Nasuverse FSN + SAO
- Thread starter daniel_gudman
- Start date
Honestly I am not too fond of the premise of this story(ironically it is the SAO part of it that bothers me) but it is written well enough that it deserves comments. Most of what was written so far was either infodumps or things that normally are revealed/implied through a story. The most glaringly part of such was the Kayaba parts and the deal between him and Ilya. It feels a lot like you don't really care about the SAO part just want to write the backstory so you can get to the part where all those magic users are thrown into society. No idea if that is what you intend to do but for me at least it seems so.
If that is indeed your intent then not much I can do since that doesn't interest me much. If it isn't then I advise you to write more of just story(what they are doing, a weird quest, first meetings with other important characters, etc) and have the mechanics spread through those. The deal really doesn't feel like it fits being here so early, maybe if there is more(lot more) written from Ilya's PoV it could fit but otherwise it would be better to just reduce it to a few sentences or even just implications and reveal things later on. In essence there is lots of background information, setups and very little actual story.
Feel free to disagree since this is by no means a technical review just the feeling I got from reading the chapters so far.
If that is indeed your intent then not much I can do since that doesn't interest me much. If it isn't then I advise you to write more of just story(what they are doing, a weird quest, first meetings with other important characters, etc) and have the mechanics spread through those. The deal really doesn't feel like it fits being here so early, maybe if there is more(lot more) written from Ilya's PoV it could fit but otherwise it would be better to just reduce it to a few sentences or even just implications and reveal things later on. In essence there is lots of background information, setups and very little actual story.
Feel free to disagree since this is by no means a technical review just the feeling I got from reading the chapters so far.
Chrnno,
There is a big reason why I had the deal between Ilya and Kayaba happen so quickly.
Preventing magecraft escape ASAP was necessary
More than anything else, what I wanted to do was, move the motives of Ilya (and Shirou, but especially also Rin and Sakura) away from "just use magecraft to bust them out". I could swing something like, "that would cause too big of an incident that would draw attention", but at the same time, if it happened quickly enough, then they could just flatly deny that Ilya and Shirou had ever logged in in the first place. Making it a magic skills contest between the Fuyuki Gang and Kayaba wasn't what I wanted to do with this. And once Shirou is out, he goes into Emiya Mode and hunts down Kayaba. That could be a good story, but it's not what I wanted to do. So I needed to remove their desire to quickly escape the scenario.
So I wanted Ilya to quickly "buy in" to the [Death Game], and the best way to do that was to make her, essentially, Kayaba's co-conspirator.
Infodump... or worldbuilding?
If it's infodumps... I won't deny I'm doing that.
However, what I'm trying to infodump, is "setting mechanics" like gameplay rules, and magecrafts and stuff. In that case, I'm using the infodumps the same way that Nasu and Reki did; to let the characters "tell us about the world" to build the setting. At least, I hope I'm using them that way. I also want to use this tendency of "players explaining their Abilities" as a medium to showcase the shift in mindset from [Gamer] to [Magus]. So in the beginning, the infodumps will be gamespeak, but by the end, nobody will be talking in [Gamespeak] but instead, simply describing their world.
If it's holding stuff in reserve... although I immediately started explaining "how" Kayaba did it, he won't be explaining "why" for quite a while (well, you could find out immediately in the idea thread but that's not in the story). So I'm trying to pump out information about how things are done as fast as possible to establish the setting, but the motivations will only get revealed slowly.
There is a big reason why I had the deal between Ilya and Kayaba happen so quickly.
Preventing magecraft escape ASAP was necessary
More than anything else, what I wanted to do was, move the motives of Ilya (and Shirou, but especially also Rin and Sakura) away from "just use magecraft to bust them out". I could swing something like, "that would cause too big of an incident that would draw attention", but at the same time, if it happened quickly enough, then they could just flatly deny that Ilya and Shirou had ever logged in in the first place. Making it a magic skills contest between the Fuyuki Gang and Kayaba wasn't what I wanted to do with this. And once Shirou is out, he goes into Emiya Mode and hunts down Kayaba. That could be a good story, but it's not what I wanted to do. So I needed to remove their desire to quickly escape the scenario.
So I wanted Ilya to quickly "buy in" to the [Death Game], and the best way to do that was to make her, essentially, Kayaba's co-conspirator.
Infodump... or worldbuilding?
If it's infodumps... I won't deny I'm doing that.
However, what I'm trying to infodump, is "setting mechanics" like gameplay rules, and magecrafts and stuff. In that case, I'm using the infodumps the same way that Nasu and Reki did; to let the characters "tell us about the world" to build the setting. At least, I hope I'm using them that way. I also want to use this tendency of "players explaining their Abilities" as a medium to showcase the shift in mindset from [Gamer] to [Magus]. So in the beginning, the infodumps will be gamespeak, but by the end, nobody will be talking in [Gamespeak] but instead, simply describing their world.
If it's holding stuff in reserve... although I immediately started explaining "how" Kayaba did it, he won't be explaining "why" for quite a while (well, you could find out immediately in the idea thread but that's not in the story). So I'm trying to pump out information about how things are done as fast as possible to establish the setting, but the motivations will only get revealed slowly.
Double post, but this is content so that's A-OK!
3.1: 1F Boss Meeting
The number of people that had gathered was 53.
Since the game setting of [SAO] had a maximum party size of six people, and a [Raid Group] was a collection of 8 parties, then a full raid would be a group of 48 people. Compared to other games, the convenient system of [Instances] didn’t exist. All quests were available globally, but at the same time, if someone was doing a quest than it prevented anyone else from doing them. That meant that as soon as an extremely beneficial event like the quest for his [Anneal Blade] become common knowledge, players immediately had to enter the cue and take their turn, so the gap between a quest getting discovered and becoming common knowledge was the greatest category of value that information brokers sold.
Well, after getting that out of the way, the upside was that even if you had a full [Raid Group] for fighting a boss, there was nothing preventing the organizing players from dispatching a second or even third [Raid Group]. However, such a glorious faction that proudly called themselves [Zerg] would lose out to other factions, because the fixed amount of [Experience] that each boss provided would be divided between an even larger number of players. In terms of [Game Balance] the rule was that a boss was designed to be challenged by a single [Raid Group].
In a [Death Game], though, that logic was completely thrown out. The objective wasn’t to defeat bosses as quickly as possible for maximum gain, but to defeat them with zero casualties and cheerfully make up the XP loss with farming.
As a result, his estimation had been that at least 2 x 8 x 6 players would gather, and his hope had been for more than 3 x 8 x 6 players. So his prediction that between 96 or 144 or ideally even more players would show up, this number of 53 was painfully low. Based on information he’d bought from Argo, it wasn’t a lack of people with enough levels that was the problem. No, there were two hypothesis that he would consider as an explanation for the low showing.
The first was, that without external communications on internet forums, and without the internal communications tools that guilds had, it was simply too difficult to coordinate the players that were scattered all over the first floor grinding. Thinking like that, the player called [Kirito] pulled in air to sigh.
“This many…â€
But hearing the whispered voice beside him, his gusty and melodramatic expression of dismay was prevented by that hopeful whisper.
“Many? With this number gathered?†He asked, trying to keep his expression and voice neutral.
“Yes.†With a solemn nod, diminished slightly by that overwhelming hood, the rapier user replied. “That this many where gathered to fight the Floor Boss, even against the chance of complete annihilation…†Saying such an ominous thing, she naturally faltered.
“I see.†The dry and ironic expression didn’t quite leave his voice. Because the second hypothesis for the low attendance was that the remainder of strong players didn’t want to challenge the Boss. The mental gap between winning a [Game] and winning a [Death Match] was huge.
Even as he scanned the crowd and looked for people that he recognized, casually nodding to the aforementioned [Argo] when their eyes happened to meet, he felt the attention of his companion as she turned her gaze on him, challenging the tone of disagreement that he had used with his words.
