It's 20XX and a brand new FullDive VRMMORPG by the name of SAO launches globally. Amongst the ten million players, four in particular gain the focus of the events to unfold.
Spiritual Ascension Online (SAO AU - SI Quartet ft. Omida, Nihilo, Miho Chan and IridumSky)
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Chapter 1 - Launch Day Part 1
New
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AN: Hello everyone! Here we're with a somewhat brand new project (its complicated 
) I adopted for my friends. This is 4 people Self Insert, those people being me; my editor/my usual protagonist Nihilo; my friend and the originator of the idea Miho Chan; and (one of) Miho's significant others who is the most responsible for keeping the dream alive until I could be recruited to write it, IridumSky. It had been agreed it would be published on my Patreon instead of Miho's as a payment for the services contributed to keeping this thing up. Don't worry, The Other Kind of Whale is not going anywhere.
To (belatedly) celebrate the canonical Aincrad Incident Resolution, the first three chapters will be going up today, tomorrow and Sunday before we begin adhering to the customary weekly schedule.
Launch Day - Part 1
Once a small-time indie studio, in the last fifteen years Argus Interactive barrelled into the international stage with aplomb, pioneering advancements in Virtual Reality and displacing the crumbling titans of the gaming industry under the visionary direction of CEO Kayaba Akihiko. Their main claim to fame, NerveGear, pushed the boundary of what was thought possible with regards to seamless virtual reality simulation. Beyond 'just' its miraculous capability to convert thought into action in digital reality, NerveGear also allowed for the smooth, real time translation between languages due to the same 'real time brain scan' technology. Soon, it was further iterated with the arrival of Medicuboid, derived from Argus' FullDive technology by Argus Medical. An offshoot dedicated to the application of Argus' technologies in its namesake field and headed by Kayaba Akihiko's "best friend", Koujiro Rinko. Medicuboid pushed FullDive technology even further, allowing for not just instant translation on the receiver's end, but to actually, properly provide a parallel proficiency - the ability to simply download a language package and learn to speak it while using it in FullDive. Together, the two developments allowed Argus to iterate its FullDive technology further, breaking out of entertainment and medical fields further out into education, until the company announced Kayaba's magnum opus.
Spiritual Ascension Online. An advanced VRMMORPG advertised as allowing its players to experience life like never before. To not just see and hear things never before seen or heard, but feel them. To taste them, even. A massive game world encompassing the alternate, far more fantastical history of the world, with the main plot of the base game centred around France and Germany. A world of technology and magic, of humans and fantastical.
A game which could purportedly support millions across a single megaserver.
Even the reveal of Cardinal, the artificial intelligence responsible for curating the plots of SAO and its NPCs was met with cautious optimism despite recent pushbacks and controversies regarding AI generated content. Kayaba Akihiko looked more like a passionate visionary than a greedy tech bro and Argus' previous forays into gaming and technology were generally well received. The fact that the company's CEO was credited as the main director further soothed any fears.
It would utilise third generation NerveGear, squeezing every ounce of experience and expertise Argus accumulated with the first two as well as Medicuboid's data to truly, fully immerse the user in the Spiritual Ascension Online's content. Even so, Argus decided to make sure the game would be compatible with both the previous iterations and Medicuboid, offering hefty free copies to the patients known for heavy reliance on Rinko's invention.
Then, the information from the Beta Test began trickling down the grapevine: From Real Gamers™, from what few sources of reputable game journalism there still were, even from recognisable names in VTuber sphere. Beta Testers praised the in-game Paris for finally living up to the romantic hype its real life counterpart had. The depth of the systems, combat and crafting alike, the variety of playstyles it supported. It seemed like the perfect game, truly for everyone and able to back that hype, had finally arrived.
Then, the only thing remaining was to wait for the launch day, one which Argus decided to truly flex their muscle by coordinating the release across the globe by making sure all ten million players of their history-breaking record sales would be able to experience Spiritual Ascension Online all at the same time.
A day which had finally arrived.
According to his oshi, the avatar generation for SAO was the only place in the game the Beta Testers had managed to find where they got third person perspective on their in-game avatar. A little bit of an old timey element to string nostalgia… and also because using mirrors and first person to figure your looks sucked.
Thus, a new player was put down in a room clearly modelled after a backstage where theatre actors would prep their costume. For an area a player would only see once in their playtime, there was quite a lot of care put into the changing room. Plenty of outfits thrown over chairs, tables and hangers, a few mirrors thrown in anyway, wigs and stilts… Very much an unreasonable amount of effort as the indistinct mannequin which would be replaced with his avatar materialised in the middle of the room.
At least it wasn't GGO. There were so many memes about Argus' closest brush with gacha, even if the game was otherwise good.
He shook his head, and boy, did it feel weird, feeling the motion and seeing the mannequin perform it despite seeing it from outside perspective… Argus was really succeeding at delivering on that 'experiencing things you'd never be able to' promise.
Anyway, first things first was the race selection. SAO had six starting options, with venerable white bread staples of Human, Dwarf and Elf being there, front and centre. Dark Elf made his eyebrows raise a little bit, but he had enough 40k osmosis to accept that. Then, SAO chucked 'Youkai' and 'Beastman' at him. Not even any specific, self-respecting fetish bait like throwing five foot nothing shortstack kitsune with gravity defying orbs and calling that a youkai or Moeblob Catgirl #9001.
No, that was too pedestrian for Spiritual Ascension Online. No, 'Beastman' and 'Youkai' seemed to be the exact same thing, except Japan and West respectively. A generic 'non-human with extra bits' option. As a short bout of experimentation showed, both of these options had extra body customisation options unavailable to the other races.
Compared to that, the Dark Elf having sexual dimorphism of 'goth/emo' and 'gyaru' was welcomed by the sheer banality of it. Which, of course, meant he went with a Dark Elf because the pale skin and the default shades the palette on the male option appeased his aesthetic sensibilities. He was, unfortunately, not one of those maniacs who could look at that one dress up game with Dark Souls attached to it and spend hours painstakingly recreating their fever dreams. He was always just lazy enough to poke about going a few degrees off the default preset he decided he liked enough and calling it a day.
After a few more minutes he beheld what would be his avatar for at least the first stretch of his first FullDive experience in full glory: Short blue hair, pale skin and the quintessential dead retail stare he was particularly proud of, all stuffed into an assortment of black and very dark blue 'street thug' leathers.
Perfection.
Next was a starter weapon option. Unlike Argus' first foray into VRMMO, Aincrad Project, this time starter weapons didn't even come with an attack skill prepackaged. From what Nefertiti said during her streams, all the race and weapon selection did for the new player was give them some system suggestions as to where to go to get their skills post-spawn. This time, all the load was on the player and their choice.
A phrase which nowadays filled gamers with dread and killed expectations. Truly, Kayaba was a most vile sorcerer to be able to somehow make it work yet again.
Finally, all that was left was an Account and Character Name. That was another big difference from usual fare in the games. Character names had to be something which at the very least sounded like an actual name. All the NPCs were voiced and tried addressing the players by their name, and he supposed Kayaba would rather kill everyone in SAO and then himself before he allowed Cardinal to make some innocent bunch of ones and zeroes to call someone 'BallsDeep69'.
Account Name, which was only for inter-player comms, was free game though.
Unfortunately that meant naming things. His one weakness. Next to standing up to people, or speaking to people, or coming out with his ideas to people, or…
In an act of desperation, he went for his Old Reliable: 'just use a bunch of foreign words and see if the perfidious anglo-japanese considers them name-sounding enough'.
Thus was born Name Pending, or as Spiritual Ascension Online believed, a seemingly Russian player going by Imya Ozhidanii. Truly, he was a comedic mastermind.
Then, once he confirmed the name, he was swallowed by the blinding white light.
Owowowow, fuck! Why did game developers love to flashbang their audience so?
Imya held his eyes shut for a few moments post transition into the SAO proper, simply enjoying the feeling of the warm, late-spring sun on the skin. The gentle breeze rustled his hair even as it carried the tantalising smells of fresh bread, grilled meat and fish… and the absolute fucking cacophony a tourist trap in the middle of the season entailed.
Still, three out of four good experiences replicated perfectly.
Opening his eyes, he could finally behold the absurd crowds filling the tutorial hub of Ile de la Cite, with all manner of body types and colours, some spawning in pillars of light before his very eyes, some already rushing about. He actually wondered how this tiny slice of the city was supposed to serve as the tutorial area for millions.
Overcoming his wonder, moved through the crowd gingerly, into a bit of an empty space near the statue of Charlemagne on the bank of Seine, squinting at the vaguely familiar face staring down at him from the metal. Huh, so Mushroom Man was more accurate than he thought. Granted, the images of the actual statue over in real life he googled in the past on a whim were also accurate that way, but seeing it in the art style SAO was using for its world just accentuated the similarities.
Shaking his head, he focused on his HUD and opened the menu, gingerly typing his oshi's ID. She did mention she would be streaming the launch after participating in the beta and even held a small raffle for her audience for that first day party.
I really lucked out, he thought to himself gingerly. Out of thousands of people, he and four others. He did not get that lucky normally. Ever.
Whipping out the phone which SAO used as a medium for the player messaging system, he quickly typed Nefertiti's ID provided to him in preparation of the launch day. Apparently, Beta Testers had the opportunity to keep their old accounts, except reset back to zero. Those who didn't keep them were teased with their Beta builds being made part of the post launch game world.
Name Pending: [Hey, BlueOni here. Just finished with my chargen. Gonna do all the tutorials for my day 1 build before joining everyone, kay?]
The return message came almost immediately and he hoped his startled scramble to open up the message didn't make him look too pathetic to anyone who might so much as possibly be looking in his direction. Stupid social anxiety, he thought with a grumble.
Black Pharaoh: [Oni, my darling minion <3~! Feel free, feel free~. It would be so very dreadful having the rest of my lovely audience sit through six sets of tutorials so feel free to go and finalise your build. Just ping me when you're done and we'll all set out. C'ya <3~!]
He flushed slightly at the energetically familiar, cutesy teasing his oshi addressed him in before sighing and focusing on the subtle markers the character generator's skill suggestions left him. He took a breath-
[Black Pharaoh sent you a friend request.]
-and almost felt his heart jump out of his throat at the notification, alongside a drying of his throat as he registered it properly,
"A-accept." He murmured, before actually focusing on the prompts the system threw at him as to where he could get his tutorials started. It took an embarrassing amount of effort.
Marie Rockefeller was five foot nothing and with nowhere to go but up! It felt so strange to run around in this body, it was the opposite of her build even beyond the obvious, but that just made it better! The plate armour fit like a dream and looked even better, too. Although it sadly showed none of the avatar she'd toiled over for hours, unless you counted some hints of gold from what could be glimpsed of the hair and eyes.
Also, her dwarven axe was fat enough people had to make some room for her, two-handed and two-bladed. She was still wholly reliant on the Quest Markers to find her way in this mess, though. Yes, it was nice to see what people were packing after chargen from the point of view of a midget, at least these first few minutes. No, it didn't mean she could navigate baguette city through the power of tightly packed asses. There would certainly be some exploration into those uncharted tracts of land, the game was 18+, but that was for later.
For now, she had things to do and places to be! It looked like the tutorial didn't give a damn what she started with or when, so she just followed the minimalist HUD to her heart's desire.
Demons were a girl's best friend, after all. Especially for a Dawi Zharr wannabe!
The players around her hurried just as much as she did and the few non-essential NPCs who kept moving around Ile de la Cite proved the advancements from the days of venerable Creation Engine by managing to path around the crowds instead of forcing the collisions to happen by being reskinned mules.
Interestingly enough, the marker for Daemonology led Marie towards Notre-Dame. Not inside, no, but instead around it, towards the eastern end of the island where in real life, Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation would stand. Even so, as she passed by the entrance to the cathedral, she could spot a brown skinned catgirl (catwoman, really) twirling her black hair with a teasing smile as she chatted animatedly at nothing in particular. Her green eyes passed over Marie with momentary interest before she returned her attention to the slowly converging group of players around her. Streamers.
This one had a blue play button to the left of her username, signifying that she was using Cover Corp's streaming services instead of laying her life's earnings at the mercy of YouTube or Twitch's whims. A VTuber, then.
…God, what some of that crowd would get up to in here. At least the Ethics Code system would make sure the fans didn't turn around and give the talents the Japanese idol experience. Poor Cardinal, having to stop slimy handshakes.
Shaking those cheery thoughts off, Marie rounded up on the park at the back of Notre-Dame. A quaint little thing, quiet and relatively sparsely populated. There were a few NPCs hanging around, as well as two Romanesque chapel-like buildings, one with a massive wall reminiscent of the Memorial. The marker led the dwarf in the direction of the other, built of grey stone with smoke and ash-like markings all over its facade. A priest NPC in simple black robes sat on the bench in front of it, hands on his cane… Which raised them enough for the sleeves of his habit to slide up to reveal a sliver of a small device with an arcane circle on its clock face with a soft, ticking sound of the quietly moving gears.
"Greetings, child." The NPC acknowledged Marie's presence with a tilt of his head. "What directs you to the Chapel of the Accusations instead of Our Lady or The Arcano War's Memorial?"
Rockefeller had no idea what the NPCs were like beyond there not having been any real kvetching about them from the Beta Testers. There weren't exactly buttons or prompts here, so she just winged it. Some people may call her a goof or a tryhard for addressing NPCs properly, but come on now, this was an immersion nut's wet dream! "Hello! I am Marie Rockefeller! I was told to come here if I wished to see a marriage of technology and magic to stand shoulder to shoulder with my people's works!"
That should be safe enough, she wasn't sure if the lore had demon summoning be sanctioned by the church like the presentation right now implied, or if she was supposed to keep it quiet. She was pretty sure there were some faction and reputation systems, so best to hedge her bets.
"Long have been the debates on Hell's role in Lord's design." The old monk nodded his head amicably as he slowly stood up. "But as the Arcano War proved beyond shadow of doubt, 'tis but another trial and a chance from He. Come then, child. Let us see if you have it in you to be amongst the select few who tread the fine line of the heaviest duty and temptation."
The NPC led Marie inside the chapel, a cold but deceptively well illuminated room full of pulpits with paintings of demonic imagery lining the walls. "A demon is but a trial to see if man is worthy of Heaven or if he needs further tempering. But, ultimately, they too desire mankind's continuation." The monk exposited as they passed wrist mounted devices in various states of assembly worked on by the bowed down clergy of both genders. "Traditional methods still work, of course, but are ill suited for an active battlefield like the Arcano War demanded. This is where the marriage of technology to the mystical comes forth."
They stepped before an altar which smoothly descended to an underground chamber. The old monk motioned at the ritual circle set just off the platform. "The first trial is simple. Demons do not answer willy-nilly to anyone these days. Offer your blood, and if anything comes, that will be enough for us to proceed."
Mirana barely even blinked at the throngs of people, or the elaborate church, or at a single one of the NPCs, purple eyes sliding over the banally familiar sights and the novelty crowds now inhabiting the world of her dreams. Not one of them mattered. Within seconds, she was moving, the speed of her passage billowing her long, crimson hair like a cape trailing behind her. Her feet guided her through the masses, weaving and dancing towards one of the northern bridges. A step to the left, then twirl rightward. Soon, freedom from this morass would be in sight. Then, her two objectives.
Obtain a higher quality stave, then return to her proper state. She felt all too bare without her beloved wings.
The familiar old sight barely registered as she beelined with grace towards Palais de Justice where most of SAO's regular spellcasting skill tutorials and beginner gear shops were situated. She barely paid attention to the elven shopkeeper, instead taking advantage of the launch day discount to exchange her starting staff for a blue rarity one with no fancy effects, just a pure stat boost to her MGI. Then it was off to get her magic skill deeper in the building.
