A/N: Hey everyone. It's time for the new chapter you've all been waiting for. For those of you that haven't started Blazing Revolution yet because you're waiting for this story to end first, Blazing Revolution only has a few chapters left before it ends. By the time this story is over, Blazing Revolution will definitely be finished, so none of you guys will have to worry about catching up with updates. It also means I will have more time to work on other fics like this one so updates should hopefully be a little more frequent once that happens. Anyways, here's the chapter folks.

Mai slowly opened her eyes as she woke up. The cold hard dungeon room floor had been anything but comfortable for her to sleep on. To make matters worse, everyone in the cage was still giving off the depressing vibe Mai had felt since she had gotten there. She was tired, hungry, and a little scared at this point. What if Alice and the others couldn't save them all in time?

'No, I can't think like that!' Mai told herself as she shook her head. 'They'll save us. And if they can't, then I'll save us.'

"That look on your face is so stupid."

Mai looked over and saw Izaki glancing at her as he sat with his back leaning against the wall. She pouted and glared back at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've got this expression that shows you're determined everything is going to work out alright. It's so stupid."

"What the heck is your problem?! Why do you think I should just give up and do nothing?!"

"Because that's all we can do, you moron!" Izaki yelled back harshly. "Open your eyes kid! The bars are impossible to break! We have no weapons! And to top it all off, the army of goblins out there is so big that the front lines won't even bother trying to risk their necks to rescue us, if they even find this place at all to begin with!"

"They WILL save us! My friends are with the front lines and they'd never give up on players in trouble!"

"Anyone with the assault team takes clearing the game as their top priority. They'll ditch us here to die and that's all there is to it, your friends included."

Mai stood up and began storming over towards Izaki. "Say that again! I dare you!"

"That's enough, both of you." a female player said, stepping in-between Mai and Izaki. Mai vaguely remembered her as the girl that had been with Izaki when she first came here yesterday. "You're scaring some of the other players."

Mai looked around, seeing that some of the younger players were starting to shiver a little. The thought of dying here probably affected them the most. Mai also noticed the little girl she had comforted earlier nearly on the verge of tears. She recalled back when she was younger and got sad. Alice was always there for her and cheered her up.

Walking over to her, Mai kneeled down in front of the girl and showed her a soft smile. The girl wiped her eyes, but more tears still came. "I-I'm scared. What if those goblins come back and take one of us again."

Mai put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It'll be fine. My friends will rescue us before that happens. And if they don't, then I'll protect you."

Izaki rolled his eyes. He didn't know whether Mai was just unbelievably brave or unbelievably stupid. She was just as helpless as the rest of them. Fighting against the goblins in their current situation would be suicide.

The girl that had stopped the fight between him and Mai took a seat next to him. "That girl really is strong for her age."

"It's not like she'll be able to change anything. The front lines are going to abandon us. That's what they do."

"Come on Izaki. Don't you think you're being a little hard on her?"

"Don't go lecturing me Selena. You know what they're like. Her talking about the front lines coming to save us is just that. Talk. In the end, we're all going to die here and there's not a damn thing any of us can do about it."

Selena sighed and put a hand on Izaki's shoulder. "You can't go blaming the entire front lines for what happened to Rio."

Izaki simply grunted and looked away. "Just leave me alone, Selena."

Selena tried thinking of something to say to her friend. But in the end, she couldn't figure out anything to say and stayed silent.

Ren stood in the command room of the Knights of the Blood Oath. He was in a bad mood, and it was easy for Heathcliff and the other high ranking members of the Knights to tell. News about Mai's capture had spread around the front lines and the leader of Wyvern's Inferno was desperate to get his guild member back.

"Do we have any new leads on where the dungeon those goblins are holed up in is?" Ren asked.

"I'm afraid not." Heathcliff said with a shake of his head. "Our scouts yesterday all reported back, but none of them located any type of base. Right now, most of the guilds are searching past that canyon you mentioned in your report yesterday."

Ren had expected as much. He hated feeling so helpless in this situation. All he could do was stand around and wait for a report to come in. Going to Floor 53 now was dangerous, even more so without a full party. He couldn't risk losing any more of his guild to the goblins. But there was one thing he was sure of.

