[SP-01] Lament For a Hero

[Faerie 0]

 

~ November 6th two years ago ~

"Link Start" Those two fateful words would change Fae's life forever, in a way that at the time she, and no one else logging into Sword Art Online could have ever predicted. Today was the day that Fae and Kas would finally be playing the game that Kas had been drooling over since its announcement. Slowly the blinding white light faded and was replaced by the faces of hundreds if not thousands of people in a big coliseum like town center in the town of beginnings. Fae couldn't help as she felt her stomach tightening, how was she ever going to be able to find her friend in a crowd like this, especially when she had no idea what his avatar looked like. The tightening didn't last long as a single friend request lit up on the HUD in front of her 'Lightbringer' the name that her friend had given himself when he logged into the game. Quickly accepting the request Fae nearly jumped as the sound of a message came through immediately, it was the coordinates of her friend, near one of the exits of the town center. It was a struggle, pushing her way through all of the people amassed in this one location, it was an amazing thing the way it felt like jostling through a real crowd. Finally breaking through the crowds of friends meeting up, and people looking for groups Fae looked around seeing the person that could only be Kas, even if he wasn't close enough to see his username. He was practically the spitting image of himself from the real world, tall, and muscular blonde hair up in a bun on the top of his head, the only difference seemed to be the nose, where once there was a nose that had clearly been broken at some point, there was now a perfectly smooth one. Raising her hand in a call out to her friend Fae rushed over. 

Spoiler

Faerie,
Level: 1
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 20/20
EN: 20/20

Sword Arts:
[x4] ST-I (4 EN) | A single-target sword art.
[x3] AOE-I (1 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once.
[x4] TECH-A (5 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy.

Stats:
Damage: 5
Loot Dice: 1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Green Thumb [T1 SS DMG 1]
Armor: Forest's Cloak [T1 Cloth Armor LD 1]
Misc:

Custom Skill


Skills:
Straight Sword R1

Active Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Addons:

Active Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Health pots | Heals 50 HP x5

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

Loot Dice:
Gathering: 1
Looting: 1
Finding Chests: 1
looting Chests: 0
Finding Dungeon: 1
Finding Labyrnth: 1

Spoiler

Word count: 325

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae stood a few inches taller than her friend in real life, but with their avatars, he seemed to tower over her, clearly having made up for his insecurities. Fae on the other hand had taken the other route, like Lightbringer or Kas Fae had made herself look much like she did in real life, short Purple hair that swept over the right side of her head not covering but rather framing her face. She had however made herself shorter, her height had always been an insecurity, she wasn't a hulking giant, but she was taller than average, and with her weight it gave her a lanky appearance that she didn't like much. "So lightbringer you don't seem to be that much different from yourself in real life. I kind of miss the nose." Fae put on a teasing lilt to her voice when calling him lightbringer, Kas always said that the name had nothing to do with angels, but Fae never believed him. "I could say the same to you, though you look more like a fairy now than ever."  Kas patted the now shorter Fae on the head as he stared down at her, bringing a light crimson to Fae's cheeks. "Why don't we go see what we can go get for equipment, I don't really think these will help us much in a fight, especially without a weapon." Kas did a twirl to emphasize the starter clothes the pair was wearing. In SAO you didn't choose classes, because there were none, you leveled up in specific weapons and armors as you used them which was sort of a unique direction to the game, and part of its appeal. Because of the lack of classes every character started in a variation of the same outfit a tight short sleeved shirt, predominantly one color with stripes of white that go up the front of the shirt and then loop under the arms to go down the back, and a matching pair of tight shorts the sides of which were the same white color. Kas was wearing a red one, something that looked nice with his blonde hair and blue eyes, Fae's was a pastel pink, a color that she normally didn't wear often, but one that fit the name she had given herself, Faerie. "You're right, lets go see what we can find, I want to go explore, and see what's out there." With the agreement Fae and Kas left the gathering place, more bodies still spawning in in blue light behind them as they made their way to the beginner markets that surrounded the spawn zone.

