A/N:

Hello everyone! And welcome to Arcadia Online! This is my second FanFic. It is basically a LIS Fanfiction but in a SOA (Sword Art Online) Alternative Universe! I hope you enjoy it!

CONGRATULATIONS

The place was dark and damp, a permanent fog filling the cavernous area. Walls of uneven rock were covered with moisture, mold and lichen. Sounds of dripping water, leaking from some crack, echoed in the room, only interrupted by the sound of clashing metal.

"Kristen watch out! The stun is coming!" A male voice suddenly called, raising above the clangs of blades hitting stone.

"I see it Ferny!" A woman's voice responded. "Max! You ready? This is it!"

"Aye!" A different voice, softer but more confident, rang out, moving all-round the cave as its owner swiftly ran around a large shadow. "Fernando! On my order, flash him like we said!"

"Roger!" The man's voice responded again and a quick mumble or words started to fill the room, a murmur rolling deeper and deeper accompanying the start of a faint glow in a remote corner.

Suddenly a deafening roar echoed in the cave, reverberating along the walls and causing stones and pebbles to fall.

"NOW!"

At the same time as the word was screamed, a blinding flash filled the room and a louder cracking sound interrupted the roar. For a short instant, all darkness vanished, revealing a hudge cavernous arena, with tree roots hanging from the ceiling, bones and skeletons of various forms covering the floors; and at its center, an enormous monster with skin as grey as the stone of the walls.

The monster left out a loud growl of displeasure, covering its face with an arm as big as a tree and a smaller, much smaller shape darted on the floor.

"NOW! Full attack!"

"AYE!"

"COMING!"

A tall girl charged behind a large round shaped shield, holding a curved elvish longsword horizontally with its sharp point extended toward the creature. The warrior had waist long, ink-black hair as well as long and sharp, knife shaped ears. She was wearing a heavy set of armor made of plates as black as her hair, contrasting with the pallor of her skin, as white as snow. As she approached, the sword emitted a growing white glow and suddenly, with a clashing sound, the blade slashed across the monster's large and loose belly, leaving a bright red mark behind it.

At the same time, a smaller girl dashed across the room as she reached for the hilt of one of her sheathed swords with her right hand while her left hand rose in front of her face. Her hair were bright pink, close cropped on her skull, they might have made her look like a fuzzy pink tennis ball if not for the longer bangs surrounding her face and the two pointy cat ears covered with a light brownish fur. Her eyes were of a pure artic blue color, sporting slited pupils, and her skin looked like it was made of porcelain. She was wearing a black, sleeveless kimono that would probably suit some manga idea of a ninja – although, seeing the kimono barely reached down to the level of a very short skirt, that was still up to discussion. The kimono was held by a large red Obi that wrapped around the girl's waist and tied up in a large stiff bow on her back. Above it, she wore a red and black chest piece that could be part of a Japanese suit of armor. On her wrists she wore armored bracers and fingerless gloves made of deep black material and engraved with a silver dragon. Her thighs and knees were human, and below them one could see cat like ankle and paws covered in the same brown fur as the ear on her head. Both legs were surrounded by black bandages wrapped from just above the paw up to mid-thigh, and protected by black shin guards. As she ran, a cat tail, covered with brown fur except for its very black tip, swayed behind her. For weapons, aside from the sharp claws one could see at the tip of her toes and fingers, she carried two short kodachi in two black lacquered saya -sheath for Japanese swords – crossed through her belt.

While she pulled one of the swords out, her left hand started to form seals with her fingers, a succession of shapes and signs before she extended her palm to the floor of the cave. Like by magic, a large black beast emerged from the shadows. A mix between a large panther and a sabretooth tiger, the creature ran across the ground with a snarl, its black fur undulating with each moves of its limbs. The cat-girl leapt out and landed on its back, legs tight around its flanks as she started to form new seals with her free hand.

As the tiger pounced toward the monster, she extended her hands to the grey stone like skin and a wave of black smoke started to spread around them.

She suddenly teleported above the creature, while her familiar started to bite and lash out with its claws at the monster's arms. She reached behind her with her free hand, pulling her second sword from its sheath.

"EEEEEEEEYYYYYYAAAAAHH!"

Her voice rose as her small body started to drop, slowly spinning as she flailed her arms, the blades emitting a faint black light.

The effect was radical. Just like her companion's claws, her blades lashed out at the creature, leaving long red gashes that crisscrossed over its back before she landed half crouched on the floor. She then pounced forward, landing on her beast's back again as it sped away, giving place to an incoming ball of fire, roaring with power as it exploded straight in the creature's face.

"Cover! Kirsten watch for the punch! We take our distance and redo that next chance!"

