Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter of Sword Art, and first things first, I'm really, really, really sorry this one took so long. I know that a lot of you guys like this series so I've been trying to work on it, but life be crazy. Anyways, this chapter is a special Christmas chapter based on episode three. For those of you who have seen the anime, I know this chapter follows the anime pretty close, but I promise I did through in a few twists. Any ways guys, I hope you all enjoy!
April 8th, 2023, Seto Forest, Fifteenth Floor, Aincrad.
Kirito sighed from his perch above the ground. "You know, I understand that your trying to kill a rare monster and all, but why am I in a tree?" Kirito looked down at Asuna who was watching the ground from a few branches below him. She glanced up at him with an annoyed expression on her face. "Because if it sees us it would take off running and we would never catch it. It's one of those monsters that will flee from anything, like, for example, TALKING!" and with that she reverted her attention back onto the ground. Kirito sighed once more as he leaned back to rest against the trunk of the tree. Honestly, did she really need to bring me with her? We're both levelled high enough to survive here on our own.
Kirito continued to inwardly gripe until suddenly, they heard a loud scream echo through the forest. Kirito was on the ground in an instant, Asuna right behind him as the duo took off through the trees in the direction that the scream had come from. They hurtled through the brush as fast as their virtual bodies would allow them to, until they finally reached the area from which the scream had originated. In front of them stood a group of five players, four boys and a single girl, all surrounded by a group of locust like monsters called Locii. The group seemed to be holding their own, but the monsters were doing far more damage to them than the players were.
"Kirito!" Asuna yelled as she darted toward one of the Locii, stabbing it a dozen times in the blink of an eye. "Right!" Kirito answered as he dashed forward and swung his sword in a large arc, taking out two of the monsters and causing the rest to turn their attention to him. Now that the pressure was off of them, the group of players finally attacked the backs of the insect like mobs, quickly witling their health down until they shattered into nothingness.
Kirito looked around, checking for more of the monsters, before quickly sheathing his sword onto his back. He then turned to the group of players, all of whom were now drinking health potions. "You guys okay?"
One of the players turned to them, a tall boy with brown hair and armor holding a spear. He looked at them with an awed expression. A shorter boy in yellow armor and cloak that matched the tufts of hair poking out from beneath his gray hat walked up to his friend and elbowed him in the side, quickly bringing him out of his trance. "O... Oh yeah! Thanks a bunch for your help!" The boy extended his hand to them. "My name is Keita." Kirito hesitantly took his hand. "I'm Kirito, and this is Asuna." Asuna smiled as she also shook Keita's hand. "Nice to meet you."
Keita looked back at his team members before turning back to the duo. "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to buy you both a drink as thanks for saving us." Kirito glanced quickly at Asuna as the girl gave him a small smile. "Really, you don't have to do that…" "I insist!" Kirito looked at Asuna one more time before turning back to Keita with a sigh. "Okay, sure." Keita smiled as he clapped Kirito on the shoulder and pulled out a teleport crystal. "Alrighty then. Our main base is in Taft on the eleventh floor." Keita said as everyone else pulled out their own crystals. "Teleport, Taft!"
April 8th, 2023, Restaurant, Taft, Eleventh Floor, Aincrad.
"To us, the Moon Lit Black Cats!"
"Cheers!" the group of fighters shouted as they raised their glasses. The group now sat around a circular table covered with food in the bustling eatery know as Restaurant. Kirito and Asuna sat across from the five players, whose names were Keita, Tetsuo, Subaru, Sasamori, and Sachi.
"And to Kirito and Asuna, the two who saved us! Cheers!"
Kirito nervously lifted his glass. "Ch.… Cheers."
Asuna noticed her uncomfortable partner and gave him a sly grin.
Everyone around the table took turns thanking them as Kirito sat there awkwardly. Sachi, the only girl in the group, came up to him. "Th… Thank you. You have no idea how scared I was, so I felt honestly relieved when you came to save us."
Kirito sat there, not knowing what to say. "O…Oh."
Keita sat down next to Kirito. "Um excuse me, Kirito, Sir, but… what level are you guys?"
Kirito stared at Keita for a second, silently, before he looked away and quietly answered. "Um… Level twenty." Asuna froze for a second, her eyes glancing up at his heath bar, which only she could see, and the clear indicator that said that he was level 40. She looked at Kirito, but didn't say anything.
Keita didn't seem to notice her as he went on. "Wow! You're at our level and still only travel as a pair? You guys are amazing sir!"
Kirito flinched internally at the title Keita kept using. "Keita, stop being so formal. Since we travel as a pair, we can't target large groups of mobs and end up hunting lone ones in the boonies. It's not very efficient."
"Oh… I see." Keita glanced back at his guild, who all gave him a slight nod. "Well, I know this isn't the best time, but… would you guys like to join our guild?"
Kirito sat up just a little bit straighter, and Asuna stopped mid-sip. Keita quickly began speaking once he saw their reactions. "Well, you see, Tetsuo is the only one we can use in the vanguard because he's a mace user," A boy in dark purple armor smiled, gently patting the hammer shaped mace at his side. "And then we've got Sachi here," Keita continued, patting the dark haired girl on the head. "I was thinking about having her switch to a sword and shield so she can join Tetsuo. Thing is, she doesn't know what to do."
