Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

November 6th, 2022 (Floor 1: Town of Beginnings)

I blinked, my eyes still trying to adjust to the influx of sunlight. After a moment, I grinned. It's been too long...

I clenched my fist before glancing down at my clothes. They were basic and the completely wrong shade of green for my avatar's complexion, but they would do until I got the funds together to get a new outfit. Before the outfit, however, I'd have to get a new weapon. At sign in, players get to choose what sort of starter weapon they'd receive: a straight or curved sword, dagger, spear, or warhammer. The spear I had now would work for the first floor but, after that, it was too brittle and its durability would be too low for it to be reliable.

My thoughts raced as I tried to figure out a battle plan for this first sign in. If I skipped the tutorial (which should be optional), I'd be able to bypass the other players and start hunting mobs right away. More hunting time means more experience and more money which means faster leveling and sooner upgrades.

A low chime interrupted my musing and I glanced down to my menu, where my friend roster had suddenly popped up with a trio of notifications.

Heidan would like to add you as a friend. Do you accept?

Maisie would like to add you as a friend. Do you accept?

Blake would like to add you as a friend. Do you accept?

Quickly selecting Yes to each request, I moved on to the map to try to locate everyone. Maisie and Blake were close by, probably in one of the other spawning points, while Heidan was already out of town and in the fields. He must have signed in right at 1 o'clock.

A smile pulled at my lips as I thought of my friends. "Maisie" and I met when we were seven years old and we've been nearly inseparable ever since. She tends to have a much more level head than I do, which helps keep me grounded. We both got into gaming together with old-school MMORPGs and SAO was simply the natural progression of that interest. In the past, she was a sword-and-shield user and I had a good feeling she'd go that way again.

"Blake" was Maisie's younger sister and, despite the three year difference, she refused to be left behind in anything. Her determination to keep up was occasionally a point of contention over the past ten years but she's become our third musketeer, for lack of a better word. When I discovered the wonderful world of troublemaking- and began dragging Maisie along for the ride- it was Blake that would constantly work to keep us in line. Blake wasn't much of a front line fighter so she would likely go for a more cloak and dagger approach.

"Heidan" was my newest friend. He and I had actually met through SAO during the beta test. He wanted to try his hand at info brokering so he spent much of the beta going back and forth from the front lines to the home front, talking to players and getting as much information about the structure of the game as he could. At sixteen, he was a little younger than me but he had a noble streak and a sense of adventure that kept him grabbing his warhammer and joining me on quests and boss raids.

Following my map, I tracked Maisie and Blake down to a plaza with an intricate fountain gurgling away in the center of the growing crowd. I glanced around, not sure what their avatars would look like in this world. Maisie and I always went for the same general look, but this would be Blake's first MMORPG. I had no idea what she would look like.

"Maisie! Blake!" I shouted into the crowd, hoping they'd hear me. After a brief moment where nearly everyone in the square thought it'd be interesting to look at me, two figures melted from the south side.

"Riva!" Maisie cheered, tackling me in a hug. Blake joined at a slightly more sedate pace with a broad smile on her face.

"This is so weird," Blake said, gesturing around her. I assumed she was referring to the fact that everything she was looking at was virtual and I laughed.

"You'll get adjusted pretty soon," I promised to Blake. I studied both of them, forcing my mind to cope with the fact that I was hearing the voices of my two friends in bodies that weren't theirs'. Maisie's nose was all wrong and Blake's jaw was far too round but I could trace little connections between their avatars and their real-life bodies that made identification easier. "Now come on. We've got a lot to do and I have to introduce you to Heidan."

I grabbed the two by their wrists and started dragging them towards the west gate of town. After a few yards, I dropped their hands and began to run.

It felt so good to run in a body that didn't have asthma. I loved to run and feel the wind in my hair but I generally loved breathing a lot more. Virtual reality meant that I could have both and I loved it.

As we ran, I pointed out a few things to my rookie companions and soon we were in the West Field.

"Your starter weapons are already equipped," I said as we started moving towards Heidan's position. We weren't in any rush and my need to run was satisfied for now so we were walking, which gave me plenty of time to explain how sword skills worked. "Normally, you would have to go through your item menu to use it but that's not hard. In fighting, SAO uses techniques called sword skills. They go from basic stabs and slashes to complex patterns dependant on your weapon," I explained, glancing from Blake's dagger to Maisie's sword.

We continued walking and talking about the game until we came to an open field. Boars dotted the area, each grazing peacefully.

"Heidan is gearing up to be an info broker so if you want any really detailed information, you'll have to go to him. He might charge you for it, though," I joked. A burst of pixels caught my eye and I glanced further out, the map clearing up as my eyes focused on the smaller area. "There he is. Heidan!"

"Hey! Long time no see!" he shouted back, starting to jog towards us. I grinned.

"While he gets his butt over here, who wants to try hunting? The boars here are just basic slimes- nothing hard."

"Dibs!" Maisie called, whipping her sword out of its sheath and pointing towards the nearest boar. Blake rolled her eyes but I only raised my spear as Maisie started jogging towards the monster. The boar was close enough... if I did it just right...

I felt the sword skill start to activate and I lobbed the spear towards the boar, a ghostly blue afterimage trailing behind my spear. Throwing weapons wasn't always a good strategy, but I had a point to make and a friend to annoy.

My spear hit home, striking the boar in the side just below its shoulder. It released an angry squeal as its HP dropped down into the yellow. It was still alive but I didn't hesitate even when the boar turned towards Maisie, incorrectly marking her as the threat. I dropped down and grabbed a rock off of the grass, tossing it up before pulling my arm back. I felt the skill begin to activate and I narrowed my eyes on my spear before launching the rock towards the boar. The rock slammed into the butt of my spear, sending it into the boar just another few inches but it was enough. Its HP dropped to zero and the boar shivered before bursting into a burst of glassy pixels. My spear and the rock hit the ground with a soft clatter. The rock bounced on the ground before breaking into pixels as well, its durability spent after being used as a weapon.

"That wasn't fair," Maisie complained. "I called dibs."

"And I ignored you," I said with a smirk as I accepted my reward-24 experience and a mere 30 cor. I also accepted the two items into my inventory, knowing that they'd be either boar tusks or ragged hides. The items weren't good for much but, after getting enough of them, I could sell them for a decent profit. "Hey, stranger."

"Who are you calling a stranger? I've been waiting here for hours," Heidan said with a lopsided smile. I raised an eyebrow, briefly glancing at my clock.

"It's only 1:40. The game hasn't even been online for a full hour. And, besides, I had to wait for my friends to be ready before I could log in. Speaking of, Heidan, meet Maisie and Blake. Maisie and Blake, this is Heidan."

"Nice to meet you!" my friends chimed in unison.

"So what's the gameplan?" Heidan asked me after glancing over Maisie and Blake. I smirked at exactly how long his glance over Blake took, intending to fully make fun of that later.

"Divide and conquer? Blake can't stay on past 6 so we won't be taking floor one by storm on day one. I think you should take Blake to train and I'll take Maisie. "

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright."

"Sure."

"Awesome! Let's get started, then."

Level Up!

I cleared the menu, glancing down the path where Maisie was taking on a boar by herself. She crouched low, holding her sword at the ready behind her as the boar squealed angrily and began its rush. She sidestepped it easily, her sword whipping out and slicing deep into the boar's side, causing it to shatter into light.

"Level two!" she cheered happily. I smirked, hefting my spear onto my shoulders.

"Level three," I bragged jokingly. Maisie scowled at me, holding up her sword threateningly.

"Are you asking to respawn? Because I'd be happy to oblige-"

"No thanks!" I said quickly, holding up a hand in surrender. Respawn time varies on how and where you died; as a PVP kill in a floor one field, my respawn time shouldn't be that long but the walk back here from the respawn points in town would be a killer.

"I thoughts so," she sniffed. Her face smoothed out as she looked at the sky. "We should meet up with the others; it's getting close to 5:30... Blake has to sign out soon."

"Yeah. I'll shoot them a message."

I opened up my menu but, as my hand drifted over the settings button, something that was there caught my eye. Or, more precisely, something that wasn't there caught my eye.

"Where's the logout?" I mumbled to myself. My finger hovered over the icon of the door but, unlike every other time I'd played during the closed beta, there was no option to exit.

"Huh?" Maisie asked, glancing over onto my menu. I gestured to the empty option.

"See? This is where the logout should be..."

"That's weird... Probably just a glitch in the system. Today is the first day of the open server, after all. There are still bugs to be worked out. I'm sure things like this happened during the beta, right?" I noticed immediately how Maisie's voice had kicked up an octave and I plastered a grin on my face.

"Yeah! I'm sure it's nothing. Let's go join up with the others. Once you and Blake get yourselves logged out, Heidan and I are probably going to try moving around the floor. Maybe we'll start heading to the next town. If we make a group, you'll be able to login right next to the guild leader."

"You mean you?" Maisie joked, calming down slightly. I rolled my eyes but grinned.

"Of course! Who else would lead our band of misfits and noobs?"

I opened my menu, again trying to get to the message board, but my hand froze again as a silvery blue light covered my skin. I glanced up at Maisie and flung my hand out to catch her wrist.Teleport!

I was motionless as Kayaba continued speaking.

"This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."

The best of luck? The best of LUCK?!

I resisted every instinct I felt to curl into a ball and cry. Everything blurred and time began to slow down but I refused to let myself fall apart right now.

I'm stuck here? I can't go home?

No. You're going home. We just have to survive.

But how can I? So many people are already gone...

Snap out of it!

I forced my vision to focus, wishing the blurriness away. The figures around me sharpened into silhouettes of people in various stages of distress. I couldn't let myself fall into it; I couldn't. I wasn't alone in this. I needed to get out, because if I got out, they got out.

Saya was already next to me. I mean, Maisie was already next to me. Where was Hana- damn it- where was Blake? I needed Heidan. We weren't just a few misfits and noobs now; we were a guild. We were literally each other's' lifelines in this place and I was sure as hell not losing any of them.

I swiped into my message menu and typed out a message as quickly as my fingers could manage before grabbing Maisie's wrist, hitting send just as I started dragging her out of the plaza.

Heidan. Get Blake and meet Maisie and I in the shopping quarter. We're getting new weapons and we're getting out ASAP. -Riva

My body was moving on its own as my thoughts were racing-we had spent most of the day training; our starter weapons' durability would be almost down to zero so we needed to replace them as soon as we could. MMORPGs always had a finite number of resources available and it wasn't hard to assume that the vast majority of the beta testers would be on the move first. They would take the best hunting spots and the easy quests, something I wasn't okay with. My thoughts we moving so quickly ahead of my emotions that I had almost dragged Maisie to the shopping quarter before I realized something: she was crying.

"Maisie. Look at me," I ordered, harsher than I intended. She jerked, tears still building in her eyes. I had discovered that early on in the beta; because the NerveGear is so intimately connected with our minds, we can't hide tears. We can fake some emotions, plaster on a smile, but tears are strong. Tears fall, especially when we don't want them to.

"What?" she hiccuped.

"We are getting out of this. You, me, and Hana. We've got a good group here. Heidan will have our backs and we'll have his. We will survive this."

"You called... her Hana..." Maisie murmured to me. I nodded.

"Yes. Because that is her name. Being trapped here for a little while won't take that away from her, just like it won't take Saya away from you or Kori away from me. Those names are who we are, not these avatars."

"But we look like us now... What if something happens to us? Do you think it's true? Will we really die?" A horrified look overcame Maisie's dark green eyes. "I nearly killed you before! I could have actually killed you. Oh my god..."

"Hey! You wouldn't have killed me. There's no way a greenhorn like you could have taken down the master of the Hunters of Artemis, remember?" I teased gently. That was our usual guild name, assuming HoA wasn't already claimed. She laughed weakly but I knew this battle wasn't over. It was likely one I was going to fight with her and myself until we were finally out of this game.

"Now come on. Let's go find Danny-boy and Blake," I hummed, rubbing Maisie's shoulder comfortingly before grabbing her wrist again and tugging her along.

"Hana!"

"Saya!"

I stepped to the side with Heidan as the two sisters reunited. Even though I was very close to the two, we weren't related by blood and that did mean something. I would defend them as fiercely as if they were my blood sisters, but, when all of this was over, we would go to separate houses and families for comfort because, even if no one else really understood what happened inside the game, blood is thicker than water.

"I'd appreciate if you respected their privacy," I murmured to Heidan. He shrugged.

"Blake and Maisie are already in my head. They might look a little different, but those are their names to me... I want you to know, though... My name is Hayato. In case I don't make it out..."

"Shut up!" I growled lowly, smacking him on the shoulder. "Of course you're making it out! We all are. You, me, Blake, and Maisie. I don't care if I have to throw you into the 100th floor myself... We're getting out of here..."

"Thank you," he murmured quietly, watching Blake and Maisie cling to each other.

"Kori..." I murmured back. "And don't mention it."

When at last, the two sisters were able to mutually let go of each other without sobbing, Heidan and I pointed them in the direction of the NPC weapons were generally the weakest weapons in a game since they were easily bought and rarely improvable but a poor weapon was far better than one that was liable to break before we made it to the next town.

The merchant-smith we had stopped in front of seemed to offer a strange variety of weapons, something Heidan and I very much appreciated since neither of us used the basic dagger-sword-spear set that was common in Aincrad during the beta. Heidan got a new warhammer and, while Maisie and Blake poked through the basic blades ranging from straight daggers to katanas, I perused the bladed staves. I liked spears okay, but I found a monster drop during the beta that I loved: a naginata that bore a blade on both ends of the staff. The monster drop had all sorts of cool features, but I would be content with a basic bladed staff at this level.

Much to my relief, there was a double bladed naginata not unlike my old weapon hidden in the back under a shelf of maces and polearms. Trying not the cringe at the price of the specialized weapon, I equipped my new weapon and sold off everyone's starter weapons for scrap metal. That's all they were good for at this point.

The street was notably more crowded than it was when we arrived at the shop and, after exchanging a quick glance with my friends, we started moving out towards the next town.

Chapter Text

November 9th, 2022 (Floor 1: Horunka Village)

"I should learn a trade," I murmured, watching the NPC smith of Horunka work over his forge. The NPC, hearing me and understanding what I was saying thanks to SAO's incredible AI technology, smiled at me.

"Would you like to help me around the shop? My last apprentice decided to move on to Tolbana after his sister recovered from that awful illness and I could use a pair of steady hands. I'm sure I could teach you a few tricks of the trade in exchange."

A new window popped up in front of me. Quest Started: Smithing Apprentice Level 01-05. Would you like to accept this quest?

I glanced at Blake, who only sighed tiredly.

"What am I going to do while you play smith? Maisie and Heidan won't be back from that Secret Medicine quest for hours."

"I think you can amuse yourself for a few hours. Can't you?" I begged, pouting at the younger girl. She held firm for just another moment before throwing her hands up in the air, surrendering.

"Fine! Have fun getting dirty, Riva. I guess I'll just wander around."

"Stay in town if you're by yourself!" I shouted as she started to head out. I turned back to the smith once she was out of sight. "So, Master, what do you want me to do first?"

"My back isn't strong enough to work the smelter anymore. Could you shovel some coal into the fire and work the bellows?"

"I'm on it!" I grinned, picking up the shovel the smith was pointing towards.

The smith kept me busy for the better part of the day. While I worked in the forge most of the time, I had an opportunity to snag Blake and go into the local fields searching for raw materials and do some basic levelling. At the end of the side quest, my forge slash weapons skill was pushed up to level twelve and my armorcraft was up to level nine.

I discovered a lot of different skills during the beta, most of which were on the crafting side. While fighting was fun and exciting, sometimes it was more fun to test how customizable crafting tools were within the game. During the beta, I took various crash course-type quests in smithing, drug mixing, sewing, cooking, and wood crafting. I was glad that I could repeat even some of that experience in this death game.

If fighting was going to be less fun and a lot more stressful, I would manage by keeping up with my non-combat skills.

December 2nd, 2022 (Floor 1: Tolbana)

As time began to crawl by, factions formed among the players that were still alive. There were the five thousand-odd players that were still desperate for outside help. Those players remained in the Town of Beginnings, never setting foot out of the safe zone for fear of death. They scraped by on what little corthey had at the beginning of the game, spending it only on necessary food and lodgings. The second group, around three thousand strong, was actually made up of several symbiotic groups that slowly clumped together into one mega-guild that eventually became known as the Army. Then there was around a thousand players who lived like a cancer in the Town of Beginnings, who squandered their money quickly and didn't want to go fight monsters to keep up with their expenses. A few of these players eventually joined the Army, but others were content to set up slums and start thieving guilds, targeting groups of players that were coming in from the fields. Everyone else was... basically the rest.

Around fifty guilds, including the Hunters of Artemis, were created. Other players turned to merchant and craftsmen trades that made their way following the guilds, supplying them with new weapons or items whenever they were needed.

Outside of everyone else, there was a group of around a hundred people that existed only on the fringes of this new world: the solo players. The Hunters ran into one of them every now and then but no one seemed worth our attention. They lived only for themselves and for their own survival and, despite that tactic allowing for faster levelling, it often caused the premature death of a player due to their own arrogance.

Over two thousand people were dead, and it wasn't even a full month into the game, with more and more names being crossed off on the cruelly-named Monument of Life each day. It was nauseating that players still believed they were better off alone.

Another awful facet to the solo players was the fact that many of them were publically declared as beta players. This, of course, made the non-beta players feel as if all of the betas were being intentionally stingy with their information and knowledge of the game, which gave all of us a bad name. The truth of the matter was that there is always a limit to what betas can do. Heidan, who was trying to become an information broker all throughout the beta, gave up on that dream entirely. He got together with several of the other info brokers and released a guidebook designed for the new players, who were entitled to a free copy. It never seemed to be enough, unfortunately.

The Hunters of Artemis were stationed out of Tolbana for now, as were most of the other guilds. Tolbana was the town closest to the labyrinth, and so had quickly filled with players, both clearers and merchant/craftsmen. When we weren't actively levelling or exploring the labyrinth, I spent my days dragging someone around to the different shops and asking around for side quests. I was only level eleven, meaning I only had five skill slots I could keep equipped, but I didn't need to have my support/crafting skills active all the time so I tried my hand at as many skills as I could.

Not everyone felt the same about taking some time off. One group in particular, led by a guy named Diavel, kept going into the labyrinth looking for the boss. There was supposed to be more information released about the first floor labyrinth today; apparently someone had stumbled upon the boss'ss room. Diavel, according to Heidan, had been one of the betas but I hadn't seen him before. I could trust Heidan's intel.

"Okay, now that we're all here we can get started!" Diavel started. I was sitting with the other Hunters, watching from a row close to the back and wondering exactly how he knew everyone was present. There was a solo player next to us, a kid in all black who looked familiar but I couldn't quite place him. "Thank you all for coming out today. My name is Diavel and, in this game, I like to call myself a knight!"

Everyone was quick to laugh but I glanced at Heidan and shrugged. Heidan's noble streak had really shown through over the past month, especially when one of us girls was in any hint of danger. It was a pain to get him out of trouble that he threw himself into, but that was my job as leader, right?

"Come on, focus! Today, my party and I discovered the location of the boss room. We need to defeat the boss and make it to the second floor so we can go back to the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game. The fact is that it's our duty as the most capable players here to beat the game for everyone else. Do you agree or not?"

"Insert clapping and cheering here," I murmured to Maisie, who snorted and then promptly hit me as punishment for making her make a sound as Diavel quieted the amphitheatre once more.

"Now let's figure out how we're going to take on the boss! First, we should team up into parties of six. A typical party wouldn't stand a chance, so we need multiple groups to make up a raid."

I glanced around at the Hunters- we all knew we weren't breaking up for the world- but then I looked a little further and saw that solo player looking around in a panic. Feeling bad for the kid or at least not wanting him to get himself killed trying to go at the boss by himself, I called for him.

"Hey, kid. Come on over, meet the gang. Looks like you're with us. Hunters of Artemis at your service: Riva, Maisie, Blake, and Heidan. What's your name?"

"Kirito," he stammered unsurely. Maisie narrowed her eyes at him and, glancing at his back, snapped her fingers.

"That's why! We saw him in Horunka," she explained to the rest of us. She tapped her Anneal Blade, which was worn at her waist. "He's the reason we had to wait for the quest to respawn."

"Oh... Yeah... Sorry about that," Kirito chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. I frowned. This kid didn't seem like a bad guy; why was he a solo player?

"Guys, shush. I can't hear what Sir What's-His-Name is saying," Blake hushed us.

"You listen for me. There's someone else that's on there own," I noticed, glancing further down the row. "Hey, you!"

"Is she always this loud?" I heard Kirito murmur to Heidan. I was going to let it go until he chuckled.

"You've got no idea-"

"I'm not loud!" I growled, placing one hand on my naginata, slung across my back. Both Kirito and Heidan raised their hands in quick surrender, stammering apologies, and I grinned.

"Hold up a sec!" A new player jumped down from the amphitheatre, joining Diavel in the center stage. "My name's Kibaou, you got that?! There's something I got to say before we take on the boss and it's this: we all know about the two thousand people that have died so far. Well some of you need to apologize right now!"

"You're talking about the former beta-players, right?" Diavel asked carefully. I glanced at Heidan, who was nodding at me. Definitely a beta.

"Of course I mean them! When this damn thing started, they all up and left the Town of Beginnings, leaving us new players to fend for ourselves! They took all the easy quests and all of the easy hunting grounds, which forced the rest of us to fight for their scraps. They've ignored the rest of us while they keep levelling. And I bet there's some of them here! Come on out, beta-testers! We should make them apologize to us, and give up the money and rare items they've hoarded."

"Heidan. You've got that copy of the guide book, right?" I asked quietly. This wasn't fair at all. It's the actions of a few that are tainting the name of the whole and I wasn't going to stand for it. I was a beta, but I am just as stuck as every noob in this death game.

"I got it," he hummed, passing it to me with a knowingly look. I accepted it silently and, as Kibaou was scanning the crowd, I stood up.

"Heh! I knew it! Come on down, beta!" he jeered. I walked down quietly, making each as carefully and purposefully as I could until I was standing right next to Kibaou. Then, before he blink, I twisted at the waist and launched my clenched fist into his jaw.

"Shut up!" I yelled at him as he went flying. The amphitheatre silenced for just a moment until the entire crowd started roaring angrily. All of the other players got up to their feet, unnecessarily drawing their weapons and glaring at me. "Now I want all of you to listen to me, right now!

"I think most of you- and most of the people trapped in this stupid game- are forgetting that non-beta players outnumbered betas ten to one during the initial launch. Right now, two thousand people later, three hundred of those deaths were beta players. I know that because I am friends with several of the info brokers. I am friends with several beta testers. I am a beta tester. And before you all start calling for my blood, I want you to actually think. And look at this."

I held up the guidebook as high as I could for everyone to see.

"Item merchants all have these, right? You all can get these for free, no cost at all. These are guide books that explain all the ins and outs of what is known about Aincrad. Where do you think that information came from? The game masters? Hell no. Every footnote, every glint of information on each page of this book was provided to rookies from the beta testers. It was beta testers that subsidized the creation of the book so that all rookies could get a copy free of charge. Beta testers were the ones who distributed these around.

"The fact that the beta players had prior information doesn't matter. That same information was provided to the rookies, but two thousand people are dead. I'm not here to point fingers because no one can point fingers. Maybe there are some betas who abused their prior knowledge, but the majority of them didn't so you all need to get your heads out of your asses and stop yelling at everyone. It isn't worth it! We all need to stick together if we want to survive this and that won't happen if you keep up with unreasonable demands!"

I lowered the guide book and glanced at Kibaou, who looked a little shocked from his place on the ground. Once he had a moment to recover, he got to his knees with a scowl.

"If you have a problem with me, fine. Don't have a problem with me because I'm a beta," I said to him. I glanced back at the rest of the players present. "The name is Riva. If you have an issue with me, tell me outside of the meeting and we'll settle it like adults. Otherwise, shut up."

I pocketed the guide book and leapt back up into the stands, reclaiming my seat with the Hunters. Kirito looked like I'd grown another head but my guildmates were just shaking their heads. The new member- who's name was registered in the party roster as Asuma- had her lips pursed but that's all I could see of her face thanks to her heavy hood.

"Too much?" I murmured to the group.

"Just a bit, yeah," Blake sighed back.

"Well, it looks like the meeting is adjourned! Group meeting time! You two aren't escaping that easy," I said, grabbing Kirito's jacket and Asuna's cloak. "We've got to learn what your skills are so we can function as a party during the boss fight!"

Since SAO worked like its own virtual reality, there weren't caps on how many people could share one room in an inn. As a result, all six of us were sprawled over one of the biggest suites. It was more money per room, but much less than if all of us got separate rooms or even if we got two rooms so the boys and girls slept separately. Along with the people, there were wrappers from the town's sweet bread and cream- freshly collected by Kirito in the last town.

"You know, Asuna, you're really pretty. Why do you bother wearing that cloak all the time? I'm sure it doesn't raise any of your stats," I said with a frown. Asuna, who had only shed the cloak once Heidan and Kirito left to get more food, crossed her arms defensively.

"I didn't come here to get my cloak stolen," she grumbled, eyes glued to the floor. I raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess? You're in the group of players that is still clinging to the real world." She looked up at me, startled out of her downward gaze. "I knew it!"

"Damn it," Maisie hissed, taking out a few corand tossing the coins my way. "I pegged you more for a 'clear the level because no one else can' type."

"I... I don't want to lock myself in a room in the Town of Beginnings just to slowly rot away. I'm still me. Even if something comes along and beats me, it doesn't matter because I'll have died being me. And the game wouldn't win, then. I won't lose to this game or this world."

"You think we're going quietly into the night?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Blake laughed.

"I can't imagine you doing anything quietly. Even when you sleep, you're loud!"

"Get over yourself, Blake," I joked. Asuna frowned, looking between us and Maisie.

"Did you three... I'm sorry, it's not polite..."

"Did we know each other in the real world?" I guess. Asuna blushed, which I took for a yes. "Yep. Maisie and I have been friends for ten years and Blake's been along for... seven years now?"

"Something like that. What about you?" Maisie asked Asuna. "None of your friends wanted to join SAO? I mean, in hindsight I'd agree, but still. You're a cute girl. I'd tap that if you were a couple years older."

"Sis," Blake warned, blushing. I shrugged.

"Eh, not my type. Maybe in a few years. She seems more like the 'growing into her own' type. I doubt she'll be all meek and mild for long," I said nonchalantly back to Maisie. She hummed thoughtfully. Asuna, by this point, was red as a tomato.

"We're back!" Heidan announced, all but kicking the door open. "Did we miss any girl-on-girl action?"

"Heidan!" Blake blushed brighter than I'd ever seen her and my eyes darted over to Maisie to see if she'd noticed too. Maisie's eyes were already wide and laughing and a smile was threatening to quirk at her lips.

Oh goodness. Blake decided to get her first crush here. Good lord.

Chapter Text

December 3rd, 2022 (Floor 1: Forest Field)

The trip to the labyrinth was uneventful at best. On the way, we all tried our hand at schooling Asuna and Kirito in our different maneuvers that we'd set up- Kirio, being a solo player, had never worked with a group of people and Asuna had never been in a party before so we had clean slates on both accounts- but it was slow work. By the time we fought our way through the actual labyrinth and up to the boss's room, however, I think they were both doing pretty well. Blake had levelled again on the way, finally catching up to the rest of us at level eleven.

"Alright, everybody. I have just one thing left to say to you all: let's win!" Diavel cheered. As everyone cheered behind him, he pushed the door open with one hand and I forced my breathing to stay level.

I knew that this wasn't just a game and that there was a serious risk of death in each battle I entered, but nothing got my blood pumping like that honest-to-god adrenaline that floods my system before each fight. This boss fight, the first of a hundred boss fights, was no different. We were an auxilary party, meaning that our goal was to keep the boss's minions off of the real hitters, but there was still a good fight to be had there.

The door opened to reveal a very long, throne-room esque hall. At the very end, a large red creature sat atop a throne. The moment we all were within the confines of the room, however, the boss leapt from his throne and met us, roaring towards the ceiling.

And the boss battle began.

My group worked in switching pairs made up of Heidan and Blake, Maisie and Asuna, and Kirito and me. We worked in tandem to take down as many of the Kobold sentinels as we could, killing them almost as quickly as they appeared to give the assault force the best shot we could at taking the boss down with as few casualties as possible.

