Floor 61: Selmburg somewhere in a fortress...:
January 2025, 20h00 (8:00 p.m.), Fort Drayob 2nd Floor, Infirmary:
A door is brutally opened by a group, accompanying an injured person.
*Bam* *Door opened*
Unknown voice 1: *Speaking French* Bring him here bordel! Il a needs emergency soins now!
He shouts in French but later speaks in Japanese ( or English for the story LOL I don't even speak or write Japanese but you know the lore of SAO, they are 97%, Japanese players).
Unknown voice 2: *Nervous* We need a doctor now our potions don't work! Where is he?!
Unknown voice 3: *Yelling at this person* Calm down! There is no need to panic, we will heal him and after...
As they let this person lie down on the bed they hear suddenly...
*BOOOOOOOM* *Huge explosion from the outside*
Unknown voice 4: *Surprised by the explosion* What was that?!
A young adult, who is the second chief in command along with his mates is shocked, that the explosion happened, and then they are interrupted by another person.
Phantom Wolf Messenger: WolvesKeeper! Intruders were detected in the main hall and the rooftop. It's been confirmed that they're attacking us! What are the orders WolvesKeeper?
This person looks at the leader, who is seriously injured, with a half-burned face and multiple injuries on his body waiting on his orders.
WolvesKeeper: *Difficulty to breath, trying to tell something* *cough* *cough* Go defend our positions now! *Cough* We need... to prioritize the safety of our Wolves and our HQ. Argh! Alert... everyone on the Aincraid, the enemies who are attacking us, I swear of my blood *cough* *cough* even if it's virtual... that we will NOT lose this battle. Do you hear me? *Cough* *cough* If we lose..., then all of the actions we have done and all the hopes we brought until now will vanish, and everyone will die in this death game. It's them or us, is that clear?
The messenger answers back...
PW Messenger: Roger that Wolf I will do it, pour « Les Meutes des Loups Fantômes Azuréens »!!! (Name of their organization)
WolvesKeeper: Pour Les Meutes des Loups Fantômes Azuréens! *Cough* *cough*
The Leader of his guild shares his possible last wishes with his sub-leaders the Shadows Wolves Keepers on their possible last moments together...
WolvesKeeper: *Speaking French* Ma chère famille, mes chère amis, it's hard to say but, this battle could be the last for us, after all these years, our main enemy has decided to use his most important card. I would prefer to confess for all of you after we were done clearing the game but..., merci all of you after what we have done together: Rogue; Strike; Ghost; Chimera; Prophet; Oath... it's up to you all to decide on our future.
Especially you OathKeeper, my eternal second aux commandes, you helped me and « he », rebuild a strong guild, you were here to take care of the guild while we were with her or when we weren't here, just thank you we owe you one if we are out of this danger but *cough* *cough*...
Then his friends tell to him...
ChimeraKeeper: Dude...
GhostKeeper: Seriously ...
RogueKeeper: But...
StrikeKeeper: Will you...
ProphetKeeper: Please...
OathKeeper: With our respect for you...
All of them shout at him...
SHADDUP WOLF! FERME-LÀ!
The Leader is shocked about their reaction.
WolvesKeeper: *Is lost by what he hears* Quoi? What?
The OathKeeper shouts to him in French.
OathKeeper: *Yelling to him* Sérieusement, ferme là! Shut up! You're still alive! so it's not the moment to pronounce his last wishes! Don't worry, we will succeed in defending Fort Drayob, we and the Phantoms Wolves remember, we will protect you and the others. What will she say if you are no longer here? Did you think about her?! Pense à elle aussi!!!
After hearing that the WolvesKeeper stops talking, and then the OathKeeper gives the objectives to his mates.
OathKeeper: *Giving orders in French* Ok, Shadows Keepers, on y va to the forbidden armoury, and let's go use our experimental weapons against them!
The Shadows Keepers: ROGER!
Hopefully, an NPC doctor the one who works with the Wolves arrives in the room before the Shadows Wolves Keepers leave their leader, and take care of his injuries. The leader talks to himself after that.
WolvesKeeper: *Speaking in a depiction way in French* What would she say..., if... she was still alive with me... and even if she was, would she talk to me again after what I did to this world...?
Then the WolvesKeeper tells someone to take the rest...
WolvesKeeper: *Summoning someone* Kamui? If you hear me, you can take the rest after I'm healed... I'm done.
Minutes later...
