(SP-F1) Tyrius' Choice (Completed)

[Tyrius 0]

Tyrius looked around, amazed by the mass player teleport that had just occurred, when the sky above began to fill with connecting red hexagons that read WARNING and SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT. Strange, Tyrius thought, I am curious as to what will happen next. Inside of this massive circular area was every player in the game, or at least Tyrius suspected so. The next unusual thing to happen was a blood-like liquid began seeping through the lines between each hexagon, and slowly forming into a giant figure cloaked in a red robe with no visible face, only shadows.

[Tyrius 0]

Tyrius stood there, listening and expecting some sort of special event, "Attention players, I welcome you to my world." Ok, Tyrius thought, standard intro crap. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba. And as of this moment, I am in control of this world." That much was obvious, though, seeing as Tyrius remebered that Kayaba had a huge part in developing NerveGear and the game SAO. "I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus - the log out button." this caught Tyrius by surprise, and he made the gesture to open his menu. Sure enough, the button was gone. "Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game, I repeat, this is not a defect This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be." Well crud, thought Tyrius. What's the plan behind that?

[Tyrius 0]

Tyrius stood there, unknowing of what to do. "You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life." Tyrius staggered back, as if physically hit. Why? Why would Kayaba do this to so many people? Standing back up, but shaking horribly, he listened: "Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world." This hit the hardest though. So many lives already taken, on day one of the game. Why? The next words Kayaba said flew right past Tyrius, but he did zone in just in time to hear, "Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game." This cannot be happening, he thought, why did I make this choice?

[Tyrius 0]

"Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please take a look." Tyrius was already in his menu, so getting to his inventory was easy. There was a mirror, and Tyrius made the obvious choice of selecting and equipping it. He saw his avatar, a tall teen with a sharp chin, long, blond hair, and green eyes. But just as soon as he saw his avatar, he was shrouded in light for several seconds. When he looked back into the mirror, he saw himself. Still tall, but now he had a wide jaw (like that of a person of Germanic descent), eye-length dark brown hair, and grey eyes. How did he get my facial structure? He thought, but dismissed it when he realized that IRL he was wearing a nearly full headset that somehow connected to his brain. "Right now, you are probably wondering why." You bet. "Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this?" I don't know, you tell me. "Ultimately, my goal was a simple one." Really? Well then, what was it? "The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design." So you wanted to play God, he thought, that's an odd goal.

[Tyrius 0]

"As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck." With that, Kayaba faded away and the sky returned to it's original state. Then there was chaos as thousands of players began to talk, cry, and move about. This was nonsense. What players should be doing, he realized, was planning how to play safely and preparing for any and all battle outcomes. Turning towards the main exit of this large area, and beginning a slow jog towards it, he thought one thing: Me, though. I'm better off solo.