Ch.10 – Journeying with an elf

Oh, this is unusual. What is he doing here?

Upon entering the beautiful stone church (orphanage) on Floor 1, my eyes fell on the bespectacled young man seated at a round, wooden table in the corner of the room. He wrote with the quill pen in his left hand while flipping through the pages of an open book with his right. A large pile of books was placed next to him; that explained the practically empty bookshelves on the other side of the room. It almost looked as if the beta tester was cramming for a test.

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to chat with him for a bit," I said while jabbing a thumb at Clausewitz, the player Argo referred to as her strategist. Silica and 21 gave me a quick nod before walking towards the kitchen where a mouth-watering scent was coming from; no doubt their surrogate mother was lovingly preparing yet another wholesome meal.

The duo's first day of combat was a resounding success. They were still going strong by the time the sun began to set, but I decided not to let them to stay out too late lest Sasha worry. I made my way towards my acquaintance, careful not to step on or bump into any of the other children in the process.

"Heya, Claws! What're you up to?"

My words fell on deaf ears. Working with the concentration of a bomb diffuser, Claws' gaze shifted between his manuscript and the book he consulted every few seconds. His quill pen moved from one side of the parchment to the other at lightning speed.

Wow, that's some superb penmanship. Seriously though, how focused do you have to be to completely shut out the rest of the world?

"YO!"

That got his attention.

"Ah, good evening. I heard you were training Silica and 21?" Claws asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Yup. They learn fast, from here on out they'll be fine without me."

"Excellent, Sasha will be delighted. She's been feeling rather restless." He snuck a quick glance at the kitchen. "Although she wasn't vocal about her thoughts, her tense body language did all the talking."

The possibility that the two children would grow confident and seek to challenge Aincrad's higher floors was the root of Sasha's disquietude. She knew she wouldn't be able to prevent them from trying to ascend the castle, just as she couldn't stop them from fighting in the first place; all she could do was anxiously brace herself and hope for the best. Truly, Silica and 21 were blessed to have met Sasha. She was related to them neither by blood nor by association, yet genuinely cared for them as if she really was their mother.

Every time I look at Sasha and the children, I'm reminded of my family…

I miss them. I miss them so much, but it's my fault that I can't see them.

Damn it. Damn it all.

"I take it that you'll be returning to the front lines?" Claws' voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'll be joining Kirito and Asuna tomorrow. Argo said that it won't be long before the boss room is found so I'll need all the help I can get levelling up before then." I once declared in public that I 'disliked' Kirito so as to appeal to Kibaou and Lind; apparently they had become less resentful of the Beater recently so I figured it would be fine to party with him. "So, why're you here? Taking a break from work?"

"As if I would have any time for rest. I'm here because I need the orphanage's large assortment of books for my research."

"Research for what?"

"I'm looking into the lore of SAO. There is a myriad of legends about Aincrad and its many denizens; investigating the game's rich, complex backstory may be crucial to clearing it."

"Oh, I see. It's possible that the lore might contain hints about the upper floors of Aincrad. Good thinking!"

"Thank you. I cannot think of SAO as a mere hack-and-slash game. Kayaba Akihiko is an extraordinary genius; I'm sure he must have included some kind of special twist somewhere along the way. Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but the last thing we'd want to do is to underestimate the world created by this intelligent yet insane individual. That's why I want to do whatever I can to unravel Aincrad's secret, assuming it exists."

Whenever he felt anxious, indignant or sorrowful, Claws' expression would become rigid and unfeeling. As we spoke, the young man's countenance was devoid of emotion. The frosty, passionless visage was identical to the unemotional face he made while rebuking Diavel for his failures during the Floor 1 boss raid; it was clear that Claws was deeply concerned about what we were discussing.

I opened my mouth to respond –

*Smack*

Something struck me on the side of my head. Blinking rapidly out of surprise, I noticed a few of the children's fearful expressions and a leather ball rolling away from where I stood.

