Sweet dreams are made of these...

[thespaceopera]

[ Calibration Rooms ]
( for A-M characters )

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ROOMS BY CHARACTER

A Abigail Hobbs Aiya/Gray Nightingale Adrasteius Anor'thalion Ahsoka Tano Alex Russo Allen Walker Anders Anthony Crowley Asteffiel Axel

B - D Belthazar Spellscry Beverly Crusher Bran Stark Caesar Zeppeli Cayde-6 Cheese Sandwich Clay Terran Coil Cole Davesprite Duke Pantarei

E - I Elecman.exe Elena Gilbert Elize Lutus Felix Harrowgate Fenris Finrod Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus Imperator Furiosa Isabela Issac Lahey

J - M Jade Harley James Barnes/Jim James Barnes/Winter Joseph Joestar Katara Katniss Everdeen/Nova Kirito/Kazuto Kirigaya Kurt Wagner Leanne Loki Maladict(a) Max Caulfield Megaman Mordin Solus

Comments

Kirito / Kazuto Kirigaya | cw for violence

[huaaaaagh]

[Entering Kirito's calibration room is simple, but escaping it is a challenge befitting his world- or rather, the world of Sword Art Online.

The room is surprisingly spacious, a wide, circular area with no visible walls, lined with medieval torches flickering from a sourceless breeze. Beyond the torchlight is nothing but darkness, and the only visible way in or out is an intricately carved set of double doors at least fifty feet high. The doors are, for the moment, sealed shut.

In the center of the ring is Kirito, but he's not alone. He's in the middle of a fierce battle with a monster, armed only with a one-handed long sword and protected by black leather armor. The two of them dance around one another, dodging blows, taking hits, and lashing out at one another in an endless cycle. Above each is a curious green triangle and bar combination, and with each strike that connects, the wounded party loses a sliver of green.

Scenario 1: The Gleam Eyes

[A giant blue demon, armed with an enormous blade. It is slow, but hits hard. Kirito's getting frustrated.]

Scenario 2: The Fatal Scythe

[A grim reaper with incredible range and the ability to fly. Its blows are devastating, and Kirito seems worried.]

Scenario 3: Heathcliff

[An imposing man armed with a sword and shield. He deflects every blow from Kirito as he smiles; the two seem evenly matched. In stark contrast, Kirito is so angry he's almost berserk.]

Scenario 4: The World Tree Guardians

[This fight is a little different- Kirito is in his fairy form, fully airborne, and instead of one monster, he's fighting countless armored angel-like creatures, wielding swords, spears, and bows. The odds are against him, as more materialize the second he defeats one. Despite that, he looks like he's having fun.


Regardless of scenario, before long Kirito will notice he has a guest, and he's not pleased.]

Hey! It's dangerous, either get equipped or stay out of the way!

[He gestures to a corner and focuses back on the battle. Hovering in the air just outside of the fighting range is a pop up window, white against the darkness of the room. Visitors will find that this menu can be manipulated- items, equipment, or skills selected, Kirito's status viewed, even information on the monster is available.

With this, spectators have a choice. Do you use the menu to assist? Do you fight? Or is it wiser for both to flee?]


(( pick a scenario and come at me! menu options will vary by boss fight, so I'll post them as needed. items can either be used or equipped.))

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka is pretty sure she's had a nightmare like this once upon a time. But that's not important.

The pop up window is new, though, and when Kirito gestures to it she heads over, keeping her eyes on the fight as she moves. Flipping through it, she pauses at the information about the monster, then flips back to the weapons. All right, let's see here. ] Isn't this useful.

[[ ooc: Since these are taking place in the "world" of the game, are characters' normal supernatural abilities disabled? I'm cool with that, but I don't want to transform her into a magical girl if that's not allowed. ]]

[huaaaaagh]

[Kirito turns back to the fight once he's shouted his warning, opting to ignore her, and dodges the giant scythe of the monster as if his life depends on it. And it does; with a single connected strike of the enemy's weapon, the green bar above his head has already been cut almost in half. In contrast, the monster's green bar is practically unchanged.

