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The Knights of Argus - Housepets Unite-
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Chapter 3 - The Weight of the Heart=
My sword elevated to my waist. In front of me was a low level ‘slime’--a low level monster commonly found in other video games--that snarled at the sight of me. He had red piercing eyes that stared into mine. Other than the ‘all fours’ aspect of the beast, he could have been compared to me outright. My right hand held the one-handed sword tightly at the hilt and my left hovering over the middle of the silver blade. He was preparing for his attack. But I had the advantage. The sword skill started to charge a bright shade of red.
Now was my chance.
We both charged at each other with blinding speed as my sword aimed at its target. I let out a cry of might. When we made contact, I felt my sword hit its target with ease. The system assist combined with the sword skill guaranteed the blade made an impact; that is if the blow didn’t get blocked by another blade. With this monster, there was no blade in sight, there was only its fangs. It was an easy win to say the least.
After the full strike had made its mark my speed started to slow down, my blade sticking up in the air. I could hear the sound of the digital being crackling into a plethora of light blue polygonal shards. I cracked a sly grin. In front of me popped up a game window listing my winnings from the fight. The window stated I had gained a wolf hide--excellent for light armor crafting if one had the skill. To be honest it was one that I had considered now that I had a higher speed weapon at my disposal. Heavy armor didn’t quite fit the bill, obviously. Even knowing this fact I liked having heavy armor. Even as a scout, my weapon of choice was still a one handed sword rather than a rapier or a katana, the speedier versions of the sword to put it in broader terms.
I let out a breath contained in my lungs. I touched the red exit circle on the winnings window and closed it out. The adrenaline was still pumping through my body. Even though it lasted for a second, that battle seemed like the greatest feeling in the world… if it weren’t for the fact that it could have possibly been my fiftieth fight. I had already raised a whole level after nearly four hours of gameplay. It was past five o’clock in the morning. ‘
Geeze… five already? I’m going to have to log out and get some food soon. I hope dad’s cooking a mean breakfast.’ I chuckled to myself in a thought.
I turned around to find Ghost finishing up a battle with a powerful swing of his hammer, knocking the beast out of the way with and audible metallic ‘ring.’ The wolf’s health points--HP for short--quickly shot down to zero. It had seemed like a one hit KO for the Terrier. In an explosion of blue shards the monster disappeared and a window had appeared in front of Ghost. I could see a victorious smile on his muzzle. He quickly closed it out and faced me. I couldn’t help but give him a loving smile. He had put away his hammer and started walking towards me. When the canine had finally made his way over, he stood in front of me and patted my head, reminding me that I was still about two inches shorter than him. I crossed my arms and let out a low growl. I always disliked it when other pets and people made fun of my height.
Usually, by breed, Akitas are supposed to be taller than Terriers, but I just didn’t fit the bill. When I was born I was known as the runt of the litter. Plus, when I was brought into the real world, my lungs hadn’t opened up for the longest time. I guess it was more than a minute. When my lungs had finally started to work I let out a weak little cry that shocked everyone. It was then that I was known as Rakkī, or Lucky in English. I was born in the US, but my biological mother was from Japan, and so my name had been changed to the English translation on the spot.
“So how’s the spoils Lucky?” The white-furred dog asked.
I shrugged. “It’s nothing to major, I’ve got about one thousand five hundred Cor, and I’ve got about nineteen hide. Perfect for my light armor skill.”
“Awesome!” He cheered, then let out a chuckle. “Maybe when I transition to a one-handed sword, maybe I’ll let you craft my armor.”
I grinned, catching the sarcastic tone. “Maybe.”
I stretched my digital body out and let out a blissful sigh. “Man, I missed this place.”
“I can tell. It seems like you’re having a great time.”
“Sure am. I love this world…” I could see Ghost cross his arms. “Er… not as much as you hon, but you know what I mean.”
The Terrier laughed. “Of course I do Lucky, I’m just pulling your chain.”
