Sword Art Online: A New Beginning

[Zarkon90]

Eve narrowed her brow, unconsciously puffing out her cheeks in irritation.

"What do you mean by spitfire you lazy drunk? In the hands of a skilled warrior, anything can be a weapon. It's not my fault if others are to dumb to think of it themselves."  

[Mega90]

Again, Kaiyaga was overcome with laughter.

“Hey, don’t get upset.” He said as he wiped a tear from his eye. “I never said that was a bad thing. Actually, I kind of love that about you. You’re always looking at things in new ways. It’s actually pretty cool.” He placed his free hand on the top of her head and rubbed it gently. “You’ve got spunk, kid.” He paused for a moment to better catch his breath. When he had composed himself sufficiently, he again held out the small orb. “So what do you say, you want to set one off?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve blushed brightly, but quickly turned her head to hide it as kaiyaga tried to compose himself. Once he had she looked again at his extended hand.

"Oh alright fine." She said, reaching out and snatching the orb from his hand. Her shining eyes betraying the irritation in her tone.

"So I just aim it at the sky and channel mp into it?" She asked, glancing back up at him.  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga nodded.

“Yup, you just aim it where you want to shoot it, funnel in the required amount of MP, and watch it go.” He shifted the second orb in his hand, aiming it up into the sky. “Here, I’ll show you.” Within a few moments, the orb had launched out of his hand and into the glowing heavens above. There was a moment of inactivity as the flaming trail dissipated, leaving only a black hole in the sky where the orb had disappeared. Then, suddenly, there was light. Much like the other orbs, it erupted into a brilliant display, casting a blue hue over much of the surrounding area. “Now you go ahead and try.” He said, bending down slightly to be closer to her level.  

[Zarkon90]

Eve nodded, aiming the orb up at the sky and channeling a sizable chunk of her mp into the orb in an attempt to make it fly higher.  

[Mega90]

Eve watched as the orb’s MP requirement was met and then surpassed. The orb glowed a brighter shade of red than any that she had seen, before the lights suddenly died, leaving it an empty husk. A moment passed in silence as a high pitched whine began to come from the orb. It grew louder and louder until all other sounds seemed to die away. Then, the light returned and Eve could feel the world around her fading as she was encompassed by the bright light and loud noise that was coming from the small orb in her hand. A warmth filled her palms for just a moment before she felt the strong hands of Kaiyaga seize her wrist and pull her sideways.

The high pitched whine began to lessen, and the intensity of the heat began to decline as the light grew farther and farther from her. Soon, the sounds and sights of the city returned to her senses, and she saw that she was now by the water’s edge, and the orb was plummeting towards the canal below. It pierced the glassy surface, lighting up the stones below, and causing the river to appear to glow. The light spread up and down the channel for a great distance, and Eve was able to hear the excited clapping of various revelers who thought it was all part of the show. The whole event had taken place in less time than she had been able to blink, and she now felt herself pulled once more, this time lurching backwards. Her world spun for an instant before Kaiyaga wrapped his hands around her, burying her face in his chest. An extremely loud explosion erupted from behind her, and even though her view was largely obscured by Kaiyaga, who stood with his back to the river, she could see the flash of red light that burst forth. Water shot at least thirty feet into the air in a massive funnel before raining back down on excited onlookers. Cheers and clapping rose from the crowds, and Kaiyaga loosened his grip, stepping back from her. He bent down and placed his hand on her head once again.

“That might have been just a little bit too much MP.” His tone was good natured and kind, and Eve could see that he was stifling an amused laugh.  

[Zarkon90]

Eve looked past Kaiyaga, her hair was a frazzled mess and it was clear she was dazed.

"Yeah...now you tell me.." She said, her tone exasperated as she wobbled under his hand, barley staying on her feet as her vision was filled with bright orbs that remained even when she blinked. Her ears rang and the world seemed to spin around her, though she tried to hide the obvious effects the orb had on her.  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga laughed gently and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“You only have to put enough energy in to meet the MP requirement. You don’t have to go so far past it.” He rose to his feet again and looked over at a nearby vendor. “What do you say I get you another one, and we give it another go?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve bit her lip and shook her head, her voice far louder then necessary due to the ringing in her ears.

"No..I think I'll pass. Not that it isn't an awesome item but I might be a bit over them right now."

Eve shook her head again as she attempted to clear her vision and regain some semblance of hearing.