"Commander Heathcliff, I want to make a request." Ren said. "When we discover the location of the goblin's base, let me lead the rescue mission."

Heathcliff and the other KoB members present all stared at Ren. They could tell he was serious about this. "Ren… I'm not sure that's a good idea. You're taking this situation extremely personally."

"Of course I am! One of my guild members is stuck in this mess!" Ren shouted. "Please! You have to let me do this!"

Heathcliff stared directly into Ren's eyes. "Leading a mission of this magnitude will require a calm head, and careful planning. Are you sure you'll be able to do that given the circumstances?"

Ren responded without even batting an eye. "Absolutely."

Several seconds passed as Heathcliff stared at Ren, contemplating what to do. Finally, he nodded his head in confirmation. "Very well. You and your guild will be in charge of the rescue operation while the rest of the raid party will focus on dealing with the goblins themselves."

"Thank you very much, Commander." Ren said with a bow. "I promise I won't let you down."

"Just remember that a lot more players other than Mai are trapped right now." Heathcliff added. "I expect you to act impartial to any personal feelings you might have. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good. Now then, let's-"

Heathcliff was cut off as the doors to the room suddenly swung open. A player barged in, slowly trying to catch his breath. "Commander sir, urgent news!"

"What is it?" Heathcliff asked.

"One of the parties just reported back. They've found the dungeon the goblins are holding the players."

The entire group gasped at the news. Ren was the first to make a response. "Where is it?"

"The dungeon seems to be a massive fort built into the side of a mountain." the player explained. "There's just one small problem."

"And what would that be?" Heathcliff asked.

"The massive number of goblins there."

"Could you be more specific when you say massive?"

The player swallowed hard before answering. "By our estimate, there's at least a thousand."

If there was one word to sum up being trapped in a cage for an indefinite amount of time, it would be boring. Sitting around, unable to do anything but wait for something to happen. An aura of depression filling the air. In Mai's opinion, the worst part was having Izaki in the same room as her.

She couldn't stand him. All he did was say that they had no chance of escaping. What was the point of it? He had absolutely no faith in the assault team as well. Just what was it that made him so bitter?

All Mai could do now was sit and lean against the dungeon wall. She wondered how the others were right now. Alice was probably worrying about her and in full on panic mode. Ren would most likely be devising a plan to rescue her and the others. And Helios… well he was probably still being the same unbearable asshole he always was. She didn't even want to think about the teasing she'd receive from him about getting herself captured.

Suddenly Mai noticed the female player from before take a seat next to her. The older girl showed her a smile. "Hey. Your name's Mai, right?"

"Mhm." Mai nodded. "And your name is… Selena?"

"Yep." Selena replied. "So, you still trying to think of a way to escape?"

"Sort of." Mai replied. "My guild leader is the real strategist of my group. I wish I had his sharp mind right now."

"Sounds like you really look up to him."

Mai nodded her head. "Yeah. He saved me and my sister back in the early days of SAO. But he's not the only one that's amazing in my guild. My sister was the first scythe wielder the game had ever seen. One of our members is a total jerk, but he's one of the strongest tanks on the front lines." A sad smile formed on her face. "If I'm being honest, I'm the only one in the guild who's just average. They've all got something they contribute but I'm just a regular girl without anything special about me."

"I don't think that's true." Selena said with a shake of her head. "I may not know much about your guildmates, but I'm sure they all see something special in you."

"Like what?"

"For starters, that peppy spirit you have." Selena told her. "Even though a lot of us here have given up any hope of escaping this place, you don't let it get to you. You manage to stand tall and believe that we'll all make it out. And I bet there's plenty more your friends see in you."

A soft smile appeared on Mai's face. "Thanks Selena." Her eyes glanced over towards Izaki. She noticed him staring at her, but he immediately averted his gaze once she looked at him. "Ugh, what's that guy's problem anyway?"

"You'll have to forgive Izaki. He's been through some hard times."

"I think all of us have." Mai muttered harshly. "That's no excuse for him to be such a jerk. And he has no faith in the assault team either."

"He has his reasons for that." Selena told her.

