Suki sighed softly. Her father told her she had a big heart, that she cared too much, even for strangers. She couldn't just turn that off. She couldn't help but hear the underlying words in Umichi's comment. "And some don't have any relatives with them" She said, perhaps a little bit harsher then she meant, for she grimaced and said "Sorry" She looked away, looking down, and didn't speak again as Aikoto spoke up, saying he had people, and not to worry.

She sighed heavily. worry is what I do she thought to herself, looking away from the three boys, ahead, out of the town. She equipped her sword, which she had unequipped when entering the town, what seemed a life time ago. She followed Aikoto, sighing again. She felt like she was being pulled along, and hoped that it didn't end with her death.

As they stepped out the safe zone, Suki looked about, looked for any boars, and now, dire wolves. Some people had started out as well, and were already beginning to attack the monsters. Suki knew that there were more monsters then there had been in the beta, but so far, they hadn't encountered any of them. But suki knew it was only a matter of time before they encountered them, time and exploration.

She attacked a boar close by, killng it, noticing that she only gained 6 experience instead of the normal 24xp from the boars. She supposed being in a group was both a boon, and a liability, but figured, over the whole, they would be able to gather more experience together then without each other.

She looked to the others, and gave a sad smile "Well. First step to defeating all 100 floors, right?"

@Little_ninja @Eklispe

Masae sighed and crossed her hands; trying to calm the girl was a bit of am issue. She didn't want to act too harsh, lest she intensify the situation. But it appeared as the young girl was trying to find her grandfather, as well as brother and sister, which struck her as strange. She never saw any elder people have a liking for video games where she lived, let alone play them.

That made it all the more justifiable to help the little girl. Thankfully, another player around her age approached the two, this one with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. Heh. Players here looked a lot better with their real life appearance. She never understood why they needed to change it. Then again, she changed her own. "Help is gladly appreciated," she replied, pushing her glasses from the branch. "If anything, everyone here needs to cooperate with each other."

She nodded along with the boy's suggestion and patted the young girl's back, careful not to feel too intruding. Masae was a girl as well, so she hoped that it would help with their interactions. "Yeah. We can help you. Surely your...ojii-san and your siblings aren't too far from here. He might be trying to search for you, even," she reassured before hesitating. She had a good idea.

Suddenly, Masae flicked open the main menu with her two fingers, and slid down to a button that read "Party". "I know a way we can find your ojii-san and siblings quickly!" she exclaimed to the two, having a small confidence boost that she was slowly learning some of the actions in the game, especially since she had only been playing for...six hours? Seven? She quickly pressed a button twice, facing the two and sending party invites to both.

"Party members can indicate your health, name, and location, right? If we all set up a party, we can cover more ground without getting lost," Masae explained with a smile. "And when we find ojii-san and your siblings, we'll tell them to join our party, and meet back here. I know we're all strangers here, but if we want to get out, we got to work together."

@Stale Pizza Jax had been trying to figure out the best way to locate the little girl's, whoever, when the older girl piped up with the suggestion of getting into a party and looking. "Oh I didn't think of that." Jax said impressed with her quick thinking, she seemed very knowledgeable and it wouldn't have surprised him if she was one of the beta testers. He accepted the request and subsequently saw a bar pop up indicating her current health and that the older girl was named Masae.

He opened up his own menu and quickly searched the words she was saying and found the definitions. "Okay, I'll start looking for her family, unless you want me to stay with her?" he asked indicating the younger girl. He was hesitant upon forcing the role of babysitter on her, even if somebody would have to stay with the girl to make she didn't get lost, he could do it just as well as her.

@PKMNB0Y

Asuna nodded towards the addition to their group. "I believe that after making our way through this area, we should be able to make it to the next town. There will be inns there. We will have to hurry, though. I think we only have a few more hours before night."

"I second that." Minako said while nodding at the hooded girl's suggestion. "It was my goal, anyway, to reach that town before nightfall. From there on it'll be much easier to reach the swamps to the..." Minako made a pensive face before saying "...hmm, I believe I said south earlier, right? Though, it seems that I made a little mistake and was reading the map upside down, so they're actually to the north of here. I'm sorry, but this is the first time that I play this kind of game."