"Don't worry about it, stuff like that happens all the time!" I said with a gentle smile. That seemed to do the trick, as the children relaxed in response.

"Right, back to what I was going to say. Given how unpredictable… that man can be, what you said does make some sense. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Let me know if you come across anything peculiar and I'll look into it."

"Will do."


The creation of any human settlement invariably involves the depletion of natural resources. Trees are cut down for lumber, animals are hunted for their meat and pelt, minerals are excavated from the ground, and so on. However, the inhabitants of Floor 3 managed to found thriving settlements while keeping destruction of the natural environment to a minimum. Instead of modifying the landscape to suit their needs, the settlers adapted to the lay of the land to build their towns and cities; clearly these people held a deep respect for mother nature (she is beautiful but that lady has serious anger issues).

My destination was an inn located on the outskirts of Dessel, the settlement closest to the Floor 3 labyrinth. The rooms at this particular establishment cost at least twice as much as those in the other inns, and for good reason: they were large, beautiful and each of them came with a great view.

Speaking of expensive places, I'm sure there are some uber-fantastic inns on the higher floors. A one-night stay at a luxurious hotel might make for a good birthday or holiday gift for Liz and Argo – though affording the expenses might be a problem.

Second floor, room on the left end of the hall… okay, here we are.

Asuna greeted me with a smile that would make a lesser man swoon while Kirito gave me a friendly wave but I was too stunned by the other individual in the room to respond.

An elf. She was an elf, and a bewitching one at that. The female had dark skin, lilac hair and onyx-black eyes, though what stood out to me most were her pointy ears. Beneath her pitch black cloak was an impressive purple-coloured armour which she wore over a dark silk undersuit.

She looks like she's 27, but she's an elf so she's probably 270 or 2700 years old?

"My name is Kizmel. As a proud member of the Pagoda Knights, I serve the Lyusulan Kingdom."

That salute sent shivers down my spine! Feet together, back straight, right hand curled into a fist and placed over the heart… she's the real deal alright. Now then, how does one greet an elven knight? Meh, let's wing it.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm LOL, an independent adventurer. Thank you for assisting my friends," I introduced myself with a bow.

"Kirito and Asuna have been vital to the survival of my people. It is I who is in their debt." Kizmel's voice was strong and confident.

Interesting, I'll have to ask for details later. I've never seen such a lifelike NPC before, time to have some fun!

"Might you do me the satisfaction of answering a question, Ms. Kizmel? I have been rather curious about something the moment I laid eyes on you."

"You can drop the honorifics, just 'Kizmel' is fine. So, what would you like to ask?"

"Is your alluring gorgeousness an elven trait or is milady's beauty and grace unique?"

Asuna facepalmed. She was probably contemplating whether to kill me or to kill herself. Kirito just stared with widened eyes.

Allow me to make one thing clear: I am no sleazebag! Whenever I flirt or complain about being single, it's all done for the sake of humour, something which is sorely lacking these days! If I were a dog, I'd be all bark but no bite!

Woof.

"Elvenkind is not so shallow as to obsess over something superficial like beauty. We are a clan of mighty warriors: loyalty, valour and honour are qualities that we value," Kizmel answered with a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed tone. Obviously my flattery did not achieve the intended effect.

Shit, it's a cultural clash! Think, think, think…

"Milady, appreciating beauty is no shallow act. Combat prowess can be obtained by any hard-working person – or elf, for that matter – yet pulchritude is a gift from the gods! Displaying reverence for one's beauty is tantamount to respecting the magnificence of divine beings; as lowly mortals, it is only right that we admire the heavenly blessings bestowed upon us."

I was trying my best to maintain a composed exterior but on the inside I was panicking. To everyone's surprise, Kizmel suddenly began cracking up.

"Hee hee hee! There is no need to be anxious, my earlier words were meant in jest." I exhaled in relief. "Still, it was impressive of you to come up with an answer like that despite being put on the spot."

