Author Notes: Today is a happy day. It isn't just another day for this story to be updated, but there are other things to be happy for. A beautiful moment.

I am proud to announce that my niece has been born. She has been born healthy and well. Fate has a strange sense of humor because she was born the same day my father had his heart attack last year. Perhaps it was meant to act as a redemption for that day. I still remember last year hearing about my father's heart attack while driving home from work. He didn't die that day, but I knew it was the end after I heard about it. He suffered several episodes during 2018 and 2019, but that episode felt final to me. It now makes me feel happy knowing that day will now be the day my niece was born, and I'm grateful for that.

For less happy, but still exciting news, I'm sure you all heard that Sword Art Online Progressive will be getting an Anime adaptation. In case you don't know, Progressive is basically a soft reboot of the series. It basically takes what happened in the original series, but it greatly expands upon it. Similar to my story, it actually explores the earlier floors without the massive time skips. I look forward to seeing those stories get animated along with seeing how Kirito and Asuna's early friendship develops as well. Similar to my story, Argo plays a larger role, so that is something to look forward to as well.

As usual, I hope everyone is staying safe out there. Happy reading and please leave a review when you're done.

/

The Kirita Chronicles

Story Arc V: A Well Earned Holiday

Chapter Forty-One: New Setups – Part I

/

Plans need to be set

They can be easy or hard

You must be ready

/

Date: February 2023

Location: Sword Art Online – Floor One – Starting City

When Akio traveled through the teleportation gate, it only took him a few seconds to arrive on the first floor. It worked just like it did in Sci-fi. One of many fine conveniences of living in a video game since it saved Akio a week's worth of walking. However, like most things even teleportation had its drawbacks.

Even though the sensation was brief, Akio could never get used to teleportation. It didn't matter whether it was through the use of these gateways or a stone. He always felt like his body shattered into pieces like the monsters he had slain before being reformed at his destination.

It was then that Akio held up his hand and flexed his fingers individually. He thought about how they felt when he was teleported. Based on what he's seen, he considered that shattering to pieces was most likely the case. Despite this feeling, he decided it was best not to dwell to heavily on that. He had more important things to worry about.

After Akio stepped out of the teleportation gate, he felt a little light headed. He took an awkward step forward as he massaged his right temple. He felt his pointer and middle fingers circling around her forehead to provide some relief. He then involuntarily took a step back to rebalance himself. This feeling was possibly due to the teleportation. However, Akio believed it was a mixture of that and the nostalgic feeling he was experiencing.

Akio was in the middle of the Starting City. This was the same city that Akio first arrived after he put on his NerveGear and entered Sword Art Online. He looked around to see that the teleportation gate took him to the plaza in the middle of the town square. It was the very plaza that was his first destination in the game.

The plaza was an open area. When Akio looked around, he could see there were various players walking around and chatting. They were passing him by without paying him any mind. Beyond them, there appeared to be bazar set up. There were accessories, jewels, and other clothing that were on display that were being sold to the various players that surrounded him. Beyond that, there were numerous of buildings on the perimeter.

None of the buildings appeared to be taller than three or four floors. Most of them appeared to be either stores, restaurants, pubs, inns, or residences. Very few buildings stood out to him. In fact, Starting City appeared to be nothing more than another city filled with normal people going about their lives. Akio was just another player in this crowd.

While Akio did not feel any special attachment to this city, he couldn't erase the fact he spent a great deal of time here when the Death Game began. To be more accurate, he spent a lot of time locked in a random room. He had hardly taken a step outside until he finally decided to venture out. Taking that first step ultimately resulted in him meeting Kirita. It wasn't that long ago while it conversely felt like it had been a lifetime.

Akio's eyes wandered as he stepped into the middle of the plaza. It didn't take long before he noticed the coliseum. It was the same coliseum Kayaba teleported all the players. Akio remembered when all the players had been gathered, Kayaba took the form a Grim Reaper that hovered over them. He remembered how Kayaba told them the rule of the Death Game and how their only hope to live was to win. Akio wasn't sure what frightened him more the rules of this game or the Grim Reaper.