"Anyway, I'm Minako." she said while giving each of her companions a hearty handshake, befitting her merchant's soul, while inviting them to join her in a party, so they can share the experience and rewards from now on."I hope we can make good some good business together.

@Asuna Yuuki@PKMNB0Y

"Let's see.....we're here so..." Dar mused as he went through the map.

Geist's dark eyes inspected the map intently, memorizing the major points of interest pointed out by Dar and the ones he noticed himself. He figured he could also activate a map from his own menus but it was good to have a rough idea of this level in his head, just in case. His thoughts lingered on 'Horunka', though Dar seemed hesitant setting out that way due to the route it took (Akira had no idea what 'ganked' meant, but figured it was something close to 'get killed' or 'lost'). Still it did appear a bit closer than Geniku, or at least the same distance from the starting town, and if Horunka was larger there would be more opportunities to figure out what exactly was going on with this world. Perhaps there was more danger but with even one more person watching his back Geist wasn't all that worried.

"Pardon me for saying this, but you don't sound like you're super familiar with MMOs, am I right?" Dar asked.

The question shook Geist from his thoughts, his eyes flickering over to Dar's who was observing him more carefully than he would have expected. Once again, Akira wasn't sure exactly what 'MMO' stood for but he remembered seeing 'VRMMORPG' plastered all over the Sword Art Online box and could put the puzzle pieces together easily enough. Damn these gamers and their acronyms! His immediate thought was to react with hostility but it didn't appear that Dar was making fun of him or insulting him in any way. Perhaps letting this person know he was a new player would work to his benefit...

"Oh... was it that obvious?" Geist smiled sheepishly, a hand running through his wavy dirty-blonde hair; an act perhaps but one he performed flawlessly. "This is actually my first 'MMO' and I didn't really read up on the system all that well..." He offered a quick shrug before changing the subject. "But I think that heading for 'Horunka' is the best option, especially if you say it's a major town. If there's two of us, we shouldn't find too much trouble?" In truth, Geist had no doubt he could make it to the town on his own but if Dar proved useful in a fight, or was a pool of knowledge at the least, it would be worth bringing him along.

@Grayscythe

@KoL [@PKMNBOY]

Asuna shook Minako's hand. "I hope so too." The party invitation popped up, and after a slight moment of hesitation, she accepted. It wasn't that she didn't want to be in a party, it was the duty and commitment that followed. "Let's go then, shall we?"

Rey

The woman looked at the other female and greeted her with a smile after watching her bow. She seemed really nice, considering she was bowing towards them after they had just met. Rey then glanced back at the upper-left of her vision and saw that there were 4 names under hers. So, they were going to be a party of 5? That was fantastic! She was excited to meet the others -- hopefully they'd come soon.

After hearing Lao'Jax's plan, and soon, Ayame's suggestion of heading to Geniku first, Rey couldn't help but agree. It was most likely going to get dark soon. It'd be best to play it the safe way and head to Geniku rather than try to head all the way Tolbana as the darkness came. Nodding, the brunette said, "I agree with heading over to Geniku first, as a precaution. We could probably even get some supplies and food while we're at it."

Soon, she opened her own interface and equipped her «One-Handed Rapier» and held it out in front of herself. She couldn't wait to continue on with this adventure to slay the mobs they'd encounter on their way and to level up and get stronger. Rey was ready to fight for everyone in this game. She was pumped.

Dar blinked and shook his hands when Geist responded. He didn't seem offended but Dar still felt kinda bad for being so rude.

"Hey hey, I didn't mean anything by it, just kinda noticed is all. Everybody has a first time...uh that sounded weird." Dar mumbled that last part and scratched his head. He was making a great first impression on this stranger now.

It wasn't really that surprising to see someone new to MMOs here. When the VR technology was announced it reached a far larger audience then your typical video game crowd. And why wouldn't it? The idea of immersing yourself in a virtual world where you could be a powerful sword wielding hero? It was an amazing concept, one that would be hard to pass up regardless of who you were. There were probably people of all kinds in here.

The talk of going together snapped Dar back to his senses. This guy wanted to team up with him? Already? They had just met. And he had a group already. Well kind of. Truth be told he hadn't even met his group yet, and they might be suicidal as he already had established. Yet Geist wanted to group with him. And also go to the town that he had just said would be dangerous to get to.

