I am putting up a poll on my profile for the guild names I mentioned before, and a few new ones. Please, go and vote! Whichever one wins will be the name of Kirito's guild!

Also, please follow me on Twitter or join my Facebook group. The links to both are on my home page! Joining them means that you will know what is going on with various stories, so please do so!

Also, been thinking about doing a FFX and FFXIII crossover, with Lightning, Serah, Fang, and Vanille going to Spira at the beheast of Etro….what do you think? Should I do it? Should it be Tidus/multi, or remove Tidus altogether and have it be Yuna/fem-multi? Tell me what you think!

Also, I need a beta for this story! PM me if you want to volunteer, and have a good knowledge of SAO!

FINALLY, READ THE BOTTOM AN, I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION THERE!

REVIEW REPLIES!

N0mster: We already had a nice little PM chat, so I won't put it all up here, lol.

Heliosion: Thank you, and I hope it will be as well

THE Dark Dragen: I thank you for your review, and hope you don't get deleted, again, because I actually read the Dark Lord Vulcan story sometimes.

Deusand: Well, here is the MOAR MOAR MOAR! You asked for, lol. If you ever come up with something more solid than "questionable" for Ailyn, let me know, lol. Remember, Kirito will be a little OOC in this story, much of which thanks to Ailyn's influence.

Kiyomaro-kun: AH! So good to see you on another of my stories, my friend! All of your suggestions were already either in or under consideration. I need to figure out how to keep Yuuki Konno alive before she can be in -_-…lol

Dany le fou: Well, to be honest, I totally ship KiritoXAsuna as the main ship. It's just too perfect. However, so many girls have a thing for Kirito, I just had to do it. Plus, I can have so much fun with the plot if Kirito has a loyal group of comrades who are also his lovers… kinda like Claymore. It is clearly RakiXClare, but going the Harem Route just makes it so much more fun! I personally like that the other characters aren't really developed, because then I can develop them my way, although a few (Sinon, Suguha, and such) have more backround in the light novels and the manga.

Dude: Thanks for your compliment, but as for the guild name (while that does sound kind of epic, ot be honest) I wanted to do something that reflects on the life in SAO. For instance, Aegis means a strong protection (i.e. a strong protection of fellow players). Shattered Chains and Freedom's Call are, I think, rather obvious in their meaning, lol. Finally, Hand of Sorrow. While it may sound like a PK guild, it is actually a reference to the song of the same name by Within Temptation. Go look up the lyrics, and you might see what I mean! The other options are based off of song names.

Arashigan16: All my stories have OC's, or at least most of them, because it spices things up. I do, however, take the time to ensure that the OC's are as well crafted as possible. I thank you for your faith in me!

God of all: thank you, I am continuing it right now, and enjoy!

Xbamsod: heh heh heh heh! It won't change much right of the bat, but it will change a great deal soon enough!

ToumaFF: Like I said to xbamsod, it won't change a lot right away, but it will have several large AU bits along with the bare minimum of the canon story line.

Crow667: You honor me with your words. The fact that you have such a high opinion of my work is very nice to hear!

NOTE! AU ELEMENTS PRESENT IN THIS CHAPTER! NO LIKE, NO READ!

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Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter Two

Illfang's Fall

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Kirito and Ailyn, now both level twelve, sat on the stone benches of the small amphitheater in the small town of Misha, a little over two dozen other players arrayed around them. It had been a month since the revelation of the true nature of Sword Art Online, and more than two thousand lives had already been lost out of the initial ten thousand. Yet, despite the efforts of dozens of players and parties, the first floor boss room had yet to be discovered. Now, however, there was finally going to be a meeting, and a plan would be made.

"Okay, let's get started, everybody!" a bluenette in basic armor with a sword on his hip and a small shield on his back was saying from where he stood before them all. "Thank you all for coming today! My name is Diabel, and I like to consider my "job" as Knight!" He rapped his knuckles on his breastplate with a broad grin as he finished speaking.

The attempt to ease the tension succeeded, for the most part, as the entire watching crowd laughed aloud, several speaking up.

"There is no Job System in this game!"

"A Knight?"

"You should take this seriously!"

"So, then is this meeting a joke too?"

