disclaimer: I don't own SAO

After five months we had made great progress we had made it to floor 16. the dungeons got harder and longer every floor but we managed to complete every floor with minimal casualties. It seemed harder to level each floor as well, my level was now 32 I was the highest leveled highest leveled character in SAO this made my dusk goggles a lot better because they scaled with level. I wore them on my forehead. Not many knew that I was, just me and my info broker. I had more time to grind then most people because I don't sleep as much as other people. I had enough time in a bed and I didn't come to SAO to sleep, death game or not, this is reality now.

I was in the floor 15 dungeon and thankfully it was a field dungeon. I was slaying mobs when an armored player approached me. He had red armor that had a white outline to it. Once he approached me I noticed that he was not alone. He had a group of at least thirty players behind him. The first thing I thought was that the guy was popular. The second was that I didn't know what he wanted with me. I raised my hand to my cheek to gesture a greeting

"Llo." I mummer before I turned away and went back to my grinding. I didn't know what he wanted but none of it had to do with me.

The man caught up with me again with a regal face that had a hint of irritation.

"Hello Zen Kara, my names Hiefgliph leader of the knights of the blood oath~"

"Don't care bye" I continued to my next mob, but this man was persistent and it was getting on my nerves. After a second of him following me I stopped and stared at him in the eye so I could get this over with an get back to my world.

"What do you want?" I said with an irritated mumble

Through all of the chasing I put him through he was able to keep his composure.

"Fine..." His face turned to one of harshness like he was rethinking his action "we are the number one guild in Ancrad right now I would like you to join. You could be of great help with~"

"No thanks" I interrupted. This caused a awkward moment of silence followed by the crowed behind Hiefgliph outraging. I kept my calm and raised my hand to wave him Off. His face was now one of disappointment.

"Well that's too bad" he started to walk away when there was a hand in the crowd that was raised

"What is it?" Hiefgliph turned to the crowd. The crowd started to rustle a bit until a girl with long green hair and a white jump suit popped out.

"We can't give up that easily!" The girl shouted in an unneeded tone. The girl charged at a high speed to me and grabbed my hand.

"Leave him to me! Chief Hief!" She shouted as she raised the hand that was holding mine. I started to struggle but her grip was locked, it felt like only a buzz-saw would Be able to free me.

"Fine I'll give you three days Lexi." Hiefgliph said as he left His helper behind. Excited that she got premition she started bouncing up and down, pushing me and pulling me. It hurt I-I just wanted to RAH

"LET GO!"

Day one

What can I say about Lexi... Highly annoying, really bubbly, doesn't know when to shut up. Lexi followed me throughout my grinding leaching experience and hasn't stopped talking since Hiefgliph left her with me. I can see why he didn't stop to think about her going with me. What was he trying to do anyways? Torture me into joining the knights? Anyways Lexi was none stop about why I should join the knights and what they do. I only caught a bit of it. I caught that Asuna was the second in command, and that they needed me... Really... Really... Really! Badly. Even though I was happy for Asuna for following Kirito's advice. I couldn't help but wonder... Why the knights of the blood oath?

"You even listening!" Lexi yelled a little upset throwing her arms to the side and stomping on the ground.

"No" I replied still moving "I don't get how you can be so persistent." I speed up. She caught up I'm no time and jumped in front of me.

"Because I have to get you on our side!"

"And how are you going to do that in only three days?"

"I'm just going to keep bugging you for all three days an if that fails I'm going to use my secret weapon!" She raised her fist to the air and shut her eyes for dramatic effect.

"Secret weapon? What's that?"

"Shhhhh it's a secret." I put her finger on my mouth

When we finally found the inn that I was staying at we entered. It was a very unpopular inn that nobody goes to because its small, ugly, and costs the same amount that every other inn costs. The inn had no matching colors with a design of green and red. It was a holiday inn for Christmas. The fact that no one comes to this inn made it perfect for me since I'm not much of a people person. When I went in my first sight was a counter with an NPC behind it. Behind the NPC were wooden cubbies that held keys.

