Halkegenia Online- Chapter 10 – Part 2

It was the eve of the World Tree raid, and Kirigaya Kazuto, the swordsman Kirito, was restless. It had begun almost a week ago as the raid plans were drawn up and finalized, a slowly building pressure, a need to do something, to move, to act. He had to get to Asuna, needed it.

The raid force was assembled and equipped, the raid groups organized, and each member knew their role. There wasn't any reason left to wait. But the raid had been scheduled for tomorrow to give everyone time to rest and prepare themselves. Kirito took a deep breath and released it, trying to let the tension drain away, but it didn't seem to work. He was ready now.

"You okay, Kii-bou?" The information broker, the Cait Syth Argo, gave her old contact a concerned look. Though not participating in the raid, Argo had decided to attend the final raid meeting along with Kirito, claiming it was an opportunity to network among the other Fae.

Though her company was appreciated, Kirito almost wished Klein had been here. The Katana user's laid back attitude had always helped on the eve of a tough battle. At the same time, Kirito was glad that neither Klein nor Suguha were participating. Kirito had to rescue Asuna. For her, he would take any risk. But there were other people in this world that he had to protect. Suguha, and Yui. As long as Klein and the others were around, he could rest easy knowing that they would be taken care of no matter what else happened.

Kirito crossed his arms as he leaned against the curved wall of the reception chamber. "Its been two weeks." Kirito said without opening his eyes. "Tomorrow, I'm done waiting."

The information broker frowned slightly and her puffball ears drooped down. "Aa-chan will be okay, she's tough." Argo said.

"Asuna has been at the top of the World Tree for two weeks." Kirito replied. "We don't know what sort of . . . condition . . . she could be in." The nightmares had become worse in the past days too, last night, he'd found himself in a cold sweat having been shaken awake by a worried Suguha.

"Like I said, Aa-chan is tough." Argo repeated like a mantra, "She'll be okay. But you'll still have to fight through an army of Guardian Knights to get to her. Are you ready for that, Kii-bou?"

"Mortimer's plan is solid." Kirito replied, in fact he was trying to figure out why they were all still here, preparing to listen to it again, when they could be putting it into action. "This time, we'll definitely break through."

"You'll have your work cut out for you." Argo said. "The other Faeries in the assault team are some of the best there are, but they're not Aincrad's Front Line. I can't say how they'll react when the crunch comes."

"I know that." Kirito shot the Cait Syth an annoyed looked, she was acting like he was a rank amateur.

He was painfully aware of how little experience the other Faeries had in a life or death struggle. Fights in a full dive game could be terrifying, but with the exception of SAO, there was never any fear of death. Even the strongest of people could crack under the stress of battle, Kirito had seen it often in Aincrad.

"You're not acting like it, Kii-bou." Argo looked away from him.

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, something about Aa-chan makes you stupid." The Cait Syth hissed under her breath. Kirito was just about to say something when Argo continued. "We need you in top form for this fight. You need you in top form for this fight! Tis about more than just you and Aa-chan."

Argo nodded her head to the surrounding room. The reception chamber at the top of Arrun Tower was filled with players . . . with Faeries. When the faction leaders had agreed to pool their resources for this raid, each had requested volunteers from among the strongest former players, now the strongest Fae. Over seven hundred Faeries had answered the call, and though not all of them were in attendance this evening, the chamber was already growing crowded with members of every race.

The Faeries mingled, though most stayed close to members of their own race. Many of the raid groups had been formed from the clearing groups of the different factions, and Mortimer had been loath to break up what he called Unit Cohesion just before an important battle.

Kirito's expression softened and his blood cooled just a little. He remembered how he had remained calm at first, there were other people with a stake in this. He could be patient for one more day. The gathered Faeries weren't doing this for him and Asuna. It would have been wrong to risk seven hundred lives for just one person, but that didn't mean he didn't appreciate the risk they were taking.

The official story was that the raid was meant to exterminate the Guardians in order to safeguard Arrun. This was strictly true. Arrun was an important Faerie settlement. As the largest settlement in ALfheim, Arrun's population was swelling as the city took in refugees, Faeries who had been caught in the neutral areas and who did not have homes in one of the Faction Capitols. Arrun's location near the heart of Tristain and proximity to major roadways and water routes also meant that, if a way home could not be found, Arrun would certainly develop into an important place as the displaced players made new lives for themselves.