"Hey, I'm not that bad! You can't just move me to the front and expect me to know what to do, I'd be terrified!"
"Oh come on, all you'd have to do is hide behind your shield!"
"Yea!"
Sachi let out a loud 'Huff", causing the boys gathered around the table to let out a cheery round of laughter. Keita looked at Kirito and smiled, "See, we're able to joke like this because we all know each other in real life and are all members of our schools' computer club. Oh, but you guys don't need to worry about that, as far as we're concerned, you guys are already one of us! Right?" Everyone around the table gave him a small grin.
Kirito turned to Asuna, who had kept quiet the entire time. She gave him a questioning look, as if saying that the decision was up to him, before turning her attention back to the cake she had been eating.
Kirito looked at the group of fighters around them, all with hopeful looks on their faces. Kirito could feel his virtual body letting free a few drops of sweat. "Well… we're really flattered by your offer…" Kirito cast one last glance at Asuna, who continued to watch the exchange silently. Kirito sighed and turned back to Keita. "We'll accept."
The small group of warriors let out a loud cheer as they all rushed forward to clap Kirito and Asuna on the back and welcomed them to the guild.
May 9, 2023, Sunlit Forest, Twentieth Floor, Aincrad.
Sasamori let out a loud grunt as he quickly stabbed the giant mantas like monster in front of the group with his spear, effectively taking out another tenth of its health. Once he had finished his attack he swiftly backed away, allowing Sachi, with her newly acquired sword and shield to move up, a scared expression on her face. The insectoid let out a loud hissing roar that caused Sachi to duck behind her shield and whimper. Sasamori reached over her head and stabbed the beast once more doing almost as much damage as he had before. Unfortunately, this didn't stop the monster from attacking, a giant scythe like arm came down and striked against Sachi's shield, throwing out tons of sparks as the metal clashed with the blade like limb. Sachi fell backwards, her health dropping by ten percent.
"Sachi, get back!" Kirito yelled as he began running towards the monster, which had raised its other bladed arm. Just as the monster began to swing its arm, however, Kirito's sword flashed through the air, cleaving the arm in two as the mantas turned its attention on him. Kirito began circling the beast, forcing it to turn its back on his guild mates. As he parried another swing from its last arm, he yelled out, "Tetsuo, switch!" and hurriedly jumped back out of the monsters range. Tetsuo ran up behind the monster, hammer glowing purple as he charged up a sword skill, and then swung the weapon right into the bug like enemy's abdomen, knocking it on its side before it shattered into hundreds of crystal shards.
Everyone cheered as the monster disappeared and a menu appeared in front of Tetsuo, informing him that he had reached level twenty-three. As the other members of the guild ran forward to congratulate him, Kirito felt an elbow hit him in the side and turned to see Asuna, standing there with a questioning look on her face.
"What?"
"You gonna tell me why you let Tetsuo get the kill when you could have easily taken that monster by yourself?"
Kirito thought for a moment, then shrugged. "They need the kills more than we do."
"And how long do you think you can keep hiding our levels from them? And you still haven't even told me why we're hiding them in the first place." Again Kirito shrugged, causing Asuna to glare at him before turning back to their friends, who had begun dividing the drops. "Whatever, as long as you tell me eventually."
"Okay, okay I will."
"Good."
Once they had finished fairly handing out the drops from the monsters they had killed, the group decided to stop for lunch on a nearby hill that was one of the few safe areas outside of the towns. They settled down in a loose circle as Sachi took an old fashion picnic basket out from her inventory and started handing out the food she had made for them earlier. As the group began eating and joking, Kirito quietly broke away and sat on the hill little ways away from everyone else. It wasn't long before someone walked up next to him, and he glance up to see Keita. As the guild leader lay down beside Kirito, he opened his inventory and brought out a newspaper titled The Weekly Argo. On the front page, in big bold letters, it said The Clearing Group Passes The 28th Floor ~ Zero Casualties, Yet Again. Keita sighed as he stared at the picture of one of the Guilds that helped make up the Clearing Group, the Holy Dragon Alliance.
"So they made it past the twenty-eighth floor, huh? Amazing." Kirito continued to quietly chew on his sandwich.
"Hey, Kirito?" Kirito half turned to the young man beside him. "What do you think's the difference between us and the clearing group?"
Kirito thought for a moment, and then said, "Information, maybe? They monopolize the most efficient training and hunting spots."
Keita sighed as he put down the paper. "That's partly it, I suppose. But I think a major factor is willpower." Kirito looked at the brown haired boy questioningly. "Willpower?"
Keita sat up and stared off at the Sunlit Forest below them, listening to the wind rushing by them and hearing the distant sound of someone training in the Forest. "I guess you could call it determination to protect your friends – Or rather, all the players." He turned and smiled at Kirito. "Right now, even though we're the ones being protected, I'd like to believe that my determination is just as strong. Of course, the safety of my friends is my top priority. However, someday I hope we'll all be able to join the clearing group."
"I see. You have a point" Keita smiled sheepishly. "Well, maybe."
