I also felt being on the Sayonara side that it wasn't my place to interfere much on the decision on the other end but I was hoping GRIT would win if one of the XeXeeD options did, if only to preserve our cover with Lugh - not sure I like a lackey of PoH's knowing that much about what we're up to. Ah well.
AN: This chapter is brought to you by mood whiplash and PG13 BDSM. Consider yourself warned.
[X] Your friend Usujio? He's dead. And I'm trying to find the culprit. What, don't believe me? You're talking to a government intern. [You have enough EMPATHY for this option.]
[X] Paladin
One! Woodbirds fly down, settle round the circle, hop and flutter.
"It's here."
You cradle the package in your hands, holding that thing which may very well kill you close to your chest.
"It'shereit'shereit'shereit'shereit'shere!!!!"
She's upon you in seconds, gripping tight to your body, practically slobbering on you. Her small body radiates manic energy, arms pulling tighter with each passing second. You've had so many dreams that began like this... but you know the truth. You could've been a statue for all the difference it makes to her right now.
"Giveittome! GIVE IT TO ME!"
There's no convincing her when she gets like this. Reluctantly, you release your grip on the package, watching as your lover disappears down the hallway with her prize, giggling excitedly to herself.
You sigh and follow her. Past the FullDive Sensory Deprivation Chambers. Past her collection of whips and chains. Past the wooden stocks and ball gags. Past the pile of rough quilts you call your bed when she wasn't in the mood to share hers.
"Goushi, tell me? How does it look~?"
Your heart skips a beat when you open the door to her computer room, turning the lights on and slowly blinking the blur from your eyes. She's dressed in nothing but a nightgown and underwear, the loungewear distorted by the addition of that black, cold, ugly thing hanging off her head like some oversized tumor, her long black hair pouring out of the hole in its base.
"Elsa, you look ama—"
"Did I give you permission to call me that!?"
"No, master. You did not."
You bow your head, trying not to shudder as she slams her bare foot into your head.
"Learn your place."
"Yes, master."
"Well?"
She props her foot up on your scalp, digging into your hair.
"So! How do I look?"
"Like... the real deal..."
"Heehee, that's right~!"
That was the correct thing to say. You've gotten very good at figuring out the correct thing to say. She blushes, removing her foot from your head as she reaches down, cupping your chin.
The kiss is short but intense. You can taste wine on her breath and something else besides.
And at the end she calmly lifts the death trap off her head and puts it over yours. This wasn't for her. She already has one, even enshrined it, and fantasized about it for every hour of every day since she learned she would never play SAO.
"This is it. This is what we've been waiting for! Another chance, Goushi!"
Your name again. Not slave or dog or whatever she was in the mood for, only when she was this manic did she ever bother calling you by your actual name.
This joy of hers wasn't just from the NerveGear; the one you brought her little more than a duplicate. It was also what came with the new device, the opportunity it presented. Just a rumor at first, one of thousands circulating the alleys of GGO. Hushed whispers in bars and dark corners, of a special tournament for the truly strong.
No effort was spared. Millions of yen, dealings with the strangest and shadiest of characters, so much work for just a hunk of metal and the invitation that came along with it.
The «Death Gun». A tournament of the highest possible stakes, where there were no second chances and no revives upon failure. A game with the only stakes that matter. The very thought terrifies you, but the look on her face...
You've never seen her so happy.
"It's perfect, master."
"It's all for you, Goushi. A fitting reward for my most loyal slave. You promised you'd follow me to the ends of this world, and you always keep your word. I should make you a collar... wait here while I get my leathers..."
She's smiling. You can't remember the last time you saw her smile. There's only been that half-smirk, that half-grimace of hers. You hadn't seen such radiant joy in her face since ever. You know you can't deny her this.
There's a part of you, one you cannot ignore, that whispers in your ear. She's had her own NerveGear for years now. She secured an invitation the moment she learned of it. But this happiness, this joy, it was from something different. It was for you. She was happy that she could share her dream with you. Happy that you could die alongside her.
You could try to stop her. Could you betray her? But you don't want to see her die. She's your everything.
When things were simpler, when it was just the «Squad Jam», you hatched a scheme of your very own. Elsa always kept her promises, and she made one with the pink devil of GGO. A real fight with LLENN, you knew she wanted that almost as much as she wanted to explore the castle in the sky. It was a skeleton of a plan: put all your hope into the power of rivalry and the skill of LLENN to satisfy Elsa. To make her forget about her dreams of death, to grant her some satisfaction...
But all it took was one visit from the red-eyed man and all your plans went up in smoke.
Your master is back. The new NerveGear is now secured to your head, and the belt is wrapped once around the device, covering your eyes. As it passes a second time it presses hard on your throat. And it continues as such, wrapping around and around, a NerveGear turned collar, tightening with every wind around your neck.
"It looks dashing on you," she giggles. "Now we match~! Promise me, dog. You won't leave before your master, understand? I forbid you from dying first."
"Yes, master."
It's easier when you just say yes. When you give up. It's more pleasurable for everyone if you don't resist. But this wasn't just one of her usual flights of fancy. Concerts were canceled, screaming matches were held with the record labels, and you've been running yourself ragged putting out fires. Elsa always took great pains to separate business from pleasure, and she never allowed her proclivities to interfere with her career.
Until now. Until this... invitation. And now she's dropping everything just to participate. She was serious. She was going to prove her strength to the world or die trying. You don't want this to be her end. But what could you do?
"Elsa, are you sure— gah!"
She kicks you in the chest and throws you to the ground. It's an odd feeling, being blinded and gagged by your new NerveGear while she whips you. But you power through the pain and make your feelings known. "Everything about this is dangerous. The organizers, who even are they? You were going to join the next «Squad Jam». It's safer, why not—"
"Are you stupid!? There's no stakes, no purpose in that meaningless sideshow! Is that it slave? So in the end you're just a coward? So attached to your pathetic life that you would betray me!? I thought you loved me!?"
She yanks on your collar, dragging you through the floor to the bed, forcing you against it.
"M-master... I am yours, you know that. It's about your p-promise..."
"Haaah? What the hell are you talking about, slave!?"
The sound of fabric tearing. She grabs you, hard, your stomach turning. "Y-you would face her. In the «Squad Jam»... you p-promised..."
Hesitation. A brief tinge of regret.
"I did promise that, didn't I?" your lover pauses on delivering your punishment. On your reward. "Mmmm..."
Elsa makes this sound whenever she weighs the balance of her desires against each other. But Elsa always had a way of distorting the scales, even in her own mind. You can hear her gasp, slightly. Though you can't see you suspect she's making that face. That smug, satisfied smile of hers. Her hands move, patting you on the head like the dog you were.
"You've just given me a great idea! Hahaha, though you may be a bore, sometimes even you dig up a bone or two. Well done slave."
And she laughs. She laughs like a great weight has been lifted off her soul. Her laughter is so true, and bright, the purest and most beautiful expression of joy you've ever heard from her.
"I thought that having you alongside me would be a fitting reward. But you know, I don't think you have it in you." she yanks harder, the flow of air stopping for a second before she lets go, before throwing you to the ground, husky voice in your ear. "You're nothing more than my arms and legs. Do you have it in you Goushi? If I asked you to, could you do it?"
You know what she wants to hear. You know what would bring her happiness. But you can do no less than be yourself.
"If I asked you to, could you kill me?"
"N-never..."
"Typical. Pathetic."
She hits you, a smack to the face. But her hand releases the belt and you take your first deep breath in what feels like ages.
"You're just a slave after all. But maybe... just maybe... she'll be different..."
Her hands slide over your new collar. She loosens it, a mark of her disappointment. The belts fall away onto the floor, and she rips the NerveGear off your head. It was yours only for a few minutes, and your master has deemed you unworthy of the prize. You open your eyes to see her holding it lovingly. Her eyes glazed over, a dreamlike smile on her face.
She licks her lips.
"LLENN, I wonder if you can pull the trigger? Can you satisfy me?"
She speaks so sincerely, so happily. As if she wasn't contemplating doing something horrible to a person she called a friend.
"Can you show me if you're the «Real Deal»?"
Two! A black boar breaks through the bushes and chases on.
"Mikami-san, thank you for the offer, but I really can't at this time. You know how non-compete clauses are."
You sigh and take another sip of the warm tea in front of you. Quitting your job and signing on with a start-up venture, you've had your fantasies about doing much the same. To anyone who's spent a significant amount of time in the VRMMO space, there's that one nagging question that's just kind of never really gone away.
Can't I do this myself?
The SEED makes development so easy, no need to learn complex programming languages or deal with the hassle of coding. Once you've learned how to work the toolkit you can make worlds practically as fast as you could write write books. Which is to say not exactly fast, but a hell of a lot simpler than managing a team of potentially thousands. Then ZASKAR's lawyers come to mind and you think you should count your blessings for just being able to work from home.
<I understand Hoshiyama-san. Consider it a standing offer if things don't work out with GGO!>
You're a tad jealous that your old colleague has managed to effectively poach the ALO IP right from under the nose of «Kamura», though from what you heard «Kamura» was more than willing to surrender that radioactive property if it meant «Ymir» would withdraw their claim to the old SAO servers. In a few months, ALO was going to relaunch under new management, complete with extracted floor data from the first 75 floors of SAO.
You smile a bit inside. Mikami-san gave you a lot of advice when you started in this industry, and you wish him nothing but the best. Plus it never hurts to have some backup options.
<Ah, it's a bit awkward for me to bring this up, but I've got a friend who's been digging into GGO. They might be asking you some questions...>
The blood chills in your veins and while you remain polite and interested, every fiber of your body goes on high alert. If there was one thing ZASKAR hated it was people asking questions, and it was your job to deflect and ensure no answers were given.
"Please don't tell me you gave them my contact info."
<Don't worry, they're trustworthy! They even work for the government!>
"Mikami! Are you trying to get me fired!?"
<Haha, you have nothing to worry about. Discretion is their middle name! And hey, if you get fired, I got a job lined up just for you!>
You feel another migraine coming. If it were coming from anyone other than Mikami you'd be convinced it was some kind of plan to poach you. But no, this was Mikami, he was just a genuinely good person trying to be helpful and making your life more complicated in the process.
You say your goodbyes and pull up the status of your latest project. The Chief's been micromanaging like usual, insisting that ZASKAR was conducting a "high level performance review" at the end of the week. You'll believe it when you see it, you're still not sure if ZASKAR wasn't just some holding company running a massive money laundering scheme.
You brush a brand of hair out of your eyes and glance at the clock. Nope. No more work! You know the dangers of the job, despite doing everything you can to stay active, you had long stints of Diving that you couldn't avoid no matter how much you wanted to.
Today was a you day! A health day! At least an hour in the gym, maybe cook a decent meal for once. You still had a hundred unanswered messages from mom asking when you were finally going to get a boyfriend that you dread having to answer...
A young girl pops up on your computer screen, her eyepatch and pigtails looking at extreme odds with her expressionless face. You technically weren't supposed to allow ArFa assistants to interface with non FullDive technology, but honestly, everybody at ZASKAR did it. It's only a matter of time before SEED-based AI assistants become mainstream, you're just getting a head start on the future. Oh, maybe Daisy finally found that dress you were looking for!
<Master, you've got a priority message from Chief Taipan.>
Or you just got saddled with more work. Again.
"Daisy-chan can you tell me later?"
<Master, it's priority two.>
"...Tell him I'm busy."
<Apologies Master, the message just bumped to priority one. Per company policy displaying the request immediately.>
You can't even muster the energy to voice a complaint. Privacy's basically dead in your AI-monitored home-office life, and when you're working for a shady faceless corporate blob you can't exactly count on the Human Resources department. They didn't even speak Japanese.
