Chapter 11- The Sword Dance of Black and White
October 17th, 2024
Roughly two years have gone by since SAO began. The Assault Team had now reached Floor 74. Both Marth and Kirito were still going it alone fighting solo on the front lines. Right now, they were both in different parts of the Labyrinth on Floor 74.
Marth was fighting a lizard humanoid hybrid called a Lizardman Lord that had a curved sword and a buckler. Marth's Lunara clashed with the monster's sword multiple times. The monster swung its sword at the Beater's neck, but the swordsman easily dodged it. Marth retreated away from the monster, the latter then activated «Fell Crescent» and went after him. Suddenly, right when the monster got close to Marth, the latter turned around and activated the 4-hit combo «Horizontal Square». Marth began by dodging the monster's Sword Skill by moving to the right while striking its side horizontally. He then turned towards the monster and performed another horizontal slash from right to left on the monster's chest. Marth spun around until he was facing the monster's back and did a third horizontal slash on it. The monster got behind him and tried swinging its sword at Marth's head, but the swordsman ducked out of the way. Marth then spun around and performed the final hit of the Sword Skill, which was a forehand strike across the top part of the monster's chest.
The streaks from Marth's sword drew a square which quickly dispersed as the monster had been killed. The Dark Swordsman panted from the fight despite his HP only being reduced by a quarter of its maximum from the monster's attacks. He swung his sword one more time before sheathing it.
"I can't believe it's been almost two years since this death game began," Marth thought. "Fighting solo on the front lines is getting even harder now." He looked off into the distance. "Both Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell are out there somewhere, watching. I wonder what they're thinking about." The Dark Swordsman let out a heavy sigh.
"Guess I'll head home," he said aloud and headed for the exit.
Along the way, Marth ran into Kirito again, who was also heading back. They were both now level 96. Since their home was in the same town, the duo decided to go together.
"How've you been Kirito?" Marth asked curiously.
"I've been good. But it's getting a lot harder fighting solo on these Floors," Kirito replied. "What about you?"
"I'm good. And you're right. Ever since we reached Floor 70 the monster attack patterns are becoming even more irregular. Luckily, it's only for Floors 70 and up," Marth said. "We'll have to be even more careful than we already are."
Kirito nodded. "Yeah, it looks like we'll soon have to become a permanent party just for our survival," the Black Swordsman said. "We both knew this would happen eventually, but let's wait until things get way too hard for us to handle alone before we do."
"Maybe we can include Yuuki too." Marth noticed the smug grin on Kirito's face. "Okay, what are you grinning about?"
"Nothing," Kirito said innocently, "just that you seem to always have her in mind, if you know what I mean."
"Tch," Marth grunted in frustration. "If that's how you want to play… then I can do it too. I noticed your increased concern for Asuna. Why else would you meet up with her more often than normal?"
The Darkness Duo laughed in amusement. Neither of them minded teaming up permanently, or including Yuuki in their team, they also knew it would mean that they would have to split experience points and money they get from monsters, as well as having to deal with a way to handle who gets what if a rare item dropped. They left the Labyrinth and were now in a forest. Suddenly the duo heard something in the distance. They turned towards the source and activated their «Searching», which now maxed out along with a bunch of other skills. They quickly saw that the sound came from a Ragout Rabbit, which is a rare monster.
"No way," Kirito said stunned. "We can't let this opportunity pass up. Who knows when we'll find another one."
Marth nodded as the duo each grabbed a throwing pick. "I'll throw the first one to draw it out," he said. "Once it jumps, you take it out."
Kirito nodded in acknowledgement. Marth's pick started to glow blue as he activated «Single Shot». He threw it at a tree near the rabbit, causing it to jump in fear. The monster watched helplessly as Kirito finished it off with «Single Shot». Since they weren't in a party, only Kirito got the loot and XP. Neither of them were disappointed about it as that's how they usually did things when they come across certain monsters. The duo then noticed that Kirito had gotten a rare item from the monster and knew just who to take it to.
