Hey, everyone! I know that it has been A LONG TIME since I post anything of the SMO series, here, and I wanted to post this story in celebration of Progressive anime/movie as well as Halloween, but it took too long for various…reasons. Hopefully, the next one won't take so long. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the story! Now, before I start, I must give thanks and credit to Belletiger and Kanius as well as Kanius' YuYuGiDigiMoon fanfiction series, especially his The Invasion of the Rajita story, for giving me permission to use the idea of Valkyrie Sailor Soldiers and everything that's a part of them in my fanfiction. I would like to give thanks and credit to Kanius and his YuYuGiDigiMoon series, including this author's Dawn of Chaos story, and LazerWulf for giving me permission to use the idea for their version of Sailor Charon, namely the fact that she is Sailor Pluto's sister among other things. I would also like to give thanks and credit to Matty G91 and this author's story of Kamen Rider Lunar for giving me permission to use Kamen Rider Lunar, his looks, and everything about him as well as the UNI-SHOCKER organization as well as the idea of Darth Revan Sammy Tsukino and the other alternate versions of said character.
Now, with that out of the way, as they say on SAO: Link Start!
I DO NOT OWN Sailor Moon, Sword Art Online, Naruto, Accel World, Digimon series, Yu-Gi-Oh R/GX/5Ds/Zexal/Arc-V, Kingdom Hearts, Hyperdimensional Neptunia series, Gundam series, especially Gundam Build Fighters, Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, Mortal Kombat, Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed, Maken-Ki, Tenchi Muyo series, Ronin Warriors, Pretty Cure, Queen's Blade/Gate, Dragonball Z/GT, Star Trek series, Star Wars, Log Horizon, Sonic the Hedgehog, DC universe, Marvel universe, Assassin's Creed, Senran Kagura, Sekirei, Monster Musume, Karin/Chibi Vampire, 12 Beast, Stargate series, One Piece, Final Fantasy, Rave Master, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra, Code Lyoko, Transformers, and anything/anyone that comes from these and other stories that end up in this fanfiction! Sailor Moon is owned/licensed by Naoko Takeuchi and its various studios and publishers, Sword Art Online is owned/licensed by ASCII Media Works, A-1 Pictures Inc., and its various directors/publishers including Reki Kawahara and Tomohiko Itō, Naruto is owned/licensed by Masashi Kishimoto, Yuuto Date, Jump Comics, and Studio Pierrot, Digimon is owned/licensed by Toei Animation and its various directors, including Hiroyuki Kakudo, Yu-Gi-Oh is owned/licensed by Kazuki Takahashi, Toei Animation, and Studio Gallop, Yu-Gi-Oh GX is owned/licensed by Naoyuki Kageyama, Studio Gallop and its various directors, Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds is owned/licensed by Katsumi Ono and Studio Gallop, and Sword Art Online is owned/licensed by ASCII Media Works, A-1 Pictures Inc., and its various directors/publishers including Reki Kawahara and Tomohiko Itō!
Warning: These stories may and will contain mature level intense violence, blood, gore, death, mild to explicit suggestive themes, including mind-control and brainwashing, mild to explicit bad language, and mature adult themes/situations!
Second Warning: Some to a lot of OOC (Out of Character) actions and mannerisms in these series of stories!
Prelude: A castle of stone and metal floating in the sky that consist of one hundred floors. Within this massive structure, there are countless cities, villages, towns, forests, plains, lakes, and whatever you can imagine. There is only one staircase that connects one floor with another, and these staircases are located within dangerous mazes filled with monsters. The players with navigate through these floors to the top with nothing than the weapons in their hands. And yes, I said players.
This is the world of Aincrad, a floating castle in a virtual sky, and yes, I said VIRTUAL sky. This world and this floating castle world are in a realm made of digital information…the world of Sword Art Online. A world that was supposed to be game, but because a nightmare prison when its creator, Akihiko Kayaba, trapped the ten thousand players within this virtual world and if they die here, they will die in real life. The ten thousand players struggle in this 'game death' to reach the top of the floating castle where the final boss and the key to their freedom waits.
You may know this story and the stories that come after it, but do you know all the stories? All the tales that happened within the floating castle? What about the tales that happened after the floating castle was conquered? There are stories connected to the 'tale' of this floating castle, its 'history', and its 'aftermath', but they weren't told…until now. These are those stories…
Sailor Moon Online: Gaiden
Story 41: Progressive and Digital Knights 7: Shadows in the Catacombs, Part 3
December 31, 2022, SAO/Aincrad, Floor 5, Mananarena
Right now, Kirito, Asuna, Usagi, and the Digital Knights are discussing their plans to tackle the floor boss of the fifth floor of Aincrad, which is the further up the floating castle world that the 'players' of this now 'death game' have reached so far. They are doing this to prevent the fracturing of the fragile unity, if you can call the situation between the players that, of the players that are on the 'front lines' of advancing up the floors of Aincrad to reach the top, beat the final boss, and end this nightmare for good. At this point, on the fifth floor, they have a LONG way to go and the fragile peace between the players in the 'front lines', which are dominated by the two first guilds of Aincrad, the Dragon Knights Brigade, the DKB for short, and the Aincrad Liberation Squad, also known as ALS, is threatened to fall apart. That's due to the fact that fifth floor boss drops an item known as a guild flag, which has to ability to increase the stats of players as well as boost debuff resistance, but only for players belonging to the player guild that flag is 'registered' to. Since there is only one of this rare item/equipment, it could cause the fragile unity of the players to shatter if either guild got their hands on it. To prevent this, Kirito proposes that they take out the boss, so, they would get their hands on the flag and, due to the fact that the Digital Knights are a player guild themselves, it would go to either Kirito, Asuna, or Usagi since the three of them aren't part of any guild.
Usagi says, "No insult to our present company and all…"
However, Miyako says, plainly while interrupting Usagi, "No big, girlfriend. We get the idea. All nine of us are top ranked players, but the problem is that there is only nine of us and we are dealing with a floor boss."
Sam says, adding in, "Plus, the fact is that this is the fifth floor boss and from what we know, the floor bosses on floors that intervals of five are going to be unusually tougher than a 'regular' floor boss."
Kirito says, nodding his head in agreement, "Yeah, you're right. In fact, the fifth floor boss will be as tough as the floor boss on the floor above this one."
Juniper says, nervously, "Ouch."
Miyako says, drolly, "If you think that's bad, you don't want to imagine when we reach floor twenty-five, floor fifty, and floor seventy-five, the 'quarter marks' for this castle."
Juniper says, nervously, "I rather not."
Taichi says, "Right now, let's focus on this boss right now."
Yamato says, nodding his head in agreement, "Good idea."
Usagi says, "Anyway, as I was saying, there are only nine of us…"
Argo retorts, slyly, "Now, girl, have ya forgotten about little ol' me?"
Everyone looks at Argo causing Miyako to say, surprised, "No way! Argo, no insult to you, but while you managed to handle yourself with the freaky field boss, this is going to be a pumped up floor boss and you aren't…!"
Argo retorts, with a sly smirk, "Aren't what? Ya know, I don't have a 'combat build' like you, Mi-chan, but if you think that makes unable to hold my own, you have got another thing coming."
Asuna tells Miyako, "I already know that fact, Miyako. I've seen Argo's skills in action, and she did manage to handle herself against the field boss."
Miyako says, a bit nervously, "Well, you have a point…"
Kirito says, with a sigh, "Don't bother. The only way that Argo will change her is…a lot more than we can afford."
Argo says, slyly, "Ah, you know me so well, Kii-boy."
Usagi thinks in her mind, a bit nervously, "All too well, Argo."
Taichi says, "Okay, we have TEN of us, but that's not going to be enough against this floor boss."
Yamato asks, curiously, "But who else can we add?"
Kirito says, "I think that we could ask Agil and his friends to help."
Taichi says, "Agil and the Bro Squad, huh? Yeah, they could help."
Usagi asks, curiously, "Bro Squad?"
Takeru says, with a smile, "That's the unofficial name of Agil and his friends."
Kirito says, "And there is also Nezha."
Usagi asks Kirito, curiously and concerned tone in her voice, "Are you sure? Sure, he has changed from blacksmithing to combat especially with his unique combat style, but he has only joined…I mean REJOINED the 'front lines'. Do you think that he can help?"
Kirito says, with a nod, "Yeah, especially if the boss hasn't been changed too much from the beta…"
Everyone starts to look at Argo in which Kirito starts to bring out his trade window causing Argo to say, with a sly smile, "Normally, I would thank ya for the transaction, but as a thank you for the tidbit on the guild flag, this one is on the house, but ya do know that won't be the case next time." Argo then opens her window and switches it to a memo tab, which is used for saving notes and such, causing Argo to say, "From what I know, the boss is still a golem."
Usagi asks Kirito, "And that's why you want Nezha to help."
Kirito says, with a nod, "Yep."
Argo asks, "Anyway, remember what ya told me about elf quests, the secret of Aincrad's creation, and whatnot?"
