(A/N): Hey guys, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it.
3rd Person POV
口ㄗモれ工れム
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- March 30, 2023 - 25th Floor - Giltstein Forest -
The moon rose over the dangerous 25th floor. The assault team had been making good progress and reached one quarter of the game. This floor had to be considered the most dangerous and deadly floors the assault team had seen. It was covered in booby traps, mazes, and poisonous swamps. The death count had increased with this single floor alone, it even gave the beater a run for his money since he did not pass it in the beta. Luckily the boss room was found and the guilds had placed the raid date for tomorrow.
Currently, our heroes camp out in the forest, the closest town near the boss room would be too far to reach in the morning. The wood cracked as the fire grew and the sound of the night sky filled the air. Asuna munched on the warm cheese that her partner and herself made. The boy had been teaching her simple recipes and she quickly picked up the cooking skill. Her partner in crime was reading his poem book as he poked the fire with his blade.
Asuna: *Eating* Who do you think will get the final attack bonus tomorrow?
Ares: ...Not sure, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that we win and our chances look higher now.
Asuna: Why do you say that?
Ares: Kirito told me that another guild will be joining us. Hear that their leader is skilled, I want to see how much. You should get some rest, I'll keep watch.
Asuna: Okay, just don't stay up too late.
She finished eating her food and leaned against a tree near the fire. She covered herself with a blanket and drifted off into a peaceful dream. She had noticed that whenever she sleeps around the young man her nightmares would disappear.
Once she was finally out, the boy continued to read while holding his blade out, ready for anything.
Ares: *Thoughts* Strength
Mental and Physical;
Emotional, raw
Strength keeps you going
When you feel you can go no more.
If you're wondering if you're strong,
The answer is always yes.
Don't underestimate
The silent strength
that you don't know you possess.
- March 31, 2023 - Boss Dungeon -
The sun rose over the dungeon that held the boss room. The assault team had finished taking out the mobs and waited outside the boss room. It seems that the new guild and Kirito were behind schedule, and the Aincrad Liberation Corp was a no show. Finally, Kirito and the guild he mentioned arrived, and what surprised the beaters and Divine Dragon Alliance was that the new guilds' solid red armor scheme. Kirito came up to the duo and greeted them.
Kirito: Hey guys, what's up.
Asuna: Don't "what's up" us! Do you know how late you are?
As the girl scolds the boy, he shyly took it because he knew that he couldn't win against her.
Ares: Anyways, are these the guys you talked about?
The leader walked up to the group of 3 and introduced himself. He had white hair, an older face, and he held a large cross-shaped shield with a blade behind the shield.
Heathcliff: You must be the God of War, the beater... It is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Heathcliff and I am the commander of the Knight of the Blood Oath.
Ares:....Just call me Ares, do you know where the ALC is? Kibaou agreed on this date.
Before the man could respond, a scream could be heard from inside the boss room. The group runs and quickly opens the door, in the other side stood 20 players fighting the boss that appears to be a specter. The cactus-looking leader of the ALC had a clear face of fear written all over his face.
Kirito: Everyone get back!
They did as they were told and the arriving group took its place. Heathcliff quickly took charge and led both his guild and the DDA in the fight. His tactics were great but the problem was that all the attacks they tried to land had gone through the ghost boss.
Ares: *Thoughts* Damn! We can't land a solid hit!
He turned back to his partner and saw that she was shaking slightly, he grabbed her by the shoulders and took her behind the battle.
Ares: Asuna you're going to need to calm down. Remember lesson number 1: Composure, if you lose your cool you'll die. Breathe in and out.
She tried to listen to his instructions but couldn't help but feel useless. Her fears were getting the best of her, all of her training had gone out the window.
Asuna: I-I'm sorry, I just can't do it! I'm scared!
Ares: And that's alright!
She was surprised, she thought he was going to tell her the opposite, that she shouldn't be afraid. All her life she was told exactly what to be, to be the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect everything. But yet again he had told her that it was okay to be herself, that nobody expected her to be perfect. Here he was, telling her that it was okay to feel this way. She was human, nobody is perfect and she could be scared and it was okay.
Ares: We're all afraid of something. We all have fears, but we can only get stronger by facing them....It's completely fine if you stay here while we fight, but if you do, you'll always be afraid.
She continued to take her deep breaths and she was finally able to stop her shaking. He was right, she couldn't stop now, she's made it this far and couldn't back down now.
Ares: So, what are you going to do? Are you going to stay here, or are you going to go out there and fight?
She isn't forced to do this, but she wants to. She wants to stop being afraid and having to rely on others. She looked him at where she thought his eyes were with a look of determination.
Asuna: Let's go
He nodded and they both ran back and stood by Heathcliff and Kirito.
Heathcliff: Took your time.
Ares: Anything you were able to figure out.
Kirito: Not yet, the damn bastard fazes through all our attacks. Each time we get close he sends the players flying.
Asuna: There has to be a secret way to beat him, something we aren't thinking of.
The armored swordsman looked around and saw two statues holding lances on opposite sides of the room. He looked up and saw that the roof was dry and deteriorating.
