Before you even think that any of you are hallucinating, I can guarantee that you're not.

I. Am. BACK!

It has been a hell of a long time but I am finally back with something brand new and something to give to all you incredibly patient readers of mine! With all that has been going on with Covid and with my work situation, I'm glad I can finally find enough inspiration and sheer stubbornness in writing something for you all.

I will likely edit this at some point if I feel like it isn't as good as how I would normally write but all it'd mean is fleshing out the chapter a little more and tidying it all up to something more presentable. However, this is so long overdue so you guys are getting the chapter here and now. I have been keeping tabs on the reviews and comments and I am so genuinely thankful for all the compliments and criticisms I've gotten over the past... year? Wow.

Anyway, that's enough babbling from this lazy-ass fox! Chapter. Freaking. NINE! Of Sword Art Online: Advent Children! \o/

~Chapter Nine~
~No Easy Way Out~

~Floor One: Town of Beginnings~

"So what's this piece of news that had to drag us out?"

It came as a bit of a surprise when Argo had called both herself and Asuna to meet her by the teleporter in the main plaza back on the first floor; no explanations or hints as to why the urgency in her message. But she was bored. Asuna was too. This was something to pass some time and at least possibly entertain themselves for a few hours at least, so they went ahead and met up with their blonde friend. Argo was grinning widely and had a familiar twinkle in her eye that she would usually see in Naruto when he was excited about something.

"Wellll~ I thought we could have a girls' day out and have a bit of fun on a quest~ Plus, there's some news that came back to me that there's a nifty little item that only women can use and I thought to drag you both with me, sa~" she winked playfully as she scratched her cheek softly. Earning a pair of giggles from the redhead and light-brunette, the two couldn't refute her claim and decided to let the information-broker lead the way.

The three of them made their way towards the market area and took note of just how many female characters there were, huddled around a particular stall; a lone young female NPC with soft brown eyes and dark brunette hair, dressed in what looked to be tattered rags. Gently moving between the crowd and making their way swiftly to the front of the group, the three stood before the NPC and found the exclamation point above her head, denoting that she had a quest available.

There are three main ways regarding the quests in SAO; the first is simply accepting the quest that is asked of you and you go off and complete it. You come back, and then you turn in the required item(s), and boom! You get rewards! The second way is through a verbal trigger, which can be a little trickier but Argo had found out what the key phrase was for accepting this quest, so it wasn't an issue. The last method is completely unknown as there are no known verbal triggers and are completely random, not to mention rare. Usually, the quests that stay hidden because of the rarity of the rewards given by them and have been rumored to hand out uniquely-rare gear/items and a hefty amount of Col and experience.

"Ohayo! I-I'm sorry to trouble you all but may I have a moment of your time?" the young girl spoke up, her voice catching the three off-guard at how young it sounded. Argo moved forward and crouched down to the little girl and gave her a soft smile.

"Ohayo, Tenshi-chan~ What seems to be the matter? Are you on your own?" she asked softly, giving the trigger response but still maintaining her empathy for the young girl in front of her. They quickly saw the exclamation point turn into a question mark, signaling that they've got the quest. Argo hadn't been prepared for the moment that the little girl's eyes watered and quickly ran to hug the blonde's waist and bury her face in Argo's tummy. Asuna and Kazuko maneuvered in front of the pair and gently consoled her in their way without suffocating the young girl.

"P-Please help me! My mommy and daddy... t-they made me run here as we were being chased!" she stammered out in between tears, crying openly into Argo's midsection and shaking. Asuna gently pulled the girl off an uncomfortable-looking Argo and pulled her into herself, resting the girl's head in her bosom and stroked her hair. Kazuko knelt in front of the young girl and Asuna and gently rubbed the back of the sobbing girl.

"We'll do what we can, okay Tenshi-chan~?" she softly cooed as she looked at Asuna and nodded seriously. "Do you know where they were last? So we know where to look and to make sure your mommy and daddy are safe and bring them back to you," she explained softly to the young girl, causing the NPC to peek her eye out from Asuna's bosom and look at her. Earning a soft hum and a nod, she pointed over the crowd and over to the far end of the markets; hinting towards the exit that leads out of the town itself and into the wilds.

"Right. I need you to stay here and be a brave little girl for us, okay? Us three will take the mean baddies out and bring your mommy and daddy back. Can you do that for us?" Kazuko smiled as she stroked the young girl's hair tenderly, making the NPC move fully away and wipe her tears with her palm. She looked up at the three and nodded with a brave smile, melting the hearts of the three women there and giving her one last hug before making their way.

"Well, that was unexpected. I've never heard of that happening before now." Argo commented once they were near the exit, prepping themselves and doing some final checks on potions and such. "Not once has the girl ended up running towards anyone when she cried, she just stayed there and cried in front of them." she explained to the other two females with her.

"Knowing we hang around Naruto-kun enough, I think we're picking up his talent for harder quests and said quests being anomalies." Asuna quipped playfully, earning laughter from the other two as they couldn't fault that logic, despite it not being the case.

"Wouldn't put it past it, honestly." Kazuko quipped back as she flashed a small grin to her compatriots. "I don't understand why a quest of this nature gives an item that only females benefit, though. Doesn't it seem a little similar to a standard quest?" she spoke a little more seriously, turning to face Argo as she said those words. Argo, in response, shrugged her shoulders before snapping her hood up over her head and twirling the dagger in her hand.

"That it may be, Kazu-chan. But you've seen the crowd of female players around Tenshi-chan and the source of this quest is one of my regular contacts as well; one you haven't met yet, Kazu." she quickly explained to the redhead. "What the item is is what makes this quest special, 'cause no two people get the same reward. Something like this is pretty rare in MMO's." she explained further for the benefit of Asuna, from the look of confusion on her face.

