Sword Art Online: A New Beginning

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga smiled wryly.

“I was doing an item grab job for them. No need to get snippy about it.” He paused for a moment, walking up beside the blonde girl. “It makes sense, though. They get to hand pick the person who joins their guild by eliminating all undesirable candidates.”

“Hey, you two! Get outta here! I’m going to join the Heaven Spire guild, so you shouldn’t even bother wasting your time here.” A boisterous and loud mouthed player shouted as he rushed up to them. He was moving quickly in their direction, when a terrible scream rose above the noise of the battlefield. For a moment, all fell silent. Then, there were screams. An enormous shadow covered the field and a strong wind blew in powerful gusts. Massive wings appeared over the horizon, and soon, the hulking body of a powerful monster rose into view. It was a large, phoenix looking monster and in the center of its chest was a shining blue gemstone.

“Well there it is.” Kaiyaga muttered as he saws the enormous creature appear. “The Jewel of Aramu.”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve's eyes widened as he gaze fell on the massive enemy moving toward them.

"What in the name of heaven is that thing? I wasn't aware such a monster could even spawn in the opening field. No new player could take on that and survive.."

The blonde girls voice was filled with shock and disbelief as the massive figure drew ever closer.  

[Mega90]

A smile crossed Kaiyaga’s lips as he looked over at Eve. Her usual calm and controlled façade was shaken by shock and awe. It was a rare moment of vulnerability, and he was taking a surprising amount of pleasure in it.

“Like I said, they worked out the details of this event with the Devs. I guess they even got them to be willing to create a new monster, just for this little contest.”

As the creature neared, it flapped its powerful wings. Bursts of hot air thundered forward, washing over the entire filed of waiting fighters. As the air blew over the group time and again, rushing forward with the beat of its heavy wings, it felt like standing next to a raging fire. The heat was intense, and the air began to ripple. Even the grass around them began to brown and curl under the suffocating air.

Suddenly, there were screams. IT seemed as though someone had flipped a switch, and all the mesmerized players had simultaneously come back to their senses. Some readied for battle, while others began to run in the opposite direction, their will and nerve shaken.

The creature flew to just before the largest grouping of players and gave a powerful backbeat with its wings. Its enormous frame stopped immediately in the air, and a gust of wind stronger than any before flew forward. It sundered several players, knocking them to the ground. The heat was intense enough that the grass around them actually began to catch fire. It sent bursts of smoke up into the air and the sky began to darken even more.

The fire spread quickly in the dry field, and soon, there was a typhoon of smoke rising, blotting out the stars, and creating an ash filled sky of chaos.

While this was happening, the creature had started his attack. Opening its mouth, a torrent of fire shot out. It engulfed the players below, and thousands of shards of light burst forth, some rising above the flames, others being consumed within it. Dozens of players met their end with that one attack, and it now turned its attention to the next grouping near it.

For the first time since it had appeared, the creature touched down. Its long, curved talons dug into the soft earth, and large quakes gripped the ground.

Kaiyaga took a suddenly unsteady step back.

“This thing is like a floor boss…” his vision narrowed and his head snapped to Eve. “Hey, Kiddo, we should get out of here while we still can. There’s no gain to be had by fighting this thing.” His tone carried a new sense of urgency. The fire was spreading fast, closing in on them and making escape a rapidly dwindling option.  

[Zarkon90]

The young girl stood, motionless. Seemingly transfixed with the massive creature as it made it's way toward them.

Eve's eyes were wide and her mouth stood slightly open as the dancing flames that were quickly making their way toward them reflected in her bright eyes.

"It's..not..possible... There's no way we can beat that thing.."

Eve's voice was so quiet as she spoke that Kaiyaga could have easily missed it had he not been looking right at her.  

[Mega90]

Kaiayaga’s patience was up. He grabbed Eve’s shoulder and spun her around to face him, looking at her with his only uncovered eye.

“Eve, get your head in the game. We have nothing to gain here, so let’s get out of Dodge while the goings good.” His words were phrased as a suggestion, but he was already moving in the direction of the Town of Beginnings. His hand firmly grasped her wrist, and he was pulling her quickly away from the battle that was now raging behind them.

The sound of screams and clashing weapons was deafening as players threw themselves at the monster. Life after life was lost in futile combat, as it seemed that the beast was taking little to no damage from the onslaught that was being thrown at it.  

[Zarkon90]

Eve stared in bewildered wonder.

"Is there even any way to beat that thing? It seems invincible.." She muttered softly, seeming to not notice as the creature drew ever closer.

"I..wonder if master could beat it? Probably.. right? Maybe if I can..I would prove myself to him at last.."

Eve's tone was soft, almost distant as she muttered all this to herself, seeming to have forgotten that Kaiyaga was even with her.  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga stopped moving, turning to face Eve with a raised eyebrow.

“You’ve got to be kidding. You actually want to fight that thing?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve looked up to meet Kaiyaga's eyes, seeming to remember he was there at long last.

"I was considering it. Do you think we can actually beat that thing or is it another set up by the Heaven Spire guild?" She asked, her gaze shifting once more to the massive creature slaughtering players only a few yards away.  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga cast a half glance back at the giant creature as they continued to move. He scoffed and turned ahead again.

“That thing is at least the strength of a floor boss, and probably a pretty high leveled one at that. This is likely just another way for Alexander to stroke his ego by proving that none are worthy to join his guild. He pulled Eve behind a tall rock and crouched down, peering out from behind it. “Still…” he paused for a moment. It was almost as though he was lost in thought. “It seems strange. When they announced this event, they said that the player who went out and found the item would be worthy to join the Heaven’s Spire guild, right? Why would they say someone had to find it, if they were just going to send the giant monster that had it right to the heart of the battlefield?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve frowned slightly and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. You think the monster is a distraction and that the item is hidden somewhere out in the field?" Eve asked, frowning softly.  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga considered for a moment.

“Not sure.” He paused, his brow diving even deeper into a scowl. “It just doesn’t seem right. Look at the way that it’s fighting. It’s keeping them at bay, sure, but it’s not really attacking all that much. A strike here, an attack there. If that thing wanted to, it could level this field a few seconds. So why isn’t it?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve let a soft frown cross her lips.

"You think that Heaven Spire got the dev's to program that thing to only keep players at bay?"

The young girl looked to the ground thoughtfully before continuing.

"Or maybe, because it is so strong, it doesn't start fighting seriously until you deplete it's health to a certain point?"