In 2022, mankind finally built a full virtual world.
Floor 1: Town of Beginnings

Kiyomi Sato-Hon, or just Kiyomi in this game, sat on the soft grass in the fields outside the Town of Beginnings. Her avatars long brown hair piled up in the grass at her back, the wind lightly blowing some of it out of her face, allowing her to see the beautifully setting sky. "Aincrad. It is...just as beautiful as i remember it." she said quietly to herself. Her left hand moved from her lap to her beginners Rapier as a boarlike creature came too close to her. A moment later it charged. Waiting for the right moment, she activated her basic thrust skill then kicked off from the ground and ran at the creature. "Too easy! Haaah!" She yelled as she sliced the beast and killed it in one hit. She collected her money and experience before sheathing her sword. Suddenly a bell rang out and she jumped slightly, looking around. Before she could do anything, she was surrounded by a blue light and shr closed her eyes fearfully. Upon reopening them, she noticed she was in the center of town along with others who murmured words of confusion. An eerie red glow started to fill the area and Kiyomi looked up, seeing a blood colored substance leaking from the sky. It formed into a faceless hooded figure and she took a few steps back, bumping into someone. Turning to murmur an apology, she was cut off by the hooded figure speaking.

"Attention players. I welcome you to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba, 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 menues; the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect of the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of S.A.O and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the nerve gear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the nerve gear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life. Despite my warning, the family and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the nerve gear. An unfortunate decision to to say the least. As a result, the game now has 213 less players than when it began. They've been deleted both from Aincrad and the real world."

Kiyomi couldnt believe her ears. They were trapped here, forced to stay. "No way..." she whispered. People had already died. Tears began to sting in her eyes. She knew every word out of this sick bastards mouth was the truth...and nothing but.

"It is important you remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system, forever. And the nerve gear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape; you must clear the game. Right now, you are gathered here on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get thru the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100 and you will clear the game. Last but not least, i've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look."

Kiyomi swiped down the air with her right hand and opened the menu. Going to her items, she noticed a mirror and selected it. Peering at her avatars face, she heard screaming and jumped in fright before being cloaked in another blue glow. Moments later she felt different. Looking around, she noticed others looked different...very different, and she looked into her mirror as well. It was her real face staring back at her. Her long brown hair was the same color and length, but in two ponytails like she had it back in the real world. She was skinner, less muscled, 4 inches shorter and then she freaked. Running from the center off the mass of people, she reached the back, only to hit a forcefield. Her eyes widened and she returned her mirror to storage.

"Right now, you're all probably wondering why. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and Nerve Gear 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 my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."

As soon as the forcefield dissapeared screaming erupted, Kiyomi made a mad dash for the item and food shops. She would spend all her money earned from the beta test and her few hours of hunting today. Alot of people started rushing the shops and Kiyomi knew she had to get out then. She made her way through the alleys to the next town. She wanted to cry but really, she had no time for that.

If there was only one thing about S.A.O, it was that she could trust no one.

"Ahahahaha, man!"

Spinning his axe above him before bringing it down on a poor boar-pixel-creature, Whimsical laughed heartily, his long, black hair which reached the back of his knees moving with each movement he made- it was majestic as heck. Not only that, the man was burly, tall; powerfully built to be a barbarian. He carried the two-handed axe with such ease that one could assume that he'd carry it with one hand just as easily. "Yoohoo!" Spotting another boar, he quickly sprinted towards the creature, holding the axe down before he leaped and brought it up, descending it into the creature with one powerful strike. The creature recoiled back and began to charge towards Whimsical, who side-stepped it, dragging the axe against it's sides; that was the last one. Quest completed. He couldn't explain how lovely this felt; he had got the combat down pretty well in the first few minutes of gaming and he loved it. Being... actually strong, different; being no match for a boar.

... And then, there was this odd, strange bell sound and before he could even take it in consideration; bam, there he was at the city- not only him, but everyone else. Whimsical glanced up at the sky, perking an eyebrow. [i]"Special event?"[/b] He whispered, mostly to himself, his green, sparkling eyes glancing towards the others. A hooded figure formed above them and began speaking nosense.

Akihiko Kayaba said "Attention players. I welcome you to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba, 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 menues; the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect of the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of S.A.O and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the nerve gear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the nerve gear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life. Despite my warning, the family and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the nerve gear. An unfortunate decision to to say the least. As a result, the game now has 213 less players than when it began. They've been deleted both from Aincrad and the real world."

"The fuck, honestly?" Whimsical once again glanced at those who were by his side, giving them inquiring, curious looks; some returned the same lost look, others were already on the verge of crying. Whimsical himself was barely understanding what exactly was going on... Or rather, he was having trouble believing and accepting this. No way... Trapped in this world? Really?

Akihiko Kayaba said "It is important you remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system, forever. And the nerve gear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape; you must clear the game. Right now, you are gathered here on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get thru the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100 and you will clear the game. Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look."

Oh, now Whimsical could understand it. Basically, they were living in this world opposed to reality; and holy shit, how that sucked. How... The hell was he supposed to keep his cool with this? His hand slowly moved up to his face, as if he'd manage to hold himself up with this act. His eyes were widen, pupils dilated; the shock was too extreme for him. Moving the hand which was in his face forward, clicking the air; he accessed his item menu and noticed the mirror there. He took it, looking himself over. Hmm, not too bad- Wait, what in the actual hell? So, to better emphasise the fact that they were living in this world opposed to reality, that imbecile even turned their avatars into themselves? His hand briefly ran over his red hair, his amber eyes scanning around himself. How was everyone dealing with this, honestly?

Akihiko Kayaba said "Right now, you're all probably wondering why. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and Nerve Gear 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 my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."

"Yeah, thank you for granting us luck in not dying, freak!" Whimsical shouted, expressing how frustated- and somewhat scared he was, right now. But... He couldn't allow these emotions to overtake him, no. He'd need to become strong- so he'd never die, not even get anywhere close to it. This was the floor one, it was highly unlikely that they'd be facing boars all the way to the 100th floor. Rolling his shoulders, he moved towards a woman who previously handed him the quest to kill ten boars- turning it in, he received a bit of experience and money. "... Damn, man. This is totally not my type of game."

~One month later~
Floor 1

Kiyomi crouched behind a tree in the west fields of floor one. She glared with a cold look at a man she'd been following for a week now. She was waiting for the right time...to return a favor he'd done for her the second day she was in the game. A few ways out of the third town on floor one, this man named Shougo had attacked her, beaten her senseless until she was nearly dead. All in an attempt to get her items. Even after she'd handed them over, he had left her in an alley to die. If not for a man with short black hair who had come along to heal her before running off, she would have died. Now 14 levels stronger, she was here to take this guy down and repay him for teaching her a lesson in fear.

