"We'll do this as one!" - Speech

'I so, so hate you…' - Thoughts

"The game is done." - Flashback

*Whoosh!* *Tzzz!* - Sound effects


'`Chapter 6: We're Doing This Together'`

Nier was a powerful individual in the gaming world of «Sword Art Online», and was deemed a king by the people.

And yet, a king rules not his own castle, but a country of the masses.

And amongst those of whom that has supported him, that has lived on to become one of his strongest allies and companions, was Yuna, known to those close to her as Shigemura Yuuna.

And when fate had taken her away from him, from the friends of whom she's forged strong bonds with, she had fought against it all to return to her beloved. To be known as a member of the «Blank».


She was certainly unhappy. She knew it, the friends of her friend knew, and the people of the world that watched what was going with her knew.

Apparently, Adam and Layla had been sent requests from the manager of RECT-inc, i.e. Asuna's father, to broadcast what was going on with Yuna. The people were both curious and worried what was going on with her, and were dying to know ever since that pretty cliche departure.

Just great. Rather than knowing what was going on inside the game, it had been turned into a drama series.

Still, Adam saw no reason so to not comply. The only one who disagreed was Kyouko, who wanted to continue watching her daughter. With some reassuring from her husband, and some teasing from Adam himself, she supposed it was fine.

And as such, everyone decided to watch how everyone's favourite songstress would turn out.


Floor 55: Granzam

The day she had departed from her guild, the emblem of absolutely nothing—no kidding, Nier had decided to keep the emblem entirely grey, just for the sake of it—had disappeared from beside her name on the health bar, only making her frown. She was going to miss them all.

And especially Nier.

There was no questioning it. She was infatuated with him. Although Nautilus didn't know, she was conflicted between wanting to just go back, or to remain with her friend.

Then she thought, what would happen if she remained here?

Being a part of the «Knights of Blood» was going to suck. Seriously though, just to remain part of it, she would need to work hard, unlike being part of «Blank», which was just a small guild of friends tied together by strong bonds. Here, however, it was composed of random strangers, all of whom were fighting on the front lines to leave the game.

That had her wondering. What could she do?

"So Yuna," the girl was snapped out of her reverie when her friend, Nautilus, called her. "What weapon have you been using all this time?"

"O-Oh! Well, uhh…" She chuckled, not entirely sure if he'd be fine with her answer. No matter, she supposed it was better than nothing. "I… didn't really fight?"

"Wait, what?" He stopped, blinking in confusion. "Then what have you been doing?"

"Nier instructed me to stay away from the field of danger, and act as the supporter," she answered, pulling out her harp. "I've played and sung so to give boosts to the others, such as strength and defense."

"Whoa, that sounds cool," one of his friends spoke, the other nodding in agreement.

"Okay, but… that's gonna' bring up some complications," he sighed, scratching the nape of his neck. "I mean, I'm fine with you not fighting, but I'm worried about you."

"Why is that?" She asked, putting it away.

"I mean, what if we get into a dangerous situation and can't be there to protect you?" His words had her eyes growing wide in an instant, and she understood what he meant.

Unlike in the «Blank», where everyone fought together to defend and assist each other, even in grim situations, a normal guild or party ran under the rule 'look out for yourself, and switch'. That was how Nier saw it, she remembered, and she could tell that he disliked that way.

She herself came to dislike it too. Instead, he made sure that everyone were fighting altogether, so to keep the enemies on their toes, and to be ready for any sudden changes in the flow of battle.

She was safe. But this time, she would need to keep herself safe.

"So, judging by the equipment on you, and I bet that you're an AGI-based build…" Nautilus hummed as he thought, foot tapping the ground a few until a snap of his fingers had her looking at him once more, his smile bright and large. "You'll be a rapier-wielder!"

"Eh?" She blinked back.


The headquarters were certainly imposing. She actually thought that she was going to faint the moment she stepped foot inside there. Guards were positioned everywhere, delivering a strong 24-hour security system, with spears and shields on hand. Floors of polished tiles decorated the building, with pillars at each side looking ready to consume her at any given time.

She didn't want to be here. And what was going on only strengthened that.

"No! I don't want to!" She kept the hat away from Nautilus's grasps, keeping it close to her chest. As if it were some piece of treasure, he thought.

And he was right. Nier gave it to her, after all.

She was now dressed in fitting white and red befitting of a member of the «Knights of Blood». A chance to meet with Heathcliff filled her with awe, slowly turning into dread when he said that she needed to part with her current equipment.

Of course, they weren't actually going to throw it away. She would just need to wear this new armour.

But then it just had to come to her hat.

She would do anything. She would throw away her weapon, she would strip herself bare, she would do anything. Anything but the hat.

"Yuna, there's better hats around here. We can just make you a new one," he reasoned with her, but she stuck out her tongue, pointing it at him.

"No! I'm keeping this, no matter what!" This was the only thing she had to remind herself of Nier and her friends. Nothing was going to make her not wear it.

"S-Sorry about this Godfree. Is it alright if she keeps it?" The boy apologised to a friendly brunette, whose smile had not left him since this morning.

"Hey, it's fine! If the lady wants to keep it so much, then let her," he laughed, the girl in question sighing in relief.

"Right. So, uhh, sorry. About the hat," Nautilus spoke, apologetic.

"It's fine," she shook her head. Her eyes fell onto the rapier on her left hip, and she wondered if this was going to work. "So… I should begin training, right?"

"Yup! And to get you started, I'll have Nautilus take you to the training grounds. If you need anything, just tell him what's up, and he'll get you what you need," the friendly man's instructions were loud and clear, and she gave a nod.