Diabel simply held up is arms for silence before becoming very serious indeed, his eyes hardening slightly as he looked around at them all.

"Today, my party and I found the boss room at the top of the tower."

His words received a reaction appropriate to their weight, every player-Kirito and Ailyn included- lean forward unconsciously.

"Eh? Seriously?"

"It's about time!"

"I thought no one would ever find it!"

"We need to defeat this boss so that we can all advance to the second floor, and show everyone waiting back there in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible for us to beat this game, and to be free! All of use, here, share this duty! Are you with me?!" Diabel continued, his voice growing louder and stronger as he spoke, clenching his right hand into a fist in front of himself, looking around at them all with fire in his eyes, although there was a hint of desperation there, too.

A desperation that all of them knew all too well.

It began with one player, and slowly spread until the entire group was applauding and cheering the blue-haired 'Knight's' words. Several players even whistled loudly, and Diabel smiled around at them with relief and joy in his expression.

"All right! Let's begin planning this out then! First, everyone divide into parties of six!" Even as Diabel continued speaking, the players did as he said and began forming groups. "An ordinary party stand no chance against the boss, We need a full up raid group for this!"

Kirito and Ailyn looked around, wondering if there were any partial groups. There weren't, and they were prepared to declare themselves as a small, back-up unit, when Ailyn caught sight of a cloaked young women sitting by herself further down the row, the long hilt of a rapier jutting out from above her left hip..

"Kirito, let's get that girl into our group. It will increase our survivability, and maybe we could invite her once we form a guild, if she is good enough." Ailyn whispered into her friend's ear, who looked over at the cloaked girl appraisingly. And maybe you can gain another friend, someone else you can trust in this hellhole. God knows, we all need as many friends as we can get now. (A/N: Remember to vote for the name on my profile!)

"I don't know about this whole guild idea, Ailyn…" he murmured back, and Ailyn shook her head.

"I told you, I won't let you be a recluse anymore. Get used to the idea." She said with a grin, tugging him out of his seat and over to the girl. Sitting down next to her, she smiled warmly at the girl. "Hey, my name is Ailyn. My friend and I were wondering if you had gotten left out?"

"No, I didn't. Everyone seemed to know each other already, so I figured that I would just stay out of the way." The girl replied, her voice soft and sweet, and Ailyn's smile grew.

"Ah, a solo player. My friend and I duo, but why don't you join our group?" she asked, and the girl looked at her in surprise from beneath her cloak's hood. Ailyn noticed and continued. "Diabel said we can't beat this thing solo. Being in a group will increase your odds of survival, because we can cover you if you need to heal."

The girl seemed to think about it for a moment, before nodding slowly in agreement. Kirito quickly opened up his menu and sent her an invite, which was promptly accepted. Immediately, the Party section of the HUD expanded as another health bar appeared, and both Ailyn and Kirito looked at the name beside it.

"Asuna, huh…it is a pleasure to meet you, Asuna. We looked forward to fighting by your side." Ailyn bowed her head slightly in greeting, a gesture that Asuna returned.

"Okay, have you formed your parties?" Diabel asked, seeing that the chatter had died down and that most of the players were looking at him again. At the various sounds of agreement, he smiled and nodded. "Alright! Now then…"

"Just a second!" a loud and obnoxious voice yelled, interrupting him. Everyone turned to see middle-aged fellow with spiky light-brown hair standing at the top of the amphitheater steps. He jumped down from bench row to bench row until he skidded to a halt next to Diabel, who was looking at him with a surprised and confused expression. "My name's Kibaou. I wanna say something before we take on the boss!"

Diabel blinked at the man, but good-naturedly gestured for him to go ahead and say what he wanted to say. Turning to the crowd, Kibaou posted his hands on his hips with an angry expression.

"Some of you here need to apologize to the two thousand players who have died so far!" he yelled, pointing a finger in condemnation at the group as a whole, who murmured in surprise.

"Kibaou, are you talking about the beta testers?" Diabel asked carefully, and Kibaou nodded choppily.

"Of course I am! On the day this stupid game started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and then they all just disappeared! Taking all the good hunting spots, and easy quests for themselves, so that they could get stronger faster than us! Then, they just ignored us!"

