bow she clasped her hands together as to politely beg me.

Female Shopper- Could you please? Deciding on a weapon is hard enough, let alone raising a skill in it.

"Weapons have skills?"

Female Shopper- Yep! And it's not just weapons. There are all sorts of skills too. There should be a page on it in the tutorial.

Opening up the tutorial again, sure enough, it was there ready for me to read.

Tutorial- Skills are unlocked through vigorous training in a certain area of expertise. List of Skills: One-Handed Sword, Martial Arts, Polearm Weapon Creation, One-Handed Weapon Creation, Cooking, Mixing, Carpentry, Sewing, Tracking, Appraisal, Acrobatics, Blunt Weapon Forging, Extended Weight Limit, Familiar Recovery, Familiar Communication, Hiding, Heavy Metal Armor Forging, Light Metal Armor Forging, Lumber, Metal Armor Repairing, Metal Refining, Musical Instrument, Picking, Purchase Negotiation, Robbing, Sales Negotiation, Searching, Slash Weapon Forging, Sneaking, Straining, Sprint, Swimming, Thrust Weapon Forging, Trap Dismantling, Armor Pierce, Battle Healing, Fighting Spirit, First Aid, Howl, Shield, Parry, Blade Throwing, Mace, One-Handed Axe, One-Handed Curved Blade, One-Handed Dagger, One-Handed Lance, One-Handed Rapier, One-Handed Spear, One-Handed War Hammer, Two-Handed Battle Axe, Two-Handed Lance, and Two-Handed Spear.

"So many skills... how do you choose just one?"

Female Shopper- You don't choose just one, unless you're a one trick pony. You can choose multiple skills if you want. 

"So... it depends on your play style?"

Female Shopper- Exactly! You catch on quick newbie!

"Thanks... I think... so... what sort of play style are you trying to go for?"

Female Shopper- Well, I want to deal as much damage as possible while not taking as much when enemies attack. I want to focus more on damage and defense.

"Well in that case based on the tutorial, that eliminates daggers and one-handed swords. Holding a two-handed weapon like katanas, great swords and axes would definitely give you that needed damage but leave you completely open for enemy attacks. If you wanted to do decent damage and be defended, your best bet would be to buy a mace and a shield. Maces have a chance to break through most enemy armor so they will go down easier."

Female Shopper- Wow. You know a lot about this game. So much for calling you a newbie. Were you a beta tester?

"No, I just used what would be the most logical choice."

Female Shopper- Well, regardless, thanks for the tip! 

The girl started what looked like a transaction with a blacksmith like NPC. As she paid for her gear, it digitally started to form in her hands. My eyes widened in shock as I saw the wonders of this technology at work.

"Amazing..."

Female Shopper- Well, again thanks! You're a pretty cool guy! What's your name?

"It's Yoshi. Yours?"

Female Shopper- Lisbeth. But most people call me Liz.

"It was nice meeting you Liz. Hope that mace helps you out in your adventures."

Lisbeth- Thanks Yoshi! Good luck in yours!

She left without another word. I smiled at her bouncy attitude and walked forward to the weapons shop. Browsing the many wares, I started to narrow down my choices.

Judging how this is my first FullDive NerveGear game and I have no clue what's in store, I need to play safe but aggressive. I don't want to focus on being a heavy damage dealer but also don't want to fall into a supporting role. If I can choose a playstyle that allows me to defend myself and any teammates while also giving off a certain amount of damage, that should be perfect. A shield is a definite yes, now what weapon should I go with...

After browsing the store for what felt like hours, my eyes rested on a basic looking spear. My brain started to ignite my strategy into motion.

"A nice, ranged weapon that I can use from a distance... consider me convinced."

I bought the spear and shield and they both materialized in my hand. The weight of the items felt way lighter than they should've been, but that was probably due to the game engine not wanting to strain players. Placing both items in my inventory, I set out to find a quest or something to test out my new gear. Before I had the chance to even leave the center of town, a small commotion started to arise next to me. I saw another girl. This one smaller than Liz, wearing the same starting gear and red long shirt but a red skirt instead of pink. She was surrounded by other players who looked like they were talking down to her.

Random Player #1- Are you stupid or something kid?

Random Player #2- Stuff like that doesn't exist in this game.

Random Player #3- I can confirm that. I was a Beta Tester.

Small Girl- But there has to be something that could be used like that!

Random Player #3- Man you really are dumb. A beta tester tells you that it doesn't exist, and you still insist that it does.

"Just because you don't think it exists, doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

I decided to step in on their argument and back them off of the girl. The three players in front of me gave me an annoyed and confused look while the girl behind me was on the verge of tears. 

Random Player #1- Where the hell did you even come from? Whatever. This little kid says that there is an item that clearly does not exist in this game.

Random Player #2- She simply refuses to understand us even though we have a Beta Tester with us.

Random Player #3- That's me.

"A beta tester as in you've had experience with the game before its initial release?"

Random Player #3- That's correct. 

"And you've had experience with animal companions?"

Random Player #3- That is also correct, and last I checked, there were only dogs, cats and other small animals. Not dragons like this little brat is saying. 

"But who's to say that the developers of the game didn't add dragons before the release of the game?"

Random Player #3- Because they would've announced something like that. Besides, I made it up to the twentieth floor and haven't seen anything like that.

"Well, if we are going off of the mythology of dragons and how they are all great and powerful, it wouldn't be available to something as low as the twentieth floor."

The other players looked at each other in thought as their leader gritted his teeth and got closer to your face. 

Random Player #3- You calling me a lair newbie?

"No, I'm just saying that your information is probably incorrect. It's not a good reason to bully other players who also don't know what lies ahead in this game."

The leader of the group started growling under his breath until he huffed in my face and started to walk away, his friends following right behind him. Relieved that the confrontation ended without a fight, I let out a gentle sigh and faced the girl behind me. 

"Are you ok?"

Small Girl- Y-Yea... T-thank you for helping me with those bullies. They wouldn't leave me alone about that topic.

"You're safe now and that's the important part. Did they hurt you at all?"

Small Girl- N-No. They couldn't take their weapons out to attack me, so they stuck with shoving me around...

"Well, I hope they avoid you in the future and avoid doing that to anyone else. As long as your safe..."

I turned around to leave but her grip on my shirt held me back for a second longer.

Small Girl- If you don't mind me asking, do you think dragon familiars really exist?

"If this is a fantasy game, I would imagine there being some dragons here and there."

Small Girl- I hope so. I'm making it my personal goal to become Sword Art Online's one and only Dragon Tamer!

I smiled at the girls' aspirations. It was a big dream to follow, and I wasn't even sure it was achievable in this game, but I had a feeling she would have no problem obtaining her dream.

Small Girl- Well, I better get going. Those dragons aren't going to tame themselves. Oh, my name is Silica by the way. Thanks again for helping me out!

"No problem. Stay safe! Hope you don't encounter anymore trouble!"

And just like Lisbeth, she ran off without another word. Hoping that there were no more distractions, I tried again to head towards the outside of town. My effort was met with an invisible barrier preventing me from leaving the center of town. It wasn't long before the entire town center was filled with players. Some of them looked confused while others looked angry.

Is this part of the tutorial?

Suddenly, there was a small ping right above us. Looking up at the sky, right in the center was a small warning sign. The sky was then surrounded by the warning signs that it turned the sky red. Blood like liquid poured from the cracks of the warnings and manifested into a ginormous cloaked figure. It raised its hands up slightly and let out a deep booming voice.

Cloaked Figure- Attention players, I welcome you to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko and as of this moment, I am in control of this world. I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menu: the Log Out button. Let me assure you that this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect.

"Log out button? Is that how you leave the game?"

Players around me started to get nervous and jittery.

Cloaked Figure- This was how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of SAO and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave emitter signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life.

My heart dropped into my stomach and my face let forth an expression of dread from the description given by the cloaked figure in the sky. 

Random Female Player- What is he talking about?

Random Male Player #1- That is such B.S.!

Random Male Player #2- Get out of here!

A player couple walked right next to me and tried to leave the same way I did, only to be blocked by the same invisible field surrounding the town.

Player Male- Hey! I can't get out!

Cloaked Figure- Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted to remove the NerveGear. An unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred and thirteen less players than when it began. They have been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world.

Two hundred and thirteen players dead. This can't be real... this has to be a bad dream! A nightmare!

The cloaked figure pulled up multiple tabs of online newsletters discussing the newfound tragedy.

Cloaked Figure- As you can see, international media outlets have around the clock coverage on everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimum at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game.

My parents don't look at the news that often. They could try to remove my headset and accidentally kill me! 

Cloaked Figure- It's important to remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone in the game. If your HP depletes to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system forever and the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain.

I can't be saved from inside or outside the game. I'm trapped... wait... Iroko! She could be trapped in here as well! 

Cloaked Figure- There is only one way a player can escape now: You must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor One Hundred and you will clear the game.

Reach floor one hundred? That has to be near impossible...

Player Male- Why should we believe any of the crap you're saying!?

Cloaked Figure- Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the Item Storage of every player. Please, have a look.

I opened my inventory and saw a new item: Mirror. Taking the mirror out of my inventory and looking at it, a white light started to surround me as well as the other players around me. When the light faded, I looked back at the mirror and saw I was exactly the same. However, the players around me looked completely different, especially the couple standing next to me.

Player Male- What the!? You're a guy?

Player "Girl"- You're not seventeen!

Cloaked Figure- Right now, you're probably wondering why? Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, I have achieved that goal.

I stand in dreadful silence for what felt like an eternity before clenching my fist.

"SO WHAT!? SO YOU CAN CONTROL OUR LIVES!? SO YOU CAN PLAY GOD WITH A WORLD OF YOUR DESIGN!?"

The cloaked figure doesn't even acknowledge your outburst as he finishes up his speech.

Cloaked Figure- This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck.

The figure then started to glitch and turn into red mist as it floated back up to the sky, the warning signs disappearing immediately afterwards. As soon as the red sky faded, the crowd went into a mass panic. They trampled over each other, screaming and cursing out Kayaba's name. The invisible barrier dropped allowing players to leave. The two guys standing next to me nearly fall on their faces as it does, and I take the opportunity to dash out before I get caught in the stampede. Finally making it out of the city and arriving on the city outskirts. Deep, sharp breaths fill my lungs as I take a breather from all that has happened. Knowing that doing anything was better than nothing, I lowered my inventory menu and equipped my spear, giving it a few thrusts and a twirl. Before I could even step foot on the road leading further into the wild, I noticed something, or rather someone, out of the corner of my eye on a different road. The player in question had a sword and shield in hand, sprinting towards a wolf like he had no care in the world or he was unafraid of dying to the creature. With a swift flick of his blade, the wolf was shattered instantly. The only word that echoed from the players mouth...

Was the name of the devil that trapped us here...

Kayaba

Chapter 5: The Master & Apprentice

Chapter Text

November 14, 2024
Floor 1: Town of Beginnings

A week has passed since my father announced the official release of Sword Art Online. I explored most of the common hunting spots on this floor and decided to take a small break to help people out in need. Currently heading back to the Town of Beginnings with a hefty load of food from boars and wolves, I look in the distance and see my destination: A small orphanage. I was sad when I heard that there were a lot of children that were either abandoned by their parents, have lost their parents to this hellhole or were orphans in the real world. Upon hearing this news, I decided to turn my attention towards them and help them out anyway I could. Entering the building, I could hear the children in the cafeteria smiling and laughing with their friends. I couldn't help but smile at their happiness. Even though they were trapped like the rest of us, they found a reason to smile. My thoughts were halted by the owner of the orphanage, Sasha, walking up to me.

Sasha- Oh! Kazzu! Welcome back! Did you grab enough food?

"I have enough here to last you guys the next 2 months. Even though we don't need to eat in this game, it is a necessity to feel like we are back in the real world."

Sasha- I agree. It's good to not lose sight of the real world. Now may I please have the food so I can prepare lunch for the children?

I nodded and opened a trade request. I traded the food to Sasha and noticed that she was typing in a money transfer. I grabbed her hand and lowered it.

"There's no need to pay me Sasha. I got some good money from it, and I can sell the items for more if I need to."

Sasha smiled at my generosity, excused herself, walked towards the cafeteria and disappeared in the kitchen. I looked throughout the cafeteria to see the children preparing themselves for a feast. However, one child caught my eye. A little girl who looked no older than seven years was just sitting at a table alone. Her face looked troubled, if not depressed. She just stared down at the table, not even letting a blink escape her eyes. An attendant passed by for a second before I nudged her, grabbing her attention.

"Excuse me miss, but who is that sitting by herself?"

Attendant- Oh her? That's Kiyo. She usually sits by herself. We've tried to get her to sit with other kids, but she always ends up by herself. I'm not sure if she moves away from the others on purpose or if the kids just get up and leave. All I know is that it breaks our hearts to see her like this.

I looked back towards Kiyo. Her eyes looked empty; her expression looked deadened. Whatever was going on with her, it was taking a toll on her mental state. I couldn't stand to see a child like this.

"I'm going to go talk to her. Is that ok?"

Attendant- By all means! You've done so much for this orphanage. The kids even talk about you, calling you a hero. You give them hope.

Hope huh? I'm sure if these kids knew who I really was, their hopes would burn and shrivel. I didn't want that to happen but sooner or later they will know that Kayaba's son was the one they called their hero.

I gave a nod to the attendant and made my way towards Kiyo's table. My movements did not go unnoticed as multiple kids started to surround me, asking me questions and telling me about their days.

Child #1- Mister Kazzu! How many monsters have you killed today?

Child #2- Have you found a way out of here?

Child #3- I saw a sword at the store that you might like if you want me to show you.

I chuckled at their enthusiasm but gently made my way past them. I was barely able to sit down before Kiyo's eyes looked up and saw mine. Her surprised gasp allowed a small smile to crawl on my face. Getting a better look at her, she had shoulder width light brown hair and ocean blue eyes. She was wearing a purple shirt with a pink skirt. A tiny pink hair pin laid on the top left of her head. She looked at me with a shocked expression for a few more seconds before I chuckled at her.

"You might want to close your mouth little pup. A bug could fly in and become your little snack."

She blinked in realization and shut her mouth quickly. She then felt around the insides of her mouth with her tongue and looked at me worried.

Kiyo- Nothing flew in my mouth, right?

That earned a small laugh out of me. She joined me in laughter a second later, brushing her hair behind her ear and placing her hands on the table in a polite manner. Her posture quickly rearranged themselves to where she was sitting like a proper lady.

Kiyo- Sorry. I just don't have a lot of people sit with me. I was surprised to see you sit with me Mister Kazzu.

"You've heard about me?"

Kiyo- Of course! All the kids and adults talk about you. You are out fighting dangerous monsters trying to help us go back home! You're a hero!

"Well, thank you Kiyo. I promise you that I will get you back to your family as soon as possible, ok?"

Her expression changed again. She looked down for a slight second with an upset look before shaking her head and smiling back at me.

Kiyo- Yea... I can't wait...

There was something she wasn't telling me. It might be the reason why she always sat alone. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but I also didn't want to pressure her into telling me. I instead had a better idea.

"Kiyo? Would you like to walk around town with me? I know a place that sells a food item which almost looks and tastes like ice cream. I'll buy you whatever you want, my treat."

She looked at me with disbelief. Her mouth opened up once again. I chuckled, leaned over and closed her mouth by lifting her chin.

Kiyo- Do you... mean it? You want me to come with you?

"Of course! It must be boring being stuck in the orphanage all the time."

Kiyo- Ok! That sounds like fun Mister Kazzu!

"No need to call me Mister. Kazzu is ok."

Kiyo- Sorry Mister... Uh Kazzu.

I let out another small chuckle as I stood up, walked over to Kiyo and offered her my hand. She hesitated for a second but gently grabbed it as I slowly pulled her up from her seat. We made our way towards the front door, but I could feel the eyes of the other kids. They weren't nice and gentle stares, they seemed angry, hateful, disapproving. I didn't think anything else of it as I informed the attendant that I would be taking Kiyo out for some ice cream.

 

After leaving the orphanage, we took the scenic route towards the ice cream vendor. Kiyo's smile was plastered on her face as we walked through many shopping centers, food vendors and decorations that surrounded the Town of Beginnings. We made a quick stop at a wishing fountain as Kiyo placed her hands in the water. I first assumed that she was trying to steal Col from the fountain but the though was immediately dismissed when I saw she was just moving her hand softly through the water. I sat next to her and placed my hand in the water next to hers.

Kiyo- I always liked coming to this fountain whenever we were allowed outside the orphanage for recess. The water is never too cold but never too hot. It's just right.

"Have you ever made a wish? I heard if you throw a Col into the fountain, your wish will come true."

Kiyo- Yes... I've tried a lot of times but every single wish I made hasn't come true. I'm starting to think that the fountain is broken. Or maybe my wishes aren't good enough to come true.