Kirito asks, "You mean the Great Separation?"
Argo responds, nodding her head, "Ya got it, Kii-boy. Basically, to keep a long story short, this floor was originally an industrial area for a human kingdom. They dug up metal and magical ores with spells and mass-produced arms that were sold into a regional conflict elsewhere. But the king of that land didn't export the truly powerful magical ore, saving it up to build a massive war weapon, which is none other than the golem that's the boss of this floor. When that there golem was finished, he was going to use it to invade the dwarves that were his trade rivals when the Great Separation occurred, and the golem and king were summoned up into the sky. The power of magic lost, so, they couldn't mine or refine the material. And that's the story."
Asuna asks, a bit nervously, "Now that I think about it, when we fought that zombie boss in the catacombs, it was wearing a crown of some kind, wasn't he?"
Miyako says, a bit disgusted, "No way! That overgrown rotten carcass couldn't be the king at all!"
Usagi says, with a sigh, "If this wasn't a video game, a 'deadly video game' at that, I would agree with you, Yolei."
Argo says, with a sly tone, "You have got a point there. In video games, it's customary for all those evil king bosses from video games to magically grow in size."
Kirito says, "Either that or being in a damp place for eons made him bloat from all the moisture. Zombies always seemed highly absorbent to me." Miyako, Usagi, Juniper, and Asuna gave Kirito deadpan looks in which Kirito says, nervously, "Anyway, we can assume, based on this info that Argo got from the boss quests, the boss is still a golem like in the beta."
Argo says, plainly, "In the basic senses, yeah, Kii-boy…"
Usagi then says, plainly, "But it doesn't mean that it will be the same. Other than the fourth floor boss, the floor bosses always had some kind of 'change' than what you experienced in the beta. The first floor boss had its second weapon changed and it was given skills that it didn't have before."
Argo says, with a nod, "Aye. Then we have the second floor boss where those 'bull bosses' were turned into three with the new bull being the most dangerous of them all."
Takeru says, "And finally, there is the third-floor boss in which you said that it didn't have poison attacks in the beta."
Kirito says, with a nod, "That's right." Kirito then says, "And I get what you are saying. You're right. Most likely, even if the floor boss is the same as the beta, it is far most likely that this boss will have a 'quirk' that will make it different from the one that I saw in the beta."
Yamato says, with a plain tone, "A very dangerous 'quirk'."
Taichi says, "Which is why you would want Nezha. His special weapon is quite significant. There aren't any long range weapons like bow and arrows in Aincrad. Other than Nezha's weapon, there are only throwing knives and rocks in which they don't do any significant damage unless you coat the knives in some kind of poison."
Sam says, nodding his head in agreement, "And that's why you would want Nezha. He is the only one with a ranged weapon with significant damage."
Kirito says, nodding his head in confirmation, "Right."
Taichi says, "That's going to make Nezha MVP in the future."
Yamato says, with a smirk, "If not now."
Kirito says, "That would put our group around fifteen members."
Takeru says, "That's going to be two full parties with one three player party if we go with full raid parties."
Kirito says, "That would be more than I hope…"
Asuna asks, concerned, "But what if Nezha's and Agil's group aren't available?"
Kirito says, with a sigh and a nod of his head, "Then we are a bit out of luck, and we will be down two members less than I wanted for the minimum."
Usagi asks, curiously, "So, what do we do then?"
Kirito says, sighing, "If that happens, then we'll have to tell Lind about the guild flag and hope that his talk with Kibaou will reach a peaceful conclusion."
Miyako says, nervously, "Kirito, I don't want to be a real stick in the mud…but I…really don't see that happening."
Juniper says, with a nod and solemn tone, "Those two seem to have their own FNC where they have heads harder than steel." A few of the others can't help to restrain themselves from laughing at Juniper's remark.
Kirito says, sighing once more, "While I'm not sure that's the way that I put it…you have a point." Kirito then gains a look of realization causing him to say, "Let's bring in Liten and Shivata."
Asuna yells out, flabbergasted, "W-W-What?! You know that won't work! They're members of the DKB and ALS!"
Kirito says, "And that's exactly why, Asuna. If they were members of the same guild, they wouldn't assist a plan that ultimately undercuts their group…especially with another guild in the mix."
Taichi says, nodding his head in agreement, "Good point, Kirito. And this is also a good thing to do to make sure that there won't be trouble with the ALS and DBK."
Sam says, giving a nod of agreement, "I agree. With just our guild, there would be suspicion about us 'usurping' the other guilds, but if we have more 'level-headed' members that can be trusted by those guilds working with us, it will dispel that train of thought…just in case."
Takeru says, also nodding his head as well, "Good idea. But I think that we want to make sure that they don't get in trouble with their guilds."
Asuna says, with a nod, "Yeah…"
Argo then says, with a sly smile, "Liten's the one with the currently rare plate armor who just joined the ALS, right?"
Usagi says, a bit nervously, "Yes…"
Argo says, slyly, "Her and Shivata from the DKB, huh? That's a new one to me."
Miyako and Juniper then glare at Argo causing Juniper to say, glaring daggers at Argo, "Don't you even think about it, Argo!"
Argo just grins and retorts, "I know! I know! But like Kii-boy said, if they are that close, they might help us out. Love is stronger than guild regulations they say."
Taichi tells Kirito, "We're going to need to time this to make sure that their guilds have no idea that they were with us."
Kirito says, "They're both members of the party-planning committee, so, they should be moving from Mananarena to Karluin, soon. If we can catch them before that and head straight for the tower, it will be our best bet."
Asuna tells Kirito, "You had better be certain about that. I don't want them to be kicked out their guilds just for helping us."
Sam says, "Hopefully, it won't come into that."
Yamato says, with a smile, "If worst came to worst, we would invite them to our guild."
Juniper says, with a wide grin, "We already said that we would open our doors to anyone, including you."
Miyako says, with a wide grin, "No joke, girlfriend!"
Taichi says, "And that might keep them from getting booted out."
Kirito says, with a nod, "Good point. I doubt that they will want to lose any valuable members to any other guild especially yours…no insult."
Taichi says, with a smile, "No insult taken."
Miyako says, with an annoyed tone, "Says you."
Argo says, with a sly smile, "Basically, you are an 'insurance policy' to help them. Not bad."
Takeru says, with a nod, "Yep. And even if that doesn't work, we'll still bring them in."
Usagi tells Asuna, "I believe that Liten and Shivata have a future."
Asuna says, with a nod, "Yeah." On the meanwhile, Kirito uses instant messaging to see if he can contact Nezha knowing that instant messaging only works if the player trying to be contacted is on the same floor as yourself, the one sending the message. However, Kirito is lucky to find out that Nezha is on the fifth floor.
Kirito says, "He's here! I'm going to meet him soon!"
Usagi asks, "What do you want us to do?"
Kirito tells Usagi, "I need you to ask Agil while Asuna can ask Liten and Shivata to assist us."
Asuna asks, surprised, "Me?"
Kirito tells Asuna, "Your persuasion skill is greater than mine."
Asuna retorts, "Really?" Just then Asuna shakes her head causing her to shout out, a bit annoyed, "Hey, there is no such skill!"
Taichi says, with a smile, "Not all skills are 'in-game skills', Asuna."
Asuna gives a confused look while Miyako asks, curiously, "Okay, but what are Argo and the rest of us doing?"
Kirito says, "While three of us take care of the 'reinforcements', we're going to need to gather supplies needed for this 'venture' especially potions."
Juniper says, with a nod, "Big time."
Kirito asks Argo, "How much do I need to give you for this 'service'?"
Argo says, with a sly smirk, "Something tells me that this little 'venture' will net me plenty of juicy information, so, I won't charge you…this time. But you might owe me one in the future." Kirito can't help to get really nervous at this statement though plenty of the others can't help feeling similar to how Kirito is feeling though for different reasons. Afterwards, Argo, Miyako, and Juniper would go together to gather supplies with Kirito contributing of funds with Taichi and Yamato doing the same. And while Asuna talked with Liten and Shivata, Kirito was to meet with Nezha while Usagi met with Agil and his three friends, in which the three of them are unofficially known as the 'Bro Squad'.
(Later on that same evening)
Within another part of Mananarena, we find Usagi with Agil and his three friends, all of them known as the Bro Squad, in which Usagi is giving an explanation on the situation as well as the plan that Kirito has.
When Usagi is done, Agil says, "Geez, girl, this is a deep."
Usagi tells Agil, "I hope that you and your friends will help us, Agil. I can understand if you don't…"
Agil tells Usagi, interrupting her, "Girl, you don't need to say anymore. We'll help."
Usagi asks, a bit surprised, "You will?"
Agil says, with a smile, "Yeah, we realize the stakes. Right now, we are finally making progress ever since we got off floor one. If anything happens that could stop our progress, it could mean a lot of trouble."