She walked through the halls with great pace of someone hurrying along yet refusing to be seen as undignified, quickly barrelling into the office of an NPC tutor for Runecraft. There was only one other player in the room, a tall human man, with blue hair tied into a ponytail and red eyes. His starter gear was a set of simple black robes and blue fur-lined hooded coat. Grumbling good naturedly, he gave Mirana a pat on the arm as he made his way out.
The momentary confusion at "Grimnir"s familiarity was quickly tossed as she approached the NPC behind the desk.
The NPC's eyes flickered over to Mirana's staff and her Customer Service™ smile softened a little bit as she slid a book over to Mira. "I can tell you're familiar already, so we can skip the course and get some free time for both of us. Here, the College approved refresher." The elf grinned as she unceremoniously plopped into her seat behind the desk with a content sigh.
A quick skim later, she had her first skill equipped and was off to start the quest which would allow her to begin her adventure.
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้ who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
) I adopted for my friends. This is 4 people Self Insert, those people being me; my editor/my usual protagonist Nihilo; my friend and the originator of the idea Miho Chan; and (one of) Miho's significant others who is the most responsible for keeping the dream alive until I could be recruited to write it, IridumSky. It had been agreed it would be published on my Patreon instead of Miho's as a payment for the services contributed to keeping this thing up. Don't worry, The Other Kind of Whale is not going anywhere.To (belatedly) celebrate the canonical Aincrad Incident Resolution, the first three chapters will be going up today, tomorrow and Sunday before we begin adhering to the customary weekly schedule.
Launch Day - Part 1
Once a small-time indie studio, in the last fifteen years Argus Interactive barrelled into the international stage with aplomb, pioneering advancements in Virtual Reality and displacing the crumbling titans of the gaming industry under the visionary direction of CEO Kayaba Akihiko. Their main claim to fame, NerveGear, pushed the boundary of what was thought possible with regards to seamless virtual reality simulation. Beyond 'just' its miraculous capability to convert thought into action in digital reality, NerveGear also allowed for the smooth, real time translation between languages due to the same 'real time brain scan' technology. Soon, it was further iterated with the arrival of Medicuboid, derived from Argus' FullDive technology by Argus Medical. An offshoot dedicated to the application of Argus' technologies in its namesake field and headed by Kayaba Akihiko's "best friend", Koujiro Rinko. Medicuboid pushed FullDive technology even further, allowing for not just instant translation on the receiver's end, but to actually, properly provide a parallel proficiency - the ability to simply download a language package and learn to speak it while using it in FullDive. Together, the two developments allowed Argus to iterate its FullDive technology further, breaking out of entertainment and medical fields further out into education, until the company announced Kayaba's magnum opus.
Spiritual Ascension Online. An advanced VRMMORPG advertised as allowing its players to experience life like never before. To not just see and hear things never before seen or heard, but feel them. To taste them, even. A massive game world encompassing the alternate, far more fantastical history of the world, with the main plot of the base game centred around France and Germany. A world of technology and magic, of humans and fantastical.
A game which could purportedly support millions across a single megaserver.
Even the reveal of Cardinal, the artificial intelligence responsible for curating the plots of SAO and its NPCs was met with cautious optimism despite recent pushbacks and controversies regarding AI generated content. Kayaba Akihiko looked more like a passionate visionary than a greedy tech bro and Argus' previous forays into gaming and technology were generally well received. The fact that the company's CEO was credited as the main director further soothed any fears.
It would utilise third generation NerveGear, squeezing every ounce of experience and expertise Argus accumulated with the first two as well as Medicuboid's data to truly, fully immerse the user in the Spiritual Ascension Online's content. Even so, Argus decided to make sure the game would be compatible with both the previous iterations and Medicuboid, offering hefty free copies to the patients known for heavy reliance on Rinko's invention.
Then, the information from the Beta Test began trickling down the grapevine: From Real Gamers™, from what few sources of reputable game journalism there still were, even from recognisable names in VTuber sphere. Beta Testers praised the in-game Paris for finally living up to the romantic hype its real life counterpart had. The depth of the systems, combat and crafting alike, the variety of playstyles it supported. It seemed like the perfect game, truly for everyone and able to back that hype, had finally arrived.
Then, the only thing remaining was to wait for the launch day, one which Argus decided to truly flex their muscle by coordinating the release across the globe by making sure all ten million players of their history-breaking record sales would be able to experience Spiritual Ascension Online all at the same time.
A day which had finally arrived.
According to his oshi, the avatar generation for SAO was the only place in the game the Beta Testers had managed to find where they got third person perspective on their in-game avatar. A little bit of an old timey element to string nostalgia… and also because using mirrors and first person to figure your looks sucked.
Thus, a new player was put down in a room clearly modelled after a backstage where theatre actors would prep their costume. For an area a player would only see once in their playtime, there was quite a lot of care put into the changing room. Plenty of outfits thrown over chairs, tables and hangers, a few mirrors thrown in anyway, wigs and stilts… Very much an unreasonable amount of effort as the indistinct mannequin which would be replaced with his avatar materialised in the middle of the room.
At least it wasn't GGO. There were so many memes about Argus' closest brush with gacha, even if the game was otherwise good.
He shook his head, and boy, did it feel weird, feeling the motion and seeing the mannequin perform it despite seeing it from outside perspective… Argus was really succeeding at delivering on that 'experiencing things you'd never be able to' promise.
Anyway, first things first was the race selection. SAO had six starting options, with venerable white bread staples of Human, Dwarf and Elf being there, front and centre. Dark Elf made his eyebrows raise a little bit, but he had enough 40k osmosis to accept that. Then, SAO chucked 'Youkai' and 'Beastman' at him. Not even any specific, self-respecting fetish bait like throwing five foot nothing shortstack kitsune with gravity defying orbs and calling that a youkai or Moeblob Catgirl #9001.
No, that was too pedestrian for Spiritual Ascension Online. No, 'Beastman' and 'Youkai' seemed to be the exact same thing, except Japan and West respectively. A generic 'non-human with extra bits' option. As a short bout of experimentation showed, both of these options had extra body customisation options unavailable to the other races.
Compared to that, the Dark Elf having sexual dimorphism of 'goth/emo' and 'gyaru' was welcomed by the sheer banality of it. Which, of course, meant he went with a Dark Elf because the pale skin and the default shades the palette on the male option appeased his aesthetic sensibilities. He was, unfortunately, not one of those maniacs who could look at that one dress up game with Dark Souls attached to it and spend hours painstakingly recreating their fever dreams. He was always just lazy enough to poke about going a few degrees off the default preset he decided he liked enough and calling it a day.
After a few more minutes he beheld what would be his avatar for at least the first stretch of his first FullDive experience in full glory: Short blue hair, pale skin and the quintessential dead retail stare he was particularly proud of, all stuffed into an assortment of black and very dark blue 'street thug' leathers.
Perfection.
Next was a starter weapon option. Unlike Argus' first foray into VRMMO, Aincrad Project, this time starter weapons didn't even come with an attack skill prepackaged. From what Nefertiti said during her streams, all the race and weapon selection did for the new player was give them some system suggestions as to where to go to get their skills post-spawn. This time, all the load was on the player and their choice.
A phrase which nowadays filled gamers with dread and killed expectations. Truly, Kayaba was a most vile sorcerer to be able to somehow make it work yet again.
Finally, all that was left was an Account and Character Name. That was another big difference from usual fare in the games. Character names had to be something which at the very least sounded like an actual name. All the NPCs were voiced and tried addressing the players by their name, and he supposed Kayaba would rather kill everyone in SAO and then himself before he allowed Cardinal to make some innocent bunch of ones and zeroes to call someone 'BallsDeep69'.
Account Name, which was only for inter-player comms, was free game though.
Unfortunately that meant naming things. His one weakness. Next to standing up to people, or speaking to people, or coming out with his ideas to people, or…
In an act of desperation, he went for his Old Reliable: 'just use a bunch of foreign words and see if the perfidious anglo-japanese considers them name-sounding enough'.
Thus was born Name Pending, or as Spiritual Ascension Online believed, a seemingly Russian player going by Imya Ozhidanii. Truly, he was a comedic mastermind.
Then, once he confirmed the name, he was swallowed by the blinding white light.
Owowowow, fuck! Why did game developers love to flashbang their audience so?
Imya held his eyes shut for a few moments post transition into the SAO proper, simply enjoying the feeling of the warm, late-spring sun on the skin. The gentle breeze rustled his hair even as it carried the tantalising smells of fresh bread, grilled meat and fish… and the absolute fucking cacophony a tourist trap in the middle of the season entailed.
Still, three out of four good experiences replicated perfectly.
Opening his eyes, he could finally behold the absurd crowds filling the tutorial hub of Ile de la Cite, with all manner of body types and colours, some spawning in pillars of light before his very eyes, some already rushing about. He actually wondered how this tiny slice of the city was supposed to serve as the tutorial area for millions.
Overcoming his wonder, moved through the crowd gingerly, into a bit of an empty space near the statue of Charlemagne on the bank of Seine, squinting at the vaguely familiar face staring down at him from the metal. Huh, so Mushroom Man was more accurate than he thought. Granted, the images of the actual statue over in real life he googled in the past on a whim were also accurate that way, but seeing it in the art style SAO was using for its world just accentuated the similarities.
Shaking his head, he focused on his HUD and opened the menu, gingerly typing his oshi's ID. She did mention she would be streaming the launch after participating in the beta and even held a small raffle for her audience for that first day party.
I really lucked out, he thought to himself gingerly. Out of thousands of people, he and four others. He did not get that lucky normally. Ever.
Whipping out the phone which SAO used as a medium for the player messaging system, he quickly typed Nefertiti's ID provided to him in preparation of the launch day. Apparently, Beta Testers had the opportunity to keep their old accounts, except reset back to zero. Those who didn't keep them were teased with their Beta builds being made part of the post launch game world.
Name Pending: [Hey, BlueOni here. Just finished with my chargen. Gonna do all the tutorials for my day 1 build before joining everyone, kay?]
The return message came almost immediately and he hoped his startled scramble to open up the message didn't make him look too pathetic to anyone who might so much as possibly be looking in his direction. Stupid social anxiety, he thought with a grumble.
Black Pharaoh: [Oni, my darling minion <3~! Feel free, feel free~. It would be so very dreadful having the rest of my lovely audience sit through six sets of tutorials so feel free to go and finalise your build. Just ping me when you're done and we'll all set out. C'ya <3~!]
He flushed slightly at the energetically familiar, cutesy teasing his oshi addressed him in before sighing and focusing on the subtle markers the character generator's skill suggestions left him. He took a breath-
[Black Pharaoh sent you a friend request.]
-and almost felt his heart jump out of his throat at the notification, alongside a drying of his throat as he registered it properly,
"A-accept." He murmured, before actually focusing on the prompts the system threw at him as to where he could get his tutorials started. It took an embarrassing amount of effort.
Marie Rockefeller was five foot nothing and with nowhere to go but up! It felt so strange to run around in this body, it was the opposite of her build even beyond the obvious, but that just made it better! The plate armour fit like a dream and looked even better, too. Although it sadly showed none of the avatar she'd toiled over for hours, unless you counted some hints of gold from what could be glimpsed of the hair and eyes.
Also, her dwarven axe was fat enough people had to make some room for her, two-handed and two-bladed. She was still wholly reliant on the Quest Markers to find her way in this mess, though. Yes, it was nice to see what people were packing after chargen from the point of view of a midget, at least these first few minutes. No, it didn't mean she could navigate baguette city through the power of tightly packed asses. There would certainly be some exploration into those uncharted tracts of land, the game was 18+, but that was for later.
For now, she had things to do and places to be! It looked like the tutorial didn't give a damn what she started with or when, so she just followed the minimalist HUD to her heart's desire.
Demons were a girl's best friend, after all. Especially for a Dawi Zharr wannabe!
The players around her hurried just as much as she did and the few non-essential NPCs who kept moving around Ile de la Cite proved the advancements from the days of venerable Creation Engine by managing to path around the crowds instead of forcing the collisions to happen by being reskinned mules.
Interestingly enough, the marker for Daemonology led Marie towards Notre-Dame. Not inside, no, but instead around it, towards the eastern end of the island where in real life, Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation would stand. Even so, as she passed by the entrance to the cathedral, she could spot a brown skinned catgirl (catwoman, really) twirling her black hair with a teasing smile as she chatted animatedly at nothing in particular. Her green eyes passed over Marie with momentary interest before she returned her attention to the slowly converging group of players around her. Streamers.
This one had a blue play button to the left of her username, signifying that she was using Cover Corp's streaming services instead of laying her life's earnings at the mercy of YouTube or Twitch's whims. A VTuber, then.
…God, what some of that crowd would get up to in here. At least the Ethics Code system would make sure the fans didn't turn around and give the talents the Japanese idol experience. Poor Cardinal, having to stop slimy handshakes.
Shaking those cheery thoughts off, Marie rounded up on the park at the back of Notre-Dame. A quaint little thing, quiet and relatively sparsely populated. There were a few NPCs hanging around, as well as two Romanesque chapel-like buildings, one with a massive wall reminiscent of the Memorial. The marker led the dwarf in the direction of the other, built of grey stone with smoke and ash-like markings all over its facade. A priest NPC in simple black robes sat on the bench in front of it, hands on his cane… Which raised them enough for the sleeves of his habit to slide up to reveal a sliver of a small device with an arcane circle on its clock face with a soft, ticking sound of the quietly moving gears.
"Greetings, child." The NPC acknowledged Marie's presence with a tilt of his head. "What directs you to the Chapel of the Accusations instead of Our Lady or The Arcano War's Memorial?"
Rockefeller had no idea what the NPCs were like beyond there not having been any real kvetching about them from the Beta Testers. There weren't exactly buttons or prompts here, so she just winged it. Some people may call her a goof or a tryhard for addressing NPCs properly, but come on now, this was an immersion nut's wet dream! "Hello! I am Marie Rockefeller! I was told to come here if I wished to see a marriage of technology and magic to stand shoulder to shoulder with my people's works!"
That should be safe enough, she wasn't sure if the lore had demon summoning be sanctioned by the church like the presentation right now implied, or if she was supposed to keep it quiet. She was pretty sure there were some faction and reputation systems, so best to hedge her bets.
"Long have been the debates on Hell's role in Lord's design." The old monk nodded his head amicably as he slowly stood up. "But as the Arcano War proved beyond shadow of doubt, 'tis but another trial and a chance from He. Come then, child. Let us see if you have it in you to be amongst the select few who tread the fine line of the heaviest duty and temptation."
The NPC led Marie inside the chapel, a cold but deceptively well illuminated room full of pulpits with paintings of demonic imagery lining the walls. "A demon is but a trial to see if man is worthy of Heaven or if he needs further tempering. But, ultimately, they too desire mankind's continuation." The monk exposited as they passed wrist mounted devices in various states of assembly worked on by the bowed down clergy of both genders. "Traditional methods still work, of course, but are ill suited for an active battlefield like the Arcano War demanded. This is where the marriage of technology to the mystical comes forth."
They stepped before an altar which smoothly descended to an underground chamber. The old monk motioned at the ritual circle set just off the platform. "The first trial is simple. Demons do not answer willy-nilly to anyone these days. Offer your blood, and if anything comes, that will be enough for us to proceed."
Mirana barely even blinked at the throngs of people, or the elaborate church, or at a single one of the NPCs, purple eyes sliding over the banally familiar sights and the novelty crowds now inhabiting the world of her dreams. Not one of them mattered. Within seconds, she was moving, the speed of her passage billowing her long, crimson hair like a cape trailing behind her. Her feet guided her through the masses, weaving and dancing towards one of the northern bridges. A step to the left, then twirl rightward. Soon, freedom from this morass would be in sight. Then, her two objectives.
