View source for NODE: Game of Souls - Link Start

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/06/19
|Location=The Homeworld
|Synopsis=Kirito and companions embark on the first foray into the Game of Souls Node, meet with the Lord of Shadow, and decide on a course of investigation.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=1, 6, 9, 38, 42, 73, 92, 118, 151, 317, 319, 347, 357, 451
|Tinyplot=When They Return
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    There is no gate today. No door and hallway acts as the entryway to the Node proper. Rather, all there is is a simple IP address - the IP behind the URL of Abstractum.Net - and a port therein, though port 111111 is technically not one that ANYONE should be using, right?<br /><br />    That doesn't much matter. What's relevant for now is that when they join, even without Kirito doing any fussing with logins, the server recognizes him as the leader of a lobby; the others are forced into pending connections as they wait for him to approve them individually. And, apparently, to actually download the game client for this server. It looks like he still has control over who gets to access his Node! Just like anyone else. Even the Abstractum seem to be connecting, though they seem to be doing it on another port. It looks like they'll be along too.<br /><br />    There's someone else in the connection lobby. OPERATORS.NET.SPEAKS is linked to your system. As is a tradition, he gives a small amount of DIALOGUE on the subject of the Node.<br /><br />    "This session is meant to provide an understanding. Not just of what games are, but what they are worth, and what your actions in them mean. It's also about protection, and the stakes we choose to believe are worth defending."<br /><br />    "Two years ago, the Hollow Avatar, Game Master of Mystic Clash Online, released his game to the public. It was a death game. Unlike Sword Art Online, it did not trap its users. In fact, the Hollow Avatar could not kill the players who connected to his game, or harm them at all. Rather, he had another group to bring into abject terror in this game. The natives. No count has ever been conducted of their deaths. An indifferent outside world does not care that they ever lived or died. And those of the outside who play the game only care that they die."<br /><br />    "The Game of Souls welcomes you, Kirito. It cries out for defense."<br /><br />    The user Operators.Net.Speaks logs out immediately, leaving his space in the game lobby empty without ever responding to anything anyone said back to him. As soon as everyone finishes downloading the client, confirms that they're ready, and Kirito approves their connections, they'll be connecting directly to the game proper.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Within the safety of a room within Union HQ, a young woman with chestnut hair pulls a FullDive helmet over her head after gazing at it for a few minute. VR experiences... have made up so much of Asuna's life... what's another trip, with Kirito and all of their friends with them? <br /> <br /> Asuna plugs in the IP address and port number, and Kirito gets a request after a few minutes from an 'Asuna'. Of course it's Asuna. He's immediately maul anyone else that tried to use that name. <br /> <br /> "... so we can fight them..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    In his family's lab, under the outskirts of Lazlo, Staren sits in his comfy chair in front of a console. Technically, of course, he can remotely command and monitor anything from anywhere, but... it's just always been his place, his little command center. Besides, it's always good to have manual controls handy in case of a problem. Setting the Kanto Bootleg NerveGear in his lap, he looks to Eureka's resting stand next to the chair. "Ready to play the Game of Souls?" It's a rhetorical question. He slips the gauntlet onto his left arm, then puts on the NerveGear, and then wirelessly commands the chair to tilt back. He wiggles a bit as he settles in and gets comfy, and says: "Link Start!"<br /><br />    Soon he rezzes in the lobby (If he can choose his temporary lobby avatar, he goes with his Alfheim Online avatar, which is just him in JRPG clothes.) He looks a bit surprised at the large amount of people. "Wow... a lot of people came..."<br /><br />    And then he listens to Speaks, with growing horror. "That... That's terrible! And there really aren't /any/ users that care??"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:451|Karian (451)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Amongst the now volcanic peaks of Fenris' hellish summer season, the Wolf Lord Karian sets up the device he once used to enter the world of ALO. "It's been too long..." He says simply. He fondly remembered his time within the world, and it was, at least to him, a long overdue return.<br />    Moments after, Kirito would recieve a request simply saying 'Karian here, ready to stand at your side once more.'<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Frederica has never feared VR. She wasn't involved in Sword Art Online except as a walk-in, and that only at the end. She never witnessed a VR death, and Alfheim Online was totally safe. Totally. Oh she'd been nervous at first, but she wouldn't have gained the ability to walk out as Frika if she'd been afraid of the process.<br /><br />    When she hears that Kirito needs backup, Frederica is quick to respond. In her own bed in her own home, she dons her AmuSphere and signs on. FRIKA has joined the session. No point in being mysterious about this. And yes, when she appears in the lobby, it's the bouncy cat-girl who makes the entrance... though she's got Frederica's medallion about her neck. The medallion with the symbol and the Abstractum eye, of course. "Hey guys!" she greets, eyes scanning user names and avatars. "Just like old times huh?" she asks, grinning fangily.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:118|Hei (118)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Shinigami has joined the session. Behind the handle, is Hei, attached to a NerveGear supplied to him for use, connecting to the Lobby. His own Avatar is him, with his Black Reaper mask on his face, with a cloak and leather armor as his RPG outfit, hood down. Hei joined because he thought it was right, after all. He's going to be fighting Them, which is part of his contract. It wouldn't be fair not to pay his contract, would it?<br /><br />"This is Hei.". His message fires up, as he continues. "That's what we're here to do, help them.". Other than that, he doesn't have much to contribute himself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    CHRONICLER has joined the session. Ainsley has connected into the lobby. She is very thankful for the prospect of doing something that doesn't require physical effort this time. Something that she can handle through a virtual representation of herself. She patiently waits somewhere in the Homeworld with her own VR helm on, eyes staring forward at the lobby screen.<br />    She doesn't have anything to contribute to any kind of conversation. Her only message is "This is Ainsley." It floats above her head, if there's an avatar to do that with. Her avatar, if one is available, is a simple humanoid figure in black robes and a hood, with the face hidden by darkness.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sheena is within the Union HQ along side Asuna and possibly others. It doesn't takle lone for her to be making ready to dive with theo thers. She lays down and she boots the system up getting ready to see what the game of souls have in mind for them. She on edge after all who knows what they are plugging into this time.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:92|Elliana Fairchild (92)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Requesting connection is a user that might be familiar to Kirito. PRISM STAR was an Imp who helped the Gatecrasher's Union in the past. It is, of course, Elliana Fairchild behind this. She did say she's help out!<br /><br />    Fortunately for all involved, Elliana doesn't lie, and fully intends to help. Thus, when she materializes to hear the briefing, she frowns slightly and shakes her head. She doesn't say anything though, not yet.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Theo has an address AND an IP! He's actually a little surprised; do they normally come with that many 1's?<br /><br />"Eh, whatever." He plugs it in and flops over on his bed. Theo has a pretty comfortable default flop-position. He adjusts the AmuSphere and, almost as an afterthought, pulls Aetherwright out of his pocket and props it up on his nightstand. It might not care about lint, but Theo cares about it jabbing him while he's in a trance. "Link Start!"<br /><br />Kind of a dramatic way to turn on a gaming console, Theo thinks.<br /><br />Theo's avatar in the lobby is his ALO one. A Leprechaun materializes: light-eyed, with long white hair adorned with a complex braid in a very Norse style. He's wearing articulated armor in dark grey with numerous copper pieces and accents in the same, matching the very mechanical bent to his wings. It looks a little like a fantasy smith's idea of power armor.<br /><br />Weirdly, his avatar's name is 'Theodotus' instead of anything particularly fantastic. Huh.<br /><br />Speaks' prologue doesn't strike him the same way. He frowns a little, blinks once, and remarks, "So, uh... what makes this different from a normal MMO where you can kill the factional NPCs, then?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:319|Fayt Ravus (319)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    What's that? Kirito went and found ANOTHER Virtual reality deathtrap? Well... yeah ok, why not?<br /><br />    This is what Fayt, thinks as he logs into the lobby with his ALO Avatar Ravus, glancing around for signs of other people. "I'm starting to wonder what people see in this hobby? Ever game I've tried with you people has ended in something horrible!