Shougo had his back to her and she silently walked over to him. She initiated a duel and he looked confused before turning to look at her.

"Hello there. Remember me?" she said with a cold look. He smirked, and she knew he recognized her. Clicking accept, he shook his head.

"Come here for another beating, bitch?" he said as if not surprised. He knew she would find him, and he seemed ready. Not answering, she took out her Rapier and he did as well. He had a Saigo. Not rare, but not too common. No doubt stronger than hers, but she had learned a new skill and she was sure she'd win. Charging at him, they exchanged a few cut and blows to eachother. Her dodging abilities were superior to his, however, and soon he was in the lowest part of his green zone. Her anger was fueling her, and that was something he wasent ready for.

Activating her Quadruple Pain skill she just learned, she attacked him. "Haaah! Take this you bastard!" he tried to block but once the attack hit, his HP dropped to yellow and he fell back, paralyzed. The winning screen popped up and she accepted the exp and money.

Kiyomi closed her eyes and sheathed her rapier before pulling out her two throwing picks and kneeling on his chest. She drived her picks into each of his hands, pinning him to the ground. He looked panicked as she did.

"What do you want from me!?" he yelled, obviously afraid as his HP dropped more.

"You left me for dead. Why?" she demanded him to answer.

"I'm sorry, i was just desperate. Please let me go." he begged.

"I wont. You left me to die so i will return that favor to you. I was lucky someone came by to save me." she leaned her face close to his and whispered menacingly. "Let's see if your desperation saves you tonight before that poison on your hands kills you. I wonder if you wont be so lucky." she hissed before standing and moving away from him. His HP slowly declined and he simply lay there, mortified.

"If your lucky, someone will find you." she said walking away. "And one more thing. If you live, here's a piece of advice. If you plan on pissing off a girl, make sure she's dead or she will hunt you down to the other side of this world."

Smiling, she crossed her arms behind her back and walked back to the nearest town. She went into a restaurant and sat to get some food. An hour passed before she left and went to roam the streets, as she walked a screen popped up in front of her. It was an items list and a load of money. One of the items was a Saigo Rapier. Smirking she equipped it along with a white hood that changed to her green outfit color. It fell to past her ankles because of her short height.

"Poor Shougo. Guess no one found you." she murmuredto herself as she continued walking. Her cursor turned to a light orange one. Kiyomi knew she had just become one of the orange players everyone would avoid.

The game was beautiful, and colorful, everything that Richard could have ever wanted in a game like this, yet he lacked energy to actually enjoy his time in the game. Why am I even playing this? I don't have time for it. I have a lot of studying I could be doing right now, yet I'm playing this. He then stared off further into the distance at what seemed like hundreds of miles of beautiful plains, trees, and creatures. Is it because Maria would have wanted me too? What am I saying that is insane, but it does sound like something she would want... The cool breeze from the wind flew by, and soothed Richards thoughts, and he calmly whispered to himself "Well I guess it is about time to prepare for her funeral." It was then that his eyes widened at the sound of a loud bell ringing, and before he knew it he was in the first level town center. Is this some kind of event, but before he could continue on the thought a large hooded figured appeared before him, and the other players.

Akihiko Kayaba said "Attention players. I welcome you to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba, 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 menus; the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect of the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of S.A.O and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the nerve gear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the nerve gear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life. Despite my warning, the family and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the nerve gear. An unfortunate decision to to say the least. As a result, the game now has 213 less players than when it began. They've been deleted both from Aincrad and the real world."

Richards eyes widened, and immediately checked his menu screen only to notice that what he had said was the truth. I'm going to miss her funeral, and even worse I might have one... His face was expressionless as the fear built up inside of his body. He has to be joking Richard thought to himself in an attempt to reassure his thoughts.

Akihiko Kayaba said "It is important you remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system, forever. And the nerve gear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape; you must clear the game. Right now, you are gathered here on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get thru the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100 and you will clear the game. Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look."

Richard took a look at his inventory, and only to notice a mirror, and decided to select it. He looked at the object extremely confused, but when he decided to look into the object all of the sudden his body was surrounded in a blue like aura. The aura didn't last long, but suddenly he felt different, and suddenly he looked back into the mirror to notice his character's appearance had changed. In fact it looked exactly like him, everything down to his height, build, and facial features where all there, and extremely accurate. How can this be but he soon realized that it was using information based on what the Nerve Gear had gathered in order for it to work. Eventually after the sudden panic Richard decided that the mirror probably served its purpose, and placed it back into his inventory just in time for Akihiko Kayaba to continue talking.

Akihiko Kayaba said Right now, you're all probably wondering why. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and Nerve Gear 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 my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."

This can't be happening Richard thought to himself, and started to grind his teeth in anger. [It all has to be a big ruse, or an event[/i], but deep down he knew that this wasn't something to joke about. This world was the perfect death trap for Akihiko Kayaba to play his little game, and he was fully aware of it too.

"Players, I wish you the best of luck."

Titan's eyes widened, before blossoming into crimson slits. A grin, slightly unhinged, formed on his face.

"I see your game..."

A chuckle.

"And I'll play it. For now."

---

Floor 1 - Dire Mountain

There was no sun shining brightly over the sharp, rugged hills and incoves that dotted Dire Mountain. A constant ashy mist floats in from the surrounding forests, giving the large mountainous region a misty, intimidating appearance. Throughout the numerous ridges and caves, you could hear the occasional howls echoing, slamming against the stone caverns before releasing out into the dreary atmosphere, giving any players foolish enough to venture out this far constant chills. This is a location located miles away from the Starting City, and even farther away from the misc cities you would see after leaving the safety of your beginning spawn. It's recommended that players level 15 and plus hunt here, and even then, it's extremely risky without backup not too far away...

-

A large, intimidating figure made his way through the numerous paths and cave links that dots throughout Dire Mountain. He wore tight, mottled black steel armor that glistened slightly in the dusky mist that wisped throughout the leaking cave, along with leather-sewn steel greaves and boots. The figure had no face to speak of - only a deep black helmet that only revealed glowing crimson eyes, and a sinister, white-toothed smirk. In his left hand he wielded a large iron kite-shield, forged with spiked corners and edges that would allow the user to bash enemies into oblivion, while his right hand clenched the handle of a large, practical steel spear with a sturdy oaken handle. His name...was Titan. The man's armored form moved through the tight crevices, and leaky ridges with obvious ease, as the male was obviously used to this location quite readily. Crimson orbs constantly moved from left to right.