Obtain a higher quality stave, then return to her proper state. She felt all too bare without her beloved wings.
The familiar old sight barely registered as she beelined with grace towards Palais de Justice where most of SAO's regular spellcasting skill tutorials and beginner gear shops were situated. She barely paid attention to the elven shopkeeper, instead taking advantage of the launch day discount to exchange her starting staff for a blue rarity one with no fancy effects, just a pure stat boost to her MGI. Then it was off to get her magic skill deeper in the building.
She walked through the halls with great pace of someone hurrying along yet refusing to be seen as undignified, quickly barrelling into the office of an NPC tutor for Runecraft. There was only one other player in the room, a tall human man, with blue hair tied into a ponytail and red eyes. His starter gear was a set of simple black robes and blue fur-lined hooded coat. Grumbling good naturedly, he gave Mirana a pat on the arm as he made his way out.
The momentary confusion at "Grimnir"s familiarity was quickly tossed as she approached the NPC behind the desk.
The NPC's eyes flickered over to Mirana's staff and her Customer Service™ smile softened a little bit as she slid a book over to Mira. "I can tell you're familiar already, so we can skip the course and get some free time for both of us. Here, the College approved refresher." The elf grinned as she unceremoniously plopped into her seat behind the desk with a content sigh.
A quick skim later, she had her first skill equipped and was off to start the quest which would allow her to begin her adventure.
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้ who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
Quad-SI is certainly unique, I look forward to learning more about our protagonists!
Definitely appreciate that's its 10,000,000 players at the start and not 10,000. A game like this would be getting insane numbers of players on the first day.
The presence of streamers makes me question if that's how events which occur in the game will be transferred to people outside once everyone gets locked in. That didn't happen in the OG, and I'm excited to see the effects there. Potential PK guilds ain't gonna be happy about their faces being known when they're trying to get their murders in (if IRL faces become a thing that is).
…Oh my god, they're going to target the VTubers.
Definitely appreciate that's its 10,000,000 players at the start and not 10,000. A game like this would be getting insane numbers of players on the first day.
The presence of streamers makes me question if that's how events which occur in the game will be transferred to people outside once everyone gets locked in. That didn't happen in the OG, and I'm excited to see the effects there. Potential PK guilds ain't gonna be happy about their faces being known when they're trying to get their murders in (if IRL faces become a thing that is).
…Oh my god, they're going to target the VTubers.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Given that there's two trans girls on the team, the answer to this is a fat no. At least outside select brainlets (hello there, Asuna).
As if you wouldn't be the first to riot if we did IRL faces.
Completely understandable! I had not considered that aspect, I apologize.
Chapter 2 - Launch Day Part 2
New
- Location
- London
Launch Day Part 2
Marie fiddled with the menu a bit, her right hand's gauntlet shimmering away at the same time a knife plopped from the ether into her left. It perhaps said a lot about her there was barely even a hitch of hesitation before she slashed across her palm, clean and smooth. The pain just felt like when she dreamed, distant and disjointed and no problem at all.
There was a notification about a hilariously low amount of HP being subtracted from Marie's overall pool. Then, the circle glowed, illuminating the underground chamber with ominous, red light. A figure manifested in a cloud of black smoke and lashing tongues of dark-red flames which licked at the stone in front of her. It was humanoid, towering not just over the dwarf but the elderly monk too, thick and broad with bark-like skin creaking softly with even the smallest movements, one of its eyes glowing red as it gazed down on her.
"Mmmm." It rumbled. "I have been called. The usual?" It asked in deep, slow and deliberate words.
She looked up. And up. And higher up still. She didn't fall on her ass but it was a close thing.
Goddamn, weren't imps supposed to be runty? She expected something her size at most. Then again, nobody had called it an imp, may just be a taste of what she'd be able to summon later on.
The monk held a hand up before addressing Marie.
"There's a short gauntlet of obstacles circling the chamber." The NPC pointed at the door to Marie's right. "With three main chambers. Two contain single use devices which will refill your mana and allow you a temporary use of the abilities inscribed upon them. Sloth here will follow your commands for the duration of the trial. The last one contains a COMP device. Bring it to me."
Next, she got a pop-up for her temporary companion.
[Sloth: A demonic familiar operating under the principles of the Sin of Sloth. Its kind's among the demonic line-up is to serve as a tank owing to its greater HP pool, absorbing the blows instead of its more fragile comrades and slowing down enemies who strike it.]
"Alright, you're with me for a hot minute! Come on, the faster we get this done, the faster you can take a lie-down!" Sounded like the big lug was stuck doing all the initiations, lore-wise, so this may get things shmoovin.
"Mmm." The demon grunted noncommittally as its singular (visible) eye flashed blue for a moment and its mouth shifted in an approximation of the smile. Then the hulking giant turned around to walk towards the door on the right, its pace sedate but still surprisingly quick on account of sheer size alone.
The chamber they entered was well lit, stark white but with blackened scorch marks covering all surfaces. By the entrance was a small podium made of shining obsidian, carved to resemble a gnarled, clawed hand. In the palm rested a scroll.
[Hellbolt: All of Hell is designed to be used in YHWH's grand design. Daemonologists ply their trade by learning Gehennan, its language, which allows them to call upon that place's very energies to strike at the enemies from a safe distance.]
[Costs 2 HP/MP per cast. Deals 75% of MGI as Darkness damage, generates 10% of MGI as unaspected Sin on hit.]
[For the purposes of this tutorial, Hellbolt is free to cast but does not generate Sin.]
[Defeat the enemies in the chamber.]
Three circles blazed to life on the other end of the small chamber, each spewing a human shaped, featureless spectre.
[Sinner's Soul]
[Lvl. 1]
[HP: 50/50]
Now, the reasonable and normal thing to do would be just shooting the damn things and hide behind Sloth when they retaliated. The placement of the enemies and the free casting of Hellbolt couldn't be more blatant about it.
However, SAO's selling point was that it played more like a tabletop RPG than an MMORPG. You could do stunts outside of scripted events.
"Put me on your shoulder. You smash them, I shoot them, you have an easier time of keeping me in one piece." Shoulder loli drive-by, as God intended.
With an easy grunt (and another flash of blue in its eye) sloth effortlessly picked Marie up and slung her onto its, surprisingly comfortable to sit on, shoulder before it took off. Its right hand remained wrapped around Marie's lower portion to keep her secured, which sure was needed as it took off.
Twirling in front of a window, Kana marvelled at the way her long, grey hair curled around her body before smoothly flowing to rest at her back, blue eyes drinking in the ideal female body SAO was able to give her. Lithe, not too tall, with full hips and a sizable bust further pronounced by the cut of her kimono. A pair of ears atop her head and the sides of her skull utterly flat because who were Argus' programmers to tell people why messing with sensory input organs might be a bad idea at this level of simulated experience?
She stood in front of that window for a fair few moments just… appreciating the changes, combing the hair and marvelling at its texture, Stretching and twisting in place to get a better feel for the new balance of her body… Really, the only thing that was truly missing from the fantasy made reality was the feeling of a tail. A proper, big, fluffy tail swishing behind her.
Eventually, however, Kana shook her head and set off. She had several things she needed to do this gaming session and she only had a fairly limited time to accomplish them. A few days of diving through the forums surrounding the game had given her a basic idea of what she wanted to do early. Progressing down the quest tree she was required to go down to become a Youko, that being the proper name for what the West called a Kitsune. She quickly made her way to the first of many tutorial NPCs she would need to get her build operational. The one related to her race.
Her steps didn't take her too far beyond the spawning parvis, just to the other side of the street, at the corner of Prefecture de Police and Place Louis-Lepine. There, a short, brown haired NPC woman with a leaf folded into boat-like hat sat by some flowers smoking her pipe with half-lidded gaze.
She tilted her head at Kana's approach, a lazy, indulgent smile splitting her face as she chewed on the end of her pipe before taking it out of her mouth and setting it on the table. She blew a ring of smoke in Kana's direction, her brown eyes sparkling in amusement from behind round glasses.
"Mornin', yung'un." She greeted the girl in a warm voice. "You're far from home, just as I. Need a countrywoman's help with somethin'?"
Kana took a few moments to admire the fidelity and quality of the expressions present on the faces of the NPC standing across from her even as she waved the smoke off her face. It was almost indistinguishable from the expression of a real person, honestly. They were definitely aiming for immersion here, even if it was probably pretty easy to break it. In any case, she had a quest to do.
"Good morning." Kana replied with a small smile, cutting right to it after the bare minimum pleasantries, "I am indeed, far from home. I would greatly appreciate some help with my innate abilities, if you wouldn't mind?"
"Oh?" The NPC hummed, cocking an eyebrow up. She leaned forward, propping herself against the table with one arm. "Wont pry into why your old folks didn't do their job, gods know the mess locals made 'ere couple decades ago is explanation 'nough for a lot of neglect."
The possible tanuki shook her head as she motioned for Kana to sit at the table. "I'm a busy woman, contrary to what it may look like, so I can only walk you through the basics of one path, yung'un." She held up a hand with three fingers straightened out, folding them as she went through. "Shapeshifting is always a classic with our kind and helps blend in with this dreary land a lil'bit. Illusion, contrary to popular belief, is as much everyone's domain as it is raccoons and foxes, masters as they might be, and helped a fair few escape a spot of trouble by makin' believe there was a different spot of it elsewhere." The NPC gave Kana a crooked grin. "Finally, Folk Magic is a bit of a vague area. Not popular with the community here sadly enough." She sighed theatrically. "Lots of neat little tricks, but not much in raw power."
Taking a few moments to consider what she wanted from her Racial skill, Kana hummed to herself, tapping her left pointer finger against her chin. On one hand, Shapeshifting definitely had some potential use in combat and infiltration alike, and would allow for unprecedented utility. On the other hand, Illusion offered much of the same, and fit her better. Nodding to herself, she spoke up,
"Illusion, if you'd please. I may as well lean into being foxy, after all."
The NPC harrumphed, visibly bemused. "Of course, it's always the foxes, both with yung'uns these days and the foreigners."
Without a word or pausing to put Marie down, Sloth heedlessly continued to the next room, easily pushing the door open and moving through a short corridor. The next chamber resembled a strangely natural cave with stalagmites and stalactites growing out of rocky, jagged terrain. This time, the scroll awaiting her was resting on the rocky shelf which she judged would have been just beyond her reach had she been on foot.
[Hellish Manifestation: More advanced than even summoning its denizens or harnessing its energies, fully trained Daemonologists are capable of bringing forth the very Hell itself upon Earth, if in greatly limited form. The prison realm for the sinners, even torn from the greater whole, seeks to restrain those designated as its prisoners.]
[Costs 5 MP/HP. 1s casting time. Summons chains to restrain a single target for 30s and generates noxious fumes for an AoE with a chance to inflict Blind, Confusion or Frenzy.]
[Blind: Enemy accuracy is decreased and they are more susceptible to critical hits. Doesn't work on beings not reliant on sight.]
[Confusion: Target becomes confused of its surroundings and starts to wander aimlessly without attacking anything. Small chance to hurt itself. Doesn't work on constructs.]
[Frenzy: Target is overcome with uncontrollable fury and begins attacking the nearest creature. Doesn't work on constructs.]
[For the purposes of this tutorial, Hellish Manifestation is free to cast.]
[Defeat the enemies in the chamber.]
Five circles this time, four of which spat pitch black hounds trailing dark smoke from their bodies, their teeth and eyes glowing ominous red.
[Hellhound]
[Lvl. 3]
[HP: 66]
The last one caused the ground to shake and rumble a bit before the rocks rose, hellish light shining in the cracks between them as the mini-boss took form. Two white, glowing dots shone near the top of a hulking heap of humanoid rock. Damn thing was as big as Sloth.
[Sulfuric Sentinel]
[Lvl. 5]
[HP: 100]
Well. That was a construct creature if she'd ever seen one. She held both her hands out, the smog of hell swirling around her gauntlets. A resounding clap and it collapsed in on itself, only to erupt around the Sentinel, the fabric of space seeming to shatter like sugar glass for black chains to shoot out, the space between the shatter nothing but a psychedelic swirl of red and purple.
"Keep punting the dogs back into the miasma. You can stomp them to paste once they're all vulnerable." Rockefeller ordered, already moving to cast the spell again on the Sentinel. If she could stack it, great. If she couldn't… well, there were other targets for her.
The fumes filled the area around the Sentinel, enveloping the entire group of the hostile summons. Two of the Hellhounds darted out of the cloud without a problem, one taking a lungful of the gas and starting to wander drunkenly around the construct while the last one went out just after its compatriots.
The delay allowed it to avoid Sloth's massive fist punting the first pair back overhead into the cloud at which point it sank its fangs into the muscular arm of the quiet giant.
The Sentinel itself made a rumbling sound even as it jerked under the sudden assault of Marie's spell, the chains wrapping themselves tight around its rocky limbs. The sound of straining metal filled the air but otherwise the restraints gave no indication they were about to give.
Perched high on Sloth's shoulder, Marie was fairly safe from the Hellhounds, even if the emon's reduced damage meant it would take a lot of time for it to take down five opponents on its own. She couldn't shoot them, either.
...Wait.
"Pile them up in front of the Sentinel as I chain them." Rockefeller ordered as the idea crystallised in her brain, the sound of shattering space and slithering chains filling the air as she got to work. A second may be an eternity in high level combat, not so much here. There wasn't really anything the dogs could do to stop them. Not when she made sure to keep the chains on the Sulfuric Sentinel going by refreshing the spell after she was done with the Hellhounds. "Now, knock down the golem onto them and start stomping."
Getting repeatedly knocked into the cloud of noxious gases simply meant that the Hellhounds got to experience the joys of the debuff roulette repeatedly with greater frequency than if they just stayed inside it and surrendered to the mercy of internal cooldowns. Which meant that, in a very short order, all four were wrapped in a way that chained them to the Sulfuric Sentinel like the world's most aggressive post.
Then, Sloth grabbed at the chains holding the construct's upper body in place and started pulling, literal tree trunk muscles bulging under their barky hide. A moment later, there was a very satisfying crunch following the stone giant's fall and Sloth all but jumped on its back and began stomping with big, exaggerated steps as it hummed a melody with enough strength in its lungs it reverberated through Marie's body.
"Óoo~, sverð rísa og stríðsmenn falla!" <Oh swords rise and warriors fall!> Rockefeller sang in Gehennan without missing a beat, improvising lyrics to the darkly cheerful tune. It felt funky to just... have a whole-ass extra language at her mental fingertips, but she guessed it was part and parcel of whatever nonsense the game used for translation and to teach people. She'd bet good money Ministries of Education all over the world were worked up in a tizzy over what the NervGear could do. "Óoo~, ásar rísa og höfuð rúlla!" <Oh axes rise and heads roll!>
"Öskraðu og sláðu í drulluna!" <Scream and pound the mud!> She hopped off of Sloth's shoulder, twirling over the chained Sentinel in the same motion she unsheathed her axe, her spin finishing with the blade embedding itself on the craggy neck. "Leiðin til helvítis er malbikuð köld og gull!" <The road to hell is paved cold and gold!>
Her damage output wasn't the greatest either, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a good time of it!
Sloth's eye seemed to flash blue to the rhythm of Marie's song and while neither's damage output was great? Between the two of them, with the enemy immobilised, they made short work of the enemies in the chamber.
"Good." The demon accompanying her grunted with quiet satisfaction as it beckoned her to follow once the remains faded.
"I try!" Rockefeller chirruped, all but skipping after the big lug. She was, admittedly, not sure if he meant the murder or the singing or both. She was flattered either way. "Hope we get to work together again, it'd be nice seeing what you can really do."
Who knew, maybe she could trigger something to get Sloth's proverbial phone number early. The game would probably make it prohibitively expensive to use for a while, but hey.