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    In reality, it wasn't so long ago that Kirito took his place in a Union VR dive booth, slipped on his KB NerveGear, configured the connection settings, and took a deep breath. "... Link Start!"<br /><br />    The two words activated the NerveGear, shunting his senses and awareness into the virtual realm. He appears in the lobby before Mr. Speaks... just in time to listen to the speech and go over the aconnection approvals. He's not picky about who to whitelist - every name he recognizes offhandedly, he approves. It's not like he expects anyone to try hacking in or anything. Everyone interested has voiced their interest, after all!<br /><br />    So it's easy for him to focus on the speech... and, inwardly, cringe. "Wha--" This was so not what he had in mind. "The natives...?"<br /><br />    It's not much of a response to the empty air that Mr. Speaks leaves in his wake, but it's all that mr. Speaks is going to get after leaving so abrubtly. But installation is just finishing.<br /><br />    For the moment, Kirito looks like himself in reality. A featureless, loose-fitting black outfit for relaxed, around-the-house purposes, and the youthful voice that's so slight that one might call it girly from the right angle... yup, there's Kirito.<br /><br />    "... So, it's like that." He mutters quietly, while glancing about at who he can connect. All he can do is wait, though. wait for the download!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Onboard the UNSC Crimson Dawn, Noble Six sits in her quarters, looking at the VR login helmet that she's been given. She's never really had time for video games. Not that this is going to be recreational, or at least...Maybe it will be. She shakes her head, she needs to focus right now.<br /><br />    She slips the helmet on and lays down on her military issue bed. Not exactly the most comfortable bed ever. She makes a note to see if she can't figure out some way to integrate this tech into her helmet, so she won't have to do this unarmored. All part of her effort to make more allies. <br /><br />    Once she logs in, Six finds herself at the character creation page. She has to pick a name, and then a race? Okay. She quickly types in a name, opting to just go with Noble, and then picks the Salamander race, as it's the one that would most fit her particular play style. Then she has to wait to get approved into the lobby. Once she has, she'll spawn in with the others.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Somewhere in the Multiverse, in a secure facility two worlds over from the home facility of its owners, an oni is putting on a VR helmet.<br /><br />    It had to be modified to fit her horns. But that wasn't something she cared much to complain about.<br /><br />    Completely lacking any sort of ALO account, when the oni logs in, she is there as a completely ordinary human, in a generic floral-pattern yukata. But with hair in a black hime-cut, that same neutral expression, and the rather familiar Abstractum on her feet, most people here will probably be able to recognize 'Blossom Seabreeze' as Hana Umikazeno.<br /><br />    Especially if they're bilingual. The name is kind of a dead giveaway.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe has arrived at this point and is listening to their guyide for a moment. She ponders for a moment as she listens to what they say. She gets a sinking feeling in her stomach about it. Ai's made to be kill target and from the sound sounds of it? The AI's are aware? This is leaving her very much on edge as she looks over to Speaks for a moment but soon he's gone. She didn't like the sound of this but they had to press on.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> There's a brief pause, then Asuna's form shimmers, before she's in something much more... familiar to everyone... and to herself. It's her Knights of the Blood SAO uniform. She looks down at it with a distant smile, before adjusting her equipment so she has a rapier on each hip - one side Fleuret, the other one Lambent. <br /> <br /> "Kirito... it'll be alright." She says softly, reassuringly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    The game's a small download for multiversal broadbands. Upon full connection, several things are immediately obvious to the group. The first is that each of them are being given options to create or import characters. Those who have played ALO are given the option to import their characters; others are given ALO-like character creation options, and most (those among the group that are actually, you know, human) are given the default of presenting themselves as simple humans with their real-life appearance. Even those who have AmuSphere, and should not have their real-life appearance visible. Hmm.<br /><br />    Once everything is worked out, though, the group is going to find its spawning point is particularly unusual. It is... What appears to be a massive, dark throne room. Huge obsidian spikes from the ceiling and floor make massive, sweeping columns to support the chamber. Around the room is a ring of boiling lava that emits a soft, warm, cozy kind of heat, with a bridge leading over it from the main entrance, which is a carved stone door about five stories tall and extremely wide. Massive firey wrought-iron torches burn pitch, attached to the walls. It looks very, very much like a final boss room.<br /><br />    There is also a humanoid figure here, who looks very much like a final boss sort of fellow. A titanic fellow, at least ten feet tall, clad in jet-black plate armor. It is the very cliche of the dark lord, with a shadowy helm that bares vicious spikes, intimidating pauldrons, sleek and cruel-looking gauntlets, and a powerful, black, burning aura, with a titanic mace clasped in one hand and two deep red fires visible under the helm. They sit on a throne at least a story tall, which bristles with black spikes.<br /><br />    Surrounding the group as they spawn in are a group of crimson-robed mages, their hoods obfuscating their faces, circled around them, chanting at some kind of magical circle the group has spawned over. Presumably they were supposed to spawn elsewhere. Instead, some kind of in-game magical effect has drawn them here.<br /><br />    None of them seem hostile, or at least not yet. They are all NPCs, your VR interface shows as much.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:451|Karian (451)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Karian had a smile on his face as he saw old and new faces amongst the spawned in members. Then all of the men in black appeared, and the dark lord himself. Getting a glare from the one good eye his avatar had, he sized up their apparent 'boss'. "Allfather grant me clarity to make my way though this...as I seem to now be on the side of evil...and grant me the chance to strike down the evil." He mutters loud enough for his allies to hear, but not for the NPC's.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe imports her character as is it would work she sticks to her avatar as eh loads in she looks about the place feeling a bit creeped out then again this seems almost like a classic raid from some of the first or second generation MMORPGs her father Pendragon cut his teeth on. She takes a deep breach as she looks to the group ahead and is going to try to see what's going on she takes several steps towrds the natives and calls out. <br /><br /> "Greetings, no we're not looking for a fight might I ask where we are?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    As previously mentioned, Hana- oops I mean BLOSSOM loads in wearing a generic-ized human version of herself as an avatar, though she is also equipped with a hand crossbow, she notices. For now, it will have to suffice. She has Higanbana, after all.<br /><br />    And they are apparently summoned to the lair of the Evil Overlord(tm).<br /><br />    "Ah, hello. Can I safely assume that you are a people at risk of exctinction, and in dire need of heroes? Because if that's the case, that's most likely what we are. Probably." The menacing throne room and Final Boss don't seem to bother her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:118|Hei (118)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hei set up as an Imp, seeing how it'd suit him. His mask was scanned onto his character as he was wearing it when he hooked up, his usually black hair now purple. A pair of daggers rest at both of his sides, and his hands are covered by his Glove-Type Abstractum, Wuqing.<br /><br />Approaching the natives, Hei was on guard, one hand resting on a dagger. "Are you on our side?", he called out to the Natives in curiosity.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    When Kirito appears in a short column of mystic light, and opens his eyes after shaking off the familiar sensation of Teleportation. The first thing he sees is a wall. Turning about, he then sees Asuna in the last thing he expected: her Knights of the Blood Oath uniform?!<br /><br />    But that shouldn't come as a surprise to him. what he chose isn't too different from the truth.<br /><br />    The boy stands as before in this dark, gloomy, and imposing room, but his appearance... no, it would be better to say his PRESENCE is very different. Gone is the dark, loosely-fitting casual attire. It's been replaced with a thicker fantasy outfit. Very light leather armor adorns his body, most of it various dark colors of grey and especially black. Little of it is visible, however, because most of his body's covered in the universal attire of badasses: a longcoat. It's black as midnight, made of some strange leather, and drapes down to his shins, and sports a sleek golden trim. Belts around it hold a pair of scabbards in an X pattern across his pack, where two blades rest: one is Double Fault, unmistakably. The other is a completely black longsword with a jagged knuckle guard that doesn't at all look out of place in these surroundings.<br /><br />    He grabs Asuna's hand hand briefly, squeezing - for her comfort or his, it's hard to say, but he soon takes stock of everyone appearing, offers them brief and quiet nods... then his gaze sweeps about more.