Later
The duo was at Agil's shop in Algade. Kirito had just shown the axe-user the item he just got, which was a Ragout Rabbit Meat.
"No way! This is an S-class rare item!" Agil said in disbelief. "Holy crap, this is the first time I've ever seen one." He looked up at the Black Swordsman. "Hey Kirito. Don't you already have all the money you need? I'll buy it, but I'm saying wouldn't you rather have it for dinner?"
Kirito sighed. "Sure, but who knows when I'll ever get another one," he replied.
"So, keep it man," Agil said.
"But what's the point? In order to prepare an item like this, you need a high enough «Cooking» skill," Marth explained.
Agil crossed his arms. "Yeah, you're right, Marth. If we tried, we'd just burn it."
"Kirito," a certain female voice said as the person tapped on the swordsman's shoulder.
The duo turned and saw that it was Asuna with some guy whose name was apparently Kuradeel, who was also from her guild. Kirito then remembered that the Lightning Flash had a «Cooking» skill.
"I've got my chef," Kirito said quickly as grabbed Asuna's hand.
"Uh, what chef?" Asuna asked in confusion.
Kuradeel gave an angry look at the Black Swordsman, prompting the latter to let go of the K.O.B. vice-commander.
"Uh hey, Asuna's here. Seeing you in a dump like this is beyond weird," Kirito said nervously. Agil scowled at hearing his friend call his place a dump. Asuna was the same way.
"Oh save it. I came to see if you were still alive," Asuna scolded. "You know, it's almost time for the next boss raid."
Kirito put his right hand on his waist. "I'm on your friend list. If you want to know if I'm alive or not, you can check that," he replied casually.
"Whatever. Now I know you're alive. Same with Marth," Asuna said, letting the brown-haired Beater know that she didn't completely ignore him. "Anyway, what are you doing? What's this about a chef?"
Kirito remembered about the item. "Oh yeah. I was wondering what level your «Cooking» skill was," he said.
Asuna simply smirked. "Totally maxed it out last week," she said confidently, shocking the Beaters and Agil. "Cool huh?"
"In that case. I need a favor," Kirito said before opening the trade window to show Asuna the item he got.
When Asuna saw what it was, her eyes widened in surprise. "No way. Y-you've got a Ragout Rabbit!" she exclaimed.
"I'll trade ya. All you gotta do is cook it for me and I'll let you have a bite," Kirito said.
Asuna angrily grabbed his shirt. "Half. Deal?" she replied with a threatening tone.
Marth laughed as Kirito nervously accepted Asuna's forceful offer. Asuna then let go of Kirito's shirt.
"Alright!" the Lightning Flash cheered at thought of preparing a rare food item.
The Black Swordsman turned towards Agil. "Sorry pal. You heard the lady. Guess I'm keeping it," he told the axe-user.
"Yeah, but you can at least let me taste it. I thought we were tight, man," Agil begged.
"I'll write a review for you, but only two pages. Promise," Kirito said as he walked out of the store with Asuna and her escort close behind.
"Damn, that is cold," Agil said as he watched them leave.
"Yeah, but that's Kirito for you," Marth replied. "Anyway, I should get going too. I'll see you around, Agil."
"Alright. Take care, Marth."
When he left the store, he saw that Asuna and Kirito were waiting for him, along with the addition of Yuuki.
"Hey, Marth. Glad you could join us," Kirito said when he saw his friend come out.
"What are you guys still doing here? I thought you two went to go cook that Ragout Rabbit Meat," Marth replied in confusion. "And what are you doing here, Yuuki?"
"I was in the area, so I decided to drop by and see if you were here," Yuuki said. "Kirito just told me that you two got a rare cooking ingredient together and Asuna wanted to invite you and me to dinner. She said something about it not being fair if you didn't get a share in the reward. So, will you come?"
Marth sighed and scratched his head. "Since when do you ever give me a choice? Most of the time you just drag me along to where you want to go."
Yuuki giggled. "True, so what's your answer?"
"I'll come. It's not like I had any plans anyway."
"Yay!"