"Ahhh, I didn't know. I'm still getting used to... this." Asuna admitted shyly, gesturing her hands around her. Argo smiled and patted the rapier user's shoulder and moved past her, past the exit, and into the open field proper. Turning around to Kazuko, she softly moved over to her and dipped her head slightly. "K-Kazuko-chan?" she softly spoke up, earning the redhead's attention.

"Hmm? What's up?" she asked, seeing her friend reverting to her shyness again.

"W-Will you... will you help me later by explaining MMO's to me, please?" she softly asked, looking up at Kazuko with a shaky gaze. "I-I know there's a lot I don't know but it doesn't feel like I shouldn't get to know a little more about this type of game and what to expect. I want... I want to be of more help to everyone!" she finished a little more strongly, clutching her chest and looking passionately into those amber orbs.

Kazuko simply smiled in response and brought Asuna into a soft hug, something that made the chestnut-haired woman squeak slightly before relaxing. "You're already a huge help, Nacchan. We all love you and we all appreciate you, for all you do and your drive to want to be useful. I don't mind explaining to you but I'm not all that familiar myself. For now, let's enjoy the game and we'll see about asking Argo-chan a little later, okay?" she cooed softly, not afraid to admit her inexperience and planted the idea that she should also join in and learn a little more, herself.

"Hurry up, you two! This quest is time-sensitive!" Argo hollered from the gate entrance, tapping her foot a little impatiently and breaking the two out of their stupor and watching them ready their weapons. The three of them nodded at each other, once they grouped up again, before heading out to the location that was marked on their map.

~SAO:AC~

~Floor Two: Lisbeth's Armoire~

It had been a week and a half since the duel. A week and a half since the talk she had with her closest friend. To her, it felt like so much had happened, and yet...

She sighed as she let her hammer settle on the anvil in front of her, letting the sword she was working on cool down into an unfinished state and break into blue pixels as a sign of a failed craft. She had more than enough materials to make another, she thought to herself; taking a seat on one of the wooden crates that dotted the room. She leaned forward as her elbows rested on her knees, clenching and unclenching her gloved hands and looking at them as if looking at them for the first time.

'Am I that special?' she thought to herself, remembering the conversation she had with Kazuko. She still struggled to come to terms with what was said; it's hard to break a thought pattern that had been ingrained into you for the longest time and she still didn't think if she was anything special. Sure, she made weapons. She repaired said weapons. She could make adjustments. But really, what else was she good for?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her bell ringing, causing her to slump and groan before heaving herself off the crate and back into the main room; making sure to chuck the pair of gloves back on the side of the anvil and flicking the light off in the room before shutting the door behind her. She turned around and she found herself instinctively smiling as she saw the one person she wanted to right now.

"Well it's nice of you to finally visit me, Whiskers!" she grinned playfully, untieing her apron and chucking it towards the side as she carefully arranged herself to look a little more presentable to her love interest. She paused a moment on that thought but soon admitted to herself that he was. She couldn't imagine any other guy right now being in the same position as she found him. "So what can I do ya for?" she asked, leaning against the desk with her arms and winked at him.

"I mean, that question could be taken many ways, Liz-chan~ I'd be thinking it's the other way around." Naruto quipped quickly in response, laughing at the beetroot blush on the blacksmith's face and the thoughts that must be running through her head right now. "Gomen, gomen! I wanted to come to you about my sword and if you could have a quick check of it." he snorted after, realizing the innuendo he made. She picked up as her eyes took on a playful glint and a coy smile appeared on her face.

"Ara~? Could at least take me out on a date or two first before asking me that kind of question~" she giggled, finding herself enjoying the byplay and just finding it so much more comfortable around him again. She walked around him and quickly made to lock the front door of her shop before jogging softly over to him and embracing him tightly. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry I was so distant and avoiding you." she apologized to him, squeezing herself tighter to him when she felt his arms return the gesture.

"It's alright, Liz-chan. I'm just glad you're okay now. I was worried, you know?" he smiled, resting her head in his neck and softly stroking her hair for a little while as the two stayed in that embrace. After a good while, the two pulled back and neither of them could help but laugh/giggle softly as they found themselves staring into each other's eyes. With Lisbeth taking the initiative, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the backroom; her heart beating a little faster as she realized it's just herself and him right now.

"I know Naruto. Thank you for worrying about me, and I appreciate you, yanno?" she smiled in return, tucking her hair behind her ear and pulling him into another hug. She yelped as she was hoisted off the ground but soon found herself blushing when she felt him place her in his lap and with her straddling him like the time after the duel. She blushed harder but she sighed tiredly and swatted his chest slightly. "Warn me next time, baka." she softly spoke as she leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Is everything okay with you? If you don't want to talk about it then I won't push you. Okay?" he asked her softly, letting his hand stroke her hair softly as he savored this moment. It seemed silly to make a huge deal out of this but this is the first moment the two of them had alone in this time and he truly missed her. Having her teasing him, her tsundere side, and just her joking. Holding her like this was always something special to him since he knew she wasn't an affectionate type. He knew she was a tomboy but it didn't make her any less womanly to him. Heck, the breasts pushing into his torso was enough of a clue, to be honest.

"You were thinking something perverted, weren't ya?" she leered at him with a stern eye, making no move to move back. Shaking her head, she teasingly rubbed her breasts against him before moving back to his neck to rest in. "And kinda. Just the talk I had with Kazuko-chan helping me with a lot of internal issues I have with myself right now. How they're hurting me and how they're hurting you as well. It's slow progress but I feel so more at ease around you again." she confessed softly, rubbing his arm softly as it rubbed her waist.

