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Kyasarin nodded, accepting the sword into her inventory, and sheathing it quickly. Her standard sword went into the true nothingness of her item storage, and she stepped away from the blacksmith, letting others get through. There started to be a mad dash of people, all clamoring to get the latest and greatest items.

"I hate guilds," Kyasarin agreed, glancing down at her hands. She paused, as if mulling over two horrible options. "They end up ruining all the fun...But I want you to call me whenever you're going out to fight things. I'll join in."

Hardly waiting for a reply, Kyasarin left KasaiSenshi and went into the crowd. She went at a bit of a skip, relishing each bit of movement in her legs. The Death Game hardly mattered to her. She could die in here, able to walk and run and dance and jump, or she could die in the real world, confined to a chair. The choice wasn't a hard one to make. In here, there was wonderment and fun. Out there? Taxes.

The choice didn't even take her a second to make.

However, Kyasarin knew that she'd need to join a party of some sorts. KasaiSenshi's guild might not be the answer to her being able to fight and survive. Instead, she recalled the only Beta Tester who cleared more floors than she did. Kirito. With a smug smirk, she swiped her right hand in the air in front of her, bringing down the message menu.

"Hey, slug face! Meet me at the inn. I'll be waiting~"

She sent the message, and let out a contented sigh. If he agreed to come, she'd at least be dealing with someone competent. Kyasarin suspected that the two of them could clear the game with their eyes closed. Though, if she had to be truthful, she knew she hardly wanted to clear the game.

She didn't want to leave.

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"She's mute?" Starkette asked, her gaze softening a bit. Evidently, there were some things that even virtual reality couldn't fix. She chewed on her lip, bringing up the map of the first floor on the drop down menu. Remaining in the woods, as far as she was concerned, would be suicide. Returning back to the Town of Beginnings? It would undermine all of the progress they made.

Her eyes flashed over the map, looking for any smaller towns nearby. "As far as I can tell, we should move on," Starkette explained, glancing up at the group. "We're halfway to the next town, which means we'll be able to get items before they're all picked over. Going back to the Town of Beginnings would be suicide for our survival, just like staying here would be."

As far as Starkette was concerned, their best odds would have to be to move forward. However, she didn't want to just declare herself the leader of the group, so she waited. Perhaps the others would have things to say, but she was largely certain they'd all come to the same conclusion as her. It was inevitable, as she couldn't fathom any other decision being correct. "We travel in a group, swords drawn and ready. Stick to the partner system, no one gets hurt. If we're lucky, something might drop some healing items--which should happen, as the system recognizes that we have none."

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Deep Forest

Alek glanced around what had just been a combat zone. With the three flying monsters slain, nothing remained but the virtual breeze whispering through the treetops. The forest appeared to be vacant apart from their small group, which had now been bolstered by the two unknown players. Still, Alek figured it couldn't hurt to postpone carelessness. It was with no small amount of reluctance that Alek sheathed his sword, his prudence outweighing his caution. The last thing he wanted was to appear intimidating to the newcomers. With their journey only half complete, auxiliary steel would be welcome.

After his acquaintances' brief introductions, he offered his own pseudo name. "I am called Stone." The girl, Janelle, appeared to be signing. He considered signing his introduction, but decided not to. If they turned out to be unfriendly, better for them to believe that a language barrier was present. "What should we do?" she had inquired to her brother. That was the million dollar question. Even Alek could see no clear answer. Nonetheless, he would share his opinion.

As Campanella had said, the group's navigational skills were obviously sub-par. However, that point could be argued for either perspective. Starkette voiced a similar opinion to the one Alek had in mind. "I agree. Besides, we are walking without path for some time now. Likely we will get lost as easily returning as we will pushing on. Since all first floor monsters are of similar difficulty, our odds are the same either way. Moving forward will probably benefit us more." Though he had lost a minimal amount of health fighting the bats, Alek still liked this option more than waiting until morning or going back. His endurance had yet to falter; he was still hungry for adventure. Whether the others would agree was unbeknownst to him.

His proposition complete, Alek turned to Starkette, who had fought with him a moment ago. He was aware that her combatant had injured her slightly. She looked tense, afraid even. From the looks of things, it was probably her first fight. "You did well, are natural fighter. I am glad you are comrade." he spoke softly, hoping to calm her nerves.

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KasaiSenshi smirked at the thought of fighting alongside Kyasarin. He thought that it'd be interesting to get a chance to fight side-by-side with those that declined his offer during the beta. Still just before she left he replied, "Same goes for you." With any luck if she went out fighting and actually contacted him it'd be a good chance to get gear as it would most likely only be the two of them and it'd be an opportunity to evaluate her skills as a fighter even more.

KasaiSenshi had a lot of information on how each of the beta testers fought and what they were like. He had an info broker that was very loyal to him and his guild that was able to collect intel extremely well. However, seeing things with ones very own eyes was always much better. Once KasaiSenshi finished up at the blacksmith he noticed the time was nearing 7. He had to get back to the meeting place with the other beta testers. Time to see if they had the chops to handle taking on the floor bosses.