Ah, there goes your self-care day! There goes the springtime of your youth! Passing by like a flickering ember. Wasted, spent, frittered away on office work, and there was nothing you could do about it.
"Daisy-chan, just... summarize it for me."
<Of course Master. Chief Taipan needs you to perform maintenance on the server communication infrastructure, there are signs that someone is tampering with it.>
You sigh. Same problem, different day. "It's probably just some young ones trying to bypass the banned word filters again. Can we please deal with it tomorrow?"
<Chief Taipan says it's urgent. Disable all automatic communications and set it to manual GM entry only for this coming Saturday.>
Of course it's the comms issue again. And because this was a SEED game and you didn't have access to the dev room that meant physically dragging your virtual butt through a giant metal corridor to access the console they hid in the heart of Glocken. Because why should tech support be easy? "Saturday? Isn't that the BoB? Can't it wait till after?"
<Negative. He doesn't want notification errors going on during a major tournament. Furthermore, he says he has a data package from ZASKAR he plans on playing as a global advert during the BoB.>
A global advert? A new update? You hadn't heard about this, but they don't keep grunt mods like you informed.
"Fine, tell Chief Taipan it'll be done by tomorrow," you say, wondering when you'll be able to finally take a break...
<Continuing report.>
"There's more!?"
<A newly generated playerID has been flagged as an ArFa. Her performance is outside of the expected parameters for new players. Displaying message from Chief Taipan.>
Hoshiyama! You were the one who made all this ArFa shit, and now it's contaminating the player data! This is your mess, so go figure this out! If we start turning GGO into some kind of hacker's playground it's gonna send our user retention through the floor faster than you can say YGGDRASIL! This is on you, do you understand me!?
A player spawning in as an ArFa? You were the one who first suggested to corporate that the old MHCP data still sleeping in the dredges of the SEED could be reprogrammed into AI assistants. And well, between the extra VR work they made you put in plus the micromanagement from your boss... you'd say pulled everything off perfectly! The ArFa System was your baby, and ever since the «Gold Rush» update GGO's numbers have never looked better. Of course instead of giving you a raise, Chief Taipain, that snake, stole all the credit and was now demanding you fix everything for him again.
Argh, it makes you wanna scream! You'll need to squeeze Daisy-chan for at least 30 minutes today to get the bad vibes out of your body! You at least hope this new ArFa player disaster is cute...
<One last warning from Chief Taipan. Displaying message.>
And don't you dare let me catch you participating! You hear me!? What do you think the players would think if they saw a GM take the crown!? Go play with your dress up dolls on your own time, but I catch wind of «Zeliska» firing even a single bullet in the BoB I will scrap your ass, you understand me—
"Daisy-chan, close and delete."
<Acknowledged, Master.>
...
You were an adult. And adults don't pout!
Argh, what are you doing? Mikami's offer was beginning to look more and more appealing by the day. Who cares about non-compete clauses? Did ZASKAR even have lawyers!? Cause they didn't have a functional HR department, and clearly don't have functional regional managers! You know what, screw Taipan! Screw ZASKAR! You'll do it, you'll quit, you'll take a job where you're valued and—
<Master, two new messages on your «Zeliska» account. Your rent is now (2) months overdue. Shall I send the same apology letter as last time?>
—You'll suck it up and get back to work. With mounting annoyance you take your glasses off and secure the Amusphere over your head. Another day, another dollar, back into SBC Glocken, back to work picking up after Taipan's incompetence.
<Message from unknown sender addressed to the «Uncrowned Queen». Display?>
"Fine." It's not like this day can bet any worse.
I've seen you. I know what you are capable of. Do you not desire it? A true contest, a true challenge? Can you pull the trigger? Are you the «Real—
"Another prank call. Daisy-chan, delete the message and screen all further messages from that IP."
<Acknowledged, Master.>
Three! A storm arises, bends and breaks the tops of the trees and draws sparks from the fire.
—Holy shit, XeXeeD got rekt!
—The old guard is weak. About time for new blood to show up.
—Yo XeXeeD why don't you blog about being dogshit?
—lol you think death gun will go after this guy next time?
—DG if you're listening I'll give 10 megacredits to teabag xexeed's corpse.
You close shut the laptop. Those bastards always have something new to bitch about, and if it's one thing you've learned, it's that feeding the trolls never ends well. Just keyboard warriors who'd rather trash everyone else than get good themselves.
It's just been one disaster after another. The new players you challenged for the massive standing bounty on white-haired avatars turned out to be freaking government spooks in disguise. And of course, they couldn't just go right out and tell you, no they had to first publicly humiliate you— ruining your reputation, turning you into the goddam laughingstock of GGO!
You were a pro goddamn player! Your rep meant clicks, it meant views which meant sponsors! So when you lose rep it puts your livelihood at risk. Everyone thinks they can make it big in GGO but you know your success came from hard work and ruthless dedication. Not just grinding in GGO, but community management, video editing, and constantly putting your name out there. Working hard to remain part of the conversation.
But fine. Whatever! You've bounced back from worse. Soon it'll be yesterday's news, and you'll win the runback after you bring your real kit out against that cheating bitch—
If it... if it were that simple...
Fuck. FUCK!
You slam your fists on the table. You didn't sign up for this shit.
Usujio was dead!?
What the fuck were you supposed to do with that information!? This fucking spook just goes and drops that on you like it's your problem!? You aren't some secret agent, you're an internet content creator!
You told Kuro everything you knew about Usujio and his encounter with a newbie of his own. It wasn't much, one you learned more from hearsay than direct experience, and now the trail was cold because it was almost a week old.
A challenge, issued to Usujio. A one-on-one duel with an unusually large amount of money riding on the outcome. You received similar challenges every week and sometimes even accepted them. On the surface, this was nothing unusual and Usujio took the challenge— good money if he won, and potentially a new recruit even if he lost.
You didn't like Usujio but he was one of the old guard. A contemporary, and if you were honest with yourself, someone you were kind of jealous of. Leader of GGO's biggest squadron, not out of strength, but just because Usujio was so just so welcoming. It was nothing more than a fancy hang out guild but they pulled numbers and Usujio kept them in line.
And now he's dead. The spook showed you pictures of his cooling corpse...
Fuck.
«Death Gun». The man with the red eyes. That's what you told the spook, because that's all you really know. A player nobody's ever heard of, either a newbie or some antisocial solo who seemed to materialize out of the goddamn ether to specifically challenge Usujio. Some spectators mentioned he was some kind of INT based build, focused on gadget spam, with all sorts of weird bullshit like billowing shadows and magic bullets. Rumors— completely unsubstantiated, and grown more bizarre with every retelling.
A scratchy voice recording from the end of the fight, one you ignored as just typical boasting.
'My name... and the name of this weapon... is «Death Gun»...!'
Everything pointed to some stupid cosplayer who huffed too much spray paint. GGO had a few of those loonies early after launch— history nerds who spoke in dumb accents, always posting weird shit on message boards and getting laughed out of the game for their efforts. Save the chunni shit for ALO, GGO was for hardcore players. No bullshit, no superstition and no magic.
But that government hacker... she used magic bullets. She used strange, bizarre powers you've never seen before and by her own admission were not in tune with GGO. Your hand idly moves to your chest, where somehow you can feel this dull aching sensation, still lingering from a fight that concluded hours ago. Something was changing with GGO, and it seems that «Death Gun» was just the first arbiter.
You remember the advice you've given out before time and time again. Adapt or die. The meta's always changing, and yesterday's top build will soon fall by the wayside, superseded by a new power. You know that very intimately. But who could predict a meta-shift of this magnitude?
You should quit GGO. It's the safest thing to do, especially if people were dying IRL and GGO was on the cusp of some kind of government crackdown. You have enough money saved up to start up another venture, maybe get a head start in Shangri-La Frontier. Everyone and their dog was hyping it up.
And Usujio was dead. You can't even believe it. And it wasn't just him...
Since B-Lister named David too. Usujio, you could understand, a public and high-level figure targeted for name recognition.
But why David? He ran a squadron named «Memento Mori». It's the only thing you can think of. That «Death Gun» killed him because he was offended about the fucking name.
Lunatics. You're better than them, you won't play their stupid game. You'll quit damn it, you'll...
XeXeeD. You were here from day one. My friend, you represent not just «Excelsior» but the will of all of GGO. Don't you get it? You can't take this lying down. You have to avenge Usujio. No one else has the resources or the strength to pull it off.
Itsuki's words to you, when you sitting there dazed and confused— fresh off the most embarrassing loss you've had in months. He cut through the fog of your thoughts and pierced right into your soul. You were the hardest-working player in the game, GGO was your job, it was your world. Someone was coming in and threatening your people.
I know you have the power. Today was just a fluke, we both know it was! Get back out there, XeXeeD. You have a responsibility! Let me help you. I can show you how to be as strong as I know you can be.
Run away and leave it to that government spook. Or accept the implicit challenge. Take that final step. Tamotsu the 38 year old loser with no job, no prospects and no family would step back. He'd shrug his shoulders, make it someone else's problem, and just cut his losses.
But not XeXeeD. He will go beyond. Beyond the pathetic Tamotsu. He will EXCEED.
You've got to protect us. Usujio's soul is crying out for vengeance. Don't you see XeXeeD? It can only be you. You're strong. You're respected. You are the real deal. You are our... Chosen.
It appeared in your apartment one day. You made no orders, and your door was locked. Emerging from an all-night FullDive section you saw the unmarked parcel at the entrance of your unit.
You thought of calling the police. You poked and prodded at it with your giant plastic novelty gun until you confirmed it wasn't some horrific package bomb. So you opened it and found what lay within.
A NerveGear.
You almost threw it away right then and there. Almost called the police immediately. That'd be the smart thing. Just hand over the obviously dangerous artifact and just let it go.
You can be better. Take this, XeXeeD. You know what it can do. You saw what happened when she used it against you. This is the new meta now. Don't be caught off guard. Nothing but the best for our champion.
Now you see it for what it was. Someone sent you this, when they could've easily done something far worse to you.
This was... an invitation.
You got new locks. Electronic with an analog backup. An extra deadbolt and a premium subscription to Wanna-B-Alert home security. If anybody even loitered outside your apartment they'd be swarmed by private security in minutes.
You could still hand it over to the government spook. Make this their problem...
But this wasn't their problem. This was your problem. GGO was your game. You won't let this... «Death Gun» run roughshod over your world!
You pick up the strange, ugly thing sitting on your countertop. You've seen the specs, the reported improvements in reaction speed and situational awareness were no joke. But you can sense it's more than that. A promise of power, the strength that came from putting your very life on the line.
You remember that bastard «Death Gun»'s final words. Hazy and crackled as the footage was it was as if he was speaking to you directly.
'Can you... pull the trigger? Show... the world... you are the...?'
You'll show them. You'll show all of them.
GGO was your world.
You were going to save your world!
To the spook, to «Death Gun», to all the haters...
You weren't Tamotsu the loser.
You will exceed! You are XeXeeD!
The fucking «Real Deal»!
Four! A rustling is heard. Crack of whips and trample of horse's hooves; four fiery wheels run past, throwing off sparks, though, at their speed, one cannot trace their real form or the shape of any wagon.
You know what sucks?
"Open up! I know you're in there!"
Work. Isn't that just such a fucked up concept? Humanity as a whole has advanced to the point that we can put a man on the moon and yet we still have to labor just for crap like an internet connection and an apartment wider than two armspans.
"Sorry, not home."
You pound harder. "YOU FUCKING NEET I CAN HEAR YOU!"