With that in mind, any threat to Arrun could not be tolerated by the Faerie Lords. The dangerous mobs in the surrounding areas had been aggressively hunted down and exterminated with ruthless efficiency by the combined forces of the Sylphs, Cait Syth, and Salamanders, leaving only smaller threats on par with the local wildlife. This left only the Guardians to threaten Arrun.

There was no way to tell what the Transition had done to them, many mobs had demonstrated more erratic and complex behavior over the past days. Would the Guardians no longer spawn? Or would spawned Guardian's continue to roam indefinitely? Would they remain within the World Tree? Or would they spill out to attack the settlement?

The risk couldn't be taken, and so, regardless of other considerations, it had been agreed that a raid would be assembled for the purpose of general security. The main objective would be the destruction of the no longer invulnerable Guardian Gates from which the Guardians spawned, and the elimination of all active mobs. From the perspective of most of the participants, the rescue of any former players or GMs trapped at the World Tree summit was a secondary consideration, albeit one that added urgency to the situation.

Only the Faerie Lords and a select few others had been informed about the raid's third purpose. In addition to eliminating the Guardians and rescuing any survivors from the top of the Tree, the potential existence of a GM console someplace within the Tree's crest was a prize that was worth launching the raid all on its own. It had been decided to keep this secret from the general public to avoid spreading false hope.

Kirito's arms fell to his side as he took a breath. "You're right. Sorry."

A strange look flashed across Argo's face but was gone in a heartbeat. The girl perked up noticeably. "Hey now, why not take the opportunity to rub elbows a little, Kii-bou." Argo suggested. "After all, it's a rare opportunity to have so many high ranked fighters in one place, it might not happen again."

As if to underline this point, a voice called over the gathered crowds. "If it isn't the Spriggan bastard who beat me. Kirito!"

A huge, deeply tanned Salamander in high class body armor was parting the crowds like a ship at sea, making a beeline for the former beater. Kirito stood straight. The two Faeries, former opponents and now allies, bumped fists in casual greetings.

"I'd heard you'd been active around Arrun, its good to see Sakuya-san knows how to make use of your talents." The Salamander General rumbled with a hint of amusement.

"Oh? Has Kii-bou made a new friend?" Argo chided, receiving an annoyed looked.

General Eugene examined the diminutive Cait Syth for a time and then nodded to himself. "You must be Argo, I've heard about you."

"Depends," Argo looked up at the Salamander with a smirk on her face, "Is what you've heard good or bad?"

"Should I be charging you for that information?" The General joked as he stroked his chin, receiving an unladylike gesture from the information broker. "My brother thinks highly of you. He say's you've already proven more useful than the other brokers from ALfheim."

"Tis nothing." Argo responded. "Tell your brother that If that's the case, I'll be happy to take his repeat business."

"Excuse me, Eugene-san," Kirito interrupted, "I thought the Salamanders were busy keeping peace in Orlein. Is it okay for you to be here?"

The chaos that had broken out in the Puka and Undine Capitols after the transition had been closely followed by the Faeries of Arrun. Thankfully there had been few death, unfortunately, there had been a few deaths. Twenty seven in Cadenza, thirty in Orlein. The riots were not primarily at fault. The casualties had been mostly among those who had fled the cities unprepared and had faced surprise run ins with mobs. There had been a trickle of other deaths over the past days, thankfully nothing like in SAO, but there had been the inevitable accidents, errors in judgment, and mob run ins. The Faeries Lords had worked to keep people's attention off of the fatalities.

Eugene nodded seriously, "I was, but the Undines are finally getting their act together. A man called Thinker is taking charge of the situation for us."

Kirito perked up at the mention of the former Army Guild Leader. He hadn't had a chance to contact Thinker with the Chaos in Orlein, but it was a relief to know that he was safe and putting his experience to good use.

"I know him, he's a good man for the job." Kirito agreed. "Did Lord Mortimer recommend him for the position?"

