[SP-F1] The Tool's Jour- OH GOD WHAT?!

[Sotarou 0]

Darkness. Eyes closed, the only sound right now was the steady breathing coming from the newly logged in Avatar of one Sotarou. Well, that and the sound of others logging in and exploring around him. He decided to keep his eyes closed for now... just let the sounds wash over him. It was a refreshing change...

But the sound wasn't going to be the only thing he enjoyed here. He wanted to see the world he'd stepped into as well. So with his eyes opening, he finally saw the world he was now a part of: the world of Sword Art Online. And it was beautiful! He only wished he'd gotten into the Beta testing to see this place sooner. But alas, only a select few were let in. So he made do with logging in on launch day.

He took his time again. Savoring the look of everything around him as he started to walk around the <TOWN OF BEGINNINGS>. It was midday in the city, a bright sun shining down and creating a radiating heat upon the early-tweens individual. The realism that went into this game was astounding. The feeling of the sun hitting his short, silver hair felt good. He didn't get much of that where he lived, so he was going to enjoy it while he was logged in.

[Sotarou 0]

After exploring a small bit, Sotarou came upon his first quest givers. Just tutorial stuff, like most MMOs out there. But one caught his eye, in which he could choose a Profession. And he chose that of a Blacksmith. Something he knew in real life, so maybe he could translate it to the game somehow. Either way, it appealed to him so he wanted to do it.

The quests weren't that difficult. The only tough part was the Profession quest. That was something he couldn't easily do... but just as he was coming back from failing to farm, he bumped into an individual.

The individual spoke: "Hey, sorry about that. Whoa... are you a newbie? Sweet! I love helping out newbies! Name's Jarron."

"Uhh, Sotarou. Nice to meet you, Jarron."

"You and me are gonna go places, Sota! Whaddaya say?" He held out his hand in greeting.

Sotarou saw no reason to distrust the guy, so he accepted the hand and shook it firmly. "Alright. Well first things first, I need some help farming for my Profession."

[Sotarou 0]

It was nearing evening when the quest was finally turned in and Sotarou got his Profession: Blacksmith. Jarron was impressed. "Dude, that Profession so fits you! But me, I like my bling. Check it." He showed Sotarou a bracelet made of gold and inlaid with a pearl in the center. "I'm an Artisan. I like making the stuff that shines! But nothing compliments bling like a swing of a sword! See, I knew we were gonna do well!"

Sotarou nodded in agreement and yawned widely. "It's getting late. Should log out and get some sleep."

Jarron nodded with a small chuckle. "Honestly, I should have been logged out hours ago, but I was having so much fun!"

Sotarou pulled up his menu reticle and went down to the Logout button... only to see it greyed out. "Hey, what gives? What's with the Logout button?" He pressed it repeatedly, but nothing happened. Suddenly... everyone was pulled to the center of town. And that's when the announcement was given...

[Sotarou 0]

Jarron screamed loudly in a mix of panic and anger! "What do you think you're doing to us, you lunatic?! DO YOU HEAR ME?! DAMNIT, KAYABA!"

"Jarron, calm down! We need to think this through!" His words weren't that convincing... he felt the exact same way as his friend right now... Jarron looked so much different now. He was a little younger. Not exactly young teens, but he didn't look like he was barely 16. Sotarou looked much the same, however. Short silver hair, thin-ish figure but toned musculature. The only difference was height. He inched himself up a few inches to not feel so short. But now he was his usual 5'6" self.

Jarron, with those words spoken to him, ran off in the direction towards the front gate of the city, Sotarou close at his heels... when they reached the front of the gate, Jarron stopped just shy of the boundary. Sotarou caught up, breathing a little heavily.

There was silence from the two for a little but... then Jarron broke the silence. "You know... I joined this game... left my house and body... because I was pissed off at my mom... wouldn't you know it, for something so stupid... she wanted me to think about going to College and become a doctor... all I wanted was to be a jeweler. Make awesome jewelry and other crafts of the like..." He gave a dry chuckle. "Needless to say, she wasn't all that thrilled... we had a fight... I slammed the door on her, and put on my Nerv-Gear, hopped immediately in here. It was such an escape... it felt great! I immediately just took out my aggressions on some of the mobs out here... it felt good just to get it out of my system. Then I returned and got my quest done as quick as I could. I've been doing these games for ages, so I knew what I needed to get for the quest. I already had it, so I got it... made my bracelet here, and... well... then I found you. And when we were partying together, it felt awesome. I... I forgot about how angry I was with my mother... and now... now all I can do is be angry with myself for being so angry with her... she'll never know... she'll never know how sorry I am!" By the end of this exchange, Jarron was crying his eyes out.

Sotarou took him in an embrace. "Hey... we'll get through this. Together... alright? We'll get you back to your mom, and you'll be able to tell her you're sorry. Don't go giving up yet."

Jarron wiped his eyes clear of the tears that stained them. "Thanks... Sota..." He sniffled a bit, wiping his nose. "Oh, I forgot. We got a bunch of loot from our farming earlier. I rolled pretty high on the chests we found, so I got some extra gear. It's stuff I don't use, though. You can probably break it down with your Profession, though." He gave Sotarou a couple of items: a sword and a set of armor.