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้ who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
Marie fiddled with the menu a bit, her right hand's gauntlet shimmering away at the same time a knife plopped from the ether into her left. It perhaps said a lot about her there was barely even a hitch of hesitation before she slashed across her palm, clean and smooth. The pain just felt like when she dreamed, distant and disjointed and no problem at all.
There was a notification about a hilariously low amount of HP being subtracted from Marie's overall pool. Then, the circle glowed, illuminating the underground chamber with ominous, red light. A figure manifested in a cloud of black smoke and lashing tongues of dark-red flames which licked at the stone in front of her. It was humanoid, towering not just over the dwarf but the elderly monk too, thick and broad with bark-like skin creaking softly with even the smallest movements, one of its eyes glowing red as it gazed down on her.
"Mmmm." It rumbled. "I have been called. The usual?" It asked in deep, slow and deliberate words.
She looked up. And up. And higher up still. She didn't fall on her ass but it was a close thing.
Goddamn, weren't imps supposed to be runty? She expected something her size at most. Then again, nobody had called it an imp, may just be a taste of what she'd be able to summon later on.
The monk held a hand up before addressing Marie.
"There's a short gauntlet of obstacles circling the chamber." The NPC pointed at the door to Marie's right. "With three main chambers. Two contain single use devices which will refill your mana and allow you a temporary use of the abilities inscribed upon them. Sloth here will follow your commands for the duration of the trial. The last one contains a COMP device. Bring it to me."
Next, she got a pop-up for her temporary companion.
[Sloth: A demonic familiar operating under the principles of the Sin of Sloth. Its kind's among the demonic line-up is to serve as a tank owing to its greater HP pool, absorbing the blows instead of its more fragile comrades and slowing down enemies who strike it.]
"Alright, you're with me for a hot minute! Come on, the faster we get this done, the faster you can take a lie-down!" Sounded like the big lug was stuck doing all the initiations, lore-wise, so this may get things shmoovin.
"Mmm." The demon grunted noncommittally as its singular (visible) eye flashed blue for a moment and its mouth shifted in an approximation of the smile. Then the hulking giant turned around to walk towards the door on the right, its pace sedate but still surprisingly quick on account of sheer size alone.
The chamber they entered was well lit, stark white but with blackened scorch marks covering all surfaces. By the entrance was a small podium made of shining obsidian, carved to resemble a gnarled, clawed hand. In the palm rested a scroll.
[Hellbolt: All of Hell is designed to be used in YHWH's grand design. Daemonologists ply their trade by learning Gehennan, its language, which allows them to call upon that place's very energies to strike at the enemies from a safe distance.]
[Costs 2 HP/MP per cast. Deals 75% of MGI as Darkness damage, generates 10% of MGI as unaspected Sin on hit.]
[For the purposes of this tutorial, Hellbolt is free to cast but does not generate Sin.]
[Defeat the enemies in the chamber.]
Three circles blazed to life on the other end of the small chamber, each spewing a human shaped, featureless spectre.
[Sinner's Soul]
[Lvl. 1]
[HP: 50/50]
Now, the reasonable and normal thing to do would be just shooting the damn things and hide behind Sloth when they retaliated. The placement of the enemies and the free casting of Hellbolt couldn't be more blatant about it.
However, SAO's selling point was that it played more like a tabletop RPG than an MMORPG. You could do stunts outside of scripted events.
"Put me on your shoulder. You smash them, I shoot them, you have an easier time of keeping me in one piece." Shoulder loli drive-by, as God intended.
With an easy grunt (and another flash of blue in its eye) sloth effortlessly picked Marie up and slung her onto its, surprisingly comfortable to sit on, shoulder before it took off. Its right hand remained wrapped around Marie's lower portion to keep her secured, which sure was needed as it took off.
Twirling in front of a window, Kana marvelled at the way her long, grey hair curled around her body before smoothly flowing to rest at her back, blue eyes drinking in the ideal female body SAO was able to give her. Lithe, not too tall, with full hips and a sizable bust further pronounced by the cut of her kimono. A pair of ears atop her head and the sides of her skull utterly flat because who were Argus' programmers to tell people why messing with sensory input organs might be a bad idea at this level of simulated experience?
She stood in front of that window for a fair few moments just… appreciating the changes, combing the hair and marvelling at its texture, Stretching and twisting in place to get a better feel for the new balance of her body… Really, the only thing that was truly missing from the fantasy made reality was the feeling of a tail. A proper, big, fluffy tail swishing behind her.
Eventually, however, Kana shook her head and set off. She had several things she needed to do this gaming session and she only had a fairly limited time to accomplish them. A few days of diving through the forums surrounding the game had given her a basic idea of what she wanted to do early. Progressing down the quest tree she was required to go down to become a Youko, that being the proper name for what the West called a Kitsune. She quickly made her way to the first of many tutorial NPCs she would need to get her build operational. The one related to her race.
Her steps didn't take her too far beyond the spawning parvis, just to the other side of the street, at the corner of Prefecture de Police and Place Louis-Lepine. There, a short, brown haired NPC woman with a leaf folded into boat-like hat sat by some flowers smoking her pipe with half-lidded gaze.
She tilted her head at Kana's approach, a lazy, indulgent smile splitting her face as she chewed on the end of her pipe before taking it out of her mouth and setting it on the table. She blew a ring of smoke in Kana's direction, her brown eyes sparkling in amusement from behind round glasses.
"Mornin', yung'un." She greeted the girl in a warm voice. "You're far from home, just as I. Need a countrywoman's help with somethin'?"
Kana took a few moments to admire the fidelity and quality of the expressions present on the faces of the NPC standing across from her even as she waved the smoke off her face. It was almost indistinguishable from the expression of a real person, honestly. They were definitely aiming for immersion here, even if it was probably pretty easy to break it. In any case, she had a quest to do.
"Good morning." Kana replied with a small smile, cutting right to it after the bare minimum pleasantries, "I am indeed, far from home. I would greatly appreciate some help with my innate abilities, if you wouldn't mind?"
"Oh?" The NPC hummed, cocking an eyebrow up. She leaned forward, propping herself against the table with one arm. "Wont pry into why your old folks didn't do their job, gods know the mess locals made 'ere couple decades ago is explanation 'nough for a lot of neglect."
The possible tanuki shook her head as she motioned for Kana to sit at the table. "I'm a busy woman, contrary to what it may look like, so I can only walk you through the basics of one path, yung'un." She held up a hand with three fingers straightened out, folding them as she went through. "Shapeshifting is always a classic with our kind and helps blend in with this dreary land a lil'bit. Illusion, contrary to popular belief, is as much everyone's domain as it is raccoons and foxes, masters as they might be, and helped a fair few escape a spot of trouble by makin' believe there was a different spot of it elsewhere." The NPC gave Kana a crooked grin. "Finally, Folk Magic is a bit of a vague area. Not popular with the community here sadly enough." She sighed theatrically. "Lots of neat little tricks, but not much in raw power."
Taking a few moments to consider what she wanted from her Racial skill, Kana hummed to herself, tapping her left pointer finger against her chin. On one hand, Shapeshifting definitely had some potential use in combat and infiltration alike, and would allow for unprecedented utility. On the other hand, Illusion offered much of the same, and fit her better. Nodding to herself, she spoke up,
"Illusion, if you'd please. I may as well lean into being foxy, after all."
The NPC harrumphed, visibly bemused. "Of course, it's always the foxes, both with yung'uns these days and the foreigners."
Without a word or pausing to put Marie down, Sloth heedlessly continued to the next room, easily pushing the door open and moving through a short corridor. The next chamber resembled a strangely natural cave with stalagmites and stalactites growing out of rocky, jagged terrain. This time, the scroll awaiting her was resting on the rocky shelf which she judged would have been just beyond her reach had she been on foot.
[Hellish Manifestation: More advanced than even summoning its denizens or harnessing its energies, fully trained Daemonologists are capable of bringing forth the very Hell itself upon Earth, if in greatly limited form. The prison realm for the sinners, even torn from the greater whole, seeks to restrain those designated as its prisoners.]
[Costs 5 MP/HP. 1s casting time. Summons chains to restrain a single target for 30s and generates noxious fumes for an AoE with a chance to inflict Blind, Confusion or Frenzy.]
[Blind: Enemy accuracy is decreased and they are more susceptible to critical hits. Doesn't work on beings not reliant on sight.]
[Confusion: Target becomes confused of its surroundings and starts to wander aimlessly without attacking anything. Small chance to hurt itself. Doesn't work on constructs.]
[Frenzy: Target is overcome with uncontrollable fury and begins attacking the nearest creature. Doesn't work on constructs.]
[For the purposes of this tutorial, Hellish Manifestation is free to cast.]
[Defeat the enemies in the chamber.]
Five circles this time, four of which spat pitch black hounds trailing dark smoke from their bodies, their teeth and eyes glowing ominous red.
[Hellhound]
[Lvl. 3]
[HP: 66]
The last one caused the ground to shake and rumble a bit before the rocks rose, hellish light shining in the cracks between them as the mini-boss took form. Two white, glowing dots shone near the top of a hulking heap of humanoid rock. Damn thing was as big as Sloth.
[Sulfuric Sentinel]
[Lvl. 5]
[HP: 100]
Well. That was a construct creature if she'd ever seen one. She held both her hands out, the smog of hell swirling around her gauntlets. A resounding clap and it collapsed in on itself, only to erupt around the Sentinel, the fabric of space seeming to shatter like sugar glass for black chains to shoot out, the space between the shatter nothing but a psychedelic swirl of red and purple.
"Keep punting the dogs back into the miasma. You can stomp them to paste once they're all vulnerable." Rockefeller ordered, already moving to cast the spell again on the Sentinel. If she could stack it, great. If she couldn't… well, there were other targets for her.
The fumes filled the area around the Sentinel, enveloping the entire group of the hostile summons. Two of the Hellhounds darted out of the cloud without a problem, one taking a lungful of the gas and starting to wander drunkenly around the construct while the last one went out just after its compatriots.
The delay allowed it to avoid Sloth's massive fist punting the first pair back overhead into the cloud at which point it sank its fangs into the muscular arm of the quiet giant.
The Sentinel itself made a rumbling sound even as it jerked under the sudden assault of Marie's spell, the chains wrapping themselves tight around its rocky limbs. The sound of straining metal filled the air but otherwise the restraints gave no indication they were about to give.
Perched high on Sloth's shoulder, Marie was fairly safe from the Hellhounds, even if the emon's reduced damage meant it would take a lot of time for it to take down five opponents on its own. She couldn't shoot them, either.
...Wait.
"Pile them up in front of the Sentinel as I chain them." Rockefeller ordered as the idea crystallised in her brain, the sound of shattering space and slithering chains filling the air as she got to work. A second may be an eternity in high level combat, not so much here. There wasn't really anything the dogs could do to stop them. Not when she made sure to keep the chains on the Sulfuric Sentinel going by refreshing the spell after she was done with the Hellhounds. "Now, knock down the golem onto them and start stomping."
Getting repeatedly knocked into the cloud of noxious gases simply meant that the Hellhounds got to experience the joys of the debuff roulette repeatedly with greater frequency than if they just stayed inside it and surrendered to the mercy of internal cooldowns. Which meant that, in a very short order, all four were wrapped in a way that chained them to the Sulfuric Sentinel like the world's most aggressive post.
Then, Sloth grabbed at the chains holding the construct's upper body in place and started pulling, literal tree trunk muscles bulging under their barky hide. A moment later, there was a very satisfying crunch following the stone giant's fall and Sloth all but jumped on its back and began stomping with big, exaggerated steps as it hummed a melody with enough strength in its lungs it reverberated through Marie's body.
"Óoo~, sverð rísa og stríðsmenn falla!" <Oh swords rise and warriors fall!> Rockefeller sang in Gehennan without missing a beat, improvising lyrics to the darkly cheerful tune. It felt funky to just... have a whole-ass extra language at her mental fingertips, but she guessed it was part and parcel of whatever nonsense the game used for translation and to teach people. She'd bet good money Ministries of Education all over the world were worked up in a tizzy over what the NervGear could do. "Óoo~, ásar rísa og höfuð rúlla!" <Oh axes rise and heads roll!>
"Öskraðu og sláðu í drulluna!" <Scream and pound the mud!> She hopped off of Sloth's shoulder, twirling over the chained Sentinel in the same motion she unsheathed her axe, her spin finishing with the blade embedding itself on the craggy neck. "Leiðin til helvítis er malbikuð köld og gull!" <The road to hell is paved cold and gold!>
Her damage output wasn't the greatest either, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a good time of it!
Sloth's eye seemed to flash blue to the rhythm of Marie's song and while neither's damage output was great? Between the two of them, with the enemy immobilised, they made short work of the enemies in the chamber.
"Good." The demon accompanying her grunted with quiet satisfaction as it beckoned her to follow once the remains faded.
"I try!" Rockefeller chirruped, all but skipping after the big lug. She was, admittedly, not sure if he meant the murder or the singing or both. She was flattered either way. "Hope we get to work together again, it'd be nice seeing what you can really do."
Who knew, maybe she could trigger something to get Sloth's proverbial phone number early. The game would probably make it prohibitively expensive to use for a while, but hey.
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้ who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
I'd just use PM Gregor as a faceclaim in that case.
The game world feels a lot more detailed than what we got in the anime (or maybe I just don't remember the anime that well), so I'm definitely liking the little bits of lore getting dropped here and there. The possible uses for the nerve gear are cool as well. I would've loved having this thing when trying to learn new languages.
So far we got a Dark Elf dude of unspecified class selection, a mage lady who wants her wings back (a fairy perhaps?), a dwarf(?) lady demon summoner, and a fox lady illusionist. A nice eclectic group of characters to imagine. Can't wait to see how that party performs in a fight, or even just interacts with each other.
So far we got a Dark Elf dude of unspecified class selection, a mage lady who wants her wings back (a fairy perhaps?), a dwarf(?) lady demon summoner, and a fox lady illusionist. A nice eclectic group of characters to imagine. Can't wait to see how that party performs in a fight, or even just interacts with each other.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
It 100% is. Omida loves to sprinkle in worldbuilding everywhere and I like to egg him on.
This bit was me, for example. I brought up "hang on, doesn't the necessary auto-translate and several of the stuff Skills provide mean-"
There are no classes, just skills. Starting out, two combat slots, one life slot (noncombat stuff, like Tracking or Alchemy), one racial slot (choose one of three skills that fit your race. For example, high elves get to choose from Earth Magic, Marksmanship, Beast Tamer).
Imya is going to run Alchemy, Explosives, Herbalism, Stealth.
Yes.
Marie is a Dawi Zharr shitpost.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiHvsinEn58
You won't see them as a party until Arc 3. We decided we would be better served keeping their teamup for after they have gotten their feet under them in the wake of the announcement.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Shut it, soggy noodle.It's rather telling how Ni refused to comment on the fox. Almost as if she'll be the only person in the group to utilize a yet to revealed mechanic
Chapter 3 - Launch Day Part 3
New
- Location
- London
Launch Day Part 3
The probably-a-tanuki brought her pipe back to her mouth and took a long, deep drag before exhaling a plume of smoke above Kana's head. "Still, I said I'd help and I'll be damned if I weasel out just 'cause a child has poor taste." Pointing her pipe at Kana, she continued. "Riiiight, since you seem to have a good idea of the mindset you wish to cultivate, let's just go through the mechanics of it."
"First, access your mana so that you have energy to cast your trickery with." She instructed. "But instead of feedin' it to your limbs like most magicians do, run it through your head first, while thinkin' of the image you want to conjure. Then cycle the mana to the area of your body you wish to use as a medium for your cast. Mouth or eyes are classic, but it's possible to do it through motion or a snazzy finger snap if you get the talent for it."
