Natalia

"To break the rock that stands in your way, your center must always be filled with tranquility. When you let your emotions take control, your performance is drastically hindered. Thus, you must allow yourself to calm down." Everything the old man said was almost horrifically ironic, as if he knew that the darkness would spring an emotional reaction from her. Mitsuki knew that couldn't be true, however. Blackness was a common fear, not just one of her own; everyone would be thrown off by the situation the game placed them in.

Suddenly, what Mitsuki had believed to be an escape from reality was beginning to seem all too much like it. She frantically looked around for some sort of light, but there was none. Pitch black darkness. Please, no. Her heart rate began to increase, and she could feel a bit of sweat beginning to trickle from her forehead. Where the hell did he go? She continued spinning around, looking for any sign of movement in the darkness. "Reveal yourself!" Mitsuki shouted, her voice echoing off the walls like the old man's before.

Mitsuki's childhood reflecting was interrupted by the continuously growing sternness of the old man's voice. "Are you ready to discover how to destroy the rock?" He asked, the sound of his voice bouncing off the dojo's walls, leaving an echo in its wake. Mitsuki nodded. A smirk grew on the old man's face. "Good." He said before vanishing into thin air. Each of the fire's lighting the area went out with him, leaving Mitsuki enshrouded in darkness.

What the hell!?

When she entered the building with the old man, she was caught off-guard. From outside, it simply appeared to be some rundown shack. On the inside, however, the matted floor and ornamented walls gave it the design of some sort of dojo. This doesn't even look like Sword Art Online anymore. Torches surrounded the enormous square mat, one on each corner. Along with those, lanterns hung on the wall provided an orange-tinted light. Mitsuki's thoughts drifted to memories of her old dojo and martial arts training.

"I'm glad you asked." The wise old NPC said, before stepping away from the pole, turning around, and entering the building. Before he completely entered, he turned to Mitsuki and said: "Come with me." His voice felt so authoritative for such an old man; Mitsuki was honestly almost nervous to follow him within the building. No, I have to follow him. This is clearly an important part of the quest.

"Well then, what am I supposed to do?" Mitsuki asked, a little frustrated by the demeaning voice the NPC had been programmed with. She extended her hands out, releasing them from the tightened ball they had been in prior. Please, get to the point already. The teenage girl was indeed a teenager; she couldn't stand anticipation, even more when she was ready to rest. This is beginning to get a little ridiculous.

Just as she was about to bolt and the boulder once more, her fists already clenched, a voice stopped her: "Foolish girl, that won't work." Mitsuki turned her head to see an old man, leaning against a nearby building's support beam. "Isn't it obvious you're just wasting your time? It'll take more than just brute force to destroy that rock." It was obvious that the man was just an NPC, but she couldn't help but feel as if he was attempting to sound as stereotypical as possible.

Breaking into a sprint, Mitsuki swung her dagger at the rock, only to find her arm pushed back by its own force. The rock remained completely unscathed. Alright, so the quest information wasn't lying. Weapons do nothing to this thing. With that conclusion drawn, she sheathed her blade and took a few steps back to get a better view of the rock once more. Perhaps I need to attack it with my hands? Mitsuki doubted it would be that easy, but she would at least try.

Not long after even stepping into the town, Mitsuki had managed to find the unbreakable rock. Streams of light from within the dungeon behind it escaped into the outside's night. It was massive in size; it must have been at least five times her own height, and just as wide. How am I supposed to break this? No matter how hard she looked, it didn't seem to have any notable weak points. She drew her dagger from its sheathe and leaned her head forward, her eyes staring the rock down like it was a truly living foe.

Instance was a term used to define a separate copy of the area for other groups of players. In this case, Mitsuki imagined that because she had not yet destroyed the rock for her quest, as she stepped into the town another instance was made in which the rock was still present. That way, multiple people could do the quest, despite the rock already having been destroyed and the dungeon already being cleared. In concept, it was actually quite a brilliant system, at least Mitsuki thought so, though she wasn't too much of a technology nerd; she just liked knowing random facts.

Her map open as she traveled towards the dungeon, Mitsuki slowly made her way through the twists and turns following the end of the trail before ending up in a small little village inhabited by only a couple of players and maybe a dozen NPCs. What a small little town. Upon her entrance into the town, an invisible wall revealed itself and rippled a bit. A few of the players that she had once seen were now gone, although the NPCs remained. Just as I thought, I'm in another instance.

Mitsuki couldn't help but look at the man's violet eye in a sort of curiosity. Does the game even have colored contacts? From what she had known, it didn't, but she supposed she didn't know all too much about the game to begin with. It was around that point in which the man spoke, much to her relief. Even if you are a bit of a prick, I wouldn't want to watch you die in front of me. She figured she might just be too good of a person.

"You probably disconnected." She said, frustration still within her voice from earlier. "You're back now, though, which is good enough for me." She said as she stood up, preparing to leave him once again.