His face took on a dark scowl, and Ailyn shivered slightly as he raked the stands with his eyes, carefully examining each player with malicious eyes.

"I'm sure someone here was in the beta! They should get on their knees and apologize, and then give us all the items and gold that they have! Otherwise, how can we trust them as party members?"

The crowd murmured their discontent, several players staring at the loudmouth in disbelief. Was he a complete moron? Demanding that players hand over their hard-earned items and money?

"May I speak?" an older male voice, slow, strong, and deep came from the crowd as a large bald black man got to his feet. At least six feet tall and broad-shouldered, his physique perfectly matched the large battle-axe that was slung over his back. He calmly walked up in front of Kibaou, who was forced to bend his head back as the other man towered over him. "My name is Agil. Kibaou, tell me if I hear you correctly. You're saying that, because the beta testers were not watching over them for every moment, it is the fault of those beta testers that everyone who has died, died? That the beta testers should take responsibility, apologize, and compensate those still alive?"

"Y-yeah, that's right!" Kibaou said loudly, clearly feeling off-balanced that someone was not immediately agreeing with him.

"Hn." Agil grunted as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small brown book. "You got this guide book, right? It's free at any item shop."

"O-of course I did!" Kibaou replied, not entirely sure where the large man was going. "Why?"

"The entire book was written by a beta tester, using information freely given by other beta testers." Agil said calmly, and the watching crowd shifted, surprised. Many had not known that, and it certainly did not paint beta testers in an ill light if they were creating such a helpful item. Kibaou gritted his teeth angrily, seeing that he was losing what support his idea might have had from the crowd. Agil turned his back to the brown-haired man, and faced the crowd. "Listen to me. Everyone has and had equal access to this information. Yet, many, many players have died. I had thought that what we were here to talk about was how to learn from their deaths, and how we can defeat the boss. To get one step closer to freedom. Do not lay the blame on the beta testers. Lay the blame upon those who did not heed the warnings of those who knew how to live."

Agil turned his gaze back to Kibaou for a long moment, his expression daring the troublemaker to disagree. He didn't take, the dare, instead scoffing in annoyance and going to sit down in the front row. Agil nodded slightly to Diabel and returned to his own seat.

"Al right, then! Let's resume!" Diabel said after a moment of silence, pulling his own copy of the guide bok out of his pocket. He held it up slightly, making sure everyone could see it. "This is the newest edition of the Guide Book, and it contains strategic information on the boss."

The crowed murmured their surprise and their pleasure. Advanced information and warnings when going into a boss fight, or any fight of any kind, is a very good thing indeed.

"Now, according to this, the boss is called 'Illfang the Kobold Lord'. He has several minion-type monsters protecting him, called 'Ruin Kobold Knights'. He is equipped with an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one enters the red zone, he will switch to a large sword-type weapon called a Talwar. He will also change his attack and defense pattern, so we will have to be prepared to change our own quickly. The best idea will to surround him at that point, and attack from all sides. That should give us an advantage."

"Wow…"

"This guide book thing is amazing!"

"Yeah, I need to read mine more, I guess."

"Same here."

"That concludes the briefing." Diabel flipped the guide book shut and put it away. "Now, item distribution will be handled by the system. Of course, the majority of the experience that comes from defeating the boos will go to the party of whoever lands the last blow, but don't do anything stupid to make sure you get the last hit! This game is truly deadly now, and no amount of EXP or items is good enough to die for. Any objections or questions?"

The amphitheatre was silent for a long moment, and Diabel nodded firmly.

"Alright then, we leave for the boss room at ten in the morning. Get some sleep, double check your gear! See you all there!"

The crowd broke up, several going down to talk to Diabel, while others headed out to train, item farm, or check out the marketplaces. All of them wanted to be as prepared as humanly possible. After all, they all wanted to stay alive.

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The clearing party, gather together once more (for the most part) in the small central square talked and relaxed together, getting to know one another. Several players watched and cheered as Diabel and Kibaou engaged in a drinking contest, despite that the inability to get drunk.