Looking away from Kana and towards the crowds around Place Louis-Lepine she arched with her pipe over the crowds. "We won't be botherin' Prefecture with their workload. Here's your targets. Keep it harmless and relatively non-disruptive, will you? Otherwise, as long as it's funny, go nuts."
Kana nodded, listening to the woman's instructions with a careful ear, doing exactly as she'd said. She 'accessed her mana', ran it through her head, and brought an image to mind. A series of fireworks should do the trick fairly nicely, so long as she toned down the sound severely so it didn't shock anyone overmuch. Starbursts and various images came to mind, and with a glance upwards, she snapped her fingers, "Boom."
The small gathering of NPCs startled at the sound and sight of fireworks going off above their heads. A few passing players cheered with vigorous 'wooohoo's. One even looked curiously around trying to spot the launchers, or vendors, to add more.
'Definitely good that my first attempt succeeded and I didn't look completely stupid.' Kana thought to herself, her eyes sparkling as she gazed upon the magic she had conjured. This, this was why she'd shelled out the money for SAO and the Nerve Gear. Because holy shit, this was a rush that couldn't be beaten. Heck, even the way the mana flowed in her body had been emulated. A strange sensation, honestly, but it was definitely a fun one.
The level of detail was immaculate, honestly.
The tanuki hummed approvingly as she beheld Kana's successful cast.
"S'ppose with the influx of people, there's cause for celebratin'." The tanuki mused idly. "Now, just don't go thinkin' you can weasel out of everythin' with'em. They are not'ere at the end of the day, after all. I guess specialising further would require you to figure yourself deeper." Sighing, she grumbled. "There's a space in Bois de Boulogne, y'know. Was supposed to be a parcel there cut for a small shrine for ours to be set up, but the construction has been... not going. If you snoop around, Miko might have a way for you to turn… foxy." She exaggerated the grimace to the point of absurdity as she said the word, but kept her tone light. "Lazy butt is gonna have you do her errands before it happens, probably."
"Thank you for your advice, sensei. I suppose it is not much, but one of my partners is a raccoon. If that assuages your pride at all, that is." She smirked a bit at that. A reaction, of course, would certainly be interesting, but it also wasn't something she needed. Teasing people was just fun, after all.
"And here I thought what me and Miko had going was scandalous enough." The tanuki NPC drawled with a quirk up of her lips as she took a deep huff of her pipe. "So, you want to make sure your 'shiftin' game is up to meet your love bird's needs too, or are you that confident in your foxy fingers?" She asked after a moment, taking another look at Kana.
'So they were fucking' Kana mused, an amused smile flickering on her face briefly before she returned to being serious for a bit. It seemed that SAO wasn't afraid of being sexual about things when the situation called for it. She considered the question for a moment, before replying, "I'm sure I'm capable of pleasing said partner as I am, but it never hurts to improve my 'game' as it were. Everyone wins, after all. I get to feel better about the pleasure they get, they get to feel better, ya know, the like!"
"Still need a countrywoman's help with somethin', eh?" The conversation finally hiccuped as the NPC was forced to recycle her earlier line because, apparently, Kana managed to stumble on another way to trigger the skill acquisition dialogue. "Right, Shapeshiftin'. Relies on cyclin' your mana through body and mind. Mind for self image, then suffuse the part you want changed." The tanuki explained. "If you get real good, combat-worthy shiftin' is on the table. Never tried extra limbs, so don't ask me if it would let you grab more weapons, though."
Leaning back, she crossed her legs, her limbs elongating almost comically in proportion to the rest of the body. "The skill lies in the speed and complexity of the change. The better you're, the faster you will change, and the more you can deviate from your default."
Considering Tanuki's words with an expression of concentration, Kana nodded, not at all minding the sudden tongue in her face. It was, of course, mildly jarring, but it was also an extremely well done example of what she might be able to do with enough skill. Considering things, the silver-haired fox focused on a mental image different from the avatar she was currently using. Her silver hair turned white (complete with a small streak of pink), her eyes gained a heart as a pupil and turned a slightly lighter blue, her tail and ears disappeared, and her clothes changed from military to 'schoolgirl'. In the same breath, her breasts and size shrunk significantly, from 5'9" with a D cup to something closer to 4'9" with a C or B cup.
The change itself, however, was taking a while. Even with cycling her mana through her entire body, let alone her clothes, the process was taking significantly longer than the near instant transformations her teacher was accomplishing. It was, of course, to be expected, given how ambitious she'd made the change, but it was still a bit annoying. Something to work on, since being able to swap between appearances definitely appealed to her quite a bit, and shapeshifting in general was always helpful for blending in.
"Really went and decided on full scale for your refresher, hm?" The tanuki snorted. "I guess it works, partial can be tricky if you're pullin' on somethin' radically different." Inspecting Kana's appearance further, with careful prods of her pipe to make sure there was no shoring up weaknesses in the transformation with illusion, she eventually leaned back.
"Good enough." She shook her head. "Anyway, you gotta decide what you need to focus on for now until you get a better grasp of your instinctive abilities. I mean, you can practise both, but it will require more investment from you." She warned.
True to the NPC's words, the game's system chimed relatively unobtrusively with the decision to make.
[Designate a Skill to occupy a Racial Slot: Shapeshifting, Illusion]
[Do you wish to automatically assign the other Skill to an unoccupied, fitting slot?]
Humming rather happily to herself, Kana took the warnings from the Tanuki to heart as she deftly designated Shapeshifting to her racial slot and declined to assign Illusion to an unoccupied slot. It was definitely something she could potentially look into later, but for now, she was rather content to keep Shapeshift as her combat slash infiltration option. It was, in many ways, simply just better for what she had planned than Illusion. She could pick the other art up later, provided that things went according to her general plans to play the game.
"Thank you... I never did get your name, Miss Tanuki. Regardless, I'll be heading off to see your woman now~" She chirped, giving a cheeky wave towards the NPC
The last chamber, just as the tutorial NPC explained, did contain only the COMP device resting in the glass case in the middle of the otherwise unremarkable room resembling a monastic cell. Although poorly lit, Marie could tell the walls of the room still held to the same blue-red aesthetic as the hallway preceding it.
[COMP (Quest Item) - In the ages past, daemonologists had to rely on drawing complex ritual circles and long, cautious study to harness the forces of hell. Oft relegated to hidden cultists and hermits, the art had a sinister reputation for a long time. Due to their contributions during the Arcano War, there has been a push to study and develop the discipline. COMP Device (Computerised Occult Mechanical Printer Device) is a result of decades of study and development, a mago-technological device housing a series of miniaturised 'generic' occult circles cycled into focus through a series of gears. Another crucial component draws on the user's energy to offer as a 'sacrifice' to the currently slotted-in circle, allowing for a quick and efficient casting of previously unwieldy demonic rites. Each COMP device is attuned to the energy of its specific wielder, making it conveniently unusable by any potential thieves.]
All that remained was pick it up and return, which after the excitement of the previous two chambers felt a little bit anticlimactic.
"You return more than successful." The old monk noted idly once Marie and Sloth came back to the main chamber. His gaze lingered on the summoned demon for a moment before he indicated the circle. Sloth wordlessly made over and turned around, giving Marie a grunt of acknowledgement before disappearing into the cloud of dark red particles. "Few novice daemonologists not brought into this path from within Church's ranks give Sloth such a positive impression."
Taking the COMP device from Marie, the tutor put it on the altar. "Now, the most important part. Learning how to attune and activate the COMP device. Once you know this, you will be able to practise the craft freely and safely." Motioning her to come closer, he continued. "It's not complicated, but the air of mystique helps prevent any two bit troublemaker from just absconding with a COMP and making trouble." Carefully, the old man split the device open and indicated a small, pearl sized component at the heart of the machine. "Largely, it relies on feeding both your blood and mana to the core of the COMP, imprinting your spiritual signature onto it. It's easiest done with a fresh device. If you were to find one out in the field, it would require exponentially more of both to overwrite the previous owner. Here, have a try."
Gauntlet away, knife out. This time, a cut lengthwise through her right index, to more carefully daub the crystal in blood charged with mana.
"How does one go about obtaining a familiar, elder?" Rockefeller asked as she worked. One of the biggest reasons she'd gone for Daemonology, really. She just didn't know how to get there beyond levelling the damn thing.
"Took a liking to Sloth, have you?" The old monk chuckled heartily as he oversaw Marie's actions, a healing spell ready to fix her up. "He and I go a long way, even if our first meeting was something of an accident."
"I would love to hear the story some other time, maybe over some abbey beer?" Rockefeller asked. Delicious, delicious lore, come to momma.
"Normally, you need a name of the daemon you wish to bind closer to you. That is the easiest way to do it, for most often, only notable demons have names by which they can be called. On the other hand, with notable demons, the pact is more equal, if not lopsided in their favour. I'd advise against making that kind of deal, dear." The monk wagged his finger. "It gives you a lot of power quickly, true, but the strings attached tend to weigh one down more oft than not."
"Outside of a properly sealed pact with a named demon? The first step, as you can probably guess, involves giving your prospective familiar a name. It's no guarantee even then, you see. Demons most likely to be subservient to you at this stage are some of the weakest, and weak demons tend to lack in memory permanence, acting more on instinct and impulse than long term plan. It takes a fair few repeats for the connection to properly imprint. Feeding such named demon your mana before it returns home is another step, further establishing tighter connection between you and them"
"Finally, you must provide them with proper sustenance. Mana is all well and good, but they are creatures of Hell and Hell is, at the end of the day, a realm in which Sin pools. The final step after that, once they internalise their name, accept your offering of energy and begin feeding off the Sin you surround yourself with is complicated." His brow furrowed. "I'd advise a deeper grounding in Rituals, or if you baulk at studying the field, finding an open minded expert to perform a proper binding rite."
[Daemonology: Familiars - Using the Summon feature of the Skill summons a specific maximum tier of demon. These demons are impermanent summons with a fixed level and abilities and a set personality template. It is, however, possible to bind one closer to you, allowing it to grow and change depending on your needs and circumstance (as well as its Sin template). The process, however, is somewhat lengthy.]
[Quest Started: Familiar Face - Bind a demon as a familiar,]
[Requirements:]
[>Summon a demon]
[>>Keep a demon summoned for a minimum of 3 hours.]
[>>>Name a demon.]
[>>>>Have a demon Summoned when gaining a corresponding Sin and offer Sin to the demon.]
[>>>>>Use Ritual of Binding.]
[Note that certain actions outside of combat allow you to gain Sin without the need for using Hellbolt or other Sin-generating skills. Caution is advised as most such actions are considered unlawful.]
"I'm confident the right bit of runesmithing will get the job done without need of a ritualist!" Then after a beat, she coughed, "At least for binding a simple imp. I figure helping one rise as I grow will be safer."
"Thank you for your time, elder!" With that and a sharp bow at the waist, she was off to get her Axe Fundamentals tutorial out of the way. Really, just filler to give her time to fiddle with the COMP fitted around her right forearm. She needed to figure out what the imps looked and acted like before choosing one as her familiar-to-be!
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้ who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
AN: And with that, we conclude commemorative event and return to slower upload schedule of a chapter every Wednesday and Friday.
The probably-a-tanuki brought her pipe back to her mouth and took a long, deep drag before exhaling a plume of smoke above Kana's head. "Still, I said I'd help and I'll be damned if I weasel out just 'cause a child has poor taste." Pointing her pipe at Kana, she continued. "Riiiight, since you seem to have a good idea of the mindset you wish to cultivate, let's just go through the mechanics of it."
"First, access your mana so that you have energy to cast your trickery with." She instructed. "But instead of feedin' it to your limbs like most magicians do, run it through your head first, while thinkin' of the image you want to conjure. Then cycle the mana to the area of your body you wish to use as a medium for your cast. Mouth or eyes are classic, but it's possible to do it through motion or a snazzy finger snap if you get the talent for it."
Looking away from Kana and towards the crowds around Place Louis-Lepine she arched with her pipe over the crowds. "We won't be botherin' Prefecture with their workload. Here's your targets. Keep it harmless and relatively non-disruptive, will you? Otherwise, as long as it's funny, go nuts."
Kana nodded, listening to the woman's instructions with a careful ear, doing exactly as she'd said. She 'accessed her mana', ran it through her head, and brought an image to mind. A series of fireworks should do the trick fairly nicely, so long as she toned down the sound severely so it didn't shock anyone overmuch. Starbursts and various images came to mind, and with a glance upwards, she snapped her fingers, "Boom."
The small gathering of NPCs startled at the sound and sight of fireworks going off above their heads. A few passing players cheered with vigorous 'wooohoo's. One even looked curiously around trying to spot the launchers, or vendors, to add more.
'Definitely good that my first attempt succeeded and I didn't look completely stupid.' Kana thought to herself, her eyes sparkling as she gazed upon the magic she had conjured. This, this was why she'd shelled out the money for SAO and the Nerve Gear. Because holy shit, this was a rush that couldn't be beaten. Heck, even the way the mana flowed in her body had been emulated. A strange sensation, honestly, but it was definitely a fun one.
The level of detail was immaculate, honestly.
The tanuki hummed approvingly as she beheld Kana's successful cast.
"S'ppose with the influx of people, there's cause for celebratin'." The tanuki mused idly. "Now, just don't go thinkin' you can weasel out of everythin' with'em. They are not'ere at the end of the day, after all. I guess specialising further would require you to figure yourself deeper." Sighing, she grumbled. "There's a space in Bois de Boulogne, y'know. Was supposed to be a parcel there cut for a small shrine for ours to be set up, but the construction has been... not going. If you snoop around, Miko might have a way for you to turn… foxy." She exaggerated the grimace to the point of absurdity as she said the word, but kept her tone light. "Lazy butt is gonna have you do her errands before it happens, probably."
"Thank you for your advice, sensei. I suppose it is not much, but one of my partners is a raccoon. If that assuages your pride at all, that is." She smirked a bit at that. A reaction, of course, would certainly be interesting, but it also wasn't something she needed. Teasing people was just fun, after all.
"And here I thought what me and Miko had going was scandalous enough." The tanuki NPC drawled with a quirk up of her lips as she took a deep huff of her pipe. "So, you want to make sure your 'shiftin' game is up to meet your love bird's needs too, or are you that confident in your foxy fingers?" She asked after a moment, taking another look at Kana.
'So they were fucking' Kana mused, an amused smile flickering on her face briefly before she returned to being serious for a bit. It seemed that SAO wasn't afraid of being sexual about things when the situation called for it. She considered the question for a moment, before replying, "I'm sure I'm capable of pleasing said partner as I am, but it never hurts to improve my 'game' as it were. Everyone wins, after all. I get to feel better about the pleasure they get, they get to feel better, ya know, the like!"
"Still need a countrywoman's help with somethin', eh?" The conversation finally hiccuped as the NPC was forced to recycle her earlier line because, apparently, Kana managed to stumble on another way to trigger the skill acquisition dialogue. "Right, Shapeshiftin'. Relies on cyclin' your mana through body and mind. Mind for self image, then suffuse the part you want changed." The tanuki explained. "If you get real good, combat-worthy shiftin' is on the table. Never tried extra limbs, so don't ask me if it would let you grab more weapons, though."
Leaning back, she crossed her legs, her limbs elongating almost comically in proportion to the rest of the body. "The skill lies in the speed and complexity of the change. The better you're, the faster you will change, and the more you can deviate from your default."
Considering Tanuki's words with an expression of concentration, Kana nodded, not at all minding the sudden tongue in her face. It was, of course, mildly jarring, but it was also an extremely well done example of what she might be able to do with enough skill. Considering things, the silver-haired fox focused on a mental image different from the avatar she was currently using. Her silver hair turned white (complete with a small streak of pink), her eyes gained a heart as a pupil and turned a slightly lighter blue, her tail and ears disappeared, and her clothes changed from military to 'schoolgirl'. In the same breath, her breasts and size shrunk significantly, from 5'9" with a D cup to something closer to 4'9" with a C or B cup.