"Kirito, split! Protect squad b's flank!" I shouted, twisting my naginata and cleanly slicing off the head of one of the minions. Kirito darted away from me, following orders. He was a good fighter and, while we had run into a few issues about the chain of command on the way up here, he seemed to know better than to question me here. We might have both been betas, but I had experience telling people what to do and he didn't. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him neatly take care of a sentinel that had crept up on an unsuspecting player's side. The armored player yelped when Kirito sliced through the sentinel, causing blue shards of light to rain down on them both.

"Heidan, Blake, fall back! Don't overextend yourselves!" I called out, taking advantage of the momentary calm I was experiencing. If they moved too far out, the sentinels would begin spawning behind them, which is a situation we had to avoid. This was life and death; we had to keep everything tight.

Everything was great until the boss was nearly dead. Our three pairs were working smoothly and, in the brief pauses on the battle, I dictated how we were proceeding. It was in one of those pauses that Kirito and I both got distracted by the main battle.

"That's not a Talwar," we both murmured, glancing at each other in horror. "It's not the same as the beta!"

"Hunters, fan out and cover! Kirito, rush! I've got your back!" I ordered. "Get Diavel out of there!"

"Jump back as far as you can!" Kirito yelled. It was too late, though. The boss was already moving, his sword swing directly at Diavel's unarmored side. Diavel was flung back towards the mass of players, his health bar steadily falling from the green, into yellow, and finally red as he skidded along the marble.

"Ranks, close around Diavel! Heal him! Kirito, secondary assault! Watch my six!" I barked. I spun my naginata, inverting it defensively as Kirito closed in behind me. The boss swung its sword at me, growling angrily all the way, but I leapt out of the way, redirecting his blow off of my staff and cringing when a sliver of wood leapt off of my weapon.

You better hold up! I prayed.

Kirito was already attacking as I switched out with him, taking the moment to toss my naginata down and draw my arguably more reasonable weapon, a straight sword that I kept at my waist. I kept it for fighting in close quarters or in situations where I might hurt my friends trying to fight, but it would function well enough in this situation.

"Kirito, switch!" I shouted as he finished his secondary assault. If the AI didn't quite catch on to our strategy, we might be able to finish him off.

I raced towards the beast as Kirito evaded one more attack, slamming my blade into the flat of his nodachi and forcing the boss to loosen his grip. I jumped up onto his arm, running along towards his neck as my sword skill activated and I went for his throat.

"Kirito!"

"I've got it!" a voice I was surprised to hear- Asuna's- called. I took one final slash at the boss's neck before leaping off to safety. I was able to watch from a safe distance as Asuna's rapier danced along the boss's body, striking him in quick succession so that I hardly saw her sword. When she was safely away, Kirito came in from nowhere to finish the beast with a final uppercut, slicing straight through his body and ripping the boss into dozens of pixels.

I forced myself to take a steadying breath as the congratulations banner rose up in the room and the room cheered. I glanced over to where I had left the Hunters, just in case, but they were all in one piece so I moved on to where Kirito had landed after delivering the final blow. He looked exhausted, and I couldn't blame him. He did much of the work in defeating the boss, especially after Diavel fell. Speaking of Diavel, I turned to the rest of the group.

"Wait..." I called out. "What... What about Diavel?"

The cheering immediately died and everyone in the crowd turned to face Kibaou, who was kneeling on the ground, shaking.

"He... He... Why'd you do it?!" he yelled at Kirito. "Why'd you let Diavel die?! You knew! You knew what the second attack was going to be. You should have told us! Then Diavel wouldn't have died!"

I glanced at Kirito, then back at Kibaou, angry.

"Be quiet," I ordered softly, but the words felt like they were echoing in the silence. "You know nothing. Being a beta tester doesn't mean you have all the information. That should have been obvious given the fact that the information in the guidebook that was wrong was given to everyone by beta testers. The game designers changed things around since the beta. That's what the beta is for: working out bugs, deciding what's too hard or too easy. I guess they didn't want this round to be too predictable."

"You keep preaching, but I want answers! Who else?! Who else knew and let Diavel die like this?!"

"I bet he knew!" A random player started pointing his finger at Kirito, who was still on the floor with his own congratulations banner up, probably telling him that he earned the last attack bonus item. "He said that it was different in front of everyone!"

Kirito was shaking in front of me, staring blankly at the floor, when his eyes found his bonus item again. He swallowed as if to steel his nerves and I immediately got a bad feeling.

"Don't do it," I counseled. "It's not worth it. He's not worth it."

"If this goes on, they'll hate all of the beta testers. I need to do something," he whispered. He sent me a weak smile before biting his lip. Then he started to laugh, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"You actually think I was an ex-beta tester? It's not cool to lump me together with those noobs. Most of the 1,000 people who were picked for the beta test were beginnings at best. They were total rookies, people who didn't even know how to level up. Hell, you guys are better than them." Kirito got to his feet and walked through the crowd, talking and lying all the way.

"I am nothing like those guys. During the beta, I made it to floors that were higher than any of the other beta testers. I knew about the boss because I've fought tons of monsters with way more advanced sword skills. I know other things too, more than you can imagine."

"If that's true... If that's true, you're way worse than a beta tester!" Kibaou decided. "You're- you're a goddamn cheater!"

"He's a beta tester and a cheater! He's a beater!" someone yelled.

"Beater... Yeah... I like that. I'm a beater," Kirito almost purred. "You guys can call me a beater, but make sure you don't confuse me with those other players, alright?"

I watched as Kirito glanced through his inventory before selecting an item. A black coat appeared on him, whipping around by his ankles furiously.

With the other Hunters alongside me, I watched as Kirito left our party. He started up the stairs, where the teleport gate would be waiting for him. Before he could disappear, I opened up my menu, quickly swiping into Friends, and sent him a request. The ping made him pause and he glanced back, his eyes unreadable. After a moment, though, he accepted the request and continued walking.

"I don't care what kind of martyr he thinks he is," I murmured to the Hunters. "We'll see him again."

Chapter Text

December 5th, 2022 (Floor 2: Marome)

"Alright, gang! You all know what time it is!" I cheered, punching the air with excitement. Blake started at me blankly.

"It's time for you to ditch us and pretend to be a smith," she drawled. I scowled, good mood evaporated.

"Marome doesn't have any NPC smiths. No smiths, no forges for us to get sucked into," Heidan whispered to Blake, who smirked. "No forge means it's my favorite time of the day."

"Levelling time?" Blake asked jokingly.

"Levelling time," Heidan confirmed with a savage grin. I rolled my eyes to Maisie.

"Yes, if you two are done flirting. Now..." I opened my menu and pulled up my map data. "We've already explored these regions... I propose we keep moving further south, During the beta, there was a quest to grant the Martial Arts skill right about here and I want to see if it's still there."

"So... we basically just have to fight our way through the entire lower half of the floor to find something that may or may not be there?" Heidan summarized. "Sounds good to me!"

"We should really stock up before we head out..." Blake murmured, glancing at her inventory. "We are doing okay on healing potions but we might want to see if any of the shops sell transport and healing crystals. I don't want to be caught somewhere where we don't have time for a potion to kick in."

"Good call. Maisie, you and Blake go stock up on supplies. Heidan and I will try to get in contact with the info-brokers for updated map data." The Hunters split and I looked to Heidan. "You get Argo?"

"And you get Kirito," he agreed. While Kirito wasn't an info broker, it was already established during the first month of the game that he knew SAO very well. If we were thinking of doing the quest, there was a good chance that he was already working on it.

Kirito. The Hunters and I are looking to do the Martial Arts quest. Do you know if it's still up? Riva.

I sent the message moments before Heidan sent his and, with both of us done, we took a seat by a local fountain. Floor 2 was mostly savannah and dry crags so there wasn't much clean water to go around. Marome and many of the other settlements were dug down into the ground to make access to aquifers easier, however, and several small fountains dotted the town, providing ambience and clean water to those who needed it.

Heidan was the first to get a reply, and he grinned.

"She's got the info. She's asking for 300 cor."

"For how wide a spread?" I asked. Map data tended to be expensive and 300 didn't seem to be Argo's usual cut. I met the girl a few times myself and she was always willing to sell high.

"As wide as she has. She's supplied by a good number of players, namely our boy in black." As if he knew we were talking about him, I received a reply.

Riva. Actually working on it now. The old man is still nuts. Kirito.

"The quest is up and currently occupied," I said with a chuckle. "Kirito will probably be done by the time we get there."

"Argo's agreeing to 900 corfor full spread."

"I'm not sure how the bank will take that hit, especially with Blake stocking up. Let's go with strict map data, 300. We should be able to handle any mobs. We aren't heading towards the labyrinth so I doubt we'll run into anything too massive."

With a few more minutes, we were ready to move out. Heidan shared the map data with everyone and Blake and Maisie returned with much less corbut a good variety of crystals and potions.

"It took Kirito less than two days to get to the quest location so I doubt it'll take us that long if we don't hit any major obstacles."

"This is boring." At Heidan's comment, repeated for the nth time, I narrowed my eyes and whipped around at him.

"Would you shut up? I get that there isn't much to do but I'd rather us not risk getting ourselves killed just because you want us to move a little faster. We're already moving mostly blind, here."

"Oh, just fight me," Heidan said, sticking his tongue out.

"Bring it on, Danny-boy!" I roared back, drawing my naginata. It wasn't my shining moment, but Heidan was pushing his luck and pushing my buttons. I swiped into my menu and challenged my guildmate to a duel. Even with my temper raging, this fight wasn't worth becoming an orange player and the duel protocols would stop us from getting too hurt.

"Let's make this interesting," Heidan offered with a crooked smile. He swiped into his inventory and I raised an eyebrow. This was new. "Outside safe zone dueling lets the players to put something on the line. Winner takes all. What do you say?"

Heidan put one of his monster drops on the metaphorical table, a B-rank hunting bow. While none of us specialized in archery, the higher ranked nature of the item meant the owner could sell it for quite a few cor. Seeing him put up a B-rank, I glanced through my inventory quickly. I didn't have much... I spent so much of my cor investing in weapons and my skills that I... That was it!

I entered in a weapon of my own making: a double edged greatsword I'd named Windbane. Being a player-made item, the weapon had greater stats than similar weapons on the NPC market and, trying to up my smithing skill, I had already upgraded the weapon several times. Even if the weapon wasn't used by Heidan, he was sure to find someone who'd give an arm and a leg for the sword.

With the two items in the balance, Heidan selected "First Strike Mode" and the duel was slated to begin despite Maisie and Blake's protests.

"You're going down, Danny-Boy," I threatened. He only hefted his hammer up onto his shoulder.

"I was just about to say the same to you, Ri-Ri," he assured me with a confident smirk. The clock continued ticking off the seconds until the full minute was over and then everything exploded.

Heidan started right out of the gate with a sword skill. He slammed his warhammer onto the ground, breaking the ground and sending up jagged rocks into the air. Calmly executing a half spin, he swung his hammer diagonally, sending the rocks flying towards me. I immediately grabbed my staff off of my back.

I had to replace it after the boss fight. The wood of the middle had been too weak and vulnerable so, when we were still at Urbus, I visited the forges and made a new model. This one was totally made out of hardened steel, with black leather cord wound around the handle. The blades were configured differently, as well; instead of narrow and straight blades like my old naginata, this staff bore curved blades that had a hollow in the middle shaped like a bottle opener. The outside of the blade was smooth and sharp enough to cut through anything I'd thrown it through. Each end of the staff was spiked and there was a compartment in each spike that allowed me to poison the spikes and the blades. It had a few other tricks, but I hadn't gotten an opportunity to show my guildmates just yet.

I spun my new staff, named Gwaedu, and resisted the urge to grunt when the rocks collided with my spinning staff. The rocks shattered but I was rained on by the small shards and I instinctively half-closed my eyes to shield them from the splinters. Heidan took advantage of the moment it took me to repel his attack and he was on me in an instant. His hammer flew into my peripheral vision and I swung my staff to parry, taking a step further away. We were both close range fighters, but his range was much closer than mine and I needed room to maneuver. Heidan knew that, of course, and he didn't let up easily.

The trouble with this new weapon being made of solid steel was that it was heavy. My strength stat wasn't high enough to totally compensate for the weight and my arms were tiring with each parry and block. Estimating how much longer I'd be able to wield Gwaedu without sacrificing speed and effectiveness, I ducked down and scooped up a clump of the sandy soil. I threw it into Heidan's eyes without hesitation and, as he was yelping in surprise and game-muted pain, I slashed forward with one end of my staff. He predicted that and, when he parried with the handle of his hammer, I used the returning momentum to swing out the bottom end of my staff, slicing painfully into the back of his knee.

I was panting as the game called an end to our duel, with Heidan's life force drifting frighteningly close to the yellow.

"Are you two happy now?" Blake grumbled, darting forward with a potion in hand to heal Heidan. He waved her away, promising that his battle-healing could handle it. He looked at me, a teasing light in his eyes, but his face changed abruptly, probably because of the shock on my face as SAO opened a new window in front of me.

Result: Exp: 250 cor: 0 Items: 2

"I... got experience for that. Is that normal?" I asked Heidan. He was the would-be info broker, he'd know. Unfortunately, he looked just as worried as I did. "What does this mean?"

"We could level outside of mobs," he murmured, his brow drawn. "But that doesn't make sense. The game wouldn't allow that. There has to be some downside to it."

"Well, you two have to beat yourselves up," Maisie grumbled.

"No, seriously. Logistically, this shouldn't occur. The balance of the game would be totally upset, unless there were some serious restrictions to it," Heidan continued. I clicked out of the congratulations message and view my inventory. As soon as it opened, I gasped softly.

"I figured out at least one restriction." I gestured to the menu. "The hunting bow. It's no longer a rank B. The roster has it listed as a C rank now... The rank value of the item goes down with each duel?"

"That would make sense," Heidan hummed, scratching the back of his head. "But still. We could be fighting over E-rank items... Unless there's a certain level of rank an item must be for it to be fought over?"

"And what if we don't put an item up? Would the winner still get experience?"

"No. Player duels are rare, but I would have heard about this if other people discovered it. There must be some restriction on it. Maybe it doesn't apply to duels within safe zones, or only applies to duels involving high-rank items. Maybe even both. There's got to be some safeguard within the system, either there would be nothing to keep us from dueling each other back and forth until we're strong enough to just walk up to the 100th floor and getting out."

"That'd be nice, though," Blake chuckled humorlessly.

"Let's try it again," I decided. "Windbane is still a B rank item, so let's try with that. Maybe there's a secondary ranking system we can't see? So Windbane was closer to A rank than your bow, and that's why the bow downgraded faster."

"It's possible." Heidan challenged me to a duel and I put Windbane on the line. This time, after the 60 seconds, I just looked levelly at Heidan before shrugging.

"I won last time. Beat me so you get the experience."

"Are you sure?" he asked cautiously. I shrugged.

"No big deal. It's as you said. My battle healing will take care of it."

Heidan glanced at his hammer before executing a very careful blow to my outstretched arm. I didn't defend or pull away and the system recognized the clean blow, ending the duel with Heidan as the victor. A result menu popped up for him as well and he frowned, checking his inventory quickly.

"Yeah... It's C rank now."

"This is weird," Maisie declared.

"This could be dangerous," Heidan said quietly. "If other players get a hold of this knowledge... Who knows what could happen? More duels, competition over higher ranked items, PKs... We can't tell anyone."

"I agree... I don't see how we can keep other people from figuring it out on their own, though... We could try meeting with the info brokers? Convince them to stay quiet about this?"

"I don't know if that would work. Some of them wouldn't talk about it on principle, just in case, but who knows about the rest... I could name a few that would turn right around and sell the info to the next player who crosses their path," Heidan said with a huff. I bit my lip.

"We can figure this out in a while. Let's go get that martial arts skill."

Chapter Text

December 6th, 2022 (Floor 2: Summit Hut)

"What took you guys so long?" Kirito asked with a smirk as we came upon the NPC hut. Just as I was about to scowl, I caught sight of his face and laughed. Kirito, probably feeling my eyes latch directly onto the whiskers on his face, reddened indignantly and punched the rock in front of him a little harder. His rock was only one in a line and I had a nasty feeling that those rocks would give us a hard time. "I told you; that old man's crazy!"

"Sure, Ki-ri-to," I laughed.

"You won't be laughing when he does this to you," he grumbled, refocusing on his rock.

I led the Hunters inside the NPC's hut, walking directly to the man sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of steaming tea in his hands. He ignored us as we approached but I knelt in front of him, gesturing for the others to follow suit.

"Master," I announced. "The Hunters of Artemis come to learn your ways."

"Eh?" the old man hummed, glancing in our direction before looking back at his tea. "Many visitors have come to this place, seeking not wisdom but destruction of themselves and those around them."

"We seek to learn so that we may survive. This world is as dangerous as it is wide," I said back. I'd gone through the mission in the beta and, even though it took me a week to do, I was determined to cut that time in half.

"I see... Very well. If you wish to continue, join me outside." The old man finished his tea and placed the empty cup on the table before walking out of his home. As soon as the door closed behind him, a quest notification appeared in front of us.

Quest Started: Way of the Master. Would you like to accept this quest?

We all selected yes before moving out of the house and rejoining the Master and Kirito outside.

"These stones are your obstacle. You must show me that you are capable of overcoming any obstacles before you with your will and your palm alone before I can teach you in my ways."

I took the rock on Kirito's right. The differences between our rocks were subtle but I could tell that he had made progress on his stone in the past two days he'd been attempting the quest.

Taking a deep breath, I centered myself in front of my rock and held a hand to it. After a moment of silence, I flicked my wrist and slammed my palm into the stone. It stung my hand and my pride to see no real result and I took another breath, preparing myself for the long haul.

I blocked everything out. I ignored the Master when he painted whiskers onto my face. I ignored Maisie's frustration at the stone and Blake's attempts to scrub the whiskers off with just her hands until bearing down on it with more anger than any of us, determined to get the paint off. Heidan took it as calmly as I did, focusing entirely on his stone.

Minutes turned into hours as I stood in front of the stone. With each breath, I struck. Chips of stone had fallen away but my hands stung and my arms were heavy. It was just a manipulation of the quest, though. My hands didn't really sting and my arms would grow heavier feeling based on how far along the quest the game system determined I was. As I knew from the beta, I wouldn't even be almost done until I wanted to give up more than anything.

Everyone else, even Kirito, took a short break when night fell. They ate and joked about the whiskers and generally got along while I continued working on my stone. I had finished this quest in seven days last time, which is far longer than it should have taken. That was seven days I wasn't fighting mobs and getting stronger. Now, when each day I spent hitting this rock was a day I lost in the real world, I wasn't going to give less than my all.

Hours passed and the Hunters passed the one day mark at the stone. Kirito had made some progress, with today being his third day, but I liked to think I was steadily closing that gap. With each rhythmic strike, my stone chipped and flaked to better resemble his much-abused boulder.

Halfway into the day, I made another strike and a stone shattered. I stood, speechless and covered in stone shards, as Kirito cheered. After three days, he had finally broken his stone. The master had come out of the house with a proud smile and a bowl of liquid. He bowed to Kirito before throwing the bowl's contents up into the player's face. Kirito yelped instinctively but smiled wryly as the paint dissolved in the liquid dripping from his hair.

We all took a break to celebrate Kirito's accomplishment and, somewhere in the commotion, Kirito decided to spend the next few days in the area. If the Hunters finished in that time, we'd partner up again and head towards the labyrinth. It was a good idea and, when he left, he left with promises to see us soon. I returned to my rock with a new focus and a new strength.

I took a calming breath, holding my open palm just centimeters away from my stone's surface, and exhaled slowly. Just before inhaling again, I flicked my wrist and struck the stone.

The stone shattered, just as Kirito's had, and I shouted in surprise more than anything else. I was immediately embarrassed I'd been so surprised but none of my guildmates cared. They were too busy either congratulating me or yelling at their stone in anger. I resisted the urge to smirk at Blake, who was angrier than I'd seen her in a long time. I don't know what she hated more- the whiskers on her face or the stone in front of her- but she wasn't even using her palms anymore. She was kicking and punching it, demanding for it to give. At that rate, unfortunately, it wasn't going anywhere.

"Go join Kirito," Heidan told me. "The rest of us won't be doing anything exciting for the next while. One of us might as well go do something productive."

"Are you sure?" I asked. There was no guarantee that any of them would finish the quest, which made me hesitant to leave. It was Maisie who answered me.

"Of course. We'll message you with updates. Go make sure Kirito doesn't get himself killed."

"Alright." With some hesitation, I removed myself from the group. Guilds couldn't be officially formed until the would-be leader completed a quest on the third floor so we were technically still only a party. It felt weird to leave the Hunters, even for such a short time, but there was no sense in me sitting around when I could be levelling.

"Oi, Kirito!" I shouted, spotting the black figure finishing off one of the many field mobs, a sort of bull creature. Being a savannah floor, Floor 2 had a lot of big animals. Many were based off of African animals like elephants or lions while some were based more on the American plains' animals like bison and wolves. It was a decent mix of challenges, especially since each mob had their own attack strategy.

"Riva!" he called back. As I got closer, he scowled good naturedly. "You're done already?"

"Yep!" I grinned, knowing a wide smile would accentuate my lack of whiskers. "The others thought I should start levelling while they're working. Want to team up?"

"Sure thing. Primary or secondary?"

Just like the first floor boss, Kirito and I made a good tag team. Between the versatility of my staff and the brutal work of his sword, the two of us made quick work of whatever mobs we could find on the field. When we hunted as much as we liked in one quadrant, we moved on, gaining experience and cor as we moved throughout the valley under the Summit Hut. Over the course of this training, I hit level 12 and Kirito levelled to 13.

Night soon fell and, like reality, we both grew tired of training. Not wanting to trek back up to the summit to sleep in safety, the two of us took turns keeping watch.

Sleeping in-game was strange. There was no such thing as sleeping in late because you made the conscious decision to wake up a certain time before falling asleep. Your mind keeps your avatar still and useless during the hours you dictate while it processes and absorbs information but, at the end of those hours, it immediately snaps back to wakefulness.

I took the first shift but, halfway through Kirito's, an alert woke me up.

Riva. Heidan just finished, but he decided he'd wait for Blake and I to finish before heading down the mountain. He's got this idea that we need protecting or something- bah. We'll see you soon. Mais.

"What's up?" Kirito asked, pointing towards the message. I swiped the menu closed.

"Heidan finished but he's staying up there with Blake and Maisie," I told him.

"Oh okay... Do you want to go back?" he asked suddenly. I turned to him, surprised at the question.

"Not really. Maisie should be done soon and Blake will probably give up after that."

"You think she'd just ditch it?"

"I've known her for a long time... When she gets that frustrated, she walks away. She hates that stone more than she hates the whiskers. That might change later in the game, and she might come back when she's relaxed some, but she's not finishing the quest this time," I predicted. "Why'd you ask?"

"I don't know."

"Afraid I'd ditch you?" I joked. Kirito shrugged but his face wasn't joking. "I wouldn't do that. You might not be with us all the time, but you're just as much a Hunter as the rest of us. We've got to band together if we want to get back, you know."

I sighed, trying and failing to shake away my thoughts.

"Why don't people talk about the real world here?" I asked. Kirito opened his mouth but I wasn't done. "I get that people think it's impolite, but this is our world now. Until we get out, this is where we live. And, where we used to live before, it was okay for people to talk about the past. We're so afraid of this world that we're secretive about the other world, like that information will hurt us. What if that information is important, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that, if I die, my family won't know how. They won't know if I was PKed or taken down by a floor boss. They won't know what my skills were like or what I spent time doing here. They won't know if I had friends or a guild or if I was a solo player. All they'll know is that, one day that doesn't look any different from the others, the NerveGear sparks and my heart suddenly gives out. That's not okay to me! I don't want to die anonymously to them," I whispered. Kirito was silent for a long time.

"I have a sister. She's younger than me, and different. She was never into gaming, but she was always great at Kendo."

"I had an older brother. He's the one that got me into gaming in the first place. I remember when I was really little, he'd let me watch him play some of his old games. Skyrim was his favorite. He and my dad died in a car crash a few years ago. It's just me and my mom."

SAO didn't allow someone to swallow sadness or fight back tears. I had no choice as tears began welling up in my eyes.

"My parents died in a car accident before I can remember... My aunt raised me like I was her own son. My sister, who's really my cousin, still doesn't know. I found out on my own not too long ago..."

We spent the rest of his shift talking about the real world. Soon enough it was dawn and I took a steadying breath. Talking about the real world might be cathartic, but it doesn't help either of us get out. Kirito and I returned to the fields with a new fervor and a new reminder of why we needed to get out of here.

True to my prediction, we were joined by the other Hunters early the next morning. Despite the fact that Blake hadn't completed the quest, it was decided that it was best to move on towards the Labyrinth. I rejoined the party and, to my surprise, so did Kirito. With the five of us back in one group, we moved out, heading north at a breakneck pace.

Chapter Text

December 8th, 2022 (Floor 2: Urbus)

The Hunters (plus Kirito) had made it to Urbus in good time. Without any snags worse than the average mob, we were soon strolling through the marketplace. While we hadn't really used any supplies during our trip south, I liked going to the marketplace to look at new weapons and keep an eye out for any NPC forges. By running into NPC forges for either miscellaneous quests or even the rare lesson over the past month, I'd raised all of my smithing skills to at least 50, with blunt weapon forging being the weakest skill at level 53.

Today was no different, but we ran into an old friend.

"Isn't this a reunion?!" Heidan exclaimed, throwing an arm around Asuna's neck as she examined a row of rapiers that were for sale by a player-smith. Asuna scowled for a moment before brightening.

"Riva! You're a smith, right?" she asked excitedly. I nodded back, throwing a smug look towards Maisie, who disregarded it completely. "Are you able to upgrade weapons?"

"Easily." Upgrading weapons was something anyone with 20 levels of weapon forging could perform. "What do you want to upgrade? Your rapier?"

"Yes." Asuna unsheathed her rapier before passing it to me. I frowned at its unfamiliarly light weight and examined it closely. The blade was very narrow and the hilt was protected by a dome-shaped guard. Overall, the weapon was of decent quality, obviously a monster drop. I turned it over in my hands twice more, allowing my smithing skills to activate as I examined it closer.

"Okay. Based on the condition of your blade and my amazing level of expertise with bladed weapons, I'd say you have a 98% chance of success with an upgrade.I can do a +1, 2, 3, or 4. I'd recommend the last, with three accuracy and a durability stat upgrade, which would require one hundred wind wasps."

"Would you be willing to help me collect the materials?" Asuna asked with a hopeful pout. I rolled my eyes but Blake slid closer.

"Only if we keep the cor from the kills," she said, business as usual. "That, or you can pay the standard market price for a weapon upgrade."

Weapon upgrades, especially on monster drops, tended to be rare and expensive. Unless you had a good smith and good materials to work with, chances of success tended to be low so many players didn't bother.

"I'll let you keep the coron one condition!" Asuna declared seriously. Suddenly, she smiled. "You come with me tomorrow. There's word of a midfield boss blocking the way to the labyrinth but I bet the six of us could handle it."

"Sounds good to me!"

"Alright!"

"Sounds like that's a yes," I chuckled as Heidan and Maisie high fived. "Let's head out into the field later and get those wasps. For now, I've got some window shopping to do!"

Wasp hunting was fun, especially with so many people. It soon turned into a game of who could kill the most the fastest and we didn't declare the game over until we had far more than one hundred dead wasps. Even with an unimproved weapon, Asuna's accuracy and speed with her rapier was staggering and she earned a clean victory over Kirito despite his speed and new martial arts skill. I wasn't too far behind, but my weapon didn't allow me to cleanly kill many wind wasps as quickly.

With the prepared materials. we headed back into town and took over a local NPC smithy. I activated the forge, selecting Reinforcement and placed the materials inside of the forge. When the flames turned blue with a lick of green, I plunged Asuna's rapier into the flames. It remained there as I twisted it carefully, making sure to heat the blade evenly until it was glowing red-hot. I removed it from the flame and placed it on the bellows, glancing up at Asuna.

"This is the tricky part," I assured her with a grin. I grabbed the hammer and, carefully, began striking the blade.

Once the first hit was made, I had a three minute window to perform nine other precision strikes. Any more or less would cause an instant fail. I took a brief pause before striking out carefully, counting in my head until I reached the number ten. I lifted the hammer away from the rapier and the fiery glow subsided to reveal Asuna's finished rapier. It was much shinier than it once was, as if the hammer had polished its surface, and it gleamed in the light. I tested its balance in my hand, my smithing skills activating to read the weapon's stats.