The quartet, and Kuradeel, headed off.
"So where am I going to cook it?" Asuna questioned, causing the group to stop. "I'm guessing not Kirito's place or Marth's. Do either of you even own any cookware?"
"Um," Kirito struggled to say since he didn't think that far ahead.
"I know I don't," Yuuki added.
"Okay," Asuna said, prompting the Beaters to face her. "Because the main ingredient is special, I won't mind if we use my place to cook it."
Kirito looked at Asuna surprised while she turned to face Kuradeel.
"Thank you for escorting me," she told the K.O.B. member. "You may go."
"I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't allow you to go home with two shady characters," Kuradeel replied.
Asuna sighed. "I don't know the extent of either of their shadiness, but I know they're both extremely skilled." Asuna crossed her arms behind her back. "In fact, they're both ten levels above you, Kuradeel. And you know how skilled Yuuki is too."
"Are you implying that I'm inferior to them?" Kuradeel asked before realizing. "Oh, I get it. Those two are Beaters, aren't they?"
Kirito turned to face the K.O.B. member. "Yeah. So what if we are?" he asked plainly.
Kuradeel approached his commander. "You shouldn't go with them, ma'am," he demanded. "All their kind think about are themselves. They're all scum who wouldn't think twice about abandoning other players."
The Beaters and girls noticed that they were attracting a crowd. They overheard other players recognize them.
"That's Lightning Flash Asuna," one player said. "She's really cute."
"Cool! It's Yuuki, the Absolute Sword!" said another player. "And they're with the Darkness Duo, Marth and Kirito."
Asuna gave her escort a disapproving look. "I'm the second-in-command here. I am ordering you to go home," she said bitterly before storming off while grabbing the back of Kirito and Marth's coats and began dragging them away. Yuuki stuck her tongue out at Kuradeel before following her friends.
"Hey, are you sure about this?" Kirito asked as he was pulled away.
"Of course," Asuna replied angrily.
Marth noticed the frustrated look on Kuradeel's face, which gave him the feeling that this wasn't over. It wasn't until they got to the Warp Gate that Asuna let go of the Darkness Duo. The quartet then used the Warp Gate to teleport to Selmburg on Floor 61, where Asuna was living. The group then headed for Asuna's house. It was getting late and Kirito noticed that there wasn't a lot of people here despite it being a really nice-looking town.
"There's hardly anyone around," Kirito said in awe. "It's kind of liberating."
"Then why don't you move here?" Asuna asked.
"I don't know, this place is way too expensive for my taste," Kirito said.
Marth nodded. "Yeah. Besides I kind of like my home on Algade," he said causing Yuuki to giggle.
"Seriously? That town looks way too shady. How could anyone live there?" Yuuki said in amusement, having seen his place before.
"Anyway. Asuna, what was with that guy back there?" Kirito asked curiously. "He was pretty adamant on not letting me and Marth come with you."
"He's my bodyguard. The guild's new policy is that all higher-ups have to have an escort," Asuna explained. "It's really lame. The guild didn't have all these rules before. We used to be very small, but then more and more people joined up. It was only when we became the strongest guild that things started to get weird." She turned to face her friends as a clock bell rang. "Forget it. I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing."
"We should get going," Yuuki said. "It's getting dark." The others nodded and continued walking.
The group arrived at Asuna's house and the Beaters were surprised at how nice it looked inside.
"Wow. You've got a killer pad," Kirito said in awe. "How much did all this cost?"
Asuna thought for a moment. "The room and the furniture cost around four million Col. Anyway, make yourselves at home." The Lighting Flash and Absolute Sword went to the former's bedroom to change into regular clothes. Kirito sat on one of the chairs in the living room.
"Four million Col. That's a lot of money," the Black Swordsman said in disbelief. "I know I probably earned that much too, but using it all on your home?"
Marth nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If it was me, improving my pad would've been the last thing on my mind," he said as he sat down on another chair.
The duo then heard Asuna and Yuuki come back and saw that they were wearing ordinary clothes. Both boys blushed a little at seeing how they looked.