"You wanna go to Horunka? Now? But it's gonna be dark soon and.." Dar started to say before he cut himself off. Dar brought up his party screen and viewed it for a moment. He didn't know these people but....he couldn't help them. He needed to help those around him. He had to be honest here. Not everyone in this game was going to get through it. The best he could do was to get stronger and protect those that he could.

"Yeah...I guess we could try to get there. We might want to look into something as a light source if we can't get there before nightfall though. I'm not sure what the nights are like here." Dar glanced at his party group again before leaving the group with the press of a button. He then sent Geist a party invite.

"You sure you want to group with me though? We only just met." Dar said. They might also want to find more help. He took a quick glance around to see if anyone else was nearby.

@LupusIntus@_Middle_

Pyotr,
Several hours after GM announcement,
Town of Beginnings

SAO ale was pretty good, if a tad weak. After a good seven pints, one might have expected to feel a bit drunk but nope, stone cold sober. Lazing by a small stream on the outskirts of the Town of Beginnings, a lone girl over-armed another empty bottle into the water and watched with muted apathy as it exploded into light. It was all she could summon the will to do since Kayaba Akihiko delivered his damning message to the population of Aincrad; grinding for levels now carried with it the risk of death and the majority of the other players had lapsed into a catatonic state. Even worse were the idiots who had gotten all fired up for survival and protecting the weak and all that bullshit. Still, it hardly mattered to Pyotr... With her family away for a week in the real world and having not told anyone that she had bought SAO, she was starting to come to terms with the inevitable. Dehydration was a pretty bad way to go, but she probably wouldn't feel it from within the game, right? ... Right?

Perhaps it was escapism that led her to the digital bottle, but she had found herself spending almost all of her hard-earned Col on booze and was therefore bitterly disappointed to find that alcohol didn't even work properly... Kayaba was bad enough for committing what was essentially mass murder, but the prick could at least have given the condemned some way to ignore the all-encompassing fear at the back of their minds. And she was afraid, oh God yes... Since the announcement, Pyotr had given every hostile NPC a wide berth, regardless of how weak. Earlier in the day she had watched inexperienced players fall to boars and wolves, at the time laughing at their ineptitude... Now the memory of it made her guts churn...

Suddenly her head jerked up and Pyotr realised just how emo she was being. Fuck, just play some Linkin Park and be done with it. In a strange way, the knowledge of her own imminent death was kind of liberating. Suddenly societal norms no longer applied; alcohol no longer had an age restriction, she no longer needed to get a job and could punch all the babies she wanted. Minus the child abuse, SAO was a pretty good place to live your last few days. She stood up and stretched, refreshed by her fatalistic epiphany. 'If I'm going down, I'm gonna do it in style.', she muttered, ignoring for the moment the cringe-worthiness of her own words, Pyotr surveyed the area. Even though she said that, she wasn't about to head off and die in heroic battle alone... The least she could do was drag some poor soul down with her. Ah, she thought, an unpleasant smile creeping across her face. There's a likely candidate. The poor soul in question was... well, a rather camp looking... boy? Maybe? His flouncy gait and unusual appearance made him an ideal candidate for a throwaway scapego- valued party member. As the boy pranced past, Pyotr raised one hand in greeting. 'Hey there, Mr? Probably... You look like a reliable... person?' She couldn't help but phrase that as a question. To her very critical eye, there was nothing reliable about this waif... 'Are you in a party or anything?' Something told Pyotr to keep her greeting brief; he looked like the kind of guy who could talk for both of them, which suited her.

Geist nodded with the small twinge of a smile on his lips as he watched Dar's nervous shufflings. He certainly hoped this stranger could fight. "I think we could help each other out, yes." He replied curtly, before blinking in surprise at the tiny window that appeared in the air before him. [Dar] has invited you to a party! Reaching up, he carefully pressed the 'Accept' button and noticed the new green-colored bar appear on the side of his vision, the HP of his partymate. He considered what his new... 'companion' had said about supplies and couldn't deny the good idea, though he didn't wish to waste anymore time. "Let's see what we can find at the stalls just inside the gate. The quicker we leave the more time we have till nightfall."