When he got there he noticed far less people then had been around before. Yet, he only cared to meet with the other beta testers. The few lingering about didn't matter. If they couldn't gather themselves soon enough to leave the center of the town then they were going to be in danger later on. Without wasting more time KasaiSenshi went to the location they had determined to meet and noticed the fact that he was the only one from the three who had approached the betas from earlier around. "Well, this is unfortunate."

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Season: Summer
Number of Days Since Game Start: 1
Time Of Day: 8:00 pm
General Ambiance: Recovery
Location: Level 1

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@Morose
Kyasarin enters the inn, gets a room, and goes off to relax.

After what seems like hours, there is a knock at the door. Looking at your clock, you see it is 8 pm. Who would call on you so late. After a few minutes, you see someone you recognize in the doorway.



"You had to call me a name didn't you. So what is it exactly that you want?" he says to you.

@alexfangtalon
The group of Beta Testers appear a few minutes after you arrived. The leader of the group looks over at you, and notices your new sword.

"You've got a nice sword there. What, the other two didn't want to show up? Oh well, we can get along without them, even though we could use all of the help we can get. Anyway, thats besides the point. We've been talking, and you seem like you'd be a pretty good swordsman. Want to form a guild with us?" he asked, looking at you expectantly.

@Jedly@Morose@sMoKe@BlueSky44

The group of you start heading towards the next town, the forest getting darker by the second. Following your map, you somehow make it out of the woods. You can see farther along, a small town. You start approaching it, when 3 boars come out of nowhere and attack you.

Meanwhile, right before the fighting starts, Elouviana starts shrieking. You watch as her body starts shimmering, and her health bar drops to 0. She vanishes as if she never existed. Looks like someone pulled the plug on her NerveGear.

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Kyasarin yawned a bit, stretching as she went over to the door. Opening it up, the smug beta tester smirked at Kirito, stepping aside to allow him in. That being done, Kyasarin closed the door, hopeful that no one had yet trained up their listening skill to be able to hear their conversation. Her entire plan depended on their conversation being secret.

"Good to see you too, slug face," Kyasarin teased. She unsheathed her sword, beckoning for Kirito to come look at it. Sighing as the inevitable clueless expression on his face, she shook her head. Honestly. Some people. "This was purchased for me by a guild. They're already starting to take over, Kirito. The entire game is going to be overrun with them, making it impossible for solo players like us to do anything."

She paused, letting Kirito realize her conclusion, as she put her new sword away. "I propose that we head out to the next town and see about leveling. We're the best players in this game--why not stick together, at least for a few days?"

Glancing at Kirito, she waited for his reply. Knowing that the odds were fifty-fifty as to whether or not he accepted it, Kyasarin knew that traveling with one other person was optimal for winning the game. Kirito must have wanted to clear levels. "You made it to level eight by yourself, and I got to level seven--together, maybe we'll make level fifteen. But my point is this: we team up, put some distance between us and the guilds, and then we go back to playing solo."

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Starkette smiled at Stone, feeling calmed down. His thick accent helped as well, with the odds of her being recognized diminishing greatly. Truthfully, she knew that being a fighter wasn't her place in the game--she'd do better as an Info Broker, well versed in systems and those sort of knowledge. In fact, Starkette wouldn't have been surprised if her father, Anthony, was working away at this very moment to free her from the death game.

"I'll go--" Starkette began, only to stare in horror as Elouviana perished so abruptly. A strangled sob of grief came out of her, and she clasped her sword, her hands clammy. Rushing at the first of the boars, Starkette made a diagonal slash, before darting out of the way for Stone. "S-Switch!"

Having leapt aside and let Stone switched in, Starkette caught a brief glance of the town on the horizon. Maybe if they ran, they'd be fast enough to beat the boars....but they had wanted to do some leveling, didn't they? This was the way to do it. She'd just have to be brave.

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Dominik sighed into his mug, thinking back on his day.

He'd started off bright and early, getting the jump on the masses in order to grind some fast cash. He'd watched as a pair of pre-teens fought a boar and lost, thinking it was business as usual for an MMO. He'd stepped in to help a few solo players into the swing of things, earning himself a few contacts and future favors. He'd managed to scrounge up 30 gold by the time everyone had been forcibly teleported back into the center of town.

Then there was the announcement. Dominik wasn't convinced of the specifics - for all he knew, those who died simply weren't allowed to respawn, thus making them "dead" for all intents and purposes. However, it was certain that those he saw die never came back, and that the logout button was no longer present in the menus. The prospect was more exciting than it was terrifying to Dominik. Sure, his life was suddenly on the line in a game he'd died numerous times in over the course of the beta alone. However, Dominik thrived in high-stakes environments, and this most certainly fit the bill.

After the announcement he'd made a beeline to his favorite NPC smithy from the beta - it was something about the NPC's slightly humorous delivery of lines that made it stick with him. Once there, he'd been disappointed by the offerings. It seemed that shields were nowhere to be found, leading him to suspect that they were either in a more difficult level's shop or relegated to a craft-or-drop-only situation. Either way, nothing in the shop was different enough from his starting gear to warrant a purchase - no sign of a two-handed sword or a rapier, and the armor sets didn't interest him. In all, he left with much more money than he'd expected to keep.