"Yo, leader." Subaru said from his spot behind Keita. Suddenly, he had the guild leader in a headlock. "Nice speech!" Tetsuo, Sachi, Asuna and Sasamori walked up to them. "So," Tetsuo said, "We're gonna be comrades with the Holy Dragon Alliance and Knights of the Blood Oath?" Keita stopped his struggling to look at Tetsuo. "Is that a problem? Let's aim high! First, we'll all reach level thirty."
Kirito smiled as his friends went on joking and laughing. If the Black Cats improve and make it to the front lines, Keita's ideals could change the serious and cold atmosphere there. Kirito smiled as he watched Subaru fall backwards, dragging Keita down with him. His smile slowly faded, however, as he stared at his health bar, and the indicator that said 'Lvl 48'. The front lines, huh.
May 10, 2023, Yakamoto Inn, Taft, Eleventh Floor, Aincrad.
Kirito walked into Keita's room to see everyone else was already there sitting on the two beds that occupied a majority of the space. Keita stood against one wall, facing everybody. "Good, now everyone's here." Keita said as Kirito took a seat next to Asuna, who greeted him with a smile.
"Now then, I have some news for you all." Keita began, looking at each of them in turn. "Including the spoils from the last hunt, we now have 200,000 col!" Everyone let out loud gaps of surprise and excitement.
"Wow, suddenly, buying our own house doesn't seem too impossible!"
"I know! How about we get Sachi some new equipment!"
"Yea!"
Sachi looked down shyly. "N-No, I'm good with what I have now."
"Come on! We can't have Kirito being vanguard forever!"
Sachi looked at Kirito, her eyes full of concern. "I'm sorry."
Kirito gave her a small smile. "I don't mind. Don't worry about it."
"Sorry."
Keita looked at Sachi. "Sachi, I know it's hard switching jobs, but you're doing really good. Let's all try our best, okay?" Sachi gave him a small nod. "Yeah."
"Anyways, that was why I called you all here. So, I think we should buy a house!"
May 16, 2023, Yakamoto Inn, Taft, Eleventh Floor, Aincrad.
Kirito strapped on his sword, the heavy metal a comforting weight in the dark room. He was the only one in his room as everyone else was matched up with a partner. Once he had finished equipping his gear, he silently opened the door and left. It was late at night and everyone else was already asleep, so he quietly walked down the hall past their rooms and down the stairs to the bar area of the inn. He gave a small nod of greeting to the NPC inn keeper, who nodded back as he continued wiping down one of the tables in the room.
Several minutes later, he was on the twenty-eighth floor walking into a well-hidden hunting spot called the Wolf Plains. As he reached the top of the hill that marked the edge of the hunting grounds, he could make out several figures in the valley below fighting the giant demon wolf mobs that inhabited the area. The monsters were a hellish red, with twin tails and spikes running down their spines. All the men wore what seemed to be red samurai armor and seemed to be fairly high level. Kirito's attention was suddenly captured by a group of three men chasing a wolf. Two of the men were on either side of the wolf, while the third ran ahead of it, katana drawn.
Kirito looked closer at the third figure and instantly recognized him. "Klein."
As he watched, Klein suddenly spun around, causing the wolf to stop and giving his friends time to attack the wolf and draw its attention off of Klein. Now that the monster was no longer focused on him, Klein lowered his katana and activated a sword skill that Kirito recognized. It was Horizontal Slash, the first move he had taught Klein. With his sword now glowing red, Klein dashed forward with amazing speed and left a red line going along the wolfs body before it shattered.
Klein sighed as he sheathed his katana, his eyes drifting towards the hill. The moment he saw Kirito, his eyes widened, as did his smile. "Kirito!" Klein turned back to his guild members. "The rest of them are yours guys." He then proceeded to rush up the hill to where Kirito was standing. "I haven't seen you around lately. And your training this late?" Klein suddenly stopped. "Huh? Hey, that mark…" Klein looked closer at Kirito's health bar. "Did you join a guild?"
Kirito looked away, suddenly reminded of that day long ago when Klein had asked him to form a guild with him. "Yeah, sorta."
"Hey! We're all good to move on!"
Kirito quickly walked past Klein. "See ya."
Klein looked at Kirito's receding form. "Oh come on…" Klein muttered to himself. "Is it still bugging you?"
Several hours later, Kirito walked through the teleport gate into the familiar town of Taft. As he started off in the direction of the inn, a yellow icon appeared before him, alerting him that he had received a message. Opening the message, he saw it was from Keita.
This is Keita. Sachi went out and hasn't come back. We're going to look for her in the dungeon area. If you figure anything out, let us know.
Kirito closed the message, his brow furrowed. "Sachi…" Kirito quickly opened his menu and navigated to his tracker skill, activating it. As he selected his target and closed the menu, the whole world seemed to go green, and in the distance he could see faint foot prints. He quickly followed the trail until he arrived at a bridged water way. Turning off his skill, Kirito walked under the bridge. There he found Sachi, knee's hugged to her chest, head down.
"Sachi!"
Sachi looked up. "Kirito."
"Everyone's worried."
Sachi looked down again as Kirito walked forward and sat down a few feet away from her. "Hey, Kirito…" Kirito looked at her.
"Let's run away together."
"Run away? From what?"
