Running from the Coffin (SAO)

Chapter One - The Forest

On the sixth floor of Aincrad, nine months after the official launch of Sword Art Online, a teenage boy bearing a grey cloak stood in place in the center of town. He was waiting for an information broker he had messaged to meet. He wanted to find out where the best place to find high-level monsters with high-level loot drops.

"Hey! Are you Chrome?"

The boy swung around. A blonde girl in a brown cloak was walking towards him.

"That's right," Chrome grinned. "And you must be Argo?"

"Yup!" Argo nodded. "So, you wanted some info?"

"Yeah. Where are the strongest monsters on this floor? Where do they spawn?"

Argo looked Chrome up and down, checking his equipment as he spoke.

"You look like you can handle yourself. That'll cost ya a hundred Col."

"Alright. Here," Chrome handed her the Col. Argo stuck it in an inside pocket of her cloak.

"Thanks. Now, from what I know, the strongest monsters spawn in the heart of the Central Forest."

Chrome opened his main menu and checked his map. "Thanks, Argo. I'll probably buy more info off of you some other time... Mind if I add you as a friend?"

"I don't see why not." Argo shrugged.

*~Time Skip~*

The last Goblin disappeared in the typical light show. Chrome checked its drops.

Nothing good. He thought. He deleted the drops. As he did so, he heard a rustle.

"Who's there?" Chrome called out. There was a pause.

"Well, well," an ominous voice replied. "You found me. Your detection skill must be pretty high." A player in a ripped cloak walked out from the woods. He wore a ragged shirt and above his head was a red cursor. "I'll have your equipment," the mysterious man held out his hand with a sadistic smile.

"It's not for sale," Chrome turned his head to the side.

"I didn't say I was going to buy it." The red player grinned. As he spoke, he drew out a long, jagged sword. Chrome quickly drew out his own blade, readying his defenses. As he did, the red player's eyes lit up with excitement, his smile widening. Just when it seemed his grin would split his face, he lunged towards Chrome with extreme speed. The attack took Chrome off guard, and he barely managed to avoid it. The red player was wide open and Chrome took that chance to stab the mysterious player in the side. The red player's health bar went instantly to red. The man screamed in pain and hit the ground, his health still falling. Then, he began to laugh, gradually increasing his volume until he was cackling.

"Do you know what you've done?!" The red player smiled wildly at Chrome. Chrome's lip curled into a disgusted frown.

"No, and I honestly don't care." Chrome growled, sheathing his sword and walking away. The cloaked man watched him walk out of the clearing, health falling closer and closer to zero. He chuckled one last time. Right before his health hit zero, he whispered something. Chrome payed no mind to it, but he heard it clearly:

"You can't escape Laughing Coffin."