Back in the fields he fought with an added level of caution, though it was likely not necessary due to his prior experience. He called it a day after building up to 50 gold and after seeing countless disappearances in much the same manner as Konoha's, which he hadn't witnessed. It made him quite glad he'd foregone his anti-addiction program. Discounting the risks of forcibly disconnecting a full dive mid-session, it was quite likely that doing so would make him unable to return to this world. It wasn't that he didn't wish to return to the real world, though; he simply didn't want to miss out on what this virtual world had in store for him.

That left him here at the inn's bar with two players he'd gotten to know during the beta test. Both had focused on crafting during the beta and used Dominik's business know-how to get their wares to players at decent profit. One, a twintailed brunette in orange armor, was currently bawling into the counter in an alcohol-fueled bout of oppressive sadness. The other, a man who was the spitting image of a very tall dwarf, was gripped by a giggle fit as he tried to calm her by patting her on the back. Dominik merely sighed into his mug once more.

In hindsight, I helped the developers make alcohol's effects far too realistic. There came a crash from the other side of the room, where two teens were in the midst of their first experience with the delicious, fiery substance. Dominik smiled at their antics, remembering his own college days. They weren't all great, but taking them one at a time had certainly made for a good experience.

One day at a time.

The day wasn't over yet, meaning there was still some value to be gleaned. Dominik scanned the room, looking for anyone who might be of interest to himself or his colleagues. Surely there was someone who'd be willing to take a drink with them.

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Fortunately, KasaiSenshi didn't have to wait to long. Longer than he would have like, but it wasn't to bad. Finally they could start developing a course of action for conquering this game. When the leader mentioned the other two players KasaiSenshi had to hold back a grimace. He didn't have any idea of what to do about her, but he felt it best not to inform the four at this time. He did decide to mention Kyasarin, "I don't know to much about Kyasarin's personality, but I do know she practically hates anything other than solo-playing. So, I doubt she'll show up until we actually fight. Now to your question. I am not trying to be rude, but I have no desire to join a guild with you. A guild is a form of attachment. I can't afford to have any attachment to this world. I will however be around to formulate plans of attack on the various floors. I will also assist in training those who desire to help fight. Other than that I will mostly be spending time alone building my levels. So, back to the matter at hand. I assume that since you spoke in front of the crowd you already had some semblance of a plan. I desire to know what ideas you had."

Many would say that KasaiSenshi was being highly rude and inconsiderate. To him he just felt he was being logical. He was highly calculating and emotions didn't come easy to him. However, when he became close to someone he would be very emotional. He knew that if he didn't act very cold and impersonal that he would eventually develop relationships with the people trapped here. He couldn't-No, wouldn't let that happen.

So, a life really could disappear in the blink of an eye. Well, surely Elouviana's IRL body was twisting, turning, and toiling in her bed as her brain matter was microwaved to slush, leaving a crippled vestige of what was a human being. Her scream permeated the mollifying atmosphere of the nighttime forest, drowning out the chirps and other hymns of critters. It rattled him more than he had anticipated even though he had already accepted this was a death game. He found his eyes locked on her evanescent form as he evaporated into a shower of bright polygons. In all honesty, he would have rather watched her body burst and expel actual blood. At least that would feel surreal. What he saw failed to do death any honor.

Campanella probably wouldn't have budged for a few minutes longer, had it not been for the recent appearance of more, ground-bound assailants. Way to rub the salt into the wound. They may have been good friends, Elouviana and him. Watching her death wasn't numbing, nor was it infuriating. It just felt like an affirmation to the earlier announcement made by the GM, to set it in stone. Stone and Starkette had already shifted into action. They too were unable to remain unfazed by the group's recent loss. A pang of visible sorrow was etched deep into the latter's countenance. Yet they too knew that idly waiting in apathy would only bring them to a fate similar to Elouviana's. The same theorem applied to Campanella too. He still had to fight, in memory of the cat girl and the many that were sure to follow.

Blade met tusks when Campanella engaged a boar on his own. The realization that he had nobody to switch with was unable to impede his movements. If anything, it only made the swordsman fight harder, more fluently, his being undeniably invigorated. As if something had superseded his distant and indifferent demeanor. The player forced the boar's head to the side with his blade, shoving the beast's sharpened tusks off to the side. Without a moment to lose, he performed the Pre-Motion for Slant and angled the weapon so that the ability would lead it across the enraged hog's face. The boar let out a cry and reeled back onto its hinds after the sword's edge dragged a vermilion line over one of its eyes and the entirety of its forehead.

With his opponent now disgruntled, Campanella brought his figure around to the mob's side and sliced upwards to cut through his intended target. A CRIT area, more specifically, the beast's jugular. He leaped back as it attempted to fling its tusks into the player's side, but was easily evaded. Its movements had become sluggish due to the damage inflicted on it. Campanella felt an ounce of reassurance when a debuff appeared under the mob's health bar. BLEEDING. It was losing health over time, but relying on to whittle down the remainder of the boar's life force would be naive.

With his blade at the ready, Campanella delve into combat once more. Hopefully his comrades were have just as fruitful engagements.

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Location: Floor 1
Interacting With:@Jedly@Morose@sMoKe

Janelle was startled by the sudden appearance of the monster, there was one thing she wouldn't forget though. Elouviana started to disappear, she was screaming, causing Janelle to cover her ears, but it was soon over. The girl with cat ears was gone. Janelle stumbled backwards, shivering a little at the world they were trapped in.

