[Other FULL] «Sword Art Online: Sanctuary» [IC][T]

[Colony]

\\Nirvana/Nightmare - Col 1800//
\\Level 11 - Health 100% -> 82%//
\\Floor One Dungeon//​

Nightmare scanned the area for any sign of his teleportation crystal, but just as he managed to locate it that Phoenix girl grabbed. Not long after her grabbing of the crystal she used some crazy Sword Art that sent a row of fire in a, ironically, completely wrong direction of Nightmare. He struggled to not laugh at the apparent failure, but then again it was just another example of why going into <Hiding> was a good idea.

Turnip was being his usual self, interfering and what not. It was Turnip that caused problems the night before, it was also him who threw that weapon at Nightmare that made him drop his teleportation crystal. Nightmare knew that he would personally have to kill this vegetable, but he knew now was not the time or place. He watched on as Turnip tried to rally his forces, but it seemed that only one of them had <Detection> and Turnip was foolish enough to make that public knowledge. Now Nightmare only had one person to deal with before everyone of these victims-to-be would be scrambling for their life. That person was the weakest and easiest to bait as well. The target was Robin.

As if on que to Turnip's rally Robin charged at Nightmare while yelling out his Sword Art. As close as the attack was Nightmare struggled at dodging it, and instead opted to step into the attack to position himself better. By throwing his shoulder into the attack he was able to position himself for a strategic maneuver, one that would hopefully reinstate him as the person with power in this situation. A small distraction became obvious a few yards away from him as another player, who had not been a part of the initial scuffle was dashing around with two daggers in what appeared to be a Sword Art. Once again the attacks seemed to be uncoordinated and blind. Upon further inspection the player appeared to be a girl, and not just any girl; she was a cosplayer. Nightmare decided right then and there that he would do his best to avoid her, but that wasn't important at the moment. Nightmare refocused on Robin. Now that the attack had connected he had only a second or two to make his move. Nightmare had to make this move count, since Robin's attack took his health down by 18% and dissipated his <Hiding>. He made a quick movement to slide past Robin all while trying to wrap his arm around Robin's neck. With any luck he would catch Robin off guard and have a hostage.​

 

[«Chuckles»]

As Rin continued running down the grassy plains of <<floor 1>> he got ready to attack the pack of <<wolves>> he began his Sword Art.

"Flaming Spirit!" Rin yelled before attacking one of the <<wolves>> with all of his might.

"Hey this sword is good I can really feel how much energy I am putting into this, plus it is easy to use I think I made good use of my money back there." Rin said as he struck the blade through the back of the <<wolf>>.

"Now who is next?" Rin said gripping his sword looking at the snarling <<wolves>> getting ready to attack him. Rin then ran at the one on the left jumping over it and throwing <<Kotetsy>> through it's chest.

"Haha this is good, now it seem's I have you left!" Rin muttered whilst grabbing the blade off the ground.

Rin then began to run straight for the <<wolf>> but at a sudden turn of events that were not in any case cliche the <<wolf>> jumped over Rin and with his back wide open the <<wolf>> attacked...

 

[Satan.EXE]

«火の鳥»
The Adorable Katana Warrior

---

Dungeon > Town of Beginnings

x

CHAPTER I,
Part IV:

---

"Recovery"

.

"Hey, do you mind letting up on the fire waves a little? The effort to catch this guy's all well and good, but you don't see me Pulse Edging your hair off." After, yet again, everyone intervened, Phoenix felt mentally sick of people. She could do so much without these numbskulls getting involved! And why was everyone taking this so seriously? To her it seemed like she was simply surrounded by morality police and vigilantes. She was supposed to be the hero; she was the hero! Why does no one recognize her!? The concealed one landed nearby and whispered to her, "You're the phoenix with the hacks from before, right? I don't usually approve of hacking, but…"

She turned to the guy with a scoff and a glare, bashing the guy over the head (or helmet) with her blade's hilt. "How dare you!!" She looked irritated, adding, "Of course I'm the Phoenix, and I've never hacked a game in my life! I got as good as I am by being awesome, and don't you ever think otherwise!" After everything went down (during her rant), the guy in hiding reappeared and pretty much locked Robin into place as a hostage. Phoenix let out a heavy sigh. "If all you crazy people weren't intervening, I could handle this so much easier!" The realization came to he slowly. "Actually, on that thought..." She snapped her left fingers, and the keyboard menu popped up before her. She typed in something quickly, and hit enter, closing the menu. The crystal began glowing brightly, and she sheathed her blade, focusing on the crystal instead. "Hey, catch!" She tossed the crystal at/to the PKer, and whether or not he caught it, he was immediately gone, as if he had used it. In fact, Phoenix disappeared at that same moment.

---

Phoenix and the PKer reappeared in the Town of Beginnings. Moreover, a secluded alley in the Town of Beginnings. "Look dude, this is a lot of fuss over a jacket and a sword. I just saved your but from a dogpile, mainly because the crowd gave me a headache, if that's even possible." She crossed her arms over her chest, the look of fury and agitation faded to show a relaxed smile and a slightly mischievous eye shine. She almost looked like a different person with just the change of expression, turning from a fierce warrior to a laid-back, young and pretty Japanese girl. "We're in town, so I can't and won't kill you, and I know you can't kill me. Let's settle this much easier." She lifted her left hand and flicked open her menu, and initiated a trade with the PKer. She inputed her offer before speaking up, "One hundred thousand Col, for the box loot. That sword and cloak belong to the girl back there who beat the boss, and I'd like to see it returned to her, one way or another." After the PKer explained to her that the sword was not part of the box, she sighed. "Alright, fifty thousand Col for just the cloak, and my saving your butt from a dogpile. Maybe more if you have something else to offer. It is a trade after all."