My paw landed on my hip as I gave him a playful half smile. I shook off the joke and looked over towards the horizon. Admittedly, the first floor looked beautiful with its floating lakes and cone like spires. If I had to stay here for a month, I probably wouldn’t mind. I closed my eyes and took in a silent breath. “When I’m in this world, I feel like I could do anything. Don’t get me wrong, I love the real world, but this one has some charm to it that I just can’t put my finger on…” I sit in thought for a minute to figure out what I wanted to say, but I eventually lose the thought entirely. “Oh well. I guess it’ll come to me eventually!”
Looked like I had made my boyfriend giggle. “Its fine Lucky,” He reassured, “you’ll remember soon.” I had hoped he was right.
It was then that we both heard the sound off battle, a scream of someone being hit. We both gave each other a hilarious look. By now the player that got hit had finally realized that taking a hit in the realm of Sword Art didn’t actually result in pain. Because of the NerveGear, the nerves in the brain were transmitted through the device instead of the body itself. That’s why the user’s body wouldn’t get up and seemingly struggle in their bed while they play.
“Shall we go check out the new blood?” Ghost chuckled.
I smiled. The memory of what Guren had told us resurfaced. “I guess we should. Besides, I think we could show them a thing or two.” We took each other’s paws and proceeded up the hill. I could imagine the players that were most likely in the same situation that I was in, flailing their weapon to their hearts content.
When we arrived on the scene we could see a pair of players in the midst of battle. They were pets like us. One was a calico, the only orange spot being the one on the cat’s forehead. With the contrast of the almost completely black face and spotty white stomach and paws, the feline looked abnormal. The apparent male was wearing the standard player outfit and was out fitted with a one-handed sword. It seemed like his favorite color was orange considering his bright shirt and dark colored pants.
The other pet was a dog. She looked cinnamon colored, a pair of brown spots on the top of her head and the other on her shoulder, partially covered by her green shoulder-less tunic. The shirt almost matched my own. It was almost dead on. I couldn’t figure out her breed however. She seemed to be a mix of about three different breeds, probably considered a Mutt.
“Come on, Flare” the sweetly sounding high pitched canine called out, standing on the sidelines, “Put your back into it!”
I could see the cat stand up and face the four-legged boar with his sword pointed in his direction. “I’m trying! The combat system in this game is just stupid, that’s all!”
“I told you, you should have read the manual before you dived in!”
“She’s right you know!” I yelled out to the two. Both Ghost and I quickly moved towards them. The sword on my side was already drawn and my avatar stood beside the troubled feline with a grin. It was then that I could see his HP clearly. It was in the yellow, almost over the halfway mark. I looked at the wolf. The mob’s health was at its fullest, not a hint of damage dealt by the two. “The way the combat system works is this…” I pulled the sword to my side and begun to charge it up. “You have to start up the initial motion for your sword skill. You start your move and hold it, then the skill will charge up. You’ll feel it activate and if done at the right time…” Quickly moving forward with my attack, my sword struck the boar on its side, a bright orange-red gash bringing the monster down to just forty percent of its health. “…the system will guarantee you a hit.”
“Is that so?” The feline questioned.
I nodded as the boar begun to target me. I blocked its horn attack with my blade and I gave it a grin, my expression meant to be aimed towards the cat. “Yep. Try it out! I’ll try and send the boar your way so start charging!”
The cat stared at the boar and held the sword diagonally across his body with both paws. The blade started to glow bright blue, the skill activating. I smiled. “Okay,” he called out intensely, “ready!”
With the flick of my wrist I deflected the boar and moved out of its way, kicking it towards the feline. I watched as he looked at the digital entity with pure strength as he moved at a remarkable speed. He had slashed the boar clean through with the tip of his blade, bringing the final increments of its HP down to zero as it exploded into a billion bright fragments. I could tell that this was his first battle, if it weren’t that obvious already. Flare was thrilled when his victory screen showed up in front of him.
I walked up to him and patted his shoulder. “Congratulations.”
He put away his sword and stepped aside to face me and the others. “Thanks, uh…” He stood awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.
He didn’t know our names. I guess it would have been kind to introduce ourselves before stepping in. “Lucky. My name is Lucky. Over here is Ghost, my beloved.”
The girl blushed and giggled, extending her brown paw over towards him. “Nice to meet you two. I’m Alanna. Over here is Flare.”
“Nice to meet you both.” I smiled.