This poor girl. What caused her to get this depressed? Was there anything I could do? An idea popped in my head as I withdrew a Col from my inventory. I tapped Kiyo's shoulder and offered the Col to her.

"Wanna try again? I have a good feeling about this one."

Kiyo- I... I don't know. I don't want to wish on something that will never happen. Sorry.

"Hey, don't think like that. Tell you what, you make another wish and I'll make one with you. Maybe both of our wishes will be strong enough to come true. What do you say?"

She looked down at the fountain again and let out a sigh. She turned back towards me with a smile and accepted the small golden coin from my hand. She held the coin close to her lips and whispered softly into it. I couldn't hear her words, so I whispered in my own Col.

"I wish for Kiyo to be happy. As happy as she can be until I free her from this hell."

I flicked the coin into the fountain, hearing the plop from the water. I turned to Kiyo to see that she was still holding her coin, staring at the water. She looked at me only to be greeted with a smile. I motioned towards the fountain, requesting that she dropped her coin into the water. She let out a sigh and released her coin, another plop heard as her coin sank to the bottom next to mine. I patted her head and stood up from the fountain side. I noticed the ice cream stand a few inches away from us. I smirk snuck onto my face as an idea popped up. I snuck up behind Kiyo as she eyed her Col in the fountain. Taking the opportunity, I grabbed her from behind and planted her on top of my shoulders. Her scared gasp quickly turned into a small giggle as she held onto the top of my head. Holding on tightly to her legs, we made our way towards the ice cream stand. The computerized vendor looked at us. His smile growing wide as we stood in front of him.

Ice Cream Vendor- Why hello there you two! Here to enjoy my frozen treats?

Kiyo- Yes sir!

"It sounds delicious. What flavor's do you offer?"

Ice Cream Vendor- As much as I want to give you two a sample, I don't have any more ingredients to be able to make any more.

Kiyo- Oh no...

"That's a shame. We were really hoping to have some."

As soon as I said that, a yellow question mark appeared above the vendors head. My eyes opened slightly bigger when I saw it. Kiyo looked at it confused and lowered her head, looking at me upside down.

Kiyo- Kazzu? What's the question mark mean?

"It means that he has a quest to hand out. Maybe if we complete it, he'll make more ice cream. He might even give us some for free."

Kiyo's eyes widen as the thought of free ice cream filled her with determination. She looked at me with a pleading stare.

Kiyo- If it's ok with you Kazzu, could we please do this quest? I really want to have some ice cream.

I looked at Kiyo, thinking about the quest. This quest wasn't in the beta, so I had no idea what it would entail. However, if all he was missing were ingredients it shouldn't involve monsters. It would most likely involve finding items outside of town. On the other hand, monsters roam around every inch outside of town. It was a risky decision whether or not to bring Kiyo. If it weren't for those pleading eyes, I would've declined her request. Releasing a sigh, I smiled back at Kiyo and accepted the vendor's quest.

"Alright Kiyo. Let's go find us some ingredients."

Kiyo- Yay! Free ice cream!

Ice Cream Vendor- Thank you fair heroes. Now the main ingredient I need is a special form of crystal deep within a cave system not far from here. If you bring me ten samples of that crystal, I should be able to gather the other materials around town.

Kiyo- A cave? Oh... I guess I can't go.

"What makes you say that little pup?"

Kiyo- Well, I hear from the adults that the cave systems are filled with monsters. I don't want to have you worry about me. I'll head back to the orphanage.

She was right about that. Cave systems are not only cramped spaces, but they can be filled with clusters of monsters. However, if I can keep Kiyo close, she shouldn't be in any immediate danger. If I equip her with some gear, she should be safer if we were ever to be split up.

"That won't be necessary Kiyo."

Kiyo- But... won't I just get in your way?

"If we get you some equipment, you should be ok to come with me. If you do come with me, I do have rules understand?"

Her expression changed from sadness to excitement yet again. She nods her head rapidly and hops off my shoulders.

Kiyo- Yes! Of course! I'll listen to every word!

"Ok. Firstly, I want you to stay right next to me at all times. Unless we get split up, you are to stick to me like glue. No going ahead of me, no dragging behind."

Kiyo- I'll be as close to you as the blade on your belt!

"Secondly, if we get attacked by monsters you are to find a safe place to hide and wait until it is over. I don't want you putting yourself in harm's way. No matter how hard I get hit, no matter how bad I might hurt, you stay safe no matter what."

Kiyo- Understood. It'll be as easy as playing hide and seek!

"Finally, if a monster gets the best of me and I'm killed you are to leave the cave immediately and head straight back to town. You do not turn back; you do not stop for nothing. I don't want you dying to avenge me.

She pauses for a moment. Her look was hesitant. I knew she wanted to break this rule, but I couldn't let her. She needs to keep herself save above all else. I gave her a stern look, waiting for her response. After a second, she looks up at me and gives me a serious nod.

Kiyo- Yes sir. I won't let you down.

With the rules covered and boundaries set, we gathered gear from the blacksmith. I bought her basic armor but gave her the choice on her weapon. She looked through them all and quickly realized that most of her options were bigger than she was. Her eyes focused on one weapon: a dagger. The blade was about half of her arm's length and the style of the blade was red with black hexagons. I could practically see the stars in her eyes. I chuckled lightly and bought the weapon for her. She equipped it without a second thought and clipped it onto her skirt.

Kiyo- All right Kazzu! I'm already to go!

"You sure do look the part. Now let's go get us some free ice cream!"

Kiyo- Free ice cream!

We walked out of town, Kiyo sticking to her word and standing right next to me. I'm glad she listens to rules. We should be ok out in the open as long as we stay away from large groups of monsters.

 

The walk didn't take long. About ten minutes later, we arrived at the entrance of the cave. I equipped my sword and an unlit torch. Taking some time to strike a flame, the torch started to illuminate a few inches towards the dark cave. Kiyo gently tugged at my shirt. Catching my attention, I turned to face her and got on one knee, so I was eye level with her.

"You ok little pup?"

Kiyo- I'm... a little scared. I want to follow your rules but... I don't want you to get hurt protecting me.

"Kiyo... listen to me. I promise you that I won't let anything bad happen to either of us. But right now, I need you to be strong for me, ok? If you watch my back, I promise I won't let a single monster lay a finger on you."

That made her perk up really quickly. Her worried and scared demeanor turned into one of willpower and bravery. She gave me a quick nod and we both entered the cave. We took our sweet time checking every nook and cranny to make sure we wouldn't get jumped by hidden monsters. Strangely enough, the cave was empty. No monsters in sight, no traps laid bare, nothing at all.

"Strange... usually these places would be filled with enemies."

Kiyo- Is it possible someone cleared it out already?

"Perhaps. But monster respawns don't take long. We should take advantage of this time and hurry."

Kiyo- Got it.

Still clutching onto our weapons, we started to run deeper into the cave. A few twists and turns later and we were greeted by an underground lake, surrounded by shining light blue crystals.

Kiyo- Whoa... so pretty!

"It really is... if this place wasn't filled with monsters constantly, I would take some time and set up a small retreat here."

We lowered our defenses and walked around the small lake. The water was crystal clear, there were small fish swimming around and the reflections from the water hit the crystals, further illuminating the cave. Small fish swam around the clear liquid at such calming speeds. Small ripples in the water could be heard as droplets of water fell from the roof of the cave. Kiyo placed her hand in the water only to have fish swim around and caress her hand with their scales. Her giggles slightly echoed throughout the cave.

"Are the fish tickling you pup?"

Kiyo- A little. Even though they're in water, I can still feel how slimy they are. It's gross and weirdly cool at the same time.

"Well little pup, as much as I want you to enjoy the fish, we should grab what we need and leave before the monsters respawn."

Kiyo- Yes sir!

Kiyo stood back up and dried her hand on her skirt, joining me as I started looking at the crystals. pressing my hand on its surface, a small text box appeared in front of me.

SKILL REQUIRED: SMITHING

Kiyo- Oh no... do we have a smith back in town?

"We have a couple, but we don't need to head back."

Kiyo- We don't?

I rolled my sleeves up and unequipped my sword and shield. Opening my inventory, I equipped a basic pickaxe and started chipping away at the crystal.

"See little pup, if there's a skill that you are interested in, you have to raise your proficiency in that skill. However, you can't find a skill and acquire it right away. You have to find the source of the skill, have the right item for the job and use the item on the source. That's why I have this pickaxe, so I can start raising my Smithing skill."

Kiyo- Wow... you're prepared for anything aren't you Kazzu?

I chuckle at her snarky remark. Chipping the materials away from the crystal doesn't take long and yields quite the haul. If I took the time to gather all of the materials here, I could either sell them for Col or use them to upgrade my gear. I decided to come back on a later date to gather the rest and placed the materials in my inventory.

As we were about to leave, the cave started to rumble and shake. Rock formations on the roof started to crack and collapse, falling into the small pond below. Suddenly, monsters started to spawn into the area. They looked like lizardmen wearing polished iron armor, wielding basic level gear. They inched their way closer to me and Kiyo. Taking initiative, I equipped my sword and shield again and stood in front of Kiyo.

"Remember what I said little pup. Stay close and don't split off from me, ok?"

Kiyo- R-right.

I could tell she was scared. Her legs were trembling, and she had no intention of defending herself, despite having the tools necessary to do so. I didn't blame her. If a child were to die to a monster because of the Death Protocols, I would never forgive myself. The monsters readied their weapons and charged at me. Looking at them, I took a moment to assess the situation.

5 enemies, basic equipment, three swords, one spear, one mace, minimum damage if caught off guard. Gear ranking low, allowing more damage taken by my blade. Threat level low, protect Kiyo regardless.

The lizardman with the mace jumped up and swung its weapon down. Reacting fast, I blocked it with my shield. My blade started to glow a light blue as I unleashed the Sword Skill: Horizontal. My blade carried itself from one side of the lizardman, named Kobold Sentinel, and out of the other, completely cutting the monster in half and shattering it. The other four focused their attention towards me for killing their monster in arms while the Kobold with a spear chucked its weapon towards me.

"Big mistake you scaled freak!" 

Knowing that dodging would lead to Kiyo possibly getting hit and blocking it might pierce through my shield, rendering it useless, I placed my sword and shield back in my inventory. Preparing myself for the possible damage I would take, I caught the spear out of midair. Luckily, neither me nor Kiyo were damaged. I flipped the offensive back towards the now weaponless Kobold and threw the spear right back at it. Not having my same speed and eye coordination, the spear impaled the Kobold through the chest, shattering it instantly. I didn't have time to re-equip my gear before the three remaining Kobolds reached me and Kiyo. Impulsively, I shoved Kiyo away from me. She landed on the ground with a thud, watching as three swords pierced through my digital stomach. I noticed on the top right corner of my vision; my Health bar lowered about a third of the way down. These three monsters attacking all at once would spell my end if I got hit more. I couldn't let that happen again.

Kiyo- KAZZU!

Her shriek grabbed my attention really quickly. My eyes widened when I saw a taller version of these Kobolds, staring down at her with a small axe in its hand. It swung the axe behind its head, ready to swing down at her. Panicking, I shouted the one thing I didn't want Kiyo to do.

"Kiyo, fight back! Dodge its attack and fight back!"

She listened to the first half of my command, rolling out of the way as the axe slammed into the ground. She looked at me with disbelief as I struggled to get the three swords out of my stomach and kill the lesser Kobolds in front of me using another Horizontal Sword Skill. Standing back up, I re-equipped my gear and stood ready for battle.

"Kiyo... I need you to take your dagger out and get ready to fight!"

Kiyo- But you said...

I cut her off as the larger Kobold swung at her again. I was fast enough to get in front of her and block the attack with my shield.

"Forget I said that Kiyo! If I'm right about this, this Kobold is the leader in these caves. If we take it out quick, then more won't appear. I need your help wiping the floor with this monster. Can you do that for me?"

Kiyo- I don't know if I can!

"You never know until you try!"

She went silent. Her face turned from scared to serious as she pulled her blade out, jumped off my shoulders and slashed the Kobold across the face. It reeled back in pain and backed itself right into Kiyo's second slash, this time cutting its legs. Shocked at her natural ability to fight, I charged towards the monster and gave it a swift kick to the face, sending it flying into the pond. I looked at Kiyo with a smirk.

"And where did you learn to fight like that?"

Kiyo- I don't know I just... did it.

"Well, whatever you do, don't stop."

The Kobold reemerged from the water and leapt back into action. It took another swing at Kiyo, again resulting with me blocking it and Kiyo quickly taking small slashes into its scaley skin. To deal a bit more damage, I slashed at it a couple of times. This combo of ours brought the monsters health bar down to the red. Kiyo leaped in the air with her dagger pointed downward towards the monsters' head. Seeing her plan, I used my shield to bash the Kobolds head upward while Kiyo dropped down plunging her dagger deep into its skull, shattering it and ending the fight. The ground stopped shaking and the air went silent.

Kiyo- Did... Did we win?

Our answer was rewarded with an experience text box. Above Kiyo's head, a pop up appeared spelling: Level Up.

Kiyo- I leveled up!

"Good job little pup. Guess I was wrong to keep you from fighting."

Kiyo- But I was scared the whole time. I didn't want you to get hurt. Speaking of, is your stomach ok?"

"Yes. Even though the damage marks will be there until I get healed, they didn't do dangerous damage. I'll be ok."

Kiyo- That's good... I didn't want to be alone again...

Again? What could she mean by that?

"What do you mean?"

Kiyo shot up and started laughing nervously. She waved her hands around in a forgetful motion. I noticed a tiny bead of sweat roll down her forehead.

Kiyo- Uh... never mind that. Let's get out of here and get some free ice cream!

Without a second wasted, she started making her way towards the exit. She was hiding something, I knew it. But I decided to not push her since it seemed like a tough topic to discuss. I followed behind her as we left the cave and went back to town.

 

The ice cream vendor was happy to have his materials, happy enough to give us a few samples of his ice cream instead of just one each. We also got a bit more experience and Col from it, which was always a plus.

Kiyo- Mmmmmm, this ice cream is so good! It's the perfect temperature to where it's not too hard but not melted. It's perfect!

"I'm glad you like it Kiyo, but we should get you back home. Sasha must be worried about you."

Kiyo- Oh... right... ok.

I spotted the sadness that crept onto her face. This was probably the best and scariest day of her life and now it has to come to an end. We made our way back to the orphanage, where Sasha greeted Kiyo with a hug and took her back to the cafeteria. I was about to take my leave before I saw three other kids, two girls and a boy, walk up to Kiyo and smack the ice cream out of her hands, causing it to shatter on the ground.

Kiyo- "Hey! What was that for?"

Girl #1- That's what you get for spending time with Mister Kazzu.

Kiyo- W-What?

Girl #2- How is it that a piece of orphan trash like you gets to hang out with him but we are all stuck here?

Boy- Yea! Maybe I wanted to go and get ice cream with Mister Kazzu.

Kiyo- He... doesn't like to be called that...

The two little girls then shoved her down to the ground hard. She landed next to a table and rubbed the back of her head, which she had hit against a table leg. I wanted to jump in and help her, but something told me not to. A small voice in my head holding me back. Kiyo just sat there, not moving. Then the bullies spoke again.

Girl #1- You think just because your parents left you in the real world that you deserve to have everything handed to you out of pity?

She was abandoned in the real world? She's an orphan in real life?

Girl #2- Your parents decided to leave you while our parents are outside the town, fighting to clear this game and get us home.

Boy- Her parents are probably dead in the real world. Who would want to be the parents of such garbage?

They started to laugh at her. Kiyo had let the dam break and the flood works made their way down her cheek. She jumped up quickly and ran away from the bullies and down a hallway. Suddenly it all started to make sense. The reason why she was alone, the reason why she sat by herself, the reason why she was sad to return to the orphanage: She was alone. She wanted to be with someone who cared about her since her parents left her back in the real world. She wanted... a family.

"Kiyo... I'm so sorry..."

My heart felt heavy, my legs frozen in place. I had a big decision to make. Do I leave the orphanage, make Kiyo stay here and remain safe at the cost of her mental state deteriorating or do I bring her with me, be there for her when she needs me and risk the possibility of her being killed? The decision spun around me for what felt like hours. There were pros and cons to both sides of the story but in the end, I knew which decision was the right one. I left the orphanage and requested a room at the inn, prepared to face the consequences of my choice.

The next morning, Kiyo woke up with her eyes puffy and red, dried snot covering her face. She quickly cleaned herself up to make herself look presentable, but not enough to show interest or care about herself. She left the room with a glum look on her face until she reached the entrance of the orphanage, where she saw the other children and staff looking at her. Some with smiles, some with death glares. She looked at the very confused until Sasha approached her from behind.

Sasha- Kiyo sweetheart, I have some good news.

Kiyo- Good news?

Sasha- Someone has filled out an adoption paper for you. You're going to have a family.

Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open in disbelief. She checked her surroundings to see if she could find who her potential family could be only to have her eyes covered by Sasha.