There were indeed quite a few stalls just inside the city walls, each monitored by one smiling individual who bothered Geist more than he let on. After a few inquiries they were able to find an outfitter who sold basic travel necessities. Geist quickly learned that 'Col' was the world's currency and he frowned at the prices he was seeing. The frown grew looking at his own Col reserves but in the end there was little else that could be done for it. He spent about 2/3rds of what he had on one torch and three travel rations, leaving him close to broke. After stocking up he led Dar straight back to the gate and off down the road the map had indicated would lead to Horunka.

The light was fading quickly as they walked but they made pretty good time without stopping. In the red-orange glow the countryside was even more beautiful than when he'd first logged on but Geist didn't even think of enjoying the view. His mind was on his next step, once he reaches Horunka: he'd need to find a place to stay for the night, some steady income in the morning, and a weapon better than his pathetic little pig-sticker! It almost seemed like the fields of milling boars would stretch on forever when they crested a small bluff and got their first glimpse of the forest separating them from their destination. "Not much longer now..." He surmised from the faint glint of a lake in the distance. A curious figure could also be spotted not too far ahead, perched on a stone beside the road.

Geist felt his legs start to burn as they descended the rise but didn't voice any complaint. He was used to physical exertion but he still couldn't help but let a bit of tired annoyance slip onto his features. He was just about to suggest a rest when a howl split the air. Before them, just off the path, three large dire wolves materialized in a collection of light. Above their heads were spinning red gems, similar to the boars around the starting town though a tad darker. Unlike the boars however, these beasts didn't wait for them to get close and went straight for the attack.

Geist leapt back as they charged forward, crying out in alarm as a pair of jaws snapped shut around where his arm had been moments before. "Dar!" He called out in warning just as he remembered the blade on his hip. It slid easily from its sheath but still felt awkward in his hand as he held it forward while a wolf rounded for another pass. This was a much different fight than the ones he'd had with the pigs but he bit through the fear creeping into his gut and pulled his blade back into the position he'd learned that afternoon.

@Grayscythe@_Middle_

@Savo@Caits@Little_ninja

- Ritaka -
"Well. First step to defeating all 100 floors, right?" Suki said, turning to face them after killing a boar. Ritaka smiled, and drew Arms Length. Following the girl, he too began fighting. It didn't matter if the sun went down before they reached Geniku, because it was all flat plains until there. Horunka was slightly more difficult to get to in the dark.

After he fought several boars and wolves, and slowly moved towards their destination, Ritaka stopped. He sheathed his sword, and looked up at the "sky". Stars were beginning to appear. Despite there being a floor above them, there was still a sky. Ritaka wondered what it would've been like if that detail wasn't put it, if somebody looked up and saw a massive disk above them? It would probably have felt much more like a prison.

By this time, several stars were visible, and Ritaka could make out the line the supposedly made up the Milky Way galaxy. He had heard that each floor's night sky was as if it were a different angle of the Earth, though he wasn't sure if it was true or not. That would be something he'd have to see.

Mother, you've often told me to stop and smell the roses. Does this count? Ritaka thought, then sighed. After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he drew his sword and continued onward.

Lincoln's eyes reluctantly opened. He looked up at the sky. Well they "sky." He sat up and gave a good stretch, followed by a yawn. Linc knew he needed to get moving. Now that he had a nap, it gave him the energy he needed. "Oh...it's getting dark...whatever." Lincoln mumbled to himself. He stood up, bending down to get his pack, but something made Lincoln's eyes widen, he muscles tense up. A scream from down the road. "What the-" Lincoln looked up down the road and saw two men, they were surrounded by wolves. One of them had one biting his arm, "Oh crap!" Lincoln quickly threw on his pack and grabbed his sword. He looked at the situation a bit, and unfortunately noticing another wolf running at them from around the same direction as Linc. Lincoln began sprinting, his breathing staying at a steady pace. His eyes were locked on the wolf also sprinting. He knew he couldn't come close to outrunning the wolf, so he cut it off.

He began running perpendicular to wolf's route. After about three seconds of running, he was close. A great leap gave him a enough power to thrust his sword into the wolf's side. Linc and the wolf tumbled in the tall grass that populated the grassland. When then tumbling halted, Lincoln stood up quickly and pulled the sword out of the side of the wolf. He was disoriented from the tumbling, it also gave him a little bit of a beating. He scanned the area around him, trying to find where the group was. "Oh no!" Lincoln found the two men again, but there seemed to be more wolves there. He didn't bother to stay around and count, and began squinting. When Linc killed another wolf that was the farthest away from the two men, his right shoulder was the most damaged. A wolf leapt from behind Linc, slashing him in the back. His life was pretty low. Just reached the yellow in fact. He killed the wolf that injured him, and looked towards the men with a I need help please kind of look. The wolves outnumbered the men, but Linc knew that the two men were skilled, and trusted them with the wolf's nearest them. If they needed help though, Linc obviously would come to their aid.