A bright orange icon appeared in front of the Terrier, the symbol inside the circle an envelope to signify a new message. It had to be from Guren. He looked up at me. “Excuse me. I’ll be a minute.”
“Take your time, hon.” I told him kindly. As he walked a small distance away, I stared at the two pets in front of me. Just by the look of them I could tell that this was their first time taking the full plunge. But, I had to ask. “So I’m guessing this is your guy’s first full-dive, right?”
They both nodded their heads at me. “This is our first.” Alanna confirmed.
Flare crossed his arms and nodded.
She closed her eyes and smiled. “Sword Art Online is our first ever VR game that we’ve owned. In the real world, we’re in the same neighborhood, so we kind of freaked when we first saw it was going to be available online. When we asked our parents if we could buy into this new system, they agreed and ordered the NerveGear and Sword Art Online before they were ultimately sold out. We were definitely lucky to at least snag the game. For Flare’s owners, it wasn’t a problem, considering their stature in the art world. They even chipped in to help my family buy the stuff too. You couldn’t believe how excited I was.”
Alanna’s eyes opened and looked out towards the horizon.
“Now that I mention it, it’s kind of weird to think about it. I’m
inside a video game. Who would have thought we would have seen the day that VR would become
this. I guess you could say that I’m overreacting when I say this, but I feel like this is one of the greatest moments of my life. I’m so happy I got the chance to experience this in my lifetime. This game… this world makes me feel so… alive, per se. It’s just simply amazing. There’s no other way to put it.”
By the time she was finished, I too was looking out to the sights the floor had to offer, memorized by the setting sun. She couldn’t have said it any better. This world was one of the best experiences gaming had to offer and I was glad that I got the chance to experience it let alone help create it. The game was a work of art in its own right and we were living it.
The sound of footsteps filled the air, the wind blowing softly in our faces, the sound grass ruffling creating a peaceful setting. After a moment Ghost had finally pipped up. “Looks like Guren found Vlain and Freyalise while hunting. They should be joining our party soon.”
“I assume that we’re all level two by now?”
The Terrier nodded. “We’re all up there.”
My eyes were cast towards the two new players. Their eyes were still drawn towards the landscape. Ghost had must’ve spoken in a whisper. They seemed to stand like statues. A thought suddenly hit me… with the size of our group growing, I wondered if they would like to join us too?
“Hey, Flare, Alanna,” I began, their heads turning my way. “We have a seven player group that meets regularly on here and I’d think they’d like you. So, How about you join up with us?”
Both of their eyes grew wide. “Really?” Alanna gleamed.
I smiled. “Well, yeah! You guys seem cool and you have a lot to learn, so why not.” I turn to Ghost. “What do you think hon?”
He shrugged. “I have no objections.”
“Cool. Welcome to the group gu--”
Just as I was about to finish, the same orange icon popped up for Ghost and I. We looked at each other with a confused stare. The two of us open the message to see Shadow’s writing. This message was most likely sent to all of us who were in the party. The text stated:
Stay alert, the log-out button is missing from the main menu. This doesn’t seem like a simple bug either, the game masters aren’t even responding to my calls. Something doesn’t seem right… again, stay cautious.
I had read the message aloud, considering that the new members weren’t officially apart of the party as of yet. I instinctively stared at the time. It read 5:30. The only thought on my mind was why. Why would the button be missing?
“What does that mean?” Flare questioned, a hint of fright in his tone. His eyes seemed to grow wider than before.
I opened my menu and navigated to where the button should have been labeled clearly. Instead, a blank space had taken the icon’s place. A look of pure shock filled my face. This wasn’t right… no… this was far from alright. If there was no way to log out of the game, this would cause massive amounts of angry players to essentially riot in the streets. I turned to Ghost who had his menu up and positioned to where the log out button resided. He looked as baffled as I was. I finally looked at the calico. I could audibly hear him gulp. “It means that there is no way to log out of SAO…”
Both looked at him with pure terror. To be completely honest, regardless of my rank, I would have been too.
Alanna was the first to frantically speak. “But, wouldn’t there be an emergency log out or something of that nature?”
I assumed Ghost shook his head. Alanna was looking behind me and towards him. Then he spoke, “No. There wasn’t anything mentioned in the manual, so there isn’t any way of logging out other than the icon on the menu.”
