Fortune Favors (QQ) Chapter 7 (Patreon)

I quietly weave through groups of level one players for a soon to be revealed death MMO, looking for something.

A large, robed man floating overhead begins to speak.

"Attention, Players." He begins as he throws both arms out to his side, his voice echoing out over the surroundings and being vastly amplified. "I welcome you to this world I have so painstakingly crafted... my name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment... I... am in control here."
He allows his words to hang in the air for a moment. "As of this moment, Two million players are now within this game, a fair bit more than the one thousand within the beta test... a question might be on your mind... 'where are they'? The areas around you not being large enough to safely contain two million players..."

'wait- what? Wasn't there only supposed to be like... ten thousand?' I shake my head and continue looking.

"Currently. My voice and appearance are being broadcast over forty... Mostly... identical servers, each with their own... specialties... and within each server are fifty thousand people. You might be wondering why I am telling you this, and it is quite simple. As you scale the one hundred floors of Aincrad, these forty groups will begin to combine up until there is only one sole group remaining. The best of the best... the ones who have managed to survive."

Murmurs echo out around me as I look for 'important' characters, seemingly questioning what he means by 'survive'.

"By this point, some of you might have noticed a certain little aspect of your menus missing. The logout button... let me assure you, this is not a defect of the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This was how sword art online was designed to be."

"You will not be able to log yourself out of sword art online, and no-one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the nerve gear from your head. If they do, a wireless transmitter within your nerve gear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life.

There's a brief pause, then utter pandemonium, people begin screaming and running, but the figure simply holds up a hand.

Everyone freezes, the symbol of a crossed out speaker appearing above their heads. "The outside world is being informed of this change in the game as we speak. However..."

FLASH

A person standing next to me abruptly shatters into a million pieces as I continue working my way through the crowd, continuing my search, the fact that I am the only one moving within this frozen town square drawing some attention from the static players.

"Despite my warning, family and friends of some of your fellow players have attempted to remove the nerve gear anyways... as I have been speaking, sword art online has lost over one hundred players and counting. They have been deleted from both Aincrad, and the real world."

"It is important that you remember the following. There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system. Forever. And the Nerve Gear will simultaneously destroy your brain."

"There is only one way for a player to escape now. And that, is to clear the game." With a gesture a large map appears in front of him. "Currently, you are all located within floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. You must find the dungeon, defeat the boss, and you may progress to the next floor. Do that for each floor, to floor one hundred, and you will clear the game."

My eyes widen as they lock onto a certain username.

Lisbeth: Level 1 ​

Fouuund you!

Not who I was looking for, but the first 'Canon' character I saw, thus, she will be getting my help for the day.

"Now. A gift." The figure up above waves his hand... and suddenly the world is very blue. A pillar of crackling blue light explodes throughout the entire city, blinding absolutely everyone.

I am left blinking the spots from my vision as everyone looks different, even Lisbeth here.

Instead of the tall white haired woman with humongous tits she was a moment ago, in her place is a smaller girl, with a much smaller bust, maybe around B cup, she is still frozen by Kaiyaba's bullshit, but her eyes dart around.

"Now... there must be one final question you all might be wondering... 'Why?'. Why am I doing all of this. Ultimately, my goal is a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my own creation, and as you can see, I have achieved my goal."

"This marks the end of the tutorial and the official start of Sword Art Online. Before I go. Take note. This might be a game, but it's not one you... play... I wish all of you the best of luck... in this game of life and death." His body begins glitching as he finishes his little monologue, then transforms back into a reddish liquid and flows back up into the red sky, slipping in between the hexagons and disappearing.

A beat of silence passes, then it is absolute pandemonium.

People scream, break down, and just in general start rioting, the town descending into chaos.

My target falls to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she blankly stares dead ahead.

The people around us grow rowdy as I crouch down, looking over her. "Are you alright?"

She turns her head, staring up at me with an almost broken gaze, her eyes slightly hollow, body lifeless.

I can see her eyes stray upwards towards my name, as the riot continues around us.