"Are you two going to take off your coats or what?" Asuna asked the Beaters.
"Oh, yeah. Sure," Kirito said quickly as he realized he still had it on.
The boys unequipped their coats, swords, and gloves. The girls laughed as they saw that the duo had the same long-sleeved black shirt.
"Do you guys try to match, or does it just happen?" Asuna teased, causing the Beaters to blush in embarrassment.
"Not cool, Asuna," Kirito replied as he traded the Ragout Rabbit Meat to the K.O.B. vice-commander.
"Well I find it kinda cute," Yuuki admitted. "If it wasn't for your hair colors, you guys could easily pass off for brothers."
Marth cracked a light smile. "You're not the first to say that."
The group then headed into the kitchen where Asuna brought the item out.
"Okay. So how do you want this cooked?" the Lightning Flash asked the black-haired swordsman.
"I wanted to leave that decision up to the chef," Kirito answered.
"Okay. Then how about we make it into a stew?" Asuna offered before she brought out more ingredients and a cooking knife. "Ragout is pretty much the definition of a stew." She did a cutting motion over the items which caused them to be instantly cut into smaller pieces. Kirito watched in awe as Asuna put the ingredients into a pot. "There would be a lot more steps if this was in real life." She put a lid on the pot before putting it in the oven and set the timer. "SAO makes cooking so simple… so much so that it's actually kind of boring." She then began making a couple of side dishes with help from Yuuki, who surprisingly had a high «Cooking» skill as well, while the stew was cooking. Once it was finished, Asuna took it out of the oven and took it to the table. The Beaters helped the cooks by taking the other food to the table. Everyone could smell the delicious aroma from the stew. Kirito gulped as Asuna removed the lid from the pot.
Later
Marth and Kirito sat on one end of the table, while Asuna and Yuuki sat on the other. They had just finished powering through the stew and eating the other dishes. They all let out a sigh.
"I've been here two years, but this is my first time eating S-class food," Asuna said. "I'm so glad I survived long enough to eat that."
"Yeah, me too," Kirito replied.
"It's kind of weird. Sometimes, I get this feeling like I've lived here in Aincrad my whole life," Yuuki said. "It makes me feel like the real world is just a dream."
The others nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean," Marth said. "There are times when I don't think about the real world at all."
"Yeah, it's the same with me," Kirito said. "And it's not just us. More and more people are becoming less motivated to clear game as the days go by."
"I noticed that there only about 500 players fighting on the front lines now," Asuna replied. "I guess everyone's getting used to life here. They don't care about getting back anymore."
The Beaters lowered their heads in sadness. "The thing is… I want to go back," the Lightning Flash said suddenly, prompting the boys to look up at her. "There's still things I haven't done there yet. I have to go back."
"So do I," Yuuki added. "I've got family in the real world. They're counting on me to go back."
Kirito nodded. "And we can't forget about all the players in the Town of Beginnings," the Black Swordsman said. "They're counting on us to beat this game. If we quit now it won't be fair for them." He took a sip of tea.
Asuna held out an open palm towards Kirito. "Don't go there," she said.
The Beater looked at her in confusion. "Uh, don't go where?" he asked nervously.
"I've seen that look on guys' faces before. And right before they propose to me," Asuna answered.
Marth and Yuuki laughed as Kirito blushed in embarrassment. Asuna laughed a little too, indicating that she was kidding.
"Honestly, you should see your face, Kirito. I'm guessing you never had a girlfriend before," Asuna said smugly.
Kirito quickly recovered and shrugged. "Whatever. I'm a solo player," he said plainly.
"Ditto," Marth followed.
The Lightning Flash put on a serious face. "And you're both okay with that? You guys don't ever want to join a guild?" she asked curiously.
The solo players looked at Asuna, puzzled.
"I know that the beta testers don't fit in well with the guilds, but ever since we reached Floor 70, things have been getting even more dangerous," Asuna explained. "The monsters attack patterns are becoming even more irregular. There are times where warping out isn't an option. Being a solo player has its limits and you two are getting dangerously close to it. So are you, Yuuki."
