Sword Art Online
Progressive-A Fanfiction
(Author's Note: This is a work of fanfiction, which means that this is based on an actual work of fiction that I claim zero rights to [nor would I want to]. This is actually a fanfiction of a parody of a work of fiction, so take this whole thing with a pound of salt. Now that that's out of the way: *This story is based on Sword Art Online: Progressive, which follows Asuna's story covering the first few floors of Aincrad during the original SAO story. I've taken a few liberties, but for the most part, the events that I am describing in this story are canon. Especially the bit with the Wind Fleuret*.)
One
Asuna watched as Kirito vanished through the door to the second floor with that coat she'd helped him acquire. She was fuming, partly about the coat, but also because of that incessantly annoying, self-righteous attitude of his. She intended to go after him. She'd fight his ass for that coat if she had to. Unfortunately, he was too strong for her to fight alone, so that was out of the question.
A quick look around and her eyes fell on the big guy.
Oh, he'd be great in a fight! she thought eagerly.
You wanna party up with him? said that other part of her brain. The cautious part. You sure?
He's big and he has an axe. He could split Kirito's bitch ass like the limp noodle he is!
Well, try to relate to him. I think they appreciate that.
"Hey...uh...home dog," Asuna said. "You wanna help me...smoke a bitch?"
He looked at her like she'd sprouted a second head. "Say what now?"
"I gotta go after that punk who...dissed me," she went on. "Think you might want to get in on my...squad, Chocolate Thunder?"
"Are you...are you trying to sound street or somethin'?" said the big guy, "Ah hell no. I ain't putting up with this bullshit. Go find somebody else!"
"Wait! I need your big weapon, T-Chain!" Asuna called after him as he stalked off. "It's the only thing that'll satisfy my needs!"
"Hell no!" He yelled back from some distance away.
You think they appreciate that? Really?
Oh, shut up! You didn't have to make it all sexual, idiot! He probably thought you were coming onto him or something.
Nooo...well, I don't know! Did I sound perverted?
Well, all this time you're wasting, Kirito is getting further away! None of these others will work?
Have you looked at them?
There was a pause. Good point. Maybe we can try diplomacy?
Asuna was the second SAO player to set foot on floor two. It was comprised of a large field with a few copses of trees littering the immediate area.
"Now if I were a bitch, where would I run?" Asuna said to herself. She set off in a random direction, at least hoping she would run into Kirito before he got to the next town. Couldn't kill him in a safe zone, after all.
Kirito was in his element when he was in the middle of a fight in SAO. He was surrounded by four windwasps, the sort of insects that littered this whole floor. And despite that, he didn't feel the least bit worried.
He deftly slashed at one as it flitted near him. He clipped its wing and the creature vanished in the usual sparkling death animation. Two more quickly followed suit.
The last one just darted back and forth in front of him, waiting for an opening to attack. Kirito activated one of his sword arts. His blade flashed, and his new Coat of Midnight flourished as he swept forward and obliterated the bug in a flurry of elegant cuts.
All in all, the windwasps were worth a paltry 428 EXP, and barely any Col to boot. He flicked open his menu to check his new inventory (mostly wasp needles), but as he did so he heard a strange rustling sound nearby. He glanced in the bushes behind him and thought he saw a health bar, but he couldn't be sure since whatever it was was faint and practically vanished when he looked at it.
No sooner had he turned his back than did something take him by the legs and force him to the ground. The words it yelled sounded something like "Found your dumb ass!" and he recognized the voice too.
"Asuna! The hell?"
"And where the fuck did you think you were going, huh?" She growled at him. "Who said I was through with you!"
Kirito blinked. "I kinda thought that was a given since I disbanded the party. Are you still on about the coat?"
"No! And...yes! Maybe!" She thought for a moment. "Actually yeah! I want that damn coat, asshole! I earned half of it!"
"Hey, would ya lay off me?" Kirito rolled away from her.
"Give me the coat and we call it even," said Asuna.