Take your parents. They had a nice cushy job with a nice cushy pension— more money than they knew what to do with! You were their oldest son! The fruit of their loins! Shouldn't you have had a cushy life too!? But nooooo it's all—
—How come your brother is three years younger than you yet he's a higher grade?
—Why aren't you going to go back to school?
—What will it take for you to get a job?
—When are you going to move out?
And then they kicked you out! You! You know what that is? A rejection of their filial responsibility! Your parents failed to prepare you for the cruel and harsh world! And when you asked for an allowance they just laughed! Laughed! That day you knew your family for what they were in truth: cruel, evil folk who would probably laugh at you even if you got run over by a truck!
You've thought long and hard about that day. Maybe you should reflect, and endeavor to live your life more productively. Maybe get a 9-9 in some big-shot company, land a cute young wife, and prove all your naysayers wrong!
Or maybe, just maybe, it's this damn work and merit-based society that's at fault!
"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH SHIT I'M CARRYING!? OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"
"Nii... is it the trash boy? I'm hungry..." is the only reply you get, the voice distant and muffled.
Take your current circumstances. You're broke, unemployed, with no skills and income to speak of. But you're lucky! You always land on your feet! That first day you used the key dad hid under the entrance mat to break back into your room and grab some odds and ends to sell. After hitting up some guys you knew online you managed to scrape together enough for a week in this crappy little apartment.
And that's when you met them.
『 』
Like goddamn vultures, circling the rotting corpse that was your life, they waited for just the right moment...
To put you to work.
"SORA I SWEAR I WILL DOX YOU IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" It's an empty threat, not with what they were paying you for your silence, but it's practically the only threat you have to make them move.
"Nii... Kuzuma has the food..."
"Ugh, fine, fine. Take over for me will ya? Just go easy on the explosives..."
"Mhmhm..."
The door, slowly, ponderously, finally opens.
Sora, your boss. If you were feeling charitable, you'd say this man saved your life. Saw your lifetime of playing video games and complaining on the internet and decided that was a skillset he could exploit. But you're not being charitable. And this man? This greasy haired, unwashed NEET who has the audacity to boss you around just because he happened to be just very slightly rich beyond your wildest imagination?
He was a goddamn asshole.
"Yo! Kuzuma, took you a while. What, did you get lost?"
"My name is not—"
"Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever. It's way too humid outside, so stop gabbing and get in."
You grit your teeth, flipping Sora the bird when he turns around to return to his cave, and you follow him inside. This was always the worst part. You're no stranger to BO, not with your kind of lifestyle, but there's something different about someone else's odor that just, ugh. Especially when it was two people mixing together into some kind of all-encompassing miasma.
Past the clothes strewn all over the floor, piles of wrappers on nearly every surface that they could stick, and what you sincerely hope are just boogers smeared against the walls you step through the tunnels of this dwelling. With an experienced eye, you judge the damage. At least five trashbags, two trips to the laundromat, a thorough scrubdown, and a possible exorcism are needed to fix this place up.
After finally clearing enough of the trash heap to make a walkable path you enter the inner sanctum. You are greeted by the buzzing hum of a dozen high-power computers, rows upon rows of monitors numerous enough to hide the wall underneath, and the stagnant cool air of the most air-conditioned 500 square meters in all of Tokyo. There, sitting upon his dumb gamer chair throne you see your boss. Or rather, bosses.
Sora, the jackass NEET mastermind who first brought you into this life. And lying on the floor, half dead from hunger, his sister...
Shiro, the silver-haired goddess made manifest! Beautiful! Graceful! Far too innocent and pure for a rotten core of a brother!
At least that's what you thought at first. Until you realize she was the one who orchestrated your arrangement, broke your will, and then financially shackled your life to them. Beneath that sleepy exterior lies a soul of pure evil, one who would destroy the world itself if only she could be bothered to stop playing video games long enough to push the button. If she wasn't paying you the first thing you'd do is punch her right in her perfect little face, for the sake of humanity.
"Kuzuma... I need food... did you bring it..."
You make it barely 10 meters into the apartment from hell before she's making more demands of you. You reach around your back, unslinging the tote bag and dumping all its contents on the ground. What's the point of organizing it when it will all end up on the garbage heap anyways? "As promised, three weeks' worth of CalorieMate, ramen, beef jerky, energy drinks, chocolate, and a 2 kilo bag of gummy bears. Also, a package was left in your PO box."
It was a damn heavy package too! Sora never had items delivered to his address, always to some random PO box in the middle of nowhere he forced you to trek to every time he needed his goddamn body pillows shipped over.
"Hell yeah, restocking time!" Sora doesn't even try and hide his excitement, diving into the pile of processed food like a hiker finding an oasis.
"Great... Kuzuma... feed me..."
The words come out monotone and half-hearted. The you of last year would've considered himself lucky— being paid to feed a cute girl, the dream of every cultured soul. You know better now, understand that to Shiro you are nothing more than a tool, an object to be used.
"Ugh, your breath is horrible," you scrunch up your nose, wincing at the feeling of foul breath brushing against your face as you hold up an energy bar to her mouth. You severely underestimated the amount of work it'd take to be one of the fabled 『 』's so-called alts, especially once you made the horrifying discovery that there were two of them. Maybe you could find a girl to bum off some of this work to, at least then you could force Shiro to shower more than once a month.
"Hey, Kuzuma~! You know what to do~!" Sora's looming over you, a sick grin on his face as he waves his smartphone over your head, cackling as you feed his sister.
"No. No, not this time! I've got my dignity damn it!"
"Nii... Kuzuma won't do it... boo..."
Sora's grin just widens as he shows you the number on his smartphone. ¥10000.
No. Your dignity isn't that cheap!
His thumb moves to swipe the screen. ¥20000.
Not for all the money in the world! You refuse to work hard! You will rebel against the tyranny of the system! Down with demeaning work!
¥30000.
It's... tyranny! Financial bullying! Where's your union!? You won't... you won't...!
¥40000—
"Woof, woof! I'm a good little boy! Bow wow! Aroo aroo!"
You have no shame left, none. Besides what good has shame ever done for you? It's certainly never earned you ¥40000!
"There, there... good doggy..."
Ah... this is your life now... chief gopher in charge, pet dog of『 』, shackled to a golden collar... Mom, Dad, if you could see me now, would you be proud of me? Look, your son has moved out! He's gotten a job. He's found his place in the world!
"Alright, that's enough fun for today. Kazuma, need an update," Sora says, suddenly all business.
"Woof, woof! I, gah, I mean fine. Nothing you probably don't already know. The rumors of the second «Squad Jam» being canceled? It's all true. The sponsor dropped out."
"Strange... unexpected... she's been looking forward to that..." Shiro mutters to herself in the corner of the room. "Unfortunate..."
"Yeah, well speaking of unfortunate, some girl finally rolled another white-haired avatar. Figure you could use another alt so I told XeXeeD to stay on the lookout for one— but it turns out she wasn't willing to sell. I offered XeXeeD an arm and a leg but even he couldn't persuade her. Hell, he tried to get violent and challenged her for it but ended up losing!"
"We should go... steal it from her..."
"Lil' sis, relax. We'll find you another eventually. But XeXeeD losing to a newb? Heh, shows that XeXeeD's just a washed-up loser," Sora turns back to his computer, humming thoughtfully. "But a newb capable of beating a vet. Interesting, just like that «Death Gun» from last week... Add her to the watchlist. Looks like GGO's finally getting some new blood."
"Still... unlikely to be... a challenge..."
What's next is your standard report. The multiple dummy accounts you were managing for『 』, the items you managed to farm this cycle, and any encounters with players of interest. In other words, your particular brand of work, the ones these jackass siblings were practically blackmailing you into.
"Great! Excellent job Kuzuma, that's my favorite trash boy! Now before you go, I have one last assignment for you."
"Wait, wait, WAIT! You promised! No more assignments till next month!"
"Too bad. Circumstances have changed. I need a level 40 account by the end of the month, using the beta default avatar profile. 10 points in VIT, 5 in AGI, 5 in INT, rest in STR. I also need you to find an account heavily invested in INT, at least level 60, I don't care how you get it, just buy it off some retired player or something."
A... fresh account... to 40... in one week!? And you have to deal with account brokers again!?
You spring to your feet, knocking over the cup of ramen you were feeding Shiro. "I... you CAN'T! Shangri-La Frontier's coming out this week! I've been looking forward to that game for months—"
"Well then you'll just have to work faster, won't you? Also, American forums are speculating that the M244s are now dropping from the Flugel depths. Get me a copy of that from your main account." Sora casually says, adding another hundred hours to your workload.
"Nii... the meta..."
"Oh! Right, how could I forget? Shiro wants a Benetnasch. Omega grade or higher, apparently optical weapons are back in vogue now."
"Hey wait, Benetnasch Omegas have a 1% drop rate! On a boss that spawns at 60 minute intervals! I don't even know what drops M244s!" You'll have to farm so much for all this! No sleep, continuous all-nighters, infinite, endless work. "I can't do it boss, it's impossible!"
Sora yawns, tilting his chair backwards and tapping his feet against the keyboard. "You've managed before. Here are some war funds, so go make good use of your luck for once. Oh, and if you fail to deliver, I'll evict you."
"Grr..."
You barely blink at the oddly specific ¥575000 expense package he just sent you. You'll need at least that much just to hire enough subcontractors to have even a snowball's chance in hell of meeting those ridiculous conditions. Of course, any money you didn't use was free for you to keep, but with fucking Shiro here you knew that things were expensed out to the damn decimal and you'd be lucky to have even ¥10 left over. These damn siblings have you by the balls. Thanks to the wonderful world of online gambling these useless leeches on society are filthy rich. Rich enough to own an entire apartment building. The roof they kept you under is more of a fucking prison. One stumble in your otherwise perfect job and out of the metaphorical door you go.
"Can I ask why!? Weren't you skipping the next BoB?"
"Kuzuma... questions... bad..."
Sora just walks over, his bare feet stepping over the ocean of wires and discarded game controllers. He walks past the snacks, past your discarded tote bag, past even his sister to rest his hands on that one parcel you found in their PO box. It's large, unwieldy, approximately the size of a human head.
"You're not wrong.『 』has no intention of attending the next BoB." Sora leans over and picks up the heavy package, weighing it up in his hands.
"BoB... already conquered... boring..."
Sora undoes the wrapping, breaking the flimsy paper seal with the energy of a spoiled brat on Christmas. And when he opens it and reveals the contents within, it feels like all the world freezes.
It's blocky. Ugly. And utterly unmistakable.
"There's a new tournament coming up soon, and『 』has been invited. A free-for-all—with a very unique entry criterion." Sora's childish grin was familiar to you, the same one he wore right after he was about to reveal his master plan. Shiro for her part maintains her stoic expression, but you've known her long enough to recognize the spark of barely restrained hunger bubbling beneath her eyes.
"Nii... I want it..."
With a gleeful laugh, Sora lifts up the prize: a hunk of metal, ugly as sin. He admires the matte finish for a second before setting the NerveGear upon his own head like some prize crown.
"Well Shiro, last I counted, we were still tied. 323 wins each. So you know what this means, right~?"
"Best... out of... three..."
It's official. These siblings were the craziest lunatics you had ever met. But as you look between the two siblings, arguing over which game they were going to compete in so they could win the right to risk their own lives, you find yourself wondering. In the end, what did it matter?
Because if it's one thing you do know...
It's that no matter the odds...
『 』never loses.
Not even to the «Real Deal».
Five! Barking of dogs and neighing in the air; misty images of hunters on foot and horseback, stags and dogs fly past overhead.
"Oh my god, hahaha, I can't breathe. Take a picture. Please take a picture!"