Sasha- They are almost here, keep your eyes closed, ok?

Kiyo- Ok Miss Sasha.

A few minutes passed and the door swung open. The nice chill morning breeze hitting everyone inside. Sasha turned Kiyo to face her adoptive parents and slowly opened her eyes. The only thing she saw was me. I was standing in front of her with a huge smile on my face. Her confusion was met with tears of joy when she saw the signed adoption papers in my hand. She ran towards me and jumped into my arms as I knelt down and embraced her in a warm hug. Her sobs muffled into my armor and her grip grew tighter. After a few minutes she pulled her head back and wiped her eyes, her smile reflecting my own. I stood up and placed my hand on her head, petting her like a small fluffy animal.

Kiyo- Thank you Kazzu... you granted my wish... my wish to be... part of a family again.

"I'm glad to have given you your wish. But now you're going to have to stop calling me Kazzu."

Kiyo- "Why? I thought that's what I was supposed to call you."

"Not anymore, you get to call me your dad."

Her smile grew even wider as she jumped back into a hug. Her small sniffles could be heard near my right ear as she leaned in and whispered:

Kiyo- Thank you, Papa.

Chapter 6: The Dark Prince

Chapter Text

December 2, 2022
Floor 1: Tolbana

Since the game began, a whole month has gone by, and two thousand people have died so far. Kazzu considered him and Kiyo lucky to not be involved in those casualties. After all of this time, none of the players have been able to clear floor one. He used to be a beta tester and even he hasn't figured out where the bosses lair is, although he had a guess as to where it could be. Today, finally, the players were having a meeting on how to find and defeat the floor one boss. Kazzu looked out to the crowd of players surrounding the town's decorative fountain, thinking that they must have been there to join the meeting for the boss. Even though he was fairly certain where the boss was located, he knew he couldn't beat it on his own even as an experienced beta tester. Even worse was the fact that he adopted Kiyo. He didn't want her to get hurt and knew that bringing her into battle with him would make him worry about her, thus slowing him down. However, ever since the ice cream quest, she has been getting more aquatinted with using her blade. She's a few levels below him at this point but she had her own strengths. Regardless of his worries of her fighting a floor boss, she insisted that she came with him so she could watch his back and be there for him if he needed assistance. In the end he couldn't say no to her. Speaking of Kiyo, Kazzu noticed her as she ran towards his, a small smile appearing on her face as she skidded to a halt in front of him. She lifted her hand up to her forehead, saluting him and standing in attention.

Kiyo- Private Daughter Kiyo reporting papa. The meeting is about to start soon!

Kazzu chuckled at her silliness. He decided to play along by puffing out his chest and marching in front of her.

Kazzu- At ease Private! You've done your duty. Let's make haste to the meeting. On the double!

Kiyo- Sir yes sir!

They both shared a laugh and proceeded to jog toward the meeting rendezvous point. Other players looked at them with a mix of happy and confused looks. Kazzu ignored them, knowing that they were judging the fact that he was about to bring a small child into battle. He had confidence that Kiyo would make the right decisions when it came time to face the boss. Above all else, she would follow his orders to the letter. He had no worries.

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, another player had finally progressed far enough to make it to the city of Tolbana. After spending days on the field and learning how to adapt to the new world he was thrust into, Yoshi had finally made it to a place of safety and refuge. Taking a moment to relax and catch his still shaky breath, he unequipped the weapons and armor on his person and found a place to sit on a nearby water fountain. 

Yoshi- Holy hell... I've finally made it to the next village...

After gathering his bearings and taking in the sights of the town, he couldn't help but overhear a few other players talking next to him, curious and excited about some event.

Player #1- Hey, did you hear!? There's some guy saying that they found the first boss room!

Player #2- Bullshit... if anything, he probably just wanted people to show up so he could ask to join a guild or something...

Player #1- But what if it's true dude!? We can't pass this opportunity up! I'm going!

Player #2- Damn it... ok wait up...

The two players took off in the opposite direction, heading towards what appeared to be an auditorium.

Yoshi- First boss room found? Is it really possible after all this time?

Regaining his strength and standing up from the fountain, Yoshi proceeded to head to the meeting by following the other two players he was eavesdropping on in curiosity.

 

It took the father daughter duo little time to make it to a small outdoor auditorium. Were this not a crucial meeting, Kazzu wondered if there would be actors and actresses here performing plays and amusing the players with tales of love, adventure and death. Sadly, they would never know considering none of them had time to watch such plays. He and Kiyo took a seat towards the back of the auditorium and gave their full attention to the player in center stage. He was wearing half of a full set of armor with a black and white shield attached to his back. He flipped his long turquoise hair back as he turned to face the crowd, which numbered twenty-eight in the body count not counting Kazzu, Kiyo and other players proceeding to enter. The man with turquoise hair clasped his hands together to gain the other players attention.

Turquoise- Ok people. Now that everyone is here, let's get this meeting started!

Kiyo- He sounds excited about something. Do you think they found the boss room papa?

Kazzu- It would be nice if they did. We can't spend another month stuck on the first floor.

Yoshi- Cheers, I'll drink to that.

Kazzu turned his head slightly to see the player that addressed him and gave him a smirk and a nod, allowing the man with turquoise hair to continue. 

Turquoise- So anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming. Good to see you. My name is Diavel and in this game, the job I rolled is Knight!

Diavel pounded his fist onto his chest, making a small thud on his armor. He was then laughed at by the people in the crowd.

Player #1- Dude there is no job system in this game!

Player #2- Knight? Please...

Yoshi- Just because it's not an official job in the game doesn't mean that he can't be a self-proclaimed knight. Unless we want to be historically accur...

Diavel- Alright! Do you guys want to hear this or not?

Kazzu and Yoshi smiled at his character motive. A strong knight leading a group of players to defeat the evil which lied on the first floor. They respected that kind of character development. This is what Kazzu wanted when he helped make this game. Sadly, that prospect was mostly thrown away when this game launched.

Kiyo- Whoa! A real knight! Papa, he looks so cool!

Kazzu- Yea he does. Quiet down, he might be getting serious.

And serious he became. His facial expression went deadpan as he addressed the crowd once more.

Diavel- Right, anyway here's the deal: Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower today.

Kazzu's eyes widened as if he knew it. He had passed by that tower multiple times but avoided walking inside incase the boss was right there. He smiled, knowing that his suspicions were confirmed by this self-proclaimed knight. The other players in the crowd gasped in surprise.

Player #1- What!?

Player #2- Are you serious!?      

Player #3- No way...

Diavel- First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to floor two. The next step will be to tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game!

Thinking back to the Town of Beginnings, Yoshi's thoughts shifted towards the people he had met: Iroko, Lisbeth & Silica. It would've been nice to know if they were still alive, and to pass on such good news if they were still waiting. Sadly, he had no idea of knowing whether or not if they were still alive or part of the two thousand people who have died. He shook his head, breaking his trance and focusing back on the meeting.

Diavel- Fact is, it's our duty as the most capable players here! Do you agree, or not?

The crowd took their time to respond, but when they did it was a positive response. Claps and whistles surrounded the area as the applauded the blue haired knight. Kiyo joined it and jumped for joy. Kazzu and Yoshi gave their respects and added their own small claps. This knight knew how to work a crowd. This was good. A good morale could really up the advantage against the boss. The cheers died down and gave way for another speech.

Diavel- Ok! Glad to hear you are all with me on this. Now, let's figure out how we're going to defeat the boss. First off, we'll team up into parties of six. A typical party doesn't stand a chance against a floor boss. We need a raid group, made up of multiple parties.

It wasn't long before the auditorium was all partied up. Kiyo looked at the crowd shocked and surprised.

Kiyo- Whoa! They sure figured that out quick. What are we going to do papa?

Kazzu looked right at the player who he would later know as Yoshi and they both shared a quick nod as Kazzu sent a party invitation directly his way. After accepting the offer, the party of three noticed the other names and health bars appear in their vision.

Kazzu- Yoshi... nice name... 

Kiyo- Nice to meet you Mr. Yoshi!

Yoshi- It's nice to meet you two too.

The three looked around the auditorium and noticed three other players. Two were sitting next to each other, a male and an unidentified figure with a brown hood over her head and her weapon's hilt sticking out from her cloak. Off to the distance was another figure with the same hood and similar weapon hilt poking out. The three stood up and walked over to the duo, sitting down next to them. As Kazzu sat next to the male, his eyes widened as he recognized his face.

Kazzu- Kirito! Long time no see. 

Kirito had turned around to meet Kazzu's gaze as well as see Yoshi and Kiyo behind him. He smiled as both players exchanged a firm handshake.

Kirito- Kazzu! I was hoping to see you here. I'm glad this game hasn't claimed you as one of its victims. I see you've made a few new friends.

Kazzu- Yep. This here is my daughter, Kiyo. Say hi little pup.

Kiyo- Hello Mr. Kirito! Nice to meet you.

Kazzu- And this is Yoshi. We just met.

Yoshi- Hey.

Kirito- A pleasure to meet you as well Kiyo. You too Yoshi.

Kiyo leaned over Kazzu's shoulder to address the hooded player behind Kirito.

Kiyo- And what's your name miss?

Hooded Figure #1- I'm sorry but I'd rather not give out my name at the moment.

Kiyo- Oh... ok...

Kazzu- It's ok Kiyo. We don't have to know her name, as long as we can work together as a team.

Kazzu wasted no time sending the party invites to the pair of players. Once they accepted, two more smaller health bars appeared under the rest. Together they saw Kazzu's, Yoshi's, Kiyo's and Kirito's but the one that stood out was the one below Kirito's: Asuna. Kiyo looked at the hooded figure closest to us and noticed her unmoving presence. Asuna must have not been aware of the menu yet. Brushing her aside, Kazzu looked towards the hooded figure furthest from them. No one was near the player, allowing him to stand up and walk over towards her. He slowly plopped next to her and tried getting her attention.

Kazzu- So, you got left out too huh?

Hooded Figure- More or less. I don't really know anyone here. Then again, I guess it's safe to say most of these people don't know anyone either.

Kazzu- Perhaps, or maybe they came and joined together. Regardless, we have room for one more party member. Going solo on a floor boss is not the safest move.

Hooded Figure #2- Agreed.

Kazzu- If being with strangers makes you uncomfortable, you wouldn't have to stick around once the fight is over.

It took her a moment to think about it, but she responded with a simple nod. After sending her a party invite, she accepted, and a final name appeared. Looking at the health bars, Kazzu noticed the name in between his and Kiyo's: Ashtry. He was about to speak to Ashtry again, but Kiyo appeared behind him and started tugging at his arm.

Kiyo- Papa hurry, Mister Diavel is about to start talking again.

He couldn't speak another word before Kiyo had tugged him away from Ashtry and plopped him down in our original seat. He and the rest of the newly created party turned their focus back to Diavel once more as he started to speak up.

Diavel- Alright, looks like everyone is teamed up! Now then...

?- Hold on a sec!

The crowd turned around and followed as a new player jumped down the steps of the auditorium, landed next to Diavel and skidded around to face the crowd. This player had short spiky orange hair and a very pissed off look to his face. He pointed at himself and addressed the crowd.

Orange Spikes- My name's Kibaou, got that? Before we take on the boss, I want to get something off my chest.

Kazzu- It must be important to interrupt a boss discussion. What's got him so riled up?

Kiyo- Papa, is everything ok?

Kazzu- I don't know Kiyo. Let's listen to what he has to say.

Kibaou- We all know about the two thousand people who have died so far yea? Well, some of you need to apologize to them right now!

He points towards the crowd. Whispers could be heard among the different players and a shiver went up Kazzu's spine. He knew who Kibaou was talking about. Diavel picked up on the notion as well.

Diavel- Kibaou, I think I know who you're referring to. You mean the ones who were ex beta testers right?

Kibaou- Well of course I mean them! The day this stupid ass game started, the beta guys just up and vanished right!? They ditched all of us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests too! They were the only ones getting stronger in here! This whole time they have ignored us like we're nothing!

Kazzu- While it's true that I tried to stay near the best hunting spots to farm monsters and collected all of the quests on this floor doesn't mean anything! Those monsters respawn and the quests can be reactivated! This moron is calling out beta testers for no reason!

Kibaou- Hell, I bet there's some of them here! Come on out you beta testers! We should make them apologize to us and we should make them hand out their money and items they got! They can't expect the party to trust them when they don't trust us! Why should we!?

Kazzu- You idiot! You make it sound like beta testers are in allegiance with my father when there is a possibility that a few of those testers could be dead right now! My body is shaking, I have to say something!

Yoshi- The beta testers can't all be blamed for what is happening! 

?- Can I say something?

The entire crowd looked over to where the voice originated from and spotted a player standing up. He was a tall, bald African American man with a battle axe strapped to his back. He slowly walked down to face Kibaou, standing over him and leaving Kibaou in his shadow. A bead of sweat started to form atop Kibaou's forehead.

Bald Man- Hey, my name's Agil. Kibaou right? I want to make sure we're on the same page. You say the ex-beta testers should be blamed for the rookies' deaths because they didn't help them, and you want them to apologize and give up their winnings. I leave anything out.

Kibaou- No, you didn't.

Agil reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small book. The item caught Kazzu's eye. It was a guidebook he had implemented into the game to help players who were struggling to defeat any type of enemy whether it be a boss or a simple monster.

Kazzu- Father kept that book in the game? Why? For what reason would he have to allow such a guide to exist?

Agil- The item store hands these out for free. It's a guidebook. You got one, didn't you?

Kibaou- Sure I got one, so what about it?

Agil- You know who was handing these out? The ex-beta testers.

The crowd started whispering amongst themselves again, wondering if the beta testers could be trusted or not.

Kazzu- So that's why I've been seeing beta testers out on the streets handing out those books. They are trying to keep the players informed about the dangers outside. Smart move, though it still doesn't make sense as to why the book is still in the game. I'm certain my father would've taken it out.

Agil turned to face the crowd and held the book up high for everyone to see.

Agil- Listen up! Everyone had equal access to this information. Even so, lots of players still died. Now I didn't come here to point fingers at anyone, I'm here because I want to learn from those players deaths. I'm here because I want to learn how we're going to defeat the boss!

Kiyo- It's a good thing we got two of those books huh papa.

Kazzu- A very good thing. We can use the information to come up with strategies to better defeat monsters in the field. We should take a look at it after the meeting.

Kiyo- Yes sir. Did you get one Mr. Yoshi?

Yoshi- I've looked through it. But did I hear correctly? You're bringing Kiyo into this fight, Kazzu?

Kazzu- That is correct. Why?

Yoshi- Wouldn't it be too dangerous for her to be a part of this?

Kazzu- She may not look like it, but I have seen her handle groups of monsters by herself. I have faith that she will be fine in the boss room, especially if the five of us are going to be there fighting with her. 

Yoshi stayed silent, remaining skeptical about sending a child into battle. Without another word from both Agil or Kibaou, they both walked back towards their seats and remained silent as well. Diavel pulled out the same book from his back pocket and resumed.

Diavel- Okay, can we get back to the meeting now?

The players in the auditorium nodded their heads and paid attention.

Diavel- For info on the boss, it's all in the here: The latest issue of the guidebook you just heard about. According to the book the boss' name is: Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he'll be surrounded by his minions: The Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

Kiyo- That name sounds familiar...

Kazzu- They are like the monsters we fought in the cave when we were doing the ice cream quest. The only difference is that they'll have better equipment and more health, thus making them harder to kill. But squads like ours should be able to beat them no problem.

Kiyo- Got it! I'll do my best!

Yoshi- Ice cream quest?

Kazzu- Don't ask...

Diavel- Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved sword type weapon called a Talwar. It can change its patterns of attack too.

The players started whispering once more, taking notes on everything that Diavel just covered.

Kiyo- So Illfang will be using axe and shield techniques to begin with but then switch out his weapon to a two-handed sword type. That means we'll have to take note on different sets of sword skills right papa.

Kazzu- Correct. Depending on whether or not he drops his shield after the weapon change, his speed will either stay the same or dramatically increase. When he switches weapons, we need to assess the situation and plan ahead.

Kiyo- Sounds like a plan papa!

We both shared a high five as Diavel closed the guidebook.

Diavel- That's it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the XP and whoever gets an item gets to keep it. Any objections?

No one in the crowd said anything, not even Kibaou. Taking this as a sign of agreement, Diavel motioned his hand towards the exits.

Diavel- Good, we leave tomorrow at ten in the morning. Meeting adjourned people!

The crowd dispersed. Some stayed to talk to their groups while some left and went back to the center of town. Turning towards my party, Kazzu and Yoshi noticed Kirito and Asuna walking off together while Ashtry was nowhere in sight. Kazzu figured she must've left to get some food and rest. Still, something about her felt... intriguing. He brushed the feeling off as Kiyo tugged at his sleeve.

Kiyo- Papa, I'm hungry.