Jace too was frightened by the girl's sudden disappearance, but it made him even more determined to protect Janelle, even if he had to die trying. He pulled out his sword, and charged at one of the creatures. Janelle stood by, watching him. He could tell that she was scared again, but she needed to snap out of it or they all were going to be dead. He looked her in the eye as he jumped back from the beast, and nodded at her.

Janelle knew what he was telling her. The bond of siblings could be strong to the point of not needing any words. Just like the battle against the bats, the girl pulled out her sword, and closed her eyes. Darkness enveloped her, her hearing and her sense of smell were the only thing guiding her now. She recognized the sound of her brother breathing, and the sounds of their allies breaths as well. There was a sound she did not recognize, a raspy breathing, along with the smells of dirt and mud. This is where she struck her blade, attacking one of the monsters, hacking and slashing at it. She eventually heard her brother's voice.

"Switch! he called out to her, and Janelle pulled back.

Janelle realized that this was the only way she would be able to survive, at least until she was used to the sights of the world. She could not stand the sight of any monster, for it scared her. She opened her eyes again, and watched her brother fight the creature that was already badly damaged. The others were fighting their own battles, Starkette was fighting one, and the one known as Stone looked to be helping her. The other boy was by himself, and she wandered over to him. She looked at her brother, and he nodded. He raised his voice so that Campanella could hear him.

"Switch!" Jace shouted, though he himself was not going over to aid him, he yelled it so his sister could aid Campanella.

He caught a glimpse of Janelle, with eyes closed once again, charge straight for the monster. Looks like she is getting used to the idea of fighting with her eyes closed.

[quote=@BlueSky44]

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Season: Summer
Number of Days Since Game Start: 1
Time Of Day: 9:00 pm
General Ambiance: Recovery
Location: Level 1

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People are scattered throughout the first level. A message that was sent to every player listed how many players had died. So far, the total was 287 dead by the end of the day.

@Morose
Kirito looks at Kyasarin, and nods. He looks over at the clock, and then back at her.

"Well, maybe. I'll think about it. Meet me downstairs tomorrow, it is too late to do anything outside of the town anyway." Kirito says, and heads back out of the room, leaving you by yourself.

@alexfangtalon
The Beta Testers nodded. Instead of the leader, the girl in the group spoke to you.

"We understand. So far, it seems that if we want to survive this and get everyone out of here, we need to all work together. We plan on getting a large group of people together to try and take on the boss here on floor 1." she said, and looked back at the others, they just nodded. She looked back at you, "I've also noticed that we have been rude and haven't introduced ourselves. I am known as Alyn, the leader is Gerey, the youngest of us is Cyne, and the other one is Robern." she said, pointing out each one in turn. "What kind of plan were you thinking of when you approached us to ask about ours?"

@Sodium
A red haired man and a few other players walked into the inn and sat down at a table near you. The man looked like he was the leader, he was a little nervous but mainly he stayed calm. The rest of his group seemed to be freaking out, scared even. The red haired man notices you, and gives a grin.



"Hey, you look like you need someone to hang with. Why don't you come join us?" he asks, waving you over.

@BlueSky44@Jedly@Morose@sMoKe

The boars charge at you. Each one trying to impale you with its tusks. The first one charges at Starkette, with Stone standing behind her to help. Starkette manages to take care of the boar before she needs Stone's help, but not without taking some serious damage, she is now very low on health.

Another charges at Jace and Janelle, they work together, switching out with one another. The dispatch the boar, but Jace took damage from the fight.

Janelle jumps over to help Campanella while Jace was finishing off the boar, and switches when Campanella starts looking tired. The work together to defeat the boar, but both of them took damage. Campanella was seriously hurt from trying to take on the boar himself before Janelle stepped over to help.

With the fight over, and the next town is within sight, you continue on your way, some more of limping than walking. Somehow you manage to make it to Tolbana Town. What do you do, there aren't any other players in the town besides you.

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Kyasarin smirked, already knowing Kirito's answer. If he didn't want to team up with her, then he wouldn't have asked her to meet him tomorrow. Agreeing upon a time with him, Kyasarin locked the door after Kirito left, and walked over to the bed. She sat down and pulled out the sword once more, admiring all of its virtual beauty and grace.

"I know this world isn't real..." Kyasarin sighed, taking off the pads of her armor in order to sleep. "But I wish that it was."

Clothed for bed, Kyasarin rested her head on the pillow, searching through the options of the menu. The log-out button remained gone, with a skill menu not nearly as extensive as the one she had in the beta. Eventually, she noticed the message icon, clicking on it to open it up.

Two hundred eighty seven players had died.

Her heart clenched slightly, and she shut off the menu, mulling over the information. It wasn't that she was afraid of dying in the game. She was afraid of dying so soon. She'd only been able to walk again for a month, and the thought that she might die within a day or so....

A few tears fell from her eyes, and Kyasarin, for the first time in ages, cried herself to sleep.