"It should be...hear." He muttered. Titan's voice is what you would expect from someone of his stature and appearance - a deep, gravelly voice that seems to be used moreso for warcries and growling, rather than whispering acknowledgements. The thing he was looking for was quite simple - although there were numerous lethal mobs scurrying through Dire Mountain, a lot a lot, actually, there was a certain cave that triggered a Mob Trap. Basically, if you're stupid enough to step onto a stone pad, then a group of Mobs would fall from some sort of trap door above, while the stone cavern around you shut it's entrances in stone sheets of wall, leaving you trapped. It was a trap to quickly kill ballsy explorers, and if you survived you got the loot from the mobs, and the experience.

In Titan's eyes, it was worth it.

He slid a potion into his mouth, clenching the small glass bottle between his teeth before bringing his shield and spear to bear. A grin overcame his mouth over the poultice, and he clenched his teeth, activating the slow-moving, but long-lasting potion effect, before charging into the large, tall, and spacious cavern room that he oh-so-adored. His boot stepped hard into a stone switch, and then he was in the middle of the cavern, roaring at the top of his lungs, as numerous Dire Wolves, Dire Bears, and Mutant Bats swarmed from the above, screeching loudly.

"All...I see...is DEATH!"

He charged into the masses.

-

The first thing Titan saw was a group of four Dire Wolves and one Alpha Dire Wolf lunging into his immediate vicinity, while two snarling Dire Bears juked to his right. The armored 'Spartan' charged into the Wolves' attack, slamming his iron shield into two of their snouts, tossing their paralyzed bodies to the side, before rolling his arm and bringing his spear high into the air, the tip glowing an ominous red. "Weak!" His arms moved on their own accord, the spear being jabbed brutally into all three of the attacking wolves' snout before a booted foot slammed into the Alpha's chin, bringing him into the air while the other two burst into data. At this time the two Bears had gotten close to his back, releasing a barrage of scratches at Titan's back armor, but he ignored the wittling of Health, turning around on the spot and stabbing the leading Bear through the chest with his spear. Behind him, he heard the Alpha Dire Wolf explode into particles, while the two runts from before slowly stood up from the paralyzing bash that took them out of the fight first.

"This is what I'm talking about!" The two wolves leaped onto Titan's shoulders, clawing into the crevices of his helmet, while Titan quickly killed off the two Dire Bears with another >>Steel Barrage<< from his spear. Growling, he threw his two weapons into the air, piercing the hearts of three of the scavenging little Mutant Bats, before grabbing the two wolves' within his hands and throwing them into the air, as his two weapons began falling once more, killing the wolves and landing into his outstretched hands.

The entrances and exits opened once more.

"All for the glory..." he whispered, glancing at his health. Yellow. Snorting, Titan clicked through all of the menus, putting away the numerous hides, furs, corpses, meats, and gold before clicking out of the experience menus. A solid thumping erupted from the caves surrounding the one he was in, which was located deep in the center of Mountain Dire, and Titan held back a chuckle.

"Whimsical."

He headed towards the sound of battle. Most-likely the axe-wielding barbarian was taking on the Field Boss that protected the mountain from cowards and weaklings. Titan knew that Whimsical probably wanted to do it on his own, but he wanted to at least see his partner in crime behead the powerful beast.

'Players, I wish you the best of luck.'

The screams. The voices raised in fear and anger. A stampede of panicked feet. None of it mattered, none of it even registered. From his position on the floor, all he saw was the shining outline of a pair of panties, their terrified owner silhouetted against the backdrop of the evening sky. Nothing else mattered, for here was Nirvana. He took another swig of rotgut and passed out.

________________________

'Roll me over lay me down and do it again,
Roll me over in the clover, roll me over lay me down,
And do it again!'

A dozen fists pounded their tables to the beat of a classic song, bastardised and perverted for their amusement. The singer paused a moment, chugging half his tankard in a few mouthfuls before breaking into the next verse. Over the last twelve hours he had sung, drunk and sweet talked his way through three taverns, bringing inebriated joy where there had been only gloom and fear before; that said, he had only meant to have one or two pints to begin with... Such was the new life of Torvald, Aincrad's very first town drunk. It amazed even him that he sobered up for long enough to earn his due, before pouring it over the counter of the nearest bar. But it was nights like this (or at least he thought it was night... time and space got a little uncertain after a dozen or so ales) made it all worthwhile. Meeting new people, getting wasted and molesting barmaids was the pinnacle of what Sword Art Online had to offer, never mind all that fighting lark.

'... This is number three hundred and ten,
And he's started once again!
Roll me over, lay me down,
And do it...... Again!'

By the time he finished, half of his new drinking buddies had passed out or gone home... Might be worth... shortening that one... he mused while staggering toward the door. No more than thirty verses next time. Torvald flinched as he emerged into the bright sunlight, instinctively shading his eyes and checking his status bar. The <Drunk> status would wear off in about an hour if he stopped drinking now, which was probably worthwhile considering how much his coffers had shrunk after that last binge... Today was a good day to fish, he decided and took off in a meandering path toward the nearest river. The village was far off to the west of the Town of Beginnings but had excellent access to beginner gathering areas, making it the ideal place for a work hard, play hard kind of person to settle down. As he passed through the village high street, he noted something new in his otherwise familiar stomping grounds. An orange crystal, hanging above a young woman cloaked in green; a criminal, a PKer. If he were sober, Torvald would liked nothing better than to leave the area ASAP, but in his heavily inebriated state, he felt the desire to flirt with danger. 'Hey, you there, little girl and all that...' He stopped few foot before the girl and gave his best leery grin. 'What brings a murderer to this side of town, eh?' His eyes roamed, initially taking note of her weapon and armour but then looking at her... other assets. After a moment his gaze snapped back up to hers. 'Sorry girl, but I've got to ask... Did whoever you murder deserve it..? Really?'

Floor 1 - Dire Mountain

Unlike his companion Titan, Whimsical wasn't venturing so deep into the mountains. Rather, he preferred clearing the monsters around the dire mountains, more specifically, the occasional sub-boss known as Silver Horn- a minotaur who guarded the mountain's entrance. Stepping cautiously through the cobblestone path found around the Dire Mountains, Whimsical spotted a pack of four Dire Wolves, the four of them growling at him as he neared them. Unslinging his steel two-handed battle axe from his back, Whimsical changed into a combat stance, the axe held on his side with a single hand. "Waste of my precious time!" Charging at the wolves just as they charged at him, Whimscal slammed his left foot forward, using his balance and the weight of his axe and body to rotate, his other hand coming to grab the bottom of the axe as he spun around, using his >>> Cyclone Slash <<< axe skill to hit the four wolves at once, sending them all flying back- before the four of them disappearing into data and pixels.