Wind Fleuret +4 (3A1D)

I ignored the rest of the data presented to me and swiped through the air with the rapier before twisting it around and holding its hilt out to its proper owner with a grin.

"All done! One Wind Fleuret, properly upgraded."

"It's amazing," Asuna said after swinging it around a couple of times. She sheathed the blade. "I'll make sure to come to you next time I need something."

"Eh. I only freelance. There are some really good player-smiths out there, though, if you know where to look. I'll be able to point you in the right direction if there's anything I don't have equipment or supplies for."

The next day, as promised, the six of us left Urbus and headed towards where the field boss was reportedly spotted, blocking the way to a small village established next to the labyrinth.

By the time we arrived, a scouting party had already gone and gotten information about the boss, a creature called the Bullbous Bow. Two players- Lind and Kibaou- were planning on leading their parties of six on the Bow later in the morning but Kirito and I got a little impatient so...

"Remind me why we're doing this by ourselves again?!" Blake growled as she drew another dagger from its sheath. She had plenty of them; given her tendency to throw her knives when she was desperate, we all thought it was best that she actually came equipped for that strategy.

"Because Kibaou didn't want to include us!" I called back as I swiped the side of the Bow. The beast was several times taller than even Heidan but it wasn't that strong. The lowest level in the group was Blake at level 11 and even she was stronger than most of Lind and Kibaou's group.

Our strategy was simple: Asuna and I would keep the bull distracted from the front with Maisie and Blake watching our backs while Kirito and Heidan tackled the bull's undefended flanks. It had a very simple attack pattern, a point and rush tactic that was child's play to avoid. Whittling the beast's HP down took some time but none of us were too worn when I launched a final attack and stabbed the bull through the eye with my staff. The bull shattered into shards around my weapon, bathing me in blue-green light, and I grinned.

Level Up! a menu congratulated me as I made it to level 13, finally catching up to Kirito for even a moment. Another menu appeared behind it, alerting me that I received a last attack bonus from the field boss. Curious, I opened my inventory and examined the new item: Hunting Horn.

"What is that?" Maisie asked with a frown, glancing at Heidan.

"I've never heard of it," he said with a shrug. I materialized the item and a large hollow horn appeared in my hand. The horn itself was a glossy black with careful gold filigree on either end of the horn and a strip of leather was looped around the ends to create a sort of handle. It looked innocuous in my hand and I hummed. After a moment of consideration, I put the horn to my lips and blew.

It made an almost mournful sound but, other than that, I couldn't discern any differences between before and after I blew the horn. Shrugging to my guildmates, I attached the horn to my belt. Even if it wasn't useful, it was a cool trophy from the fight.

"Onwards and upwards?" I suggested, gesturing to the village before us.

"Might as well... Should we tell the others that we killed the boss?" Maisie asked.

"Eh. They'll figure it out when they swing by later."

We started to move forward when the hairs on the back of my neck started to rise. I tensed, reaching for my staff as I got the distinct feeling that I was being hunted.

"Do you guys feel that?" I asked. A few nods answered me and hands shifted towards their weapons as our eyes scanned the long savannah grasses. The grasses were almost up to my waist at some points, making it easy for a monster to hide in. I would be astounded if anything had gotten so close without coming up on anyone's hypersense.

The grasses began to shift and a low growl emanated from off the beaten path. I narrowed my eyes at its source. Wolves were common on these plains, but we hadn't encountered them in a while.

Suddenly the growling stopped and, from the grasses, a lone wolf emerged. It's eyes scanned our group before locking onto me and I frowned. This wasn't normal behavior of a pack monster. Normal wolves would circle their prey before herding them in tighter and tighter circles, eventually tiring the prey and taking them down. This forward approach was unusual at best.

"Oh no you did not," Heidan half groaned. I shot him a surprised glance and I don't think I was the only one who did so. As the wolf approached, he relaxed. "Calm down, guys. Riva's just really stupid lucky."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Kirito asked, eyes wide. I scowled.

"Mind telling me what you two are talking about?"

"It's a summoning horn. SAO allows certain random players random abilities. One ability is called beast taming in other games," Heidan explained. "That horn, if I'm right, grants you a monster ally. So long as you treat it right and keep it fed, it should cooperate with you."

"That's so..." I glanced at the wolf. It wasn't like the dire wolves on the first floor and it wasn't exactly the same as the plains wolves of this floor. Its fur was thick and shaggy, a mix of bramble colors with white paws and markings on its face and tail. Its eyes were strikingly intelligent and, as it looked up at me, they seemed to soften. "It's so cute!"

"I hate this stupid game," Blake growled. "I get whiskers, but Riva gets a dog? How does this make any sense?!"

"You're just jealous," I laughed, releasing my hold on my weapon and reaching for the wolf. "Come here boy... girl? Come here!"

"I get to name it!" Maisie demanded while Kirito and Asuna shared a long-suffering glance before laughing to themselves.

Chapter Text

December 14th, 2022 (Floor 2: Roriksan Village)

To be honest, the labyrinth didn't seem that special. Unlike the first floor, it didn't feel like anything was any different from the beta test so Kirito, Heidan, and I spent a lot of time directing the rookies were all the treasure chests were. By looting the chests and confirming map data for the info brokers, we were making quite a lot of corfor not that much effort. Exploring the labyrinth provided more than wealth, though; it gave us a good place to work Nymer, my new companion, into the mix. Nymer, similar to companions in other games, was deliberately restricted to a certain maximum with all of his stats and there wasn't any getting around that. He was very useful, though, in that his nose was sharper than any of ours. He could detect monsters beyond our normal line of sight and his searching skill was naturally higher than ours. When I was injured, he could help heal me by licking my wounds which, as gross as it initially felt and sounded, was a great perk.

More and more players trickled into Roriksan as the days passed. The Hunters were joined by other guilds in the labyrinth and, on the 13th, we found the boss room. After some initial battle prep with the other guilds in the labyrinth, we were ready to attempt to clear the floor.

The plan was simple: we had nine parties with a total of fifty-one players. It was a good sized group but, considering the beta had a sub-boss as well as a true boss, we'd need every sword we could get. The overall raid was being led by a player named Lind who was in charge of the Dragon Knights Brigade. I wasn't a big fan of Lind. He was one of Diavel's top followers and, after his death, he tried to take up as much as Diavel's persona as he could. He dressed similarly, directed his followers in a similar manner, and- if he wasn't too careful- he'd probably die similarly as well.

Groups A through F (the DKB and the ALS) were supposed to take care of the main boss while groups G through I took out the sub-boss. Lind had three parties of Dragon Knights following him, while Kibaou led three parties of the Aincrad Liberation Squad. There were a couple of other groups- a group that called themselves the Legend Braves and an assortment of solo players working under a player by the name of Agil- but everyone seemed to decided that Kibaou and Lind knew what they were doing and trusted them to lead. The Hunters didn't exactly agree.

While everything indicated so far that the floor 2 boss and sub-boss would be the same as they were in the beta, I didn't like not knowing. Lind had refused to allow the Hunters the time to do a proper scouting mission into the room, unfortunately, so we had to rely only on what we had from the guidebook.

"I don't like this," Heidan murmured as we all approached the brass doors dividing the labyrinth from the boss room. Kirito nodded.

"At least we told everyone about the numbing impact," I said to the two of them. I looked to Agil, who was walking next to our group. With the Legend Braves fighting with the ALS and the DKB, our two groups would be alone against the sub-boss. "Let's finish the sub off quickly. I don't like leave the rest alone against the boss. I have a feeling we're in for a nasty surprise."

"Agreed... It's bizarre that the game designers wouldn't change a thing to this floor after changing around the first," he commented. He adjusted his great axe on his back, shifting it so that the weight rested more comfortably on his shoulders. "Whatever happens happens, I suppose. Best we can do is work with whatever's waiting for us."

Lind pressed his hand up against the boss room's door and we all tensed as it swung open with a loud clang. Nymer growled at the oppressive darkness in front of us and I laid a hand on his head soothingly.

"Remember the plan," Lind was saying from the front. "Groups A and B, front and center. C and D, left flank. E, F, and G, right flank. H and I, I want you to get rid of that sub-boss ASAP. If you have trouble, though, let me know and I'll send you support."

The doors shut behind the raid party and the battle begun.

Like the beta, Nato the Colonel Taurus and Baran the General Taurus were waiting for us inside, as if we had disturbed a private meeting. The two minotaurs roared and immediately rushed, but we were ready. The raid party split, with most of us moving towards Baran but the rest moving to cut Nato off.

The battle against Nato was almost too easy. With our experience and ability to work together well, our two groups we made quick work of the bull-like monster. After his first HP bar was down, one of Agil's players got hit by the monster's numbing impact and was almost struck again by the massive warhammer but Nymer darted in and snatched the man out of danger, taking him behind our lines so that Blake, who was strictly support, could revive him.

Honestly, Nato wasn't that much of a threat. He was nothing but pixels less than ten minutes after we started. With Nato out of the way, we resumed giving support to the main group.

As if they hadn't listened to Kirito at all, a large handful of players had been paralysed by Baran's numbing impact. The beast still had three out of five health bars left before we jumped in. As Agil and his players, aided by Blake and Nymer, began pulling the stunned or paralysed players out of danger, the Hunters replaced them. With the fresh help, the main raiding party was forced back onto its feet and we got to work. It was stressful and repetitive fighting but, at last, Baran's last health bar entered the yellow.

And then, just because I was begging for more trouble, more trouble appeared in the form of "Asterius the Taurus King." I hate being right. I hate it.

Asterius was even larger than Baran, with bright red fur and a very shiny, very dangerous looking warhammer. Six health bars appeared above his head and I took a shaky breath.

Lind panicked at the sight of the new boss and I scowled. Glancing over at Kibaou, I noticed he was so hyper-focused on Baran that he couldn't spare any attention or players to fight this new enemy.

"So that leaves it to us?" I questioned, glancing toward Agil. He looked wary but shrugged.

"Whatever happens happens, right?"

"Right... Groups B, F! Refocus, front and center assault on new boss! Group H, left flank, secondary assault! Group I, right flank, primary assault! Kirito, clean up Baran and get your ass back here. We'll hold!" I ordered, shouting as I started shifting towards Asterius.

"Do what she says!" I distantly heard Lind shout as he returned his attention to the fight. The faster they took care of Baran, the faster we'd be able to get help with Asterius.

"Riva!" I paused. That was a new voice, one that didn't belong on the battlefield.

"Argo?" I asked, turning around. Sure enough, the nimble little info-broker had wormed her way into the midst of the fighting. She looked out of breath and out of her depth but her eyes were full of determination. "What? I'm a little busy right now."

"I know! But quests! Info! Attack Patterns!" she spat out quickly. I weighed my options before turning to focus on her.

"Tell me. Quickly." And she did. My eyes widened and I looked at Baran. His health was almost completely gone. My eyes darted back to Asterius. Four groups were within range of his breath attack. If they were still that close when Baran died, they'd be good as dead.

"Groups B, F, H, I! Retreat to flanks! Don't stand in front of him when Baran's taken down!" I shouted as loudly as I could over the battle. I looked back at Argo. "When Baran's dead, tell the others. Get Lind and Kibaou to back us up with Asterius but make sure they don't go in blind. I'm counting on you."

"Aye, aye!" Argo said, her hand shaking as she saluted. She scurried off towards the active battle and I turned to face Asterius just as Baran released his final roar before shattering into shards.

Of course it was just my luck to be standing directly in the path of Asterius's lightning breath attack. My vision blacked out for few crucial seconds as I was abruptly taken out of commision. When I tried to speak, my voice was just a raspy whisper and I couldn't move anything. A small lightning bolt appeared next to my health gauge as it entered the yellow. Was this was paralysis felt like?

I wasn't the only one. Asterius had delivered his attack so as to hit as many players as possible so many who were fighting Baran were also hit.

"Nymer," I whispered. Across the throneroom, my companion's ears pricked and his head jerked in my direction. He howled loudly before running in my direction. With care, he took my belt between his teeth and started dragging me out of the line of fire, where Blake was waiting to help heal the wounded. I wasn't the only one that was dragged off into the shadows. There were half a dozen others waiting for potions to kick in or trying to convince themselves to rejoin the fight.

"You idiot!" Blake shouted as soon as I was out of immediate danger. She poured a potion into my mouth and, slowly, the numbness started to fade away. Once the potion was in my system, Nymer was back in the battle, recovering other paralysed players before Asterius could move against them. "You couldn't follow your own damn orders?!"

"Blake," I coughed. "You have to keep him busy. Use your knives. If you hit his crown, you'll stun him long enough for everyone to recover."

"I can't do that! I don't do front line fighting, remember?" Blake insisted. "And besides, I'll run out way before everyone's regrouped. I only have five or six knives on me."

"Yeah, but I don't," I grinned weakly.

Smithing was fun, it really was, but one needed experience to be a good smith. The only way to get experience is to dedicate a lot of time to mind numbing tasks like creating... about a hundred daggers?

I opened my inventory, materializing first a spare bag and then all of the daggers I had in my inventory. Some of the first weapons I made were in there- crude daggers made of cheap and easily chipped iron- but also some of my best- carefully designed throwing knives made out of the best and rarest materials I could find: glass, steel, orichalcum.

"You're insane," Blake chuckled, accepting the bag. "Okay. Stay here. Nymer will watch your back."

Blake walked out and into the battlefield. I swallowed my uncertainty; this needed to work. There was no alternative. No one really practiced long distance attacks because they weren't really viable for most of the fighting done in SAO. Only Blake, a true support player, would have bothered to put in any effort to improving her speed or accuracy with throwing knives.

Paralysis was a tricky status. Even with potions, it could take minutes for you to be totally free of it. As such, Blake had to keep the boss busy with her knives for almost an entire two minutes while everyone who was hit by the attack recovered. Luckily, Baran and Nato had paralysing attacks in the beta so most of us had anti-paralysis potions prepared.

"Are you done messing this up now?" I asked Lind once everyone was ready to go. "Or can we do what we came here to do?"

Lind didn't answer and I grinned savagely before looking to the others.

"We'll play this how we did Baran. Blake is keeping him busy for now, but she'll run out of knives and luck soon enough and I'd rather get her out of the firing line before any of our dumb asses needs healing again. DKB, you all take the left flank. ALS, right flank. You know your strengths and weaknesses so play off each other. Legend Braves and solos, you all keep him busy from the front. When he stomps three times, get out of Dodge. Nymer and Blake will continue to evac paralysed players out so hold tight and don't get yourselves killed in the meantime. Hunters, we're taking the back. When Asterius is distracted, get up on him and get to his crown. That's his weakness. Hit it, and he's stunned. Are we all understood here?"

I was met with a thundering yes and I smiled grimly.

"Move out! Blake, retreat to safety and prepare to continue support!"

With a renewed vigor, the raid party moved back into the battle. Everyone took their places around the minotaur and startled whittling away at his six bars of health. The Hunters rotated trying to run up Asterius's back but it soon became apparent that only Asuna, Kirito, and Maisie were able to run up easily. Heidan and I just didn't have the right types of weapons to have an easy time running up his back. When that was established, the two of us parted and joined the flanking parties.

Six, five, four, three, two. Slowly each of the boss's HP bars dwindled to yellow, then red, then disappeared altogether. When the final bar struck red, however, the beast gave a furious roar as it entered a berserk state. With glowing eyes and stomping hooves, Asterius continued on in his crusade to paralyse and kill us all but Nymer and Blake were careful to pull stunned and paralysed players out of danger.

Kirito made a final run up the boss's back, with Maisie and Asuna flanking him, and dealt a direct blow to Asterius's crown. Bellowing in pain, Asterius's final health bar disappeared and he shattered into fractals of light. The three landed on the ground with varying levels of grace and I gave a tired laugh when Kirito, for all his dramatic flair, was the only one to fall on his ass.

Congratulations!

The second floor was cleared.

Chapter Text

December 20th, 2022 (Floor 3: Dessel)

While the third floor was interesting with its wars between the dark and wood elves, it just wasn't worth much attention on the Hunters' part. That said, Kirito and Asuna managed to get sucked into the war questline so we ended up completing as much of it as we could. Trying to balance a war we had no stakes in, the quest to formally declare ourselves as a guild, and exploring the labyrinth was difficult but it resulted in some hard-core levelling for us all. Kirito, Heidan, Maisie, and I were all level 16 while Asuna and Blake were trailing slightly at level 15.

I'd gotten to work a lot on my smithwork when Kirito realized exactly how high my skill was and asked me to upgrade his Anneal Blade even more. When I got eight viable upgrade out of his blade's eight tries, that led to more commissions from my guildmates, even if I didn't get paid at all for the labor. At the end of the day, my guildmates received better arms and I got easy experience so I wasn't complaining too much.

"Nerius the Treant," Lind was announcing at the strategy meeting. As per usual, Lind and Kibaou felt comfortable running the show. I felt comfortable letting them unless they messed something up and my guildmates were all satisfied watching the inevitable fireworks. "Basically, the information we have on him is this: he is a tree monster, base dimensions 10 meters by 2 meters. He attacks using vines and branches with an attack pattern more complex than we've seen so far. He is capable of reacting to situations quickly and attacking multiple targets at once.

"He spawns minions, which are referred to as Rooted Treants, from the center of his roots. There should only be four at a time, but their thick bark armor makes them difficult to destroy unless you have a particularly heavy weapon." I exchanged a smirk with Heidan at that.

"During the beta, Nerius has a total of 8 health bars. He has 4, and each of his major roots has one. The roots must be killed before Nerius can be killed so we have to take those out quickly or we'll be in for a long battle, which is something we don't want. Again, they are protected by thick bark. I would head to an NPC or player-smith to get your weapons and armor checked out before this one. It'll be tough if you're not prepared.

"Now, for our plan of attack we're going to split everyone into parties as usual. DKB and ALS will be split into three parties each. Agil will lead a team of solo players and the Hunters will formed the last group. DKB will cover groups A, B, and C. ALS will be groups D, E, and F. Agil, you're group G. Riva, you're group H. Groups A and E will be attacking Nerius directly. Until the roots are gone, we are keeping one health bar maintain on him. We don't need a berserk tree on the loose. Group B will attack root 1, C will attack root 2, E will attack root 3, and F will attack root 4. Group G will float around and take down the Rooted Treants. Group H, you're floating. If one part of the room needs your help, be there. Riva, will your group members be able to work full-raid support again?"

I looked to Blake who nodded before opening her mouth.

"I resupplied while we were in Zumfut but I don't know if I have enough to cover the entire battle. If anyone in your parties has drug mixing skill or a surplus of supplies, talk to me. You won't be able to use them during battle; I will."

"You heard the girl. Does anyone else have anything to say?" Lind looked directly at me as if to dare me to speak and Nymer growled lowly at the wannabe-knight. I didn't have anything to say; Lind had covered all of the information from the beta as well as what we'd seen given our scouting trips into the labyrinth.

"Actually, yes!" Maisie exclaimed, raising her hand. "If you guys can't afford to get your gear upgraded by an NPC, Riva's offering dirt-cheap upgrades. It'll still cost you some cor, but I think we'd all rather be a little poorer than blindsided by a tree!"

"Thanks, Mais," I grumbled. Since she volunteered me though... I looked up at the others. "Yeah, I'll upgrade any gear you give me for a small fee. You have to collect whatever materials I say you need. If you need the Hunter's help retrieving the raw materials, then we get half the loot from hunting as well. Message me or talk to me after we're dismissed if you're curious and don't get too used to this. I don't want to put any player-smiths out of business."

Needless to say, I was much busier after the meeting. With almost fifty people in the raid party looking for cheap and easy upgrades, I was the best thing since sliced bread. Maisie and Blake calmly and cruelly loved every minute of my suffering, painstakingly counting each cor in front of me as I worked.

"This is what you get for spending so much on that sword in the first place," Blake nearly sung. I pouted.

"But it was so pretty!"

"And that collar for Nymer?" she shot back. I glanced at my wolf and he rubbed his head up against me happily, his silver and gold collar gleaming in the light.

"He loves that collar! And don't drag him into this!"

Over a hundred grueling upgrades later, I just wanted to go to sleep. My levelling didn't even matter at this point.

"Just look on the bright side. Take a look at our guild inventory."

I did as Blake ordered and swiped into the shared inventory, which displayed several fun numbers. I caught a brief glimpse of the many items we've had a chance to hoard through the looting of the 2nd floor labyrinth and through the war campaign on the 3rd floor, but I also saw the guild's cor balance. Not including our personal money, the guild had just over a staggering 89,000 cor. That was well on the way to buying a house. If we sold off some of our rarer items, we'd be living the life.

"Is that... is this real?" I asked hesitantly, staring at the menu as if it would change. Everyone laughed but I was too transfixed by the number in front of me to care.

It didn't even occur to me that Kirito was no longer a solo player until I took the time to really look at our guild's menu but there his name was, right under Heidan's in the member list. Asuna was second on the line, listed just under me, since I was guild leader.

No one had really questioned when they had officially joined the guild but there they were: living and joking around with us as if we'd all known each other before this and would still know each other long after this. I supposed that this wasn't something we'd just outgrow and get over, though. Anyone who was in the game would never fully be able to leave it but, if that was the price of survival, I'd take it.

The next day, we entered the labyrinth. Following the map data provided by Lind, we soon reached the boss room and had our last minute instruction/pep talk, as per usual. Lind, to my surprise, gave me the floor.

"Great. A boss will be nothing after being put on the spot like this..." A few people laughed at my poor joke and I cracked a smile. "You all know what we're here for. We've got a good plan, built on solid information. You're fighting alongside the best in Aincrad, if I do say so myself, and that means something. If you get in a tight spot, let me know and we'll come running. We've got some great leaders here, some excellent support, and a very nice dog-monster. So let's get this done. I don't want to go tell the boys waiting in the Town of Beginnings that we got our asses handed to us by a tree!"

Blake, Kirito, and Heidran all smacked their faces in a weird mixture of disbelief and irritation but everyone else in the raid party seemed to think my pep talk was good enough. With the fun stuff over, I continued in a lower tone.

"A and E, head straight for Nerius. B, target the main root on the far left. C, mid-left. E, mid-right. F, far right. Once you've killed your root, help the guys next to you. Do not take attempt to take Nerius down until all roots are dead. G, take those Rooted Treants down and keep them off everyone's backs. The Hunters will be moving around in pairs to assist if you need to get out of a tough spot. Blake and Nymer will be working raid-support once they establish a safe area for wounded. Only use sword skills. Nothing else will get through that armor. Let's do this thing."

I stood in front of the door and touched it with the palm of my hand. It opened at the faintest touch and I took the staff off of my back in preparation for the battle ahead.

I wasn't sure exactly what I was expecting based on the information, but it wasn't this. I didn't take part in the 3rd floor raid during the beta- I had been too busy with the elven war- so it took me a moment to recover upon seeing Nerius quite literally grounded. When the book said he was a tree... Well... I underestimated its sincerity.

The boss room was a relatively small atrium built in rough hewn grey stone covered in soft moss and ivy. Light drifted in from skylight high above us and Nerius, a massive oak tree, grew in the dead center of the room. The trunk that was his body reached nearly to the top of the room, which could be seen between the branches of the canopy. Larger branches extended near a hollow in the tree and vines hung low from the tall branches. His roots covered the entire floor, but the four roots discussed in the guidebook were clearly larger than the rest. The roots made the ground difficult to navigate and, as we watched, two eyes and a mouth appeared in the darkness of the hollow in the tree. The eyes that gleamed at us were intelligent and hungry.

The raid party moved forward to attack and, out of the base of the tree, four roots loosened and tore away before standing up as independent creatures: the Rooted Treants. One of their arms was still connected to Nerius, limited the Root Treants' maneuverability and range of attack.

As a floating group, I had the Hunters divided into pairs to better assist the other parties. Kitio and I made one pair, with Maisie and Asuna as another. Heidan was helping Blake with the potentially wounded and, if it proved that she didn't need his help, he'd moved to help Agil's forces with the minions.

"Maisie, Asuna, go to F! Cover right roots against treants! Kirito, to left roots!"

We moved out to either side of the tree and, whenever a treant got a little to close for comfort, we took the would-be attackers down.

A pattern soon emerged. Whenever any of Nerius's health bars- either his main health bar or one of his roots'- reached the yellow, a large group of rooted treants were spawned to protect him. When one reached the red, he sent out his vines and roots to attack the offending players.

"Switch when he's attacking! He can't track well!" Kirito shouted as I buried my blade into a rooted treant. The blade stayed lodged into the monsters and I scowled, kicking it in the chest and knocking it back and out of my way.

With Blake and Nymer running support and Heidan protecting the downed players, everyone was working seamlessly. The battle was long and tiring but, after nearly an hour, all of the roots were destroyed and Nerius was finally on his last bar of health.

"Groups B and F! Detach! Assist G in taking down those treants! Hunters, converge on Nerius!"

With Nerius on his last legs, the Hunters rolled in. Calculating how tall the shortest branch was, I took a running start and dug my staff into the ground, launching myself into the air with a grin. While Blake would probably comment later that the maneuver was reckless and stupid, I was in the perfect position to attack Nerius's only remaining defenses and, Gwaedu in hand, I did exactly that, slicing through branches and vines like there was no tomorrow.

At this stage of the fight, it was clear that we had won. We could handle the treants with ease and Nerius was too busy defending himself from the Hunters' direct attacks to do anything about the fighters destroying his trunk. When the vines stopped swinging at me, I activated one last sword skill and, spinning around, slammed my axe-like blade into Nerius's trunk. To my surprise, the attack was the final blow and Nerius shattered both in front of me and under me and I was suddenly falling.

"Gah!"

My staff fell to the floor with a resounding clang of metal and I closed my eyes to prepare myself to hit the floor in a painful and undignified way- probably karma for the way I laughed at Kirito after the defeat of Asterius, the second floor boss- but someone's arms rose up to catch me and I landed softly.

"Gotcha," someone murmured in my ear. I opened my eyes and scowled as Kirito smirked at me.

"You're never letting me live this down, are you?" I asked dryly.

"Not a chance in hell," he chirped. I scowled darker and he laughed. The rest of the raid party approached us, laughing and cheering as a bright Congratulations banner rose up above us.

Chapter Text

December 25th, 2022 (Floor 1: Town of Beginnings)

"Why are we here again? There's a labyrinth with our name on it," Maisie whined as we walked through the streets of the Town of Beginnings. I ignored her for the most part, glanced down alleys and streets looking for something in particular.

"You know, she's got a point," Heidan said slowly. "I'm surprised Kirito and Asuna are even here still."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Asuna demanded angrily. Heidan chuckled nervously.

"Only that you've got your eye on the prize?" he answered cautiously. Asuna huffed but didn't unsheath her sword so Heidan took a relieved breath. "But serious. What are we doing here?"

"I've got a meeting with someone."

"And you neglected to tell any of us?" Blake drawled. I pouted.

"Okay, I forgot! But this is important, trust me!" Finally, I caught sight of who I was looking for: an assuming kid walking around a courtyard, scooping fruit off of the ground. I swiped into my inventory and took out a piece of paper with a victorious grin before approaching the boy. "Hey, are you one of Sasha's kids?"

"Yeah. What about it?" the boy asked warily. I smiled politely, trying to disguise the new waves of hatred I felt for Kayaba. SAO had a 14+ age limit but, like always, kids got their hands on it. The boy in front of me couldn't be older than 12 but he could die in here if he made the wrong move. What sort of a life did that leave him with?"

"Can you do me a favor and bring this back to Sasha? There'll be so cor in it for you," I offered. He scanned my gear appraisingly before asking the only question he cared about.

"How much?"

"I'll give you three hundred now, and another seven hundred if you come back with a reply." The kid's jaw dropped ever so slightly. The fruit he'd been collecting to sell couldn't have been worth more than five or ten cor. He's probably never even seen a five hundred cor coin.

"Deal," he said very quickly, holding his hand out. I passed it to him and, upon materializing the money from my personal funds, handed it to the boy as well.

When he had scarpered off, I turned to face incredulous and confused looks from my guildmates.

"What was that about? Are you really giving some kid a thousand cor for being a messenger?" Maisie asked with a frown. I shook my head and looked to Asuna. She nodded sadly.

"The SAO orphans, some people call them," Asuna said quietly. "There's one woman, Sasha, who's trying to take care of all of them in some church but I doubt they're doing anything but scraping by."

"That kid isn't going to keep the thousand. He's got brothers and sisters at Sasha's that need to eat," I explained with a shrug.