Marth let out a sigh. "Yeah, me and Kirito talked about that when we were heading back to Algade earlier today," the Dark Swordsman said. "But we're both pretty careful. And if we do reach that limit, then we'll team up just like we did in the beta."
"Can I join if you do?" Yuuki asked.
Kirito nodded. "Sure. Besides most of the time, instead of helping, party members just get in the way," he followed.
"Oh yeah?" Asuna asked she held a butter knife in front of Kirito in a threatening manner.
Kirito quickly raised a hand in defense. "My mistake. You three are exceptions," he said nervously.
Asuna retracted her knife. "Good," she replied.
"So, how about the four of us team up again?" Asuna asked suddenly as she spun her knife in her hand, catching the Darkness Duo by surprise. "Black's my lucky color this week anyway."
"But don't you have stuff to do with your guild?" Marth hastily asked the fencer. "Are you seriously just gonna bail on them or something?"
"It's not like we have any leveling quotas we need to meet anyway," Asuna said plainly.
"But what about your bodyguard?" Kirito questioned.
"I'll just ditch him," the fencer replied.
The two were caught off guard by the vice-commander's remark. Asuna sent the "Invite to Party" to the solo players. Yuuki eagerly accepted since it meant she'd be fighting alongside Marth again.
Kirito took a sip from his tea and said, "The front lines are dangerous though." Asuna then activated a Sword Skill with her butter knife and threatened to stab the black-haired Beater's forehead with it.
Kirito raised a hand in defeat. "Okay. You win," he said before hitting the Accept button. Marth followed suit, not wanting to be a target for the fencer's "persuasion". Asuna smiled in victory as she put her knife down.
It was getting late so the boys and Yuuki decided to head back to their homes. They all walked outside Asuna's house and stood on the porch.
"I guess I should thank you for the meal," Asuna said. "So thank you, Kirito."
"I should be thanking you. Maybe we can do this again sometime," the black-haired Beater replied before shaking his head. "Oh, who am I kidding? There's no way I'll ever find something like that again."
Asuna shook her head. "No way. You can make anything taste good if you've got the skills to cook," she said before they all looked up at the stars.
"When I look at this world and seen what it's become, I can't help but wonder if this what Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell wanted to create," Kirito said after a few moments.
Marth nodded. "Yeah, me too."
The Beaters and Yuuki said goodbye to Asuna and headed for the Warp Gate. When they were leaving, Marth thought he detected someone hiding in the bushes near Asuna's house but passed it off as exhaustion.
The Next Day
Marth, Kirito and Yuuki were waiting for Asuna at the plaza in Kamdet on Floor 74. Their backs were facing the Warp Gate.
"Where is she already?" Yuuki asked impatiently.
Marth chuckled. "Relax. I'm sure Asuna just got delayed is all."
As if on que, the Warp Gate glowed a light blue and revealed Asuna, but she was moving forward while also falling towards the trio.
"Look out!" the fencer exclaimed as she fell on top of Kirito.
"Are you two alright?" Marth asked in worry.
"Yeah. We're fine," Kirito said before he realized the position he was in.
Unfortunately, so did Asuna. She quickly pushed him into a stone pillar and had a slight blush on her face. Marth went over to his friend to help him up.
"Uh, good morning, Asuna," Kirito said nervously.
The Warp Gate started to glow again, prompting Asuna to hide behind Kirito. The light faded and revealed that it was Kuradeel. The K.O.B. member eyed his superior with a stern look.
"Why are you acting like this, ma'am? I'm only following orders," Kuradeel asked. "Please… let's go back to headquarters."
"I won't! Especially not with someone like you!" Asuna protested. "And why were you lurking around my house earlier this morning?" Her party members gasped in shock.
"You have a bad habit of leaving and not telling anyone. So, for the past month part of my mission is to keep an eye on you in Selmburg," Kuradeel explained.
"What? Who ordered this?! There's no way either of the commanders did," Asuna demanded.