You calm your mind. Separate yourself from your situation. At times the mission requires you to deal with this kind of behavior. You will not deny those in stressful circumstances the privilege of being idiots.
"I got a whoooollllleee album! Lughy you're so adorable! Let me make some ArFas based on you. Oooh, we should sell them! Master, master, what do you think? Wouldn't he look amazing in a leotard!?"
It's unprofessional of you to complain. And though you could easily kill them both in seconds flat, you know it will serve you little benefit when they'll respawn. So you ignore them and focus on your employer instead.
The dull eyed man in short cropped blonde hair watches you from his seat. "Silence, all of you. Lugh, report."
"C'mon bro, give Lugh here a break. He's fresh off his first mission in VR! He's popped his virtual cherry, shouldn't we celebrate?"
"No. Lugh, report."
You're past the point of having preferences in your employers, but you have to admit, Gabriel Miller made things easy for you. No nonsense, no games. Clear communication, professional expectations, and a willingness to accept input from his subordinates. The only problem was that he left said subordinates on a long leash. Too long of a leash.
"Sir," you begin speaking. "Though he was not my first choice, I accepted a target of opportunity in the form of the player known as XeXeeD. On reflection, I confess that I underestimated his skill, or rather overestimated how my current skills would translate into a VR environment."
"What he's trying to say is that he got carried by his partner," laughs Vassago, chugging a wine bottle as he speaks. If Miller was upset at this casual insubordination he doesn't show it. "Like, I upsold you so much man, and this is how you repay me? Couldn't you have, I dunno, assassinated him in the middle of a speech or something? Something dramatic!"
"I don't do dramatics. And the nature of GGO makes such an assassination attempt impossible. He is, evidently, immortal. As we all are. But if he represents the ceiling of what we can expect from a high-level GGO player, then I do believe it is more than possible to achieve the short term goal of becoming the strongest player."
"Uh, dumbass, don't forget about the elephant in the room," calls a voice from the monitors all around you. Her high-pitched, nasally voice being projected from nearly every corner of the room would grate on your ears had you not long become accustomed to it. "Namely,『 』, the actual champion? You know, the one undefeated in every game they touch?"
You ignore the implicit insult in her voice. Lievre, Glowgen's so-called 'local contact' was antagonistic by default. Apparently, she was programed that way. And she was only here because Miller vouched for her absolute loyalty. Part of the reason he was so accepting of your last-minute inclusion was because evidently, even Vassago wasn't even aware she was part of the team. Nobody knew what hole Miller pulled her out of.
"Lievre, I have not forgotten. I simply feel that if『 』is at the same level as XeXeeD, then becoming the strongest player will not be a problem."
"Then allow me to ask you straight," Miller interrupts, holding a hand up to silence the discussion. "Do you believe becoming the strongest player in GGO will allow us to reach the SEED?"
It was a different question than what was already asked. Before they were questioning if you were capable. Now? They were asking for your opinion.
"No. I do not. It is clear that other interests are converging upon GGO at this time. 『 』, for all their attempts at obfuscation, is a known entity with a performance history that can be traced. He is target that can be studied. However unknown players coming into GGO..."
"Oooh, oooh, that weird little glitched-out ArFa player you partnered up with?" Lievre's voice interrupts your report. "Been looking into that. What you claim simply shouldn't be possible. We ArFas are NPCs, created to serve our masters, the idea of an independent ArFa running around is incomprehensible!"
"I'm simply reporting what I've seen. The ArFa I partnered with seemed to possess a near-endless suite of strange abilities and used more guns than I was led to believe was possible with the itemization system of GGO. Add in all the rumors of the «Death Gun» and you have a tangled web of events waiting to unravel. It's one thing to kill the king, but it's another to deal with the nobles afterwords."
"Another dead figure of speech. How quaint," Lievre laughs. "Pooface, you pulled this guy from a museum or something?"
"Guys, guys, I'm telling you. He's a badass. Promise! Even if his balls haven't dropped yet."
"Vassago..." you grit your teeth as your coworkers laugh at your expense. All the professionalism Miller has shown you crumbles like so much sand between Lievre and Vassago's glaring unprofessionalism. It doesn't help that the two of them got along like a house on fire.
"Hehehe, I get it now! His nuts shriveled up so much the system didn't know what to do with him and so just turned him into a kid!"
Vassago slaps a hand to his thigh as he laughs, "From sackless to sackless, Kayaba sure knows his priorities!"
"Silence." Miller finally speaks up. "We need not commit to a singular path. So long as we end up with the SEED it matters not who we support or how we obtain it. Lugh, do you believe this... partner of yours is a contact worth cultivating?"
You pause. You know that she's working with the local government investigating a string of virtual murders, an outright alien method of committing crime. There was nothing inherently incompatible with the mission you were assigned, after all obtaining the SEED was simply step one of the long and messy job Glowgen was hired to perform.
Still, in the few hours that you've known her, she's been fair to you. You don't particularly feel to need to reveal any irrelevant details.
"She's a civilian. I doubt she'd be amenable to openly associating with us, but I also doubt our goals contradict. I doubt she even knows what a SEED is. If by chance she encounters our target I'm certain I'll be able to negotiate terms with her."
"Then so be it. Lugh, you came highly recommended. I expect I do not need to babysit you, so do what you feel is best." Miller finishes, though what goes unsaid is his apparent need to babysit his other subordinates. "The rest of you report in."
"Me! Master, let me go first!" yells Lievre, "I've been studying up, Master, and I've got an idea that's a billion times better than these losers!"
"Bro, just warning you that she hasn't shut up about this all week."
"Fuck you pooface! While you two were running around getting yourselves into dick measuring contests, I was studying up on the only real example we have." You can practically feel her blushing through the distorted static of her monitor. "Of course, I'm speaking of the amazing «Edge Punisher»!"
"I'm sick of listening to you suck off your girlfriend..."
"SHUT UP! Now where was I? See we're going about this all wrong. How was the SEED exposed in ALO? When the «Edge Punisher» ran an army up the world tree and then burned the whole world down! If only I could've been there, can you imagine the destruction? That's what we need to do! That's the only way to the SEED! We need to set everything on fire."
Burning a world down just to get to a singular object? It was excessive, but the results spoke for themselves. "I'd like to hear more about this," you say, a bit interested. Why develop an original plan when a blueprint already existed?
"See, Lugh gets it! I'm saying that we should be looking to replicate past successes. If we can get the «Flügel» airborne we can crash it into the city! Or we can knock out all the buildings keeping the Anti-Combat Zone intact in Glocken, raze the whole damn city to the ground! An orgy of death and violence, that's what it'll take for the SEED to expose itself!"
"Great idea. Except this is GGO. It's post-apocalyptic. What's the point of a double apocalypse? Nobody would bat an eye and they'd think it was some kind of special event. Also, what's stopping the mods from just pulling the plug? They aren't crazy like Sugou was," Vassago drawls from his chair.
"I'm workshopping it, pooface! If you ask me we should go hunt this «Edge Punisher» and recruit her! Betcha she'll get this SEED in our hands lickety-split!"
"We'll keep our options open," Miller says, noncommittally ending Lievre's rant. "Vassago, didn't you mention you also had a plan?"
"Huh? I did?"
How this idiot managed to run a murder cult in SAO for so long you will never know.
"Why do you keep bitching when you won't share anything better!? I bet you have nothing!" Lievre barks over the speakers.
"Hey, lay off! I don't not have a plan, it just not exactly my plan!"
"And pray tell, what is that supposed to mean?" you ask.
"Well," Vassago sucks his lips, before coughing once, then twice. "We're not the only interested parties in the game ya know? I've got this, uh, ol war buddy of mine. Figure since we're all in Tokyo I should hit him up, see if any of the old crew made it out of SAO in one piece. We got to talking over drinks, and he had stupid plan where he was gonna break into people's houses and then poison them after he beat them in a video game. I told him it was the dumbest idea I ever heard and the police would catch him in like a day, tops."
"That does sound rather pointless," you interrupt. "Murder without cause is truly a waste."
"Yeah, whatever. So I gave him some pointers, told him to think bigger. But I'm thinking here, maybe we don't need to be working so hard? Why not just kick back, relax and see where the chips fall? Lots of moving parts right now, so why don't we keep ourselves in the shadow, then swoop in when we see an opportunity? Hell, we could even help out my buddy if he gets his plan off the ground."
"Are you suggesting we bring on this... associate of yours Vassago? Your last recommendation was not unwelcome," Miller says, glancing at you. It's hard to read your new boss, the ways Lievre and Vassago spoke to him implied familiarity and even friendship, but Miller rarely breaks composure. It's almost as if he doesn't care. He has no desire to reciprocate the camaraderie, nor any desire to rule by fear. He just sits there and exists.
"Wha? Nah, bless their dumbass souls but they're unhinged lunatics. All the Coffins were. Well, we did have a spy we blackmailed into joining us. She might be the only one I can think of who'd fit in with this little outfit, and we could use someone who stands out less than Lugh does as our eyes and ears on the ground. You know, I could probably scare her into joining if I could figure out where she was..."
"Yeah!" yells out Lievre, "Let's go on a recruiting spree! We got Lugh's girlfriend, Pooface's patsy, and the «Edge Punisher»! Heh, us girls are gonna outnumber you soon~!"
"I think we've heard enough," you interrupt before the squabbling could escalate further. "Mr. Miller, what should be our next course of action?"
"For now we follow Vassago's plan. Keep to your plots, don't get in each other's way, and report back if any opportunity presents itself. The SEED is our ticket into the «Underworld», and until we kill the witch, Administrator will not pay us."
"Oh, boss, one more thing. That friend I was talking to you about?" Vassago pipes in. "Don't know if it means anything to you, but he's familiar with your «Sublitizer» account."
"Did you expose my identity?" Miller growls, the briefest hint of iron entering his eyes.
"What? Of course not bro. But I saw your name on his list of targets. Figured I give you a heads up. I offered to take his gift to you, but I know you already have a NerveGear."
"Did he say what he wanted?"
"Uh? I think he's just looking for a fight. Known the guy for years but that doesn't exactly prepare you to speak crazy, you know? He's always going on and on and on about... what was it now..."
Vassago's face lights up, as if he's only now realizing the exact wording of what must've been his friend's catchphrase.
"That's right! He's just trying to prove...
...That he's the «Real Deal»."
Six! The whole sky turns black as night, the storms, which were previously impacted, clash and pour down terrible thunder and lightning, torrential rain pours down; the -earth spouts dark blue flames; will-o-the wisps appear on the mountains; trees crack and are torn out by the roots; the waterfall bubbles and looms up; the rocks avalanche; tempestous sounds on all sides; the earth seems to quake.
You see a hundred points of red light peak through the thin walls of the ruins, each accompanied by a buzzing cry. Each column of light is replaced with searing metal jackets, certain death behind every flash of steel.
You dive forward, moving from column to column, the trailing path of light chasing you like a hungry dragon. Wherever the light falls, walls crumble and ancient stone is melted by the devastating heat. The creature screams in frustrated rage, its breath silenced by either an overheating barrel or the restraint of its master.
You watched as the Minigun shredded the last remnants of your squadron. Took delight in the way the limbs flay and skulls break. It was everything Spiegal promised and more. The screams of your allies sounds richer, the glare of the twilight sun shines brighter, and even the bone-dry desert air seems to taste of ash and blood. There's none of that double vision, no feeling of moving in molasses that you had to tolerate with the Amusphere.
You, Sinon, are here, in your world.
The soldier with the minigun, «Behemoth», as Dyne called him before he died, yells out a taunt across the desert. He's trying to rile you up, to make you angry, but you are a hunter. Anger has no place in the hunt.