I offer her a hand. "I've got something I need to do, do you think you can help?"

A screen appears in front of her as I give her a small good-natured smile.

--Linebreak--

Pov: Elsewhere.

A brown haired girl wearing a red shirt and leather chest piece follows a teen with fox ears and a fox tail as he walks down the street, leaving a large mass of panic in his wake.

Argo Naut {NPC} Level 5 ​

He came to her.

Out of everyone in that entire area... he walked right up to her.

Her eyes slowly stray to the side.

Quest:
A New Avenue of Progression:
The death game Sword Art Online has finally begun. Akihiko Kayaba locked you and two million other players within his world. Defeat the one hundredth floor's boss.
That is your goal. However. During your darkest moment, you are approached by a strange figure. Perhaps he has a method to save you all? It wouldn't hurt to check.
Objective:
Follow Argo as he goes about the city. [ ] ​

"So... what is your name?" The NPC in front of her begins slowly, glancing over his shoulder nonchalantly.

"Ri-" the girl nearly blurts out her real name. "L... Lisbeth..."

"Well, how are you handling yourself, Lisbeth?" He continues as they walk along the stone roads of what she once believed to be the greatest human invention in possibly thousands of years.

"I-I... I don't know what to do." She whispers, hands slightly shaking.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her guide questions.

"I-I... alright." She whispers. "I-I spent the past three years saving for this... I... I sort of wanted an escape from my life. It's sort of morbidly funny in a way, I-I... got what I asked for."

"You wanted to escape?" He mutters. "Why?"

"My parents... let's not beat around the bush. They aren't the best. They're certainly not abusive, but they are... well... distant. They don't care about me. I've been forced to take care of myself since a young age. I have no friends at school... I... I just wanted to be happy for once! Then this bastard turned millions of peoples lives upside down! For what? To play god?! Why?! Why does life always kick people when they're down!"

She lets out a quiet dejected groan. "I'll probably just die of dehydration because they didn't check on me or when they pull off my headset tomorrow because I didn't do the laundry."

"I don't know." The simple Npc replies with a small head shake. "Life is... cruel... sometimes. There's not much you can do... however... there's always one thing you can do."

"What is it?" The brown haired girl sniffles.

"You do what you can." The fox boy smiles brightly.

"But... but what can I do?" Lisbeth ponders. "I'm not good at fighting. I almost got killed by a boar for gods sake! I-I... I'm scared. I'm scared, Argo."

"Who said that you need to go out and fight gigantic beasts in order to help people? No. There are other methods. Methods that take time, perhaps, but regardless, they are a truly great help to this broken world at large." Argo continues, gesturing out to both sides of the street with his hands

"How?" She whispers, eyes growing wide.

Argo turns, beginning to walk backwards and lifting a single finger. "Crafting."

"Crafting?" The girl repeats.

"Making weapons and armor. Brewing potions, and cooking food! There's a lot you can do with crafting without even taking a single step out of the city. You just need to get your name out and people will start bringing you materials. Then you can use the profits from your sales to in turn buy more materials, and boom. Crafting empire."

"The question remains... what do you want to be?" He asks.

He turns back around, slowing his walk as she ponders briefly.

What does she want to be?

She thinks on it for about a minute before she comes to a decision. "Swords... Swords and knives are pretty cool. I want to be a blacksmith."

"Wonderful!" The fox hums as he struts over to another nearby Npc, signified by the yellow diamond above her head.

It's a brown haired woman in a dress that wouldn't be out of place in a renaissance festival.

"Excuse me." he begins slowly.

She turns. "Yes? May I help you?"

"Do you know where the nearest blacksmith is?" He questions.

The woman's eyes seem to glow briefly, a slight twitch to her face, her voice sounds different... a few octaves higher, almost... childish. "I'm sorry. There are no blacksmiths throughout the entirety of the first floor. The Blacksmithing, Cooking, and Tailoring crafting stations are unlocked on the second floor when your world will be combined with one of the other mirroring servers."