<br /><br />    Inevitably, he's looking up at the Dark Lord, sternly and analytically. Sizing him up, no doubt.<br /><br />    "... This doesn't look like the newbie zone."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Theo patiently waits for the download. He shrugs when he doesn't get much in the way of a response, and then...<br /><br />They spawn in. Theo's ALO character appears, and, to his credit, he doesn't start smiting as soon as he sees the people outside the circle. He glances up, taking in the locale -- big and vaulted, dramatic, echoey. And a Dark Lord, right over there? That's /perfect/. He couldn't ask for a better setup.<br /><br />People are trying to be polite, but here? You gotta be /tough/.<br /><br />Theodotus whips his hammer of his back, spinning it in his hands and hitting the ground with a tremendous BOOM. He raises his voice, pointing one hand at Kirito in a dramatic gesture while the other clutches the maul-sized weapon.<br /><br />"WHO DARES SUMMON THE DARK LORD KIRITO, THE BLACK SWORDSMAN," Theo booms, voice pitched low and echoing through the chamber, "AND HIS /DREAD HOST/ OF SLAYERS OF MAN AND BEAST?!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:319|Fayt Ravus (319)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Fayt lets out a sigh as he imports his gnome, he didn't play as much as the others did during the ALO incident, but he did do a lot of trade so he might have some useful supples and cash with him. Maybe. Any thougs about that are quickly tossed assie as he gets a good look at his sorroundings. "Erm..." Fayt remembers places like this, like the boss floors in SAO, though they're not attacking, and apparenty here it's thep layers who are hte bad guys? so..." glancing around at the others while he tries to thi-"GAH!"<br /><br />    ...damnit Theo.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Ding! Download's done. "See you all on the other side!" Staren connects...<br /><br />    And finds himself in a castle. A Stereotypical Dark Lord's castle.<br /><br />    And the stereotypical Dark Lord is here! Staren's hands go to his daggers... and then he remembers: They're here to /help/ the NPCs. He relaxes his stance slightly and takes his hands off his weapons. And then he notices the circle of mages. He glances over them... and then turns back to the Dark Lord. "You summoned us, I take it?" he asks, conversationally, slipping his hands into his coat pockets. The more he thinks about the situation, the less he's concerned about being attacked. Of /course/ the Dark Lord would be the one to call them. Who's the most powerful guy who all the NPCs getting killed look up to? Who's supposed to rule over them and be responsible?<br /><br />    Staren can't help but recall all the story's he's read about artificial people in VR worlds. This node should be... interesting.<br /><br />    ...And then oh god, Kirito. Staren just bursts out laughing! "Hahahahahaha! Ahahaha! Oh... I'm sorry..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Frika ports in with the rest, looking around in puzzlement and then dismay as she takes in the surroundings. A dark overlord, a circle of evil mages, and them. Caught in a summoning circle of some kind. Reacting quickly, she taps out an inventory command with her left hand, summoning her spear. With a snarl, she drops into a competent-seeming fighting crouch, spear held out point-first, though she doesn't charge. YET.<br /><br />    After a moment, and after some people have spoken their thoughts, she seems to clue in. Her spear lowers slightly. She's uncertain, but seems to be getting some idea what might be going on.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Ainsley has spawned as a human woman, somewhat diminutive, of South American descent. She has tan skin, black hair, red eyes and a set of robes on. Nom de Plume is perched on her nose in a way that fits her avatar, one would think. Her hair is a bit wild and falls over her face somewhat, in a way that gives her a half-awake appearance. Her eyes give that impression as well.<br />    When they spawn in the middle of a magical circle surrounded by ominous chanters and a towering dark knight of some description before them, she looks around the room with a passive curiosity. She is not terribly worried about them... she does not feel as if they are the ones they need to worry about. So, she just has one word for all of them.<br />    "Hello," she greets, in that telltale dull tone of hers, looking right up at the leader approximately where the eyes should be.<br />    Ainsley turns her head when Theo booms something at the people who summoned them here. She stares for a beat...<br /><br />    Then she pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Asuna peers down at her outfit. "Well, it's the one that started it a...ll..." She stares at Kirito's outfit. Blink, blink. "... yours too, I suppose. In a way, we've come weirdly full-circle, haven't we?" She mutters this quietly to herself. She doesn't draw her blade though - oh no, Asuna has something else entirely; <br /> <br /> It's called a positive charisma score and a /really/ good diplomacy bonus to the skill check. <br /> <br /> "Excuse me... what is going on?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:92|Elliana Fairchild (92)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Sigh. The Imp representing Elliana Fairchild shakes her head at what she's seen, then just walks forward so she's with the others. She's going to let Kirito handle this, since it's his node, and she's just along for the ride.<br /><br />    She does mutter to Karian, "Wolf Lord Karian, you may need to reconsider your judgement, given the proclivity of your own Imperium toward threatening skull motifs. I would think you would immediately peg these as the 'good guys.'"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Noble finds herself with the group. What a strange place. She looks around, the blonde Salamander manages to pretty quickly figure out how to equip her weapon, and try to sort everything out. She's new to ths whole VRMMO thing. She opts to keep her mouth shut for now, since she's the newbie here. It's an odd sensation, not being 100% sure about what she's doing at all times.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Frika's the only one to bare her weapon like that, "Woah, woah! Woah!!" One of the crimson-robed mages calls out. "No, hey! We're not attacking! Friendly! I think we're friendly!" But things seem to calm down.<br /><br />    There's an awkward silence between the mages. Then a breath of relief among them, heavy and de-stressed. "Oh Writer, I thought this might be the end of me..." One of them is mumbling. Most of them are shuffling off to the side awkwardly, while the tallest among them puts his hood down and reveals a charmingly friendly face, a bespectacled man with long-hair up in a ponytail, eastern in his appearance. He was perspiring heavily, but now seems quite relieved. To Tomoe and Hei, he says, "Ahhhh... We aren't really much looking for a fight either." A sheepish, nervous laugh. "Ah, I think..." He tilts his head curiously at Theo. "Uhhhh." He starts, awkwardly. "Are you... Are you having a problem?"<br /><br />    The dark lord glances from side to side, as if double-checking to make sure nobody's about to attack. And then a heavy, released breath. "Phew." A harsh, gravely, EVIL voice reverberates out of that helmet. "I was really worried we might have aimed wrong for a moment there. Okay, it looks like you're definitely not going to stab us. Hi, yes. We're the natives. I'm the Lord of Shadow, I'm supposed to be in charge around here." The LORD OF SHADOW stands up and sets that titanic mace off to one side. "Sorry about the armor, I didn't know if I was going to get the right group or not. My archmage is... Well, dead, so we've had a lot of trouble getting magic to work properly. Good to see I got the right group. Yes, you're right, we're... Really in need of help right now."<br /><br />    The huge humanoid makes rather plaintive gestures as that deep voice, like metal crushing under powerful weight, speaks in rather polite tones. "By which I mostly mean we'll probably all be dead this time next year without your help, but it's not like we've got much forcing you to help. So I'm not about to do any big demands or anything, and if you do want to go to the newbie zone, or just, you know, walk out the front door, you folks are free to go."<br /><br />    One massive, menacing hand is pointed to Kirito. "Uhhh, except for him. I mean, we can't keep him here, but /he/ doesn't want to go to the newbie zones, that's for sure. I can explain. Er, do you guys wanna head somewhere nicer? I've got a meal set up in the dining chambers."<br /><br />    This is extremely surreal.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "If we're going to discuss business, then by all means, a meal would be wonderful," Blossom replies, spreading her arms appreciatively. "And it's a bit complicated to explain easily, but I'm almost certain all of us here are willing to help. I am, at least."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:451|Karian (451)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Karian watched.....and nearly choked with what he witnessed. "I...was expecting to have to fight. Surprising that it's not the case...If you've got strong ale, I'll listen to what you have to say." He says, still utterly baffled. Of course, he always suspects the worst, and made sure that Wodnyr was on standby.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren listens. His ears flick a bit from time to time. He nods at the comment about the armor. "We're here to help. An explanation would be good, though. Can you... brief us on what's happened so far in this world? All we were told is that you're being slaughtered... Do you know /why/ they're attacking you? What were you doing before?