The Player(Sumi)

[SpecialKay]

Kotaro diverted his gaze to the ruckus emanating from a group of individuals in the alley off to the side of the street in the main town he was on, in level 9. Supposedly they were some sort of fucked up guild with some kind of bullshit agenda for what they wanted to do in what remained of the world of SAO. It wasn't strange for groups with more malicious intentions to gather and grow in size as they came to the realization that there was little if any chance in escaping the fucked up world created by Akihiko Kayaba. Many players had gone mentally insane upon announcement day of the real meaning of the worlds creation. As for Kotaro, who went by the name of Kota in games like this, he simply played. The need to surpass all expectations, all beliefs, and even further was what he intended to do. The chance to save all players from the game, and free them back into the real world...that was his one true goal.

The group wasn't the highest of levels, simply average due to the equipment he saw on them. However the cloaks they wore obviously distinguished them from the others, his eyes furrowed together as he looked through his own inventory. He had looted a boar a few hours prior that provided him with the same cloak, a rare drop of course. Equipping it he was unsure what to do, and simply followed the group from behind. They were heading towards a bridge on the outskirts of the town, that was obvious for as they arrived they all ducked behind bushes, Kotaro simply doing the same by following close behind. They were waiting...for something.

It wasn't until a single lone woman appeared on the bridge that the entirety of the guild hopped out from their hiding spots. The entire group surrounding her on the bridge. What were they planning on doing?bthose sadistic fucks could do anything with numbers like that to a line player...especially one who looked not much higher than any of the players who surrounded them. It wasn't until the first one spoke up he understood what was happening.

"Give us the sword...or die."It was a lone man, his face shrouded by the shadow casted from the top of his hood. His voice was deep, yet he wasn't much large than Kotaro himself, in fact the figure was relatively lanky. Yet, it was obvious he took on the leadership role, for he was the first to place a hand on his own weapon. Kota furrowed his eyebrows together, his hand instinctively dropping to his side as he placed a finger against the hilt of his blade watching to see what the woman was doing.

Surely the woman is going to comply...no way in hell would someone keep some sort of lowly sword for themselves when they could live. The thought seemed like the only logical answer, yet little did Kota not realize just how wrong he was. Even though he was a beater from the beta stages, he was still not quite well rehearsed on everything in the world. Let alone the small specifics of every and all weapons and equipment alike in the god forsaken game. Hell...he could be mistaken for a newbie at some points...were it not for his immaculate skill and ability to power level like no other.

 

[Sumi]

It was pretty obvious that she was followed all this time. Or at least, that she was watched all this time. After all, it wasn't big news that some people kept an eye on her, and mostly because of one troublesome item she possessed. That one valuable item was her sword, The Red Thorn, the only one sword existent with this unique ability to increase the attack damage by doubling it. Thus, the higher level of the player, the more powerful it would be. Though, nobody else aside from her really knew the details about it and the bad sides of this miraculous sword. Reika, also known as simply Rei inside the game, was given the sword by a friend who already passed away some weeks ago. And just as soon as the friend was gone and she was left with the sword, the problems raised. The rumors spread around somehow and before she knew it, everyone was tracking her to get The Red Thorn. In the first couple of weeks, she managed quite well, given that most of them had no idea the sword could be taken by someone else only, and only if the initial possessor would die. It was an item that couldn't be gifted, traded or stolen, maybe just lost in the worst case.

Now, imagine what happened the next second everyone found out the sword could be taken if she would be killed. That's right. Everyone plotted to murder her. But what was she to do? She was stuck with this sword, and neither did she want to leave it somewhere else and abandon it, because it was a symbolic gift from her friend and it did help her a lot in fighting the tougher monsters. Another bad thing about The Red Thorn, however, was the illogical break time of attack. With every level up, she was bound to have more frequent break times, her sword deciding to stop working in simple terms every time she would reach a number of hits. Sure, it wouldn't be such a big problem, but when she would have to fight more than one monster or person, in this case, she would be in disadvantage. It was one thing to avoid attacks from one, but too many it would be too much for her to handle. Having an useless item for a couple of moments every now and then was certainly annoying.

