Well here we go again. This time I wanted to combine my #2 and #3 favorite anime's. Updates should be about once a week. I'm up to chapter 10 on this and have been chomping at the bit to post. I'm also going to try to keep the rating at level T so no heavy lemons this time around.

I have had to take some liberties with the SAO games rules, but please just excuse them as AU for the flow of the story.

Please enjoy!

Dead Connection

I do not own Sword Art Online, Highschool of the DEAD or their characters.

Chapter 1

The dark-haired teenager grinned with excitement as he unpacked the new game he had been waiting so long for. Sword Art Online was a virtual reality, massive multiplayer online system that used a headset called 'nerve gear' to immerse you in a 3D world. There had been some minor trials with the gear before, but this was the first time it had been used on such a grand scale.

Komuro Takashi poured over the game manual, loaded the software onto his computer system and created his fighter character. All this could be done without 'diving' into the game itself which did not even go live until the next Saturday.

Takashi smiled again as his email began to pop with messages from friends saying, "I'm up and running!", and "Got mine installed!"

"Saturday," he said to himself. "Saturday it all becomes real!"

000

Fujimi High School: Class 2-B - Friday

"Dude I am so ready for Saturday!" exclaimed Morita, one of Takashi's classmates and friends.

"Has everyone already made up their characters?" asked Igou Hisashi.

"Y-yes, I finished last night," stuttered Hirano Kohta, a chubby, dark-haired boy with glasses.

"I'm glad you agreed to join us, Hirano-san," Takashi said. "I'm betting your knowledge as a military otaku will pay off in this game."

"I…I hope I can be of service," the embarrassed young man replied.

"I hope this is worth all the trouble we've put into it," grumbled Takagi Saya as she walked up. The pink-haired girl stopped before them, placed one fist on her hip and pointed at Takashi with the other hand. "I mean it. This better be worth our time or I'm taking it out on you, Komuro!"

"If it upsets you so much why did you decided to join, Takagi?" the boy shot back.

"W…well it's the hardware issue," she replied, now slightly embarrassed as everyone focused on her. "I want to study it to learn what other applications it might be able to be used for in the future."

"I heard they are already talking about several different game versions," Kohta said. "Even one that is all firearms which the military could use for training."

"The applications could be endless," Saya said. "Training for surgeons, space missions, so many things I can't even think of them all."

A ginger–haired girl came in and walked over where the group was gathered.

"Hey Rei," Takashi said with a smile. "Do you need me to come help set your system up tonight?"

"No," she replied. "Hisashi came over and did it last night."

"Huh?" Takashi said as he looked to his best friend.

"Sorry Takashi, I thought you knew," the white haired boy said. "I got done early and Rei called for help. She said you were still setting yours up so I ran over and helped her. I was only two blocks away after all."

"Oh…um, okay I guess," the boy replied, puzzled as to why his girlfriend didn't just call him. They had been kind of dating for a long time, since elementary school to be exact. Lately though they had not been spending as much time together, with all the school activities and Rei's spear club meets.

The classroom door opened again and a tall girl with dark violet hair and bright blue eyes entered. She looked around before she stepped over to where they were standing and bowed to the group.

"Excuse me; I am Busujima Saeko, third year and captain of the kendo squad. I am looking for Komuro Takashi…" she said.

"Umm…I'm Komuro Takashi," the surprised boy said. "What can I help you with, Busujima-senpai?"

The girl smile as her eyes took him in, "May I speak with you for a moment, Komuro-san?"

"Uh…sure, let's step out into the hall."

The girl bowed slightly to the others and followed the puzzled Takashi out.

"What's that all about?" Rei asked as she frowned after the pair.

"I have no idea…" Saya said, also puzzled.

000

Out in the hall:

"I am sorry to call you out like this, Komuro-san," the girl said.

"That's alright, what can I do for you?" he replied.

"I was told you are organizing a group for the start of Sword Art Online Saturday. Is this correct?"

He grinned, "Yeah that's right. In fact that was most of them I was talking to when you came in."