"What was the paper?" Blake asked. I grinned and pulled out another copy, offering it for her to read. "Christmas from the Clearers: Join the Hunters of Artemis for a free training session. Receive combat, non-combat, or craft skill training by six top clearers. All players are welcome, regardless of level or expertise. Location: West Field outside Town of Beginnings. 10-6 pm, December 25th."

"We're training the kids the fight?" Heidan asked, nodding with approval. "Sounds good to me."

"What about kids fighting sounds good?" Kirito asked hotly. I interrupted before Heidan could take it the wrong way.

"Kirito. If someone doesn't go out and fight monsters, how do they get col? They need money to feed themselves and have a safe place to sleep. With places like Sasha's, they're relying on a few older kids to go out and hunt while the rest either sit around or gather fruit to sell to NPCs. If they lose those few kids to monsters, what happens to the rest? They need training to know how to survive outside of this town."

"So why are we in town? Couldn't you have just message someone about it?"

"I did," I shrugged. "That ad was the front page of Argo's newspaper. We're in town because I wanted to go to the blacksmith and see what I can throw together before 10 o'clock. If players are spending their money on food, they're probably not upgrading their weapons, right? Who knows what they look like this far along."

The clearers, as the strongest players of the game, generally had some sort of duty to beat the game as quickly as possible. People had different reasons-some desperately wanted to return to the real world, others felt that it was their responsibility to save everyone else in the game- but all clearers had a sense of purpose driving them onwards and upwards. Most clearers were so focused on the ultimate goal of beating the game that they began to lose touch with the reality that existed within the game.

The Hunters were like that. We had spent so much time on the front lines that we had forgotten how the rest of Aincrad functioned. We spent so much time trying to get through the next level that we didn't spend any time interacting with the people on the way and the people we left behind us. We were only working on the 4th floor now, but we were still so disconnected with normal players. What would happen to us when we started getting into the higher levels? Would we even be recognizable as the same sort of people by the hundredth floor?

I wanted to stay connected and, if I could, help those people stay alive till the end of this game.

"So how many people do you think are going to show up for this thing?" Blake asked, reading over the article once we were back in the field.

"Hopefully a lot. I've also messaged some other clearers to see if they're interested." With the field boss being taken down yesterday, the 4th floor was probably going to use some cool-down time until everyone wanted to get the boss fight over with.

The general plan was that each of us would take a group of up to five into the field in waves, with at least one of us staying behind at the base. Once each lower-level player in a group had either levelled or killed five monsters without outside help, the group would return. All Cor or items collected through the hunt would be distributed evenly throughout each member of the party. If the players that came were at a higher level, I would take them all to the second floor and train in those fields until we finished.

It was a simple plan but it was one to ensure that everyone could at least defend themselves if they needed to go to the field. Like I said to the others, there's no way to survive without the cor to buy food and shelter.

I had a table spread out in front of us that was covered in scattered weapons. Everything from a basic dagger to a greatsword was there, ready for the taking.

"Here's our first customers," Maisie said, pointing off towards the city. And there they were: a veritable mob of eleven, twelve, and thirteen year olds that were being shepherded to us by a woman with mousy brown hair and world-worn eyes.

"Hello," I greeted politely when the group was close enough. "Are you all here for the training session?"

"Yes," the woman said, a relieved smile flickering onto her face. "I hope we're not too early."

"Nope! Right on time," Heidan said, jumping in and shaking the woman's hand. "Name's Heidan. The clumsy looking one is Maisie, frowny-face is Kirito, too-cool for school is Blake, miss prim and proper is Asuna, and this is our illustrious alpha, Riva."

"Oh, so now I'm illustrious?"

"What do you mean, 'too cool for school'?" Blake shouted, slipping in out of nowhere and punching Heidan in the jaw. He flew back comically and some of the kids laughed.

"Ignore the peanut gallery; I do," I jokingly advised to the woman in charge. She was laughing too, though, so I figured I'd let the gang have fun. So long as no one was challenged to a duel, we were fine. "My name is Riva."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Sasha," she introduced warmly. I shook her hand and glanced out over the crowd.

"Argo's told me a lot about you. I'm glad there's someone back here working for the kids' best interest."

"Yes... The Army protects us but..."

"Not everyone does it out of the kindness of their hearts," I finished. Sasha nodded and I smiled sadly. "Some clearers are like that. But not all of us... Blake is hardly more than a kid now. If Maisie and I hadn't been here... I'm glad there's someone like you here that has been willing and able to help out."

"This isn't about wanting to fight," Heidan was announcing. He had somehow reigned in the two dozen or so kids and was busy dazzling them with his general knight-in-shining-armor routine. "This is about protecting yourself, and those around you. This is about needing to be strong enough to survive in a world populated by sellswords and cutthroats. People like that won't care that you're kids. They won't care what level you are, so long as they can get the upper hand. Because of that, I'm not going to tell you all to sit in the corner while the adults take care of everything. I'm not a hell of a lot older than you and no one is telling me to take it easy. No! Everyone has a duty to themselves and to everyone waiting in the real world to get strong and smart enough to survive this world.

"Max party size is six players so we're taking groups of five trainees and one trainer into the field. Get yourself separated! I want level ones right here by me and Blake. Level twos and threes head over to Asuna and Maisie. Level fours and up, get yourselves to Riva and Kirito!" Heidan ordered. After a few moments of chaos, the twenty-odd kids had dispersed into more manageable groups. The level one group was the largest, made of fourteen kids who probably hadn't ever stepped out of the Town of Beginnings before today. Asuna and Maisie had only five kids between them while Kirito and I had the more trained group of four kids and Sasha.

"Maisie, switch to level ones," I decided. "Heidan, take the first home shift. Go out when one of us comes back."

"Got it, boss..." he said sullenly, disappointed to not be on the first wave out, but he quickly cheered up. "That means I get to show you all the cool types of weapons we've got here! Fall in, kids! This'll be fun."

The training event, overall, was a great success. Argo and a couple of other info brokers showed up to distribute info guides to players that hadn't received their copy yet. Players from level one to eleven showed up to learn. Most of the trainees were kids who had never stepped out of the Town of Beginnings, but a large number of player-smiths and merchants showed up as well to round out their combat skills. I spent most of my time training to keep track of the event from an administrative standpoint and I was more than glad when Asuna stepped in for me and reorganized the event in a matter of minutes.

At the end of the event, which lasted longer than we expected because we couldn't easily determine a stopping point, we had 227 players registered as attendees, with 13 other clearers or mid-clearers showing up to help out. Out of those 227 players, we had a recorded ninety-six players who advanced at least one level. By the end of the event, with help and more donations by some other clearers, over a hundred low level players were given new weapons. Over 30,000 Cor had been marked as monster loot and was divided up evenly between the attendees to help make sure everyone was fed for a while longer.

One of the most insistent questions we were asked, with everything happening all at once, was if we would have another event like this.

It felt good.

Chapter Text

February 1st, 2023 (Floor 22: Mesprit)

Mesprit was a peaceful little town. Surrounded by lakes and forests, I decided that I could have spent a lifetime in such a town.

"You'd get bored in like four days," Blake pointed out dryly. I scowled but, after a moment of thought, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. This lazy life isn't for me... What about you guys?" I asked with a sly grin. It was no secret- at least not to Maisie and I- that Kirito had a thing for Asuna. And, despite her usually high-and-mighty attitude, she had a soft spot for the classic hero-archetype that Kirito represented.

"I don't know," Kirito answered first. "There's just so much else for me to see and do, you know?"

"Like avenge all of the fallen and pierce the heart of the 100th boss, freeing us all from this torment?" Blake interjected. Kirito scowled but was silent. Asuna hummed.

"I think this place is romantic. I could spend a lifetime here, if I was with the right people."

Maisie and I exchanged a knowingly glance and I slung an arm around her shoulder.

"Would those right people happen to include your resident band of nutjobs and martyrs?"

"I think the real question is: who are the nutjobs and who are the martyrs?" Heidan asked in a low voice to Blake, who had to cover the resulting laugh with a cough. I scowled at him and he raised an eyebrow. "Wow, your hypersense is on overdrive, isn't it?"

January had been a whirlwind and February indicated, at least so far, that it was going to follow that pattern. We'd cleared 19 floors in less than two months, with all of the Hunters levelling quickly. Kirito and I no longer had much competition; due to the extensive time I put into smithwork, I was solidly one level higher than him. He pretended not to care much but I knew it bothered him. Naturally, I pointed it out to him whenever I could.

Today was the day we took on the 25th floor boss. Based on the fields, the field bosses, and the labyrinth we had to trudge through to even track down the boss room, this one was going to be a doozy but I had faith that it would be okay. The Hunters had made it through all of the other battles cleanly and I wasn't going to let this one be any different.

Oh, how naive I was.

The congratulations banner hanging above our heads was a joke, a vicious joke that rubbed salt in our many wounds and twisted the dagger still in our backs.

It was all thanks to Kibaou. Everything could be traced back to his stupid pride and his childish need for attention. He rushed the boss room early, before the rest of the raid party had shown up. His 40 guildmates in the ALS weren't enough for a full raid party. They weren't prepared and, thanks to one player, they were slaughtered.

Reinforcements showed up, but not in time to prevent over half of the ALS from being killed. The Aincrad Liberation Squad lost twenty-seven people. The Dragon Knights Brigade, once boasting 38 players, was down to twenty-four. A mid-clearing guild that had tried their hand, the Blue Avis, was cut from six to one. Everywhere, someone lost someone else.

I had never been so scared in my life than when I started looking for my guildmates after the fight. As per usual, we had been split into pairs that had floated around, jumping in where we were needed. I didn't know where they were. I didn't know if... if...

One.

Blake's health was in the yellow. She'd been grazed by a poisoned dagger that the two-headed giant's minions carried. She had Nymer at her side, though, and she had managed to fight the underling off.

Two.

Maisie was in the red, dangerously close. So close. I gave her my last healing crystal, needing her to immediately get better. I was lucky that she wasn't poisoned as well, otherwise no crystal I carried could have helped her.

Three.

Asuna was already crying. She was in the yellow, but so many people were gone... I didn't know how this would affect her. So many lives gone in less than two hours... It was, without a doubt, the most costly battle of SAO so far.

Four.

Heidan was one of the few players still in the green, if only barely. He had been so focused on keeping the minions off of everyone's backs that he didn't get a single hit in on the boss. In return, the boss didn't get a hit on him either and he was forced to deal with that guilt.

Five.

Kirito was crumpled on the ground after the battle. His health was in the red. He had fought so dangerously, so recklessly, so that the ALS could try to regroup. There was nothing left to regroup though, and he had overextended himself.

All of my guild had survived. I was one of the lucky ones- one of the only lucky ones- to have not lost a guildmate in the fight. Even so, I had lost comrades. I didn't know most of the players who'd died personally, but I knew their faces. I knew their attack strategies, their strengths and weaknesses. I knew which guild they belonged to, and if they thought I was a beater or not. I didn't know their names, but I knew their spirits.

And now they were gone.

February 4th, 2023 (Floor 26: Deigoh)

"I..." Asuna's voice drifted off but I knew where she was going. She was leaving the guild.

I wasn't surprised and I wasn't particularly sad either. Kirito had already left, not even a day after the massacre that took place on the 25th floor. A lot of clearers had; either from death or abandonment, the clearing force had been cut to a measly third of what it had been. Most who left were afraid of dying. Most who stayed were either too angry and blinded by rage to care or they thought throwing themselves in that Labyrinth would be a better way to die than just wither away. The Monument of Life would declare they were a hero, battling to clear the labyrinth. No one had to know they might as well have jumped off of Aincrad itself. It didn't matter to them anymore.

I didn't care that she was leaving, but I needed to know why.

"You don't have to say it... I just want to know why. The others have a right to know too." The Hunters were holed up in this sandy city. Deigoh was just a settlement on the vast desert that claimed the 26th floor. There were a few patches of green, bright and shining oases, but most of the floor was barren and unforgiving.

"I just need time to... think..."

"That's fine... The Hunters will have you back if you ever are done... thinking." That was all of a goodbye I offered. Asuna looked at me nervously for a moment, as if she were afraid I'd strike her, before opening her menu and leaving the guild. As guild leader, I had to approve her request to leave and I made sure to look at her carefully before pressing the confirmation button.

With Kirito, I wasn't sure but I knew: Asuna was never going to return to the Hunters. We may see her again, but she'll never rejoin our ranks.

Chapter Text

February 14th, 2023 (Floor 1: Town of Beginnings)

"You realize we keep doing these things on holidays, right?" Blake asked as I watched our second training event unfold. Things were a lot better organized this run now that we knew what our audience was looking for. Some things stayed the same- people came and went freely, weapons were distributed, players were taught new skills- but the way they happened changed. Blake or I ran the logistics, keeping rosters of the players that came in and out. If a player levelled, we noted what level they rose to, not just the fact that they did. We kept track of who got which weapons, so we would know better if they were being used or collected and pawned off. New skills were taught in shifts. I taught smithwork and medicine mixing, Heidan taught negotiation and tracking, Maisie taught acrobatics and sneaking, while Blake handled first aid and throwing weapons. Nymer was there through it all, lazing around and thoroughly enjoying the children's attention.

Instead of having a sprawling compound on a field, everything was neatly confined within a protective fence. There were two ways in and out, one for the hunting parties to go back and forth into the field, and the main entrance where we registered new players arriving. Blake and I were standing at the main entrance, but she kept her eye on the other side of the compound, waiting for a party to come back.

"I don't think that matters much. I don't think many of these people were going to celebrate Valentine's Day anyway," I murmured. It was dangerous to fall in love here. As I watched Blake's eyes dart to Heidan as he and his hunting party walked back into the compound. Heidan was laughing, as per usual, and he had one of the younger player, a girl probably twelve years old, up on his shoulders, I sighed. "Blake..."

"It's not like this is a choice of mine," she said quickly and defensively. I nodded slowly before smiling sadly.

"Just be careful. If you get in too deep, in this world... Anything could happen, Blake. Anything."

"I know."

"Uh-um, excuse me?"

I turned to face the newcomer, a man clad in dark purple armor that has seen better days and a longsword that looked much loved. I tried racking my brain to come up with a name for the player in front of me but nothing quite came to mind. I was about to apologize when I noticed the blue emblem on his breastplate: a swallow in flight. At that sign, I knew exactly who stood before us: the sole survivor of the Blue Avis.

"Can I help you?" I asked politely, trying not to stare at his armor. The man nodded, smiling a little shyly.

"I was actually wondering if I could help you. I'm quite good with numbers, and I'm sure you've got a lot on your hands trying to keep everything from going into chaos."

"Sounds great! Here, take over for me!" Blake said, dumping her work on the man before ditching and walking over to where Heidan was talking to a mid-clearer by the name of Klein. Klein was a good guy and a good leader from what I'd heard. His Fuurinkazan was probably going to rank up from a mid-clearing guild to a front line assault guild. With so few of us left after the 25th floor, we'd need all the manpower we could muster.

"Sorry about her," I apologized. "Blake can be a little... eager. My name is Riva, by the way."

"I'm Taka." Taka, or hawk. I heard that all of the Blue Avis members had names that came from birds but I didn't think it was true. It seemed like such a basic thing to base an alliance on.

"If you're still interested in helping, you're more than welcome to. Blake was keeping track of earned loot. Whenever a hunting party comes back, she goes and writes down how much cor and what sort of items were earned. If the party members want, we offer a market value cor exchange here so they can better redistribute the cor. It's a good way to make sure everything stays fair and it also helps provide me with raw materials with which to make and upgrade weapons. After this event, I'm hosting a weapon and armor upgrade service for players who can't afford an NPC upgrade and can't travel to find a player-smith."

"That sounds very efficient. Are you planning on continuing these events? I know it's only the second but, after what everyone heard about the last fight..." Taka's voice dwindled away as he recalled the last boss battle and I nodded.

"My condolences," I murmured, gesturing to the symbol on his armor. "Blue Avis was new to the front lines, wasn't it?"

"New and unprepared, apparently," Taka confirmed. "We hadn't been a guild very long, but we had some luck in the labyrinth before the strategy meeting. It got to our heads..."

"I think that's why things like this need to happen... We need to show the people waiting for us to save them that we're still committed to the cause. We still care about getting out and we still care about them. Training sessions like these help show that clearers don't just care about getting themselves out, I think. We're not out of Aincrad until all of us are out of Aincrad."

"A noble sentiment."

"Noble..." I laughed. "That's Heidan's business. I'm more interested in keeping the Hunters alive and patched together until I can kick their asses in the real world for scaring me so much in this one."

A new group approached from the Town of Beginnings as I excused myself to greet them. Taka scurried off towards Heidan's hunting party to get their numbers. The new arrivals were clearly a guild in their red and white uniforms but I didn't recognize the emblem. As they approached, a man stepped out in front of the group as if to alert me that the group behind him belonged to him.

"Hello. I'm Riva, alpha of the Hunters of Artemis. Can I help you with anything? We're offering training in non-combat skills as well as reduced pricing on weapons and... armor... up..." I very suddenly lost my voice when the red and white coats parted enough for me to see a familiar figure. My heart constricted just a little to see her out of red and bronze and into red and white. "Hello, Asuna."

"Hi, Riva... This is my new guild, the Knights of the Blood Oath," she introduced a little sheepishly. It was perfectly understandable why; the last time I'd seen her, she had left so that she could think and get away from the front lines. The guild in front of me had clear intentions to join the clearers. It was in everything from their pristine gear to the way they walked around like they owned the place.

"Bit of a mouthful, isn't it?" I joked. The older looking man at the front frowned.

"I'm Heathcliff, leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Do you have a problem with our name?" I immediately knew that this man was dangerous but, at the same time, I really didn't care. If Asuna had joined a guild, it had to be a strong one. She's not a believer in pity parties. If this guild was so strong, they didn't need this training; they just came to show off their new acquisition.

"I don't necessarily have a problem with your name. I just hope you don't mind my abbreviating it whenever I'm calling the shots at a strategy meeting." I stepped closer, a challenge.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that's a stress that you won't have to suffer much longer." He took another step so that we were nearly chest to chest. I hated how tall he was. I was well over five feet tall but I had to crane my neck to hold his gaze at this distance. "We can hold our own very well."

"Oh, it's my pleasure," I insisted. I looked behind him to where Asuna stood. She was looking almost green when I took a step forward. "So, Heath, what can I do for you? Does one of your guild require any training? The Hunters tend to be quite keen whenever someone's weak and out of their depth."

"No, I believe we're quite alright in that standard. We came merely to observe what's left of a guild that nearly lost to the last boss."

"Well if it's personal reflections and observations you want, please go ahead and ask your newest guild member. I'm sure she got a good look at the two headed giant when she and I were fighting it together."

"Actually, I believe your large ego was in her way most of the time."

"Do you have something to say, old man?" I growled. Heathcliff merely smiled politely as if I were a cute dog. Nymer appeared at my side and growled at the other guild leader, nipping at his cloak. Heathcliff stepped back distastefully and one of his followers raised a sword to strike at Nymer.

I drew my own sword and leveled it in front of Nymer protectively.

"Do not touch my companion" I commanded. I looked between Heathcliff and Asuna. "If you don't want anything, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'm sure you understand."

"Ah, yes, I do. Have a nice day, Riva."

"Same to you, Heathcliff," I said as nicely as I could manage. The Knight of the Blood Oath turned and walked back towards town, probably heading for the teleport gate, but Asuna lingered behind.

"Riva..." she began. I turned to her with hard eyes.

"What could you possibly have to say to me, Asuna?" I demanded. "The Hunters supported you. We've been together for so many battles, then you turn around and leave us for a new guild? What do they offer that we don't? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's not their good company."

"Heathcliff approached me a few days ago," Asuna began. She looked down at the ground with shame. "He offered me a place in the guild-"

"And clearly you accepted."

"I refused!" she insisted. After a pause, she continued. "He challenged me to a duel. If I won, the Knights would leave me alone. If I lost, I had to join them."

"You lost? How? You're one of the best in the business."

"I don't know. It was over so quickly... If Heathcliff challenges any of you to a duel, though, run. Don't do it, or you might be trapped too," Asuna said sadly. She glanced down the road, where her new guild were already halfway to the town. "I have to go... Good luck, Riva. I'll see you again."

"Yes," I said distantly. Asuna sprinted away, catching up with the Knights before they entered the city, leaving me alone at the gate of our little settlement.

Like the first event, our training session extended past official hours as new people arrived for training. Most people who came initially for the combat training/safe hunting spree ended up staying for non-combat training and, altogether, the Hunters and other clearers and mid-clearers ended up offering training in almost twenty additional skills. The event had grown, as well. We had well over three hundred attendees, with forty clearers and mid-clearers showing up to help.

After the event was officially over, a handful of player smiths and I took over the NPC forges of the Town of Beginnings and offered low-cost upgrades and maintenance.

The entire time, however, I could only think of Asuna. Somehow, we'd get her out of the Knights. We just needed time to figure out how.

February 26th, 2023 (Floor 26: Boss Room)

I allowed myself a sigh as I secured my bladed staff to my back. My health was in the yellow, but my battle healing was already kicking in and working to fix that. I glanced over the chaos that had taken over the boss room in the aftermath of the fight, searching for my guildmates.

"Taka, report!" I ordered briskly, tossing my hair over my shoulder as I walked towards the tall man, clearing out my Level Up! screen alerting me that I had reached level 31 as I went. My second in command appeared at my side, his mouth in a grim line as he threw a calculating glance around the boss room. Ours was a small guild, and close knit. With only five people in it, myself included, the Hunters of Artemis could hardly afford to have anyone out of service.

"No deaths, several injuries. Blake is treating the worst off now. Maisie got into the red but she fell back and her battle healing is helping take care of her now," Taka summarized. Taka was, in all honestly, a bit of a stray but he had a good head on his shoulders. He'd been running with the Hunters shortly after our second training event and we recognized him as an official member about a week ago. He wasn't quite on our level- he was still trailing around level 26- but he was another set of hands. He became my lieutenant when it became clear to everyone else that my game was more the 'kick ass and take names' sort and his was the 'balance the checkbooks' sort.

"What about the KBO?" I asked. Taka glanced their way, towards Heathcliff and Asuna. "No fatalities. Heathcliff seems to know what he's doing."

"Yes... It would appear that way." I glanced around, my eyes tracking down the other three members of our guild. I spotted the three close to the teleport gate to the next level of Aincrad.

Despite Taka's assurances, it felt good to see my three friends alive and well after a boss fight. Blake, as always, was fretting over Maisie, who was trying very hard to appear unconcerned about her health. Heidan had a carefully composed look on his face that let me know that he was trying very, very hard to not laugh.

"Can you convince Blake that I'm okay?" Maisie asked helplessly as her little sister flitted about her, talking a mile a minute about the rising prices of healing crystals and the decreased durability of her armor increasing her future risk of harm.

"Nope. You're the one who scared her by being an idiot."

"I wasn't-"

"You rushed in and forced a switch with Asuna," I reminded her. "You know her stats; her agility is way beyond yours, making your sacrifice totally unwarranted. She could have slipped out of the way without injury, you obviously couldn't."

With Maisie looking appropriately shamefaced, I turned towards the teleport gate.

"Are you all ready for the next floor?"

"Are we ever?" Heidan said with a teasing smirk.

"Fair point."

I reached out to activate the gate when I heard a voice cry out.

"Hold up! What gives you the right to be the first to cross over?" a voice I didn't recognize demanded. I looked into the crowd of players gathered around in the boss room and waited until my aggressor stepped forward. It was a man bearing the white and red robes of the new guild. I recognized him ever so vaguely. He had likely been in boss battles before with me, judging by how familiar his pinecone-esque mace seemed to me.

"Excuse me? What are gives you the right to question me? You're clearly new to the front lines, otherwise you'd know that the Hunters of Artemis is the oldest clearing guild here. We've participated in twenty-four boss fights, including the 25th, and we've never had a fatality. So, Blood Oathsman, you'll excuse me if I don't care too much for your immaturity."

I stared him down and, looking approproately chastised, the man backed down. As I watched, Asuna silently crept towards him and smacked the back of his head with a scowl on her face.

That's my girl.

"Right then. Let's go."

Chapter Text

June 21st, 2023 (Floor 27: Ronbaru)

I took a deep breath and pushed on the bellows with all my weight. The fan stoked the flames and the refined metal I'd deposited in the furnace turned a cherry-red color. When the red lightened into white, I removed the lump of metal from the forge and laid it on the anvil, drawing up my hammer and striking the hot metal. I struck the metal again and again until it shimmered. I held my breath as the metal shifted into a new shape before setting.

I'd never worked with Barunum before. The pale blue metal was specific to the area around Ronbaru and it was regarded as a very temperamental material to work with. As I examined the sword I'd created, however, I could see exactly why the game didn't want the material to be easy to work with.

The sword, Darkchase, was about as long as Maisie's old Anneal Blade but it was much heavier and sharper. There were only fifteen chances for upgrades, much less than the usual for player-made weapons, but the sword's starting stats were much higher than anything I'd seen with the possible exception of Kirito's fully upgraded blade. As I twisted the blade in my hand, an ethereal glow was left in its wake as if I had used a sword skill.

I returned my attention to the forge.

The Hunters had spent mining this ore and power levelling to be able to handle the finished products. We'd gotten information about it from Argo and it was apparently the best raw material to craft gear with. After seeing Darkchase, I was convinced. Now I was trying to fully outfit the guild in barunum gear. After seeing the boss on the 29th floor- a huge flying pegasus guarded by legions of wood elf-like creatures- I wanted us to be ready for anything.

A soft ping shook me out of my focus and my hammer hit the hot metal at an off angle. I cursed as the metal shattered under my hammer into fractals of light. In the beta, smiths had been able to reuse the metal from a failed creation but that option was gone in the real thing. I'd spent well over a day working with the temperamental ore and, even with my newly maxed smithing skills, I still wasn't done.

Grumbling angrily to myself- the three ingots of barunum that had gone into that project were three ingots I didn't have to spare- I opened my menu to see who dared to message me when I was this busy.

Riva. How quickly can you get the Hunters to the 27th floor labyrinth? Some friends of mine are trying to level but they need back up. They won't listen to me, though, so we're already inside. Kirito.

I was shocked. Kirito had friends? All joking aside, though, it seemed that the Hunters were needed for a search and rescue trip. I cleaned up the forge as quickly as I could, collecting what armor and weapons I managed to put together. I had enough to outfit everyone in terms of armor, but I only had Heidan's and Maisie's weapons finished. It would have to do, though, and I started walking towards the exit of town. The rest of the Hunters were levelling and collecting more ore for me to work with but it looked like I'd have to disturb their fun.

The 27th floor labyrinth had been a fun but dangerous one, like most of Aincrad, really. Made of narrow hallways made of blue slate tiles, the labyrinth was a true maze, filled with trick rooms and traps.

I opened my map as soon as we were in, looking for the small Friend symbol that would have denoted Kirito's position.

"There!" Maisie announced, pointing to a quadrant of the map about two thirds of the way to the boss room. Boss rooms were excellent for levelling; the boss didn't respawn, but the minions did. The monster drops were as spectacular as the initial battle, of course, but the experience gained remained the same. The goal of the guild Kirito had tagged along with wasn't to level but to gain money.

"Okay, we have to get there fast, before they find their way into a trapped room."

"Sprinting?" Blake asked with a sad sigh. I grinned.

"Sprinting."

We probably looked faintly ridiculous as we ran through the maze. We didn't stop long whenever we met resistance, we just sliced right through them and kept running, but our armor, being made of barunum, glowed faintly in the darkened tunnels. Even Nymer, my faithful companion, had a small set of armor protecting his back and sides from enemy monsters; we'd almost lost him on the 29th floor and I wasn't excited to see a repeat incident. We left a slight haze in our wake and, if I turned my head back, I could watch as the glow faded out.

We would either be intimidating or laughable when we showed up to the next strategy meeting and I wasn't sure which.

"I told you guys this would be easy!" A voice echoed down from up ahead and I motioned for the guild to slow down as we reached the corner. Our path ended, opening up into a hallway, and a group of five players came into sight on on right. Kirito was in the back and, while the other members of the group tensed, Kirito grinned and waved, coming forward to talk to us.

"Riva! Guys! What are you doing here?" Kirito asked, his eyes begging me not to tell on him. I smirked and, when he was close enough, I trapped him in a headlock.

"We were in the neighborhood and we decided to take another trip through the labyrinth. Argo said she had intel on a few hidden rooms in this labyrinth that no one had enough skill to detect the first time through," I lied smoothly.

"That's so cool! Maybe we'll find them!" one of the boys said cheerfully. I raised an eyebrow.

