[Twi]

I'm working on starting a SAO + Log Horizon fanfiction, with the information: Here

Summary: Due to the events of Sword Art Online Incident and Alfheim Kidnappings, all NerveGear and AmuSphere devices were banned from public use and RECT closed its doors. With their loss, Kirito moved back to playing the long-running Elder Tales series, as a former member of the Debauchery Tea Party. He logs in with a few of his friends just as the latest expansion pack is launched and they end up inside of Elder Tales.

Initial Arc (Back in the Game)

Spoiler for Long Plot:

Chapter 1

Kirito meets at the Dicey Café with Klein, Silica, Lisbeth, and Agil. During this time, they discuss a bit of what they've been doing since RECT closed its doors and some exposition about how things are different than canon and the Elder Tale's expansion pack coming up. It's been a few months since Klien and the others have been playing the game, while Kirito was a veteran and had been helping them using the Teaching function. Asuna and Yui are on Skype as well, with her on a trip with her parents and Yui on her laptop. Later that night, it shows the relevant characters being sucked into the game.

Chapter 2

Kirito and the others meet up inside the game, with them wondering how they ended up like this again when it was supposed to be impossible. Recalling how things were in SAO, they expect an announcement and decide to stay in the city since it is in their eyes a [Safe Zone] until they know more. He also talks to Asuna through telepathy and encourages that she does the same since they are on their friend's list. But Kirito goes out into the surrounding area and recalls that, despite as horrifying as Sword Art Online had been and how he felt betrayed by Kayaba, who he admired, he treasured some of the time he spent there. He begins practicing with his weapon as he encounters a mob, recalling the feeling and then using a technique likening it to SAO's sword skills, and then he goes through the steps for Starburst Stream. While out in the field, he also encounters Shiroe and the others, who he recognizes. Shiroe recognizes him as well, and they talk about the similarities and difference between this and SAO, such as pain. He then talks what they will do next, but neither are really sure and add one another's Friend's List.

Chapter 3

A few weeks later, Asuna is talking with Yui and sees a younger player being bullied by a member of Plant Hwyaden and tries to intervene. She ends up getting killed and sent to the Cathedral, feeling angry at herself for being too weak to defeat them outright because she's at such a low-level, even if she has her experience from SAO. With how the town has slowly started becoming oppressed and Plant Hwyden she and a few other players want to do something but need the strength to do so and can only end up getting sent to the Cathedral. One of them notes that Plant Hwyaden can hog the hunting grounds and PK other guilds, gathering up Gold and stopping others from leveling. They state that not only are they acting like a dictatorship, but soon they may be able to buy something like the Cathedral and stop them from reviving completely.

So they decide to relocate for the time being and head to one of the other player cities to gather the power to claim the city. Minami is where Plant Hwyaden is located, so that's out. Susukino is worse from what she learned from Kirito told her from what he learned from Shiroe, so that leaves Shibuya and Akiba. With that, they group up and begin a mass exodus with some remaining behind while they make a plan to go to Akiba to arrange for reinforcements to liberate the city along with the resistance. Kirito tells her he'll meet her halfway.

Chapter 4

Kirito and his group head out to meet them at a halfway point, having bought some supplies for the players, so that they can aid in clearing out the pathway for them Akiba. There's a joining them are Naotsugu, along with a few other volunteer players in the high levels.

Asuna stands along with the rest of the group in defending the caravan as they traverse the dangerous terrain, having a map in front of them as they plot a path and the more experienced players listing the dangers along the way. The higher-level players note that defending against the Kobolds will be tedious because they're rather simple, but there's a base along the path that will obstruct them.

The horses pulling the lead caravan fall into a trap set by Kobolds and come under fire as Kobold Casters lay down elemental fire in the distance. Some of the high-level players go out to get rid of them, but end up leaving the caravans unprotected as Kobold Hunters attack from another side to draw out more of the high-level players. Both are protected by Kobold Heavyarms and the Kobold Parizans hinder them.

This ends up leaving them vulnerable as the Kobold Leader orders the main attack, a group of Oobold, backed by Kobold Medics on their shoulders as they are dropped near the caravans that circled together to leave less openings by a crane, led by an Oobold Dinsword.

The high-level players see it coming too late as traps are sprung that leaves them unable to get back in time due a controlled fire being lit up, burning Crimson Maple leaves for a thick and obstructive poison leaving them unable to protect the caravan with the younger and weaker players as the poison and fire slowly saps their strength, leaving it to the ones left behind to defend themselves.