"As a matter of fact, by the time our forces made it to Orlein, Thinker had already managed to restore order to about half the city. We hardly had to do anything to convince the people to listen to him. In the end we only had to crack a couple of heads. A few stubborn idiots thought we were there to invade them." Eugene said, face growing disgusted. "As if the game's divisions matter now."

"Then I guess we're lucky to have you leading the assault team." Kirito said. It was good to hear that the Salamanders at least weren't taking their old rivalries too seriously.

Eugene nodded seriously. "The last time the Salamander forces attempted an assault, we only made it about a quarter of the way up. But from what I hear, the Cait Syth and Sylphs almost managed to make it with your help." The Salamander field commander seemed to be weighing Kirito up as he spoke .

"It really wasn't anything that amazing." Kirito said, waving off the praise. "We only managed to carve a small hole in the Guardian formations."

"Still, an impressive accomplishment." Eugene said sagely, "Though this time, we'll be blowing ourselves a much bigger hole."

"Well . . . That's the plan." Kirito said hesitantly, the Salamander seemed to be enjoying the prospect a little too much.

"I have to say I'm impressed." From his vantage standing head and shoulders above most of the other Faeries, Eugene scanned the crowd. "Some of the top clearing guilds are here." The man stiffened and then grinned, "And her."

Her? Kirito wondered. He wasn't left wandering for long as the crowd dispersed before a striking woman. It wasn't entirely clear at first whether the other Faeries were parting out of admiration for her beauty, or fear of the massive spear which she carried easily over her right shoulder, the glossy obsidian blade glinting menacingly as she moved.

She was tall, with very western features and dark brown eyes. Her long black hair had been gathered in a thick braid that fell over her left shoulder, and she wore a sleeveless, backless, black dress decorated with white geometric symbols and slit up to thigh so as not to restrict her movement. As she neared, Kirito noted that she had accessorized with fingerless gloves and a pair of heavy combat boots.

Trailing behind her in a rough vee formation were over a dozen black clad Spriggans. Even more than the glamorous woman at their lead, the other Faeries gave these Spriggans a wide berth.

"Look, its the Kii-bou family reunion." Argo snickered softly.

"Who are they?" Kirito asked. Just looking at the Spriggans he could already tell they were something different. They reminded him a bit of the Furinkanzan guild, calm and easy going even on the eve of battle.

"The one at the lead is Morgiana, the Lady of the Spriggans." Eugene said. "And the Spriggans with her are the Mercenary Guild Kurotaka, the Spriggan elites. They've done work for the Salamanders before and have been leading the mob clearing efforts up North." The General's eyes hadn't left Morgiana.

Kirito followed his gaze, curious, he'd yet to meet his ostensible faction leader, but the other Spriggans he'd talked to all seemed to like her. The woman noticed Eugene almost immediately and a smile spread across her face as she came near.

"It's been a while, Gene-kun." Morgiana said, cradling her spear in the crook of her arm as she put hands on hips.

"Not that long. Morgi-chan." Eugene said with emphasis. "I see you're Lady of the Spriggans, again."

The woman shrugged, "I got bored being a mercenary, so sue me. Besides, would you rather have Valdi running the Spriggans at a time like this?"

"Point taken." Eugene replied.

Morgiana's dark eyes wondered to Kirito. "Hey, who's this? I'm pretty good with faces but I don't recognize you. I thought I knew all of the top ranked Spriggans by name."

"Oh, I'm Kirito." Kirito answered, dipping his head slightly in greeting. "We've never met before, Morgiana-sama."

"Kirito?" Morgiana looked curious, "Kirito." The woman's lips suddenly curved up in an evil grin. "Now I remember, you're the one who beat Gene-kun and saved the Cait Syth and Sylphs. Not too shabby kid, but I bet you didn't charge Sakuya-chan nearly enough for pulling her ass out of the fire."

He smiled. "Well, I wasn't doing it for money, it was more like I was helping out a friend." Kirito admitted.

Morgiana nodded sagely. "Must be one hell of a friend you have. Though, there's still one little problem."

"Oh?" Kirito asked.