Because even if he was held back by the fear of death in front of him, he wasn’t getting pulled forward by any heroic feelings like she was referring to. Instead, what was pushing at his back was the fear of getting left behind. “For me,†he finally explained, “it’s more that I don’t want to be a player who struggles just to stay five levels below the top players, so the best thing to do is to be one of the top players right from the start.â€
Although she seemed to frown a little bit, what happened next wasn’t a rebuttal but small quick nods that went ‘I see, I see.’ After nodding, what she said was, “So it’s the same as wanting to be in the top 10 places during the school year, or in the 98th percentile on tests. That kind of feeling?â€
[Kirito], who viewed school as a combination of [Somewhere to learn necessary skills] like math and science and [Someplace full of annoying societal obligations] like literature and gym classes, simply murmured “That’s so†as a placeholder while turning it over in his head, before finally nodding with some hesitation and agreeing.
Although he was glad she was laughing, the fact she was laughing at him was a problem.
“Ah!†While he was contemplating whether to equip the [Tease] skill or not, those two players were interrupted by an exclamation from behind them.
“Asuna-chan!†It was the warm voice of an energetic young girl. Even as Kirito turned, he noted that the way the cold-hearted ultra-perfectionist [Asuna] responded was with “Ilya-san!†in a matching light and friendly tone.
When he turned, his first thought was wondering, why did this younger girl receive a “san†from Asuna rather than being addressed with a “kun†or also “chan.†She was short, thin, and albino-pale. Her red eyes, perfectly white skin and silver-colored hair might have been a synthetic coloration choice, but somehow here fairy-like appearance seemed correct. The white clothing equipment was almost necessary as something that would prevent her skin tone from getting washed out in contrast.
However, that [Iron Breastplate] was the heaviest type of armor available on the first floor, and that [Two-Handed Iron Sword] hanging off her back was equally the heaviest sword. Since the equipment had been cosmetically adjusted to be purple, that meant she was already familiar with the [Color Adjustment Options] that tailors and armor smiths used and had the spare Col to spend on it. Considering the investment of the base equipment as well as the minimum stats required to equip them, this slight girl was obviously near the functional [Level Cap] of the floor. That is to say, she was in the same league as Asuna and Kirito as one of the [Top Players… for now].
With a warm and sharp smile that definitely set off Kirito’s [Teasing Little Sister] alarm, she approached them and stood casually with an expression that perfectly feigned innocence.
“So even if she didn’t get the [Delicate Flower] drop, Asuna-chan still managed to pick up a [Bishounen] to equip as a boyfriend, huh?â€
Asuna’s response was utterly without hesitation. “Of course not.â€
From the perspective of the guy they were talking about, what happened was the player called [Asuna] still used [Linear] even with [Talk] equipped instead of [Rapier] and caused piercing damage. Even as he was debating whether to [Parry] or simply equip his [Meditation] skill to recover the lost HP using mental endurance, the devilish little girl turned her head again and called out to her own companion.
“Shirou!†She called, waving her hand. “Over here!â€
“Shirou, huh.†Asuna said with a suggestive tone. “So the reason you assume others are going around equipping boyfriends like accessories as fast as possible is because of your own inclinations, huh?â€
“Shirou?†Ilya said, with that same innocent and confused expression. “But he’s just my oniichan.†But then, the wide-eyed expression of a kitten narrowed into the predatory expression of a hunting cougar. “But since there’s no blood relation, that wouldn’t be a problem either.†Of course, Asuna began to sputter at that, since she had taken the [knockback] effect.
“Uwaa.†Kirito could not keep himself from making a sound like that. It didn’t have anything to do with their conversation. It was 100% about the sight in front of him.
The unremarkable dark grey pants and blue shirt that were just humdrum varieties of the initial equip, and then the lopsided [Bronze Breastplate] over the top, weren’t the reason for his amazement. It was because that guy definitely had the stupidest helmet Kirito had seen in [SAO], no, in any [Video Game] he had ever played.
The fundamental shape was like a bucket, to the level that Kirito was slightly surprised that it did not have a handle knocking against the equipping player’s back or chest. But you could only determine that after being amazed at the antlers. Those deer-like antlers from the [Jackalope] spawn past the South Field, which had six points, where impressive, but not quite impressive enough for an effect like [Evil Horned Knight] which would require a minimum of eight or ideally twelve points on the antlers. As a bonus, they were crooked; they jutted out of the helmet at different angles. As the perfect crowning absurdity, the many holes that were punched in the front to allow visibility were completely random without any pattern at all.
It was the incredible, no, the spectacular result of using the [Heavy Metal Armor Forging] Skill with exactly one point and the lowest-quality [Bronze Hammer]. That sort of amazing failure that wasn’t technically a failure couldn’t be anything else than a player reaching beyond their skill limit and gloriously failing.
Kirito only realized he’d made such an amazed sound when the young girl, now pouting incredibly, called him “a big meanie.â€
“Ilya.†Even though all he said was her name, his tone of voice fully conveyed that he was happily going along with her whims even though that was exasperating. The guy with the extraordinary helmet equipped spoke with a rough but warm voice, even as he crossed his arms. “Since you insisted it I equipped a [Helmet], but couldn’t we have just bought one?â€
Puffing her cheeks out, the girl put her hands on her hips. “But then I wouldn’t have gotten to try out my new skill at all.â€
Somehow, even though that guy was wearing a [Ridiculous Helmet] that covered his face, Kirito could feel when their eyes met, and his wry grin was returned as they wordlessly shared an exasperated smile.
“Let’s just go sit down.†Kirito suggested gently, and the group of four that spontaneously formed meandered towards the [Fountain Clearing] in the last town of the first floor, [Tolbana].
Since the two girls were chatting so amicably, Kirito felt slightly obligated to talk to the other man, but after just the barest of pleasantries, without even giving each other’s names, their conversation ended that quickly. Frankly speaking, Kirito didn’t mind. That guy was doing the exact same thing he was: examining the crowd.
Of the 53 people gathered, he mentally discounted [Argo] from the list of people that would participate in the [Boss Fight]. Since her motto was [Knowledge is Power], she was the type that would find high-reward quests instead of grinding when trying to level up. But for her, [leveling up] was simply a requirement to verify quests and rumors; since her priorities were different, Kirito would have been very surprised if she was more than level six. Well, she wasn’t suited for large group battles in the first place.
That subtraction left 52 people. From that deck of cards, the number of people that would be outside the [Raid] was four. Including the girl sitting beside him, he personally knew the names of about five people in the gathering, and recognized about twenty more. So, the number of completely new faces was approximately half the group. That was about what he would expect this early.
Since Klein wasn’t here, Kirito felt both relieved and disappointed. But, pushing aside his own complicated feelings, at least that guy should still be safe.
He was dragged from his musings by a blinking icon.
[Private Message]
[From: Argo]
Casually, he tapped it open.
[Kiibou,
Congratulations on accepting the Quest Flag [Defeat Illfang]. It’s impertinent, but I’m interested in buying whatever info you have on your new party members.
Argo]
Although his response was to sarcastically ask how she knew the [First Floor Boss] was still Illfang in this situation, it was just a cover to buy time while he pondered. Since he was definitely sure that Argo and Asuna knew each other, that meant she was asking after those other two. It didn’t bother him that [Argo the Rat] was asking so brazenly, but compromising her bargaining position with her eagerness: that was unusual for her.
He was confident she was typing an equally sharp reply to parry his, but before she could hit send, she was interrupted by the sound of someone clapping hands and then capturing everyone’s attention with loud and confident words.
“Okay! Everyone, thank you for coming to the [Strategy Meeting]! If you have difficulty hearing, please move towards the front!â€
People shifted around them, as the crowd changed shape from just milling around to form a semicircle around the speaking man. Kirito’s group was fine, so they simply contented themselves with observing the player that had called the meeting.
Just like the little girl beside him, he had the heaviest armor yet available equipped, but the effect when strapped on him was definitely more impressive. Kirito’s [Gamer Instincts] took note of the equipment, the level and stat requirements, as well as evaluating the implication of the difficult-to-get [Hair Die] that was used to recolor this guy to the [Blue Theme]. Immediately after that, he even started to wonder if he had seen this player before. His appearance was familiar, but it was slightly troubling because his build was unfamiliar and he was unsure if this was someone Kirito knew from the [Death Game] or the [Beta].
