A/N: I know what I said about me not doing any more POV changes, but I'm rephrasing it a little. I'll do POV changes atleast one more time and if I do any more after this, it'll be the entire chapter in that person's POV, not small segments.

Also, I'm reposting this chapter since I made a rather big change to it.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [16:30] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

POV: Miyo

Although we managed to escape from that wandering Guardragon before it got the chance to kill us, Karen was reckless and charged in, which resulted in her getting badly hurt. I quickly feel my armor evaporate, for lack of a better term, and I see Izumi's do the same, though Karen's armor is still active for some reason. Unlike myself, Izumi, and RED, who are standing; Karen's on the ground, seemingly unconscious, though I can't tell since her helmet is blocking her face. When I crouch down to her side, I can barely hear her breath, and her little breathing appears rather coarse. That obviously must mean she's still pretty hurt from the attack.

"Thank goddess. That thing nearly got us." I say with heavy panting as we just barely dodged death's bullet.

"No kidding." Izumi weakly admits as I see her slightly shiver in fear.

"That was so weird though. I've been here a decade and I've never seen monsters actually being able to migrate from dungeons before. That's worrying." I say in my mind as I try to hide my own shivering. I've never seen that kind of capability in monsters here before.

Meanwhile, I can see Izumi and RED try to lift Karen, though they shout in pain as they try

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" They both exclaim as what little height they were able to bring Karen up to fell in an instant. I see them blowing into their hands after Karen's dropped to the ground, since apparently, the armor is very heavy.

"Okay, let me try." I say as I give picking her up a try. While I am able to lift her to a point, I grunt in pain though I'm able to do a little more than RED and Izumi "Shit...that armor weighs a ton." I scowl as I mentally direct my cybernetics to kick into overdrive as it's the only way I'll be able to realistically carry her, even though it'll end up burning it out, making them unusable. This was an unfortunate inevitability since the tech was beginning to wear down atleast a year ago. They only lasted this long because I barely used them. I then begin walking very slowly into the Basilicom though the long staircase truly irks me right now "Who in their damn mind thought this was a good idea?" I snarl in my mind since it's taking everything I have to carry her and if my cybernetics die before I make it inside the Basilicom, I am going to be in trouble.

When we finally make inside the Basilicom, I notice that Mina and the others were apparently waiting for us to return when we discovered that Karen snuck out on us.

"Miss Mina, where's Gust? We need one of her alchemical creations, fast!" I say as I try to support Karen even though she's heavy because of how she's still wearing her armor. Maybe whatever she contracted is keeping her armor sealed. I'm glad that my cybernetics is giving me the capability to bring her in since Izumi and RED got hurt trying. However, even with my cybernetics, I can only handle so much and when I put Karen on one of the pews, I can hear a small implosion in my cybernetics "Aw man...I was hoping I could use them a little longer. Unless I can repair them, I can't use any of my own weapons anymore."

"She's working in her workshop; is something wrong?"

"Karen got hurt fighting a very dangerous monster. I can't get this armor off her. Could you try helping me Miss Mina?" I say as I try removing Karen's helmet at the very least so she can freely breath, though it's sealed like the armor so I can't seem to do it.

"I'll try my best. Rom, Ram, go get Gust and bring her here." Mina says as she tries to help me remove Karen's helmet to no avail, no matter how hard we try "Caelus, we need your help. Based on this helmet's design, it appears like it can freely open its individual parts. Do you know how to open it?"

"There's a button on the right side. It'll open the faceplate."

I look around Karen's helmet and I find the button that Caelus told me about. When the faceplate opens, I'm greeted with a horrifying image: Parts of Karen's face have some sort of black reptilian scale over it.

"Oh dear goddess! I have never seen something like this before!"

"N-Neither have I. I thought nothing would surprise me after a decade in this world, but I was clearly wrong."

Gust thankfully runs into the area with Rom and Ram in tow, wearing her usual blue apron dress and the giant bunny hat she always wears

"You call for Gust?"

"Yeah, we need your help to treat our friend Gust." Izumi pleads rather seriously, and I know that Izumi has never shown much interest in the girl since Gust is extremely business oriented, and her general unusual way of speaking really does confuse us both, though I ignore it for the most part.

"Will see what Gust can do." Gust calmly responds, walking toward Karen and waves her staff above her, which glows as she waves the staff. For the oddest reason, she appears utterly unfazed by the hideous black scales on Karen's face "Gust can see sign of unusual neurotoxin, no recorded ailments like this. Reptilian scales appear to be physical manifestation of poison progress. Neurotoxin is interfering with vital organs. Mysterious. Can feel magic barriers attempting to slow down neurotoxin. Gust will need special panacea. Gust also needs seashells, fish skeletons, and water soluble cloths as additional catalysts. Also, don't forget charge fee for synthesis."