The Spriggan Leader placed one arm languidly around Kirito's shoulder. "From what Mort-kun tells me, you ran your mouth about a Spriggan-Undine alliance. That was a pretty good bluff by the way, it almost had Mort-kun fooled." Morgiana's arm constricted, drawing Kirito closer. "But next time, check in with Big Sis before you go and do something like that. Otherwise, I might have to cut you in half for putting words in my mouth." Though speaking warmly, Kirito was suddenly acutely aware that beneath that pale, smooth skin, the muscles in the Spriggan Lord's arm were as hard as steel.

"I'll keep it in mind." Kirito said, smiling nervously. Morgiana's smile widened further to reveal a hint of white teeth as she ruffed his hair before letting him go.

"Good boy. You were helping a friend, so its alright. Just remember to listen to Big Sis and we won't have any problems." Morgiana turned back to Eugene. "Still, Gene-kun, it's been a while since we've been on a raid together, at least I'll know someone has my back out there."

"Likewise." Eugene answered, "You still owe me for all of the Salamanders you gave the death penalty."

"Still mad about that?" Morgiana quirked an eyebrow.

Before Eugene could answer, a bell was rung at the center of the chamber to announce the beginning of the raid meeting.

"We'll have to continue this later." Eugene said to Morgiana. "Kirito, you'll also be joining the assault force, correct?"

"Un." Kirito nodded. "My skills are needed most there. Your brother offered me command of one of the assault groups." Kirito smiled sheepishly. "But I'm not really cut out to be a commander."

"Then I wish us both good luck tomorrow. We'll celebrate afterwords." Eugene began making his way towards the center of the chamber, as the assault force commander, he would be expected to speak during the raid meeting.

"I should be going too." Morgiana sighed, "How boring, but I'm expected to show the flag. Lets all do our best tomorrow, Kirito-kun." The Spriggan leader departed after General Eugene, the other Spriggans falling in around her. Kirito's eyes didn't leave her until Argo spoke up.

"So that's Morgiana."

"You know about her?" Kirito asked and then shook his head, "How much?"

"Public info." Argo replied, in other words, she wouldn't charge for it, "Morgiana has some history with General Eugene. About six months ago she camped out on the Salamanders' Northern border and for eight hours PK'd every salamander who came out."

"She was solo Pking?" Kirito asked.

"Mmm, against whole parties. She had a group of Spriggans with her, but they only supplied heals and buffs between fights." Argo explained. "Eventually, Lord Mortimer got fed up with the EXP loss she was causing with all of the death penalties and sent Eugene to deal with her."

Kirito winced, "And how'd that end?"

Argo shrugged, "With Morgiana's avatar sliced in two. Someone recorded it and posted the battle online, it was one of the longest duels in the history of ALfheim." Kirito remembered what Lord Mortimer had said about his brother being addicted to combat and had to wonder about the familiarity between the Salamander General and Spriggan Lord.

"Wait . . . They aren't . . ." Kirito trailed off.

Argo grinned and extended a hand in request for payment.

"I would like to have everyone's attention. Everyone's attention please." Lord Mortimer called from an elevated platform at the center of the chamber. Behind him, a large blackboard, salvaged from someplace in Arrun, or perhaps borrowed from the Academy, had been set up to act as visual aid. Beside the Salamander Lord, the other Faerie Leaders stood in silence, their presence an unspoken vote of confidence.

"Good evening everyone, I thank you all for your attendance at this, our final strategy meeting." Mortimer continued. "Tomorrow morning, we will be conducting a raid on the World Tree with the intention of exterminating the Guardians and ensuring the safety of Arrun. This is a first for all of us. The largest operation ever coordinated by our forces."

"Operation? You make this sound like we're in the army." An Imp mage standing near the front of the crowd said. "Last I heard, this wasn't the JSDF."

The Imp's look of amusement vanished as soon as Mortimer fixed him with a bloody eyed stare. "Make no mistake, I did not misspeak when I used the world Operation rather than raid. We are used to raids. We all have experience with forming raid groups and conducting dungeon and boss raids. But a raid implies that this is still a game. It is not. We cannot afford to make that assumption. This is a military operation, the scale is an order of magnitude larger than any raid in the history of ALfheim. It will require that you each perform your part precisely. I want you all to understand that right now."