"From this town, the monsters, the Black Cats… and Sword Art Online." Kirito sat up straighter. "A-Are you suggesting suicide?!"
"That might be good." Sachi said, her voice dripping with sadness. Kirito gasped, surprised at the normally timid girl. "No, I'm sorry. That's a lie. If I was brave enough to die, I wouldn't be hiding in the safety of the town." Kirito sighed, relieved. "Hey, why can't we leave?" Kirito gave Sachi a questioning look. "Why are our lives at stake when it's only a game? What's the point?"
Kirito looked at Sachi silently, before turning towards the river and answering. "There's probably no meaning to it, I think…"
They sat there silently, not a single noise other than the sound of the water flowing past on its way through the town.
"I'm afraid of dying." Sachi said. Kirito turned to look at her. "You're afraid of dying?"
"I'm so scared. I haven't been able to sleep lately."
Kirito looked at his friend, and knew what she was saying was true. She was always terrified whenever they went hunting. He watched her as she stared at the water, her face masked with all the sadness and fear she had been feeling since the day this game had started.
"You won't die."
Sachi looked up, surprised. "R-Really? How can you be so sure?"
"The Black Cats are strong. We're also taking extra precautions as we go higher up. And, you've got Tetsuo and me, so there's no reason for you to be on vanguard."
Sachi stared at him, her sad expression slowly turning to one of hope. "Will I really survive? Can I go back to the real world someday?"
"Yeah, you'll survive. This game won't be the end of you."
Sachi stared at him silently, tears forming in her eyes, and smiled.
May 16, 2023, Yakamoto Inn, Taft, Eleventh Floor, Aincrad.
Kirito sat on his bed, manipulating his menu. He sighed as he looked through the drops he had gathered that night on floor 28. We really are getting pretty high. He began absentmindedly scrolling through his items until his eyes landed on a certain one. I wonder…
Kirito jumped as he heard a knock on his door. Quickly closing his menu, he turned to the door. "Come in."
The door creaked open to reveal Sachi, standing there in night clothes, a large pillow clutched to her chest and an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, I still can't sleep." Kirito stared at her a moment before letting out a sigh. "Okay, fine. You can sleep in here." Sachi smiled at him and made her way over to the bed, gently placing down her pillow and crawling up under the covers. Kirito reached towards the lamp on the small table besides the bed, hitting the holographic button and turning it off before climbing into the other side of the bed, careful to keep space between him and Sachi. For the next hour they lay there, not saying a word, as Kirito's mind raced, remembering their conversation under the bridge. If you stay in this guild, you'll be safe. He thought. You'll definitely be able to go back to the real world one day. I'm sure there are many players like Sachi who fear death. Even so they laugh, cry, and survive in this world to the best of their ability. I've never really thought about it… He felt Sachi shifting behind him. "Kirito." She said softly.
Kirito turned around to face her. "It's okay. You're definitely going to survive." Sachi watched his face, searching for any sign that he may have been lying, but saw nothing but belief. She smiled and gave Kirito a small nod before settling down into her pillow and drifting off into sleep.
Kirito watched Sachi for a few moments before turning away and staring at the ceiling. I'll protect all of you… He reached his hand toward the wooden beams above and clenched it. No matter what.
June 12, 2023, Taft, Eleventh Floor, Aincrad.
The Moonlit Black Cats were gathered in front of the teleport gate in the center of town. It was still relatively early, so there weren't many players around and the square was just starting to begin its series of morning noises as the NPC shops opened and more adventurers began to appear. Keita stepped toward the teleport gate, Asuna at his side, before turning back to face his friends. "Well then, we'll be off. Teleport, Town of Beginnings." Both of the players were enveloped in a bright blue light before disappearing.
"I didn't know it would be this exciting buying our own house." Subaru said.
"That's something an old man would say!" Sasamori said, slugging the yellow clad boy in the arm as everyone began laughing.
"Hey, let's go make some cash while Keita and Asuna are buying the house."
Sachi looked at him with an excited face, her hands clasped. "We could buy furniture!"
"Then why don't we go to one of the upper dungeons?" Subaru said.
Kirito stepped forward. "We should stick to our usual hunting grounds."
"It'd be more efficient in an upper dungeon."
"At our levels, we'll be fine!"
Kirito thought for a moment, a doubtful look on his face, before slowly nodding.
June 12, 2023, Dungeon, Twenty-Seventh Floor, Aincrad.
Kirito walked beside Sachi, following Tetsuo, Subaru, and Sasamori down the dim hallway. The entire dungeon was a dark maze like expanse of corridors full of monsters and traps. Everything was dimly lit by a bluish glow that seemed to emanate from the walls.
"See? This is no problem for us!"
"Just a bit more and we might make it to the front lines!"
"You said it!
Kirito looked around, growing more and more nervous. He was about to suggest going back when Subaru ran forward towards a wall. He laid his hand on the wall, causing it to glow brighter as a section of it slide upwards, revealing a large square room, bare save for a single chest directly in the center of the room. A hidden room? Here?