She grinned, a prideful smile on her face as she added, "Not everyone gets to trade with the Phoenix, after all. You should be honored for the opportunity!" She smiled and sighed somewhat self-amusedly. "And since you're a PKer, you've got to have something interesting to trade, that's almost a rule."

​

 

[Sapphire Rose]

Lucina
Player level 15
Floor 2: Urbus town.​

Lucina saw how the other players were trying to get a hold on Nirvana. She wanted to butt in but thought that it would get too crowdy there if she did. She saw that Godot was also keeping himself out of this fight and slowly approached him. "I'm going to the second floor. If you need me then you can find me in the town's inn." Lucina stood next to him as she said this and took a short glance at what was happening. Nirvana was attempting to keep Robin as his hostage but Lucina was kind of sure that Nirvana's plan was going to fail. "See ya." Lucina waved before taking her leave and walking towards the teleport. "Let's see where I will end up." Lucina whispered before entering the teleport.

When Lucina opened her eyes she was in the middle of a town. This floor looked way different than the last one and had sorrowful background music. This somehow remind her of cities in western movies. Lucina opened the map and soon found out that this floor was called "Urbus" and that this city was called "Urbus" as well. "Damn it's hot here..." Lucina said as she had troubles with the warmth because of her hood. She walked to someplace quiet and trew her hood off, putting the whole cloak back in her inventory after a while. "Let's find out what kind of stores there are here." Lucina walked off towards the main street. As Lucina was being stared at by many male players, another player noticed her too...

"Isn't that...?" A large man with a scarred eye hid behind a wall and watched her. He was bald and looked like some member from a maffia. He kept watching Lucina until she would finally turn around to answer some girl. "It really is her..." The man started smirking and narrowed his eyes to get a better look at her. "She has become quite a beauty... too bad I have to finish something that I begun years ago." The man snickered and walked off while clenching his fist in front of his face. "Patricia Eier... You're gonna pay for what you did to my 'ol buddies." He said laughing.

Lucina looked around as she felt like something was going to happen soon. What was this mysterious feeling? It's as if she was being watched. Lucina shrugged and walked towards a building with the words "Inn" on it. She entered and walked towards the desk with a NPC behind it. "Can I have one room please?" She asked the NPC woman. "Yes, that will be 50 col per night please." The woman handed Lucina a key after she had paid. "There are bathrooms here so feel free to use them. I'd recommend locking the door though." The woman smiled at Lucina as she went upstairs.

This inn was rather large compared to the inn's on the first floor. She searched for a room with her number and entered it. The room looked cozy but everything her kept reminding here of western movies. "Hmm... maybe I'll take a bath..." Lucina whispered to herself and prepared some stuff for one.

​

 

[Colony]

\\Nirvana/Nightmare - Col 1800//
\\Level 11 - Health 82%//
\\Town of Beginnings//​

Nightmare wasn't quite sure what had happened, only that the Phoenix girl said "Hey, catch!" and then he was in the <Town of Beginnings>. Upon second glance he realized that she was there as well. She went on to explain that she was the reason they had been teleported. It was still a bit confusing for Nightmare, though he was slightly grateful for her intervention, since he was running out of viable options back there. As the young girl relaxed her stance she brought up her previous goal; a trade for the box loot. And just as Nightmare intended it was for a very steep amount, but what caught him by surprise is that she was the one who had come up the figure herself. The only problem was that she had assumed his new sword was included in the deal.

"This sword," he looked down at <Fiersome>. "Is not a part of the deal. While it is true that this cloak came from the box, the weapon did not. No, it was that Saito person's."

His mention of the sword not being included didn't even faze her. She readjusted the price of the bounty, though it was still enough to make almost anybody drool: 50,000 Col to be exact. It didn't stop there, though she continued to add an extra stipulation. If Nightmare could add more value to the trade then she would raise the price, though by how much he was unsure of. He figured it would be relative to what he could ante, but only two items were on his person that worth money his swords and his information, and both of his swords were off limits. That only left him with information, but this information was something on a scale that most weren't equipped to deal with.

"I'm not exactly sure if this is what you're thinking of when you mean something interesting to trade, but here," Nightmare opened his inbox and forwarded the anonymous message asking to kill Saito. "I'm not exactly sure how someone can hide the identity of a message's sender, but I had just gotten to the boss room when it was sent to me, which probably meant they were there and close enough to see me. I don't know why they wanted me to kill Saito, and to be honest I don't really care, but someone obviously wanted him dead. Make of it what you will."​

 

[Turnip]

Turnip
HP 100% | LV. 13 | XP 88% | Col 563
Location - Floor 1: Dungeons​

"How dare you!!" The phoenix girl cried, slamming the hilt of her sword into the back of Turnip's helmet. Turnip turned back and gave a harsh glare, but retained enough willpower to refrain from Draw Steel-ing the girl in the face.

"Of course I'm the Phoenix," She continued, "and I've never hacked a game in my life! I got as good as I am by being awesome, and don't you ever think otherwise! If all you crazy people weren't intervening, I could handle this so much easier!"

Never hacked a game? What 'life'? Turnip mused, Who the hell does this crazy little woman think she is? Even Yxunomei wasn't this arrogant. And apparently we're intervening? She has less reason to be here than anyone else, for Christ's sake.