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Starkette coughed a bit, thoroughly exhausted as she trudged her way into Tolbana Town. The health bar above her was dangerously low, and she let out a sigh of relief once she entered the safe zone of the town. Death wouldn't be coming for her just yet, then. She glanced around, looking for somewhere where she could restore her health. Truthfully, Starkette knew that this perhaps hadn't been her best plan. She would've done better if she spent some time establishing herself as an info broker, with the inner workings of the game being something she discussed with her father over lunch just the day before.

Only healing crystals and potions were able to restore health. Glancing around, she figured there'd have to be an NPC somewhere with some available. Games like this didn't try to make things too impossible for new players. If she was incredibly lucky, there'd be an NPC giving them away for free, almost like a tutorial phase as to how healing works.

"We need to heal up," Starkette said. "We're dead out there if we don't do that. But we got some decent XP--so it wasn't a wasted effort. If I remember the mechanics of the game correctly...and I haven't been wrong yet...we should be able to heal and rest up here in safety. The game tries to be fair. No one can die in here -- unless someone pulls the plug on their nervegear, that is."

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At the newcomer's suggestion, Dominik cast a quick glance back to his two comrades. The two were chummily slurring drunken nonsense to one another, and somehow both were just drunk enough to understand one another. Satisfied, Dominik swiped a wide tray heavily laden with beer mugs from a cute tavern wench NPC and lugged it over to the table.

"Forgive me saying, but it looks like you guys are the ones in need of a bit of hanging out," Dominik said as he placed the tray on the center of the table. "Have a round on me and unwind a bit. And you, my Celtic friend, you should have two." Dominik walked around the table to take a seat beside the leader, his face bearing a genuinely friendly smile. "So, how about some introductions? My name's Dominik, and my two lit up friends over there are Alissa and Kouichi. The three of us were beta testers."

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The thick forests gave way to thin forests, which in turn gave way to the outskirts of Tolbana Town. All the while, Alek remained silent, alert. Though their second fight had ended in victory, it was not without cost; many of his companions were now injured, critically. Alek knew, if another combatant should arise, a few of them wouldn't make it. His partner, Starkette, seemed to have taken the worst damage of anyone, as her health was dangerously low. Alek blamed himself. As an experienced beta, he knew it was he that should have taken the initiative to lower the risk of injury. His thoughts wandered to a world long lost, to the smell of atomized cement and the sound of ancient screams. His mistakes had cost him dearly before. He glanced around at his companions before silently swearing that, on pain of death, it would never happen again.

Presently, Alek's company arrived at the edge of Tolbana. The tension in the air seemed to evaporate as they came upon the safe zone. Alek was just relieved that everyone had survived. Well, almost... His memory was taken back to the one who had died before the battle. She seemed to be fine beforehand; her nervegear must've been unplugged. Adrenaline had controlled him for so long this night that he had almost forgotten. At that moment, he stopped momentarily, wishing her well in whatever afterlife she believed in. It wasn't much, but it was all he could think to do and somehow seemed important. A feeling came to him then, one he had not felt in some time. Was it ...compassion? The thought was interrupted by Starkette's voice. As she said, her reason had yet to fail them. Apart from that, Alek had decided on the same course of action. There would be no benefit in continuing at night. After all, there was never a night or a problem that could defeat the sunrise.

Campanella had been in between a rock and a combat hardened boar. His opponent had managed to get a good lick at him, parting the surface of his right shoulder in an attempt to parry the charge. The drastically weakened hog already knew it was on its way out; Kayaba and his development team had consummately decimated the wall between binary code and sentience. So what does one do in their last moments should they decide to not surrender themselves unto the clutches of death? Take their assailant with them.

At least that was what the boar had intended to do. It was then that a glimpse of red encompassed his vision, accompanied by an incongruous masculine voice. With adrenaline surging through his cardiovascular system, Campanella almost instantly attributed the voice to the redhead’s brother, Jace. Heading the player’s callout, the swordsman broke the mob’s guard and leaped back, opening a gap for Janelle to slip through while Campanella scrutinized the red streak traversing his arm.

Starkette nodded in accord to the white-haired girl’s words. She spoke with an air of confidence, mitigated with a pinch of dubiety, but not a sort that would prove to be fatal. While she maintained a relatively composed countenance, Campanella wasn’t really too good for show. His expression had devolved into a scowl more pronounced than the usual one he sported. It wasn’t the faint vermillion still lingering that had him agitated. The indifferent and distant Campanella was feeling remorse for his fallen comrade, even though it was quite literally out of his control. It was just how he dealt with the constricting feeling of loss. Yet that didn’t stop him from chiming in as a member of the provisional party, ”We should find an inn and cook the fruits of our efforts.” The player was of course referring to the slabs of ham they had reaped and stored in the intangible dimension that was one’s inventory. As he spoke, he glanced around, taking in the sights and sounds of the towns. It was borderline impossible to discern between NPC and player, which forced him to rely on stature of the model. He continued, ”We can offer it to the inn-owner or any NPCs staying the night, and perhaps we’ll fulfill a few hidden quests, maybe get a few health potions. Whatever we don’t eat ourselves or offer to others can be sold to a vendor before we turn in or first thing in the morning. The hides could also be sold for adequate amount of health potions.”

With his two cents finally tossed into the well, Campanella waited for any other knowledgeable opinions. Not even glancing over to the redhead, he mumbled a faint ”Thanks.”, his gaze still locked past Janelle.

