Hey everyone! I hope you all are liking the story so far. I know there are quite a bit of similarities between this and the anime. The anime is where I got most of my storyline from. Again, this is my first fanfic. Actually this is my first published story that is seen by more than just friends. Feel free to review and critique! I could always learn something new to make this story less choppy and slower.
Chapter Eight:
In the light from Illfang's defeat appeared the word, "Congratulations!" Then in front of the players, along with Kirito and I, popped up menus with data from the battle. My menu showed the experience and items I received from Illfang and the Minions.
After a long moment of silence, everyone burst into cheers. They were hugging and high fiving each other in celebration of the victory.
Kirito was kneeling on the ground with his sword still in hand, breathing heavily. I plopped myself next to him, also breathing hard. We looked at eachother with the biggest grins on our faces as we caught our breath.
We did it. We finally defeated the Floor One boss. Maybe we won't die here… Maybe we can clear the game and make it home. Maybe Kirito and I can meet in the real world after we clear the game, I thought to myself.
Kirito's menu popped up with a notification. I saw that it said "Congratulations. You got the last attacking bonus." A second window popped up over that one and stated that he got the attacking bonus item: Coat of Midnight.
My menu stated that I got the title: Defender, for the most hits blocked. As a reward, I got: Kobold Shield. It was a shield, rather than the buckler I had been using. I equipped it and found out that it was blue with white trim and what looked like a white silhouette of Illfang's face in the center.
"Great work, Kirito! You got the attacking bonus! There's the first piece to your Black Swordsman getup!" I whispered to him, lightly punching him in the arm.
"Thanks! And that's a new reward. The beta never had anything other than the last attacking bonus. Congrats! You're lucky it's blue! There's no need to dye it now, Azure Knight" He chuckled.
"Nice job." Asuna said as she walked over with Agil beside her. She finally let her hood down so that we could see her face.
Asuna had long reddish-brown hair, similar in color to mine except hers was a much lighter shade and was more red whereas mine was more brown. I couldn't see the actual length due to the cloak that covered anything past her shoulders. I could see that she had two braids that wrapped from her temples to the back of her head and ended in a small ponytail.
She had almond shaped eyes that were similar in color to her hair. She had high cheekbones; and a small straight nose. She was very pretty, pretty enough to make me feel jealous. I worried that Kirito might find her more attractive, and I would lose the boy that had become my best friend.
It was at this point that I realized, Kirito had become more than just my best friend. He had become my partner, the only person I trust completely to watch my back. I trusted him with my life.
I was falling in love with Kirito.
"That was some fine swordsmanship. Congratulations. Today's victory is all thanks to you two." Agil said.
"No…" Kirito started.
"Yeah! You rock man!" The crowd cheered for him.
"Stop cheering!" Kibou yelled. Instantly, there was silence. "Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you let Diavel die?" Kibou was sitting on the floor with the soles of his shoes touching and his hands holding his ankles. His spiked mace was laying on the ground next to his feet. He was surrounded by his remaining party members.
"Let him die…" Kirito muttered, confused. He looked at me with a questioning look as if to say, I tried giving him a potion, but he refused. How is that letting him die? I tried to save Diavel!
"That's what I said! Admit it. You knew what technique the boss was gonna use. You could have told us! Then Diavel would have stood a chance. He wouldn't have had to die!" Kibou screamed. I could see that he had tears in his eyes.
The crowd murmured. Some in agreement with Kibou, some confused by his outburst. Not one defended Kirito.
One of Kibou's party member pointed at Kirito. "I know why he knew! He used to be a beta tester! Think about it! He knew the boss' attack patterns. He knew, but he kept it from us! And… I bet he's not the only only beta tester here. Come on! Show yourselves!"
Everyone was looking at each other skeptically. They no longer trusted the allies that they just fought beside. Afraid that one of them might be a beta tester, also.
I could see Kirito debating something hard in his head. He must have come to some decision because he looked at me and mouthed the word, "sorry," before he gulped. Kirito then started to laugh, maniacally. He stood up from his kneeling position and sheathed his sword on his back.
"What are you doing?" I asked him. Utterly confused as to what he was trying to pull.
Was Kirito actually trying to save the trust between these jerks? They trusted each other enough to watch their backs, but couldn't trust them if they were a beta tester? What is wrong with these people! Thinking about it just made me angrier, but before I could say anything Kirito spoke again.
"So you guys think I used to be a beta tester. It's not cool to put me in the same class as those newbs." Kirito said. He was facing away from the crowd, so no one could see his face. But I could. His voice may have sounded hard and arrogant, but his face showed his true emotion: He was scared.
Before Kirito turned around to face the crowd, a mask slid over to hide how he really felt. I stood up to stand next to him. He needed to know that I supported him, and would stick by him. I didn't care if everyone hated me. As long as we had eachother, we would survive.
"Wha… What'd you say?" Kibou asked, aghast. The other players were also shocked by what Kirito said. They looked between Kirito and I, probably wondering if I was a beta tester too.
"You heard me. Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO's beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Hell even you guys are better than they were. But me, I'm nothing like those guys, man. During the beta, I made it on floors higher than any of the other testers, that's a fact. I knew about the boss because I've fought tons of monsters with way more sword skills on higher floors. I know a bunch of other things too. More than you can ever imagine. More than any info broker." Kirito was walking towards Kibou's party while speaking. When he reached them, he stopped and put a hand on his hip. He had a smug look on his face at this point.