And with all the measured reasoning Turnip could have put to use, he instead decided to go with the snide response. He smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah? Fight me IRL, biatch."

But yeah, supposedly she was called Phoenix. So that was what all of those characters meant. At a glance, Turnip noticed she had brought up a keyboard with her fingers, and was typing away.

Great – definitely not cheating, just 'being awesome', because using the in-game console is entirely legitimate.

It wasn't a thought he really had time to dwell on, though. Nirvana had reappeared from hiding, attempting to catch Robin off-guard. From the stance, it looked like he was going to go for some kind of hostage manoeuvre – that meant there was only one real option: act quickly and attack quickly, don't give the captor time to get settled. He threw Boomeraxe in a curve round to Nirvana's neck, hoping Robin would be able to handle himself enough to stay out of its path. A hit from the axe wouldn't exactly one-shot the guy, anyway, but it stood the chance of giving them all the upper hand if everything went to plan.

As perhaps expected, not everything went to plan.

Phoenix, from the looks of things, had thrown something too. The teleport crystal sailed over towards Nirvana, and the PKer disappeared. Strangely enough, Phoenix had gone, too – it occurred to Turnip to think that she was perhaps in league with Nirvana, but he doubted it. It was likely the two didn't know each other, but whatever Phoenix was doing, Turnip didn't like it. It was sinister, and he'd rather not consort with murderers. Just kill them, loot them and be done with it, before they kill again. He was all for morality, but unfortunately there was hardly a jail system in SAO.

Boomeraxe sailed harmlessly around Robin and returned to Turnip's hand. He caught it, twirling it in his hand once before depositing the weapon on his belt once more. Godot hadn't answered his call, and had left, from the looks of things. That left Kagome and Robin around, in the aftermath of the standoff with Nirvana.

Turnip sighed heavily, "Argh, that was really pissy. That Phoenix turned out to be one hell of a little cow. Almost as bad as that Braith kid in Skyrim." He turned to the two warriors with him and shrugged, "I'm honestly not sure what to do right now. I doubt those two are just going to pop back. I suppose floor two's open now, so it might be a good idea for us to go up there – of course, I'm just guessing that you don't consider me a sinister murderous bastard anymore."

 

[Geras]

Rikuto Yuuto Sato / Ryuusa Lvl.07
Floor 1: Dungeon => Floor 2

​

In store: No one

Refusing to acknowledge the commotion surrounding the wearer of the Luna cape, Rikuto instead looked at Princess, still on the floor struggling to react to the people around her. No matter how strong she was in this game, she was still just a little girl. He walked over to her and motioned to his employees to give him some space, after which he lowered himself and hugged her. For the duration of his embrace, his company was silent, watching the scene before them. "Princess, you're part of the company. That means that you're free to come to the company vacation tomorrow, and I'll let you invite whoever you want." Gasps of surprise and excitement came from his employees. Rikuto continued, his words now directed at the whole company. "That goes for everyone else, too! It's not mandatory or anything, but I'd like it if you could all make it. It'll be a celebration of the first floor being cleared just as much as it'll be a christmas party!" He was answered with cheers from the four people that comprised his entire workforce.

"For the boss to be so generous and kind to even a newcomer such as I, he must have a heart the size of Illfang!"

"Really boss? Man, this is great. First a promotion and now this? I definitely signed up with the right guy! You're the best, boss!"

"A vacation? That sounds wonderful! B-but we aren't going to the beach or anything, are we? I don't want to have to wear a bathing suit…"

"Speaking of, where exactly do you plan on taking us?"

Rikuto thought about Xenith's question for a moment. "Well, the funnest place on the second floor, I suppose. I have no idea what's up there, so I've gotta get to work finding out!" His grin was met with blank looks from Kouki and SilverMist, a facepalm from Xenith, and a fist raised in cheer from Calmann. He laughed and stood up before facing Zeus and Poseidon. "She doesn't need to go if she doesn't want to, and neither do you, but I think some fun and friends would be good for her." He then turned back to his company and said, "I'll send you guys a message with a time and place tomorrow, but for now I've got work to do. See you all tomorrow!" With that, Rikuto stepped onto the teleport and ascended to the second floor.

---

The first thing Rikuto noticed upon his arrival to the second floor was the dry air and the arid surroundings. It reminded him of how the American southwest was depicted in old movies, an image of a man named Clint Eastwood popping into his head. That image brought back other memories, ones of his days in college. Days before he was a company dog at the telecommunications company so that his family could live comfortably, before he had been trapped in a videogame by its insane creator, fighting for his life; back when things were simple. "Kurinto...Isuto...Uddo." He vocalized, remembering the way his best friend constantly failed to pronounce the name without that heavy accent. His mind went to the time the three of them spent in his room watching those movies among various others for no other reason than that they were bored; him, Keima, and Mizuki.

Rikuto shook his head in an attempt to return his mind to the present, but he was unable to completely escape it. As he continued walking along the main road through what he presumed was this floor's major city, his mind wandered to the ones who got him and everyone else there. People like The Flaming Blade, Godot, Shiren, and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, Nirvana, who risked their lives every day in this endeavor, oftentimes recklessly and sometimes at a cost. It brought a quote from one of those westerns to mind: "Dyin' ain't much of a livin'."
​

 

[ShinyDiamond]

Robin - Lvl 11
Floor 1: Boss Room~Floor 2: Urbus
EXP: 38

​

Just as Robin predicted. He was able to locate & hit Nightmare, however, he adapted to the attack & only got sliced in the shoulder. He soon slid right around Robin & lock his arm around his neck. This caught Robin off-guard, fortunately, he was trained for this.