Thinking about that night still gave him chills. The words still rung true. That was months ago, but little had changed to better the situation. Even looking at that coliseum from a distance reflexively gave him a chill that crawled up his spine. He also couldn't help but think about how Argo and Kirita had been in the same coliseum. It was hard for Akio to believe, but he knew it was true.

All the players were in the same place. They witnessed the same event. For all he knew, Argo and Kirita were on opposite sides of him. Their paths simply hadn't crossed yet. The same was true for other players he would encounter, including Delano, Gorobei, and Kikuchiyo. They all experienced the same thing he did, and he couldn't picture any of them getting chills or locking themselves in a room for over a week. Not based on what he'd seen of them.

"Hey, Akio!" Akio was brought of his thoughts by a familiar voice. It was none other than the famous Information Broker Rat himself, Argo. He was standing in front of him. Or rather he was standing with upper body bent to the side as he jokingly told Akio, "Try to get your head out of the clouds. Gawking around isn't gonna get us anywhere. We got some work to do."

Akio merely replied with, "Um … Right …"

When Argo stood up straight, he looked toward the coliseum and then looked at Akio before rhetorically asking, "Stuck in memory lane?"

Akio answered, "Sort of …"

Argo chuckled as he patted Akio's shoulder and remarked with a hint of smugness, "I know you were. No need to hide it."

Akio decided not to acknowledge that as he crossed his arms and worded his inquiry, "Did you find out more about the post office?"

"I made it a priority." Argo took a step back while grinning ear to ear as he remarked, "Something so simple yet beneficial to my business would be a dream come true."

Akio shrugged, "Of course it would be."

"Oh?" Argo raised an eyebrow, "You make it sound like you don't want my business to get better. You know it'll be for the benefit of all of Sword Art Online if I do well. Don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Akio shrugged, "You'll probably be able to reach a lot more players."

"Not to mention it'll help increase the subscription to my paper," Argo then added, "which is currently in progress."

"Paper?" Akio sounded puzzled at first before saying, "Oh right, I think you might've mentioned something about that before, didn't you?"

"Maybe. Maybe I didn't." Argo shrugged, "I say a lot of stuff, so it's hard to keep track of it. I'll give you more of up close and personal look at it later. Anyway, I'm looking forward to making some more Cor out of this too, and that'll lead to even better things going forward."

Akio reminded Argo, "Let's try not to get too far ahead of ourselves, okay?"

"Certainly. One step at a time." Argo assured him, "I have one of my scouts checking for a potential post office location. Apparently, an NPC confirmed there is one not too far from here."

"Are you serious?" Akio did not hide his eagerness, "Let's go!"

"Whoa there." Argo held up his hand like a stop sign, "Not so fast, my friend."

"Why?" Akio sounded dumbfounded to put it mildly.

"I don't want to put the carriage before the horse, but you wanted to work things out with Leonardo, right?" Argo didn't even bother waiting for Akio's answer as he told him, "We should stop by his guild's shop first to see if he'd even remotely be onboard with an arrangement. We do need to take this one step at a time, right?"

Akio conceded, "Point taken. We might as well stop by the Forgers first."

"Good. Let's get moving." Without missing a beat, Argo began heading toward the Forger's guild building with Akio in tow.

/

As the two players walked around, Akio put up his hood. He attempted to not look conspicuous, but he could not stop his eyes from glancing from place to place with each step he took. With so many players, there were so many unknowns. He was not sure what to expect as he his hand was never too far from his rapier.

It was then that Akio felt a pat on his shoulder which caused his body to tense up as his body came to an immediate stop. His eyes were wide open as he slowly glanced to the side when Argo told him, "You're gonna have to do better than that, Akio." It was difficult for Akio to know what Argo's tone was. It didn't sound disappointed, but it was not the joking tone either. It was something different.

Argo continued walking, and Akio took a moment before he walked alongside him. As if reading Akio's mind, Argo told him, "Trying to make yourself 'not' noticeable might make you 'more' noticeable, Akio."

"…" Akio didn't say a word.