Spoiler

Word Count: 438

 

[Faerie 0]

The shops sprawling out from the central plaza were only slightly less packed than the plaza itself. Hundreds of people were here buying their starter gear with the col that they got on spawning, it wasn't a lot of money but it would let you buy a decent enough weapon and armor with a bit of col left over for yourself. "I think it might be a bit too packed for us to look at all the shops together, how 'bout we meet back here in 15 minutes?" Fae nodded to her companion, though the odds of him seeing it were unlikely as he was already speeding off to look at the armor and weapons eyes glittering with child like joy. Kas had always had a love for this fantasy stuff, one that Fae couldn't really understand, she never really liked the violence of it all, though the outfits could be nice sometimes, she was really only here to see the scenery and to support Kas. Shaking her head, Fae walked along the rows and rows of booths that seemed to be selling all manner of items, there was obviously armor and weapons of all shapes and sizes, but there were also small trinkets, potions of various liquids, and even what to her clearly looked like stuffed animals. Fae grabbed a handful of the healing potions that were being sold in bulk, there was a discount for buying them in sets of five, and that's what Fae did thanking the merchant as she clipped them onto a belt that the merchant threw into the package the belt hung loose on her hips, rather than sitting horizontally like one would expect, it hung diagonally down, the small test tube like vials pulling on the belt. It only took a few more minutes of looking around before Fae settled on a set of armor and weapon being sold at the same booth, they looked like they were at least tangentially tied together. Fae walked into one of the rooms that seem to have been set up as sort of changing rooms and stripped off her starter gear, pulling on her new armor and looking at herself in the mirror. The armor consisted of tight but not restricting black pants tucked into light brown supple boots that were surprisingly comfortable, a light brown tunic tucked into her pants was mostly hidden by a half cloak that pulled the piece together. The cloak went fully around her body stopping at her midriff looking sort of like a poncho but with the arms still underneath. Pulling up the hood for the mottled green cloak Fae smirked, it was pretty, but not showy, which was exactly what she was going for. Next came the weapon she bought, it was a simple straight longsword, one made of a forest green metal the cross guard being made of a white piece of wood carved intricately to look like leaves and ivy. Sliding the blade into its scabbard Fae attached it so that it was on her lower back angled slightly so that pulling it out wouldn't be a hassle. Fae's fifteen minutes were almost up, taking her hood off she exited the building feeling more secure in the armor, even if it didn't provide her much of anything in the way of defense.

Spoiler

Word Count: 555

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae stood with her back planted on the beam of one of the buildings in the row of shops and streets vendors in the town of beginnings. it had been 5 minutes since Kas was supposed to meet back up wit her, but he was, as usual, late. Fae didn't mind much she knew how excited he was for this, and being able to live in a fantasy world was like a dream come true for him. It wasn't much longer before Kas came back rubbing the back of his head and holding his hand up in greeting to her. "Sorry I'm late Fae, had the hardest time picking what I wanted to use." Fae rolled her eyes as she looked at him, he was exactly like what you would describe as a paladin, and with a name like lightbringer the get up seemed apt. he was wearing a silver suit of full plate covered in blue accents that popped with the shiny suit, a blue cape hanging down on his back. Fae expected this outcome when it came to Kas, when he played games this was the sort of character he always played. The sword on Kas' back was almost comically large, it was nearly 6 feet long and seemed to be made of a thick metal, clearly meant to be wielded in two hands. Fae didn't understand how he could move in that get up let alone swing that big sword, but she just shrugged this is a videogame after all. "All that looks like it cost you a fortune. how much did you spend?" Fae wasn't concerned about whether he had saved really, she had saved enough for the both of them, and there wouldn't be any issues in the col department. "All of it." Kas rubbed the back of his head as he looked at the floor. Fea just chuckled and stopped leaning against the pole. "Well big spender, why don't we head out into those fields, we gotta get that col back somehow, and I want to get out of this city, it's too cramped." Fae took the lead as she normally did with Kas, with anyone else Fae could never be so bold or brash, hating telling people what to do, but she knew Kas preferred it this way, being happier to just follow.

Spoiler

Word Count: 390

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The crowds of people began thinning out as the pair walked towards the northern gate of the Town of Beginnings, the walk was no longer full of bumping and jostling, it seemed as though most people were still waiting on friends and getting their equipment. Finally passing through the gates the pair was finally able to see the first floor in all of it's glory, and it was massive, for as far as they could see the plains of the floor just rolled on and on, almost as if there was no end to them. "Wow." Fae's eyes widened at the beautiful sight before her "I never imagined it would be this. This pretty." The first floor was mainly rolling plains but in the decent a huge mountain could be seen, the top reaching into the clouds. "I'm more excited to see the monster's up close, I am itching for a fight." There were dozens of people outside of the gates already, each in their own fights, these were the loners, people who hadn't come here with anyone, and they made it out much faster than anyone else in the town of beginnings. "Fine, lets find somewhere that we can fight without so many people to get in our way." Fae chose a direction arbitrarily walking until the players thinned out even more. It didn't take long for the pair to find a secluded spot, she could see some boars not too far away from a small river that was winding it's way deeper into the rolling plains. Fae unsheathed her sword from her back and could hear Kas due the same, they were now completely prepared to start there first combat, and had no idea where to begin. The choice on how to begin wasn't theirs though as one of the boars looked up and noticed the pair, Letting out a deep growl the boar charged, alerting the other two boars to there presence.