"Ah, I see. I know who Miyamoto-san is from the spear club and I believe Takagi-san is the daughter of one of my father's students, though we have not met. I do not know the others though," she told him.

"One of your father's students?" Takashi asked.

The girl smirked slightly, "My father, Busujima Kage, owns a dojo and teaches the art of the sword. He has had many noble students like Don Takagi over the years."

"Ah I see," the boy replied. "So what did you need? Would you like to join our group Saturday?"

She blushed slightly and ducked her head, "If you do not mind my intrusion I would like that. I must admit I have not had much experience in online games and to be honest I am having problems getting my computer to set up the software."

"Oh well if you need help I'm free tonight, I could come over and help you out. If that is fine with you that is."

She smiled again, "I was hoping you or someone would volunteer. Normally I am proficient with my machine, but this piece of software is being stubborn. I would be happy to accept your help if you do not mind."

"Like I said, not a problem, I can come over after supper tonight," he replied with a smile. "If you don't mind let me have your email and you can send me your address later."

They both held up their cell phones and a few seconds later the data was exchanged.

"Would you like to come back inside and let me introduce you to the others?" Takashi asked. "I'm sure they would be glad to meet you."

"Yes that would be nice," she said as he opened the door and led her back into the classroom.

000

Seven o'clock found Takashi standing on the sidewalk in front of the Busujima residence. He waited a moment after ringing the gate bell before hearing his senpai answer, asking who it was.

"Um, Komuro Takashi, Senpai," he responded.

"Come in," she said. "I will meet you at the door."

He entered and walked up to the entrance just as she opened it. He was slightly surprised to find her in shorts and a Rurouni Kenshin t-shirt with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Pardon the intrusion!" Takashi called out as he stepped into the foyer.

"Welcome to our home," Saeko said as she bowed to the boy.

"Thank you," he said as he bowed in return before following her into the living area.

The house was traditional Japanese style. Beautiful wooden floors gleamed around the edges of tatami mats as shōji screen doors separated parts of the room. Saeko led him to the rear where a man sat cross-legged at a table reading a newspaper. The girl knelt down facing the man so Takashi followed suite.

"Father? Please allow me to present to you a school mate of mine. Komuro-san, this is my father Busujima Kage."

The man lay down the paper and looked up at the teenager. He was about the same height as Saeko, and had black hair that was greying at his temples, with sideburns and a thin mustache. His eyes were the same blue color as her's and they were focused firmly on Takashi, letting him know he was being judged. To be honest, he was rather intimidating.

The boy swallowed hard and then bowed low before the man, "Greetings, Busujima-sama, I am Komuro Takashi of Class 2-B Fujimi High School."

"Greeting to you, young man," Kage replied as Takashi sat back up. "So…what are your intentions towards my daughter?"

The teenager's mouth fell open as Saeko exclaimed, "Father!"

Takashi grinned and rubbed the back of his head, "I'm just here to help fix the computer, sir…"

Kage stared at the boy for a moment before a grin split his face and he roared with laughter.

Saeko turned red for a moment and covered her mouth trying to hold it in, but finally lost it and also laughed out loud.

"Very good, young man! Nice comeback! I understand she was having trouble with a new program so I thank you for your assistance."

"It's fine, sir, I'm glad to help. I think the experience will be all the better with a bunch of friends together in the game," the boy replied.

"That's right," Kage said looking thoughtful. "This is the sword fighting game you have been talking about."

"Yes, Father. I am looking forward to comparing it to real sword work," she said.

The man nodded, "I too am interested to see how well they have done. If you like it, maybe I could give it a try at a later date."

"I would invite you to come with us tomorrow, but there were only ten thousand copies in the first run and they sold out in just one hour. Each person needs a copy, and a headset, to play so you would have to wait until the next release to get one," Takashi told Kage.

"Oh I understand. I am busy with classes tomorrow anyway, but maybe in the future if Saeko-chan enjoys it."

"I would enjoy playing with you, sir," the boy said.

"Well go ahead you two. I know you need to get everything set up."

Takashi could feel the man's eyes on his back as he followed Saeko down the hall to her room. "Well, he seems nice…" he said as the arrived at her door.