And there she was now, heading to nowhere and hoping that she would somehow lose the men who followed her. They had to be completely stupid to follow her as a group, since it would be easier to notice them. That, and she couldn't understand how would they 'share' the sword if they actually managed to kill her and get it from them. Wouldn't it only start another fight until just one would be alive? Idiots. Then again, she had to admit she did find herself in a shitty situation. There were no Teleport Crystals left in her inventory and she couldn't just run now. Not without dealing with some damage with her back unprotected.

Once she reached the bridge, the bastards showed up, and of course, the leader had to talk first. Rei couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fact that they didn't quite understand how things worked. Seemed like these ones didn't hear the rumors yet. "If I could give you this, I really would, because lately it's giving me too much trouble. But, unfortunately for you, I can't. Sorry that you didn't hear the news, but the sword can't be given away. The Red Thorn will stay in my possession whether I want it or not, until I die." she briefly explained, before she tucked a long blonde strand of hair behind her ear and then her hand swiftly moved to her side, taking the well-known and wanted sword out of its red ribbon sheath. "So, I guess I'll have to die first, before you can get your dirty hands on it." she replied in the end, taking no more time to waste around, dashing forward to strike first, and only to be parried by her opponent for a short moment.

Even so, once she got the hang of it, she finally caught a moment of carelessness from his part to deal some heavy damage. For a short period she was quite optimistic about the outcome seeing as how the others seemed to wait instead of attacking as well, probably to avoid killing each other by mistake in the process, else she couldn't explain it. But everything good had a limit, and just as she was about to strike another couple of blows towards another, the sword decided to act up on her once again. The one she had her sword pointed to, was now confused when he noticed the HP wasn't going any lower in spite of the hit. At that, she quickly attempted to retreat only to bump into someone else's sword, the sharp tip of it digging slightly into her back as a warning. "Last chance. Hand over the sword." Rei could've sworn these guys were idiots. What part of 'the sword can't be handed' was hard to understand?

 

[SpecialKay]

Kota watched with strange intensity, his eyes focused on the group before him as he seemed to become more and more intrigued as they went on. It was clear that they wanted her sword, yet he didn't quite understand why they would go to such an extent...to simpl attain one single sword. As she reacted he raised an eyebrow his eyes following her...relatively reckless attack, yet the manner in which the mans health bar dropped revealed...she did a shit ton of damage. It wasn't uncommon for the group to retaliate...but the fact that they were all ready to attack at once...created a sour taste in his mouth.

"Red thorn hm?"Kotaro tasted the word in his mouth as he gently bit his lower lip, eyes furrowing together as he looked to the group once more. There was no plan, honestly...who in the fuck planned things anymore anyways? His fingers popped the sword out of it's sheath only slightly with his thumb as he began to stand up. Moving slowly, his silent step skill was relatively high so he was completely unheard. It was a brisk walk if anything, the group clearly not having noticed him which was simply beneficial to him.

Then it happened, the first man raised his sword in an attempt to attack. Just as quick, Kotaro extended his left hand, grabbing the man by the shirt and pulling him backwards. At the same moment he swept his leg under his legs and forced him onto his back. As the man landed on the floor he used his foot and stepped on the mans face with a loud and audible crack. A single sliver of his health left, however he was incapacitated. Although he was all for violence of course, he was most definitely not a killer.

"All of you...get out of here before you do something stupid."Azazel spoke. The figures dark hair fell from the hood that obscured his face. His hand never shiftin from his sword as the group suddenly figured that they weren't going to face just the girl any longer. A smirk on his lips as he expected that to work, after his display of skill of course. Then again...no one said that robbers and murderers were intelligent people.

The leader was the first to retaliate, the rest of the group following suit, their swords raised high as they brought it down against his body, over, and over and over. Metal upon his body created a sound which resonated throughout the area until the finally tuckered out satisfied with their display of skill. However they soon looked to his health bar, barely a sliver of his health was gone and he simply smiled.