"With all due respect, ma'am, my mission is to guard you wherever you are. That includes your own home," Kuradeel replied.
"No it doesn't, you idiot?!" Asuna exclaimed in outrage.
Marth glared at the vice-commander's bodyguard. "So you're the person I detected at Asuna's place last night," the Dark Swordsman said catching everyone off guard, including Kuradeel. "I didn't say anything because I thought it was just me being tired, but it wasn't. You're taking your job way too far."
"You wouldn't understand, you pathetic little Beater," Kuradeel angrily remarked as he walked towards Asuna. "Now then, commander, let's return to headquarters." Asuna tried to run away, but Kuradeel grabbed her by the wrist and started to drag her to the Warp Gate.
Kirito had enough and stopped them by grabbing Kuradeel's wrist, prompting the K.O.B. member to face him. "Sorry. But we'll be borrowing your vice-commander for the day. You'll have to return without her," Kirito said as Kuradeel forced his hand away. "We can take care of her security. You don't have to worry. It's not like we're going on a boss raid or anything."
That only made Kuradeel even angrier. "You insolent punk! Don't you know who I am? I'm part of the glorious Knights of the Blood Oath," he said angrily. "There's no way two low level players like you can protect her!"
Marth gritted his teeth in anger. "We can do a better job than you. Especially since unlike you, Asuna actually has some personal space with us," he replied. "Not to mention that Yuuki will be with us too and she's one of the strongest swordswomen I know."
"You little punks. Let's see if you two can back it up," Kuradeel said venomously as he sent a Duel challenge to Kirito. He then pointed angrily at Marth. "Once I beat your friend, you're next."
"You'll have to beat me first to do that," Kirito said before facing the fencer. "Should I accept?"
Asuna nodded. "Yes. I'll explain what happened to the commanders after the duel is over," she answered.
Kirito then hit the "Okay" button and selected the "First Strike" option, which would end the duel when the first player lands a critical hit on the other, or when one of the opponents' HP is reduced by half its maximum. The duelists drew their swords as the timer to start the duel began. The commotion they made had attracted a crowd. Kuradeel gritted his teeth in anger when one of the players recognized Kirito and said that the fight would be good.
"Please move to a safe distance, ma'am. I'm going to prove that I am the only one that can protect you," Kuradeel told his vice-commander.
Asuna, Yuuki, and Marth stepped back to give their party member some space. The dueling players then got into fighting positions. Before time was up, Kirito examined his opponent's weapon and knew just where to strike. The timer then went off, signaling the start of the duel, Kuradeel activated «Avalanche» while Kirito activated «Sonic Leap». They charged at each other and circled each other. Right when Kuradeel's back was facing Asuna, his face adopted a deranged look. He was aiming for Kirito's side, but the latter quickly intercepted by striking the former's sword at its base with Elucidator. They parted away from each other and blade on Kuradeel's sword broke off.
"No way? Impossible?" Kuradeel said in disbelief as his sword shattered into polygons. He promptly fell to his knees.
Kirito sheathed Elucidator and faced his challenger. "If you want to try with another weapon, I'll gladly take you on. You could also challenge Marth, but fair warning, his skills are on par with mine, so you'll probably be defeated the same way," he told Kuradeel. "Or we could just call it a day."
Refusing to accept defeat, Kuradeel materialized a dagger and charged at the Beater. Kirito prepared to draw his sword but was stopped when Asuna sent Kuradeel's dagger flying with her rapier. Everyone was surprised.
"A-Asuna?" Kuradeel said in shock before recovering and angrily pointing at Kirito. "I don't know how but he cheated. You saw him destroy my sword. That had to be some kind of trick. There's no other way I could've lost to a pathetic Beater like him."
However, Asuna thought differently. "Kuradeel. As second-in-command of the Knights of the Blood Oath, I am relieving you of your duty as my bodyguard," she replied. "You are to return to headquarters and wait for further orders."