But before that, even as he evaluated the man standing there with the confident smile while he stood at the center of everyone’s attention, the first thing Kirito thought was, “That guy is handsome.†However, although he was good looking, Kirito wouldn’t be too proud to say that they were tied in terms of good looks. What was different was the sense of presence. Compared to Kirito who hated public speaking even at the level of reading aloud in class, what was different wasn’t the [Appearance] parameter, but instead, it was simply that this guy had [Charisma].
After everyone settled down and stopped talking under that smile, the speaker held the moment for precisely the right amount of time to build the audience’s expectation that [something would happen].
“To begin with, I want to congratulate all of you for accepting my [Quest Flag]!†With a self-deprecating smile while referring to himself as if he were an NPC, he continued speaking. “For those that don’t know me, I will introduce myself. My name is [Diabel], and my class is [Rune Knight]!â€
There was whistles and cheers, because [SAO] was a game completely without a class system. If it was something like [Class], then it was a selection of [Skills], [Statistics], and [Equipment] that were optimal for some specialization. So, for the people gathered that were the best players of the game currently, he was opening his speech with a light joke.
That warm smile faded slightly, and Kirito paused. He put aside his thoughts of “where do I recognize this guy from†and was drawn in by the serious and pensive look on that man’s face.
“For everyone gathered here, what I’m about to say is obvious. But…†While building the tension, Diabel drew a deep breath and swept his gaze across everyone. “Yesterday evening, just when we were preparing to return to town, my party found the stairs to the top of the last floor in the [Boss Tower]. Excited, we kept mapping, and at midnight we found it.†Looking across the scene, it was almost as if the game had froze and the display hadn’t updated, that was how still everyone was. “The [First Floor Boss Room]!â€
Caught up in the moment, even Kirito put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, to add his voice to the cheering. It was certainly an achievement to be proud of. It was an honorable win to challenge the floor and complete it, although his [Gamer’s Pride] was stung that he was one of the ones that had been fruitlessly searching for the now-discovered [Last Staircase] yesterday. With an amused smile, he noticed that Asuna had a sour look on her face like she felt the same way, even as she clapped as enthusiastically as the little girl she was sitting next to.
“After one month, one long month, we’re ready. No, we’re more than ready. I believe that everyone here is totally prepared to encourage everyone else! The top players gathered here will prove to everyone waiting that the [Death Game] can be won and we can save ourselves with our own efforts!â€
They were rousing words. Kirito wanted to join everyone who was applauding, but somehow there was a boundary between whistling and applauding that he was not quite ready to cross. Everything this knight was saying was admirable and correct, so this quiet doubt inside him was.…
“So you noticed too, huh.†His internal debate was interrupted by the little girl that had been called [Ilya] by Asuna, although they hadn’t been introduced, considering the informal nature of net games. He turned to meet her eyes, and blinked, leaning back slightly from the surprising intensity of her gaze. “Huh?†He replied with an inarticulate expression on his face.
“Maybe not.†Ilya muttered, before her grin sharpened. “Oh, look at this.â€
Following her gaze, Kirito saw him.
He was stocky and short, moving forward through the crowd. From behind what was visible was the heavy one-handed curved sword hanging from his back and a pointy hairstyle that Kirito could only compare to a brown cactus.
“Wait a minute, [Rune Knight]-san.†His voice was deep and he growled his words in an exaggerated Kansai dialect, a different way of speaking than the precise and articulate words of Diabel.
However, in front of the annoyed expressions of the audience and the disapproving look of the one who called the meeting, [Cactus-san] was completely unintimidated. When he spoke, the words were addressed to Diabel, but in reality they were being said to everyone gathered here.
“Before we go any further, there’s something we have to clear up, otherwise I won’t join you.â€
Diabel was clearly calculating those words, before finally he chose a response. “Having opinions is certainly welcome. But before sharing yours, please introduce yourself.â€
With an air of someone executing a formality, that guy turned to face the gathered players. Rather than addressing Diabel for everyone to hear, now he was speaking directly to everyone. “My name is Kibaou.â€
But after saying that like it was a formality, he still paused. But it didn’t come off as melodramatic or foolish, because the intense and slightly wild look in his eyes as he swept his gaze across the gathered players was enough to create an atmosphere of tension. Compared to the magnetic charisma of Diabel, what Kibaou did was radiate a presence like heat.
After than pause, Kibaou spoke. “Five or ten people here need to apologize.â€
“Apologize? Who?†Diabel spoke with dignity, as picked up the counterpoint and asked the obvious question with grace as a prompt for the man standing beside him.
“Those guys, who had a monopoly from the beginning, no, even before then, those guys need to push their foreheads to the ground before the dead!â€
The murmuring and whispers in the audience fell silent as everyone gathered grasped what was being said. Certainly, every death in [Aincrad] was theoretically preventable. Certainly, if the [Beta Testers] had put effort into protecting the [New Players], then in theory some or possibly even all deaths could have been prevented.
Certainly, that was all true. Guilt was in Kirito’s stomach like a rope being twisted tight. No, even between [Beta Testers]… there was one that had even been willing to sacrifice others to gain [power]. And in exchange, Kirito had allowed that guy to become the sacrifice instead. Stories like that were probably common.
But… compared to the five or ten people here that Kibaou was blaming, who had responded to Diabel’s [Quest to Clear the Floor], no, Diabel’s [Quest to Inspire Hope], there were also [Beta Players] who had already died!
Because while they had the knowledge to pull ahead on the [Path of Death], there were many mines that had been dropped on that road that could destroy a careless [Player], and even so, the tool needed to sweep those deadly traps was like drinking poison.
[Magic]… that system was fundamentally unlike the [Beta Game]. No, from a gameplay perspective, it was even further from the [Beta Game] than the [Death Game] parameter. Compared to the original [SAO], the logic was different, the concepts were different, the rules were different. The core, the simplest and most fundamental law of Aincrad was, [You can become better at anything with effort]. If you equipped a long sword and swung it, if you equipped a hammer and made armor, if you equipped a fishing pole and stood by a river, no matter what it was, if you simply used the gained experience to touch the prerequisites, you could improve it. What made [Aincrad] so seductive as a game was that, even though you could only equip a few skills at a time, there was absolutely no limit on the number of skills you could possess.
[Thaumaturgy] was different. From the instant the simple prerequisite [Quest] was completed, the player was given their limits. Those sage-like NPCs called it circuits and talked about quantity and quality and spiritual traits, but what Kirito determined was that maximum MP was fixed at character creation; and once the [Element] traits could be identified, the number and kind of elements a player could use was also determined randomly. It was completely unlike gambling with [Random Number God] during item drops in quests you could always repeat, it was a totally unfair roll that determined everything at birth.
That was the simple mechanical description, but fundamentally, when Kayaba had turned [Sword Art Online] into this [Sword-and-Sorcery Death Game], he had changed the basic nature from a fair and balanced [Fun Game] to someplace as irrational and unfair as [Real Life].
The cruel and brutal indifference was only discovered by stepping on those land mines. In the [Beta Test], if a player died, they could point to a definite mistake, whether it was greedily reaching past their safe limits, or their own bad combat ability, or gambling too much against a clearly defined challenge and getting in trouble. But [Magecraft] was a death machine that could only be discovered by tripping over the hazards. Things like [Circulating Prana causes Magic Resistance] was necessary knowledge against curse-using and hypnotic monsters, but it was only discovered by those players who had stumbled over it and gotten their leg blasted off against an unfair [Save or Die] effect they weren’t told about.
Yes… so naturally, those guys with the confident skills to immediately sprint down the path from the very beginning, it was obvious that they were the ones to clear the most mines with their own lives.
And yet this [Cactus-sama], this Kibaou, was blaming those guys who bet everything and led from the front…! Gritting his teeth so hard they ground together, Kirito had those kinds of angry thoughts going through his head, torn between the selfish desire to condemn Kibaou… and the cold and calculating fear that he would uselessly become the target of that irrational blame.
But even as he clenched his fists and did nothing, the little girl sitting next to him stood up from where she had been casually lounging. Her tall companion raised his hand as if to hold her back, but after seeing her face, instead he stood up to quietly follow behind her.
“Ilya-chan.†With an uncertain whisper, Asuna also questioned the girl, but she too held back from stopping the fairy-like figure from moving through the crowds towards the central gathering.