Out of sight, on the wall of a stone planter that was in the shadows of a road leading off of the square, sat Asuna, a bread roll in her hands. Biting into it, she was forced to jerk her head back sharply in a tearing motion to get any of it into her mouth, and then had to chew hard before she was able to swallow it.

"It's pretty tasty, isn't it?" a voice asked quietly, and Asuna turned to see the black-haired young man whose group she had joined for the raid standing there, smiling slightly. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"If you want." Asuna replied softly, stealing a glance as he sat down. Some might have described his looks as feminine, but to her they seemed equal parts strong and gentle and she blushed lightly, glad for the darkness of the street and her hood so that he couldn't see it. She shifted further away from him hastily, wondering why she felt so shy and so embarrassed, but the boy seemed to take no notice nor offense. He merely reached into a pocket and pulled out his own bread roll, prompting Asuna to look towards him slightly. "Do you really think that this tastes good?"

"Of course, I've eaten at least one a day since arriving in this town. Although, I try to switch it up sometimes." He replied, and Asuna cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Switch it up?" she echoed curiously, and Kirito smiled that small smiel again as he pulled out a small brown jar and placed it as close to her as he could.

"Put some on the bread, and you'll see what I mean." He said, and Asuna hesitantly reached out and tapped the top of the jar. Her fingers gained a white glow about them, and she slowly ran them over her bread. Immediately, a spread of cream appeared on the roll, and she blinked in surprise.

"Cream?" she said slowly, the word both a question and a statement at the same time. Looking over at the raven-haired swordsmen, she saw him taking a large bite out of his own cream-covered roll. Looking back at her won, she lifted it slowly up to her mouth, hesitated, and took a tentative bite. Her eyes immediately brightened in pleasure. It actually tasted good! Really good! She quickly demolished the rest of the roll and let out a happy sigh.

"It's the reward for a quest called "The Heifer Strikes Back", about one town back. If you want to complete it, I can show you the trick?" Kirito offered, and she was strongly tempted to accept the offer, so much so that shaking her head was almost impossible.

"No, thank you. I didn't come to this town to eat good food." She said softly, and Kirito eyed her calmly.

"Why did you then?" were his next words.

"So that I can still be me. I would rather be myself and fight until the very end rather than sit and rot away in fear at an inn, back in the first town. Even if I get killed by a monster, I don't want to lose to this so-called game, to this world. No matter what, I want to be myself." Asuna told him softly, but with a hint of steel in her tone.

"Well, you won't die with us, so don't worry." Ailyn said as she walked up, smiling brightly at the pair of them, though she was somewhat irritated with the large amount of space that they had put between each other. "Just stick with us and focus on the fight. Don't let thoughts or doubts cloud your judgment. Feel, don't think."

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The next morning, the raid group was following Diabel through a forest area to the base of the tower, each determined to do their part and to stay alive. While Diabel, Kibaou, and their squad was in the front, Asuna, Ailyn, and Kirito had opted to stay towards the back during the long march.

"Let's go over this one more time. We leftovers are supposed to deal with the boss's sidekicks, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels." Kirito was saying to the pair of them.

"I know." Asuna said softly, while Ailyn simply nodded in agreement.

"Ailyn will take their first hit on her shield, then I will sue a sword skill on their pole axes to knock them aside. Then, you switch in and finish them off." He continued, and Asuna looked at him in confusion.

"Switch?" she asked, and both her companions stopped in their tracks, forcing her to do the same.

"Is this the first time you've been in a party, Asuna?" Ailyn asked, and sighed when the other girl nodded slowly. "Troublesome. Listen, switching means that you move to the front of the party and perform a move. It's not really a complicated thing, or an actual function of the game, it's just your party member's way of telling you to make your move. It helps with the teamwork."

"I see…tell me what else I need to know about fighting in a party while we walk…" Asuna asked softly, and the pair nodded while Ailyn smiled a faint smile. This girl was smart, learning what she could. Hopefully, she would stay alive.

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"Alright, everyone! This is it, the boss room! Remember, stay with your squads, pop healing potions as much as you need to, and protect each other. Stay alive!" Diabel said from where he stood before the large stone double doors that led into the boss room. "Let's go!"