"Yes, yes. I know of your fee Gust. So, we need to get twelve regular herbs, six refresh herbs, a hoodlum mask, seashells, fish skeletons, and water soluble cloths. Half of those will take us to Lastation. Wonderful." I say with a simple sigh before recalling that Karen came from Lastation before meeting us and it's likely that her friends are still in Lastation doing quests. There are only three dungeons there but we'll need to spend time in Rebeat and Septent Resort getting the necessary materials and the average quest would send people out to dungeons. We'll most likely meet up with her friends doing so. In addition, we'd need to go to Planeptune to get the Hoodlum Mask "Gust, Rom, Ram, can you three look over her? Izumi, we're going to Lastation. RED, I need you to get the herbs." Thankfully RED is very manipulatable since she's constantly trying to 'get points' with her 'wifeys', since she easily nodded in agreement to my request for her to get the materials that can only be found in Lowee. I guess we'll need to journey to Planeptune together to get the last material.

"Gust will waive this fee as customer loyalty bonus."

"Thank you. Let's go Izumi." I briefly smile toward Gust at the generosity of waiving a fee from her already extensive bill "Actually" I say as I walk toward Karen's body and hope that Caelus is still conscious, since I want to ask her something "Caelus, you there?"

"I can't leave this body, but it's a pain trying to slow down this neurotoxin. I'm not letting her die on me."

"I see. Caelus, could I borrow Celeste for this little expedition?" I ask rather formally, since I need to keep myself armed.

"Why do you want to take my sword?"

"I lost what I need to handle my weaponry helping Karen. All of my weapons are too heavy for me to use without my cybernetics, so I need a light weapon for a while. Until I buy a new weapon in Lastation."

"Hmm...very well. Just be aware that you won't be able to access her powers since you're not her true owner. She'll be nothing more than your average sword."

"Yeah, I don't care. I just need a weapon I can use; I have no problem not having any of its special powers." I say rather nonchalantly as I take Celeste's sheath and put it around my belt. I'm actually not too surprised that such a noble sword has a sheathe deserving of its noble heritage.

"Fascinating. So CPU is reason behind barrier." Gust speaks like she's not fazed by Caelus' presence, but considering that she works with Blanc, Rom, and Ram; she's probably not surprised seeing CPUs in her life "Would recommend haste. Gust and company can only delay so long."

"Got it Gust. We'll do this as quickly as possible." I say solemnly as I worriedly stare at Karen.

We then fast-travel to Lastation, finding ourselves outside the Basilicom as it's where people always end up when fast traveling to the nation capitals. I'm a little surprised that this place is empty, but I imagine that not many people are traveling right now with ASIC's growing influence.

"It's been a long time since we've been here Izumi. Hard to believe two years have passed." I say as I stare at the clean industrial city, trying to see if anything changed in the two year time lapse since we've been here.

"I know right? We haven't came here since we began working with ASIC as hired guns since we needed to put food on our plates. But why did you want to come to the capital Miyo? Shouldn't we be going to Rebeat and Septent Resort?"

"We will a little later. I need to visit the Guild and Kei. I need to check something."

"You're worried about that Guardragon being in the Global Expo aren't you?" Izumi says rather accurately. Considering we've been working together for six years, I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't able to read my thoughts to a point.

"Well, not just that, but in general. I have never heard of monsters capable of being migratory like that. I want to see if it's been happening in other nations as well. And if you want information, you visit the Guild or Lastation's Oracle. Let's get this dealt with fast."

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Outside Lastation Basilicom]

As soon as I began walking toward the Basilicom I stop as soon as I hear a familiar voice

"Miyo, Izumi! What are you two doing here?"

We turn around to see IF with a bunch of people we don't recognize, wearing rather fancy outfits that Gamindustri offers. To my surprise, it appears that there are males with her and Compa. They clearly are from a different world since this world's native population is completely female, to the point to where the only males in this world originate from other worlds, or offspring of said male(s). Something that catches my eye are the gauntlets they're all wearing on their arms "These are the exact same gauntlets I improved for Karen. These must be her friends." I say as I glance at the gauntlets, having torn apart and greatly improved one myself.

"You know these two IF?" A girl with lilac hair asks as she glances in our direction.

"Yeah. these two are acquaintances of mine. They've been working with me for a while though they've been incommunicado the last couple of years. Why is that by the way?" IF says with a broad smile before it fades into mild curiosity as to why we cut all contact with IF roughly two years ago, which is when we began working with ASIC.

"I don't really feel like talking about it IF; we're here to get materials and quick." I say with a solemn frown, not wanting to spend too much chatting with old friends when Karen's in bad shape.

"Really now. Do you need help?"

"Why do you need materials? You mind divulging?" The man with crimson red hair and brown wardrobe asks with a rather calm tone in his voice.

"Wow. You really are male. It's been...quite a while since I've seen a guy actually. Obviously you're not from this world correct?" I say with quiet shock over seeing a male for the first time in a very long while.

"Wait, you're not native to Gamindustri either?" The blue haired male asks with very visible surprise in his facial expression.

"Yeah, anyway, can we get introductions done? There are a lot of you here." Izumi asks as she looks toward all of the people with IF's group.