"Bad choice."Kotaro spoke, his sword popping out of it's sheath. A large silver blade attached to a black hilt brandished itself as he produced a wide smile. The blade sailing through the air with ease, the speed and power behind it causing it to whistle with each move. Figures left and right dropped, once again with barely a slice of health left. It wasn't until he got to the boss that he paused. His foot brought down on his knees as he raised the sword to his chin, his eyes squinting as he looked to him. He wouldn't be able to see him obviously...but...it still was a natural habit.

"You despicable man...attacking a lady in a group...that's plain rude."Kota spoke, his foot pressed to his chest as he smashed the hilt of his sword against the mans face. Incapacitated, and nearly dead he turned to the figure in the middle of the bridge. His hand raised as he began to move it quickly back and forth beckoning her to leave. "Run along now."

 

[Sumi]

Blue eyes averted to the sudden appearance of someone who at the first glance was supposed to be one of the group given the cloak. However, to her surprise, this one went against his own leader. That is, if he really was a part of this group of bastards. And even so, she doubted he would be able to help her much since they were too many. Sure, the fact that he put down the first man so quickly did impress her quite a little bit, but she figured she would have to hurry up and help him unless she wanted to have someone die because of her. Mentally cursing her sword for being so slow with recovering its ability, she reluctantly watched from aside, only to be left mouth hanging at the sight of everyone attacking the poor guy who wanted to play the hero.

It took her quite a minute to finally realize that something was wrong. Normally, if he would reach the limit, he would quickly disappear into thin air, yet he was still there. Then she actually spotted it. This one was no newbie. In fact, she had a feeling she was the newbie one here, because from the looks of it, not even a group could take him down. Could it be possible for someone to become so strong in such a short time from the release of the game? Highly impossible from her point of view.

As surprised and amazed as she was at first, she only observed that her sword could be used again only after her savior was done with all of the men who were after her and her sword. The strength, the speed, the moves, it was as if he was naturally gifted. Well, for a game player anyway. Nevertheless, Rei was astonished and somewhat envious at the same time.

She would usually be flattered by such chivalrous words, but the blondie knew better. Besides, she knew that appearances could be deceiving. This could be a trap, a set up to get her sword. After all, it was certainly suspicious how this guy showed up at the right time. Yet, she seemed to be mistaken as he suddenly motioned for her to leave and go on her way. Rei just blinked at that. Swiftly replacing her sword into the sheath, she quietly thought it over. Someone as powerful as him could maybe just do the job. Maybe this kind of person was the one she needed now, to make sure she would be safer in the future. And maybe this way she would get rid of a good amount of followers.

"Thank you, for the help. Though, I'm not really the type to run away, so don't worry about me." she spoke before stepping towards him. "My name is Rei. Say, mister hero, would you like to have this sword?" she questioned, obviously hiding something behind that mere question. But first, she had to test him out and see if he was after her sword as well. "It's caused me trouble until now, and I'd rather give it away to someone who would use it properly. Besides, I should probably repay you for helping me out." she added, smiling slightly.

 

[SpecialKay]

Kota noticed the figure was still standing there, his eyebrows furrowing together as he tried to imagine what in the fucking world compelled her to stay. Does she lack a brain? Or is she plain deaf? Kotaro looked to the woman, she was most definitely a gorgeous woman. After all were reverted to real life appearances, he was taken aback slightly that a woman of her beauty would spend time on such a lackluster game as this. His hand sheathed his blade once more, the audible clicking echoed trough the nearby area as she began to approach him. He was ready to I sheath his sword before she finally sheathed her own.