The information provided in the enemy section of the menu is very limited; it states that the name is "Fatal Scythe", there is an absurdly high number beside its "HP", and the rest of the stats are unknown. For items and equipment, the names are displayed at the top, and when each one is highlighted, a small image and description appears.

Items/Equipment:
-Healing Potions (Restores the user to full HP.)
-Teleportation Crystal (Transports the user to the nearest safe zone.)
-a sword, Anneal Blade +6 (A one-handed sword; quest reward. Enhanced 6/8 times.)
-a sword, Lambent Light (A one-handed rapier. Crafted by {Player} {Lisbeth}.)
-a sword, Dark Repulser (A one-handed long sword. Crafted by {Player} {Lisbeth}.)
-an accessory, MHCP001 (the description is a series of corrupted, illegible text, with only a "?" as the display image.)]

[[ ooc: word of mod says player-choice. SAO is a magic-free world, so some abilities will not work! however others can work like "stats" or "skills", so anything non-magic (or whatever you can BS into being non-magical) that she can do is fair game. also the magical-girl transformation can work since it's like changing equipment! :|b ]]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Video games aren't nearly this sophisticated in Haruka's time period, but she doesn't need to be game-savvy to get the gist. Or to guess that Kirito's green bar decreasing is not a good thing.

Right, then. First things first. ] Uranus Crystal Power, Make Up!

[ Her transformation goes as anticipated, but an attempt to summon her special attack fizzles. Gritting her teeth, Sailor Uranus quickly turns back to the menu and selects the Anneal Blade +6 option. Whatever happens, she hopes it happens fast. ]

now i have that music track stuck in my head / also sorry for tl;dr

[huaaaaagh]

[It happens in a flash, actually- the moment she touches the item, an undecorated one-handed sword appears in her hand as if she'd been carrying it along. There's no time to reflect on that fact, however. Less than a second later, the world burns white. In the midst of the empty void of light, a disembodied voice speaks.

"This might be a game, but it isn't meant to be played."

The light fades, revealing a forest area, thick with trees and foliage, the light dim to indicate fading daylight. Scattered here and there are large, hideous plant monsters wandering aimlessly. In the middle of the woods is Kirito, looking several years younger, slashing at one of the monsters with a small sword. He dodges around its attacks with practiced ease, and after a few strikes, it slumps over and dissolves into an explosion of multicoloured crystals. A soft gold light winds around his body for a moment, accompanied by a sound of celebratory fanfare. As it fades, there is a sound of soft clapping, and Kirito twists around with his sword raised, ready to fight.

Not far away stands a boy, about Kirito's age, his hands lifting in surrender. "I'm sorry for startling you," he says, smiling awkwardly. "I should have called out to you."

They exchange pleasantries, and with minimal smalltalk, arrange a team-up in order to complete a quest for the Anneal Blade reward. Kirito is reluctant, but the other boy insists. Finally, Kirito relents, and the two begin fighting the monsters side by side. Coper, the boy introduces himself as. Their skills seem evenly matched, but the quest is progressing with very little success; while the fights are easy and the monsters aren't aggressive unless attacked, there seems to be no end to them.

Finally, however, two monsters appear that look different. The boys exchange a glance at the sight of the first one, the plant with a giant red flower above its grinning lips, and they charge as one. However, before they can attack, Kirito halts them both, pointing to the second one that had appeared. A pulsing red seed hangs from a stalk above it, and they both look concerned at the sight, hesitating.

"What should we do?" Kirito murmurs.

"...Let's go," Coper responds, gripping his sword tightly. "I'll draw the attention of the one with the seed, so please kill the other one quickly."

"...Got it."

They spring back into action, and within a few practiced attacks, Kirito downs the first monster, collecting a small glowing bulb from the remains. He turns back to his new friend, victorious.

Just in time, he sees Coper cut down the seed hanging from the other monster, and when it hits the ground it explodes, spreading green fumes and a noxious odour. From every angle, rustling sounds can be heard. The approach of countless more monsters, drawn - and angered - by the smell.