"Good point." IF says with a simple nod as she introduces the people in the group to us. Out of the people that she introduced, Mamoru and Yuuki catch my eye the most "Anyway, you never told us why you need materials."

"Oh yeah. Our new party member is sick with a new kind of neural toxin. We came to get materials so we can cure her."

"Oh my goodness. We need to help them IF!" Nepgear exclaims with a barely contained panic.

"This is new. You two usually work on your own. Who's this third person?" IF inquires, since she knows our pattern well enough, despite our long incommunicado.

"Oh yeah. Her name's Karen Koizumi. We've been helping her for a while now." I say, quickly noticing IF and Nepgear developing scowls, but seeing utter panic from Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino. Nisa, Compa, and Falcom's expressions are indifferent but appear concerned nonetheless.

"Oh hell no. I am not wasting a single second helping that damn traitor." IF states very stubbornly, making her desire in not helping very obvious. It's rather clear that Nepgear has a similar stance on the matter as well based on her expression.

"But IF!" Katsuo shouts, with him quickly project a fiery anger toward her before simply scowling and walks next to me "You know what, forget this! Miyo, Izumi, let's go. Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Shino, you're with me right?"

All four of them nod and follow Katsuo's lead, surprising me since I never exactly expected such quick infighting here.

"You're helping the enemy here!" IF shouts back with the same kind of anger Katsuo just gave her.

"And I don't give a flipping damn! Karen is my friend and I refuse to let this stand. I'll sell my soul to the damn devil if it means she's okay."

"I'm agreeing with Katsuo on this one. I owe Karen my life back when I fought against you guys in Aincrad. I had truly expected you all to kill me back then. She made the choice to spare my life, and I don't believe she's done what you claim. She cares too much about us to stab us in the back, and if you want me to compare loyalty to you and loyalty to her; I'd obviously choose her. I've known her four years and I've only known you guys a few months. Let's go help them and save Karen."

"Nisa, Falcom, say something to these guys!"

"A superheroine must always support justice, but this heroine needs a respite." Nisa says with an energetic tone, though it began to fade as her speech went on "In other words; I'm tired from the extensive fighting IF." Nisa continues rather simply as she walks away, heading inside the Basilicom.

"I agree with Nisa on this one IF. Let them do what they want. We shouldn't make them choose sides on this one." Falcom says, following Nisa into the Basilicom.

"Compa?" IF pleads, apparently hoping to get someone on her side.

"Iffy, Katsuo and the others are worried about Karen. Let them help her. Just this once. Remember that we shouldn't force them to ignore their friend who's in trouble." Compa says with a gentle smile before looking toward me "Miyo, I want to make sure she's okay. The nurse in me demands it."

"Not that I don't trust you Compa, but we have people with healing magic watching over her. Besides, in her fragile condition, I don't want to let people who would try to hurt her get close." I say solemnly to the girl, making my decision voiced to her. I then see IF reluctantly walk away or rather, being pulled by Compa when I tell her that I don't exactly want these guys around her right now, not when trust is a little iffy.

"I know what that's like. C'mon guys, let's get what we need." Yuuki responds rather casually as she walks forward but stops "Actually, what do we need to get?" Yuuki asks sheepishly since she was about to take off without knowing what to get.

"Haha, you are too impulsive Yuuki." I chuckle as she walks back to us, though I cough a little to calm myself down "We need to get twelve herbs, six refresh herbs, a hoodlum mask, a dozen seashells, fish skeletons, and water soluble cloths, just to be safe."

"That's a big list. We unfortunately don't have any of those since we've been gathering materials like that for quests and giving them away straightaway. Working for the CPUs certainly isn't for the ambitious." Katsuo says with a small nod before he stares at me a little "Miyo, if we're gonna do this for you, I want to know what she's trying to do."

"Look Katsuo, Karen made us swear we wouldn't tell you guys anything. Please don't make me have to go against my promises." I regretfully say to him and while I feel awful keeping secrets from her friends; she wanted to keep her mission a secret, so I'll keep my mouth shut.

"We can worry about this later. Let's all get to Rebeat Resort-" Mamoru says before I cut him off a little.

"Actually, I think it'd be better if we split up and go into both Septent and Rebeat Resorts. I'm sure you know that there are only so many chances to gather materials in dungeons per day. But if you've been doing quests, the number of materials we could gather is low. We may not be able to gather much." I say rather logically. If these guys have been here as long as Karen, they wouldn't know all the unspoken rules of this world, not like me or Izumi, since we've been here ten years and six years respectively.

"Hmm, fair enough. Kazuto, Yuuki, Shino, I want you three to go to Septent Resort. Katsuo and I will go with Miyo and Izumi to Rebeat Resort. We should try to prep ourselves for an all-nighter if necessary."

"Actually Mamoru, you said that the monsters were a little stronger in Rebeat right? I should go with you on that one." Yuuki interjects with a hint of seriousness in her tone, though it's semi-hidden under her apparent constant optimism, though her statement intrigued me a little after what I've seen both today and roughly six months ago.