She pushed through the crowd, almost skipping as she moved to the front of the crowd, her hands clasped behind her back in a girlish manner. By the time she had gotten to the front row, the oppressive silence following Kibaou’s condemnation had changed into something like puzzlement as they watched the fairy-like figure with the silly [Horned Knight] move towards the front.
Finally she came to a stop, staring up at Kibaou with a placid expression and wide eyes.
After she didn’t say anything, finally, the slightly unnerved man spoke. “Oye, girl, you got something to say?â€
Cocking her head to the side, as if trying to find a way to delicately express herself, finally that girl spoke. “I’m surprised… that you managed to reach such a high level despite being an immature weakling.†The words in that light and cheerful voice were not delicate at all.
“What was that, you brat?†He demanded, clenching his fist as he growled. But, in complete fairness, he didn’t step forward to loom over the shorter girl or anything like that, although his loud and aggravated voice was intimidating enough just from its nature.
“Blaming others for being better than you rather than just upping your own stats, shouldn’t a grown man be a little ashamed of such a childish complaint?†But without being intimidated at all, the girl simply went for the throat with an innocent and quizzical smile.
In the audience, Kirito bit his lip to hold back the undignified snort that resulted from witnessing the eye-popping expression on Kibaou’s face.
But even as he sputtered, she went for the kill. “No, wait, in the first place, rather than blaming other players for having slightly more experience, shouldn’t you be blaming [Kayaba Akihiko] for trapping everyone in the [Death Game]?†As a finishing move, she tilted her head with the sincere expression of childish confusion one more time.
“Of course I hate that guy the most!†Kibaou roared, before clenching his fist. “But those beta testers, those bastards, rather than sticking around to help out others, they just left everyone behind without helping us at all!â€
“I didn’t do that.†Ilya replied. There was a breathless pause, as the gathered players processed the meaning of her words.
Then, in the shocked silence, Ilya stepped forward, and reached up, stretching her hand straight towards Kibaou’s face, pushing up onto the tips of her toes. However, those outstretched fingers didn’t even reach his chin.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Shirou,†she commanded in a fake whisper, “boost me up so I can pat his head and comfort him.†Even though she said it so innocently, she said it so everyone could hear.
“Don’t patronize me!†Kibaou shouted, stepping back and swinging his hand, before snapping it forward to point at her. “How can I trust you when you claim to be a [beta tester] just like all those bastards!?â€
“Excuse me.†At the edge of the opening, where the gathered crowd stood back to allow the speakers space, a tall man stood. His height was above two meters, and he had the body of someone who had maxed out their [STR] not in the game, but in real life. His skin complexion was the deep black of a Kenyan, and his head was a perfectly smooth dome. “I can’t vouch for her status as a [Beta Tester], but if it’s helping us [New Players], then she is the one that led me through the [Circuit Activation] quest.†Pausing for a perfect beat, he then continued to speak. “Although, I can also testify that her personality was like this at that time, too.â€
Half-amazed, half-relieved laughter drifted through the crowd. Even if it was a bad joke, coming on the end of an unsolicited endorsement, it succeeded in relieving the tension. Seeing that the tide of opinion was turning against him, Kibaou gritted his teeth one more time to speak.
But, even though he was the one that was about to open his mouth, Kirito found that his gaze flipped instead toward the [Self-proclaimed Rune Knight] who had called this meeting, and casually allowed this development. His expression was calm, but it had a hardness, from a clenched jaw and tensed eyebrows, that indicated that he was debating something with himself.
And, Kirito’s intuition that he had made a decision was correct. Because, the instant that Kibaou opened his mouth, the knight in blue spoke. “Kibaou-san.†Just by saying the other man’s name, the attention of the whole crowd was effortlessly gathered. “I understand your pain, and I’m sorry you feel that way.†With that, like he was leading up to joining the [anti-Beta faction], the Knight then opened his mouth and spoke one more time. “But what would you say, if I said that I was also one of those [Beta Testers] that you hate so much?â€
Kibaou’s mouth hung open, as the words he had been about to say abruptly stopped. He closed his mouth, before he spoke. “Diabel-san… you mean…?â€
Diabel nodded, with contrition and sorrow in his expression. “I am exactly the kind of [Beta Player] you described. As soon as the rules of the [Death Game] started, I immediately and shamelessly used my [Acquired Knowledge] to gain levels as quickly as possible. Rather than saving people, instead, I recruited strong players to level up even faster.†By the time he had finished that opening statement, Diabel was no longer addressing just Kibaou, but the whole gathering. “However! The reason I did so was to save everyone!†With that bald and ambitious announcement, Diabel’s statements stopped being apologetic at all. “I wasn’t thinking about leaving players behind, but rather, stepping forward to clear the game! I have no intention of abandoning anyone. I want to clear the game as fast as possible, so that the fewest number of people will die and we can return to the [Real World]!†With that pronouncement, he gathered his hands together, bowing his head slightly, before raising it to address the crowd.
“That’s why I called everyone here! I used my [Beta Player Advantage] to become as strong as possible as fast as I could, and even so, it’s already taken us a month to find just the [First Boss]!†He thrust his head up, and with a glorious expression, addressed the crowd. “But now we have the chance to defeat the [First Boss]. Everyone.†Diabel smiled, eyes shifting as he sought out individual faces to address the crowd.
Kirito felt an electric shiver. Because, in that instant their eyes met, Diabel paused. Even though his expression didn’t change, even if it was only an instant, a feeling of recognition passed from Diabel to Kirito. That guy… had definitely acknowledged Kirito as a [Fellow Beta Player].
“Everyone gathered here, whether [Beta Player], or [New Player], that doesn’t matter.†Diabel gathered the words for the finale. “Lend me your strength to defeat the [First Boss] and give everyone without any exceptions the hope that we can be saved!â€
And when his fist went into the sky, everyone naturally started cheering.
I I I
1) Kirito talked for longer than I thought he would. Let me know if you think it worked.
2) Diabel is trying to smoothly seize the title of "Protagonist" in the eyes of the everyone else. That's what I'm trying to accomplish with his calculated revelations; he judged the flow of the conversation and took a gamble to make himself into the [Lead Hero] in the minds of the other players. By the end of Aincrad I want him to have a Charisma stat, so let me know if I'm selling that alright, too.
3.1: 1F Boss Meeting
The number of people that had gathered was 53.
Since the game setting of [SAO] had a maximum party size of six people, and a [Raid Group] was a collection of 8 parties, then a full raid would be a group of 48 people. Compared to other games, the convenient system of [Instances] didn’t exist. All quests were available globally, but at the same time, if someone was doing a quest than it prevented anyone else from doing them. That meant that as soon as an extremely beneficial event like the quest for his [Anneal Blade] become common knowledge, players immediately had to enter the cue and take their turn, so the gap between a quest getting discovered and becoming common knowledge was the greatest category of value that information brokers sold.
Well, after getting that out of the way, the upside was that even if you had a full [Raid Group] for fighting a boss, there was nothing preventing the organizing players from dispatching a second or even third [Raid Group]. However, such a glorious faction that proudly called themselves [Zerg] would lose out to other factions, because the fixed amount of [Experience] that each boss provided would be divided between an even larger number of players. In terms of [Game Balance] the rule was that a boss was designed to be challenged by a single [Raid Group].
In a [Death Game], though, that logic was completely thrown out. The objective wasn’t to defeat bosses as quickly as possible for maximum gain, but to defeat them with zero casualties and cheerfully make up the XP loss with farming.
As a result, his estimation had been that at least 2 x 8 x 6 players would gather, and his hope had been for more than 3 x 8 x 6 players. So his prediction that between 96 or 144 or ideally even more players would show up, this number of 53 was painfully low. Based on information he’d bought from Argo, it wasn’t a lack of people with enough levels that was the problem. No, there were two hypothesis that he would consider as an explanation for the low showing.
The first was, that without external communications on internet forums, and without the internal communications tools that guilds had, it was simply too difficult to coordinate the players that were scattered all over the first floor grinding. Thinking like that, the player called [Kirito] pulled in air to sigh.
“This many…â€
But hearing the whispered voice beside him, his gusty and melodramatic expression of dismay was prevented by that hopeful whisper.
“Many? With this number gathered?†He asked, trying to keep his expression and voice neutral.