Ares:....I have an idea. Asuna, go get the lance from that statue and let the boss hit you. When you do, strike the roof with it and it will release sunlight. That's when we'll attack and take him down.
Heathcliff: I see, excellent plan.
The girl follows his instructions and rips off the large lance from the statue.
Asuna: Ready!?
She saw that her partner was in position and nodded. They both ran up to the boss and it swung them into the air. Their hp wasn't fully at red yet but it was at a low yellow. While in mid-air, they activated a skill and slashed the roof simultaneously, causing it to collapse. The sunlight passed through the boss room and the creature screeched in pain. The dynamic duo landed and backed away in order to raise their health bar with the help of potions.
Heathcliff: Kirito, follow my lead!
He pulled out his blade and rushed forward at the beast with the black swordsman following. The beast was raging and slashed at the red swordsman but its attack was proven pointless as the shield took the attack and was followed by a golden sword skill attack.
Heathcliff: Kirito switch!
He jumped back and the raven-haired swordsman took his place and let out his own stream of rapid attacks. The creature's health bar had lowered by 2/3 and Kirito had begun to tire.
Ares: Kirito! Switch!
He did as asked and jumped back to be met with a gush of wind fly by him. The armored player blocked an attack with his shield and he returned it with his own.
Ares: Asuna Switch!
He jumped back and a flash of lightning flew past him. The girl jumped over the boss's attack and swung her blade, finishing off the beast as it screamed.
The congratulations icon appears overhead and some players cheer in excitement. It was clear something was wrong, you could feel the tension in the air. The armored swordsman walked up to the leader of the ALS who was sitting on the floor by the entrance of the room. The rest of his guild was crying on the side beside him as he had a look of disbelief.
Ares:...What did you do?
Kibaou: I-I...I....
He was suddenly grabbed by the collar of his shirt and raised into the air by the player asking the question.
Ares: Tell me what you did!
Kibaou: I lead my group in here early!
Everyone else stood in silence, watching and waiting to learn the truth.
Kibaou: I-I was informed that the boss on this floor was easy and could be handled b-by a smaller team. I just wanted my guild to grow stronger, s-so I brought my group early to defeat it before everyone else.
Everyone shouldn't have expected any less. Kibaou's motivations could be seen as clear as day and obvious since they first met him, he was powered by greed.
Ares:....Those screams...how many did you lose?
Kibaou:......Half of my guild.
Everyone felt the coldness in their bodies spread to every corner of their body. The members that were not from ALS looked around to see the broken looks on the player's faces.
Kirito:.......There are only 20 players from ALS here.
The man that was held in the air was dropped as soon as those words exited Kirito's mouth. The cactus man looked up to see the enraged player before him.
Kibaou: H-Hey, just wait a sec-
He was interrupted by a punch in the face. He turned back around to see a blade centimeters away from his face.
Ares: ....You, lost 20 players today.
The player was clearly shaking in anger as the struggle to remain calm was visible. The made the chestnut-haired girl remember what Sasha had told her on Christmas. She ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder.
Asuna: Ares, you have to calm down. Please.
After a couple of seconds, his body calmed down. The heavy breaths could still be heard. The blade had not yet moved away from the player's face.
Ares: ...The blood of their lives are now on your hands. Live with that.
The blade was finally pulled back and placed in its scabbard. He walked away towards the door that led to the next floor and entered.
The girl let out a sigh as the entire situation was stressful. They haven't lost a player since the 17th floor, but now 20 players are dead. That within itself is a high number, all because one person became too greedy.
Heathcliff: That was some excellent swordsmanship there.
She turned around and was faced with the commander of the KOB.
Asuna: Oh thank you. My name is Asuna, nice to meet you Commander Heathcliff, the same could be said about yourself.
Heathcliff: Thank you, you have an interesting friend you got there. Is he always like that?
Asuna: Actually, this is the first time I see him act like that. He is always so calm and rational, but I guess everyone has their limit.
Heathcliff: They do. I took him to be a solo player but I was surprised to hear that you have been joining him, may I ask why?
Asuna: Well he is the person who taught me how to fight in this world. I am grateful for that, but I know he is also a kind person. Since fighting beside him, I have come to trust him with my life.
Heathcliff: Sound like you two have a good friendship, but not everything lasts forever. That is why I am giving you this offer. If you ever need to join a guild, our doors are always open and with your skills, you'll quickly raise within the ranks. You'll be able to leave whenever you want so it is not an obligation to stay. Think of this as a backup plan, if being a duo player has reached its limit.
Asuna: I appreciate the offer but I would like to decline for now.
Heathcliff: I understand, just remember that the offer is always on the table. I'll see you at the next boss raid I suppose.
He began to walk away and the girl walked towards the next floor door. What lies ahead was a mystery as nobody had reached beyond floor 25, but if she was by the side of her friend then it wouldn't be so bad.
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乇几ᗪ|几ᘜ
(A/N): Hey guys, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. More chapters coming soon so stay tuned.
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