Ice. Douse your soul. Clear your mind.
Slowly, with careful movements so as to not be noticed, you reload Hecate. You ignore the background noise of Behemoth's random spray, if he knew where you were, he would concentrate the power of his gun to a single point until he shreds your cover. No, he must not know. All he had was the vaguest idea of where you are, the shots are blind. There is no urgency here, only the chance to calm yourself, to douse the heat.
You sprint up the fire escape, ducking under any exposed opening in the cracked building, wrapping the muffler tight around your mouth to reduce your profile and also to get the taste of the desert out of your mouth. You need another angle, you are vulnerable to the Minigun's fury when you are trapped within its range. But it was heavy, unwieldy; if only you could get above him, then...!
The sounds of the bulletstorm intensify, Behemoth succumbing to that most irrational of human fears— the fear of the unknown. He's emptying round after round aimlessly into the building you were holed up in, the sounds of the impacts growing more and more distant as you climb. Did he think you were running downstairs? Idiot. He was just your prey, nothing more.
You reach the highest floor, the sun glaring down at the brittle concrete. GGO has no blood, so the sterile battlefield made it seem as if it was only the two of you, but not 5 minutes ago this was a full on squad battle. All your respective allies had fallen.
Honestly you had no further need to commit to this fight. There was no way you'd be able to use Behemoth's weapon even if you did chance upon it as a death drop, and the man's clients were all dust in the wind.
You, a hunter with a prey she did not need to kill.
And him, a shield with no principal left to guard.
You could call out a truce. You expect that he'd even honor it. You could both walk away with a newfound appreciation for each other's strength. There was no logical reason for either of you to fight.
But you want to know. You need to know. And you know he needs to know too.
Who. Is. STRONG.
You run up to the edge of the windowsill, bracing the Hecate forward with one arm as you pull the bolt back on the sniper rifle. The bullet circle is wide, pulsating, but most importantly pointed at the side of Behemoth's head.
Whatever bonus his goggles gave him likely penalized his peripheral vision, and despite the power of his Minigun there was little he could do to stop you. You look into the reflective lens of his eyewear, noting the ignoble death he was about to suffer. An absolute fool, firing widely into nothing at all, painting a beacon into the sky for a sniper like you.
This idiot, this sack of meat you were about to crush.
He's smiling.
The echo of your shot trembles across the wasteland, the bullet predictably firing uselessly into the empty sky. How could it not, when the ground beneath your feet has tilted ten degrees?
The windowsill shatters. What starts as chips in ancient architecture turns into fractured cracks. A support beam finally releases its last hold on its crumbling home, as you finally realize what strategy Behemoth settled on for flushing out a sniper he could not see.
Your body rolls off the collapsing rooftop, your heavy sniper rifle doing little to slow your descent. Minigun bullets bounce around above you, shattering more and more of the ground as Behemoth finally notices you, deciding to concentrate his destruction on the floor you were holed up in. Though you remain in cover, though the concrete still deflects his bullets, it's of little consequence, not when the ground opens up beneath your feet and tons of stone collapses onto you.
And then you lie there silent in the dust.
HP a sliver. Hecate cast off to the side. The shock status effect counting down an agonizing 15 seconds, GGO's way of punishing an inattentive player who forgot that gravity was just as capable of killing her as any bullet.
You lost. Because you were weak. Because you were Shino.
It was always like this. It was ALWAYS LIKE THIS!
You... you were ice. It's what you've told yourself. You would take whatever they threw at you and give them nothing in return. No matter the taunts, no matter the humiliations, if were ice, then you won.
A year. A whole year of ignoring Endou and her cronies. Of taking the long route home from school, of changing your locks, of going to such lengths to conceal even the smallest amount of information about yourself...
And some first-year fixes everything in the space of an afternoon. By accident.
Because unlike you, she was strong. Because you were weak. Because you were like ice. Because you just sat there and took it, day after day after day..!
You can sense him approaching. He was looking for the telltale explosion of pixels. Perhaps if you stood still, if you played dead, he would ignore you. Was it too late to beg for mercy?
You told her you were strong. You were going to show her not Shino the weak, pathetic girl. You were going to show her Sinon, your true self. Just like you showed Spiegal, just like you're showing the world!
But this... this no name bodyguard? This idiot who brought a heavy machine gun to an open field? This guy whose build consisted of closing his eyes and hitting the STR button until it broke?!
You were going to lose to THIS!?
You are strong.
It's the first BoB. You are gasping for air, you cannot even move. Subtilizer's arms are crushing your neck, his breath is hot against your ear. The grip around your arms is like a vice, and in his hands, you weren't even allowed the privilege of screaming.
He leans forward, running his finger along your cheek. Though his eyes are black you can't help but see them tinged in red.
"Your soul will be so sweet."
"..."
It's one week ago. You've received a challenge: one on one, no allies, no gadgets. A duel between snipers. It's like fighting yourself, the man seemingly reading your mind like an open book, preempting your every ambush, mocking you with every revealed trap. You peek around the corner and the stun bullet strikes your shoulder, causing your body to spasm on the ground.
He leers down at you, and you see your own face reflected in the red eyes of his gas mask.
"You are still... too weak..."
"..."
It's now. The mountain of the man saunters forward, a smile on his face. He sees you, and more importantly, he sees Hecate, 50 meters away from you, of no help. He knows. You're stunned, broken and at his mercy. The heightened senses do nothing to help you, they just make the terror in your mind harder and harder to hide.
He's closing in. You turn your head and your eyes meet his. The Minigun spins up for the last time.
"Finally found you. Good game, but it's about time we finished this."
"..."
It's five years ago. You pull the trigger and bones shatter. You pull the trigger and he clutches his chest, the breath removed from him in one singular instant. You pull the trigger and all the sins of the man fade away through the hole in his head.
The one time in your life you were not weak. The one time in life you were strong.
The man with the red eyes left you alive that day. He placed a gift upon your paralyzed body then vanished away into the shadows. A taunt, a promise.
You pull the Black Star out of its holster.
Behemoth laughs. What does he have to fear from a mere sidearm? You'd have to empty the clip into him, more than enough time to chew through you.
You think back to that one day. When his blood filled your hands, when power made itself manifest before you. What were you feeling then? Were you cold as ice, your heart made of steel, as you were always told to be?
System Call: Incarnate DEATH GUN [FREISCHÜTZ AIMOPOTIS] ReferenceID:11.Droit
*BANG*
That you are the «Real Deal»!
Seven! At this very moment the storm begins to calm down, and in the place of the rotten tree there stands the black huntsman.
<You know... I thought you would've cracked the case by now.>
"It's been a single day!"
Kikuoka's voice is precisely the last thing you want to hear right now, but you promised him an update after your first day of investigation. So here you are. Calling him about the fuck all you've learned.
<I'm just saying! It would be really convenient if you had managed to figure it out in one day!>
"Maybe I'd have better luck if you assigned more people to the case?" you spit out through pursed lips. Not that a swarm of high school girls flooding GGO would make things easier, but maybe at least a single police officer? If this guy had an in with the JDSF why weren't they investigating!?
<Ahaha, you know how it is. Budgets, they have a way of getting away from you.>
Of course. You shouldn't have asked.
Day one of the investigation has proven one thing to you. That this was a disaster waiting to happen.
Adding XeXeeD's testimony to what Kikuoka has already revealed to you, the full picture of events is still horrifically muddy. Some new player... with red eyes... challenges Usujio to a standard duel. Usujio loses, the so called «Death Gun» kills him, and Usujio is nowhere to be seen.
XeXeeD was able to provide you with a grainy voice recording somebody took of the fight. Kikuoka cross-referenced the metadata from that recording with the purported time of death of Usujio's real-life self. Unsurprisingly, the rough estimate of Usujio's time of death matched up perfectly with the voice recording.
Kikuoka speculated it was likely a two man operation, one person playing the «Death Gun» avatar, and a second person to kill the target in real life. It was, at least at the surface level, a logical conclusion to make with the facts as they were presented.
But why the NerveGear? Why go out of their way to plant what was likely valuable contraband into a crime scene?
And who was David? XeXeeD has scarcely even heard of him, some no-name player with no following and no reason to be targeted. The only thing you know is that his squadron was called «Memento Mori», and name you might charitably claim was tangentially related to «Death Gun». Perhaps an internal conflict of some kind?
<Still, Hiyori-chan, this is useful information. Honest.>
Kikuoka's voice has lowered, his insincere joviality dampened in the face of the yet unsolved murder.
<I'm going to need you to continue investigating. It's clear that this... «Death Gun» is a person of interest in this case. How would you profile them, based on what you know?>
You want to say you don't know.
You... have nothing but baseless speculation.
Just a single word that XeXeeD said.
The man with the red eyes.
A coincidence, you're sure. Nothing but a coincidence. But...
"I... I think we're looking at someone obsessed with strength. With the act of... struggling and overcoming." The word is coming, creeping up from the depths of your memory. A man you'd rather forget. "Not someone with a god complex. Someone... who knows what it feels like to be weak and helpless. I don't think they're out to instill fear or terror. I think they just want to... prove themselves."
<An interesting take, Hiyori-chan. Then if you were this, «Death Gun», where would you strike next? What message would you send?>
The answer is obvious.
"The grandest stage. The largest crowds. The... «Bullet of Bullets». That's where I'd be."
<Then that's where you're going to need to be, Hiyori-chan. So... when is this tournament occurring?>
You swallow the lump in your throat.
"It's happening at the end of this week."
OBERON sat upon his throne, awaiting his audience with those who would bring about his doom.
He had no need to hide, for until you taught it to him, he knew not the meaning of weakness.
But alas this worm still recalls the the dirt he sprang from. He burrows and squirms, acting through proxies.
Do not expect to seize upon every one of his plots, lest you tear yourself apart trying.
Your allowance has arrived!
Kikuoka's first payment has arrived!
You had ¥5500 after your shopping spree.
+¥18750/wk (Ends June 30th)
+7000/wk (Allowance)
The price of MISTCOIN is rising! (roll 1d2, 1 = raise, 2 = loss. Result = 1)
(roll 1d6. Result = 2) MISTCOIN is now worth ¥1200
Select actions for the period of May 27th through 30th. [4 DAYS] You may select 4 MAJOR actions and 6 MINOR actions.
You may freely select MINOR actions in place of MAJOR actions (but not vice versa).
You may select as many FREE ACTIONS as you care for.
You may take an additional MAJOR action for 10 D. You may not exceed 8 actions.
You may take an additional MINOR action for 5 D. To keep it easy for the QM there are no limits to Minor actions per phase.
DETERMINATION is also spent to select special choices so it may be beneficial to leave some banked!
HINT CORNER: 20% of Major Actions must be performed by your Shadow! You are at 0/6 MAJOR ACTIONS for Shadow Tag purposes. Two is recommended. One is needed if you do not wish your Shadow to seize one of your actions.
Improve GRIT to experience a truly miserable encounter!
Improve GRIT to advance NATURE!
Improve MASK to advance PLANT!
Improve EMPATHY to advance SUN!
Improve EMPATHY to advance MANKIND!
Improve FITNESS to not have a horrible time during the third arc!
Improve CURRICULUM to improve your chances during the 1st Semester Finals!
MAJOR ACTIONS (REAL)
[ ] Shadow//[INSERT]: Your Shadow may perform any MAJOR action on your behalf, simply specify in the vote. Actions your Shadow is interested in will be labeled as such. Actions EXCLUSIVE to your Shadow will be labeled as such. You may have your Shadow perform an action she isn't interested in, with variable results.