"I would like to stay the night." I walked up to the inn NPC

"Alright that will be~"

"I don't care I'll just buy every room there is tonight." I transferred the money to the NPC's account and went on my way.

The inn was a two story building with only actual rooms on the second floor. As I got up the stairs I stopped right in front of the closest door. I have to take care of something before I thought to my self as I turned around.

"I'm going to bed now see you tomorrow." I waved her off, but she just stood there. Did she not understand?

She put her hands at her hip and leaned back to puff out her chest and show authority

"I'm not going annn~"

"Night" I shut the door on her. I looked back to my room to see a generic room with only two beds. The walls were covered in red and green wall paper.

"Let me in." Lexi cried out from outside the room.

"Sorry don't want to! And even if I did there is only one bed in this room." Saying that put a smile toy face.

"Fine I'll go get my own room for the night!" I heard stomping telling me that she was going down stairs to go get the key. To bad I own all the rooms. I thought as I went onto my be to enjoy a nice night of sleep. I give her two days till she gives up.

Day 2

I was hired to help players fill in a map and Lexi had to come along.

"Can't believe you made me sleep outside..." She mumbled grumpily. I ignored her. Floor sixteen was a dessert dungeon. It was pure sand that ranged from maintain to maintain with no boss door in sight. The monsters here were armored lizard men, some with swords and others with spears. They had the ability sand travel. This ability was scary because it allows mobs to travel underneath the sand and Get sneak attacks on players. Mobs also can group and group underneath the sand and cause a monster trap. Once a player steps near those mobs they all surface making a deadly one vs forty fight which is Unwinnable. We had to watch out for those and every few feet with a throw of a rock. Lexi had a huge investment in accuracy so she had nailed every rock that she had thrown. We had to keep walking and paying attention, But when I looked at we she looked saddened. The smile that was always on her face wasn't there anymore.

"I don't get it..." She talked to her self in a quite tone.

"What don't you get?" I stopped my march and turned towards Lexi.

"Do you not want to complete the game?" She looked on me with eyes that told me that she doesn't know what to do anymore "The knights of the blood oath was a guild made to clear the game with the help of the greatest players." She turned her attention away from me and towards the ground "I had family and friends out in the real world. I want to get back to that..." She turn towards me with anger in her eyes "Don't you have a life outside as well!"

She just then pulled a very thin cord. I turned away from her and started walking. "No. I don't have a life outside this game. In fact I don't care if we stay here."

Once I was far away I started thinking. What does she know about me?! Ha! a life outside!. I tightened my grin with anger, but then loosened it as a tears fell from my eyes. It hit me how much I missed my sister and I remembered that she is in the outside world waiting for me to come back. She was the only reason I cared to log off for. I guess everyone in here has some to go back to huh?... At least most people.

"Ahhhhh!" I heard a scream from back where I separated from Lexi. Then it thought "Lexi is in trouble!" She didn't know why we were throwing the rocks!

I ran to her aid. It took a minute but I made it before it was to late. The air had a red tint to it and she was surrounded be at least 30 lizard men all bunched up in a group all around her. Her health was already below 40%. I charged into battle with sword in hand loading a skill. I slashed horizontally and cut through three lizard men. Once the data was not wasting space I charged into the pit of lizards slashing and stabbing. I had killed at least 6 before made it to Lexi. She nearing 20%.

"Don't go giving up on me now! Use your teleport crystal!"

She looked towards me with worry in her eyes "I can't!"

"What!" I said as I slashed a lizard that jumped at us. Why can't she teleport. Kiaba! What did you do!

"Looks like we have to kill every single one! I told her and she got into a ready position.

"Do you have any health potions?" I asked her

"No"

"Me neither so don't get hit!"

Lexi didn't fight with a sword. She threw sharpened pebbles with an insane accuracy stat. I could tell that it was actually a very effective way to battle to. She threw a pebble and staggered a lizard it. I then rammed the staggered lizard threw the stomach. Once the lizard was gone five more tried to jump me. This was a bad spot because I can only kill three in the position they're in. I was bond to take damage. I slashed horizontally again to kill three. The two who weren't killed hadn't damaged me yet. I turned and then saw that where they were, they were replaced with dead clumps of data.