"What exactly did you mean by 'the monsters were a little stronger' Yuuki?" I ask with a little fear as my thoughts flash back to the Guardragon in the Lowee Expo and how I confronted it with the CFWs two years ago. I'm also asking to test a potential theory I have in my mind.

"It's been a little subtle, but the monsters seem to have gotten a little stronger over the last couple of days. Katsuo and I actually got hurt quite a bit fighting some in Endless Zone. Shino, I owe you for covering our retreat, we could've been in worse shape without you." Yuuki says with a sincere smile, with Shino simply bowing, showing a similar smile on her face.

"That's...unnerving." I mutter in my mind as that pretty much confirmed what I was dreading. Although it wouldn't affect the average person on a noticeable level, or so I hope; the monsters must be evolving on an accelerated level; perhaps it's a side-effect of how different worlds are connected to this one so perhaps there are corrective measures in place? I can only guess considering that I, even after spending a decade here, don't know how this world works when it comes to some things.

"Why did you ask us this Miyo?" Katsuo inquires as he glances in my direction.

"We recently encountered a monster we fought against two years ago, which made Karen sick with that neurotoxin. We had a group of six when we fought it before and it decimated us. One of our colleagues suffered greatly and had something important to her taken. It even sported it as a war trophy. Look um...we shouldn't dawdle. We need to get those materials ASAP. Our friends can only do so much."

"You're right. Let's hurry." Mamoru responds seriously as Kazuto and Shino vanish through use of the fast-travel network to Septent Resort, leaving myself, Izumi, Katsuo, and Mamoru in the plaza outside the Basilicom, though we quickly fast-travel ourselves to Rebeat so we can get materials for Gust.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Rebeat Resort]

After we fast traveled to this dungeon, I look around the area with an odd hint of nostalgia even though I really shouldn't have this feeling about a dungeon of all things

"Okay. Izumi and I haven't been to this dungeon in over a year, so our knowledge of the layout and where to gather are rusty. I need you all to take the lead and gather the materials. We'll cover you."

"Thanks for the offer, but we can protect ourselves. We're rather accustomed to fighting after all." Mamoru says with a confident smile, with Katsuo and Yuuki grinning as well, though the three grins are creeping me out a little.

"Uh, that kind of smile is scaring me. You're making yourselves sound like sociopaths." I mutter nervously, praying that they won't be offended too much since I am insulting them after all.

But to my surprise, Katsuo and Mamoru simply shrugs in face of my insult "While Yuuki is an exception here, both Katsuo and I have actually killed people before. But we're not heartless killers; we only did such acts to protect those close to us, so don't worry Miyo."

"Huh. You all must be really close if you're willing to kill for those close to you, well, that's a rather strong, if not strange, way to exhibit protectiveness." I admit rather sheepishly. I can see the underlying principles of their bonds if they're willing to kill to protect the people dear to them, but it terrifies me nonetheless. I can't help but feel envious though. Even though I'm close to Izumi, I never would be able to casually proclaim that I'd be willing to kill people for her like these guys.

"I call it repaying old debts. Karen kept me alive when I expected everyone to kill me. I owe her an extremely large debt because of that and while I'm not fanatic about it, I aim to repay her mercy." Mamoru responds rather quietly as he pulls back on his bowstring and when I look in the direction he's aiming at, I see a fish zombie on a different platform get hit with a rather well-timed arrow shot. Considering that if monsters become aware of long-range attacks, they prepare strengthened defenses to reduce damage unless they're distracted, it's kind of rare to see snipers fight well. Their arrows just don't work well at long range like this, atleast, as far as I've seen. Then again, I've never seen anyone not from Gamindustri use a bow before.

"Woah, that's incredible. I have never seen someone use a bow that well before. I've seen master archers work in Leanbox, and they pale in comparison to you Mamoru." I say rather proudly when I see what Mamoru was able to do.

"Ehehe, it's because I've been practicing my archery since I was a kid. All of that training gave me 20/15 vision which has been a damn good asset in the last couple of years. Particularly Sword Art Online and Alfheim Online."

"Ya know Mamoru, I've always wondered why you favored the bow so much, but that really only answered part of my question." Katsuo says rather calmly though he clearly had a mild curiosity in his tone.

"You know my family's close, or rather, was close, with the Uchimayas?" Mamoru asks, with Katsuo solemnly nodding in recognition, though I fail to see the connection. It's probably part of their history and I have no interest in butting in "We Nakasones were sworn to aid them however we could as protectors. My parents tried fitting me with a variety of weapons when I was young, but I worked best with the bow and arrow. I didn't know who exactly I was supposed to protect way back then, but I learned of the fact when I was sent to them. It was humorous nonetheless."

"Yeah. That was a hectic time. Ya know, you actually pissed me off a little when we first met."

"Wow. You still hold a grudge over me taking one single kill?! How freaking petty are you Katsuo?!" Even though I had expected Mamoru to be truly angry after saying this, he is laughing his rear end off after saying this.

"Incredibly so, you good for nothing archer. Actually, I had to ask. How did you and Haruka know Japanese?" Katsuo says with a smug smile as he soon begins laughing just as much as Mamoru.