Usagi tells Agil, with a nod, "You're right, Agil. However, you have to understand that this is going to be dangerous. This floor boss will be different from the other ones. Based on what Kirito told me and what I little I know, every fifth floor, the floor boss difficultly won't increase by one floor, it goes up by at least two in this case. This fifth floor boss will be as tough as the floor boss of the next floor!"
Agil says, with a smile, "We get it. We get it. But you are going to need all the help that you can get, and I'll feel bad if we left you, Kirito, and Asuna in the clutch." Agil asks his friends, "Right, guys?" Agil's friends give nods of approval and wide grins on their lips.
Usagi says, with a warm smile, "Thank you."
Agil says, with a grin, "Like I said, it is no problem. You and Kirito really need to stop putting everything on yourselves."
Usagi nods her head, nervously, where she thinks, "You may be right for Kirito, Agil, but I'm not sure about myself." Usagi can't help to think about what has happened so far including the first day of SAO and the first floor boss battle with the death of Diabel with the aftermaths playing on her mind.
December 31, 2022, SAO/Aincrad, Floor 5, outside of Mananarena
During a later part of that evening, we find Kirito, Asuna, Usagi, Argo, the Digital Knights, Agil and his three friends, Nezha, Shivata, Liten, and two more people, one from the DKB brought in by Shivata while another is from ALS. The man from the DKB was named Hafner and he is a great sword user.
Hafner tells Kirito, "Hey, there, Blackie. I'm going to clobber you if you are telling a lie about this."
Miyako retorts, with a sly smile, "And risk going orange and getting trapped out here until you return your cursor to green?"
Hafner flinches from Miyako's words in which Shivata says, "Haf, this idea came more from our side. All Kirito offered was information on the guild flag. I don't think that he is lying. Why would he? There is nothing for him to gain from it."
Taichi says, sternly, "Especially since it is a GUILD flag. Kirito and his two companions aren't a part of any guild, so, the flag is worthless to them."
Yamato says, "And that's the point. We are to make sure that NO guild gets their hands on that flag even us."
Hafner says, "That's pretty hard to believe."
Miyako says, with a glare, "Unlike some…we care more about the 'big picture' than our own pride." Hafner gives a Miyako a glare in which she returns in full.
Yamato says, sternly, "Okay, you two, knock it off!"
Taichi says, plainly, "Believe it or not, we know what's at stake here. Beating the game comes first. It has been over a month since we have been trapped in this nightmare and it is most likely that no one on the outside will be getting us out, at least any time soon. It shouldn't be surprising since Kayaba must have taken every measure to make sure that they won't. We know a few very smart friends on the 'other side', but if this has been going on for this long, even they must be stumped."
Usagi thinks in her mind, "I wouldn't be surprised. Ami-chan is the smartest people in the world and she is the Senshi of Wisdom for crying out loud! If she is stumped, then I don't think any non-Senshi genius could figure it out."
Takeru says, with a nod of his head, "Right now, the only way that we can get out of here is we play by Kayaba's rules, as much as we hate it, by completing this 'death game'. And the only way that we can do that is that the players remain at least somewhat united in this effort. Any breakdown at this point and it is 'game over'…possibly in more ways than one."
Sam tells Hafner, "And since you are here, you aren't a fool, Hafner. You know that what we say is true."
Hafner says, with a sigh, "I hate to admit it, but you have a point. Beating this shitty game is the number one in our list…and we need DKB and ALS to get out of this heck-hole. I can't betray the thousands below who are waiting for freedom even if it means going against my guild." Hafner asks the ALS man by Liten by saying, "That's why you are here, too, right?"
The ALS man that's with Liten looks to be in his thirties and wielding a halberd on his back responds, "That's right. Our guild's plan is to charge ahead is the reckless result of a few hard-liners playing on the fears of the officers. Kibaou knows that, but he was forced to keep the guild from fracturing. But if getting that flag means destroying the already-unstable relationship with the DKB then it means nothing."
Miyako says, "Plus, you are charging in without taking the time to formulate a careful plan of attack. Kirito told us about the boss and due to this being the fifth floor boss, it wouldn't be one floor tougher than the previous bosses, it would be TWO floors tougher! Basically, we're fighting a sixth floor 'level' floor boss and you know what happens when you go into any boss fight unprepared…"
The male ALS member responds, with a sigh, "Yeah, you have got a point there. We would have been most likely going to a slaughter. Even if we won, we would have been most likely devastated." The male ALS members looks at Kirito and Usagi causing him to say, "By the way, I'm sure that you don't remember, but we've met a few times in boss battles. I'm Okotan, the leader of the ALS' recruiting team. Good working with the two of you."
Usagi asks, curiously, "If you are the head recruiter for the ALS, were you the one that recruited Liten?"
The male ALS member, Okotan, retorts, with a nod, "Yep."
On the meanwhile, Hafner slaps Kirito on the back, playfully, where Hafner says, "Well, Blackie, Oko and I have explained our reasons to the group. Before we get this shindig on the road, why don't you tell the group why you're leading the charge?"
Kirito asks, a bit flabbergasted, "W-What?!" Kirito looks around to see Asuna, Argo, Nezha, Agil, and Agil's friends were all gathered around and waiting to hear his answer causing him to glance to Usagi and the Digital Knights, who take one or two steps AWAY from Kirito, much to his irritation for obvious reasons.
Usagi thinks in her mind, nervously, "Sorry, Kirito. I'll make it up to you. Promise."
After 'crinkling his nose' in irritation, Kirito clears his throat where he says, "Well, it is the same as Hafner and Okotan…and probably everyone else here. Like it or not, the ALS and DKB are two vital wheels that run our progress through the game so far. If they aren't attached by some kind of 'center axle' or if we lose one of the two, the whole cart grinds to a halt, which we can't allow especially at this point. I figured that the only way to prevent this from happening is to beat the boss before the ALS does and that's why I gathered you all here." On the meanwhile, Kirito, Asuna, and Usagi glance at each other, knowing that Kirito was only telling half of the truth in which there is a 'hidden dark side' to this story. Soon enough, the group disturbed the potions acquired by Argo and her team from the Digital Knights and after making some adjustments to their equipment, the group starts off to get to the labyrinth for this floor of Aincrad. Kirito, on the meanwhile, is looking over the group that they have and doing mental calculations.
Usagi notices this causing her to ask, "What's up, Kirito?"
Kirito tells Usagi, "I've been taking the time to figure out a formation for us before we reach the labyrinth."
Usagi says, looking over the group, "We have about nineteen people in our group. It is more than you hoped for."
Kirito says, with a plain tone, "Of which, I'm grateful for that."
Usagi says, with a plain tone, "Though it will be uneven since we can make three full party teams and we will have an extra person."
Kirito says, plainly, "Well, it doesn't mean we need to divide our group into full parties, Usagi. It is about the skills, not just the numbers."
Usagi says, with a nod, "You have a point."
Asuna then asks, "What's up?"
Looking over to Asuna, Kirito tells Asuna, "We were thinking about the formation that our group will adopt fighting the boss. Personally, based on what I can see, we have a ton of DPS…"
Asuna asks, curiously, "DPS?"
Usagi tells Asuna, "It is a gamer short hand term for damage dealer player, also known as an attacker, a player that focuses on inflicting as much damage as possible on enemies and that means that a lot of their skills, abilities, and 'attacks' are focused on offense and not defense. Basically, you, I, Kirito, and a lot of the players, here, come into that category."
Asuna nods her head in understand where Kirito says, "In fact, more than half of our group are DPS players. Shivata, Liten, and one or two from the Digital Knights can be considered tanks. And finally, Okotan, Nezha, and Argo are CCs…"
Asuna asks, curiously, "CC?"
Usagi responds, "Short for 'crowd control', which are players that deal with enemy mobs. In most games, those are mages or players who are 'magic heavy' in skills, but since there is no magic here, it comes to those with sword skills that include debuffs."
Asuna says, nodding her head in understanding, "Right. Most longer reaching weapons have debuffs on them."
Usagi says, with a sigh, "And this is a problem. Our group has too much offensive strength and not enough defensive power. With MMO games, these level of 'boss raids', you need a proper balance of offensive and defensive power, Asuna."
Kirito says, with a nod, "Not only that, but we also have nineteen players in our group, so, it is going to be an uneven divide."
Usagi says, with a nod, "Yeah…" Usagi thinks in her mind, plainly, "This kind of organization can be mind-blogging and ever since after the first floor boss fight, Lind and Kibaou have been doing this constantly for every field and floor boss fight…" Usagi shakes her head to make sure that she doesn't get overwhelmed as they approach a maze area that has to be maneuvered through before you can reach the floor labyrinth. Usagi asks Argo, "Argo, do you have…?"
Argo responds, "Who do you think you are talking to?"
Argo gives a sly smirk causing Kirito to ask, with a sigh, "And how much will this cost us?"
After laughing a bit, Argo responds, slyly, "Don't worry about it, Kii-boy! I'm just messing with you! Anyway, I did map the labyrinth, but you won't need it."
Kirito asks, curiously, "What do you mean?"