Turning around, he pushed lightly on the massive stone panels, activating the doors and causing them to swing open. His squad carefully paced in behind him, shields and weapons ready. The darkness of the room was menacing in and of itself, and that only grew worse than a pair of demonic red eyes opened at the far end. At the same time, the room became filled with light that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. The light revealed Illfang the Kobold Lord sitting on a large throne at the end of the room, his axe leaning against the arm of the throne. Growling, he grabbed the axe and jumped from the dais, landing on the floor a few dozen yards away from the raid group. He let out a menacing roar as his four health bars appeared on the group's HUDs, and pixilated light particles appeared and coalesced into a trio of Ruin Knight Sentinels. Each one was wearing full plate armor and carrying a large, two-handed mace in their hands. After a moment, the trio of Sentinels lead the charge with the boss just behind them.

"Commence the attack!" Diabel yelled, thrusting his sword at the oncoming monsters, and the raid group counter-charged with a roar, weapons already beginning to glow as the players prepared their skills.

The two sides slammed into each other in a collision of steel and sound as the battle of the first boss began in earnest.

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Steel clashed against steel as the raid group engaged the boss party. At least a dozen players surrounded the boss while the others battled its minions, which appeared to be endless. Every time one fell, another rose in its place, ensuring that boss couldn't be swarmed by the players all together.

"Squad A! Squad C! Switch out and heal!" Diabel ordered from his place towards the rear of the battle. Illfang roared and hefted its axe high into the air, catching Diabel's eye. "Here he comes! Squad B intercept and block! Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch in! Attack from the sides…now! Squad D, E, and F, keep holding those Sentinels off our backs!"

"Roger that!" Kirito yelled back as Ailyn intercepted yet another Ruin Knight Sentinels mace strike. Darting around her, he swiped his glowing blade upwards, knocking its mace aside. "Switch, Asuna! Take it down."

"Right!" was the girl's reply, as she darted around both and charged with incredible speed as her rapier began to shine bright green. "Strike, third technique!" She unleashed her Blade Barrage on her off-balance prey, shattering it into a cloud of pixels.

She's so damn fast. Even my eyes can barely follow her blade. I guess she isn't the rookie we thought she was. Kirito thought to himself as they waited for their next target to spawn.

She's incredible for someone who wasn't a beta tester. She would be perfect for the guild, once I get Kirito to start it. Ailyn thought to herself with a small smile, as another Ruin Knight Sentinel spawned. All of a sudden, the Ruin Knight Sentinels stopped as Illfang roared loudly and snapped his fangs at the raid group. Kirito quickly looked over and saw that his final health bar had hit the red, which meant he would be changing weapons and tactics now. It growled again and threw its axe and buckler aside.

"Looks like the information was correct…" Kibaou said with a grin, holding his sword ready. The fight was almost over now, and no one had fallen yet. They were almost through this.

"Stand back, I will go!" Diabel yelled suddenly, running past the group towards the boss.

We were supposed to surround it and attack it together as a group. What the hell is he doing? Kirito thought to himself, looking at the blue-haired man. As if sensing his gaze, Diabel turned his head slightly so that he was looking half at Kirito and smirked. A moment later, he was standing before the boss, his sword shining with a gold-yellow light.

The boss grabbed the hilt of the large weapon slung across it's back and drew it, holding it straight out from its side. Kirito gasped at the sight and cursed.

No! That isn't a Talwar! That's a Nodachi! It's different from the beta test! He's gonna get killed!

"No! GET BACK! Jump back as fast as you can!" he yelled towards the bluenette, catching Kibaou's attention even as Diabel ignored him and charged the boss with a yell. Before Diabel got within a few feet of the boss, Illfang leapt upwards, bouncing from pillar to pillar, before ricocheting off of the ceiling and smashing into the ground before Diabel, its sword glowing purple and biting deep into the swordsmen's chest. As he went flying back, the boss Charged and cut him again, sending his body flying across the room.

"DIABEL!" Kibaou screamed, but before he-or anyone else- could help Illfang landed in the midst of the group and roared, his teeth mere inches from Kibaou's face.

"Diabel! Asuna, Ailyn, cover us!" Kirito yelled, running over to the fallen warrior and kneeling next to him while the two girls put their backs to him, protecting his rear. Pulling out a health potion, he tried to hand it to Diabel. "Why did you try to go in alone?"