"Good question. Hector and Amelia were told of their contract to Argus a year prior, which gave them time to refresh their knowledge of Japanese, and teach us what we needed to know."

"Wow, you two seem really close." I say in quiet envy, since I never really made many friends in this world. The talk of family actually made me feel a little uneasy about something I haven't really thought about much: I was just six when I vanished, and I've been away from my world for ten years. Will my family even recognize me after ten years at the bare minimal? I remember that I spoke with Madam Histoire once when I was employed by Planeptune's Basilicom as a fighter and she mentioned that time moves far faster in this world than any other world. She was unable to give me specifics, so I can't help but dread the reaction my family will show if I make it back home; seeing their little girl vanish for maybe a few days or months and find her all grown-up. Talk about unnatural and awkward interactions.

"-okay Miyo?" I hear someone say, which helps snap me back to reality.

"Eh?" I rapidly ask as I look in different directions trying to find out who was speaking.

"Are you okay Miyo? You spaced out on us." Mamoru worriedly asks me, with Izumi glancing in my direction with the same kind of concern.

"I just thought about something I haven't thought of in a very long time. It does kind of concern all of us, in a small way."

"You mind if we have this conversation while we walk? I don't want to leave Karen sick any longer than necessary." Katsuo says with a mildly angry frown as he walks further ahead with Yuuki and Izumi.

"Don't mind him. He's protective of his friends. Showing compassion is a small reason why we survived as long as we did. Selfishness was something we discouraged since we all had to work together to survive. But well...that wasn't always the case sadly." Mamoru says as he pats me on the back, though he frowns near the end, which sparks my curiosity too much for me to ignore.

"That sounds major. You mind if I ask about it while we walk?"

"Sure." Mamoru says rather nonchalantly as he keeps his bow close to handle monsters that become hostile, with me keeping my hand on Celeste's sheath as I work best with a quick draw style when it comes to swords "It happened roughly four years ago in our world's first virtual reality game. The creator of the game trapped ten thousand of us and we weren't really unified at the start even though we had leaders. The primary problem was that they didn't know how to lead armies of men, so to speak. Karen, Katsuo, and Kazuto tried their best, but their skills were really inadequate back then. They weren't well liked as well when it came to leadership but they never hesitated to do their best to lead, even when they were facing harsh glares. But it all went to hell when one of our leaders died along with four squads of our best people, with few survivors. Trust in them leading the pack plummeted drastically and they were indirectly told to step down. Karen was the only one who refused, but she decided to form her own team since she was indirectly told to not lead in a significant way, but they concluded that one single team of five was fine. However, that team of five not only served their duty, but they damn exceeded all expectations; particularly from how we sadly were a little too used, atleast, at the start, to see larger teams get wiped out." I notice that during our talk that Katsuo, Yuuki, and Izumi went to the while Mamoru and I went left.

"Wow, what an origin story. That makes mine sound like a joke." I say half-sarcastically as I subconsciously compare that story to mine: simply being drawn through a portal when I was just six.

"I wasn't done actually." Mamoru grins as he draws his bow since I notice a fish zombie not too far from us. Getting any closer would certainly draw us into battle "Give me some cover, these monsters will certainly come after me once I begin shooting. I want to see how good you are in battle. I have confidence that even if you can't handle it, I can take charge."

"I've been in this world ten years, I know how to handle combat." I smugly smile as I pull Celeste's sheathe and hold it in my hand, though I see Mamoru look in my direction with a confused look on his face

"Aren't you going to draw your sword? You can't fight with a sheathe ya know."

"Trust me; just shoot, I got your back." I say confidently, and I particularly want to see how well I can fight with a sword this light. Before, I used my cybernetics to use massive two handed swords and rifles, but now, with my cybernetics out of operation; I want, or rather need, to adjust my combat style to account for light weapons. Hopefully it'll go rather smoothly considering all of the training I had with heavy weapons, so in that regard, I should be fine handling a sword this light.

I see Mamoru simply shrug as he pulls back his bowstring to fire an arrow toward the monster, though it notices the arrow and projects a barrier which reduces the damage it would cause. It then begins charging toward him though I run at it from the side as I keep my hand on Celeste's grip, and as soon as I get close, I rapidly draw Celeste and strike against the monster, with the guard gauge being destroyed in that one strike.

"Wow, I suspected that a sword entrusted to a CPU would be powerful, but I never thought it'd be this powerful! If Karen is Caelus' avatar, she must have access to Celeste's powers; things I can't access. Those abilities must be what I detected in the sword when I met Karen." I say in my mind as it processes what just happened.

Afterwards, Mamoru quickly shoots arrow after arrow, which I notice seem to be created when he pulls back on his bowstring; quite an interesting and useful ability since the only place to get arrows is in Leanbox, and since they don't export their weaponry, he would be screwed rather quickly if his bow didn't have that kind of gift, which destroys the monster after the barrage is completed.