The change itself, however, was taking a while. Even with cycling her mana through her entire body, let alone her clothes, the process was taking significantly longer than the near instant transformations her teacher was accomplishing. It was, of course, to be expected, given how ambitious she'd made the change, but it was still a bit annoying. Something to work on, since being able to swap between appearances definitely appealed to her quite a bit, and shapeshifting in general was always helpful for blending in.
"Really went and decided on full scale for your refresher, hm?" The tanuki snorted. "I guess it works, partial can be tricky if you're pullin' on somethin' radically different." Inspecting Kana's appearance further, with careful prods of her pipe to make sure there was no shoring up weaknesses in the transformation with illusion, she eventually leaned back.
"Good enough." She shook her head. "Anyway, you gotta decide what you need to focus on for now until you get a better grasp of your instinctive abilities. I mean, you can practise both, but it will require more investment from you." She warned.
True to the NPC's words, the game's system chimed relatively unobtrusively with the decision to make.
[Designate a Skill to occupy a Racial Slot: Shapeshifting, Illusion]
[Do you wish to automatically assign the other Skill to an unoccupied, fitting slot?]
Humming rather happily to herself, Kana took the warnings from the Tanuki to heart as she deftly designated Shapeshifting to her racial slot and declined to assign Illusion to an unoccupied slot. It was definitely something she could potentially look into later, but for now, she was rather content to keep Shapeshift as her combat slash infiltration option. It was, in many ways, simply just better for what she had planned than Illusion. She could pick the other art up later, provided that things went according to her general plans to play the game.
"Thank you... I never did get your name, Miss Tanuki. Regardless, I'll be heading off to see your woman now~" She chirped, giving a cheeky wave towards the NPC
The last chamber, just as the tutorial NPC explained, did contain only the COMP device resting in the glass case in the middle of the otherwise unremarkable room resembling a monastic cell. Although poorly lit, Marie could tell the walls of the room still held to the same blue-red aesthetic as the hallway preceding it.
[COMP (Quest Item) - In the ages past, daemonologists had to rely on drawing complex ritual circles and long, cautious study to harness the forces of hell. Oft relegated to hidden cultists and hermits, the art had a sinister reputation for a long time. Due to their contributions during the Arcano War, there has been a push to study and develop the discipline. COMP Device (Computerised Occult Mechanical Printer Device) is a result of decades of study and development, a mago-technological device housing a series of miniaturised 'generic' occult circles cycled into focus through a series of gears. Another crucial component draws on the user's energy to offer as a 'sacrifice' to the currently slotted-in circle, allowing for a quick and efficient casting of previously unwieldy demonic rites. Each COMP device is attuned to the energy of its specific wielder, making it conveniently unusable by any potential thieves.]
All that remained was pick it up and return, which after the excitement of the previous two chambers felt a little bit anticlimactic.
"You return more than successful." The old monk noted idly once Marie and Sloth came back to the main chamber. His gaze lingered on the summoned demon for a moment before he indicated the circle. Sloth wordlessly made over and turned around, giving Marie a grunt of acknowledgement before disappearing into the cloud of dark red particles. "Few novice daemonologists not brought into this path from within Church's ranks give Sloth such a positive impression."
Taking the COMP device from Marie, the tutor put it on the altar. "Now, the most important part. Learning how to attune and activate the COMP device. Once you know this, you will be able to practise the craft freely and safely." Motioning her to come closer, he continued. "It's not complicated, but the air of mystique helps prevent any two bit troublemaker from just absconding with a COMP and making trouble." Carefully, the old man split the device open and indicated a small, pearl sized component at the heart of the machine. "Largely, it relies on feeding both your blood and mana to the core of the COMP, imprinting your spiritual signature onto it. It's easiest done with a fresh device. If you were to find one out in the field, it would require exponentially more of both to overwrite the previous owner. Here, have a try."
Gauntlet away, knife out. This time, a cut lengthwise through her right index, to more carefully daub the crystal in blood charged with mana.
"How does one go about obtaining a familiar, elder?" Rockefeller asked as she worked. One of the biggest reasons she'd gone for Daemonology, really. She just didn't know how to get there beyond levelling the damn thing.
"Took a liking to Sloth, have you?" The old monk chuckled heartily as he oversaw Marie's actions, a healing spell ready to fix her up. "He and I go a long way, even if our first meeting was something of an accident."
"I would love to hear the story some other time, maybe over some abbey beer?" Rockefeller asked. Delicious, delicious lore, come to momma.
"Normally, you need a name of the daemon you wish to bind closer to you. That is the easiest way to do it, for most often, only notable demons have names by which they can be called. On the other hand, with notable demons, the pact is more equal, if not lopsided in their favour. I'd advise against making that kind of deal, dear." The monk wagged his finger. "It gives you a lot of power quickly, true, but the strings attached tend to weigh one down more oft than not."
"Outside of a properly sealed pact with a named demon? The first step, as you can probably guess, involves giving your prospective familiar a name. It's no guarantee even then, you see. Demons most likely to be subservient to you at this stage are some of the weakest, and weak demons tend to lack in memory permanence, acting more on instinct and impulse than long term plan. It takes a fair few repeats for the connection to properly imprint. Feeding such named demon your mana before it returns home is another step, further establishing tighter connection between you and them"
"Finally, you must provide them with proper sustenance. Mana is all well and good, but they are creatures of Hell and Hell is, at the end of the day, a realm in which Sin pools. The final step after that, once they internalise their name, accept your offering of energy and begin feeding off the Sin you surround yourself with is complicated." His brow furrowed. "I'd advise a deeper grounding in Rituals, or if you baulk at studying the field, finding an open minded expert to perform a proper binding rite."
[Daemonology: Familiars - Using the Summon feature of the Skill summons a specific maximum tier of demon. These demons are impermanent summons with a fixed level and abilities and a set personality template. It is, however, possible to bind one closer to you, allowing it to grow and change depending on your needs and circumstance (as well as its Sin template). The process, however, is somewhat lengthy.]
[Quest Started: Familiar Face - Bind a demon as a familiar,]
[Requirements:]
[>Summon a demon]
[>>Keep a demon summoned for a minimum of 3 hours.]
[>>>Name a demon.]
[>>>>Have a demon Summoned when gaining a corresponding Sin and offer Sin to the demon.]
[>>>>>Use Ritual of Binding.]
[Note that certain actions outside of combat allow you to gain Sin without the need for using Hellbolt or other Sin-generating skills. Caution is advised as most such actions are considered unlawful.]
"I'm confident the right bit of runesmithing will get the job done without need of a ritualist!" Then after a beat, she coughed, "At least for binding a simple imp. I figure helping one rise as I grow will be safer."
"Thank you for your time, elder!" With that and a sharp bow at the waist, she was off to get her Axe Fundamentals tutorial out of the way. Really, just filler to give her time to fiddle with the COMP fitted around her right forearm. She needed to figure out what the imps looked and acted like before choosing one as her familiar-to-be!
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้ who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
AN: And with that, we conclude commemorative event and return to slower upload schedule of a chapter every Wednesday and Friday.
Chapter 4 - Launch Day Part 4
New
- Location
- London
Launch Day Part 4
Alchemy in SAO, Imya decided, was fun. In a government building like Prefecture de Police, it was very much reminiscent of regular lab, or chemistry lessons. Pitchers and stations and bubbling, glowing liquids flowing through glass into containers and whatnot. He was given to understand that out in the field alchemists used mobile cauldrons, though.
Shaped rather like onions, if he was to be honest. The suspiciously young-looking, dwarven girl who guided him through the recipes for the simple HP and Mana potions and an all-purpose poison also helpfully pointed out the fact that the containers fit quite easily into his hand mortar. Synergies! The rhythm minigame required to prepare the ingredients and then operate the cauldron wasn't too bad either. Hopefully, it wouldn't get too hard at higher levels. He always sucked at rhythm games. Precision motions weren't his hottest area either, for all that right now Alchemy kept to simple, repetitive motions.
Name Pending: [Just finished with all of my tutorials for now. Where next, oh Dark One?]
Black Pharaoh: [<3~. Waiting for everyone at the steps of Notre-Dame, Oni~. I'm sure a devoted fan like you will not have an issue spotting me~.]
Nodding to himself, Imya swung by the police armoury, doubling as a player shop, to grab some better gear. Which didn't mean much, he could afford a single piece of blue or two greens with the starting funds, even with apparent launch day discounts in places. Mulling the choice over, he grabbed some better boots with a small AGI boost and muffle. Considering his skills and gear, he figured he would be acting as a scout for Nefertiti's party.
Then, he was back towards Notre-Dame with its still massive crowds. Ten million was hard to visualise, especially since, from what he recalled, real life Paris wasn't rated for even half that number. He wondered briefly what sort of digital fuckery Argus was accomplishing to fit all of them there, before shaking his head and–
Well, his oshi was right, he would spot her with no trouble. After all, she seemed to have gone with faithful recreation of her vtuber avatar. A dark skinned cat girl with long, black hair with green tint to it, green eyes with the left being framed by a black wedjat tattoo and black office suit with a scandalously short skirt.
"Hey Nefertiti, Blue Oni reporting in." He waved at her awkwardly, hoping that SAO wasn't going so far as to simulate the blush he would absolutely be spotting out of the game. Even if he absolutely felt the heat on his face from addressing another person so openly, never mind a pretty girl.
The independent Vtuber turned away from her current conversation partner, her moderator slash editor Chrysalis, who was using a very inconspicuous human male avatar. The only thing standing out about him compared to… pretty much everyone around them being the bright, golden eyes. Otherwise, with his pale complexion, short black hair and white suit jacket over black shirt just gave him a stereotypical salaryman appearance,
Nefertiti grinned and winked at him (god, he didn't care if SAO wasn't actually simulating blushing, it absolutely felt like it did) before strutting to him. "I think you're actually first, Cultist Number One~." She greeted back before bending slightly to inspect him. "You do kinda ruin the theme me'n Chrys got." She announced, poking his chest with a mischievous glare while her tail twisted behind her. Which was a far safer thing to be focusing on than Nefertiti's face given her pose was… provocative.
"Not everyone we recruit into our cult can be wealthy and influential, Hotep." Her moderator jokingly played along, thankfully giving Imya time to get over his internal panic attack.
"Y-yeah…" Imya laughed nervously. "Not everyone can be a big name. You need someone to do the grunt work, eh?"
"Faaair, I suppose. So," Her eyes flickered momentarily to his in-game handle, "my Nameless minion-" "Nice job gaming the system to let you pun like that, by the way." "- my minion." She stressed out, ignoring Chrysalis' complimentary interjection. Imya could only chuckle nervously. "What's your current build?"
He shrugged before rubbing the back of his head. "Stealth, Alchemy and Explosives. Figured I will play that ignoble job no one wants and be scout-support for the party."
"Imya, Imya, Imya, my poor, foolish cultist." Nefertiti shook her head with an exaggerated sigh. "Forgot that Beastkin have the scouting skills thoroughly covered between Tracking and Scouting?"
"O-oh." He felt his chest constrict. Amazing work, five minutes in and he already fucked up heavily. He startled when he felt Nefertiti's hand pat his shoulder. Looking up, he met her with a warm smile.
"C'mon, why the long face? It's not the end of the world and I didn't give you guys any instructions." Then, she pulled him into a one armed hug and he could feel his everything freeze. "Besides, Imya dear-." He swallowed heavily, doing his best losing battle to banish the images that conjured. "You just gave me an excellent idea~."
"Stream starts in five." Chrysalis reminded her mildly. "Not that it matters, given the other three have yet to so much as ping us."
"See? We won't be lacking in content and you will have time in the spotlight juuuust for yourself~!" She grinned like the cat who got the canary, chased it with all the cream in the house and pinned everything on the dog.
"C-can you just kill me and force me to make a new account that way?" He asked weakly, already feeling that much more apprehensive, suddenly fully aware what he signed up for.
"Nonsense. Besides, it doesn't work that way, silly." Nefertiti laughed as she slapped him on the back. "We ready, Chrysalis?" The man didn't answer, simply giving thumbs up as his eyes unfocused just a little bit. Streaming in Fulldive was weird, even if somehow easier than regular when you could just think at the people watching you. "Excellent. Gather together, dear Cultists, for today is the day! We are here, me, Chrysalis and BlueOni as the first of our delectable minions of the day in Spiritual Ascension Online!" Nefertiti addressed her stream, a blue play button icon to the left of her name lighting up with a glow as a cue.
"Now, we still have some time before RoyalFang, Schmitt and BloodRose join us. Thankfully, Oni here is done with his prepwork. Now, he planned to act as our scout, which is always appreciative, but didn't quite account on how SAO Stealth doesn't have that much to do with it. Fortunately, that does give me an occasion to really showcase to you the single most amazing feature of the game. Namely, stunts. Y'see, I am going to act as BlueOni's tutor in the venerable art of Scouting and hopefully, Cardinal will nod along and award him with the skill and, who knows, maybe me with some shiny as well~?"
The axe tutorial was held at the corner of Quai des Orfevres, where a fair few dwarven NPCs seemed to set up their shops, and Boulevard du Palais. It was quite a straightforward affair, mostly guiding the players queuing for it through the motions of the basic attack moves supported by the system. Mindless enough for Marie to split her attention with the deeper description of each Sin's focus as it pertained to the imps she had available.
[Summon Imp - Costs 1 Sin (unaspected) + 10 MP/HP. As baseline, has (Caster's MGIx15) HP. Deals 40% caster's MGI baseline as Fire damage in melee and at range (by flinging bolts of it). Lasts for 60s, the cost can be paid again to refresh the duration. No limit on the number of concurrent summons.]
Of them, Pride and Envy stood out by changing their damage types, with the former focusing on buffing the summoner or itself (mostly itself) while the latter stripped enemy physical defences. Wrath was the only one who lacked ranged options and compensated by getting more powerful the bigger beating it took. Lust was, unsurprisingly enough, CC option while Greed focused on buff stealing. Sloth, as she already experienced, was the thick one of the bunch while Gluttony had a life steal which even had guaranteed conditions to direct the heals to her.
Soon enough, she was done with Axe Fundamentals. Her eyes lingered a while on Lust's tooltip, perhaps more than they should, before she shook her head. Dirty thoughts and the actual utility of CC aside, this was primarily about what she wanted to well and truly cultivate beyond what was immediately on offer.
That left a very simple path. She was a tank, she needed a healer. This way there would be no matchmaking headaches or raid drama. Transmuting a pigeon to hamburger meat in an alley was simple enough, and just like that she had some Sin to go around.
"Cast: Blood. Summon: Gluttony." She commanded, the COMP's clockwork clicking beautifully as the runes lit up and got to work.
A purple blur shot out of the circle formed in front of Marie, filling the alley with the sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones. Then, the imp turned around, covering a hiccup with a surprisingly dainty hand with a raptorial blade growing out of if instead of pinkie and ring finger.
She was, perhaps, two feet tall, with small azure wings flitting on her back, with a pair of black antennae shooting out of vibrantly purple hair stylised into a pair of buns. Even her eyes followed the colour scheme, with bright azure, vertical pupils and bright purple irises, with black eyeshadow accentuating the pale face around them. Her tongue quickly licked a smear of blood from her cheek, revealing a pair of extra long fangs at the top and bottom of her jaw. The imp looked up at Marie with a sardonic grin. "Real bad girl, aren't'ya, boss?"
Goddamn, Argus had taken those comments by the Beta Testers about the imps being cute and gone above and beyond for full release. Look at those fangs! That was one kissable maw right there.