Chapter 5

The attack continues, and one of the Summoners in the group is high enough to summon a Stone Golem to act as a tank, but only one won't be able to hold them off for long. On top of that, and one of the Level 40 players who's a Guardian cast Anchor Howl to lure them to him while the Golem uses Guardian Fist to keep him from taking damage, allowing him to hold most of their attention. But, no matter how they look at it, they can't win in brute force, but they can wear them down through death of a thousand cuts.

They decide to stack status effects and look to an Assassin who is also a poison-user to help, however, he—like many others—is afraid to fight now that they have to use their bodies for real. Asuna tells them if they don't fight then they will end up back at the Cathedral and they can't go back for them. Rosalyn threatens him just to move fast and poison them before darting away, because if she gets sent back she's going to make his life a living hell, and the Enchanter with the group gives him a Reflex Boost to move fast enough to avoid getting hit.

Recon is then ordered to draw a sigil around the caravans and he has some pixie dust chalk that can be used as a catalyst, but the magic power is weak and a defense won't really last long enough. Asuna doesn't want it to be protection, but to place a status effect on them to slow them down. While he does that, the Enchanter works to add to the collective damage with Electrical Fuzz for continuous damage.

Asuna then decides to head out, and Rosalyn, a bard, , uses her Resonance Beat to enhance Asuna's strikes, in addition to a Slash Card Charm from Recon to increase the damage, as well as a Reflex Boost from the Enchanter giving her a boost to her reaction speed, allowing her to strike quickly and damage them. While darting through enemy ranks and laying on strikes, she feels as though she's once again Asuna the Flash.

Some Kobold Crane deliver more of them onto the field to attack, literally throwing enemies into their ranks. So they next have to take it out and they have Recon blast them now that he's done laying down the Sigil and when some of the enemies begin attacking him, a Carbuncle is summoned to protect him with barriers while Asuna continues assisting in striking them down.

Once all the cranes are destroyed, the Oobold Dinsword and Kobold Lord step forward to attack the group who are exhausted from dealing with the numbers. They attack with the same strategy until the kobold uses his spear to casts the monster equivalent to Dissonance Scream and leaves them confused and open to attack. The Assassin gets hit hard and sent back to the Cathedral, before the Druid can use Cure Bloom to purge them of the status effect, while the Enchanter uses Astral Bind to hold the Kobold before it can kill Asuna since she earned the most Hate.

The Oobold uses the distraction to get close to the Caravan and trips the sigil, which hits it with a brief Daze status, and Rosalyn sacrifices her weapon using Final Strike to strike the Oobold and stagger it long enough for the Summoner to get in front of the group and then use Castling to switch with the Golem, which punches it and exchanges blows with it until its destroyed. Recon casts a spell in a panic and blasts the Oobold, killing it.

Asuna meanwhile helps keep the Kobold Lord distracted along with the Guardian. They gang up on it, with its confusion weapon being canceled out by the Druid and Heartbeat Heal keeping their health up, while Carbuncle soaks the damage with barriers. When the Kobold Lord appears to be down to 25% it uses a new sonic attack that knocks back all the defenders and leaves them all dazed. That's when the party leader shows back up and cleaves it in half, killing the boss.

Once the boss is dead, they storm the base to kill off any remaining ones to avoid any more surprises and loot their supplies. They also wonder how they could have gotten so smart, but they liken it to the changes in the system until they come across one of the People of the Land and learn that the Kobolds can understand English and a Beast Tamer brought them from all over to obstruct the path and prevent people from leaving.

This leads them to the theory that they were put there specifically to stop players from leaving. They allow the Lander to come with them, and the party leader has Recon give Rosalyn the [Howling Spear] from the Kobold Leader for her good work and to replace her destroyed one, and the [Discordant Blade] from the Oobold Dinsword to the Guardian for holding the line. When asked about the Assassin, the party leader tells them that he had one of the people who remained there pick him up from the Cathedral, so he's safe even if he can't join them again.

The chapter ends with Kirito learning of the report through their telepathic link and telling her they'll be there for them soon, before he lets Shiroe know, who also agrees that it's a possibility that someone conscripted the Kobolds to do it by bargaining with them, explaining why they had better equipment than normal and were able to come up with a strategy like that.

Anyone care to contribute?