"Impressive skill Miyo. I never expected you to be good at Iaijutsu." Mamoru says with a calm smile, though I blink in confusion.

"Er Mamoru, I can't understand your blasted Japanese language." I say as I try to soften my rather blunt response to what Mamoru said at the end.

"Sorry about that; it gets a little confusing since you can understand me is all. What Iaijutsu basically is a quick draw sword style in my world."

"Oh, I see." I say with a simple nod as I put Celeste back in her sheathe "Would you mind finishing your story?"

"Sure. Where was I?" Mamoru says as he lightly rubs his chin "Oh yeah. Karen's team had a real fire in their hearts. They were able to synchronize themselves very well compared to the others, which surprised a lot of us. Karen had strategies which helped boost their strength and the three main fighters all had unique attributes. Katsuo was the group's tank since his defensive skills were pretty good, Sylvia was the main damage dealer as a two handed weapon user, and Hikaru was so speedy that it was tough to keep up with him." Mamoru says as he apparently delves into nostalgia, even though I'm left in the dark as I don't know those last two people, and he apparently noticed "Sorry about that Miyo. I didn't mean to talk about things you don't know anything about, but when nostalgia hits, it's tough not to."

"Na, I get it. I'm envious to be honest. I can't relate since I can barely even remember where I'm from. Spending ten years in a different world can do that to a person."

"I see-wait, ten years?! Forgive my asking, but how old are you?" Mamoru had a moment of calm tranquility but he was scowling when he asked me that question.

"I'm sixteen." I say rather casually, though I see Mamoru scowl even stronger when I gave the answer, making me cringe a little which he apparently noticed.

"Sorry Miyo; I'm just a little irritated. Kids that young shouldn't be forced into stuff like this." Mamoru says with a solemn frown as he begins to walk further into the dungeon "C'mon, let's get this over with."

"Sure." I say with a degree of confusion over why Mamoru is acting like this. Sure I can get that he's protective, but why he appears fixated on helping me like that is what's confusing me. Sure, it was tough for me to get by the first couple of years, but I learned and adapted to survive in this world.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [19:30] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Rebeat Resort]

After an hour and a half passed, we've regrouped at the entrance to see how much we've managed of the materials we need to treat Karen, though it's not exactly good, since we barely were able to get anything.

"Hopefully Kazuto and Shino had better luck in Septent Resort. Let's meet up with them in-" Mamoru says with a mild groan before he gets interrupted by a raucous growl not too far away from us "What in the world was that?"

However, I recognize that growl since I've seen its owner more times than I'd like to admit "No...No. It can't be!" I tremble in fear as I try to see what direction it came from. When I look to the right, I see the same dragon with Magic's wings on a different platform "Oh goddess! Guys, we need to get out of here! Now!"

"What's wrong?" Katsuo worriedly asks me, as he keeps a hand on his sword

"Guys, that same dragon was what infected Karen! We need to get out of here!" I shout as I pull out one of my remaining Eject Buttons and throw it to the ground to get us all out of here.

When the light fades from the Eject button, we find ourselves outside the dungeon to my relief, but we're not too lucky since all four CFWs: Magic, Trick, Judge, and Brave are here as well.

"Ah crap!" Katsuo scowls as he rapidly draws his sword, with Mamoru and Yuuki following suite at the presence of the four CFWs. Izumi and I draw our weapons as well in case they're here to fight us.

"Calm yourself. We're not here to fight. This time atleast." Brave says with a very calm tone to apparently pacify Katsuo's anger at their presence.

"Then why are you here?" Mamoru solemnly inquires, though he's keeping his bow close at hand, and considering who we're talking with, I can hardly blame him for being cautious.

"Although the very idea sickens me to my core, we have come to ask for a temporary alliance." Magic says with the same kind of tone as Katsuo, and I can tell that she's truly disgusted coming to the CPU's agents for help.

"A certain Guardragon has been attacking our followers relentlessly and infecting them with a potent neurotoxin. We have discovered that it has attacked followers of the CPUs as well as civilians of both affiliations according to the neural map we made of it. A follower of the CPUs was infected in the Atari Marsh trying to gather materials. She apparently escaped the dungeon since she is currently in Lowee." After I hear this I inaudibly gasp as I am very certain that RED is that person "We've tried everything we had to cure the toxin, but we have recently concluded that the only way to cure it is to kill its originator. We fought the beast two years ago and suffered greatly trying. You remember that very creature right Hanari, Mizutani?" Brave says as he continues for Magic and looks toward me and Izumi, making us cringe as we recall the very monster that plagued us not once, not twice, but thrice.

"Yeah. That same monster was what infected Karen with the neurotoxin that apparently is plaguing your organization. It appears to be able to use the CPU's fast-travel network when it comes to dungeons." I say with a mild mumble, knowing that this monster has drastically evolved compared to the norm.