The atmosphere within the chamber, which had begun so jovially, suddenly grew solemn. People had known, but had chosen not to dwell on the reality. Mortimer's words brought out unpleasant truths, but it was better that they be faced here rather then come up only after the raid, the operation, had commenced.

Mortimer swept the crowd with his gaze before continuing. "The operation plans were drawn up with an emphasis on building a safety margin. So long as everyone follows their part, the risk will be greatly reduced. But if you cannot tolerate the chance of death, I suggest that you leave now. No one will think less of you if you aren't ready for this."

There were glances exchanged by the Faeries but to Kirito's relief, nobody broke from the crowd.

"Now then. As you have all seen in the previous strategy meetings, the basic plan for this operation follows the structure of a standard raid but built on a much larger scale." Mortimer gestured to the blackboard at his side, using his cane as a pointer. "The main divisions will be the assault team composed of three groups of seven squads each. The support team, which will itself consist of an additional six groups of seven squads each. And finally the defense team, composed of six groups of seven squads each, which will protect the support group and catch and destroy any Guardians that attempt to leave the World Tree."

"I have some concerns about the plan." A Gnome raised a hand. "The strategy seems sound, but we'll be shuffling fifteen different groups. A normal raid can get confusing enough as it is."

"A good point." Mortimer agreed. "This is part of the reason why each team will be be lead separately by a hand picked commander and subordinate sub commanders. Each group will have only a single task which they must see to. Groups will also be rotated throughout the operation to allow time for spell cool down and mana regeneration. At any one time only one assault group, two support groups, and two defense groups will be on the the line while the others are recovering." Mortimer pointed to a series of simple cycle diagrams that showed the group rotations. "Teams will switch asynchronously to minimize any gaps in our defenses. Does this answer your question?"

The Gnome nodded, "Thank you, and yes, I retract my concerns."

"Moving on." Mortimer said. "The operation will begin at the base of the World Tree and move upwards level by level. While the assault team occupies the Guardians in front line combat with the assistance of the support team, one group of the defense and support teams will be tasked with destroying the guardian spawn gates. As these are no longer protected by the system as they were in ALfheim, destroying them should prevent further Guardian spawns. Starting from the first level of gates, it should take around one hour to reach the summit gateway. That means each group should see around twenty minutes of sustained combat. The advantage of this plan is that it requires only a relatively small number of front line fighters to serve in the assault team. The support and defense teams need only follow their orders."

Mortimer began to go into detail about the exact responsibilities of each group, explaining how responsibility for buffs, debuffs, and offensive magic would be divided among support groups and addressing further concerns as they arose. Kirito heard himself answering each question in his own head as it was asked. He had worked closely with the Salamander Lord during the plans inception, offering his experience from the Aincrad raids to supplement Mortimer's own strategic brilliance. As Mortimer had already said, the plan had placed an emphasis on minimizing the number of assault members so that there would be enough Faeries with 'real' combat experience, such as Kirito himself and Fae who had participated in patrols and mob elimination, to fill all of the assault team slots.

The Salamander Lord was just getting to how the Cait Syth Dragoon would be integrated into the support team when Kirito noticed Lady Sakuya's assistant, Novair, speaking quietly to the Sylph Leader at the edge of the platform. Sakuya's expression grew concerned, and without excusing herself, she quietly slipped away, leaving the other Lords sans Mortimer looking mildly confused.

Kirito frowned inwardly, what could take Sakuya away at a time like this? Had something happened? If it was urgent, Sakuya would have called a halt to the raid meeting, but that might also mean she was investigating. Kirito mulled it over, he couldn't afford anything that might delay the World Tree raid.

"Kii-bou?" Argo had also noticed Sakuya's disappearance from the stage.

"I'm just going to go check it out. Besides, I've heard all of this before." Kirito had been standing near the back of the crowd, his eyesight and hearing were good enough that it hadn't been a problem, so it was easy to slip away without causing a disturbance. He noticed Argo trailing close behind. No doubt if he had been suspicious, The Rat's carefully trained nose had also picked up on something.