"Wh... why..."

"Sorry, Kirito." Despite his words, there is very little regret in Coper's expression. It was obviously not an accident.

We can't escape. Suicide? Did he bring me here just so we would die together?

Without further explanation, Coper steps back into the bushes and vanishes from sight, invisible at once.

Not suicide. He was trying to kill me.

Kirito's voice is soft as he speaks aloud again, trembling as he starts to back away. "You didn't know about it, did you. Is this the first time you've tried the {Hiding} skill? It's useful, but... against monsters that rely on senses other than sight, it's not very effective."

The plant monsters continue to swarm, and too late, Coper seems to realize that they have surrounded the bushes he'd vanished into. Kirito turns and runs as fast as he can out of the area, beginning to desperately fight his way through the monsters that had gathered behind him, and he doesn't turn back even when he hears his companion screaming.]

there are worse songs

[actsmagnificent]

[ Uranus is more surprised by the scenery changing than by Kirito's decision. She still lacks context for most of this, but given that he's the one thing that's remained (mostly) constant through each scene she's seen, she chooses to pursue him rather than try and bail out Coper. There are some things one can't help.

Fortunately, she isn't new to using swords, and being transformed boosts both her speed and her strength. When she's close enough to Kirito to call out, she does, but keeps her eyes on the monsters. If he comes this way she'll help cut him a path. ] Plants to guard a sword, huh?

[ She sweeps the sword at the closest monster, intending as clean and as deep a cut as possible. ] Too bad they get trimmed.

Scenario 1

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[The large, blue demon-creature is the first thing to draw Wanda's attention. It was, after all, hard to miss, especially given the otherwise darkness of the room. She is immediately on-guard, ready to fight. However, she soon realizes that the creature already appears to be preoccupied fighting someone else.]

[She doesn't recognize the stranger wielding the sword and sporting the long, black coat. But, he seemed to be in trouble, and that was enough motivation for Wanda to decide to back him up. However, she is only able to take a few steps before his shouts cause her to stop in her tracks.]

[Was he protecting her? And what did he mean by "get equipped?" This pause is enough time though for Wanda to notice the odd-looking white screen floating the air. She quickly debates ignoring it and jumping in to help the black-coated stranger; however, something tells her that it would actually be more helpful to check it out. She needs to move quick though, so she sprints over to the window, quickly scanning the screen for anything that might appear immediately helpful.]

[She hits the "items" button, spies what appears to be a sword icon, hits it, then selects the "equip" option. However, nothing appears to happen, at least... not for her anyways.]

[huaaaaagh]

[The menu options - and the descriptions that come with them - that appear on her list are as follows-

Items/Equipment:
-Healing Potions (Restores the user to full HP.)
-a sword, Lambent Light (A one-handed rapier. Crafted by {Player} {Lisbeth}.)
-a sword, Dark Repulser(A one-handed long sword. Crafted by {Player} {Lisbeth}.)
-Teleportation Crystal (Transports the user to the nearest safe zone.)
-A message crystal, entitled, From Sachi ({Player} Private Message)
-an accessory, Red Bandanna (A simple bandanna. +1 defense.)

Upon Wanda's selection of the first sword on the list, Lambent Light, an intricately-decorated white rapier appears in front of her for a split second before the scene abruptly fades into darkness. Light glimmers briefly, like a torch in the shadows, and that small light suddenly becomes a brightly burning sun in the sky. The monster is gone, and instead of a dark dungeon-like area, a vast grassy field opens up around them.

Kirito is lying on the grass under the shade of a tree, dozing quietly. A wide stone fence blocks off the road, giving him something of a secluded space in which to relax. This doesn't seem to stop a beautiful long-haired girl from marching over to him, hands on her hips.

"What are you doing?"

Kirito opens his eyes, finding her standing over him, then closes them again as if her anger doesn't bother him at all. "Oh, hey. What's up."

"Everyone in the assault team's working their butts off to clear the dungeon. And where do I find you? Out here. Taking a nap. Even if you're a solo player, you should take this more-"

He cuts her off abruptly, still not looking at her. "Bet you didn't know this is Aincrad's nicest season. Today's weather is at its optimal setting. It'd be a waste to have to go to work on a day like this."

"Huh?" The girl looks up in surprise, but it's short-lived; almost immediately, she's irritated again. "Whatever. I can't believe you! Do you even understand what's going on? Every day here is another one lost in the real world."

Kirito shrugs. "Yeah, but right now, we're not in the real world, are we? We're alive in Aincrad." Once again, the girl is surprised. Around them, the wind blows peacefully over the grass, rustling the leaves in the trees. The sound is incredibly relaxing. "See? Doesn't that breeze feel good? And the sun..."

"Oh, come on. The weather's always the same here."

Kirito yawns, arms lifting into a wide stretch above his head, his voice lethargic. "If you laid down on the grass for a little bit, you'd understand."

He falls silent, seeming to doze off again as the girl glances around them, taking in the scenery. She watches the boy, confused and curious. After a long moment, considering his words, she lies down on the grass next to him and closes her eyes.]

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Well, she certainly wasn't expecting her choices to cause such a drastic change in scenery like this, but she's certainly not going to object. It was indeed beautiful, and the breeze was more than welcome. An involuntary smile even starts to spread on her face.]

[Her attention is turned away from the scenic field when she hears the angry sound of an orange haired girl. She appears to know the black cloaked boy from earlier, now lying down on the grass. Wanda isn't quite able to keep up with their conversation though. Aincrad? Optimal setting? Real world? Clearing dungeons? It didn't make much sense to her, but she was able to guess that Aincrad likely referred to the place they were currently located. And "clearing dungeons" likely had something to do with that initial scene she had entered in on.]

[What exactly this had to do with the "real world," she didn't quite understand, but it seemed like these two--the girl and the boy--were not originally from this Aincrad place. Nonetheless, the boy didn't seem troubled by this fact, if anything he seemed to be enjoying himself. When the girl lies down next to him, Wanda turns away from the two and looks back over the surrounding landscape. She doesn't lie down herself, but she does sit down, crossing her legs. She closes her eyes, breathes in deep and just lets herself feel the warmth of the sun complimented by the cool breeze.]

[huaaaaagh]

[They're all able to relax in silence for a little while, until Kirito finally stretches again and cracks open an eye, peering first in Asuna's direction, then Wanda's. He sits up in surprise, eyes wide and cheeks pink.]

Whoa! Uh, hi. Enjoying yourself?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda turns and looks over at the boy. She's a little surprised, she had expected this to be another one of those silent spectators affairs. She recovers quickly however, providing a nod and warm smile in response.]

Yes, it is very beautiful here.

4!

[stefanged]

[After the first few rooms, Stefan's come to the realization that he's not jumping into dreams like Salvatore did - but you know what, it still takes him a while to orient himself.

He doesn't play video games, much less know how one's supposed to be played. Kirito, buddy, he's gonna help, but he's so not sure if anyone wants it. Rushing towards the pop up window, he holds his hand up to it and tries to find what he'll need to help.

Even with his strength, he figures a better weapon wouldn't hurt.]

[huaaaaagh]

[Kirito doesn't pay him any mind beyond that offhandedly thrown comment, dodging a hail of arrows and slicing at a couple of the angelic soldiers with a massive broadsword almost as big as he is.

The menu options and descriptions Stefan finds are as follows:
Items/Equipment:
-Healing Potions (Restores the user to full HP.)
-a sword, Wooden Sword (A basic blade with very low attack power.)
-a sword, Excaliber (A legendary weapon with the power to cut through anything.)
-a black ID Card (Required for system access.)
-World Tree Dewdrop (Revives a player from death.)

Skills:
-Metamorphosis

Which do you choose?]

[stefanged]

[What is it with people and swords? First Riku, now Kirito... Stefan taps the Excaliber to equip it. He's not sure it's a "legendary" weapon in game, but it's gotta be more damaging than a woooden sword.]

[huaaaaagh]

[For split-second, light flashes, and an intricately decorated golden sword appears at Stefan's hand. The moment it connects, however, everything around them changes.

It's night, now. The air is cold, snow is falling gently from the clouded skies, and in the background, the shadow of an emergency-center hospital falls over a mostly-deserted parking lot. Over the guard station fence jumps Kirito, running across the gravel as fast as he can, only paying enough attention to his surroundings to dodge the occasional car. He's focused, his gaze on the hospital itself- it seems to be his destination, and he's not about to stop.

As he passes a black van, a shadowed figure moves into view, and he shifts a step over to avoid a collision. Lucky for him, of course- it means the knife in the man's hand slices through the base of his shoulder, rather than his neck. He stops, staggering, and clumsily turns around as the blood drips steadily down his arm.

"You're late, Kirito."

"Who's there?"

"I've been out here so long, I might catch cold."

The man who attacked him steps into the light; he looks angry, and visibly unwell. Something is wrong with his eye. Kirito's eyes widen in recognition and dawning horror. "Sugou..."

"You did a very bad thing, Kirito. You know, I can still feel the pain."

Kirito remains unmoved, facing the man down despite his disadvantage. "It's over, Sugou. You better turn yourself in. You're finished."

"Finished?" The man - Sugou - is unimpressed. "Hardly. There are lots of companies that would kill to have me and my research. And once it's complete, there won't be anything or anyone standing in my way. Then I'll be the god of this world." He smiles, a crazed look in his eyes. "Oh, but first... first, I'm going to kill you."

The man lunges, slashing out with his knife, and it's all Kirito can do to dodge it. He falls to the ground, still bleeding, and Sugou follows up with a series of kicks, shouting for him to get up. For a long moment, the situation looks bleak. Sugou slashes down once with the knife, narrowly missing, and curses his error as he clutches his eye. He tries again, and this time, Kirito catches his arm. With a shout of anger and a surge of adrenaline, he forces the man off of his feet, a hand at Sugou's neck to choke him. The knife drops, and Kirito catches it, turning it in his hand to get a feel for it.

His voice is soft, curiously calm. "Such a weak weapon. Too light. No reach." He turns on Sugou, his eyes ablaze. "And it's all I'm gonna need to kill you."

With the tables turned, Sugou shows his true colours. He shrieks, terrified, and tries to run, but Kirito grabs him by the hair and slams him face-first into the nearby car. The knife moves to Sugou's neck, holding him frozen in place. Kirito hesitates, breathing hard, deciding what to do. The knife cuts in a little, drawing blood.

What does one do, observing this kind of situation?]

[stefanged]

[Stefan staggers back - not necessarily from the violence. He's seen it one too many times (he's performed that action one too many times), but he'd never imagined Kirito would have that kind of resolve. What the hell did that other man do?

Scratch that, why did Kirito feel like death was the only answer for this guy? He suspects, on some level, he can't change anything, but - for the love of God, don't push that knife in any deeper.

He holds in a breath, standing closer as he murmurs mainly to himself,] He didn't... that's...

[even more softly:] Kirito, for God's sake, don't end it like this.

JUST TAGS YOU EVERYWHERE I GUESS!!! ...and 3!!!

[zekken]

...eh? This is...

[ Now a Floor Boss room is the kind of room that Yuuki recognizes. She never thought she'd see one again. If it weren't for the room's design, she would have thought Kirito's in a duel with another player. But it looks to be the man that he's up against is the Floor Boss.

What baffles her the most is that Kirito looks just as she remembers him in the real world. Not like his avatar. But she can't stand around looking stunned like an idiot for too long. ]

Hang in there, Kirito!

[ She moves to the pop up window, skillfully manipulating it to view the equipment. Like hell she's going to let him fight the boss on his own. ]

IM VERY HYPE FOR THIS YAY

[huaaaaagh]

[Unlike most bosses, this man has only one HP bar, which would normally indicate an easier fight. But despite that, his HP never seems to decrease, and Kirito's already using both of his swords, in a dual-wielding skill set that feels more powerful and natural than the system he'd developed in ALO. The fact that he's dual-wielding at all implies how serious this is.

The contents Yuuki finds in the menu are as follows-

Items/Equipment:
-Healing Potions (Restores the user to full HP.)
-a sword, Dark Repulser (A one-handed long sword. Crafted by {Player} {Lisbeth}.)
-a sword, Lambent Light (A one-handed rapier. Crafted by {Player} {Lisbeth}.)
-an accessory, Engagement Ring (No stats.)
-a key item, Silver Key (Proof of ownership of a {Player House}.)

Which do you choose?]

IM SCARED YAYYYYY

[zekken]

[ Where is everyone and shouldn't there at least be a party with him? And she'd never seen a dual-wielding skill before. What is going on? She has to save her questions for later. The HP bar doesn't look like it's dropping at all, but Yuuki plans on jumping into the fray regardless.

Seeing the listed rapier has Yuuki hovering her hand over the selection very briefly, but in the end she winds up selecting Dark Repulser instead. ]

[huaaaaagh]

[Upon selecting the sword, the whole world seems to glitch. The black sword Kirito holds phases in and out of existence mid-swing, then the whole area around them... flips, pixel by pixel, in a rush of changing colour. The darkness of the room becomes a bright, open blue sky. The empty air outside the torches becomes a roaring crowd of onlookers, standing shoulder to shoulder in a coliseum filled to bursting. The blood red floor becomes a shining battlefield of sandy yellow dirt.

The only thing that remains unchanged is Kirito and his opponent, still locked in battle, exchanging blow for blow. Kirito, fueled by stubborn anger and determination, and the knight in red, calm and smiling. The tense atmosphere of the previous location is gone, drowned by the excited noises of the crowd with each strike. It's impossible to tell just who people are cheering for. Their speeds can't compare with the Ultimate Sword, but even so, it's an excellent fight, judging by volume alone.

"Be careful."

It's a quiet murmur, just off to the side of where Yuuki was brought in to observe from. It's Asuna- appearing not as the familiar Undine healer, but with her own face and hair, dressed in a white and red uniform, a dark sword sheath at her side. She watches the fight, hands clenched into fists.

Suddenly, something changes. In the middle of a multi-hit sword skill, Kirito strikes a decisive blow, knocking the red knight's shield to the side. He charges closer, ready for the final blow-

-and in the blink of an eye, the shield is back where it was. Kirito's sword is knocked aside, and the retaliating blow sends him flying. The crowd goes wild, and a "Winner" window pops up above them, indicating "Heathcliff" as the victor of what was apparently a duel. Kirito looks shocked, and Heathcliff himself... well, he looks rather angry despite his win. He storms off, leaving Kirito alone in the field.

It isn't for long, though- Asuna runs out to check on him now that the fight is over, already summoning a healing crystal from her inventory.

"Kirito! Are you okay?"]

[zekken]

Wh-what?

[ The scenery change was unexpected. Now it looks like an actual duel and not a fight with a Floor Boss. ]

Asu... na...?

[ Hearing the quiet murmur nearby, Yuuki's briefly distracted by Asuna's presence. She's up close and in person. It's not a new feature to have an avatar that greatly resembles the player in reality. Photos were used to replicate real life appearances in Serene Garden, Yuuki's very first VRMMO. She's not aware of other games that had a similar feature. Although she knew Asuna had played in a different MMO prior to ALO, she never gone into detail about it. It was a subject that Yuuki left alone.

As the crowd cheers loudly, her gaze wanders back over to the fight, eyes keeping up with their movements. The red knight is amazingly fast and strong. She could barely catch the moment when he retrieved his shield. Now this is someone that Yuuki would want to challenge. When the duel finishes, she makes a mental note of the name over Kirito's opponent. "Heathcliff", huh?

When Asuna runs ahead to Kirito, Yuuki can't help but reach out towards her to try touching her. But she slowly lowers her arm to her side.

Getting upset might have been Yuuki's reaction to Asuna not noticing she's standing right next to her. Instead, she's confused and beginning to realize that something is off with this world. It's like a dream or watching a memory play out before her.

She follows the other girl out into the field to join Kirito. ]

H-hey...?

[ She's expecting some confused stares now... ]

2!

[mikangirl]

[...are you fighting Death

jfc you were meant to be like some kid studying mechatronics not-- well, appearances are deceiving, right? Nami keeps staring with a bewildered (and faintly terrified) expression before Kirito's yelling makes her jump. Equipped...?

It may be as a result of her recent conversation with Diamond, but the concept of searching for equipment on the pop up window doesn't balk her for maybe half a second. Excuse her while she goes through this in the vague hope that there's a weapon she can even use in here. Staff preferable. Hell, she'll take a gun, but she'll probably come up short there.]

[huaaaaagh]

[He's fighting Death a little bit, yes

And not very well, apparently. One swing of the scythe sends him flying, and it's all he can do to get up and charge back into the battle. The swing doesn't seem to have caused any huge injuries, mind you- there's a long slash at the point of impact, but it's only leaking red particle effects, rather than actual blood.

The menu itself, when Nami approaches, offers the following-

Items/Equipment:
-Healing Potions (Restores the user to full HP.)
-a sword, Anneal Blade +6 (A one-handed sword; quest reward. Enhanced 6/8 times.)
-a sword, Lambent Light (A one-handed rapier. Crafted by {Player} {Lisbeth}.)
-a sword, Dark Repulser (A one-handed long sword. Crafted by {Player} {Lisbeth}.)
-Teleportation Crystal (Transports the user to the nearest safe zone.)
-an accessory, MHCP001 (the description is a series of corrupted, illegible text, with only a "?" as the display image.)]

[mikangirl]

[Sword. Sword. Sword-- what's with all the swords? She can't use those, and she scowls at the stupid thing before glancing up just in time to see Kirito take a header. Shit.

She smacks at the screen, going for something that seems pretty straightforward: healing potions. He looks like he could use one.]

[huaaaaagh]

[The potion appears in her hand immediately upon being summoned, and a scant second later, it shatters, tiny particles of light falling to the floor and vanishing. The green bar above Kirito's head fills to its maximum as a result, but that's the last of the scene that she's able to see. A light flashes, and everything around them changes.

....

"You know, I just killed an innocent bystander because of you. How am I gonna live with myself..."

It's late in the day, no longer pitch black like the cave they'd been lost in before. This area looks more like the base of a canyon, huge rock walls on either side, and a long winding path both ahead and behind. Lying on a flat rock in the center of the path was Kirito, trembling and looking as if even the slightest movement is a struggle- like he's pinned to the ground by some invisible force. The man who had spoke is standing not far off, smiling coldly and holding a sword.

Kirito's voice is as strained as his body, glaring at the man. "From over here, you looked like you were having a blast doing it... why the hell would a guy like you join the Knights of the Blood Oath? You'd be more at home with one of the criminal guilds..."

"What an interesting observation. You have sharp eyes." The man opens a menu, selecting a couple of options, and the bottom half of his sleeve vanishes to reveal a tattoo of a black coffin wearing a grinning face and a skeletal arm.

"You're with Laughing Coffin... the murder guild!"

"That's where I got the skills to paralyze bastards like you." A cold bark of laughter, and then the man seems to realize something, stepping closer. "...Oh, where's my head? I better stop talking, or the poison will wear off... and we wouldn't want that. Time to finish you off for good!"

He stabs the blade into Kirito's arm, twisting it painfully. Kirito gasps, but still can't seem to move. The man repeats the gesture in Kirito's leg, mocking him with another laugh, then does it once more, right in the chest. With a trembling hand, Kirito reaches out to grab at the blade, trying to pull it out, but to no avail. The light around the area grows dim, and everything is difficult to see, as the life drains out of the one holding the memory. Still, the man mocks him.

"Why do you keep struggling? Are you afraid of dying after all?"

I don't want to die, I don't want to die... I'm not ready to give up yet...!]