Stopping the spin, he slung his axe onto his back and continued his path, only stopping to collect the money which the wolves might've dropped. It took him a brief while, but he finally found the entrance in where the minotaur would be. He walked so casually and normally that it didn't even look as if he was walking towards a dangerous, deadly creature which could take not only his ingame life, but his actual life as well. At certain point, Whimsical took his axe again, but held it with a different stance than before, now both of his hands tightly wrapped around the cold steel handle. He took cautious steps forward, already able to hear the heavy breathing coming from the entrance... Soon, the minotaur came into sight, the only light being the shine of his two horns- indeed, exactly why he nas named Silver Horn. This boss was often grinded by strong players because his horns were collectable materials, used in forging all sorts of armor and weapons. But Whimsical was here for something else other than his horns... The rare item which he was told to be dropped here, two weeks ago.

He could feel his heart pounding inside of his chest, the minotaur's nostrils flared as hot air shrouded from it. It came charging all of sudden towards Whimsical, who's speed helped him in merely dodging the ram attempt, leaping to the side. He started to retreat back, out of the entrance- the raging, colossal beast followed after the self-entitled barbarian, raising massive hooves into the air and roaring a challenge towards the misty peak of Dire Mountain and out of the confident entrance it originally was. Now, with more space, Whimsical felt more confident about confronting this beast; after all, if he was caught in the tight entrance where this creature was, he'd eventually get caught by it's horns and that'd be his end. Quickly using his left hand to take a potion with a red, consitent liquid inside, Logan used his thumb to uncork it before drinking all of it's contents, tossign the empty vial up as it disappeared. Focusing his eyes at the minotaur, Whimsical exhaled a huff.

The massive beast was a collosal being, as stated before, with a tough leathery hide that stretched, grotesque, over his bulky, bulging muscles. A scarred, disgusting maw filled with razor-sharp teeth was framed by beady black eyes and short, stubby brown ears, which rested beside the famed massive silver horns. A large, similarily muscular tail waved through the dusty air as it tasted the ash-flavored mist, seemingly getting a hold of it's surroundings before it's massive, horned head turned towards the barbarian. Another roar escaped it's mouth, and it's massive hind hooves scratched the cobble ground. The bipedal beast's eyes focused onto the smaller figure of Whimsical, before snorting and charging forward with a heavy burst of speed, a large battleaxe materializing into it's oddly human-like hooves.

"LEAVE HERE!"

A blinding crimson glow surrounded the axe, and the Centaur brought it down with tremendous force, intent on cleaving it's enemy in half. Whimsical however, was not allowing himself to be cleaved so easily; in a sudden, unexpected burst of speed, he moved to the creature's side- completely avoiding the axe. He gripped his own axe tightly, the blade glowing with a green light, a fierce roar escaped Whimsical's own lungs as he prepared himself to strike the minotaur. Though, before he could do such, he was surprised with a powerful slam against his chest, sending him flying back- the creature had used it's tails to hit him. The attack didn't cause a lot of damage, but he'd need to watch out for the minotaur's horns, tail and his axe.

Whimsical: 9,785/10,420 HP || Silver Horns: ?????/????? HP

"Resourceful cow, aren't you?" Whimsical joked as he stood himself up, the creature ignoring his words, already preparing to strike again. It's speed was slow, so every time it tried a frontal attack, Whimsical was certain that he could easily avoid it. When the minotaur came stomping forward, raising it's battle-axe; the same attack from before, Whimsical didn't move. He waited, gripping his own axe... It struck down, there was a loud noise of something metallic, followed by a bewildering roar. Whimsical had moved at the last moment and the minotaur's axe lodged into the stone itself- which likely showed both how powerful the beast and it's axe was. Using this opportunity, Whimsical placed his foot on the axe's handle, since it was carved into the very ground itself. Bringing his axe up with him and raising it above his head, Whimsical used the >>> Beheading Slash <<< as his axe surrounded itself with a green energy, being brought mercilessly against the minotaur in a single, powerful strike. It wasn't without a price, however- the minotaur released his own axe and managed to land a concussive, powerful punch against the mid-air Whimsical, sending him flying towards the mountain, the barbarian coughing and groaning in pain.

Whimsical: 8,021/10,420 HP || Silver Horns: ?????/????? HP

Just as the barbarian stood up and regained his composture; the grotesque beast was already using it's first attack. But... it seemed less intelligent, however much faster and more dangerous. Possibly an enranged status, at least that was what Whimsical assumed before he quickly slammed his foot on the ground, throwing himself to the side to avoid being smashed between the creature and the rocky wall. He spun when he landed, holding the axe with a single hand; he charged towards the minotaur, using a single hand to bring the axe forward- though his second one grabbed the bottom of the handle to give it more strength and momentum. The axe digged deeply against the leatherly skin of the colossal sub-boss, but Whimsical cared not. Using all strength he could muster, he pushed the axe to the side, using the >>> Cyclone Slash <<< to spin a complete 360º before bringing the axe on the minotaur's stomach- who responded by trying to move back. The secret of this technique, however, was that the user could choose to stop it when he wanted, with a limit of five complete turns. Changing the angle of his axe, Whimsical continued with the second spin, the blade of his axe slamming and cutting through the minotaur's horn. He was about to continue onto the third spin, but his axe was parried by the creature's own axe which had re-materialized in it's hands.

Whimsical retreated, holding his axe defensively- awaiting the creature to attack, which wasn't a long wait. Soon, the beast came charging, but this time it's speed was so much that Whimsical didn't manage to dodge in time- all he could do, was raise his own axe in an attempt to parry. Sadly, he only mitigated some of the damage, given the creature's strength and attack stats were far beyond Whimsical's parry stats. He received a slash from his left shoulder to his right hip.

Whimsical: 5,188/10,420 HP || Silver Horns: ?????/????? HP

Yellow health bar. Things were starting to get dangerous. But Whimsical wasn't one to step back from a fight- specifically a good one, like this. He growled loudly, raising the axe. I managed to land a few good hits, though I keep trading damage for damage like that, I won't last long. I need to him hit without getting hit. To set up a strategy would be a difficult task, especially against an overwhelming opponent like this minotaur. Looking over it, analyzing the range of his axe's reach and the creature's back, Whimsical decided to try something. Sprinting around the minotaur with formidable speed- he moved directly towards the minotaur's back, keeping certain distance. The creature tried to turn, but wasn't fast enough- swiftly, Whimsical brought his steel axe against the creature's tail, cutting it in half. The minotaur responded by growling and swinging it's axe wildly and repeatedly in Whimsical's general direction, two hits did hit him- one being dangerously close of cutting off a limb, but Whimsical's ability in dodging made a possibly fatal hit into a severe cut.

