Chapter 10

Floor 75

Nov 8 2024 1107

S0l0 Guild House

The restaurant area was surprisingly full as well as the lounge. It was a motley mix of solo players and a few small guilds. Sinon sat with Kirito and was going over battle plans, Asuna, Agil, and Liz were talking with a few of the tanks. Ducker, Tana, and Sachi were talking with more of the roguish players. Silica was talking with the tamers and going over strategies.

The room went silent when the guild house doors opened and there stood Heathcliff and Dredd.

"I see you gathered a good group…" Heathcliff stopped when the staring was getting awkward.

"We'll be working with you." A warrior in red samurai armor walked forward.

"And you are?" Kuradeel looked down his nose at the man.

"Klein. Hey, weren't you the guy that got pissed on?" At this a few of the other players started snickering.

"That Beater-"

"What did we say about respect?" Sinon got up.

"Kuradeel. Respect him. I shouldn't have to tell you this."

"Besides. I heard about that deul. You lost badly. What I don't understand is how you're still the second in command of your guild." Dredd gave the man a look full of confusion.

"Let's get onto business." Commissar Soren walked in and gave a scathing look to Kuradeel.

"Ya heard the lady." Agil sat a tankard down roughly.

"We have no info on this boss and no way to scout it out." A small guild leader shrugged.

"How do you know?"

"I sent in one of mine, they never came back. Whatever it is, its fast."

"How fast?"

"That's probably the reason why artillery is ok for this boss, it won't stay still long enough to get hit."

"That means we kite it into range, stagger the cannons and the gatlings." Sinon looked to the musketeers in the room.

"We'll pass word to ours." Dredd looked like he was taking notes.

"Same here." Heathcliff nodded.

"We also have a bunch of tamers here, see if some of the animals can do some real damage. Nipper will be on backup." Silica smiled.

Not everyone noticed Liz and Duckers face-palmed expressions.

"We need some really big animals, even to act like shields." One solo player spoke up.

"I have that covered." A solo tamer held up his hand. "I have a hone sheru."

"We'll need a few more."

"We'll need a smattering of elemental types, see what it's weak against."

"Good idea."

"Tanks will work with the animals."

"But be sure to pull back."

"Yeah, we'll keep switching out." A cocky player shrugged.

"The only thing the book says is that summoning won't be blocked."

"Remember, can't teleport out."

"What about the room itself?"

"Still a big question mark there."

"How many do we expect to lose?" A solo player in tans and greys spoke up.

"...Hopefully, none...but-"

"We are all good friends with Murphy." Ducker had a serious look. "If you're here, consider your life as forfeit."

" 'We who are about to die salute you?' Kind of a grim statement." Another player looked annoyed.

"But so true." Dredd got everyone's attention with that.

"Last boss fight we lost eight people. Let's hope that's the max we lose, if we lose anyone at all." Heathcliff had a very serious tone.

"As I said. Murphy." Ducker looked to Sachi.

He got a nod from her.

"I don't plan on dying, I'm just prepared to." Ducker looked to the rest of those assembled.

"Says the guy that's good at disarming mobs." Another player smirked.

"I'll need all musketeers in lines. Open with volley fire." Sinon looked at them.

"And you'll have them." Heathcliff smiled.

"You know mine will follow your orders." Dredd nodded.

"Volley fire will only do so much." A solo player pointed out.

"That's where the melee's come in."

"As is the usual."

"I think we should let Kirito run this raid." Heathcliff looked to his shocked second in command.

"But that beater-"

"Will show you his skills." Dredd gave the guy a dead look.

"He is a much better leader than you'll ever be." Soren had an artic look. "And he'll prove it."

"Children, let's get back to the raid…" Agil looked annoyed.

"While I appreciate the trust, Heathcliff, I won't be leading it."

"Oh I think everyone here will follow your lead."

"All but that asshole." Tana pointed to Kuradeel.

"He'll follow." Heathcliff looked at him as well.

"After this...only twenty-five more floors." Silica looked to Kirito with hope.

xXx

Floor 75

Nov 8 2024 1516

The Forge

The seventy plus raid party stood in front of the boss room door and Heathcliff stood aside.

"This one is yours."

"Move out." Kirito thought he didn't say it loud enough, but then everyone moved to the door as he opened it.

Sinon took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Kazuto, we'll get through this."

"I know."

When they entered the boss room and the doors closed, did they really get a good look. It was as if they were teleported to an underground cavern, a massive one. The circular outcropping they were on could easily hold four times their number. The bioluminescent light had a bluish green tinge but lit everything easily.

"Set up those cannons and gats!" Sinon ordered and it was obeyed.

"Melee's, guard the artillery!" Agil pointed out.

"Tamers!" Silica looked up and the color drained from her face. "Kite it!"

A tamer summoned a small [fire brand phoenix] and the bird attacked. It was cut down in one swift movement.

One tamer summoned what seemed a mix of a hippo and a ankylosaur. As the boss dropped from the ceiling, it was massive. Easily a football stadium in length it was made of bone and seemed a mix of a millipede and a skeletal vampire from Blade II. It had long bony arms that ended in bone swords, as the legs ended in the same.

As it landed a tamer summoned a giant spider and it threw webbing on it, but it was too fast and only seemed to get the tail.

"Volley! Fire!" Sinon seemed to get its attention, but the musketeers fired as one. It had five health bars and the volley fire dropped its health a little bit. What put a massive dent in it was when the hippo-ankylosaur attacked. It's tail smashing into its bony structure.