"What level are you guys, if you don't mind my asking? The average clearer was probably level 32 or so when this floor was cleared."

"Oh man. We're still so far..." the same boy said despondently. I glanced at Kirito, wondering if this guy was always so dramatic.

"It's okay, Ducker. I'm sure we'll get there," the only girl in the group consoled him, offering a soft smile. She looked at me with that same smile. "We're all around level 28."

"It's pretty ambitious of you to be up here so soon, then," I said, trying to sound impressed to hide how shocked I was. "Do you want to join up for now? I wouldn't feel right letting you guys wander around up here. If we find any of those hidden rooms, we'd be willing to share the loot."

"What's your trap dismantling at?" Ducker asked suspiciously. I glanced at Maisie, who was best at traps and lockpicking.

"830-something. I don't know off the top of my head."

Ducker's jaw actually dropped.

"You guys are clearers, right? What level are you on?"

"Well, Taka's our weakest member-"

"I resent that," he chimed. "Level 39 is nothing to be ashamed about."

"It is if you're comparing yourself to the rest of us," I grinned. Taka sniffed.

"You are levelling monsters. No one should be compared to your level."

"I'm the highest level in the guild at 54," I explained. "The Hunters are the highest level clearers, but there are only five of us right now. There used to be six, but two of them left after the 25th floor and we picked Taka up shortly after. We've been training him up ever since then to make sure he can hold his own."

"And it's been exhausting, every step of the way," he reported dryly.

"Wait, Kirito, how do you know them? I thought you weren't a clearer," another boy asked. He shrugged.

"I fought with them in some earlier battles," he explained, skirting around the truth neatly. "They're the guild that hosts the lower level training sessions, so I've seen them there too. I think we should join up. It sounds like a good call to."

"Works for me!"

It seemed that Ducker was the leader of the group because, when he gave his assent, the decision was made. We started working our way through and, even if we couldn't fight all of their battles for the sake of letting them gain cor and experience, the Hunters made sure to watch the MBC's backs.

"Ooh look!" Ducker pointed to a far wall where a glowing inscription was set into the slate. He lifted his hand to touch it but Maisie grabbed his wrist.

"Allow me," she said, just in case. She studied it for a brief moment before frowning. "Seems like a typical hidden room. Best case, contains just a treasure chest. Worst case... traps, monsters, etc."

"Recommendation?" I asked.

"Hunters take point. I'd prefer if the Cats stayed out in the hall until we know what this is."

"No way! I want to see what's in there!" Ducker pouted. I looked at him seriously.

"Until we know what's in there, Maisie has control of the situation. What she says goes, and I don't say that often."

"Thanks, Ri," she chuckled. "Kirito, watch our six and make sure the Cats don't get into trouble. If the door closes behind us, give us ten minutes before you try anything. We'll probably be able to handle whatever's in there."

"Sounds good to me," he said with a shrug.

Maisie placed her hand on the rune and the entire door glowed faintly before falling away to reveal an ornate iron door. The room inside was totally empty except for a treasure chest. Maisie held her hand out and Blake obediently and silently passed her a trio of daggers. Maisie threw each dagger into the room at separate distances, each leading up to the chest.

"No trigger plates. I don't see any obvious signs of traps," Maisie decided. "Safe to approach. No one touch the chest."

We approached the chest and Maisie knelt down next to it, examining it without touching it and then gently tracing the lid with her eyes closed. After making a full circle around the lock, Maisie opened her eyes.

"I can sense something but I don't think I can disarm it at my current level. I think we're best off leaving this one alone. I can't even identify what kind of trap this is. It could be something we haven't seen before."

"Fair. Let's get out then, before we end up triggering something."

Ducker and the others were surprised when we came out empty-handed but they seemed to know better than to try their luck against a trap the Hunters wouldn't touch. Kirito mouthed a thank you to me as we started to move away from the hidden room.

With the Hunters backing the Cats up, it didn't take long until they reached their goal of cor for the trip. With their goal met, we led them safely out of the labyrinth and back onto the 27th floor. Before the Cats vanished back to Taft, where their guild leader was supposed to meet them, Kirito pulled me aside.

"Thanks for helping me out back there," he said sincerely. He glanced back at the guild. "They don't know my level and I was afraid that they wouldn't trust me if they found out the wrong way."

"Why are you even with them, then? I'm sure they're nice people, but it feels to me like you're just stalling here. What level are you at now?"

"42," Kirito grumbled. I shook my head.

"That's not like you. I'm sure the Cats appreciate all you've done for them, but it's dangerous for you to work with them so closely for so long. There will come a time when you'll run into a situation where you can get out but they can't. That could've happened today if we had opened that chest. Is that what you want?"

"I saved them the first day we met. I didn't mean to stay this long but I feel like I'm helping them."

"You are helping them. For now," I clarified. "The Cats are probably great mid-clearers, but they're nowhere near ready for the front line. You know that..."

"I think... I think I'm going to tell them soon. They deserve to know the truth," Kirito decided. I smiled softly.

"I agree... If you don't want to play solo, the Hunters will always be there for you. We'll be in Ronbaru a little longer until I finish making new gear for everyone if you want to find us."

"I noticed the new stuff... What's it made out of? I've never seen glowing equipment," Kirito commented, gesturing to my armor. I grinned.

"Barunum. It's a bitch to work with, but it gives starting stats that I've never seen. I have my smithing stats maxed now and there's still no guarantee of a successful forging. I'm too scared to touch it to even try an upgrade," I laughed. "Go check out Maisie's sword. You might want an upgrade. I might charge you for it, though."

"What? I don't get free gear?" he asked, pouting. I rolled my eyes.

"Hunters only. I can't just make special gear for anyone who asks," I pointed out. Kirito grumbled but, when it was time for the Cats to leave, he nodded at me seriously. The Hunters would see him again, and soon.

Chapter Text

December 24th, 2023 (Floor 35: Forest of Wandering)

It had been a tiring year for the Hunters. Between Kirito and Asuna leaving, gaining Taka, and welcoming Kirito back with open arms, we'd committed the last five months power levelling and rushing into boss fights with metaphorical guns blazing. It was exhausting and grueling and we took advantage of the outside-safe zone duelling quirk far more than we should have but the Hunters were the undisputed highest levelled players in the game. Kirito had caught up to me somehow, with both of us leading the pack at level 70. Heidan and Maisie weren't far behind at level 68, with Blake on level 67. Even Taka had hit his stride and was at a comfortable level 65. The clearers had pushed on, with the labyrinth of the 49th floor being explored now.

The guild had grown in size, but not by players. I had been browsing through my inventory, deciding what to keep and what to sell to raise money for a guild base, when I found the old hunting horn that the Bullbous Bow had dropped on the 3rd floor. I had used it once and Nymer, a fully trainable canine companion, had appeared from the plains and, after that, I hadn't put any thought to it. When I came upon it again, I studied it closer with my tools appraisal skill and found that the tool was a bound piece of equipment that, unlike most tools in SAO, had uses.

Naturally, I used the horn again. Nymer was no longer the sole companion animal of the Hunters; there were now six wolves accompanying us in our hunting. Nymer was the oldest and the largest, as well as the clear alpha, but the others were quickly catching up to him in the months following their summoning. The horn had shattered after the youngest wolf- a silver direwolf named I'd named Pooca, was called but we still had a great sized pack.

The Hunters, for better or worse, started getting famous once the wolf pack grew. We were pretty well known thanks to our work at the front lines and the training sessions but, with a full pack of wolves at our sides, we became a legend. It was fitting, though, for the Hunters of Artemis to have wolf companions. In the myth, the followers of the goddess Artemis did have dogs and wolves aiding them in battle.

With everyone wearing ghostly white-blue armor, wielding strange glowing weapons, and followed by a pack of wolves, there was a fair amount of lore spread whenever the Hunters rolled into a town. It was interesting, but also hindering. We spent less and less time in the public eye. I knew the same thing was happening to Asuna, who was now being called "Lightning Flash" thanks to her blinding speed and accuracy with her rapier.

To try to fight the myth that surrounded the Hunters, we worked more closely than Argo and held another three training sessions over the course of the year. The hope was that being on display in front of everyone would help cut back the belief that we were anything special but it didn't seem to work that way. More players came to the events to see the clearers than to actually train but, so long as they were getting better and surviving longer, I wasn't going to fight with anyone.

"This place is cool. Why don't we get a house here?" Maisie asked as we were teleported from one section of the forest to another.

"Because it's extremely easy to get lost and it's even easier to get killed if you get separated," Heidan reminded her. She hummed thoughtfully.

"That's fair. The wolves love it here, though." And it's true. As soon as we stepped into the Forest of Wandering, Nymer and the others had gone nuts, running around and playfully nipping at each other. With each one wearing armor, they left dizzying streaks of light in their wakes, lighting up the dark forest for us.

"The wolves might respawn if they're lucky. We won't," Heidan pointed out.

"But they wouldn't be our wolves," Maisie shot back with a frown. One of them- a red wolf named Tiber- ran up to her and licked her hand at the remark. She smiled brightly, ruffling the wolf's fur. "See? Who's a good boy? You are! Yes, you are!"

"Come on, sis. Stay focused," Blake yawned as Kirito directed us down another path. None of us had spent much time in the field dungeons like this forest but that wasn't an issue. Thanks to Argo and some merchants in town, we had both information and a complete map of the area.

"You know, I bet a house in this area would be really cheap! We could totally afford it, especially if we convince Riva to actually sell some of the weapons she stockpiles."

"We're being followed," I murmured to Kirito. He nodded at me almost distractedly.

"I know. I'm planning on circling around here," he said, pointing to a section on the map. "If they don't show themselves by then, we'll have Nymer and the others sniff them out."

We circled around and, whether it was impatience or someone came to their senses, our tail vanished. When neither Kirito nor I could feel them, we started back towards our main goal: the giant fir tree.

Argo had heard there was going to be an event boss tonight that was going to drop a revival item- something that could bring a player back from the dead. While none of us were quite sure how it would work, since the Nervegear was supposed to instantly kill the player, it wasn't something we'd just ignore. If there was a chance we'd be able to save someone, we'd take it.

We appeared out of another teleport and the fir tree rose up in front of us. It was absolutely massive and covered in heavy snow that weighed its limbs down. The snow continued to fall around us and I counted the minutes as the clock wound down towards midnight.

We were prepared for this fight. We all had the best armor and weapons we could make or find. We had the full support of a wolf pack. We had excellent teamwork and had a list of maneuvers we could pull out in a matter of seconds.

The clocktower from the town started to toll and we readied our weapons as jingle bells went off above us. Two streaks of light appeared in the sky and we got into our basic formation. Kirito, Taka, and Maisie got in front while Heidan and I stayed in the mid-guard. Blake was behind us, a dagger in one hand and a healing crystal in the other, and the wolves took up a perimeter all around us.

A massive figure started to descend from the sky and, after the snow had settled, four HP bars and the name "Nicholas the Renegade" were hung over a Santa-esque figure. His only weapon that we could see was a massive battle-axe. Nothing we couldn't handle.

Between the six players and the six wolves, Nicholas didn't stand a chance.

After the battle, the revival item was immediately granted to Blake. She was almost always serving as full-raid support. If someone died in a boss fight, she'd be the only one able to administer the Divine Gem of Returning Soul in time.

With the event boss defeated and the revival item in safe hands, we returned to our guild's home on the 28th floor.

Our house probably wasn't in the best place. It was at least fifteen minutes away from the nearest teleport gate and it was actually just outside of a field dungeon, but it was comfortable and it suited all of the Hunters' needs. Built facing the Wolf Plains, the three story house was made out of redwood and rough grey stone. It was surrounded with forests and we had a kennel of sorts built for the wolves just behind the main house where they could come and go freely. Most of them slept inside with us, though, so it wasn't used often. The house itself was pretty big; there was a large living room and a kitchen on the main floor and, up the stairs, there were three bedrooms on the second floor and three on the third. A forge was built into the side of the house and it was there that I spent most of my time at the house. There were chests scattered around the forge, all containing raw materials that I didn't want to carry around into the field. A garden was set up next to the kennel but none of us really used it much. Gardening in-game was a pretty difficult skill to master so it was just easier to buy whatever we needed from NPCs.

"We'll need to run out and get more potion supplies," Blake announced as soon as we stepped through the threshold. As she wasn't generally in the fight, her skills tended to be more supportive. She was experienced with first aid, medicine mixing, and negotiation. Because of her tendency to stay out of the line of fire, a number of players in the clearing guilds had assumed she was weak. She's corrected those assumptions each time we give her free reign to fight. Blake fights hard and dirty.

"You couldn't have pointed that out when we were in Blaidd?" I asked tiredly. She rolled her eyes.

"You say that like I'm not capable of walking back alone."

"I didn't say that!" I said quickly. I've seen Blake gut a drunken ape with nothing but a dagger and that is not a skill I want to be put upon me anytime soon. "Just make sure Remus goes with you."

Each of the wolves, while technically my companions, had a soft spot for one player in particular. Nymer was mine, Pooca was Taka's, Tiber was Maisie's, Scath was Kirito's, Dewr was Heidan's, and Remus was Blake's. When the guild was apart for any length of time, everyone brought with them their own member of the pack. If anything happened, the wolves would be able to communicate with each other, even across an entire floor.

"Will do. I'll be back soon."

"Get more milk!" Maisie shouted after her, scowling at our near-empty fridge. "It's like no one lives here."

"Probably because we hardly live here," Kirito chuckled. "We spend so much time on the front, I don't even know why we bought the place."

"We should look at a house near the Forest of Wandering!"

"Why? So we can not live there too?"

Heidan and I laughed as Maisie all but growled at Kirito, drawing a butter knife from a drawer and launching it at him. He barely evaded the projectile, shouting out as he hit the floor.

Chapter Text

January 7th, 2024 (Floor 50: Algade)

Algade was probably the most realistic city we'd been to so far in the terms of its messiness. Most of Aincrad felt too clean and simple to be real with the number of people living everywhere but Algade was cramped and uncoordinated. Streets led to anywhere and nowhere and a player never knew exactly what they paid for. Most of it was wrought shady dealings but the city was bustling and rapidly filling with players as the Army strangled more and more life out of the Town of Beginnings. At the rate the Town of Beginnings was going downhill, it wouldn't make sense anymore to host our training sessions there.

Algade was the host of the first strategy meeting for the 50th floor. Information regarding the boss room on this floor was shaky at best but, given the experiences on the 25th floor, everyone was nervous.

The strategy meeting was held in a large concert hall in the city. The hall was part of a complex that was likely there just so a guild could take it over and establish a great base but it was too noisy for the Hunters so I didn't put much thought into it. All of the top clearers were there by the time we arrived and, when the Hunters walked in, a momentary hush fell over the room and I sighed. Clearers were supposed to be professionals. Several of the players we were fighting with had been with us as early as the first boss battle; how could they stop seeing us as normal players?

I had to acknowledge that we weren't exactly normal players as the wolves fell in line in front of us.

"Nymer, fall back," I murmured. The wolf pricked his ears but he obeyed, moving to the guild's back. The rest of the wolves followed suit and we approached the table, where a large map of the labyrinth was laid down.

"Okay, now that we're all here, we have limited information as of right now," Heathcliff continued. "We have the location of the boss room but we need volunteers to form a scouting party to gather more intel on the boss, hopefully players with high detection and sneak skills. Until we can get a group in and out safely, we're working blind. Would anyone like to volunteer?"

"The Hunters can cover that," I volunteered. With the wolves, we've got the best senses in the game. "With the location of the boss room already discovered, we can be in and out of the labyrinth within a few days. Is anyone opposed to reconvening on the 10th?" There was no opposition and I grinned but quickly sobered up. "Most of you guys here didn't fight in the 25th. If the pattern continues that we've seen, with harder field bosses and tougher labyrinths, this floor is going to be similarly bad. We need to be better prepared than we were last time.

"Check out the smiths and find out what raw materials you need for upkeep and upgrades and bring it to the next meeting. I'll talk to the player smiths I know and see if I can get anyone to drop their rates for battle prep. If not, I'll fix your gear myself. We're not having a repeat of the 25th if I can help it."

Heathcliff nodded his approval before clearing his throat and bringing us back to the map in front of him. Everyone updated their map data to show the location of the boss room and we were dismissed.

January 8th, 2024 (Floor 50: Labyrinth)

"Are we ready for this?" I asked. Heidan rolled his eyes.

"I thought we established already that we're either very, extremely ready or totally and completely going to die."

"That's fair... At least this is only a scouting mission."

The labyrinth had been rough. We weren't totally unscathed, even if our battle healing was kicking in quickly. With all of us gain back at least 500 health every ten seconds, our avatars were healed but the exhaustion didn't quite fade.

"Well... here goes nothing."

The door opened at my touch and everyone in the guild was in an immediate crouch, attempting to hide from whatever lie inside.

Unlike most boss floors we'd seen so far, where the room remains mostly dark until the players reach a certain point, the room was filled with light. The room itself was very much in line with the rest of the labyrinth, bearing a forgotten ruins sort of vibe. The room was dotted with about a dozen moss covered statues of all shapes and sizes and, at the far end of the room, a dark bronze statue far larger than the others- probably about fifty feet in height, was seated in a moss-covered throne. The statue was of a man with three arms on each side, with each arm a different height. In each hand was a massive scimitar that, like the hands that held them, were made of a dark bronze.

I quickly memorized each detail about the room I could- how many statues were there, what sort of weapons did the statues have, what did the main statue's face look like, was there anything in the room outside of statues and stone weapons?- and motioned for the Hunters to back out. My blood froze when the door started to swing shut, locking us inside.

"No," I whispered desperately. "No. No. No! Teleport crystals!" Everyone's hand dove into a pocket or a pouch for the crystal but, even as I shouted "Teleport: Algade!" I knew they wouldn't work.

The boss fight for the 50th floor had begun and we were alone.

"Riva...?" Blake's voice was hardly more than a whisper and I forced my brain to deal with everything being thrown at it. We weren't able to expect help. I had six guild members and six wolves against eleven Divine Statues and one mega-thing. Luckily, that thing hadn't sprung to life just yet so we had some time. Think. Think. Think!"

"Guess we're doing this!" I said, grabbing my weapon. "Maisie, Taka, right flank! Heidan, Blake, left! Kirito, with me, forward! Tag team those divine statues and work your way to the boss. Nymer, pack hunt!"

Everyone burst into action and I swallowed as much fear as I could. I couldn't lose my head. If I did, we were all dead. We had to get rid of the statues, kill the boss, and not die. Easy, right?

Okay, not easy at all.

I slammed my staff into a divine statue and it staggered back at the blow. With another strike, it was done. The statue didn't disappear into pixels though and I cursed aloud. I swung my staff at the rubble as it started to shift and move and, at the third blow, the rubble shattered into light.

"Destroy the rubble! Don't let them regenerate!"

Kirito was already several statues ahead of me but he had left the rubble behind. I watched, transfixed for just a moment, as one of the statues reformed out of the mess and tried to attack his unprotected back. I roared, activating a howl and forcing the statue to turn its attention to me as I sprinted forward, ripping through the rubble and the statue Kirito left in his wake.

I destroyed a fourth statue, tearing apart the stone chunks left behind, when the room began to shake. I glanced up to see the main statue started to shift and groan as the metal was forced to move. The arms began to spin and the scimitars performed a slow and deadly dance as the boss painstakingly stand from his throne. His entire head, which once bore a face with a jovial expression, turned to reveal another side to his head, which bore angry eyes and razor sharp teeth that were raised in a savage, hungry grin. A red cursor appeared above his head, quickly followed by 3 HP bars and the name "Vengeful Destroyer."

Kirito and I were on the boss in moments, each delivering our most powerful sword skills. It wasn't enough, though. The HP bars were draining but they were draining painfully slowly, making me wonder just how much health this behemoth had.

"Kirito! Dual wield! I'll cover!" I ordered. The statue wasn't putting much of an offense out right now; I could physically keep up for now, but I wasn't sure about what would happen later.

The labyrinth was full of statues and it was discovered early on that, if you didn't take them down quickly enough, they learned and grew. Most got much faster from their original speed, as if they had to warm up to the fight. Others introduced new attack patterns. All of these changes were potentially deadly.

I kept up my attack while Kirito searched through his inventory. He had discovered the new dual wielding skill in his skill list a couple of months ago but he hadn't wanted to reveal it to anyone until it was absolutely necessary. As a result, he had to go through and track down his secondary blade.

While Kirito was distracted, the others finished up with their work. I directed Heidan and Maisie, as the heavier hitters, to help me against the boss while Blake and Taka, supported by the wolves, kept any divine statues at bay.

As soon as the first HP bar hit the yellow, the boss changed. His bronze skin and weapons began to gleam a little brighter as if they'd just been polished. The boss's eyes honed in on me and, in a new pattern, one of his arms swung out towards me and I cursed, trying to jump away from it. I wasn't fast enough and the scimitar struck me in the side and I went flying.

"Riva!" someone shouted. I coughed, watching my health bar dip down. I wasn't in the yellow but I that one hit had easily taken a fifth of my HP.

"Don't get hit!" I shouted as strongly as I could, trying to forget how wounded my ego was at that one hit. I had bigger things to deal with but I'd let my battle healing handle that one. I didn't have time or healing crystals to work on that loss.

Kirito had his dual swords out and he was almost beautifully attacking the statue. With all of our weapons being made of the same heavy metal- barunum- our weapons were as effective as they could be against the enemy's defenses. For better or worse, once the Destroyer started to move faster, it was more susceptible to melee attacks so we were whittling down his HP bar in decent time.

We were in good standing up until his first HP bar was gone. I was the only one to have taken a hit and my battle healing had taken care of it in twenty seconds but, once his HP hit the red and then was gone, the boss kept getting faster and unpredictable.

Maisie was the second one to take a hit. She was caught off guard when the scimitar closest to her was suddenly thrown into a reverse grip and thrown at her like a dart. The scimitar shook the entire room as it buried itself six feet into the ground as Maisie went flying, her HP dropping into the yellow as her shield went flying in the other direction. Blake was at her side in an instant, though, so I refocused on the battle.

We were all attacking furiously. My staff wasn't doing enough damage- it was more of a defensive weapon or mid range- so I threw it down and drew my sword, taking Maisie's spot at the boss's flank. I could hardly reach it's knee standing on the ground but I still had plenty of daggers to go around. I stabbed the daggers into the boss's leg and body, providing us with a way to climb up, and used my acrobatic skill to leap up. Climbing up onto the boss's shoulder had its pros and cons, though; I got a much better shot at the boss and my hits did a considerable amount of damage but I barely had time to escape whenever the Destroyer changed up his attack patterns. I'd already gotten flung off once and, while my health hadn't really been affected, it was a good wake up call to get the hell off of him when a change was about to occur.

"Riva, drop!"

I didn't question Heidan's shout before stabbing my sword into the boss's side and swinging my way down, draggin my sword alongside the metal along the way.

I had scarcely touched the rocky floor when two of the massive scimitars fell to the ground, signaling the change as the boss lost its second HP bar, leaving it with just one. The boss's face twisted and became even angrier as it turned and suddenly it was gone, reappearing at its throne in a blast of speed. I was still gaping at the massive construct's speed when it pulled a giant, two-handed war axe from behind the throne. With its new weapon in tow, the Destroyer was on us in an instant and its axe was suddenly a foot, then a few inches away from my face.

Someone tackled me to the side and the ground exploded where I just had been. Breathing heavily, all I could offer Kirito was a nod of gratitude for saving my life, as there was no way in hell I would have survived that blow.

"Together?" I gasped.

"Gladly," he answered roughly. He offered me a hand and I got to my feet. Taking a quick breath, I focused my energy into a new sword skill, one I hadn't attempted before. It was granted to me on a quest but I'd never before had a reason to use it. No other foes had really offered me the opposition I felt required before unleashing the attack, which was good since it left me totally drained.

Kirito rocketed forward in a burst of speed and I was right behind him, forcing my mind to keep up. Strength in this world is an illusion; it's just a string of numbers that happened to fall in a certain order that determined a certain thing. Speed, however, was true. Speed in this world was determined not by your player stats but your mind. If I could think faster, I could move faster. I'd been crippled early in the game because of my low expectations but, once I believed I could move that fast, I did.

The howling octave move was a sword skill that required immense speed. I had to power level just to be able to learn it, let alone use it effectively. That move was part of my goal in becoming as strong as I did, and that extended to the Hunters who were forced to keep up with me or risk being unprepared for any battles I landed myself in. With seven precision slices followed by a full throttle uppercut, I didn't doubt that the move would work well against the Destroyer's weakening defense.

Kirito flew ahead of me and, leaping, slammed the scimitars out of my way, allowing me to reach the boss's body. His sword gleamed above me as he directly attacked the Destroyer's axe, trying to shatter the weapon through arms blast. The distraction he provided was all I needed to slip in through the defenses.

I roared as I struck once, twice, three times, four. The barrage continued until the final assault and I savagely ripped through the belly of the boss, ignoring the stone dust and rubble that was thrown in my face. I was left stranded in mid-air after the attack, unable to jump away or dodge, but I grinned at the boss anyway as its final health bar sank into red, leaving just a sliver of health remaining. That last piece would be easy for the Hunters. They were strong.

The boss recovered from Kirito's assault and I bit back a sigh. This was to be expected, wasn't it? I did my part. The boss was almost dead. It felt like an ironic justice that I go with it. I was the one that volunteered for this mission. It was on me that the Hunters were even involved with this battle.

The four remaining scimitars twisted and the Destroyer crossed his four arms and I envisioned what would happen. He would rip his arms apart and I would be caught in between. His four scimitars, slicing at me at blinding speed in two directions, would simply melt through me. Smirking slightly- even with a surprise attack pattern, this maneuver was predictable- I closed my eyes. I didn't need to see.

True to the game, I didn't even feel anything. There was a rush of wind and an insurmountable pressure on my sides but there was no pain. Everything was black but it wasn't uncomfortable.

In this darkness, there was no SAO. There was something optimistic in that that Maisie would have been a fan of, but it still settled in my stomach like a heavy weight.

Was this what death was, or am I still sleeping? Is there a delay between my in-game death and my IRL death? Was I just waiting to be destroyed again, or was nothingness all there was to death?

A bluish light appeared in front of me and I smiled. It reminded me of barunum, and the ghostly glow the Hunters' weapons made. Maybe that was what was in front of me: my own sword, coming to end my life.

Now that would be poetic.

Chapter Text

January 8th, 2024 (Floor 50: Boss Room)

I gasped awake, coughing and wheezing, and for a moment I thought I was in the real world, having an asthma attack. It felt like all of me had been slowly ripped away and I was hanging together by just a few loose threads but even those were fading. Still, as the spots cleared from my vision, I was alive.

"How-" I began to asked, my voice hardly more than a whisper when it came to me. Ah. The Divine Stone of Returning Soul. Blake hadn't had an opportunity to use it yet.

"You fucking idiot!" Maisie roared as I sat up. "If you didn't have three HP left right now, I'd run you through with your own sword! I'd butcher you and feed Nymer the pieces! I'd-"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Blake asked, her voice shaking. I looked at her and immediately winced. Her eyes were red and swollen and tears were still streaking down her face. Looking around the Hunters, Blake wasn't the only one.

"I..." My voice drifted off and I looked down. "We would have lost."

"We would have lost?!" Maisie shrieked. My battle healing was kicking in, so she felt no shame in smacking the back of my head- hard. "I swear to God, the next time you pull a stupid stunt like this, we're leaving you dead!"

I resisted the urge to tell her that, next time, she wouldn't have much of a choice. Instead, I took a shaky breath and looked around. Nymer and the wolves had formed a circle around us but, when I looked to him, he stepped forward and butted me gently with his head, giving a mournful keen.

"I know, boy... I'm sorry..." I murmured, patting his neck."I won't do it again..."

"You better not! I just- Ugh!" Maisie picked up whatever was closest to her- I think it was a rock- and lobbed it across the boss room. She was on her feet and pacing away, grumbling profanities to herself as she left to cool her head.

"I- Uh... Guess we should go tell Heathcliff we beat it."

Everyone stared at me blankly for a moment before Kirito cracked a smile. Then everyone was laughing and it felt, for the first time since we walked into that strategy meeting, that everything was going to be okay.

January 10th, 2024 (Floor 50: Algade)

"I feel like he's going to be mad," I whispered to Heidan as we walked towards the concert hall. He smirked.

"Well, we did get him and everyone else all worked up for nothing. Do you think anyone'll try to pin you for those offered upgrades? Because I have a feeling some will."