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Do we need to eat?" Noble Six asks out loud, "I mean this is a virtual world, yes? Or should we do so to be polite?" She wonders idly if this is how the ship AIs interact with each other when not being projected.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Ainsley stops pinching the bridge of her nose as she hears a relatively normal voice from one of the mages. Her head turns to get a look at the fellow that spoke up about their intentions first. She seems amused by his confusion at Theo's behavior, but only for a second. The smile is soon suppressed again. She can't let herself feel smug about that. Even if she wants to. It'd be rude!<br />    "A meal would be nice," she speaks up, in that dull tone of hers. Not quite a monotone, and in a voice not altered by a reptillian nature, it just sounds tired or subdued.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:92|Elliana Fairchild (92)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Elliana just chuckles softly, "Ah... I believe I have heard of something like this. My fellow adventurers, we have encountered the Punchclock Villain." She does a sweeping bow. "I, Prism Star, would be honored to share your table and hear of your troubles. Shall we, then?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:118|Hei (118)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hei silently follows along with the others going. Can ask questions once they get there, of course, but his hand remains on his dagger, incase it is a trap. He does raise his hands to give Wuqing a view if it needs one, before setting them back down.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Kirito just STARES at Theo at the announcement. His eyes say it all. 'Wut?!' But as the others get jumpy, Kirito himself starts to worry about the overly weird situation and tense up a bit. Should he ready a weapon?<br /><br />    But no, that seems to not be the case. Not with the DARK LORD addresing the group and everyone seeming the exact opposite of what the crushing surroundings would attest. Kirito's shoulders relax in obvious relief. Phew here too!<br /><br />    So instead he listens.<br /><br />    "... I'm no Dark Lord." He corrects the situation, not liking the title with someone who's in a bind like this. He gives Theo a quizzical second look. yeah, that was weird and turned out to be unnecessary, huh?<br /><br />    "Just Kirito. And I'd better listen to whatever you have to say. You went through the trouble of summoning us here." It's rude to turn down invitations!<br /><br />    But he aims a look over at Asuna, to read her mood... and he also peers at Blossom. He's still not sure who she is.<br /><br />    But, while it may be rude, Kirito strikes the air with a few fingers - the gesture for bringing up a menu. WHAT HAPPENS?!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:319|Fayt Ravus (319)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Fayt blinks a few times as the big guy speaks. He then blinks a few more times, before finally shrugging.<br /><br />    he's a trader. He works in the Multiverse. After a few years you learn to roll with it... kinda. Fayt may be coming to accept his strange new situation, but he still sounds a touch confused. "Very well, I'm willing to hear more aboutthis problem and learn how I can help. That said..." Fayt takes a moment to test something. Namely, he tries to open up his inventory and get a look at it. The last two times he was in a virtual deathtrap he ended up the supply guy. Did any of his inventory import with him? "let's see now."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe has to admit Theo had a flare of style szhe looks a bti sheepish now and she nods a little bit as he mentions htier qarchmage is dead. <br /><br /> "I see this ... I must admit is a very strange situation for me but if you do need help. Please lead the way." <br /><br /> This is trippy but she was basically the Death Knight/Dark Knight fighting the evil Holy Paladin in SAO after all, right? So she takes a moment longer to introduce herself. <br /><br /> "I am Tomoe the Iron Lily." <br /><br /> She also watches as Kirito with the menues with interest. She also gives Theo and amused look.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>WIZARD GUY struck THEODOTUS for 944 (CRIT: 1416) pride damage!<br />Theo slinks away, dejected and defeated.<br /><br />Okay, he doesn't actually slink away. He /does/ slump over a little. "I was having a moment," he explains with a sigh. He swings his hammer over his shoulder. "I saw an opportunity, and I took it. I don't regret it," he hedges.<br /><br />(He regrets it a little.)<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren listens. His ears flick a bit from time to time. He nods at the comment about the armor. "We're here to help. An explanation would be good, though. Can you... brief us on what's happened so far in this world? All we were told is that you're being slaughtered... Do you know /why/ they're attacking you? What were you doing before?"<br /><br />    Staren pats Theo's shoulder. "It's okay. It would've been awesome if it had worked."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "I'm Asuna. His wife." Asuna points at Kirito. "Everything that he's involved in, /I'm/ involved in, and everything you tell him I get to know. Capiche?" This done, she tosses her head, sending her hair rippling as she puts her hands on her hips and gestures. "So... lead the way!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Frika gives the timid but friendly mage a death glare. The sort of look that promises, despite her lowering her weapon, that she'll be WATCHING him for an excuse to just cut him down. Either it's beause he's a bad guy or because he's a mage... either way, she's about as unkind to casters as she is to guys.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Another relieved sigh. "Thanks for helping." The titanic fellow says in that powerful tone again. "We've got enough to go around and to give you hospitality, though I know where you come from, and that you don't have to eat here."<br /><br />    Two menacing gauntlets shove the huge double doors open, leading out into a dungeon. They're walking over arching bridges that hold them above massive pools of lava. "Uh, mostly existing." The Lord of Shadow says, sheepishly. "I honestly can't think of anything we do that makes the Players want to kill us."<br /><br />    The higher-ranked mage is walking along. "As best we can tell, they're pretty intent on killing anything that doesn't pay them for inane tasks or sell them things that let them murder the rest of us faster." He says, frankly. "Anything that doesn't help them kill us is killed, really."<br /><br />    "It used to be much worse." The titan ahead of the group says in a crashing voice like swords on shields. "There used to be about ten times the number of Players there are now, but most of them disappeared after they saw what we're like." Possibly a large amount of players refusing to kill NPCs? Hmmm.<br /><br />    Kirito is bringing up the menu! It's a perfectly SAO-slash-ALO styled menu. It has the logout button and everything! Kirito is still classed as a player, not as an NPC. Though... There's an unusual dark glowing outline to his name! None of the others have that on their menus.<br /><br />    Fayt finds something similar: His ALO inventory has transferred without any incident, perfectly preserved. Convenient!<br /><br />    The group arrives in a massive dining hall that bares even more malevolent architecture, but delicious-smelling food. These people really cook well! Or they have a high cooking skill, anyway. "Please, have a seat. The buffs from these ought to last you to your next fight. Which, you know, I hope is to help us." The LORD OF SHADOW says, plaintively gesturing to the long table in the center of the room. It's framed, visually, by a pair of lava-falls that run down the walls of this chamber. Is there really nothing in this dungeon that doesn't look evil?<br /><br />    The LORD OF SHADOW is taking a seat at a massive chair at the end of the table. "Okay, I mentioned that you didn't want to be around the newbie zones. I can explain, if you want, now..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Blossom slides into the seat she's offered comfortably, somewhere near enough the head of the table she's in easy talking distance with the LORD OF SHADOW. She seats herself with an elegant shift of her kimono as if she's done it a thousand times, and folds her hands on the table. "So the players are aware that you're all free-thinking, sentient beings." She tilts her head, thoughtfully. "It sounds like the exodus was those unwilling to kill self-aware individuals."<br /><br />    The oni takes up a leg of chicken. "If that's the case, then I would wager that the newbie zones are full of only the most bloodthirsty sort of people, willing to kill just about anyone that moves? Only murderers would join this game at this point, after all."<br /><br />    For one who sits so elegantly, she is kind of a messy eater with a big drumstick.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:451|Karian (451)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Karian stops in after the Lord of Shadow, his good eye scanning over everything. As he listened in, he nodded. "That would be good." He says simply, taking a seat. He looks over the food, and grabs for whatever can be eaten with one hand. The other grabs the nearest drink and downs it. Oh, if allowed, his feet go up onto an empty chair, or the table itself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:118|Hei (118)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hei takes a seat, glancing at the LORD OF SHADOW. He grabs himself a plate of food, taking a bite of a leg of chicken himself, speaking soon after. "What type of weapons or abilities do the players have, for us to be on guard? And have you attempted to reason with them?".