"Alright. Well then, Nautilus, take me with you," she spoke, smiling. He returned the gesture with a grin of his own, taking her by the arm.

Maybe things here aren't too bad?


She spoke too soon.

*Thud!*

"Aah..!" Yuna fell against the ground for the umpteenth time, her rapier knocked away to the side. 'Oh man…'

Arriving at the training grounds, she was surprised to see so many players up and about, sparring against one another. Nautilus had found for her a supposedly 'easy' player, who was also new to fighting.

And, well, the results of the battle are as shown above.

"S-Sorry about that!" The other girl yelped in worry, rushing over to her side to pull her up. "Are you alright?"

"N-No, it's fine," she shook her head with a smile, though she could see how worried Nautilus looked from the sidelines.

"You sure? I may have used a bit too much force back there," the girl gulped.

"It's fine, Strea, really. You were just doing what you were told," she chuckled. The purplette before her can be self-blaming to a fault sometimes. Plus, she was cute, so even if she did get mad at her, there was no way she could stay mad at her. "I want to keep going."

"Are you sure? We can take a break if you'd like," the newly-named Strea offered, but her training partner denied it.

"No! I want to keep practicing, so come at me!" She raised her rapier towards the girl before her once more, and the purple-haired girl sighed.

"Fine… But don't get mad at me if you fall again," she spoke with chuckles, before brandishing her sword towards Yuna.

A small pause, as the two girls eyed each other's body movements, holding their swords in a defensive stance in case the other made the first move, and pacing to their right, as the two formed a circular motion.

Nautilus, who had been watching everything from the side, wouldn't lie that he was amazed at just how his friend had come along. So quickly she was growing stronger, but she was still far away from the level of a rookie, no less. She would certainly need to try hard if she wants a shot at winning.

*Fwoo!*

"Hyah!" Strea was the one to kick it off, rushing towards her opponent with her simple iron blade. Powering it up, she launched it straight at Yuna, who deftly dodged the attack. She tried to get a stab at her, but the purplette blocked it.

"Hrhh…" Grumbling, Yuna tried once more to get a hit at Strea, but the latter was clearly more experienced, blocking and dodging her attacks without needing to keep track of her movements.

Strea activated a «Sword Skill», going in for the kill. Just barely, her opponent managed to parry her attack, but she still failed to hit her, as she was too slow in trying to do so. With a powerful swing, the purple-haired swords woman broke through her opponent's guard, tossing the rapier aside yet again, blade an inch away from the brunette's throat.

They stayed that way for a few seconds, before the blade retracted away from her. The frown that came on her face was quick.

"Well, that makes it my eighteenth loss, huh?" Yuna sighed, now understanding why Nier never gave her a weapon. She was extremely bad with it.

"Hey, don't feel so down. You were doing really great back there!" Strea opted to reassuring her, a smile plastered on her features. "You're more quicker now, and can successfully parry too! So don't feel so blue."

"Still, it's not going to do me any good if I can't properly hold my rapier against a person, let alone something so easy like a «Frenzy Boar»," she used to wonder whether or not she could really fight just as well as Asuna, or even Sachi, who has definitely improved since she's left her old guild. Unfortunately, it looked more like a pipe dream now.

"Just keep trying, Yuna-chan! I promise you, you'll do great next time!" The younger girl said—she had introduced herself and her age before their fight before. "Trust me. One moment you're… like now, the next moment, you'll be kicking butt on your own."

"Haha, thanks," though it certainly sounded impossible, the sentiment was definitely appreciated.

The two girls wanted to speak further, but with Godfree making a boxing gesture meant that they need to continue practicing. Great, Yuna thought, this was going to be a long day.


An Hour Later

A whole hour of training. To those who lived on the front lines, it sounded like child's play. To someone who's never held a sword her whole life, say for example, Yuna…

'That was terrible…' Her eyes had been replaced with swirls at this point, hungry and tired beyond words. Never did she expect training to be this strenuous!

After Strea and Nautilus helped her to the canteen, which was a wide space with cobble pillars just outside, multiple tables and seats of stone, and a counter of which one could purchase their food from, the boy made quick work so to buy each of them a piece of bread and hot soup.

The scent of food slowly got her to rise her head from the table, to take the spoon and to scoop up the soup, before she placed it in her mouth. It was delicious, no doubt, but not as good as Asuna's cooking.

Still, it was food, and she wasn't going to waste it.

Knowing that the girl was probably too tired to even talk, Nautilus and Strea ate in relative silence, enjoying each other's company just like that. Yuna herself appreciated this, but couldn't help but think as if she was being selfish.

Taking notice of her frown, Strea raised her voice.

"Hey guys, do we have any missions to go on tomorrow?" She asked, the boy sitting opposite of the two girls shaking his head.

"None as I can think of. We're just going to be doing regular training and the like for the whole day tomorrow," he shook his head, earning a grateful sigh from Yuna. He chuckled at her. "Yeah, I can understand you. It's going to be tiring."

"No kidding… I thought I was going to die just from exhaustion today…" That thought was equally stressful as it was stupid. Just a bed was going to make her day.

"True. And hey, how was it? Using a rapier?" He was curious about that part, wondering if she was really comfortable wielding it.

"Oh, it's fine. I just need to get used to it," she answered. "Seriously though, I thought it was going to be easy. Everyone else certainly made it look that way."

"Mmhm. That's just how it is. You just need to get used to it after some time," he agreed with her, knowing how long it took for him to just use a «Sword Skill» after getting his first sword. Three days, to be exact. "So don't worry too much. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Okay, if you say so," she's already heard enough of that from Strea. She didn't need Nautilus to be saying the same thing to her. "So, where are our rooms?"