ShinyDiamond: You think you have won. You think all is well, but kiss my green a**. I shall see you in h***! xD Sorry, but I really couldn't help myself! Apologies.

Thanks to all that training in the dojo, the one in the real world, Robin has a few ways to escape Nightmare's grappling. As he adjusts his swordhand to hold in reverse, to his dismay, Nightmare disappears. So does Shiren. That's just great. That blue light that zipped by was a blue crystal that Shiren threw. Robin stabs the ground with his sword in aggression for not getting Kagome's reward back. There's nothing he can do now.

Robin regroups with what's left of the people, Turnip & Kagome. Godot & Lucina were nowhere to be seen. They must've gone on into the 2nd floor. Robin rubs above his nose & thinks. "We'll get your reward box, but not today apparently," he explains to Kagome. "This marks the end of the party, as Illfang was slain. Turnip," Robin stares at Turnip's mask for a moment, "try not to get into any trouble," he leaves it at that & turns toward the 2nd floor. A lot has happened today, Robin needs time to think.

As he heads towards the teleport gate that leads to the 2nd floor, Robin wonders where Nightmare & Shiren could be. He has no idea where they were teleported to, nor does Robin have any clue of there whereabouts. If Robin had accepted Shiren's friend request yesterday, he could track her down, but he didn't. What's done is done of course, let's leave it at that. As he steps into the gate, Robin closes his eyes & later opens them, looking at a whole new floor.

~

This town looks a lot different from Starting City. The place had a mountain view, grassy plains everywhere. This could be a good place for anyone to train, but now was the time to rest & recollect. Robin cloaks half his face with his hood & looks around, searching for an inn. There was one standing on main street, perfect for Robin. He decides to rest inside & heads towards the inn, hoping for some piece & quiet.

"I need to meditate..."

 

[Sapphire Rose]

Lucina
Player level 15
Floor 2: Urbus town.​

Lucina readied herself for a bath and took all the stuff that she needed for one. "Time to relax..." She whispered to herself as she held all the stuff in her hands and left her room with a small smile across her lips.

Once she got on the hallways, she noticed that there were only a few bathrooms. "I'll take this one..." Lucina opened one of the doors and found a room with a bath inside. She closed the door behind her but forgot to lock it like the NPC woman had told her to. She searched in her settings for a certain code that she could turn off and started undressing herself by putting her armors back in her inventory.

After a while she was finally relaxing in her long wanted bath with her back towards the door.


​

 

[ShinyDiamond]

Robin - Lvl 11
Floor 2: Urbus Town Inn
EXP: 38

​

As Robin enters the inn, which was easily located, he recounts the times he's been in the 1st floor inn. This inn was so much different than the one he regularly stayed in. There was one problem though: It was too spacious. With enough room in here, there's bound to be a ton of players staying here. There might even be sme possible trouble. Robin didn't have time to check the rest of the floor, unfortunately. He's fought hard today, so a little rest is needed.

"One room please," he asks the NPC behind the desk. The NPC informs Robin if the cost, 50 col. Rather cheap, but convenient nonetheless. She also mentions that bathrooms are also available. Are restrooms really necessary in this game? Robin wonders but disposes the thought. He pays the NPC 50 col & gets his room. "I do wonder what it's like to take a bath here." Robin tries to resist the urge, but it gets the best of him.

Once he finds his room, while taking off his hood, he opens his inventory & puts away his sword, then heads towards the restrooms. He decides to take the one nearby, for no reason. When he opens the door, this next part he's never done in his life before, he get a poker face.

There was a long silence as neither Robin, nor Lucina, yes Lucina, stared at each other. Robin is the first to break the silence. "What the hell!!!" Whatever Lucina did afterward, Robin shuts the door & puts his bac against the wall nearby, sliding down & sitting. He places his index finger & thumb between his forehead & nose, grunting & blushing. "There is no way I will be able to unsee that...!"

No details will be juiced out, but it was a scene that will be censored to everyone everywhere.

 

[machomuu]

Kagome
Lv. 15||Floor 1​

Phoenix and the PK were gone, Phoenix having aided in the PK's escape. She seemed frustrated that the others were getting in the way, and she was probably going to settle the matter on her own. Kagome didn't feel good about this, and instantly took out a transportation crystal of her own to follow suit. Turnip seemed to be venting about Phoenix, which was hardly surprising considering her attitude, words, and actions. Both of the warriors who were still with her were angry that the PK escaped.

"I...thank you guys, for all that you've done. Regardless of whether you had me in mind when you acted or not, I couldn't have asked for better teammates," she said. Kagome sent out a friend request to Turnip, Robin, and Lucina. Robin said his goodbyes, assuring her that they would retrieve the box, and she smiled at that. She then turned to Turnip and said, "well, regardless of whether Robin trusts you or not, I sure do...and I'm pretty sure Godot does, too." She inspected his mask a few times and said, "One of these days, I want to see you without the helmet. Somehow." She then stepped back a bit, smiled and waved, using her crystal and returning to the Town of Beginnings.