If it evolves too much, it'll be next to unstoppable, perhaps even to the CPUs. I know that there's no way that anyone could journey from dungeons so quickly unless they fast-travel, and that Guardragon was in Lowee's Global Expo no more than three hours ago. It couldn't have gotten here without using fast-travel. If that beast somehow gains the ability to spread that power to other monsters, we'll be done for. Especially if it evolves enough to bypass the Goddess' protective barriers. Any semblance of peace and serenity will be destroyed if that happens, and faith in their power will plummet in an instant. If what Brave said was true and this thing is attacking everyone indiscriminately, it truly is in everyone's best interest that we slay this abomination before people get wiped out and faith in both the CPUs and ASIC falls.

"But CFW Brave sir, Karen had powers beyond our own, and she was defeated in a single hit. We can't fight that monster as we are now."

"I'm aware Mizutani. But we have no choice in the matter. We must exterminate this monster before it infects more people and ultimately kills them. We need shares to revive our guardian deity and we can't get power if our followers are dead, same with your CPUs. It's in everyone's best interest that we do this quickly. If this monster gains the ability to transmit its power to other monsters, no one will be safe."

"As much as I hate to admit it, they're right. I can tell that even Karen would side with ASIC when there is a common enemy. Remember that we did side with Akihiko Kayaba when XANA appeared in Sword Art Online and threatened us all, even though he trapped all of us." Mamoru says with a mildly dejected tone as he puts his bow away.

"What's in it for us?" Katsuo interjects solemnly.

"What you get is safety to retrieve your Mascot Characters and safety for all people in Gamindustri. No one wins with this monster killing with its neurotoxin and its extreme power. And if that isn't enough, it is very obvious that you will quickly confront us in the Gamindustri Graveyard no matter what happens. We ought to fortify our position as much as possible for the upcoming confrontation." Brave explains methodically before revealing what the CFWs will be doing during the upcoming conflict, and as if it wasn't clear enough, Izumi and I will have to fight our former bosses. While we were never close to most of them, Brave was always kind to us, especially since he warned Izumi and I of the termination of our affiliation with ASIC, which usually meant that said agents would be swiftly exterminated.

Katsuo simply huffs after Brave finished speaking of the terms of the alliance "Fine. But know that I'm doing this only because Karen's hurt and because I don't want this creature harming any more civilians. I am not doing this for any of you criminals."

"And we are not doing this for your CPUs. We do this for our own interests. Your beloved CPUs being involved in this is a mere technicality." Magic snarls as she makes her distaste for the CPUs known.

"Whatever the case, we'll need a plan to take that monster down." Mamoru interjects, voicing a legitimate point in mind when it comes to the Guardragon. We need a damn good plan if we're going to take this thing down.

"We are attempting to formulate a plan that will defeat the monster, but we need time. We will contact you once we have come to a decision."

"Understood Lord Brave. But please hurry." I say with a heavy heart, since this'll only get tougher the longer this goes on.

"Of course. Karen Koizumi owes me a battle and I want it to happen." Brave says with a very confident tone before vanishing, same with the other CFWs.

"So now we have to help ASIC. Wonderful." Katsuo groans as he sheathes his sword and shield before looking toward me and Izumi "You never told us you work for ASIC." Katsuo says as he glares in my direction.

"Worked." I say as I correct Katsuo on the current status of our relationship with ASIC "We weren't full members, we just did light work, and one case of wet work with a mole; nothing that you should be worried about. Besides, Brave told us that we would've been killed if we stayed with ASIC. Although we worked for them, we are not loyal to them, we were in it for the money. We needed to put food on the table."

"Cut em a bit of slack Katsuo. They're in the same boat as we are. They came from a different world like us. Honestly, if we hadn't met with the CPUs, they might've tried recruiting us when we entered this world."

"Oh, I see. Let's get back to Lastation and get some sleep. We should let Kazuto and Shino know about this, but we need to keep this from Nepgear, IF, and the others no matter what. They'll be pissed to know that we're helping ASIC like this."

We all nod in quiet acknowledgement as I see Mamoru activate his gauntlet and bring Kazuto and Shino into the fold about our plan. Shino wasn't exactly too amused but she said she'll stick with us for the long haul since she said she can't compare to the experiences the SAO players have been through and she'd trust their judgements and Kazuto simply reflected and said that it's little more than a rehash of Aincrad but with a new world, a new enemy, and new unexpected allies that were once your enemies. I then see Izumi and Katsuo use fast-travel to Lastation, though Mamoru and Yuuki stay for some reason when I was about to teleport myself.

"Wait Miyo, I want to ask you something." Yuuki quickly says to me before I had the chance to fast-travel.

"What would that be?" I inquire as I glance in her direction, wondering what Yuuki wants from me.

"Ever since I got to this world, I've been trying to find advanced medical treatment. I...Mamoru, Miyo, if I tell you this. I don't want you spreading it around." After Yuuki said this, we both nod rather solemnly "Okay...I was diagnosed with HIV when I was very young. It got really bad about a year ago since I became rather bedridden, and my eyesight was starting to die out. My doctor said that although my condition was improving since I was hanging out with you guys, he told me that I shouldn't get my hopes up. I want to beat this. But I need medical technology more advanced than what's on Earth. IF gave me clearance for Planeptune's best immunoboosters, but even she said that it's little more than a stalling measure."