"Mmm, the living quarters for the girls are east from here. You can go and register yourself a room there if you don't have a house of your own," he informed her.

"Or!" Strea suddenly interjected with a bright grin. "You could sleep with me! I have a really big bed! It'll be fun!"

While she would rather not trouble her with such, the exhaustion made her say otherwise.

"Yeah, if you say so," she nodded. Screw it. She was really tired, okay? "Thanks."

"No problem!" Her smile only grew wider.

After finishing their lunch, the three friends parted ways, with Nautilus travelling west from the cafeteria, and the girls walking in the opposite direction towards the female's wing.

The main building in the centre consisted of a sort of plaza, with a training ground north of it. Taking the stairs upwards in the main building would take the people to the meeting hall, where Heathcliff's office was situated at. To the left and right were the living quarters for males and females respectively.

The living quarters were slightly smaller, but still enough to hold at least a hundred people per building. Strea considered herself lucky enough to get herself one room. Usually, one would be taken faster than she could scream 'I did it'!

After requesting for her keys, the NPC at the counter close to the entrance gave the purple-haired girl her keys. The two of them walked to where Strea's room was, which was on the second floor, down the corridor.

Twisting the key in the keyhole of the door, there was a click, before the door opened. Stepping into it, they were granted a view of a nice bed fit for two people, with a desk and a table light on it. There was also an armoire beside it, windows close to where the bed was to give a view to the forest that surrounded the buildings.

"Wow… Your room is so nice," Yuna blinked, genuinely amazed.

"Thanks! Godfree always says that we have to keep our rooms tidy on our own, since no one's going to come over and clean it for us," she chuckled. "So hey, can we do a little bit of getting-to-know-each-other? For tonight?"

"I don't mind," the girl spoke as she sat on the bed, resisting the urge to just fall asleep there and then. Her younger friend came over, sitting beside her. "So, what would you like to talk about?"

"I wanna' know more about you, Yuna-chan," she spoke without holding back, earning a curious look from the brunette. "You said you were part of another guild before this?"

"Hmm? Ahh… Right. Yeah, you're right," she nodded, missing the old days already, despite it being just one day. "It was the «Blank», a guild formed by a friend of mine. I met him back when I first entered «Sword Art Online»."

"I see… What was his name again?" She asked once more.

"His name is Nier. And, I'd like to think that he's the most amazing person I've ever met in my whole life," she chuckled, falling onto her back. The tire really made her do it, really.

"What was he like?" The younger girl joined her friend, purple hair splayed everywhere.

"He was… nice. Very nice. Serious at times, but very understanding. He's caring to a fault, always looking out for others every time. He's also really smart. While he does speak English, I've seen him translate Egyptian," that elicited a surprised look from her friend, Yuna chuckling in response.

"Wow. And do you have any other friends there?" Strea was curious about her friend. Being part of the «Blank» sounded nice.

"A lot. There was Klein, Asuna, Sachi, Argo… I miss all of them," she finished with a sigh.

"…Do you want to go back?" That sudden question had been on the girl's mind for quite some time now, so it made sense why she didn't even react to it much. Instead, she opted for silence, thinking. The purple-haired girl just waited for her response.

"I do," she admitted after a long pause, probably a whole minute. "I miss them all so dearly. I just feel so alive with them around… I mean, I don't want to leave Nautilus, but I want to stay with them…"

She was conflicted between the choices before her; either she returns to her previous guild, leaving Nautilus behind, or remain in the «Knights of Blood», never to see them again.

That last part scared her immensely. She couldn't imagine not seeing any of her friends ever again. She loved them dearly, and the thought only sunk the weight in her stomach even further down. It was difficult to choose, and the pressure from it all almost made her want to scream in frustration.

"Then… you should go," Strea's voice broke the silence after a while, earning herself a confused look from her new friend. "What? I mean, you should do what you want. If you want to go with them, you should return to them!"

"But… I can't just leave Nautilus behind," she frowned at that, not daring to leave him so soon.

"I know. Which is why, we should take him with us!" She grinned. Yuna took a moment to understand her words, and her eyebrow cocked upwards.

"Wait, us?" That part told her all there was to understand.

"Yup! I mean, you and Nau-Nau," a nickname she had conjured for the boy, something of which her older friend found both cute and hilarious. "Are both the only friends I have here. If you're going, I want to come with!"

"W-Well… I doubt it'd be that simple," she scratched her face, thinking about it. "I mean, we'd need Heathcliff's permission first and foremost. And also, what if Nautilus doesn't want to leave?"

"That's the thing, he would!" She beamed at her friend, deciding to clarify further when the brunette's eyebrows furrowed together. "I talked to him once and asked him that exact situation too. What if you were in another guild and didn't want to leave? He said that he'd join you!"

…Really now?

Realising that leaving the guild was practically pointless all this while, Yuna turned herself around so to plant her face in the bed's body, before literally screaming, voice muffled by the soft bed. Strea waited for her friend to finish that screaming fit, and when she did stop, she turned around once more.

"So I left Nier, for absolutely no reason whatsoever," she monotoned with a blank look, earning a nod from her purple-haired friend. She sighed in response, feeling silly for being worried about this in the first place. "Well, that does it. I'm going back to the «Blank», one way or another."

"Truly? Well, if you're going, then I'll come with you as well!" She nodded. "Ooh, but Heathcliff said that, if we want to leave, we need to take a test of his to do so."

"A test? Oh, come on…" She was so close to just losing it. Thankfully, she's developed enough patience after falling into so many unfavourable situations. "Well, fine. I'll do it. But for now, let's just sleep on it…"

"Okay!" She cried back, large grin.