Argo responds, slyly, "You'll see when we get there." Everyone continues on the path, led by Argo, in which, while they are walking, the group shows off their 'moves' as they find a few mobs along the way allowing everyone, especially Kirito, to see their skills and abilities in action, which would allow Kirito and Taichi to figure out how to make their skills and abilities work together against the floor boss. Soon enough, they find themselves in an area that has a sixty foot wall in the north with barren grey wastelands to the south and west.
Kirito asks, nervously, "So, how do we get in?" Argo just smirks in response as she pulls out a giant key that's six inches long.
Miyako says, shocked, "Whoa!"
Juniper says, amazed, "Yeah, I'll say!"
Kirito asks, curiously, "Did you get that from the boss quests?"
Argo retorts, with a grin, "Exactly." Argo then goes over to the watch and, after searching a big, Argo inserts the key into a 'gap' where she turns it causing a 'clink', like a lock opening, being heard. Just then some of the stone blocks sink into the wall somewhat.
Usagi says, confused, "That's weird."
Miyako says, with a nod, "I'll say. This type of thing usually leads to the wall opening up where you find a secret passage. That's how it always works."
Kirito asks Argo, "Where is the secret door, Argo?"
Argo responds, with a sly smirk, "There is no hidden door." Afterwards, Argo starts to clump up in which everyone else quickly realizes is talking about and there are plenty of shocked looks.
Agil asks, nervously, "Wait, we have to climb over?"
Argo stops climbing causing her to ask, in a teasing manner, "Uh oh. Does this mean that the biggest toughest guy in the front-runners is actually afraid of heights?"
Agil retorts, "I'm not saying that, but you can't laugh off a fall from that height."
Asuna shivers in fear, remember what happened in the catacombs, causing Taichi to say, "Agil is right. Anyone that falls from up there and if they have lowered amounts of HP, they're done."
Argo says, with a sly grin, "Then it is a good thing that I brought a 'safety net'."
Juniper asks, curiously, "Safety net?" Argo just smirks as she produces multiple large cushions from her inventory.
Takeru says, with a sly smile, "Good idea. Those look like cushion for player homes."
Usagi asks, curiously, "How did you get these?"
Kirito says, with a plain tone, "They are quite light for their size, so, it isn't too surprising that she can carry them." Kirito says, a bit nervously, "However, you may want to keep your col to yourself."
Argo says, with a mock insulted tone, "Ah, you are really so mean, Kii-boy." The group uses the cushions near the 'ladder' where Argo, pretty high up, tests them by landing on them from a significant height.
Yamato says, with a nod, "That'll work."
Argo says, nodding her head in agreement, "I'll go last to pick them up. After you, Kii-boy."
Kirito asks, surprised, "Me?" Kirito looks at Asuna causing her to give a jester that says 'You first' in which the males of the group nod their heads in agreement where Kirito starts off with the rest of the male members of the group following with the females of the group following soon afterwards. When Argo, the last one, reaches the top, they find a massive maze before them.
A member of Agil's group, the 'Bro Squad', known as Wolfgang, says, with a whistle, "You weren't kidding when you said that this maze would be a big deal to tackle."
Shivata asks Okotan, quite shocked in his tone, "And the ALS was going to charge this at night without scouting it first?"
Okotan retorts, with a sigh and nervous smile, "It is rather embarrassing to admit, but that's their plan. From what we understand, we have information on the puzzles and traps from a tester. The schedule call for the entire process to be done within the hour."
Miyako says, irritated, "And a lot of players have the nerve to 'beat down' beta testers and yet, use them when they seem useful. I think that the word 'hypocrisy' is front and center here." Miyako and Juniper glare nasty glares at the two ALS members give a bit of nervous looks, but on the meanwhile, Kirito, Usagi, and Asuna share a look, knowing who really supplied the information to the ALS and the real reason for doing it.
On the meanwhile, Kirito tells Argo, "Thanks, Argo."
Argo tells Kirito, "Don't be silly, Kii-boy. We are only getting started."
Kirito says, a bit nervously, "Good point."
Juniper says, with a nod of her head, "No joke! This place is huge!"
Takeru says, nodding his head, "No kidding!"
Kirito says, "True, but thanks to Argo, we just bypass twenty percent of this place, which would have taken us, two hours."
Usagi says, surprised, "Wow!"
Taichi says, plainly, "I'm not surprised that it would have taken so long to get through that."
Sam says, "However, we have a good ways to go."
Takeru says, with a nod, "Right. We should get going."
Kirito says, nodding his head in agreement, "Good idea."
Usagi asks, curiously, "Shouldn't we figure out our formation beforehand?"
Kirito says, with a nod, "That's right. Thanks for reminding me."
Kirito looks at Taichi, causing him to nod his head, and Taichi says, "Okay, everyone. This is the plan that Kirito, the White Swordswoman, and I came up with."
Asuna asks Usagi, "You helped?"
Usagi says, a bit nervously, "Just a little."
Taichi says, with a smile, "What are you saying? You were a real help in the planning. It was like you had experience with this kind of thing."
Usagi thinks in her mind, nervously, "While I haven't been much of a 'commander' as leader of the Sailor Scouts, but I do have experience in this kind of thing."
Juniper asks, curiously, "So, what's the plan?"
Taichi responds, plainly, "We are a raid party of nineteen, so, multiple full parties is out of the question. We need to divide ourselves unevenly. Our 'A Team' will be Hafner, Shivata, Okotan, Lowbacca, Naijan, and Liten. Team B will consist of Argo, Agil, Wolfgang, Nezha, and Takeru. Team C will consist of Yamato, Sam, Miyako, Juniper, and myself. And finally, Team D will be Kirito, Asuna, and our 'White Swordswoman'."
Shivata asks, curiously, "Hold up! That puts our tanks as one group with the attacker members into two groups of five and a group of three. What's up with that?"
Kirito says, "We don't have enough tanks to divide them up evenly. You and Liten are the only ones with shields, so, if put you in separate parties, they might not hold out for a potion rotation. Since that's the case, we should have one party maintain the boss' aggro, which would make it easier to manage HP. However, it is going to put a larger load on our tanks…"
Shivata retorts, interrupting, "Don't worry about that. But what I'm saying is that if we have all the tanks together, we won't be able to handle wide-ranging simultaneous attacks. Won't that be a problem?"
Kirito says, "Well, going off the beta, the golem doesn't have any area attacks. If we manage its hate levels, a single party might be able to continually defend for us."
Shivata nods his head in which Taichi says, "However, Kirito just said, 'going off the beta' and we know all too well that we shouldn't do that. That's why we designed our formation in this manner. While you and the other tanks are our defense, our attack is broken into multiple points. Team C is your 'basic attack team' while Team B is more 'specialized' with due to the fact that Argo is more 'scout' than attacker. Plus, Nezha is the only player in our group….In fact, more like in the whole of Aincrad with a 'ranged attack' with significant power."
Sam says, plainly, "Making them adapt to different situations."
Shivata says, nodding his head, "Good point."
Taichi says, looking at Kirito, Asuna, and Usagi, "And these three are 'quick strike team'. Even if they don't want to admit it themselves, they have sufficient power, but also enough speed to dodge attacks…or get from one 'trouble spot' to another in quick fashion."
Usagi says, nervously, "I don't think that we are that quick."
Argo says, with a grin, "Give yourself a bit of credit! You, Kii-boy, and Asu-chan are quite nimble on your feet."
Kirito says, "It is also why we're going to scout out its attacks to make sure that there is nothing unexpected since this isn't the beta. Once we start for real, we'll make sure that there is an escape route in case of any 'unexpected patterns' that we can't handle right away."
Taichi says, with a smile, "Okay, folks, the new year is on us and let's make it one of hope for the day that we get out of here!"
Agil says, with a nod and mighty roar, "Yeah!" There is a chorus of approval from the group while Kirito and Usagi share a look in which while Kirito can't see Usagi's face, due to her special hooded cloak, Kirito can't help to know that Usagi is sharing the same look and feeling as he is.
(Sometime afterwards)
Right now, our group is deep within labyrinth where they can see that the walls were scrawled with mysterious ancient letters and there are pillars craved into stacks of angular golem heads with the ceiling seemly made of polished black granite.
Usagi says, a bit nervously, "Creepy."
Miyako says, with a nod, "I'll say."
Kirito says, "That's because we are close to the boss chamber."
Agil remarks, "Finally here, huh? I should have known that it wouldn't be that easy to rush all the way through."
Kirito says, "Actually, this floor's and the next floor's towers have fewer rooms and simpler layouts. The one of the tenth floor, on the other hand, was just an insane and complex in which, after three days in the beta, we never made it to the boss chamber."
Miyako says, drolly, "That's good to know."
Wolfgang asks, "So, you guys just gave up on getting ahead right there?"
Kirito replies, "We didn't give up, we just ran out of time. I think that I got the highest of anyone, but I was fighting one of those real bastard Snake Samurai when they announced the end of the beta test and teleported me back to the Town of Beginnings."