"You still have a lot of work, but you have done pretty well so far." Hearing that caused Akio's head to move back as his mouth was agape. Argo knew it was best to continue his point, "I do have to say that this is rather strategic of you. Before you would want to go with Kirita-san everywhere, but you were the one to suggest going on your own. You knew you'd potentially be entering the belly of the beast. One too many of you could catch their attention. What you're doing now is fine." Argo curtly added, "For now."

"That's nice and all, but are you sure I can't do more?" Akio inquired, "Is wearing the hood good enough? I don't need to wear a mask?"

Argo motioned to their surroundings, "Take a look around, my friend." Akio did just that as Argo suggested as then said, "I see plenty of players wearing hoods, but not too many are wearing masks. If you see a player wearing a mask, they're most likely on the field or doing guard duty for their guild."

That caught Akio by surprise as he asked, "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Argo confirmed, "Those Aincrad Liberation Front guys have some guards in front of their buildings wear masks just to make them look intimidating."

"Heh." Akio chuckled, "That sounds sad. How desperate are they?"

"Pretty desperate." Argo warned, "That also makes them dangerous. That's why you'll see a few of them committing crimes."

All the chuckles had left Akio as he surmised, "You mean pulling those bullying tactics on other players?"

"Yep. Some of them are trying to keep it under control, but there are too many players in that guild for their own good." Argo quickly gave a hypothetical, "We can have a few players trying to pull off the whole 'Law and Order' thing here and there, but there can be other players pulling bullying tactics on the floor above with no one to tighten their leash."

"What good can possibly come from something like that? It doesn't make a lick of sense." Akio then asked, "Won't a lot of players start to hate them or something?"

"You would think, but they can get away with it pretty easily." Argo stated in a matter of fact tone, "Bullying other players into giving them all their items and equipment aren't considered crimes in the eyes of the Sword Art Online system."

Akio bluntly stated, "That's a pretty messed up system."

Argo concurred, "Ain't it the truth, but that's reality here."

Akio inquired, "Then, what are crimes here?"

"I'm sure you know, but they're pretty much assaulting Green players on the field outside of a duel." Argo bitterly remarked, "You can punch out players in Safe Zones like this without any consequences."

"Man …" Akio shook his head, "I wonder if Kayaba considered any of this."

"I don't think so." Argo then made his position clear, "That man is intelligent, but I doubt he ever considered the loophole in his systems. He's probably one of those super intellects that completely fails to see them. I bet he never considers any of this was possible."

If Kayaba was here, Akio wouldn't hesitate to spit at him. Instead, the only thing he could do was remind Argo, "He did play God with us."

Argo concurred, "That's true."

"It doesn't matter." Akio said in disgust, "I don't care if he meant it or not. He's going down for everything he's done."

"Oh?" Argo raised an eyebrow followed with a grin, "You really want to tear him a new one, huh?"

Akio simply said, "Me and every other player here."

Argo shrugged, "Touché."

/

After their lively conversation had come to an end, they were outside the blacksmith shop. They could only hope that Leonardo happened to be there as he had been there before. When Akio and Argo entered the shop, they did not find Leonardo in his usual spot. Instead, they were greeted by an unfamiliar face.

The man stood up and gave a short bow, "Hello and welcome to the Forgers. My name is Zexion. How may I be of assistance?"

"Heh." Argo chuckled, "I heard someone here was a Kingdom Hearts fan."

"I get that a lot." Zexion replied in good humor before replying, "Welcome back, Rat." Without letting either Argo or Akio respond, Zexion told Argo, "Leonardo and I appreciate the business you've brought us. What would you like to discuss this time?"

Argo replied, "Like I said, if it works out for everyone, then I say it's good business."

"Heh." Zexion leaned on the counter as he told them, "If it wasn't business hours, I'd drink to that."

"I'll take you up on that some other time." Argo glanced around as he inquired, "Right now we'd actually like to speak with Leonardo? Is he around?"

Zexion replied in a deadpan tone, "Oh really? Can't say I'm surprised, but I'm sure you shouldn't be surprised he's off on another job."

"No. I suppose I should've seen that coming." Argo then stated, "My apologies. I would've sent a message in advanced and ask if he was available, but this was actually a bit of a last minute stop."

"Oh?" Zexion crossed his arms as he remarked, "That sound's interesting."