A Week Later

A lot of time has passed, and Yuna's heart only continued to sing how much she missed the boy of her dreams. Never had she wanted to be with him before, but now was one of those times.

She and Strea had taken a quick trip to Heathcliff's office, asking him about this supposed test to leave the guild. He stated that, were one to leave the «Knights of Blood», then they'd need to defeat one of their officers, namely Godfree, Daizen, and etc.

Of course, it was easier than said. Both of them, just the other day, had gone on a mission with Godfree, and seeing him in battle was like watching the main protagonist in an action movie fight. With his battle axe he dominated the battle field, defeating any mobs quicker than they could together.

It was a given. If they wanted a shot at getting out of there, they needed to train. Hard.

As such, Yuna had taken to requesting for special training that would help her grow stronger quickly from Nautilus, who was rather surprised by her sudden determination, but complied with a smile.

And as such, they went out on missions more often as of late, taking down monsters and with Yuna trying to get used to her weapon. It was difficult, but soon enough, she was capable of taking down at least two «Dire Wolves».

Now that's a good start.

"Hey Yuna-chan!" Strea shouted as she parried the «Drunken Ape's» attack, switching with Nautilus. "There's one on your left!"

"Got it!" She nodded back, jumping to the side to avoid the powerful blow. She was told that the monkey-like mobs were extremely powerful, possessing low speed as their bane. As such, it was better for her to dodge them if she wasn't adept at parrying just yet.

Crouching to avoid another swing, she thrust forwards, piercing her blade through the ape's body. She left a bright gash there, but it only cut its health down by a quarter. Clicking her tongue, she jumped back, before dealing a four-hit combo onto the creature.

*Rhrha!*

The ape swung its mighty flask around itself, before slamming it into the ground. It didn't hit its target, but she was sent staggering slightly. Still, she managed to steady herself properly, going in for the kill yet again.

With a loud battle cry, she propelled herself into the air, falling down quickly with her blade aimed straight at the creature's body.

*Shing!*

The blade penetrated past its skin and flesh, eliciting a painful screech from the creature. She remained atop the creature, and it stayed that way, until its body contracted, popping into colours and shards that flew into the air. Yuna landed on her rump, but the pain was never there.

And by rump, she was caught in the arms of her friend, who looked at her with a look of amazement.

"See? You're getting better at things," he offered her a smile, and she easily returned the gesture.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she nodded, not entirely embarrassed. Yes, it was rather sudden, but this was nothing compared to being with… Never mind.

Setting her down, Nautilus was knocked to the side when Strea came out of nowhere, delivering a bear hug to her friend, who appreciated nonetheless.

She loved these two.


Three Days Later

Practicing even more now, Yuna found herself satisfied with her capabilities.

She could no longer be called an amateur anymore. Though she was improving slowly, others could now say that she was on the level of average rapier-wielders, and that was good enough.

She'd be able to defend herself and others when the time comes.

But then came the other problem; her primary ability to act as the support.

Ever since she's been here, she's had to focus on using her rapier. Wouldn't this affect her fighting capabilities when she goes back to her previous guild? Their need of her as their buffer could be ruined then, and she wouldn't want that. She wanted to be useful in any way possible.

So she hoped that, when she does go back, they would find a way to make things work. She couldn't just stand back and do nothing. Even as a singer, she's provided buffs and other effects, so not doing anything would just feel wrong.

No matter. She'll figure it all out some time later.

In any case, she needed to bring up the topic to Nautilus. God knows how he'd feel if she suddenly decided to leave one day without telling him.

On her way there, chatting with her friend, who was as bubbly as ever—seriously though, how do mornings not get to her? She's so energetic—she crossed paths with a creepy-looking member of the guild.

Aah, him.

"Kuradeel," she regarded him as she passed the man, not bothering to spare him a glance. Rumours about him often torturing any of their captives had reached almost everywhere, and gave him a bad name.

"Hmph. You must be the amateur I've heard about so much," he scoffed, turning around to look at her. She kept her back facing him. "They say you're pretty, but I can see that you aren't all that skilled."

"And I don't waste my time stalking others, wanting to find the appropriate time to pounce on them with a knife in hand," she shot back, aiming a glare at him past her shoulder. He flinched slightly, before she walked away.

And the satisfactory smile that etched itself onto both girls' faces as they walked away felt so good.


The Next Night

"W-We really shouldn't…" Nautilus whimpered, face displaying slight worry.

"Ssh… It's fine," the brunette reassured him, dragging him forwards.

"Aah… What if we get caught?" He asked his friend, voice coming out in a slight whimper.

"Don't worry! I always use this pathway to leave the guild at night! Trust me, they'll never see us leave!" Strea's voice burst from in front of them, who wore a really large smile.

"Uurgh… If only I had half of your optimism…" He sighed.

The group of three were supposed to be asleep by now, but Yuna needed to speak to Nautilus about something that she regarded as incredibly important. And as such, she requested that Strea find someplace for the three of them to leave the guild through so to not get caught.

There was no doubt that the guards that were doing patrols around the base would be lenient enough to just let them go. Apparently, this place had curfews for those who lived in its quarters.

So unfair, if you asked Strea.

Anyways, our three teenagers were quick to leaving the area, deciding to enter the city Granzam and look for a place that was far away from the «Knights of Blood» headquarters. And not long enough, they found a suitable place to have their discreet conversation at.

A public restaurant.

"You say that this talk is really important, but are you fine talking about it in such an open place..?" The only boy of the group whispered to his brown-haired friend, who waved him off with a smile.