"You were…a beta tester, weren't you?" Diabel said haltingly, his breathing and speech clearly labored as he pushed the potion away. "You know what I was doing, then."

"You were after the last strike rare bonus item." He said slowly in understanding, wondering why the warrior wasn't taking the potion. "You were a beta tester to?"

"Please…" Diabel gasped with a slight nod, clearly on his last legs, looking over at the battling players, who were fighting hard against the boss. "Defeat…defeat the boss…for everyone…"

With that, Diabel shattered into pixels in his arms, leaving Kirito and several other players who saw watching in horror as the pixels slowly faded into nothingness. It was then that Kirito truly realized just how terrible this world really was. Sure, he had seen the "Memorial Stone" that showed all the players who had died, including how and when, but he had never seen anyone actually die before, in this world or the real one, and he was just now coming to understand as the veil of innocence was well and truly banished. Diabel…you were a beta tester, but you never abandoned the beginners. You led everyone, and fought brilliantly! You tried to do what I couldn't-or wouldn't- do! I will not let you die in vain!

Kirito rose to his feet and turned towards the boss, eyes hard and face set in determination. Ailyn noticed and was quickly by her friend's side.

"We're going in." Kirito said calmly, and Ailyn nodded in acceptance. A moment later, Asuna was on Kirito's other side, rapier ready.

"Not without me. I'm going with you as well." She said, ironclad resolve in her soft voice.

"Alright. Ailyn, take point. Asuna, you and I will protect her flanks. Use the same tactics that we used on the minions. Ready?" Kirito said in an authoritative voice, and both girls responded together.

"Yes."

Kirito waited for a brief instant until the path to the boss was clear, and then all three raced forwards together, as if an invisible signal had been sent. The boss' first slash was intercepted by Ailyn, who stepped back as Kirito spun around and past her with the grace of a dancer, sword shining a brilliant sapphire as he smashed the boss' own gleaming white blade aside, leaving him open to Asuna' barrage of rapid sword strikes. The boss' eyes gleamed suddenly, and Kirito's eyes widened in fear.

"Asuna! Step back, and to the left!" he yelled, and Asuna immediately obeyed his commands, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two by the hammering sword strike from Illfang. Her cloak, however, was shredded, revealing Asuna to be a beautiful auburn-haired, topaz-eyed young woman a little older than Kirito. Her eyes locked onto the boss, her lips drawing back in a faint snarl of defiance and anger as her sword blazed a bright pink as she unleashed Linear Strike, sending the boss flying sideways. Kirito watched in awe of both her skills and her beauty for a long moment before the roar and thundering footsteps of a charging Illfang regained his attention.

"He's coming back!" he yelled, twirling his sword slightly in preparation to attack.

"It looks like we have his attention! Let's Blitz him, hard and fast! Kirito!" Ailyn shouted, and Kirito nodded tightly. The Blitz was a collaboration move he and Ailyn had created, intended for Ailyn to rock a target back on its feet before Kirito dashed in with his speed and eviscerate it. It was designed for large groups of mobs (monsters) and, as luck would have it, bosses.

"Asuna! Hard and fast, don't let up! Your most powerful strikes!" he called, and Asuna nodded tightly as the two swordsmen took their places to the sides and just behind Ailyn. "Ailyn, go!"

"Right! Charging Lunge!" Ailyn cried out, putting her shield back and thrusting her lance forward. A moment later, she was streaking towards the boss with impressive speed. Her lance smashed into the boss, knocking it back a few steps. The instant its feet were still again, Ailyn was already on it. Onslaught!, Shield Barrage!, and last but not least, Lockdown Blow!."

Ailyn's lance seemed to blur, pummeling the boss repeatedly, preventing it from retaliating, before she smashed it three times with her shield, before finishing off with an enhanced strike to one of its legs. The system immediately accepted the debilitating attack and slowed the boss' movement speed by 15%, making it something akin to a sitting duck to people as fast as Kirito and Asuna. She immediately leapt back, leaving Kirito and Asuna an open approach on the boss.