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Season: Summer
Number of Days Since Game Start: 2
Time Of Day: 8:00 am
General Ambiance: Recovery
Location: Level 1

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@Morose

The next morning. You walk down stairs, and Kirito is standing there, he is talking to another player. A tall, bald man of color was standing next to Kirito. They looked up when you walked up.

"Well, I guess I'll stick with you for a little while. I've got nothing better to do in this game anyway." Kirito said, and looked over at the man he was with.



"Hey there, I'm Egil," the stranger said, "You must be Kyasarin, anyway, I would love to stay and chat, but I have something I need to do before I leave for the next town with my group. See ya Kirito".

He starts to leave, and Kirito just stands there for a moment. He turns to you.

"Well, shall we get going? I haven't got all day you know," he said, and heads for the door.

@Sodium

The night before, you became aquainted with the red haired man who said his name was Klein. He looked at you in suprise, and you ended up staying there until around midnight. Eventually, Klein looked at you and yawned.

"Well, looks like I should head to bed, see ya Dominick." he said as he walked up the stairs of the inn.

The next morning, you see Klein again, this time it looks like he and his friends are about to head out. On the other side of the room, you see a girl you recognize from the Beta testing, but don't remember her name. She is about to head out with another beta tester, one who you remember as the one called Kirito.

@sMoKe@Jedly@Morose

You manage to find several healing crystals and an inn, since no other players have made it to Tolbana Town, you are by yourselves.

Stone wanders and overhears something at one of the booths. A merchant was talking to a few people around his shop.

"Did you hear? There is a guild that they say kills other players. I heard it from a player in The Town of Beginnings when I was there." he said, a few of them just shake their heads and walk away.

Janelle hears something similar, from the innkeeper, who says that "those people are not to be trusted."

The other characters are oblivious to this, and haven't heard anything from anyone.

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Janelle overheard the talk of the innkeeper, and saw Campanella sitting near her. Jace was still upstairs and she couldn't talk. She tapped him on the shoulder and started mouthing what she had heard. Eventually, she realized that he couldn't understand her.

She thought of what she should do, and decided to try talking.

"Inn..." she managed to say, but the rest was nothing but air. She looked at Campanella, and then ran away, back up the stairs to her room.

Jace saw her run in, and was suprised when she basically hid in the corner of the room, and was trying to be alone. He took the hint and walked out, shutting the door behind him. He walked down the stairway, and decided to get some food. He looked back up there stairs, wondering to himself, what is up with her?

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Kyasarin woke up with a jolt, gasping for air. Feeling the bed sheets next to her, it all came rushing back to her. Rubbing her arms and legs, she slowly worked feeling into all of them, kicking and stretching each leg in turn, as if to confirm the NerveGear continued to allow her to use them. She let out a sigh of relief, running her hands through her hair. That was one of the luxuries of SwordArt--her hair never seemed to tangle, remaining in the same style constantly. Slipping on her armor, Kyasarin equipped her sword and headed down to the main area of the Inn.

Kyasarin nodded at Egil, hardly recognizing the name. She shrugged her shoulders, not caring when he left. Smirking at Kirito, she stretched her arms, standing up on her toes as she let out a yawn. "Awww, knew you loved me, Kirito! Let's get to work then, shall we? Got some shmucks to battle."

Glancing at the main menu, Kyasarin blushed slightly. She generally didn't sleep as long as she had, but to be fair, she'd never slept while logged in before. She had always thought the system would log you out for inactivity, but that certainly wouldn't happen anymore. Not while the Gamemaster held them all hostage, practically identical to how the Suicide Squad had bombs in their necks. "Did you talk to any InfoBrokers about where's the best spot to farm now?" Kyasarin inquired.

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Starkette stared at the system messages screen, scrolling through the mindless posts. Already, there seemed to be a sort of order evolving within the game. People had become established as reporters, InfoBrokers, blacksmiths, guild leaders, teachers, and politicians. A society all of its own had started to find its feet, just two days after being cut off from reality. Gulping a bit, she scanned the press for her name, praying that there wouldn't be a single mention of Guinevere Stark, daughter of a billionaire CEO and a reality TV star.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Starkette left the relative safety of the Inn Room. True to her suspicions, no other players had arrived in Tolbana Town. It must have been a glitch that brought them there, likely from server overload. But with each player that died, that problem became lesser and lesser. Merchants, all NPCs as far as she could tell, were selling their wares. Still, they couldn't just sit around all day. They had to keep on moving.

Starkette dragged her hand in the air in front of her, pulling up a map of the first floor of SAO. Studying it intently, she frowned, pinching her lip with her fingers. "We aren't even close to the boss for this floor..." Starkette observed, a bit thankful for that. Their levels were woefully low for any sort of combat. She wanted at least a decent 50 HP buffer before fighting anything massive. The stakes were far too high to justify anything else.

"We might as well be honest with ourselves and what we are," Starkette pointed out. "A guild."