Spoiler

Word Count: 325

 

[Faerie 0]

This was Fae and Kas' first ever fight in SAO and it wasn't nerve racking in the slightest, these were just boars, and even if they died they would be able to just come back and try again. The boar rushed at Kas who tried to hop out of the way, but in the heavy armor he was wearing he didn't really make it far, the boar slamming into his shins slamming him backwards onto the floor. Fae took this time to run up and slash at the boar, much more mobile than her compatriot it didn't take much for her to reach the boar, and even less for her to slash her sword diagonally in front of herself at the boar, leaving a red line of data in its wake. Fae watched as the boar's health barely dropped at all, maybe a few HP but nothing much at all. "Hey why isn't this doing anything? This is just a regular mob right?" Fae took the moment to look over at her friend, who seemed to have taken more damage from the boar than what she dished out. The moment spent looking away was enough for the boar to rear up on its front legs and plant a solid kick into Fae's sternum, knocking her back and winding her, it didn't her as much as it was just uncomfortable. Fae watched her health bar slide down, it wasn't much, probably not even a fifth of her health, but compared to the boar it was bad. "Remember what the announcements said? this game relies on skills called sword arts, you should have a few of them by base." Kas hefted his sword lifting it above his head, and pausing before bringing it crashing down on the boar, an ark of blue light following his blade. The boar was seemingly sliced in half, and almost half of his HP had slid away with the single strike. but now wasn't the t9ime for admiration as Fae looked over and noticed the other two boars practically on top of them. "Right, sword arts, I'll give it a try." 

Spoiler

Word Count: 354

 

[Faerie 0]

Fae thought back to one of the videos that Kas had forced her to watch about SAO, one that explained the sword arts, you just begin the motion and pause once you feel the skill activating you release, the video had said. Fae looked towards the lead boar that was running at them and turned to face it, spinning to the side holding her sword ready for strike green arc followed behind the blade as she finished her spin the blade gliding along the side of the boar leaving it with half of its health left. "I did it!" Fae jumped and lifted her hands in the air pumping as she turned to face her friend, currently surrounded by a cloud of blue data that was the first boar they encountered. "Watch out!" was all Fae heard as she felt the second of the two boars slam into her from behind stumbling her forward a few paces, Fae's health had fallen to below half, this hit being clearly worse than the first one she had received. It was clear now to Fae just how much more resistance Kas' armor gave him with this very same hit not doing nearly as much to him. Kas was next to Fae in a second swinging his massive sword in swipe at the boar that had hit her, the blue arc making it clear that he was using another sword art, this one more powerful than his last as the boar immediately exploded into a cloud of blue data. "I'm spent now, that last sword art took all of my energy, I am going to have to let it charge a bit before I can help any more." Kas placed his hand on her shoulder turning towards the final boar "You got this." Fae turned along with him, prepping herself for the boars next attack, it was a classic Mexican standoff as the boar stared Fae down and in turn she stared back, with a snort the boar began it's charge and Fae began her sword art, raising her green sword above her head. Fae swung her sword down as the boar was getting close, but her timing was off, hitting the boar after it had hit her, both of their health bars dropping as Fae's was brought into the red, leaving her with almost no health, the boar's however was brought even lower exploding into blue as it died. "Phew that was close, I almost had to restart from the Town of Beginnings, that would have been a pain." Fae wiped sweat off of her brow as she sheathed her sword, grabbing out one of healing vials and chugging it, fully restoring her health bar back into the green. "Shall we continue?" 