<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren listens. His tail flicks irritatedly. "I see. So most of the players /did/ listen to reason. But the others are getting their jollies killing you just because they can. As for why they thought it was okay at first..." He looks around. "...The outside world is full of stories about good fighting evil. And when it comes to appearances? You are hitting every single box on the 'evil' list from the stories. You're not actually evil, but... They saw your Legions of Doom, heard they were ruled by a Lord of Shadows, and assumed they were in a story where you were the bad guys. It sounds like most of them wised up. The rest..." he nods to Hana. "They're the real monsters. They've been told they can kill without repercussions... so they do. I presume when you kill them, they just come back?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The red-armored Noble takes one of the seats that's offered by their host, and looks at the food laid out before them, "Do your people not come back when they are killed, then? As in, is there a finite number of you? Is that how people win this? Through a very one sided form of attrition?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:319|Fayt Ravus (319)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Taking a seat, Fayt smiles as he sees his inventory. "Ah, here we go." Glancing at the food, Fayt takes just a little bit of whatever's nearby for himself. "So... I'm not sure what use this will be, but I just checked my inventory, Everything I had is still with me. I'm not sure what we're going to be doing just yet, but if you guys need me to handle supplies here too? I've got enough to keep us going a little while at least."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:92|Elliana Fairchild (92)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Elliana takes a seat, contemplating the exposition and what is said, including the matter of appearing evil and being actually good. She feels strangely like she can empathize with this, but isn't sure how. Just something she can't put her finger on. "Hmm."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Kirito's just about to speak, but then Blossom does, and he finds himself quietly and silently staring through the whole explanation, his throat going tight. She just voiced the very conclusion was coming to. "... they're definitely not normal players." He agrees, his voice bearing a dark and loathing vibrance that's rarely heard no matter who's speaking to.<br /><br />    He takes a seat - likely next to Asuna - Kirito's avoiding anything obviously alcoholic but other than that, he's not very picky. He's after meat!<br /><br />    Hearing Staren's explanation, Kirito makes a few odd faces, but he does speak up on the matter. "Staren's right about the looking every bit the evil overlord thing." Come on there's LAVA over there. Though Kirito doesn't sound confrontational. "... I'd rather not make assumptions about who or what someone I just met is..." So could you explain? is the unspoken question.<br /><br />    "If this was a game, it's my understanding that what they'd expect are NPCs should respawn. ... but you said your mage was killed, and didn't come back." He clamps his mouth shut.<br /><br />    He and Asuna once had a spat over this, after all. About whether to use the NPCs of a farming village as bait to distract a field boss. He'd argued that the NPCs shouldn't be treated as expendable just because they weren't players, and won in the ensuing duel, but this...<br /><br />    This is WEIRD.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Ainsley spends time appreciating the architecture, the strange incongruity between the behavior of the NPCs and the environment weighing a bit on her personality. It probably doesn't help them a great deal, in the long run, but it might not hurt, either. She doesn't bother trying to record anything she's looking at, not wanting to do anything weird involving her innate magic.<br />    She finds a seat, and looks over toward Noble Six with some sadness on her face, and then to the Lord of Shadow.<br /><br />    "Disgusting," is all she can say to the idea of killing freely like that. She then leans forward and starts digging into the food. She's aware it won't grant her any nutrition. Once she's finished with that, she pauses momentarily and does the little hand swipe to try to see what her menu is like. And then she looks through things like her status menu, her inventory, and any configurations that might be available, as well as utilities that might be available.<br /><br />    She is still listening, she's just taking advantage of their currently relaxed situation to familiarize herself.<br /><br />    She looks for statistics on Nom de Plume, too, if there's an 'Abstractum' button.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Asuna somehow manages to daintily nibble on a bbq kebob without getting the sauce all over her white outfit. <br /> <br /> She listens and flips open a notebook to start taking notes with her other hand.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Theodotus takes in the ambiance, and also a seat. He does not hesitate to get a plate by which to eat a bunch of food, even if he's not actually going to need it. But... /buffs/, guys! Buffs!<br /><br />He's listening, but he also checks his inventory, now that Fayt has mentioned he has his stuff. "Oh, huh. So I guess I'm carrying around an armory. I wonder if my craft skills still work here?" Theo momentarily envisions not having to fight his way into places for rare crafting components, and outfitting all the NPCs in high-level PC gear.<br /><br />He smiles a slow-spreading smile.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    The LORD OF SHADOW removes that mssive helmet, and shakes her head. Wait what? It looks like someone transplanted a princess's head onto a dark lord's body, long blonde hair running out from the helmet. It's not entirely clear how this works, but at she unstraps her armor from her body, she seems to actually be proper human size. Kind of on the short side, actually! Finally removing the oversized gauntlets with a dainty kind of grip, she sits in that massive chair, looking rather plain in the much more mundane-seeming medieval outfit. "We've tried--" She continues in that gravely, evil voice, before coughing a bit. In a perfectly soft tone, she says, "Sorry, the lava fumes always gets to me. We've tried reason, yes. That's actually what sent nearly nine tenths of them away. The remainder... Just don't leave. They're semi-immortal, as far as we can tell."<br /><br />    There's a nod to Hana. "In a way, yes. Though that wouldn't really be a problem for you all, you can all respawn just fine. It'd be an issue for him." A gesture back to Kirito.<br /><br />    Back to Hei. "They've got a lot of 'sword skills' they use. It's more than just swords. But they're special, high-power techniques that use specific movements. Some of us have them, but /all/ of them have them."<br /><br />    Sheepishly, to Staren, "Evil? Do we really look like that? We're just..." She makes a nebulous gesture. "Doing what comes naturally!"<br /><br />    Karian finds strong ale, or as strong as ale can be via virtual reality.<br /><br />    Then there's nods to Staren and Noble Six. "You're right. We don't come back from death the way they do, the way they 'respawn'. The way I think you do, too."<br /><br />    Fayt gets a firm nod. "Supplies would be fantastic. We're not short on food or other things like that, but they've over-harvested the naturally-occurring crafting materials and we're in desperate need of more."<br /><br />    Ainsley does find that there's an Abstractum slot in her party interface. She's automatically linked to her own Abstractum in here.<br /><br />    "Now, we should show you why you don't want to be near the Newbie Zones." She's speaking to Kirito, then chanting, quietly, a brief magical spell, words whirling around her in the air and highlighting as she goes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "Yes, I'm curious as to that myself," Blossom says to the LADY OF SHADOW. (She is a LADY now. Even if she is not.) "Does he /not/ respawn for some reason?" Omn nomnom.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren takes a seat. Yay, food and buffs! And then... he gives a curious look at the Dark... princess? Okay, that's a little surprising.<br /><br />    And then the voice is lava fumes. He looks around as if to say: '/Really/, universe?' Then pays attention to her again. He nods slightly at the 'doing what comes naturally' bit. "I hear you. I can piss a lot of people off by talking about... some things."<br /><br />    Staren watches the magic. "Do many of you have magic? No, I suppose only the mages. Do we?" He pulls up a menu and checks his skills list.<br /><br />    "...I specced assassin. Sneaking up and killing some players, I can do... I'm sure we all can fight them, in our various ways... but how do we actually /defeat/ an enemy that keeps coming back?" He strokes his chin. "Maybe we could camp their spawn until they ragequit."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:118|Hei (118)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hei finally decides to open his menu, poking through the sections. Spotting the Abstractum slot in the Party Interface, he checks what it has on Wuqing before taking another cursory glance around the menu and closing it. "So, if Kirito dies, I take it..he'd die forever? Could this possibly be because it is his node?".<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe looks to the the leader and his men as she follows along she's clearly listen for a moment." She thinks of something trim but does not voice it the loot tables, she has to wonder about that. She listens for a moment to the titan. <br /><br /> "So some saw you were not what they thought they were and quit play8ing your saying? So sounds like we're dealing with the Laughing Coffin sorts, Kirito." <br /><br /> She and any of the other SAO vets would know the name of the infamous PK guild. She moves to sit down at the table and goes quiet as she's lost in thought.