"Don't worry. As long as we keep our voices and ourselves low, I don't think anyone will be hearing us," she nodded in reassurance. Her friend relaxed a bit at that.

"I see… So, what is it that you wanted to talk about, Yuna?" He asked, leaning forwards. Her brown eyes were just so… pretty!

So pretty, in fact, that he almost lost himself in staring at those brown pupils, until Strea cleared her throat. He blinked, regaining his focus with a slight blush.

"Yuna-chan wants to go back to her old guild," she answered simply. The boy took a bit of time to register her words, before a gasp shot forth.

"W-W-What?! But I thought you were fine with joining the «Knights of Blood»!" He basically shouted, earning himself a few shushes from the other patrons of the restaurant. "S-Sorry..!"

"I know, I know… But I realised that, after all this time, this guild doesn't really fit me. In fact, the only time I've ever really felt so safe or alive was back when I was with the «Blank». I can't stay here, Nautilus. I wouldn't be able to stay calm if I'm away from them otherwise," she shook her head with a sigh. "I miss them, Nautilus, but I don't want to leave you or Strea here. So please, come with me."

"W-Well, I don't actually mind. In fact, I wouldn't mind following you everywhere you go," he scratched his neck as he chuckled, face slightly flushed, before his facial expression turned slightly worried. "But you know more than I do that we'd have to fight an officer. But all of them are super strong."

"You're right. And I realised that, if we want to really win them in a duel, we'd need to enact our own strategy," and now her smirk came to her, fully activated as it displayed all the determination she had in her. "A trump card of our own, to beat them."

Both Nautilus and Strea never had a glimpse of an idea of what she had in mind, and what she said really took the cake.

She believed herself to be a part of «Blank», and will fight as one, until the very end.


The Next Day

"You're slow, girl. Those who wield the rapier need to be faster," Kuradeel, the ugly man—he's literally called that by those who don't know his name, to the point where it became his own title—chided without so much as holding back the poison from seeping into his words.

"Understood," the songstress knew that her attacks were lacking in speed. Not being accustomed to a weapon for so long was enough to do that to her, even though this was just a game. Still, he didn't have to be such a pain about it.

"You say that, yet I see no improvements. You are still willing to remain in the «Knights of Blood», aren't you?" And that was more than enough to force him to laugh, wicked and unrestrained. "Bah, preposterous! This guild would do better to be rid of you for good! You'd just stain its name!"

"Then do so," she shot back, not missing the look of surprise on his face. "I wouldn't actually mind leaving this guild, to be honest."

In fact, if she was able to leave the guild without needing to take the test, it would make things so much easier. She wouldn't need to fight anyone, and it would be her free ticket home. Sure, people could brand her as a failure, but nothing meant much to her besides being able to join «Blank» once more.

That was the most important thing to her right now. To be with Nier and her friends just as she used to. She dreaded the day she left her guild, and now dreamed of the day she would return to them.

Ceasing her training for now, she allowed her hand to brush away the trickle of sweat on her brow. Staring at the man without so much as shying away from his scowl, she gave him a shrug.

"I really meant what I said, Kuradeel. If I could just leave this guild, then I would take the offer just as that. I wouldn't mind at all," she repeated, taking a canteen of water from Strea, who came from the cafeteria. "Thanks."

"No problem!" She nodded back.

"Tch. And why's that? Do you think the guild unworthy to house you? You should be grateful that they even allowed you to step foot into its territory in the first place," the ugly man snorted, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Not at all. I merely wish to return to my old guild. I'm happier there, and I miss them all dearly," she answered. He tried scanning her eyes for any traces of a lie. Nothing. "Forgive me if I sounded harsh, but I am merely speaking my mind."

"Hah. And you do know that you'd have to take the test?" He crossed his arms, taking her words to be some form of idiocy. Who wouldn't? Thousands would kill to be part of the «Knights of Blood»! And before him stood a girl who wanted to leave it. Practically unheard of. "You alone won't live long enough to see light."

"Yeah, we know. That's why Nau-Nau and I are going with her," Strea butted into their little argument, the man's eyes going wide. "Yup! Where Yuna-chan goes, Nau-Nau and I follow!"

"Please don't say that to every stranger you meet, though. They may get the wrong message," she chuckled, abashed.

"Hmph. Well, good luck with that," the man left the training field soon enough, but the clashing of iron swords rung from behind him. The girls had decided to get in on some training, it seems. 'You'll need it…'


That Night

"So you're saying that Nier created this special… «Paradigm Shift»?" The boy's question was met with a nod from his friend. "I see. So, it's to assign a specific role to each member of the guild in battle?"

"Indeed. And each role leans into one specific category. To deal as much damage as possible, to create openings for the others, to defend your teammates, to provide boons to allies, to pass down status ailments on the enemy, and to heal your team," Yuna took her time to explain this strange concept to both her friends, who looked at her as if she was cheating the game.

Which, to be honest, she had felt so many times whenever they used that battle style.

It was certainly more effective than a simple three-man party that the game had made their primary battle stance, and was clearly difficult to beat. With this, she had no doubts that they'd be able to beat an officer during the test, and ultimately leave the guild.

"The «Commando», «Ravager», «Sentinel», «Synergist», «Saboteur», and «Medic». It was hard to really take it all in at first, but as time passed, we just got used to the concept. Although, it was kinda' hard to remember all the formulas," she chuckled. Seriously, how does Nier come up with such crazy names like 'Cerberus' or 'Dirty Fighting'?

"I see…" And though he said that, she could tell that he was having a lot of trouble just to absorb all of that. Strea's confusion was more visible, as her eyebrows were furrowed downwards. "What about you? What role were you?"