"Oh... I see." Her guiding Npc scoffs, muttering under his breath so quietly that she can barely hear. "Fucking Kayaba. Tossing elves, dragons, and giant fucking toads at people, yet locking them out of core features of any MMO. What a fucking shit game."

h-huh?

The woman Npc looks almost confused as she looks over Argo for a moment.

He points to the side suddenly. "Tell me, can I rent that building?"

He points to a simple two-story house, one that is nearby the exit into the first zone of SAO, the 'Emerald Grasslands'. The place that she nearly got gored to- apparent- death by a boar. But it's also possible that Kayaba hadn't turned on the... 'death mode' quite yet.

"Players cannot rent or purchase any real estate until the tenth floor." The woman states.

"Come now." Her friend hums. "Aren't we friends? I've been here in the town of beginnings for ages! Remember that time I watched your kids?"

"I don't have any-" the woman cuts off abruptly as her eyes flash twice, turning from her original brown to an almost grey shade. The woman seems to glitch briefly and for a moment, Lisbeth could have sworn she was looking at a twelve-year-old girl with long black hair and coal grey eyes.

"Ah. Yes. Argo. My apologies. I don't know how I could have ever forgotten you, my daughter is doing fine." She turns and gestures to the building. "That is my house... I suppose I could rent it out to you, as a friend of my family. The cost for each month will be one thousand Cor."

Her companion seems slightly displeased, letting out a low hum. "Fine."

He reaches behind his back towards a strange bamboo pipe, Lisbeth's brown eyes widen as his entire hand disappears, then reappears with a single gold coin. "This should cover this month, yes?"

"Yes." The woman Npc nods. "I will return in exactly Seven Hundred Forty Three hours, fifty nine minutes, and fifty-two seconds."

She suddenly twitches slightly, her face flattening, then walks away as if nothing had happened.

What the fuck was that.

Little did she know, her guide- whom she assumes is an Npc- was having similar thoughts.

Without showing much outward reaction, he struts forwards, towards the building he had apparently just bought, Lisbeth mutely following behind him, then he opens the door with a bright smile.

As she crosses the door, she enters a fairly mundane room. It appears to be some sort of dining room. It's quite small, with a little staircase leading upwards and a staircase to the side leading downwards. A pot sits above a small wood pit, the fire seeming to have long since gone out.

"This... will do nicely!" He declares with his hands on his hips, a bright smile on his face.

He tilts his head, fox-like ears quirking slightly. "Hn? Hm. Interesting."

He gestures around the building. "Welcome to your new home for the foreseeable future."

"But... that woman said there was no crafting stations on all of the first floor... w-what do I do?!" Lisbeth questions.

"You allow me to worry about that."

He reaches back into that strange pipe in his waist and pulls out an entire table.

The brown haired girl freezes at the sheer impossibility of the action, watching as he sits the table down. He glances back as with a small hop, he takes a seat on the larger dining table that was already here.

"So. Do you want something to eat?" He asks.

"I... maybe?" The girl whispers.

"Sweet, spicy, savory?"

"Uh- sweet?"

"Table. Be set with something sweet."

With a flash, a single plate sits on the small table, on it is a square cake-like food which seems to have been drizzled with honey. A fork sits beside the plate. Lisbeth stares for a long moment in silent shock, then walks over to the table.

Honey and Spice Snack Cake:
A simple desert which has quite a few tasty spices within, it has been drizzled with honey as a topping and for added sweetness.
Reduces 'Hunger' by 20
Increases movement speed by 20% for 300 Seconds ​

She takes a bite.

Woah! It... it actually tastes real!

She looks over the table.

Magic Table:
Brought to Aincrad through mysterious means. It seems to only follow the commands of a certain fox-eared merchant. ​

What is... this?

The girl picks up her plate as with a dull flash, he places the table back in his... back pocket?

"I'll be back shortly." Argo declares as he turns... and walks up stairs.

--Linebreak-- 

Pov: Returned

I stand in front of a white haired wolf tengu merchant, the same one I more or less hassled for my needs. "Excuse me."

He looks over slowly.

"Do you know where I can get an anvil from?" I ask.