Wolfgang says, nervously, "Whoa! You're kidding about those Snake Samurai business, I hope. I hate snakes."
Asuna giggles at this while Kirito says, "The meat from the giant snakes is pretty good, so, when you open a restaurant, you should put that on the menu."
Wolfgang yells out, disgusted, "No way! Steaks come from cows and that's that! The only thing that you are going to see on my menu is perfectly prepared aged steak!"
Agil tells Wolfgang, a bit nervously, "You realize that if you aged the beef, it is going to lose all of its durability and disappear, right?"
Argo gives a laugh while Usagi thinks in her mind, nervously, "This makes me wonder what Kirito's stomach is lined with…but then again, this is a virtual world, so, it doesn't matter."
Just then Takeru's voice calls out, "Hey, look at that!" Everyone looks to see a staircase as wide as the hallway leading to a huge 'black hole' through which the staircase rose.
Taichi says, seriously, "On guard, everyone!" The group nods their heads in agreement and move ahead cautious.
Kirito then notes something causing him to say, "There are no gaps at the sides."
Sam says, plainly, "Which means that we can only go up through this staircase."
Hafner says, "We are in the center of the tower based on our coordinates."
Usagi asks Kirito, "Was it like this in the beta?"
Kirito responds, shaking his head, "Nope. Before there was just another set of doors, then the chamber with the golem. But pretty much everything's been changed in one way or another, so there might not be a grand meaning to an addition of a staircase…"
Taichi says, interrupting, "Or it could be a BIG meaning. We can't take the risk."
Usagi asks Taichi, "Do you have experience with this kind of thing?"
Takeru says, with a plain tone, "You can say that." Those that aren't part of the Digital Knights can't help to wonder about Takeru's statement.
Juniper asks, curiously, "What should we do?"
Sam says, "One of us has got to scout it out."
Kirito says, plainly, "I'll do it. I said that I would scout it out."
Argo says, shaking her head, "Nope, Kii-boy. This is my territory." Everyone looks at Argo causing her to say, "This staircase could be a trap. One where the stairs rise up from the to seal the exit. If that happens, I'm quick enough to slip out if it does."
Juniper asks, curiously, "Hold up! If it does that, it seals the boss chamber, right? But doesn't the boss chambers before have ways to run away if the fight gets too tough?"
Kirito says, with a nod, "True. That held up in beta, but that's the point: 'In the beta'. However, things in here are different from the Aincrad of the SAO beta."
Takeru says, "Especially the 'life and death' part."
Kirito tells Argo, "Hold on, Argo. I'll come with you."
Argo asks, surprised, "Huh?"
Kirito tells Argo, "Don't give me that, Argo. I'm not as fast as you, but I'm a speed type myself. If the stairs start to move, I'll be able to escape easily."
Usagi asks Kirito, concerned, "Are you sure?"
Kirito says, with a grin, "I'll be fine."
Argo says, with a smirk, "Don't worry, you can be assured that 'big sister' Argo will make sure that 'little brother' Kii-boy stays out of trouble." Plenty of the others look nervously at Argo for various reasons.
Usagi thinks in her mind, nervously, "I don't know what to say to that, so, I better not say a thing." Soon enough, Kirito and Argo start up the stairs, carefully, in which they enter a dark room, where, in an instant, pale lights, like LED bulbs, cause the darkness to dispel to reveal a large chamber that's one hundred feet across and fifty feet tall with the curved walls and ceiling showing that this was the top of the tower, in which, this being the last room in the labyrinth, means the boss room, but there didn't seem to be any sign of the boss.
Kirito asks Argo, "You don't think that the ALS already beat it, do you?"
Argo responds, shaking her head, "Not a chance. When we left Mananarena, we confirmed they were still in town. They've probably left by now, but we've got a three hour lead on them."
Argo inches forward causing Kirito to say, nervously, "W-Wait…"
Argo retorts, "I don't think that boss will pop up unless we move a bit farther. You wait next to the stairs, Kii-boy." Kirito nods his head as Argo moves cautious while back downstairs, the others are waiting for Argo and Kirito.
Liten asks, curiously, "Do you think that they will be okay?"
Usagi says, nervously, "I hope so."
Miyako says, with a grin, "I'm sure that they will be fine. They are quick on their feet."
Asuna tells Usagi, "I know how you feel, but we need to have faith in them."
Yamato says, "They won't let us down…"
Takeru says, with a nod of his head, "I feel the same way, but remember, while the boss seems the same, we don't know how much this version is from the beta. It could be a slight chance like the third floor boss with the addition of poison attacks or a radical change like the fourth floor boss, since that floor changed from a canyon wasted into the Aincrad version of Venice."
Juniper says, "That's encouraging."
Yamato says, "But my bro is right. We need to be careful and take the information from the beta with a grain of salt. Plenty of former beta testers died depending on their experiences in the SAO beta."
Liten asks, curiously, "They did?"
Miyako says, with a sigh and plain tone, "Yeah. During the first month, we witnessed a good number of former beta testers dying because they depended on their beta experiences in which the slightest alteration from the beta cost them their lives." Miyako says, with a sneer, "This is why we really don't like your guild's leader. He was bashing the beta testers and implying that none of them died to make them seem like the villains around here…it just pissed me off!"
Sam says, plainly, "We're not sure about the exact numbers, but among the first two thousand to die during the first month of this horror, a good number of them were former beta testers." Liten and her comrade in the ALS, Okotan, give a slight flinch, knowing what Miyako is implying.
Taichi says, plainly, "While I don't want to bash your leader in front of his guildmates, I have to agree that while his leadership is decent…his 'ability' as a person in general…"
Okotan says, with a sigh, "Yes, plenty of us know about Kibaou's 'personality quirks', but he has proven to be an inspiring leader and he didn't make the choice lightly."
Yamato says, "Yeah, we get that. We didn't say that he was a baka. It is his nasty temper and his 'disposition' against the beta testers that really gets our ire. While there are ones that did exactly what he said, it shouldn't be too surprising. This was supposed to be just a fun game. How would you react if you found out that it turned into a 'life or death battle'? The beta testers, like the non-beta testers, must have friends, family, and other 'loved ones' back home! Can you blame them from wanting to survive and find a way back home to those people as soon as possible? And like Agil said, there are a good number of beta testers that gave help in the form of their experience in the beta, so, what he was implying about them rub us the wrong way." Okotan and Liten can't retort in anyway, knowing that Yamato has a point with his words.
Usagi says, "Anyway, let's not focus on that. We need to remain united if we are going to get through this."
Asuna says, nodding her head, "I'm in agreement. We can't let anything divide us at the moment. If we are going to get through this and prevent a fracturing of all the players, here, in the front-lines, we need to win this battle."
Taichi says, nodding his head in agreement, "Agreed. Right now, any 'problems' that we have need to be put on the 'backburner' since we are together, and we need to work as a team especially against this opponent."
The others nod their heads in agreement in which Usagi thinks in her mind, "Asuna and Taichi are excellent leaders. Asuna is going to be a good leader for us in the future."
But before anything else could be said, they heard Kirito's voice boom out, "Argo!"
This surprises everyone causing Juniper to ask, "What was that?"
Asuna says, seriously, "That was Kirito!"
Taichi says, seriously, "And he sounds like in a panic!"
Takeru says, seriously, "Something might have gone wrong!"
Liten asks, nervously, "W-What do we do?" Usagi takes off immediately without saying a word causing the others to be surprised.
Miyako says, shocked, "Whoa! Hey, girl!"
Taichi says, seriously, "Move!" Immediately, everyone else races off after Usagi in which all of them go up the stairs where they pile into the room.
Hafner shouts out, "Hey, are you, all right?"
Shivata asks, looking around, "Weird, the boss hasn't shown up yet?!"
Kirito then screams out, in a panic, "Evade! Evade!" At this moment, plenty of the noticed then noticed circles of light on the floor causing them to yelp where they quickly get their 'meaning'.
Takeru, Yamato, and Usagi shout out in unison, fearfully, "EVADE!" The raid group, minus Kirito and Argo, who were nearby, immediately tried to leap away from the circles, but being close together, Shivata and Lowbacca collided and fell in the process causing them to be stuck due to the tumble debuff in the process. This made them unable to avoid a massive arm that pops out of the ground and grabs them.
Liten says, horrified, "Shiva!"
Usagi says, seriously, "Attack the arm! Hurry!"
Kirito shouts out, "Horizontal Arc on the arm! Asuna, use your Parallel on it too!" Moving quickly, Usagi uses the One-Handed Sword Skill, Horizontal Arc, while Asuna uses the two-strike Rapier Sword Skill, Parallel Sting, on the arm at the same time causing the desired effect of causing the arm to release Shivata and Lowbacca in quick order. Kirito then says, "Everyone, get to the closest wall now!" Immediately, the group does what Kirito says as more arms and legs burst out of the circles where they block the stairs, preventing the retreat of everyone from the room. Kirito tells everyone, "Once you're at the wall, stop and make sure that you aren't stepping on any lines!" Soon enough, they manage to get away from the 'lines' on the ground though they had to help Nezha due to his minor FNC causing problems with his depth perception in this virtual world. Kirito then tells everyone, "Everyone who has suffered damage, drink a pot while you listen! Those arms and legs belong to the boss! You see those blue lines on the floor! Step on them, and lines on the floor and ceiling start moving around randomly, creating target circles either below or above the person that stepped on it! When the lines stop moving, the arms come up from the floor to grab you and the feet come down the ceiling to stomp you!"