"Info broker my ass. You didn't even know who Argo was until yesterday." I mumbled under my breath.
"Wha… What the hell? If that's true, then your worse than a beta tester. You're a goddamn cheater, that's what you are!" Kibou responded angrily.
The players started yelling at us. One of them yelled above the others, "He's a beta tester and a cheater. He's a beater!" Everyone; besides Asuna, Agil, and I; nodded in agreement and kept saying the word "beater."
"A beater… Yeah that's good. I like it. Okay, you can call me a beater. Just make sure you don't confuse me with those beta testers anymore." Kirito opened his menu and donned his new cloak. He headed for the staircase that appeared after Illfang's defeat.
I was still at the edge of the crowd, closest to the door that lead out of the dungeon. As he reached me, Kirito nodded and reached for my hand. I took his, but didn't move.
Kirito looked at me quizzically until I said, "I'll catch up with you on Floor Two. I've gotta tell these jerks where to stick it and how." I winked at him.
Kirito smiled. "Give them hell." He squeezed my hand before he continued towards the door. When he squeezed my hand, I felt butterflies and my heart beat faster than it ever did in the battle with Illfang.
Asuna ran off to follow him. When she reached him, I heard murmuring, but couldn't make out what they were saying.
I turned towards the crowd, my new enemies. I looked angrily at every player. My menu popped up with a notification that the party was disbanded. After that, I heard Kirito's footsteps disappear. Knowing he was out of the dungeon I started to speak..
"So beta testers are evil now, am I right? Were they evil after you found out about the guidebooks?" I put both hands on my hips and leaned forward menacingly. I saw the closest players flinch and take a step back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Asuna re-join Agil.
"Oh that's right! How could I forget! They are only evil when they win something that you want! Well here is a newsflash for you cowards! These two- that's right, two! I am a beta tester also, you jerks.
"These two beta testers just saved your asses today. Remember that when you go to snub your noses at us. You never know when your life depends on one of us 'evil beta testers.'" I used my fingers to suggest quotes.
"Oh! And just so you know; your precious leader, Diavel, was a beta tester too. So suck on that!" I waited for a response. Even Kibou knew to keep quiet. When I didn't get one, I turned to Asuna and Agil.
Agil had a smug look on his face while Asuna was still looking at the door to floor two with awe. It seems like I had competition when it came to Kirito's heart.
"Agil, thanks for the save back there. And Asuna, we couldn't have done it without you. You're wicked fast! That rapier is gonna take you places, someday. But don't worry about Kirito, I'll keep an eye on him. I am his partner after all." I said in a friendlier voice. Just because she may have feelings for Kirito, did not mean that I had any reason to hate her.
"Yo, before you go… I just wanna say thanks for helping with the newbie players. I'm gonna open a shop to raise money to help them with equipment, eventually. Just wanted to let you know that you and Kirito are always welcome to stop by." Agil said to me before I could turn towards the door.
"How did you know? Wait… It was Argo, wasn't it?" I cocked my head.
"She brags about her sponsors all the time, I figured you were one of them. You just strike me as the type to help. She never mentioned names. But did mention a girl with a shield and boy who only uses one sword pair of beta testers. So by deductive reasoning…" Agil trailed off.
"Yeah. That's us. Just wait until we get our gear. We were known as 'bruiser' in the beta." I rolled my eyes before continuing. "Here's my friend invite, let us know if you ever need anything. And I'll pass the message on to Kirito. I should get going before he gets himself killed. It was nice to meet you both. Take care!" I turned away from them and ran up the stairs and out the door to join Kirito out on Floor Two.
Kirito: A few moments earlier
I was almost to the top of the stairs when I heard footsteps. They weren't heavy and clunky like Sarasheem's, so it couldn't have been her. They were much softer as they made their way up the stairs.
"Wait! When we were fighting the boss, you called me by my name." I heard Asuna say. I half-turned to face the girl. She seemed to be the same age as Sarasheem and I. Now that I think about it, most of the players in the raid group seemed to be between sixteen to thirty years old. There weren't any young kids, nor older adults.
"I wasn't trying to be rude. Did I mess up the pronunciation?" I asked her.
"How'd you even know it?"
"If you look, right about here," I pointed to where hers and Sarasheem's names appeared on my interface, "you'll see a couple HP gauges right below yours. You'll see names written right next to them, yeah?"
Asuna squinted and said, "Ki-re-toe? Sa-ra-sh-em?"
"Sa-ra-sheem actually. But you got my name right."
Asuna laughed. "I'm so dumb. It was there the whole time and I never knew." She laughed again and shrugged.
I turned back towards the door. "You can become powerful, on your own. But if the day comes, and someone you trust invites you to join their guild, don't turn it down. Cause there are limits to what a solo player can do."
"But, you're solo…" She trailed off.
"Nah, I've got Sarasheem. But even with her, there's only so much the two of us can do." I opened my menu and disbanded the party. The other names on my interface disappeared, leaving only mine behind. I'll re-invite Sarasheem when she gets on the next floor.
I put my hand on the door, and walked through the dark opening and entered Floor Two.