Saeko snorted, "Do not let him bother you, Komuro-san. He is a prankster and likes to play games. He seemed very interested when I told him I had a boy coming over to help with the computer."

"Oh," he said as they entered her room. "Is that something special?"

Saeko blushed for a moment and ducked her head. "The fact is I have never had a boy over before," she replied.

"Oh? I would have thought your boyfriend…ah…ya know that's none of my business. Sorry Senpai."

She nodded, "You have done nothing wrong, Komuro-san. I have not had any boyfriends because I have always concentrated on school and kendo. Umm, here is the machine for you to look at."

Takashi understood she was now steering the conversation away from the subject. "So," he said as he sat down in front of the keyboard. "Let's see what the problem is."

000

It only took about ten minutes before he tracked the malfunction down to a faulty wire connected to the nerve gear head set.

"Look at this," he told her as he held it up. "The wire is pinched right at the plug and is not making a connection."

"Ah, that means I will have to try to get another one in the morning. I hope I can find one before game time," she said.

He smiled and dug into the bag he had brought with him. "It just so happens I have the correct one right here," he said as he pulled out a new one in the package. "Really it's a common style plug so I keep a couple on hand just in case something like this happens."

"Wonderful!" she said as she clapped for him. "I knew it was a good idea to talk to you today!"

Less than a minute later it was connected and the computer was now finding the headset.

"Now all you have to do is make your character and configure the gear," Takashi said.

"Do you have time to stay, Komuro-san?" the girl asked. "This game system is different from any I have used before and I would like your insight during the build."

"It shouldn't take but about an hour, but I can stay as long as you need me, Senpai," he replied.

"Thank you, now let's get started!"

000

Just over an hour later Saeko was scrolling through a list of skills. "There are so many," she said. "How do I even know what to choose?"

Takashi smiled as he watched the girl. "According to what I understand there is no limit to the number of skill you can learn, but you can only use so many at one time. Of course some will be useful and others may never get used after you acquire them the first time."

"Hmm…cooking…I wonder what that would be like in a virtual world?" she asked, more thinking to herself than speaking to Takashi.

"Maybe it comes in handy when you have to camp out of town?" Takashi said. "I understand there are low level animals like wild boar; deer and bear you can hunt that can also attack and hurt you."

"Well I will take it for now," Saeko told him. "It will be interesting to see how the system handles it and if you can create recipes on your own. Let's see…now it's telling me I need to calibrate the headset."

"Ah, what you do there is put the set on and then touch yourself all over from your feet to the top of your head," he told her.

"Why I wonder? That seems odd since you already set the parameters of height, weight and looks for your character."

The boy shook his head, "I don't understand it either, but it will not let you complete the setup until you do."

The girl shrugged her shoulders and stood up to put the head gear on. She paused for a moment as she lowered her head slightly and blushed. "Umm…Komuro-san? Could you turn away while I complete this part of the process?"

Takashi looked puzzled for a moment before it hit him. "Ah…umm…okay, Senpai, please excuse me!" he said as he turned a hundred and eighty degrees on the cushion he was sitting on. He felt the urge to glance over his shoulder, but thought better of it seeing a wooden bokken leaning against the wall within the girl's reach. He smiled slightly though as he thought about the swordswoman being embarrassed by this process since her nick-name around the school was Ice Queen.

He smirked slightly as looked straight ahead. Suddenly he realized he was looking right at a two meter tall free-standing mirror. As he watched, the beautiful girl bent over from the waist, her knees stiff and began to touch her feet. She started at her heels and slowly stroked her calves as she moved up her legs till she reached her butt. Her hands glided softly over her buttocks before she bent over again and repeated the process on her front. Takashi swallowed hard as her hands drifted up her shins and thighs to reach her crotch. She paused for a moment before she reached in and touched herself in that special place before letting her hands move further up to her breasts. Takashi's nose almost exploded with blood as she cupped those firm round mounds of flesh and even rubbed her thumbs over where her nipples should be. He saw her mouth open as if she gasped slightly at the act. She moved on to her shoulders, arms, lower back and even her hair before drifting her fingers over her face. There she did her eyes and nose before she paused on her lips. Finally she lowered her hands and started to turn around.