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:451|Karian (451)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Karian looks over and smirks. "Female, eh? You must have some considerable skill." He says, thinking again. He fell silent a minute, before speaking up again. "I'm a warrior. I am best put in the front lines. I imagine that the newbie zone is likely going to be our battlefield. I'd suggest we have as much information on the terrain as we can get, and then we form a plan. We should also know if the players hunting there are in groups or solo, as that can factor to our advantage."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:319|Fayt Ravus (319)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Fayt nods, slowly. "When we're done here, I'd like to talk with whoever handles supplies here, I'll see what I have that your people could maek use of." he frowns a bit. "Overharvested... hmm, these guys probably made a mess of things, might even be looking at econoomic collapse. We'll need to think about how to get supplies here." his thougts are interrupted however at the spell being cast, which he watches carefully.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:92|Elliana Fairchild (92)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Sip. "I excel in diplomacy and soothing words... as well as some other tricks. Perhaps I could be of assistance in this matter." Elliana considers. "Do we actually look like these 'players' at all?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Kirito has very little to say here. But his heavy gaze should say it all. As does the concerned look he gives Asuna briefly. "Is your name in your menu glowing?" he quietly asks her, for some reason or another.<br /><br />    He's clearly got more questions to ask, but for now, apparently they're in for a show. Still, one does seem dire enough. "What do you mean by 'it would be an issue for me?'" A lump's forming in his throat.<br /><br />    Surely, he didn't just plop himself into another game that could fry his brain...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Stabbing 'em is kind of a stopgap solution to the problem," Theo points out to Staren, gesturing at him with a fork. "I mean, I'm all for some good ol' fashioned pee-vee-pee, especially with people who know what they're doing..." He checks the party menu for his Abstractum while he's at it. Aetherwright is affixed to his breastplate like a personal emblem, but it's a quiet sort.<br /><br />The lack of resources dashes his crafting plan pretty quick. "...but, uh, do we even know if we're gonna respawn if we die? Or where? We could just --" He glances at Elliana's avatar, nodding slightly. She's got the right of it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Sabotage?" Noble Six asks, looking to Elliana, "Get ourselves into their groups and break them down from the inside? How long would that work, however, until we began to gain a reputation? I think a more direct approach is in order. We find their strongest players, and destroy them. Utterly humiliate them in front of their subordinates."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Naturally, he's quite startled by the way the Dark Lord reveals themself as a fairly pretty lady. That gets him tensing in his seat, eyes widning in a look of innocent-like shock that doesn't fit his badass attire at all!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Asuna blinks at Kirito twice, before she puts her kebob down and dials into her menu to check her name. Kirito's name is glowing, eh? /That/ bodes well. At all. (Not. Asuna's been in enough games twice over to know that's bad news.) <br /> <br /> "Kirito..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    A shimmering vision of a wonderous city can be seen now. Saturated in gold, marble, glass, and crystal, it seems lovely, beautiful, and like the homeland of a pure, heroic force. Kind of heavenly! Really bright and light. There's a wonderous-looking magical circle where a nervous-looking, fearful NPC stands, ready to give a tutorial. That's not the relevant part though.<br /><br />    The relevant part is that just above, on a sweeping, beautiful arching piece of architecture between the spires, there are three individuals standing in a line. A tall man with a sharp beard and gray hair, in red armor, with titanic gauntlets, clearly some kind of hand-to-hand brawler-tank. A black-haired man with two bows over his shoulder and an array of daggers up and down both legs, styled in a way not unlike some kind of medieval ninja, with a long, sweeping cape-like scarf obfuscating the lower half of his face. A short, pink-haired girl in some frilly combo of a nurse outfit and a maid outfit, clutching a gnarled staff covered in deep green markings to her body. A tank, a DPS, and a healer.<br /><br />    They're all camping it. Presumably in wait, meaning to assassinate Kirito.<br /><br />    "Speaking of spawn-camping." She asides to Staren. "Recently, the Hollow Avatar provided the 'adventurers' of this land a... Quest." She says. "'The Black Swordsman will join you soon. Kill him and you may take his power.' I don't know what sort of power Kirito has. But, whatever it is, apparently they get to take it if they kill him. So they're currently lying in wait there. That's why I'd tried to intercept you. Er... Well, because we're going to die anyway, and if the Hollow Avatar is willing to go after one of you, then you could possibly help us."<br /><br />    Aside back to Tomoe, "Anyone who remains to fight us doesn't care if we live, only if we die. I don't know what Laughing Coffin is, but these people have no regard for any life." Then, to Elliana, "Ahhh, yes, actually. Rather a lot. You're... Flagged as players, I believe the word would be? You're very much like them, I doubt they'll recognize anyone but Kirito." She makes a sheepish, awkward gesture.<br /><br />    Theo and Staren get a helpless sigh. "Now you see our conundrum. We're unfortunately not sure how you stop that either. I wish we knew."<br /><br />    The shimmering image stays. "Now, at least, the quest was only given to the most dangerous of our enemies here. I can even detail their identities to you, if you want me to."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren watches with interest. And then the quest is explained, and Staren facepalms. "Hoo boy... of /course/ the dev is the bad guy... But... if this world's creator is evil, how do we take control from him? He's probably the Pure wielder, too..." Staren nods. "Yeah, letting us know who we're up against would be good. And... I don't suppose you've had any scientists or wizards that have been trying to pry into the true nature of the world, have you?"<br /><br />    As soon as he says it, he facepalms again. "The archmage..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:451|Karian (451)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    " 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' You did well to intercept us." Karian says, rising up from his chair. His hands visibly clench and open, a sign that his anger was growing. "So their entire plan was to stalk the newbie zone to hunt down the black swordsman." His good eye locks in on the one in red armor. "Our best bet is likely going to take down that trio. We remove them, we take a step in the right direction. But him..." He points right at the red armored tank. "I will handle him. I don't take kindly to people hunting my friends..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren watches with interest. And then the quest is explained, and Staren facepalms. "Hoo boy... of /course/ the dev is the bad guy... But... if this world's creator is evil, how do we take control from him? He's probably the Pure wielder, too..." Staren nods. "Yeah, letting us know who we're up against would be good. And... I don't suppose you've had any scientists or wizards that have been trying to pry into the true nature of the world, have you?"<br /><br />    As soon as he says it, he facepalms again. "The archmage..."<br /><br />    Staren sighs, incapable of facepalming when he's already facepalmed, and looks to Karian. "We /can't/ remove them by taking them down! They'll respawn!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "Well, I'm certainly willing to pitch in," Blossom says. She has no clue whatsoever about all this MMO business, but getting involved will absolutely fight Them, somehow. So she has no reason not to. "I don't know how much use I'll be. I'm apparently some sort of starting player. How much does individual skill count in this world, and how much is those arbitrary numbers like 'character level'?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"A trio of player hunters." Noble Six says, as she looks at the picture, frowning a little bit. She shifts her position a bit. She really needs to find a full face helmet. She hates the idea that people can read her emotions. She sits back up and puts her hands on the table, "So our goals are three fold. Stop them from killing the NPCs. Keep Kirito safe, and defeat the Pure wielder. Am I on track so far?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "I won't allow it." Kirito declares, standing up - and probably surprising even himself. But what was that in response to? People taking his power, or...?<br /><br />    "... You're not doomed, Lord of Shadow... they won't make it here. Admittedly, it's partially for our own reasons... but that aside..." No, he can't just up and say 'I can't tolerate anyone who would make a girl cower.' Even if it's the first thing to strike him. Past that, even...<br /><br />    "'Kill and steal to your heart's content. It's just a game, so who cares?' That kind of thinking is completely wrong, and we'll do something about it. Don't give up hope when help's right in front of you."<br /><br />    But his eyes are also fixated on the scrying window, and he can spot the builds immediately. "... I see... maybe I should change my outfit..."