“Yes.†With a solemn nod, diminished slightly by that overwhelming hood, the rapier user replied. “That this many where gathered to fight the Floor Boss, even against the chance of complete annihilation…†Saying such an ominous thing, she naturally faltered.
“I see.†The dry and ironic expression didn’t quite leave his voice. Because the second hypothesis for the low attendance was that the remainder of strong players didn’t want to challenge the Boss. The mental gap between winning a [Game] and winning a [Death Match] was huge.
Even as he scanned the crowd and looked for people that he recognized, casually nodding to the aforementioned [Argo] when their eyes happened to meet, he felt the attention of his companion as she turned her gaze on him, challenging the tone of disagreement that he had used with his words.
Because even if he was held back by the fear of death in front of him, he wasn’t getting pulled forward by any heroic feelings like she was referring to. Instead, what was pushing at his back was the fear of getting left behind. “For me,†he finally explained, “it’s more that I don’t want to be a player who struggles just to stay five levels below the top players, so the best thing to do is to be one of the top players right from the start.â€
Although she seemed to frown a little bit, what happened next wasn’t a rebuttal but small quick nods that went ‘I see, I see.’ After nodding, what she said was, “So it’s the same as wanting to be in the top 10 places during the school year, or in the 98th percentile on tests. That kind of feeling?â€
[Kirito], who viewed school as a combination of [Somewhere to learn necessary skills] like math and science and [Someplace full of annoying societal obligations] like literature and gym classes, simply murmured “That’s so†as a placeholder while turning it over in his head, before finally nodding with some hesitation and agreeing.
Although he was glad she was laughing, the fact she was laughing at him was a problem.
“Ah!†While he was contemplating whether to equip the [Tease] skill or not, those two players were interrupted by an exclamation from behind them.
“Asuna-chan!†It was the warm voice of an energetic young girl. Even as Kirito turned, he noted that the way the cold-hearted ultra-perfectionist [Asuna] responded was with “Ilya-san!†in a matching light and friendly tone.
When he turned, his first thought was wondering, why did this younger girl receive a “san†from Asuna rather than being addressed with a “kun†or also “chan.†She was short, thin, and albino-pale. Her red eyes, perfectly white skin and silver-colored hair might have been a synthetic coloration choice, but somehow here fairy-like appearance seemed correct. The white clothing equipment was almost necessary as something that would prevent her skin tone from getting washed out in contrast.
However, that [Iron Breastplate] was the heaviest type of armor available on the first floor, and that [Two-Handed Iron Sword] hanging off her back was equally the heaviest sword. Since the equipment had been cosmetically adjusted to be purple, that meant she was already familiar with the [Color Adjustment Options] that tailors and armor smiths used and had the spare Col to spend on it. Considering the investment of the base equipment as well as the minimum stats required to equip them, this slight girl was obviously near the functional [Level Cap] of the floor. That is to say, she was in the same league as Asuna and Kirito as one of the [Top Players… for now].
With a warm and sharp smile that definitely set off Kirito’s [Teasing Little Sister] alarm, she approached them and stood casually with an expression that perfectly feigned innocence.
“So even if she didn’t get the [Delicate Flower] drop, Asuna-chan still managed to pick up a [Bishounen] to equip as a boyfriend, huh?â€
Asuna’s response was utterly without hesitation. “Of course not.â€
From the perspective of the guy they were talking about, what happened was the player called [Asuna] still used [Linear] even with [Talk] equipped instead of [Rapier] and caused piercing damage. Even as he was debating whether to [Parry] or simply equip his [Meditation] skill to recover the lost HP using mental endurance, the devilish little girl turned her head again and called out to her own companion.
“Shirou!†She called, waving her hand. “Over here!â€
“Shirou, huh.†Asuna said with a suggestive tone. “So the reason you assume others are going around equipping boyfriends like accessories as fast as possible is because of your own inclinations, huh?â€
“Shirou?†Ilya said, with that same innocent and confused expression. “But he’s just my oniichan.†But then, the wide-eyed expression of a kitten narrowed into the predatory expression of a hunting cougar. “But since there’s no blood relation, that wouldn’t be a problem either.†Of course, Asuna began to sputter at that, since she had taken the [knockback] effect.
“Uwaa.†Kirito could not keep himself from making a sound like that. It didn’t have anything to do with their conversation. It was 100% about the sight in front of him.
The unremarkable dark grey pants and blue shirt that were just humdrum varieties of the initial equip, and then the lopsided [Bronze Breastplate] over the top, weren’t the reason for his amazement. It was because that guy definitely had the stupidest helmet Kirito had seen in [SAO], no, in any [Video Game] he had ever played.
The fundamental shape was like a bucket, to the level that Kirito was slightly surprised that it did not have a handle knocking against the equipping player’s back or chest. But you could only determine that after being amazed at the antlers. Those deer-like antlers from the [Jackalope] spawn past the South Field, which had six points, where impressive, but not quite impressive enough for an effect like [Evil Horned Knight] which would require a minimum of eight or ideally twelve points on the antlers. As a bonus, they were crooked; they jutted out of the helmet at different angles. As the perfect crowning absurdity, the many holes that were punched in the front to allow visibility were completely random without any pattern at all.
It was the incredible, no, the spectacular result of using the [Heavy Metal Armor Forging] Skill with exactly one point and the lowest-quality [Bronze Hammer]. That sort of amazing failure that wasn’t technically a failure couldn’t be anything else than a player reaching beyond their skill limit and gloriously failing.
Kirito only realized he’d made such an amazed sound when the young girl, now pouting incredibly, called him “a big meanie.â€
“Ilya.†Even though all he said was her name, his tone of voice fully conveyed that he was happily going along with her whims even though that was exasperating. The guy with the extraordinary helmet equipped spoke with a rough but warm voice, even as he crossed his arms. “Since you insisted it I equipped a [Helmet], but couldn’t we have just bought one?â€
Puffing her cheeks out, the girl put her hands on her hips. “But then I wouldn’t have gotten to try out my new skill at all.â€
Somehow, even though that guy was wearing a [Ridiculous Helmet] that covered his face, Kirito could feel when their eyes met, and his wry grin was returned as they wordlessly shared an exasperated smile.
“Let’s just go sit down.†Kirito suggested gently, and the group of four that spontaneously formed meandered towards the [Fountain Clearing] in the last town of the first floor, [Tolbana].
Since the two girls were chatting so amicably, Kirito felt slightly obligated to talk to the other man, but after just the barest of pleasantries, without even giving each other’s names, their conversation ended that quickly. Frankly speaking, Kirito didn’t mind. That guy was doing the exact same thing he was: examining the crowd.
Of the 53 people gathered, he mentally discounted [Argo] from the list of people that would participate in the [Boss Fight]. Since her motto was [Knowledge is Power], she was the type that would find high-reward quests instead of grinding when trying to level up. But for her, [leveling up] was simply a requirement to verify quests and rumors; since her priorities were different, Kirito would have been very surprised if she was more than level six. Well, she wasn’t suited for large group battles in the first place.
That subtraction left 52 people. From that deck of cards, the number of people that would be outside the [Raid] was four. Including the girl sitting beside him, he personally knew the names of about five people in the gathering, and recognized about twenty more. So, the number of completely new faces was approximately half the group. That was about what he would expect this early.
Since Klein wasn’t here, Kirito felt both relieved and disappointed. But, pushing aside his own complicated feelings, at least that guy should still be safe.
He was dragged from his musings by a blinking icon.
[Private Message]
[From: Argo]
Casually, he tapped it open.
[Kiibou,
Congratulations on accepting the Quest Flag [Defeat Illfang]. It’s impertinent, but I’m interested in buying whatever info you have on your new party members.
Argo]
Although his response was to sarcastically ask how she knew the [First Floor Boss] was still Illfang in this situation, it was just a cover to buy time while he pondered. Since he was definitely sure that Argo and Asuna knew each other, that meant she was asking after those other two. It didn’t bother him that [Argo the Rat] was asking so brazenly, but compromising her bargaining position with her eagerness: that was unusual for her.
He was confident she was typing an equally sharp reply to parry his, but before she could hit send, she was interrupted by the sound of someone clapping hands and then capturing everyone’s attention with loud and confident words.