Agil asks, "So, you're saying that as long as we keep straddling the lines, the arms and legs won't attack us?!"
Kirito responds, with a nod, "That's right! At max, it can attack with two arms and two legs at once! If the arm grabs you, it'll lift you up about thirty feet and do simultaneous damage to your HP and armor durability!"
Juniper says, "Well, that's bad!"
Takeru says, "But it looks like you can make the arms let go."
Kirito says, with a nod, "From what I saw, you can force it to release someone with a two-strike skill from a one-handed sword."
Sam asks Kirito, "What about the feet?"
Kirito says, shaking his head, "Don't know since we didn't get stomped yet…thankfully. But I'm guessing that the damage that you can take from them is worse than the arms and if they are like General Baran, they can create shockwave, so, you could get tripped up if you don't avoid them."
Taichi says, with a plain tone, "Tumble debuff and that means trouble."
Sam says, seriously, "There is good news."
Juniper asks, curiously, "There is good news?"
Sam says, "If there was a full raid party, there was no way a full-raid party could move around here without at least one of them stepping on those lines, but with our group, we have more room to maneuver."
Miyako asks, "But if we don't get those limbs to pop out, we can't damage them. How can we fight the boss like this?" Before an answer can be made, the 'lines' on the ceiling over the stairway started to shift causing 'surfaces' to come down from the ceiling where they formed a massive symmetrical object: A golem's face. This massive 'face' is rough and blocky where it is like something from early 3-D games with a jutting forehead, sunken eye sockets, square noses, and the like in which the eye sockets then glowed with eerie light while a complex symbol appears on the forehead. Soon after, the group sees six HP bars appear over the giant's head with the lowest bar being a tiny bit lower than the other five HP bars above it, but it was a VERY small difference. Just then the name of the creature is revealed: Fuscus the Vacant Colossus.
Kirito whispers lowly, "The name…is totally different from the beta…" Just then the massive boss, Fuscus the Vacant Colossus, unleashes a powerful bellow that shakes the whole tower causing defense lowering debuff icons to be displayed under the HP bars of all the members of the party.
Yamato says, seriously, "Crap! We've been hit by a defense drop debuff!"
Juniper asks, nervously, "What do we do now?"
Kirito responds, "We need to spread out and watch the lines carefully! Dodge them whenever possible, and if you step on one, check the floor and ceiling for circles and get out of the way if you see any! If you can, attack the limbs when they appear!"
Usagi says, with a nod, "Right!"
Kirito tells Nezha, "The gaps are bigger along the wall, so it's easier to avoid the lines! When they stop moving, aim your chakra at the symbol on its forehead!"
Nezha replies, a bit nervously, "G-Got it!"
Sam says, "But someone is going to need to trigger the trap to get those arms and legs to come out!"
Kirito says, plainly, "That's my job."
Asuna and Usagi look at Kirito in shock causing Usagi to say, "That's dangerous, Kirito!"
Kirito responds, with a nod, "I know, but I'll be okay! Trust me!" Asuna and Usagi reluctantly nod in agreement in which Kirito takes a deep breath causing him to say, "Here we go!" Kirito then intentionally step on a line and causing the desired effect causing a black arm to burst out of the area where Kirito stepped on one of the lines, but Kirito had already leaped out of the way of the circle that appeared below him before the arm burst out. Kirito, Asuna, Usagi, and Argo unleashed a four-pronged attack on the arm. Fuscus' head, still on the ceiling, opened its mouth, in which Kirito realized that the golem is preparing to unleash another roar, causing another debuff effect, but Nezha, using his chakram, managed to hit the symbol on its forehead causing it to retreat and stop its attack.
Takeru says, excitedly, "It worked!"
Taichi says, "All right! We have a battle plan!"
Hafner says, with a nod, "Affirmative! We'll try attacking next!"
Agil says, nodding his head in agreement, "Same here!"
Okotan says, also nodding his head, "Us here, too!"
Kirito says, with a nod, "Right!" The group continues on against the boss in the same way until Nezha notices something.
Nezha yells out, in a worried tone, "Kirito! The wall!" When Kirito looks at the wall, the lines on the floor and ceiling began to stretch out to the walls.
Kirito, upon seeing this, shouts out, "Retreat! Back to the stairs now!"
Usagi asks, worriedly, "But what about you?!"
Kirito says, seriously, "I'll be fine!"
Hafner says, concerned, "But…!"
Taichi says, interrupting in a serious tone, "We don't have time! If there is a new attack pattern, we need to know how it works! I hate putting Kirito at risk, but we need a plan!" Hafner nods his head, reluctantly, where he prepares to leave, but then Asuna and Usagi notice something disturbing.
Asuna yells out, pointing to the ceiling, "Kirito!" Kirito looks up in the direction that Asuna is pointing and he is shocked to see the giant's face has vanished.
Liten's voice booms out, "No, Shiba!" When Kirito looks in the direction of Liten's voice, he is horrified to find that where the staircase was, the golem's head has taken its place and Shivata, down to the waist, was trapped in its mouth.
Miyako shouts out, flabbergasted, "What the heck?! The stairway turned into its mouth!"
Takeru says, seriously, "We're trapped!"
Juniper asks, fearfully, "Now what?!"
Usagi says, seriously, "We need to rescue Shivata first!" Liten is trying to force the mouth open, with no success, while Agil leaped onto the head and hitting the symbol on its forehead with his axe, but unlike before with Nezha's success, Agil's axe is not having any effect.
Kirito asks, irritated, "Damn it! What's the deal with this boss appearing and disappearing all over place?"
Asuna responds, "This is what they meant by 'Vacant Colossus'…" When Kirito looks at Asuna in confusion, Asuna says, "Vacant means empty, and colossus means giant statue."
Sam says, seriously, "Oh, crap! This whole room is the boss! We're practically inside of the boss itself!"
Juniper yells out, flabbergasted, "You have got to be kidding me! That's insane!"
Kirito thinks in his mind, "You took the words right out of my mouth." On the meanwhile, Shivata's armor is close to breaking and if it breaks, he will suffer lethal damage to his HP, killing him instantly.
Shivata shouts out, "Damn it! My armor is about to break!"
Hafner says, seriously, "Don't give up, Shivata!"
Liten says, "We're going to save you!"
Shivata says, seriously, "It's no use! Licchan, let go of its mouth!"
Liten responds, "No, I'm going to save you!"
Kirito shouts out, "Agil, hit the sigil with a sword skill!"
Agil responds, "I can't! There is none!"
There are gasps of shock, but then Liten yells out, "I won't let you kill Shiba!" Liten then manages to get into the mouth of the giant holding Shivata, just as his armor shatters, in which she uses her armor to protect him from sharp teeth of the giant's mouth.
Shivata shouts out, shocked and fearful, "No, Licchan! What are you doing?!"
Liten responds, "Because I'm a tank! It is my duty to protect others!"
Yamato says, seriously, "Her armor won't hold out forever! We need to hurry!"
Takeru asks, seriously, "But what?!"
Usagi thinks in her mind, close to a panic, "The sigil! The sigil! We need to find its weak point! If it isn't on its head anymore, its weak point must be somewhere else!" Usagi frantically looks around for any sign of the sigil that was on the golem's head, which is its weak spot, but didn't see anything. Just then Usagi gets an idea and yells out, "Keep an eye for the symbol! I'm bringing out the arms and legs!" The others look at her in surprise, but before anything could be said or done, Usagi starts to purposely step on the lines to cause the target circles to appear to bring out the boss' arms and legs.
Nezha then shouts out, "Found it!" When everyone looks where Nezha is point, the weak point of the boss is on the back of the blocky left knee, but due to him focusing on finding the weak spot, Nezha couldn't avoid the shockwave of the stomp attack causing him to fall over and suffer a tumble debuff.
Kirito says, charging in, "You're not getting away!"
However, Argo's voice booms out, "Duck, Kii-boy!" Just then Argo uses Kirito as a springboard to accelerate to the weak point of the boss, currently on the back of its knee, and uses a Claw Sword Skill, Acute Vault, to strike it causing the head to give out an expression of pain and 'spit out' Liten and Shivata. While Liten's armor has some damage, it is repairable.
Kirito says, "Everyone, it is too soon to celebrate!"
Taichi says, seriously, "That's right! We're dealing with a new attack pattern! We need to change tactics and fast!"
Kirito tells Shivata, "Shivata, get back downstairs and recover your HP!"