[ ] NEW! [Consult//Part-Timers]: Somebody is dealing with NerveGears, and that means, ostensibly, someone is delivering NerveGears. You realize with some irony that between your work with the sign company and Titan Movers, you may have even transported such contraband without even realizing it. As a trusted entity in the world of part-timers, put some feelers out, ask how one would get involved in the gray market of unregistered parcel delivery, and advertise yourself as available for more... adventurous deliveries. Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
[ ] NEW! [Breaking Wind]: How is Kyouji doing? He's, ostensibly, one of Shino's best friends and you sensed the potential of a Persona deep within his soul. Now that you're soon to be neck-deep in GGO maybe it's about time to hunt down this person of interest. But where to begin? All you know is that he used to go to your school... and that he used to be bullied...
Wait, bullies? Maybe there's someone you can ask about that... Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
[ ] NEW! [Rat Monger]: You're staring down a mystery with a thousand threads, and you lack the time nor inclination to pull on all of them. It's time to do something truly unpleasant.
It's time to call in a professional.
[Contact『 』]: That ol' urban legend? Yup, I can getcha in a chatroom with the slippery bastard. But it's gonna cost ya.『 』is, uh... unpleasant.
[Locate Shinkawa Kyouji]: Who? Fine, I'll put out some feelers. Find one random guy in all of Tokyo, sure, easy, easy...
[Dossier on Underground NerveGear Sales]: I'll tell ya this much for free. They ain't teleporting into people's laps. Follow the money, cause someone's profiting off this.
[Dossier on GGO's Players of Interest]: Shouldn't you figure this out yourself? But fine gopher-chan, I'll do your damn homework for you...
It always takes an action to talk to Argo, because you find the experience unpleasant. Argo has anime-detective levels of information gathering.
Argo allows you to 'buy out' information, giving you plot relevant information at the cost of oodles of money. This information is typically available elsewhere.
Argo's prices vary but generally start at ¥20000 and above. You do not get the Friends and Family discount.
Argo will be willing to work for cheaper at higher JUSTICE ranks.
[ ] NEW! [Consult//Uncrowned Queen]: What's the point of having contacts if you're not going to use them? Satoru Mikami mentioned knowing a Game Master for ZASKAR. Now that you are an official government intern with a fancy badge, maybe it's time to hit up the closest equivalent GGO has to a government and demand some answers. ZASKAR currently has little to comment on the current situation. This may change with time.
[ ] NEW! [Consult//JSDF]: Kikuoka's come through on his promise! An off-duty JSDF Second Lieutenant has agreed to run you through some basic drills in a local Airsoft indoor combat park. Kikuoka's warned you that's he's a lazy bum, kind of untrustworthy, but actually some kind of... special forces ranger or something? You have no idea if that's impressive. Considering he's working for Kikuoka, the answer to that question is probably no. Trains FITNESS efficiently.
Provides permanent Accuracy Bonuses and teaches you special combat maneuvers!
[ ] [Visit the SAO Survivors]: You have Dorz'l's character data saved on your ALO game disk. Considering you will never, ever, run that program ever again maybe you should return Dorz'l to its master? Agil runs the closest thing Tokyo has to an SAO Survivor support network, and he plans on traveling around the city introducing himself to the newly awakened, so it shouldn't be hard to find this... Ayano Keiko? >May help you in a future HEAVEN...
[ ] [Movie Magic!]: MAXWELL wants to go... see a movie, after you shot down his request to travel across the country to the ass end of nowhere to satisfy his curiosity. Sounds harmless enough. What could possibly go wrong? What does a disembodied spirit man even want with... Shin Phoenix Ranger Featherman R?
>Not actually a Social Link. Upgrade Points are being nuked but MAXWELL's event still will allow you to strengthen Personas of your choice.
MAJOR ACTIONS (VIRTUAL)
[ ] Shadow//[INSERT]: Your Shadow may perform any MAJOR action on your behalf, simply specify in the vote. Actions your Shadow is interested in will be labeled as such. Actions EXCLUSIVE to your Shadow will be labeled as such. You may have your Shadow perform an action she isn't interested in, with variable results.
[ ] NEW! [Explore//SBC Flügel]: You are an ArFa. At first you thought it no different from being a Sylph. Yet there's clearly something's gone horribly wrong with your character creation. The lore of GGO states that all ArFa's came from a second mothership, the «SBC Flügel», added in GGO's most recent content package. The main quest has long since been cleared, the zone is now just another PvE space, but surely some hint lies in your in-universe motherland? Meet interesting people!
Potentially gain money!
[ ] NEW! [Explore//Solitary Sands]: Within the deep deserts to the west of Glocken lies the Solitary Sands, a low-level to intermediate zone popular amongst new players for high-efficiency farming. It is said that the blood of the billions lost in the nuclear apocalypse has stained the sands a disgusting shade of pink, but within that gruesome tomb lies untouched bunkers and treasure a plenty for those willing to brave the elements, the monsters and GGO's most horrid of opponents: Player Killers. Meet interesting people!
Potentially gain money!
[ ] NEW! [Explore//Old South]: By all accounts it's just another desert. The only thing old about is the dumb name appended to the top. It's a large, flat zone, with static weather, swathes of undeveloped territory with anemic spawn tables, extremely generous ammo cache respawn rates, and absolutely no PvE dungeons of value. It is the most worthless swathe of land in all of GGO. But upon this canvas lies a thousand tales painted in blood, because this is where the veterans of GGO go to have a fair fight. Why not go and see what the peak looks like? Meet interesting people!
Potentially gain money!
[ ] NEW! [Consult//XeXeeD]: He's told you everything he thinks is relevant. That's all well and good, but shouldn't he be working a bit harder? It's his own damn friends that are getting offed! XeXeeD has agreed to 'work' with you, so you'll subject yourself to tolerating his continued existence by opening associating with the most hated man in GGO and investigating rumors of Death Gun together. Walking around like this will paint a target on your back, but maybe that could be used to your advantage... Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
[ ] NEW! [Consult//Itsuki]: Itsuki wants to... ugh... hang out. He's friendly. And shady. And probably stalking you. Definitely stalking you. But he's also kind of a big deal, isn't he? Everyone will just assume you're another fangirl, which grates, but right now your Death Gun suspect list is a big fat zero. All you know is that the player behind this mysterious moniker is strong, so if you want any hope of finding the only lead you have right now, you'll need to ingratiate yourself with strong players.
[ ] NEW! [Consult//Karen]: You're practically strangers, but as far as you can tell, Karen is normal. No mind control stuff, no weird obsession with the game, just a regular player having a regular fun time shooting people in a virtual video game. You're curious about what a normal perspective is on GGO, and frankly you just want someone sane to talk to. Karen for her part, has agreed to meet up to do something... uh... fun together? In GGO? Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
[ ] NEW! [Persona IMAGINE]: Sleeping with your NerveGear on is an exercise in frustration, because there's nothing that lulls you to sleep like a 3 kilogram metal vice equipped with high power microwaves wrapped around your face. But you will try. Because something is telling you that you'll learn something interesting... Invoke Release Recollection on Alice Liddell and peek into the life of a Persona user in the ancient past.
Provides Skill Upgrades to existing Personas
SOCIAL LINKS
[ ] NEW! [STRENGTH of Elves]: The Supreme One, Guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Future Ruler of the Nine Realms, his Eminence Lord Momonga of Ainz Ooal Gown, cordially invites the «World Champion of Álfheim», undeserving you may be of that title, to dine within the Great Tomb of Nazarick and discuss the terms of your unconditional surrender. Guest rights will be honored, pitiful usurper. A gift is not necessary. Simply wash your neck before you arrive. - Signed, Seneschal Demiurge of Ainz Ooal Gown.
STRENGTH trains MASK efficiently.
STRENGTH Personas typically are higher power than comparable Personas.
[ ] NEW! [Glint of PENTACLES]: Lugh has offered to tutor you in martial arts, a topic he claims to be a manner of expert in. Though you much prefer to stand far, far away from danger it's becoming increasingly likely that your opponents won't necessarily respond in kind. And you confess to being just a tad curious about what makes the world's most suspicious newbie tick. PENTACLES grants permanent combat perks to your Avatar, with a specialization towards defensive options and melee combat.
[ ] NEW! [PRUDENT Solutions]: You have a great idea! You don't know how to cook, you promised to cook breakfast for your mom, and your mom has always wanted to teach you how to cook! So why not invite mom to you how to cook her own breakfastfor her! It's so sweet you could choke on it, but you know mom would love the idea. It's perfect! Except it means your mom will come early, and she's going to insist on getting involved in something, and you can't exactly say no... PRUDENCE gives you your allowance!
PRUDENCE will forcibly insert herself into one of your other actions this turn! To help!
[ ] [DEATH and Taxes]: It's uh, not quite an internship. But you do have a standing offer from Yakutani-sensei to shadow him at work; he feels he owes you for saving his life and the least he can do is give you an introduction to the wonderful, wonderful world of working yourself to death in a hospital. For all his altruism Yakutani-sensei strikes you as someone who's used to getting his way... as the the person who saved his life, you might be the only person who can browbeat him and get away with it! DEATH trains CURRICULUM and EMPATHY efficiently.
DEATH Personas typically specialize in healing.
[ ] [TEMPERATE Literature]: The local book store is closed! Motosu-sensei has been so distraught she's started complaining about it during class. You see the way she's looking at you. She's already been trying to trick you into going to her house and help her move her book collection, and now she wants your help in moving the giant bulk purchase of used books she's purchased from the defunct bookstore. You'd tell her to just hire a regular moving company, but you're 99% sure she probably can't even afford to buy lunch anymore... Actually, how will she make money...? TEMPERANCE trains CURRICULUM efficiently.
TEMPERANCE will sell you books!
The next rank will train FITNESS as well.
[ ] [Seeking FORTUNE]: Subaru needs a favor. His father has signed him up for some shifts in the Bunkyo-ward Beautification Committee. Sounds exciting! Unless it's just a jumped up name for an unpaid position picking trash out of every temple in Bunkyo ward. At least it's impossible for someone to think it's a date! Wait, Subaru's father is coming along? FORTUNE trains FITNESS efficiently. Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
[ ] [DEVIL's Day Off]: Your, uh, partner in crime wants to get to know you better. The real you. You have a mind to fear you're gonna be kidnapped and have your organs sold on the black market but Mitsuha seems like a... well not exactly upstanding individual but not pointlessly cruel? The whole cryptocurrency scam thing notwithstanding. She's also an adult hanging out with a high schooler, but she's sure that won't cause any misunderstandings. And hey, maybe you can find out why she values money so much! Anything to get her to shut up about her fake money! DEVIL unlocks more ways to interact with MISTCOIN. Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
[ ] [Ordinal SWORD]: A way to bring back those lost to Sword Art Online. You don't believe. It can't be possible. It's as impossible as gods, spirits and the manipulation of souls themselves. It's... not possible.
You're going back. You need to know more. And for once you don't have an ulterior motive. Return to the cradle of VR and speak to the Father of the VR Revolution.
Oh... and he says to get plenty to eat and bring a few sports drinks with you. What? KING OF SWORDS trains FITNESS and GRIT.
KING OF SWORDS provides contacts within the field of Cognitive Psience.
SWORD Personas typically specialize in STR. Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
[ ] [Higher than SKY Phase]: Turns out your school does have a model kit club! And since Gunpla has essentially pushed practically all other model hobbies straight out of the market that makes it a Gunpla club! It wasn't an uncommon thing - some schools were famous for Gunpla, and there were even national tournaments now. You're already something of a pariah - pretty much everyone in school is already scared of you, but from what you hear this club is so sparsely populated they can't afford to turn anyone away - for good reason. Turns out? Gunpla is expensive.[Costs 5 D] [Costs 5000 yen] SKY trains GRIT. Requires an Amusphere.