"Heidan's betting ten to twenty," Blake informed me with a sly grin. Heidan scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly. Blake's grin widened. "I'm betting twenty to thirty."

"And I'm hoping it's every last one of them," Maisie grumbled, still mad at me. I sighed. Maisie wasn't generally one to hold a grudge, especially not against me, but I've never exactly died before. I had no way to know how long her anger would last so I was toughing it out as best I could.

We walked into the strategy meeting, again as the last clearing guild to show up, and Heathcliff looked up with relieved eyes.

"Good. We were starting to worry that something had happened to you."

"Actually..." I wasn't exactly sure where to start, so Kirito kindly took over.

"The boss is dead. The doors closed in on us and the room was an anti-crystal area," Kirito said bluntly. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. Then, at no discernable signal, everyone erupted into incredulous noise. It went on for several minutes before Heathcliff raised his hand.

"Was the boss as we expected?" he asked, directing the question to me. His eyes moved between each member of my party, obviously taking roll.

"It was. It was called the Vengeful Destroyer. It was a giant bronze statue with six arms and six scimitars and three HP bars. It was surrounded with divine statues that would reform if you didn't destroy the rubble. It changed its attack patterns every time its HP bar entered the yellow, red, or disappeared altogether. Near the end of the fight, it ditched two of the scimitars for a massive war axe."

"How did you survive?" Heathcliff asked. I wasn't entirely sure if he was in awe or just shocked but I answered him honestly.

"Truthfully, I didn't. I died delivering one of the final blows and Blake had to administer the Divine Stone of Returning Soul to bring me back. Everyone else survived okay, though."

"That's because none of us pulled stupid kamikaze moves to finish him off," Maisie growled, smacking the back of my head again. I yelped and rubbed at the phantom injury. Inside Algade, I didn't lose any health but my pride hurt.

"Okay, next time I'll just let all of us die in the surprise boss fight," I grumbled. Heathcliff looked deep in thought for a long moment.

"Have you activated the teleport gate?"

"Not yet," I responded, shaking my head. "I didn't want to ruin the surprise of seeing it before any of you." That was a lie. I didn't want anyone to accuse the Hunters of rushing ahead and getting all the good loot to themselves. In their eyes, the fact that I had technically died wasn't good enough. All that mattered was the fact that none of them got the loot, experience, or last attack bonus from the boss fight.

"Very well. If no one has any objections, let's do that now. We must be on guard moving through the labyrinth but, since the boss is already dead, there shouldn't be much need to prepare the raid party."

A few people looked like they wanted to protest but I hid a grin. If we left to open the teleport gate now, I wouldn't be stuck doing hundreds of upgrades! Yes!

"Actually, Heathcliff," Maisie began with an evil glance in my direction. I immediately stepped on her foot and, reaching around with my arm, covered her mouth with my hand, preventing anything but a muffled shout from leaving her mouth.

"Nope! That's it! No complaints here!" I chimed, smiling brightly at the clearers gathered around us. Most of them just shrugged, probably more or less used to our antics by now.

February 13th, 2024 (Floor 28: Wolf's Den)

"Did you hear the news?" Kirito asked me quietly as I stepped back inside from the forge. I glanced up to see the Weekly Argo being held up for me to see. The front page article was about protecting oneself from other players. The article, which was a lot braver than I would have expected of Argo, listed a number of known orange guilds and their known members.

"About Laughing Coffin?" I asked. Laughing Coffin was a new orange guild but, according to Argo, they were gaining members and power quickly.

"Yeah... Do you know what I think?" Kirito asked. I looked at him and bit back a sigh. When Kirito got all excited, it was hard or impossible to persuade him out of something. "We should lock all these guys up. It shouldn't be too hard. We'd have to have eyes and ears on the ground, picking up information about orange players, but there's already a prison on floor 1 and everything,"

I thought about the Iron Palace and considered Kirito's 12% of a plan. It wasn't really a plan at all, it was barely more than a concept, but he had a decent point.

Orange players and PKers make a dangerous world even more dangerous. Sure, they tended to not hit guilds like the Hunters of Artemis but what about the other, less powerful players? They were at risk.

"We'll talk to Argo and maybe some of the other clearers. If anyone's heard anything, we'll be on the case," I promised.

Chapter Text

February 23rd, 2024 (Floor 35: Forest of Wandering)

The Hunters of Artemis were on the case much sooner than Kirito and I expected. The day after our talk about orange players, a man had come moving through the clearers, begging for help. His guild, the Silver Flags, had been attacked by an orange guild and he was asking for help getting his revenge. He didn't want them dead, though. Like Kirito, he wanted them thrown in jail for their crimes.

Upon hearing his tale, the Hunters were quick at work. Titan's Hand was a slippery bunch, though, and we'd been tracking them across ten floors. We moved through the Forest of Wandering, the wolves leading the way.

Suddenly, Nymer stopped. He straightened up, his ears pricked. I might not be able to directly speak to Nymer, but he and I had a very close understanding through the skill that tied us together. He hadn't found the orange guild but he found something much more pressing.

"Pack! Assist!" I decided quickly. The six rushed forward, sprinting in a different direction and I followed after them, calling over my shoulder to the rest of the Hunters. "Someone needs help!"

Nymer led us through two separate teleports before we wound up in a new section I was sure I'd never seen before. Illuminated by glowing egg-like formations, I could clearly see three drunken apes surrounding a small figure that was cowering under a tree. The wolves were immediately in the fight, with two working together to take down an ape. Between their razor sharp claws and teeth, the three apes were dead in seconds. As soon as the apes were defeated, the wolves retreated back to our ranks. I stepped forward with Blake falling in line as we approached the young girl the apes had been fighting.

She couldn't have been more than 13. Cradling a glowing feather and sobbing, her youth was only exaggerated. I knelt next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey... it's okay now. My name is Riva and this is Blake." I could see her health gauge; she was in the red. As she continued to sob, I recognized her and froze. "S-Silica?"

Hearing me speak, the girl started and looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears.

"Riva?" she echoed distantly, as if she remembered the name from somewhere. I knew where she remembered my name from.

Silica had been one of Sasha's girls, one of the SAO orphans. She had been at the first training session and had impressed me with her dagger-work. She was one of the stronger kids that Sasha relied on to raised cor through hunting. She hadn't shown up to any of the other training sessions and I had assumed that she'd died. Here she was, though, somehow lost in the Forest of Wandering.

"Yeah, it's me." Blake handed me a healing crystal and I offered it to Silica. "Here. You need to heal yourself."

"What's that feather?" Blake asked softly, probably to me. Silica looked down at it sadly.

"It's... It's Pina," she answered. The rest of the Hunters approached, probably assuming that more people weren't going to scare the poor girl any more than the drunken apes. "My best friend..."

"You're a beast tamer too?" I asked, surprised. The skill was distributed at random, it seemed, and not many people had it. Silica would have been the only other beast tamer I'd met in all of the time we've been stuck in the game. I pointed towards the feather before pausing, looking up at the girl. "May I?"

"What do you want?" she asked hesitantly. I smiled softly.

"I just want to see if there's an item name." Silica glanced down at the feather in her hands and frowned thoughtfully. She tapped it and a menu opened up, describing the feather as Pina's Heart. "Kirito, did anyone ever verify Argo's info about the Hill of Memories?"

"It's Argo. Does the info need verification?" Kirito asked dryly. I shrugged. It was a fair point. I looked back at Silica.

"Silica, listen. There's a place on the 47th floor called the Hill of Memories. If a beast tamer goes there with the Heart of a lost companion animal, you can revive the animal. If you want, I can have a couple of us go with you to the Hill so you can revive Pina."

"No way, really?" Silica asked, looking as if she were afraid I'd change my mind. I nodded, looking around the group before looking back at Silica.

"Really. Like I said, it's on floor 47 so we'll make sure you get there safely. I'm a smith, so I can give you new equipment to help boost your stats just in case." I opened up my inventory and glanced through the equipment I had. I had more than enough for me but most of the gear was barunum build, which I had designated as Hunters-only. I had a few miscellaneous pieces to give her, though I did give her a barunum dagger to replace her current weapon. Just the weapon wouldn't ruin the Hunters' trademark of the equipment.

"Oh, this stuff is way too nice!" Silica gasped, looking at the item trade menu that opened in front of her. "Why would you even do this for me?"

"For the same reason we do the player training sessions," I explained with a shrug.

"We've all got bleeding hearts," Maisie clarified with a broad smile.

"Yeah, so you won't have to worry. We'll make sure that you get Pina back. You can take it on my word as a beast-tamer," I promised. Nymer trotted up to Silica and licked her face comfortingly. She laughed, playfully pushing him away, and I smiled.

The Hunters had split up on the way back to town. Most of the guild was still on the hunt for the Titan's Hand but I accompanied Silica back to her inn. On the way, we ran into some of her fans and some not so friendly characters. In the end, though, everything worked out just fine.

As we teleported into Floria, I decided that it was weird being separated from the guild for so long. After over a year of living and fighting with the Hunters, being apart was just unnatural feeling. I found that I kept looking over my shoulder for people that weren't there and Nymer, as the alpha wolf, was helping direct the others while they track down the Titan's Hand.

"Come on, then. It'll be just like a training session," I said with a grin as we started down the path towards the Hill of Memories. Silica blushed, looking down.

"O-Okay, if you say-" Vines snaked out from under the ground and Silica was hoisted up into the air. The garish gerbera opened its jaws, fully intended on eating her, and for a moment I thought that it might. Silica was much more concerned with the fact that her skirt had fallen, revealing her underwear, than the fact that she might die a gross death at the hands of plant.

"You can handle it, Silica!" I cheered. Silica stopped screaming and finally seemed to remember that she had a blade at her disposal. She sliced the vines holding her and fell towards the body of the garish gerbera. Dagger sailing through the air, she sliced cleanly through it, when it shattered beneath her, she landed with a dark blush.

"Did you see anything?" she asked desperately. I shrugged.

"Nice work," I said, holding up my hand for a high five. After a brief hesitation, Silica's smaller hand reached up and struck my own.

We continued on our way, with me letting Silica do most of the fighting. She was pretty strong for a solo player who'd gotten such a late start but, as we talked, it became apparent that her real strengths were off of the battlefield. She was a strong person, unwilling to give up or give in regardless of what people thought of her. I like that in a person.

Over the course of the trip, Silica hit level 45 and was so excited that she turned around and gave me a hug. It felt nice, as if I had a little sister. Soon we reached the end of the dungeon and I smiled as Silica approached the pedestal.

"Go ahead, take it," I murmured as she stared at the beautiful flower that had bloomed in front of us. She took it in one of her hands and the stem snapped, allowing her to take the flower. "There are a lot of high level monsters in this area, so you should probably wait until we're back in town to revive Pina. Why don't you place the flower in your inventory for now?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Let's go, Sil. There's a whole side of the dungeon where all sorts of plants are waiting to get destroyed!" I said cheerfully. Silica giggled and nodded her head.

Going back the long way had two benefits: it let Silica gain more experience in a safe environment and it bought whoever was following us time to see if they really wanted to press their luck. They circled around after a while and I had figured they'd left but, just before we left the dungeon, I was proved wrong.

We were crossing a bridge when my detection skill trigger a warning. Once orange guild starting cropping up, I never unequipped that skill, just in case someone was hiding around a bend. I stopped moving. Silica, who was walking behind me, didn't realize that I had stopped moving until she walked into me.

"What is it?" she asked, oblivious to the danger we were in.

"Whoever's hiding out there, show yourselves. Now!" I ordered, my eyes scanning the trees. When the woman we'd run into the day before- Rosalia- stepped out, I resisted the urge to groan. Where were the rest of the Hunters? It seemed like I'd found the orange guild without them.

"Your detection skill must be awfully high for you to have seen through my hiding skill," Rosalia purred. "I can see that you were successful in attaining the Pneuma flower. Good job! No... Hand it over, before you get hurt."

"I don't think so, Rosalia."

The air around Rosalia shimmered and Kirito appeared in front of her, holding a sword to her throat. The other Hunters appeared next to the trees lining the path and, weapons in hand, led Rosalia's guildmates out from their hiding places. Nymer and the other wolves were close at hand, nipping at the heels and growling at the orange guild members.

"Way to go, Hunters. I almost single-handedly caught all of them while you got a free vacation," I joked. Kirito took the sword away from Rosalia's neck to throw me a withering glance.

"They covered their tracks well, alright?"

"Wait. What's happening?" Silica asked, tugging on my sleeve.

"Rosalia is the leader of an orange guild called Titan's Hand. My guild has been hunting them down for over a week now. Ten days ago, they attacked a five-man guild called the Silver Flags. They killed four of the players, but the leader escaped and found us."

"But her cursor is green!" Silica pointed out, still confused.

"She might not have killed the players herself, but it was on her orders. She uses that green cursor to lure unsuspecting players into traps, just like she tried with you."

"Hmm... Silver Flags? Ten days ago... Oh, you mean the losers with no money. Who even cares? There's no proof that dying here actually means dying IRL."

"Well take it from someone who's died. It does. Round them up. Activate the warp crystal. Have fun in prison, Rosalia," I said dryly.

"You can't do this, I'm a green player! If you hurt me-"

"Then the Hunters will have a new legend about them, won't they?" The wolves shepherded everyone together and Kirito took it upon himself to activate the warp crystal. He disappeared with the orange guild members but I knew he'd be back once he ensured each of them was thrown in prison until SAO was cleared.

I looked over to Silica who looked more confused than scared and I took that as a good sign.

"Well then. We've got a lot to talk about, don't we?"

"You want me..." Silica was having a hard time understanding what I was telling her but, after talking to the Hunters about it, I was sure.

"I want you to join the Hunters," I repeated with a smile. "You've got a lot of spirit and a lot of ambition. While I wouldn't let you anywhere near the front lines until your skills match up with ours a little better, I think you'd benefit from joining us and we'd love to have you aboard."

"But, what about the party system? Only six people are allowed in a party," Silica reminded me a little sadly. I glanced at the others and shrugged.

"We'll just do two smaller parties of four and three. If anything, it'll be easier to level like that. What do you say?"

"I- I accept!" Silica decided. The Hunters immediately began cheering and welcoming her, with the wolves happily darting around and yipping. Maisie and Blake were hurriedly talking to their new 'sister' about all of the gear upgrades she'd be getting and how hellish the training would be, but also how worth it the entire experience was. Heidan clapped her on the back as Taka looked on with approval, probably glad to no longer be the weakest one in the guild. Pina flew around in the air happily, chirping as he sped around the inn room, and I didn't need familiar communication as a skill to understand what he was saying. All the while, Kirito and I watched the scene with matching serene smile. Sword Art Online might not be a perfect world and it might not be a good one, but it wasn't bad.

Chapter Text

June 25th (Floor 48: Lindarth)

"Why are we here again?" Blake asked tiredly. Heidan glanced at her almost sadly, as if he too would like to return to bed.

"Because Riva feels the need to protect her fragile self-confidence as the best smith in all of Aincrad," Maisie explained brightly.

"I am the best smith in all of Aincrad," I reiterated hotly. "There's nothing fragile about that fact and, unless this Lisbeth has all her smithing stats maxed, none of you can question it!"

"Riva's a little sensitive about this, isn't she?" Silica asked Kirito in a low voice. He sighed, nodding his head when he thought I couldn't see. I grumbled but let him get away with it. At least he disrespected me behind my back. The nerve...

"Don't think you're done with training! You're still way behind, young lady!"

"That's not fair!" Silica whined. "You guys started off so much better than me, of course I'm way behind you!"

"No excuses! I want you to be level 75 by the next boss battle!"

"But that's eight levels! The boss battle is already being planned," Silica protested. I refused to budge on the matter. "I'll have two weeks, tops!"

Silica was put through several rings of hell since she joined the Hunters. In less than four months, she'd jumped up over twenty levels, putting her on level with several of the weaker clearers. Pina had grown as she had and the feathery dragon, while not growing in size, was now the owner of some very sharp claws. He had increased his healing ability as well, now about to heal 600 health in an instant. I wasn't going to let up, though. Silica had been forced to sit out all of the boss fights so far and it wasn't far for her to have to sit at the house while we were all fighting for our lives. I didn't want to spring her into a boss room too soon, though, which lead to this conundrum.

Coming upon the small villa, I didn't hesitate in opening the door. No one was inside the main shop area so I figured the punk of a smith was working on an order.

"Welcome to Lisbeth's Smith Shop!" a cheery voice greeted as I examined the rapiers in one of the many cases. I met the girl's eyes and she faltered for just a moment, her eyes catching our armor and weapons. "No way... Are you guys-"

"Hunters of Artemis. Name's Riva. Are you Lisbeth?"

"Uh- yes ma'am!" she answered quickly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Hopefully." I eyed the girl carefully and Maisie elbowed me in the ribs.

"Stop. You're going to make the poor girl snap," she hissed at me. I grimaced but sighed, looking to Lisbeth.

"Okay, so here's the deal. I hear you're a great smith. Yes or no?"

"I mean, I like to think that I- Yes,' she said quickly at my look. Reddening, she puffed her chest and put her hands on her hips as if she felt threatened. "What about it?"

"I want a fair challenge. I want to see how you match up to me, blade for blade." I held my sheathed sword out, offering for her to examine it, and she scowled.

"That's so unfair! Do you know what I have to do to get materials? We can't all just run off and fight monsters to get rare ores. My weapons could never match up if they're being compared to barunum!"

"So pick an ore. We can either get it for you or you can try your hand at our line of work, if you're not too scared."

"I'm not scared of anything! I'm an expert mace wielder, you know! Floor 55, there's a dragon that eats crystals on the Western Mountain. According to the legend, it stores a rare metal in its body."

"Sounds fair. Floor 55 shouldn't be hard." I looked to the other Hunters. "Nymer, with me. The rest of you go work with Silica. If she doesn't make two levels in the next week, I'm volunteering us all for boss-scouting!" Everyone groaned and I smirked. It was difficult to bring up what happened at the 50th floor but we were mostly over it. Only Maisie was prone to violent mood swings at mention of it.

I turned back to Lisbeth.

"Ready whenever you are, Lizzzbeth."

"Shut up!"

I had laughed when Lisbeth met me at the teleport.

"You're going to freeze, you know. 55 is an icy, mountainous zone." I warned her, I really did. She snapped back at me, insisting that she'd be fine. Now, as I watched her shivering and sneezing as we walked along a snowy mountainside, I sighed and entered my inventory. Luckily for her, I was prepared for this sort of thing, but it was usually Kirito who was mopey and underprepared for a situation.

"Here." I held out the fur lined cloak for her to take. Unlike my silver cloak, the one I offered was black. Again, I was usually covering for Kirito's lack of forethought.

"Thank you," she murmured, taking it and throwing it around her shoulders. "Are you always prepared?"

"I'm a guild leader. It's my job to watch out for my friends, even if that means overpacking. Kirito, the legendary Black Swordsman, never packs his gear correctly. That cloak normally goes to him when we hit cold because he always forgets to have one on hand," I explained. With a smirk, I added, "It's like babysitting."

"You know, if you're trying to piss me off, it's working," she grumbled. I only chuckled.

"Good."

We made the way up the rest of the mountain with short silences broken up by me making a comment to get a rise out of the girl. It was really funny, even if Lis didn't think so. Once we were at the peak of the Western Mountain, though, it was back to business.

"You're not primarily a combative player so let me handle this part on my own, alright? I'll kill the dragon and the ore should drop. Until the dragon is dead, hide behind something. I don't want you to get its attention and risk it attacking you, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah... You make me sound useless. I'm not a noob, I can fight the dragon a lot better than-"

"Just shut up and listen for once!" I shouted. I immediately regretted it when Lis's eyes darted down angrily and I took a calming breath. "Look, I'm not used to having unknowns in a battle. I know that most of my guild can handle themselves but Silica is new so I'm holding her back for the big fights. It's the same here. I don't want to risk you putting your neck on the line for something that isn't worth it. This fight, this contest; it's not worth your life."

"... Thank you," Lis said softly after a long pause. I closed my eyes and smiled.

"Anytime." The peak of the mountain- a conglomeration of crystals- began to shift and my eyes opened. Nymer growled at my side and I placed a hand on the large wolf's back. "Nymer, hide with Lis. Keep her safe. Do not come out unless I call for you, okay?"

The wolf gave a nod, catching Lis off guard, and he grabbed hold of the cloak in his teeth and started tugging her away. When she was sufficiently hidden, I returned my attention to the massive dragon that had appeared in front of me and draw my sword.

The dragon took a deep breath and I prepared myself to deflect the breath attack. It was a technique that Kirito had developed but all of the Hunters knew how to use it by now.

The dragon offered a good fight, but it was nowhere near my level of battle. After fighting in as many boss battle as I have, this beast was only mildly threatening. It was big, though, and dealt wide-range attacks. With the duty of protecting Lis weighing on me, I had to take down this beast as quickly as I could.

With few precise slashes. I severed a large crystal from the dragon's head and cut cleanly through one of its fore legs, slicing the limb off at the shoulder. That didn't stop the dragon as effectively as I thought and, suddenly, Nymer was howling. I had no idea what was happening; all I knew was that suddenly Lis and Nymer were the dragon's new targets.

"Get out of there!" I shouted, but it was too late. The dragon released a breath attack and Lis and Nymer were caught in the crossfire. I leapt after the two and, making a heart-wrenching decision, I grabbed Lis's hand, shifting us in mid-air so she was on top of me. Nymer, my loyal companion, fell beside us. He met my eyes and simply nodded.

There were tears in my eyes as we fell into darkness.

We fell forever, it seemed, and I was half-relieved that there even was an end to it. I hit the ground first and my HP dropped, leaving me more wounded than I'd been in months. I could see Lis's HP bar, dipping into the yellow but she was alive. We both were.

I rolled her off of me gently and, with tears silently streaming down my face, walked to the other side of the pit where a faint glow lit up the darkness. I knelt next to it and took the glowing fang in my hands. I didn't have to open the item menu to know that I was holding Nymer's heart. I couldn't hold it in any more and the pit echoed my sobs as I cradled Nymer to my chest.

I had stopped crying by the time Lis came to, but I was still blankly staring at the fang.

"Is that..." She had come up behind me without my realizing and I jumped. I instinctively closed my hands around the fang, hiding it from her sight, before sighing and showing it to her.

"It's Nymer... I could only save one of you," I murmured, releasing a shaky breath. "He understood, of course. It's just... he's been with me since the second floor."

"Is there anything we can do to revive him?" Lis asked. I nodded slowly.

"There's a place on the 47th floor where a familiar revive item is spawned. Right now, this is his heart. After three days, though, it becomes remains and I can't get him back."

"So we just have to get out of here, right?" Lis asked hopefully. She looked around before pulling out her teleport crystal. "Teleport: Lindarth!"

Of course, nothing happened. I frowned, examining the walls.

"I could probably run out of here... The walls look pretty icy though... Maybe I could establish footholds?" I murmured to myself. I checked my inventory but, judging by how long we were falling, I had nowhere near enough daggers to establish a path up. It just wasn't possible.

"What do you mean, run out of here?" Lis asked. "Look at the height of these walls!"

"Well... I might as well try it." I pocketed Nymer's heart and jogged the the wall, giving myself as much of a running start as I could. I sprint towards the opposite wall, leaping up and running alongside the wall. As I had predicted, my foot slipped against the ice about a hundred feet up and I scowled, twisting myself around so I could land in a crouch.

"That was a good try," Lis said consolingly. She had a wry smile on her face and I withered.

"It's better than you could have done, I bet." Before Lis could protest, I continued speaking. "Oh well... It's going to be dark soon. We need to set up camp for the night."

"What? Do you actually have camping gear with you?" she asked incredulously as I entered my inventory. I didn't respond, instead materializing two sleeping bags and a lantern. "Wow... You really do come prepared."

I lit the lantern and climbed into a sleeping bag, getting ready to sleep. Lis followed suit but, instead of turning away from me as I expected, she turned so that she was facing me.

"You know, this never would have happened in real life," she said almost wistfully. "Going to strange new places at the drop of a hat. Meeting new strangers and sleeping next to them that same night... And you are strange. I mean, you actually tried running up that wall!" Lis giggled and I shrugged, turning to face her.

"I'm the reason we're out here. If it weren't for me, you'd still be in your smith shop, probably grumbling about lack of business or a mediocre sword you'd made," I said with a chuckle. I turned to look up at the night sky. We could hardly see it from down here. "If you die, your death is on me. I agreed to protect you when I brought you out here and I won't break that promise... I've seen too many people die to do that. Even if I die trying, I'd rather go out trying to help someone else than watch them go."

"You are weird. Not many people would believe in something like that," Lis said. Her voice was warm, though, so I simply shrugged again.

"The Hunters of Artemis aren't just a guild. We're a pack. We look out for each other and we'd die for each other," I murmured. "I've already died once."

"What?" she asked, her voice confused. "But you're-"

"We had been on a scouting mission the 50th floor boss. The doors closed behind us and we couldn't use our transport crystals so we had to fight... It was going better than it could have been, but it wasn't enough. At the end, I pulled a move to get the boss's health down to where he could be killed easily but I was left defenseless... Blake had a revival item we got from an event boss and she used it on me. I don't think Maisie's ever really forgiven me for it but I don't care. They would have been safe, even it it was just for one more floor. Right now... I figure that I'm on borrowed time. Anything I can do, any difference I can make, it's to make up for this time that I have now."

"You really are different... Aren't you?" Lis asked softly. I glanced up at her but she was looking at the sky. She smiled and turned her head towards me, holding out her hand. "Hold my hand?"

I didn't question her. I simply reached out to meet her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. Her smile widened slightly. She looked down, surprisingly shy.

"Riva?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about your guild."

"Well... There are seven of us. Maisie, Blake, and I met in the real world. The three of us have been friends for so long... When I got the beta, I was the one that got them all excited to get a physical copy. I met Heidan during the beta..." We continued talking long into the night but eventually my eyes drifted shut. Holding her hand, I fell asleep.

The sun was bright the following morning, nearly blinding me as it reflected off the ice and crystals covering the pit walls.

I was up before Lis and I started wandering around. There was no way that the game had put a sure-death trap here. It was brutal but SAO was almost always fair in that regard. I examined the walls and, once I was done with that, started digging down into the snow.

"Crystalline ingot," I murmured, opening the item menu on the chunk of crystalline metal I'd found beneath the snow. I dug a little deeper and there was more of the stuff, all in a pile. I grabbed as much as I could but paused, realizing why it was here in the first place.

The dragon made this metal in its stomach. Naturally, it couldn't stay in its stomach so it left the way all food does. This pit wasn't a pit at all.

"Lis, you have to wake up," I murmured, shaking the girl awake. She mumbled in her sleep and I shook her a little harder. "Lis!"

"W-What?" she yawned. "Just five more minutes."

"We might not have five more minutes- this pit is the dragon's nest and it's day time."

"But dragons are nocturn- oh." She snapped awake, looking at me with fear in her eyes. "What are we going to do when it comes..."

Her voice drifted away as she looked up and it was plain to see why: the massive dragon had appeared at the top of the pit, soaring down towards us.

"No time for a plan!" I shouted. I grabbed hold of Liz, glad I didn't have my staff equipped for once, and threw her onto my back. "Hold on!"

"What are you- Ah!"

I ran up the walls and, once we were above the dragon, I threw myself off, flipping so that I landed on the dragon's spiked neck. I gripped my sword with one hand and Liz with the other, stabbing as deeply as I could into the dragon's thick hide. The dragon roared and immediately began flying up. The speed threatened to rip my arm out of its socket but I held on, too afraid of the alternative's outcome to try it. As soon as we were above the ground, the dragon shook us off and we went flying.

We might have been falling to our potential deaths, but the view was so beautiful up here. I sheathed my sword and held my hand out to Lis who, after a moment, took it with a smile.

Lis's mouth was moving but, over the roar of the wind in my ears, I couldn't hear her.

"What?!"

Again, I couldn't hear her but it didn't seem to matter to her. She pulled me closer and hugged me tightly around the neck and I laughed. As we neared the earth, I knew we wouldn't survive a fall at this speed so I took out a teleport crystal, gesturing for Lis to do the same. She pulled one out of her pouch and, together, we shouted "Teleport: Lindarth!"

The two of landed in a jumbled mess on the river bank by Lis's shop, laughing as we tried to separate ourselves. As soon as we were put together and standing, I looked over to Lis.

"I think I'll have to delay our competition a little bit. I've got to go to the Hill of Memories to revive Nymer."

"I understand," she said, nodding slowly. I shifted my weight.