"I understand that well. It's not an easy thing to deal with but I hope you can remember that you're not alone in this, okay? We all care about you and we all want to support you as much as you support us." he smiled, pulling her head back so she could see his face. She gazed into his eyes once more and found her blush staining her cheeks once more from the sudden rush of heat in them. She nodded softly and smiled in response to his smile, rubbing his arm more tenderly as her sign of agreement as the two continued to stay in that position.

"Hey, Naruto?" Lisbeth spoke up after a little while of comfortable silence. She heard him hum softly to her question and the small squeeze she received to go with the noise. "Can I ask... what is it you see in me?" she softly spoke, almost afraid to ask and very vulnerable right now if the quiver in her voice was any sign.

"Where do I begin?" he responded softly, rubbing the small of her back as he closed his eyes to find the right words. "From the times we've had together, I see you trying to take so much on your shoulders." he began softly, feeling her stiffen in his arms. "I know, I know. But you've become such an independent woman and it's so good to see you trying to stand on your own feet but I feel like-" he paused, letting him get his thoughts together and word it correctly.

"I get the impression that you don't want to ask for help, sometimes. Like you're ashamed to, almost. That you have to get it all together and have everything running over smoothly or you don't feel like you're doing anything right. That asking for help means that you're weak and that's something you can't be." he softly explained, stunning the blacksmith into sheer silence from how hard he's hitting home.

"While I find it incredible to see you be so headstrong and take initiative, it can be a little jarring sometimes and it makes us a little... hesitant," he confessed slightly, feeling her pull back and look at him inquisitively. "It's not like we don't want to be around you but it feels like we're intruding on you sometimes, you know? We all know how much this means to you and how much of an impact you want to make; it's that feeling of being wanted, am I right?" he asked her softly, staring deeply into her eyes and giving her a moment to refute him.

"I-I..." she stammered, feeling her head short-circuit on her and any words in her throat fizzle away into nothingness. It had always been something that had hit her deeply as a child and growing up with very little friends to call her own. The struggles of wanting to fit in with others and her love of blacksmithing being such an esoteric hobby and interest. She had been so used to the constant feeling of loneliness and it continues to eat away at her sometimes; feeling uncomfortable when she is being included or being remembered by others.

"If I remember correctly, you struggle with athazagoraphobia. Afraid of being forgotten about, and afraid of being left behind because you couldn't fit in. Right?" he asked her, seeing the tears starting to fall from her eyes as he sees how much his words are hitting home right now. Gently cupping her cheeks, he strokes them with his thumbs and wipes away the flowing tears. "Lisbeth, how I wish I could undo all that loneliness you've had to deal with." he professed softly as he smiled warmly at her, listening to the soft hiccups in her throat.

"I see before me a woman with such incredible strength in her. How her loneliness had become an eye-opener for her so she doesn't let others experience what she has. How her compassion moves others and how her kindness sparks such warmth in everyone she meets." Naruto smiled a little more, continuing to wipe her tears away. "How stubborn she can be sometimes but knowing she does it for our benefit and because she cares for her friends. How she struggles with herself when she doesn't need to. How she tries to handle the issues on her own but needs to realize that she isn't one her own anymore."

Naruto gently pulled her head against his and continued to hold her tenderly by her cheeks as carmine met cerulean. "I see a wonderful woman who has so much potential inside of her. A warm, kind, funny, bubbly, spunky, flirtatious, emotional, open, and deep woman who is so much more than the eye can see; a woman I would want by my side at all times. Someone I know I can depend on, someone who would protect me and fight with me. A woman who is more than the titles she had been placed with and a flower waiting to bloom once she understands that the chains holding her back are of her design." he finished softly, smiling so warmly towards her that it made her heart physically burst in her chest.

Letting her impulse take over since her voice was stolen from her and her mind shut-down from the words that escaped from his mouth; she grabbed both sides of his cheeks and leaned into his face, ignoring her insecurities screaming at her right now and kissing him deeply on the lips. 'Why did I not do this before?' was her immediate thought as she felt her body shiver the moment her lips connected with his own.

This man. This wonderful man. Her words continued to fail her and her mind scrambled from making any coherent thought right now on how she felt but she used her lips to pour out how much that meant to her. Past all the barriers she had set up, through any response she might've had to fight against him with; she felt his words cut deep into her core. It was equally needy as it was passionate; Lisbeth couldn't care less right now since her hands had moved into his hair and grabbing it softly as her lips continued to move against his, and her tears continued to cascade down her cheeks.

Naruto was stunned and taken aback at just how much emotion was pouring through the kiss right now; how her body pressed down onto his and how much of her he could feel right now. His hands moving up and down her back and pulling her tighter to him and she made no resistance against him. She would not have this moment interrupted and she would not do anything to make this moment end before it had to; this was her chance to show him how she truly felt and she would let him know how much he meant to her.

They stayed like that and kissing one another for a good fifteen minutes before the need for air grew too great to continue any longer. She held her lips on his as long as she could before she softly pulled away and panted hard against his lips, stealing small kisses in between her breaths and resting her head against his the entire time. She moved her hands down to his chest and clawed at his abs slightly, letting her feel the muscles that hid underneath and imagining seeing him up and close in a more intimate manner. Naruto was in a similar boat, feeling just how tightly her chest was pressing against his chest and the curves of her hips and her ass resting on his lap and very close to his manhood.

"I don't think there are any words right now that can say how I feel," Lisbeth spoke up softly, emotion thick in her voice as she stole a few more kisses from him. "I feel like I'm flying right now and I never wanna land again. I don't want this to ever end, Naruto." she professed and pleaded softly, earning a small nuzzle of her nose with his before the two continued to kiss one another without interruption. "Thank you... for seeing me. The me that I can't see myself. I... I'm not gonna suddenly jump on board with this idea of having to share you but," she softly confided in him as she stroked his hair and kissed him again. "I will try and come to terms with this. I can't promise more than that."