<br /><br />    He brings up his menu, and inventory, and quickly scrolls through it, but well, all he had to begin with as his SAO avatar was black casual clothing like what he wore in the lobby, his battle attire, and... the totally uncool, overly flashy, red and white Knights of the Blood Oath uniform matching Asuna's.<br /><br />    it's ASUNA who carried the MOUNTAIN OF CLOTHING around in her inventory all the time, not him!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:118|Hei (118)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Where is the the Hollow Avatar located?". Hei asks this towards the Lordess of Shadow, curious. "If he's the Pure Wielder, we'll need to find him. And if we find him, possibly we can change your situation for you. Stop you from dying again.". Hei pushes his plate away as he says this.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "... what's the power? Is it specified?" Asuna asks her fellow LADY OF DARKNESS absently. "Clothing is the fifth row from the bottom, your Knights of the Blood uniform is still in there." She informs Kirito. "Also I don't seem to see anything glowing in my menu, so..." She leans back in her chair. "Excuse me, Lady?" <br /> <br /> "Do you have access to a player menu and such? Does your name glow if you do have access to a menu?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:319|Fayt Ravus (319)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Fayt frowns at what he's seeing. "I..." There's a long, awkward pause. "I might be able to get us some more supplies off of them, if they're so focused on killing that they don't have much of a clue to how the game economy works, I could probably further mess their own supply efforts up while I'm at it, though I worry over what they'll do as things get ugly." If it hasn't already, He adds mentally. "There's still npcs in there I'd rather not see get killed... something to consider?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Anything you can tell us about these guys," Theo says, nodding at the window, "is gonna help us. We need to know who and what we're dealing with. Take out the minions before going after the big boss." A beat. He realizes what he said and to who. "Uh... sorry. Bad example."<br /><br />He drums his fingers on the table, gauntlets clicking against the surface. "I guess we could try and convince the rest to leave, or... man, this is such a crappy situation all around." He glances at Kirito's costume change and asides, "Nice uniform. Less notable, at least. Good call." Then, back at the, uh, Dark Lady, "What can you show us with that spell? Range, kinds of things...?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe looks to them for a moment. "Laughing Coffin was a group we ... had to fight avery long time ago. They acted much like the people you face now." <br /><br /> She gets the idea a lot of the player base got hte idea that holy crap these things are people, we're out. Okay this gives an idea of the sorts of murder hobos they are delaing with here. She also at Kirito's request attempts to check her inventoy for a moment. One way or another after she's going to try to enjoy some of the food their hosts have perpared.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    There's a few shifting looks exchanged around the room. Which is to say, between the LORD OF SHADOW and her higher-ranking mage assistant. "We think you may actually be able to." She says, frankly. "If whatever it is can't be taken directly by the Hollow Avatar, well... I think it may be able to help rid us of the rest of these Players."<br /><br />    "It may even be able to be exploited in some way that lets us be rid of the Avatar himself. I'm not sure what it is, but if it's a threat to the GM and the Players such that he wants to motivate them to hunt you, Kirito, you may be able to use it against them."<br /><br />    The pair both freeze slightly. HANA HAS ASKED THEM TO PRESENT TUTORIAL INFORMATION. For some reason, this seems to strike deep and intense fear into them. The LORD OF SHADOW is the first to recover. "Ah, well, statistical skill only affects what you're allowed to wield, and most weapons are roughly in the same range of efficiency."<br /><br />    Noble Six gets a nod. "If by the Pure Wielder you mean the Hollow Avatar, certainly." The mage says, simply, speaking for his lord.<br /><br />    Kirito's inventory has an unusual extra bit of interface. On each weapon in it, he's capable of setting a new variable: "DEFAULT BAN LENGTH". Anywhere from seconds to permanent bans, on a per-weapon basis. It doesn't look like the effect will transfer out of his inventory, though.<br /><br />    Hei gets a sad look. "Ahhh... The Archmage..." The LORD OF SHADOWS says, softly. "He was close to finding that out. The Hollow Avatar put a massive price on his head. I tried to defend him, but... Well, he refused to let me put too much of the Shadowlands and my Kingdom at risk."<br /><br />    "Now, as for the trio here, the ones who receive the quest..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    The LORD OF SHADOW is asked about menus! "Ahhh... No, it's one of many things that only you Players get. I really wish I could do something like that." She gestures to the pile of armor next to her. "Being able to change in and out of that getup without all the hassle would be so much better." A brief, chiming laugh of personal amusement before she breaks into a quick coughing fit.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Oh sure, the /one time/ Staren's right about everything, it's all horrible. Staren holds his head in his hands and shakes it, then sighs. "Alright... Well, if he had the Archmage killed, that means he was on to something. Were any records of his research kept?" Staren lowers his hands and looks at the coughing king. "...Are you sick? ...No, there'd be healing magic..."<br /><br />    Something's nagging at Staren, and he finally realizes what: NPC data isn't normally /deleted/, in a game, when an NPC dies. Maybe they're unloaded from memory, but everything needed to load them, at least in their original state, should still be in the game data. Now, that might not be true here, but if it is...<br /><br />    Staren opens his mouth, then shuts it, then looks between his allies all chattering and discussing away. He hangs his head slightly. No need to give them false hope.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:451|Karian (451)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Karian thinks and looks towards his friends. "There must be a way....something we can do, or something we're not seeing." He says aloud, looking to the Lord of Shadow for some kind of answer. He couldn't help this feeling that the answer was staring them right in the face, but they simply couldn't see it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "The Hollow Avatar... the resemblance to that man's first appearance is disturbing." Kirito mumbles quietly to himself, but as he continues scrolling through his inventory and encounters a strange new mark, his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. or would, anyways. FullDive rendering tends to exagerrate these emotional displays, but his shock is as vivid as if he were an anime character right now!<br /><br />    "What's... this... default ban length...?!" The boy's voice is trembling.<br /><br />    Why is he always getting the unique weird things? It's a cause to feel guilty...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Remember: Asuna can see the inventory! Waifu. <br /> <br /> Therefore, when Kirito says what she does, she tabs in... and then starts laughing until she starts wheezing, at one point orlling out of her chair in delight. "KIRITO THE BANHAMMER!" She yelps gleefully between breaths.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    The shimmering view shifts. Its focus is on the stoic ninja-looking fellow now. "'blackSlide'." The Lord of Shadow says. "Notorious even in the Players. Toxin expert, archery expert, close-quarters knife-fighting expert, infiltration expert, trap expert... The epitome of fighting dirty. Most only get to see the tip of his knife. Obsessed with getting kills according to his plans."<br /><br />    Now to the huge grinning man and his gigantic fists. "'KING'. He believes he's a celebrity. Collateral damage is a bonus to him. He's amassed enough gear to build a nearly unbreakable defense, and his stacked strength multipliers from constant potion consumption mean he can tear my castles apart with his bare hands. You can usually tell where he's been. He uses fireworks spells to make an entrance everywhere."<br /><br />    Now the pink-haired girl in the absurd outfit. She looks nervous, out of place. "'sweet rain'. A healer and mage. Usually paired with KING. Her staff is an extremely rare drop - she's able to do things like mass Player revivals - and it can't be traded. We believe that, wherever the Players go when they're not here, KING may be pressuring her to help him. It mostly doesn't matter, she's still an extreme danger to us, and a massive force multiplier when the Players raid us."<br /><br />    "So, that's who's against you. They even hunt their fellow players. And as soon as you make any moves to help us... Well, I get the feeling they'll start putting our lives at risk to get to you. So, what are you going to do?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "No, sorry." She says. "Lava fumes." The LORD OF SHADOW shakes her head. "Please, excuse me, I don't mean to be rude." And she nods. "His castle was nearly destroyed, but I can tell you where it was, at least. If you can find anything there... Well, I'm sure you know how much I'd appreciate it."