"It was my fault, sir." Akio spoke up, "I came here to discuss business with Argo-san originally, but then I also wanted to speak with Leonardo-san as well. I didn't even consider that he was busy today."

Zexion finally acknowledged Akio's presence with a raised eyebrow as he uncrossed his arms, "And who might you be?"

"Pardon me." Akio slightly bowed his head as he answered, "My name is Akio, Zexion-san."

"Ah. You're the solo player Leonardo told me about." Zexion extended his hand to Akio, "It's a pleasure to put a face to the name."

"Likewise …" Akio accepted the gesture. After they shook hands, Akio couldn't help but ask, "So Leonardo talks about me?"

"Oh, yes." Zexion stated, "I'm sure he'll be more than happy to speak with you when he's done. He should be done before the day is over. I can even send him your way."

"You can send him to the Church." Argo interjected, "That's where Akio will be spending the night."

Zexion replied, "How charitable of you."

Argo grinned as he informed Zexion, "I always treat my loyal customers well. That can include you as well."

"Worth considering. I hope you both have a good day." Zexion bowed his head.

"Of course. You as well." As Argo turned to leave, he seemed to remember something as he looked back at Zexion and told him, "You know, Valentine's Day is only about a week from now. I'm sure they'll be plenty of events you might be interested in."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Zexion inquired, "Do you think rare materials will be involved?"

Argo shrugged, "It's possible. Some event details aren't always clear until it's almost time."

Zexion raised an eyebrow again, "Is that so?"

Argo affirmed, "Yes."

Zexion replied, "In that case, I'll be sure to look into this myself."

Argo sounded a little 'disappointed' as he said, "If that's how you want to do it, it's your choice."

"I do." Zexion bowed his head slightly as he reiterated, "I hope you have a good day."

"You as well." Argo reminded him, "If you change your mind, my door is open."

Zexion replied, "The same is true for me."

Akio stood there. His lips were sealed. He kept his upper and lower lips clamped together, and he avoided making so much of a sound as he glanced between the two guild leaders and observed the exchanges they made. It was difficult for him to describe what he was witnessing.

As far as Akio could tell, there two have had meetings before. Things started off cordial, but there was something off about them. There was something underlying that devolved. It wasn't there at the start, but there was a tense feeling that was slowly building between the two. It was growing thicker by the second. The last thing he wanted to do was to somehow escalate it further.

/

After they were outside the Forger's building, Akio let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. He then sucked up the air again through his virtual nose, and he let it out before repeating the cycle.

This did not go unnoticed by Argo who asked, "You feeling better?"

It was then that Akio realized what he was doing as he hesitantly answered, "Um … Yeah."

Argo complimented, "Staying silent was the wise choice. An exceptionally wise choice."

Once again Akio was uneasily hesitant to reply, "Um … thanks?"

"There is no need for thanks." Argo once again spoke in a matter of fact tone as he stated, "I'm merely pointing out the fact of the matter."

Akio looked over his shoulder before asking, "Is it me or did he not like us that much?"

"You're probably not wrong." Argo casually replied, "Rats aren't exactly known for being the cleanest of animals. You could say the same is true for 'Info Brokers'."

"…" Akio remained silent.

Argo stated, "He's a guild leader so I can't say I blame him for being suspicious, but he isn't foolish enough to ignore prime business opportunities."

"I guess not." Akio pointed to himself, "Does he know …?"

Argo assured him, "I'm sure Leonardo only spoke about you. He's never had the pleasure of actually meeting our dear Kirita after all. He has deniability."

"I guess …" Akio lacked the same level of confidence that Argo clearly had.

Argo curiosity got the better of him as he inquired, "Speaking of, I wonder what she's doing now?"

Akio replied, "Probably doing some training."

"Even when she's on vacation?" Argo sounded impressed, "That is some dedication."

Akio stated in all certainly, "She won't want to lose her edge."

"That's good to know." Argo remarked, "I always knew I could count on her."

Akio added, "And me."

"Of course I can." Akio could not honestly tell if Argo was being sarcastic or if he was pretending to be sarcastic, but he decided not to push it.

"Hmph." Akio asked with a hint of dignity, "So where to now?"