Once she arrived, she immediately looked for Phoenix and the PK. She didn't waste anytime looking around the common grounds for them; no, considering the amount of attention that the PK had garnered, they were no doubt out of open sight. Instead, Kagome took to the alleyways, as if he wasn't in one of those, they could have been anywhere. She didn't have to search particularly far to find the two, and once she had, she hid behind wall that made up the outside of the alleyway and listened in, wondering how she should go about making an entrance. This wasn't just for the sake of Nirvana, but also for the Phoenix. She started to wonder about the girl, it truly was the same person who became a Phoenix...though she seemed different. Very different. Phoenix was just a nickname Kagome gave to her, but it appeared that the girl even referred to herself as Phoenix. Though, if she was the same girl as before, her name should have been Shiren. She was Godot's dead friend...well, dead up until a couple of hours ago. She wasn't exactly sure how to address her- not in name; rather, as a person. She seemed to have something of an attitude and, from the little that she knew of Godot's short exchange with her, she certainly didn't want to be treated like a child, nor did she act like one. Well, she did act like one in a few ways. From the way she talked, she seemed mature but contrarily she was more than appropriate for someone of her age.

"That sword and cloak belong to the girl back there who beat the boss, and..." That was all that she heard Phoenix say, and she felt something sharp in her head. I shouldn't be hearing this... she thought to herself, pushing herself off the wall and walking away. She didn't feel it right to listen in on the conversation, it didn't feel right. Instead, she would simply have to wait and see what would happen, but she was still curious as to why Nirvana killed Saito in the first place. The timing of his death, as well as the method, just didn't make any sense. She was far from convinced that Nirvana was an average PK, and he certainly wasn't some bloodthirsty killer as others often stereotype them as. No, there was more to him then he let off...but she would have to investigate some other day.

 

[Turnip]

Turnip
HP 100% | LV. 13 | XP 88% | Col 563
Location - Floor 1: Dungeons​

Thoughts of floor 2 raced in Turnip's mind – were there different monsters, different shops, different loot, different things in general? It could be anything up there. On the other hand, it could always just be one other floor of a hundred. Still, he'd have to give the floor a little scope out, hopefully find a good grinding spot before the day's end. Wait, what time was it anyway? He didn't have time to dwell on the question as Kagome started to speak.

"I... thank you guys, for all that you've done. Regardless of whether you had me in mind when you acted or not, I couldn't have asked for better teammates,"

The talking was accompanied by a notification; Kagome had sent him a friend request. His first, actually, in his time playing SAO. Turnip considered the offer – he didn't know how friend status would react to his partial NPC status, but it was probably best not to dwell on such things.

"Well, I'm going to regret this." He murmured with false-pessimism, poking the 'YES' that appeared before him.

Robin spoke, "This marks the end of the party, as Illfang was slain. Turnip," he stared at Turnip's visor for a moment, "try not to get into any trouble,"

So now Robin was leaving too. Probably for the second floor, as was most likely the norm. Turnip wasn't sure if 'the party' was ever truly in effect anyhow, since it was more-or-less just the group fighting near one another with vague co-operation, and as for Robin's advice, Turnip wasn't entirely sure that trouble would stay away from him. He chose not to elaborate on the subjects, though, and simply gave Robin a casual salute as he left.

"Oh, all right. See you, I guess."

And so, Robin walked away. Turnip wasn't really sure what to make of the guy – did Robin trust him, or not? Where did his allegiances lie? Turnip may cover his face, but it seemed to him that Robin came off as even more mysterious than he did.

Kagome was surprisingly on-topic with his train of thought, "Well, regardless of whether Robin trusts you or not, I sure do... and I'm pretty sure Godot does, too. One of these days, I want to see you without the helmet. Somehow."

The girl seemed a little too interested in his helmet for Turnip's comfort, and the suggestion that he would ever remove it was pretty much beyond him. That said; the notion that she – and hopefully Godot, also – trusted him was almost shockingly meaningful. Turnip noticed the teleport crystal in Kagome's hand as she began to smile and wave. So pretty much everyone was going somewhere, then – Turnip would be alone again, for now, although he supposed it would allow him to get back to power levelling.

"Thanks, Kagome, it means a lot." He told her quietly, "For the record, though, this helmet stays on."

The armoured figure gave a short wave as Kagome teleported away, then he turned and strode towards the stairs, into the great unknown. Solo again. He was surprised at how sad he was at the prospect – although, to be honest, any sort of emotional feeling in general was a surprise for the helmeted man. It wouldn't be outlandish to suppose that he'd meet up with some of the people he'd met again, anyway; Turnip suspected that pretty much everyone would be there when the second floor's boss room was discovered, and maybe he'd run into some other people even before then.

Stepping out onto floor 2, Turnip noticed from the general positioning of the artificial Sun that it was around evening time. He was pretty sure that SAO days were real-time, bloody hell, that day had gone quickly. The boss battle had taken a really long time, and even though it had still seemed like ages, Turnip wouldn't have guessed that it would have taken up such a large portion of the day.

Looking around, the buildings of Urbus stretched out a little while into the distance. Beyond that, a large tree seemed to dominate the horizon – Turnip was getting some Avatar and Icewind Dale vibes from that thing. What was it about just one, massive tree? All other trees were just regular, and just one of them turns out bloody colossal. Not two or three, just the one. Looking down, closer to him, the walls of Urbus' buildings formed into various pathways. Something caught his eye on the one closest, a small scribbling that he could barely make out.

"That looks like… 'Taka was here fi-', oh, that son of a…" Turnip smiled at the bard's antics. He knew no-one else who would bother to scrawl a 'first' message on the wall of a building with marker pen.

He supposed, since it was evening already and he was in a city, an inn would probably be his best bet. He knew now that SAO imposed bodily needs on its players, which still annoyed him, but it was best to just get the sleep over with and then get up early tomorrow to get some exploration in. As if on cue, Turnip also noticed that his belly began to cry out for sustenance.