"Well, I was two things. A «Synergist» and «Medic»," she answered, pulling out her wooden harp. She still kept it with her, no matter what. Just like her hat, it was every bit precious to her. "I never fought on the front, so they had me heal and give boosts to them."

"Whoa, that sounds cool!" Strea smiled. "Oh hey, do you think I could be the «Ravager»? I think I can do that!"

"Sure. You just need to be really good at parrying, dodging and the like. You can't protect, that's what Nier said, because it's going to interfere with your speed," his words were pretty confusion, but she soon came to understand it as they entered more battles.

Each time the player blocked an attack, the system ensures that the player absorbs a part of the damage, and converts it so to cut down the health. It is during this time that the player undergoes a short pause in their movements, making them unable to immediately run away, unless they reacted quickly enough to parry. It made so much sense.

And this was what was so important if someone wanted to become a «Ravager». They had to always stay on their feet, as Nier had noted once again, and be able to switch roles at any time so to defend the other. Or, at the very least, keep the net flow of damage on the enemy consistent.

Why's that? Because, apparently, there was a combo system in the game. And, whenever the combo passed every tenth interval, the damage output was boosted by a significant amount. As long as the «Ravager» continues assaulting the enemy, the combo will continue to grow, lessening the chance of it dropping to zero, which would require the players to build it up once more.

Wow, he really thought ahead about it.

"In any case, what do you guys think? Think we've got a shot at this?" Nautilus finally asked as he pondered on the thought for a while, looking both serious and concerned. "We're not going to be facing off against some amateur. The «Knights of Blood» officers could be called the guild's pillars, being extremely capable both in and off battle. We're going to have to be really precise about this."

"You're right… As much as I like to think this would be easy, it does feel as if the odds are stacked against us…" Strea nodded, sharing her own concerns on the matter. There was an unnatural frown on her face, not going well with her at all. "But then… It's all up to you, Yuna-chan. Whatever you say, we'll do it."

"Guys…" Seriously though, she thought, what did she do to have such loyal friends?

Nautilus, who had always stuck with her, always there to lend her an ear both in this world and the real one, before they got separated. He never went against her wishes, and would follow her to world's end if she ever commanded him to.

Strea, the person who carried their morale on her smiles and heart. She never failed to lift their spirits, and had done everything she could to help her, even from the beginning of the day. Just what would she have done without her?

Sighing, Yuna shook her head as a grateful smile graced her features.

"Well… Since you're asking me, I'd still like to take the test. I am deadly serious about this," she answered back, awaiting their answer. Even then, their smiles told her everything that she needed to know.

"We'll join you," the both of them spoke in unison, looking at one another for a moment. And their friend, finding this to be amusing, fell into a soft laughing fit. And the other two joined her as well.


Three Days Later

The people in the real world would say that Yuna had indefinitely grown to become such a respected rapier-wielder, despite not entirely being on the level of other fighters. In fact, her primary skill, singing, had basically made it impossible for her and her group to lose to anything, no matter what.

Anyways, the group of three now stood before Heathcliff, who was draped in red and white robes, looking at them with an amused look from behind his desk.

"We'd like to take the test to leave the «Knights of Blood» guild," Yuna pulled out a paper from her inventory, placing it on his desk. It was the registration for the battle, with her and her friends' signatures down on the bottom part of the paper.

"Hmm, I see. However, I must warn you that, should you to wish to rejoin this guild, I must keep my doors closed to you in the future. I cannot risk any… complications, if you will," he explained, a sad smile plastered on his face.

It's happened a few times. Whenever a player left the guild, they came back. While Heathcliff was relatively fine with it in the beginning, there was a slight cut in the number of players. Examining this trend only revealed a shocking truth; those that returned were members of «Laughing Coffin».

A self-proclaimed red guild, as they would. A guild composed of madmen who make it their mission to kill every other players there are. They basically rank first on the 'most dangerous peoples' list, yet they continue to evade investigation and danger from the other guilds like cunning foxes.

They were so dangerous, in fact, that a bounty was sent out for each head from that guild, with quite the loot in return. Dead or alive, Heathcliff commanded that they be captured, no matter what.

Damn PoH. He and his corrupted mindset had spread to the other players, making them just as tainted as he was.

Yuna understood this, and gave a bow.

"Of course. I swear that once I leave this guild, I shall never return," her tone was professional, almost like she was swearing an oath. "And if I were to be honest with you, Heathcliff-sama, I intend to leave this guild to return to the one of which I came from."

"Truly? And which guild is that?" He was honestly curious with her answer.

"It's not entirely a large guild. It's a rather small one. The «Blank»," it was only for a brief second, but she could have sworn that his eyes widened a bit at that. Or maybe not. She didn't sleep early last night, so that could have just been her imagining it. "I've made friends there, and… I've realized that it's the only place where I feel that I truly belong. So, by my family's name and my own, I will win and leave this guild, no matter what it takes. That, I can promise you."

"I see. Very well then. The test will begin this evening once all the training regimen is over," he nodded. "Also, you are permitted to choose which officer you'd like to face off against. Please excuse me for a moment…"

He dug through the multiple rows of his desk, pulling out a file with several names. Handing it to her, she flipped through it, seeing new and old names, before she instinctively stopped at one.

The ugly man. Kuradeel.

'Vengeance tastes sweet,' the girl remembered Strea, an honestly sweet girl, saying such a shocking thing once. But even the urge to fight him won her in the end, and she placed it on the desk, leaving his picture open. "I'd like to fight against him."