Argo informed him, "We're heading to meet Gorobei and Kikuchiyo. I'm expecting we'll be hearing good news from them."

Akio asked, "They were the scouts?"

"Of course they were." Argo stated in a matter of fact tone, "They are my most dependable subordinates after all. Besides, Sasha wouldn't really want me sending out any of the kids right now."

Akio concurred, "No argument there."

Argo quickened the pace as he said, "Let's keep moving. We don't exactly have all day to dawdle."

/

The pair continued walking for a few minutes. With each step they took, they were getting closer to the walls of the Starting City. There were fewer players in the vicinity with each step they took, but Akio didn't notice right away. Instead, he focused on the exchange between Argo and Zexion as well as what Argo said.

It took a few moments, but it clicked. "You know about what you said before …" Argo was glancing in Akio's direction as he openly inquired, "Did he have an issue with you because you'd give away info to anyone?"

Argo finished the answer, "For the right price."

"Even so, isn't that a little hypocritical?" Akio inquired as he pointed out, "Don't they make equipment to whoever places an order?"

"True. However," Argo clarified, "I think they utilize their right to deny services to a customer far more than I do."

Akio raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

Argo did not look at Akio as he said, "It isn't important. There's Gorobei and Kikuchiyo up ahead."

Akio looked forward and saw that was indeed the case. He ran forward and called out, "Hey guys!"

Argo grinned as Akio ran ahead of him. This time he didn't say another word until the time was right.

/

Gorobei and Kikuchiyo were standing underneath one of the Starting City light posts. They were in was rather seclude area compared to other parts of the Starting City. They had seen a few NPCs in the area either checking out the shops or opening their businesses. However, they hadn't seen any other players besides themselves.

There were many words to describe how they felt as they stood there waiting for the rendezvous with Argo and Akio. The word they thought best described it was 'unsettling'. It was as if this was the equivalent of the lonely corner of the Starting City. Fortunately, this melancholy atmosphere was broken at the sound of a familiar voice.

The duo turned around to see Akio approach them with Argo in tow. Gorobei was the first to speak, "Well if it isn't our favorite sidekick."

"Sidekick, huh?" Akio sounded more amused than offended as he remarked, "Sounds like something that needs to be fixed."

Kikuchiyo assured him, "He's just messing with you, Akio."

Akio brushed it off by saying, "Yeah, yeah. I know, I know."

Kikuchiyo leaned over to Gorobei and whispered, "You are, right?"

Gorobei looked over to Kikuchiyo and replied in a dumbfounded tone, "Of course I am."

"Right …" Kikuchiyo cleared his throat as he spoke to Akio, "Anyway it's still kinda weird not seeing you with Kirita. You guys are usually attached to hip and a package deal kind of thing."

"Well," Akio sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he told the Samurai Brothers, "I decided to take some initiative of my own. Besides, I might be a little less noticeable than Kirita-san."

Gorobei concurred, "He has a point. Anyway, we found your post Office." With his thumb, Gorobei pointed behind him, "It's right there."

"Huh …" Akio looked the building up and down before surmising, "It looks like the same one in my village." He couldn't help but think out loud as he inquired, "Has it always been there, or did it come with the update?"

"Who knows?" Argo pointed out, "But there's no point in standing around here. Let's just see if we can set things up." All the players entered the building.

/

It did not take long for Akio to confirm the details of the Post Office in Starting City. It was consistent with what the NPCs told him back in his village. It would not be difficult for items and equipment be delivered to him and Kirita's residence as long as he had a connection to the person who was sending the package. He still had one more task to take care of before it could be set, but that could wait a little longer.

When Akio walked out into the street with the other players, things felt 'different' to him compared to when he first arrived in Starting City. There were 'residents' in the area, but he glanced around. These residents were not quite what he was looking for.

"By the way," Akio continued to glance around as he asked, "this might be a little weird, but are we the only players here?"

"You know what?" Kikuchiyo interjected, "Gorobei and I were talking about the same thing before you guys showed up. There only seems to be NPCs here. Friendly ones but NPCs."

"It really is no wonder why no one else saw that Post Office." Argo surmised, "As useful as NPCs are, they aren't just going to tell a player unless they're asked about it."