“I assume because of the Gear we can’t pull off our own headsets either right?” Flare gloomily uttered.
I didn’t dare want to respond to the question with the obvious answer, but I felt lying was pointless in this situation. He was staring right at me. I had to answer. “No. We can’t…” My lips answered coldly.
We all sat in silence. The only collective emotion that we were now all feeling could only be shock. “Why wouldn’t the log out function be working?” Ghost suddenly questioned to no one. I looked up to him to find his eyes towards the ground away from the group. “Better yet, why haven’t the GM’s announced anything yet? Shouldn’t they be trying to reassure the players right now? But… if it’s as what Flash told us, the Game Masters are most likely fixing the problem? Right?...” His thought trailed off into nothing as he looked directly at me. My eyes adverted away. I couldn’t give him a straight answer even if I tried. There wasn’t any explanation to be had. Shadow was right, something strange is definitely up…
“
GONG. GONG. GONG…”
We all stared in the direction of the town.
An announcement… finally. I thought reassuringly to myself. With the tenth sound of the bell, my surroundings turned into white, the feeling of uneasiness only growing to new heights.
* * *
When my vision had finally cleared, my eyes laid upon a sea of ten-thousand confused souls, their avatars looking around the town square. We had all been teleported to the middle of the Town of Beginnings, right in front of the Black-Iron Palace. Beside me were the three others that had been standing next to me. Flare and Alanna were looking around the square at the faces in the crowd. I breathed slowly in and out, trying to control my anxiety starting to grow on me.
I began by looking around myself. The people and the few number of pets that I could see were all talking to each other with an expression that could only be described as worried. The situation started to poke at my mind. It was clear that someone had forced a teleport so that everyone was gathered in one central area. With this, I now knew that someone was watching over us and they had GM credentials, otherwise the bell wouldn’t have sounded and the teleport wouldn’t have happened. But who was it? It seemed like a classic case of ‘Who dun’ it?’ at this point.
Suddenly the crowd burst into a soft mumble which turned into a loud murmur, the sound of everyone’s voices turning into a collective sound. Everyone was adding their own voice into the conversation their questions peaking over the sound of the ten-thousand players.
“Can we log out yet?”
“Where’s the GMs?
“What’s happening?”
“I want to leave!”
These questions popped up everywhere, and they were turning into more angry, frustrated demands by the minute. I looked around in a shiver. I could feel my confidence draining from my body. The panic started to make my mind and heart race. It felt as if I was going to pass out. It was then that I felt a furry arm wrap itself around me. My head shot up at the being, only finding it was Ghost. I gravitated closer to him as he petted my shoulder softly.
“I’m here hon. Just breath.”
I did as I was told, breathing slowly in and out. As my mind started to clear I could hear a distinctive voice pop up in the crowd. I couldn’t put a name to it, even if I tried.
“Look, up there!”
The crowd seemed to have stopped speaking all at once. The chaotic crowd was now as silent as a mouse. I saw the fleshy hand through the crowd pointing up towards the ceiling. Just below the sun-kissed roof of the first floor was a red, hexagonal message. Before I could get a read on it, the red spread through the bottom of the second floor, causing the area to be engulfed in a red tint. I looked closely at the text that was in the center of each of the hexagons. The shapes read: ‘WARNING’ and ‘SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT.’
I didn’t know whether or not to feel frightened, or relieved. Frightened at the fact that the red created an ominous feeling at the pit of my stomach, or relieved that someone had finally decided to do
something. I looked up. My eyes spotted something. The sky was
moving.
The message had dipped down into a thick liquid like substance, pooling above the more than likely nervous onlookers. The liquid worryingly resembled blood. It was then the drop then started to change its shape. It’s transformation created a series of sparks in the sky as a star like figure emerged from the shape. My eyes widened. It was a person.
This man-like figure had transformed into a crimson robe, its yellow accents resembling the usual GM robe that was prominent in the beta test. Not only that, white gloves had emerged from the sleeves and shoes had formed at the bottom. Normally, Game Masters would appear as elderly humans wearing the same robes as the one floating in the sky, but this was different. Upon closer inspection I look inside the hood of the robe. Confusion filled my face. The robe was empty.