Kirito held up his hand. "Better plan. You can get the LA bonus from this floor boss. I already know where it is."
"What?"
"That's a floor boss?" Asuna asked. "It doesn't look like much."
She and Kirito were looking through a grove of thin trees down into a valley, within which was a bull the size of a really big truck.
"Looks can be deceiving, Asuna," Kirito replied. "It's at least nine levels above me, and the last floor boss was six above me when we fought it. What's more, when you fight the bull you get swarmed by windwasps of a higher level than the normal variety, so taking it on alone isn't a good option."
"Otherwise you'd already be on floor three?" Asuna asked.
"I'm a pragmatist," Kirito replied.
"You're a douchnozzle."
"I thought we were above childish namecalling, Asuna."
"Don't even start talking about childishness with me!" She almost yelled. She sighed. "I guess we need to formulate some kind of plan then." Asuna looked at the bull for a bit. "Seems like we can take this one just like the last boss. Either way, I'm not letting you out of my sight until-"
She looked up and saw that a certain swordsman wearing a stolen coat was gone. "Goddammit, KIRITO!"
Two
Seen as how Asuna still had no idea how to open her menu, she was left wandering around aimlessly across the second floor. During this course of time, she killed twenty-three windwasps and three wolves, and she leveled up twice. Not that she could do anything with those skill points she'd acquired.
She stopped and made a weird finger motion. Nothing happened.
What the fuck are you doing? she asked herself.
I'm tryna open my menu, she replied.
Asuna waggled her finger up and down. "How did Kirito do it?" She'd seen him open his menu once before. Regardless, her own efforts proved futile. Motherfu-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of nearby battle. Upon approaching the noise, Asuna found a warrior shrouded by trees, wearing a dark cloak and carrying a familiar sword.
Kirito! Imma kill that sunavabitch! Yet even as she thought these words, she saw the warrior take a hit and get knocked down. They had ZERO coordination and looked like they were struggling with just gauging distance.
Okay, not Kirito.
Wanna watch this dork get pulverized? Could be fun...
Asuna sighed. No, let's rescue his-slash-her ass.
She leapt forward as a windwasp knocked the warrior to the ground again, and with a flash of her small blade, the bug was dead. She sheathed her sword with a light 'ting' noise and looked back at the warrior.
When they'd fallen, they'd gotten tangled up in their cloak and were now cursing incessantly. And it was definitely a guy.
Asuna watched him struggle for a moment. When he finally broke out, his helmet gleaming against the sunlight, he said, "Gah! I had him right where I wanted him! Let me kill my own prey, dammit!"
"Yeah, you clearly had that under control," Asuna's voice was laced with sarcasm and dipped in mockery. "Dumbass."
"I have to make it on my own," he replied. "Like you do, for instance. That speed you moved with...you must be the frontline fighter...Asuna! The Flashing Fencer!"
"The fuck? Hey, I don't go around showing off the goods to anyone!"
"No, I meant flashing with...like, you know...speed?"
"Well, I've done my good deed for the day," Asuna told him. "Next fuck up, I'm just gonna watch you die."
"You're a real treat," said the guy. "Can you help me up?"
Asuna held out her hand. The guy reached out to grab it and missed. "Oh, fuck me."
"The hell?" Asuna just now noticed an eyepatch covering the right eyehole of his helmet. "No wonder you can't judge distance!"
"I'm the eyepatched swashbuckler...matey."
Asuna's eyebrows went in two different directions. "What. The. Fuck? I'm sorry, but how does a name like that even come up in a logical line of thought? That's like...neanderthal shit!"
"Well, it's what I want to be," said the eyepatch retard. "I wanna be a frontline fighter like you, ya know? Helping people, fighting the big monsters!"
"Hey, I don't know where you got the impression that I help people from," Asuna said, "because I prefer to help them help themselves if I help at all. You're a special case. Emphasis on special, 'kay?" She cracked her neck.
"Can I repay you for helping me out?"