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe pauses for a moment at her own inventory what hte heck is this? She sighs and listens to the natioves s they speaks for a moment. <br /><br /> "Sounds like he was trying to protect you all." <br /><br /> She seems to be thinking pretty hard on this. She getys the sort of thing they may need to do she's willing to do it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:451|Karian (451)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Karian looks over. "My vote is simple. Strike first, strike hard and strike with precision. We take down King, their strongest. Either Sweet Rain will swap sides or run. Blackslide needs to go as well. I have the highest strength, so it makes sense for me to engage King. I should be a match for him, or at least distract him long enough for Kirito to get in and stab him out." He says, voice very much detailing his plan like he had done such before and knew the risks involved.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Taking down King will be impossible with sweet rain still standing." Noble Six says, "We need to take her out first. Silently, preferably with the alpha strike. Taking out their medical support will leave them dazed and unsure of what to do." She hrms, "The assassin will have to be next. With his ranged abilities he would easily be able to strike at us while we are dealing with King."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Get the clothies first," Theo agrees, his wisdom seemingly infinite.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren nods to the Lord of Shadows. "Excellent. I think I should find that information very useful..." He then turns to Kirito, standing up and checking Eureka to make sure the Tier I Ran cartridge is still in. "Alright, let's give this a shot." He holds Eureka out towards Kirito, palm open. "Try to copy the Ban function and let's see what happens."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "I'm a ranged combatant first and foremost," Blossom says, "But my overall training is in the area of hard-target assassination. This 'blackSlide' is probably the target I'm best suited to counter. Once I have a feel for how he operates, I can start making plans for how to beat him."<br /><br />    With her meal finished, she adds, "For general combat purposes, treat me as a sniper, at least until I get a better feel for what I can do here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "Our real enemies aren't the players." Kirito declares. "But we have to deal with them. No, our real enemy's whoever is in charge that allows this to happen. As long as the connections to this world let people in, it doesn't matter how many abusive players end up banned if more can follow in their wake. We'll have to address that matter too later, but stopping more casualties takes priority." Kirito declares with all the certainty of a commander who lacks the charisma to make it sound either noble or authoritative.<br /><br />    But he does know what he's talking about, at least.<br /><br />    Turning to face Staren, he draws Elucidator, toggles its Ban Length to '3 minutes' and holds the blade out. "Er... what are you planning to do? How's it work?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Switch to your KoB outfit, says the White Flash. Kirito makes a face - that outfit. Ugh, that outfit. Swallowing down his disgust, yet with a look of clear consternation he starts making gestures in the air to scroll through the inventory again, and presses a few... something or other's...<br /><br />    In a few moments, his whole body's ensconced in an opaque, shimmering blue light. The light 'pops' an instant later, revealing he is now dressed in a similar longcoat, except it's white with red trim and emblems similar to Asuna's.<br /><br />    Although, Kirito's not happy at all at this change. "Do I really have to wear this thing..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Yes." Asuna says practically. <br /> <br /> She disappears back into her menus, especially the hair and other such things, and after a few minutes anf a flash of blue light, she's no longer dressed eerily like Kirito... except she's now in a black longcoat and black and grey outfit. Which is still eerily similiar to Kirito. <br /> <br /> "Who needs illusion magic when you've got access to Kirito's inventory?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe says "So our foe's the guy in chaarge then that much hasn't changed." <br /><br /> She seems to be thinking how do they try to reduce the number of players while clearing the path to the main problem.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren's attempt to procure a sample appears to be ineffective; the concept function is too deeply encoded with UNIQUENESS and EXCLUSIVITY concepts to be able to be copied! It looks like Kinomoto's cartridge is more for physical sample collection of substances.<br /><br />    A relieved sigh from the LORD OF SHADOWS. "I've got to admit. When I was... Well, when I did this, I thought I'd need to convince you, or things like that. I have to say, this is really the best outcome I could have ever hoped for. How you want to deal with them is up to you, and I'll help however I can, with whatever I can, so you can purge these awful Players from our world and stop the Hollow Avatar."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren shakes his head. "No go on the copy. Uniqueness and Exclusivity are too much a part of the concept. So... I guess, set it to a low time and try hitting one of us to test it?" Staren blinks. "We'll come back here when we reconnect, right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Kirito considers that for a bit. Strike Staren? Asuna? Frika? Some part of him just... riles at the idea. If it was himself, that'd be one thing, but Asuna freaked when he was going to so much as stab himself lightly with a sword in a safe zone to see if it did so mcuh as 1 Hp of damage.<br /><br />    In the end, he just sheathes his weapon. "No way in hell I'll test that against a friend." Perhaps stubborn or unreasonable, but that's just the way he is.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren blinks. "...Kirito," he crosses his arms, "We need to know how this works. If you try it on them and use it wrong and get killed..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Then here's another idea." Noble Six says, "If we really want to test it before we go to war against the trio. We find another player, a lower level one, and test it on them. Someone who's off on their own somewhere."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren shakes his head. "Then they'll post on the forums or whatever and the news will be out that we can do this. We'll lose the element of surprise."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Staren has a point, Kirito-kun." Asuna says softly. "You're going to have to test it and it's going to have to be on a friendly."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You're a butt and your fashion sense is terrible," Theo says to Kirito from his chair over yonder, "and also you smell of elderberries. See? Now we're mortal foes."<br /><br />There's a slight pause. "Also I don't have any skills levelling right now. I ranked them all up a couple days ago. So, barely any death penalty." He spreads his arms.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I literally just started. I wouldn't even lose my newbie equipment or anything." Noble Six points out, "Plus you barely know me. I think I would be hard pressed to consider us friends. No offense."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"On second thought, the Spartan can do it," Theo states, kicking his feet up on another chair. "I have no idea what the player versus player death penalty is like here and you can't have my cool stuff. You'd get your elderberry smell all over it." He waves his hand in front of his face in an exaggerated fashion, smirking.<br /><br />"I take back what I said about your fashion sense, though," he asides.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "You guys..." Kirito makes a dreadfully bothered face at first Staren then Theo and Noble Six in turn, and a pleading one to Asuna. it says 'come on, really?!' "... It's either the first strike or the last one! So." He sheathes weapons, futzes with his inventory... and, the very next instant, there's a WHIRL of motion, a flick of fingers.<br /><br />    Tiny GLINTS fly through the air as quick as bullets, straight for Staren!<br /><br />    ... those Throwing Picks sure haven't been used in a while.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Asuna considers something, walks around the table, then kicks Theo.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren starts to dodge, but hw's too slow. He /really/ wasn't expecting Kirito to do that -- actually, he was already planning how to hit Kirito /hard/ and goad him into fighting. Staren blinks at the picks embedded in him. One's stuck in his head, he looks down at another in his chest. "Huh. Well, I'm still here." He's quiet for a moment. "...So. The killing blow for all the players has to be you. How the hell are we gonna do /that/? ...Do you think they'd fall for the poisoned banquet trick?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    When Staren doesnt' go POOF in a cloud of smoke or something, Kirito.. relaxes. That act really had him all up tight and worried, even if he doesn't want to show it. "... So it's not a single blow. Definitely deathblows. ... This will take some thinking. That's why cutting them off at the source may be easier."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Staren starts picking the... picks out of himself. "The source? What do you mean?" He walks up and hands the picks back to Kirito.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Noble Six (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"He means the pure wielder. The...Leadership. Cut off the head, the body dies. That sort of thing." Noble Six says, "But we have no idea how to get to him, at the moment."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "The Hollow Avatar looks like he's some kind of GM. But I don't think that's the case. If he had ultimate power he wouldn't have any need of gank squads for the Archmage. So either he's playing around, or he's not that powerful." Kirito states, arms folding as he leans against a wall, gazing ceilingwards.<br> <br>


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