My fearful thinking started to return, some of the crowd started to ask questions, but I could feel the uneasiness from the voices. I could start to pick out some of the questions that I personally had asked myself.
“Is this the Game Master?”
“Is this an Event?”
“Where’s his face?”
My eyes were now drawn to the sleeves of the figure, they were both rising from their places and had stopped when the hood had formed a t-shape in the sky. In the midst of this, I could think of a smile on the inside of the robe, if there were anyone inside of course. It was then a calm voice echoed over the ten thousand pets and people.
“Welcome to my world, dear players.”
The voice could have been as deep as my father’s. His words had hit me like a mace. What did he mean by “his world?” Does this GM mean he has control over this world? This game? If so, why announce it to everyone here? This seemed very strange indeed, but the being didn’t stop there.
“My name is Akihiko Kayaba. As of this moment, I am the only human being alive with control over this world.”
I could feel my heart skip a beat at the name of this malevolent “god.” This was the man who had created and developed the NerveGear, and this game. Mostly everyone in the gaming world knew his name by heart. Because of his stature, it was rare that anyone didn’t know his name or let alone hear about him. He was a quantum physicist who had made the video game company ARGUS into one of the leading competitors in the industry. There was no doubt that this man was a genius. I honesty was jealous of his stature.
I knew that he didn’t like to make appearances that often in regards to the media, and pretty much avoided the spotlight entirely. But I could remember his stunning looks, his featured lab coat completing his prestigious look. Looking at the hooded being again, I thought about it… he’d never make a GM appearance. Why would he even consider it now?
I tried understanding the situation like any other would do if he or she were in my situation, but to no avail. I had nothing. There had to be someone out there with the same knowledge, the same questions I had. I wonder if they had answers…
The voice then popped up again.
“You may have likely noticed by now that the log-out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug. I repeat, this is not a bug--it is a feature of Sword Art Online.”
I could hear another pack of voices in shock, the word “feature” sticking with them. Admittedly, the word stuck with me too. I could feel the tension from Ghost’s paw. Even he was stuck on that sentence. Kayaba continued to ‘woo’ the crowd further.
“From this point onward, you will be able to freely log out of the game until the summit of this castle is conquered.”
I could hear Ghost now. “Does… does he mean--”
“Furthermore, the NerveGear cannot be removed or shut down via external means. If forceful means of exit are attempted…”
He had paused. Everyone was silent, awaiting the next set of words to come out of his robe. To be honest, I didn’t want to hear the next statement, but his final nail in the coffin came with a hard strike as his words echoed through the town.
“…the high-powered microwaves emitted by the NerveGear will scramble your brain and shut down your vital processes.”
The crowd had stayed silent after the final word of his statement. Not a breath to be exhaled, nor a sound from our open mouths. We were all effectively in shock. The man’s words had echoed softly in my mind. ‘Scramble our brains…’ ‘Shut down our vital processes…’ Vital. I slowly put two and two together. Tears started to well in my eyes, blurring the robe floating in the sky.
He may have been crazy, but he wasn’t wrong. No, he was dead on. The NerveGear’s transmitters that were riddled throughout the device could emit electromagnetic waves that would send false sensations through the brain cells. We were also told this by my father who had personally looked and read about the device himself. If enough power were to be overloaded into the transmitters, they would effectively nuke the brain from the inside out, like a microwave oven. The vibrations cause the cells to heat up using friction and the moisture from the cells would dry up.
How is this possible? Well, with the massive battery in the back of the Gear, composing of a third of the total weight, this theory could turn into reality. Although, there was one question that popped into my mind. “What happens if a black out occurs?” A simple question, but apparently Akihiko had an answer as he started to speak once more.
“To be more specific, the brain-frying sequence will commence upon any of the following circumstances: ten minutes of no external power; two hours of network disconnection; removal, dismantling, or destruction of the NerveGear. The authorities and media outlets in the outside world have already announced the details of these conditions to the general public. At present, the friends and family of several players have already ignored these warnings and attempted to forcefully remove their NerveGears, the result being…”
I could hear an audible breath from the robe. It sounded like it was going through a sound filter with the metallic sound ringing in my ears. I didn’t want to hear the next part of the speech, but he continued anyways.