Gorobei remarked, "At least they were good enough to give us directions when we were looking for it, but that might be more due to their programming than anything else."

A chill crawled up Akio's spine as he saw a NPC walked by, "We should get going."

"Agreed." Argo stated, "I know Sasha wouldn't want us to get back too late. Besides, you really 'need' to get back, so you don't miss your meeting with Leonardo."

"Oh … right." Akio nodded, "We don't want to miss him." Akio then began walking with the other players back to the Church.

As the players were walking back, it was then that Kikuchiyo asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "You know there's one thing I'm not sure I'm getting. Why are there only NPCs here? I thought the Starting City was supposed to have the largest population of players here."

"A good question, but the answer might surprise you, Kikuchiyo." Argo answered as he led the group back to the Church, "Some of them probably just moved there."

Akio raised an eyebrow, "Moved there?"

"A lot of players are still living here." Argo pointed out, "Believe it or not, there's easily hundreds if not a couple of thousand living here."

Akio couldn't contain himself as he nearly shouted, "Thousands?!"

"Don't be that surprised." Argo calmly asked, "Didn't you notice how big the Aincrad Liberation Front are or how all those other guilds set up shop here?" He let Akio contemplate that for a moment before he then pointed out, "Starting City is big enough for all that because it's probably the biggest city in all of Sword Art Online."

"Hmm …" Akio did not need to do much reflection on what Argo said. He had been to many towns since he began his journey with Kirita. It was a fact that no other city or village he had been to could compare to Starting City.

Argo surmised, "With a whole lot of new neighbors some NPCs might've run out of room and needed to relocate. A lot of players seem to gather toward the center or near landmarks like the coliseum. Some players might not have liked being close to the walls, so that left room for those NPCs."

"Hmm …" Akio did not have to say much.

"So …" Gorobei hesitantly asked, "They act like regular people?"

"In a way, yes." Argo sounded astonished as he remarked, "It truly is impressive, but remember in this world, they're the closest thing to 'regular people'."

"?" Akio, Gorobei, and Kikuchiyo were all looking at Argo.

As if Argo could tell all eyes were on him, his eyes remained focused on what was in front of him as he told them, "They may be programmed, but I've seen some really unique things from these NPCs. They can really surprise you if you let your guard down."

Kikuchiyo sounded excited as he replied, "That sounds kind like it could be fun."

"It is." Argo concurred, "Life is much more fun when there are new things to uncover."

Once again Akio's lips were sealed. He didn't say a word as he listened to their exchange. He didn't want to offer any input. Instead, he remained silent as they walked back to the Church.

/

Date: February 2023

Location: Sword Art Online – Fourth Floor

The snow had stopped falling, but it had quickly managed to cover the landscape of the entire fourth floor. There did not appear to be anyone traversing the wilderness of floor save for one player. It was a hooded player running through the snow as fast as she possibly could. This player was none other than Kirita herself.

Each step required more energy than usual as Kirita's foot would be completely submerged in the snow, and it would reach past her ankle. Energy was emitting from her feet which allowed her slightly easier movement, but not by much. However, it saved her a few seconds with each step, and she understood that every second counts.

When Kirita heard the sound of children crying, she did her best to pick up the pace as she began to kick up the snow. She would breathe in through her nose and exhale as she continued to run with everything she had. She continued to do so until she reached her current objective.

/

After moving through the forest, Kirita found there were several of the village children cornered by what appeared to be a mini abdominal snowman. It has white fur that covered it's enter body, and it was only slightly taller than Kirita. His arms were elongated, and they nearly reached to his feet. He also had razor sharp teeth that looked like they could easily shread anything that it wanted to eat.

When Kirita saw the monster's mouth was wide open, she yelled, "Hey ugly! Leave those kids alone!"

That appeared to catch the monster's attention as it slowly turned its head in Kirita's direction. Kirita was able to get more detailed look at the monster's face. When it looked at her, it appeared as if it was smiling. Smiling at the idea of adding another item to its menu.

Most the children happily exclaimed, "Kirita!" However, one of the children that was named Austin signaled them to be quiet. They took advantage of the monster's distraction to run away.