"Dammit, stomach." He muttered, "I'd kill you, if you weren't me."

The armour-clad man honed in on the nearest inn, opening the door and hailing the NPC innkeeper. There seemed to be a distinct lack of players, but that was expected. If there were any, it was likely that they'd be upstairs, anyway – people generally didn't choose to sleep on the ground floor in the parlour, and it seemed that a lot of people tended to keep some food on their person.

"What food do you have- Oh, bacon in a bun! Three, please."

And so, Turnip found a wall between two tables, leaned against it, and began sliding the various components of bacon buns into the black void. He wondered if anyone of 'the group' was here, or if they'd come here soon. If so, they'd have the great experience of witnessing the black hole that was his method of eating.

 

[Satan.EXE]

«火の鳥»
The Adorable Katana Warrior

---

Town of Beginnings

x

CHAPTER I,
Part V:

---

"Recovery"

.

"I'm not exactly sure if this is what you're thinking of when you mean something interesting to trade, but here. I'm not exactly sure how someone can hide the identity of a message's sender, but I had just gotten to the boss room when it was sent to me, which probably meant they were there and close enough to see me. I don't know why they wanted me to kill Saito, and to be honest I don't really care, but someone obviously wanted him dead. Make of it what you will."

"Hmmm..." Phoenix examined the message, though she did so with a disinterested frown. "I'm not sure if I could really make anything of that..." She paused. "This has no worth to me... But everyone seemed really freaked out back there, so it must have at least some importance to someone else..." She contemplated. "I don't really want this, but I guess I could hold onto it..." She pressed a few keys, altering the trade from 50,000 to 55,000. She finished the transaction, and examined the cloak for her own curiousity's sake. She turned to leave, but stopped and faced the PKer once more. "A-and don't take that as anything but my generosity!" She turned and left him to do whatever he needed/wanted to do.

As she continued her quick-walking path through town, she realized that she was heading toward someone she'd actually been looking for. "Hey, lady," she started, tapping the woman on the shoulder in case her first grab at her attention wasn't enough. "You killed the boss, that means the cloak belongs to you." She opened her menu with a flick of her left index finger and generated the cloak into her right hand, holding it up to the woman while still cycling through her menu. "At first I thought I was getting it for myself, but I knew it was meant to be yours. Besides, I know a trick to make super-good 'armor' on my own, so the cloak would only be taking up an equipment slot for me." She smiled a bit and bowed to the woman very briefly after closing her menu. "Everyone calls me the Phoenix, because I fight with fire-based Sword Arts, and because I've beaten near-death encounters like it's nothing." She reopened her menu, examining her own stats briefly with a sigh. "Of course, I was max-level and had more skills than this, so I'm not sure what happened... It doesn't matter though, I guess the game just crashed or something, and reverted to a previous point in time... That's what makes the most sense anyways." Having returned the cloak, she turned and began a walk toward the exit of town, heading in the dungeon's direction. "I'm off to the second floor, see ya!" She waved at the woman behind her.

​

 

[<Challenger>]

Taka the Lovable Poet: Level 14 - 0 Exp - 3200 Col
Eating at an Eatery With Good Eats​

Taka sighed as he watched countless players enter the floor, including a few of his friends from the boss battle. There was Robin, Lucina, a businessy looking man he had seen in the back of the room, and even Turnip! He was tempted to intercept the armored-man, but he decided against it, butt would show bad form. After a while of watching people from the alleyway Pay no attention to the man in the corner wearing a shady cloack, he moved his hood off and let his blonde mane flow. The poet strode into the center of the plaza and scanned the buildings for a place that seemed to have good food. He chewed his lip in thought and stroked his chin. What am I in the mood for? Perhaps... "TERIYAKI!" He cried out, an extatic tone in his voice.

Taka ran over to the restaurant with the name of Teriyaki Tourney as fast as he could and did a somersault-leap into the first stool he found empty. He laughed excitedly. Teriyaki was his favorite food! Any kind! Anywhere! "Excuse me sir!" He beckoned to the nearest NPC. "I would like-" Several moments of a blank face later, he cried out. "I'll have whatever people say is the best." That was obviously the safest way to go. Even more moments later, the waiter brought him what seemed to be regular teriyaki...But it was better than regular teriyaki. It. Was. Heavenly.

 

[Sapphire Rose]

Lucina
Player level 15
Floor 2: Urbus town.​

Lucina closed her eyes for a second until she heard the door of the bathroom open and close. She turned her head a bit out of suprise and opened her eyes wide when she found Robin standing there in the opening. Both of them stared at each other while there was a silence. There went a lot of things through Lucina's head. She was asking herself why Robin was standing there in the opening and if she wasn't imagining things.

"What the hell!!" Robin broke the silence first as he shouted and immediately left the room. " KYAAA!!" Lucina couldn't help but scream as loud as she could and hide her female parts. After a few seconds she noticed that Robin was gone and tried to calm down while still having a red glow all over face. "He saw me naked... He saw me... Naked..." thinking about it didn't quite help her out and made her panic again. She locked the door of the bathroom and got out of bath to dress herself. "Did he see... It...?" She whispered to herself, referring to the large scar on her back. This was one of the things that Lucina found weird in this game. Your body seemed like it was copied from the one in the real world.

Lucina left the bathroom after a while and stood next to Robin without directly looking at him. He was sitting on the floor against the wall and seemed like he didn't rush inside the bathroom on purpose. "I'm sorry for forgetting to lock the door..." Lucina apologized after a long silence. She wasn't expecting Robin to apologize and closed her eyes to think.