Whimsical: 2,229/10,420 HP || Silver Horns: ?????/????? HP

Waiting for an opportunity, he stepped in again, this time raising his axe- cutting through the minotaur's leatherly skin both as his axe ascended, and then once again when it descended against the beast, it toppled down onto it's knees and Whimsical saw this as a perfect opportunity. He ran towards the creature's back, leaping onto his back before leaping even higher into the air. "Die, beast!" As Whimsical felt down, his axe was brought powerfully directly against the minotaur's neck. The attack was successful, the creature's head rolling on the ground, stopping under Whimsical's right foot as he breathed heavily, his axe pressed against the ground as he held it with a single hand.

Loot:

• 2x Silver Horns


• 10,000 Col


• Beheading Behemoth

The barbarian's amber eyes widened at the last item of that list. As he equipped it, the axe in his hands disappeared, replaced by an apparently much stronger one. He turned himself, only to see Titan watching from the mountains. Raising the newly obtained axe in the air, he grinned brightly, shouting as high as he could. "It seems luck is on my side today, Titan!"

Dire Mountain - Floor 1

Titan's expression, unseen by any onlookers, changed only once throughout the whole battle. A grin formed on his face as he watched Whimsical handle himself professionally. Even as the male's health dwiddled down from the Field Boss's heavy blows, Titan's expression rang clear, as he was completely sure that his companion would win. And, if things didn't look too good...then his perch provided a great strategic advantage to finish the Centaur off. A few Dire Wolves stalked along the edge of the ridge Titan himself crouched on, but they simply skulked around the hulking figure, not moving too close in caution and fear of certain brutal, pixelated death. Titan gave the two wolves a nod of his helmeted head, two his surprise one of them nodded back, only to be bitten and scuffed by the Alpha of the tiny pack. A deep, rumbling chuckle echoed through the small mountainous ridge, before Titan turned his head back to the battle, just in time to see the boss get decapitated in a haze of blood-like pixels.

He stood up, spear and shield strapped to his armored forearms instead of clenched strictly in his hands like before. Maybe a foolhardy thought process, and choice, but Titan felt that he could trust his barbarian friend - not indefinitely, of course, as this is a Death Game and everyone has hidden motives. But, he knew that he wouldn't be getting backstabbed or anything cowardly like that. At Whimsical's exclamation of triumph, Titan grinned, his lower, bearded face becoming visisble as the haze of ominous darkness drifted from his form. "So it may seem, my friend!" he yelled back, his deep voice momentarily spooking the two observing Dire Wolves. The younger of the pack, the one who nodded to him earlier, lunged forward, only to meet the business end of Titan's spear, his body becoming skewered onto the weapon before exploding in a haze of particles. "A new axe, hm? Did you happen to get some Horns as well?" he walked forward, bending down, almost like a bear about to leap, before blasting high into the air. Wind whistled through his helmet as gravity took hold, Titan dropping from the air and landing a feet or so away from Whimsical with a roaring crunch of cobble-stone. Standing up to his full, intimidating height, the Spartan gave his friend a nod.

"Smithing is useful, and I feel like creating myself a new spear, or improving on my current one. I offer gold, of course." As he spoke, the Dire Wolf from before lunged from the ridge above, only to slam maw-first into a gauntlet fist. Titan had turned around with his hand outstretched, catching the Wolf in his palm before slamming it into the stone ground, bringing a heavy foot up with surprising agility...and stomping the wolf's head into pixelated paste. "Weaklings."

Lennon97 said 'Hey, you there, little girl and all that...' He stopped few foot before the girl and gave his best leery grin. 'What brings a murderer to this side of town, eh?' His eyes roamed, initially taking note of her weapon and armour but then looking at her... other assets. After a moment his gaze snapped back up to hers. 'Sorry girl, but I've got to ask... Did whoever you murder deserve it..? Really?'

As the short man, chubby man walked up to her, Kiyomi stopped walking. She had actually been approached by someone. Surprised to say the least, Kiyomi smiled her nicest smile. "Hello there. I'll have you know that i am not a murderer, i was simply returning the favor to a man who dared to piss me off." Kiyomi crossed h arms. Truth was that she was actually not killer material, she was kind and loved to help people, enjoy a few laughs with nice folk, but that was when she wasent blinded by anger. Feeling no need to explain herself to him, but also wanting a conversation, she took a few steps forward and patted the mans head.

Frowning a bit at the alcohol smell of him, she spoke again. "It is not that i believed he had deserved to die, i was simply showing him the same treatment he gave to me a few weeks ago. The difference i suppose was that i had a will to survive...and he did not." Without another word, she stepped away from the swaying man and continued on her way.

With her back turned, she let out a sigh. She didnt want this...now everyone saw her as if she was a monster. A killer who cared about no one. But.....that wasent the case. She did want to help people. that was why tomorrow she would attend the meeting that was going to figure out how to get past the first floor. Kiyomi wanted to do all she could for everyone, and get out of this damn game as soon as possible.

Also...staying alive would be a plus.

Nov 29, 2022
Floor 1-Tolbana(Second largest city in Floor 1)
___________________________________________________

Almost one month had passed since Sword Art Online started, at the same time the lives of every player as they knew it died with the launch of SAO. The creator of the game and the NerveGear, Kayaba Akihiko, trapped everyone logged in the game at launch inside. During this time, almost 2,000 people had died, and the First Floor had yet to be cleared. Hope seemed bleak and many, not wanting to risk their lives, tried to make a life in the Town of Beginnings.

Nick was one of the few willing to leave the safety of the starting town, wanting to help end this nightmare. He had made a small name for himself as one of the better smiths and repairman that ventured out into the world of Aincrad. Knowing not every was lucky or skilled enough to get good drops, he took it upon himself to equipment and repair the people willing to risk their lives. There was talk of a meeting to be had in a few days, in hopes that someone had found the Floor Boss and they could move closer to ending this game. The meeting will not be for a few days, so Nick had time to prepare.

Dec 1, 2022
Floor 1-Tolbana, day before meeting.
___________________________________________________

"Is there only thing else you need sir?" A young, bearded male asked Nick. "No, these will do just fine." Nick bowed to the young smith and exited his small store. Acquiring his new smithing tools, Nick headed for the bank in town, storing his new tools for use later. Not many players had made it to this town in the first month in SAO. Only the truly determined and skilled left to starting city, leaving the city of Tolbana a mostly NPC filled town. The bank and inn were the only two real places to meet another player. Nick spent much of his time at the inn, offering his services to most anyone. But today he would not be at the inn, enjoying to the bards songs or drinking a fine mug of ale. No, today was a farm day, a day needed to gather materials. He would be joining his friend and heading into the Labyrinth, the place where many think the Floor Boss is, but no one has made it farther than the 10th floor. This trip today would only go a few floors deep, trying to get a few rare drops that can only be found in the Labyrinth.