“Okay! Everyone, thank you for coming to the [Strategy Meeting]! If you have difficulty hearing, please move towards the front!â€
People shifted around them, as the crowd changed shape from just milling around to form a semicircle around the speaking man. Kirito’s group was fine, so they simply contented themselves with observing the player that had called the meeting.
Just like the little girl beside him, he had the heaviest armor yet available equipped, but the effect when strapped on him was definitely more impressive. Kirito’s [Gamer Instincts] took note of the equipment, the level and stat requirements, as well as evaluating the implication of the difficult-to-get [Hair Die] that was used to recolor this guy to the [Blue Theme]. Immediately after that, he even started to wonder if he had seen this player before. His appearance was familiar, but it was slightly troubling because his build was unfamiliar and he was unsure if this was someone Kirito knew from the [Death Game] or the [Beta].
But before that, even as he evaluated the man standing there with the confident smile while he stood at the center of everyone’s attention, the first thing Kirito thought was, “That guy is handsome.†However, although he was good looking, Kirito wouldn’t be too proud to say that they were tied in terms of good looks. What was different was the sense of presence. Compared to Kirito who hated public speaking even at the level of reading aloud in class, what was different wasn’t the [Appearance] parameter, but instead, it was simply that this guy had [Charisma].
After everyone settled down and stopped talking under that smile, the speaker held the moment for precisely the right amount of time to build the audience’s expectation that [something would happen].
“To begin with, I want to congratulate all of you for accepting my [Quest Flag]!†With a self-deprecating smile while referring to himself as if he were an NPC, he continued speaking. “For those that don’t know me, I will introduce myself. My name is [Diabel], and my class is [Rune Knight]!â€
There was whistles and cheers, because [SAO] was a game completely without a class system. If it was something like [Class], then it was a selection of [Skills], [Statistics], and [Equipment] that were optimal for some specialization. So, for the people gathered that were the best players of the game currently, he was opening his speech with a light joke.
That warm smile faded slightly, and Kirito paused. He put aside his thoughts of “where do I recognize this guy from†and was drawn in by the serious and pensive look on that man’s face.
“For everyone gathered here, what I’m about to say is obvious. But…†While building the tension, Diabel drew a deep breath and swept his gaze across everyone. “Yesterday evening, just when we were preparing to return to town, my party found the stairs to the top of the last floor in the [Boss Tower]. Excited, we kept mapping, and at midnight we found it.†Looking across the scene, it was almost as if the game had froze and the display hadn’t updated, that was how still everyone was. “The [First Floor Boss Room]!â€
Caught up in the moment, even Kirito put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, to add his voice to the cheering. It was certainly an achievement to be proud of. It was an honorable win to challenge the floor and complete it, although his [Gamer’s Pride] was stung that he was one of the ones that had been fruitlessly searching for the now-discovered [Last Staircase] yesterday. With an amused smile, he noticed that Asuna had a sour look on her face like she felt the same way, even as she clapped as enthusiastically as the little girl she was sitting next to.
“After one month, one long month, we’re ready. No, we’re more than ready. I believe that everyone here is totally prepared to encourage everyone else! The top players gathered here will prove to everyone waiting that the [Death Game] can be won and we can save ourselves with our own efforts!â€
They were rousing words. Kirito wanted to join everyone who was applauding, but somehow there was a boundary between whistling and applauding that he was not quite ready to cross. Everything this knight was saying was admirable and correct, so this quiet doubt inside him was.…
“So you noticed too, huh.†His internal debate was interrupted by the little girl that had been called [Ilya] by Asuna, although they hadn’t been introduced, considering the informal nature of net games. He turned to meet her eyes, and blinked, leaning back slightly from the surprising intensity of her gaze. “Huh?†He replied with an inarticulate expression on his face.
“Maybe not.†Ilya muttered, before her grin sharpened. “Oh, look at this.â€
Following her gaze, Kirito saw him.
He was stocky and short, moving forward through the crowd. From behind what was visible was the heavy one-handed curved sword hanging from his back and a pointy hairstyle that Kirito could only compare to a brown cactus.
“Wait a minute, [Rune Knight]-san.†His voice was deep and he growled his words in an exaggerated Kansai dialect, a different way of speaking than the precise and articulate words of Diabel.
However, in front of the annoyed expressions of the audience and the disapproving look of the one who called the meeting, [Cactus-san] was completely unintimidated. When he spoke, the words were addressed to Diabel, but in reality they were being said to everyone gathered here.
“Before we go any further, there’s something we have to clear up, otherwise I won’t join you.â€
Diabel was clearly calculating those words, before finally he chose a response. “Having opinions is certainly welcome. But before sharing yours, please introduce yourself.â€
With an air of someone executing a formality, that guy turned to face the gathered players. Rather than addressing Diabel for everyone to hear, now he was speaking directly to everyone. “My name is Kibaou.â€
But after saying that like it was a formality, he still paused. But it didn’t come off as melodramatic or foolish, because the intense and slightly wild look in his eyes as he swept his gaze across the gathered players was enough to create an atmosphere of tension. Compared to the magnetic charisma of Diabel, what Kibaou did was radiate a presence like heat.
After than pause, Kibaou spoke. “Five or ten people here need to apologize.â€
“Apologize? Who?†Diabel spoke with dignity, as picked up the counterpoint and asked the obvious question with grace as a prompt for the man standing beside him.
“Those guys, who had a monopoly from the beginning, no, even before then, those guys need to push their foreheads to the ground before the dead!â€
The murmuring and whispers in the audience fell silent as everyone gathered grasped what was being said. Certainly, every death in [Aincrad] was theoretically preventable. Certainly, if the [Beta Testers] had put effort into protecting the [New Players], then in theory some or possibly even all deaths could have been prevented.
Certainly, that was all true. Guilt was in Kirito’s stomach like a rope being twisted tight. No, even between [Beta Testers]… there was one that had even been willing to sacrifice others to gain [power]. And in exchange, Kirito had allowed that guy to become the sacrifice instead. Stories like that were probably common.
But… compared to the five or ten people here that Kibaou was blaming, who had responded to Diabel’s [Quest to Clear the Floor], no, Diabel’s [Quest to Inspire Hope], there were also [Beta Players] who had already died!
Because while they had the knowledge to pull ahead on the [Path of Death], there were many mines that had been dropped on that road that could destroy a careless [Player], and even so, the tool needed to sweep those deadly traps was like drinking poison.
[Magic]… that system was fundamentally unlike the [Beta Game]. No, from a gameplay perspective, it was even further from the [Beta Game] than the [Death Game] parameter. Compared to the original [SAO], the logic was different, the concepts were different, the rules were different. The core, the simplest and most fundamental law of Aincrad was, [You can become better at anything with effort]. If you equipped a long sword and swung it, if you equipped a hammer and made armor, if you equipped a fishing pole and stood by a river, no matter what it was, if you simply used the gained experience to touch the prerequisites, you could improve it. What made [Aincrad] so seductive as a game was that, even though you could only equip a few skills at a time, there was absolutely no limit on the number of skills you could possess.
[Thaumaturgy] was different. From the instant the simple prerequisite [Quest] was completed, the player was given their limits. Those sage-like NPCs called it circuits and talked about quantity and quality and spiritual traits, but what Kirito determined was that maximum MP was fixed at character creation; and once the [Element] traits could be identified, the number and kind of elements a player could use was also determined randomly. It was completely unlike gambling with [Random Number God] during item drops in quests you could always repeat, it was a totally unfair roll that determined everything at birth.
That was the simple mechanical description, but fundamentally, when Kayaba had turned [Sword Art Online] into this [Sword-and-Sorcery Death Game], he had changed the basic nature from a fair and balanced [Fun Game] to someplace as irrational and unfair as [Real Life].
The cruel and brutal indifference was only discovered by stepping on those land mines. In the [Beta Test], if a player died, they could point to a definite mistake, whether it was greedily reaching past their safe limits, or their own bad combat ability, or gambling too much against a clearly defined challenge and getting in trouble. But [Magecraft] was a death machine that could only be discovered by tripping over the hazards. Things like [Circulating Prana causes Magic Resistance] was necessary knowledge against curse-using and hypnotic monsters, but it was only discovered by those players who had stumbled over it and gotten their leg blasted off against an unfair [Save or Die] effect they weren’t told about.