"No, I don't need your-" Her eyes opened wide. "Actually...yeah. You can. But if you tell anyone, I swear I'll feed you to the field boss."
Eyepatch nodded.
Asuna got right up in his face. "Show me how to open the menu."
Two days later...
"Thanks for meeting me on short notice," said Asuna. "It's always nice to meet friends for tea." She took a sip.
"Conversation costs extra."
"Ever a treat, Argo." Asuna looked out the window. "Haven't seen Bitchito for a few days now."
"That's a new one," Argo replied with a laugh. "I bump into Kii-boy from time ta time. He wants to trade info with me."
"Is he in town?"
"He's always moving around. Never can pin him down."
"Is he still wearing my coat?"
Argo smiled. "Lotsa questions. I charge for every one you know."
"Then don't answer them," replied Asuna. "I'm trying to save my Col." She had her eyes on a fine set of garments that offered unique stat boosts in agility. But they cost two thousand more Col than she currently had.
Argo leaned in close. "You sure are awful intrested in Kii-boy. Want me to tell you where he is?"
Asuna looked at Argo quizzically over the rim of her cup. "I'm not paying you for info about that prick."
"Well, Kirito told me that you of all people are not to know where he went," Argo said in an almost singsong voice.
Asuna scoffed. "That ass!"
Argo's mouth opened wide with a grin. "So that's what this is about!"
"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."
Argo chuckled. "No horses on this floor, only cows. Speaking of...are ya ready to fight the 'Bullbous Bow'?"
"Is that what it's called?" Asuna asked. "Seriously?"
"I don't think Akihiko Kayaba ever really got how to name things," said Argo.
Asuna nodded. "I'm good to go."
There was a clang from outside. "Sounds like Klein hit his head again," said Argo.
"No, blacksmith," replied Asuna. "There's a player taking up the trade now instead of the usual NPCs. Makes a nice change. He looks like a scrawny weasel though." She paused. "But he can do some damn fine work."
"But not as fine as Kii-boy's ass, huh?"
"Argo, I swear to God-!"
Three
The bull grazed in the center of the field, surrounded by any player that was worth their salt. Asuna sat on the edge of a hill, hood drawn up. Wonder how many steaks you can get outta that bitch?
"Hey!"
Asuna looked up. Kibaou was headed toward her. "Where's your partner at? Haven't seen mucha him on the second floor so far!"
"Don't know," Asuna replied. "If I see him, I'm gonna punch him. Plus, he and I are solo players...so we're not partners."
Kibaou shrugged. "Alright...well, there's a party of four over there we can join, if you want."
"Solo player!"
"Geez, alright," he replied. "Have it your way."
"You need not feel ANY responsibility to that ROGUE!" Declared a commanding voice from behind them. He sounded like he was channeling Mel Gibson from Braveheart. "If YOU wish to do battle with the boss, you NEED to join a party! As inheritor of Diavel's title of leader of the front, I cannot ALLOW for any irregularities in our group focus!" He emphasized words with abandon, which made Asuna want to punch him in the face too.
Asuna made a raspberry in reply. "I'll pick off the minor mobs from behind you morons." She pointed. "The strategy guide says that the windwasps are endless so long as the floor boss is alive, so we need to have groups covering defense against the bugs while the rest of you pick the bull's health apart and try not to get gored like an amateur matador, capiche?"
"No comprende," called someone who overheard what she said.
"Besides, I need to farm those things for drops-" Asuna broke off. She felt something nearby. Someone was watching her from the bushes some distance away. "Huh...would you guys excuse me for a second?" She got up and dashed into the bushes.
A moment later, Kirito came flying out, having been thrown by Asuna. "Found a peeping Tom!"
"How? I was using my Hiding skill!" Kirito said.
Asuna grabbed him and punched him square in the jaw. Kibaou laughed.
"The Beater!" said Mel Gibson.
"Found another one for wasp duty," Asuna said, dragging Kirito by the scruff of his collar. "Don't worry, He won't go near the bull if he likes his balls between his legs."