Taichi tells Kirito, "Not a good idea right now!" Kirito looks at Taichi causing him to say, "We, now, know that the boss can temporary block the way out! It is similar to what happened on the fourth floor, remember? The boss, there, had an attack that temporary trapped us in the room unless someone from the outside opened the doors to 'undo' the block. We can do that, again, here, but if Shivata or any of us goes downstairs in which the boss becomes the stairway again, our group could be cut off and that would be bad!"
Shivata says, with a nod, "Taichi has a point, Kirito! I'm staying in the fight!"
Usagi says, concerned, "But your armor…!"
Shivata says, going through his menu, "I have a backup!" Shivata then has another set of heavy armor on him, in classic 'game fashion', and while it looks weaker than his previous armor, it seems sufficient for the job.
Kirito tells Shivata, "Okay, but don't push it!" They continued on the fight and while they suffered numerous debuff causing plenty of headaches, they managed to keep at the boss and managed to bring it down to its final health bar within half-an-hour. At that point, the golem's head gives a massive roar and its 'eyes' turned a deep red color.
Taichi says, seriously, "This is it! The final phase!"
Kirito says, "It's going to change attack patterns again! If you are short on potions, say the word!" Hafner and Wolfgang declare that they are low on potions in which Kirito gives them two bags containing half-a-dozen potions, each, to them where they each take one apiece where all of the lines focus around Fuscus' head in which he comes down from the ceiling in a proper golem body.
Usagi says, "It is in a proper body now! We can try our original plan!"
Taichi says, seriously, "You heard her! Get into positions!"
Hafner says, with a nod, "Got it!" Immediately, they get into formation and much like Kirito suspected, Fuscus' attacks in this form include only simple punching attacks, foot stomping combo, the debuff 'roar', heat lasers from its eyes, and a frenzy mode for its final stage, but due to this fact, the group's original plan worked well and at the end, Kirito used the One-Handed Sword Skill, Horizontal Square, a four-strike skill, to finish off Fuscus in which the sigil splits off the head of Fucus before shattering into shards of data particles where the golem's eyes 'blinked' irregularly where, soon after, something like flames erupted from its form before exploding into thousands of data particles. Afterwards, the standard 'Congratulations' sign appears near the ceiling and soon after, from the ceiling, a stone spiral staircase descended down.
Kirito says, with a sigh of relief, "It's over…"
Taichi says, "No, not yet…" Kirito looks at Taichi and Kirito nods his head at understanding, knowing what Taichi is implying.
Juniper asks, curiously and a bit nervously, "What do you mean by that?'
Yamato says, plainly, "We've beaten the boss, but now, there is something else to consider." Juniper gives a confused look, but her eyes widen, knowing what Yamato is implying.
Juniper says, her voice still containing a slight nervous tone, "Oh, yeah…"
Taichi tells everyone else, "Everyone, it is time to go through your inventory."
Plenty of the group get confused looks and Kirito says, "Remember, the point of this was to get the guild flag."
Agil says, with a nod of understand, "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about this." Immediately, everyone brings up their player menus to go through their inventories.
Usagi says, amazed as her eyes widen, "I've got it!" Everyone looks towards her as Usagi as she materialized from her player inventory, a ten-foot-long spear with a pure white triangular banner wrapped around a mirrored silver handle.
Miyako says, amazed, "Wow." A few members of the group, including Okotan, give sighs of relief.
Takeru says, with a smile, "And that's that."
Nezha asks, curiously, "So, what do we do now?"
Taichi says, with a smile, "We did say that if any of us get it that it would go to either Kirito, Asuna, or the 'White Swordswoman' for safekeeping, but since she already has it, we know who is going to get keep it."
Usagi asks, shocked, "Wait! What?"
Agil tells Usagi, with a smile, "Personally, I think that it is in the best hands possible."
Usagi says, nervously, "Whoa! Wait a minute!"
Juniper tells Usagi, with a sly smile, "Sorry, girlfriend, but you are now 'keeper of the flag'!" Juniper tells the rest of the group, with a sly smile, "Who better to keep it safe than one of the strongest girls in Aincrad? And the one always think about the best for everyone? You know that I'm right!"
When plenty of the others nod their heads in agreement, Usagi says, with a deadpan tone, "I can't believe this…"
Both Kirito and Asuna, having nervous expressions on their faces, gently pat Usagi on the back causing Kirito to say, nervously, "I have to agree with Juniper on this one."
Asuna says, with a kind smile, "I hate to say it, but I'm with Kirito. You are one of the best hands to keep that safe."
Argo tells Usagi, with a sly grin, "Besides, how can you get a bigger target on your back that you don't have already?" Usagi, her face hidden by her special hooded cloak, Kirito, and Asuna give Argo 'dirty looks' of annoyance at Argo's sarcastic comment. Argo tells Usagi, a bit nervously, "I'm just kidding ya! Don't worry, I'm sure that you'll be just fine."
Usagi responds, sarcastically, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Takeru asks, "Okay, with that done and over with, we know that Kirito has the Last Attack bonus, but what about the other prizes?"
Kirito says, plainly, "If you won any of the other bonus items, just keep them. You, guys, let me have that and with the flag in safe hands, it is only fair."
Miyako asks, "But what about getting out of here?"
Taichi says, plainly, "We should go forward. Going back isn't possible since the ALS should be deep into this place by now and we can't have them spotting Liten, Okotan, Shivata, and Hafner."
Kirito says, with a nod, "The best bet is for all of you to get to the next floor, activate the teleport gate, and return to Karluin. In fact, you should go right now. Since we just defeated the boss, the enemy spawns will be greatly reduced for half-an-hour, so, you can get there safely."
Hafner says, with a grin, "Oh, yeah! I'm excited!"
Juniper asks, curiously, "What about the ALS? What will happened when they come here and discover that there is no boss?"
Yamato says, nodding his head in understand, "Good question. If they came here and found no boss, they would be confused at what's going on."
Miyako asks, curiously while looking at Liten and Okotan, "They wouldn't try anything to try to make the boss appear, would they?"
Okotan gives a slight nervous look at Miyako's question causing Kirito to say, "I'll stay behind and explain what's going on."
Usagi says, with a sigh, "I'll stay here with you." Kirito looks at Usagi causing her to say, "They are going to need proof that we defeated the boss and that we have the flag. If I show them the flag, it is all the confirmation that they need."
Taichi tells Usagi, "Are you sure?"
Kirito says, with a sigh, "I hate to admit it, but they are going to need to know that we…namely, she has the flag in which they are going to need actual proof of that." Kirito tells Usagi, "I could take over as 'custodian' if you want…"
Usagi tells Kirito, "I'll be fine, Kirito. I'm sure that they won't go too far for the flag." Kirito can't help to be unsure of Usagi's words in which Kirito glances at Okotan.
(Later on)
Later on, in the empty boss room, we find Kirito, Asuna, and Usagi together as they are waiting around for the ALS party to arrive in which when they do, they only find our trio waiting for them.
Kirito says, plainly, "Hi, guys."
One of them asks, surprised, "Blackie? What the heck are you doing here? Where is the floor boss?"
Kirito responds, "Sorry. Already beat them."
The ALS group look at each other with one of them commenting, "You know, I had a feeling…" A bit afterwards, the full ALS party was assembled with Kibaou, obviously, leading them.
Kibaou says, "It seems like ya defeated the boss! I would give you congratulations, but you need to explain a few things, or we can't go back to town!"
Kirito responds, with a sigh, "Okay, I will explain as best as I can."
Kibaou retorts, sternly, "First of all, you aren't going to tell me that you beat the boss with just yourself and these two! You obviously had help! Where did you get the muscle?"
Kirito replies, "I'm afraid that I can't tell you that."
Kibaou's eyebrow arches in irritation, but he yells out, "Second, it isn't a coincidence that you beat the boss just before we showed up? How did you know that we going to tackle the boss tonight?"
Before Kirito could answer, Usagi says, with a sigh, "Kibaou, I know what you want, and I tell you now. I have the guild flag and I don't plan on giving it to the ALS, DKB, or the Digital Knights. You want proof? Here it is." Usagi then produces the spear/flag, known as the Flag of Valor, from her player inventory into her right hand.
Plenty in the ALS are shocked at seeing the item, Kirito says, "I'll make this short. This is the Flag of Valor, the guild flag. Once it is planted on the ground, it provides four buffs to all guild members within fifty feet of the flag. It is useful item against bosses, but once registered to a guild, it can't be changed to another guild. Since she isn't with a guild and doesn't plan on joining a guild, among other reasons, we feel that she is perfect as its 'custodian' and she will keep the flag and not give it to ANY guild." Before any of the ALS members could say anything, Kirito says, "However, the three of us talked it over and we agree that we would give the flag to you…on two conditions."
Kibaou asks, plainly, "What are they?"
Kirito responds, "While I have two, I only need for one of them to be met. First, if a future boss drops the same or similar item, we will give the other one that didn't get that item this flag. So, the ALS will have one and so will the DKB."
Plenty in the ALS group grumble out this in which Kibaou then asks, "What about those Digital Knights? You are willing to hang them out to dry?"