The message indicator popped up on Nick's HUD. Must be time. Using his right hand, Nick swiped the air, opening up the menu. The message was from his friend Saul, the only other American he knew in Japan. "Hey Nick, meet at the city gate." Checking to make sure he had all his gear, he headed for the city gate, hoping nothing went wrong.

Saul was a tall, slender teen with shaggy brown and a patchy beard. The kid was 17,never before used a NerveGear, and wished he had never put it on. But Nick pushed him into it, and since being trapped here he had taken it upon himself to make sure Saul did not die. "Hey, there you are. Come on, come on, let us go. I got a good feeling we are gonna get that drop we need today," Saul spoke quickly, using his hands to express his words ever more. "Calm down spaz, we are going." Nick patted Saul on the back, using a little extra force to push Saul forward. "Ahh, what was that for?" Saul cried out. "That did not hurt, you know we don't feel anything." They both laughed, "Oh yeah. I keep forgetting."

Floor One-One month after the launch of S.A.O.
__________________________________

It was another day in S.A.O, and Richards life slowly started to integrate into this new world, the world a mad man created in order to feel like a god. Richard hated the fact that his life was slowly being replaced with this one, but deep down he was doubtful that one day he would be able to leave. It has been many weeks, and no one has yet to even find the boss in order to get past floor one, and people where getting desperate. Maybe just maybe the meeting tomorrow will have some information about how to find the boss. This was his best chance in restoring his sense of hope for surviving, and maybe to gain a few allies along the way.

It was then when he thoughts were interrupted by a woman with a rapier preparing to fight another player with a similar weapon. From what he understood that man left her hurt, and she was going to make him pay for what he did. I understand the fear, and pain she is going through, but to go this far? He was unsure about her decision, and even though she looked to have her doubts the man clearly had no chance of beating her, and was quickly defeated. She was merciful enough to leave the man alive, and told him that maybe he will be lucky like her, and survive the situation, but by the looks of it he lacked the willpower. Suddenly another pc appeared, but the man was clearly drunk, and simply stumbled upon the scene by chance. Though strangely enough his mind was clear enough to have a similar opinion about the situation, and seemed to have started a conversation with the woman. Richard saw this as his chance to get the man to safety, and have him properly heal, and maybe gain a fiend along the way.

As he slowly crept up to him he hushed the man, and slowly walked up to him, but noticed he wasn't moving. Richard walked up just in time for the man to die, and noticed that the women was still chatting with the man. How could someone be so heartless? His heart sank slightly, and turned and looked at the two chatting pcs. "How could you just accept the fact that you just killed someone" he shouted interrupting the two's conversation.

Floor One- One month Past

---

He could still hardly believe it, he could see! Yet another thing he could hardly believe was that he had been stuck in this game for a month, a bittersweet moment for Jack. On one side he regained his sight, and the other a very high chance for death at any moment. Still, he had to admit to himself that he was slightly happy he couldn't leave the game, it just meant more time being normal again. He didn't have much of a life outside the game anyways. No friends, no purpose, not much of a life worth living. Although still lacking a group of friends, he reattained his sense of purpose through SAO. His goal for this game was to save as many people as he could.

The past month had went by in a blur, with all the new experiences and places to see for himself. He had spent the majority of the time just walking around and taking the view of Aincrad in. He couldn't wait to see more of this beautiful, dangerous world he had been forcefully immersed in. Unlike most, the combat wasn't one of his favorite parts of the game, but it was necessary to accomplish his goals. He couldn't help but feel a little self righteous and remorseful, he wanted to clear the game more for himself and to see as much as he could, rather than help the others make it out alive. That's the way he has always been though, wanting to change and help other people outwardly, but deep inside, it was all about Jack.

A nearby yell broke Jack's concentration. Might as well see what the noise is about, Jack thought as pushing himself off of the bench he was resting on. It was strange that even in a game they could program how his knee always seemed to click when standing up. The strangest part to him was that it felt more like real life than outside the Nervegear. No, no, no, the voice in Jack's mind yelled as he turned toward the source of the sound he had heard before. He brushed himself off and began walking.

(@Toaw: we're in town now, but its not a big deal.)

Kiyomi heard a man shout at her and she stopped, yet again. She turned slowly, the only thing she wanted to do was go and train. Someone had followed her into town all this time to simply ask her how she felt about it. Her anger had begun to rise, and she unequipped her Rapier, in fear of what she might do.

With an eerily calm voice, she said, "I have accepted the fact that i saved this world from someone as soulless as him. You come to me...you question me? YOU DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT HE'S DONE!" she yelled at the man, her fists clenched. "In the past week alone he's beaten six women, all nearly to death, just like he did me. And for what? Scraps of food and mere pocket change!? You should be thanking me, i did this world a favor." her voice lowered to a hiss as she got in his face. "I do not care how many i have to strike down, i do not care how much blood i have to bathe in to keep these people safe." she stepped away from him and turned to continue walking. Re-equipping her Saigo Rapier, she ignored the small crowd that had gathered. Waving, she called over her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. You all should thank me! Afterall, do we not kill the monsters in this game? Just turns out they come in all forms."

With that, Kiyomi covered her head with her hood and walked away. She was headed to Dire Mountain to train for the remainder of her time awake and take her anger out on something that would put up an equal fight.

Just as he turned the corner, Jack spotted a small crowd gathering, and heard a higher pitched yell than the original he had heard earlier coming from the middle of it. Quickening his pace from a slow walk to a moderate jog, the gap between himself and the crowd dissipated. I didn't think it'd be this far... Being closer, he could make out more of what was being said, "YOU DON"T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE'S DONE!" The higher pitched voice sounded more feminine as the distance reduced, she or what sounded like a she, was to say the least, upset. He needed a closer look. Approaching the edge of the crowd, he tried to look for a spot to squeeze through, a difficult task for someone of his proportions. Managing to spot a passageway into what seemed to be a labyrinth of people, Jack nudged through, close enough to see the argument unfold.

The feminine voice originated from a skinny young girl with long brown hair drawn out into two ponytails. This woman was staring at a younger blonde man with what seemed to be pure hatred. This must have been the source of the other voice he had heard earlier. Finishing her vocal explosion, the woman wandered off to "Dire Mountain", leaving Blondie awestruck and mouth agape. Is that girl going to be ok? Or... No, no, I best see to it. He had felt an urge to help the girl, what she had done shouldn't have branded her permanently in this game, or at all even in Jack's mind. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets", or so the Bible commands. This will be my first damsel in distress! Helios, off to save the day! With his heroic internal monologue, he set off after the mystery girl, who liked to bathe in blood and thought people were monsters. The thought sent a chill down his spine, I should really rethink my strategy of how to talk to this one

Tracking the girl all the way from town to Dire Mountain proved more difficult than expected, more than likely because his tracking skill was next to zero, one to be exact. To find her he mainly asked other players who happened to be coming from the other direction if they had seen her. Most had, leading him steadily closer to the girl he had hoped to connect with. The woman seemed like an outcast, a role that Jack Fischer was all to familiar with. Being a fellow outlier to society Jack felt an odd sort of kinship with her, although having never actually spoken to her. This feeling drove his false sense of bravado to a peak, leaving aside all doubts, he needed to speak with her and express that she is not alone in the world.