"I need not bother you with my name."Kota replied a small sigh escaping his lips, a hand extended upwards as he pulled the hood down from his cloak. Revealing his pale face, and piercing blue eyes, long black locks accenting his figure as he peered at the girl before him. "No, I don't the damn thing. It seem unreliable, and too much of a burden for me to even want to carry. You're simply lucky I found this...whatever the fuck up to no good."Kota said calmly, his hand once again ushering her away. "Run along now before you get yourself killed."It was simply words of advice that he assumed any low level player would understand. His eyes however squinted as she offered to repay him. "No, I don't need to be repaid or anything of that sort."Kotaro said with a small sigh as he turned on his heels. It was time for him to conquer the level anyway. Oh, yeah forgot to mention, the leader of the front liners was no other than Kotaro himself. However, no one knew of his true identity, simply receiving messages and the like anonymously from couriers and other methods.

The dungeon was a calm twenty minute walk from their location, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he attempted to put as much space between this... 'Rei' character and himself. However with every waking moment he could feel it, small tantalizing eyes staring holes into his back as if he were some sort of uncooked meat. Not faltering as he attempted to make some sort of bluff, one that he was clearly capable of. "Get away before I kill you myself."

 

[Sumi]

While hearing that he wasn't interested into her sword made her feel relieved, the way he talked to her like she was some useless annoying newbie drove her crazy. With madness, of course. Here she was, trying to be polite and he didn't even bother with telling her his name. Well, he was indeed quite good looking, she couldn't deny that, but his attitude made her want to kick his ass until it was sore. Thus, a scowl showed soon on her pretty face, her arms crossed under her chest as she listened to what he had to say. He didn't need anything from her, huh? Quiet a good deal, given she was tired of people being obssessed with her sword. But what could she say?

And then, before she knew it, he turned his back on her. Rei parted her lips in shock. Could this guy be any meaner? Yep, appearances were sure deceiving. "Oh, so after playing the chivalrous guy now you act high and mighty and ignore me?" she called out, before giving him a death glare. He really kept walking. A forced smile made its way on her face. She had to do something else she would not feel alright.

"I see... I'm guessing that you're one of those guys who can't cope with women. Or rather, they're scared of them. Or is it the doubt that you can't protect another person aside from yourself, so having me follow would be a much too harder task for you? Mhm... I wonder which it is... Maybe both?" she inquired, obviously to taunt him.

 

[SpecialKay]

As she spoke his ears perked up slightly, she was petty much accusing him of being a horrible person or some kind of bullshit like that. It was simple, he helped her, and she felt some sense of entitlement that dictated due to the fact he was a man and alive, that it was his duty to protect her. Or some kind of chivalrous bullshit like that, true he did enjoy assisting those in need...however when people speak with an aura of entitlement...to say the least, the fucks he could give could be counted with zeros. However the more she continued on, the more he laughed. Her words were enough to ease him from his usual daily woes of being trapped in a game that could literally result in the death of him, and many others around him. It was a strange truth...how one simple measly girl could change his view on what was happening around him.

"Well..I'm trying, but it doesn't work so well when you just keep blabbing on and on and on." Kota simply looked forward still moving without bothering to take a look back at the woman who trailed behind him. "Cope with women? I don't believe I ever said that did I? However...the overbearing individual like yourself, who needs someone to protect her everywhere she goes for the rest of her god damn life...yeah no I'd rather not protect one of those."Kota retorted a small laugh escaping his lips.

Turning swiftly he began to walk on his back feet, the cloak disappearing from his body to reveal clothing that grabbed every crevace of his being in just the right places. Revealing, even in the real world he was relatively...muscular. "I can protect a fucking army to be honest, but I'd rather not have a newbie follow me to what will most definitely be her death." Kota said with a small chuckle, his eyes squinting as he looked to the young figure. "Now run along before you get lost in these woods, you don't need to enter the dungeon." Kota said calmly, as the trees behind him parted to reveal a large door embellished in silver embroidery. Just inside of it as the doors opened was a safe room, there the front liners were collected. A plethora of higher level players arming up and preparing for the battle before them.

 

[Sumi]

Rei had come to a conclusion. He was getting on her nerves with his arrogance and there she was, following him like a lost puppy or something. Wasn't this humiliating enough? But no, he just kept pointing out how helpless she was and how much of a troublesome one she would be. "I'm not that damn weak as to need being protected 'all' the time for the rest of my life." she quickly corrected him, somehow hoping that her stares could hurt him enough to make him feel sorry for what he's saying.

