It was 2022, virtual reality technology had been set up, commercialised and then packaged to gaming through the services of the Nervegear, yet they couldn't come up with anything better than kill twenty boars!? Outrageous, simply outrageous. They had the most technology gaming had ever seen at their finger-tips (or on their heads) and they had to use it to kill twenty mindless sprites! Disgraceful.

Quests were quests though, and they usually rewarded a lot more xp than typical grinding could ever reward. Plus, Alex was way too low-level to do some of the more interesting ways of earning xp such as the crafting system or raids. After slaughtering what must have been about the fiftieth boar, she decided that the boars had been exterminated enough and it was probably best to go back and sell all the pointless drops from them!

By the time she was done trading in the market, her inventory was less cluttered and she had a considerably higher amount of money to spend as she saw fit. That probably would have marked the point were she logged out to go get something to eat and maybe shower but just before discovering the lack of a log-out button, she was teleported to the square (circle). A frown morphed and set between her eyes as she regarded the array of system warnings that covered the sky, blocking out the virtual sun and silencing the rowdy noises from the players below.

Alex recognised Kayaba Akihiko almost immediately and took a step back, still frowning despite how obvious the programmer was making it - they were stuck inside the game until such times that they could actually finish it and if they died in-game, they died in the real world. Her eyes lost focus, her mind overcrowded with loose thoughts of family and future. Within a second however, she pulled herself back into virtuality; she could no longer afford to think about the real world. It was her goal, and the goal of everyone around her to get back home but if she drowned herself in sad memories and desires then she would lose this fight. This was *not* a fight she was going to lose. Her mind whirred, changing, adapting to the situation at hand and slowly bringing her logic to heel - she would need to go out and get all the best quests done and maybe some grinding would aid her as well. "You seem to be taking this pretty well. Nice hair, by the way." A voice behind her began, causing her to whirl quickly.

Up against a nearby pillar, a man in his twenties was regarding her with a soft smile - it was clear he was the one who spoke and she was the one he was speaking to but why. "There's no point getting emotional over something I can't change. And what about my hair?" Her character had bright blond hair but she had been so preoccupied with thoughts at the mention of a gift that she barely even noticed the fact that she was no longer the tall blond. Frowning, she took out the mirror in her inventory and examined it. All that was left to do after that was hyperventilate upon the realisation that she was no longer just a character in a game. She was Alex, in a game where she could potentially die - this was scarily similar to real life except here, she could do something about it!

The stranger was over in an instant, helping her out of the crowds and slowly bringing her breathing back to normal. "Inhale. Exhale." She lazily followed the soft patterns of his words and within no time, Alex regained control of herself.

"Thanks." She paid him back quickly, taking her time to look at him properly. He was good-looking but in a dark sort of way. His smile, however, radiated friendliness so she didn't regard him as a danger. "I guess I kind of went against my own words..." Alex finally murmured, causing him to grin a little.

"The name's Shade. I think I remember you from beta. You were the girl with the katana blade, right? My guild and I did a boss-fight with you." Everything came flooding back and she nodded, a smile dancing along her lips, even if she faked a little. "Look, I don't know about you but I'm going to meet some of them out in some fields a little bit away from here; if what that guy said is true then we need to level quickly so grinding out there is our best shot. Someone with your skills would be greatly appreciated, especially if we fight this floor's boss soon."

Lone-wolf was how she played in beta and it suited her well-enough but it was different now. Now, if she died to a boss, that was the end of her life - she needed allies who could back her up in a fight and due to the fact that he was the only offer standing, he appeared to be the best. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to go out and help..." She needed to level and get better gear - this was the best chance. "Ok. But if you ever make a comment about my hair again, you'll be nursing a painful bruise for a few weeks." She informed him, her resolve unbroken which elicited a bright chuckle from him. It was settled then.