"A treasure chest!" Subaru shouted as he rushed into the room, quickly followed by Sasamori and Tetsuo. "Wait!" Kirito called, hurrying after them, followed by Sachi. Too late, Subaru knelt in front of the chest, pushing it open with a look of glee on his face. All at once, the soft blue glow vanished, replaced with a strong red light as an alarm like sound filled the room and the door behind them slammed shut. Several secret doors on various sides of the room opened up, releasing dwarf like monsters clothed in baggy garments and carrying large bladed pickaxes. Blue light filled each corner of the room and was soon replaced by large, faceless humanoid beings made of rock.
"It's a trap! Guys, we have to get out of here!" Subaru pulled a blue teleportation crystal out of his quick access pouch. "Teleport, Taft! Teleport, Taft!"
"The crystals aren't working!"
"It's an anti-crystal zone?"
Before they could do anything else, the group of monsters surrounding them surged forward, forcing the players to defend themselves. Subaru, who was still reaching for the dagger hidden under his cloak, was sent flying away from the group by one of the rock creatures. Before he could get himself up, four of the dwarf beasts surrounded him and began mercilessly hammering him with their bladed tools. Subaru screamed in pain as the pickaxes continued to impale him, until he finally shattered, just as the many monsters he had killed before.
Kirito stood, shocked by the death of the energetic boy, before he continued to slice through the monsters surrounding him. He heard a yelp, and turned just in time to see Tetsuo shatter into hundreds of shards, the last of his health taken by one of the rock men. "Tetsuo!" Sasamori cried, pushing away another monster before rushing towards the rock man, the tip of his spear glowing green with a sword skill. "Dammit!" he yelled, thrusting his spear into the chest of the monster, a look of triumph on his face. His look suddenly changed to dread as the rock man, still skewered on the end of his spear, raised its arm, and brought it down into his gut, sending him flying several feet before he also shattered.
Kirito was wide eyed, hacking and slashing through the horde around him taking down monster after monster as he struggled to find a way out. As he slashed through yet another rock man, he spotted Sachi, surrounded by the monsters, desperately pushing them away using a staff she kept on hand in place of her sword and shield. "Sachi!" Kirito yet as he tried to move forward, only to be pushed back by the endless stream of monsters that came from nowhere. "Kirito!" She cried, pushing another rock golem away from her and surging toward him. As she broke away from the monsters Kirito looked to see one of the golems behind her raise its arm. "Sachi!" Kirito called out. Too late, the monster struck Sachi in her exposed back, throwing her forward. Everything seemed to slow around Kirito as he watched, wide eyed, as Sachi began to say something he couldn't make out. And then she shattered.
June 12, 2023, Taft, Eleventh Floor, Aincrad.
Kirito fell from the ring of blue light, breathing hard as he tried to calm himself. After he saw Sachi disappear, he had lost control, becoming a murderous being that could not be stopped. He had fought through the army of monsters for twenty minutes before he fell to his knees, all the monsters gone. The room returned to its natural blue color and the door opened behind him. Shakily, he pulled out a teleportation crystal. "Teleport… Taft."
Kirito got up and took a few shaky steps forward, still not believing what had just happened. Their gone. Their all gone. He reached a building on the side of the square and leaned heavily against it. Suddenly, a chiming noise caught his attention, and he looked up to see a yellow icon floating in front of him. He reached up and tapped the notification, opening the message Keita had sent him.
Hey! Me and Asuna finished buying the house! We'll meet you guys at the Rim of Taft! And why can't I message the others?
Kirito stared at the message, running it through his head. Keita. I have to tell Keita. He pushed himself off the wall and began stumbling down the alley way, heading toward the northern edge of town, which run right up to the edge of floor eleven. It felt like an eternity, but eventually Kirito was able to stand up straight and walk without trouble, marching out onto the paved walkway surrounding the city, popularly called 'The Rim' as it ran along the northern rim of Taft. He walked along the path, looking for his friends, until he finally spotted them leaning against the waist high wall that separated the walkway from the endless sky below the floating castle. Kirito stopped when he saw them, not knowing what to do now that he was here. Asuna glanced over at him, said something to Keita, and they both made their way over to where he stood. Kirito heard a small jingling sound and looked down to see a ring of keys in Keita's hand.
"Kirito!" Keita said, a large smile covering his face. "Where are the others? They haven't been answering my messages." Keita looked around, trying to spot his other companions. Asuna looked at Kirito, her brow furrowing. "Kirito, what's wrong?" Keita turned back to Kirito, finally noticing his dark look.
"… Keita… Asuna… Everyone… They're…" Kirito struggled to find the words. "… They're dead."
Keita froze, a look of disbelief on his face. "W-What?"
Kirito looked at the ground. "When you guys left, we all decided to go to a higher level dungeon to earn some extra Col. At first it went fine, but then we found a hidden room. They rushed in before I could stop them. It was a trap, and we couldn't use crystals. They were killed, all of them. I… I'm sorry." Kirito continued to look at the ground, tears forming in his eyes as he remembered watching his friends die before him. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and looked up to see Asuna, on the edge of tears. "Kirito…"
Kirito looked back to Keita, who stood before them unmoving, a shocked look on his face. "There's one other thing I want to tell you." Keita said nothing, so Kirito continued. "Me and Asuna… we're level fifty." Keita finally moved, jerking his head up, his expression full of surprise. Asuna shot Kirito a worried glance, but stayed silent. "When we met we were both around level forty. And the reason we only travel together is… we're Beaters."