A look of surprise showed on her face as he turned around and removed his cloak to flaunt his muscles. He was indeed quite handsome on another note. But why was she thinking of such a matter anyway? Eye-catching or not, he was still mean, so she would just be an idiot if she let the appearances fool her. "Oh, really? You think I'm that easy to kill? I'd like to see you try kill me by yourself." she taunted, confident enough that she could take on a single player, even as powerful as he was. After all, that's what she was good at, the most. In spite of the breaks her sword would usually take, it was because she knew the behavior of the Red Thorn, that she was now agile enough to dodge and avoid most of the attacks during the short period she would have to cope without her sword. Practice is what leads to perfection, so Rei did follow that advice and tried to better her skills.

Being unable to protect herself in case she was surrounded by a group was her weakness, but that was why she was this intent on persuading this stranger to let her come along. She needed someone who could help in such cases. No, in fact, she didn't need to be entirely protected. She just needed some aid at the times she would be unable to use the Red Thorn. And given how many people wanted her sword, even the ones who had a higher level than her, she did need someone like the one she was currently following.

Another frown followed as he told her to leave. Should she just give up like that, or pester on? But, there was a dungeon he was going to, and unfortunately, she doubted she would be able to come out alive of this with her lower level. However, if she did manage to do something like help out and somehow stay alive... maybe she would make him change his mind. Besides, whether she died now, or died later at the hand of one of those groups who were after her, it would be the same thing. If she did manage to do as she planned, she would at least win something out of this. Peaking around him, she scowled again. But only because there were a lot more players gathered for this battle, all of them a higher level. Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, she took a few moments to come to a final decision.
She would do this. She would follow him and take a risk.

 

[SpecialKay]

Kotaro nodded to fellow players that approached him, the entire group had begun brainstorming ideas for the last few hours as to how to take down the boss, due to the creature being relatively reckless the group was unsure what to do exactly. The only thing they knew was that the armadillo creature which was ridden with spikes protruding from it's shell and body was very dangerous. It was fast, and unpredictable in it's movements and attacks therefore it was difficult for a collected group of frontliners to figure out how to retaliate, however that didn't matter...for even though they didn't know, Kotaro was better at things of this sort than he would let people know.

"Sorry to disappoint you...but I don't kill people for no reason."Kotaro spoke calmly, his hands running over papers and objects the group had put together to prepare for the fight, occassionally turning to assist a player as he could simply feel the woman following close behind. It was becoming rather tedious, having a girl follow you like some sort of lost puppy separated from it's owner. His eyebrows furrowed together as he redirected his attention to her once again.

"I'm warning you one more time, get out of here before you get yourself hurt. This isn't anything a normal low level like yourself can handle....especially this one in specific."Kotaro adjusted the bracers that were wrapped around his arm as he turned to her once again. His hands both extended placing themselves on her shoulder as he forcibly turned her around. "Now run along before you get any more hurt." Kotaro said pushing her forward just in time for the group to open the doors. His eyes looked down into the empty room, just as the armadillo creature crashed through the ceiling.

"No time to pussy out men! Let's kill the fucker!"Kota exclaimed, his hand unsheathing his sword as he lead the charge into the room. It wasn't going to be an easy fight, but it wasn't necessarily impossible either. Kotaro was always the first to strike, his quick and elegant movements as he struck the creature beneath his armor and in between the spikes making the fight look more like...a dance than anything else.

 

[Sumi]

Reika could only frown again at his statement, as if he was one hundred percent confident that he could kill her with no difficulties. This is how instead of looking like someone who actually sought help from another, looked like a prideful stubborn person who kept on pestering someone else. She was intent on following him until he would give in, because this was too much of a good deal to be ignorant about it. As much as she hated to beg for something of some stranger and make herself look like a pitiful one, she figured it would be a worthy sacrifice of her pride. At least until she would be out of this stupid dangerous game.