15 minutes after the invasion:
The Shadows Keepers sprint away in the direction of the Wolf Forbidden Armory on the 3rd floor of their HQ, a huge room containing lots of the rarest and most powerful weapons & gears in this world. Even, forbidden weapons are stored there. These weapons are so dangerous that could hurt everyone and kill their users if they're not used wisely. Then suddenly, the Shadows Wolves Keepers Team encounters 9 enemies in front of them.
ChimeraKeeper: *Pointing the enemies* Hostiles detected, in front of us! LafCoff hostiles are confirmed!
StrikeKeeper: *Motivated to fight* Leave them to me.
The Keepers: Bonne chance MadKing!
StrikeKeeper (MadKing): Yeah yeah...
MadKing aka the StrikeKeeper rushed on the hostiles players with his 2-hands Axe, and just before the hostiles react, Madking begins his attack...
*Quick and brutal attacks* *Slash* *Slash*
Hostile guy 1: Sh#t we are spotted, guys?! I need some... *Slash* *Beheaded*
The head of this guy was cut, and his body was split in half by MadKing with an Axe skill named [Hatchet Eruption] and fell to the ground before disappearing into data fragments.
*Fragments burst*
Hostile guy 2: Erkkkkk! *Alerted and panicked* The StrikeKeeper is here! He is here! *Stuttering* G-g-g-go go fight for PoH! ATTACK! *Slash* Aeghhhhhh! Dam you StrikeKeeper you motherf# *Slash* *Body cut in half* *Fragments burst*
Before he finishes swearing he is already dead by a [Rock Spilt] Axe Skill, and then Madking stares at the remains hostiles talk to them.
StrikeKeeper (MadKing): *Very angry under the adrenaline* LafCoff intruders, I give you 2 choices: La Mort ou la Torture? Death or Desolation?
The hostile LafCoff assassins scared about his 2 brutal kills, stay frozen in place until one of them is scared and throws a poisoned Kunai but it was thrown too far away from MadKing which pissed off him.
StrikeKeeper (MadKing): *Determinated on their fates* So you have chosen death then..., no problem I will give you good suffering. Maybe you are right now on an Orange or Red icon status but, I am on a Purple icon status so I will have no remorse or problem with killing you! Bande de sales merdes!
2 assassins rush on him and attack first, but are blocked by MadKing's Axe. He kicks in the balls on one of the LafCoff which paralyses him.
Hostile LafCoff guy 3: *Nuts broken* *Voice cracked* Arghhhhhh, fuck you!
Then MadKing StrikeKeeper charges against the other LafCoff into the walls and then tries to cut him in his belly, but the 4th LafCoff avoids it, and the Axe is stuck into the wall, which gives time to him to counter on MadKing. The LafCoff player tries to cut his neck but MadKing avoids it by putting his body down with a tackle and leaving a left blow on his belly, which this LafCoff belch out his saliva with his head now stuck by MadKing's arms. The Strike now sprints on the wall with his head and takes a [Tornado DDT] Bare Hands wrestling skill.
His head is now crushed hard in the ground, with his neck broken and his entire body paralyzed. Then, MadKing picks up his Axe again and penetrates the 4th LafCoff body, which a few seconds later dies of his fatal injuries. He cuts the 3rd LafCoff's head on his back, which leaves his body still kneeling without its head before disappearing. MadKing is searching for the 5 LafCoff members left but they flew away from this confrontation.
StrikeKeeper (MadKing): *Disappointed* Dommage, they don't die now. I will find them later and make suffering on my way.
So he picks up again his Axe as with some other weapons stolen and rejoins his teammates soon after.
Minutes later...
35 minutes after the attack:
The S.W.K.T. (Shadows Wolves Keepers Team) finally arrives at the forbidden armoury but they are stuck in front of the heavily reinforced door...
ChimeraKeeper: *Swearing in French* Putain de bordel de merde! The door won't open! As expected, the security protocol has been activated, we need the digital code and the password to open it.
RogueKeeper: Hum... Oath? Didn't you change the password yesterday?
OathKeeper: Yep, and if I'm not wrong it's..., let's me tap it so the code it's 0-0-0-0 *code worked* and the password is Drayob *password worked*
The door is unlocked, with the fury of the RogueKeeper who cannot believe the security codes.
RogueKeeper: *Sigh* You fucking kidding me?! Who da hell on Earth in our days, still uses these to protect an important room with sh#t codes ?! A-BRU-TI (MO-RON)!!
The OathKeeper swears on him.
OathKeeper: *Showing him a middle finger* Oh ferme là bro! At least la porte is unlocked, come on, help me to open it.
Rogue and Ghost are helping Oath to open it, and it's finally done but when the room is fully accessible, the team is beginning to equip themselves.