While it was keeping the boss busy and its health dropped dramatically the cannoneers gave the thumbs up.

"Fire!" Sinons command was followed and the cannons scored direct hits. One health bar down, and that's when the pet was turned to pixels.

It rushed to the cannoneers only to be hit by the gatling guns.

"Grape-shot!" The cannoneers loaded the special ammunition and waited.

When [The Skull Reaper] was in range did they fire as one, the wall of lead taking half of its second health bar.

"Reload!"

"Charge!" Soren and the rest of the melee's went in while it was stunned.

In one hit Heathcliff was in the yellow and he had a shocked look on his face.

Kirito and Agil blocked the arms.

"Hit the sides!" Kirito commanded, and it was followed.

Heathcliff blocked a few more strikes and he was close to the red. "Heathcliff! Switch out!"

A solo tank took his place as he was taken to the back, but almost at the last second, a tail strike ended Heathcliff's life. And just like that, it seemed as if moral took a heavy blow.

"Heathcliff's Dead!" One of the Blood Oath seemed to lose his nerve.

"Get your shit together!" Agil shook the man.

"We got this!" Kirito charged forward.

"Nipper!" Silica used her trump. And for those that looked helpless, hope was renewed. For others, they had a confused look until it changed to shock as a [Crystal Dragon] appeared and held it down as it breathed frost on it.

"Blunt users! Attack!" Agil and those using blunt weaponry rushed the prone boss.

Agil shield smashed the frost covered bones and others used hammers and maces.

The rest of the second bar down to half of the fourth all but evaporated. It then threw off the dragon in which out of three of its health bars it was down to the red of its last one. The boss then charged the canon line again only to be hit with gatling gun fire and a tamer that summoned a [frost wyvern].

"Fire at will!"

"Not me! The boss!" A cannoneer pointed.

The wyvern flew around and with Nipper was keeping it in frost. Another tail slap hit some players in Blood Oath and shattered them.

"Shield wall!" Kirito commanded and rushed in again.

"You will not dishonor yourselves by dying this day!" Commissar Soren brought her hammer down.

As the boss took more hits it then exploded in shards of pixelated light.

[System Announcement:]

[The game has been cleared. As of November 8th, 2024.]

[All players will be logged out.]

And with that people were being logged out of the system.

Kirito and Sinon then found themselves overlooking Aincrad and a man in a lab coat walked up to them.

"You know...I always thought it was you that was going to kill me...not a boss. Isn't irony sweet?" There was laughter in Kayaba's eyes.

"Why did you do it?"

"I wanted a world I could control...my own castle...I always dreamed of it."

"What about the players that died?" Sinon took Kiritos hand.

"They're dead. Like me. Right now the servers are deleting everything. I wouldn't want anyone to copy what I did here...I honestly didn't think the system would've reset my settings."

"But you were Heathcliff. You had control-"

"I...didn't check my messages...humans make mistakes."

"We survived."

"Yes, you did, but for what?"

"Him." That's all Sinon had to say.

"Kirito, your a lucky man." Kayaba shrugged.

"So you just-"

"You have found what few will ever achieve, don't waste it. Now it's time to say goodbye. Fair thee well."

And just like that he was opening his eyes, his real eyes. It felt like the sleeping crud was caked on and he had to blink a few times.

"Shi...no?" He saw that he was in a very spacious hospital room with a beautiful view. As he looked around he saw someone else in the room. He blinked more times and it was Dredd.

The man looked like he did in the game, just more frail.

"Dude...can I ask a favor?"

"Yeah…"

"Pinch me."

"...why?" Kirito looked confused.

"I've had this same dream…"

Kirito nodded and slowly got up and gave a pinch that had no strength.

"That'll do…"

"I need to find Shino."

"Go man."

Using the IV drop as a support he opened the door and walked out and into a nurse that had brown hair and eyes.

"Kazuto?" She helped steady him.

"Asada Shino." He gave her a pleading look.

"I'll look her up." The nurse eased him onto a bench.

He then tried to get up again only to have the nurse come back with a tablet.

"She wasn't admitted here, but she was admitted in the Kansai district."

"I need…"

"I'll call for you." She helped him up and into a wheelchair an orderly procured and pushed him to the phones.

When there she dialed out and to the hospital where Shino was at. After a quick chat with the nurse manning the phones she handed the phone to him.

"Kazuto?" At the sound of her voice a tear went down his face.

"We're out…"

"Kazuto…" A sound like a hiccup could be heard.

"Shino…"

"Kazuto...Asuna didn't wake up." That stopped his blood cold.

"We need to get her back. The game isn't done."

The nurse gave him a confused look.

"We need to gather the others and find a way to get her out." His tone was was cracking from non use, but still held a seriousness to it.

"Yes…Kazuto, I love you."

"I love you to. I'll keep my promise." He wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I know you will."

"Bye...I'll try and visit when I'm stronger." He hung up the phone and looked to the nurse. "Was there a guy from the government that was in charge of the SAO incident?"

"Y-Yes, why?"

"I need to talk to him."

"His name is Kikuoka Seijirou…Why?"

"One of my guildmates didn't wake up. It's not over till we're all out." His voice was weak and cracking, but the way he said it had her knowing that whoever did this would pay.

"I'll get in contact with him."

xXx

A/n: That ends book 1, their will be a book 2.

Special thanks to:

perfectshade

skywiseskychan

jugar38