The figure in front of him started to clear up and come into focus, upon further inspection it had two long swinging tails. Ponytails? Quickening his pace yet again for a complete stranger, the distance closed at an exponentially greater amount. After closing the gap he fell in stride beside her. She didn't even look at him, must have been in deep thought. Might as well let her finish her thoughts.., but that was only an excuse, for he choked up. The social skills he had once had years ago were rusty, and had no idea what to say. His excitement and bravado were gone and replaced by anxiety and cowardice. He managed to stammer out, "Y-you were r-ight you know, n-not entirely, he felt more confidence in the words he spoke, but from what I heard, he had it coming. Don't worry about it alright?"

Town of beginnings – Floor 1

“What’s going on?”

“Is it an event?”

A curious collection of whispers rose around her as she materialized into the town center in a brilliant flash of blue light. Sword raised mid-strike to deliver a blow, an amusing combination of battle-lust mixed with confusion had settled onto the blue haired woman’s face. Mere seconds ago she’d been quite cheerfully slashing boars to death when she got so abruptly whisked away. Stumbling a little at the sudden and rather unexpected teleportation, she relaxed into a casual stance and sheathed her weapon as she looked around. The town center seemed to be rapidly filling up as more and more players appeared in flashes of blue light, each one mirroring expressions of confusion and surprise.

Perhaps this is an event.

The crowd didn’t have to wait too long though as a massive, hooded figure appeared in a blur of impressive special effects. The announcement it brought forth, however was far from just an in game event. Bottom line was that all of the players were stuck in the world of Aincrad, at the mercy of a sadistic psycho with a god complex.. Unless they managed to finish all 100 levels of the game. Which, on its own would have been terrifying enough but no; Akihiko Kayaba had added one more teeny tiny little detail to make things more interesting. Die in game and you died for real.

Namora stood stunned into silence, her mind refusing to accept the sheer horror of the reality. All around her panic and terror gathered into a massive wave threatening to erupt into chaos at any moment. As if in a daze, she pulled up her inventory and mechanically scrolled through the items until she found the Game Master’s parting ‘gift’, a little hand mirror.

“What the-“ Her query was cut short as the avatar she’d created for herself shattered into a billion little pieces, shedding away like an illusion. In its place stood Karin Amsel, Namora’s ‘true’ self. The young woman raised her eyes to the hooded figure, ignoring the metamorphosing of the surrounding players.

“Players, I wish you the best of luck.” He stated calmly and disappeared.

As if an invisible dam had shattered at his disappearance, a wave of mass hysteria burst forth. Chaos erupted all around her as people began to scream and cry. Namora stood rooted to the spot, feeling too numb to react even as the crowd began moving. A sharp jostle from behind quite nearly got her face better acquainted with the ground as she stumbled into the person in front of her. The action as unpleasant as it was, helped to get her moving again and her mind focused on a single thing. Survival.

---

One month later

Outskirts of Tolbana > Tolbana city gates – Floor 1

Run.

The sound of footsteps crashing through the underbrush broke the eerie silence of the forest. Three more sets of footsteps followed the first, in close pursuit. The latter were accompanied by battle cries and whoops of joy punctuated with the occasional bout of mad cackling.

Do not look back. Just run as fast as you can.

“Almost got her!”

You are not going to die here, not to these people. Run! Just a bit further, you’re almost at Tolbana!

Karin had been running from them for what felt like an eternity. Trapped in a world, a virtual world where she did not even have a heartbeat, she was running for her life. The irony of it did not escape her. She would have been amused, were she not being currently chased by ‘Hunters’, players who hunted others for sport.

As to how she ended up in her current predicament; the raven haired girl was trapped in the world of Aincrad along with thousands of others. Their only way out was to beat the game, which was easier said than done. Not one to just stand around and leave her fate in the hands of others, she tamped down her fear and set out to do her part in clearing the game. Over the course of a month, countless more players had died and they still hadn’t even managed to find the first Floor Boss. Needless to say, things weren’t looking well for any of them.

She did her part, risking her life every single day just by setting foot out of the safety of the towns and actively seeking out monsters to kill and to her surprise; she was managing to do quite well so far. Today was one such day except for the fact that things had gone very, very wrong. Her biggest mistake was venturing out alone. Sure, she was an excellent fighter and she was smart enough to stock potions and healing items but out there was a bigger threat than AI monsters. Player killers roamed the outskirts, something which had begun only recently. Partly because she didn’t have anyone in the game she could trust to watch her back and partly because of her foolish stubbornness, she’d dismissed the alarming rumors about the Hunters.

They’d ambushed her while she was farming resources by herself. Had it not been for her quick thinking in dousing them with a custom made poison, and an incredible amount of luck, she would have been dead within seconds. The poison managed to slow the three of them down considerably and gave her a head-start. Karin prayed that her luck held out till she got to the nearest town, which wasn’t far, thankfully.

The surrounding trees grew sparse and the outlines of Tolbana rose up in the distance like a miracle. It was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen, the girl decided then and there. With renewed hope and a burst of speed, she pushed herself forward faster than before.

“Thank you, God!” She exclaimed to herself as she skidded to a stop and the SafeZone notification popped up. She’d made it. She was going to live another day. This realization caused a relieved grin to sneak onto her face. Not wasting any time, she pulled out a vial of healing potion and turned to her pursuers, raising the vial in a mock toast.

“You have my sincerest gratitude for escorting me to town, gentlemen.” She called out.

Glaring at her for a few seconds, the three turned to leave. They weren’t going to waste their time on someone who’d reached a SafeZone. There were plenty of others out there, after all.

Still rattled from the encounter, Karin headed towards the town gates and stopped as she noticed a familiar face. Rigsaw, one of the best smiths she’d come across and a fellow frontlines player stood at the gates with another male. They’d been acquainted before, though she wouldn’t go as far as to say they were friends. His prices were fair and he was easier to get along with than a lot of higher tier craftsmen.

“Hello, Rig.” She greeted him with a half smile and nodded in acknowledgement to his companion whom she wasn’t familiar with. Karin’s features were mostly obscured by a hood, something she was rarely ever seen without.