"OK!"

"ROGER!"

At the command the boy in a corner, a short olive-skinned man with a green pointy hat and a black robe, rose his staff in front of him, creating some translucid bubble; the woman in heavy armor rose her shield in guarding position preparing to receive the blow.

And right in time she did. The large monster, a stone troll about five times her size swung its large fist at her, hitting her shield straight on. She absorbed the blow, barely taking a step back and swung her blade quickly in riposte, the sword glowing bright white as it struck to the troll's skin, leaving another glowing red mark.

Using the opportunity, the short girl leapt from her charging beast, both blades giving out black light again as she crisscrossed a couple times on the creature's back, then landed on the dashing tiger, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke as a large fist swung toward her.

Max reappeared near the wizard she had called Fernando, astride her black beast. With a purse of her lips, she looked at the man as he chanted words and waved his staff toward the knight, creating a green light shining around her.

"Thanks Fernie!"

The troll started to straighten again, head pulling back as if preparing to roar.

"There it comes! Same plan! Don't falter!"

"Righto!"

As the beast's roar began to shake the cave, another blinding flash of light and deafening crack of lightning filled the cave. And once again, the knight charged, the cat girl transformed into a buzz saw of blades, both girls landing several blows before they pulled back to give space to another raging ball of inferno.

"That's it guys! We just have to keep up like that!" The cat girl encouraged happily as she nodded to herself. So far so good!

They fought for what seemed like an hour, the elven knight woman absorbing most of the heavy punches and kicks the troll was throwing at them, using every opportunity to slice at it with her curved blade; the wizard in a remote corner, chanting spells one after the other, laying both healing to his party members as well as blinding flashes and searing fireballs to the troll.

But most of all, the cat girl kept popping in and out in shadowy smoke, riding her beast, or running on foot, using one or two short blades as she landed numerous blows without staying in place, displaying acrobatic feats as well as sneaky deviltry. She would sometimes appear from the shades of a corner, one hand in front of her with index and middle finger straight up while the remaining fingers were balled, and she would suddenly spin like a dervish, landing three parallel slashes on the back of her foe before disappearing in smoke, only to appear above it, both hands on the hilt of her sword as she let herself fall, stabbing the beast shoulder before summersaulting away.

Or she would come on her tiger's back, lying across its spine as it sneaked between the troll's legs while she slashed him behind his knees.

She was nearly untouchable. Nearly. At one point, she missed her tempo and a gigantic fist landed hard on her back sending her fly to a wall in a loud scream of pain. She fell to the ground panting, and slowly pushed herself up.

"Max!" The elven woman called raising her shield to form a wall between the smaller girl and the troll. At the same time the wizard tossed her a small vial she quickly drank. Life returned to her like magic and with a curse she returned to the fight.

After maybe two more hours, the three combatants where panting heavily as they kept their dangerous dance with death, slashing, cutting, blowing up and cutting again at the troll's skin. Exhaustion was starting to fill them, and they had to focus on their tasks, on making sure they did not miss a step or missed seeing an oncoming attack. Frustration was also rising as the troll stood tall despite their continuous attacks.

Boredom was also creeping upon them, as the whole fight had been an endless repetition of the same patterns. But then a loud roar of fury suddenly echoed in the cave, the troll starting to pound its chest angrily.

"This is it! Give it all you got! And watch for the fists!" The cat-girl bellowed as she jumped on her beast's back again.

Not responding with words, her companion responded with acts. The knight screaming as she charged, shield first like a battering ram, blade second, stabbing, before she started to alternate slashes with her sword and blow with her shields. The wizard chanted rapid spells, energy balls raining on the troll in a constant draining stream.

The cat-girl put both her swords in their sheath and started forming complex forms with her hands in front of her as the tiger ran circle around the beast. Then both of them disappeared.

Black shining lines suddenly started to cross the shape of the troll. Two horizontal lines from left to right, two diagonals forming something like a roof. Short lines started to succeed until a total of seventeen had been drawn forming a very specific shape.

天

誅

Then, the cat-girl landed, one knee on the floor, one paw ready to push away, her arms extended to the side, the blades of her swords in reverse grip pointing back and her head lowered. Black shade came from her back forming two large wings in her back that slowly dissolved, rising in thin strands of black smoke. She whispered softly, "Tenchu," at the same time as the black tiger landed behind her with a powerful roar; and the troll froze with a gargle, then scattered into red particles of light.

A celebratory tone was heard in the cave as torches lit up all around lighting up the place. And in the middle, in gold letters, large words appeared, slowly spinning for all to see.

!CONGRATULATIONS!

!YOU HAVE DEFEATED THE FREMONT TROLL OF SYRTAL!