He quickly lowered his eyes in hopes she would not realize he had watched the whole process.

"I believe I am through with the setup, Komuro…" Her words drifted away and she saw him with his head down and eyes turned to one side. Looking past to the corner of her room, she realized from his angle she was in full view in her standing mirror. Oddly though, instead of getting mad, a tingle of excitement raced over her body at the thought of him watching her touch herself. The two nubs on her chest suddenly hardened and she crossed her arms to cover them from his eyesight. "Umm…you may turn back around now," she told the boy. She noticed as he did his face was slightly red also.

"Everything done, Senpai?" he asked while keeping his head down slightly, not wanting to meet her eyes in fear he would expose that he had watched her.

"Yes I believe so," she replied as she knelt back down.

He looked at the screen and said, "Okay, looks like the only thing to do now is save and press enter."

The girl did as he instructed and the screen changed to say, "CONGRATULATIONS! You have completed the character building process. SAO will commence operations at 10am Tokyo time tomorrow! We look forward to seeing you there!"

She smiled and glanced at him to find him grinning back at her. "Well, it seems we are done then," she said as he checked his bag to make sure everything was in it.

"Only thing left to do now is meet tomorrow in the game near the spawn point," he said.

"I look forward to it," she said as she got up and led him back to the living area. There they found her father still sitting in the same spot, except instead of reading the paper; he was cleaning a katana which lay in front of him.

"Oh hello, you two," he said as he looked up. "Have you gotten everything straightened out?"

Saeko's eyes narrowed at the man, but she did not bring up the bare sword. "Yes Father, Komuro-san found a broken wire that was the problem. We now have finished the character building process and only wait for the game to start tomorrow."

"Excuse me, Busujima-sama, but is that real?" Takashi asked as he pointed to the shining blade.

"Hmm, yes Komuro-kun, this is our family sword. Please lean forward and take a closer look."

The boy knelt down and leaned closer to the blade. It had a wavy pattern along the sharp edge and the edge itself looked razor thin. "Is it very sharp?" he asked. "I'm sorry; I just don't know a whole lot about real swords."

"Watch this," Kage said as he turned the sword on its back with the sharp edge up. He reached out and picked up a small white feather about the size of a person's thumb. Holding it above the blade he dropped it, letting it fall, half on either side of the edge.

The feather did not even slow in its decent, but was now in two pieces.

"Whoa…" Takashi said, stunned at the act. Suddenly his throat felt tight as he imagined the oh-so-sharp blade passing through the skin and bone.

The boy gulped and touched his neck as he sat back up and looked at the sword master again.

"Ah, it seems you are about to depart, Komuro-san. Please come again sometime, maybe for a meal. I have enjoyed meeting you," the man said as he smiled at the teen.

"Ah…yes sir…another time maybe…"

Takashi bowed low and wished Saeko's father a good evening before getting up and following the girl through the door. Out on the street they stopped for a moment.

"Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow in the game, Senpai," he said as he bowed to her.

"Thank you for your assistance, Komuro-san," she said in reply. "I look forward to meeting again."

With that he waved and walked off as she paused for a moment to watch him. As he rounded the corner she went back inside to find he father putting his sword back in its sheath with a smirk on his face.

She glared down at him until he finally grimaced and ducked his head. "What was that all about and since when do you clean the family sword out here in the living room?"

The man chuckled, "Calm down, daughter, I was just playing a bit. To be honest I rather like your…ah…friend."

She sighed as she sat down, "I told you before, Father, he is simply a school mate. We are not even in the same year or class and I only met him for the first time today."

Kage frowned slightly, "I understand you needed help with your machine, but if you only met him today, did you feel it was safe to invite him to the house?"

Saeko nodded, "His girlfriend is Miyamoto Rei who is in the school's spear club. My understanding is her father is a police detective. He is also friends with Takagi Saya and you know who her parents are."