Yes… so naturally, those guys with the confident skills to immediately sprint down the path from the very beginning, it was obvious that they were the ones to clear the most mines with their own lives.
And yet this [Cactus-sama], this Kibaou, was blaming those guys who bet everything and led from the front…! Gritting his teeth so hard they ground together, Kirito had those kinds of angry thoughts going through his head, torn between the selfish desire to condemn Kibaou… and the cold and calculating fear that he would uselessly become the target of that irrational blame.
But even as he clenched his fists and did nothing, the little girl sitting next to him stood up from where she had been casually lounging. Her tall companion raised his hand as if to hold her back, but after seeing her face, instead he stood up to quietly follow behind her.
“Ilya-chan.†With an uncertain whisper, Asuna also questioned the girl, but she too held back from stopping the fairy-like figure from moving through the crowds towards the central gathering.
She pushed through the crowd, almost skipping as she moved to the front of the crowd, her hands clasped behind her back in a girlish manner. By the time she had gotten to the front row, the oppressive silence following Kibaou’s condemnation had changed into something like puzzlement as they watched the fairy-like figure with the silly [Horned Knight] move towards the front.
Finally she came to a stop, staring up at Kibaou with a placid expression and wide eyes.
After she didn’t say anything, finally, the slightly unnerved man spoke. “Oye, girl, you got something to say?â€
Cocking her head to the side, as if trying to find a way to delicately express herself, finally that girl spoke. “I’m surprised… that you managed to reach such a high level despite being an immature weakling.†The words in that light and cheerful voice were not delicate at all.
“What was that, you brat?†He demanded, clenching his fist as he growled. But, in complete fairness, he didn’t step forward to loom over the shorter girl or anything like that, although his loud and aggravated voice was intimidating enough just from its nature.
“Blaming others for being better than you rather than just upping your own stats, shouldn’t a grown man be a little ashamed of such a childish complaint?†But without being intimidated at all, the girl simply went for the throat with an innocent and quizzical smile.
In the audience, Kirito bit his lip to hold back the undignified snort that resulted from witnessing the eye-popping expression on Kibaou’s face.
But even as he sputtered, she went for the kill. “No, wait, in the first place, rather than blaming other players for having slightly more experience, shouldn’t you be blaming [Kayaba Akihiko] for trapping everyone in the [Death Game]?†As a finishing move, she tilted her head with the sincere expression of childish confusion one more time.
“Of course I hate that guy the most!†Kibaou roared, before clenching his fist. “But those beta testers, those bastards, rather than sticking around to help out others, they just left everyone behind without helping us at all!â€
“I didn’t do that.†Ilya replied. There was a breathless pause, as the gathered players processed the meaning of her words.
Then, in the shocked silence, Ilya stepped forward, and reached up, stretching her hand straight towards Kibaou’s face, pushing up onto the tips of her toes. However, those outstretched fingers didn’t even reach his chin.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Shirou,†she commanded in a fake whisper, “boost me up so I can pat his head and comfort him.†Even though she said it so innocently, she said it so everyone could hear.
“Don’t patronize me!†Kibaou shouted, stepping back and swinging his hand, before snapping it forward to point at her. “How can I trust you when you claim to be a [beta tester] just like all those bastards!?â€
“Excuse me.†At the edge of the opening, where the gathered crowd stood back to allow the speakers space, a tall man stood. His height was above two meters, and he had the body of someone who had maxed out their [STR] not in the game, but in real life. His skin complexion was the deep black of a Kenyan, and his head was a perfectly smooth dome. “I can’t vouch for her status as a [Beta Tester], but if it’s helping us [New Players], then she is the one that led me through the [Circuit Activation] quest.†Pausing for a perfect beat, he then continued to speak. “Although, I can also testify that her personality was like this at that time, too.â€
Half-amazed, half-relieved laughter drifted through the crowd. Even if it was a bad joke, coming on the end of an unsolicited endorsement, it succeeded in relieving the tension. Seeing that the tide of opinion was turning against him, Kibaou gritted his teeth one more time to speak.
But, even though he was the one that was about to open his mouth, Kirito found that his gaze flipped instead toward the [Self-proclaimed Rune Knight] who had called this meeting, and casually allowed this development. His expression was calm, but it had a hardness, from a clenched jaw and tensed eyebrows, that indicated that he was debating something with himself.
And, Kirito’s intuition that he had made a decision was correct. Because, the instant that Kibaou opened his mouth, the knight in blue spoke. “Kibaou-san.†Just by saying the other man’s name, the attention of the whole crowd was effortlessly gathered. “I understand your pain, and I’m sorry you feel that way.†With that, like he was leading up to joining the [anti-Beta faction], the Knight then opened his mouth and spoke one more time. “But what would you say, if I said that I was also one of those [Beta Testers] that you hate so much?â€
Kibaou’s mouth hung open, as the words he had been about to say abruptly stopped. He closed his mouth, before he spoke. “Diabel-san… you mean…?â€
Diabel nodded, with contrition and sorrow in his expression. “I am exactly the kind of [Beta Player] you described. As soon as the rules of the [Death Game] started, I immediately and shamelessly used my [Acquired Knowledge] to gain levels as quickly as possible. Rather than saving people, instead, I recruited strong players to level up even faster.†By the time he had finished that opening statement, Diabel was no longer addressing just Kibaou, but the whole gathering. “However! The reason I did so was to save everyone!†With that bald and ambitious announcement, Diabel’s statements stopped being apologetic at all. “I wasn’t thinking about leaving players behind, but rather, stepping forward to clear the game! I have no intention of abandoning anyone. I want to clear the game as fast as possible, so that the fewest number of people will die and we can return to the [Real World]!†With that pronouncement, he gathered his hands together, bowing his head slightly, before raising it to address the crowd.
“That’s why I called everyone here! I used my [Beta Player Advantage] to become as strong as possible as fast as I could, and even so, it’s already taken us a month to find just the [First Boss]!†He thrust his head up, and with a glorious expression, addressed the crowd. “But now we have the chance to defeat the [First Boss]. Everyone.†Diabel smiled, eyes shifting as he sought out individual faces to address the crowd.
Kirito felt an electric shiver. Because, in that instant their eyes met, Diabel paused. Even though his expression didn’t change, even if it was only an instant, a feeling of recognition passed from Diabel to Kirito. That guy… had definitely acknowledged Kirito as a [Fellow Beta Player].
“Everyone gathered here, whether [Beta Player], or [New Player], that doesn’t matter.†Diabel gathered the words for the finale. “Lend me your strength to defeat the [First Boss] and give everyone without any exceptions the hope that we can be saved!â€
And when his fist went into the sky, everyone naturally started cheering.
I I I
1) Kirito talked for longer than I thought he would. Let me know if you think it worked.
2) Diabel is trying to smoothly seize the title of "Protagonist" in the eyes of the everyone else. That's what I'm trying to accomplish with his calculated revelations; he judged the flow of the conversation and took a gamble to make himself into the [Lead Hero] in the minds of the other players. By the end of Aincrad I want him to have a Charisma stat, so let me know if I'm selling that alright, too.
Hum... I guess writing so much and then cutting most of it away due to not being really relevant or too personal backfired somewhat.
I do agree with the deal happening now, my comment was about how thoroughly you covered it here. I suppose some people might disagree but for me from the rest of the story I figure you are thinking of how to fit things together so there is no need to beat people with why the FSN cast is going along with SAO, instead of feeling like interesting information it just feels like you are saying "Here is the reason so shut up about it" which is perfectly fair since I am pretty sure people did annoy you with it but I don't really think it fits the story at this point. A similar thing for the Kayaba interlude but I think you said it won't be in the same place in the actual story?
Now to consider the last update, that was done pretty well. You managed to combine Kirito's monologue from canon with his analysis of the changed situation AND an infodump all the while making it transition without a problem. Thank you for giving an example of how one should do it, makes it a lot easier to explain things properly. Basically instead of just giving information mid-text try to fit it within the character PoV and when not possibly ask yourself if you really need that information known at exactly this point.
Thinking on it I am definitely biased since I am coming at this as a SAO quest first and foremost so I keep thinking of chapter 1 and 3 is the main story and chapter 2 are side-stories which while interesting are what you read after the volume ends...