"I see. Kuradeel? I must say, he's not an easy opponent, but who am I to deny you?" He shrugged, snapping his fingers. A guard came to his side, his bare face revealing a long scar from his left eye to the right part of his lower jaw. "Call him, please."

"As you say," he nodded, walking away. Shutting the door behind him, the leader of the guild waited until his footsteps disappeared completely.

"Well then, there isn't much I can do, but wish you luck," the man nodded at the three teenagers, the brunette smiling back with confidence. She supposed Nier's attitude had rubbed off on her quite a bit.

"Of course," she turned, her friends trailing after her. 'I've grown. I won't lose this time.'


That Evening

The duel, though relatively small compared to the clearers going off on a skirmish to take the floor's boss down, had attracted so many people's attention. There was already a poll going off on the internet on who of the two swords-wielders were going to win, and many were placing their faith on Yuna. No one was going to bet for the 'ugly man'.

The people in the real world were cheering for her, but she'd never get the chance to hear them. Instead, she settled with the words of motivation from her friends, and the slight looks of faith from the other members of the «Knights of Blood». Maybe she's never really fought with them for so long, but they were comrades nonetheless.

And of course, things weren't looking relatively nice for Kuradeel.

'Damn it… She gets all the support, and all that I receive is dirt talk from the other players… Pathetic,' he sneered in his mind, wanting to just beat the crap out of her. And when that happens, he was going to so enjoy it.

Arriving at the training field, wide and cold—since the night air was beginning to round up—previously unlit lamps around the area glowed, giving an illuminance to the area. The field could be seen clearly, and the duel would be the same.

Yuna stood on one side, rapier in hand, with her friends on either sides.

Kuradeel was on the opposite area, sporting that same bastardly look. He wasn't even trying, was he?

"So, you've chosen me out of all the possible candidates? I wonder why," he snickered, surprisingly undisturbed with the fact that he had to go up against three players at once. There must be some trick he has up his sleeve.

"Because, by far, you seem to be the greatest challenge there was. Plus, you had been kind enough to instruct us so far, so I may as well show you how much I've grown," she answered, no trace of hesitation.

But the others in the area, and possibly the whole world, could agree that her words roughly translated to 'you're the greatest bastard there was' and 'I may as well kick your ass'.

Of course, the girl was never one to swear. Heavens no, her father forbade it. Were she ever frustrated, she would get rid of it by thinking of things she likes.

Pastries, puppies, games, her father, and so many things. But ever since she's been here, well, I think you'd know who she thinks of.

"Hmph. Fine. I may as well. Although, you wouldn't mind if I bring with me a friend?" That was the part where his eyes came to a narrowing state, focused solely on her.

*Snap!*

The snap of the fingers being her cue, a red-haired woman came forth from the sidelines, sporting an hourglass figure with her hair tied in a ponytail, one of her eyes covered by the bangs. She had such a seductive grin on her face, her spear acting as a constant reminder to anyone so to not mess with her.

Standing beside him, she planted the butt of her spear into the earth.

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Rosalia, a new member of the «Knights of Guild». A pleasure to meet you," the woman gave a curtsey at the younger players, all of whom were looking at her warily.

"And the same for us," the brunette spoke back.

She wanted to complain, but then decided against it. This was fair, is it not? Three against two. At least it wouldn't be so bad as three against one.

"Alright, everybody!" Godfree's voice boomed from where he stood, which was outside of the training field. Man, he was loud. "The rules of the match is for each player to be nicked down to a health just below half! Once so, you're out! You may use anything, so long as it's not potions or status ailment items! The party of which its players remain standing the last wins the match!"

So all they needed to do was to make sure that their opponents' health bars went down half? Got it.

"Okay, if you'd please!" And he was silent right after.

Being the supposed leader of this mini-group, Yuna sent a duel request to Kuradeel, who accepted it without so much as blinking. A large timer popped up from above them, beginning to count down from thirty.

Rosalia didn't look all that worried, merely giving her weapon a few test swings before positioning herself in a ready stance. Her partner brandished his much more fancier sword, a dark purple with a black hilt and a red gem embedded in its guard, directing it at his opponents.

Yuna, just as her friends, was really unnerved about this. This was the deciding factor as to whether they could leave or not, and she felt as if things weren't going to be pretty.

But knowing that Nautilus and Strea would need at least a beacon to look up to—just as she once and always looked up to her crush and friend—she readied herself. Sensing her determination, her friends looked at each other, sharing a nod before they pulled out a sword each, with Nautilus possessing an extra shield in his arsenal.

Twenty seconds.

At the very least… If they were going to go down, then they would go down, trying. She would never allow herself to be looked at if she never took her opponents seriously.

Click. Ten seconds.

She had waited for this exact moment for so long. The very moment she'd be able to leave this guild, she was going to head straight for floor thirty-five. That was where the «Blank» probably was at.

A bit more. Five seconds.

Taking in a shaky breath, she willed her nerves to steel. If she was going to fight, she would fight as Yuna, member of the «Blank».

*Ting!*

*Persona Q—Light the Fire Up in the Night: P3 (Play Song)*

Well, no turning back now!

Starting it off, Kuradeel was quick to rushing forth, sword gleaming a malicious glow of dark indigo and black that seemed to display the true horrors of his undoubtedly horrid personality.

Without so much as faltering under his sharp gaze, Nautilus leapt into the air, bringing his sword down in a guillotining action. His sword of grey metal met the older man's purple blade, a loud clashing sound before the two backed away.

"Alright, guys! Switch to 'Diversity'!" Yuna's orders elicited confused looks from the other players, more so from their opponents.