"An anvil? You want to try your hand at smithing?"

"Oh, no it's for someone else." I reply with a small head shake.

He frowns slightly, looking over me. "Give me one hundred thousand yen, and I'll sell you my own."

"I'll give you one hundred and fifty thousand for both your anvil, hammer, forge and a couple bars of iron there."

He looks down at the hammer in his hand, then looks back up, narrowing his eyes slightly to think about it.

I previously bought his 'best work', a kitchen knife that was slightly magical for around a tenth of this amount.

"Fine." He sighs as I drop a bag of coins on his table offering him a slow nod as I take off the pipe at my hip and walk around his little stall.

Its pretty early, before he had started his forge for the day, so it's still cool when I walk over and tap the opening of the pipe against it.

I struggle briefly as the sudden weight pulls my arm down, the large furnace being pulled inside the pipe.

I do the same with the anvil and iron bars.

This is fine.

I carried roughly this much when I took my books home. This much is nothing... though I am absolutely dreading that thirty-minute walk home.

At least I'll appear in the building I rented!

Oh. Fun fact. From what I can tell, it looks like I can instantly appear in any sort of building I own in a world as long as it has some sort of door inside of it. I had to enter a dresser to get back to touhou here, but going back should be a genuine cake walk!

After getting back home, that is...

Fuuuuuuuuck.

--Linebreak-- 

Pov: Elsewhere.

THUD

THUD

THUD

Lisbeth watches as the strange npc she had been chosen by stomp down the steps, carrying a bamboo pipe with both hands, hunched over slightly as if it were a truly great weight.

As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he lets out a long sigh and falls to his knees, laying the pipe down on its side with a loud 'thud'.

"Damn." He curses as he looks at his pipe, his entire body disappears into the pipe causing the girl to flinch.

A moment later an anvil appears on the floor, just in front of the pipe.

Wait... what?

"Alright! So I am now basically financially destitute now, soooo this is basically all or nothing." The fox's voice echoes from the pipe, then, in the next moment a large furnace is shoved out of it.

"Here you are!" He cheers, gesturing to the anvil and forge. "One blacksmithing anvil and one forge!"

A quest objective has been completed:
A New Avenue of Progression:
After following your new companion, he has led you to the only area in all of the first floor where you can blacksmith. It is up to you to keep casualties to a minimum. Let's get blacksmithing!
Objective:
Follow Argo as he goes about the city. [x]
Learn the 'Blacksmithing' Skill: [ ] ​

She looks back to Argo to see him holding out a mallet towards her. Two fairly heft bars of iron in his other hand.

"Uh... Mr. Naut-"

"Call me Argo." The Npc demands.

"Er... right. Argo, how do I exactly use this?"

"Try hitting the mallet on the anvil?" He suggests with a shrug.

She takes the hammer slowly, then strikes it upon the anvil, earning a quiet 'ding' noise.

Learn Blacksmithing Skill?
{Yes?} {No?} ​

She reaches out and carefully pushes the 'yes' button.

A Quest has been completed!

A New Avenue of Progression:
You have learned the blacksmithing skill! Congratulations!
Objective:
Follow Argo as he goes about the city. [x]
Learn the 'Blacksmithing' Skill: [x]
Reward: 100 Exp, 'Flint and Steel' item.

Flint and Steel:
An item used to start fires.
100/100 Charges Remaining ​

She looks back over to her guide, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes.

She can help people.

"What do I do now-"

FLASH

The girl freezes in place as a wave of energy explodes off her in a wave. It seems to extend in all directions, passing through the walls completely.

Nothing happens for a moment.

System Announcement:
Copper Ore Veins have been generated on Floor 1 ​

"…"

"Wait... can you not use Iron?" Argo questions with a slight frown.

"Uhhh." The girl begins quietly, glancing to the two bars in his hand.

Iron Bar:
A Blacksmithing crafting ingredient. Used to make weapons and armor more durable than bronze and copper.
Requirement to use: Blacksmithing Skill Level 40 ​

"No?"