I wasn't used to being awkward! What was this?!

"You can come with me if you want. One more adventure," I offered. Her eyes lit up and my stomach twisted. I suddenly knew exactly what was wrong with me: somewhere along the way, that smart-mouthed girl got me to actually like her. Damn it.

"Of course!" She tackled me in a hug and I let myself laugh. It probably wouldn't work out, but I'd deal with that later. For now, all I cared about was that girl's laugh.

June 27th, 2024 (Floor 48: Lindarth)

The trip to the 47th floor had been interesting to say the least. I had somehow forgotten that the entire floor was filled with couples.

This is not a date. We're on a mission, I told myself repeatedly. With Lis reaching out for my hand to pull me to a new patch of flowers every few minutes, though, it definitely felt like a date. It wasn't all just flowers and laughing; once we started making our way to the Hill, Lis insisted on fighting each monster on the way. I didn't exactly play it fair, and often snagged myself a mob or two, and it soon became a contest of who could slay the most monsters by the time we got to the Hill.

"Aw, are you still mad that I totally kicked your ass?" Lis said with a grin. I scowled at her, returning my attention to the forge. Nymer's sides rumbled and I frowned at him- he was laughing at me!

"Oh, shut up."

"Why don't you make me?"

"Why don't I?" I challenged back, taking a step into Lis's personal space. She immediately blushed and I grinned. She was cute, but she was mostly talk. I looked back at the forge and, seeing that the ingot was red-hot, I pulled it out with Lis's tongs and set it on the anvil. "Would you like to go first?"

"I'll heat my own metal, thank you very much," she huffed. I rolled my eyes and picked up the hammer. I closed my eyes before letting the skill take over, snapping my eyes open and striking the hot metal. I hit the metal over and over again and, on the tenth strike, the metal glowed and shifted, becoming the sword I had intended it to be.

I opened the item's menu, studying it carefully.

"It's name is Dark Repulsor... I've never heard of anything like this." I exited the item menu, not letting Lis see it until she had made her best sword.

I watched as Lis work and it was true: she was a great smith. If I lost to her in this competition, she would have earned it in every sense.

"Brightroar... This isn't in the info-broker's directory either," Lis hummed as she examined the sword's attributes. She held the sword in her hands, frowning as she examined it before holding it out to me. "My new masterpiece."

I took the sword from her and examined it myself. The sword really was a beautiful piece of smithwork. I opened the item menu for the Dark Repulsor and quirked a smile.

"Brightroar and Dark Repulsor seem pretty equal if you ask me." Brightroar was lighter and therefore faster while Dark Repulsor was heavier and did more damage. I placed them both on the table for Lis to see.

"It looks like we have a tie, then, don't we?" Lis smirked, looking extremely proud of herself. I grinned and placed a hand on her head.

"Guess so. You know what that means?" I asked. She cocked her head and my grin widened. "You're going to be stuck with me upgrading raid party gear before big boss fights!"

"What?! But the raid party is made up of like 50 people!"

"Yep! How do you think I felt when it was just mean doing all of them? It was a nice source of income for the Hunters but we're already decked out in barunum gear and we have a nice house already. I don't need the orders anymore."

"What makes you think I even want them?!"

"Hush, little smith, everything will be-"

"Lis! I was so worried!" Someone rushed passed me and seized Lis in a hug. I stared at the figure's back, recognizing her after a split second.

"Asuna?" both Lis and I asked, surprised.

"Where were you last night? My message bounced back and I couldn't track you on the map!

"Sorry. I sort of got trapped in a dungeon," Lis muttered. Asuna gasped.

"A dungeon! You went all by yourself?!"

"No, I was with her," I jumped in a little sheepishly. Asuna looked at me, her eyes widening. Luckily for me, she smiled at me.

"Riva! I didn't know you wanted to check this place out. You should have told me."

"I'm sorry, do you two know each other?" Lis asked, confused. I nodded.

"Asuna used to be one of the Hunters. We've known each other since the first floor but I haven't seen her in a while thanks to her being kept busy at the Knights."

"That's right. Heathcliff has been having me run training sessions for the guild to make sure everyone's up to par before the next match. It's exhausting. I have no clue how you still keep up with the low level training sessions."

"It's a lot easier now. I think the lowest level player at the last event was fourteen or fifteen so there's not as much pressure to teach skills. Most people just like being able to hunt with a safety net."

"Yeah, I guess... You haven't been weird to my friend, have you?" Asuna suddenly accused. I rolled my eyes.

"No weirder than I normally am."

Asuna looked positively horrorstruck but Lis only laughed.

Chapter Text

July 19th, 2024 (Floor 28: Wolf's Den)

"They're getting more and more active. Someone has to do something, Ri."

"I know, Argo." I sighed, propping my feet up on the coffee table. Argo, like always, had more than her fair share of secrets about the game. Information was her trade and, whenever she parted with it for free, there was something big coming.

The Laughing Coffin was bigger and more active than ever before. Argo had spent weeks going from source to source and she estimated that the orange guild had taken down over 200 players in the past six months. They were the leading cause of player deaths but many in the assault team thought the guild could be reasoned with. As a result of that optimism, several messengers had been sent and, one by one, each had their names crossed off at the Monument of Life. It was more than wasteful; it was criminal. Everyone was either too afraid or ignorant to put a stop to it.

"I'm moving for a coalition, but the Hunters can't take them down by themselves. We need the backing of other guilds and we need solid information. Until we can get information on the Laughing Coffin's numbers and the location of the headquarters, we're stuck in a battle of attrition. The others on the assault team keep sending messengers, but none of them have returned."

"If I can get the information on the hideout, would you be able to get the coalition moving?" Argo asked, her eyes narrowed. I was a little apprehensive at the savage gleam in her eye and I had a feeling that Laughing Coffin was about to learn about the Rat's claws.

"Yes."

"That's all I need to know. I'll see you soon, Riva."

August 23rd, 2024 (Floor 7: Crystal Catacombs)

I didn't see Argo for nearly a month. When she appeared again, her cursor was orange and her eyes were dark. What mattered to her, though, was that she had the intel.

After we had the information on the orange guild's location, getting the assault team in gear was almost easy. We amassed a force of almost 50 high level players and descended into the dungeon where the hideout was supposed to be. Led by the Divine Dragon Alliance, we moved into the Crystal Catacombs, a dungeon that had been clearer out long ago.

The Hunters and I had never spent time in the Catacombs. We had spent the majority of our time at the front lines, leaving only when a quest or the hope of a rare item drew us away. Coming here now, I had a second reason for staying away.

Whether it was the prolonged presence of red players or the natural ambience of the dark rooms, the Crystal Catacombs put me on edge. My detection skill was going haywire as my mind invented monsters that weren't there. In these halls and corridors, I couldn't trust even my own senses and that terrified me. I kept a hand on Brightroar's hilt, trying to calm my heartbeat.

Lis had insisted on giving me the weapon. She told me that it was her contribution to keeping me safe. She wanted me to feel that protection in every dungeon or labyrinth and, faithfully, I switched out my barunum blade for the sword.

"If the tip we got is good, we should be near Laughing Coffin's base." There was no doubt in my mind that Argo had been fooled. "Before we charge in, let's keep one thing in mind: these guys are red players. Once the battle starts, they're not going to think twice about killing anyone of us so don't you hesitate. You do, and you're dead. However, we are at the advantage. We outnumber them, we are higher leveled, and we've got the element of surprise. Hell, they might even just surrender. A guy can dream, can't he?"

I started, my senses picking up a new threat. I looked up, drawing Brightroar in a flash as the first wave of Laughing Coffin jumped down to ambush us.

It was a bloodbath. Players tore other players apart and, at the end of it, nearly all of the coalition had an orange cursor hanging above their heads. There was one above my head, shining down on me, and I found that I couldn't look away. Brightroar clattered the ground and I wasn't the only player to fall to my knees.

There were thirty Laughing Coffin members according to Argo's intel. About ten had surrendered during the fight, but twenty-one had refused and were killed. One of the Laughing Coffin members was killed by my own hand.

Eleven members of the coalition- ten clearers I'd fought with for months, trusted my life to- were gone, killed in the skirmish.

There was a guild somewhere in Aincrad who was created to battle against orange guilds. Argo had worked with them before; she was their link to players who had witnessed PvP crimes and provided intel for their vigilantism. They called themselves PKKs- player killer killers. While the goal was to capture orange guilds and throw them in the Iron Palace, they knew better than most that that wasn't always possible. Their motto was "kill one, save many," and, in the wake of the raid against Laughing Coffin, I had to remind myself of that. Ten good players were gone, but thirty bad ones were gone or imprisoned. Everyone that was left? Well... They had to find their own ways to deal with it.

The Hunters retreated back to the Wolf's Den, ashamed and terrified of what we were becoming. I had killed one LC member, Kirito had killed two, and Heidan one. Lis and Silica were waiting for us when we got back to the 28th floor and they'd both cried when we came back. Whether it was relief that we came back at all or horror at the orange cursors hanging above our heads, I wasn't sure.

I didn't know if I would ever be sure.

Kill one, save many. Kill one, save many.

That mantra was great for keeping me distracted during the day but, at night, saying it to myself a thousand times wouldn't stop the nightmares from coming.

October 4th, 2024 (Floor 28: Wolf's Den)

Amidst protests, I led the birthday girl back into the living room. While it wasn't exactly a surprise party, given that she could probably sense everyone inside, we all figured that it was the thought that counted. Even Asuna had ditched her bodyguard and contributed what she could. With her recently maxed out cooking skill, she provided a feast and a massive layered cake for the party goers to enjoy.

"Happy Birthday, Silica!" everyone shouted once I pushed the smaller beast-tamer inside. She stumbled, glaring at me, before blushing and bowing her head.

"Th-Thank you!"

She looked stunned to see the amount of players that had shown up. The Wolf's Den wasn't a small place, but it was totally packed. All of the Hunters, the wolves, and Pina were present, as well as Asuna, Lis, the Fuurinkazan, Agil, and a handful of other clearers.

We hadn't really celebrated birthdays with parties before today, but Silica was special. As the youngest of us, she had always felt insecure with her place among the Hunters. Today, though, she was 14 years old. Finally old enough to have bought her copy of SAO for herself, she had earned her place as one of the death game's best and brightest.

After today, I would finally let her participate in boss battles. She had worked hard and, at last, she was on par with us. Well, maybe not all of us but definitely Blake and Taka. She would be working full raid support with Blake but she'd finally be able to stop waiting at home for us to come back from a big fight. She had probably been ready to fight in the 73rd floor boss battle but I decided against it.

"You know what we haven't done in a while?" Maisie said suddenly, looking up from the dishes she was drying. I looked up at her, yawning. The party had lasted a lot longer and was a lot messier than we'd expected and now we were all stuck on clean up duty. That is to say, all but Silica. She had shamelessly pulled the 'kid need more sleep' card and was probably snuggled up nice and cozy with Pina. The brat...

"What haven't we done?" I was washing the dishes left over and I passed her a cleaned plate. I didn't understand how SAO made some tasks like cooking so simply but others were just as arduous as they were IRL.

"Mapped out a labyrinth," she answered. Heidan, who was trying to clean up some sort of sticky spill on the stairs, poked his head around the corner.

"We mapped out the 72nd labyrinth," he pointed out. Maisie scowled and threw her towel at him.

"That was ages ago! We should go to the 74th floor. Tomorrow," Maisie declared. Asuna brought in a new load of dirty dishes for me to wash and she nodded solemnly.

"I agree with Maisie. The Hunters should map out the 74th floor..." she commented. Then, with a grin, she added, "But only if I get to come with you!"

"You're not even a Hunter anymore, Asuna. Don't you have stuff to do for your guild?" I asked dryly. She pouted.

"It's not like the Knights have any levelling quotas to fill. Besides, it's been a while since I had a day off. The commander can manage without me."

"What about your bodyguard?" I asked.

"Who cares? She can ditch him!" Maisie replied with a grin. She offered her hand to Asuna. "Welcome back, Lightning Flash!"

Chapter Text

October 18th, 2024 (Floor 74: Labyrinth)

"Where the heck is this boss room?" Maisie moaned. "We've been all over this labyrinth..."

"Hey, at least Argo's getting plenty of data," I said with a shrug. Argo paid well for good info and map data. By cataloguing monsters, attack patterns, potential traps, and other details about the labyrinth, Argo got solid info and we got a good discount on future deals.

"I hope we find it today," Asuna murmured from her place in the vanguard. She had been going back and forth from the labyrinth to Grandzam, the headquarters of the Knights of the Blood Oath, ever since Silica's birthday. Today was the first day she's been able to get away easily for nearly a week. "I don't know how much more Kuradeel will put up with."

"I don't like that guy," Heidan said decisively, tightening his hands around his hammer. "Skulking around your house like that... He's a creep."

"It's the guild's policy that all higher ups have a bodyguard."

"Yeah, but I'm sure you can get one that isn't a stalker. I feel like he's more liable to attack you than anything in this labyrinth."

"Hey, at least Kirito beat him up," Blake said with a smirk. Kirito scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I didn't beat him up..."

"No, you just totally destroyed his sword," Maisie corrected, smothering a laugh. Her laugh died quickly as she looked further down the path. "No way... We found it!"

"Should we scout it out?" Heidan was looking at me and I glanced around before smiling.

"Yeah, we might as well. Everyone grab a teleport crystal and let's move in." I opened up my menu, quickly going into Friends and sending Argo the updated map data. She'd probably let the top clearers know so they'd know to stage a strategy meeting.

We approached the door and, crystals in hand, I tried hard to not think of the 50th floor boss. We had only meant to scout that fight too and we ended up fighting the boss on our own. This was different though. That fight had been one of the 25-50-75-100 floors. The boss in here, regardless of what it was, wouldn't be as relatively hard. Hopefully.

The room was dark inside but blue torches quickly lit themselves, filling the room with a deathly glow. In the center of the room, towering all of us, was a monster. It was a hideous demon with blue skin and a cobra for a tail. Goat horns grew out of its forehead and a massive zanbato was clenched in one of its clawed hands.

Four HP bars appeared next to the boss's head along with the name "The Gleam Eyes."

The Gleam Eyes roared and swung its zanbato.

"Run!"

I wasn't sure exactly who said it, but we all fled the boss room, running back to one of the few safe zones in the labyrinth. Once back in safety, all of us collapsed. Nymer rubbed up against me, agitated and still giving off a low growl. Silica was holding onto Pina for dear life and I found myself reconsidering whether I really wanted her in a boss fight or not.

"That one's gonna be tough," Asuna managed to say.

"Yeah, no kidding... It had four HP bars. We'd have to have tanks and shields up front and kick switching just to wear it down," I agreed.

"Shields..." Asuna hummed. She turned her attention to Kirito. "What's up with you, by the way? The biggest advantage of having a one-handed sword is to be able to use a shield as well. I don't use one because it would slow me down too much to use my rapier effectively and Riva doesn't use one because her sword isn't her primary weapon, but what about you?"

"I- uh..." Kirito began to twitch and looked much relieved when Asuna merely shrugged it off and offered everyone lunch. I accepted the proffered sandwich hungrily; Asuna was an amazing cook and it was a rare opportunity that she cooked for the Hunters.

Just as we were finishing lunch, the Fuurinkazan wandered into the safe zone, all of them looking exhausted. I looked up and waved at them.

Kirito had introduced me to the clearing guild a while ago. Apparently, he had helped their guild leader- Klein- gain some experience on the first day of SAO. Klein had shared that experience with his guildmates and the Fuurinkazan has been staying strong ever since. Klein and the boys were nice people but they could be a little... weird.

"Kirito! Guys! Still alive, I see?" Klein called, jogging to meet us.

"You look dead on your feet, man. What happened to you?" I asked, getting to my feet to offer the man a hug. He ignored me, immediately fangirling over Asuna, just like the rest of the Fuurinkazan boys. I sighed, shaking my head. "You're gonna get in trouble one of these days, Klein..."

"Riva," Maisie said quickly. I turned in time to see a new group pass through into the safe zone. "Is that... the Army?"

"I haven't seen them since the 25th floor," Heidan murmured. Taka nodded, his brow furrowed.

"The Army was another guild that got nearly destroyed. Over half of it, I believe," he said quietly. Silica hugged Pina closer.

"That's so awful... But what are they doing here? I thought they were still on the first floor."

"At ease!" one of the men in full armor shouted. The others, which had been staying in line as they kept up with their leader, immediately collapsed and started talking, assuming they weren't trying to catch their breath. The man walked up and Silica winced. She had been one of the SAO orphans. She probably had some bad experiences with Army thugs and I stepped in front of her protectively as the Army approached. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Corvatz with the Aincrad Liberation Army."

"Riva, alpha of the Hunters of Artemis. Klein, leader of the Fuurinkazan. Asuna, second in command of the Knights of the Blood Oath. What do you want?"

"Intel. Have you cleared the rest of the dungeon yet? Have you found the boss room?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Hand over the map data and we'll be on our way." The man held his hand out expectantly and I raised an eyebrow. Was he seriously trying to intimidate me?

"You seriously think I'm just going to hand it over? No. You can wait until the strategy meeting, when all of the clearing guilds have an opportunity to give information."

"We share our resources and information with civilian players all the time and we don't charge a cent! We maintain order in the chaos of battle so that all players can leave this world as quickly as possible! Therefore, it's your duty to cooperate with us!" he shouted back at me. I glared back at him.

"I don't care about your money and I don't have any duty to you. Get out of here and wait for the strategy meeting."

"That is my decision to make," Corvatz growled. I threw my hand out and pointed to his men.

"You see those players?! There are lives in the balance here, idiot! We looked into that room and saw the boss and you guys are nowhere near powerfully or prepared to take him on without dying! Your troops are already half dead!"

"They won't quit until I say so! Now hand over the map data!"

I stared into the man's eyes, calculating exactly how serious this man was. I could either give him the map data or not. Giving it to him would either encourage him to take on the boss. Not giving it to him might mean he wastes more time in the labyrinth, exhausting his men, but still tries to take on the boss when he finds it. He wasn't going to leave without blood spilled but, at this rate, the lives lost wouldn't matter.

"I have a proposition. We'll lead you to the boss room in person. You can even peek inside if you want. But no one goes in. You don't fight it. You run and you run fast. The Hunters are a top clearing guild, second only to the Knights and that's just because we're small in numbers. We saw that thing, and we ran. I am not telling you this to hurt your pride but to save your lives. You. Aren't. Ready."

"Hmph! I'll be the judge of that!" Corvatz decided. He hesitated for a moment before complying. "Men! On your feet. You. Lead the way."

"We'll come along," Klein decided with a sly smile. "Keep an eye on you all."

I translated to "see Asuna in action for a little longer" and I sighed but shrugged. Asuna wasn't a Hunter. Random guys ogling her wasn't really a concern of mine.

We made it to the boss room in good time. Corvatz opened the door and waited, true to his word. When the room was illuminated by torchlight and the boss appeared, though, he smirked.

"Charge!" he ordered. I stood at the doorway, shocked, for a few crucial seconds as the Army men and women followed in after their leader.

"You idiots!" I shouted. "Retreat! Use your crystals; get out!"

"The Aincrad Liberation Army doesn't know the word retreat!" Corvatz declared. The Gleam Eyes roared, unleashing a breath attack before swinging his zanbato into the center of the Army's forces. Players were sent flying and one of them landed just in front of us.

It was Corvatz. His helmet shattered and he managed to say one more word before he shattered into light.

"Impossible."

"Oh, fuck it! Hunters! Support! Squad A, left flank. B, right! Asuna, Kirito, with me! Primary assault! Wolves, evac Army!" I drew my staff, running into the boss room. With some trepidation, the Hunters followed me in.

We engaged the Gleam Eyes just as he was about to unleash another attack on the vulnerable Army players. With the force of the Hunters, we distracted him just long enough for the wolves and the Fuurinkazan to get the Army out of the boss room but we weren't as lucky as I would have hoped. Asuna was flung away first, sent flying by a massive fist. Maisie was next, hit by the flat of the zanbato. Both survived and, in the short glances I could spare away from the boss, Blake and Silica were taking care of them.

Crystals didn't work. They didn't work! Of course they didn't work.

Brightroar was knocked against my leg as I swung my staff into the Gleam Eyes's leg and I forced myself to breathe.

There was no way for us to get out. Even if we managed to make it back into the labyrinth, we'd be lunch for anything waiting between the boss room and the safe zone. We had to kill it, somehow. We needed to pull out all the stops.

"Kirito! Fall back! You need to use it!" I shouted as he finished a salvo against the boss. His head snapped in my direction, his eyes wide as they darted towards Klein and Asuna.

"But-"

"But nothing! Now move! I'll cover for you!"

"Not alone, you won't!" Klein growled, sprinting up to follow me as I started moving towards the Gleam Eyes. I abandoned my staff in favor of Brightroar. It was the weapon I needed at this stage of a fight.

"She's never alone!" Maisie pointed out a little angrily. She buckled under her shield when the Gleam Eyes's zanbato skirted too close but she remained steady. She, Taka, and Heidan returned their focus to the attack, drawing the Gleam Eyes's attention while Klein and I moved under his defenses.

The Gleam Eyes had four bars of health at the start of the battle and, by the time Kirito leapt back in, he was down to one. I was exhausted but I wasn't about to let Kirito and all his overpoweredness cover for the guild.

"Starburst Stream!" he yelled. I hesitated, drawing back.

On the other hand... That wasn't a sword skill I wanted to be anywhere near.

"Kirito, switch!" I ordered as soon as the combo was finished. He needed to breathe and the Gleam Eyes wouldn't have given him the chance. I jumped into his place, a sword skill already activated and I unleashed my most powerful move: the same technique that had gotten me into so much trouble with the 50th floor boss. I'd worked out the kinks though, and came prepared this time. I sliced and slashes into the Gleam eyes and, at the end of the final strike, I used the slight lag to draw the hunting knife from my belt. I threw the knife and it sunk into the Gleam Eyes's left arm. I smirked and, when the Gleam Eyes twisted to attack me, I was flung out of his reach.

The knife had been Blake's idea of course. Attached to me by a thin wire, when the Gleam Eyes flung out his left arm to prepare his attack, the wire had tightened and I was pulled out of harm's way. With the momentum I had from being yanked to the side, I sliced the wire and let myself fall as Kirito flung himself forward to deal the final blow.

I hit the ground roughly but I was on my feet just as Kirito started to fall. I sprinted forward and caught him just before he hit the ground.

"Idiot," I growled at the unconscious idiot. I reached into my pocket and grabbed a potion, forcing him to drink it. After a few seconds, he regained consciousness and his battle healing kicked into overdrive. "You fucking idiot. What are you doing, almost dying? It's not like we have a revival item at the ready anymore!"

Everyone rushed up to join us and Asuna pulled Kirito into a tight hug, crying.

"You reckless idiot!"

I looked up to Blake and she looked down, knowing what I was after.

"We lost Corvatz and two of his men. Everyone else has been treated and is ready to go when you are... I- We hadn't lost anyone in a boss fight since floor 67," Blake muttered. Klein scowled.

"That wasn't a boss fight; that was suicide! Corvatz was a fool for thinking he could take that thing!" Klein paused, shaking his head. His attention went to Kirito, who was drinking another potion that Blake threw at him. "And you're not off the hook either! What the hell did you just do?"

"I... I don't think you want to know," Kirito said slowly.

"Oh, come on! I've never seen anything like that before!"

"It's an extra skill," Kirito said, looking away. "Dual wielding."

"Argo called it a unique skill. We've all tried learning it since he found out we had it, but it just doesn't work. We all agreed to just keep quiet about it and only have him use it when it was really needed. I didn't want anyone painting a target on his back for something he can't explain," I said. Klein nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess some MMO players would get jealous... I can see why... Alright then. We're gonna go activate the teleport gate. You guys in?"

"We'll follow you later," I decided, looking around. "75 is probably going to be tough and I want to make sure the rest of the Army gets out of the labyrinth safely."

"Suit yourselves... I'll see you guys around. Stay alive."

"You too, Klein." I glanced down to see Asuna still holding Kirito in a tight hug and I suddenly felt like I was interrupting something. I retreated to the side, where the Hunters were moving through the Army ranks.

"Seems like there's some tension in the Army," Heidan mumbled to me. "Thinker, that guy who lead MMO Today, is trying to keep the Army out of the shadier aspects of floor one but our old pal Kibaou is not having it. This whole thing was all Kibaou's idea of a power play."

"I see... Are you proposing another trip down to floor one?"

"Someone has to help sort this out. Floor 75 won't be going anywhere without us," Heidan said with a shrug. I sighed, nodding.

"It definitely won't be... Taka! Send word to the other clearers that the boss has been defeated and that the Fuurinkazan is on their way to activate the teleport gate. If anyone asked about casualties, have them talk to me. We need to stem information flow or the non-clearers might get antsy."

It was hard to figure out what to tell the non-clearers. We didn't want to scare them but we also didn't want to lie. Our best bet was somewhere in the middle and that was how the clearers worked since the 25th floor.

"Kirito. We're moving out when you're ready," I told him. He nodded and looked between Asuna and I. When they got to their feet, Asuna stepped forward and gave me a tight hug as well.

"Thank you," she whispered in my ear. I hugged her back but frowned, confused.

"For what?"

"For keeping him safe. If... if he was still a solo player, who knows what would have happened," she told me in a low voice. She pulled out of the hug, holding me by the shoulders as if to look at me. "I'm taking a leave of absence from the Knights of the Blood Oath. Guess you'll be stuck with me for a little longer, right?"

"Glad to be stuck," I responded with a smile.

Chapter Text

October 19th, 2024 (Floor 28: Wolf's Den)

"I still can't believe they're making such a big deal out of this," Kirito complained. I glanced out the window, where the wolves were currently circling the house and keeping out a large crowd of info brokers and swordsmen, all trying to get Kirito to talk about his dual wielding skill.

"Hey, I thought it was just going to be our little secret but no, somehow had to go blab it," Lis said with a grin as she walked over, a large box of daggers in her arms. She placed the box on the coffee and I moved over on the couch to make room for her but it was unnecessary, since she seemed perfectly content to fall onto my lap.

"Comfy there?" I asked as she started taking daggers out and examining them one by one.

"Yep. Gotta problem?" she asked with a wink. I wasn't about to be beaten and so, when Kirito had his head turned back to the window, I snaked an arm around Lis's waist and pulled her closer.

"Not one," I whispered in her ear. I loosened my hold and grinned at the younger girl's blush. She scowled at me, swatting my hand away, but I knew she didn't mean it.

"Asuna?" Kirito said suddenly, still staring at the window. Lis and I both looked over to see Asuna running towards the house. The crowds parted around her and she raced up to the door, not even bothering to knock as she slammed the door open and shut, gasping for air.

"We've got a huge problem!" she said. I shifted Lis off of my lap and onto the couch, getting to my feet.

"Did you run all the way over here? That's not a short trip, Asu-"

"Heathcliff wants to see all of us. The Hunters are summoned to Grandzam," she said quickly. I narrowed my eyes.

"So he's playing it that way... Gear up, everyone. We're leaving in ten." I sent a quick message in our guild-chat, letting everyone know what was happening. Blake and Heidan were wandering the Wolf Plains on a very specific not date. Taka was fetching groceries for the house. Silica was on the first floor, visiting Sasha and giving her more money to keep the church afloat. Maisie was at the house but, knowing her, she was probably asleep. It was one of our few actual days off and it looked like it'd be over prematurely.

(Floor 55: Grandzam)

I didn't like Grandzam. It was trying way to hard to be stately and impressive, much like the guild who called it home. The Hunters walked through in full regalia, each of us decked out in our trademark barunum gear and cloaks bearing the insignia of the Hunters: a silver bow held aloft above a moon on a dark blue field. The wolves and Pina were armored as well and our group left ghostly images behind us as we were escorted to Heathcliff's main office by a trio of Knights of the Blood Oath members.

"Riva. It's been a long while since I've had a chance to talk to you outside of strategy meetings," Heathcliff greeted, friendly enough. I remained on guard and Nymer trotted in front of me, standing between the two of us.

"Yes. The last time we spoke was probably... at the Hunters' training session last May."

"That sounds right. It's admirable work you do with the lower level players. Even some of my guildsmen have attended your training, though usually before they joined of course."

"Of course."

"I'm sure many players across Aincrad owe their lives to your training." Heathcliff was searching and I wasn't sure what for. I shrugged, keeping it neutral.

"The Hunters are merely doing their part to keep the players trapped here as safe and prepared as possible .All players owe a responsibility to the welfare of other players. Whether that means assisting in the clearing of floors whenever possible or training players in our free time, we'll gladly help."