@LupusIntus@Grayscythe

All in all they came to a consensus quickly, they all agreed on the plan and it seemed that they were ready to go. The plan was simple, farm until they get to Geniku, get supplies and rest, then they would quickly make way to the Field of Crossroads. "Alright, let's go buy whatever we need. he said before walking back towards the city. "Before I forget, there." he said quickly before walking back into the city. Ayame would get a Party Invite in her vision center. If they were gonna travel with one another, they would at least need to be a party.

Lao quickly bought what he could from the NPC's inside. He had gotten 3 Potions, with was enough for the travel, at least till Geniku. He spent most of his money on food rations, which slightly angered him, this was the first floor, shouldn't prices be a bit easier on everyone. Before he knew it, they were out of the city and on their way to Geniku. As they traveled through the Grass, Lao was fairly quiet. They would spot a few Boars, usually 3 or 4 and take one or 2 to themselves, even through XP was divided evenly through players in a party. It was slowly getting darker and darker, as they went on.

By the time they reached Geniku, they had killed all in all about 26 Frenzy Boar. The XP would be divided evenly between them all. Lao yawned and stretched, Geniku was in view, it's lights could be seen from a few miles. With the calculations in mind, they would each get about 208 XP and 260 Col each. Lao glanced back at the girls and smiled, "We got a lot done today did we not." he said with a yawn.

As they spoke, Suki said "And some don't have any relatives with them". Umichi looked down a little, in a little bit of regret in his choice of words."Sorry" She looked away, looking down, and didn't speak again as Aikoto spoke up, saying he had people, and not to worry. In reply, Umichi shook his head, "No, you are right no need to apologise. I did say it in such a way. But in the end, look. There are people here willing to help. I think the best thing we can do, is get through this game as soon as possible. Become a beacon of hope, I guess." He had replied to Suki afterwards.

Exiting the city, they could see the boars being picked off near the Town of Beginnings. It wasn't until later that they were able to find one to kill, in which Suki ended up speaking, "Well. First step to defeating all 100 floors, right?", after finishing it off. She gave off a sad smile. In turn, he sighed. Umichi noticed Ritaka smile back, however, he could not do the same when the smile was so sad. Walking up to her, he tried to find the words to say.

What do I say? Don't force yourself? Don't worry about what's happening? What's wrong? What do I say? These questions raced his mind wondering what to say. He wasn't quite sure whether she was trying hard not to be break down or whether something else was bothering her. Was she lonely? What was the problem. He didn't quite know, he only knew there was a problem. He then decided what to say, speaking softly into her ear, so the others didn't hear. "I don't know what is bothering you, but if you ever need to talk, I will be here. You don't need to force yourself to smile when you are sad. I don't know what I can do for you, but let me try to help okay? I know we just met, so I won't force you to say anything. I will be here for you to talk to if you ever need me." He smiled a soft caring smile towards her, before continuing on his walking.

Speaking what he felt, they continued their way to Geniku. There were several boars and wolves along the way. The sky was ever darkening. Looking up, he could see it was a much better view of the sky, than in the city. It was almost country-side like. Without looking down, in he noticed a Frenzied Boar attempting to charge at him in the corner of his eye. Taking a small step back as it charged at him, with his sword on his shoulder, he striked with <<Vertical>>, killing the enemy without even looking.

A while later, there were a group of players in need of help behind the team. "I'll be back real quick" he called to the others, running back. The group of players were being overwhelmed by a number of boars and wolves. Running to them, Umichi jumped over a wolf, cutting it along the way. Since it was partly hurt already, it was killed, exploding into triangular pieces of light. Moving on, he used <<Horizontal>>, sweeping a cut across, managing a wide enough attack to kill two more wolves. After killing a few more, and the group of players having killed the rest. They thanked him for his help. "No worries, but you should really head to town. You can get their quickly if you have your <<Town Crystals>>. There was one to start with. Remember to use them in cases of emergency, they can save you." he informed them, before heading off to rejoin the group. The battle was quite short, it was not long enough to require assistance from the others, nor did they have much time to react to his sudden departure.