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Upon arriving in Tolbana Town -after he and the others sufficiently healed up- Alek parted ways with his companions for the night. Rather than going straight to bed, he decided to scope out the town in search of useful gear. Though not very helpful to him now, Alek figured the more aware he was of his surroundings the better. His seemingly aimless wandering eventually brought him to the town's central marketplace. He browsed distantly, not taking a particular interest in anything. As he neared the end of the plaza, Alek sighed, ready to abandon the effort in defeat. Right before he turned to head back, he saw a rather large grouping -considering the town's general emptiness- and decided to investigate.

A shopkeeper stood amidst the crowd. As Alek approached, he overheard the shop-keep say "Did you hear? There is a guild that they say kills other players. I heard it from a player in The Town of Beginnings when I was there."

Dizziness washed over him as Alek stumbled into someone leaving the crowd. He muttered an apology before slumping down on the wall of a nearby building. Intense flashes of some source-less light blinded him. His heart rate spiked violently. Killer. Killer. Killer. The word resounded in his head over and over. Though this occurrence was nothing new, it had rarely been so strong. It took no small amount of inner strength to shut out his flashbacks and return his consciousness to the immediate environment. He had slid down to the ground, the back of his head resting on the cool bricks beneath. The town square had all but emptied. Presently Alek stood, brushing dust off of himself. I guess for some things there are no cure. he thought to himself as he began the trek back to the inn.

The pale moon shone brightly down, casting its ever eerie glow. Despite being used to weather much worse, the coldness of the night made Alek shiver. Or perhaps, he shivered not from the cold, but from the body's natural response to something evil, something dark. Some devilish inner desire...

//Day 2//

Alek sat in the inn's common room with the rest of his companions. The virtual vodka he casually gulped down burned his throat almost as much as the real stuff. Alek had found that, since liquor here was as inexpensive as other bits of similar coding, he could quench his thirst without damaging his liver or his wallet. From his seat at the bar he heard the others say things, though seemed to have trouble connecting them to any meaning. As a result, he remained quiet, observant, hoping his input would not be needed. After several cups had been drained, Alek turned to them. As he did, the girl -Janelle, maybe?- rushed up the stairs, presumably back to her room. As of yet, his silence seemed only to be matched by her own. Of course, he knew the reason for that. Alek moved his cup towards his mouth, stopping as he saw his face reflected off the liquid. Poor girl. His cup clinked on the bar top, accompanied by a sloshing sound.

The event seemed to awake him from his apathy. He had just began listening as Starkette said something about the floor boss, and a guild. Regardless of his future actions, Alek thought that forming a guild could be beneficial, especially since allegiances were hardly set in stone. "So we are. The first guild to reach Tolbana Town."

His sleep was surprisingly peaceful even in face of all of the life shattering revelations that loomed over his and roughly nine-thousand plus players' heads. Even though it was the next day, the pungent taste of the healing potion that could be likened to iodine still lingered on his tongue. It would most likely remain there for a few more hours and serve as a incessant reminder of last night's events. The hymn of blades. The ambiance of nocturnal wildlife. That shrill cry that was still singed into his memory. His taste buds gladly carried the duty of assuring that he didn't forget.

Campanella didn't make any visual sign of his internal muse. Instead the standoffish individual stared into the contents of the mug before him, a well of ale that the young adult had barely made a dent in. Being his first time getting a lick of alcohol, the experience was all too surreal. After taking in a few sips of the beverage the player came to a definite conclusion:

He couldn't drink it for shit.

"How do people drink this? And for fun to boot?!" It was then that his eyes fell upon Stone as he powered his way through drink "Number Whatever" without faltering in the slightest. And from Camp's book knowledge combined with what's he heard through the grapevine, the stuff the Russian was downing was far more intense than the beverage he couldn't even be considered nursing. "...Did he get an alcohol resistance necklace as a drop?" Needless to say the youth was chagrined. Then again Stone had Russian bias. Something that has plagued a myriad of tank-based MMO's. Campanella was undoubtedly out of his tier.

The atmosphere of the inn, or rather the town in its entirety, was tranquil. The fact that no other players were running over cobblestone with flailing arms and tears streaming down their face may have contributed to this. Merchants marketed their merchandise, kids skipped around without a care in the world, hell even the birds were indulging in relaxation. But as one would imagine, the sudden appearance of ten thousand "heroes" was a hot topic. And a handful of them were sitting aimlessly right in a certain inn.

Stone had just taken his seat with another sacrificial beverage for his digital stomach in hand when Campanella light tap on his shoulder. Had he not climbed out of deep thought a minute prior, he may have not even noticed the faint gesture. It was Janelle who vied with his internal thoughts for his attention. He swiveled his vision to face the player and patiently waited as the girl attempted to bridge the verbal gap between them. The redhead’s mouth opened, conveying the struggle of manifesting words. Even somebody as laconic as Campanella could tell that she was putting a ton of effort into the endeavor. She managed a brief ”Inn…” before she was unable to render anything else. Her eyes rested on the recipient of her message until the mousy girl scurried off, on a beeline for her room.

Being a man of few words, Campanella was used to extrapolating. Besides, he liked people who weren’t overly talkative. Perhaps they would get along just fine, well, they would have to as the swordsman soon found out. Starkette literally brought a notion to the table, the reality that was them being a guild. Frankly Campanella was planning on going solo, even after the GM announcement. But perhaps this route would prove to be fruitful. Maybe it would be the first step in combatting the mentality he has beared these past years. Stone seconded the statement, and chances are the Jace that was now scaling the stairwell probably would raise his glass in accord as well. So that left Campanella.