Kazzu- I am too. Let's get some of that bread in town that you like.

Kiyo- Do we still have that cream we got from the quest giver in town!?

Kazzu- We sure do. Come on let's go buy some food and read up on the boss.

Kiyo- Ok papa!

Kazzu- Would you like to join us Yoshi?

Yoshi- If you are offering, I won't mind.

An hour later, the three stuffed themselves with baked bread and read up a little about Illfang. Kiyo took interest in learning about the monsters' weak point, Yoshi's drifted off to the attack patterns, but Kazzu interests went elsewhere: The guidebook itself. It still shocked him that the book made its way to the game. It would seem counter intuitive to his father's plans if this gave out all the information on the bosses. It just didn't add up. His thought was derailed when Kiyo started yawning. He chuckled and placed the book back into his item storage.

Kazzu- Come on little pup. Let's get you to bed.

Kiyo- But what about you Papa?

Kazzu- I'm not tired just yet. There's something I want to check up on. It shouldn't take me long.

Kiyo- But what if you get hurt or need my help?

We walked inside of an inn and paid for a room. Kazz carried Kiyo up the stairs, down the hallway and into our room while Yoshi hung back and waited. Kazzu set her down on the bed and tucked her in.

Kazzu- I'm not going to leave town, ok? I just want to make sure everything is on the up and up. I'll be back in a few minutes, ok?

Kiyo- Ok Papa... I believe you...

In a matter of seconds, she was out like a light. Kazzu gave her a small kiss on the forehead, turned the lights in the room off and left the inn with Yoshi. He opened his menu, opened the party screen and clicked on Ashtry. His active skill came into play as his eyes shifted to a pale green color and a trail of footprints lead towards the center of town. 

Kazzu- I'm going to see if I can catch up with that player with the cloak. You are welcome to join me but don't feel inclined to.

Yoshi- That's ok. I better get some rest as well. I wish you the best of luck.

Giving Yoshi another slight nod, Kazzu followed the trail until he reached his objective. Ashtry was sitting alone in an alleyway, her cloaks hood still over her head. He deactivated the Searching skill and walked up to Ashtry.

Kazzu- Is this seat taken?

She shook her head no and he once again plopped down next to her. He noticed that once he sat down, she scooted herself away a few inches. Not that he minded, it was just unnecessary.

Kazzu- Have you ever tried the bread in this town? Cover it up with some cream that can be gained in a quest and it's a nice delicacy for something made on the first floor.

Ashtry- I know. I've had that meal many times before.

Kazzu- Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed that you didn't know about it already.

Ashtry- I'm used to that type of commentary, that's why I have the cloak. I don't want players assuming I don't know how to play just because I'm a girl.

Kazzu- Again. I'm sorry.

Ashtry- It's ok... So... where's the kid?

Kazzu- Huh?

Ashtry- The little girl that was with you at the meeting. Where is she?

Kazzu- Oh, she got tired after we ate and read up on the boss. She's at the inn in town, sleeping.

Ashtry- She's joining us for the boss fight?

Kazzu- If you don't want players assuming your skills because you're a girl, don't assume that she can't handle her own in a fight because she's a child.

Ashtry- If you trust your skills, that's the important part.

Kazzu- Well said.

They sat in silence for a moment before she broke it with a question.

Ashtry- Kazzu, what's the reason you continue to fight on in this game, despite the fact that the odds are against you?

He had to think about that for a second. The main reason he kept fighting was because he had to stop his father from killing anymore people. But now that he had Kiyo and allies back at the Town of Beginnings, he had to fight because he wanted to keep them safe.

Kazzu- I fight because not only do I need to fight to survive, but I have to because I have stop Kayaba from killing more people.

Ashtry- So your fight is like everyone else's. You want to leave.

Kazzu- Not exactly. Stopping Kayaba is... personal to me.

Ashtry- I see.

Kazzu- What about you? Why do you continue to fight despite having this world against you?

Ashtry- Something near and dear to me is on the line.

Kazzu- And that would be?

Ashtry- My life. I don't want other people to decide whether or not I live or die in this virtual hellhole. My decisions are my own. No one can take that from me.

Kazzu- A very admirable cause. One that I hope everyone on this floor will realize after we defeat the boss.

Ashtry- And how do you know we'll win?

Kazzu- Call it a hunch. But I get this feeling that we will live to see the second floor.

Ashtry- I hope you're right.

She stood up and made her way towards a different inn on the other side of town. Kazzu took a deep breath made his way back to Kiyo.

Kazzu- Good talk Ashtry.

 

The next morning, Kiyo and Kazzu made their way towards the raiding party and met up with their group. Kirito and Asuna seemed to be discussing their own topic, while Ashtry and Yoshi were checking their gear. Kiyo walked up to Ashtry and stuck her hand out to her.

Kiyo- Hello Miss Ashtry! Thank you for joining our party! I didn't introduce myself before but I'm Kiyo!

Ashtry- It's nice to meet you Kiyo.

She shakes Kiyo's hand and turns her attention towards Kazzu. Realizing that she was thinking about the conversation from last night, Kazzu gave her a nod of confirmation that everything will be ok. She gave Kazzu a small smile and went back to checking her gear. Kazzu then gave his attention to Yoshi.

Kazzu- Your gear all set? Durability is at one hundred percent.

Yoshi- Always is. I don't even risk it going to ninety-nine.

Kazzu- Glad to hear it but there is no reason to over repair your gear. Most of the materials that you use to repair can also be used to upgrade.

Yoshi- I feel I have every reason too. If I have a surplus of materials, I will use it.

Kazzu- Fair enough...

He left Yoshi alone to kneel down next to Kiyo and placed his arm on her shoulder.

Kazzu- Ok Kiyo I want you to listen to me very carefully ok. I've been ok with you handling monsters on your own, but I mean it when I say that if this boss is too much for us to handle, you are to run away from the fight and go as fast as you can back to town. Do not turn back no matter what happens do you understand?

Kiyo- Yes papa... I understand.

Kazzu- That being said, I don't plan on just laying down and letting the boss hit me. Let's go kick its butt!

Kiyo- Right!

The small army of players started to make their way out of town and towards the boss' lair. Each group walking at their own pace and sticking close to their members. Kiyo joyfully skipping slightly ahead.

Kirito- Let's go over the plan. We're the backup, so our targets are going to be the boss' minions: The Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

Asuna- I know.

Kiyo- Aw, we won't be fighting the boss itself. Why not?

Kazzu- Because little pup, we were assigned to defeat the boss' minions and then attack Illfang whenever we can.

Ashtry- Plus it's video game basics: Take down the minions so they don't bother you while attacking the boss. Plus, if the minions are out of the way, they won't have a chance to distract the team dealing damage to the boss.

Yoshi- The minions have very heavy weaponry. They hit like a truck but are very slow at attacking. We'll draw their attacks with patience and strike when the time is right.

Kiyo- Oh, that makes sense.

Kazzu gave his teammates a smirk, only to have it reach the side of Ashtry's hood. He was glad the squad wasn't totally new to the concepts of gaming. But were they aware of the basics of this game?

Kirito- Me and Kazzu will use our sword skills to knock the enemies weapons out of the way. When we do, you four switch and jump in.

Kiyo- Got it!

Asuna- What's a switch?

Yoshi- Is that a combat mechanic?

Kirito, Kiyo and Kazzu looked at the two confused. Kazzu didn't know about Ashtry, but surely the other would know about switches by now.

Kirito- Ok you two, level with me. Is this your first time in a party?

Asuna- Uh huh.

Ashtry- VR party yes.

Yoshi- First time doing anything in a game.

Kirito started to drag behind in shock. Kazzu chuckled as he sighed in defeat. Kirito must have thought that he made the wrong choice in joining this group. Kazzu walked up behind him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

Kazzu- Cheer up Kirito. It's an easy mechanic to teach. These three will be masters in the art of switching before we even get to the boss room.

Kirito- Are you sure?

Kazzu- Absolutely. While we keep walking to the boss room, listen to everything Kiyo says. I taught her everything I know about the skill. Kiyo, the floor is yours.

They started to follow the rest of the boss raiding squad. As they did, Ashtry, Yoshi and Asuna walked behind Kiyo as she was explaining the switch mechanic to them while walking backwards.

Kiyo- So, how a switch works is simple. One person attacks a monster and counters a sword skill with their own. Once the skills connect, the enemy is stunned for a short amount of time. During that time, another player jumps in and uses a sword skill of their own. Not only will the skill deal more damage than before but both players regain a small amount of HP. Then the cycle basically repeats. Sounds easy right?

Asuna- Wow, you sure know your stuff kid.

Ashtry didn't say anything and instead gave Kiyo a smile and an acknowledging nod.

Yoshi- Sounds easy enough.

Kazzu- Couldn't have said it better myself Kiyo. And right as we made it to the boss' tower. Well done.

Kiyo- Thank you papa.

Just as Diavel had confirmed, the tower was completely empty. No minions in sight. It was an easy climb up to the top of the tower, facing a large metal door leading to the boss room. Diavel stopped short of the door, planted his sword in the ground and faced the crowd.

Diavel- Listen up everyone, I've only got one thing to say to you: Let's win.

Most of the crowd simply nodded towards the acclaimed knight. Kazzu looked down at Kiyo and patted her head, hoping to give her a small sense of comfort. Her determined smile towards him confirmed that she was ready. Kirito and Asuna remained silent while Ashtry's grip on her weapon tightened. Yoshi took the last remaining seconds before the raid tapping his foot on the ground, hoping to calm his nerves. The loud groaning of the doors swinging open turned our focus towards the huge dim lit room. As the raid group slowly made their way inside, the room suddenly sparked with light. A small grunt ahead of us grew closer as a giant Kobold came crashing down in front of the raiding team. It readied it weapons and gave off a loud roar which echoed through the room. Illfang the Kobold Lord was ready to fight. Several Kobold Sentinels spawned in next to Illfang and together they charged at the party, set on ending more lives.

Kazzu- Not going to happen today ugly!

Diavel- Commence the attack!

The player charged in towards the group of kobolds and soon the battle had truly begun. Clangs of metal clashing against metal could be heard in all directions. Thuds of shields colliding with shields danced along like bass drums. Illfang was luckily not with the Sentinels, instead dealing with two other attacking squads. This gave opportunities for supporting parties to drive the minions away from the raid. Kazzu and Kiyo handled their own minions while Asuna and Ashtry fought alongside each other. Yoshi and Kirito were on the offensive as Yoshi used his weapons range to cut the minions down before they even had a chance to reach him while Kirito made sure that any that got close to Yoshi regretted their actions. 

Diavel- Squads A and C, switch in!

The named squads did what they were told and replaced the previous team, who retreated to regain a little bit of their strength. Illfang responded by attacking the new squad and letting out another roar.

Diavel- Here it comes! Squad B, block!

Illfang swung his axe down but was met with a smaller axe swinging upward, stunning the giant boss for a while. Kazzu took a second to look over and see Agil with his axe behind his head. Kibaou followed suit and hit Illfang with his own sword skill.

Yoshi- Nice switch guys. Keep it up!

Diavel- Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch. Everyone else, when you fall back, regroup and flank them. Squad's D, E, and F, keep those minions off of us!

Kirito replied with a defeated kobold and a battle-hardened look.

Kirito- Yea, you got it.

Kazzu- No problem!

Kiyo- Yes sir!

Asuna- Right!

Ashtry- Piece of cake!

Yoshi- Yes captain!

Kirito ran towards another Kobold Sentinel, blocking its weapon and calling out for a switch. Asuna darted towards the defenseless monster and instantly killed it with a lunging sword skill. For someone who sounded like a beginner, she had some skill. No one could barely see her sword as she shattered the Kobold in front of her. Kazzu's thoughts ended fast as another Sentinel spawned in the air and dived towards Kirito.

Kazzu- Heads up Kirito!

Kirito turned around and was lucky to be under Yoshi's shield in time. He shoved the Kobold back and charged towards it, his shield propped right in front of him.

Yoshi- Ashtry, Kiyo get ready!

Kiyo- Coming!

Ashtry- On my way!

Yoshi bashed the monster once again, sending it into the air. Not having to call anything out, Kiyo jumped on top of his shield. Getting the hint, Yoshi propelled her into the air where she proceeded to stab the monster back down to the ground. This gave room for Ashtry to leap into the air and stab into it repeatedly, shattering it flawlessly. Another roar caught the attention of the group as they turned back to see Illfang on its last health bar, colored in a dark crimson. This was it; it was going to switch weapons.

Kazzu- Stay sharp guys. Different sword skills are about to be used.

A silent confirmation was gifted to me as the giant Kobold threw away it's axe and shield.

Kazzu- Its speed will increase but without any defense. It's basically a glass cannon now.

Kibaou- Looks like the guidebook was right.

Diavel- Stand back! I got it!

Diavel pushed his way past the group and stood to face the monster alone. Kazzu and Yoshi smirked at his bravery, but Kazzu immediately withdrew his smile as the battle plan crawled back into his memory.

Kazzu- Wasn't the plan to have everyone surround it?

Yoshi- I thought so. Maybe he's trying to go for the last attack XP?

Kazzu caught a glimpse of Diavel. He slightly narrowed his eyes at him and gave off a sly smirk. Kazzu took a breath as he realized what he was doing.

Kazzu- You clever bastard...

Diavel readied a sword skill, prepared to finish the monster off, only to be met by Illfang pulling out his secondary weapon. There was just one problem. The weapon was different than what the guidebook had stated. Kazzu and Yoshi's eyes widened as they studied the blade.

Kazzu- That's not a Talwar, it's an Odachi! Shit! I knew there was something off about that damned book! It's not like the beta at all!

Blocking another attack from Sentinels and pushing it away from them, Kazzu and Yoshi turned their attention towards Diavel.

Yoshi- Diavel stop! It's a different weapon, get out of there!

His advice went unheeded. Diavel persisted on killing the boss that he could barely notice the behemoth leapt into the air. Its speed was too much for Diavel to handle as he couldn't find the damn thing. Kazzu, however, could see it leaping from pillar to pillar until it started to come down on top of Diavel. His eyes widened, his defenses lowered, he was going to die.

Kibaou- Diavel no!

Illfang swung downward. Diavel braced himself for a devastating blow...

But it never came. The sound of a hard metallic clang echoed throughout the room. Diavel looked up only to be met with a miracle.

Diavel- You...

Their shields raised high but the strain from the behemoth getting to them, Kazzu and Yoshi weren't going to let this thing beat them and take the life of an innocent! They wouldn't allow it!

Kazzu- Kiyo! Switch!

As if she was in the middle of an attack, she sliced the overgrown Kobold's legs followed by Ashtry using a repeated stabbing motion to get it to back away. The others in the raid quickly followed suit to assist Kiyo and Ashtry, while Asuna and Kirito joined Kazzu and Yoshi as they fell to their knees.

Asuna- Are you ok?

Kazzu- Yea. Just a lot of weight to go up against. Bastard needs to lose few pounds if I'm being honest.

Yoshi- That sword may not look heavy but thanks to that Kobold's strength, my legs feel like jelly...

Kirito looked at Diavel, his head hanging down low.

Kirito- What were you thinking? Doing a stunt like that?

Diavel- Shouldn't you two know by now? You guys were beta testers too, right?

This shocked Kirito but confirmed Kazzu's suspicions. After accepting a health potion that Asuna had offered him and Yoshi, Kazzu turned his focus to Diavel. His eyes staring into mine like a deep personal connection.

Kazzu- Yea. I knew what you were doing. You were trying to get the last attack bonus, were you?

Kirito- The rare item. You're just like us, a beta tester.

Kirito offered a hand to Diavel. He accepted it, standing up with a bit of help from Kazzu and Kirito. Kazzu kept a hold on his arm and stared him down.

Kazzu- Listen... when this game started, I was only out for myself. My own goal mattered more than anyone. Even though that goal is to save the people trapped in this game, I didn't much care for anyone in it. Then... I started helping people. Giving food to the orphanage, offering help to rookie players and even adopting a kid. They gave me the realization that you need people to trust you in order to survive.

Diavel- But I...

Kazzu- Just listen. These players... they believed in you; they're inspired by you despite showing hatred towards beta testers. If they knew what you were doing, they would detest you and lose all hope in everything you wanted them to believe.

Diavel grunted as he lowered his head. He obviously felt ashamed for his action though Kazzu could hardly blame him. Grabbing the last attack bonus was a seriously sweet drop. If not for its better stats, then it had good resell value in order to buy better gear. However, it's not worth killing yourself over, especially now.

Kazzu- Diavel, I want you to promise that you'll unite these people, rookies and beta testers alike. Because no matter how much they may disagree with each other, they need one another. Can you promise me that?