SKY upgrades your Gunpla! This makes the Build Gunpla minor action more efficient and rewarding.
SKY frequently requires the investment of significant monetary resources.
SKY Personas typically specialize in VIT.
[ ] [Grim JUSTICE]: Fukazawa Seiichiro, a man on Argo's list. An SAO Survivor like you, one Argo claims has escaped justice for some truly heinous crimes. After painstaking work and a questionably legal deal with the government, she's managed to track down his place of work and wants to wring a confession out of him. She plans on ambushing him on his way home and wants you to come to join her on the stakeout. She promises that you'll find meeting the man to be enlightening. JUSTICE usually builds STRESS when taken.
You may meet some interesting people. Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
[ ] [Blooming JUSTICE]: Hanako Akazawa, a woman on Argo's list. Surprisingly easy to find, Argo states she's not only escaped justice but is now managing a thriving business, despite being by Argo's standards a bonafide mass murderer. The address she provides you seems strangely... familiar, though you can't exactly pinpoint where you saw it before. JUSTICE usually builds STRESS when taken.
You may meet some interesting people. Your SHADOW is interested in this action.
WORK ACTIONS Work can be done for 2 MINOR or 1 MAJOR action.
[ ] [Work//Titan Movers]: It's... it's finally happened. You've managed to open the wrapper without asking anyone for help! And... and you can even carry your bookbag without your back hurting! You've also brought in big business for Titan Movers! That means you're finally getting a raise! But... does that mean you'll have to lift bigger boxes? You will be fired by JUNE 08th if this job is not selected by then.
Trains FITNESS greatly and receives payment based on FITNESS. Can train other stats. [Currently gains 4000 yen. Roll FITNESSd6, gain bonus Social Stats for each SUCCESS]
[ ] [Work//Augma]: Break into the gig economy! Become an independent contractor in an exciting self-directed once in a lifetime opportunity working with 2025's most visionary startup! Work when you want, for as long as you want! Not included: health insurance, job security, paid time off, hour limits, or a spiffy looking uniform. Trains GRIT greatly. Will roll based on GRIT for task completion - completion of the task gives you a large lump sum and DETERMINATION.
Your contract expires at the END OF MAY.
Current Task Progress - 3/5, 20000 yen. [Roll GRITd6, gain PROGRESS for each SUCCESS]
[ ] [Work//CatCafe]: You are now an established catgirl maid! Frederica's novelty may have worn off but you have a few regulars now! Just... you can do better, can't you? Because he's seen you. He's challenged you. The top of the pile, the invincible, king of fluff himself... the CHIEF.
You will be fired by the JUNE 08th if this job is not selected by then.
Trains EMPATHY greatly and receives payment based on EMPATHY. Can gain determination. [Currently gains 5000 yen. Roll EMPATHYd6, gain DETERMINATION for each SUCCESS]
[ ] [.Work//Sign]: There's a letter in the coin locker. It says that your work thus far has been... exemplary. Jobs that went unfilled, positions even the most hardened part timer have ran away from. But not you. You are now a veteran. Nothing can possibly scare you. It's time. You are up for the challenge. And no matter what happens, no matter what you see, remember... HOLD THE SIGN. You will be fired by the JUNE 08th if this job is not selected by then.
Trains MASK greatly and receive a lump sum of 7500 yen. [Roll STRESSd6. If any 1s are rolled, accumulate an additional 1 STRESS]
MINOR ACTIONS Unless specified otherwise you may take individual Minor actions multiple times.
[ ] [Report//<INSERT>]: You've made a number of discoveries that Argo's boss in the Ministry of Internal affairs may find very interesting. What exactly is he doing with all this information...? You may write 1 Report per Minor Action
Available Reports:
[Incarnation]: Sufficient rumors and mass belief can distort things... items, players... worlds. Is this common knowledge or did you stumble on something best left unsaid? [+10000 yen]
[The SEED]: It's not just some development kit. It's something strange, something... fundamental. The SEED of a world? What can you even do with this information? Will the government believe you? ...What if they do? [+10000 yen]
[ ] [Cram School]: High efficiency studying! And it prepares you for a crushing existence as an office worker! Trains CURRICULUM efficiently.
[ ] [Augma Fitness!]: Can't build up the motivation to run to save your life? Download Augma Fitness now! A limited-time offer for beta-testers, spice up your exercise by running from a boulder, a zombie, or your disappointed parents! For the truly hardcore, the Augma has a function where it automatically calls everyone on your friends list and tells them embarrassing facts about your performance metrics if you fail to meet your fitness goals! Trains FITNESS efficiently.
[ ] [Augma Fight!]: Want to learn how to sword fight for real? Using real life Kendo and HEMA techniques and not those dumb facsimiles in VR games? Well Augma Fight has you covered! Warning: Due to poor connection Augma Fight only works outdoors in areas publicly seeded with AR stickers.
...Well when you think about it there's nothing wrong with swinging a make-believe sword at make-believe monsters while wearing a gaudy headset in a public park. Just pretend nobody's staring and pray you don't end up being videotaped. Trains MASK efficiently.
[ ] [High Love]: This is what you were afraid of. That otome game your friend recommended to you, Alto Liebe? It's filled with microtransactions. God at least none of the suitors were locked behind a paywall, but you expect you're in for a painful experience. Trains GRIT efficiently.
[ ] [Serene Garden]: SereGa is an interesting VRMMO - billed as an app to assist hospice patients with end of life loneliness, it's less of a game and more of a chat room. The full-service model can only be used in hospitals for sick patients. However the SereGa devs believe that no one should die alone, hence the game features no NPCs and all quest givers, shops, even the rare monster are all controlled by volunteer actors. You won't get paid, hell you have to pay to download the app, but this is one use of VR tech you can actually approve of. [5000 yen] Trains EMPATHY efficiently. Permanently replaces [Sightsee] with a more efficient variant.
[ ] [Sleep-in]: You need to study. You need to train. You need to save the world. Instead, go to sleep EARLY and snuggle up with Kuma-kun. Reduces STRESS x 1. Becomes less efficient the more it is used (applies across the lifetime of the quest). Roll 1d6, on a natural 1, Sleep-in has no effect. The roll becomes more harsh the more this option is used.
[ ] [Medicinal Baths]: No, not the local one down the street by the old folk's home. The big one. By the IMPERIAL PALACE. That has private rooms. [Costs 10000yen] Reduces STRESS x 1. Repeatable.
[ ] [Sightsee]: Bunkyo ward is blessed with many shrines and gardens not to mention the bustling Tokyo Dome City. Go people-watching, appreciate nature, simply enjoy existing in this world and bask in the collective's EMPATHY.
FREE ACTIONS
[ ] [Nekoya!]: It's open every day except Saturday. You'd eat there every day if your wallet and your waistline could afford the beating... but going there is always a risk. You can always find yourself spending a bit... more than intended. Purchase 5 D for 1d6*1000 yen. One time per week.
[ ] [Sweets!]: You've had pancakes before. But... Triple Layered Ricotta Souffle Pancakes? Or Apple Caramel Custard Brûlée Pancakes? How can you possibly choose!? You know! You'll just try them all!
>Purchase 5 D for ¥5000
[ ] NEW! [Buy a Lock!]: You don't dive in your own apartment. Your NerveGear is safely at Dicey Café. You have nothing valuable worth stealing. You close the latch when you get home. Objectively speaking, you don't need a working lock. But it's the principal of the matter! >Handyman Saitou is requesting ¥20,000 to install a new lock! Purchase 10 DETERMINATION! >Handyman Saitou offers to do both the lock and AC at a discounted ¥50,000 if bought at the same time!
>Once JULY 20th hits if your Air Conditioner isn't fixed you will accumulate STRESS on a weekly basis!
[ ] [Fix your Air Conditioner!]: After you complained to your landlord about the broken Air Conditioner he finally got off his ass and called in a handyman. Turns out, your lease only required that he connect you with a repairperson and not actually pay them... >Handyman Saitou is requesting ¥40,000 to repair your Air Conditioner!
>Handyman Saitou offers to do both the lock and AC at a discounted ¥50,000 if bought at the same time!
>Once JULY 20th hits if your Air Conditioner isn't fixed you will accumulate STRESS on a weekly basis!
[ ] [Buy More Gunpla!]: You've managed to find a few revenue streams. Maybe it's time to buy another model kit? One robot is awfully lonely sitting up on the shelf, and maybe you can pick up some kitbash supplies on the way over. You saw a video on weathering techniques and are dying to try it out... Purchase a new kit for 10000 yen. Unlocks more options, gains 5 D.
Please specify your vote in PLAN format.
Purchase options for guns occurs alongside fights, to keep things simpler. Consider leaving some money banked. Strega Glowgen Defense Solutions is beginning to move...
The structure of this arc is not going to be the same as the last arc. I couldn't find clean LAW/CHAOS/CHEAT/DEMON routes. So instead the structure is based on this: there are seven bullets (read:subplots). The ones you choose to pursue and the ones you choose to ignore will color the players of the final battle.
And only those who put their lives on the line will be permitted to step foot onto the final battle.
Essentially, this plan tries to get us an in with Llena (I am a sucker for the FN P90, blame Stargate SG1 for that) while advancing social links and trying to get handle on GGO at least somewhat.
As for the minor actions, we need to finish the AUGMA contract now, or we lose out on 20k Yen and a large amount of determination. I also took High Love in the hopes that we can get our Grit leveled to 5 so we have an extra die for the success roll on that. I would have liked to take the Temperance social link action as well, given that Mithras Liturgy is one of the mandatory options for our Excalibur rifle, but we're running low on D, we could really talk to Argo given how underpowered Magdalene is, and I'm curious to see what the Maneki-Neko fusion choices could be.
Also, what exactly does Mamako 'helping' with another action entail?
Is this our in with NGNL in RL? Basically being their maid while Kuzuma grinds alt accounts? Makes me think that GRIT miserable encounter is them when we get to a higher level, or at least needing a high enough level to interact with them. Also props to Kuzuma for being able to tolerate them(even though its mostly because of the money)
Well, we did have a spy we blackmailed into joining us. She might be the only one I can think of who'd fit in with this little outfit, and we could use someone who stands out less than Lugh does as our eyes and ears on the ground. You know, I could probably scare her into joining if I could figure out where she was..."
Oh dear, a lot of moving parts here, this is going to be a cluster.
Quick rundown based on what I know (but because I'm me could be mistaken on some points, so bop me on the head/correct me if I'm wrong):
Interlude Characters/Plots:
One: Elsa/Pitohui and Goshi/M from the GGO spinoff anime/LN. Haven't watched/read it but a quick glance tells me they were teammates of Karen/LLENN's. And oh god it just clicked that that's the idol who attends our school. I never put it through google cuz I'm silly and just thought it was another isekai I'm not familiar with but she attends our school unless my memory has confused me entirely. Edit: memory did indeed confuse me. It's an actress in one of our neighboring classes, not an idol. False alarm!
Two: Midoriko Hoshiyama/Zeliska. Major character/party member in the GGO Video Game/Fatal Bullet. High-tier player like Itsuki but also a ZASKAR employee/GM as the message her boss sent her suggested. I figured she was the contact Rimuru pointed us towards for GGO and so she is. Oh, right, her boss is (Fatal Bullet Spoilers) in league with Itsuki with sending out NerveGears and that plot is very obviously being carried over here.
Three: XeXeeD, duh. What catches my eye here is that Itsuki seems to know what's going on with Chosens too.
Four: Blank, who seems to be looking for ArFA Player Avatars.
Five: Subtilizer's crew which includes PoH and Lugh as we know but also Lievre who is also from the GGO Video Game as an ArFA who worked for him so that is also intact.