When the monster's head turned to refocus on the kids, it's back suddenly felt a sharp stinging sensation enter come from out of nowhere. It looked to see that a knife had impaled its back. It looked to see Kirita's outstretched arm as she warned him, "Pay attention!"

The monster took that warning to heart as it focused its undivided attention on her. Kirita was going to do the same. She just had to hope that the kids would not get into any more trouble as she dealt with this monster.

Kirita drew her sword and shouted, "All right! Let's do this!" Kirita then glanced to her side and there was no one there. Instead, Kirita shook her head, and she focused on the monster that was charging at her.

Although the monster was capable of standing with two legs, it was down on all fours as it charged in Kirita's direction. It looked as if it was a Gorilla with white fur living in the wrong environment. Unfortunately, Kirita didn't have the luxury of time to appreciate this spectacle as she jumped out of the way of the charging monster.

The dodge was less graceful than Kirita was used to as she slid on the snowbank. She lacked the usual friction to stop herself. She had to concentrate on putting extra energy into her feet and legs. She could feel the snow melting around her feet as she forced herself to stop. When Kirita stood up, she understood it won't be a good idea to use her usual evade and strike tactics. Instead, she was going to need to use a direct method to deliver a decisive strike.

Kirita could see based on the monster's level that she could potentially take it down with one hit, but it would leave her vulnerable if it didn't work. Regardless, she had to try it. It was the best option.

It was then that Kirita decided that she would let the monster come to her. She would not need to take a step. She readied herself for when the monster was close enough. As the monster drew closer, she took a deep breath and let it out.

When the monster was close enough, it attempted to pound the ground where Kirita was standing. Kirita leap forward and slashed at the monster with everything she had in one hit. Kirita's blade dug into the side of the monster's body as she passed by it.

Kirita's strike had successfully connected. The monster sustained heavy damage, but it was not enough to kill it in one strike. Either her sword wasn't strong enough to pull off the one hit kill maneuver or her stats weren't high enough. She has no time to ponder that.

When Kirita looked over her shoulder, the abdominal snowman wannabee swung its arm in retaliation. Even when Kirita held up her sword to parry the attack, the strength of the swing caused Kirita's body to be lifted. It was an all too familiar feeling of her feet leaving the ground, and her body was flying across the field. As usual her landing was less than graceful. Her body came to a sudden stop as her back hit against a tree before plopping to the soft snow below.

The children called out in alarm, "Kirita!" That was another sound Kirita was familiar with.

Regardless of the situation, Kirita bit down on her lip as he attempted to ignore the sourness of her back. She held up her sword and plunged the tip into the ground, and she forced herself to stand.

When Kirita stood up, the first thing she noticed was the monster wasn't charging at her. It was licking the wounds Kirita gave it. Kirita realized that the attack the monster used to knock her away was not so much of a counterattack as it was a desperate attempt to knock Kirita away, so she could not do an immediate follow up attack.

Despite how her back felt, Kirita saw that she sustained only minor damage. She gritted her teeth to bare the pain as she stood up straight and taunted the monster, "Hey! Is that the best you got! I barely felt that!"

That appeared to get the monster's attention again as it became completely focused on Kirita. It then began charging at her wildly without any consideration to its current condition. With the way the monster was charging and kicking up snow, if it had a plow attached to its body, it would make an effective snowplow.

Kirita held up her sword and readied herself. She held her sword with her left as she grabbed her back with her right. When the monster was close enough, Kirita pulled a knife out with her right hand and flung it at the monster. The knife was spinning when she threw it. When the knife made contact, the blade did not hit it. Instead, it was the knife's hilt that connected, but it still did the job. The sudden hit in the forehead caused the monster's head to jerk backward. This left its chest wide open as Kirita now held the sword with both hands, and she slashed downward.

The forced of the strike was nearly enough to divide the monster in half before its body shattered to pieces Kirita sheathed her weapon as she was declared the victor.

With the monster gone, Kirita heard the children call out, "Kirita!" All the children Kirita saved ran and gathered around her. She heard them all talking at once. One of them said, "Thanks for saving us!" Another told her, "You're the best!" Another asked, "How'd you know we were here?"