Minutes later...
40 minutes after the invasion:
The S.W.K.T. is now equipped with heavy equipment (which is very modern and quite futuristic in a fantasy world like the Aincrad) along with the most dangerous melee and ranged weapons crafted with the rarest stones and materials of this world. The OathKeeper asks the team if they are ready.
OathKeeper: *Finishing loading his crossbow* Ok les gars, are you ready?
Shadows Keepers: YES OATH!
The OathKeeper calls all his Phantoms Wolves by their audio system, their only guild's Arcanas crystal.
OathKeeper: *Alerting all the Wolves on the radio in French* Attention! Warning! Alerte rouge! Je répète, red alert! To all the Phantoms Wolves, the QG is well and truly under attack! This is not an exercise. Je répète this IS NOT AN EXERCISE! ABSOLUTE ORDER for everyone to defend the base! Keep the children and the wounded safe for the time of the defence! The reinforcements should arrive in about 20 minutes! Over.
All the Phantoms Wolves hearing the message answer back...
Phantoms Wolves: ROGER THAT MAÎTRE SERMENTEUR! OVER.
OathKeeper: And one last thing the Packs, remember no Coffins, protocol Mass Murder authorized, over.
The Phantoms Wolves shout a warcry and then go fully into the battle to defend their headquarters, ready to lose their lives if they must do so.
The Shadows Keepers leave the Armory and begin cleaning all floors of the castle.
Meanwhile in the infirmary...
WolvesKeeper: *Suffering from his burns* Arghhhhhhh! Doc can you speed up s'il vous plaît?! I must defend my base quickly *getting bandages* Argh! Bordel! It's hurt!
The NPC doctor applies bandages on his body and face.
Doctor: Ok listen to me you little piece of sh#t, if you want to be treated quickly, lie down and let me use my experimental potions.
The Leader is mistrustful of the potions since he knows well the doctor.
WolvesKeeper: *Doubting* Euh... Doc? Are you sure your potions are not mortal for me? I mean, do you remember that time when you transformed me into a cat? Or that time I became a dog? Or worse when I was fully blind and deaf for about 3 weeks?
Doctor: Yeah yeah, now quiet and drink these!
He opens his mouth and drinks the potions even if they have a taste that he hates.
*Glup*, *glup*, *glup*, *glup* *cough*
Wolf finished drinking them when suddenly he felt light and began to be very very tired, he asked the doctor what he was drinking.
WolvesKeeper: *Questioning him* Doctor... can you please tell me what did I drink?
Doctor: You just drink a fast sleep potion, you will sleep and rest quickly. And while you sleep, I will operate on you, so the effects should last for hours, and normally after that, you will be fully recovered and ready to fight again, if the raid is still on in your HQ...
WolvesKeeper: Oh je vois (I see), it's weird to be forced to sleep to do that, but at least..., if I can rest well..., ok, *Begin to be tired* I want to put an end to this disaster... *Begins to lose consciousness* I hope you guys are safe over there. *Sigh* If only the game wasn't a death game since the beginning *zzzzz*...
He finally sleeps and the Doctor puts a medical blanket on him to operate on his critical wounds...
Long minutes later...
Where I am?
Why it's so dark?
Am I back here again isn't it?
The WolvesKeeper is now walking in his dream and meets 2 people he knows very well: one who is far out of this world and the other who is next to him, this person talks to the Wolf
The Unknown person: *Sitting on a bench* Wolf, can you tell me their stories? I'm quite interested in their past, after all... without them, they wouldn't have formed the guild after all.
WolvesKeeper: You wonder what happened right? Ok, *sitting on the bench too* I will tell you of the events until now..., and you can read their reports with this book. *Giving the book to the unknown person* So, where to begin hum, oh oui, it all started almost 1 year and a half ago...
Flashbacks...
It all started in 2022, precisely in August 2022, he was 17 at the time, when he heard on the news, about a new technology that could change the video games industry. That could dethrone the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and even the PC Master Race. It was named the NerveGear, created by Professor Kayaba Akihiko and his team, it was the real first full VR gear, not like the PSVR or the HTC VR or the Steam VR or even the MetaQuest Pro, nope, you put this on your head and it's your brain who do the job, yeah it's like that you can interact in your dream.
The Unknown person: Oh interesting.
WolvesKeeper: He was very hyped about that, and he decided to be part of the 1st game to be released on the NerveGear, and it was called: [Sword Art Online]. It was developed by Argus Studio the same game company that made [Alfthem Online] and [Gun Game Online] on PC and consoles. He was back at his home in Osaka when one of his closest friends Jean-Luc sent a message.