"I could probably use these in a couple of levels." He chuckled a bit. He then gave his new friend a playful punch in the shoulder.

Jarron just laughed a bit. "Yeah, probably. So! Let's get you those levels, then!"

[Sotarou 0]

More grinding ensued, getting enough Col to stay at the Inn for the night. Once the next day rolled around, Jarron and Sotarou continued their grind-fest. Jarron also had been farming using his bracelet. Once he was finished, he went to a shop he'd been borrowing the services of and used it to craft an identical bracelet to the one on his arm. He then presented it to Sotarou. "Here. Because you're the first real friend I've had in a long time, Sota."

Sotarou accepted it with a smile, slipping on the bracelet. It complimented the sword and armor he wore rather well.

Jarron then ran out the shop door. "C'mon, Sota! We're so close to level 2! I can feel it! Just a little more!" 

They made it to the gate where they'd stood the previous day. "Another day... another grind-fest to become stronger."

Jarron moved forward towards the gate and looked back at Sotarou as he did. "You're too serious, man. Lighten up!" Just as Jarron passed the barrier of the city, suddenly there was a flash of movement from the side.

What happened next would shape Sotarou's life... for the worse. Suddenly there was a dagger stabbed right between Jarron's eyes. The look of shock and bewilderment on his face as he just stood there in shock from what had happened to him... and next to him just now standing in the city limits after the strike... was a player cloaked in all black and a cursor as red as the blood that would have been spurting from Jarron's face were this real. But this wasn't real... but it was, at the same time. Real enough that... Jarron's body started to lose its cohesion... before suddenly it poofed in an explosion of pixels... if Akihiko Kayaba was to be believed... Jarron... Sotarou's friend... was dead.

The man robed in black just laughed maniacally before running out of the city and off into the now glowing sunset diving down the west side of the city. Sotarou just stood there for a bit in shock... his friend... his friend just... died... right in front of him... after a bit, he dropped to his knees. Then the only thing that could be heard in the city was the wailing scream of terror coming from Sotarou...

[Sotarou 0]

... It's been almost a year since that fateful incident... he later learned that the robed man was a member of a Guild that hopped from MMO to MMO, known as the Laughing Coffin. Notorious for Player Killing... they loved the kill. They didn't care about loot, they didn't care if it was a death game... they just wanted the rush of ending the life of someone! Well... either way, a big majority of the Laughing Coffin Guild was either locked up or killed in retaliation for their crimes... all by a Guild he couldn't think of the name of. But that didn't matter... he hadn't left the <TOWN OF BEGINNINGS> since that incident. He'd just peddled wares, earning money to buy materials and using those materials to get more money... using this cycle to keep himself afloat. He was mainly making and repairing low-leveled gear... so he didn't have any chance to level himself up in his Profession... he'd need better materials for that... of which he'd have to leave the safety of Floor 1 and explore the upper floors... but everytime he attempted to go to the gate to leave the city, he felt physically ill to his stomach... remembering his friend get killed like that... just for stepping out of the city... but lately, it was getting harder and harder to afford the Inn. He was getting less and less customers as they all found higher level gear in the higher level floors and better shops there. He had to... he had to go out again...

[Sotarou 0]

Once again, here he stood. At the gates leading out of the city... he looked around... noone he could see nearby... which didn't say much. He wasn't that skilled... came from not leveling at all... as he took a few steps towards the gate, he felt that feeling again... like he was going to hurl. He fell to his hands and knees like he'd done so many times before this. "Why... why can't I..." His breath was coming out shakily... He closed his eyes... all he could see was his best friend getting stabbed between the eyes... by... that Laughing Coffin member... that big grin... the sadistic laugh...

... Why are you on the ground?

Because I lack the strength to stand...

You lack the strength to move forward, more like.

Same difference. What difference does it make...? I'm not strong enough... I wasn't strong enough to save my best friend...

So? What are you going to do about that?

... What do you mean?

Do you plan on being weak forever? Do you remember your first fight?

I remember... I came home with a black eye and a busted lip. And I was crying...

Do you remember what father told us when he heard what happened?

'The pain's there to remind you that you need to be stronger next time...'

And when that bully confronted you again...

I gave him a bloody nose.

You moved forward. Got stronger.

... yeah.

So? This feeling is just another bully... you've experienced the pain of loss... it hurts, yeah. I don't think we should ever want to endure that... but as father said, 'The pain's there to remind you that you need to be stronger next time.'

... so...

Exactly. Now get up, Kisuke... and honor your friend's memory by moving forward!

It took a little bit, but Sotarou did indeed stand up, facing the gate. And... he took a step. And another one. And the closer he got, the more confident he felt. And as he approached the gate... he saw a ghost image. It was of his friend, Jarron. Jarron flashed Sotarou a thumbs up and a smile before fading away into the sky. Sotarou looked to the sky and declared loudly: "Jarron! You just watch! I'll get strong for the both of us! You'll be here with me!" He put his thumb to his chest as he said this. "Now let's get stronger! Together!" And with that, for the first time in nearly a year... he stepped outside... to the wilds... of Sword Art Online.

(( I have this video playing during the last paragraph because it felt appropriate! Video in Spoilers ))

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shFsNpdXNhM

 

Summary

Sotarou: 0 Col

 

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