It took him a second to answer, but a serious silent nod gifted him the answer. Kazzu let go of his arm and handed him a health potion for him to drink. He stood still while drinking the blood red liquid. Kazzu and Kirito immediately turned their attention to Illfang, Kiyo and Ashtry. Kiyo and Ashtry looked fine, in spite of the fact that Ashtry took a bit of a beating. Gritting his teeth, Kazzu picked Yoshi back up and rushed back to join them. Kirito and Asuna followed quickly behind me. Yoshi took up the rear.

Kazzu- You two ok?

Kiyo- Miss Ashtry took a bit of a scratch defending me but otherwise we are ok.

Asuna- Need healing Ashtry?

Ashtry- Just a flesh wound, I'll be fine.

Kazzu took another look at her health bar. Her health was lower than before but not by much. She was still in the green. Using a healing item on her under those circumstances would be a waste. Plus, he believed her when she said she was fine. 

Kazzu- Alright then. We'll go in and attack the boss. No holding back alright?

Group- Right!

The group rushed towards Illfang. Their footsteps clattering on the ground in almost perfect synchronization. Their weapons drawn, their guard raised, this boss was going down one way or another.

Kirito- We'll attack it just like the minions!

Asuna- You got it.

Kazzu- Me and Yoshi will handle dealing damage to it, you two just focus on keeping it stunned. Kiyo, Ashtry, I want everything you got!

Kiyo- Roger that!

Ashtry- Let's end this!

Yoshi- Keep note of its sword! His movement speed has increased so there might be a chance that it's attack might have as well.

Illfang took notice of the group running towards it. It readied a sword skill and rushed in to take them on. Both Kirito and Asuna prepared a sword skill, clashing it against Illfang's own weapon.

Kirito- Switch!

Kazzu, Yoshi, Ashtry and Kiyo leapt in and blew Illfang away with our combined strength. Kazzu and Yoshi followed up the attack by blocking the beast with their shields, parrying its attack.

Yoshi- Switch!

Asuna leaped over Yoshi and was prepared to unleash her own skill. Unfortunately, Illfang recovered and prepared to swipe its blade at her. Luckily, he didn't get the chance to damage her as Ashtry came in and knocked Asuna out of the way. The only thing to get damaged however were the cloaks they were wearing, revealing what they truly looked like. Asuna was a female with long, orange-brownish chestnut hair with piercing hazel eyes.

Ashtry on the other hand was a female with shoulder length pale honey hair and calm light sage green eyes.

They both reacted to their destroyed clothing by using a combined sword skill and propelling the monster back. Kazzu and Yoshi snapped out of their analysis and rushed towards them, followed by Kiyo and Kirito. The group rushed at the beast again, trading blows and countering its attacks. When Kirito went to counter it, however, it changed the direction of its attack. This resulted in Kirito being slashed across the chest and knocked back into the rest of the group, taking the group down with him. Kirito and Asuna both looked at their health bar, which drained itself halfway. Another attack like that and he's done for. The group barely had time to react before Illfang was on top of us, ready to smash us with his weapon. Kazzu and Yoshi quickly raised their shields and waited for his attack, but a light green flash flew above us, countering the skill and pushing it back. Agil stood in front of us with a small smile on his face.

Agil- We can hold this bastard off until your health is back up!

Kirito mimicked a smile of his own, a bead of sweat dropping down his head from the near-death experience.

Kirito- You've got it.

The group stayed and defended Kirito while he regained his strength. It didn't take long until Illfang started to overpower the players that attacked. It leapt up into the air once more, targeting Agil who had dropped his weapon. Not risking another deadly attack, Kazzu stood up and rushed towards the air bound monster. Loosening the straps on his shield, he hurled it towards Illfang and prepared his own sword skill. Illfang didn't see it coming as Kazzu's shield collided with his face. Kazzu used this moment to use the sword skill: Sonic Leap. His blade cutting through Illfang like butter, causing it to spin around and land a few feet on the opposite side. Running towards his shield, Kazzu scooped it up and raised it up high.

Kazzu- Ashtry, Yoshi, help me beat this freak. One more solid attack should do it!

Ashtry responded to the command and rushed in alongside me. Her honey hair flowing behind her.

Ashtry- Got it!

Yoshi obeyed the command as well, placing his shield on his back and two handing his spear.

Yoshi- Lets finish him!

The three of them sped towards him like blinding lights. Illfang had no time to react before they started unloading all they had into him. Swing after swing, skill after skill, switching repeatedly over and over until it dropped its weapon. Charging up another sword skill, Kazzu jumped towards the monster and activated the skill: Vertical. His blade buried itself into Illfang's hip and started to drag itself upwards through its stomach, above its chest until finally it emerged from the roof of its skull. The goliath stayed in the air for a few seconds until it finally exploded into a monstrous shatter, its digital body destroyed. The room went silent for a few seconds, we waited for another enemy to come out, another trap to respawn, anything to tell us that the fight wasn't over.

Nothing. Instead, right above where the boss stood, a giant "Congratulations" text appeared indicating that the boss was truly dead. The silence was broken by players cheering and crying tears of joy, knowing that they had survived the encounter and they could move on to the second floor. The lights in the room dimmed, acknowledging that its master was defeated. The group also took a moment to catch their breath as a small text box appeared in front of them.

"You have received the last attacking bonus: Armor of the Dark Cross."

Kazzu- Well, that's not occult as hell. Still, should serve me well in the long run.

Kiyo- Papa! We did it!

A huge force tackled Kazzu from behind and wrapped around him. He didn't have to look back to know Kiyo had just jumped and hugged him from behind.

Asuna- Nice job.

Agil- That was some fine swordsmanship. Congratulations, today's victory is all thanks to you.

Kazzu- No... it wasn't.

Player #1- Yea man!

Player #2- You rock dude!

Player #3 - That was amazing!

Kibaou- Stop cheering!

The crowd went silent and turned over to Kibaou, who was holding onto Diavel with an arm wrapped around his shoulder.

Kibaou- Why did you do it!? Why did you risk Diavel's life like that!?

Kazzu- Risk... his life?

Kibaou- That's what I said. Admit it, you knew the technique the boss was going to use. You could've told us! Then Diavel might've not gotten hurt! He wouldn't have to have almost died!

Diavel- Kibaou... I was fully aware of what I was getting myself into.

Player #1- I know why he knew! He used to be a beta tester! Think about it, he knew the bosses attack patterns! He knew and he kept it from us! And I bet he's not the only beta tester in here! Come on show yourselves!

The crowd stood quiet as they looked at one another. They were starting to doubt who to trust, regardless of the fact that they had no idea who was a beta tester or not. This was bad. At this rate they would tear each other apart just to maim the beta testers. Kazzu knew he couldn't let that happen.

Yoshi- Who cares if he was a beta tester or not. We both saved Diavel, didn't we!?

Kazzu needed them to work together to increase their chances of survival. They had to work together. If anything, he the one they should be casting blame on. His eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat. His throat went dry, and he knew what he had to do. He looked at the item dropped by the last attack bonus. 

Kazzu- If these people want a monster, I'll give them a monster.

Agil- Hey, calm down.

A maniacal laugh surrounded the room. Everyone turned to face Kazzu as he slowly ascended from the ground.

Kazzu- So... you guys think I used to be a beta tester? Well, it's disgraceful to put me on the same level as those weaklings.

Kibaou- What did you say!?

Kazzu- You heard me loud and clear. The thousand people who scored a slot in this game were complete novices. They were so new to the game that they barely knew how to get stronger. Hell, you guys were better than they were, although they set the bar pretty low. But me? I'm on a whole new level. Not only was I the only beta tester who made it to the highest point during the open beta, but I know more about any of the floors than any information broker can tell you. Their information is like poems when it comes to my knowledge.

Kibaou- What the hell? If that's true than you're worse than a beta tester, you're a goddamn cheater that's what you are!

Player #1- Yea a cheater!

Player #2- A beta tester!

Player #3- A cheater and a beta tester, a Beater!

Kazzu- If anyone of you call me a cheater, a beta tester or a beater again I'll happily slit your own throats!

The crowd went silent again. Kazzu looked at Kiyo who looked scared and confused as to what he was saying. He looked towards Kirito and Asuna, who were glaring him down as if they were planning to attack at any moment. He turned to Yoshi to see him looking back at Kazzu to see whether or not he was telling the truth. He looked to Diavel and he knew where Kazzu was going. The line Kazzu was about to cross to where rookies and beta testers would band together instead of fighting amongst themselves was a line he could walk back from. The last person Kazzu looked at was Ashtry. Her expression was that of curiosity, frustration and an eager desire to know what he would do next. This was it.

Kazzu- No going back now.

Kazzu- Like I said, I'm leagues above them. No beta tester could ever have the skills high enough to beat me. The reason why I know what I know isn't because I'm a beta tester or a cheater. No, it's way worse. The reason why I know everything about this game is because I was the one who helped develop it. I'm the co-creator of Sword Art Online and the son of Kayaba Akihiko: Kazzu Akihiko!

The crowd gasped and stepped away from him in shock. They all had their hands on their weapons with the exception of Agil, Kirito, Asuna, Kiyo, Yoshi and Ashtry.

Kibaou- No... No way! You helped make this hellhole!? You helped trap us in here!? Why shouldn't we kill you where you stand!?

Kazzu- Because as I've stated before, the beta testers have nothing on the number of skills and knowledge I have. So, what makes you think any of you could swing your blade before you hit the ground, shattered to pieces?

They gave no response. They slowly backed away from their weapons. They looked down at the floor distraught, depleted of hope.

Kibaou- So that's it... we'll be stuck here forever?

Kazzu- Not necessarily.

Kibaou- What?

Kazzu- You see, I'm here for one simple reason. My father decided to live all high and mighty up at the top of this floating hunk of steel and didn't bring me along to enjoy the spoils of our creation. Because of this, I'm going to personally see to his execution and claim Aincrad as my own. Anyone who gets in my way, shall see their permanent end.

Kazzu opened the inventory menu and selected the "Armor of the Dark Cross". Within seconds the armor molded itself onto his body, Kiyo slowly approaching behind him and hiding behind his leg. He planted his sword into the ground and gave of a deadly frown addressed to the crowd.

Kazzu- You wanted a monster? Well now you got one. I won't be known as a beta tester, a cheater or a beater. I was supposed to be the prince of this world, and a prince a shall be. You can address me as: The Dark Prince of Aincrad! Now, if we are all done here, I'll take my leave. Farwell, peasants!

Kazzu turned his back to the crowd and walked towards the staircase leading to the second floor, gently holding onto Kiyo's shaking hand and dragging her along with him.

Kiyo- Papa? Did... you mean what you said? Are you really going to kill people?

Kazzu- Of course not sweetheart. I needed to say that so they would focus their anger on me and not on each other.

Kiyo- But why? Now they'll want you dead!

Kazzu- If that's what it takes for them to cooperate with each other, then so be it. But I swear to you, I would never ever follow in my father's footsteps. There is so much I need to tell you Kiyo, but I ask you to be patient with me. Any questions you have when we are in a safer place, I'll gladly answer ok?

Kiyo nodded her head quietly and she wiped a tear away from her eyes. He didn't want to scare her like that, but it was a necessary evil. He knew would have to make it up to her big time. He was about to open the doors to the second floor, when a different pair of footsteps could be heard.

Kirito- Hey Kazzu!

Kazzu stopped for a second and turned around. Kirito was in front of him with a very angry look on his face. If looks could kill, he could murder.

Kirito- Why did you do it!? Why did you allow your father to trap these people!? Why kill us for a video game world!?

Kiyo was starting to get scared, once again retreating behind Kazzu's leg. He glared at the swordsman and sneered.

Kazzu- Like I said before you pawn, I'm out to kill my father. I'm not your enemy.

Kirito- You plan on taking his throne after his death! Nothing will change, we'll still be trapped under your rule!

Kazzu- Use your infantile brain for a moment Kirito! If my father removed all of my access to the game and shut me away with the rest of you, do you really believe I could take control of Aincrad?

Kirito- What?

Kazzu- Once the boss at the top of the tower is defeated, that's it. The game is over. Everyone is free to leave. 

Kirito- You're lying! Why else would you say what you said if it weren't true?

Kazzu- You tell me.

Kirito- Why you...

Kazzu- Let me offer some advice Kirito, as a gift.

He went silent and allowed me to say my piece.

Kazzu- I've seen your type before. Better off alone, a lone wolf, a solo player. I highly advise that you abandon that mentality in this game. If ever the day comes where someone close to you invites you to join a guild, don't turn it down. Maybe speak to Klein, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to accept you into his band of friends. Hell, if Asuna decides to tag along or start a guild with you, the more the merrier. There are limits to what a solo player can do. Don't go and walk down that road.

Kirito- What about you? Even though you have Kiyo, won't you two be playing as solo players?

Nothing more was said as Kazzu turned his back to him and walked through identical looking metal doors, Kiyo walking right beside him. Floor Two was upon the horizon and only one player had died. Kazzu Akihiko was dead and in his place:

Was the Dark Prince.

Chapter 7: Trust In Me (Kazzu)

Chapter Text

January 25, 2023
Floor 8: Forest of Eternal Snow

It's been little over a month since I had announced myself as the Dark Prince of Aincrad and it didn't take long for people to react. Players would try to run me out of town to the point where me and Kiyo would have to sleep outside of safe zones near monster infested areas. Even on this floor where the weather is always freezing, we weren't even allowed into town.  The only exception for me to stay in town was when we were about to fight a floor boss. The newly formed Aincrad Assault Team made it clear that despite the fact that I had 'ill intentions', I was one of their best hopes to clearing the game. Most people reluctantly agreed but still wished for my death. It didn't matter to me. What did pique my interest recently, was the fact that Kiyo had been distancing herself from me slightly ever since the first floor. I understood her motives, but I still wish she would talk to me about it. I don't want her to feel trapped into my adoption if she no longer felt safe around me. If she was scared of me, I wanted to know so I can prove to her that there was nothing to be afraid of. These thoughts rushed through my head as I was walking deeper into the snow-covered forest in the middle of the night. Me and Kiyo found a small patch of the woods that had no monsters and was hard to spot by the human eye. I was walking back from gathering some firewood and spotted her gnawing down on some strips of jerky we had made. I smiled and walked past her, setting the firewood down in front of her.

"I think this should be enough to last the night. If we need more, I could always chop down one of these trees. Sound like a good idea little pup?"

She didn't verbally respond, only nodding her head while eating her food. Her face looked disheartened, sad even. I frowned slightly and thought nothing of it. It was her recent behavior; I had grown accustomed to it. At least that's what I thought. In reality, I was scared. Scared that I had put her in danger, scared that I made her a target to use against me, but most importantly: I was scared that she hated me for what I had done. Admitting on the first floor that I was the son of Kayaba gave me more enemies than friends, and Kiyo could possibly turn out to be an enemy. I didn't want that. I didn't want a child that had so much hope in me to suddenly hate me because of what I did. I want to clear the air with her, but she won't even speak.

"Right... I'll just start the..."

Kiyo- I want to know...

This shocked me. I shot my head towards her, surprised. It took me a moment to snap out of my self-inflicted freeze and turn to face her.

"Know? Know what?"

Kiyo- You said that you would explain everything to me in due time, it's been one month, and you haven't said anything. I want to know everything, but you won't give me the time of day.

Was that why she wasn't talking to me? Because I haven't told her everything like I said I would? I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose.

Of course she's mad at you idiot. You promised to be truthful, yet brush it aside like nothing's happening.

"Oh Kiyo, I did say that didn't I? I'm sorry. I just... don't want you to think I'm a monster based on what I say."

Kiyo- I would rather know the truth than have it be ignored Papa... I promise not to be angry at you for telling the truth.

"I know Kiyo... I just don't know if you can handle it."

Kiyo shifted towards me and gave birth to a spark, which lit up the firewood. The small fire started to illuminate the small area around us, giving me a better look of Kiyo's face. She was looking at me with a serious and determined look.

Kiyo- Papa... Please?

I couldn't say no to that face. She was right to make me tell her the truth. With a heavy sigh, I sat next to her near the newly lit fire and rested my hands next to the virtual flame. The sense of warmth grasped my fingertips and soon surrounded my body. I looked at Kiyo and nodded.

"Whatever you want to know, I'll answer truthfully."

She wasted no time with the questions. She sat up straight and talked as if she was in a formal interview.

Kiyo- Alright. I suppose my first question would be about you. Are you who you say you are? Are you really Kazzu Akihiko?

I knew a simple yes wouldn't suffice with her newly found standards. Mimicking her posture, I looked down at her and nodded.

"Yes. My father is Kayaba Akihiko, who created Sword Art Online. I had helped him make this creation as his co-creator. We both worked on this project together, hoping to change the world and give people the experience of living in a whole new world. Sadly, my father decided to do something really bad and turn our dream into a nightmare."

Kiyo- So your Papa did something really bad to the game. If that was the case, then why didn't you stop him?

"I tried. Before the game launched, I tried to reverse what my father had done. He allowed a very dangerous system to overtake the one we had originally planned for the game; the result is the NerveGear being able to kill a player if they try to remove the device or die in the game. It also deleted two programs that I worked hard on to make."

