Sword Art Online: Altforv

Session Two: Hi-Hat

"It's been a year!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Koharu, I have seen the news, most of the other survivors have already recovered, are you sure you are okay?"

"Yes I am still going to therapy, I have been making some progress." Koharu disliked these phone calls from her mother she knew she was well-meaning, but they constantly harassed her, forcing her to notice her current situation.

"That's good to hear," her mother lets a sigh escape her, "well, those dance classes will be starting soon, you have enough money saved up?"

"Yeah," Koharu leans back into her chair, "Once I am feeling well, I think I can get in." She jerks the phone away from her ear suddenly, as a loud crash punctures her from the other end. Tiss!

"Shoot that was your father I'll call you back dear, love you."

"Love you too." She hangs up, tossing her phone gently on to the table in front of her. She was by herself, as usual, while Mai was out at work. Getting up slowly, she crossed the small cramped apartment and retrieved her dance flats from her room.

Her walks weren't long or distant, yet each step that Koharu completed felt like several eons. The clustered apartment buildings along with the small stores all glare at her as she walks monotonously down the narrow sidewalk. Her knees ache, her feet scrub harshly against the soles of the worn flats. Ruthless thoughts of surrender press down on Koharu's shoulders the farther she walks, but the young woman's dignity was far too resilient.

Upon returning home, she cleans herself and sits down at an old laptop from the early 2010s. Her eyes race through a forum thread that has been bookmarked on her browser. Every five to ten minutes, she would pause to check the time as it crawled towards four pm. Until- Ding!

A reminder on her phone alerts her: At 4 pm use your E-mmerser!

"Finally," she says, in an excited breath as she sits up and fumbles towards her room. It didn't matter, soon she would be moving the way she should be. Her mind zipped past the command word, the main menu, and halted as the game began to come into focus. A thin layer of mist, representing the loading, rapidly recoils from her, showing off the dark forest she was left in.

Teal's heart makes a thud, as it hits the floor. For a very brief moment, images of her last encounters flash before her, and her heart rate picks up running faster than she ever could in real life. Koharu takes a moment to collect herself, this wasn't the other game, she can relax. Her shoulders untensed and her eyebrows unfurled, with an exhale she decompressed. She opened her menu and found an orange notification waiting for her.

A 『Friend Request』was sent to her, two even, she recognized the names after a moment, Calamity9 and AvatheGamerMC. She blinked before pressing accept and moved to her『Friends』tab. While Ava's name had a dull gray dot next to her name, Calamity9 had a bright green one with the word Online next to it. Ding!

It was a message, "Dude why did you dip on us? The person you were with Ava or whatever she and I managed to get to a small town where the quest giver is just meet me there please!"

Koharu's knot tightened, "Sorry!" She replied, "OMW just wait for a moment!! >.<"

After Calamity sent their location, Teal wandered through the woods, getting into skirmishes with a few enemies and talking to a few NPCs she ran into along the way.

The town she came too was bizarre with houses nestled in the roots and branches of sturdy trees. The people who lived there dressed in deep purple clothing, which made the person she was looking for pop out. She saw Calamity propped up against a gnarled root. They shot out a small wave from folded arms and gestured for Teal to come closer.