”Here are a list of traders and traveling merchants I met before the GM announcement.” With a few swipes the names and complimentary list of wares appeared in the notes of his comrades. Trading houses and organizations obviously existed in this world, and connections were priceless. Camp glazed over the players with his gaze and then took the mug into his grip, ”As for the name, I personally like the ring of Halcyon.” The player got up from his seat and nodded his head towards the innkeeper’s desk, ”Going to grab something I can actually drink.” And so the youth split off from the table and rested his forearms on the desk. Since it was pretty obvious they were in an inn, the only other thing Janelle could have referred to was the keeper. He wasn’t angered by his inability to intake the beverage, but his ordinary complexion even gave the innkeeper a jump. ”Something a little milder please? I overestimated my tolerance.”

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Dominik was up bright and early at 6:30 AM, ready to take on the day. He began by plunging his head into one of the three buckets of water he'd brought to his room the previous night. One sat empty, having been drained before bed to reduce the chances of a hangover. The third sat by the door, awaiting its soon-to-be-realized purpose.

Fully refreshed, Dominik placed the two used buckets in his inventory and donned his armor in a single well-practiced motion on the user interface. He sucked his teeth in annoyance at his slightly decreased speed compared to during the beta, but he knew he'd soon be much more practiced. Everyone would be. He hefted the yet unused bucket in one arm and slid out of his room and back to the bar.

He was greeted by a sight that almost set him into a fit of laughter. Alissa lay across the bar, her feet on the bartender's side of the counter. She bore an expression of absolute contentment on he sleeping face. Nearby was Kouichi, sprawled across the floor with toppled barstools on and around him, grinning fiercely in his sleep. Dominik took a moment to burn the scene into his memory.

A twinge of guilt sprung up in his gut as he moved to give the water its purpose, but he'd given them fair warning the previous night. One heave and both were instantly alert, spluttering and gasping for digital air. "Rise and shine! We need to get to work if we want to make headway in the market."

Neither complained as they wiped sleep from their eyes and found their feet. "So, what's the plan for today? We makin' that guild like we was talking about?" Alissa asked, her hands needlessly attempting to fix her hair.

"I got a rather interesting guild invitation yesterday. I was hoping to follow up on it today to see if it could further our goals. You'd probably remember that, Alissa, if you hadn't gotten shitfaced so quickly." Kouichi playfully punched her shoulder pad, and Alissa poorly hid a smile by sticking her tongue out at him.

Dominik, on the other hand, gave a hearty laugh. "You're one to talk, Kouichi. What happened, did they use you as the ball for a game of human bowling?" Kouichi feigned indignation, but his smile gave him away just as Alissa's had. "In any case, our plan for today is business as usual. Don't be afraid to let yourselves be recruited by a trade guild - in fact, welcome the chance, as it will give us strong ties if and when we make our own." The other two nodded in understanding. They all knew exactly what the MMO economy would be for the next few days - the initial economic burst will be unstable, so selling materials would bear more profit than selling crafted goods.

The trio bantered for a few minutes more before finally setting off for the day. Dominik stayed at the bar for a few minutes more, waiting to see if anyone he recognized would show up. His expectations were on the mark: he saw two players he recognized from the beta test (despite the appearance change during the GM's announcement) but whose names didn't come to mind. The names of antisocial gamers were unimportant to him, regardless of accomplishments, because those who can't have fun once in a while aren't fun. Dominik simply sat back and watched them pass.

Later, Klein and his group came down and began to head out. Here was an actual character - a man who got things done and did so without sacrificing his social life. A man who could lead. In short, Klein was a man of Dominik's caliber. Dominik walked over to greet the group.

Business as usual.

"Good morning! You guys heading out?"

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Season: Summer
Number of Days Since Game Start: 2
Time Of Day: 12:00 pm
General Ambiance: Recovery
Location: Level 1

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Rumors of a guild that kills other players for fun have been circulating throughout the crowd of people.

@Morose

Kirito looked over at Kyasarin. He thought about her question for a moment, before coming up with a response.

"There isn't really a specific area to farm really. All you have to do is head into the forest outside of town. Since it is the second day and all, no one has really gone out that way yet." he said, sitting down and leaning back in his chair. "If we hurry up, we might just beat out the rush of people. Where do you want to go, there really isn't anywhere that others won't eventually follow, so I'd make up your mind quickly."

@Sodium

Klein looked over at Dominick, and smiled. "Yeah, we're heading out. Need to get ahead now, we plan on helping out in the search for the boss of this level. You and your friends can come with us if you want." he said, still grinning.

Klein planned to help out everyone in the long run. He wanted to get out of the game quickly. "You don't have to come if you don't want to, I just want to be useful in getting everyone out of here." he said, and started heading once more for the door.

@Jedly@sMoKe@Morose

Congratulations! You have formed a guild. You are indeed the first to reach Tolbana Town. Now, with the forming of your guild, I need you all to agree on a name for it. You can discuss it in the OOC or via messaging. As long as you can agree on it. Then decide what you are going to do next.