Spoiler

Word Count: 459

 

Edited November 26, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

As the day grew on Fae and Kas had improved by leaps and bounds, especially Fae, both of them now being able to activate their sword arts with no problem, and not having any issues at all taking down the boars that were in the plains. as the sun finally set the pair sat underneath a copse of trees together enjoying the cool air that they felt on their skin. "Thank you Fae, for joining me here, I know this isn't your thing, but this game is everything I have ever hoped for." Kas looked at Fae completely earnest with his thanks. Fae blushed at his firm gaze looking away. "Of course Kas, I don't know where I would be right now without you, this is the least I can do, Hero." Fae smirked bringing up an old nickname that Kas had had in high school when they met, it had always embarrassed him a lot. He gained the nickname because of how he always stuck his nose in other people's problems to try to fix them, just like the hero in all of the stories, it wasn't meant to be an insult to Kas, he had actually done a lot of good with his meddling, and that included for her. Fae placed her head on Kas' shoulder staring out into the sky "This is nice, Just us here with the night sky above us. Just like old times." a smile appearing on her face. The pleasant moment didn't last long as suddenly their vision was filled with the same white light that appeared when they logged in, and just as suddenly as it had came it was gone, but now where their was plains and forest there was the plaza, and thousands of other people just as confused as she was in the moment a loud bell ringing in the center of the plaza.

Spoiler

Word Count: 315

 

[Faerie 0]

"Attention players!" A giant cloaked figure hovered in the sky as everyone in the plaza murmured below asking what was going on. "I welcome you to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba. And as of this moment i am in control of this world." Fae listened to the figure in the sky as she looked at the people around her, looking for any sign of Kas. "I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus: the logout button. I assure you this is not a defect." Fae opened her menu at the words of the man in the sky to check for herself, and sure enough there was no logout button, there wasn't even a spot for it, it was like it had never been there. Panic began to set in with people around her, all players calling out for some sort of explanation. "I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how SAO was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to take of your Nervegear for you. If anyone attempts it a transmitter inside of the Nervegear will discharge a microwave signal that will destroy your brain and end your life." Fae herself started growing panicked, if what Kayaba was saying was true, than they were all trapped inside of this game with no way out right now. Even through all of the panic no one moved, all enamored by the man explaining this. "Despite my warning the friends and families of some players have attempted to remove the Nervegear an unfortunate circumstance to say the least." Kayaba waved his hands and screens appeared next to him with news articles covering exactly what he was talking about, it was clear to see that many people had already died. "As you can see media outlets from around the world have around the clock coverage in everything, including the deaths, at this point it is safe to assume that no one will try to remove the Nervegear." Fae looked at the screens in horror, already 213 people had been killed by this maniac, 213 living beings had been murdered just for having logged onto this game. "I hope that brings you a little comfort as you try to clear this game. it is important to remember this, there is no way to revive a player in the game, if your health drops to 0 your avatar will be deleted from the system forever, and the Nervegear will simultaneously destroy your brain." All of the color drained from Fae's face as the man spoke, if you died here you would actually die, Fae covered her mouth to stem the nausea that was building, then earlier when she had almost died in game, that could have been the end? Fae could feel as her stomach tightened, not able to fully handle the prospect. "There is only one way for you to escape now: and that is to clear the game. Right now you are all gathered on the first floor, if you find and kill the boss here, than you can move up to the next floor. If you can find and kill the boss on the 100th floor, than you will clear this game." Fae could barely even focus, 100 floors, if they were all as big as this one, it would take forever to clear this game, there was no way that they could all do that. Fae looked around her, everyone sharing the same opinion she did. "Last, but not least, I have placed a present for each of you in your inventory, please have a look." Fae's inventory opened without her pressing it and the only thing inside was a mirror, grabbing the mirror Fae could see the people around her change, and looking into the mirror could tell that she had too. Her character was originally very similar to herself, but now, the resemblance was exactly the same, even her height. "Right now you're probably wondering 'why?'. 'Why would Akahiko Kayaba developer of SAO and the Nervegear do something like this?' well my ultimate goal is simple. I wanted to completely control a world that I have created. As you can see i have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and official launch of Sword Art Online. I wish you players the best of luck." With that Kayaba disappeared just like he had appeared, suddenly. The nausea inside of Fae's stomach wouldn't go away, and she could feel tears running down her cheeks and over the hand still clamped over her mouth. "Why would someone do something like this, what kind of monster makes a game just to kill people?". Fae immediately began looking all around herself, looking for one man, though with his new height, finding him in a crowd would be difficult. Before Fae could spot Kas, she heard him shouting her name, and immediately ran over to him, not saying anything as she barreled into his arms sobbing. "Don't worry. The hero is here." Kas placed his hand on Fae's head as she cried.

Spoiler

word Count: Disclaimer, Most of the words that Kayaba spoke in this were not words that I myself created, but rather were taken from a transcript of the first episode of SAO.