"Sorry about that guys." he apologised to them joining up with them again. Immediately, he noticed a Dire Wolf heading towards them, so he jumped around the group and attacked it, with a few hits. "Anyway, I think we are almost at Geniku, at least from what I can tell from the map" Umichi said, bringing out the guidebook from his pouch. Placing it back into the pouch, he continued to walk from the back of the party, noticing more of the surroundings and guarding the rear. He looked up at the sky once more. She really would of liked to have seen this. he thought to himself.

@Caits @Savo @Ebil Bunny

---

*Sniffle* *Sniffle* Those were the sounds coming from YukiHana. The two of them before her were trying to help her. She understood that. She wanted to find her family quickly. The female then suggested for them to party up. Unsure of what it meant, YukiHana saw a window pop up, saying that someone called Aero wished to party up with her. Accepting, she could see two more green bars under her own. One said the name Aero, the other said Jax.

She tried to say their names. "J... Jax... nii-san .... A ... Ae ... Aero ... nee...san" YukiHana continued to sniffle. Her mouth shut tight, she tried to hold it in, the urge to cry once more. Jax then asked whether he should look for YukiHana's family or if Aero should. The girl stayed crouched on the ground, sniffling away, waiting.

@Stale Pizza @Eklispe

-Makoto Aiko/Aikoto-

As the boy continued onwards, brandishing his sword as he continued his walk, he couldn't help but feel uneasy each step he took forward, horrible curiosity set itself in his mind. Everyone else most likely had similar thoughts, but he for one could be incorrect with that assumption as myriads teemed over the brink of loss and no return. Aikoto himself knew he also wasn't an exception, no matter how calm and collected he could act. He slightly frowned as he stared at the ground with his solemn eyes, moving his free hand to push his glasses up a bit before looking forward to the wayward paths ahead.

"Our destinations like in wait, each of us playing our own role in this unique survival game. We each hold our our own classified specialties, pushing ourselves onwards, becoming breakers or the broken of our own natural limitations... hm... The thought of dying seems so fleeting as we gamble with our lives. I can't get a semblence of why he made such a dangerous realm, but I for one know that he shouldn't play with our lives like this... I'm going to clear these one-hundred floors and not only help my friends escape, but Suki, Ritaka, and Umichi too. As long as I stand, I promise you all won't die... and sis, mother, father, and everyone else, I won't falter and become enveloped in despair. I'll keep true to my purpose..."

As these thoughts settled in his head, a message popped on his screen, all three of them agreeing to his plan either begrudgingly or gladly. Kazuki seemed disgruntled slightly, demanding why he had to be the one who would fight instead of them. With his free left hand, he began typing them back his reasons for doing so, proclaiming he was much more efficient and knew the risks, deciding to take their place so they wouldn't run the risk. The words on the screen reflected off of his glasses, along with some of the arrogance and prudence he had inputted into the message. As finished the first part, he gave a slight huff and smile as he went onto part two, explaining what roles he had in mind for each of them.

Upon giving them his answer, he inputted his final regards, typing in something to each of them, before frowning, not wanting to show his worry or cause them to go against his wished which were probably for the best. Finally, he was satisfied and no longer needed needed make further changes to the way he worded it all, and clicked the send button, giving them their incentive to satisfy some of the needed jobs. He could only hope that Kazuki would be appeased with his message as she was rather stubborn and the most hot-headed out of the group. Once she got started, he knew she wouldn't stop until reaching the brink. He closed his eyes, softly begging that she wouldn't resist like the other few times they brought trouble.

As he watched brought back to the reality he was ensnared in, looking around the world which was in such a dreamlike state that hid the nightmares well. He had to admit that even if they were numbers, this world was beautiful to him, even if it was fabricated. He put a hand up to his chin, thinking of what to compare this horribly lovely world to. Eventually he was brought back to the world with the sound of clashing metal, flesh, and data as sharp weapons intertwined with creatures programmed to kill them. He sighed, before staring daggers at the monsters, before awaiting their assault before swiftly striking each monster down, whether it was Cursed Boars or Dire Wolves, the boy took them down with ease. With this amount of experience popping up on their screens, he had no doubt they would possibly level up soon, or so he thought. Data, ending their own lives...