"Right!" Mel Gibson yelled. "Everyone, PREPARE for battle. As the inheritor of Diavel's legacy, I will LEAD the charge!"
"Bullshit! How am I stuck with you again?" Kirito demanded of Asuna.
"Bullshit is what you'd be if you'd tried to go it alone, dickface," Asuna replied. "You're gonna help me farm the wasps for drops." She got close to him. "And if I see you go near that bull, I'll run you through myself." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And you know my blade is fast." Her voice perked up to a cheery chirp as she said, "So try not to make too much trouble, m'kay?"
"You're ruining my whole solo vibe," said Kirito.
"By the way, where have you been all this ti-"
"OUR AVERAGE LEVELS ARE HIGHER, IDIOT! WE SHOULD HANDLE THE ATTACKING!"
"BEHOLD! THE INHERITOR OF DIAVEL'S WILL SHALL NOT LET THIS AFFRONT GO UNPUNISHED! THE DRAGON KNIGHTS WILL LEAD THE CHARGE!"
Kibaou and Mel Gibson were right up in each others' faces, shouting their lungs out.
"WHAT'S THIS ABOUT DRAGONS ANYWAY? REAL MEN FOLLOW MY GROUP, THE FEDERATION OF DISGRUNTLED WARRIORS WHO FIGHT FOR AINCRAD! THE FODWWFFA!"
"You might want to work on that name, Kibaou," someone said.
"Yeah, maybe just the Aincrad Liberation Front?" said someone else.
Kibaou looked around. "Yeah...that sounds better. Let's go with that. I like your stuff Corvatz!"
"It doesn't MATTER what your name is, I lead THIS battle!" said Gibson.
"Look man," replied Kibaou. "You might dress up like Diavel, but your not his heir or anything!"
"And how much HAVE you actually 'liberated'?"
Kibaou's eyes narrowed. "Say that again, jerk!"
Asuna groaned. "Once we hit floor three, those are going to be their guild names."
"Those names are beyond cringeworthy," Kirito muttered.
"I know, right?" Asuna replied. When she realized she was agreeing with Kirito, she backtracked. "Not that I give a damn what you think."
"Wonder why Tiff isn't making a guild," Kirito said. "He could draw people in with ease." He looked around. "Speaking of which, where is the big guy?"
"I heard he ran into some trouble..."
"You gotta be outta your mind!" Tiffany complained. "There is no way that is worth six hundred Col!"
"Look man," said the long haired vendor with a lazy voice who sounded like he'd blazed way too much hash in an hour. "Prices are just way up on this floor today. Market's fluctuating like crazy, bro, and it's not easy to get my product here with all the bugs floating around out there, ya know?"
"I know about supply and demand, a'ight," replied Tiffany, "but the windwasp population has dropped dramatically since players started hunting them. I've even done a few radiant activities where I had to guide shipments through wasp infested forests."
"Okay man, okay," the vendor groaned. "I'll drop the price a bit."
"Oh no, you gon' drop this price a whole lot!" Tiffany retorted. "Because, reason number two..."
"Hope he's okay," Kirito said. "So it looks like we're stuck with..." He looked over at a group of warriors who were all wearing very shiny armor and carrying very big swords, laughing as a group with very manly voices about some story or joke or self aggrandizing comment one of them had made. "I'm sorry...what failed improv group did these society rejects crawl out of?"
"Don't get me started," Asuna replied. "They only just showed up around the front, but that gear has to be giving them a boost of like three levels at least."
"So what are they called?"
"I think it's...The Legend Braves...?"
Kirito snorted. "Wait...the fuck..." He broke off into hysterics.
"Their members are...Beowulf," she pointed to the dude who looked like a viking. Cuchulainn [pronounced 'Kyoo-Cullin'], and a leader-"
"Stop, I can't breathe!" Kirito managed to spit the word out through his laughter. "That explains...all that ridiculous...shit!"