Her team members understood her orders loud and clear, wasting no time to perform their part.

Without so much as saying anything, the purple-haired swords woman made a break towards Kuradeel, who raised his sword to block her attack. Instead, she pivoted over him, getting his attention solely on her, and giving her fellow swordsman enough time to slam his shield into the man, before he activated a «Swords Skill», cutting him and knocking him backwards.

"Grah!" Hissing, despite the pain literally nonexistent, he noticed his health basically erased by thirty percent now, his health now stood at a shaky 80% now. 'How the hell?!'

The younger players spared no time for the opposite team, aiming their blades towards Rosalia, who looked more than ready to take them on. Clashing all their weapons all at once, Strea jumped back before thrusting her blade forwards, sword gleaming with lavender as it cut into her. She stopped short, initiating a combo at her. Nautilus appeared from the side, bashing his iron shield against her.

"Come on, everyone, you can do it!" Yuna cheered, pulling out her harp and beginning to play. "Hhaa~!"

Her voice covered the whole areas, and everyone could hear it. So soothing, and soon enough, red and blue light seemed to cover her teammates, with an additional orange being amongst those two colours.

With enough practice, she's managed to create a singing skill to increase a targeted player's agility, thus improving their hit rate and evasion. She smiled at this, thankful that her efforts were being paid off.

Boosted by their leader's singing, the purplette resumed her assault on Rosalia once more, except with faster hits and powerful strikes, making things indefinitely harder for her to just block. And the girl was far too fast to just parry, the redhead noted.

"Damn it! Don't just let her knock you around!" Kuradeel was ready to go in himself, but had to jump back to evade the sudden swing of a sword.

"Your opponent stands before you now. Don't even think about running," Nautilus had always wanted to sound brave, and right now, he hoped so.

Snarling in clear anger, the madman ignored every sense of self-safety as he tossed himself into the battle, clashing blades against the younger swordsman, whom blocked his attack with both sword and shield, retaliating with equal vigour, if not more due to his friend's singing.

Kuradeel reached for a dagger in his right belt, ready to toss it, until the songstress suddenly dashed in front of him, rapier aimed directly at his dagger, managing to toss it aside. Sent flying into the air, before landing onto the ground, a distance away from him.

'Damn it… What sort of tactics are they even using?!' The man thought, seething with anger.

"Hhaa~!" She played once more, singing even louder now. Her friend, his shield raised and posture low, gleamed with three colours, before he activated his «Swords Skill», thrusting himself forwards.

*Ching!*

"Hhk..!" Rosalia failed to parry the younger girl's attack, who continued the merciless onslaught, an unnatural amount of seriousness. "Hyagh!*

She twirled her lance in her hands, bringing it up above her head, before bringing it down in one quick swoop. The younger girl was struck by it, but rushed in once more to strike at her. Fast, and really difficult. Her blade was a blur at this point, and she couldn't even get a good grip on where her legs were at. They were constantly moving, her head a target that never remained in one spot, and her body so lithe that any attempts at hitting her more often than not bore empty fruit.

Rosalia, in a fit of anger, equipped herself with a shield on her left, raising it above her, effectively blocking the girl's attack. Smirking, she cocked her spear arm backwards, before thrusting forwards, spear dug into the younger girl's shoulder before she kicked her back, breaking the ninety-six hit combo.

'Damn, she did quite the damage on me…' She hissed in her mind, taking a defensive stance. Her health was already somewhere around the sixty range. This was really bad.

"Yuna, I lost the combo! Sorry!" Strea shouted, running towards Kuradeel and slamming her head into his chest. He gagged at the sudden blow to his chest, jaws shut forcefully as the teenage boy rammed his shield of iron directly into his skull, sending him into a daze, health visibly 55%.

"It's fine, we can still keep going," she reassured her friends with a shake of the head, the results of the battle far better than she could have ever imagined.

Nodding back at her, she shouted another command. 'Cerberus', and again, the two opponents of theirs weren't sure what to expect.

The three of them rushed towards the duo, with Strea and Nautilus powering up their swords, emitting a battlecry as they let their «Sword Skills» loose towards Kuradeel. He raised his sword to block, added with support from Rosalia, yet their attacks broke through their defenses.

*Khh..!*

"Nier, you never gave up on me. I'll show you how much I've grown!" She declared, her rapier gleaming a powerful streak of white and silver, before she propelled herself forwards, added with the automatic kinetic force of the «Sword Skill».

The opening was there! Time to take it!

She rushed forwards, ignoring the deathly glowers she was getting from the 'ugly man'. No, she was going to do this.

Cocking her weapon arm backwards, she let out one more battle cry, before thrusting the blade forwards.

*Shing!*

*Persona Q—Light the Fire Up in the Night: P3 (End Song)*

*Twee!* *Thud!*

"Gah..!" Kuradeel fell backwards, bright red wounds on his chestplate and body. Looking up at the timer, his eyes shot wide with hatred and disbelief.

He lost.

"The battle is over!" Godfree announced as the timer sung its end, indicating the end of the battle.

"Yeah!" Strea, the happiest there was on the field of battle, tackled her best friend with a powerful hug, squeezing the life out of her. "We did it, we did it, we did it!"

"Y-You're right…" Nautilus could barely register what was going on. The whole ordeal had him so focused that he actually forgot everything that just happened, albeit the winning part. "W-We won?"

Yuna remained speechless, slowly tilting her head upwards. Only when her eyes laid gaze upon the moon, did the smile finally come, eyes slightly watery.

They won. They won!

"Yeah!" She shouted, just as overjoyed as her friends were.'


Characters' Age:

Nautilus: 16

Strea: 13