Mai seemed confused as she looked at Selena. "What do you mean?"

Selena's expression grimaced as she began to explain. "Izaki joined my party a few months ago. Before that though, he lived in the Town of Beginnings on Floor 1. He stayed down there with a friend of his from the real world, a girl named Rio."

"What does that have to do with the assault team?" Mai asked.

"I'm getting to that. Now I'm sure you've heard about how the Army controls Floor 1 for the most part. And there's the fact that they're forcing players there to pay taxes. It became a huge dictatorial organization. One day, Rio stood up to a party of Army members that were harassing some players. She was a decent level, but the Army players had her outnumbered. They easily overpowered her and dragged her away. Izaki hasn't seen her since that day." She saw Mai's gasp and could tell what the young girl was thinking. "I don't believe she's dead. I think the Army is just keeping her locked away somewhere. If there was a PK, the front lines would have definitely come to investigate. But that's what Izaki hates about the assault team. They didn't come and deal with the Army, despite how bad things have gotten. He blames them for what happened to Rio."

Mai lowered her head. She knew that things were bad in the Town of Beginnings. The front lines knew full well from rumors that the Army had more or less taken control of the town. But they had been busy clearing floors throughout Aincrad, and dealing with a guild as big as the Army would take too much time. But she hadn't known that things had gotten that bad down there.

"After what happened to Rio, Izaki left the Town of Beginnings. He joined up with me and my party and we helped him raise his level. But now this happened." Selena let out a sigh. "I know Izaki's blame is misplaced, but I don't know how to show him."

"... I never realized that happened to him." Mai frowned.

Before the girls could continue, the sound of footsteps outside were heard. Several players turned their heads as two goblins walked towards the cage. Mai felt her body tense up. She didn't know what was going on, but it couldn't be good. Everyone watched in silence as one of the goblins unlocked the door to the cage and walked in.

"One human comes with us." the goblin spoke. "Our king is hungry."

Mai grinded her teeth in frustration. She knew from Izaki that the goblins had been taking away players each day. But it was to become food? If that was the case, then all of the players that they had taken away so far had probably suffered the same fate. She wanted to fight the two goblins right here and now, but how? She was completely unarmed while the goblins all had weapons in hand. As much as she hated to admit it, Izaki had a point. They wouldn't be able to escape with such a huge disadvantaged.

The goblin scanned around the room, finally laying his eyes on the little girl out of the players. He walked towards her. "Come human. You're going to be today's meal."

Mai gasped as she watched the goblin walk towards the girl. The fear in the young player's eyes was easy to see as she crawled back. "N-No! I don't wanna go!"

"Stop whining, human. Die now if you resist."

'What do I do?' Mai asked herself. She could play it safe and hope the front lines found them in time to rescue the girl. But the chances of that happening were slim at best. She had promised to protect her. What else could she do though? Fight the goblins unarmed?

"Help! I don't want to die!"

Mai felt the war going on through her mind. She didn't have a choice and she knew it. Without even thinking, Mai leapt to her feet and ran towards the goblin. "Let her go!"

The goblin turned its head towards Mai as the young girl lunged at him. Mai grabbed him from behind and struggled with him. The girl he was holding broke free of the grip on her arm and ran towards a corner of the dungeon as Mai desperately tried to hold onto the goblin. The monster twisted and turned its body, finally succeeding in shaking Mai off. Mai felt her body roll painfully onto the cold hard ground. As she got to her feet, the goblin swung its club at Mai, sending her flying back and crashing into the wall. She fell to the ground as her HP fell drastically.

"You dare attack goblins?! Learn your place." the goblin glared as it walked towards her. "Change of plans. You die instead of other human."

Mai closed her eyes as the goblin prepared to swing its weapon down at her. When the blow never came however, she opened her eyes and gasped as she saw Izaki struggling with the goblin.

"What are you doing?!" Mai exclaimed.

"Just shut up and help me!" Izaki yelled at her, struggling to keep his hold on the goblin.

The goblin outside the cage saw the trouble its friend was having dealing with the humans. It entered with its club held tightly.

An idea flashed in Mai's head. She got to her feet and rushed at the goblin Izaki was fighting with. "Izaki, duck!"