"It's alright. I'll wait as long as you need if you want me to." Naruto smiled in response, earning a smile in response from her as she tilted his head up and claimed his lips once more, wanting to do nothing else right now. Her commissions could wait.

This was more important.

~SAO:AC~

~Floor Two: Yamashi Inn~

"Hey."

"..."

"... do you ever think that we're a part of something much bigger than ourselves?"

"..."

"Like, how we could simply be fictional characters in someone's imagination and that all that we do has already been preordained before we were even thought of?"

"..."

"How we are simply the playthings of someone in another life and time, that finds joy in creating something so amazing and so intricate?"

"..."

"..."

"... nope. I think you're an asshole either way."

"..."

"..."

"... same."

And this, everyone? Was the enlightening conversation between a douche and a barkeeper.

"OI!"

"Honestly, you still deserve it." Tiff- *ahem* -Agil commented idly as he continued to wipe down the counter, idly ignoring and tuning out his only customer. It had been a slower day today since a lot of the players had discovered that the boss of the second floor had already been killed. Much to Kirito's surprise, he would have thought that the others would have let loose the information that it had been him who solo'd the boss and make him the main target of everyone else in the game. Yet they didn't...

Kirito sighed to himself as he lowered his head and nursed the drink between his hands. Now that he had gone through the separation and the absence of all of his friends, he had come to realize just how incredible they were. He had known both Naruto and Kazuko for a good number of years and they have always had this... unorthodox friendship with one another. It looked bizarre to everyone else but to them both, it was enough and it was enjoyable.

Now?

"... I know." Kirito nodded, missing the slight raise of an eyebrow from Agil as he paused for a moment at the tone used from Kirito. Shaking his head and flicking the cloth over his shoulder, he leaned against the counter and folded his arms as he continued to inspect the unusually solemn swordsman. "I... I can't say I regret what I did in taking the boss on my own but I do regret how I tried to handle everything. I could have just told him outright instead of the bullshit I pulled off." he continued, the tiredness clear in his voice as he allowed himself to rest his head on his folded arms.

"At least you know what you did was wrong," Agil responded after a few moments of silence as he reached under the counter and pulled up a bottle of water. Gently placing beside the young man's head and sighing again "So there's some hope for you yet, I guess." the mocha-skinned barkeep quipped somewhat playfully, earning a snort of amusement from Kirito.

"I know a lot of people would call this punishment stupid but... I know what Naruto is like." Kirito spoke softly, lifting himself back to a sitting position and allowing Agil to look at him fully in the face. Even though the game would essentially heal any injury and leave nothing behind, Kirito blamed Naruto's absurd luck stat at how the scar remained on his face, even to now. The game had registered the scar as a semi-permanent status effect that barred him from getting close to his best friend and had blocked all forms of communication with him, something that surprised him since he had never heard of something like this ever happening in an MMO before.

"He had been a friend of mine for... goodness knows how long. How a lot of people avoided him at first because he was from America." Kirito confessed slowly, earning the full attention of Agil as the barkeep wanted to know a little more about the blond madman and what he was like in real life. "People used to avoid him because he looked like a troublemaker and a lot of rumors were spread about him the first day he arrived, and not all of them were the students either. Heck, that prick of a P.E. teacher was mostly to blame and he ended up being blacklisted for the crap he pulled." he spat out, remembering the perverted bastard that got away with so much shit back then before he got caught in the act by an anonymous tip.

"Wait... I think I heard about that. Even though it was in Japan, it still had so much online coverage that it reached over to the States. Wasn't his name Kamo-something? The ex-gold medalist?" Agil questioned back, the name just out of reach as he tried to think back on the article.

"Kamoshida, yeah. One of the students he sexually molested tried jumping off the roof and if it wasn't for Naruto being there at the bottom to break her fall, she probably wouldn't have survived." Kirito smiled softly, remembering how Naruto bolted out of the room so damn fast. Naruto had ended up jumping off the window ledge and sliding down one of the draining pipes attached to the wall before catching her before she hit the ground. "After that, a lot of the higher-ups went into the investigation of this and an anonymous tip blew the case wide open by catching the guy in the act. Bastard deserves to rot." he venomously finished, slamming his now empty mug on the counter after downing the last of his drink.

"A lot of people changed their opinions of him after that. How he became the Golden Protector of our school and that he was the complete opposite of what the rumors about him were saying. Even then, he still didn't let the newfound fame get to him and simply continued to keep to himself the best he can and... spend time with an asshole like me." a snort of self-depreciation escaped him as he took the bottle left for him. "I think that he's one of those people that should never even exist but... I'm thankful that he does." he finished, tossing a few Col on the counter and making his way outside.

Agil looked down at the Col and saw it was enough for twice over the cost of the bottle and sighed, a small grin on his face as he moved it into his inventory. Granted he hadn't spent all that much time alongside the blond that seemed to be making waves in the game, he knew that if someone risked their own safety to save someone else? They couldn't be a bad person to get to know. He glanced up to the plaque on the wall to his right and glanced at his axe on display, letting his grin widen further.

"Sounds like a helluva guy."

~SAO:AC~

~Floor Three: Border of the Forests of Teilyngdod and Dirgelwch

It was an odd feeling for the female trio from the moment they stepped foot into the new area; the reminder of what Kirito had done to all of them and it left an unsettled feeling in their stomachs and in their hearts. Nevertheless, they couldn't help but admire the aesthetic of the new area; a lot more forestry and even the main town of the floor was almost elven in design! The great towering tree that sat right in the middle of the floor and at the very heart of the city; providing a great shade over the town and protecting everyone dwelling here from most of the weather.