With Kayaba Speaking: 864

Without Kayaba Speaking: 486

 

[Faerie 0]

~ January 9th 2 years ago ~

Fae sat with Kas outside of one of the few restaurants ran by a player on the first floor, they didn't have a bench or a table, but rather were just sitting on the cobblestone steps before the road. "I am so sick and tired of this." Fae stared down at Kas while they talked, the perfection of his avatar now long gone, his nose now slightly crooked from one of the many fights he had inadvertently started, and his stature now standing at 5'2" over half a foot shorter than Fae. "What are you talking about Kas?" Fae looked back to the sandwich she had been picking at, her appetite not really having picked back up after everything that happened. They had had this conversation a dozen times, never anything coming out of it, Kas was going to go on a tirade about how he should be doing something to help all of the people searching for the floor boss, before grumbling and eating his sandwich like always. "We should be out there Fae, we are in this game just like everyone else, I can't take watching another good person's name end up on the monument." Kas stood up abruptly tossing his sandwich to the side, it hitting the ground and bursting into the blue particles that Fae had grown accustomed to. "You know what, I'm leaving, whether you join me or not, they've narrowed it down to the area around the stone valley, and it's just the first floor how hard could it get." Before Fae could even register what Kas had said, he turned and started walking off, heading in the direction of one of the exits of the Town of Beginnings, more specifically the western exit, towards the Stone valley. "Wait Kas, come back here, we can't go out there." Fae stood reaching her hand out to grab Kas' wrist, conflicted she looked back at the plaza behind them and jogged after her companion, if he was going out there, she wasn't going to leave him behind.

Spoiler

Word Count: 346

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

As scared as Fae was the journey thus far had been an easy one, most of what surrounded the plains before the stone valley were boars, and the occasional wolf, easy enough for the pair to take out without much problem. For the most part they walked in silence, Fae continually looking backwards watching as the town that had been their safety net slowly receded into the distance behind them, and Kas looking stout and Grim ahead of them, his gaze not wavering for a moment from his goal. It was admirable, how even with how inexperienced he was, that he was so resolute and unwavering in the face of possible death. Another hour passed before Kas finally spoke again "Thank you Fae, I couldn't be out here without you." He looked over at Fae, and Fae saw a break in the stout hero that Kas was trying to play, and underneath those eyes was a scared kid, someone who had always lived with his parents, and was for the first time in his life, alone, all except Fae. Fae just reached over and grabbed Kas' hand as they kept walking the forest giving way to more rocky ground. They were finally in the Stone valley, and if the plains before were a tutorial, than this was the first real challenge players in SAO would face, full of far more cunning creature's and ones that could easily put an unprepared player into an early grave. The first sign of this that the pair faced was a giant praying mantis, easily the size of horse, this creature was much faster than the boars, and packed a meaner punch. Leaping out from a nearby ledge the mantis gave a screech as it descended down on the pair, Fae's reflexes were better than Kas' and was able to fling herself out of harm's way of the giant insect, Kas on the other hand just lifted his massive sword above them like a shield, a clang resounding through the valley as the sharp sickle like arms of the mantis met the sword. There wasn't a moment's hesitation for Fae as she enacted a sword art, swinging her blade upwards at the back of the giant insect, the damage wasn't optimal, but if Kas kept playing defense, and keeping the insect at bay, then there wouldn't be too many problems.

Spoiler

Word count: 395

 

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The battlefield was hectic, with the boars, and even wolves to a lesser extent, that they had fought so far didn't really have any particular strategy, and would just go after the first person they saw. The mantis however, seemed to know exactly what they were planning constantly trying to get around Kas to get at the nimbler, but far less armored Fae. The sound of the mantis' hardened exoskeleton slamming against Kas' sword made talking all but impossible, the pair trying to synergize as much as possible to deal with this new foe. Fae weaved in and out of the reach of the mantis, slowly nicking off small chunks of its health bar as Kas focused on keeping it from ignoring him, the pair was working like a well oiled machine, that was at least until one of the Mantis' long blades managed to hook over Kas' sword and pierce him in the shoulder, the damage from this bug was worse than anything the boars could dish out, dropping Kas' health by a fourth in just the one hit. This created just enough of an opening for it to turn its attention towards Fae, its mandibles clacking horribly as it slowly walked over to her. Fae walked backwards in sync with the creature until her back hit a hard surface behind her, one of the large rocks in the area. Fae closed her eyes as the creature shrieked horribly thinking that this would be it, that this would be the last thing she saw, nothingness. But the second passed, long enough that if the Mantis was going to strike, it would have already. Fae opened her eyes to see what was going on, and she saw in front of her, Kas standing above the bow slain Mantis, who was turning into blue data as they watched. Kas had taken the opportunity of it turning it's back to slam his heavy sword into the creature's abdomen, felling it in that one final swing. Fae looked back to Kas, letting a relieved smile come to her face "Thank you, for saving me." Fae didn't really know what else to say, she didn't want to be out here in the danger, but knew she couldn't convince Kas to turn back. Handing Kas a healing vial she said down on the floor her back against the same rock "Let's take a break, I need a break." Fae looked up at Kas pleading before he gave in and sat next to her.

