[OP-F1] The Very First Steps She Took

[Haine 0]

"Link start."

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Those were the very first words she could remember before blacking out.. and everything else was merely a mystery.. and she would awake in what she thought was a dream... her mind yet hazy, and everything so loud, such a cacophony. That was what pulled Yuka back to earth.. the noise that knocked her out of her trance-like state. Now that she was aware of her surroundings, she took the time to observe them.

The many people clustered in groups, the loud noises.. Laughing, talking, arm wrestling.. everybody was at home already in such a short time. Perhaps a few might be beta testers? Who else would feel so relaxed around a bunch of strangers. Or simply it was her all along. That probably was it..

She took a moment to study the architecture.. not quite 2024 for sure, but strange in a way.. unique you could say. The buildings rose tall and they were stony in shape. Like millions of apartments.. There were a few vendor carts here and there.. and the foundation was mostly cement, grass, and sand. There were lots of observing to do in this particular area.

Soon she raised her hand to push through the clusters of people, and a menu popped up.. she could only stare at it in awe.

Username:Forte

Level: 1

HP: 5

And so on the list would go,, inventories, and more. But after a while of exploring her menu, she sighed and looked up to see that the clusters of people were still there. Not having any more patience she grew a neutral expression and shoved pass them blankly, moving to a corner to finally have her own freedom and space.

[Kane 0]

Kane was on the first floor again. This in and of itself wasn't news; he had often taken breaks from training to come back down to the lower floors and help other less combat-oriented players to survive and thrive in this terrible, beautiful new world. He pushed his way through the crowds, his mind wandering to his home. He had never truly let his family and friends know that he'd loved them. When he got home, he would fix that.

Clad in dark shades of forest green and olive drab, he stuck out slightly amongst the mostly level 1 players who hadn't yet left the safety of the Starting City. The sword at his back was a unique piece, a magnificent two-handed sword, whose tip almost touched the ground, while the hilt was visible over his right shoulder. His armor was not terribly advanced, a <>, which afforded only a minimal level of protection to his limbs, but kept his vitals well-protected. It also included an oversized pauldron that adorned his left shoulder, topping the faded celadon cloak he wore hood-up over his dark blonde hair.

Kane continued to meander the crowded alleyways, when suddenly someone cried out, "Hey! Thief! Give me back my item!" He turned to see a vendor crying out, pointing at a dark clad, cloaked player who was clutching an amulet by the chain, and who was quickly running away from the vendor. Looking up, Kane could see that there were only two people who could delay the thief; if he moved quickly, he could intercept the bandit, but there was a girl who looked to be around his own age sitting by herself with a neutral expression. It was possible that she could trip the thief or stall him, so Kane waited to see what she'd do.

[Haine 0]

Forte looked at everything in an frustrated manner before hearing someone shout about something stolen. Then she would fully pay attention to what was going on. In the distance, a cloaked figure was running away from a shop vendor, with an expensive amulet clutched in its hand. She sighed before getting up and swiftly shoving him onto the ground, and snatching the expensive amulet from his hands.

"Shame on you," she replied emotionlessly before walking up to the vendor and giving her the stolen amulet carefully and quietly. The amethyst orbed lady would begin to walk back to her corner, thinking about how to advance in this game properly.. she could fight alright, but it was quite.. different. The way this system works.

[Kane 0]

Kane watched the girl move with purpose, unbalancing the culprit and returning the amulet to the shopkeeper. But there was something strange about the young lady, something about the way she moved, and the expressionless look on her face. It puzzled him, watching her emotionlessly return the item, then go back to exactly where she was, without the look on her face changing one bit. There's something about her... can't put my finger on it...

He decided to stroll over to where she was, sitting two chair lengths away on the bench she was sitting at. He perceived that she was the type of person who kept others at arms length. "Good job," he said in a non-threatening tone. "I'm sure that shopkeeper was happy to have his amulet back. You move pretty quick."

[Miaki 0]

In a shimmering blue light Miaki was teleported on the first floor, visiting to take care of some errands. His light brown trench coat flapped around as he moved. Underneath the coat he wore a grey vest and khaki pants. His glasses reflected some of the sun's rays so he adjusted his light brown fedora to block the sun from his face. He had no weapon equipped at the moment knowing full well that in a manner of about 5 seconds he'd could arm himself and be battle ready. He surveyed the crowd filling the area and saw a familiar face.

"Yo! Kane!" Miaki waved and walked toward him. As he got up beside Kane and the girl he was looking at, Kane seemed a bit distracted. He looked between the expressionless girl and Kane who seemed a bit zoned out. Clearly he'd just missed something. "Uhhhhhh I just missed something didn't I?" Miaki looked between the two again and spoke up this time. "Aincrad to Kane. You there?"

[Elyth 0]

That girl was weird. She looked... so professional. It was so strange. And yet, Elyth couldn't stop watching! She peered out from behind the wall, hoping that the girl wouldn't see her peeking.

Suddenly, the girl swiftly went up to a random suspicious passerby and pushed him down, before returning some shiny stuff to a merchant.

"Woah!" Elyth thought. That girl was "hecka rad," as one of Elyth's RL friends would say. Soon, a boy walked up to her and started a conversation. Elyth couldn't hear anything from where she was peeking.

Maybe I should... move closer?

Elyth equipped one of her moustache disguises and walked out into the open nonchalantly sporting that awesome moustache. Everyone loves moustaches. She sat down on a bench close to where the girl was sitting, and opened a book she had purchased earlier.

[Kane 0]

The girl was being quite still and quiet, so Kane prepared to say something else. Just then, Miaki came up next to him.

Kane was focused on the girl next to him, but he snapped out of it when his friend spoke again. "Oh, right. Hey Miaki. You should have seen it, this girl just stopped a thief in the marketplace."

As he spoke, Kane noticed a girl with an extremely conspicuous... moustache? She sat down a small distance away and was looking in his direction. Oooookayyy... he thought.

[Elyth 0]

Elyth looked up from her book a moment later, and saw a second boy approach the first. From the looks of it, they were probably talking. Suspicious. It was time to don another disguise.

On went the glasses.

[Kane 0]

Aaaaaand now she's wearing glasses. This is a bit... ridiculous. Kane turned towards the new presence, raising one eyebrow slightly. Not buyin' it.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki glanced over where Kane was now looking. 'This guy's head seems all over the place today.' He saw the person in glasses and a pretty sweet mustache. Something he at the age of 21 had yet to pull off properly and rubbed where chin hair would be if he wasn't clean shaven before starting SAO.