"My turn! Vorpal Strike!, Flashing Penetrator!, Reaver!, and Backstab!." Kirito darted in, sword flashing in the light of the boss room as he unleashed his own fury upon the boss, first with a single, well-placed and high speed attack, followed by a series of rapid, shallower cuts. Landing, he unleashed a vicious, leaping uppercut that carried him above the boss. Landing on its back, he plunged his sword into its thick skin before leaping off, spinning in midair to land facing the boss. Again, the system recorded the debilitating strike, and lowered the boss' attack and speed by 15%.

"Alright! Flashing Penetrator!, Linear Strike!, and Blade Barrage!." Asuna cried out, sending her own hurricane of blows into the boss, sending it staggering as its health bar dropped rapidly.

The end result of the party's triple barrage of attacks was that the boss was down to 300 HP (Health Points), and stuck in the middle of the triangle that the trio had created, with themselves as the three points. The other players watched in muted awe at the three players who had, seemingly, smashed the boss with relative ease, leaving it close (relatively speaking) to death

Damn them! The must be beta testers! Those bastards! I'm not going to let them take the glory, or the items! I'll finish this myself! Kibaou growled to himself mentally, before charging the boss with a cry, his sword beginning to shine with energy as he prepared to unleash his most powerful attack.

"Stop, Kibaou! What are you doing?" he heard Agil yell from behind him, but the brunette ignored the dark skinned man and continued his charge.

Kirito's eyes narrowed as he looked at the charging Kibaou, and the boss. While he didn't care if Kibaou got the last hit bonus item or not, the boss was being too passive. It was just sitting there, so what in the world could it be…?

His question was answered as the boss suddenly shone with a red light, and seemed to grow before their eyes. Its body bulged as muscles became visibly larger. The debuffs that Kirito and Ailyn had laid on it vanished as it howled to the heavens.

Shit! It berserked! This never happened in the beta! I never even knew that SAO had a berserk function for bosses! Kirito hissed angrily as the boss counter-charged Kibaou, his movement having attracted its wrath. The image of Diabel dying in his arms flashed through his mind, and he gritted his teeth angrily and shook his head. I don't let anyone else die!

Decision made, he poured on all of his speed and dashed in front of Kibaou, kicking the man away even as Illfang's glowing purple blade swept down on them. Kibaou yelled out in shock as he went flying away, while Kirito let out a scream of pain as the glowing Nodachi bit into him, cutting an enormous gash across his chest and sending him flying backwards into Asuna, knocking both to the ground.

SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC

Asuna groaned as she shook her head slightly with a wince, smarting slightly from the speed and force that Kirito had hit her with when they collided. Glancing down at him, her eyes flew open and she let out a soft gasp of fear.

Kirito was hanging onto life by a thread. He had a mere 25 health points remaining. If the boss so much as blew hot air at him, he would die instantly. For some reason, one that she didn't really have the time to think about, the idea of Kirito dying terrified her.

"Kirito! Come on, don't die! Drink this potion, qu…ickly…" Asuna said frantically, holding out a health potion, her voice stuttering off at the end as massive shadow loomed over the pair. She looked up fearfully, to see that it was Illfang, surrounded by the red aura that indicated Berserk mode, his massive sword starting to fall. Asuna, instead of dodging and saving herself, grabbed her rapier and held it overhead to block, in a likely futile attempt to save Kirito.

"RAGH!" a deep voice roared as a green streak of light flew over the pair, smashing their incoming death away. There stood Agil, battle-axe still shining green and outstretched behind and above his shoulder from the massive blow he had used to save their lives. The man turned to Asuna, glanced at Kirito, and grinned. "Heal him up, girl! We will hold it off until the kid is back on his feet and you three can finish it off!"

The boss leaped backwards, landing hard with one clawed hand digging furrows in the marble floor of the room, sword held out by its side, and roared angrily, clearly displeased with losing its prey. As Asuna put the health potion to Kirito's lips, Ailyn appeared next to them, and Agil's party charged with a roar, Agil storming after them, brandishing his axe and giving a loud war cry. The boss rumbled in fury as it was forced to hold its sword in front of its head and hunker down under the hail of blows smashing into its guard as Agil and his party gave it everything they had.