"You sure got me good! I was attempting to fluster you but I ended up being played for a fool."

"You're a thousand years too early to think about rattling me," Kizmel commented with a smirk. I gave her a defeated smile. Perhaps those words were meant to be taken literally when uttered by an elf.

"Seems like it. Will we be heading out soon?" I asked, turning towards the Beater and the fencer.

"We're ready to leave whenever. You've still got preparations to make, right? I'll come with you." Although I had already gathered everything I needed beforehand, I simply nodded and followed Asuna out of the inn and onto the street.

"Since when did you become so frisky? I don't remember you flirting like that when we were travelling together."

"Well, I hadn't met Kizmel yet, and the prettiest girls were already in my party." Asuna responded to my playful wink with an exasperated groan. "Actually, I take back my words. Liz wasn't as cute back then as she is now – don't tell her I said that."

"No promises. You must be curious about Kizmel so let me fill you in. The elves are part of a quest chain called the Elf War campaign. Apparently the whole thing lasts all the way until the ninth floor, and there are no second chances if you fail along the way."

A quest chain. In other words, a series of quests linked together by a common storyline. They require considerable time and effort but the Exp and item rewards are well worth it.

"Elf War, huh? How many factions are involved?"

"Two. There are the Dark Elves – which Kizmel belongs to – and the Forest Elves. The campaign starts off with the player picking a side; as you can tell, Kirito and I decided to help Kizmel and the Dark Elves. That's why she's in our party."

"Ah, I see… wait, something doesn't add up. Other players should be doing the campaign as well so why are you guys the only ones who have an elf NPC as your ally?" I was walking around town earlier and didn't see a single party accompanied by an NPC.

"Kizmel joined us under special circumstances. She was supposed to sacrifice herself to take out a powerful enemy but we managed to defeat it before it came to that."

"Huh… good job. Would've been a shame if such a cute chick died."

"Geez, is a pretty face all you care about?"

"What can I say, I'm a simple man. That aside, how are you two holding up? The last time we spoke was during the weapon scam incident on Floor 2. You haven't been obsessing over Kirito too much, have you?"

"Just what do you take me for? We're doing well. The animosity towards Kirito has died down quite a bit: there are still some people who hate him, but at least they've stopped the harrassment."

That's because you went H.A.M. (hard as a mofo) on the last person who shouted abuse at him.

"Also, having Kizmel around makes things a lot easier for us. I don't know if she'll stay in our party all the way until the ninth floor though in the meantime her company is much appreciated. Liz told me that you were training new players over the last few days. How'd that go?"

"It was great! Those guys were a joy to be around, they should be doing their best grinding in the Floor 1 labyrinth as we speak." I grinned as I recalled the pleasant times spent in the company of the Moonlit Black Cats. "If the opportunity arises, I'll introduce them to you one day."

"Sounds good. I'll hold you to that offer."


Spiders are disgusting. Think about it: they have eight legs, multiple eyes, their movements are freakish, their webs are a nuisance, some of them have poisonous fangs, they're ugly, they're ugly and they're ugly. I wouldn't be surprised if they were originally Lovecraftian demons that literally broke through the fourth wall and came into the world.

Therefore, the human-sized, six-eyed Thicket Spiders leaping out of the trees must be spawns of the devil himself. Then again, these creatures were created by Kayaba Akihiko, and that man was called a demon on multiple occasions.

"We've got the front! Watch our back!" Asuna yelled. Kirito stood by her side with his Anneal Blade in hand.

"Got it!"

"Understood."

Kizmel and I cautiously eyed the three hairy monsters before us, waiting for the aggressive creatures to make a move.

The mouth of the spider in the middle quivered –

Incoming!