Spoiler

Word Count: 418

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

"I don't understand why this had to happen. I have watched too many good people die, how do you keep so calm Kas?" Fae looked at her hands in her lap tears quietly falling into them. "I'm not calm at all Fae, I'm terrified, of dying, of losing you, of all of this." Kas put his hand on Fae's as she looked up at him "that's why I have to do this, because of all of those good people, what right do I have to sit around doing nothing, when there are so many people out here dying for me?" Fae stared into Kas' eyes as he spoke, she couldn't understand how he stayed so strong, but his resolve was infectious, and before long Fae found her courage coming back to her. Standing up and brushing herself off Fae turned her back to Kas, wiping the tears from her eyes she pulled up her hood "Then I guess we've got a labyrinth to find Hero." Kas stood up, a small smirk on his face "I guess we do."

_______________________________________________

An hour had passed and the pair had not run into anything else in their entire time in the Stone Valley, it was like that Mantis was an outlier. "I don't understand, even back in the plains we wouldn't be able to walk for an entire hour without finding anything, especially when we aren't trying to hide." Kas was looking around them keeping a very close eye on their surroundings for anything that might be lurking in the area. It wasn't much longer until the pair happened upon a cave, not a large one from the looks of the entrance, more of an alcove hidden away from the weather and other harshness of the outdoors. The cave however, was not what immediately caught the attention of the pair. A large creature 7 feet tall with a greenish blue gaunt skin was taking a step out of the cave, ducking its head and hunching as it did, clearly too big for the entrance. The creature was horrific to look at, his skin pulled tight across his arms and legs that were longer than they should be, you could almost see the bone and sinew that lay underneath, a bulbous wart covered nose sitting squarely on its squat head. But none of those were the worst part, the deep red eyes, that showed an intelligence far greater than anything that they had yet encountered, paired with a grin of rotten pointed teeth that they could almost smell from where they were standing not even 5 feet away. Its gaze fell onto the pair, locking eyes with them as it snarled.

Spoiler

Word Count: 446

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

The troll may have seemed like a weak foe, but looks didn't matter in a video game, and even though its arms looked like they would snap from just carrying the club that it held, it hefted it with the ease of a giant. It didn't take more than a second for the troll to cross the gap to the pair, towering above them even in its slightly hunched state. Fae could feel even more fear grip her than when they had faced the Mantis, the aura that came off of this monster exuded a strength greater than what either of them would be able to handle. Fae's thoughts were proven when it swung its off hand out at Fae, and even with her armor being made of nothing more than fabric, and the reflexes that she had, she wasn't able to dodge out of the way. Taking the backhand blow to the side of her sternum Fae was blown away, knocked multiple feet through the air as she spiraled landing on the floor. Fae heard Kas shout something, but her mind had trouble focusing on anything, Cardinal replaced pain with more of a discomfort, but it was nearly overwhelming. Finally able to focus Fae heard Kas shout behind her "Run, go, Ill be right behind you!" Looking up from the ground Fae could see Kas standing in between her and the troll, the sun lining up perfectly with his head giving him a halo, one that made him seem like a real hero out of legend. His face was covered in shadow because of the light behind him, but Fae could still imagine his smug face, broken nose looking so fitting as he protected her, in that moment Fae made a decision. Scrambling from the ground Fae began to run.