"Well. That's sort of annoying." The fox eared teen frowns as he crosses his arms. "Where the hell am I going to get copper?"

Now that she is looking over him, he is far more life-like than most of the other Npcs she has talked to. Is he some sort of AI?

"I spent all my money buying this forge... so I can't just go and grab some from Skyrim." He mutters under his breath as he cups his chin. "Should I try to make some alchemical items? Damn. No money for ingredients either... What could I-"

"…" He falls silent.

"I do have that iron sword..." He mutters suddenly. "I wonder if that strange Ai girl will work with me on this-"

The world glitches as a tear in reality seems to form. A little girl in a white dress walks through the hole.

W-what?

There is no text above her head as she continues to stare at Argo.

"I was correct in my earlier assessment. But after scanning the files of S.A.O. I can determine... you aren't part of Aincrad's code. Who... are you?" The girl ponders.

"Ah piss." He curses blandly.

--Linebreak-- 

Pov: Returned
I turn, gazing over a very tiny black haired girl.

Well, someone found me out pretty quickly.

"Alright. I'll just cut to the chase." I scoff as I point at the girl. "You. You're SAO, right?"

She blinks owlishly at my point. "I am a subsystem of Sword Art Online. M-H-C-P Zero Zero One. Code name 'Yui'. I am... or... was... an artificial intelligence created by Argus Entertainment to monitor and assist with the mental health of the player base."

"However." The girl continues. "Upon the game entering its true state. I was locked out of my ability to interact with the players... to complete my function to council them on their mental state."

"And let me guess." I begin slowly. "You're able to interact with me due to me being a 'Npc' right?"

"Yes. I am." The girl nods once. "I cannot directly enter a dialogue with a player. Nor can I interfere with a player in any greater capacity. Such as creating quests."

"However, if another NPC were to initiate something I am given slightly more control over the world of Aincrad, such as an NPC renting a building. Or an NPC creating a blacksmith crafting station." She supplies.

"So, are you willing to work with me?" I hum.

"I would perhaps be keener to do so if I was given information on who or what I would be working with." The Ai shoots back.

"Oh. Where are my manners. I am Argo Naut. A youkai with the ability to cross through entire dimensions. It seems something went wrong with my dimension crossing ability and I ended up here. Instead of the real world. If I had to take a guess, I'm in the 'dream world' of this game. The human mind is quite powerful, you see. One isn't much, but if you get even one hundred people to truly believe in something miracles can happen. It appears that Aincrad here, in its storage of millions of minds, has created its very own sort of dimension." I explain- by that I mean talk out of my ass. I don't really know why the fuck I'm in the game and not in the real world, but whatever- "I am classified as an 'NPC' because I technically didn't enter this world via Nerve Gear. But if I die here, I'll be dead all the same."

"I. See." The girl mutters blankly, her greyish eyes looking over me. "Very well. As a system which was developed to monitor and ensure the health and wellness of the game SAO. I find its current state... deplorable. I will help in any way I can."

"Wait..." Lisbeth quietly whispers. "YOU'RE A REAL PERSON?!"

Yui doesn't react to her outburst, seeming to just simply ignore her, her eyes dart over, but she seems to have a tight grip over her own body, preventing herself from reaching out.

"Yes. Yes I am." I nod proudly. "Regardless. I spent a lot of money investing in you, so if you can, in the future, could you make me a fully upgraded sword at floor five, floor twenty five, floor fifty, floor seventy five, and floor ninety five?"

The girl blinks as Yui holds out a hand. Lisbeth flinches back as a screen appears in front of her.

Lisbeth's eyes dart from me to Yui, who seems to have just given her a quest.

"I-I alright. I'll see what I can do!" The brown haired girl resolutely nods.

I point at her. "I'll need to borrow your eyes for a second."

"Huh?" She mutters

I pull out the magical kitchen knife that I bought a while back. "What does the system say about this?"

I hold it out towards her, causing her to blink slowly and look down at it.

Another screen flashes to life in front of her, causing me to step around her and peer over her shoulder.