We quickly jumped to the side as the Thicket Spider shot long strands of silk from its mouth. Fortunately, the attack's range was not far enough to reach Kirito or Asuna. One of the spiders bent its eight legs and sprang towards me. Before it could catch me in its venomous fangs, I swung my newly acquired mace upwards, knocking it upside down. I raised the heavy weapon and slammed it down on the Thicket Spider's abdomen, ending its life.

A certain baby-faced blacksmith kindly gifted me the Apprentice's Mace which I wielded. I couldn't rely on my favourite dagger-and-stealth combination since some of the Floor 3 mobs were capable of detection without sight, and my absence from the frontlines meant that I was under-levelled. To make up for my low damage output, Liz provided me with the slow yet powerful weapon.

Kizmel had already slain the other two mobs by the time I was done. The elven knight was a warrior with no equal; none among the Clearers could hold a candle to her great swordplay.

Instead of exploring the labyrinth, the Beater and his partner thought it would be more productive to work on clearing the Elf War quests. Thus, the four of us were battling in the lush forests that spanned the entire southern area of Floor 3. At the moment, we were busy collecting a special type of flower known as Ängsälvor's Ichor. Over the decades the forest soil had been drenched by the blood of elves slain in combat, causing the flower's pure white petals to turn crimson – or so the legend went. According to Dark Elf custom, it was the duty of a senior officer to collect these blood-red flowers and place them on the graves of their fallen comrades.

"The war has become unprecedentedly fierce. Many promising youngsters have perished by the blades of our enemies. If this goes on, the forest may even run out of Ängsälvor's Ichor…" Kizmel was sombre throughout the mission. Kirito was largely unaffected by the quest's melancholic tone, though Asuna who was quite fond of Kizmel looked depressed.

I don't blame her for sympathising with Kizmel. Her expressions are so realistic that I almost forgot she was an NPC. I suppose it's difficult for someone like Asuna, who hasn't played a single video game in her entire life, to think of the lifelike Kizmel as just another character in a game. Oh look, there's a flower over there. With that we'll be one step closer towards finishing –

"It's a trap."

Kizmel held out an arm in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. Even with the Searching skill equipped I was unable to detect any enemies so I had no clue what she was talking about. Judging from the expressions on Kirito and Asuna's faces, I was the only one who failed to detect the hidden threat.

I carefully scrutinised my surroundings. There wasn't a single spider hiding in the treetops, nor were there any foxes or porcupines lurking on the ground. All I could see was the Ängsälvor's Ichor innocently nestled in the thick roots of a fairly large tree.

Wait a second, that damn tree's breathing!

"What the hell is that!? As if the Thicket Spiders weren't bad enough, now we've got these tree monsters! It's not even Halloween!" I complained, pointing at the 'tree'. I kept my voice low out of fear of startling the creature before us.

"I've never seen one that big before," Asuna commented.

That's what she said.

"Hah-low-wheen?" Kizmel gave me a quizzical look. The fencer helpfully gave her a quick explanation.

"That thing's an Elder Treant. They're very rare, we're quite lucky to find one," Kirito answered my question as he bent down to pick up a rock. "From what I've heard, a Treant is actually a dead tree possessed by a malevolent spirit. When a sentient being dies in this place, its soul may get lost in the forest, unable to pass on to the afterlife. After spending what feels like an eternity trapped in these woods, the departed soul goes mad and transforms into an evi – mmph!"

"Okay, okay, enough!" Asuna hastily interrupted her partner with a hand to his mouth; evidently she was not a fan of ghost stories. It seemed that she had fought these creatures without knowing about their true nature.

"Your vast knowledge never ceases to amaze me, Kirito," Kizmel remarked. "Treants are inherently malicious so we consider it ah obligation to destroy them whenever they are spotted. You can leave the reinforcements to me; I'm sure the three of you are more than enough to take it out."

"Wait, reinforcements?"

"The spirit possessing an Elder Treant is so powerful that it can exert some degree of influence over the other monsters of the forest," Kirito explained. "Now then, let's do this!"