"Ah, there's the leader, Orlando!"
Kirito laughed again, higher pitched this time.
"I must say!" proclaimed Orlando. "You are a fine blacksmith player! Fantastic work. Not like the NPC blacksmiths who fail every third time."
"Remember the name Nezha for all your blacksmithing needs!" said the blacksmith, who Asuna only just noticed was sitting nearby. "I do custom orders and improvements."
A lot of players started clamoring for improvements on their blades.
"Huh," said Kirito. "A blacksmith on the frontlines. Didn't think the crafting focused players had any balls."
"I guess it's a good way to drum up business with rich and strong customers," Asuna noted.
"Not if you're dead." Kirito cracked his knuckles. "Well, anyway, let's get ready to do some work! Again! With you!"
"We're only together temporarily," said Asuna. "I'd rather kill you than fight with you right now."
"Feeling's mutual," Kirito remarked.
The Dragon Knights and the ALF had already moved to engage the bull, which was on a rampage after having been provoked. It was at least five meters tall, and the whole floor seemed to shake any time its great hooves struck the ground.
"Steady as she goes, men!" Yelled Mel Gibson.
"Why does it have spikes on its hooves?!" Someone yelled back.
"I'm more curious about why it farts fire!"
Meanwhile, a cloud of windwasps was shrouding the battlefield, which had a number of support players nearly overwhelmed.
Kirito and Asuna were just fine though. They fought beautifully in tandem, even though they hated each other's guts. Maybe that rivalry of theirs fueled their abilities, each one trying to one up the other.
Speaking of which...
"Twenty-seven!" Asuna called out happily.
"Twenty-nine!" Kirito retorted. "Gotta do better than that!"
"Eat a dick!" Asuna lunged forward again, engaging two wasps at the same time. She took a bit of damage, but barely enough to be noticed, and she got a few extra needles. A few more needles for her tailoring skill she was developing.
She dropped a third one. "Thirty!"
"Thirty-three!" Kirito yelled back. He jumped again, landing his thirty fourth kill a few seconds later.
Asuna was dumbfounded. How the hell is he doing this? It's like this prick didn't have any limits. With nothing but that single sword and black coat, he was charging through the wasps with abandon, tearing them all to ribbons.
Kirito looked over at Asuna while she worked. She had some decent skill, that was for sure. Her rapier had a low DPS rating, but she made up for it by landing criticals on almost every strike. One hit was usually enough to swat a wasp out of the air.
The funny thing was that the sword simply seemed to be holding her back.
In that case, I'll have to counter with more strikes! Kirito readied his sword again and lunged into a group of six wasps. His sword flashed at incredible speed, and he slid to a stop on the other side of the wasps two seconds later. He stood dramatically, sword held out horizontally from his crouched body, as all six wasps vanished at once.
"Forty," he said, with closed eyes and a smirk.
Asuna's eyes widened. What kind of skills has he been practicing? Is this what he's been doing all this time?
"Hey Kirito," she said, an idea forming in her head. "Wanna make this interesting?"
"Oh?"
"You know that thing called 'Tremble Shortcake' they have at the restaurants?" asked Asuna.
"You mean," replied Kirito, "the cake that tastes awesome but costs more than human souls?"
"Yeah," Asuna smirked. "Cake's on the loser! Which is to say, you!"
"Meh, got nothing better to make you pay for."
As they were fighting the wasps, Kirito noticed one of them fly right past everyone and head straight for the bull. What the-?
While he watched, the wasp landed right on the bull's ass and jammed its needle right into it's skin. A second of silence followed.
Then the bull roared with such tremendous force that the air shook around them all and a jet of flame shot out of its back door, filling the air with an acrid warmth that for some reason smelled like cranberries that had been in the sun too long.
"Oh shit," muttered Asuna, pinching her nose.
The bull started thrashing around, sending a good number of players flying. However, no one was dying yet, oddly enough. What's more, the bull actually seemed to grow in size and was now nearly ten meters tall. It's eyes blazed crimson as it charged a line of players.