Since it was nearing the end of the afternoon and the beginning of the evening, the sunset cast a golden glow over the more woodlandesque houses that had been built there and casting warmth and serenity over the town. Fireflies flying freely throughout the evening and adding to the fairytale aesthetic of the place and allowing a content feeling to seep into the trio's bones.

After the three had rendezvous with another NPC that had given the three of them a little more information to work with, they had discovered that there was a string of disappearances over in a specific area of the neverending forestry that circled the town itself; a part of the forest known as Dirgelwch. There were a total of seven areas in which the surrounding forests were split up, making it easier for everyone to chart and to navigate.

While the system didn't fully reveal the area on their minimaps, it *did* show lines to separate the seven sectors up and mark them for everyone's benefit. Dirgelwch was the sector that resided down towards the southwest area of the forest, just past the inner 'ring' of the forest that was known as Teilyngdod, and sandwiched between the two residing areas known as Tywyllwch and Rhith (to the left and right of it, respectively).

It had proven to be a true challenge and a steep curve in difficulty since this was the third day of having unlocked the new area and there had already been sixteen confirmed deaths added to the already-dreadful tally. Orders had been issued to all players that they were forbidden to head into the forest alone and that a bare minimum of three people was allowed to travel into the surrounding forest for any reason.

Having taken the time to stock up on necessary potions and food, the female trio had made their way through the forest and had a fair bit of trouble dealing with some of the new enemies: one, in particular, being a tentacle-esque monster that had an ability to inflict almost every status effect on a player if it was caught in the attack or even breathing in the toxic odor of its breath.

However, the game decided that the 'high-risk, high-reward' feature would kick in and made these things an amazing source of experience, and even some of the loot it dropped were already being highly sought after. Argo made a mental note to herself to get Naruto with her next time to see if they can farm some of the loot and even get some new items that no-one would know even exist at this point.

"Haaah... I-I didn't think this quest would be so exhausting..." Asuna panted softly, after taking a healthy swig of her canteen and allowing a small reprieve for herself and her companions to gather themselves. "Those... things do not deserve to exist..." she moaned softly, shuddering at the gaping maw and the multitude of razor-sharp teeth that they had on display. No eyes, just... teeth, an awful smelling breath and tentacles that enabled it to move.

"I'm with you on that one, sa~" Argo nodded, spread eagle on the grass and enjoying the feeling of the earth beneath her. She had gained a healthy amount of sweat trying to deal with these things but they had proven themselves much nimbler than their size betells them, forcing her to put more effort into getting behind them undetected and dealing critical damage with her new [Backstab] buff she had unlocked. The perk earned Naruto a huge squeal in his ears since he had been with her when she unlocked the skill randomly since it allowed for a movement and damage increase; with the additional effect of increased chances of dealing a critical blow if she attacked from behind or from their flank.

"Well, at least the exp is worth it? Even only being here for two hours fighting these things, we've already gained a level each!" Kazuko followed up, grinning softly as she opened up her menu to look over her individual stats. The three of them had gotten a nice bit of skill points from these things since they were much higher level than they expected for a third-floor monster and all of them had a red outline around their names (meaning they'd get two skill points per kill instead of the normal one). "It would be a bit of a risk but it would be worth getting Naru-kun and the others here so we could grind a little bit and get some levels under our belts." she suggested, earning two approving nods from both Asuna and Argo.

"Okay, so. Back to the quest," Argo followed up, opening her own menu up and taking a glance at the full-sized map function and took a note of the area they had uncovered so far. They had barely made a dent in discovering Teilyngdod since they knew about the danger warning in place; and all three opted to leave the exploration for the time being and simply focus on getting the quest finished for the reward.

"We need to head a little further south before we end up in Dir... Dir-gel... DIRGE!" Argo screamed, ignoring the laughter from the rapier and naginata-users at her inability to pronounce the names of the place. "We need to go south into DIRGE and scout just beyond the mist that apparently has formed there. I don't know what to expect but since the fog is going to limit our visibility, we do not leave each other's side." she commanded, earning serious looks and nods from the other girls. "If things become too much, we will have to retreat and use our crystals to get us back to town. If that happens, then we will need to regroup with the others before taking the quest on again. I'd rather more manpower than the exclusiveness of the reward potentially killing us." she finished strongly, earning more nods.

"If we're already here and we had the main route mapped out already, should we get the others here with us?" Asuna suggested, earning the attention of the others as they looked at her. "We can use the crystals to go back since we already have the route discovered and we can simply guide everyone back through. More numbers would also make quicker work of those... things... so we wouldn't have to deal with them as much." she explained, earning a few moments of silence between them.

"I'm with Nacchan on this one, Ar-chan," Kazuko admitted, seeing the boon they would have with more people and with more power. "Since this is still relatively unknown and the monsters are much stronger than we anticipated, it would make sense to err to caution this time around." she followed up, earning a moment of silence from Argo as she closed her eyes, eyes flickering beneath her eyelids as she allowed her thoughts to calculate the pros and cons of the suggestion. Snapping them open suddenly, she nodded in agreement as she pulled out a Teleport Crystal ready. The others soon followed suit and all three of them disappeared into bursts of pixels.

... completely unaware of the creature that had been observing them from the distance.

~SAO:AC~

~Timeskip: Following Day~

After decided that it would be better to retreat and to regroup, the three girls messaged the main group and had asked everyone to meet up and get the opportunity to explain the situation. Unfortunately, Klein wasn't able to show up due to his own commitments with his own guild and to his friends; it left a total of six people involved, Agil included, and all of them agreed to come along to help out with the quest and to check out the new area also.