“…that sadly, two hundred and thirteen players have already been permanently retired from both Aincrad and the real world.”
A loud inhale sounded from my muzzle. Instinctively Ghost held me tight as I sobbed uncontrollably. My digital tears were soaking the short fur of my boyfriend and they wouldn’t stop. Two hundred and thirteen. Two hundred and thirteen innocent gamers, gone. Without a word. Without any goodbyes, farewells. Their families sobbing over their bed. I couldn’t handle it.
Inside I already knew he was telling the truth. There was no reason for the creator and the mastermind behind the Gear and the game to lie to the ten thousand of us, no matter how ridiculous the claims were. But there was the part of me that didn’t want to believe him. Not for a second. I couldn’t. This had to be a joke. Something to get the players riled up for the release of the game.
Kayaba continued his announcement to us, my ears already feeling like they’ve had enough.
“There is no need to worry about your physical bodies back in the real world. The current state of the game and today’s facilities have been covered far and wide on television, radio, and the Internet. The danger that someone will forcefully remove your NerveGear is already much diminished. The two-hour offline leeway period should provide enough time for your physical bodies to be transported to hospitals and other long-term care facilities with proper security, eliminating concerns over your physical well-being. You may rest assured… and focus on conquering the game.”
I could feel Ghost’s chest tighten up and a fist had formed where his paw was. “So he just wants us to run like guinea pigs through this… death game? And he expects us to just be cool and go with it?!” His voice transformed into a scream. I could hear a couple other people have the same reaction, but the rest of the crowd had stayed their tongues. They didn’t dare to speak.
“However,” the speech continued, “please proceed with caution. As of this moment, Sword Art Online is no longer a game to you. It is another reality. The standard means of player resurrection will no longer function as they did previously. When your health points dwindle to zero, your avatar will be permanently be deleted, and the NerveGear will destroy your brain.”
That was it. The rules had been set. If any player’s HP would drop to nothing… he or she would pay the ultimate price… for playing a
video game. I wanted to scream as loud as I could with pure terror, but all I could hear was the pure silence. Nothing more. No one could believe it.
When everything was on the line, why would anyone want to go out now?
“There is one condition through which you can be freed from this game…”
I looked to see the empty robe, waiting for his challenge to the players.
“…Simply reach the one hundredth floor at the pinnacle of Aincrad and defeat the final boss who awaits you there. In that instant, all surviving players will be able to safely log out one again.”
“What…” I audibly say. “That’s… that’s not possible…” My fist clenched and my words turned into a scream towards the crimson robe. “Even the beta testers couldn’t get past the tenth floor! How do you expect us to conquer this whole damned castle!!”
Then it hit me. My own words had become a chilling whisper now.
“What about my dad, who may as well be sitting beside me crying his eyes out at this very moment, huh? What about him? We’ve already lost our mom, and he could barely deal with that. Now you want to take me too?” My eyes were then gloomily cast towards the paved stone of the square. The knees that had supported the weight of my avatar shivered. “You’re a monster, Kayaba.”
There was no way to reach him. The only family member that I had and loved was on the other side of this digital wall created by Akihiko, and unless we beat the castle, I couldn’t ever see him again. The stakes couldn’t have been higher.
“Finally, let me prove to you that this world is now your one and only reality. I’ve prepared a gift for all of you. You may find it in your item storage.”
Instinctively, we all had opened up our menus to the storage of our avatar. Inside was an item that wasn’t there before. It was labeled ‘HAND MIRROR.’ You know what they said about curiosity… With a couple of presses of the UI, the mirror had materialized in my paw and I saw the reflection of my teary eyed self in the red, shoulder-less tunic. I wiped my eyes and stared at myself. Why would he give us a--
I then saw what must have been a billion bright auras surrounding each player who had opened up Kayaba’s “gift.” The same aura suddenly consumed me too as I fear the worst. I close my eyes until everything seemed like it was over.
“Lucky…” Ghost called out in a frightened tone. “Look…”
I opened my eyes slowly, apprehensive as to what I may find. Once they finally fully opened I take a look around the square. Everyone’s appearance changed. At first I was confused. Why would everyone’s appearance change all of a sudden? I looked closely back at my reflection. It was the same... why?