Asuna responds, "Do you really think that they would be so petty?" Kirito smiles, knowing that Asuna responded in a way not to confirm nor deny the Digital Knight's involvement in the boss fight.
Kirito then says, "My second requirement is that in case the ALS and DKB merge to form a new guild. In that case, we will give you the flag instantly and that's that." Immediately, there were protests from the ALS group with roars of anger and indignation, which is pretty much what Kirito, Asuna, and Usagi were expecting.
But then a male voice shouts out, "I know the truth! They're not planning to give us the flag from the start! They're demanding the impossible from us so they can keep it and start their own guild!" Kirito, Asuna, and Usagi look to see the source of the voice to find it was none other than Joe, the dagger user in which he used a leather mask to hide his facial features, but his voice is completely familiar to Kirito, Usagi, and Asuna. Joe shouts out, "We don't have to listen to their nonsense Kibaou! There are only three of them! There are other ways to take that flag back!"
Kibaou asks, a deadly expression forming his face, "You mean by force, Joe?"
Joe responds, "Exactly! We've got four full parties, here, and it will be easy to just…!"
Kibaou yells out, pure fury in his voice, "You fucking idiot!" Kibaou grabs Joe by the shirt and Kibaou yells at Joe, angrily, "Yeah, the info on the guild flag that you brought us was accurate, but no matter how important that it is, if we draw swords on another player, we are nothing more than thugs and criminals! Sit your ass down and think about why the ALS exists again!"
Usagi thinks in her mind, surprised, "Wait! It was from Joe that Kibaou and the ALS got the information about the guild flag!" Usagi then thinks about Joe and what happened from the aftermath of the first boss battle up to this moment causing her to glance at Kirito while making slight motions towards Joe which Kirito quickly catches causing him to slightly nod.
Kibaou tells Kirito, "Sorry to having you hear that nonsense. As far as conditions go, you are going to tell the DKB the same thing."
Usagi says, with a plain tone, "Without a doubt. And I'm sure that the Digital Knights will agree to the same thing."
Kibaou says, with a nod, "Fine, I'll let you hold onto the flag…for now. Don't bet on the merger though. And about that 'other group'…I hate to admit that you damn well have a point about them."
Usagi tells Kibaou, "Kibaou…" When Kibaou looks at Usagi, Usagi asks, curiously, "Does Joe really hate Kirito and I so much?"
Kibaou asks, giving a confused look, "Huh?"
Usagi retorts, with a curious tone in her voice, "It feels like that Joe is always screaming for our 'heads' all the time that we have been in the same place. It may be just me, but it feels like he really wants to start trouble with us. But then again, I might be mistaken since he was screaming about Nezha's actions causing the death of a person due to him stealing their weapons…"
Joe screams out, annoyed, "What the heck are you trying to pull?" Joe looks at Kibaou and the other ALS members where he says, "You, guys, shouldn't listen to this witch! She…!"
Kibaou screams out, with a very annoyed tone, "Just for once in your life…shut yar darn mouth, Joe!" Kibaou tells Usagi, "If you don't darn mind, I would like it if you keep your ideas to yourself, girlie!" However, Kibaou adds, with a plain tone while glancing at Joe, "But I'll admit that Joe has been a little too…mouthy lately. He and I are going to need a talk about his big fat mouth and flapping his gums to cause all sorts of trouble for everyone!" Plenty of other members of ALS can't help to glare at Joe, who flinches from the glare where he also glances at Kirito and Usagi where they notice his eyes narrow in a dangerous manner.
January 1, 2021, SAO/Aincrad, Floor 5, Karluin
On the main city of the fifth floor of Aincrad, Usagi looks at the fireworks blooms in the sky, actually the ceiling, above causing a light smile on Usagi's face. She is currently alone, and she has her hood lowered where we can see her face as her blond haired tied in her two long pigtails with round buns.
Usagi thinks in her mind, "It has been nearly two months now…What are you doing? How are you celebrating the new year? I know that you are out there. You are so close, yet so far. Ever since I became Sailor Moon…No, even before Sailor Moon, I have never been so away from my friends. Molly and my childhood friends…then Darien-kun and the Scouts…I've always had people by my side. Well, I'm not alone in here…at least not anymore. If it weren't for Kirito and Asuna, this whole ordeal would be even more heartbreaking." As Usagi look towards the sky, she thinks, "I will get back to you…back home…no matter how long it takes me. Wait for me. And when that day comes, I hope to introduce you to Kirito and Asuna…someday. I hope and pray that they will come." Usagi takes a deep breath as she thinks in her mind, "We managed to complete the fifth floor, but we have ninety-five long floors to go. How long can we maintain such a pace? And we've been lucky so far. No more…casualties since the first floor boss, but how long can that last? Over two thousand lives were lost so far and with ninety-five floors to go, it may be only a matter of time." Usagi shakes her head to get rid of such thought as she puts her hood back over her head causing her pigtails to 'vanish' within the hood and her face/head to become obscure from the outside due to the special properties for her special hooded cloak. Usagi then heads the inside of the ruined old castle at the east end of Karluin where she knows that Kirito and Asuna are enjoying the fireworks. However, when she reaches a point, Usagi then sees Kirito and a human figure shrouded by a black hooded cloak behind him causing Usagi to become worried, especially realizing that this cloaked figure is one of the PK group that she, Asuna, and Kirito discovered about. Forgetting that Kirito is safe since they are in the safe zone, Usagi draws her sword and charges in to help Kirito. Usagi shouts out, "Kirito!"
The cloaked figure turns their head towards Usagi causing the figure to say, in a male voice, "Shit!" With the cloaked figure, revealed to be male, distracted, Kirito immediately draws his sword and spins to attack the cloaked figure where he unleashes a Slant One-Handed Sword Skill in which Kirito knows, due to the fact of being in the 'safe zone', his attack won't damage the cloaked figure, but that's not what his objective is. Kirito is trying to inflict a knockback and stun effect, however, the cloaked figure managed to avoid the attack. Kirito shouts out, "Usagi, stop him! Try to inflict a stun effect on him! He won't get damaged around here!" Usagi quickly nods her head, realizing that they are in the 'safe zone' in which there is no risk of killing the cloaked figure, but the cloaked figure slams a sphere on the ground causing an immense amount of smoke to cover the hallway. When the smoke clears, Usagi and Kirito seem to be alone.
But then a deep male voice says, "I'll see you and Kayaba's princess, again, count on it. See you and her again, Blackie." Kirito looks around frantically for the cloaked figure, but he sees nothing until he finds a large knife on the ground.
Usagi yells out, concerned, "Kirito!"
After Usagi runs over to Kirito, he tells her, "Thanks, Usagi."
Usagi asks Kirito, concerned, "Are you okay?"
Kirito responds, "Just fine. We're in the safe zone after all."
Usagi nods her head in understanding where she asks, "Who was that?"
As Kirito picks up the large knife, which he finds to be heavy, Kirito says, as he puts the knife in his inventory, "That was him, Usagi. He was the one that tricked Nezha and the Legend Braves into that upgrading scam…and the one that's Morte's boss."
Usagi gasps causing her to ask, worriedly, "The leader of the PK gang?"
Kirito says, with a nod, "Yeah, it's him. He tried to trick me out of the 'safe zone'." Kirito then says, worriedly, "Asuna…"
Kirito prepares to charge off in which Usagi tells Kirito, "Whoa, Kirito! She's all right! We're all still in the same party and her HP counter hasn't gone down at all! She must be still in the safe zone!"
Kirito calms down causing him to say, "Y-You're right, Usagi. She wouldn't get tricked so easily."
Usagi tells Kirito, "So, the leader is a guy, right? Why would he reveal himself to you?"
Kirito responds, with a plain tone, "We got his attention." Usagi quickly understood what Kirito was implying.
Usagi tells Kirito, "Let's get back to Asuna. We need to tell her what happened."
Kirito says, nodding his head, "True, but let's tell her in the morning."
Usagi replies, a smile on her lips, "Good idea." Usagi and Kirito start to walk towards where Asuna is sitting, but Usagi can't help to worry that if the leader of the PK gang has revealed himself to Kirito that things in Aincrad were getting more complicated and not only because they are getting tougher as they advance up this floating castle world. For the moment, Usagi plans to enjoy the start of the new year with Kirito with new hope of getting back home and those she left behind in the 'real world' while at the same time, the Digital Knights are also assembled together and enjoying their menu under the fireworks as they are thinking similar thoughts as well.
The End…of the story
And there we go! I wanted to post this last month, but things got…complicated. As I said in the start, I wrote this story to celebrate the announcement of the making of Progressive light novel into an anime and for Halloween, but it took quite a while to finish. Hopefully, future one-shot stories won't take as well. I just heard that first Progressive novel will be turned into a movie instead of an anime and personally, I don't think that's a bad idea. So, in honor of the announcement of the first Progressive movie, I've continued on until this story was finished. I hope that you like, folks! Later and best wishes, Crossover Fans!