"Yes... The health and welfare of the civilian players is important, but as is the welfare of the clearing guilds that work to free us all from this death game." Ah... So that was it. "The Knights of the Blood Oath are called the top guild, as you know, but our numbers are never more than barely sufficient. Which forces me to ask the question: why are you attempting to poach one of our best players?"

"With all due respect, Heathcliff, I did not ask Asuna to leave your guild. I don't quite think the term poach applies either, given the fact that I had no hand in her asking to leave the Knights."

"Oh? Then can you explain why she was not returned to us after the battle against the Gleam Eyes?" Heathcliff asked sharply.

"Asuna is not a piece of property to be returned or stolen from you. She, like you said, is one of the best players in the assault team. Perhaps it was your own objectification of her that made her want to leave." Heathcliff's eyes flashed dangerously and I continued. "Asuna joined us after the battle to ensure that all of the Army players were safely returned to their guild base on the first floor. After that, she returned to the Hunter's guild home to ensure that we were safe as well. One of us nearly died in that fight and Asuna was a Hunter long before she was Knight."

"She is no longer a hunter, however. Her duty and respect is not owed to you but to me and the rest of the Knights of the Blood Oath. We cannot simply allow our second in command to walk away so easily. If you want her, you will need to take her from us. If you can defeat me in combat, you'll be free to take Asuna with you. However, if you lose, you must join the Knights of the Blood Oath."

He was positively insane. My eyes narrowed and I scoffed.

"I'm not going to take Asuna from you because she is not mine to take just as she is not yours to keep, Heath. I am not dueling you, just as no Hunter will duel you. I may not be able to force your hand in releasing Asuna from your guild but you can trust that I will protect her from it if I must."

I looked to Asuna.

"The Hunters of Artemis offer you their protection and permission to come and go as you please from the Wolf's Den. We remember pack." I returned my eyes to Heathcliff, who looked positively murderous, and I gave a shallow bow. "I'll see you at the next strategy meeting, Heathcliff."

I turned and left, glaring at the KBO who was guarding the door until he opened it for me. The Hunters were right behind me and we walked out just as calmly as we walked in, leaving ghosts behind us.

It would probably take Asuna a few days to escape from Heathcliff but she'd make it out. I had faith.

"I'll stop by the shop soon. I figured out a trick that makes it a little easier to handle corundium."

"Corundium? You mean people actually use that for gear? It's so... gross."

"It's a really heavy metal but there are a few tanks on the front lines who use it," I acknowledged. "They're still alive and kicking. Or at least they were on the 73rd floor."

"Alright. Make sure Asuna comes by when she can. I haven't seen her in a while!" Lis said with a pout. I promised I would and Lis leaned forward, turning her head slightly with an expectant look on her face. I rolled my eyes and obligingly kissed her on the cheek. Before she could lean away, though, I took her face in my hands and gently turned her head, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. I pulled away with a smirk and, as usual, Lis was red hot.

Sputtering angrily, she slapped me in the face and started walking down the path, grumbling and gesturing wildly to herself all the way. I grinned, watching her go until she was out of sight.

"And I thought it was dangerous to fall in love here," Blake commented wryly. I jumped immediately, scratching the back of my head. Before I let myself get too embarrassed, I pointed a finger at her.

"What about you? Don't think you and Heidan have been so subtle with your late night cuddle sessions," I exclaimed, crossing my arms victoriously. Blake reddened immediately and she opened her mouth, just to close it again and storm away angrily.

Kirito walked into the room, exiting the kitchen with a smile on his face and I targeted him as well, just to be safe. Who knows what he heard...

"And you! All those solo trips you've been taking away from the guild; they match very conveniently with the list of times Asuna's been gone from the Knights! You know Heathcliff has been keeping track? Because he's sent me a whole list of grievances."

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Kirito stammered. I scowled.

"It's not just me!"

"Okay... I'm heading out," Kirito announced, throwing a hand up as a goodbye as he headed for the door. I narrowed my eyes at him but let him go.

"I swear if I get another message from Heathcliff telling me to return his second in command, I'm going to have a stroke," I grumbled to myself.

October 24th, 2024 (Floor 28: Wolf's Den)

I needed a moment to realize what was being said to me. Just in case I heard wrong, I had it said to me again. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"It figures. It absolutely figures. Of course, Kirito. Take as much time away from the front as you want. After that fight with the Gleam Eyes, I was considering keeping the Hunters out of the fight until the boss fight anyway. We need to rest up and get our heads screwed on right for everything that's coming up.

"Of course, that doesn't mean I'm sparing you two at all," I grinned savagely, looking at the two players in front of me who were suddenly engaged. Heathcliff was going to have an aneurysm when he found out his second in command needed time off to celebrate her nuptials.

"What does that mean?" Asuna asked warily. I rolled my eyes.

"Obviously it means that we've got to throw a massive party, bigger and better than Silica's birthday. It means that the girls are kidnapping you and hosting the best bachelorette party Aincrad's ever seen. Duh."

"Th-That's really not necessary," Asuna stammered, blushing and waving her hands in protest. I wasn't going to budge, though. If she was putting me through this, I was shoving her into it as well.

"And you!" I said, turning to Kirito. "I'm telling Klein. Immediately. He's taking you out for dinner or a strip club or something. I don't care. I'm telling you for Asuna's sake, though: you can look, you can't touch, got it?"

Kirito blushed even brighter than Lis. It was sort of cute in a vengeful, malicious way.

"Also," I began as an afterthought. "You two are letting me make the rings. No comments, questions, or concerns are allowed. Now get out of here, lovebirds. I'll message you when things are ready and send the wolves out for you if you don't come willingly!"

I didn't follow through with my threats in the end. The celebration was small- just the guild and Lis- but I knew that it was what Kirito and Asuna wanted. It would have only made the two uncomfortable if I had followed through and there was no real reason to cause them any more trouble. They'd have plenty of that in the future if Heathcliff didn't let Asuna go.

At the end of our little party, we let the two go to floor 22 where a little cabin in the woods was waiting for them. It would leave them totally broke, but the guild had put some money towards it as a wedding present. Lis and I had made the rings out of the same barunum that went into the Hunter's gear. That way, even if Asuna was never officially a Hunter, she'd always have part of us with her.

"Why aren't you a Hunter yet?" I murmured to Lis that night as we climbed into bed. She started sleeping at the Wolf's Den after the fight against the Gleam Eyes. She hadn't exactly told me why, but I knew she was afraid of me not coming home to her. I understood, of course, and no one had questioned it when suddenly my forge was filled with strange equipment and materials. I was surprised that she hadn't tried moving the smith shop's official location to the Den yet.

"Because I don't want to go through the hell you call training," she chuckled back, cuddling against me.

"You know, not all training has to be hard," I started, lining her up for a joke. I was dumbfounded when Lis rolled over to face me, her eyes dancing.

"Sign me up, coach."

Chapter Text

November 1st (Floor 1: Town of Beginnings)

"They said to meet them at the church, right? Well, Silica, lead the way!" I said cheerfully. The fourteen year old nodded her head and started walking, pointing out little nooks and crannies of the town where she used to play or find fruit.

Shortly into their honeymoon, Asuna and Kirito had stumbled upon this tiny girl in the middle of the field on floor 22. They messaged us to try and see if we could help find where the little girl belonged.

"Kids always come and go at Sasha's. Just look at me. I left one day and just never came back. Sasha would know if she was there, though. She's good with people," Silica was saying. "It's been a while since I've been here."

It was easy to see the Army's influence on the place. They were choking the life out of the city and no one was able to stop them. According to the stories we'd heard from the Army boys sent up to fight the Gleam Eyes, there was a lot of infighting in the guild that was leading to instability in the streets. They pretended to keep the peace on the first floor but they couldn't even police themselves.

The church soon came into view and Silica led us inside. Just inside the main door, there was a collection box and Silica withdrew some col from her inventory and dropped it in without a word. The rest of us followed suit before wandering down the halls of the church, following the small fighter to a room full to burst with kids eating and talking. Sasha sat, watching it all from her own table with a worried smile. Kirito, Asuna, and a small girl were sitting with her at the table and it was clear they were in the middle of a conversation. Sasha looked up, however, and the conversation was put on hold.

"Hello, Sasha," I greeted, bowing my head. "How have things been?"

"Riva! This is a surprise!" Her smile brightened and she got up from her seat. "Come on in! Would any of you like something to eat?"

"No, we ate before we left," I assured her.

"Hi," Silica said a little shyly, stepping forward. Sasha's eyes widened and she studied the girl, taking in everything from her new armor to Pina, who was sleeping on her head.

"Silica," she gasped. "You've grown so much! I didn't know you joined the Hunters."

"Yeah. They sort of saved me after I got cornered on floor 35," Silica said with a chuckle.

Before Sasha could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. We accompanied Sasha to the door and a woman in higher-up Army gear was waiting. She introduced herself as Yuriel and, after thanking Asuna for something she'd done yesterday, she looked around us and asked for our help.

What was a day off without a damsel in distress, eh?

"When the guild was first formed we- or, I should say, our leader Thinker- never wanted it to become the dictatorial organization it's become," Yuriel said sadly. I nodded, as did several other Hunters. "Our mission was to share information and food equally among as many players as possible."

"We were there when Corvatz and his men tried taking on the 74th boss," Heidan murmured, shaking his head. "Nasty business. I remember Kibaou from the first floor strategy meeting. He got up and tried to turn everyone against betas."

"Until Riva put him in his place, of course," Maisie chuckled. I rolled my eyes before looking to Yuriel for her to continue.

"The guild got too large. Kibaou led a faction of players that didn't want to follow Thinker's ideals and, as his faction gained power, they started monopolizing the best hunting grounds and extorting money from players by calling them taxes... People started criticizing Kibaou for his behavior and his inaction towards helping the clearers end the game and, to try and save face, Kibaou ordered the strongest players in his command to the front lines."

"Corvatz," Heidan repeated, shaking his head angrily. Yuriel nodded.

"After that, Kibaou was denounced. We were considering dismissing him from the guild. Angry and desperate, he turned to a new strategy and he targeted Thinker, trapping him deep inside a dungeon. He's unarmed, without teleport crystals... Kibaou told him he only wanted to talk... That was three days ago."

"So long?"

"Can't he find his way out?"

"He's in the highest-level dungeon we've seen so far. I'm his second in command- this is my responsibility- but my level just isn't high enough for me to reach him and Kibaou is using his influence to prevent anyone in the Army from helping me. But then I heard that you two were in town, and the Hunters... You guys are the most powerful players anyone around here has ever seen! So I came here to beg you: for Thinker's sake, please help me save him!"

"The facts fit what we've seen," I said, glancing around the table to see the other Hunters' reactions. "We'll help you. Kirito, Asuna, I understand if you'd rather stay here with Yui."

"I think we should help. If this dungeon is that dangerous, you'll need all hands on deck," Kirito decided. Asuna nodded and looked to Yui.

"Yui, you'll stay here with Sasha, okay? Daddy and I will be back soon."

"No! I want to come!" the little spitfire decided.

"Great, now we get to see her rebellious phase," Kirito groaned quietly.

"Yui, this is serious. It's too dangerous for you to go along with us this time."

"No! I'm going too!"

"Blake and I can watch her," Silica offered. "We don't do much of the front-line work anyway, right? Or you can summon Nymer to keep an eye on her."

"That's true," I acknowledged, looking at Yui. "Do you want to meet my puppies?"

"Ri, they're hardly puppies. I've seen Nymer take down monsters twice his size without any help," Kirito drawled. I rolled my eyes.

"They're still puppies! They just happened to be big and ferocious puppies..."

Once we were outside the dungeon, I put my hand to my mouth and hesitated, looking to the non-Hunters.

"You might want to hold your ears," I warned. Yuriel and Yui cautiously obeyed. Satisfied, my fingers started to glow and I whistled. A high pitched shriek flew out from between my fingers and echoed off of the walls. After a couple seconds, I stopped whistling and clapped my hands together. "They should be here soon!"

There were a few odd tricks with familiar communication. Even if we were apart, be it a few yards or dozens of floors, the wolves could always find me if I called for them. If they desired, I was sure they could find me even if I didn't.

A minute passed before a great howl echoed, coming from deeper in town, and I grinned. Mere seconds later, the wolves appeared on the far end of the plaza, running in two v formations with Nymer leading one group and Scath leading the other.

"Puppies!" Yui cheered, reaching her hands out as if to touch the ferocious snarling beasts that were approaching at a sprint. The wolves all slowed and, by the time they reached us, they were acting less like vicious predators and more like, as Yui and I agreed, puppies. Kirito put Yui down and she immediately waded into the pack, petting and touching all of the wolves as if she'd never seen a dog before. It was sweet to watch and I smiled at the scene.

"We should go," Yuriel murmured, tearing her eyes back towards the Iron Palace.

She led us through the structure until we reached a staircase hidden behind a wall. As we descended, I could feel my detection skill start to work as we entered the dungeon.

"There wasn't anything like this during the beta test," Heidan said, whistling lowly he examined the dungeon's massive pillars.

"It seems that the more floors are unlocked above, the more are unlocked below," Yuriel replied. "Kibaou had plans to restrict this area to a private training area, but the monsters that spawn here are usually level 60 or above. This area isn't very good for hunting in that regard."

We continued moving deeper and deeper down, letting Kirito take point on the fighting. Yuriel seemed uncertain at first but, after the second or third swarm of mutant frogs, she cracked a smile and let the Hunters take care of her.

Eventually, a glowing doorway appeared at the end of the tunnel. Kirito examined it and, upon announcing that a player was inside, Yuriel started running for it. We jogged after her, not seeing any harm in her getting there a little faster.

"Yuriel!" a male voice shouted, emanating from the safe room.

"Thinker!"

"Stay back! The corridor is rigged!" he warned desperately. I opened my mouth to issue a command but Kirito was already on it, sprinting forward and tackling Yuriel to the ground just as massive scythe appeared out of nowhere, trashing the ground where the female player had just been.

The walls began to glow blue and I drew my sword.

"Silica, Blake, take Yui and Yuriel to the safe zone now," I ordered. "Wolves, the same. Don't interfere unless I call you."

Nymer growled at the order but I wasn't changing my mind. I looked up at the monster, which was certainly a boss. I couldn't see its identification or its HP bars- there was no way to know how strong this thing was and I was not risking the wolves. If anything, they might be more of a hinderance than a help in this fight.

"Go!" I ordered. "Can anyone see its HP?"

"No," Kirito said, his voice tense. "It could be as strong as something from floor 90. We can buy the others time, but I don't know if we can fight this one."

"Thinker's shown that we can escape into the safe room. If I give the order, we pull out. We cut and run. Understood?" I didn't wait for a response. "Kirito, with Asuna. Maisie with Heidan. Taka with me. Switch as often as possible until we know its attacks better. Don't let it focus on you. Scatter!"

The Fatal Scythe moved, disappearing in a flash and reappearing in front of Asuna and Kirito. The two crossed their three swords as a shield but they were flung back. I watched in the corner of my eyes as their HP bars dropped instantly to the yellow.

I moved to attack but a very small figure was suddenly blocking my way.

"Yui! Get out of here!" I looked desperately towards the safe room, trying to figure out what was happening, and saw the wolves desperately clawing at the doorway as if something was preventing them from leaving. The Fatal Scythe drew its blade up and I didn't have to do anything but run. I ran in front of the little girl, throwing myself in front of here and hugging her tightly.

Distantly, I realized that Maisie was never going to forgive me. Ah, shit. Lis too... I was making a lot of people mad... But if I shielded Yui, it'd be worth it.

A concussive wave struck us and my hair was blown forward. I looked up at Yui and saw that the two of us were covered in purple light. I turned my head to look behind us, where the Fatal Scythe's attack should have killed us, and saw a system message. Immortal Object.

Shocked, I loosened my grip on Yui and she started to float. I backed away, not sure what was happening in front of me as Yui raised her hand and a fiery yellow light started to blaze at her fingertips. The fire danced around her before coming together as an ornate and massive sword. Her clothes were changed too- now she wore a basic white dress, with a bow tied across the front.

Yui waved her sword arm in a circle once before leaping forward and striking the boss fearlessly. The fiery sword struck and melted through first the boss's scythe and then his bone-like mask. Yui jumped away as the sword encompassed the boss in a fiery inferno, leaving nothing behind.

The wolves rushed forward, no longer stopped by whatever barrier had kept them at bay. They rushed Yui, probably so that they could reassure themselves that she was actually there, but they stopped abruptly a yard away. Nymer sniffed in her direction before releasing a low keening plea.

"Yui?" Asuna and Kirito were back on their feet and they staggered towards the little girl. She turned to face them with a smile.

"Mommy. Daddy. It's okay. I remember everything now..."

The entire time Yui was speaking to Kirito and Asuna, I tried to not listen. I felt like I was intruding on their last moments as a family but there were some facts that I couldn't ignore.

Cardinal was completely self-sustaining. It had the power and the command to deny Yui's primary directive which ultimately led to her corruption. If it could destroy one of its own programs so easily- one that was designed to help players- what did that mean for us? Could it keep adapting to become stronger and stronger, so that the players couldn't keep up? Was Kayaba even pulling the strings anymore or was he out of the picture?

I had a long list of questions but, at the end of the day, none of them were answered.

Chapter Text

November 7th, 2024 (Floor 75: Collinia Teleport Gate Plaza)

The plaza was tense when we teleported in. We'd come as soon as we heard about the scout party and, like most of the the other players, we were pretty grim too. It hit too close to home... If we hadn't been able to defeat the 50th or 74th floor bosses, would a raid party still have been formed regardless of the lack of information?

Heathcliff was playing a dangerous game here but I understood. This was an all or nothing fight. Even we won the right to continue trying to get free or all of the clearers are wiped out in one fell swoop. With out... it could be a full year before anyone levelled enough to replace us. I doubted that anyone would be even willing to try, if that happened.

I didn't have my staff with me for this battle. Instead, I carried Brightroar and my old barunum sword. While only Kirito had the dual wielding skill, I was sure I could use the second blade to block or parry a blow much easier than a shield. It worked in theory and it had worked in the labyrinth but there was only one way to know how it would work in the boss room and I wasn't looking forward to it.

"Hey! I didn't think you'd show up this late." I turned around to see the Fuurinkazan and Agil standing behind us, both grinning. I shrugged.

"Better late than never, right? We had some last minute wardrobe changes. I had to upgrade equipment on the double thanks to Heathcliff's trigger happy decision."

"Man, I feel you. I had to close down my shop in a hurry to make it!" Agil commented with a laugh. "I'm just a philanthropist like that."

"Oh yeah? Bet you won't mind if we take your name off the drop list, huh?" I looked over my shoulder and grinned to see Kirito and Asuna standing there. Kirito, as per usual, had a black coat on top of his Hunter gear while Asuna was still in her red and white Knights armor.

"Woah, that's a little hasty, don't you think? Come on, let's be reasonable!"

A flash of blue light entered my peripheral vision and I glanced over to see Heathcliff and four of his men in full regalia. They approached the arc in the plaza and Heathcliff activated the corridor teleport crystal he had brought to take us all to the boss room. With a single command, we all started moving into the portal, coming out into a dark and dangerous feeling dungeon. Like the dungeon that disguised Laughing Coffin's hideout, I had a strong feeling that outsiders were not welcome here.

"The Knights of the Blood Oath will hold off the boss attack in the vanguard. At the same time, you all must stay on your guard. It is your job to analyze the boss and try to find any weaknesses or attack patterns. We must be flexible in our counterattacks; you must not overextend yourselves. This will be a difficult battle, but I have faith that we can and will prevail. For our day of liberation!"

Like everything he said, Heathcliff's warcry was a mouthful but it got the job done. I looked at my flanks. The Hunters- Asuna included- were fanned out on either side of me. The Fuurinkazan and Agil weren't far away.

"Do me a favor, guys... Don't die," I ordered.

"Back at you!"

The doors opened and Heathcliff gave the order to move in. Everyone rushed in, only to find an empty room.

"Where is it?" I heard someone ask. I looked to Nymer and the other wolves who were all growling lowly as they sniffed the room. Nymer's head quirked up and I heard Asuna shout. We all looked up and my heart skipped a beat.

It was the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen. It was like a praying mantis crossed a centipede, but made entirely out of bare bones. It's four red eyes glowed, even from this distance, and I could feel this being's hate permeating the room. It's name and five whole health bars appeared as it released a bone chilling roar.

"Spread out! Stay away from it!" Heathcliff ordered. The Skull Reaper was already moving, though, and it was fast. It hit the ground with a crash and sent out a red concussive wave. Two men, who had been running away from it, were knocked down by the wave and the boss used one of its massive scythes to strike right through them. The men went flying and, just as Kirito and Asuna moved to catch them, they shattered into light.

One hit? What the hell is this thing?!

It slithered like a snake away from its latest victims and targeted someone new. Heathcliff jumped in front of the player and, with his shield alone, he stopped one of the scythes. The Skull Reaper wasn't going to let its target escape, though, and reached out with its other scythe to kill the player.

Kirito ran in front of the boss's next target, his swords crossed as a defense. The Skull Reaper's scythe sunk into his shoulder, unable to kill him, but I was in terrified awe at the fact that it could even penetrate through Kirito's defense and strength parameter. Heathcliff protected his flank from the other scythe and Asuna ran up and added her rapier to the defense, pushing the boss back.

"If we block together, we have a chance," she told him. I nodded, looking to the Hunters.

"They'll hold! Everyone, flank it and attack!"

The battle was furious. Despite everyone's caution, I'd seen too many players die at the hands of the boss. I hadn't seen any Hunters die, but my wolves... All but Nymer and Remus were gone. I didn't know if I could revive multiple familiars at the Hill of Memories. I didn't even know if the game was supposed to recognize my pack, as the only other beast tamers I'd seen all had just one companion.

When the Congratulations! banner finally went up, no one was in a mood to celebrate. Everyone was collapse on the floor. If a guild had survived, they were together, clinging to each other. The Hunters were no exception.

I hated myself more than anything for putting Silica in this fight. She may have not gotten hurt or killed, but her eyes looked hollow. More than ever, I knew we needed to end this game. This wasn't a place for a fourteen year old. She should be at a mall with her friends, gossiping about boys and clothes, not fighting for her life because of a madman's desire to control a world.

"How many did we lose?" I heard Agil ask quietly. Kirito opened his map, counting.

"Fourteen."

"Oh god..."

"We still have twenty five floors to go," Klein said, his voice shaking.

"Twenty five floors? How the hell are we even going to make that?" Agil wondered to himself. He was one of the lucky ones; he managed to only get scraped up by the boss. The two he had been fighting alongside had taken the brunt of the hit and died next to him.

I was so focused on my other Hunters, I barely realized that Kirito was gone until I heard a sword skill activate. I turned to see Kirito's sword stopped by a purple shield around Heathcliff's face. A system message appeared above him: Immortal Object.

"Commander Heathcliff, what's going on?" Asuna was the first one to recover and I saw in her eyes that she was thinking of Yui. Was the man an AI? A program designed to help or hinder the players?

"I think I've got the answer to that. The reason his HP never drops into the yellow is because he's protected by the system. Something's always bugged me since day one. I was always wondering, 'Where is he hiding while he watches us and regulates the world?'"

Kirito had asked that question a few times to the guild but, when we had no answers, he only grew frustrated and quiet. It didn't make sense to me. Even for a madman, I wouldn't sit around and watch an RPG get played out. It'd get boring just... watching...

"No," I breathed, looking at Heathcliff. For a split second, I was glad that I had made it my personal goal to go against the man on principle. With the puzzle pieces coming together, I knew that my gut instinct, my first thought regarding him, was right: this man is dangerous.

"I forgot a simple piece of psychology," Kirito continued. "It's something even a kid knows: there is nothing more boring than watching someone else play an RPG. Isn't that right, Akihiko Kayaba?"

"Just for my curiosity's sake, would you mind telling me how you figured it out?" he asked, his voice light and untroubled.

"The first time I knew something was up was during our duel."

I was shocked. Kirito had duelled this man? I had specifically ordered all of the Hunters not to! After what happened to Asuna, I didn't want to lose anyone else to him.

"In that last instance where you turned the tables on me, that move was way too fast."

"Yes, I thought that was it. It was a mistake on my part to think that would have gone unnoticed by you," Kayaba admitted. "You had overpowered me to the point that I needed to engage the system's over-assist mode... Yes, I am Akihiko Kayaba. Now that my identity's been revealed, it should come as no surprise that I am the game's final boss, who would have waited for you at the top floor."

"So the strongest player in the whole game ends up being the final boss. Kind of cliche, isn't it?" Kirito asked. Kayaba shrugged.

"Actually, I kind of like it. I always thought you'd be the one standing before me at the very end. Dual wielding is a rare skill, after all. The system grants it to the player with the fast reaction time. It was that player that was destined to become the hero of the story that rises up to challenge the demon king. You and the power you wield, however, exceeded all of my expectations. I suppose it's these unexpected twists and turns that make MMORPGs so thrilling."

"Our loyalty... our hope..." One of the Knights of the Blood Oath, who for 49 floors had followed Kayaba into battle, was shaking with rage. "How dare you... How dare you?!"

He launched himself at Kayaba but the creator merely opened his menu. The player fell to the side, paralysed. One by one, all players in the boss room fell and I reached for my crystals, hoping to get an anti-paralysis crystal out in time, but I was too slow. The yellow crystal clattered on the floor, just out of my reach.

"So what's the plan now? Are you going to kill us and cover it up?" Kirito, who was the only player left unaffected by Kayaba's trick, growled. Kayaba laughed, shaking his head.

"Of course not. I am not that unreasonable. I would have preferred to wait, but I suppose I have no choice now. I will await all of you at the final floor, where I shall be at the Ruby Palace. It's a shame. I've spent much of my time developing the Knights of the Blood Oath and other clearing players. I would have liked to see you fight through the rest of the floors... Oh well. With your power, you should reach me. Eventually."

He slammed his shield into the floor.

"Before I go, however, Kirito. I would like to offer you a reward for discerning my identity. I will give you the opportunity to fight me here, one on one. I will disable my immortal status, of course. Defeat me here and the game will be cleared. All remaining players will be logged out of SAO immediately. What do you say?"

"You're on," he decided after a brief pause. He laid Asuna down gently on the ground. She must have said something but, being paralysed, it couldn't have been more than a whisper. "I'm sorry. I can't run away if it means ending this."

He got to his feet, drawing his swords. On the way to Kayaba, he looked around and his eyes met mine.

"Don't forget what I told you, okay?" he asked. I bit my lip but I couldn't nod.

"Okay," I whispered. Player name: Kirito. Actual name: Kirigaya Kazuto. Home address...

That was part of the Hunters' arrangement. We knew who the others were so, if one of us died in battle, we'd be able to find the family and tell them what happened. I didn't want to die anonymously to them and neither did my pack.

Kirito reminding me of this right now forced tears to my eyes. He was planning on winning this, even if he lost in the process.

"I have a last request. I don't plan on going down easily but, if I die here, I want you to fix it so Asuna can't kill herself."

"Very well."

The battle was started in an instant and I couldn't watch. I reached and reached for the yellow crystal that had fallen beside me but all I could do was brush my fingers against it. I couldn't grip it, I just couldn't reach.

Another hand twitched towards the crystal and I gasped as I saw Blake, her face twisted with strain, reach out and touch the crystal. She didn't grasp it but flicked it further away from her. The crystal skidded into my waiting hand and Blake smiled softly.

"You got this, sis," she murmured. I gripped the crystal, aiming it at me.

"Heal: Paralysis," I said as softly as I could. Immediately, my limbs were released. I looked up to see Kirito shatter into light around Kayaba's sword. My heart skipped a beat and I saw red. I ran forward and Kayaba, not expecting me, was unable to counterattack or block. Brightroar sliced right through him and he laughed just once, as if he expected this to happen.

Kayaba vanished into light, just as Kirito had. His sword, and the sword Kirito had been wielding, fell to the floor and a weight settled in my stomach as I recognized the second sword as Asuna's. I glanced back to where she had been, but there was no trace of her.

I fell to my knees, crying shamelessly as a female voice declared that the game was cleared.

I opened my eyes to fluorescent lights. I stared at them blankly for what felt like hours before a spark of recognition flooded my system.

SAO doesn't have fluorescent lights!

We were back, we were safe... Not all of us, though. I needed to find them. I needed to find my Hunters. I needed to find Kirigaya Kazuto's family and tell them. They needed to know that our Kirito was a hero.