"Calm down, kids. Calm down." All the children were surprisingly cooperative. After they settled down, Kirita answered, "I was hanging around my home when your parents came to me. They told me you all ran off in this direction. They were very worried about you, and you're lucky they were. I didn't expect you to run into a mini-boss out here."

"…" All the children did not have much to say about that.

"So …" Kirita put her hands on her hips as she inquired, "what exactly are you little munchkins doing out here?"

A young boy with short black hair identified as Austin answered, "We just wanted to have some fun."

"Okay …" Kirita replied, "That's good and all, but couldn't you have had fun having a snowball fight in the village where it's safe?"

A girl with curly blond hair identified as Carried replied, "It's too small. We've been all over the village ten times."

Kirita narrowed her eyes as she looked at the children and asked in a deadpan tone, "Are you saying this is all because you guys got bored?"

The five children looked down as they answered in a low tone, "Yes …"

Kirita sighed as she massaged her temple. She was attempting to process what she just heard before she replied, "Okay … So you wanted to have fun somewhere new? Is that what you're actually telling me?"

The children repeated the answer in the same tone, "Yes …"

"Okay …" Kirita took a breath, "Okay … I understand, but you do understand there are monsters out her, right?"

Austin spoke up, "They were supposed to be small. That's what we heard." Without hesitating, Kirita raise her hand and flicked Austin's forehead, "OW!"

"You have to be smarter than that!" Kirita had her hand on her hips as she told them, "Even small ones can be dangerous! You need to have some way to protect yourself when you're out here!"

"…" All the children looked down in shame after hearing Kirita give them a piece of her mind.

Kirita sighed again before looking to the sky. She could see the sun was still high in the sky. She then turned to the children and conceded, "We do have some time before the sun sets. If you want, we can have a little snowball fight right now."

The children sounded gleeful, "Really?"

"Yeah." Kirita nodded as she smiled, "As long as you don't wander off 'and' I can see you, we can play. But we only have enough time to do this for an hour. Is that understood?"

The children excitedly replied as a few of them jumped up, "Yeah!"

Everyone then spread out into positions and a new snowball fight could begin. With Kirita there to guard them, there would be no harm that would befall any of them until she returned them to the village.

/

Author Notes: Another chapter has come to an end. It is hard to believe I have made more than forty chapters of this. I can easily see it making it to a hundred since I have multiple story arcs planned, so this will definitely be a long runner.

After about thirty chapters, Zexion finally returned for a scene. I had to look through each chapter of the story I had written so far. I noticed that I mentioned him several times, but he hadn't appeared onscreen in nearly thirty chapters which surprised me greatly. I should probably not have such massive gaps between character appearances if I can avoid it, especially if they are supposed to be reoccurring characters.

On that note, I know there are several other characters who haven't appeared in sometime, such as Griselda. I know I wrote some pretty good scenes for her and her guild in the past. I should make sure to have her appear again in the near future since there are supposed to be scenes involving her. I might as well make them happen sooner rather than later if I can.

I'm sure you noticed the vast difference in how NPCs are treated in this game between the main characters. While it was understood in previous chapters, I think this chapter does a better job making it clear it is night and day. Of course, you saw there were players in Argo's group that were more in the middle.

In regards to future updates for "The Kirita Chronicles", I'm currently unsure if I will be able to produce a new chapter for this story before 2020 is over. As of this moment, I have vowed that I will complete my story, "Past is Prologue". It is my God Eater story that I have been updating on and off for years. While it hasn't gotten much of a following, I plan on seeing it through to the end or rather its stopping point. I aim to complete that story before 2020 is over similar to how I completed my Tales of Berseria stories, "Spoken & Unspoken Words" and "Sorrowful Peace" in 2018. That way I will be able to focus more of my attention on "Into the Fog" and this story in 2021 going forward along with potentially pursuing my own original content.

I will try to produce at least one more update for this story before 2020, but that is far from a guarantee. If a new update can't be done for 2020, I hope to give you the next one in early 2021. In the meantime, please review the chapters that I have already produced. The review count for the recent chapters has been somewhat disappointing. Receiving your feedback means a great deal to me.

Thank you for reading the chapter and please leave a review. See you next time.