“I got it.” Ghost realized with a snap of his fingers. “Thanks to the NerveGear, everyone is now their real selves thanks to the facial scan built into it. The reason we didn't change is because of the pet recognition system. There isn't really much varitiy for pets, so why not just let them be
them? Plus with the calibration settings that occur when someone sets up the Gear at their initial start of using the device, you know, when it had you touch your body in the different spots. That’s how it gets a person’s height and weight.”
He looked onward towards the robe. “So this is it. This world, this
game is our new reality. Kayaba said it himself, right? This was his way of showing it. By replicating our bodies flawlessly inside the game, he forced us to see this fact: he’s not bluffing. This is
real.”
I too looked up at the hooded shadow. I clenched my fists as another tear hit the pavement. My rage wanted to billow out of me, curses in all, towards the so called “god” floating above us. Inside the depths of my mind there was a part of me that didn’t want to believe any of his words. I didn’t want it to be real. It couldn’t be real. But yet, every bit of detail that was mentioned had all the facts, all the information to back his claims up. There was no point in denying the facts, he held all the cards in this situation. There was one other thing he had failed to mention, why? Why would he do this?
“You are likely asking yourselves, why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of SAO and the NerveGear do such a thing? Is it an act of terrorism? An elaborate kidnapping to extract ransom money?”
He had impeccable timing, I’d give him that. All of these questions had now run through my perfectly intact brain at one point or another. But Kayaba continued, oddly enough, there seemed to be a hint of awe in his emotionless voice, like he longed for this moment.
“What I seek is neither of these things. I have no goals or justifications at this moment. In fact, this very situation
was my ultimate goal. I created the NerveGear and SAO precisely in order to build this world and observe it. I have now achieved that aim.”
Kayaba then switched back into his monotone voice.
“This concludes the tutorial phase of Sword Art Online. I wish you the best of luck, dear players.”
With an ear-piercing digitized screech, the robe liquidized in a flurry of pixels as it descended just above the crowd. The red liquid was quickly sucked back into the warning signs above, leaving nothing but the messages that floated just below the very bottom of the second floor. Just like the flick of a switch, the red light had disappeared too, the amber hue of the sun casting its light once again upon the sound less crowd. I could hear the music of the NPCs that inhabited the game, the original life of the RPG seeming to reset with the environment.
The game had begun anew. The new rules that confined our stay looming over our heads.
In the matter of seconds the square had essentially erupted with the less than ten thousand voices, all confused and afraid, just as I was. Suddenly, an orange message popped up for me and Ghost, who were surprisingly calm given the situation that was now laid in front of us. Nearly simultaneously, we both open to the text. It was Guren.
Get to the West Gate. Fast. Grab as many potions as necessary. We’re going to need them now more than ever. -G
I closed out the message and turned towards the Terrier. “We got to get out of here. It’s going to become really hectic really quick if we don’t move.”
“Right.” My Boyfriend agreed. He turned towards the Calico and the Mutt who were still standing where they were when the speech began. It was as if they were made of stone. I quickly crouch down in front Flare, is eyes wide as if he was in a trance. I waved my paw in front of the feline.
“Flare?” I called out, his shoulders now covered by my paws. There was no response. I start by shaking his entire body, wiggling him back and forth before attempting to knock some sense into him. “Flare?” I repeated. Again, nothing. I start to get irritated. A sniffle sounds from my nose. My eyes were still glossy from before making it difficult to make out his face at moments. With a quick swipe I smacked the feline’s muzzle. “FLARE!” That did the trick. He stared at me with a somber look in his eye. I flashed the same look. I couldn’t do anything to help him in my current mental state, let alone his. I could only offer a kind of sanctuary.
The crowd started pushing and shoving, making my head turn to a couple places in the crowd. This was getting worse. My eyes met with the cats.
“We have to get out of here. Now.” I turn to Alanna as well. She had this sense of composure that caught my eye. She seemed so strong. But, now was not the time to get star-struck. “Our group is going to meet at the Western Gate. While we’re running, be sure to stop at any stand that sells health potions and get as many as you can carry, okay?”
They nodded their heads.