Once he did pay attention to her, however, he was just as disrespectful. While she did appreciate his 'caring' nature, it annoyed her to be called a normal low level. Even if it was damn true. "I'm not that-" she tried to protest before suddenly being turned around, forced to leave. "But-" she added quickly, turning her head to see that the doors to the dungeon room opened. The expression on her face as she saw the monster was enough to show that she somehow understood what he was talking about earlier.

And yet, in spite of the fact that something in the back of her mind told her it was a bad idea, something else told her that maybe she could handle this somehow. After all, once she put her mind to it, she could do anything. A line she always told herself at the worst cases. Blue eyes averted to the one she has been following until then, noticing his swift and somehow graceful moves. Even though he did have a big mouth, he really had some fine skills. Well, maybe that wasn't such big news given that that was the reason she wanted to follow him.

It wasn't until she saw the door closing that she instinctively moved forward, as if some strange force pushed her to enter the danger zone. Or maybe it was just the fear that she would lose track of him if she didn't follow him everywhere. Or that she would lose a good chance to prove him something. Once in front of the battle scene, Rei did find herself a bit stunned. This was no usual boss. It was probably a first for her to see something like this. But, she didn't have any other choice, did she? She was now trapped inside and the only thing she could do was to do something helpful. But what? Her health bar was probably a quarter of what everyone else had. If that 'thing' delivered a blow, she would be dead. Both in game, and in real life. She would surely kiss bye bye to her life.

Then, out of nowhere, she saw something coming forward, waking her up to reality from her day-dreaming. Eyes opened wide just in time to spot the spike coming at full speed towards her, and thankfully, she managed to avoid it in the last second, probably by an inch or two. "Holy..." she managed to murmur, feeling her heart beating faster out of fear.

 

[SpecialKay]

Kotaro moved quick, knowing that without his quick thinking and speedy movement they would not have a chance of winning the battle that was now presented to them. His blade extending quickly to deflect large spikes and attacks from his fellow comrades as they continued the onslaught and barrage of attacks on the creature. It wasn't easy, the thing had a very thick skin, and if one could not find the perfect spot in between its outer shell and skin, the damage dealt to the creature would be...minimal to say the least. However his concentration did not falter, simply looking for openings and any other weaknesses they had not previously detected prior to the battle, nothing showing up...until he suddenly heard a familiar voice from earlier.

Whipping around quickly, his blade raised to deflect an oncoming blow he noticed the young woman from earlier, his eyes squinting as if to make sure it was her...there was no doubt about it by the way she moved and reacted. Very sluggish...slow...and completely ungraceful, like some sort of bull in a china shop. "God damn it! I fucking told you to get the hell out of here!" Kota exclaimed, a sigh escaping his lips as he noticed the next attack soaring for her, grunting he made a split second decision. Pressing the spike that was against him into the ground he dove forward, just in time for his sword to come into contact with the creatures arm, pushing it away from Reika with a strong amount of force. Standing in front of her as he utilized his body as some sort of meat shield, sword primed and readied before him as he panted slightly for air.

"You fucking idiot...I told you to get the hell out of here. You not only endangered yourself...but those around you." Kota sighed, backing up slightly unintentionally pressing his back up against her rather...bountiful chest. It was troublesome, the cries and shouts as the men and women around him fought valiantly against the beast, yet Kota was cooped up in the corner trying to keep some low-level newbie from getting obliterated in one fatal swoop...god did he hate helping newbies in times like these. Always ending up like little lost puppies that simply get them into bigger and deeper trouble.

"Just...stay behind me then alright? No need to die when there's much more of this world for a newbie like yourself to explore."Kota spoke, his voice was filled with exasperation, knowing...he'd have to end it quick. The blade from earlier came to mind suddenly...the guild that had attempted to ambush her had spoken of it's qualities and unnatural capabilities...something that intrigued him thoroughly. Tilting his head over his shoulder he looked to her with a curious smile he looked into her eyes. "Do you still have that sword from earlier? The one everyone wants I mean."