Keita stood there, frozen again, just staring at his last two friends as he processed what he had just been told. His face slowly began to develop a hopeless look as he realized what Kirito was saying. "You… Your beaters? Why…Why didn't you tell us!?" Kieta's face suddenly changed from a look of despair to an expression of pure rage. "You've both been lying to us from day one!"
Asuna stood up. "Keita, that's not…"
"We trusted you both! We thought of you as friends!"
"Keita…" Asuna's voice shook.
"They're all dead because of you! A Beater like you… didn't have the right to be with us!" Keita fury slowly began to fade away, only leaving his shock and despair. Without saying another word, he calmly walked to the wall along the edge of the path and hoisted himself on top.
Kirito's eyes went wide as he dashed toward his friend. "Keita, no!" He reached his hand out, trying to stop his friend. And then he was gone. Kirito watched as Keita fell, mile after mile, into the endless void below the floating castle of Aincrad, until he shattered into millions of fragments as he collided with the world border.
December 24th, 2023, Mujen, Forty-Ninth Floor, Aincrad.
Kirito walked through the center of the Forty-Ninth floors largest town, Mujen. The usually peaceful town was suddenly overflowing with players from all over Aincrad, despite the town being so close to the frontlines. The entire town was done up with green and red, lights hung everywhere, and in the very center stood a single tree, its conical shape easily reaching fifty meters tall as a light snow fell around the town, truly making it feel as if it was Christmas time. People stood in large groups all over the square, most dressed up in heavy cloaks and hoods, talking to one another, exchanging gifts to each other, and shopping at the various stalls and shops around the square.
Kirito continued walking, weaving his way through the bustling crowd as he made his way to the center of the square. Asuna walked beside him, her usual outfit covered up by a heavy red cloak with a hood that actually looked really good on her. Kirito was wearing pure black clothing with midnight blue outlines underneath a long black winter trench coat with a hood. Across his back hung a large one-handed sword that matched his outfit. Asuna ran ahead and peered into a display filled with all sorts of different rapiers. Kirito swiftly swiped his menu open and checked the time.
"Hey, Asuna, I have to go meet a friend. I'll meet up with you later."
Asuna looked up at him, a surprised look on her face. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Kirito rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… It was kinda sudden." Asuna gave him a hard look before her expression finally softened. "Fine. I'll meet you back here in an hour, got it?"
"Yeah."
And with that Kirito walked away as Asuna went back to investigating every sword in the display. Kirito walked around the plaza until he came to a small bench in front of a small alleyway. As he sat down, he continued watching the passing groups of friends and couples walking around enjoying themselves. After about three minutes, he felt a small hand poke him in the back of his head. Turning his head just a bit, he was greeted with the sight of Argo the Rat. She now wore a thin full body cloak over her light brown armor. The hood of her cloak, which sported a design that reminded Kirito of rat ears, didn't cover her face as much as the last one, but her eyes were still hidden by long tufts of green hair.
"So, I hear you've been training pretty hard lately." Kirito continued to look ahead, a bored expression on his face.
"Do you have any new information?"
Argo sighed. Kirito had become very distant and grumpy lately. "Nothing worth charging for."
"Some information broker you are."
Argo felt her face go red with rage. "Hey! This is a brand new event that wasn't in the beta! There's not even a credible source of information!"
Kirito didn't respond as he continued sitting there, an emotionless mask with a body. Argo sighed. "On Christmas Eve, which is at midnight, an event boss will spawn named Nicholas the Renegade."
"Where?"
"All I know is that he spawns beneath a certain fir tree. Every big guild is in a frenzy right now searching for it."
To Argo's surprise, Kirito got up. "You know where it is, dont'cha?"
"Maybe." Kirito said as he began walking away.
"Wait!" Argo dashed forward. "You're not going to try to solo it are you." Her hair had parted, revealing her mud brown eyes above the whiskers she had gotten while trying to complete a quest.
Without answering, Kirito continued to walk away into the bustling crowd. Argo stared at the place where he had been. "What the hell happened to you, Ki?"
December 24, 2023, The Angry Boar Inn, Mujen, Forty-Ninth Floor, Aincrad
Kirito sat on his bed in the dark room where he and Asuna were staying while they were visiting the city. He was cycling through and sorting his inventory. He began setting up his inventory for what might become his biggest fight yet in the game, all the while lost in his thoughts.
In this world, resurrection is impossible. He clicked some items in his inventory and his gloves changed from the frail, thin ones he was wearing to thick, padded ones made for battle. But Nicholas the Renegade is said to drop an item that can defy this rule. He clicked another item, and this time his thick cloak swapped with an equally thick coat that closely resembled his original coat from the first floor, the Coat of Midnight. I'll face it alone, and I'll probably die. He drew the sword on his back and hit another button, causing it to disappear and be replaced with another sword, this one was smaller and had a longer cross guard with a blue and silver pattern. He stared at his reflection in the blade. In a place where no one can see me, I'll die meaninglessly. He shut his eyes. A Beater like you… didn't have the right to be with us! Keita's words echoed in his mind, refusing to leave him alone. That's right, my arrogance killed you all. If only I hadn't kept it a secret. Shaking off the painful memories, Kirito stood, sheathed his blade, and left the room.