The Beater hurled his rock at the malicious entity. The stone shattered upon impact. What happened next was so strange, so unexpected that I thought I was dreaming.

The Treant's green leaves turned into dust and were blown away by the wind. An eerie crackling echoed throughout the forest, then a few of its branches fell to the ground, leaving behind multiple knotholes all over the gigantic tree trunk.

Suddenly, pale lights shone in each of its knotholes.

Its roots turned into feet, its branches became slender claws. The Elder Treant did not howl like a beast nor scream like a human but its eerie whispers caused beads of cold sweat to slide down my forehead.

Keeping track of all of the Elder Treant's branches was no easy task. It took everything I had to prevent the monster from punching a hole through me. One of the branches grazed my shoulder, another knocked me to the ground. Out of reflex I immediately rolled to the side; the spot I previously lay on was impaled with multiple branches.

Bastard.

I ducked and jumped, backtracked and sidestepped, patiently waiting for my opportunity. Asuna reached the tree trunk despite the creature's unrelenting assault and let loose a swift barrage of stabs. She quickly hopped back before the Treant could ensnare her with its long roots.

With its attention on the fencer Kirito and I charged. The swordsman deftly swung his sword, opening up three long gashes on the monster's large body. The moment I was within range I jumped and brought down my mace on the Treant as I landed. There was enough force behind my strike to send any other enemy flying yet my attack barely caused the giant tree to budge.

Keep moving! Don't stand still!

The intense struggle lasted for three minutes; by the end of it I was covered in scratches from head to toe, with more than half of my HP bar depleted. I wasn't sure whether it was Kirito or Asuna who dealt the final blow as they both plunged their blades into the Elder Treant at the same time. Of course, the Ängsälvor's Ichor was destroyed in the mayhem so we had to look for another one.

After collecting the fifty flowers Kizmel needed, we completed two more quests before calling it a day. The elven knight knew the forest like the back of her palm but the rest of us weren't too keen to be wandering in a forest filled with evil spirits and bloodthirsty animals at night. We were a good distance away from the nearest town and it was already quite late so Kizmel suggested spending the evening at a nearby Dark Elf encampment.

"I'm technically unaffiliated with your clan. Are you sure it's fine to bring someone like me into your camp?" I couldn't help but ask Kizmel. The Dark Elf camp was a safe zone that was accessible only by those who chose to ally with the Dark Elves; I hadn't even started the Elf War campaign.

"Worry not. I shall vouch for you should any of my kin object to your presence. You have lent me your aid, and for that I will make sure you receive the hospitality you deserve."

"That's reassuring. Thanks in advance for a good night's rest."


We had the freedom to take advantage of the Dark Elf camp's few amenities. These included a dining tent, a blacksmith's tent and, to Asuna and my surprise, a bathing tent.

It's been two months since I've washed myself. That's a weird thought.

Kizmel needed to speak with the base's commander and Asuna was busy upgrading her rapier. With nothing better to do, Kirito and I chose to wash away the day's fatigue with a nice, warm bath. The wooden, oval-shaped bathing tub could easily accommodate six or seven people so there was more than enough space for the two of us.

Aaaaaaaah… this is bliss. It's not everyday I get to enjoy myself like this.

"You know, I never got the chance to properly thank you." Kirito's words brought me back to reality.

"Th-theyank meeh? Foh hwat?" I slurred. The warm water was making me quite groggy.

"For convincing me to meet up with Klein back on Floor 1, and for partying with Asuna after the Illfang raid. Every time I ditched somebody you were there to support them. It's like you were salvaging all the bad decisions I made."

"Listen man, reconnecting with Klein was your decision; all I did was give you a little push. As for Asuna, I barely did anything for her. In fact, Liz is the one you should be thanking. If you don't mind, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Why did you call yourself a Beater and shoulder everything on your own? I won't deny that your actions helped a lot of people, but those who care about you were… well, I'm sure you can imagine how they felt."