... A yellow rose...

As he consistently fought with each of them, Suki, gave a melancholic statement, with a sad glimmer in her eye as she smiled. Makoto couldn't help but feel the need to bring her spirits up somehow as he disliked seeing the girl in this mood, and rotated his head towards her. He temporarily unequiped his glasses from his face, giving the girl a smile as he stared directly at her with his caring eyes.

"... Even if its our first steps, it will help everyone work towards a bright future. The stronger we are, the more relieved and encouraged a person feels. Listen, I can get a semblence of the despair your feeling from whatever thoughts you have, and I even feel some too to be quite frank. I might be incorrect, but I understand the immense fear you have. I promise to make that go away for you, alright? The same goes for the rest of the people here. So please, don't look so gloomy. Keep your chin up, and I'm sure Umichi, Ritaka, you, I, and the rest will conquer this game, right guys?"

The boy had his final statement resonate loud enough to for them to hear so it could possibly envelop them with a coat of confidence for a dark future. He went against the tides, stubbornly continuing to believe he would stay the same just as the solemn sea and that this would be over soon. It was an optimistic and yet closed way of thought that would fizzle out of existence eventually. He was already changing, just as everyone was, even if it was minor. The boy kept the smile on his face as he closed his eyes and put his glasses on, giving the girl a real smile, never feigned. Eventually his eyes returned forward to an unforgiving path, one that would prick and nip at him consistently until the end of his days.

As he went on with the group, he looked upwards as a night sky took form, a cool breeze slightly blowing by his face. He reajusted his glasses, returning himself to that neutral expression as he continued to traverse forward.

"I never really noticed the night sky, nor appreciated it before. Even if it is fabricated, it looks... nice, doesn't it? Maybe when I return, I can go on a trip with my friends to enjoy nature for what it is... Hey Suki, Ritaka, Umichi, what do you think?"

@Caits Sith @Little_ninja @Ebil Bunny

A party leader huh? Well it wasn't something that Dar had expected to become so early but he was glad that he had someone to travel with now. Truth be told he was a bit more paranoid about combat and the world now. Before hand he hadn't paid dying a second thought, but even the slightest mistake could result in a grisly end.

Dar didn't have a ton of Col left over after purchasing his two hander from earlier, but he managed to scrounge up enough to buy a torch and a ration or two. He imagined that when he got to the next town he could take a quest or sell any materials that they might pick up on the way. They were bound to get in a fight or two.

With that, they were off. Dar and Geist moved towards their destination while taking care to follow the general path that the map had indicated for them. However just as Dar had expected, they wouldn't be getting there without a fight.

As the three dire wolves attacked them and Geist called out, Dar gritted his teeth and drew the sword from his back, taking it up in both hands as he waited for one of the wolves to come for him.

"Right..let's go!" He shouted. One of the wolves had gone after Geist while another had gone straight for him. Dar brought his sword up and across in a horizonal slash at the wolf, cutting it in mid air and knocking it back. It was wounded now, so he quickly went to follow up with another strike activating a skill.

<<Avalanche>>

Dar brought his sword down in an overhead swing that clobbered the dazed wolf into the ground and split it into pixels. There was a small indent in the ground where the blow had landed. Dar smiled at the result of his kill but had forgotten a key game mechanic in his excitement, the cooldown period. Furthermore, he had forgotten that there was another wolf on the prowl. While he was vunerable the other wolf went for the opportunity strike and latched into his shoulder, making a quick bite and then kicking off Dar to get some distance.

Dar cried out in pain but then subdued it to a grunt as he looked back at the wolf.

"Bastard, you'll pay for that!" He said as he readied his sword again. He had taken a good bit of damage from that blow, he had to be careful not to get flanked again. Fighting alongside Geist would help with that. Dar repositioned himself so he was near his teammate before he also noticed something a short distance away from them.

There was another person figthing some more wolves, probably ones that had been summoned by the others' howling. It looked like they could use some help too. There was no time to discuss it.

"Geist! Over there! C'mon!" Dar said as he started towards the other person. In the meantime, the wolf that had bit him earlier went for another strike. This time though, Dar was ready.