"Hey, murder's fun for the whole family but I can't exactly get away with much right now. And that bit of poultry still got me a pretty face like you coming to say hi, Angboda." Rockefeller said with a grin, for the first time since she had logged in parting her lips to show what she was packing. Pearly whites fitting together like fine clockwork, lovingly designed to flense flesh and crush bone. Dwarves liked their stone bread and gravel stew, character creation hadn't argued overly much. "Come on, I'll have you praying on my veins the whole day if that's what it takes for me to have a pet mantis."
Her right gauntlet promptly vanished into her inventory, giving Angboda a clear shot at her forearm. Technically she could just feed this cute little buzzard mana indefinitely, out of combat she got one MP per second. However, this worked on TTRPG rules by everything the Beta Testers had said online. While the crunch was very much there and it'd function, there was nuance and most importantly, stunts.
The tiny mantis girl tilted her head, looking at Marie in silence for a moment before unceremoniously taking the invitation to chomp down on her arm. It honestly felt a little bit like a mosquito bite, if over a much larger area.
"Starting small, eh? I'd say it's a joke 'bout my height, but teeth like yours can't be bad." She mumbled after a moment, jump-fluttering over the dwarf's shoulder and onto her back. "Don't worry about keeping the armour off for my sake, boss. S'long as you want me to leech off of you it will work after this. Magic~." With that, the imp happily went back to filling the air with satisfied sounds of suction.
Speaking of slurping, she needed some health potions. Fortunately, a quick dip into a nearby convenience store proved her suspicions right as the system helpfully informed her of the exact numbers each item in the soft drinks section would restore her for. It did have the unfortunate implication that in SAO-France, Pepsico seemed to have monopoly.
Still, seventy-five bucks for a quarter of your health was seventy-five bucks for a quarter of your health. A twelve-pack should do.
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้, saganatsu and Gabriel, who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
Alchemy in SAO, Imya decided, was fun. In a government building like Prefecture de Police, it was very much reminiscent of regular lab, or chemistry lessons. Pitchers and stations and bubbling, glowing liquids flowing through glass into containers and whatnot. He was given to understand that out in the field alchemists used mobile cauldrons, though.
Shaped rather like onions, if he was to be honest. The suspiciously young-looking, dwarven girl who guided him through the recipes for the simple HP and Mana potions and an all-purpose poison also helpfully pointed out the fact that the containers fit quite easily into his hand mortar. Synergies! The rhythm minigame required to prepare the ingredients and then operate the cauldron wasn't too bad either. Hopefully, it wouldn't get too hard at higher levels. He always sucked at rhythm games. Precision motions weren't his hottest area either, for all that right now Alchemy kept to simple, repetitive motions.
Name Pending: [Just finished with all of my tutorials for now. Where next, oh Dark One?]
Black Pharaoh: [<3~. Waiting for everyone at the steps of Notre-Dame, Oni~. I'm sure a devoted fan like you will not have an issue spotting me~.]
Nodding to himself, Imya swung by the police armoury, doubling as a player shop, to grab some better gear. Which didn't mean much, he could afford a single piece of blue or two greens with the starting funds, even with apparent launch day discounts in places. Mulling the choice over, he grabbed some better boots with a small AGI boost and muffle. Considering his skills and gear, he figured he would be acting as a scout for Nefertiti's party.
Then, he was back towards Notre-Dame with its still massive crowds. Ten million was hard to visualise, especially since, from what he recalled, real life Paris wasn't rated for even half that number. He wondered briefly what sort of digital fuckery Argus was accomplishing to fit all of them there, before shaking his head and–
Well, his oshi was right, he would spot her with no trouble. After all, she seemed to have gone with faithful recreation of her vtuber avatar. A dark skinned cat girl with long, black hair with green tint to it, green eyes with the left being framed by a black wedjat tattoo and black office suit with a scandalously short skirt.
"Hey Nefertiti, Blue Oni reporting in." He waved at her awkwardly, hoping that SAO wasn't going so far as to simulate the blush he would absolutely be spotting out of the game. Even if he absolutely felt the heat on his face from addressing another person so openly, never mind a pretty girl.
The independent Vtuber turned away from her current conversation partner, her moderator slash editor Chrysalis, who was using a very inconspicuous human male avatar. The only thing standing out about him compared to… pretty much everyone around them being the bright, golden eyes. Otherwise, with his pale complexion, short black hair and white suit jacket over black shirt just gave him a stereotypical salaryman appearance,
Nefertiti grinned and winked at him (god, he didn't care if SAO wasn't actually simulating blushing, it absolutely felt like it did) before strutting to him. "I think you're actually first, Cultist Number One~." She greeted back before bending slightly to inspect him. "You do kinda ruin the theme me'n Chrys got." She announced, poking his chest with a mischievous glare while her tail twisted behind her. Which was a far safer thing to be focusing on than Nefertiti's face given her pose was… provocative.
"Not everyone we recruit into our cult can be wealthy and influential, Hotep." Her moderator jokingly played along, thankfully giving Imya time to get over his internal panic attack.
"Y-yeah…" Imya laughed nervously. "Not everyone can be a big name. You need someone to do the grunt work, eh?"
"Faaair, I suppose. So," Her eyes flickered momentarily to his in-game handle, "my Nameless minion-" "Nice job gaming the system to let you pun like that, by the way." "- my minion." She stressed out, ignoring Chrysalis' complimentary interjection. Imya could only chuckle nervously. "What's your current build?"
He shrugged before rubbing the back of his head. "Stealth, Alchemy and Explosives. Figured I will play that ignoble job no one wants and be scout-support for the party."
"Imya, Imya, Imya, my poor, foolish cultist." Nefertiti shook her head with an exaggerated sigh. "Forgot that Beastkin have the scouting skills thoroughly covered between Tracking and Scouting?"
"O-oh." He felt his chest constrict. Amazing work, five minutes in and he already fucked up heavily. He startled when he felt Nefertiti's hand pat his shoulder. Looking up, he met her with a warm smile.
"C'mon, why the long face? It's not the end of the world and I didn't give you guys any instructions." Then, she pulled him into a one armed hug and he could feel his everything freeze. "Besides, Imya dear-." He swallowed heavily, doing his best losing battle to banish the images that conjured. "You just gave me an excellent idea~."
"Stream starts in five." Chrysalis reminded her mildly. "Not that it matters, given the other three have yet to so much as ping us."
"See? We won't be lacking in content and you will have time in the spotlight juuuust for yourself~!" She grinned like the cat who got the canary, chased it with all the cream in the house and pinned everything on the dog.
"C-can you just kill me and force me to make a new account that way?" He asked weakly, already feeling that much more apprehensive, suddenly fully aware what he signed up for.
"Nonsense. Besides, it doesn't work that way, silly." Nefertiti laughed as she slapped him on the back. "We ready, Chrysalis?" The man didn't answer, simply giving thumbs up as his eyes unfocused just a little bit. Streaming in Fulldive was weird, even if somehow easier than regular when you could just think at the people watching you. "Excellent. Gather together, dear Cultists, for today is the day! We are here, me, Chrysalis and BlueOni as the first of our delectable minions of the day in Spiritual Ascension Online!" Nefertiti addressed her stream, a blue play button icon to the left of her name lighting up with a glow as a cue.
"Now, we still have some time before RoyalFang, Schmitt and BloodRose join us. Thankfully, Oni here is done with his prepwork. Now, he planned to act as our scout, which is always appreciative, but didn't quite account on how SAO Stealth doesn't have that much to do with it. Fortunately, that does give me an occasion to really showcase to you the single most amazing feature of the game. Namely, stunts. Y'see, I am going to act as BlueOni's tutor in the venerable art of Scouting and hopefully, Cardinal will nod along and award him with the skill and, who knows, maybe me with some shiny as well~?"
The axe tutorial was held at the corner of Quai des Orfevres, where a fair few dwarven NPCs seemed to set up their shops, and Boulevard du Palais. It was quite a straightforward affair, mostly guiding the players queuing for it through the motions of the basic attack moves supported by the system. Mindless enough for Marie to split her attention with the deeper description of each Sin's focus as it pertained to the imps she had available.
[Summon Imp - Costs 1 Sin (unaspected) + 10 MP/HP. As baseline, has (Caster's MGIx15) HP. Deals 40% caster's MGI baseline as Fire damage in melee and at range (by flinging bolts of it). Lasts for 60s, the cost can be paid again to refresh the duration. No limit on the number of concurrent summons.]
Of them, Pride and Envy stood out by changing their damage types, with the former focusing on buffing the summoner or itself (mostly itself) while the latter stripped enemy physical defences. Wrath was the only one who lacked ranged options and compensated by getting more powerful the bigger beating it took. Lust was, unsurprisingly enough, CC option while Greed focused on buff stealing. Sloth, as she already experienced, was the thick one of the bunch while Gluttony had a life steal which even had guaranteed conditions to direct the heals to her.
Soon enough, she was done with Axe Fundamentals. Her eyes lingered a while on Lust's tooltip, perhaps more than they should, before she shook her head. Dirty thoughts and the actual utility of CC aside, this was primarily about what she wanted to well and truly cultivate beyond what was immediately on offer.
That left a very simple path. She was a tank, she needed a healer. This way there would be no matchmaking headaches or raid drama. Transmuting a pigeon to hamburger meat in an alley was simple enough, and just like that she had some Sin to go around.
"Cast: Blood. Summon: Gluttony." She commanded, the COMP's clockwork clicking beautifully as the runes lit up and got to work.
A purple blur shot out of the circle formed in front of Marie, filling the alley with the sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones. Then, the imp turned around, covering a hiccup with a surprisingly dainty hand with a raptorial blade growing out of if instead of pinkie and ring finger.
She was, perhaps, two feet tall, with small azure wings flitting on her back, with a pair of black antennae shooting out of vibrantly purple hair stylised into a pair of buns. Even her eyes followed the colour scheme, with bright azure, vertical pupils and bright purple irises, with black eyeshadow accentuating the pale face around them. Her tongue quickly licked a smear of blood from her cheek, revealing a pair of extra long fangs at the top and bottom of her jaw. The imp looked up at Marie with a sardonic grin. "Real bad girl, aren't'ya, boss?"
Goddamn, Argus had taken those comments by the Beta Testers about the imps being cute and gone above and beyond for full release. Look at those fangs! That was one kissable maw right there.
"Hey, murder's fun for the whole family but I can't exactly get away with much right now. And that bit of poultry still got me a pretty face like you coming to say hi, Angboda." Rockefeller said with a grin, for the first time since she had logged in parting her lips to show what she was packing. Pearly whites fitting together like fine clockwork, lovingly designed to flense flesh and crush bone. Dwarves liked their stone bread and gravel stew, character creation hadn't argued overly much. "Come on, I'll have you praying on my veins the whole day if that's what it takes for me to have a pet mantis."
Her right gauntlet promptly vanished into her inventory, giving Angboda a clear shot at her forearm. Technically she could just feed this cute little buzzard mana indefinitely, out of combat she got one MP per second. However, this worked on TTRPG rules by everything the Beta Testers had said online. While the crunch was very much there and it'd function, there was nuance and most importantly, stunts.
The tiny mantis girl tilted her head, looking at Marie in silence for a moment before unceremoniously taking the invitation to chomp down on her arm. It honestly felt a little bit like a mosquito bite, if over a much larger area.
"Starting small, eh? I'd say it's a joke 'bout my height, but teeth like yours can't be bad." She mumbled after a moment, jump-fluttering over the dwarf's shoulder and onto her back. "Don't worry about keeping the armour off for my sake, boss. S'long as you want me to leech off of you it will work after this. Magic~." With that, the imp happily went back to filling the air with satisfied sounds of suction.
Speaking of slurping, she needed some health potions. Fortunately, a quick dip into a nearby convenience store proved her suspicions right as the system helpfully informed her of the exact numbers each item in the soft drinks section would restore her for. It did have the unfortunate implication that in SAO-France, Pepsico seemed to have monopoly.
Still, seventy-five bucks for a quarter of your health was seventy-five bucks for a quarter of your health. A twelve-pack should do.
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้, saganatsu and Gabriel, who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
Just checking, SIs are the dude, the demon summoner to be, the kitsune and the vtuber? Or is the vtuber just a random character?
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
SIs are Marie, Imya, Kana and Mirana.
The vtuber is an OC, of sorts.
Chapter 5 - Launch Day Part 5
New
- Location
- London
The Cour des Miracles was located underground, if not quite deep enough as to encroach upon the Catacombs. The NPCs inhabiting the area lent it the air of a land frozen in time, full of colourful, outlandish clothes and style, with freely cast magic filling the area with all kinds of effects. Rather fitting, was it not? For this land, her beloved Avalon, truly was the greatest of miracles made manifest upon the world.
Mira's goal was a specific performance troupe centred around a large, garish yellow pavilion in the corner of this specific Cour. One of the NPCs here had a seemingly innocuous quest which potentially led to a Skill tutorial, involving a lost manuscript containing his lines for the troupe's incoming play. Mira glided through the strange atmosphere of the district, her own robes and style all too easily blending in as if she'd lived there all her life. Despite that, and the endless parade of curiosities, she let none of them distract from the tent that her eyes were set upon. For the world was ablaze with wonders, and these lacked the brilliance of what lay afield.
So not too soon after she entered, she stood before her first proper step upon her journey.
"Kids above do love when I practise in front of them." The human NPC grinned sheepishly. "Normally I bring with me older scripts so as to not spoil any of the director's upcoming plays. But recently I have been having some issues with my memory, black outs and such so I was worried about messing up the opening night. Worst thing is, I misplaced it!" The man wailed (quietly, impressively enough, avoiding the attention of his fellows). "There's a bit of a forested area in Tuileries I use for private practice, but when I went back to check it, I couldn't find it! Please, mon ami, I'll be in so much trouble if it gets leaked!"
Without a moment of hesitation, once his own lines were said, it was time to play her part. "Worry no more, o friend. For we are already upon the stage, are we not? To forget one's lines a most inestimable tragedy. I shalt return with thine script in hand, for I hath time for such an act." She waited not for his response, the system notification for her starting the Quest confirmation enough, before whirling around and walking straight towards the garden of Tuileries.
The biggest hassle of beelining between Ile-de-la-Cite, Cour des Miracles and Tuileries was the fact that to get to the last one from the second required one to pass through Ile regardless. Not something one would notice playing normally and merely stumbling on the quest but for Mira, it did end a little bit absurd.
The blossoming park was fairly packed with the NPCs, with Mira's target being a small grove near the bank of Seine. The manuscript for the troupe's quest chain was hidden underneath a rose bush at the edge of the grove and its possession was, in fact, required for the divergence.
Now, normally in MMOs sequence breaking a quest was impossible but thanks to Cardinal, SAO was something of an exception. Usually, one had to go through at least the first part of the troupe's questline until they got the Performance Skill before the hypothetical player would've been invited to a 'private performance' and given instructions on how to enter a small enclave of Feylands trapped in the city.
Or, if the player knew about the (very loose) mushroom ring around the grove, they could manually activate the gate, closing the circumference of the ring by removing a few iron and plastic items laid over it and then channelling magic into four specific mushrooms.
It was here that Mirana's methodology changed. Where before all her actions were with haste, she treated the fairy ring with reverence. Each piece of plastic and iron was gently removed, and properly disposed of, before she herself stood in the centre of the circle. Four runes drawn on the ground in loose chalk, all the same, each in the direction of the relevant fungus. "Laguz." Perhaps she had no need to call their name. But she did anyway.
"Freefall awaits the brave…"
With a quietly sung lyric, she activated the impromptu ritual.
The air around Mira rippled as if heated and the warmth blew across her face as well. The waves of almost visible heat attempted to lull her into drowsiness even as they bound outwards only to rebound from the edge of the mushroom ring. Once, twice, thrice. On the fourth rebound, The very scenery around Mira rippled and shifted, the small grove saturating with rich, vibrant hues. The park she had seen so far beyond the few trees changed too.