Kirito thought about his answer for a bit before speaking.

"It was an impulsive decision. Things were looking ugly and I felt like I had to do something. Frankly, I was naïve. I thought I could handle the isolation but I didn't realise how bad it really was until I was all on my own again. If it weren't for Argo's encouragement, I might've cracked," Kirito recalled sadly.

"You could've gone to Asuna or Klein. They would've accepted you with open arms."

"I didn't want the other players to hate them for associating with me. Do you remember the moment Asuna and I were reunited on Floor 2?" I nodded. "Actually, I tried to ditch her afterwards; she ended up beating me to a pulp."

Ouch. Sure sounds like something Asuna would do.

"This is what she told me: "I don't give a damn what other people think. All I care about is keeping you safe so that I can repay you for saving me on Floor 1". It made me really happy to hear her say that."

That girl is such a tsundere.

"I ran into Klein and the others from Fuurinkazan later on. They told me that they'd back me up even if everyone else hated me. It was then I realised how badly I'd been longing for companionship, and so I gave up on trying to isolate myself."

Even though we had been acquaintances for some time I never had the opportunity to get to know Kirito so I was glad this conversation happened. His enemies thought of him as a selfish bastard who didn't give a fig about anyone else, while his admirers saw him as a champion, an invincible hero whom they could place their hopes on. In reality Kirito was merely a somewhat socially awkward teenager who disliked the attention and longed for companionship. Exchanges like these made this abundantly clear.

There was limited space within the encampment so Kizmel, Asuna, Kirito and I shared a tent. The knight was still busy with whatever she was doing but our other female companion was impatiently waiting for her turn to immerse herself in the warm bath.

"Finally! You two sure took your sweet time."

"Male bonding time is sacred and should not be rushed. Ain't that right, Kiri-bro?" I rested an arm on his shoulder.

"That's right, L-bro!" Asuna's disgusted face made me chuckle.

"If any of you dare peep at me, there will be consequences."

"I hadn't even thought about it but thanks for the suggestion!" I gave Asuna a thumbs-up.

"L, I will stab you if you try anything."

"Point taken, I'd rather not take the (rapier) point if you get what I mean. I'm way too tired to act as your training dummy," I said with a dismissive wave. In fact, I was so exhausted from all the fighting that I fell asleep seconds after Asuna left our tent. It wasn't often that I got a good night's sleep so that was really nice. Someone was kind enough to slide a pillow under my head and put a blanket on me.


"Did you guys see Argo's message?" Asuna asked us.

"The one about the boss raid being tomorrow, right?" She nodded at Kirito. "I'll go get Kizmel. She's probably wandering around the camp."

Our NPC ally wasn't present when the three of us woke up; no doubt she was a particularly early riser. I stifled a yawn and began putting on my combat gear. We spent the day progressing through the Elf War storyline. The first quest of the day involved hunting down a giant butterfly released by the Forest Elves for reconnaissance. Contrary to the spiders and the treants, the butterfly was a very beautiful creature; I almost felt bad for striking it down. Afterwards we were tasked with rescuing a captured Dark Elf scout and escorting him back to the camp. Of course, the Forest Elves weren't going to just let us leave with one of their prisoners: we had to fend off the many pursuers they sent after us on top of dealing with the various monsters of the forest.

"I've got the left one! Right one's yours!"

Asuna overwhelmed her opponent with sheer speed while Kirito calmly traded blows with an elf wielding an impressive curved sword. In one swift move the Beater stepped to the side and stuck out his foot, tripping his adversary. Kirito nailed the elf to the ground by stabbing through his wrist, and the last thing the NPC saw was my mace descending on his head.

For someone who's been playing solo most of the time, Kirito's pretty good at working in a team.

"They're relentless. Let us make haste before more of their assassins catch up to us. I'm sorry but you'll have to bear the pain."