So yeah of my posts just consider the parts referring to the Deal and the Interlude, the first because it felt heavy-handed and the second because it is odd to have the PoV of the villain so early, the rest I am not really sure apply here.
EDIT: Oh and I forgot, loved how you changed the scene here. Don't remember any SAO fic(as few as they might be) that Diabel reveals he is a beta player.
I do agree with the deal happening now, my comment was about how thoroughly you covered it here. I suppose some people might disagree but for me from the rest of the story I figure you are thinking of how to fit things together so there is no need to beat people with why the FSN cast is going along with SAO, instead of feeling like interesting information it just feels like you are saying "Here is the reason so shut up about it" which is perfectly fair since I am pretty sure people did annoy you with it but I don't really think it fits the story at this point. A similar thing for the Kayaba interlude but I think you said it won't be in the same place in the actual story?
Now to consider the last update, that was done pretty well. You managed to combine Kirito's monologue from canon with his analysis of the changed situation AND an infodump all the while making it transition without a problem. Thank you for giving an example of how one should do it, makes it a lot easier to explain things properly. Basically instead of just giving information mid-text try to fit it within the character PoV and when not possibly ask yourself if you really need that information known at exactly this point.
Thinking on it I am definitely biased since I am coming at this as a SAO quest first and foremost so I keep thinking of chapter 1 and 3 is the main story and chapter 2 are side-stories which while interesting are what you read after the volume ends...
So yeah of my posts just consider the parts referring to the Deal and the Interlude, the first because it felt heavy-handed and the second because it is odd to have the PoV of the villain so early, the rest I am not really sure apply here.
EDIT: Oh and I forgot, loved how you changed the scene here. Don't remember any SAO fic(as few as they might be) that Diabel reveals he is a beta player.
Quick reactions:
Your analogies during the Ilya/Asuna conversation slew me. Well crafted.
The Kirito POV/monologue/infodump/analysis is fine, he does that a bit in canon.
The Diabel change is good. I like that you kept his inherently calculating nature.
(It's okay Argo, maybe you'll get some screentime next time...)
EDIT: When Agil speaks up, it's only one voice saying that Ilya helped. Maybe for more crowd effect, someone else/more people say that she helped him? Asuna could decide to say something since Ilya is already taking the spotlight as a pretty, female gamer?
Your analogies during the Ilya/Asuna conversation slew me. Well crafted.
The Kirito POV/monologue/infodump/analysis is fine, he does that a bit in canon.
The Diabel change is good. I like that you kept his inherently calculating nature.
(It's okay Argo, maybe you'll get some screentime next time...)
EDIT: When Agil speaks up, it's only one voice saying that Ilya helped. Maybe for more crowd effect, someone else/more people say that she helped him? Asuna could decide to say something since Ilya is already taking the spotlight as a pretty, female gamer?
Nah, Ilya has plenty of great options.
She's 133 cm, so for me who thinks in USC, that's 4'4".
Most greatswords were between 100 and 170 cm and weighed like, 2-4 kg. The biggest ones were more, anti-pike-formation weapons than for one-on-one.
My point is, fighting with a sword as long as you are tall was something elites did all the time. Since Ilya has the effective strength of a muscleheaded adult with her character build, there's absolutely no reason she can't fight (relatively) normally with a greatsword. Well, focusing on gimping others by cutting off their legs at the ankle or knee with low horizontal attacks already fits her personality. Combine that with the over-head strike you're obviously expecting as an opening feint and she's got a pretty good basic three-step tactic: (1) Feint, (2) Cripple, (3) Kill. Thinking about the fight where Kuradeel poisoned Kirito, the anime already established that the [Dismembered] status can be inflicted with normal attacks, so the [Legendary Griefer] is someone who focused on that: literally cutting your legs out from under you.
Well, leaving historical realism aside, FSN is the kind of paradigm where as long as you can describe it impressively enough, it works regardless of common sense, so I'm not worried about it.
Oh yeah, and thanx for the catches Spectrum, those typos have been fixed.
She's 133 cm, so for me who thinks in USC, that's 4'4".
Most greatswords were between 100 and 170 cm and weighed like, 2-4 kg. The biggest ones were more, anti-pike-formation weapons than for one-on-one.
My point is, fighting with a sword as long as you are tall was something elites did all the time. Since Ilya has the effective strength of a muscleheaded adult with her character build, there's absolutely no reason she can't fight (relatively) normally with a greatsword. Well, focusing on gimping others by cutting off their legs at the ankle or knee with low horizontal attacks already fits her personality. Combine that with the over-head strike you're obviously expecting as an opening feint and she's got a pretty good basic three-step tactic: (1) Feint, (2) Cripple, (3) Kill. Thinking about the fight where Kuradeel poisoned Kirito, the anime already established that the [Dismembered] status can be inflicted with normal attacks, so the [Legendary Griefer] is someone who focused on that: literally cutting your legs out from under you.
Well, leaving historical realism aside, FSN is the kind of paradigm where as long as you can describe it impressively enough, it works regardless of common sense, so I'm not worried about it.
Oh yeah, and thanx for the catches Spectrum, those typos have been fixed.
I have yet to read or watch SAO in any depth so I'm not sure if it is possible, but couldn't the weapons be scaled to the size of the player using them?
In Guild Wars 2, a great sword wielded by the smallest of the Asuras (the smallest race) will have a size ranging between a dagger and a short sword for the biggest of the biggest races (Norn and Chars), whereas if a member of those two races was to equip the same great sword, it would be bigger that the Asura himself...
In Guild Wars 2, a great sword wielded by the smallest of the Asuras (the smallest race) will have a size ranging between a dagger and a short sword for the biggest of the biggest races (Norn and Chars), whereas if a member of those two races was to equip the same great sword, it would be bigger that the Asura himself...
The idea behind SAO is that physical attributes are irrelevant so if I understood your idea correctly and the weapon only scales remaining the same everything then I suppose it could be reasonably included. I personally would rule against since all weapons being the same allows instant recognition which is more important overall.
Well, my post was in response to Muramasa saying that a 2 handed long sword would drag on the ground if wielded by Ilya. And what I meant was that, everything else being the same for any given weapon (Shape, Colour, Strength added, Strength needed to wield, etc...), its size would be proportional to the height of the player using it.
But as I said, I have absolutely no idea how small player have to deal with big weapons in Canon.
To give you an idea, I finished watching Steins Gate only 3 weeks ago, THAT should give you an idea of how backlogged I am when it come to animes...
But as I said, I have absolutely no idea how small player have to deal with big weapons in Canon.
To give you an idea, I finished watching Steins Gate only 3 weeks ago, THAT should give you an idea of how backlogged I am when it come to animes...
My guess is if the 2h sword was shortened too much, then it would more qualify as a 1h sword. A 2h sword style would be required for swords that would normally be too large or too heavy under normal circumstances, and that's generally the point as your sacrificing one arm that could have used a shield, for added attack power and force.
Without the added size and weight, 2h swords would be impractical. Illya could be leg chopping with a much easier to use 1h sword.
Without the added size and weight, 2h swords would be impractical. Illya could be leg chopping with a much easier to use 1h sword.
Swords skills and the physics of SAO not being the same as reality ensures it doesn't really make a difference. Keep in mind that Kayaba designed things so that the body of the person doesn't matter.
I see. Just keep in mind that ultimately it is a game designed such that the size doesn't actually matter since that is clearly stated I would say it is best to go with that the genius designer succeed than trying to figure out what the problems may be. Could be an interesting plot point if done right though...
Oh I am not that far. Even if by this point I have pretty much given up in actually following animes, I still have to deal with the ones I am too curious not to plus everything else I also try to keep up with. The list is so long that there are plenty of things out for years that I still haven' read/watched/played.
I see. Just keep in mind that ultimately it is a game designed such that the size doesn't actually matter since that is clearly stated I would say it is best to go with that the genius designer succeed than trying to figure out what the problems may be. Could be an interesting plot point if done right though...
Oh I am not that far. Even if by this point I have pretty much given up in actually following animes, I still have to deal with the ones I am too curious not to plus everything else I also try to keep up with. The list is so long that there are plenty of things out for years that I still haven' read/watched/played.