Spoiler

Word Count: 301

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

He said he would be right behind me, those words were like a mantra in her head as she ran, her feet landing solidly on the ground, echoing through the valley as they hit the stone. Fae couldn't feel the tears run down her cheeks as she ran, couldn't feel anything at all as she ran, her body and mind had become numb as she repeated the mantra in her head, he said he would be right behind me. Not daring to stop or look behind her Fae kept running, running so hard that she didn't even hear the sound of a set of full plate armor cracking, and the subsequent sound of it hitting the stony floor. He said he would be right behind me, the mantra continued as Fae focused solely on getting herself away, she wouldn't even be able to if it wasn't for the thought that he would be there, right there when she made it back to the town of beginnings. Fae ran for what felt like days, not stopping for even a moment as the rocky ground slowly gave way to the soft grass that was the fields surrounding the town of beginnings. Fae didn't even consider how lucky she was that she had not run into a single monster, the mantra just repeating as the Town of Beginnings finally made it into view, and as she eventually found herself crossing the threshold of one of its gates. Running a few steps into the town before realizing she made it, finally she stopped running, turning around to stare at the horizon "He said he would be right behind me." her words faded into the sky as she stood, completely alone at the gate.

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Word Count: 289

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae slowly walked out of the gate, placing her back against the wall and sliding down until she was on the ground, not for a moment taking her eyes off of the horizon, looking in the direction that Kas would be coming from. At this point hope was really the only thing keeping Fae going, she had escaped, and there was a chance that Kas had managed it too. It didn't take long for the sun to set, and for the night to take over as Fae sat staring blankly into the open expanse of field, tears falling down her cheeks slowly, silently. Sword Art Online may have dulled pain into barely more than discomfort, but it did nothing against the elements, the cold still pierced through clothing as much as it had in the real world, and with the thin cloth armor that she wore, it barely protected her from the night air. Fae didn't notice herself start shivering as she stared, the cold not registering in her mind even though it had registered in her body. Fae kept staring as the sun rose in the morning, her nose and hands red with the cold, the only thought running through her mind was 'Kas will be here any moment'. That thought lasted the next two days and nights as Fae stared at the horizon, until it finally faded being replaced with, emptiness. Fae stood and turned her back on the point she had been staring at, completely numb.

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Word Count: 249

 

[Faerie 0]

It had been three days since the battle with the troll, and it was clear now to Fae, as it was deep down three days ago, that Kas wouldn't be coming, and that he was already dead. The thought was like a crushing weight, and yet as Fae aimlessly walked there were no tears, it was almost as if her mind was serene, no longer numb, now there was just nothing at all, no numbness, no emotions. Fae walked aimlessly around the Town of Beginnings, not at all thinking of a destination, only focusing on placing one foot in front of the other. She didn't care where she went and was really only walking for the sake of doing something in the moment. 'Why did I run? Without him.' The thought hit Fae like a lightning bolt, stopping her in her tracks. Fae couldn't think of an answer other than that she was scared, 'What right do I have to live, while he died for me?' Fae thought of one of the last conversations her and Kas had, when he had made a quote along those lines talking about going out of the town. Fae shook her head, looking around herself for the first time since she started walking, finding herself on the edge of a bridge in the town of beginnings, a well known bridge, and one that she had already seen hundreds of people take their lives on, preferring to go out on their own terms. Looking down Fae could see the bottom, a long way down, more than enough to end everything. This is where her wandering had taken her, to the very edge, and all she had to do was take one more step. Fae prepared herself, one thought flashing in her head something that Kas had said a long time ago 'I think the real truth behind living, is the ability to help those around you. What's the point of life, if the people around you suffer.' It was something he said before he had earned his moniker, and to the end of his life he had lived by those words, words that were running through Fae's head right now as she stared down at the long fall below her. "Are you okay ma'am?" A voice echoed from behind Fae causing her to jump and fall back. Turning her head to look at the figure she couldn't see her face, the sun fitting perfectly behind her head surrounding it like a halo, just like it did Kas, and in the moment Fae had the answer to her unasked question. 

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Word Count: 434

 

[Faerie 0]

The woman was wearing a very pretty and clean blue dress that didn't really fit in the fantasy setting that they were in, and her blonde hair matched perfectly. She looked like the basic preppy cheerleader that you meet in high school, the kinds of people who cared more about their hair than the people around them. Kneeling on the ground in front of Fae the woman pulled Fae close to her, holding the back of her head as she just held her, humming a soft tune that Fae couldn't recognize. Fae didn't pull away as she let herself be held, tears freely streaming down her face as she cried loudly into the woman. The pair sat there for minutes before the crying slowed down; Fae finally leaned back looking at the woman's face, and she was pretty, in an almost too perfect sort of way, before she realized that she had just covered the front of her dress in tears. "I am so sorry." Fae blushed as she scurried backwards further onto the bridge "Don't worry about it, it's just a dress, It can be washed." The woman smiled as she stood, brushing of what dirt was left on her dress from kneeling. "Come with me." she put her hand out as she looked down at Fae smiling a calm smile that showed through in her eyes. Fae just stared for a few more moments before she grabbed the woman's hand letting her help her up "My name is Angel, let's head home now." She didn't let Fae respond as she started walking Fae's hand still in hers. 