Now back at the same spot as the trio stopped at yesterday, the six of them took a moment back at the 'checkpoint' they had set-up and allowed a small breather. There had been an increase in mobs that appeared and everyone (much to Naruto's embarrassment) had agreed that Naruto was to blame. Though the loot drops were much higher than the day before and even Naruto had managed to level up to a respectable forty-seven. They discovered that the name of these things was called Malboros since they had discovered a [Malboro Fruit] as one of the random drops.

None of them were stupid enough to try it.

"Okay. So we're a little more rested now. Ruto-kun, try not to fuck us over too much, sa~?" Argo quipped playfully, sending a wink over to her fellow blond and earning a charming grin in return that made her shiver slightly. "Well... maybe later, in my case~" she smirked, earning red faces and a laugh from Kazuko at the teasing. Agil shook his head in disbelief, still with a grin on his face as he missed this banter and fellowship.

"No promises on either account, Ar-chan~" he responded, blowing a kiss her direction before opening his map back up. "All jokes aside though, we do have an issue with the fog. As far as I'm aware, the intel Argo managed to get a hold of meant that the fog in this area doesn't show up for people who haven't accepted the quest from the little girl back on the last floor. So I'm inclined to believe it's quest-related." He explained, earning nods as most of them came to the same conclusion.

"We have overstocked on healing items and crystals in case things go FUBAR and that we have the option to escape if needs be. Make sure to equip the main potions to your quick-access so you have them on hand and ready." Kazuko continued on, earning nods from everyone else. Seeing that there was nothing else to say, the six of them steeled themselves and walked over the border and into the area of Teilyngdod and immediately span around when a flash of blue appeared from nowhere. Much to their horror, the blue continued to spread all along the borderline and far off into the fog itself.

WARNING! RAID ZONE ENTERED!

Raid Zones are open-area dungeons for players to take part in and scavenge.
Whilst in a raid zone, all Teleport Crystals are rendered unusable until the Raid Boss is killed.

Monsters in a Raid Zone are much stronger but the chance of rare loot is exponentially increased!
Once monsters are killed in a Raid Zone, they will NOT respawn.
Additionally, each character will gain a special item upon clearing; a guaranteed piece of equipment!
All Experience, Col, Loot, and Items will be distributed upon completion.

*Difficulty Increased! Rare Drops +200% Chance!*

Recommended Level: 44
Bosses Remaining: 2

"You know... sometimes I wonder what it feels like to do a normal quest." Naruto sighed, shoulders slumping after reading over the notifications.

"So do we!" everyone quipped in response, earning a round of laughter despite the shit situation they now found themselves in. It was a huge dampener on all of them since their means of escape are now locked, forcing them to literally fight to the death if they wanted to escape this place. This, granted, was nothing out of the norm for them but doing so in an area with overpowered monsters was never a good sign. Bursts of blue pixels pierced through the fog as movement slowly began shifting the mists around, signaling movement and more mobs for them to face.

"Argo, can you help me [Scan] these things so we know what we're up against?" Naruto asked, earning a nod from the dagger-user as both their eyes glowed for a split second (with Naruto's eyes turning golden) as they began picking up one of the Marlboros that was within distance from them:

Name: Tainted Malboro
Level: 44
HP: 5250/5250

Buffs:
Familiar Terrain (increased movement speed and +5% to all stats)
Symbiotic Toxin (restores 5% HP per minute while under 'Familiar Terrain' buff)
Sensory Feelers (Detects Movement)

"Okay, that's not good..." Liz spoke up, clutching her Mace of K'jata in her hands and staring intently at the enemy that has now been outlined, thanks to the effect of being scanned. "If it picks up movement, doesn't the fog help since even the shift of the fog alerts them to where we would be?" she asked, thinking for a moment and raising a good point.

"Unfortunately. I suggest we have two people distract these things since the pincer assault would give us a few moments where we can disorientate it and allow the rest to come in and start chopping these things down." Agil commented, eyes darting as he spoke. "The tentacles on its 'face' I would hazard a guess are its sensory units. Having the two people at a similar speed dashing in would confuse it since it will have to decide which one to attack first."

"If that's the case, how about Ar-chan and I?" Kazuko spoke up, everyone's heads turning to her. "We both have the highest agility here and if I put myself slightly ahead and gain its attention, it'd mean Ar-chan can go behind and deal additional damage via her passive. Hopefully, we should be able to deal a good bit of damage before you all catch up, and then it's a matter of keeping it distracted enough until we kill it." she explained softly, earning some impressed nods and smiles from the others. She turned to Naruto and found him nodding to her, making her smile a little wider as she returned the nod.

With a plan in place, the duo rushed in. Like planned, Kazuko took the initial lead and smirked when the malboro head snapped to face her and screeched loudly. Using the length of her naginata, she swept at some of the tentacles keeping the creature aloft and distracted it enough. Argo, meanwhile, allowed the opportunity to drive her daggers into the back of the thing's head and slash harshly sideways and taking a good chunk of health from it in one go.

Jumping away in time to avoid the small tentacles where she originally was, the creature wasn't prepared for an axe to appear from nowhere and sever the tentacles from the rest of its body. Seeing the mouth wide open, Liz charged in with her barbed mace and took the sadistic pleasure of shoving the tip of her weapon in and tearing most of the gaping maw right off its face. A dying gargle escaped its mouth before it burst into a flurry of pixels, earning their first successful kill of the raid. While they would've celebrated, they knew there would be time for that back home and decided to keep the pace going as long as they can.