Toshiro had done his best to comfort her, but Mitsuki's mind was fixated on the literal darkness of reality. Her tears had at least stopped, but she still found herself shivering, her arms grasping each other across her chest. Heavy, erratic breathing consistently exited her mouth as she found herself struggling to slow her breathing. Deep breaths. She thought. Just keep breathing in through the nose, and out through the mouth. As she did her best to follow her own thoughts, her eyes closed. Eventually, her breathing had returned to a steady pace.

Upon her shoulder, she felt a warm sensation, which must have been Toshiro. He compared the two of them to peas and pods, which was met with a slight smile, though based upon their positioning, Toshiro wouldn't be able to see it himself. She turned herself towards him, dislodging his grip upon her shoulder. Though her eyes still refused to meet his, she bowed her head towards him. "Thank you. For trying to comfort me, that is." She opted out of responding to his suggestion to stick together; it was a little awkward to be talking in that manner already, at least in her opinion.

Setsuko chuckled at the girl's apparent lack of understanding. I suppose I can't expect you to understand without telling you the entire story, can I? It was like telling a tale without speaking of the journey at all. With that thought in mind, she took a deep breath before she began to speak once again. Hopefully you understand me afterwards.

"He had lost his job and was left penniless. He blamed me for it. Not once did he ever save money, he simply used it all to spoil me, because I asked him to." For whatever reason, Setsuko seemed to be smiling as she shook uncontrollably. Her hands clenched around her tight leggings; her entire body was vibrating. A tear appeared to be forming, but she exhaled and it stopped. I'm not going to cry, not today.

Before the door had even shut behind her, Mitsuki heard a crash from behind her; it was the man, he had fallen over, apparently after leaving. Despite her frustration, she quickly approached, and knelt down in front of him. "Hey, what's wrong?" She said, hovering over his body. Nobody else seemed to give a damn about the incident, simply watching as she attempted to diagnose the problem.

Looking over him, he seemed completely still. He must have disconnected. She nodded. There was no other reasonable explanation that she could think of. With that conclusion drawn, she realized there was little she could actually do, so she moved him away from the doorway and onto the side on the balcony, keeping him out of the way of customers. I suppose I'll wait until you wake up.

While he was talking, Toshiro had slowly began to grow closer and closer to Mitsuki. Her cheeks flushed red, unsure if the boy even noticed that as he grew closer and closer, peering into her eyes as if she was some sort of unique object. She supposed some might see her as a miracle, but she didn't see herself that way. Just as she was about to speak up about the closing distance between them, it appeared that Toshiro had recognized it and nearly fell back. Her fist approached her mouth as she lightly giggled at his expense. "You're an oddball, aren't you?" She asked jokingly.

In reply to the question centering around Toshiro's obsession with her eyes, Mitsuki simply shrugged. "Honestly, I've only been blind for about a year." She stated. "It is pretty nice being able to see, but if I ever wake up from this, I'll be waking up in darkness." Her head tilted forward as she stared at the grassy green ground beneath her feet. It was a depressing thought, knowing that if she survived, she'd have to return to a disabled life. "It's sad, really." She said, unsure of what Toshiro expected from her.

She turned her head away, partly to avoid Toshiro's stare, and partly because she could feel tears beginning to form. "I don't want to live in darkness." Her hands wiped away the tears. "Not again." Up until now, she hadn't thought about the real world, but looking back at her life before Sword Art Online had snuck toxic thoughts back into her head. Do I wish to stay here forever, or do I wish that I had never been here at all?

To be honest, Setsuko couldn't explain herself why she was beginning to tell Rebekah this. Perhaps she just felt she needed to let it out? She shook her head at her own thought, before replying to Rebekah. "Why stop now?" She shrugged, and began to open up for the first time since had entered Sword Art Online. Oh, what the hell? Setsuko figured Rebekah probably wouldn't be the type of person to go blabbing to everyone around.

"It wasn't in Sword Art." Setsuko explained, knowing it was completely necessary for the general point to come across. "It was my dad. He.. killed himself." Her head tilted forward as she stared into the water. "After telling me it was my fault."

Setsuko's entire face lightened as a laugh slipped out upon Daeron's comment towards Dylan. Oh my god, this guy is the most wonderful, snarky asshole I have ever met, more so than even myself. She couldn't help but wonder as to whether or not he was always so much of a prick, or if he was just putting on an act. Regardless, she knew that any time spent around him would be time she'd need to stay at the top of her game, as to avoid being ridiculed in front of everyone. Wouldn't want you making a fool out of me, now, would I? Somehow, she imagined he'd still find a way.

As Daeron began to describe the boss, Setsuko could feel intensity burning in the air. 150 HP? Burn damage? Guard break? Everything Daeron said seemed as if he was intentionally attempting to send doubt through their minds. It was absolutely ridiculous: how could the two of them expect them to take down such a mighty foe? It was almost as if they were intentionally.. That's it! I don't think they actually expect us to beat it, but this is most definitely a test of whether or not we'll chicken out. At least that's what it seemed to her; there was no other explanation for it.