"Ah, I see. It is true a man's friends do tell the quality of the man. I'm sure if the Takagi's allow his interaction with their daughter it must be fine."

"That was my thoughts also," she said. "Now if you will excuse me I have several things to do before tomorrow. We will be meeting in the game and are planning to stay in all day."

"Very well, I will look forward to hearing your report," he said as he smiled at her. "And Saeko?" he called as she started to disappear down the hallway. She paused and looked back at him. "Have a good time," he said. She smiled and went on her way.

000

Takashi was antsy with anticipation as he waited for 10am. With five minutes to go he logged into the web site and watched as the timer counted down to zero. He placed the nerve gear on his head and powered it up as the last few seconds clicked away.

"DING!" the computer chimed as the screen changed to the words: WELCOME TO SWORD ART ONLINE!

"LINK START!" he said loudly as the head set went active and his vision blurred as if he was entering hyperspace. Moments later his eyes opened to see brick buildings around him and he was standing on cobblestones in a courtyard.

Takashi looked around to see player after player materialize into the new world. Some stood around like he did and looked at their hands and their surroundings. Other began calling out for friends or heading out towards NPC stalls he could see down the side streets.

A tall pink-haired woman with pink armor and a short sword materialized nearby. Takashi smirked and headed toward her as she looked at her hands and clothes.

"So how does it feel, Takagi?" he asked.

The woman glared at him for a second before she spoke, "Takashi? Is that you? How did you know it was me?"

"Who else in this game would have pink armor?" he teased.

"Baka!" she exclaimed as she hit him on the shoulder. "Don't make me mad or I'll cut you down and no one will say anything about it!"

He laughed as another male walked up to them. He was almost two meters in height and wore black armor. A light crossbow was slung over his shoulder, and to be honest it looked like he had muscles on top of his muscles.

"Umm, Komuro? Takashi-san?" the man asked shyly.

"Yeah who are you?" Saya asked bluntly.

"It's me, Hirano, Takagi–san," the man said.

"Eh! Hirano!? Could you have picked a body shape any further from your own?" Saya exclaimed as she looked him over.

"Hehe…well it is a fantasy game after all, Takagi-san…" he said sheepishly.

A brown-haired girl and a white-haired man walked up. The man grinned and said, "That's got to be Takagi in the pink armor and I've already seen Takashi's character."

"Shut up, baka!" Saya said as she looked Hisashi and Rei over.

Hisashi wore basic brown armor and carried a double edged long sword. Rei wore the same but had a two meter spear in her hand.

Before anyone else could speak a man with bright red armor and a blonde Mohawk haircut ran up and slapped Kohta in the back.

"Hey Morita," Takashi said. "I see you went with the blonde hair after all."

"I want to be sure to stand out in a crowd!" the grinning boy said.

"Is that everyone?" Saya asked.

"Just waiting on Senpai now," Takashi said. "Ah, here she is."

A dark-haired woman materialized a short distance away. She was dressed in traditional sword dojo practice clothes and had a katana on her hip. As she looked around she saw Takashi waving at her and walked over.

"Ohayo everyone," said as she bowed.

"O…Ohayo Senpai," Kohta stuttered.

"Ohayo…" Saya said as she looked the girl up and down. "Could you have picked anything more like yourself, Senpai?"

"Since this is my first time doing something like this, I felt it would be best to stick with what I know," the older girl replied. "Though I do like the pink armor, Takagi-san."

"Umm, arigato Senpai," the pink-haired girl responded, blushing slightly.

"So what now?" Takashi asked. "Roam around? Go hunting?"

"I want to check out the shops!" Rei said as she looked around.

Saya snorted, "Yes that would figure, but you need money to do that. There are going to be ten thousand people coming through this town in the next few hours. If we wait around in here the hunting grounds might be full later. I say go now and look around in the city later. Plus I could use some money myself; I used most of mine on my starting equipment."

After talking about it for a minute, they decided Saya was right. She had already opened the user's guide and was looking for info.

"There is nothing in here on where to go," she said. "So…do we ask somebody?"