In the curved hallway that sided the reception chamber, Kirito caught sight of Lady Sakuya speaking with a pair of Cait Syth and a young woman, a local judging by her ears. One of the Cait Syth was a big, broad shouldered man built more like a Salamander with wild white and gray hair. The other was small, almost childish, though he couldn't see her face from this angle. A familiar blue, feathery dragon clung to the girl's head, he was almost certain it was Pina. Was that Silica? He wondered.

"In Albion? How is that possible?" Lady Sakuya was asking. "The one thing we know for sure about the transition is that people and places appeared relative to the World Tree. There shouldn't be any way for them to have been transported to a place like that."

"They said they started here, at the World Tree, and used something called the Chalice of Rebirth to transport themselves. I don't think they intended to end up in Albion." The woman beside Sakuya explained. "I didn't really understand it. But please, their lives are in danger as long at they stay in Albion, I was separated from Miss Caramella while I was in York, the Rebels mistook her for an Elf and tried to kill her. I've no doubt that Reconquista will execute them as Elves if they are captured."

"I understand." Sakuya closed her eyes thoughtfully. "I'll have to speak with the other Leaders to see what can be done." She said, placing a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Please, I owe them a great deal, Miss Asuna and her Knights of Blood . . ."

The woman was still speaking, but the rest of the sentence was drowned out in the sudden hammering of Kirito's own pulse in his ears. Miss Asuna? Asuna. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Asuna." He whispered and then felt something break. Kirito's breathing grew labored.

"Kirito." Argo turned to face him, realization dawning only a half second later.

Asuna, in Albion. There was no logic to this! His mind raced. No, that wasn't right, it couldn't be, Asuna was at the top of the World Tree, Yui had confirmed it. Had he misunderstood? Was there another ALfheim player with that handle? But the woman had mentioned the Knights of Blood, that couldn't be a coincidence. What had he missed? What hadn't he known? That was why he had been waiting these two weeks, that was why he couldn't go to her. If she was anyplace else, he would have flown to her side in an instant.

The Sylph Leader turned at the noise. "Kirito?!" Sakuya said, eyes going wide as she saw the expression on his face.

"Kirito-kun!" The small Cait Syth said, having turned to face him, the feathery dragon on her head taking flight, a small part of his mind registered that it really was Silica.

Kirito barely noticed as he shouldered past Sakuya and took hold of the brown haired woman. "Where did you hear that name?!"

"I . . . I . . . That is . . ." The Woman stuttered. She looked frightened.

"Please, I need to know!" Kirito shouted.

"Kirito!" He felt a hand clamping down on his shoulder, soft but firm. Kirito looked up, wild eyed, a grave expression graced the face of the Sylph Leader and her tone carried the weight of an order. "Pull yourself together, Kirito-kun. Scaring this poor woman won't help anything."

He wanted to run right now, to rush out onto Arrun Tower's landing deck and fly straight for Albion. He didn't care if the Isle was over the ocean, he'd swim. He didn't care it might be too high to reach, he'd stow away on a ship. But Sakuya's hand on his shoulder, and the leader's cool gaze reminded him that he wasn't going to get anyplace if he just ran off. Tremendous forces fought against one another within him, the need to do tempered by the need to think. One of them finally won out. Kirito gritted his teeth, it took all of his will to let go of the woman and take a step back.

When he spoke, he was surprised by how tired he sounded. "Please, tell me where you heard that name. You said Albion. But that isn't possible."

"Be that as it may, that is where I met Miss Asuna." The woman said. "She saved me from wondering mercenaries, her and the Knights of Blood. I came here on their behalf to seek aid from their kin in rescuing them from the White Isle. Please I beg your help, they are in danger so long as they remain in reach of Reconquista."

"The Knights of Blood?" Lady Sakuya asked.

"They're an Aincrad Clearing Guild. Asuna was their vice commander." Kirito explained. Asuna must not have been the only one at the top of the World Tree. Others from the three hundred players who hadn't been logged out.

"Kirito-kun, are you okay?" Silica, who he had barely noticed a moment earlier in his rush to confront the brown haired woman, was suddenly close at his side, ears pressed flat against her head.