<<Parry>>

Dar brought up the broad part of his sword and deflected the wolf's blow, pushing it back and throwing it a short distance away. He did his best not to get too far from Geist but he needed to get to this other guy quick.

"Hey! You ok?" Dar yelled.

@LupusIntus@_Middle_

@Little_Ninja @Eklispe

Masae merely stared at the little girl, and soon enough her party requests were accepted, revealing two glowing markers (though if the two were to see her, Masae had one as well) on the top of their heads. Jax...and Yuki-Hana. she repeated in her mind. Soon afterward, she was named by Yuki, and Masae bit her lip as she realized how weird "Aero" sounded, especially when someone younger was addressing her.

"...How about you just call me Nagayama, Yuki?" she suggested, smiling warmly. She didn't have any problems revealing her name online; they weren't creepy molester-adults, after all. Plus, she was already regretting her name. Does this game let you change your name? "Masae Nagayama (surname last)."

With that resolved, Masae suddenly thought of her own family. What were they doing now? Surely her dad returned from work by now, and both of them have heard the news...is her body lying in a hospital? What were they doing right now? Do they think she's dead? Masae tried not to think about that, and sighed, finally paying her attention to Jax. "We can split up, but we can't run too far. I don't know how far the party member indicator goes, so we're not taking chances."

She turned back to Yuki, pushing her glasses again. "You promise you won't wander off anywhere, Yuki? Don't worry...just calm down. They're here somewhere, I know it," Masae coaxed. "Also, do you know what your grandpa and siblings look like in real life? Anything that sticks out?"

Fujiwara nodded and shook Minako's hand, keeping in mind how she had misread a map that was oriented northwards. It didn't exactly give him much confidence in her ability to judge directions, but since they had a map getting COMPLETELY lost was probably never going to happen. He casually hit the 'yes' button on the party invite that flashed on his screen, not thinking to give it much more than a quick glance as it popped up in front of him before moving to the vanguard of the group.

"Well, if everybody's in agreement then I've no reason to wait around. Let's get going." he stated, rolling his shoulders around as he took the lead. "As long as I get some levels off of this at the very least, I'll be fine. Nab whatever the heck else you need."

@KoL@Asuna Yuuki


Ayame nodded and accepted the party request, following along quietly as she continued contemplating the issue at hand with herself. The concept of 'automated abilities' felt... Strange, but it made her feel slightly less worried at her lack of combat experience. Though she was only to maneuver the rapier in a simple manner, being able to use it was, all in all, better than not. That didn't mean that it felt slightly out of place for her...

Flexing her wrist lightly as the trio approached Geniku, Ayame was still unsure as to how to deal with the issue of. She still wasn't completely resolved to fight, much less put her life on the line... But at the same time, not doing so meant sitting idle and waiting for some 'heroes' to do the job for her. That wouldn't do at all. She didn't want to sit idly by, like some caged bird in a mansion. If she could fight her way to the top academically, then she would find a way to go on here.

"In a way, yeah... Though I'm not sure if these boars will be able to sustain us for very long. It'll feel more like a slaughterhouse than a field if it keeps going on like this..." she trailed off, letting out a small laugh before staring over the horizon towards the town.

"You know, it's funny how this world seems so tranquil right now, when it's really far from that..."

@LokiLeo789@ItsToppyTippers

Another wolf came for Lincoln, but this time he was expecting it, slashing at the wolf, killing it. Lincoln thought he wouldn't make it out alive, but he didn't want to die giving up. "I am gonna be killed by wolves...out of all the enemies in here, wolves are the ones to kill me." Linc thought to himself over the loud growls and howls of the wolves. Lincoln's hope had forsaken him as a bite from a wolf put his life down into the red. But then he regained it as fast as he lost it when he heard the other guy yell to him from behind. Lincoln quickly turned around, "No, not really."

Lincoln fought a couple more wolves before making his way about twenty feet away from the man that could be his glimmering light at the end of the tunnel. "It is weird," Slash, "That there are so many," Slash, "Wolves!" Lincoln was determined to make it out of here alive. He caught a few glances towards the guy, which seemed to be strong and battle-ready. "I guess this isn't the," Slash, "Best time..." Slash, "But my name is Linc!" Lincoln had to yell over all of the barks and grows the wolves have been making.

@Grayscythe@LupusIntus