"Wait, you have HIV Yuuki? That's new." Mamoru says in utter surprise, though I don't get the issue aside from the fact that it appears to be some sort of medical condition based on the fact that Yuuki said the term diagnosed "Yuuki, if this is the case, we need to get you back to Planeptune.

Yuuki shakes her head rather seriously "Trust me, I had myself checked out while Karen was comatose when they rescued Nepgear. They told me that they had never seen anything like it before and are thoroughly researching it when I gave them blood samples, they're giving me immunoboosters since it's the only thing available for this kind of condition." "So Miyo, Mamoru said you're from a different world. Does your world have access to really advanced medicine? Possibly ones that deal with genetic diseases?"

I scratch my head nervously since I barely know my own civilization; since I was just a little girl when I got here.

"Yuuki, you shouldn't get your hopes up. Miyo was taken from her world when she was six."

"Yeah, sorry to say, but I don't remember much about my home world; or rather my home station. I was just a little girl when I ended up here, cut me some slack." I say with a mild frown, with my mind flashing back to my early years here in Gamindustri.

I wouldn't have made it this far without my mentor helping me out in the art of battle. He was one of the rare males in this world, though he was hardly human like I was since he was giant and had a truly savage wolf like appearance. I think the guy was over eight feet tall, but I was still a kid when I met him so I can't find out for certain. I remember him reflecting on his history a few times, and he told me he came from a world they named Iuria and their species name apparently was Valkenia. He called himself Warlord Thraaklon and his white colored fur was stained a dark red color of blood and his face was full of scars which scared me a great deal when I met him. Even his choice of armor was horrifying as it was pure black with blood stained trims. He was ruthless in battle, though he was surprisingly polite and gentle when he talked and trained with me which caught me off-guard in the early days of our relationship.

What surprised me was that he was truly skilled in creating weapons and was the one who gave me my sword and rifle when he evaluated my combat skills with my cybernetics. However, once he deemed me worthy, he dropped to the floor and revealed he had been sick for the last month and was nearing the end of his life and told me on his deathbed he had been stuck in Gamindustri back before the Deity of Sin fought against the CPUs of old. He even said he was glad he was able to see how long a Valkenian could live since they are so savage that it's rare for individuals to live past a century since they were extremely war-like and vicious. I owe him so much and I was never able to tell him how grateful I was for his help since he died before I could. I had no real way to support myself at first but he taught me how to be a warrior and fight for survival. I find it a little funny that such a seasoned warlord would teach a young six year old girl how to fight and in ways that would keep her relatively innocent. He helped me distinguish the difference between intelligent life like the humans and what he called mindless beasts in the dungeons.

Without his help, I can only wonder how I would fare: a young six year old girl stranded in a mysterious world.

"Oh. I see. Sorry for asking such a question of you Miyo."

"It's alright Yuuki. I've had ten years to adjust to this. I'm not alone in this regard; I've encountered a fair number of people stranded from their dimension. Izumi obviously comes to mind, and my mentor wasn't native to this world."

"I see. But Miyo, I want to ask you. Can we trust ASIC on this?" Mamoru asks me rather seriously and that actually gives me a moment of pause.

"Ordinarily, I'd say no based on their history. But ASIC would never go this far if they weren't in danger. Besides, Karen and quite a few others are hurt. We need to stop this poison before it escalates out of control, before it is given a chance to evolve."

"I concur. Let's go meet up with the others. Miyo, I know you're hesitant letting people get near close to Karen since she's badly hurt and I would be doing the same thing in your shoes, but we're worried about our friend, can you let us see her?"

"Mamoru, I can't. Karen wanted to keep things quiet. For the sake of her goal."

"I have no intention of intruding. I know Karen well enough and she wouldn't do something this drastic without a damn good reason. She wouldn't put everything on the line to this degree unless she had a plan. Just let us see her alright?"

"I...Alright. But be aware that I'll be keeping this sword close." I say rather seriously as for one, I don't want Caelus' avatar to be killed, though I do think of Karen as a friend I don't want to lose. In this world, it's not easy finding people who you can relate with when you originate from other worlds, not with how, more often or not, you are forced to live their entire lives in this foreign world, away from their entire civilization. My mentor must have truly suffered living as long as he did.

"Wow, that's excessive." Yuuki is rather wided eyed at my fierce seriousness of keeping a weapon close at hand.

"Blame my mentor then. He trained me this way and more importantly, he was the one who taught me how to fight in this world. But I digress; let's meet up with the others and then go. I suppose I'll give authorization for you guys to meet with her." I say with a rather flippant tone, letting my past history flood my mind for a brief moment.

We then fast-travel to Lastation to meet up with Katsuo, Kazuto, Shino, and Izumi, give the others access to Lowee on the condition that they'll leave well enough alone afterward, which they agree to, albeit with hesitation since they were Karen's team and would sacrifice their own souls for her sake; atleast, that's what Katsuo says.