"I . . . I'm fine." Kirito said slowly his expression softening. He reached over and patted Silica on the head. "What are you doing here?"

"When Emily-san showed up in Freelia, I overheard her story. When I heard that she knew about Asuna-san, Isaac-san and I brought her here as fast as we could. And it doesn't sound like its just Asuna-san, I think it might be all of the three hundred SAO players who didn't wake up."

"Three hundred." Lady Sakuya whispered to herself thoughtfully.

"I see." Kirito said slowly. "Thank you, Silica, you've helped out a lot." The girl smiled shyly at the praise. Turning back to Lady Sakuya he said, "Sakuya-sama, this changes things. I'm sorry, but I can't participate in the raid tomorrow."

The Sylph leader appeared displeased, but nodded slowly. "I understand." Sakuya said, "It will be a loss to our forces, but I don't blame you. Though, if we know there is no longer anyone at the top of the World Tree, that does mean that the raid is no longer so urgent. We can reschedule and devote more time to training and preparation. I'll speak with Lord Mortimer and the others. I expect you will want to find a way to reach Albion."

Kirito nodded. "As soon as possible."

"That's going to be a problem." Argo spoke up, all eyes turned to the information broker. "Its over the ocean and too far to fly. Albion is a war zone right now, not just the Island, but its local airspace as well. Only approved ships are being allowed past the blockade. And then once you get there, you'll have to find Aa-chan and the others and a way to get them out. Its not going to be easy Kii-bou."

"I believe they will be in the company of Prince Wales, the leader of the Royalists." The woman, Emily, said. "At least, when last I was with them, the Prince was going to their aid."

"That's all very well." Sakuya said. "But it doesn't tell us how we will do any of this." The Sylph leader's lips had set into a thin line as she meditated on the situation. "Kirito, I'd be happy to release funds to charter a ship. If three hundred lives are on the line and we can help, we must do something. But that won't help with the blockade in place."

"Then just send me for now." Kirito said quickly, "Send me and I'll find Asuna and the others. If all else fails, Alicia knows me, so we can use moonlight mirror to communicate. We can figure something out from there."

"And what about once you're on Albion?" Argo asked, her tone growing angry. "You don't know anyone there, you don't know the land, and from the sounds of it the locals have decided that Faeries make great stand ins for Elves."

"I'll just have to deal with it when I get there." Kirito replied. "Sakuya-sama, I appreciate any help you can give me, but I'm going no matter what."

Sakuya nodded. "I know there's no convincing you otherwise. But can I ask for just a few hours of your time. I think the Tristanians might be able to help us with this. The Princess at least might be open to offering a guide or passage to Albion, and Tristain has the means to make retrieving Asuna and the others a reality."

"A few hours?" Kirito asked. A few minutes was too long to wait. He'd been willing to wait until the next morning not ten minutes ago. Now he had to fight not to bolt.

"We'll depart as soon as I can speak to Mortimer and the others." Lady Sakuya assured softly. "Please Kirito, we want to help you. Just give us this chance."

"I would like to go with you. To speak to the Princess." Emily spoke up. "She may not remember me, but we met as children and our families have had some fondness for one another in the past. It may mean nothing now, but I might be able to convince her to help." Emily turned to Kirito. "You're him, aren't you?"

Kirito blinked, "Excuse me?"

"The one that Miss Asuna loves." Emily said. "I can tell. It's like in my novels! I want to help you in return for the help she has given me. I wouldn't be alive now if it weren't for Miss Asuna and the others. So I'll help in whatever way I can."

"Jeez, Kii-bou. If you're set on running off to get yourself killed, you can at least go well informed. I'll dig up my notes on Albion." Argo said. "There might be something useful buried in the rumors I've been hearing."

"Isaac-san and I can take Emily straight to the academy. If Sakuya-sama writes a letter, I'm sure we can reserve an audience with the Princess." Silica suggested. The feathered dragon, Pina, let out a shrill cry as she landed once more on her master's head. "Oh, and Pina will help too!"

Kirito sagged visibly, looking to each of the people around him, some of who he barely knew, he whispered something under his breath.

"What was that Kirito-kun?" Lady Sakuya asked.

"I said, Thank you."