Thread: SAO 2.0 [main thread]

Balancing a box of pizza in one hand and fumbling for his keys with the other, Ben mumbled a few frustrated swears under his breath. He could feel the old lady who lived in the apartment next door staring at him as he did his nightly routine. He really needed to get a key chain, but he moved so often what would be the point? With a soft click, the key sank home and easily pushed the tumblers away, allowing the weary man inside is apartment. He pushed the door open and shimmied past the 'Coat Rack of DOOM!'. He tried his best not to accidentally step on Mr. Buttons, who had a habit of sleeping lazily in front of the door when Ben worked all day. It appeared as though Mr. Buttons had other obligations today, however, as he was nowhere to be seen. After settling down and grabbing an ice cold beer from the fridge, Ben plopped into his computer chair and booted up his rig. With a single beep and a few moments worth of white-on-black splash screen, the monster PC hummed to life. The IT specialist munched intently on pizza, careful not to grease-slime his mouse or keyboard. A few seconds later, the game was auto-booted and ready for his log in. He'd been waiting all day for it to download while he was at work. Sometimes the net here sucked hard. As Ben reached for his VR headset, a familiar sound like the motor of a small chainsaw gave but a seconds warning to the imminent furflab ambush. Mr. Buttons had been waiting patiently for his friend, curled up next to the slightly worn out headgear. Now, he made his attack, flopping down playfully onto his owner's lap and rolling into a ball of fat and fuzz, vibrating the chair with his loud purr. GET OFF ME, YOU TUB-o-Kitty! You know how I hate it when you pounce me like that! The grey and white cat climbed up onto the man's shoulder. There he laid, stretched out, with his tail on one end and head hanging over the other. He gave a resoundingly final 'mow', which was followed by more motor revving. With a deep sigh, the young man gave up and scrathed the cat's back as he put on his headgear. The game's log in seemed fine, and he went through the set up motions easily enough. When the NPC started babbling about how this would be his guide to character creation and navigating the world, he made his usual character for games and then skipped the discussions. The forums would have all the character info he'd need, and he could check those later. He chose a Human, with the Gunslinger path and a talent for treasure hunting. His avater would have green hair, a few distinct facial scars, and stood a little over six feet in height. Being familiar with character creation systems helped him speed through with little slow down. As he logged into Tir Chonaill, he had a strange sense of immersion. He took a second to look over his character. A plain white long sleeve shirt with a lace-neck and a pair of black pants. His character wore a pair of belts, a gun hanging in a holster at each hip. Even his paid for cosmetic item, a pair of sunglasses that meshed over head gear, was loading up fine. After his initial log in, the Treasure Hunter in training spent some time roaming the town, looking for beginner quests and getting the early grind out. He didn't want to be behind the curve when the official release date hit them. Also, the grind was what he did. It made him excellent at MMO's like this, where grinding could make or break a person.