​

 

[ShinyDiamond]

Robin - Lvl 11
Floor 2: Urbus Town Inn
EXP: 38

​

That image will not leave his mind, no matter how hard Robin tries. There was also something else in that image of Lucina. There was a scar on her back. How on Aincrad did she get that scar? She obviously got it from the real world at some point, so Robin shouldn't further question it.

Robin rubs between his nose, thinking hard as Lucina comes out of the bath. Robin hastily puts on his hood to hide his red face, at the same time avoiding eye contact with her. She apologizes for not closing the door, definitely her fault. "Yes, that was definitely your fault..." Robin didn't know what else to say besides that. This situation was awkward as it is, mostly for Robin.

Standing up but still avoiding eye contact with Lucina, Robin looks around trying to break the tension, "So that...scar," Robin is a bit curious. "I won't ask about it," but he beats his curiousity. If Lucina isn't comfortable talking about it, Robin won't question. What else was there to talk about then?

 

[machomuu]

Kagome
Lv. 15||Floor 1​

"Hey Lady."A chill ran down Kagome's spine as she felt something tap her on the back. Had she been found out? The voice that called out to her definitely belonged to Phoenix, but she didn't sound particularly mad...in fact, she was the most casual Kagome'd ever seen her. "You killed the boss, that means the cloak belongs to you." Kagome was taken aback by this. Even though she knew that the girl had intended to give it to her, she was still surprised that she actually would. After all, the girl only met her a couple hours ago and they hadn't spoken once. Not to forget that it is a boss item, of all things, and she wasn't obligated to give it to someone else. "At first I thought I was getting it for myself, but I knew it was meant to be yours. Besides, I know a trick to make super-good 'armor' on my own, so the cloak would only be taking up an equipment slot for me. Everyone calls me the Phoenix, because I fight with fire-based Sword Arts, and because I've beaten near-death encounters like it's nothing." Kagome received a notification saying that she received an item.

"Thanks...Phoenix." She felt weird calling her that, now that she knew that that was actually her name...or at least, that was what she was called. Though she raised an eyebrow at Phoenix's despondent mention of being max level, wondering exactly how that was possible, especially given how early in the game they were. She wouldn't have believed her, normally...but her brother was able to come back twice a day and her faux-brother used a fishing rod as a weapon, so she was pretty open to the ridiculous. It was food for thought.

Kagome was mostly speechless, the girl really was being incredibly generous. The more she thought about it, the more it boggled her mind. She could barely even let out her words of thanks. Maybe it wasn't kindness. No...rather, it seemed that Phoenix was acting out of chivalry more than anything else, but that hardly made it any less generous. She waved to the young phoenix as she departed. She equipped the cloak and said, "Well...I guess it's time to make a new Buster Sword."

 

[Turnip]

Turnip
HP 100% | LV. 13 | XP 88% | Col 518
Location - Floor 2: Urbus Town Inn​

Turnip glanced up at the ceiling as he heard muffled shouts and screams of shock on the floor above him. He paused his eating for around two seconds, then looked back down and resumed. There were other players here, then. In the short while after arriving at the inn, he'd noticed a slight influx in the amount of players arriving – looks like news had got out that floor two was open.

It occurred to Turnip that maybe he should check out what the commotion upstairs was, but it was a safe area, and he was feeling tired. So long as they were safe, they could rot in hell for all he cared, which is sort of contradictive. Still, there were times when Turnip would intervene, and times when he wouldn't. If there was to be any kind of problem, then there'd be a load more commotion later – commotion that would stop him from getting any rest, and so he would react to it on his own accord.

The armoured figure soon polished off the third and final bacon bun, happily filled for the day. He figured he should probably get the sleep in now, so he could get up earlier tomorrow; not being one to get a room for the night, though, Turnip simply leant back on the wall and folded his arms, his head lowered slightly. He figured it might not be allowed, but if the NPC innkeeper wanted to fight him over it then she was welcome to try. Turnip supposed that he could always pretend that he'd been awake the whole time anyhow, if need be.

Planning various exploration and grinding prospects for the day ahead, Turnip tried to ignore the increasing background noise and drift off to sleep.

"Um, excuse me?"

Turnip's eyes opened again at a pestering voice in front of him. He was tired, and tired meant grumpy. He glanced up at the young woman in front of him, but said nothing and kept his head still.

"C-could you please lend me some money for some food? I- I'm too frightened to fight monsters, and my family, th- they…"

The armoured figure tried to judge this apparently helpless woman. He was quiet for a few seconds, and just as she was about to start talking again, he spoke:

"You can piss off. No-one with that attitude would be that eager to be on floor two. You're lying. It's a pretty despicable way to get a free dinner, if you ask me."

Turnip was just guessing, of course, but he'd never know if he didn't try – plus, he was hardly going to get fleeced out of what little col he had left after buying Boomeraxe. The woman appeared to choke up for a little while, sniffling and burbling barely audible questions, but after a few seconds of Turnip's faceless gaze she stopped, demeanour changing in an instant.

She put her hands on her hips, "Aww, you're no fun…"

"If your definition of 'fun' is giving you money, then yeah, I agree entirely."

"Come on, now, can't I just have a little bit of col? I mean, I don't really have anything to give you, but-"

"-No, I don't care." Turnip silenced her with a wave of his gloved hand.

"Hey, why not?"

"Because I'm not stupid, you bloody cretin. I'm not making any deals with a swindler. That's like rule one of not getting swindled. Now get the hell out of my sight."