"W-what? You can't be serious?" Kuradeel said before glaring angrily at Kirito. The K.O.B. member then sighed in defeat before reluctantly walking to the Warp Gate and activated it by saying, "Teleport, Granzam."
With Kuradeel leaving the area, the system deemed Kirito as the winner. Somewhere among the crowd Marth sensed a dark presence, one he hasn't felt since that day a few months ago. He quickly scanned through the crowd and his eyes widened in fear when he thought he saw a man in a black cloak walking away. He then felt someone nudge his shoulder, prompting him to turn and see that it was Yuuki.
"Hey, are you alright?" the Absolute Sword asked in concern.
Marth looked back at the crowd and saw that the man was gone. "Yeah. Thought I saw something," he replied, feeling himself calm down. "But it's gone now."
Asuna looked ready to collapse, but luckily Kirito caught her. "I'm sorry for dragging you guys into this," she said apologetically. "Lately the guild's been bugging me, and you guys got caught in my problems."
The trio shook their heads.
"No worries," Yuuki chided with a light smile. "Besides, we got to see Kirito put that creep in his place."
"Are you going to be okay?" Kirito asked the Lighting Flash in concern.
"I think so. I've just been so focused on clearing the game that I probably demanded too much from the other members," Asuna replied.
Kirito lowered his head. "I get it, but Asuna, if you did things any differently, do you think your guild would've gotten as far as they have?" he said causing the vice-commander to face him. "I mean, what would I know about guilds? I'm just a solo player. But the way I see it, if you take a day off to team up with a loser like me, that's your decision. No one has the right to complain about it."
Asuna smiled and sheathed her rapier. "Wow, thanks for your opinion. Alright. I'll be taking your advice about taking the day off from the guild," she said before patting Kirito's shoulder and walking towards the gate leading out of the city. "You guys can play forward today."
The solo players looked at the Lightning Flash in disbelief.
"Hey wait! Aren't we all supposed to take turns playing forward?" Marth asked quickly as they followed Asuna.
"Sorry, it's my day off," Asuna replied casually.
"You've got to be kidding!" Kirito, Marth and Yuuki exclaimed in protest.
Later
The quartet were in the Labyrinth fighting a skeletal monster that had a sword and shield. Asuna was on the offense while the Beaters hung back and waited to be called on. The monster activated the four-hit combo «Vertical Square», but Asuna easily dodged it. She then activated the 8-hit combo «Star Splash». She began by with three short thrusts on the monster's chest. She followed up with two slashes on the monster's legs, then with two strong jabs high and low before finishing the combo with a strong stab on the monster's chest.
The solo players watched in awe. "Having someone around who knows how to fight sure makes things a lot easier," Kirito said.
"You think?" Marth asked sarcastically.
"Switch with me Kirito!" Asuna said as she activated a Sword Skill to cancel the enemy's.
"Alright," the Black Swordsman replied before he charged toward the skeletal monster. He activated the 4-hit combo «Vertical Square» and barely dodged the monster's counter attack in time. Marth then moved in and attacked the monster with «Vorpal Strike». Yuuki then finished it off with her own «Vorpal Strike». The quartet explored the Labyrinth, so they could map it for the Assault Team to use for the raid. They were walking down a long hallway until they came across a large double stone door.
"Is that what I think it is?" Asuna asked her teammates.
Marth nodded. "Yeah. We've found the boss room for this Floor," he answered before he faced his party members. "Should we take a look inside?"
Kirito nodded in agreement. "It couldn't hurt to have a peek. Besides, Floor Bosses don't leave the rooms they guard. But we should each have a Teleport Crystal out just in case," he replied.
The group each brought out a Teleport Crystal with their left hands.
"Everyone ready?" Marth asked his party.
"You bet," Yuuki said.
They all drew their weapons and opened the boss room doors and walked inside. After a few moments the torches in the room ignited with a blue flame. The players looked in shock at a huge red-eyed blue demonic monster that had a purple cobra as a tail and had a huge one-edged sword in its right hand. It was quickly identified as "The Gleam Eyes" and had four HP bars.
To be continued