"This pain is nothing compared to the shame of my failure!" The elven scout said through gritted teeth. He was crippled by his captives and couldn't walk without Kizmel's support.

Barely a minute went by before more enemies showed up. This time there were five assailants though we weren't concerned despite being outnumbered. Unlike Kizmel, these elves weren't too fast and their attacks were predictable. Kirito and Asuna each dealt with two of them with ease, and I was more than enough to dispatch the remaining one.

As my adversary disintegrated into colourful fragments, I realised that all the sparring sessions with Argo, Liz and Klein had paid off.

"…We should be safe here, they will not pursue us this far. Let us rest here for a moment," Kizmel suggested. She rested the injured scout against a tree.

"I apologise, commander. I've been nothing but a burden."

"You displayed great valour by risking your life to obtain vital information. Be proud of that, soldier."

"…It is my greatest honour to receive such praise from a hero like yourself!" The scout looked as if he was about to shed tears.

"Wow, I didn't know we were travelling with a celebrity! Can I get an autograph?" I asked jokingly.

"What is an aw-toh-graff? Is it another one of your human inventions?" Kizmel and her subordinate looked at me with puzzled expressions.

Cultural barriers are annoying, aren't they?

"An autograph is… a signature written as a memento for an admirer. Um… basically, I was hoping for something to remember you by!"

I really should've just told her that my words were nothing but a flippant jibe.

"If it's a souvenir you're asking for I'm happy to oblige, but I'm afraid an aw-toh-graff is out of the question. To us, a signature is tantamount to an oath."

"Oh, that's alright! It doesn't have to be an autograph!"

Me and my big mouth.

"Though I must say, I will not require a trinket to remember you. The memory of your desperate attempts to justify your flirtations shall stay with me for the years to come!" Kizmel said with a mischievous smile. My chagrined expression caused her to shake with mirth.

The quest was completed with no further complications. We bade Kizmel farewell before travelling back to Dessel; she surprised all of us by gifting me with an Elven Dagger.

"Did you not wish for a memento? Think of it as a token of appreciation," she said with a smile. I was so stunned that I almost forgot to thank her.

We met up with Liz and the merry men of Fuurinkazan after returning to town. Nobody said anything about it but deep down we were all anxious about the upcoming boss battle. Thus, we unanimously agreed to spend the evening together.

"Man, I'm sick and tired of Floor 3! I'm ready to move on to the next floor!" Dynamm complained loudly.

"What's wrong with Floor 3? The Elf War campaign's been quite fun," Kirito asked him. Asuna was miffed to find out that Fuurinkazan sided with the Forest Elves.

"I'm arachnophobic! I almost piss my pants every time one of those damn spiders pop out of a tree!"

You have my deepest sympathies.

"But you stood your ground every single time, and that takes guts! I'll drink to that! Wash away your frustrations with this sweet, sweet blasphemy!" Klein merrily clinked mugs with his friend.

"Why do you call beer 'blasphemy'?" Liz couldn't help but ask.

"Because they're the same. A few mouthfuls and you'll get stoned!" Klein's face was flushed and he spoke a little louder than usual. "Barmaid, I want another Elven Brew!"

"Watch it Klein, we've got the Floor Boss tomorrow. Don't drink too much." Kunimittz, ever the cautious one, warned his party leader.

"Don't worry, don't worry! I'll stop after the next one. It takes at least seven of these for me to pass out; I'm limiting myself to three."

"I should get going now. It's about time," Liz said as she stood up.

"So soon? You normally don't open store until half an hour later," I remarked. She usually worked as a blacksmith between nine to ten in the mornings and evenings.

"There might be a large number of requests since we've got the boss fight tomorrow so I thought I'd start earlier. Sorry guys, but my people need their queen!"

"It's ironic to call yourself a queen when you're wearing a waitress outfit."

"A queen has class, Liz. You have none!"

"I'll have you two executed," Liz declared as Kirito and Asuna high-fived each other. "Well then, I'll see you all tomorrow!"