The male player did as Mai said. Mai kicked off the ground and lunged at the goblin. Her foot lit up with a yellow light as she delivered a kick to the goblin. Her martial arts skill was nowhere near that of her sister's, but it was still a basic skill that even she knew. Her kick made the goblin stumble back and crash into its friend. Mai stood firm as the two goblins glared at her and Izaki. The two of them had gotten themselves into this mess, and now they were going to have to see it through. Mai did her best to recall how Alice fought with her martial arts skill. She was going to need something to go on with her lack of experience in hand to hand combat.

"Stupid humans. Die now." one of the goblins growled as it leaped at Mai. She backflipped away as it swung its club down at her. Mai gasped as the second goblin leaped over its partner and attacked her.

As Izaki watched Mai struggle to dodge to tag team assault from the goblins, Selena joined in the fight and jumped at one of the goblins from behind. It easily shook her off, but it allowed Mai the chance to get away and avoid being backed into a corner. The two goblins were now starting to get agitated as their grips on their weapons tightened. Just past them, Izaki could see the open cage door. If they could make it past those goblins, they'd be able to run through that door.

Suddenly, an idea came to Izaki. He yelled over to Mai. "Kid, distract them!"

"What?!" Mai gasped as she looked at him like he was crazy.

"Just do it!"

Mai rolled her eyes as she ran at the goblins. All she had to do was avoid the clubs. It was like a game of tag, just one with much higher stakes.

As Mai kept the goblins' attention, Izaki reached out his hand towards his friend. "Selena!"

Selena read Izaki's mind and nodded her head. She ran at him and grabbed Izaki's hand. Iazaki spun his body around like a tornado, along with Selena. When he felt he had enough momentum, he threw Selena at the goblins. "Kid, move!"

Mai turned her head and widened her eyes as she saw Selena come flying at her. She quickly jumped away as Selena flew past her. The older girl delivered a painful kick to one of the goblins, making him crash into his partner and send both of them flying into the bars of the cage. They were dazed and stumbled around slightly.

"Now's our chance! Everyone run!" Selena yelled.

Nobody needed to be told twice as they all rushed out of the cage. Selena, Izaki, and Mai soon followed them, but not before Mai swiped the keys from one of the goblins. Before the monsters could shake the dizziness, Mai slammed the cage door shut and locked it. The goblins gripped the steel bars and glared at her as she showed them a smug grin.

"You'll pay for this, human girl! Let goblins out now!"

"Sorry. I don't think so." Mai giggled as she walked away while spinning the ring of keys around her finger to further humiliate the goblins. She could hear the roars coming from the monsters behind her, but with that cage separating them and her, she didn't feel like they'd be any threat now.

Mai walked over to the other prisoners, who were gathered together a short distance from the cage. The little girl that Mai had protected ran over to her as she saw her walk over. "Thank you so much, miss! You saved me!"

"Don't worry about it. It was nothing." Mai told her as she patted the girl's head. She glanced slightly at Izaki. "Anyone from the front lines would have done the same." She got to her feet and this time stared directly at the male player. "Why did you help me, anyway? I thought you said trying to break out would be suicide."

Izaki grunted and looked away from Mai. "Forget about it. Anyway, what do we do now? Getting out of this dungeon without any weapons is most likely impossible, and we still can't open our menus to grab any teleport crystals."

Mai thought to herself for a bit. They couldn't stay here. The next goblin patrol could show up and their success just now had mostly been due to luck. If they fought a full mob, they'd have no chance at winning. They were all unarmed, at that made things dangerous for them. All Mai had on her other than her armor was the ring of keys she had pocketed from the goblins just now.

'That's it! We have the keys to every place in this dungeon!' Mai realized. The reason they were at such a disadvantage was because they had no weapons on them. So they'd just have to get their weapons back.

A grin appeared on Mai's face. She looked at Izaki. "I'll tell you what we do now. We break into their armory."

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I decided to make this one focused mostly around Mai cause I feel like she deserves it and doesn't get enough spotlight. Next chapter will have plenty of action with Mai as well as the others from Wyvern's Inferno. See you all then.