"Freaking things are going to kill someone.." She muttered angrily to herself.  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga smiled and looked out over the crowds.

“Alright then, so what do you want to do now?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve rubbed her eyes.

"Stops seeing spots?" She almost shouted, making it evident that her ears were still ringing.

"Whatever we do, I don't want it to try and kill me unless I get to fight back. Once is enough, thank you very much."

Eve's tone was irritated but the embarrassment was clearly evident in her voice.  

[Mega90]

“Don’t’ worry about it. IT was my fault for not explaining it better. Why don’t we head for the center of the festival where they will be making their announcement? We can check out the stalls over in that direction.” He glanced around them at the throngs of people that apparently also had the same idea. Waves of festival goers were headed in that direction, even as the lights in the sky danced on.  

[Zarkon90]

Eve nodded, still holding her head.

"Yeah, sure I suppose." She said, following behind you as she continued to blink in an attempt to banish the irritating dots that clouded her vision."  

[Mega90]

“Great, then let’s head over there.” Together the pair made their way over towards the center of town. When they arrived, Eve saw massive platform had been erected. Four people stood on top of the platform. Two of them were cloaked guards, obviously security from the Heaven Spire Guild. The other two figures were known and feared almost universally throughout the game. A man and a woman clad in brilliant armor stood on the stage, looking out over the throngs of people that had all gathered to hear what it was that they would say. Alexander, Guild master of Heaven Spire walked to the front and held up his hands in welcoming. Beside him, a beautiful woman with long blond hair stood> She also wore tight fitting armor with a massive bejeweled sword strapped to her hip. Her hand rested lazily on the hilt, and her other arm was poised on her hip.

“That’s Alexander and Lian, the leader and Vice leader of the Heaven Spire guild.” Eve heard someone within the crowd whisper.

“Welcome, one and all!” Alexander started, his voice booming out over the crowds. He paused for a moment as the general din of the festival fell to a muted whisper. A smile worked its way over his face, curling the edges of his mouth. He had their attention, and that meant he had control.

“It is with great joy that I welcome you all once again to this yearly little festival of ours. As you know, we here at the Heaven Spire guild represent what is best about this game, and we want you to be a part of it. Of course, not just anyone can join.” He paused for dramatic effect. “No, I’m afraid that only the best may join our guild. But fear not, today we will be granting you all the chance to join our ranks. All you have to do is prove that you are worthy.” The reaction from the crowd was evenly mixed. Some found the speech to be narcissistic and conceited, while others hung on every word, eager for their chance to join the ranks of one of the most premiere guilds in the game.

There was a longstanding rivalry between the top guilds, though very few members from the guilds actually participated in the arguments. The wars were waged mostly by the hopeful who aimed to join the ranks of one top guild or the other. Many aimed for Transvaal, while others sought out Crestfallen, and still others sought to join Heaven’s Spire, or still one of the other top guilds. However, when comparing them all, there was no guild that could match Alexander’s for pageantry. From the festivals Heaven’s Spire put on, to the extremely lavish guild hall that was more of a guild town than a single structure, seemingly occupying the space the size of an entire floor, to the extravagant ceremonies that accompanied actions within the guild, and within the game, no voice was more heard than that of Heaven Sire. If one was to consider only strength, the award would still go to Crestfallen, but in terms of size and scope, Heaven’s Spire was unmatched.

Lian stepped forward and drew her sword, holding it out in front of her as though she was preparing to knight someone.

“Listen up! There is a beast hidden somewhere in the field just outside of town. This creature has a gemstone known as the Jewel of Aramu. The first player to get this gemstone and bring it back here will win the honor of joining the elite ranks of the Heaven Spire guild. Those of you who fail can still drop by our recruitment booth to see if you qualify to join as a new recruit.” A murmur of cheers and excited chatter exploded from the crowd, and the smile widened on Alexander’s face.

“But that’s not all!” He called, his voice loudly carrying over all the chatter. “The player who wins will also qualify for the chance to make a future announcement for the game on behalf of the Heaven Spire guild. This announcement will directly tie in with what we are going to be sharing tonight, so look forward to that.” The crowd was eating it up, and even the skeptics seemed to be pulled in by the promise of a new game announcement.

“Wow, they really outdid themselves this year, huh?” Kaiyaga commented, giving a low whistle with his tongue. “What do you say, Eve? You want to try to get that gemstone? It’ll be a Pvp free for all out there.”