“Alright,” I quickly drew a breath. Relaxing my mind slightly, “Let’s get out of here, fast.”
With a bolt we all took off towards the exit of the town. Eventually the crowd died down to a rumble of sound, the further we got away, the quieter it became. We passed by countless houses and weapon merchants, the streets of the town almost desolate if the NPCs weren’t taken into account. I looked down the different alleyways of the main pathway instinctively, my curiosity seeming to spike in that direction. It was then that I spotted two players, a tall, handsome looking man near the main avenue and a dark haired teenager standing in front of him. The eyes of the black haired kid had connected with mine for a split second, but I could tell we knew each other. His eyes told it all. He was a beta tester too.
“Potion stall!!” Ghost shouted.
“I see it!” I called out as my head shot forward, spotting the brewing keg inside the stall in front of us. “Get as many potions as you can. If you need me to spot anything, tell me!”
“That goes for me too.” The Terrier included.
We all stopped in front of the stand, one by one buying out the potions the shop keeper had. I had bought fifteen, Ghost twenty, and Flare and Alanna had bought five collectively. That wasn’t good enough. We hastily traded our items so that everyone had at most eight potions and left the area. In all it took a solid two minutes to sort everything out, but it was time well spent. The two now knew how to trade and barter, two key components in this game.
It wasn’t long before we had reached the West Gate, five figures now standing in front of us. In total, our group now had nine players, the new additions being Freyalise and Vlain as well as Flare and Alanna. We could start a guild if we wanted to.
“Glad you guys could make it.” Guren uttered. He was still feeling the effects of Kayaba’s speech. I couldn’t blame him.
“We stocked up on potions and we’re ready when you are.” I tried to say positively, my half smile putting a minute grin on the Manx’s muzzle.
“Good. I would like a word with everyone before we leave.”
Everyone faced our leader with the utmost attention. I heard an audible breath emanating from the pet.
“We all know what just went down back there. I don’t think that needs any explanation.”
He paused. By a glance he had looked as if he had seen a ghost, but with what was mentioned before, it came as no surprise.
“From this point on, every single pet and human trapped inside this game share one ultimate goal. To reach the top of the castle. With this in mind, we’re going to have to be more cautious as we progress through the game. The stakes are higher than ever and we’re going to have to keep on raising the pot if we’re going to actually win. We simply have no choice.”
The Manx crossed his arms. He looked composed, even in this sticky situation.
“It’s up to us as players, and to some of us alpha testers, to see this game through to the end. Vivy, Flash, Ghost, and Lucky, I know that your knowledge of the game is as good as mine, maybe even better, but I have to express a word of caution to your lot especially. Do not get overzealous. Ever. Your knowledge could be advantageous on the battlefield, but if your start to become cocky and arrogant, then you’re just subjecting yourself to your own demise. Plain and simple. I don’t…”
He suddenly stopped, choking on his words. Vivy had walked up next to him, placing a paw on his shoulder. He shakily continued.
“I don’t want you to die. I won’t let that happen. I refuse to. We
will beat this thing. We
will make it to the Ruby Palace. I don’t care how long it takes. This game is ours." He paused and smiled. "We will be known as the Knights of Argus, the remnants of the great video game company that still lives on through us, and we will see this through to the end.”
A round of claps had filled the air, replacing the noise that was still enveloped in the town square. That was definitely a catchy name, it had a sort of ring to it. Guren continued, his map pulled up on the menu.
“Here’s the plan. We’re going to skip right past this area and head to the next town. The fields of this area will be pretty much picked clean soon enough, so there’ll be no point in sticking around. I’ll guide you lot through the safer sections of the route so that we won’t be interrupted by any hostiles on the way over. Vivy and I will take point. Ghost and Lucky, you’ll cover our behinds. Shadow, you’re going to stick to the middle. Everyone else will stick in between us and Lucky. Any questions?”
The group remained silent.
“Good. Let’s get going then.”
It was at that moment that the game of death had officially begun. But I wouldn’t let this stupid world win. Not by a longshot. My goal was short and simple, and with the help of the party and Ghost I knew that I could see this through to the very end. This goal is just instinct: survive.
And so it begins. My heavy heart will carry onward.
TO BE CONTINUED
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