Kiyo- Who were they Papa?

"They were meant to help a player both emotionally and mentally should they ever wanted the assistance. Without those systems, players are truly abandoned by the company behind the game and from ever receiving other forms of help besides each other. While this may be an advantage to some players, most players can't depend on others to burden their problems."

Kiyo- That makes sense. Make programs to be there when a real-life person couldn't be. I wish I could've seen them; they sound nice.

"I wish I could've seen them too. In a way, those two programs were also my children. It... devastated me when they were deleted."

A short silence fell upon us before she scooted closer to me, nestling herself into my sides. I smiled as I figured that she must be cold. I pulled her in closer and pulled a small thick blanket from my inventory. She smiled as I wrapped it around her.

Kiyo- Thanks Papa.

"No problem sweetheart. Now was that the only question you had for me?"

Kiyo- Why did you make yourself the bad guy back on the first floor? People didn't like your papa before but now they are targeting you for being his son. Why put yourself in risk like that?

"Because if I didn't, those players would continue to suspect and distrust one another just because of the beta testers. I threw myself in the fire so that they could throw all their hatred towards me and learn to work together."

Kiyo- But doesn't it worry you that no one will even let you sleep in town?

"Not in the slightest. I've rather enjoyed being outside the safe zone, regardless of the dangers."

Kiyo- But what about your friends? What about those players you were telling me about on the first floor? Aren't they worried about you?

"Probably not. News has spread around all the floors so it's most likely they don't care about me."

Kiyo- But Papa, that means you're fighting a battle by yourself. You're all alone. Does that not upset you?

"Not at all. People are out of the way for me to do my thing and I'm mostly out of their way so they can focus on clearing this game. Making myself known is not only a danger to us but a danger for them. If they were to attack me or you, I don't know how much I can hold back before I had to hurt someone."

Kiyo- That makes sense...

She went quiet again. Her body curled up into a small ball as she gripped the thick blanket tighter and shivered. I look down at her, taking note that her shivering turned into trembling. My worries kicked into overdrive as I moved in front of her.

"Kiyo? Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Kiyo- I'm sorry Papa... I'm just... I'm scared to ask my next question. I don't... want the answer that I'm expecting... I don't want to be hurt again...

Kiyo started letting the water works fall. Tears streamed down her face and landed into the frozen terrain beneath her. Her sobs followed by hiccups and stuttering breaths. I quickly wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.

"Kiyo, I promise that whatever question you have that is causing you this much fear, this much pain, I will answer it truthfully. If that answer hurts you then I will do everything in my power to burden your pain. Please, don't be afraid. What is your question?"

It took Kiyo a moment to cease her whimpers and look me with so much hope in her eyes, she could implode from its pressure.

Kiyo- Did you adopt me just to make you look good? Did you adopt me to use me as a weapon? Do you... really care about what happens to me? Do you... even... love me?

Her questions kept pounding harder and harder against my heart. Each thunderous knock slowly filled my tear ducts. As that last question left her lips, it was my turn to hold her tight and let a few tears fall.

"Kiyo, of course I love you! I don't know why you think I wouldn't but I'm telling you the truth. Ever since we fought those monsters in the cave, I saw something in you that I wish to protect, something that I want to never leave my side."

Kiyo- What's that Papa?

I pulled away from her for only a second to give her a tearful smile.

"Hope, sweetheart. You gave me hope."

We both started crying and embracing each other through our sobs. Even though tears were falling down our faces, I could tell that both she and I were happy.

A few minutes passed and she laid her head down on my lap. I gently started stroking her hair as she started to drift off to sleep. She turned her head to face me one more time and with a tired smile.

Kiyo- Papa... I... I want to see you in the real world. I want to live long enough to beat this game and reunite with you. If that happens..., do you think you could... adopt me in real life?

I continued to pet her head with a small smile. If we did live long enough to see past this game, I would be faced with a lot of problems. The public would see me as a terrorist and an accomplice to murder, the police would arrest me on the spot and the law would more than likely press all blame on me. Even if we did escape, there was a very slim chance of me being able to grant her request.

"Kiyo, I promise that no matter what happens, no matter if we are in this world or the real world, I will stop for nothing just to be your father in real life. I swear to you, I will find you in the real world and be your father."

Her exhausted smile grew a bit wider as her eyes started to close. I decided to help her sleep by singing a soft tune.

"The timid past that I admitted
I was scared without knowing
The self behind me reflects the reality now
I'm sure this place where I drew many skies
Fleeting disturbed
The body that jumped high in a dream
I will shake off any anxiety
The small feelings of sleeping spread out
I'm weak to notice, if you are
I put in a dark world strongly
The long dreaming heart is so eternal
I want to always be with you,
I'll give you everything I have."

Kiyo's smile remained plastered on her face as she shut her eyes. Her slow breaths confirmed that she had fallen asleep. I didn't have the heart to move her, so I planted a few logs of wood behind me and laid down. I may have made a big mistake promising her that I would find her in the real world, but I meant it. It may be difficult to adopt her due to the law wanting my fathers head, but I meant it. I looked back at Kiyo, seeing the small glimmer of my reignited hope sleeping on my leg. With a deep breath, I knew the next words that fell out of my mouth were true. I meant it when I whispered towards Kiyo:

"I love you, my precious daughter."

Chapter 8: Cats Under The Moonlight (Kazzu)

Chapter Text

April 8, 2023
Floor 11: Taft

A nice slew of people chatting filled the air in the tavern around me. Patrons were laughing with full drinks in their hands, telling tales about their adventures or reminding friends about upcoming activities that they can do the following day. I smiled as the crowd's warm atmosphere surrounded me, even more so when Kiyo ran up to me with my drink.

Kiyo- Here you are Papa! The barkeep said it was freshly made!

I nodded at my daughter and accepted the drink. Taking a small sip, it was the closest thing to an actual carbonated soda as this game could replicate, though it mostly tasted like sparkling water. I didn't mind as I was more focused on the group surrounding my table instead of the liquid I was consuming.

?- Here's to us, the Moonlit Black Cats! Cheers everyone!

A group of five clanked their cups together and drank from their silver goblets before looking over at me and Kiyo with giant grins on their faces. All members of this group had iron plated armor surrounding their inner clothing consisting of four males and one female. The men were wearing different colored under clothing from purple, green, yellow, and red. The female had her own set of clothing colored a nice cool light blue. I hadn't heard or been made aware of their names but the male in yellow cleared his throat.

Yellow- I've got another! Here's to the two who saved our lives! To Kazzu and Kiyo!

Group- To Kazzu and Kiyo!

Kiyo giggled right next to me as a nervous smile and a bead of sweat rolled down my head. This positive attention was... foreign to me for a long time. Ever since calling myself out as the Dark Prince, players have been treating me as the threat instead of my father. I didn't mind the hostility but being with people who didn't want to skin me alive immediately was a weird and nice change of pace.

"Cheers you guys. It was no problem at all."

Kiyo- Yea! We're happy to help players who need it!

Purple- You saved us back there!

Green- Thanks for the assistance!

Light Blue- Thank you... Thank you so much!

"Guys, seriously it's fine. It's nothing anyone else could've done. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

The girl in light blue stepped forward slightly, her voice soft and trembling a little as she spoke.

Light Blue- I can't tell you how scared I was. It made me so happy when you came to save us that I...

The girl started to tear up. Seeing this broke my heart. This girl was scared for her life, let alone scared for her friends. If she was like this who knew what her friends were thinking. Thinking back to where I found them, I may have an idea on how they were feeling.

 

Flashback


April 23, 2023
Floor 11: Labyrinth

Light Blue- Tetsuo!

The male wearing purple, Tetsuo, was knocked back hard towards the group, landing on his back and struggling to get up.

Red- He's hurting bad! We have to fall back!

Yellow- It's no use! We're surrounded!

Light Blue- What do we do!?

The sounds of shattering pixels filled the halls as me and Kiyo hacked and slashed through the monsters they were fighting. Me and Kiyo worked in perfect sync where we knew each other's movements, allowing us to quickly reach the group and clear the surrounding area.

"Are you guys ok!?"

They said nothing but answered my question with a quick nod. Kiyo jogged up to Tetsuo and healed him with a healing crystal. He slowly stood back up and re-equipped his weapon. Monsters started to respawn, inching their way closer and closer to us. Looking at the state of the group, I noticed that the female had a spear equipped. It didn't take long for the gears in my head to started turning, coming up with a game plan.

"Miss, I need your spear!"

Light Blue- What? What for!?

"Just trust me, I'll return it once we leave!"

She hesitated for a second before offering me her spear in an inventory trade menu. I accepted her trade and equipped the spear, shield in front of me with the weapon resting on top. I looked back at the group.

"Everybody stand behind me! I'll take point and bash through the enemy defenses. Once their open, deal as much damage to them as you can!"

They all agreed and formed a small line behind me with Kiyo taking the caboose. The plan went off without a hitch as I charged through each of the monsters, breaking their guard and using the group to deal damage and kill a few. Once we escaped the labyrinth, me and the male in red quickly closed the door. The muffled sounds of growling, clawing and biting wear heard on the opposite ends of the door. It took a second before that noise died down. I took a sigh of relief and made sure each of the members were ok. They ended up fine aside from being short of breath. I walked up to the girl in light blue and handed her spear back.

"Thank you for that. Looks like you guys are safe now."

Light Blue- Y-yea...

Red- Dude! Thank you so much for the assistance, thank you both!

"It was nothing. I was looking for materials in that area anyway."

Kiyo- That and we heard you scream from the door.

Red- Please allow us to repay you. How about a drink?

 

End Flashback

Present Day

"I'm glad I made it there when I did. You guys are safe now so..."

I stood up and reached my thumb towards the little tear rolling down her cheek. I rubbed it off and sat back down, smirking at the girl.

"Smile. It'll suit you better."

She hid a feint red tint that appeared on her cheek as her friend in the red leaned down and started whispering to me. His voice a little high for someone of his stature but nice and gentle.

Red- Uh excuse me Kazzu sir? I hope I'm not out of line asking this, but I was wondering what level you and Kiyo are at?

The question was an odd one. Most player never enjoyed revealing their in-game stats in fear of people using their skills to further advance their own. As much as I wanted to believe this group wouldn't do that, I didn't want to risk it. Kiyo looked at me as well, as if to ask me if she should lie or tell the truth. I looked back at her, signaling to follow my lead.

"I'm level twenty-five while Kiyo here is a few levels behind me."

Kiyo- I may be level twenty but one day I'll be just as strong as you Papa!

"You don't need a number to prove your strength Kiyo. You're plenty strong without it."

Our little bonding moment was disturbed by the male's surprise. He grew a small grin and continued to whisper to me.

Red- Really!? You two are at our level and still solo players? You're an inspiration!

I didn't respond. I merely looked over at my health bar, which displayed my health and Kiyo's. Along with the health bars, right underneath them was where I could see our actual in game levels. I was sitting at level fifty while Kiyo was at level forty-three. This leap in numbers wasn't actually frowned upon by my daughter as she was adopted when she still at level one. She did want to be as strong as me but, in a way, she already was. Turning my attention back towards the male in red, I recalled his name and spoke to him directly.

"Keita, was it? Look we are not your superiors. Being solo means that we are mostly hunting enemies out in the boonies. It's not really efficient."

Keita- Oh... right... well in that case, I hate to spring this on you here but if you want, we'd love to have you in our guild.

That statement surprised me and Kiyo. These people who we barely knew now wanted us to join their guild just because we saved their lives? It didn't sound shady, but I couldn't join a guild only to have them turn on me because of who I am. Keita continued to plead his case.

Keita- Our mace wielder, Tetsuo, is the only one we can put out front right now. And then we got Sachi over here.

He walked next to the girl in light blue, Sachi, and patted her head.

Keita- I was thinking of having her switch to sword and shield that way she can fight on the front lines. The thing is, she says that she's not sure she can handle it. If you join us, maybe you could teach her a thing or two.

Sachi- Oh come on! I'm not that useless! Seriously, you can't just put me up front and expect me to know what to do. I'd be terrified!

Keita- It's no big deal just hide behind your shield.

Yellow- That's right. As long as I can remember, you've always been a scaredy cat.

Sachi puffed her cheeks which caused the group to laugh, Kiyo joining in with a small giggle. Keita turned his attention back to me.

Keita- We always joke around like that. See, in real life, we all go to the same high school and are members of the computer club. But if you're worried about fitting in with us, don't. As far as I'm concerned, you're already part of our group. Right?

The group nodded. Looking towards Sachi, her smile grew wider, but her eyes told... something else. They weren't happy eyes, they looked terrified, scared but at the same time... hopeful. My own eyes widened at her forced smile as I thought it over. These people had no idea who I am, yet they accepted me with open arms. I could use this chance to start my path towards my family's redemption. To prove that I'm innocent in this endeavor as well as train these guys to better defend themselves. But if they realize the truth...

"Well... listen, I appreciate the offer but..."

I looked at Kiyo and took a deep breath. She never had friends outside of me and she had no opportunity to make more because she sided with me on the first floor. Not only would being with a guild offer her rest, but it could provide a happiness that I couldn't give her alone. I let out a sigh and looked at the group with a smile.

"I'll do it."

Their faces lit up, especially Keita and Sachi's. The group surrounded me and Kiyo in two separate group hugs where they introduced themselves: Keita was the leader in red, Sachi was the girl in blue, Ducker was the lad in yellow, Sasamaru was the dude in green and Tetsuo was the mace user in purple who I had met in the labyrinth. Keita had sent me and Kiyo a guild invite: "Keita would like you to join the Moonlit Black Cats, do you accept?". Kiyo had pressed the accept button in a heartbeat and smiled as the guild's name appeared underneath her name. I smiled and pressed the accept button as well, a weird weight flying off my shoulder as the guild name slowly appeared under my own name.

 

May 9, 2023
Floor 20: Sunlit Forest

It's been about a month since I had joined the Moonlit Black Cats and I must say, as much as I like their company, they needed a lot more work before they could truly defend themselves. More directly, Sachi. The seven of us were staring down the pincers of a giant mantis monster. the group was able to prod at it a bit but before Sachi could go in to attack, it roared at her. This caused her to freeze in her actions and back off, allowing Sasamaru another stab at the monster with a spear. Me and Kiyo stood in between the group observing but prepared to kill the beast should someone be in immediate danger. The mantis dropped its pincer down towards Sachi, who was able to block with her shield. I didn't want her taking most of the monster's attention so I switched my inventory and changed to a spear and shield, just like when I met them in the labyrinth.

"Sachi, get behind me. I got it."

She followed my order and stood behind me as the mantis attacked again. Though with a precise strike back at its pincer, I cut through the green bugs limb. The dismembered limb fell hard behind us and shattered. The monster's attention was now focused on me, allowing Sachi to retreat and me to parry another one of its attacks.

"Tetsuo, switch out!"

Tetsuo- Got it!

Tetsuo swing his mace directly at the monsters' neck, snapping it and killing the monster instantly. The rewards screen popped up where the group had received three hundred and fifty- two experience points each, received one hundred and eighty Col each and Tetsuo had leveled up and been rewarded the item: "Scythe of Killer Mantis". The group ran up to Tetsuo and congratulated him, my smile quickly shifted to Sachi. She seemed happy that we had won the battle but why was she holding back? She had been like this for a while now. We thought sword and shield would help her gain confidence, but that theory so far had been proven incorrect. I decided to drop it for now and huddled up with the group.

"Alright guys, let's take a rest. I'm getting hungry."

Kiyo- Me too.

The group laughed at me and Kiyo's shared gluttony and agreed to have a small picnic. A few bottled drinks and food items resembling cream stuffed sweets later, we had our break. Keita pulled out a piece of paper that had a newsletter on it: "Weekly Argo".

Keita- The assault team made it through to floor twenty-eight. That's amazing!"

I continued to eat my sweets and act amazed with him. Little did he know, I was part of that same assault team even though they wanted my blood. I've been helping them clear the bosses with my knowledge of skills, attack patterns and possible changes from the beta. I couldn't take all of the credit though. I did have help from a small information broker. The very same that wrote the information Keita was reading: Argo. Argo was also a beta tester who was nicknamed "The Rat" due to the painted whiskers on her face. No one knew why she had those whiskers in the first place. The reason why she agreed to be my own personal information broker is because of when we met. I had saved her from a few people claiming that her information was bad, calling her a fraud. I saved her skin by telling the angry crowd that her information was solid, they were just looking in the wrong places. After showing them where to find the location identified in Argo's information, they left her alone. She thanked me for helping her and said she owed me a favor. All I asked from her was to keep every player on the lower floors updated on the progress of the assault teams and to distribute information on the boss for free should players want to try fighting them themselves.

Keita- Kazzu?

I shook my head, snapping out of my trance. Keita tilted his head confused and I laughed nervously.

"Sorry, my head was in the clouds. What were you saying?"