Six: Sinon who already is using a NerveGear and not having a great day.
Seven: Us, who have already made the Death Gun-XaXa connection.
Okay, plans... I'm thinking we try and make a bunch of contacts to get a bird's eye view of the situation. On the Regular Hiyori side of things, contact Karen so we have some semblance of a normal person on the team. For Shadow Hiyori looking into Kyouji sounds like this runs through Endou so it makes sense for our Shadow to take the lead.
Also have us take the JSDF and Lugh options because it sounds like they improve our combat ability so that would pay the most dividends being selected early so we benefit from them going forward. Struggled between contacting Zeliska and JUSTICE but really we went the whole ALO Arc without taking Argo's link and we may want to rely on her info gathering later so reducing her costs could help aside from the Persona boosts. DEVIL in there mostly to get a second Shadow action in for Shadow Tag since taking more Major Actions means we need to get more Shadow actions in there to keep it balanced.
Minor actions I double up on Augma because as mentioned we need to finish it ASAP and since we need 2 successes I think if we only take it once we're unlikely to complete it. High Grit to see if we can get extra die for it and Cram School for exams.
[X] Plan Points of Contact 2.0
-[X]Major Actions
--[X][Visit the SAO Survivors]
--[X][Consult//Karen]
--[X][Consult//JSDF]
--[X][Glint of PENTACLES]
--[X][Blooming JUSTICE]
--[X][SHADOW//Breaking Wind]
--[X][SHADOW//DEVIL's Day Off]
-[X]Minor Actions
--[X][Cram School]
--[X][High Love]
--[X][Work//Augma]
--[X][Work//Augma]
-[X]Free Actions
--[X][Nekoya!]
--[X][Sweets!]
Cost:
Yen: -6k to -11k + chance to get +20k if Augma Job succeeds.
D: -20
Possible/Likely STRESS gain from Argo's link?
Okay, plans... I'm thinking we try and make a bunch of contacts to get a bird's eye view of the situation. On the Regular Hiyori side of things, contact Karen so we have some semblance of a normal person on the team. For Shadow Hiyori looking into Kyouji sounds like this runs through Endou so it makes sense for our Shadow to take the lead and I feel she also would work better with managing XeXeeD.
Also have us take the JSDF and Lugh options because it sounds like they improve our combat ability so that would pay the most dividends being selected early so we benefit from them going forward. Struggled between contacting Zeliska and JUSTICE but really we went the whole ALO Arc without taking Argo's link and we may want to rely on her info gathering later so reducing her costs could help aside from the Persona boosts.
Minor actions I double up on Augma because as mentioned we need to finish it ASAP and since we need 2 successes I think if we only take it once we're unlikely to complete it. High Grit to see if we can get extra die for it and Cram School for exams.
I know, she's the major focus of the Second Bullet. But while she created ArFAs it appears that it was 『 』 who put a bounty on them that induced XeXeeD to challenge us. Sounds like he wants to get one for Shiro to use as a character.
The new players you challenged for the massive standing bounty on white-haired avatars turned out to be freaking government spooks in disguise.
"Yeah, well speaking of unfortunate, somebody finally rolled another white-haired female avatar. Figure you could use another alt so I told XeXeeD to stay on the lookout for one— but it turns out she wasn't willing to sell. I offered XeXeeD an arm and a leg but even he couldn't persuade her. Hell, he tried to get violent and challenged her for it but ended up losing!"
"We should go... steal it from her..."
"Lil' sis, relax. We'll find you another eventually. But XeXeeD losing to a newb? Heh, shows that XeXeeD's just a washed-up loser anyways," Sora turns back to his computer, humming thoughtfully. "But a newb capable of beating a vet. Interesting, just like that «Death Gun» from last week... Add her to the watchlist. Looks like GGO's finally getting some new blood."
I know, which was part of the reason I dropped Zeliska. I'd prefer us to focus on Sinon, Karen, and maybe Subtilizer's group if I'm feeling spicy. And that's... basically what my plan does. Kyouji leads us to Sinon probably and Karen likely takes us into a collision course with Elsa and Goshi. So that's bullets One and Six. Not sure how we pursue Seven (us) but I'd be interested in that too. That's just two my plan goes after (well three in the original version but XeXeeD was partially to meet Shadow Tag requirements.) Unless Lugh's social link counts as Bullet Five but it's also a Social Link so we benefit from it beyond advancing a subplot.
Well, I can drop XeXeeD for DEVIL mostly to preserve the Shadow action since I'd rather not have her in front for Karen or JUSTICE. So I'll do that and drop Third Bullet for the time being.
Edit: Unless Seventh Bullet is meant to be Death Gun/XaXa... in which case still interested in it for Hiyori's own personal arc of overcoming her past. Honestly I'd be pretty happy with Bullets Five, Six, and Seven for the Laughing Coffin Reunion Party where we end up having to run through everyone including a Death Gun-like Sinon - who, this time, we save. In fact this is now my personal goal LOL.
Ah, Kazama. I've had to mentally model a lot of NEETs for this fic. Subaru's school avoidance is unveiled like layers in an onion. Rudeus is horrifically traumatized and in response lashes out at everyone who tries to help.
Kazama just shrugs his shoulders and gets a job. Like immediately. Like the first thing he does upon getting isekai'd is do heavy labor. There's some throw away exposition about how his childhood crush NTR'd him but it reads like an excuse. Kazama is more than capable of working if motivated. As far as I can tell the only reason he's a NEET is because he's a lazy asshole.
And oh god it just clicked that that's the idol who attends our school. I never put it through google cuz I'm silly and just thought it was another isekai I'm not familiar with but she attends our school unless my memory has confused me entirely.
This was such a deep cut I figured no one would notice. But in one lost corner of the gameverse Gabriel Miller Mr. IEatSouls had an AI waifu. How could I not include her?
Alright, reading this again makes me suspect we are looking at things from the wrong angle this whole time.
Let me explain:
So far, we had two big candidates as the rulers of HEAVEN. Shino and Xaxa. We have our reasons to believe in why is that - Shino has a strong wish for escapism in the form of Sinon, whereas Xaxa and his misfits were responsible for Death Gun's killings in canon.
This update introduced a few other possible candidates in the form of the bullets: Blank, Zelinska, Pitohui, and Subtilzer's gang to go with the Death Gun crew. The thing is, one character caught my attention, one that @Alcor mentioned: Itsuki.
He already appeared before, helping us get our first arsenal. Again, as Alcor pointed out, is heavily involved with Zelinska's subplot and he also had a hand in putting XeXeed in even more danger than before by giving him a NerveGear. Not only that, but the Death Gun subplot requires heavy usage of NerveGears to spread the intended message and both Pitohui and BLANK are famous players, whom Itsuki surely must have contacted at some point (as a bonus, Pitohui also uses a NerveGear to fight, and so does Sinon currently).
In short: Itsuki has hands in lots of pies, and his reasoning for his actions in Fatal Bullet just put me even more on the edge. He's sus, period. The other bullets may be antagonists, but I feel none of them are the puppet master - and that's the one we must take down above all else to end the madness of HEAVEN. Maybe one or two have the ambition to take control of GGO after, but he's the man I'm the most wary about.
Here's a question, if we get the number of successes we need for the AUGMA contract with our first Work action, what happens to the second? Will we have wasted 2 minor actions?
Ok, we NEED see this. I can only imagine how great it would be to have our mom tag along while we try to get information from Argo. Or watch a movie with MAXWELL. Or get self defense "training".
I do wonder if Kabaya will come in at the end of the arc and offer the ability to create a HEAVEN to those whose "bullets" haven't been resolved…
You are correct. The logical part of my brain even tried to whisper to me, "Hey, wait, Alcor! When you quickly looked her up to see who she was it even said that despite her appearance she was an adult! Now you're putting her in a high school?" but I was like "LOGIC: [Easy: Failure] Shut up, voice in my head. Maybe she's taking the 'Forever 17' jokes to the logical extreme! We're posting this thought!"
And looking it up our mystery famous classmate is an actress. Not sure why I thought idol. But I did and I also knew that Elsa's name had come up a few times over the quest so I was like "Aha!"
In short: Itsuki has hands in lots of pies, and his reasoning for his actions in Fatal Bullet just put me even more on the edge. He's sus, period. The other bullets may be antagonists, but I feel none of them are the puppet master - and that's the one we must take down above all else to end the madness of HEAVEN. Maybe one or two have the ambition to take control of GGO after, but he's the man I'm the most wary about.
Yeah, Itsuki definitely came off as very sus to me with how much knowledge he seemed to be displaying and how he can be connected to so much now. One idea that flit across my mind was that his whole underground Death Gun tournament is actually a means to determine a Chosen and that paired with the note that our choices in subplots will determine who is and isn't present at the end makes me wonder if thinking we have a set Chosen already is a trap - who ends up being the Chosen in the end may well depend on our actions and how it sets up the endgame.
Here's a question, if we get the number of successes we need for the AUGMA contract with our first Work action, what happens to the second? Will we have wasted 2 minor actions?
I considered that but it makes the most sense to me that whatever task we would have gotten after completing the first project would just start on the second work action. If it's not the case I could supply contingency minor actions (would probably just match up with yours by working on the other social stats) but honestly what happened was I ran the odds of hitting 5+ twice in 4 d6 rolls and got back "40%" and went "I... don't really like that." When I upped it to 8 rolls (2 work actions) it jumped to 80% and I was all "Sold!"
See, when I saw that my first thought was, "I'm tempted to see if I can justify a plan that takes Mom and then ALL VR options just for the absolute hilarity of her showing up in GGO to fulfill this" but alas!
See, when I saw that my first thought was, "I'm tempted to see if I can justify a plan that takes Mom and then ALL VR options just for the absolute hilarity of her showing up in GGO to fulfill this" but alas!
I'm all for a hilarious option such as having her somehow tag along with us into a VR FPS, or tagging along with Maxwell. But for a more serious and less comedic route, to get more sympathy from her. this has to be the best option:
[ ] [Visit the SAO Survivors]: You have Dorz'l's character data saved on your ALO game disk. Considering you will never, ever, run that program ever again maybe you should return Dorz'l to its master? Agil runs the closest thing Tokyo has to an SAO Survivor support network, and he plans on traveling around the city introducing himself to the newly awakened, so it shouldn't be hard to find this... Ayano Keiko? >May help you in a future HEAVEN...
Elsa expended no effort. Millions of yen, dealings with the strangest and shadiest of characters, so much work for just a hunk of metal and the invitation that came along with it
For Points of Contact, I think it might be better for our Shadow to take Blooming JUSTICE over Breaking Wind or do something else than contacting Kyoji. My main concern about JUSTICE is that it runs the risk of raising STRESS to early in the game and Lux could act as a potential buffer to stand against any guilt-tripping or trauma.
I honestly didn't really consider that a factor because I didn't think we could bypass the whole "JUSTICE often raises STRESS" so "easily" simply by making it a Shadow action - I figured we'd incur the STRESS either way if it were going to happen. I'd rather Hiyori be the one acting while dealing with Argo for character reasons so I'd be more open to the idea of swapping it out for a different option rather than making it a Shadow action. Potentially gaining STRESS so early in the arc is a bummer, I agree, but also I really think we're way overdue on advancing Argo's link. Worst case, we take the 10,000 Yen to reduce 1 STRESS option in the future. But IIRC the way STRESS works mechanically, I wouldn't be worried about just 1.
Does feel like we missed out on trying to get a rank or two in before clearing ALO wiped it all away... but then we were worried about how OBERON could interact with STRESS so I get it. But that just starts a loop where we never advancing the link for fear of it.