The group continued this for a good hour, taking turns swapping roles and subbing for others to allow people to keep their energy levels up. Argo had to take several breaks since she was constantly diving in and diving out per fight and it slowly ate at her reserves, something Naruto and Asuna started noticing when she failed to dodge the last time and took a good brunt of the damage from the retaliatory attack from their latest malboro. Naruto was able to jump in and defend Argo's downed form and, in turn, allowed Agil to come in and decapitate the monster. Asuna was using her rapid strikes to disable the legs and reduce the movement of the creature, if not aiming for the feelers and cutting off its senses to detect them.

"Argo! Are you okay!?" Liz shouted, rushing over and kneeling down next to the panting blonde as she held her ribcage with a hiss. Naruto and Asuna were beside her whilst Agil and Kazuko were acting as a pair of sentry guards and keeping an eye out for any other enemies that might take advantage. Taking her hand gently into hers, Asuna allowed Naruto to slowly lift up Argo's cloak and top; revealing a nasty, pulsing purple bruise that resided where her ribs are. Argo's eyes shut tightly as she couldn't prevent the few tears falling from her face from the sheer pain she was in.

"She's got a really badly bruised ribcage but I'm worried there might be some internal bleeding as well," Naruto commented, his mind going into diagnostic mode and mentally worshipping his Godmother for all the medical training she had given him. "I can't say for sure right now exactly what damage has been done but I'd bet there's some fractured, or even broken, ribs right now. I won't be able to set the ribs properly unless I a diagnostic scan and see just how badly she's been hit. The blood will need to be let out so it reduces the pressure on her ribcage but still being careful enough to not completely drain her." Naruto commented softly. Asuna, Argo, and Liz all knew what that meant and nodded. Leaving the three to handle the situation, Liz soon joined the other two on guard.

"Ar-chan, I need to tear your top slightly so I can see just how bad it is, okay? The bruise goes under what I can access right now and I need to see the full extent of the bruise and how big it is. It's only Asuna-chan and me right now who can see, don't worry." he softly spoke to the injured girl, earning a pair of pain-filled orbs looking up at him. She winced but had enough strength to crack a grin on her face as she clutched the rapier user's hand a little tighter.

"Haaa... I-I hoped that... you'd do this... in a more... intimate setting, Ruto-kun~" she winked, earning an amused snort from Naruto as he gently cupped her cheek in response and letting his lips rest on top of her head before getting to work. Slowly taking her dagger for a moment, he cut the bindings that held the right side of her torso and freed the injured ribs from the pressure. Not even faltering when he saw Argo's pink areola and nipple coming into view, his hands gently hovered over her side. He made a small nick towards the southern patch of purplish skin, smiling to himself when the blood didn't suddenly spurt out but, rather, trickled out slowly.

Closing his eyes in concentration, he remembered his 'alternative' form that he somehow had access to and shifted himself into it; his tails gently flowing around him and his foxlike ears appearing on top of his head. Letting his core energy flow from within him down to his hands, he left a sigh of relief loose when his hands began to glow a golden hue, the energy slowly sinking into the injury. He remembered his Godmother doing something similar back when he used to spend time with her in the hospital and was thankful enough to the game for letting him pull it off. Ignoring the notification of the new skill, he focused on healing his fellow blonde.

Argo immediately felt the heat from this foreign energy entering her, shuddering despite her ribs being as damaged as they were, and couldn't quite suppress the moan that escaped her lips. It was throaty, it was rich and very heavily laced with arousal. She could feel her body numbing over and her breathing becoming less difficult and more natural again, letting her tilt her head back on Asuna's lap and having a moment to recover under their attentive care. Almost as soon as it came, she felt the energy slowly fade away from within her and whimpered at the loss of his wonderful warmth... which prompted a heavy blush on her face as her mind began thinking more fittingly for the gutter.

Back with Naruto; from what he noticed, the new healing skill he had unlocked came at a small price. It seemed that for every five seconds he uses the ability, he loses two percent of his total health. Understanding that it meant he could only use it in short pulses for up to a minute, it was still manageable since the crystals' usage cooldown was only two minutes. So he could technically keep the ability ongoing and make fully sure that she is well rested up. With this idea in mind, he looked down at the half-naked female and gently used his tails to lift her up and onto his lap. Asuna blushed at the gesture but also pouted at the idea of wanting to be in her friend's place right now.

"I don't know if it's done its job but the bruise has completely faded. I can keep using the ability until I feel like she is in a much better state but I'll likely be out of action for a while. Ar-chan, you absolutely cannot fight anymore and we'll have to leave it to the others to finish the job for us. Asuna-chan, I'll need you to explain to the others what happened." Naruto explained softly as he leaned the girl into his chest, using his tails as a blanket to hide her exposed breast from the others and using his tails to channel his energy once more into her.

"I can do that, Naruto-kun. But... I want to..." Asuna trailed off, a brilliant scarlet blush on her face as she was mortified with herself for saying it out loud. Peeking through the gaps of her fingers to cover the blush on her face, her eyes softened and teared up seeing the understanding look on his face and the smile he gave her. Nodding to him, she gently got up and ran off to the others to relay the information and the new orders.

"Thank you, Ruto-kun." Argo whispered as she gently spun herself around in his lap so she was pressing her left side of her chest into his. Naruto simply smiled in response as his tails moved tighter around her, still minding her right side, and stayed with her as he continued to heal her and level the skill up.

Meanwhile, Asuna caught up with the other three (Liz having left them to join the others on guard duty) and quickly explained the situation to them all. Kazuko grimaced slightly at the loss of Argo for the rest of the raid but she knew better than to argue against Naruto if he diagnosed her, himself. It meant that she was the next fastest fighter and she would have to work with Asuna to continue their current fighting strategy; yet with Asuna not being as well built in terms of defense, it meant that one wrong move would mean another person out of commission. She made to speak before something caught the corner of her eye and halted her actions, garnering everyone else's attention as they immediately went on guard.