Keita- Well I was asking, what does the assault team have that we don't?

"Well, if you want me to answer truthfully, they have a number of things: Resources, manpower, experience, that sort of thing. Plus, with their access to information, they can find easier ways to gain EXP and the greedy bastards don't share their info."

Keita- How do you know that?

"I asked for their help, and they refused it, saying that they had more important things to focus on."

Keita- Sorry man. That must've sucked.

"It's cool. It's didn't take me long to find the information myself."

Keita- You know. You're probably right about the assault team, but what I think really sets them apart is willpower.

"Mind explaining?"

Keita- I guess what I mean is, they have the will to stick up for their friends or any player for that matter. Truth is, I like to think we have that same type of drive, even though we still need the protection. That said, our first priority is looking out for each other. But someday, if we get strong enough, we'll join the elites on the assault team.

"I see... That's a good goal to have."

Kiyo- Hopefully we'll be there to help you reach that goal Mister Keita!

Keita started to get flustered, rubbing the back of his head while Ducker jumped down behind him.

Ducker- Hey leader? Give me some love!

Ducker then put Keita in a playful chokehold. Keita tried to fight back but couldn't as the rest of the guild joined us.

Tetsuo- You really think we could be as strong as the Holy Dragon Alliance or the Knights of the Blood Oath?

Those two names rang out in my mind like church bells. Those were the two main players of the assault team, being the strongest and well-funded among any other guild. The only reason I cared was because of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Not only were they the strongest guild in the game, supplied with the most experienced players in the game but... Ashtry counted herself among them. It had been a long time since she had helped me on floor one, but for some reason her image kept creeping into my head as well as Klein, Agil, Diavel, Kibaou, Kirito and Asuna. They were the only people who didn't immediately hate me for my decision in becoming the Dark Prince, but time works in mysterious ways. Who knows what they thought of me now?

Keita- So what if I do believe we could be? There's nothing wrong with setting our sights high but we have to be level thirty first.

The group started claiming how the thought was impossible but... I believe they could do it. With more training and monster hunting, they had the potential to join the ranks of the assault team even if it meant they were at the lowest ranks of the team. Hell, maybe Keita with his upbeat personality could even change the elitist attitude of the assault team if he joined. My head lowered as I looked back at the stats of me and my daughter. I had reached level 54 while Kiyo was at level 47. I still didn't have the heart to tell them who we really were. I didn't want the only friends I had in a long time to turn on me and join the blood hunt against me and Kiyo. I wanted to tell the truth, but I couldn't. Kiyo didn't rat us out either. I guess she was just as lonely as I thought. This was a nice change for the both of us, but I knew that the truth would be discovered eventually.

 

April 18. 2023
Floor 11: Taft

That night, we decided to go over our earnings from the raid. most of the men sat on a bed on one side while me, Sachi, Kiyo and Tetsuo sat on the other, opposite the rest. Keita stood up and made his voice heard.

Keita- I have an announcement. After our latest hunts in the field, we have two hundred thousand Col!

Even my eyes widened at how much we earned in a short amount of time. Kiyo happily clapped her hands in excitement while the others gasped in shock.

Tetsuo- Buying a house now doesn't seem like a pipe dream anymore.

A house? Was that what their current goal was? I had always assumed it was shooting for the ranks of the assault team. Maybe they had this goal before I joined up.

Sasamaru- I know, we should upgrade Sachi's equipment!

Keita- Good idea!

"I also agree. But we also need Sachi's input on this since it's her gear."

I turned my head towards Sachi, who was shaking her head in disagreement. We decided to hear out her disapproval.

Sachi- I'm fine with what I have.

Sasamaru- Oh come on! You know, it's not fair to have Kazzu be out front forever.

Sachi's eyes instantly shot towards me, telling me her apologetic look on her face was real.

Sachi- I'm sorry... I had no idea...

"Don't worry about it Sachi. I'm more than glad to keep defending you. I can say that about each and every one in this group. However..."

She looked at me worried. I wanted to tell her the truth but didn't wish to upset her in front of her friends. In truth, she shouldn't be fighting at all. She's too scared and always freezes during fights. I didn't want the day to come where she would die to a monster simply because she was too afraid to fight.

"Nothing, it's just a weird thought."

Keita- Thanks Kazzu. Sachi, I know switching jobs isn't easy but seriously, you're almost there. You can do it, I know it!

She reluctantly agreed with our red clothed leader but the look on her face when she lowered her head said otherwise. I wanted to find out what was holding her back, so I could help her breakthrough it and make her realize her potential. We split off into our own rooms after a while but I, after tucking Kiyo into bed and turning off the light, wasn't tired. I had too much racked on my brain, so I decided to head back out into the field to clear my head.

 

April 18, 2023
Floor 28: Wolf Plains

Walking out of the safe zone and into a weirdly quiet hunting ground, I heard growling, barking and grunting all together. Looking over a hill, I noticed seven guys wearing what looked to be red samurai armor fighting red wolves with spikes connected to their spines. Among these seven individuals, two of them caught my attention. The first was Klein, he was in front of a wolf with two others at its side, leading it away from the rest of the group. The other was Kirito. I looked down at him not wearing the guild's armor but still with them as if he was part of the guild. My attention turned back to Klein as he and the two others skidded to a halt, the wolf snaping it's teeth towards them. Klein readied a sword skill, his blade glowing red. A simple slash later and the wolf in front of him was shattered, along with the wolves the rest of his guild were fighting. Kirito walked up to Klein, garnering him a fist bump while they both put their weapons away. It didn't take long for Kirito to notice me, staring down at them with a smirk on my face.

Kirito- Klein, we have company.

Klein looked up my way, which I responded with a simple three finger salute.

Klein- Oh... well hey Kazzu.

Klein turned his head towards the rest of his guild, announcing them to take care of the rest that were deeper within. He then jogged up the hill to join me, Kirito cautiously following suit.

Klein- Man, it's been so long since I've seen you. What, you doing some late night leveling or something?

I didn't respond to him and looked Kirito's direction. His stern look piercing through my own. He motioned to Klein and then shook his head. Klein wasn't aware of what happened on the first floor.

Why? Why keep that information a secret from your party member? I thought everybody besides the Moonlit Black Cats knew about it? Could it be that the news just didn't reach some people?

I shook my head, shaking the thoughts off me for a moment. Klein looked at me with shock as he noticed my guild's icon above my health bar. I noticed the same with Kirito's, only his matched that of Klein's, confirming that he had joined Klein's guild.

Klein- What's with that icon man? Are you in a guild?

"Surprising, isn't it? I could ask the same question to Kirito. I always pegged you for a solo player."

Kirito- Maybe I followed your advice on the first floor. I'm happy to say that Klein accepted me with open arms.

Klein- As open as they can be. If you aren't with us, you're busy fighting with the assault team. How are you strong enough to join them and help us at the same time?

Kirito- I have my ways. Plus, you could always help the assault team yourself.

Klein- I can't force my guild to do that. If they want to sit the boss out, I'll sit it out with them.

One of Klein's guild members declared that the area was clear. I took that as my que to exit. I walked past Klein, bidding him farewell but stopped next to Kirito. We didn't need to look at each other as the feeling we shared were the same: passive, but ready to strike one another if they attacked first. All I said to him before I walked away was...

"Thanks"

 

April 18, 2023
Floor 11: Taft

After about an hour or two of fighting monsters, I returned to Taft feeling the game's motion of fatigue. It was more like a stiff feeling in my body, but I digress. As I started heading back towards our guild's base of operations, a message icon appeared in front of me. I opened it, reading aloud: "It's Keita. Sachi went off somewhere and hasn't come back yet. The rest of us are heading to a dungeon right now. Could you please let me know if you find anything out?"

"Sachi..."

Opening up my skills menu quickly, I pressed the "Track" skill and focused on Sachi's name. My eyes switching to a bright green hue as I scanned the area around me. I spotted a trail of footprints and followed them, eventually ending at a small underground waterway, where she was sitting all alone.

"Sachi?"

She looked towards me; her face sad but shocked to see me.

Sachi- Kazzu...

"Everyone was worried about you."

She lowered her head at the comment, allowing me to slowly approach her and sit down a few steps away from her. She seemed like she was lost in thought, and I didn't want to invade her personal bubble. She led off another conversation.

Sachi- Hey Kazzu?

"Yea?"

Sachi- We should... run away...

"Run away? What do you mean? From what?"

Sachi- From this town, from the monsters, from the Moonlit Black Cats... and from Sword Art Online too.

I gasped for breath, shocked at her declaration. Was this really what she was thinking about?

"Sachi, are you referring to suicide?"

Sachi- It doesn't seem like a bad idea but, no.

A sigh of relief escaped me. If she was really contemplation suicide, then it's even worse than I thought. It was bad enough that she agreed that it was a viable option.

Sachi- If I had the guts to die, I wouldn't be hiding in town where its safe now would I?

I guess that was true. If she really wanted to take the easy way out, she could've just left town and find the nearest hunting spot to crawl into. But then why was she hiding in the first place?

Sachi- But really, why can't we just leave? Why do we have to die when it's just a stupid game? What's the point of going through this?

I've heard those questions before from other players. It surrounded each and every town I snuck into while gathering food for me and Kiyo. Each time, the players would have their own thoughts, theories or opinions on the matter but none of them connected with what I knew: the truth. I stayed quiet as Sachi continued.

Sachi- I... I'm so afraid of dying in here.

My eyes widened as I shot my head over to her. That was it. That was holding her back. She wasn't afraid of fighting monsters. wasn't afraid of holding her guild back. She was afraid of death. Even as those words left her lips, I could see her whole body shaking, trembling in fear.

"It's really that bad for you, is it?"

Sachi- I'm so scared, to the point where I haven't been getting any sleep lately.

I thought for a moment before making a choice. A choice to, once again, offer a promise I did not know if I could keep.

"You're not going to die."

She looked up at me, her question demanding a response.

Sachi- Really? How can you be so sure about that?

"The Black Cats are strong enough as a guild. Besides, a margin of safety is well above the norm. Plus, you have me, Kiyo and Tetsuo out front, so there's no reason to be out on the front lines with us. Besides, the equipment you have isn't best suited for you."

Sachi- What do you mean?

"Judging by your skills on the field that I've seen and with what you just told me, a sword and shield isn't your best bet. A spear and shield however is more what you're aiming for. You would be able to hide behind one of us but use the length of the spear to do backup bonus damage. The only problem being that you need to raise your spear skill and shield skill up to a certain degree, otherwise the game won't allow you to use both at the same time as I can."

Sachi- Well my shield skill is up to five hundred thanks to the raids we do. Is that high enough?

"For the shield yes. Now you just need to bring your spear skill up to around three hundred and fifty, then you should be set."

A smile then appeared on her face, looking at me with determination in her eyes.

Sachi- You really think I won't die? Will I make it back to the real world? You'll help me with my skills?

"Of course I will. We'll make it back. We'll beat this game; you and all of your friends will go home, and everything will be as it should. Trust me, ok?"

She took a gasp before smiling at me again, a single tear falling down her cheek. We walked back to our little base while I escorted Sachi back to her room. Afterwards, I turned to walk to my own room before Sachi had grabbed my arm. I turned to her as her face was now covered cheek to cheek in red.

Sachi- Do you think... you could... stay with me tonight? I don't think I'll be able to get any sleep, despite our talk.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't blushing along with her. I saw no problem staying with her for the night as long as we didn't get... physical. I nodded silently as I walked into her room, taking my place on the right side of her bed. She turned off the lights and joined me on the opposite side, her back turned towards my own.

If I stay in this guild, she will be safe. I'll teach her how to use the spear so she can be comfortable in combat. Then we'll beat this game and make it back to the real world. I only hope that they'll forgive me once we leave.

Peeking back at Sachi, who was fully asleep, I started thinking about how many other players like her were in this game? How many people were scared to meet an unfortunate end at the hands of a simulated monster? How could they be so scared of death but, at the same time, be so positive? Positive enough to laugh and cry. I had never really thought about emotion in this game, since I assumed it was abandoned by many players. The sound of the bed shifting was heard and before I could look back, a small pressure was added on my back. A second later, two more pressures laid flat against my back before griping my shirt and slightly pulling it towards them. Sachi was holding me from behind. She was... embracing me. My cheeks flustered up slightly, but I remained still.

Sachi- Kazzu? Promise me something?

"What is it?"

Sachi- Promise me you'll be there with me at the final moments. Whether I die by a monster or if we beat this game, just promise that you'll be there with me.

I shifted myself to face her. I didn't want her to be saying things like that but her smile... her smile that told me she was happy to be in my presence, even if that meant her death, gave me the instinct to wrap my own arms around her and pull her close. And that I did. I tucked her into my shoulder as I responded to her question.

"I promise."

 

June 12, 2023
Floor 11: Taft

Keita decided to take the money we had accrued and buy a house. We gave our goodbyes as he teleported away to the Town of Beginnings, leaving the rest of us to figure out what to do.

Sasamaru- Man can you believe it? I can't believe buying a house would be so exciting!

Ducker- Dude, you sound like an old man.

Tetsuo- Hey, while Keita is off buying the house, what do you guys say about going out and gaining some extra cash?

Sachi- Oh, then we could buy furniture!

Ducker- Come on, let's go to a dungeon on a higher floor!

Me and Kiyo looked at each other, both getting the same idea and addressing the group.

"We should stick to our normal hunting spots."

Kiyo- We know the areas well and can earn more money without taking up a whole lot of time.

Sasamaru- But up there, we can make more and faster.

Ducker- Yea, thanks to you and Kiyo, at our levels there's nothing we need to worry about.

It seemed like me and Kiyo were outvoted as the group walked towards the teleport gate, even Sachi grabbed our hands and dragged us with her. Granted, they did level up quite a bit but taking on higher leveled dungeons had their own risks. I knew that me and Kiyo could handle them but all of us? Me and Kiyo would have to check up on each member to make sure they were doing fine, which would slow us down. But sticking together should be enough to get us through the dungeon with little to no injuries. Convincing myself and smiling down at Kiyo, we joined the group as we warped to a higher floor.

 

June 12, 2023
Floor 27: Dungeon

Shockingly enough, we cleared most of the dungeon without a hitch. Our group being able to overpower the monsters easily, even giving me and Kiyo a chance to go our own way and take a few more monsters out ourselves.

Ducker- See? I told you guys this was going to be cake!

Sasamaru- Maybe we'll be able to get to the front lines sooner!

Ducker- That's what I'm talking about!

He then gets a look of excitement on his face. He sprints towards a wall and presses his hand on it, causing a secret passageway to open up.

Kiyo- Whoa! Secret room!

Ducker- Which means secret treasure!

"Or secret monsters. We should stay alert."

Ducker- Don't worry, we've gotten this far without a problem. A few more monsters won't matter.

That's what had me worried. These guys were getting too cocky, too confident. If this kept up, monsters could use it to their advantage and wipe them all out. With Kiyo following my advice, we both kept our defenses up as the door fully opened, revealing a small room with a single treasure chest inside.

Ducker- A treasure chest! Woohoo!

Ducker, Tetsuo and Sasamaru ran into the room, leaving me Sachi and Kiyo outside. I analyzed the situation: Hidden room, small space, single chest. It seemed all too convenient for it to just be a hidden treasure room. My theory was confirmed as I activated a skill: Trap Detection. Before I could call out to the group, Ducker had knelt down in front of the chest. A small click could be heard as I ran into the room followed by Sachi and Kiyo. The click didn't open the chest, instead turning the room around us red with an ear bursting alarm blaring around us.

Shit!

"Everyone, circle up! Back-to-back!"

They quickly followed my orders, joining each other in a circle as the door behind us slammed shut. Two more hidden passageways opened up, allowing small, armored goblin creatures to file in along with several rock golems which teleported in. We were completely surrounded.

"It's a trap! Hurry, let's get out of here!"

Everyone quickly grabbed small blue crystals, teleport crystals, and tried to escape with no avail. They weren't working.

Ducker- Teleport, Taft!

Sachi- We can't use our crystals...

"They're probably being blocked by the walls..."

Damn it! We have to get out of here now! If any of these monsters hit them, they're toast. Think Kazzu think!

I had not time as the monsters started to charge at us. Me and Kiyo were able to hold some off on our own but got distracted as we heard Ducker hit the ground. Four of the armored goblins started attacking him while he was down, causing us to rush after him. Kiyo was able to get two of them off as I took care of the other two, bashing one away with my shield and impaling the other with my spear. The effort turned out to be in vain as Ducker's health hit zero, forcing him to shatter. Ducker had died before we could heal him.

No...

Kiyo- Papa! Tetsuo's in trouble!

I shot over to Tetsuo's location and saw him being overwhelmed by rock golems. I left Kiyo to ensure the rest of the groups safety while I rushed over and stood in between the golems and Tetsuo. Unfortunately for the both of us, the golems long arms were able to hit us both sending us flying backwards. Looking over at Tetsuo, his health ran dry as he shattered as well.