Kirito raised his sword. "Hey, Asuna...I'm in the mood for some prime sirloin."
"Oh hell to the no!" Asuna yelled at him. "Remember what I said?"
"Fine, fine," said Kirito, "I'll make it two steaks. Besides, we might have to work together."
"You got a plan?"
"Geniuses always do," Kirito told her mockingly. "We go for the legs."
"Shouldn't we use throwing knives or something?" Asuna asked.
Kirito looked at her with disbelief. "Pfft! That hobby skill? As if I'd humiliate myself with that." He grinned darkly. "No, we're going for the legs with our swords. We get it to charge us. You take left, I get right. You should be able to land a critical to match my overall damage output."
Asuna raised her rapier. "Sounds easy enough."
"Thing is, you gotta move when I say to," Kirito replied. "You get hit once by that bull, and you might not be able to survive the damage. We have maybe a split second."
So... Asuna thought. Let Kirito be in charge for a bit, or we die.
Asuna was weighing her options.
"FORWARD, MEN!" the guy called Orlando and his guildmates rushed forward. "WE ARE THE LEGEND BRAVES! AND OUR COURAGE KNOWS NO-AAAAHHH!"
The bull sent them all flying as it roared again.
"That was pathetic," Kirito mumbled. He and Asuna rushed forward, side by side.
"The two of them?" Kibaou asked.
The bull spotted Kirito and Asuna as they moved toward it and it prepared to charge. Then it came tearing at them as they came to a stop, swords ready.
Forty yards. The bull roared again.
Twenty. Kirito and Asuna's blades glowed.
Ten.
"NOW!" Yelled Kirito.
There was a flash. The next thing the other players saw was a bull come crashing to the ground in a shower of dirt. But only one knee had been hit.
Asuna turned quickly, red faced. "Shit! I missed." She readied her blade again.
"Health's in the red! Time to finish this!" Kirito yelled.
"Hey!" Asuna rushed toward the bull as well. It was still thrashing on the ground, its hooves, tail, and horns still flailing about and making things very dangerous for anyone in its vicinity. And now the air smelled like cinnamon soaked in vinegar.
Kirito struck. Asuna's strike landed exactly 0.046 seconds after his.
That made all the difference.
The bull vanished in a dazzling sparkle, and the 'congratulations' appeared overhead. "YES!" Yelled Kirito. "Two floor bosses finished off by yours truly! Suck on that, noobs!" He looked around. "Hey, where's my LA bonus?" He looked over at Asuna. His eyes went wide. "NOOOO!"
Asuna opened her menu.
"Miracles do happen," muttered Kirito glumly.
"Shut up," Asuna retorted.
The last attack bonus she'd gotten turned out to be well suited for her. It was a rapier, and one of the best she could acquire at this early stage. It was called a Wind Fleuret, and its accuracy and critical stats were leagues ahead of her current weapon.
"Holy shit," she said as she equipped it. The rapier was elegant, with inlaid blood grooves and a blade that shone like polished silver. "This is awesome!"
Kirito sank to his knees. "Man...that isn't my style, but it would've made for some good money."
Asuna looked down at him and noticed something. "Aww...where's your sword, little bitch?"
"It got knocked away and went flying over the cliff by a stray wasp a minute ago."
Asuna burst into laughter. "Sucks to be you!"
Kirito rolled his eyes. "I can get it back. I know a workaround with the system."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, maybe I'll rub it in your face sometime."
"Pfft, as if I even care." She grimaced at him. "Stupid beta testing nerd."
"Well, I'm gonna head to the next town," said Kirito. "Place called Taran. Hopefully I won't see you around anytime soon."
"Oh no," Asuna retorted. "We're not through yet. You and I still had a bet. So guess who's gonna be chowing down on cake while you tell her about those skills you've been working on while you've been hiding away in the shadows."
"Who says you won that bet?"