Takashi snapped his fingers, "Of course! I'm not thinking in game terms yet. Give me just a minute." With that he walked over to where an NPC was standing in front of a butcher's shop, wiping his hands on his apron. Looking up, Takashi could see a flashing yellow exclamation mark above the man's head.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where the best hunting grounds are around here?" the boy asked.

The NPC smiled and the icon above him turned green. "Why yes, good sir! Go to the west and you will find forested areas with wild hogs and rabbits. Be careful though, they pack a mighty punch when they hit you! You can get there easily by using the transport ring in the square."

A screen popped up in front of Takashi saying, "YOU HAVE ACCESSED A QUEST! Help the butcher acquire meat to feed the masses! Do you accept?"

The boy grinned and punched the 'yes' button. As soon as he did the butcher nodded and turned to go back into his shop.

Takashi returned to the others and said, "We now have a quest to get meat for the butcher. We can get to the quest spot by the transport ring over there."

"Well then let's go hunting!" Morita said as the others nodded.

Takashi led off with Saya on one side and Saeko on the other. Looking back he saw Rei walking with Hisashi and Morita while Kohta trailed the group.

Seeing the puzzled look on his face, Saya stepped closer and murmured to him, "What wrong?"

"Nothing I guess," he replied. "It's just…Rei's been acting funny lately is all."

Saya glanced back. Rei was walking along smiling up at Hisashi, not paying any attention to Takashi at all. She frowned and started to turn her face forward again but stopped when she noticed Saeko watching her out of the corner of her eye. The dark-haired girl raised one eyebrow as if to ask was there something wrong, but Saya shook her head in negative before turning back to her childhood friend.

"So you know where we are going and what we need?" she asked, deflecting the conversation.

"Yeah, I think so," was all he said.

They all stepped into the circle and Takashi raised his head before saying, "Hunting field: quest for the butcher!"

Their bodies sparkled as the magic ported them away.

000

After arriving at the hunting location, they walked about five minutes. The terrain was rolling hills with forests and brush spotted here and there.

They had paused to get their bearings when they suddenly heard a grunting noise in some tall grass.

"Sound like piggy to me!" Morita declared as he drew his short sword and pulled his round shield from his back. He rushed forward towards the sound as a large blue hog with long tusks burst from the grass.

It slammed into him, flipping him over its back.

"Look out!" Takashi shouted as he grabbed his mace from over his shoulder. Running forward he jumped into the air and slammed the round metal head downward onto the hog's neck. It squealed once and burst into sparkling bits that turned into dust in seconds.

A screen popped up in front of Takashi that said, "YOU HAVE AQUIRED MEAT!"

"That thing was moving so fast!" Saya exclaimed as she drew her sword.

Morita got up off the ground and limped back to the others. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he grimaced at them. "I don't know what I did wrong, but that monster took half of my hit points away!"

"You didn't activate your weapons skill," Saya told him.

"Huh?" the boy said, puzzled. "That doesn't just happen?"

She face palmed, "Baka! Did you even read the starting manual? To use a weapon you ready it and activate the skill. Then after the strike there is a reset period of a few moments before you can use it again."

"So that's why Takashi's club glowed right before he struck?" Hisashi asked.

"I would guess so," Saya replied. "It goes without saying though, if you are up against a tough monster that reset time could really hurt you unless you have backup."

There was a sparkle in the tall grass and now they heard the sound of two hogs.

"Who's next?" Takashi asked as one of the beasts stuck his head out and snorted.

"My turn," Saya said as she stepped forward. She held up her sword as the boar charged forward. She ran towards it and struck as it went by.

Only she did not hit it full on, only with the tip of her blade. The momentum of the monster hitting her sword spun her around to send her crashing to the grass on her butt.

She stared at it, mouth open, as the hog spun around and charged back at her.

Kur-thunk! A crossbow bolt appeared in the animal's side, causing it to rear on its hind legs screaming. Four seconds after the first bolt, a second one hit the boar causing it to explode in sparkles.

Everyone turned to see Kohta standing with his weapon at his shoulder and a grin on his face.