No, no, no....

Landing on my feet, ready to attack again, Sasamaru rushed in and impaled one of the golems in the stomach. An attack that did nothing as the golem swiped him away as if he was nothing. He shattered in midair as his spear hit the ground with a clank.

No, no, no, no!

Ducker, Tetsuo, Sasamaru... three of the guild members were killed like flies in a matter of seconds. This filled me with rage. Seeing my friends die at the hands of these monsters caused me to slaughter through a few of them, not caring if they landed a hit or two on me.

Kiyo... Sachi... I have to find them both!

Luckily for me, I found them both fending off the monsters. Kiyo did so with ease as she was swift enough to evade and attack quickly while Sachi remained frozen while blocking an attack. She looked me in the eyes. Panic, fear, despair filled her eyes as she shoved the monster back.

"Sachi!"

I couldn't get closer as monsters continued to surround me. Slashing and thrusting through their digitized bodies inched me closer and closer to her. She reached her hand out to me as to reach out for salvation, for safety and then time froze. My eyes widened as I noticed a golem that had slipped by Kiyo and was ready to smack Sachi in the back. Knowing the damage that this golem would do, I knew that a hit from that creature would kill Sachi in a second. It was pointless... she was doomed... her fate sealed to be killed in this very room... There was nothing I could do...

Sachi, the one person who fully opened up to me, who fully trusted me to keep a promise I knew I couldn't keep and the one person who I... potentially liked, was going to die.

No...

"NO!"

My voice echoed as my equipment vanished back into my inventory. Where I was once surrounded by monsters, I was now standing in front of Sachi holding my arms out to protect her and without noticing my glowing gold hands, I raised my fist towards the monster and punctured through its abdomen and out the other side. The monster let out a groan as it started to shatter.

You're not dying yet you bastard!

I used this second wind of mine to hurl the monster towards the door that had trapped us in here. The force of the monster broke through the door, shattering both it and the monster. Seeing this opportunity, my weapons reappeared in my hand as I grabbed both Sachi and Kiyo by the arm and ran out of the room and towards the exit, the monsters not following behind us.

 

June 12, 2023
Floor 11: Taft

Nothing was said between the three of us as we slowly walked around Taft, looking for Keita so we could break the heavy and dire news. It only took us a minute to find him looking over a stone railing, staring at the sunset. As we approached him, I slowly motioned to Sachi and Kiyo to stay behind. I wanted to tell him the truth myself, the full truth.

"Keita...?"

Keita turned around with a smile on his face and a keyring in his hand. It had seven keys, each of the guild members names etched on them. My heart started to crush over spotting that little detail.

Keita- Kazzu, Sachi, Kiyo! I got the keys for our house, where are the rest of the gang?

This sent Sachi into deeper sadness as she fell on her knees and started crying, Kiyo comforting her.

Keita- Whoa Sachi are you ok? What's going on?

"Keita... I have some bad news..."

Keita- Bad news... what do you...?

"The rest of the group died in a secret room on floor twenty-seven. We went to fight monsters on that floor so we could gain more Col quicker. The plan went sideways when we found and entered a secret room with a treasure chest. The group got surrounded and... they killed them. Those monsters killed Ducker... Tetsuo... Sasamaru... all three of them... I tried to save them, but I couldn't."

His happy expression turned broken hearted. He dropped the keys in his hand and started trembling, realizing the seriousness in my voice.

Keita- No... No! They can't be dead! No!

"There's more Keita. I... have been keeping something secret from you... from all of the Moonlit Black Cats..."

He looks at me with his eyes puffy and wide, waiting for my confession. Nothing was said as I handed him a newsletter talking about me, the "Dark Prince of Aincrad", announcing to destroy anyone in my way on my quest to kill my own father. He traded glances at me and the newsletter before standing up in rage and throwing a crumbled-up paper ball at my chest.

Keita- You bastard! You're the Dark Prince! You're Kayaba's son! You had no right to be with us! You and your corrupted daughter!

As much as I wanted to correct him in insulting my daughter, I stayed quiet as his rage built up in him silently. He didn't say anything as he turned towards the railing. He stepped on top of it and leaned forward, starting to fall. Sachi looked at him scared and terrified.

Sachi- Keita!

His feet barely left the railing before I grabbed him and pulled him away, both of us tumbling on the ground. He stood up with a growl and before he could speak, I interrupted him.

"Don't throw yourself away because of my arrogance. If anything, stay alive for Sachi. She'll need a friend, otherwise she'll follow in your footsteps and end her own life."

A pause between us ensued. He opened his menu and within seconds, the guild's name and icon disappeared from me and Kiyo's health bars. He made his way over to Sachi while Kiyo ran to my side.

Keita- Both of you, never show your faces around us again. We'll both get stronger, and I promise you, if I see you again, I will see to it that you die by my hand Kazzu Akihiko.

Not another word was said from either party as they walked away. I glanced over at Sachi one last time, her back turned to me. I didn't care if they resented me, hated me or wanted me dead, I just wanted them to remain alive. I owe it to them to bring them back to the real world, especially now that their friends were gone. I owe a lot more than that to them.

Ducker... Sasamaru... Tetsuo... I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me...

 

December 24, 2023
Floor 49: Mugien

Several months had passed since my exile from the Moonlit Black Cats. Life moved on for me and Kiyo, even though the torment of most of their deaths remained in my mind. I haven't been able to get a full night's rest because of it. I had spent each day looking for a way to turn back time and revive at least one of their lost friends. All of my time searching for an answer always led towards a dead end... until today.

Me and Kiyo were in the center of town, sitting on a bench nearby a giant decorated Christmas tree. Kiyo kept looking around until her upbeat voice called out towards the crowd.

Kiyo- Hey there Miss Argo!

Argo, with her hood up, walked up towards me and my daughter. She patted Kiyo's head and stood behind me, leaning on the bench.

Argo- I hear someone's been taking risks with their level raising. Too much of a risk for you to be with your daughter.

"What me and my daughter do with our lives is our concern. As I recall, those risks have provided you with plenty of information to sell to other players. Speaking of information, you have something for me or not Rat?"

Kiyo- Papa... please... no need to be so mean.

Argo- It's ok kid. I understand why he's mad. But you should listen to your daughter Kaz.

"Argo..."

Argo- Alright, alright. This info is really nothing worth charging you money for.

"A lot of info brokers would be pissed that you're giving information away for free, especially to me."

Kiyo- Papa! Language!

I ignored her comment. I had no time to waste if this information even had a sliver of truth behind it.

Argo- This wasn't in the beta smart guy, it's a first-time event. How am I supposed to know what will happen? All I know is that tonight on Christmas Eve, the event boss is going to appear. He's called "Nicholas the Renegade" and he's going to show up under a fern tree somewhere. All of the major guilds are looking for the tree as we speak."

Not on my watch. If anyone is going to find Nicholas, it was going to be me.

I stood up and motioned Kiyo to follow me. Argo took note of this and stepped in front of me.

Argo- Say, you wouldn't happen to know where it is do you?

"What does it matter? Even if I give the information to you, who is to say that the event will happen again? The information would be useless to sell off."

Argo- Are you thinking of fighting him with you two alone?

I walked around her and started making my way through town, thinking to myself. In this world, the dead can never return to life. I heard a rumor though: If you beat Nicholas the Renegade, he'll drop an item that can revive a dead player. If this was true, I could at least give Sachi and Keita one of their friends back. I wanted to do this alone, but Kiyo insisted that, even though we would be going on a suicide mission, that family should stick together during Christmas. I wasn't going to deny her request, as I had no idea if she also felt guilty for the deaths in that dungeon. My thoughts replayed the deaths in my head, the terror in Sachi's eyes piercing my own and the feeling I had when Keita tried to kill himself. I didn't save him just to save him. When I pulled him back, I was thinking of Sachi. If she was left all alone, she would've joined her friends and found an easy way out. I didn't want that. Not for her, not for anybody.

It's my fault. My arrogance killed all of them. All of my ex-guild members and every single dead player in this game were due to me. If only I had tried harder to stop my father, they would be alive today.

 

December 24, 2023
Floor 35: Forest Maze

My thoughts had put me on auto pilot as me and Kiyo entered a frosty snow-covered forest. Kiyo had taken lead with a small map we had made on this floor some time ago.

Kiyo- If it's the fern tree we think it is, we should keep heading north.

"Good job Kiyo. Let's get..."

Kiyo- Papa... I hear something... to our right.

I shot my glance over to my right and pulled out my weapons, switched back to a sword and shield. My stance remained firm as Kirito, Klein and their guild members appeared. Kiyo had lowered her defenses slightly and smiled at the friendly faces.

Kiyo- Hi Mister Kirito, Mister Klein!

Klein- What's up?

Kirito- Hey...

"You two seriously followed me?"

Klein- Of course, you're after the revival item, aren't you?

"Yea. I am. What of it?"

Kirito- It's suicide.

Klein- Don't go risking your life for a rumor that could turn out to be bogus. Man, you should know, you can't be messing around in this death game. Once your HP hits zero that's it. In the real world your brain gets...

"Shut up. I know how the damn game works. I helped build it, aside from the parts that kill us in real life."

Klein- I'm just trying to get you and Kiyo to stop with your stupid soloing! Come on, join up with us. Kirito told us the truth about you, but we know that you aren't like your dad. Plus, whoever gets the monster to drop the revival item gets to keep it no hard feelings. That's fair, isn't it?

"But then there would be no point. Hell, I barely wanted Kiyo to join me in this. Plus, if any of you got the item, I would have no idea what you could use it on. I have to do this alone. And if you plan on getting in my way..."

Kiyo- Papa...

I ignored her again as I drew my sword and pointed it at the guild. They took up defensive positions but both Klein and Kirito motioned them to stand down.

Klein- Think about what you're doing Kazzu, it's suicide and I can't let you die like that. Come on man!

Kirito- Just let us help you, even if it's just this once.

Before I could charge at them, more players started to teleport in. They surrounded the other guild, forcing them to circle around me.

"Looks like you two were followed as well."

Klein- Uh huh, it sure looks that way.

Kirito- I should have known...

Guild Member #1- It's the Holy Dragon Alliance!

Guild Member #2- They'll do anything for a rare item, no matter how shady!

Kiyo- Sound's like bad news Papa! What do we do?

"You bastards... you won't stop me..."

Klein and Kirito pulled out their swords and stood directly in front of Kiyo and I, blocking any direct assault from the Holy Dragon Alliance.

Klein- Screw these guys! Get out of here Kazzu!

Kirito- You can go take out the boss, Kiyo can stay and fight with us!

"What!? No way what if..."

Kiyo's small hand grabbing mine stopped my objection. She pulled out her dagger and smiled up at me.

Kiyo- Papa, the loss of the Moonlit Black Cats has hurt us both... But I can see that you feel responsible. As much as I can try, I can't convince you that their deaths weren't your fault. So let me help you find your redemption. We'll handle it here. Go show that boss how strong you really are!

Her words amazed me. A girl of her age, being able to tell how I feel based on my mindset. I smiled as I patted her head.

"Ok. Stay close to Kirito and Klein and listen to what they say ok? If your health gets low, run away understand?"

Kiyo- Yes sir!

I stood back up and glared at the Holy Dragon Alliance. If these corrupt knights thought they would stop me gaining my only means of redemption, they were dead wrong. I turned tail and bolted straight to the boss room, leaving my daughter, Klein and Kirito to defend me and buy me time. As I approached the tree, I noticed that nice glowing white and light blue lights reflected off of it. Were this not a serious situation, I would love to bring Kiyo here and enjoy time with her, making snow angels, making forts and having snowball fights. Loud bells broke my concentration as they echoed throughout the entire forest. Following suit were the rings of sleigh bells. Looking up, I noticed two bright lights leaving behind a white trail in the sky. Something had jumped off of those lights and landed in front of me with a crash. After the snow settled, there stood a pale blue skinned giant with a giant axe and eyes staring off in different directions. It's health bar appeared: Nicholas the Renegade.

"There you are you holly jolly creep. Let's do this!"

Its roar was matched with my own battle cry. We readied our weapons and charged at each other, our weapons glowing under the frost filled sky.

 

It took a lot out of them, but Klein, Kiyo, Kirito and the rest of the guild managed to fend off the Holy Dragon Alliance long enough for me to walk out of the boss zone, my face depleted of emotion and the item gripped tightly in my hand.

Kiyo- Papa!

Kiyo ran up to me and gave me the tightest bear hug an eight-year-old could give me. Klein and Kirito lit up slightly, seeing my appearance.

Klein- Kazzu!

Kirito- Hey!

Their faces looked shocked upon meeting my own. I threw the item on the ground in between them, both of them staring at it and me confused.

"There... that's the revival item..."

They both pressed their fingers on it, revealing the item description.

Kirito- Alright...

Klein- Let's see here. It says must administer to affected player... within ten seconds!?

Kirito- What!?

Kiyo- Ten seconds!? That's barely enough time to pull the item out of your inventory!

"If someone dies in front of either of you two someday... make sure you use it..."

Kiyo- Papa... what about the...

"Don't say it Kiyo... just... don't..."

Nothing else left my lips as I turned my back to them all. I was about to walk away before two hands grabbed my sleeve. Assuming it was Kiyo, I turned around slowly in order to pick her up and go home. I was a little surprised to see both Klein and Kirito.

Kirito- Kazzu...

Klein- Listen. Stay alive, you hear? I don't care how you do it but just stay alive, to the end!

Kirito- Besides, if anything in this game is going to take you down it's going to be me. So... just hang in there until we have our fight, alright?

I said nothing as Kiyo held my hand was walked with me out of the forest. Little did I know that Klein had started crying and Kirito... had a change in heart.

 

December 24, 2023
Floor 49: Mugien

Returning back to town and finding a place to stay, I left Kiyo to tuck herself in while I locked myself in my own room, head down on a desk on the verge of tears.

Even after all this time... after all this effort to redeem myself and make amends... I can't even revive a player who hasn't immediately died in front of me! If this was a joke played by my father, then it was extremely cruel.

The silence was broken with a repeating beeping noise right in front of me. Not wanting to hear it anymore, I clicked it: "Gift Box from Sachi". My eyes widened at the name. I quickly shot up and pressed the notification. A small prism like object floated to me and landed in my hands.

"A message item...?"

Pressing the button on top of the prism, it started to glow as small yellow orbs appeared inside it, showing off the prisms blue outline.

Sachi- Merry Christmas Kazzu.

"Sachi..."

Sachi- If Kiyo is there with you then I wish her a Merry Christmas as well! By the time you hear this, I will probably be dead...

I quickly checked my "Players" menu and saw that Sachi's name was still on the list, clarifying that she was still alive. I gave off a relieved sigh and continued the message.

Sachi- How can I explain this? Let's see... To tell you the truth, I never really wanted to leave the Town of Beginnings and I knew that if I fought with an attitude like that, I would end up dying someday. But if that did happen, it's not anyone's fault. It's something I have to deal with. Kazzu, ever since that night that you found me, you kept telling me that I wasn't going to die no matter what. But what if, despite your promise, I died anyway? I knew that if I died you would blame yourself. That's why I decided to record this for you.

My eyes started to water. Her words weren't just reflecting her own, but it sounded as if she was making this message regardless of who died: Her, her guild or any other player.

Sachi- By the way, I know how powerful you and Kiyo really are. Sorry, but I sort of peeked at your stats while you weren't looking. I wondered why you two never told the truth about what leveled player you two really were. I wondered why you two decided to fight with us. I eventually put two and two together and realized your namesake. I never knew that I was fighting alongside the co-creator of this game. I had heard the rumors that you were nothing but evil incarnate but, after you saved us from the labyrinth where we first met, I knew the rumors were false. When I figured out how strong you were, I don't know, it made me so happy. I felt relieved. So even if I die... even if any of us die... promise me that you and Kiyo will go on living. Stay alive so you two can see the end of this world and discover the truth as to why it was created. Find out why a weakling like me ended up in here. Find out the reason that you and I met. And... if you can... find out the reason why I fell in love with you.

A gasp escaped me. She... had loved me? A person who knew who I truly was, knew my past and my sins had still had the heart to love someone like me? A few drops of water fell down my eyebrows as her declaration of love reached my ears.

Sachi- Oh, it seems like I have a little more time. Seeing as it'll be Christmas and everything, I'll sing you a song.

The noises around me suddenly drew silent as her voice filled the air. It was gentle, soft, quiet and sweet.

Sachi- Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolf
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolf with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
You'll go down in history

As the song ended, my cheeks were covered by small, silent rivers of tears. She had forgiven me. Even though my efforts were in vain, she had forgiven me.

Sachi- Anyway Kazzu, Kiyo. I'm so glad I met you two and that I could be with the both of you, even if it's for a little while. Thank you... Goodbye...

The message stopped glowing and fell on the desk with a thud, disappearing into my inventory.

 

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