Asuna glared at him. "Rock, paper, scissors. Two out of three."
Kirito raised an eyebrow.
Four
"Go here...then here...and then to 'materialize all items'."
Kirito pushed the icon. There was a bright flash, and suddenly every item in his inventory appeared right next to their table while he sat and sipped on his tea. "Easy as that."
"Wow..." said Asuna.
"It's a last ditch method, and it's really sort of quasi-cheating, so the devs made it a bitch to find in the menu." He pulled his sword out of the pile and resheathed it.
Next Kirito looked at Asuna and then down at the cake that he'd had to sell his soul for. He grabbed a knife.
Asuna put one in his face. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"Um...eating? Preferably without being stabbed." Kirito had his hands up, but was giving her a grim look.
"You get one slice," Asuna told him darkly. "A quarter-inch!"
"Aw come on! You can't eat that much cake by yourself! Half!"
"No!" She glared at him. "If you're that insistent, then take a quarter of the cake. Anymore and I cut your fingers off."
"Okay, okay, geez," replied Kirito.
He bit into the cake.
"You know, Asuna," Kirito said later with a mouthful of cake, "that sword you just got probably won't last you past the fourth floor, even if you level it to the max." He swallowed. "Gonna have to get a new one soon."
"Fuck off, I do what I want," replied Asuna, also munching on cake.
Kirito shrugged. "Your funeral."
Asuna swallowed and glared at him. "Why are you such an asshole?"
"It's part of my charm."
"There's nothing charming about you," replied Asuna. "You are an absolute prick...and most people think you're a cheater!"
"Beater."
"Cheater, beater, shit-eater," She glared sharply, "it all fits in your description."
"Classy," Kirito replied. "Why don't you cool your amygdala? You're making a scene."
"Then let's take this outside!" She jumped up. "I got a luck bonus now, so I..." She looked at the four leaf clover symbol for a moment. "Oh wow...I got a luck bonus."
"That's from the cake, Asuna," Kirito told her lazily. "Why don't you go on a hunt with it?"
"There's no time," Asuna replied. She perked up. "I got an idea though!" She grabbed Kirito's hand and started dragging him through town.
"Asuna, what are you-?"
She dragged him all the way through town to the blacksmith who was sitting next to a building on the central street. It was Nezha, the kid who looked like a scrawny weasel.
"You! Sword! Clang-clang! Now!"
Nezha looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Huh?"
"She wants you to make her sword a plus six," Kirito explained. "You know, upgrade?"
"I have all the materials!" She opened her menu and showed him.
"Oh, wow...you have sixty-two windwasp needles?" Nezha said in awe. "Do you do anything besides hunt bugs?"
"Just do it! Five minutes left!" Asuna interjected.
"Okay," said Nezha. "Everything's in order." He got set up, starting his personal forge. The Wind Fleuret was given to his possession through item transfer, and he set to work.
The glow was bright and the sound of clanging metal rang around the street.
"It won't break, right?" Asuna asked, to no one in particular.
"There's no chance," Kirito replied, despite not being spoken to.
As Nezha struck the final clanging blow, the sword glowed brilliant white. "See, you're worrying over-"
There was a resounding crack as the Wind Fleuret shattered beneath the hammer, and a deafening silence echoed around them.
Asuna's face went white with horror, and her breathing became rattled. "K...Kumo?"
Seven-year-old Asuna squished the teddy bear she'd gotten from her mother. It was her reward for doing well on her tests. She'd named it Kumo. It was proof that she was smart, and her mother had picked it out.
So when she saw the stuffing, the bear missing an arm and a leg, lying shattered on the floor before her eyes, she was beyond devastated.
'K...Kumo?' the little girl muttered in abject horror, tears welling in her eyes.
'I'm sorry...it needed to be her.'
Needed to be her.
Needed.
To.
Be.
Her...
-END OF PART ONE-
NEXT TIME: KIRITO and ASUNA vs THE RING OF THIEVES