*iPhone notification*
Jean-Luc: « Yo poto, I have some good news for you, you will be the 1407th player who will have the privilege to try the beta version of Sword Art Online, you will normally receive in 2 days the NerveGear and the program to download the game so... yeah congratulations poto! 🎊🎉 »
He couldn't believe it because there was a lot of demand for that product.
Chris: Oh mon Dieu c'est dingue! (It's crazy!) I have to tell my friends when I'm back home.
August 3rd 2022, 14h00 ( 2:00 p.m.), Minato-Ku Osaka, House of the Jerichos, Chris' bedroom (Le Sanctuaire du Geek):
(Pinterest Riri Fiera: https://pin.it/63YociY)
Chris was on vocal in Discord with his French friends living in the same region as him. They were at the same time, jealous and happy for him.
Eddie: *Surprised* Purée Christophe, you are freaking lucky! You will have to tell us about your experience when you are in the game mec.
Chris: Yep.
Vincent: *Excited* Can you show us your VR gear?
Chris: Sure... no problem, attendez. *Showing the NerveGear to his friends*
Everyone got their jaws down when they saw the NerveGear.
Vincent: Mon Dieu! (My God!), it's big for a gaming console!
Émilie: So you put this on your head and then what do you do to start a game?
Chris: I must say "Link Start", and the gear puts me on instant sleep, which after the game is launched in my brain and my mind.
Eddie: If I'm not wrong, SAO is the 3rd game made by the studio Argus whose it's their 1st full VRMMORPG, while ALO and GGO are still traditional console PC games.
Émilie: Indeed and normally the players who already played these 2 games can have few bonuses, thanks to being loyal to their games ^^.
Chris: *Hitting his gaming chair of affirmation* Fortunately they do that! Otherwise, I would try the game later.
Vincent: Bref, mec enjoy it, according to your feedback we will maybe buy it or not lol ^^.
Chris: Don't worry, I will convince you to buy it otherwise I will TK you in the next BoB on GGO ^^.
Everyone laughs because they know that Chris can do that to Vincent (because he has already ruined a huge win with him)
Émilie: *Is nostalgic* Hopefully you haven't done that with your e-sport team before you stopped doing the tournaments. *Sigh* I miss your team.
Chris: *A bit sad* I know..., but you know that's the better for all. *Discord notification*
Chris receives a message from J-L that his account is ready to use, he tells his friends that he will log in to the game.
Chris: Guys, I leave you here my NerveGear and the game is ready to be used. I log out now, and Ém, I know that you would to watch me and them again in action, but one day... we will make a comeback. That's a promise.
Vincent: Okay, ciao mec! Have a good game!
Émilie: Bisous Christophe, enjoy well. I will make sure that I will not forget your promise, Chris.
Eddie: Bon jeu poto!
*Discord logs out*
Chris logs out in Discord and soon joins his bed, he puts his NerveGear on his head, lies down, and says...
Chris: *A little bit anxious but very excited* Well I think it's time to explore this game... I hope it will be good... after all, J-L was so annoying to talk about it 24/7. Anyway, Geronimo et... *fingers snapped*
*LINK START*
His mind is now diving into the NerveGear system and it is checking all the main parameters to do:
Touch: OK
Sight: OK
Hearing: OK
Taste: OK
Smell: OK
Please select your language: English/French/Japanese
Tap your account and password :
Account: ********
Password: ************
Identity confirmed, would you like to log in as Chris? Y/N
Yes
Would you like to customize your appearance? Y/N
Yes
You can now customize your character.
Chris: *Trying to determine his face* Ok alors... how I will be in the game? Firstly, not my real visage, out of questioning that they recognize me. *Selecting his gender* Not a girl, I'm not part of these players. Hum, maybe this one. *Selecting his size* Very little on the size. *Selecting his hair* Maybe this one, I like these hairs. *Selecting the eyes and their colours* Let's pick red. *Selecting details on the face* Hum nothing for now, maybe at the end of the beta I will add some scars for the style. Anyway, done, so where I confirm my appearance?
Are you sure that you want to want to create your character with the current settings? OK/CANCEL
OK
Welcome to
Sword Art Online
Chris: *Very excited* Oh bon sang, I'm so hyped! Aincraid me voilà!!
*Aincrad's world environment displaying*
The Hub finally disappears to let the world create on itself, and now his adventures in the beta phase of the game will begin soon...
À suivre...
Fin du chapitre / End of the chapter: