Chapter 3

As they reached the safe zone, Tia and Kirito both opened their status menus eager to see what had changed. Somehow Tia managed to trip over the same damn rock but thankfully she only stumbled into Kirito's side and they both decided it was a good idea to sit down while they went over their menus. After distributing their stat points, Tia sent Kirito a friend request that was immediately accepted and then she had to accept a party invite from Kirito.

With her back to Kirito's, Tia joked quietly that it only took their life stories and getting to second base to consider each other friends. His shoulders shook against her head as he chuckled. Rolling around to place her head in his lap, she noticed his health bar was in the lower yellow though that probably had something to do with his max hp going up. In fact her own health bar wasn't doing so good either.

Curious, she gently took his right hand and opened his inventory, ignoring his amusement at her bold actions. She rolled her eyes when she found he didn't have any potions or crystals. Releasing his hand, she opened her own inventory and this time instead of opening a trade tag, she sent half of her potions, antidotes, and her spare healing crystal to Kirito, as a gift, in an email. Snickering cheekily, she watched him huff in exasperation. Before adding each other as friends they could only trade with each other and trades could be denied but once a gift was given in an email it couldn't be returned for a full 24 hours.

She tapped on one of her remaining potions, tapped the use button and then watched fascinated as it materialized in front of her. Catching the small bottle, she smirked up at Kirito, "And they say SAO doesn't have magic. We call that conjuration."

Kirito laughed lightly, materializing his own potion, he said, "Cheers!" and then knocked it back, the empty bottle bursting into blue sparkles. Tia copied him with her own potion and then relaxed in Kirito's lap, not even caring when Geneva and her new friend came over to talk to them. Mione apparently, received a friend request from a 'Weasley' and went to go meet up with him, him being Ron. Tia still didn't understand that friendship and she didn't think she wanted to.
Geneva's new friend, who Kirito was kind enough to introduce as Klein, had appologized for upsetting Tia earlier, but assured her that he'd been laughing at Kirito and not her. She'd nodded and went back to relaxing ignoring the conversation until she heard Kirito's worried voice asking her to check for her log out button. A few quick hand motions later had her sitting up in concern, "It's not there."

"Do you know if there's another way to log out of this thing?" Klein asked nervously.

After a moment of thought, Kirito answered suddenly deathly serious, "No. Whenever a player wants to log out of SAO the only way to do it is by going through the menu."

"That can't be right! There's got to be some way out! Return! Log Out! Escape!" Klein started shouting and by the time he was finished he was jumping all over the place. If Kirito didn't look so serious, Tia would've probably laughed at the guys antics.

"Told you so. And there was no emergency log out in the manual either." Kirito continued after the man stopped jumping around like a lunatic.

"No way. You gotta be kidding..I know I'll just rip the NerveGear off my head!" Klein proceeded to try and do exactly that.

"Don't bother. Once you're hooked in you can't move your body in the real world anymore. The NerveGear intercepts all the commands you give inside the game using an interface that's built into the rig. "

"Seriously." Klein deadpanned, "So now we gotta wait until someone gets around to fixing the bug?"

Kirito nodded, "That or until someone in the real world comes along and takes the NerveGear off us. That's it."

"I live alone. You?" Klein asked.

"I got a mom and a sister. And I'm pretty sure they'll notice by dinnertime if-" Kirito began saying.

All the sudden, Klein rushed him gushing over Kirito's sister, Geneva seemed a bit annoyed at his actions and looked a bit too cheerful when Kirito kneed Klein in the nuts to get him off and shut him up.

"Get serious. Don't you think this is weird?" Kirito asked annoyed.

"Yeah totally, but it's just a bug." Klein said, unconcerned.

"This isn't just a bug. If we can't log out it's going to cause some serious problems for the game."

"Yeah I guess you're right."

"I wonder if the developers even know what's going on cause they can just shut down the server and log everyone out but why haven't they made an announcement?" Kirito wondered aloud.

As if on que a gong like bell rang out through the game. A familiar feeling of fear began to creep through her and she couldn't help but to edge closer to Kirito.

A tingling sensation and blue sparkles later, Tia found herself still practically wrapped around Kirito except now they were in the plaza of the town of beginnings surrounded by what she would guess to be nearly 20000 people.

"Someone forced a teleport." Kirito muttered.

The bell stopped ringing and a bright red hexagon with a warning sign blinked ominously in the sky and then suddenly the entire sky was red and filled with warning signs.

She held onto Kirito tighter as the red sky seemed to bleed heavily before becoming a giant man who welcomed them to his world, a phrasing that caught both Tia and Kirito's attention. The giant man introduced himself as Akihiko Kayaba and told them that as of this moment he was in control of this world. He then brought everyone's attention to the missing log out button and explained that SAO was designed that way. He told them that there was no longer any way to log out of the game nor could anyone from the outside world take the NerveGear off of their heads without a transmitter located in the NerveGear discharging a microwave signal into their skull, destroying their brain and ending their life.

People in the plaza began to panic but Tia's attention was on Kirito, who had just confirmed that the transmitter worked just like a microwave. Turn off the safety and it could fry their brain.

The giant red man explained that despite his warning friends and family had attempted to remove the NerveGear and because of those actions 213 players had been deleted from the game and the real world. Then they were told that players could no longer be revived in the game, if their hp reaches 0 they will be deleted from the game and in real life forever. The only way to leave the game would be to beat the game. He then told them that he had left a gift in everyones inventory and asked them to check it out.

Everyone moved to do so, even Tia, none were expecting to find a mirror. Nor were they expecting to suddenly be forced back into their own body instead of the artificial copy of their body. Tia was annoyed to find her body growing more defined, her skin paling, her eyes brightening to an emerald green and her lips becoming a blood red color. Her hair was pure black and fell in waves down to her hips.

Looking to her left where Kirito had been she found herself staring at a rather handsome boy with slightly long but neat black hair and expressive black eyes, who stood half a foot taller than her own 5'2".

To her right she found that Klein hadn't really changed much, his former pink long spiky hair had changed to a short spiky bright red hair, he still had brown eyes and he still had a scruffy chin.

After that Akihiko Kayaba told them that he wanted to control the fate of a world of his own design. In other words he wanted to play god with 20000 peoples lives. Akihiko Kayaba disappeared and so did the red sky and the barrier keeping them trapped in the plaza.

The moment the barrier came down Kirito grabbed Tia and Klein, who grabbed Geneva and stealthily raced for the shortcut to the gates. They were blocked at the alley shortcut by a familiar face. At least familiar to Tia and Geneva.

Relieved to see her, Tia jumped into Luna's arms or rather Lulu's arms, "I'm so happy to see you, Lulu!"

The spacey pixie like blonde smiled, "Likewise Celestia. I come with gifts to help you and yours protect those you claim."

Tia looked at her sadly, "You saw this happening didn't you, Lulu?"

She nodded, "No matter what I did to try to change it, it still happened. This will be up to you and yours to beat this game. I can't see anymore Tia. I only saw enough to determine that you and yours are necessary and that you'd need me to sacrifice my sight to do what is needed."

Tia looked at her in horror her hands trembling as she raised them to frame her best friends eyes. Lulu grabbed her hands firmly, "We don't have time for you to have a breakdown Celestia. Woman up! Check your messages. I've sent you and yours gifts. I've done what I can now it's up to you and yours. Last minute suggestions; you don't have to always be together to be a guild, follow your instincts, and keep as many friends as possible close until they no longer need it. I'll follow you until I can go no further Celestia."

Taking a quick breath, Tia tossed all doubts to the back of her mind and looked through her messages easily finding Lulu's gifts. There was two of them, one of them labeled for Kirito this one she sent to Kirito without bothering to open it, the other she did open to find four expensive perks.

The Times 2 Perk - doubles sp and pkp on level up. Combining this perk with the one she had already would quadruple her sp and pkp.

The Grinding Perk - adds +1 stat point to all stats with each level up. Enough said.

The ChaChing Perk - Triples all col rewards. Very expensive perk but very worth the pkps.

And The Quick Level Up Perk - Forces you to advance 3 levels and can only be used once.

Tia whistled, very impressed, especially as she was sure that Kirito had received the same, "Well done, Lulu!"

She shifted her attention to Kirito and Klein. Obvously Kirito hadn't noticed the message she'd forwarded, "Kirito and I will meet you and your friends at the safe zone we were at today. Be quick. Message them and light a fire under their ass. We'll wait only two hours. If you can't make it message us. Now move it. Geneva go with him. Report anything new."

Klein and Geneva ran back to the plaza.

Tia grabbed Kirito's hand and ran for the medical shop, Lulu followed quietly. Kirito questioned Tia in a low voice trying not to attract attention to them, "What are we doing, Tia? We need to get to the next town. We're not strong enough to protect so many people."

She nodded, "Not yet but we will be. Check your messages, Kirito. And keep an eye out for incoming messages. We need more medical equipment. As well as the camping skill and the night vision skill. 400 sp altogether. And you need the extended weight limit skill, Kirito. "

Tia's hands rushed over her status window. She sold 20 pkps for 40000 col and then immediately bought 20 rolls of bread, 16 potions, 15 antidotes, 10 healing crystals, and then 5 teleport crystals. Storing everything in her inventory she still had over 20000 col left but she didn't have time to do anything more than grab the skill manuals for camping and night vision. Within twenty minutes of the barrier falling Kirito, Tia, and Lulu were racing for the safe zone to wait for the others.

Kirito and Tia activated their new perks one by one saving the quick level up perk for last. Taking a deep breath they glanced at each other and nodded determinedly, activating their last perk.

Immediately three level up tags popped up in front of her, acceping all of them she then began distributing 5 stat points on top of the 3 stat points to all 6 stats. Afterwards she sat at an even 2000 for her hp, Kirito was at 1900 though that was because his vitality was lower than hers seeing as she didn't really have to place stat points to her agility because of her sword. He needed better equipment but as he was a beta tester she had no doubt that he was waiting for a certain blade. Still he'd need something that could keep up with him now and a standard sword wouldn't cut it. When they reached the next town she was getting him a better blade until he could get the one he wanted, if he stuck with that one he was going to break it in a few more levels and they couldn't have that in the middle of battle. Esecially as she and Kirito were going to be the groups heavy hitters until the others were up to par.

"Kirito? There were a thousand beta testers right?" She asked, softly.

"Yeah?"

She bit her lower lip, she didn't like what she was about to suggest it would be very dangerous, "Other betas will have the same idea."

He nodded with a frown, "The next town's not going to do it if that's the case."

"Could we make it to the third town with the perks that we have?"

"Yes, we should be able to even with us needing to protect the others. We'll need to set up a camp in a safe zone when we get tired, though."

Lulu spoke up, "This has become a life or death game. People do stupid and dangerous things to stay alive. They steal, kill, sell their bodies, sell their friends. It's going to get real bad, Tia. Not everybody can handle life or death situations, some people will go insane and lash out at others. You'll need to keep your friends close, create a guild if you need to, but when you need to sleep have others on watch. Guild members help and protect each other."

Kirito looked uncertain, "Guilds can't be created until the fifth floor and I don't relate to other people very well."

Lulu shook her head, "Things like that no longer matter, Kirito. The only things that are going to matter are who's stronger and who has the most and best resources. The more members you have the more protected you are. Smart thieves and murderers will avoid large groups. That's the type of protection you'll need."

Tia nodded, "She's right, Kirito. Guilds don't always have to travel together but just being a member of a guild that has a reputation for protecting their own will provide protection from petty thieves, murderers and ambushers. Besides small parties and solo players can only go so far in a death game like this."

Kirito sighed, "Alright, we'll create our own guild but we've got until the fifth floor to think of a name and decide on the rules. Membership requirements, leveling requirements where the headquarters is going to be; that type of thing. Let's get back to what we're going to do right now. With other betas out there the second town is no longer an option and pretty soon the third town won't be an option either."

"Alright then how about we only go into towns for necessities? We just keep moving from one town to the next until we get to the end. No one is going to go for the dungeons until they level up so if we continue on to the last town we'll be safe for awhile right?" Tia asked Kirito.

He nodded, "Sounds good. We'll head for the third town tonight with Geneva and Klein's friends. We'll stay there for a day or two, while everyone gets in touch with their friends and families, and if need be we'll send rescue parties to meet up with those stranded in lower level towns. If we manage to earn enough col by the time we get to the last town we should be able to buy out one of the many inns there and make that a temporary headquarters."

Tia grinned, "If we're going to set ourselves up as the strongest guild we're going to have to help others get the perks needed to level up quickly. Lulu are you in need of perks?"

She shook her head and explained, "Seer abilities are extremely rare so sacrificing the ability for pkps earned me nearly 80000 pkps. That's on top of my own magic after taking an exta strength potion before logging in, which earned me 15000 pkps. I still have 35000 pkps left for the use of my guildleaders."

Tia and Kirito stared at her in disbelief, Tia asked, shakily, "Lulu, why would give up so much?"

She cocked her head, "It's the right thing to do. Like when you stood up to my tormentors when we were eleven. I know about the beatings you suffered on my behalf, Celestia. My loyalty will always belong to you and yours."

Before she could stop it, a sob fell from Tia's lips. Lulu said it like it was obvious as if such loyalty was to be expected. Kirito wrapped his arms around Tia and she sobbed into his chest desperately trying to calm herself.

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