"Wooohoooo!" Lexi jumped for joy at the two kills she made happen.

"Grats" I told her as I charged the rest of the lizards. I cut and slashed my way threw all of them except two. They stood side by side. It was going I be too easy. I ran for them and charged a skill holding m sword to my hip facing behind me. I then swung my sword and it ripped threw the air catching one o the lizard men and soon the other, but no the second one jumped the blade and landed on the dead ones head before it had turned into data. The lizard man using the hight that he already had he jump far Ito the air where I couldn't reach him and hen started charging a skill. I assume that he was aiming for me so I got out of his way, but that wasn't its plan. He threw his charged sword at Lexi. The sword ripped threw the air.

"Lexi!" I shouted hoping that she would avoid it. She heard me and jumped to the left scratching her cheek, only dealing a percent of her health. Thank goodness I was so relieved when she survived it. After the last attack the lizard man fell right onto my blade killing itself.

Once the battle was all over I fell to my knees with joy.

"Yea!" Lexi yelled with joy. But then she clasped to the ground. That was bad I ran up to her and examined her condition. She was burning up. I had to check her life bar for any status conditions and when I checked, there it was poison.

"Dammit!" I yelled "we need you to a town!" I brought out a mass crystal and tried to teleport both of us out, but the teleports were still not working. I had no time for this! I picked her up and started moving threw the desert. Step after step while Lexi's health was depleting over time. It was about twenty five minutes and Lexi's health was at 10%

"Zen, am I going to die?" She sounded weak. Her arms and legs limp

"No. You aren't just keep hanging in there. Tell me about that family you need to get back too." I readjusted her back into my back

"Well I have a mom and dad. They would always be so protective of me heh... I didn't like that so I shut them out and did what I wanted for a long time even to today. One day I messed up real bad and they yelled at me. I know that it was because they cared for me but I ignored it and shut my self off In the beta of SAO."

"You were a beta tester?" I asked her

"Yea and I've made it far enough so that I can call my self a beater. Heh" her laughs started to sound weaker. "But anyways I used to play twenty four seven and not care about my mother or father and after a mouth of being in here I realize that I miss my mommy's warm hugs and my daddy's bad jokes" her voice started to get weaker and her health hit 5%. I wasn't going to make it! I opened my menu to desperately look for an antidote. I had stuff for paralysis, bind, and even forced sleep, No Poison!

"I'm not going to let you die!" I yelled as I took out my crystal one more time and held it to the sky. Nothing nothing!

"Teleport!... Teleport! Teleport! Teleport teleport teleport!" This can't be happening! Her health dropped to 3%

"And when I realized the I missed my parents" Lexi continued to talk "I realized that there are many people I here good or not... That miss there parents, children, friends, family. And I felt that I needed to help everyone reunite. I made it a quest that started off as getting back to my parents, and changed to getting everyone out of this game." She smiled while saying this... I wouldn't know if I could do the same if I was in the same position.

"Hang on! So you can complete that quest!"

She grabbed my hand gently with hers "It's ok Zen I guess its my time."

I couldn't accept this!

"Zen... I have one last secret to give you" I leaned in to hear what she wanted to say... But as I got close her lips connected with mine. The feeling was sweet, warm and genuine. I never wanted this feeling to go away, but we had to separate sooner or later

"There. My secret weapon." Her smile grew larger

"Bu~"

"Shhhhh it's a secret." She put her finger on my mouth I was then when her health hit 0% and she started to disintegrate

"Zen please complete my mission for me. I don't care anymore if you join the knights or not." She gave one last smile "I believe you can do it!" She put her partially gone hand on my face "bye Zen." And with that she was gone..

Utter sorrow filled me and then rage and there was only one person that I could blame this on.

"Kiaba... Kiaba! KIABA!"