 

[Sumi]

Now that she had an ounce of knowledge about what he was really talking about when he said it would be too dangerous for someone like her to enter the dungeon, Reika felt somewhat guilty that she didn't follow his advice. But even as he cursed and yelled at her from far away, what was she to do at the moment? It wasn't like she could get out of there after the doors have been closed. Therefore, she only frowned back at him, only to notice the huge creature's arm advancing towards her at a high speed. In fact, everything happened so fast, that she didn't even see when he showed up. Then again, it was probably because she closed her eyes out of fear at that very moment, that she didn't see him. All in all, it was clear that Reika wasn't the best at making fast decisions or reacting too fast in such situations.

As she already was used to, though, he quickly called her an idiot again as if that would resolve anything. On the other hand, she had to admit he was quite admirable for taking her side to protect her even though she was at fault here and he had no obligations to help her out. It felt like a pity to interrupt him when it was clearly that he could fight that beast if it wasn't for her clinging to him. Well, not literally. In spite of the fact that he had a habit of calling her an idiot, and the fact that - whether he was doing it on purpose or not - he was backing himself so much that his back pressed against her chest causing her to get slightly redder, he was indeed a good guy.

Honestly, she could see he was annoyed with the situation, and she really wished she could help to make up for the mistake. However, when he looked back at her and inquired about her sword, she gave a puzzled expression. "What?" she mumbled, as if she was caught unprepared, before finally getting an idea about what he was thinking of. "Oh. Yes. It's right here. It's not like I can get rid of her, you know." she answered, tapping the hilt of her sword. "But I already told you. The sword won't work unless it's me who's handling it. Or unless... well..." she murmured the last part, reminding herself of something she never spoke of before, in fear that the men who want the sword would change their plans once they knew of this little detail. "Well, there is another way, but I'm sure-" she added, before she shut her own mouth.

That's when it hit her. This was the perfect way to make him change his mind and persuade him into taking her with him. Attempting to put on her most flattering expression, she smiled, slightly leaning forward to press her chest even more into his back. After all, no matter how grouchy he would be, no man in his mind would resist a fine pair of tits. And Reika was well aware of that. "If you marry me, the sword will work. The inventories will be shared and so the sword can be shared as well. I think it's quite a good deal. Besides, it's only inside this game." she pointed out, somewhat happy that there was no such thing as a divorce inside SAO. Or at least, she didn't hear of any. Meaning, she only needed to persuade him into saying yes (or just plainly pressing the right button) and she'd have him at her feet.

 

[SpecialKay]

Kota stood at attention the grip on his blade firm and strong as he held it in front of him, each movement and attack of the beast was met with a deflection of pure skill from Kotaro himself. It wasn't an easy task, trying to listen and protect the girl from the beast, while not getting himself killed in the process. Shouting orders the entire duration to try and keep the players who had followed him from getting obliterated as well. It was a complete shit storm, and Kota was quickly running out of ideas. The entire group would die soon if he couldn't think of something...fast. Biting onto his lower lip he paid close attention to what she was saying, the manner in which she stuttered did not reassure her any longer.

Then she finally admitted it...even though it was only a game, marriage itself was still a troublesome concept for a person like Kota to wrap his head around. Afterall, even though this was only a game...it was damn near close to real life at this point, life and death there was no difference from the game and the real world...so marriage here would be nearly the same concept. However, divorce was impossible in the game...for whatever bullshit reason they could think of. It was however the only chance he had at ending this quickly...saving everyone in the room. He'd have to take the fall...there was no doubt about it.

"God fucking damn it."Kota cursed quietly, his hand bringing up his hud quickly as he pressed her name on the list of nearby players, sliding down to the bottom of the list he finally pressed propose. Turning quickly he forced his hand to wrap around hers forcing her to press yes before he reached to her waist. Tearing the sword from her body, he pushed her back and sighed. "Back the fuck up."Kota commanded her, his voice much deeper and loud now. He had enough...of this world, of this bullshit, of the fear of death, of everything that stood in his way. He had to do something...and it all started with the ugly ass armadillo creature before him. Rushing forward the blade seemed to respond to his touch, a small glimpse of a red glow around the blade as Kota rushed forward. The arm that attempted to strike at him, was cut off...clean off. The creature reeled in pain trying to back away, however Kota's advances were much too quick. The crowd cheered the man on as he charged forward, with seemingly no fear as he lunged into the sky, tilting the blade so the tip of the sword faced the creature that was now below him.