It was far more overgrown and blooming, flowers and trees and bushes. All with twisting, natural paths of dirt, the shadows under the trees illuminated by the softly glowing blue flowers and lazily drifting golden insects. A little slice of Feylands, trapped within the city with no way out. Mirana could only smile widely. The energy here felt far better than Paris did, after all.
A pair of fae men approached the grove, armed with shields and spear-staves. "Hold, mage!" The one on the right bellowed. "You enter the domain of Count Pervigeo of the Summer Court. What it is that you seek in the Summer's Embassy uninvited?"
"I am but a mere changeling, journeying that the traveller may return to the East, that spring may come once more, and that the wasteland may yet heal the dolorous stroke dealt upon it." She paused for a mere moment, taking in a breath. "But afore I may make mine quest, I must embrace mine true self. And so I hath come to the domain of faerie, offering a tale of mine own for perhaps a boon." For mere puppets she need not worry about the flowers of her words, they would comprehend regardless.
The guard on the right leaned back, tapping his arm with his spear-staff. "A great span has elapsed since a visitor upon our lord's domain like thee has treaded upon the paths of local faerie. Come, traveller, we shall accompany thee before the Count and there thee shall be able to make your bargain." His tone was light and his face jovial, the man clearly delighting in a more antiquated speech and mannerism as he bowed to Mira before he and his comrade escorted her. Vibrant as the parisian fairyland was, the eagerness with which Mira's procession grew, with tens of fey attaching themselves to the novelty of an 'uninvited' outsider spoke of the kind of mire and boredom only a confinement to the same space for decades could create.
So it was that, tailed by a veritable menagerie of colourful NPCs, Mira was admitted to an open air pavilion at the centre of Fairy Tuileries, where Count Pervigeo reclined on a massive rose as if it was a sofa.
As beings of stories, fairies tended to congregate around settlements of other races, but for those who swore allegiance to the Season Courts, the trappings of civilization those other races erected to live in oft became quite a bit more literal, preventing the fae of the Court from leaving. Such was the case of Pervigeo who until recently was able to communicate with the outside of the city simply by sailing the Seine. He livened the time of his own court by patronising performers from outside, all to supply his vassals with the stories for his court to live by.
The proper way to progress that quest would have been through the troupe's quest line where the player would become attached to the group on one such occasion and, being impressed by the performance, being offered a chance to transform into a fae. Meaning, a short quest to record the story of the player undergoing it, to spin the starting pattern of the newborn fae's tapestry. Of course, proper was something Mirana was anything but.
Shifting in his seat, the fae noble's dark eyes took Mira in before the man leaned back, fingers of his right hand beating a rhythm against his knee. "Verily, I bid my noble comrade Charles-Henri's latest creation with steadfast patience, when tidings doth reach mine ears of a trespasser who seeks me with intent, bearing a tale for mine attentive ear. This matter doth pique mine interest, hence I doth extend to thee an opportunity to manifest the veracity of thy vow."
With a gesture, other fae scattered around the pavilion, giving Mira space to perform as the Paris' Count of Flowers sat at attention. She listened as the count heard her request, curtsying at the appropriate moment. She took a deep breath, and so she sang. She could make no claim to having written the words herself, she was not so accomplished as to have done so. But they were from her soul all the same, a song of what she wished her story to be, a song of the stars she wished to grasp.
"Once upon a time a song was heard…"
Unbidden, a dream leapt to her mind. The dream of magic, of a new land, of freedom echoing through the cracks of the cage called reality.
"Giving birth to a child of earth and verse…"
Her dream was a dream of flight, of slipping through those cracks into a new world, a world where all could write their own stories. A world where she could write her own story.
And so, she sang.
"…Roaming on the endless prairie. Writing an endless story..."
As pink-red light glowed around her, she sang of hope. Hope for herself. For her future. That one day she could look back, and see how far she'd come.
"…Time to rest now and to finish the show, to become the music, one with Alpenglow."
She sang of her ending. She knew not when it would come, or where. But she knew it in her bones. One day, she would step into that tapestry of song and history herself. She could but pray that when the time came, her deeds would be worthy of their own songs.
Count Pervigeo remained silent for a moment, eyes closed and head tilted to the side. If not for the smallest of nods of his head, one could be mistaken for thinking him fallen asleep. The rest of his court remained, if not silent, then keeping their chatter quiet enough it remained a background noise to Mira. Eventually, however, the noble of the Summer Court opened his eyes with a gentle smile on his face and clapped politely, a signal for the rest to follow.
"A tale of great fascination, my noble guest. Indeed, most captivating! I have perceived the longing of thine heart echoing throughout thy narrative and do recognize it." The fairy man praised as he rose. "Yet, a metamorphosis such as thou dost desire doth not come lightly, nor without due cost."
"Verily, it may be less arduous for thee, given thy noble lineage, yet if thou desirest it to possess the strength of ancient oak, thou must couple valorous deeds with thine tale so that we may fashion thy shroud rightly." Count Pervigeo finished, stepping down from his throne to stand before Mira. He was tall and willowy, clad in intricately carved armour of some flexible manner of wood, his cloak up close in truth being the butterfly wings of vibrant red, orange and black. His eyes, dark and smouldering like a pair of coals, bore into Mira's own as he awaited her answer.
Mira let out the tiniest sigh of relief, inaudible to all save herself. Her tale had achieved its goal and now, as she raised her head and met his eyes, for the trivial part. Valour was well within her grasp, dame that she was.
"I accept thine challenge. Whatever quest I am to voyage upon, I shalt prove mine self to thee, and be reborn in glorious flame." No more needed to be said. Her determination had been set upon this path long ago, and now, she would at long last begin to reap its reward.
"Thou dost envision the art of soaring through the skies, thus thou must procure a sample of wings that we may forge for thee. How thou shalt attain such wings is thine own endeavour, as is fitting. Secondly, a delicate thread of gossamer to entwine thy cocoon. Lastly, a seed of a wondrous herb, to burgeon into a fresh and thrilling existence." Smoothly, the fae noble turned on his heel and returned to his sofa, waving his hand dismissively, even as he kept his gaze on the elf.
Mirana curtsied one last time before sweeping out of the cour. Now, her tasks awaited, for the classic rule of three was present in her story just as in all tales.
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้, saganatsu and Gabriel, who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
Mira's goal was a specific performance troupe centred around a large, garish yellow pavilion in the corner of this specific Cour. One of the NPCs here had a seemingly innocuous quest which potentially led to a Skill tutorial, involving a lost manuscript containing his lines for the troupe's incoming play. Mira glided through the strange atmosphere of the district, her own robes and style all too easily blending in as if she'd lived there all her life. Despite that, and the endless parade of curiosities, she let none of them distract from the tent that her eyes were set upon. For the world was ablaze with wonders, and these lacked the brilliance of what lay afield.
So not too soon after she entered, she stood before her first proper step upon her journey.
"Kids above do love when I practise in front of them." The human NPC grinned sheepishly. "Normally I bring with me older scripts so as to not spoil any of the director's upcoming plays. But recently I have been having some issues with my memory, black outs and such so I was worried about messing up the opening night. Worst thing is, I misplaced it!" The man wailed (quietly, impressively enough, avoiding the attention of his fellows). "There's a bit of a forested area in Tuileries I use for private practice, but when I went back to check it, I couldn't find it! Please, mon ami, I'll be in so much trouble if it gets leaked!"
Without a moment of hesitation, once his own lines were said, it was time to play her part. "Worry no more, o friend. For we are already upon the stage, are we not? To forget one's lines a most inestimable tragedy. I shalt return with thine script in hand, for I hath time for such an act." She waited not for his response, the system notification for her starting the Quest confirmation enough, before whirling around and walking straight towards the garden of Tuileries.
The biggest hassle of beelining between Ile-de-la-Cite, Cour des Miracles and Tuileries was the fact that to get to the last one from the second required one to pass through Ile regardless. Not something one would notice playing normally and merely stumbling on the quest but for Mira, it did end a little bit absurd.
The blossoming park was fairly packed with the NPCs, with Mira's target being a small grove near the bank of Seine. The manuscript for the troupe's quest chain was hidden underneath a rose bush at the edge of the grove and its possession was, in fact, required for the divergence.
Now, normally in MMOs sequence breaking a quest was impossible but thanks to Cardinal, SAO was something of an exception. Usually, one had to go through at least the first part of the troupe's questline until they got the Performance Skill before the hypothetical player would've been invited to a 'private performance' and given instructions on how to enter a small enclave of Feylands trapped in the city.
Or, if the player knew about the (very loose) mushroom ring around the grove, they could manually activate the gate, closing the circumference of the ring by removing a few iron and plastic items laid over it and then channelling magic into four specific mushrooms.
It was here that Mirana's methodology changed. Where before all her actions were with haste, she treated the fairy ring with reverence. Each piece of plastic and iron was gently removed, and properly disposed of, before she herself stood in the centre of the circle. Four runes drawn on the ground in loose chalk, all the same, each in the direction of the relevant fungus. "Laguz." Perhaps she had no need to call their name. But she did anyway.
"Freefall awaits the brave…"
With a quietly sung lyric, she activated the impromptu ritual.
The air around Mira rippled as if heated and the warmth blew across her face as well. The waves of almost visible heat attempted to lull her into drowsiness even as they bound outwards only to rebound from the edge of the mushroom ring. Once, twice, thrice. On the fourth rebound, The very scenery around Mira rippled and shifted, the small grove saturating with rich, vibrant hues. The park she had seen so far beyond the few trees changed too.
It was far more overgrown and blooming, flowers and trees and bushes. All with twisting, natural paths of dirt, the shadows under the trees illuminated by the softly glowing blue flowers and lazily drifting golden insects. A little slice of Feylands, trapped within the city with no way out. Mirana could only smile widely. The energy here felt far better than Paris did, after all.
A pair of fae men approached the grove, armed with shields and spear-staves. "Hold, mage!" The one on the right bellowed. "You enter the domain of Count Pervigeo of the Summer Court. What it is that you seek in the Summer's Embassy uninvited?"
"I am but a mere changeling, journeying that the traveller may return to the East, that spring may come once more, and that the wasteland may yet heal the dolorous stroke dealt upon it." She paused for a mere moment, taking in a breath. "But afore I may make mine quest, I must embrace mine true self. And so I hath come to the domain of faerie, offering a tale of mine own for perhaps a boon." For mere puppets she need not worry about the flowers of her words, they would comprehend regardless.
The guard on the right leaned back, tapping his arm with his spear-staff. "A great span has elapsed since a visitor upon our lord's domain like thee has treaded upon the paths of local faerie. Come, traveller, we shall accompany thee before the Count and there thee shall be able to make your bargain." His tone was light and his face jovial, the man clearly delighting in a more antiquated speech and mannerism as he bowed to Mira before he and his comrade escorted her. Vibrant as the parisian fairyland was, the eagerness with which Mira's procession grew, with tens of fey attaching themselves to the novelty of an 'uninvited' outsider spoke of the kind of mire and boredom only a confinement to the same space for decades could create.
So it was that, tailed by a veritable menagerie of colourful NPCs, Mira was admitted to an open air pavilion at the centre of Fairy Tuileries, where Count Pervigeo reclined on a massive rose as if it was a sofa.
As beings of stories, fairies tended to congregate around settlements of other races, but for those who swore allegiance to the Season Courts, the trappings of civilization those other races erected to live in oft became quite a bit more literal, preventing the fae of the Court from leaving. Such was the case of Pervigeo who until recently was able to communicate with the outside of the city simply by sailing the Seine. He livened the time of his own court by patronising performers from outside, all to supply his vassals with the stories for his court to live by.
The proper way to progress that quest would have been through the troupe's quest line where the player would become attached to the group on one such occasion and, being impressed by the performance, being offered a chance to transform into a fae. Meaning, a short quest to record the story of the player undergoing it, to spin the starting pattern of the newborn fae's tapestry. Of course, proper was something Mirana was anything but.
Shifting in his seat, the fae noble's dark eyes took Mira in before the man leaned back, fingers of his right hand beating a rhythm against his knee. "Verily, I bid my noble comrade Charles-Henri's latest creation with steadfast patience, when tidings doth reach mine ears of a trespasser who seeks me with intent, bearing a tale for mine attentive ear. This matter doth pique mine interest, hence I doth extend to thee an opportunity to manifest the veracity of thy vow."
With a gesture, other fae scattered around the pavilion, giving Mira space to perform as the Paris' Count of Flowers sat at attention. She listened as the count heard her request, curtsying at the appropriate moment. She took a deep breath, and so she sang. She could make no claim to having written the words herself, she was not so accomplished as to have done so. But they were from her soul all the same, a song of what she wished her story to be, a song of the stars she wished to grasp.
"Once upon a time a song was heard…"
Unbidden, a dream leapt to her mind. The dream of magic, of a new land, of freedom echoing through the cracks of the cage called reality.
"Giving birth to a child of earth and verse…"
Her dream was a dream of flight, of slipping through those cracks into a new world, a world where all could write their own stories. A world where she could write her own story.
And so, she sang.
"…Roaming on the endless prairie. Writing an endless story..."
As pink-red light glowed around her, she sang of hope. Hope for herself. For her future. That one day she could look back, and see how far she'd come.
"…Time to rest now and to finish the show, to become the music, one with Alpenglow."
She sang of her ending. She knew not when it would come, or where. But she knew it in her bones. One day, she would step into that tapestry of song and history herself. She could but pray that when the time came, her deeds would be worthy of their own songs.
Count Pervigeo remained silent for a moment, eyes closed and head tilted to the side. If not for the smallest of nods of his head, one could be mistaken for thinking him fallen asleep. The rest of his court remained, if not silent, then keeping their chatter quiet enough it remained a background noise to Mira. Eventually, however, the noble of the Summer Court opened his eyes with a gentle smile on his face and clapped politely, a signal for the rest to follow.
"A tale of great fascination, my noble guest. Indeed, most captivating! I have perceived the longing of thine heart echoing throughout thy narrative and do recognize it." The fairy man praised as he rose. "Yet, a metamorphosis such as thou dost desire doth not come lightly, nor without due cost."
"Verily, it may be less arduous for thee, given thy noble lineage, yet if thou desirest it to possess the strength of ancient oak, thou must couple valorous deeds with thine tale so that we may fashion thy shroud rightly." Count Pervigeo finished, stepping down from his throne to stand before Mira. He was tall and willowy, clad in intricately carved armour of some flexible manner of wood, his cloak up close in truth being the butterfly wings of vibrant red, orange and black. His eyes, dark and smouldering like a pair of coals, bore into Mira's own as he awaited her answer.
Mira let out the tiniest sigh of relief, inaudible to all save herself. Her tale had achieved its goal and now, as she raised her head and met his eyes, for the trivial part. Valour was well within her grasp, dame that she was.
"I accept thine challenge. Whatever quest I am to voyage upon, I shalt prove mine self to thee, and be reborn in glorious flame." No more needed to be said. Her determination had been set upon this path long ago, and now, she would at long last begin to reap its reward.
"Thou dost envision the art of soaring through the skies, thus thou must procure a sample of wings that we may forge for thee. How thou shalt attain such wings is thine own endeavour, as is fitting. Secondly, a delicate thread of gossamer to entwine thy cocoon. Lastly, a seed of a wondrous herb, to burgeon into a fresh and thrilling existence." Smoothly, the fae noble turned on his heel and returned to his sofa, waving his hand dismissively, even as he kept his gaze on the elf.
Mirana curtsied one last time before sweeping out of the cour. Now, her tasks awaited, for the classic rule of three was present in her story just as in all tales.
As Always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้, saganatsu and Gabriel, who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.