Dec 1, 2022
Floor 1-Tolbana, City Gate
________________________________________

"Hey, who's the girl?" Saul asked as they approached the hooded female. "Don't get any ideas Saul, she is just a friend." Saul grinned as he poked Nicholas in the side, "Ah, come on no-" Nick cut him off a slap to the back of the head. "Ah, why do you always hit me?" Nick let out a laugh, "Quiet... Hello Namora. Seems you got yourself in some trouble." Nick mocked as Saul caught up. "Fucking player killers. Don't they know it is murder..." Saul face twisted in anger, but before he could do anything stupid, Nick placed his hand on Saul's shoulder, "Hey. Some people are fucked up. Happened in real life too. Ignore them, not reason to start something. Besides, we are going hunting remember." Saul nodded. "So lets get going. Hey, Namora, you wanna come along? Never hurts to have help." Nick offered up a party invite to Namora, kinda hoping she would accept. She was one of his better customers and he always wanted to know how she stood in a fight. "We are heading into the Labyrinth to grind a little. Just the first few floors though, not trying to get our self killed." Saul chuckled, "Yeah, we're hoping a Flag Mob shows up. Mr.Smith here needs some more metal and without mining it, the only other way right now is to breakdown items. And those goblins are loaded." Nick nodded then turned his attention back to Namora, "So, whatcha say?" he said with a grin.

Tolbana city gate - Floor 1

Karin raised an elegant brow at the other male’s teasing brought on by her arrival but chose not to comment on it. “Hello Namora. Seems you got yourself in some trouble." Rigsaw stated in a teasing manner. Before the girl could get a word in edgewise, Rig’s friend, Saul, began to rant as his face clouded with anger. She hated player killers as well but she didn’t see what good it would do to rant about it. Quietly, she watched their interaction with detached interest as Rig managed to calm his friend down, which didn’t seem to require much effort. People were strange. Then again, who was she to talk? Keeping an eye on her steadily increasing health bar, she considered whether or not if she'd need another potion.

"So lets get going. Hey, Namora, you wanna come along? Never hurts to have help." Apparently done with their friendly bickering, he offered her a party invite. Raising her pale blue eyes to study the two for a few moments, she shrugged and pressed accept. She had enough healing items and antidotes to keep herself out of trouble and a few emergency items as well if it came to that.

“Sure.” She nodded her agreement as she thought about it. Karin hadn’t yet had a chance to go too far into the Labyrinth. It was a good place to get drops and farm higher tier materials though it was riskier than regular areas. Sticking with a group could come in handy, as she’d already learned.

“Lead on, O’ brave and fearless leader.” A slight smirk had settled onto her lips at the last part.

Kiyomi's anger had subsided a bit by the time she reached the teleportation pad in the city. Having been followed all this way made her happy that someone was at least kind enough to approach her. When he did, she said nothing, just stopped walking. She listened to him speak, quietly. Who was this guy? He'd followed her this far just to say that? She giggled softly.

"Haha, im sorry. I just think its funny, you must think i regret what i did. No, no. You are very mistaken. I feel no pity for him...but of his family." she said, looking at her feet. "You've wasted your time following me. Go home."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." he said, not stammering like a moron this time.

"Dont worry about me, worry about yourself. Thats what nearly every player in this damn world thinks about anyway."

"Look, i'm only trying to help you. You seemed really upset and-"

She cut him off. "You want to help? Me? Ha! I can help myself just about as much as you could. But if you wish to help so bad, here." she went to her menu and tranferred an item to him. It was a note given to her by someone named Diabel. "There will be a meeting tomorrow to discuss how to beat the first boss. Do this world a favor. Dont chase after the ones like me who are damned now. Help out the 8,000 players who..." tears welled up in her eyes then and she stepped onto the pad , pulling out her teleport crystal. "Help the ones who...still have their souls." she gestured to the orange cursor above her head before facing away from him.

"Teleport! Dire Mountain!"

---

Kiyomi wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She wanted to break down in a fit of tears...and maybe a month ago, she would have. This time, she sucked it up, and headed to fight some mobs in the mountains. It was dark and dreary....it had a smell of death and howls were heard constantly, propelling off the cliffs and eachother. In the distance, she heard the sound of fighting. Deciding to stay away from the sound, she made her way farther in.

Hearing the flutter of wings, she stopped and drew her Saigo Rapier. Turning the corner, she found multiple Mutated Bats fluttering around. Singling out one, she ran up to it, taking it by surprise.

"Haaaaah!" She yelled as she jumped and activated her Shooting Star skill. It propelled her forward and the sword went right through the bat, killing it. She did a flip and landed gracefully on her feet. Looking at her Rapier, she smiled. "Well, well. How did you not beat me with this, Shougo?" she said, admiring the power of the sword. Just then the award screen popped up.

2 Bat Wings

3,000 col

Kiyomi clicked the bat wing to see what it did. It was used to flee from any battle. That could come in handy. She was satisfied with her earnings, but was upset she didn't even break a sweat. As if on que with her thoughts, a howl was heard, followed by four more and every bat flew away at once. A few rammed into her mid-flight, and her HP depleted by 400 by the time she was done getting pummeled. She opened her eyes after a moment and found an...unsettling sight. She was surrounded by five dire wolves, all snarling at her. She gripped her sword tighter and smiled weakly.

"Okay...i asked for this. Get ready, 'cuz im not going to lose!" she said, running at one of the wolves, Rapier raised. It ran at her, along with the other four. As her target approached, she did a forward flip and jumped over it, spinning as she landed in a crouch, her sword connected with the beasts hind legs and sliced them off. Before she could finish him off, his pal jumped on her from the side, sinking its jaws into her right arm. Her health dropped by 900 at the ferocious attack, but she ignored it, activating her skill and ramming her rapier into its head. The wolf dissapeared and she moved onto the next one. Jumping to avoid two that came her way. They ended up smashing heads, but a third one hit her midair and made her slam into a wall.

Kiyomi slumped down for a moment before weakly getting to her knees. Her HP depleted by another 900 and went into the last stage of green. The three wolves seemed to be protecting the fourth one who's legs she cut prior. Biting her bottom lip she figured she'd continue with the offense. "Hyaaaa!" she said, activating her Shooting Star skill and bursting through their defensive line and at the wounded Dire Wolf. It pierced the beast in its mid section and the health depleted completely then. The other three were on her then and she quickly ran off, opening her menu and taking out the bat wing. She threw it towards them, but only one jumped up and caught it in its mouth before turning around and walking off.

"Oh shit." she hissed and attempted to get the other one, but was bitten on her left arm, and flung like a ragdoll to the other wolf who rammed her into the ground. Her health depleted by 1,800 and went into yellow. Gasping in fear, Kiyomi screamed and protected herself as they ran at her again.