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Word Count: 269

 

[Faerie 0]

~ January 9th Two years later ~

Fae woke up to the sun shining in through a window positioned above her, she was laying in a small room, that had a bed and a desk in it, but despite its size it gave off a homey lived in feel. Fae stretched as she climbed out of her bed, quickly pulling on her clothes and cloak before opening the door. outside of the door was a long hallway, doors running along both sides in intervals before ending in a staircase that went down, the walls made of a simple wood, and the light coming from the open flame light's on the wall gave it a warmth that broke through the chilly morning air. Fae walked lightly through the halls so as to not wake up the other's sleeping, expertly avoiding all of the creaky boards as if she had done this hundreds of times. Soon enough Fae found herself downstairs, in a large room with 4 long tables in it, the ceiling above was taller than the previous room and the lighting was a mixture of lit lamps and windows that let the morning light in. Sitting at one of these tables were four people, one of which was Angel, dressed in a white sundress that matched her figure perfectly, the other three being rowdy children who were fighting all fighting over a simple wooden toy made to look like a fox. The children, noticing Fae walk down the steps immediately dropped what they were doing "Fae!" they all screamed in unison as they surrounded the older woman. "Can you please, please, please take us with you when you go outside the walls today?" Fae just chuckled as she ruffled one of the kids hair "You know it's dangerous out there, I can't take you guys with me." Angel looked over at the three kids a soft look on her face "Come on you three, you know Fae has places to be, it'll be time for class soon anyways. Run along and wake the others." The kids groaned as the walked upstairs clearly not wanting to leave yet. Angel stood and walked over to Fae a concerned look in her eyes "You be careful out there Fae, just like you told the kids, it's dangerous out there. I worry about you." Angel lightly placed her hand on the side of Fae's face "I know Angel, I won't be long, I just need to think." Fae's promise seemed to placate Fae as she lowered her hand before sighing and sitting down "Well, hurry up then, don't want to miss supper." Fae took the cue to leave, knowing full well that she wanted her back for supper just so that she wouldn't have to cook for herself, she walked out the door, a smile on her face. 

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Word Count: 476

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Faerie

[Faerie 0]

Fae closed the solid wooden door behind her as she left, the outside of the house sat on the corner of an intersection, a couple of shops on either side. Above the door hung a hand made sign that said 'The Wayward' in fancy white letters. To anyone who lived in the town of beginnings this place was famous, working as a shelter for any of the people who had nothing or nowhere to go to, at first there were a handful of adults who lived there along with Fae and Angel, but over time the all left, leaving the pair of them to take care of the dozen kids that made their home in The Wayward. The thing that The Wayward was most well known for however was their food, one of the only places on the first floor where someone could get a nice free meal three times a day, working a lot like a soup kitchen in the real world, people could come and grab a plate of whatever they were serving and eat for free somewhere safe and warm, it was Fae's home now, and she couldn't imagine it any other way anymore. The chill morning air helped to wake Fae up as she made her way through the streets of the Town of Beginnings, following a path that she had long since memorized. Soon enough she found herself passing through the Western gate of the town, making her way through a relatively safe stretch of land until she found herself in a ring of trees, a large rock sitting in the center. Fae walked up to the rock and sat in front of it staring at it, or more particularly an engraving on it 'In memory of a hero, Lightbringer' Fae smiled a weak smile as she pulled out a flower like she did every month, placing it at the base of the rock. "Hey Kas" Fae's words carried into the morning wind as she spoke to herself. "I think it's finally time, I know I've been talking about it for a while now, but I think I am going to go up and try to help out, after I take care of some business of course." Fae sighed as she placed her hand on the rock "We were really close Kas, we almost found the labyrinth, and they made it all the way up to the 27th floor recently, I wish you could have been at The Wayward for the announcement." Fae sat there updating the rock for a long time before finally standing "I'm heading out tomorrow, so I may not be able to stop by as often." Fae placed a light kiss on the tips of her fingers and placed it on the rock before she turned around and headed back to town.

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Word Count: 472

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Faerie