December 24, 2023, Forest of Wandering, Thirty-Fifth Floor, Aincrad.
Kirito ran through the snow cloaked forest, armored boots digging into the soft fresh fallen snow as he propelled himself forward, mind once again racing. If I manage to defeat Nicholas, he came to a halt and pulled a map out of his pocket. Then Sachi will be revived, and I'll be able to hear her last words. Kirito raised his head to look at the looming shape ahead of him. It was a tree of impossible proportions, easily reaching at least a hundred fifty meters high. And if it turns out she was cursing me, so be it.
Kirito once again broke out into a run again until he passed through an invisible barrier that marked the beginning of the mini dungeon for the area, which had been cleared so many times that monsters no longer spawned there. He continued running through the lanes made by the trees surrounding him, always heading toward the massive tree in the center. As he passed through a clearing, he noticed a ripple in the air not too far away and slid to a stop. As he watched a group of six men with red armor and weapons appeared from the other side of the invisible barrier. Kirito instantly recognized the group of men, all sporting the same diamond shaped insignia on their armor.
"Sup." Klein said as the rest of the Furenkazan guild appeared behind their leader.
"You followed me?"
"Pretty much. Are you after the resurrection item?"
"Yeah."
Klein frowned. "Don't waste your life for a rumor that might turn out to be a sham. This survival game isn't a joke. The moment your HP hits zero, your brain in the real world— "
"Shut up."
Klein looked surprised. He had never seen Kirito so hostile. "Trying to solo it is crazy! Come on, fight with us! Whoever gets the resurrection item gets it, no hard feelings! That's fair right."
"But then… there'd be no point." Kirito said, hand moving to the sword on his back. "I have to do it alone."
The members of the Furenkazan guild reached for their swords. Klein held up his hand to calm his friends down. "Listen… I can't let you die here, Kirito!"
Kirito suddenly tensed up and drew his sword. Before anyone could react, blue light filled the clearing as a dozen men in heavy silver armor appeared behind the Furenkazan. Klein and his men swiftly turned and backed up to where Kirito stood.
"Looks like you were followed too, Klein."
"Yea, looks like it."
"The Holy Dragon Alliance." One of the guild members said, leveling his spear.
"They'll do anything for a rare item." Another member said, raising his long dagger.
"What should we do?"
Kirito began to sweat. "I…"
"Goddammit!" Klein said drawing his katana. "Go on, Kirito!"
"Klein…"
"Go! We can hold these guys off!"
Kirito hesitated before he sheathed his sword and ran off towards the tree. Klein and his friends tensed up as the Holy Dragon Alliance drew their weapons. Good luck.
Kirito ran through another invisible barrier and found himself in a large clearing, at the center of which stood the tree that actually took up about half of the room with its incredible width. Kirito looked up and watched as the branches swayed in the snow filled wind, giving off a gentle blue light, giving the entire area a beautiful aura as the snow continued to fall. As he watched the tree, the air was suddenly filled with the sound of a mighty bell tolling. As the bells rang, Kirito heard a sound reverberate through the air, sounding like many tiny bells clashing together. As he watched, two bright lights appeared in the sky and began moving towards the tree, leaving a trail almost like tracks in the snow. Kirito's eyes went wide as he watched a dark shape leap away from the lights, which disappeared a moment later. The dark shape landed in front of Kirito, throwing up a wall of snow and ice. Once the frozen elements had settled down, they revealed what was possibly the most hideous creature he had ever seen.
It was humanoid and stood at least ten meters high. It was clad in a thick red cloak that hid its entire twisted body save the head. From his face hung a long blonde beard that almost reached the ground and was almost shaped like a cross. On his head he wore a red pointed cap that had seen better days. But the most unnerving thing about it was its eyes. Twin balls of fury, glowing red and actually pointing in two different directions. The eyes of a killer.
As Kirito continued to watch, four health bars appeared, along with a red curser that floated just above the creature's head. Nicholas the Renegade.
Kirito drew his sword as the boss threw its hands in the air, two axes appearing in his hands. Kirito ran forward, a vicious battle cry bursting from his mouth as he engaged the monster.
December 25, 2023, Forest of Wandering, Thirty-Fifth Floor, Aincrad
Klein sat on the ground, his katana shoved into the snow beside him. The Holy Dragon Alliance was nowhere to be seen, having been chased off by the small but powerful guild. His friends all sat back to back, panting after the hard fight. Suddenly, Klein heard a hissing sound and looked up to see the air ripple as Kirito walked into the clearing. He didn't seem to be injured, but on his face he had a frightening expression, almost depressed. In his hand he held a single blue orb wrapped in gold ornaments.
"Kirito!" Klein shouted before he noticed his look. Kirito stopped in front of Klein, and without a word, tossed the orb to Klein.
"H… Hey!"
"That's the resurrection item." Kirito said, his voice devoid of all emotion.