"Second monster!" Saeko cried out as she rushed forward past Saya. The girl had her katana in a two handed grip and she slashed down the second charging boar's side as she passed it. A red scar opened in the hog's side and it exploded into sparkles also.

"Good kill, Senpai!" Takashi said as she turned back towards the group, her eyes wide and her breath coming in short gasps.

Saya was suddenly up and moving toward Kohta. Stopping before him, she began to make demands, "Let me see that thing! How does it work?"

The others chuckled as the boy recoiled from the pink terror in surprise. Then he calmed down and held it out to her as he spoke.

"When I put it to my shoulder the skill activates and a bolt appears on the deck and disappears from my quiver. All I have to do then is sight it like a rifle and squeeze the lever. If I don't remove the bow from my shoulder, four seconds after I fire another bolt loads."

"How many arrows does the quiver hold?" she asked as she leaned closer to look at it.

"This one holds forty, but I know there are ones that hold three times that and you can buy specialized bolts also. I know there are also ones that you can shoot like a grapple with a rope attached."

"Huh!" she said, obviously impressed. "Maybe I should have taken this as a weapon! I wonder if I could learn the skill and switch later on?"

"I would be glad to teach you, Takagi-san…if I can that is. Actually, I wonder how that would work?" Kohta said as he looked thoughtful. "I didn't see anything in the user's guide about it."

"Talk about it later!" Takashi called out. "Sounds like there are more hogs coming!"

Everyone readied their weapons as now three of the beasts rushed out of the tall grass.

000

Several hours later they were sitting on a hillside talking about the day. They had learned the blue hogs in the spot they had been in, would never spawn more than five at a time. After the second hour, the number of hogs went back to one and slowed down to about one every twenty minutes between spawns.

Saya had surmised that this was to make players move and hunt; instead of camping right on the spawn spot waiting for easy experience points.

They had found more of the hogs as they roamed around and another creature also. These were called horned rabbits and looked like normal large white rabbits, but had a unicorn type horn growing out of their forehead. The group quickly found out the little monsters would try to jab you with the horn when they leaped at you, but a careful dodge would save you.

Takashi had already gotten good enough that he could grab the horn of the rabbit as it went by and hold it as he struck. When the creature derezzed it left the horn as a prize drop to keep. Saya, who had taken the appraisal skill, found out by scanning the item it could be used for making healing potions if they sold it to an alchemist.

"It's starting to get dark and I still want to go to the city and look at shops," Saya said.

Takashi nodded and stood up. Downhill in the distance he saw two other players talking; only it suddenly looked like they were having some kind of argument. They were franticly jabbing at their user's interface and looking around. The boy's eyes narrowed as they suddenly both disappeared in a flash of light.

"Hey, did any of you see…" he started to say, but as he turned toward the others they started teleporting out also.

Takashi staggered slightly as he suddenly found himself standing in the grand plaza back in the city of Beginnings. Looking around he saw most of his friends and the last, Saeko, appeared as he watched.

"What the hell was that!?" Saya exclaimed as she looked around. "And who the hell are all these people!?"

She was right. As they watched more and more players appeared around them until it seemed there was thousands in the plaza.

"What's going on!?" "Why did I come here!?" "Who the hell teleported me!? I was about to kill a level two monster!" "Why are we all in the plaza!?" were just a few of the shouts they heard as more and more people arrived.

Someone shouted, "Look! Up there!" and everyone focused on a red blinking icon in the sky that said 'WARNING'. All around it more icons began to grow that said 'SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT', 'WARNING', over and over until they blanketed out the sky.

Something that looked like blood dripped from between the icons and formed into a shape hanging over the plaza as lighting flashed and snapped across its surface.

Takashi and the others stood stunned as the shape formed into a hooded figure that opened its arms as if it were a priest about to bless them.

"Something's wrong," Takashi said as the others eased closer to him. "Something's really bad wrong!"

A/N: There will be some minor differences in my version of SAO than from the anime. One is the horned rabbit. This creature comes from the manga and LN, Re:Monsters. I like the rabbit so much I decided to include it here.

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