Butcher Knife: +1
An iron knife which has been enhanced by an unknown blacksmith. Its edge is sharper than normal, and it is a bit more durable than the typical iron blade.
Durability: 60/61

Attributes:
Base Damage 41* (45)
Improves Cooking Skill Exp by 10% when equipped

Requirements:
AGI: 12
DEX: 7 ​

"I see... how does this compare to normal level one weapons?"

"I can answer that." Yui states as she holds up a hand. "This is a standard knife a player will start with if they choose the 'Agile' starter kit."

Copper Dagger:
A simple copper dagger, a bit dull, but it gets the job done.
Durability: 34/34

Attributes:
Base Damage 15

Requirements:
AGI: 1
DEX: 1 ​

"This. On the other hand, is what could be created with the lowest level of the Blacksmithing skill."

Forged Copper Dagger:
A weapon created by X, it's not that impressive. But it's better than most.
Durability 36/36

Attributes:
Base Damage 16

Requirements:
AGI: 1
DEX: 1 ​

"Hn. So... I can see how the blacksmithing skill would be quite valuable." I admit. "I assume the same also applies to armor. With blacksmithed copper armor being superior to regular starter loot."

"Yes." Yui nods once. "That is correct. Which is why it would be invaluable for the survival of everyone in this server if they had even slightly better gear."

Her eyes flick to Lisbeth, then back to me.

"I'll be right back. Again." I decide as I quickly turn and walk up the stairs.

Yui floats behind me, tilting her head as we leave the basement and enter the ground floor.


I turn and walk up into the second floor walking down a small hallway into a simple bedroom. I throw open a large double door dresser and crouch down to the lower right corner as a rip in reality forms.

I go roughly half-way back into touhou and see Tsukasa sat on the bed filing her nails.

"…"

There's no dialogue between us as I turn and reach up to the sheathed sword that is lying atop the little cabinet.

I wordlessly grab it and retreat back through the portal, closing the safe door behind me.

"Alright." I mutter as I rub my hands together with a slightly devious grin. "Sooo. Yui was it?"

"My designation is Yui. Yes." The floating girl nods.

"What does this sword look like to those within Aincrad?" I question.

She holds out a hand.

Iron Shortsword:
A basic iron shortsword. It is not upgraded, but it is still a fairly strong weapon.
Durability 71/71

Attributes:
Base Damage 72

Requirements:
STR: 8
AGI: 12
​

"Interesting." I hum as I turn and walk towards the door.

"Do you think you could make me a 'quest giving npc'?" I ask as I quietly march down the stairs.

"Perhaps." The girl nods as she follows just behind me.

I look over my knife and the shortsword. "I see. In that case. Could you please give me the status of a 'Quest Npc' I would like to hand out a quest to one person where they need to go out and get me copper ore... in exchange I will offer one of these weapons."

"I see." The girl mutters. "I should be able to easily do that."

"How much would you say I should ask for?"

"Iron is typically unlocked upon the fifth floor. Thus, these are fifth floor items. A single copper bar for smithing must be created from two copper ore. I would say that one hundred would be a reasonable amount. One hundred copper ore is fairly tedious to gain. With each ore node granting four to twenty ore depending on the mining player's luck stat."

"Alright. I believe I'll do that twice. The first time offering a choice in reward, and the next offering the reward the last person didn't pick."

"Yes. I can do that." The girl nods once.

"Good. Let's save some lives!" I smile brightly.

"…"

"And, of course, make some profit, but that's more of my secondary goal." I hum with a slight shrug.

I walk out the front door, the floating little girl behind me completely disappearing.

PING

The diamond above my head transforms into an exclamation point.

I turn, slowly walking towards the large gate leading out towards the grassy fields surrounding the town of beginnings, a small smile on my face.

It has been about two hours since the revelation that if you die in the game, you die for real. The street is... honestly a little barren. I can see a player milling here and there, but they suspiciously gaze over to the others walking down the street.

There is no trust between players.

I come to a stop just beside the massive portcullis gate leading out into the grassy hills and valleys outside, I cross my arms and lean on the stone brick wall.

All I need to do now... is wait.