Daeron dismissed them once again, but not before sending them all a party invite, which Setsuko promptly accepted. This time, upon his suggesting to prepare, Setsuko did decide it'd be best to buy a health crystal, though it wouldn't be too far off. She made her way towards the closest vendor.

Mitsuki nodded, that same gentle smile from before still on her face. His story, his disability, his pain.. she understood his situation almost perfectly. Only the difference in time was truly different. Paralyzed for fourteen years? The thought horrified her, but also brought a certain pity for the man; the same kind of pity she despised receiving herself. I can't even imagine what that'd be like. Even in the game, walking must be something new for him. She had only lived a year in darkness. Memories of what the vision was like never left for her.

As Toshiro managed to return to his two feet, Mitsuki couldn't help but notice that after he thanked her, his eyes were set upon her's once again. Shyly, she turned her head away. "Do they scare you?" She asked, her voice growing soft. "They're real, just so you know. In this world, at least." In Sword Art Online, the glass balls inserted into her skull actually felt real. She could feel them tear up, she could feel the moisture, and she could feel them glancing around. All of those feelings simply weren't there in reality.

Her hand clenched into a ball as the thoughts haunted her. It wasn't long after she heard Toshiro speak of how he was trying to learn how to walk again that she snapped back into reality. "Hey," She said, attempting to provide a soothing tone within her voice. "At least you're trying." She kindly said.

"Mitsuki." She gave her name to Toshiro, an innocent smile on her face. She knelt down a bit as she extended her own hand towards his, closing her fingers around his hand and helping him to his feet. "Oh!" Mitsuki seemed to come to a realization afterwards and immediately walked over to the two branches that had been stolen to him. "You need these to walk, don't you?" She asked, still holding them and waiting for him to take them.

At first, she hadn't noticed that the boy's face seemed to be bright red, up until she had helped him up. Um.. Okay. She shrugged the thought off, but it was soon replaced by the fact that he was now seemingly entranced by her eyes. Nothing too uncommon, but the redness followed by the inspection.. it was a little different from what Mitsuki was used to. Instead of explaining the bizarre nature of her eyes, she simply waited for him to ask her himself. Maybe I'm just imagining things. In reality, she knew she wasn't, but she didn't have to accept that yet.

Realizing that she had been silent ever since she had helped him up, she decided to speak once more. "So, what was that about?" She asked, referring to the people who had attacked her earlier. "Did they know that you needed these crutch- ...sticks?" Why does he need these to begin with?

By the time she had reached the bottom of the mountain, Mitsuki was exhausted. For about twenty minutes she had jogged towards the mountain, then she had entered combat with two oversized bees before entering a ten minute jog up the hill, and proceeded to run an extra seven minutes down the hill. The teenager leaned forward, her hands stretching past her knees as she caught her breath. Why did they have to add exhaustion to the game as well? Whatever the thought process was in that decision didn't really make too much sense to her. If it was for realism, they completely took that aspect away when they added oversized bees, elves, and undead creatures to the game.

Another ten minutes or so had passed when Mitsuki had reached the part of the mountain where she'd loop around to the other side. As she had expected, the slope leading back down was there. Her eyes followed the trail a bit further. The rock wasn't visible from here, but a second glance at her map let her realize that it couldn't be too far away. With that thought in mind, she began her descent of the mountain.

A window popped up detailing the experience and col gained by defeating the two creatures, but Mitsuki closed it without look. As of right now, it didn't really matter to her. All that was important was to finish the quest she had began, and after catching her breath, she began running up the mountainside. Almost there.

Instead of using the aggression that had built up on this last insect, Mitsuki simply sat there, waiting for it to approach. Come at me. A smirk grew upon her face. She twirled her blade in her hands once again, and brought her left-hand to clasp the hilt together. She squatted a bit before leaping off the ground, and plunging her blade into the bee's skull. Like the bee before it, it exploded, leaving pixels in its wake.

PLAYER

Mitsuki: 3/7

BD: 10

DMG: 1 (Hit) + 2 (SUPAH CRITICAL) = 3

ENEMIES

Bee #1: -2/4 (DEAD)

Bee #2: -2/4 (DEAD)

In the middle of her tumble, Mitsuki managed to plant one of her feet on the ground. With an amused smile, she used that single foot to recover her balance and enter a dash towards the bee that had struck her. "You'll pay for that!" She shouted as her right-hand raised above her head and shut sliced downward through the bee. Like a balloon, force of her blade caused the creature to explode. Unlike a balloon, however, the bee's explosion rained thousands of glimmering pixels upon the ground.

Not wanting to give up her advantage, she turned her head back towards the other bee. One more to go.

PLAYER

Mitsuki: 3/7

BD: 10

DMG: 1 (Hit) + 2 (SUPAH CRITICAL) = 3

ENEMIES

Bee #1: -2/4

Bee #2: 1/4