That was enjoyable. It's good to see everyone again.

I was absentmindedly ambling back to the inn when we ran into each other. The completely coincidental reunion was a surprise to be sure but a welcome one.

"It's you!"

"Dillon! It's been ages! C'mere, you!" I pulled the purple-haired teen into a tight hug. I was shocked when Argo told me he was spotted fighting alongside a couple of players belonging to MMO Today, and was even more surprised to learn that he joined Godfree's party the next day.

"There are many things I want to say to you, but… more than anything, I'm glad that you're doing well, and I'm proud of you for persevering. Keep it up man, you've been brilliant."

"T-thank you. I've had lots of help," he replied bashfully. "Erm, I'm part of Godfree's party so I'll be fighting in the boss raid tomorrow."

"Nice! I look forward to celebrating our victory afterwards. Do you want to sit down and chat for a bit?"

"…Sorry, I'm supposed to be meeting someone right now." His tone and expression made it clear that he was genuinely apologetic.

"It's fine, it's fine! Better not keep them waiting," I said, slapping Dillon lightly on the back.

"Um… I owe you, Lisbeth and Asuna for saving my life. I'll definitely repay you guys for that one day."

"Silly boy. The best way to repay us is to live your life to the fullest; you're already doing that, aren't you? Well, give Godfree my regards. See you tomorrow."


"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!"

"IT'S HOPELESS! RUN!"

No, no, no, no…

We lost. Despite our best efforts, we failed. Diavel, dead. Agil, slain. Kibaou, murdered. Lind, destroyed.

Kirito? Crushed to bits despite his best efforts.

Asuna? Stabbed through the heart trying to avenge her partner.

This can't be happening. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!

Klein? Dying of poision. Dynamm? Deceased. Kunimittz, dismembered. Issin, shattered. H1, strangled to death. Dale? He refused to run, and so he died.

They all died. They all died before my very own eyes, coldly murdered by this brutal world. I was there. With them. And I could do nothing.

"HELP! SAVE ME!"

The boss had taken out Dillon's legs. He desperately crawled his way towards the entrance of the boss room… but he didn't make it.

It wasn't the boss who killed him. No, he was trampled to death by the fleeing players.

WAAAAAH! NO! DON'T DO THIS! I'M BEGGING YOU!

"L! Watch out!"

I was shoved the ground. I looked up to see Liz being lifted into the air…

NO! PLEASE, DON'T! STOP IT!

The boss slammed her onto the floor. Hard. So hard that the whole boss room shook. Her avatar shattered into fragments. Nothing remained, save for the echoes of her ghastly scream.

AAAAAHHHHHH!

Then the whole world turned black. The rampaging boss, the defeated raid party… everything disappeared.

Look at you.

A failure.

You selfishly gave up everything…

And for what?

They all died.

Your actions were in vain.

They suffered, are suffering, because of what you did.

You vowed to be a saviour…

So why did they all die? Why couldn't you save

A

Single

Person?

Can you feel the blood on your hands?


My blanket was drenched in sweat. My pillow was soaked in tears.

These nightmares had become an almost daily occurrence. Dreamland used to be a paradise; dreamland was now a torture chamber.

When was it that I started fearing sleep? When had my fears, my insecurities overwhelmed my boundless optimism?

The day my insomnia began must've been the day when the stress of the death game caught up to me.


A/N: I feel like writing this story is turning me into a sadist. At the beginning I felt bad about making the characters suffer but now I kind of enjoy it. Well, I suppose this means that I'm maturing as an author, so… yay?

As mentioned before, Kizmel is a character in the SAO: Progressive manga. She's a fun but challenging character to write about.

Sorry, no omake this time. I actually wrote two omakes but I decided not to include either of them since they don't mesh well with this chapter's heavy ending. As usual, thanks for reading and updated information on the OCs is on my profile page. Have a good day!