Klein looked at the small item for a moment before quickly opening its information panel. "Let's see…"
Klein began to read the description, all the while mumbling to himself. "The target player…" Klein stopped and stared at the next few words. "Within ten seconds?!" He looked up at Kirito, whose expression had yet to change.
"You can do what you want with it." Kirito said before he began walking away. He was about halfway across the glade when he felt Klein grab his coat, causing him to stop. "Kirito…" Kirito looked back at the red samurai, who now had tears in his eyes. "You… You have to survive! Survive until the end! Please…" Klein slowly let go of Kirito's coat, his arm falling to his side. Kirito stood there for a moment before he continued to walk away, leaving the Furenkazan behind.
December 25, 2023, The Angry Boar Inn, Mujen, Forty-Ninth Floor, Aincrad
Kirito into the room where he and Asuna were staying in. The room was dark, with only a tiny bit of illumination coming through the window. Before Kirito could move any farther into the room, he heard a thud, followed by several footsteps and a loud crack as he felt a hand slam into his cheek with enough force to send him to the ground. He looked up to see Asuna standing there, her armor still equipped, a furious expression on her face.
"You idiot! What were you thinking? Klein told me everything! Why the hell would you do that?" Asuna shouted at him, not giving him time to answer her questions. Kirito stood up, face still emotionless despite the surprise he felt from her slap. He silently walked past her and sat down at the desk near the window, the pale moon light illuminating his dark expression. Asuna watched him and finally took note of his face, her expression softening from its original fury to a look of worry.
"Kirito?" Asuna took a tentative step towards him. "Kirito, what happened?"
Kirito turned his head towards Asuna and opened his mouth to answer, but was stopped by a small pinging sound as a yellow icon appeared in front of him. He clicked the symbol, which expanded into a pair of white boxes. The first read 'Gift Box', and the second one…
Kirito froze his eyes unblinking as he stared at the second box. "S… Sachi…" Asuna's eyes went wide, and she shook a little bit as she watched Kirito hesitantly tap the boxes. When he did, both boxes disappeared, and were quickly replaced with a diamond shaped box that floated above his hand. It was completely gray, save for a small button near the top, and seemed to be made of some sort of metal they had never seen before. Kirito looked at Asuna, whose eyes had yet to shrink, hands covering her mouth. Kirito looked back at the object in his hand, slowly pressed the button. The surface suddenly lost its gray texture and took on a transparent blue tint as the inside of the prism filled with several dots of bright light. It was then that the message began to play.
"Merry Christmas, Kirito, Asuna." Sachi's voice rang out clearly from the small device, causing Asuna to fall to her knees, tears in her eyes. "By the time you hear this, I'll probably be dead. How should I put it?" Kirito's eyes widened as the recording continued. "Well, the truth is, I never wanted to leave the Town of Beginnings. And I knew if I tried to fight with thoughts like that, that one day I would die. That's my fault, not yours." Kirito could hear Asuna's light sobs from behind him, but continued to focus on the message. "Kirito, ever since that night, you continued to assure me that I would survive this game. So if I died, you would put all the blame on yourself. That's why I decided to leave this recording behind." Kirito lowered his head, eyes brimming with tears of his own. That is exactly what he had done, that was the same reason he had chosen to fight Nicholas alone. Not for Sachi, who he had known was dead, but for himself and his guilty conscience.
"Asuna, I want to thank you too. All the nights in our room were you would talk about the great adventures you've had so far in this world with Kirito, they really inspired me to continue fighting on with everyone." Kirito looked back at Asuna, who was still on her knees, face buried in her hands as muffled sobs floated out from under her hands. "You were so strong and brave, I really looked up to you. You seemed like an amazing person and I was happy to get to know you. Oh, by the way, I know how powerful you guys really are! I kinda peeked at your menus while you weren't looking. I never did figure out why you were hiding your levels, or why you guys would join up with players as weak as us." Kirito tensed in surprise. "But you know, when I found out just how powerful you were, I was glad. It gave me a nice feeling of relief." Kirito slowly relaxed as he continued listening. "So, even if I die, I want you both to work hard to survive. Live to see the end of this world, figure out why it was created, and the reason why someone as weak as me ended up here and met both of you. That is my last wish."
"Well, it looks like I still have some time left. Since it's Christmas, why don't I sing a song?" Sachi then began to hum to a tune that Kirito recognized from his childhood. It was the tune of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. As the humming continued, Kirito could feel the tears flowing down his face as they began to pool on the desk below. Behind him Asuna had gone quite, not making a sound as Sachi's song came to an end.
"Well, I guess that's everything. Thank you both for being with me and encouraging me. I don't regret any of it." As Sachi said her last lines, Kirito thought back to the day she had died. At the time he was unable to make out what she was saying. Now, he finally realized what it was.
"Thank you. Goodbye."
Well guys, I'm just gonna say this now. I cried three time while writing this. Yes, I'm a big baby when it comes to emotional anime. I still haven't finished Your Lie In April. But enough of that! First off, thank you all so much for reading my story, I hope everyone enjoyed it. If you guys want another chapter soon then please show just how much you enjoyed it with a follow, favorite, or a review telling me what you thought. If anyone has any ideas for something they would like to see in the story, then please PM me, and I promise that I will answer all PM's. Anyways guys, thanks again for reading. Peace!