The young woman pouted, "Oh, or what, you'll make me? A big guy like you hurting a sweet little-"

Her eyes barely had time to widen in shock before a Draw Steel caught her in the side of the face, flinging her like a ragdoll over the adjacent table and into the side wall of the inn. The building rattled slightly, and the woman was understandably a little dumbfounded. Turnip sheathed his sword and returned to his position between the two tables.

"The door's on your right." He called. The young woman stood up a little groggily and then made her way out of the door. Even in a safe area, it was safe to say that receiving the full brunt of Draw Steel wasn't really a pleasant experience. Still, had Turnip seen it, he would have been surprised at the amused - if a little shocked - smile that appeared on the woman's face.

The helmeted man didn't bother himself more on the subject of the woman, and instead settled down to what would hopefully be a calm remainder of the evening.

 

[Crunch Punch]

»S C Y K E«
DAMON EAGLE
» Floor One
» XP: 57%
» Health: 42%
» Player (Level 14)​

Labyrinth/Boss Room (FL1)​

"Stardust? That's a beautiful name you've got there. I've never heard of that one before."

Stardust's cheeks brightened slightly with red, but she quickly covered it up with a laugh.

"Hah, thanks. My brother actually picked it for me at the start of SAO. Said it was the name of his favourite card from Yu-Gi-Oh or something… can't exactly quite remember. Scyke itself is pretty unique too. Bit like that phrase "psych" that some guys used to say back in college…"

Scyke couldn't control a smile when he heard the end of Stardust's speech. It was exactly that which had inspired his username. It used to be his favourite phrase to say, even to a point that it was like part of his identity whenever he played games online, friends or strangers. He used to always burst out and say "PSYCH!" whenever he managed to defy odds and manage to do something which seemed impossible, as if it was all a trick of some kind. It was all back when Damon used to be more charismatic, more enthusiastic… now all the phrase gave him was memories. He hadn't used it even once in SAO.

"S-Scyke? You there? You kinda phased out for a second."

Scyke jolted back to reality, before responding with a sorry to Stardust. She raised an eyebrow for a moment, before shrugging and moving on.

"Well, I originally came to ask you if you knew what happened to the boss, as I was a little too late for the battle. Kinda got distracted by grinding so couldn't get here in time."

Scyke's expression dropped when he heard Stardust asking him about the boss battle. He hadn't even managed to touch the thing, and he had no idea how the battle had went as he seemed to have passed out half the time. He explained this to Stardust, who seemed to have took notice of his change of tone.

"Erm… if you passed out then I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't know anything about it. Well, I was kinda hoping to know who took the main boss loot so that I could trade some of my Col with them, but I guess that's out of the question now. Couldn't have been that great, seeming that it's only the first floor. Anyway, I've probably took a lot of your time Scyke, so I'll be off to floor two now. Catch up with ya next time we see each other, eh?"

Scyke watched as the brunette walked past him, smiling and waving. He nearly raised his own hand and nearly said goodbye himself as well, but something stopped him. Something inside urged him not to leave her. Something insisted him on calling her back, to walk alongside her rather than part ways. It was a new feeling for Scyke. He hadn't had felt a need for companionship ever since his fatal loss of his best friend in the first day.

"Hey Stardust, wait there…" Scyke said, reaching out for her hand in the process. The girl looked surprised by the intervention. "I was wondering if… if we could, you know, travel together. I know we just met a few minutes ago, but I'm alone right now, and have been ever since SAO began. And I want to change that. Think of us as… temporary partners in battle. We can help each other get stronger even quicker and get out of this damn game. So whatdya say?"

Stardust was really taken back now. Her mouth was wide open in surprise for a second, before sinking her lips in as she deeply thought about the request. After a few moments she sighed and gave a friendly smile to Scyke.

"Well… travelling together won't hurt, I guess. And if it makes me stronger quicker, than why not? Sure, I'll accept your offer Scyke; you seem quite strong and... friendly. Remember what you said though; temporary partners in battle."

Scyke grinned at seeing his wish being fulfilled, letting go of Stardust's hand before it got too awkward. The two continued talking while heading towards the portal together.

 

[SylveonStar]

Maria Renée {Princess}
Guild: The Flaming Blade
Level: 13
"Princess, you're part of the company. That means that you're free to come to the company vacation tomorrow, and I'll let you invite whoever you want." she heard Ryuusa say as he hugged her. The moment he did Maria closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in. Something about the way Ryuusa hugged her, and acted reminded her of her father. This helped her calm down slightly and she allowed herself to smile. As Ryuusa stood up he looked at them I'll send you guys a message with a time and place tomorrow, but for now I've got work to do. See you all tomorrow!"

Right after he left Zeus stepped up to her and grabbed her hand pulling her to her feet. "Tout ira bien se passer, vous n'aurez pas perdre de nous Princesse." he whispered.

"promesse" she looked from Zeus to Poseidon as the other boy took her other hand. Zeus quickly translated to Poseidon.

"we Promise" They both said leading her towards the teleport. Looking back Maria nodded goodbye to the others that worked for Ryuusa's company before she stepped in the teleport. Once they reached the second floor Zeus looked around before leading her to an inn neither boy letting go of her hands. Quietly Zeus booked two rooms.

"you get one room Princess we'll take the other" Zeus told her as they stopped at the doors to the rooms.

Maria nodded hugging both boys tightly. "goodnight" she said before entering her room. With a sad sigh Maria crawled into bed and burrowed under the covers before closing her eyes and falling asleep.