"Fuck off you ugly bastard!"Kotaro exclaimed, the blade forcing the creatures shell to fracture before impaling deep into the creatures heart, then just like that the beast fractured into millions of tiny little blue specs. The door that was previously closed now open, stairs appearing in the middle of the room leading up to a large silver door. Deafening cheers resonated throughout the room as every person attempted to give Kotaro a high-five or something of that sort. Kota simply nodded before moving back over to the girl, roughly forcing the sword back into her hands his breath quick and ragged.

"You're one manipulative motherfucker you know that don't you?" Kotaro said with a small sigh, his breath still quite ragged and quick. Using his hand to beckon her to follow him he lifted his blade from the ground sheathing it in his scabbard. "You better follow unless you wanna stay behind newbie."Kotaro spoke calmly, his feet moving on their own for he had no reason to wait around any longer. Afterall it was tradition for the man to slay the beast to open the doors to the next level. Which is exactly what he did, the land of the next level was a bright green and grassy field like biome, with a large lake near the center of it...damn was it a nice view.

 

[Sumi]

The short moment of hesitation from his part as she waited for an answer brought a little frown of frustration on her face. No doubt he wasn't eager to suddenly marry a stranger, even if it was only inside a game, but she hoped that he would at least accept because of the convenience of having her sword. She almost thought she had no chance at this, especially as he cursed again. That is, until she saw him bring up the list of nearby players and then press the propose button. Obviously, as slow as she was, she didn't even have the time to press yes because he did it for her before she could even think of it. Once the Red Thorn was taken away from her and she was pushed back, Rei rolled her eyes and shook her head. In spite of having met each other for the first time a couple of minutes ago, it almost seemed like she knew enough about him. This guy could be described in three simple words. Impulsive, grouchy and rude. Of course, since she was annoyed with him for treating her like she's some stupid girl, there was no way she would admit his qualities too.

Still, somewhere in the back of her mind she admired how much strength was behind that ego of his. And while other men would have surely left her on her own at such a moment, he was kind enough to protect her. He was pretty much courageous too (there was also the possibility that he was stupid, but she figured he wasn't one of those idiots who barged into a fight out of sheer stupidity), so she guessed she had to give him the credits. However, that didn't totally assure her that he would be alright if he would actually bluntly attack the creature all of a sudden. She was about to call him an idiot after all, but shut her mouth when the beast's arm was cut off. "Well, what do you know? That piece of metal is better than I thought." she mumbled to herself, realizing with disappointment that the Red Thorn was much better in the hands of someone stronger than she was at the moment.

Her lips parted inadvertently at the sight of the armadillo turning into little blue specs which meant only one thing. Mister big mouth killed the beast with just two swings. Crossing her arms against her chest, she looked over at him as he was cheered by the other players, for a moment looking like some sort of hero. She forced a laugh and shook her head. As if. Taken aback as he suddenly pushed the sword back in her hands, she returned her attention to him with a sly little smile. "Maybe. But this manipulative motherfucker is your wife now. And it's not like I forced you to do this." she retorted, proud of her achievement. The scowl returned however, at the usual mockery, following him nevertheless as she sheathed her sword as well. "Stop calling me that!" she quickly protested, before he opened the doors to the next level, at which her mouth almost dropped. The sight was stunning.

Placing her hands on her hips, she took a deep breath, taking in what seemed like a fresh artificial air. "Well, all's good when everything ends well. But there are still some things we have to discuss." she pointed out, glancing at him from the corners of her eyes. "We still have to talk about the rules of this marriage." she added, surprisingly looking pretty serious as she patted his shoulder, waiting to see how he would react to such words. In fact she almost expected him to be irritated at the mere word 'marriage'.