Alas, it was not enough to break the beast's guard. It stomped hard on the ground and spun its blade, the pressure throwing the attacking players back, and then it leapt into the air, sword glowing. Kirito gasped, recognizing the move that had resulted in Diabel's death. Except this time, and entire party-that had saved his life, and that of Asuna- would be the ones too die. Grabbing his sword, he lunged to his feet.

"WATCH OUT!" he roared, holding his sword over his back as it began to shine. Down the boss came, howling its triumph, and Kirito's eyes narrowed. "Not if I hit you first! Skyward Scythe!." He unleashed his skill, flashing into the heavens to intercept the boss in midair, landing a heavy blow to its midsection. The boss was knocked off course, and it plummeted to the ground, thankfully not landing on any players. Kirito hit the ground and rolled back onto his feet, charging towards the boss. "Asuna, Ailyn! One more Blitz is all we need. In position!"

"Roger that! On point!" Ailyn acknowledged, leveling her lance at the boss and charging once more, shield before her as she swept towards it like an unstoppable juggernaut.

"I have the left side!" Asuna cried as she fell into step beside Kirito.

The boss clambered to its feet, snarling in defiance as it faced the oncoming trio of players. Its sword came up, and began to shine as once again a sword skill was charged in preparation to unleash death. Ailyn smashed into the boss like a hammer, sending both of them reeling back, horribly of balance and vulnerable. Fortunately for Ailyn, and unfortunately for the boss, Ailyn had friends that the boss didn't. Kirito and Ailyn swept in, blades flashing as they unleashed a barrage of sword skills on the boss. The fight finally ended when Kirito cut its head in half length-wise with a vicious downswing, and Ailyn impaled it in the stomach at the same time. The boss gave a final howl of defiance before finally, finally, exploding into a shower of pixels, flying into the air before vanishing.

SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC

The boss room was silent for a long, long moment, as the players watched the cloud of pixels slowly disperse and vanish. Finally, it seemed to sink in to them.

"We-we did it!" one player shouted in mingled surprise and joyful excitement. His words proved to be a capable catalyst, as the entire raid group began to cheer loudly as a large 'CONGRATULATIONS!' System Notice appeared in white lettering over the entire group, small windows popping up before each that told them what they had gained from the battle. Most gained EXP and some money, but Kirito and Ailyn received a shock.

HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!

ACHIEVMENT: DOUBLE TAP! TWO PLAYERS LANDED EQUAL STRENGTH KILLING BLOWS ON THE BOSS AT THE SAME TIME! BOTH WILL RECEIVE A LAST HIT ITEM!

Kirito's window went on to announce that he had received a Coat of Midnight, while Ailyn received a Sword-breaker's Bulwark.

"Hey, that was incredible, all three of you. It looked like you've worked together for a long time." Agil said, coming up to the trio, who turned to him. Asuna decided to answer.

"I never met them before yesterday, actually. Thank you for saving my life." She said softly, and Kirito nodded in agreement.

"And mine as well, and thank you for the potion, Asuna. I thought I was a goner for sure." He said, holding his hand out to the man, who shook it.

"It was the right thing to do. We're all in this together." The tall man replied with a smile. The other raid members cheered as the trio and Agil rejoined them, many congratulating them on their skills and for slaying the boss, although they were quick to say that everyone had done their part, and it had been Diabel's leadership that made the victory possible.

"WHY! WHY DID YOU LET DIABEL DIE?" Kibaou shouted suddenly with fury, glaring at them, making the entire rest of the raid group look between them in surprise. What was Kibaou talking about?

Kirito, Ailyn, and Agil's eyes narrowed angrily while Asuna looked at the brunette with suspicion. It looks like Kibaou was trying to start trouble again, but what, and why?

SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC

That's a wrap for this chapter, and the important question I have is this: should Agil, Asuna, Ailyn, and Kirito manage to convince the other players that the beta testers are, by and large, not to be feared and hated? OR should they accept the role of Beater like in canon? I'm leaning towards them humiliating the idiot and everyone walks away happy (except Kibaou), but what do you think! Tell me in a review or a PM, and don't forget to do the poll for the guild names!

See you Next Time!

Shadows of Vanity