All colour drained from Kazuko's and Liz's faces as they immediately spotted a towering Malboro moving past them and towards the place that they left both Naruto and Argo at, causing her insecurities to flare up for a split moment before being crushed and drowned in a sea of rage, determination, and power. Letting a growl loose, she unequipped her weapon and immediately flew over the field and made her way to intercept the creature before it could harm her friend and her lover. Everyone else soon burst into action but she was focused solely on the black-as-night malboro still making its way forwards.

She caught up alongside it and re-equipped her weapon as she launched herself airborne and traveling much faster than the creature was going. Angling her weapon downwards, she spun like a drill and smashed straight onto the top of the head of the beast and driving her bladed edge down deep into the head; prompting a shriek to pierce her ears and fling her off forcefully as she defended her position.

Naruto, meanwhile, also saw the outline of the beast before a silver glint stopped its advance on the two of them; making him narrow his eyes and releasing a groan. Knowing that the only airborne fighter of the group would be the sole redhead of the group, he knew that she would be quickly overwhelmed if he didn't step in and give her some support. Looking down at his patient, he uncurled his tails and quickly stood the two of them up.

"Okay, change of plan. We need to fight since this new motherfucker is targeting us specifically. I'll heal what I can but the moment you feel any pain, you stop and you pull out. Got it?" he told Argo firmly, earning a serious nod in response as she knew you don't go against a doctor's orders. Not caring about her indecency or her nakedness, she moved along with Naruto as they caught up to Kazuko; watching as she did her best to parry the onslaught of tentacle-based attacks.

Pulling his sword out of his inventory, Naruto threw it and cut some of the incoming tendrils from reaching their mark and buying him time to catch up, noting in slight relief as the behemoth malboro backed off in response... before promptly screeching once more from being flayed from the rear by Liz's sudden arrival and her mace doing some serious damage. Everyone glanced over towards Argo and her revealed breast and one look from her shut everyone else up, knowing she had no other option right now. Naruto quickly used another scan on the new creature and made a mental note to give a certain death wishing developer a good fucking tongue-lashing once they made it out of here.

Name: NM: King Malboro of Dirgelwch
Level: 57
HP: 73,883/88,000

Buffs:
Ruler of Terrain (greatly increased movement speed and +15% to all stats)
Enhanced Symbiotic Toxin (restores 10% HP per minute while under 'Ruler of Terrain' buff)
Cannibalism I (Increased HP per stack, reduced Regeneration) (Max. 5 Stacks)
Sensory Feelers (Detects Movement)
Predatory Senses (Detects Injury)

Not even hesitating to pull a familiar whistle out of his inventory, he blew into it loudly and allowed the piercing shrill cry to break the deadly silence. Even the King Malboro stopped for a moment to watch what would happen, knowing that these things have encroached on its territory and killed its kin. If a Malboro would be able to show an expression of both surprise and disbelief, then it definitely would've shown it when it saw a creature that all Malboros dreaded above all...

Mimics.

A group of seven well-built mimics surrounded the group, chattering teeth and clicking from their open maws as they took up a guard around the group; allowing Namizu to take the point and walk up to the rest of the group from behind. Not even saying anything but rather taking in their current form and the state of undress of the female blond that came with the young male last time, it understood that this was a less than favorable situation that they found themselves in.

"I would ask what would bring you six to the Forest of Misery but I have a feeling that it was not for a frivolous reason. You should not be here right now." Namizu spoke up almost sternly to the six. His eyes glanced over towards the blond male of the group and had to check twice at the change of appearance. "... I see. To think that I would find one who would gain the blessing of the Nine-Tailed Kitsune. I would think you smarter than this, Barn." it spoke once more.

"They entered MY domain, slew MY kin and you expect me to sit back idly and do NOTHING!?" the new, baritone voice roared in response as anger cut thickly through the tone of voice. The humans of the group all staggered back as they came to the realization that this King could fucking talk! "No! I will have their miserable lives as a forfeit! I will devour the males to feed the rest of my kin while the females will be taken and used to breed more of the creatures they so carelessly slew today!" it roared without remorse, earning a deathly glare from Naruto. The blond earned the attention of everyone as the gold aura around him darkened into a burnt orange as a heavy bloodlust filled the area and pinned the King in its spot.

"... you try that idea of yours and I will make sure that each and every last one of your kind will become nothing more than a memory. I will destroy all that you are and all that you were until you become nothing but a forgotten fragment in time! Your kin, your Queen... I would slaughter each and every one of them in FRONT of you if it meant that I will protect the same people that you would use as nothing more than your personal BREEDING STOCK!" Naruto threatened, letting himself go with fury and anger as he stepped forward. With all nine tails of him swaying dangerously behind him and the sheer killing intent pouring out from him, he charged forward with a weapon in hand; ready to erase this piece of shit from existence. Namizu stood in fearful awe as the golden warrior charged towards his opponent and made ready to aid him whenever he needed it.

"JUST FUCKING TRY ME!"

~Chapter End~

And there we have it! Another chapter down and honestly happy to leave it on a cliffhanger so I have an anchoring point to use for the next chapter and to continue from there. The biggest issue I had faced was the writer's block and not knowing what direction I could take this chapter. Nevertheless, I'm happy with this and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I had whilst writting it.

As always, leave a follow and a review if it's something you enjoyed! I'm over on Twitch as well (GAKitsune) and that has been going well despite my depression and anxiety kicking off like nothing when you're facing retail work, in the middle of a global pandemic, at Christmas time. I will work on ETK soon as well so keep your eyes peeled!

For now, this is Kitsune signing off and wishing you beautiful foxes and vixens all the best and keep safe! xx