"Are you sure this is the only way to beat this quest?" May asked as she, Wrottzen, Bojohn, and Ayumi hiked up a steep cliff toward Fort Bifrost.

"Maybe not, but this is the best way I can see with the resources we have on hand." He replied as the group took cover behind a large rock, just out of view of two guards blocking an entrance to the base

It had been a hard couple of months for the Hudson raid party. With nearly constant skirmishes from the Redcoats, the 2 month journey felt to many like it had taken 2 years. While travel north had been slow, it had provided ample time for the raid party to adjust to their new leadership. Many of Atlas' elites had scoffed at having a relatively inexperienced player such as Wrottzen as their leader, even after his initial success, but they soon reversed their position and accepted him as one of their own.

The final battle for Fort Bifrost was soon going to be underway but the battle was not going to be easy. The geography of the area made the Fort nearly impenetrable. The Fort was located on a steep hill with only one clear method of approach: to charge straight forward and hope to overpower the enemy with superior firepower. While the Atlas raid party was impressive and had only grown stronger over the past 2 months of battles, they still lacked the raw strength to take the fort through numbers alone. Fortunately, they had developed a plan. The mage Hailstone would lead the main Atlas force in a direct assault against Fort Bifrost's main entrance while a smaller team consisting of Wrottzen, May, Ayumi and Bojohn would sneak in through a smaller entrance on the other side of the base. While Hailstone and the others kept the Redcoats busy at the main entrance, the hope was that the smaller strike force could infiltrate the base, rescue the true Atlas commander, Hin, and defeat the enemy commander.

"Are you in position?" Hailstone asked via the telepathic link.

"Yup. Let's begin Operation Snowstorm." Wrottzen replied, cringing slightly at the name Hailstone had insisted on attaching to the mission.

"Alright you chowderheads! You know the drill!" Hailstone yelled before the link could be cut. "Let's give them hell!"

As few moments later, the temperature dropped a few degrees and a loud crash could be heard from the other side of the Fort.

"Looks like he started a blizzard." Ayumi deduced. "Now we have to hurry and do our part."

"I suppose..." Wrottzen sighed before unequipping himself down to his underwear. He took a second to compose himself before emerging from cover and running toward the confused guards, who were on the verge of responding to the commotion Hailstone was causing.

"H-Help me!" He yelled, trying to play the part of a damsel in distress as best he could. "T-The adventurers came and stole everything I own! Please help me brave sirs!"

Flustered and confused at the busty 'maiden' that had appeared before them and the attack currently in progress against the base, the two guards were easy targets for Ayumi, who rushed in with inhuman speed to behead both of the Redcoats.

"Oh boy. Here I go killing again." She said jokingly as she brushed a bit of dust off her outfit.

"We'll all be killing our fair share today." Wrottzen said as she quickly reequipped her gear. "But did I really need to be the one to distract the guards like that?"

"We needed Ayumi to deal the finishing blow and, as much as I hate to admit it, your assets are simply bigger than mine." May explained as Bojohn opened the door into the base.

"That's the price you pay for choosing a busty girl as your character." Bojohn joked as he glanced inside the doorway. "The path's all clear. Where are we going first?"

"We need to find Hin and his weapon." The guardian replied. "We'll search level by level until we find Hin at the very least. We'll need him for the final boss battle."

"Let's go then!" Ayumi declared, excited to see her crush again after so long. "Remember. Move quickly and keep to the shadows."

"Right!" The remainder of the team affirmed before they began their search of the Fort.

Hailstone's attack on the front entrance was working wonders as the small infiltrating team barely encountered any Redcoats as they raced through the Fort. Any enemies the small party did encounter were quickly dispatched by a few precise slashes from Ayumi. The assassin hardly blinked at all as she cut her way through each enemy. The past couple of months without Hin to act as a buffer to the rest of the guild had forced her to reform her attitude slightly. While it could no longer be said that she was on bad terms with the remainder of the guild, it still couldn't be said that she was on good terms with them either. Her passion for her childhood friend hadn't weakened but had simply been tempered into something that could work with the rest of the guild so that they could rescue their leader.

"Wait a sec." May said as the group stopped briefly in a nondescript corridor. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Bojohn asked as he strained to hear anything.

"This way!" The cleric declared as she lead the group toward the noise.

"Over there!" Wrottzen directed as a light came into view.

The group ran toward the light and came across a dimly lit corridor full of jail cells.

"Hello?! Is anyone there?!" The voice called once again.

"Hin!" Ayumi exclaimed excitedly before rushing over to his cell.

The past couple of months had clearly taken their toll on the Atlas guild leader. Although he was still dressed in his samurai armor, Hin was chained tightly against the wall by both his hands and legs. His posture was slightly slouched and bags were beginning to form beneath his eyes, indicating quite a few sleepless nights.

"So, I see prison life has been treating you well." Wrottzen joked as he gazed into the cell.

"Oh yes. Very well." Hin replied. "So well that I can't take another minute of it."

"I bet. Bojohn? Is there a key anywhere around here?"

"Yup. Here ya go." The swashbuckler tossed the key toward his friend only for Ayumi to snatch the key out of the air and rush to release her crush from his confinement.

Released from his shackles, Hin collapsed on the floor and gently massaged his formerly shackled limbs.

"L-Let me heal you!" May offered, seeing the young Samurai in pain.

"Don't waste your MP." He replied. "My Hp is full. It just feels weird to be free after being shackled for a couple months straight."

"I know your guild will be happy to have you back but can you fight?" Wrottzen asked, wanting to gauge Hin's usefulness against the raid boss.

"I can fight but I might not be in top form." He admitted. "I'm too sleep deprived to think strategically and the Redcoats took my katana."

"We'll take it." The Guardian replied, holding out a spare sword for Hin to use. "We're going to need all the help we can get against this boss."

"I hope I don't disappoint." Hin replied. "Now let's go put an end to this campaign!"

Now that their captured ally had been retrieved, the small party made their way directly to the throne room. Inside they found two Redcoats sitting on thrones with a prisoner chained to the wall between them.

"H-Help me!" The prisoner called.

"Who are these two?" Hin asked as the two Redcoat generals stepped off their thrones and prepared to fight.

"The one on the left looks like General Thomas Gage and the one on the right might be General William Howe." Bojohn replied, shocking Wrottzen and May. "What? Can't a guy take an interest in history?"

"What about the guy in the middle?" May asked as she lowered herself into an attacking stance.

"I'm not sure." The swashbuckler admitted. "But we should probably try to save him regardless."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Wrottzen said, drawing his own sword. "Hin! You and Ayumi can take General Gage. Me and Bojohn will take General Howe. May. You wait for an opening and go save the prisoner."

"Got it!" The entire party responded before rushing into battle.

"Over here Howe!" Wrottzen called as he and Bojohn charged in with their swords drawn. Howe blocked Wrottzen's Aura Saber with his own sword before quickly turning around to block a similar attack from Bojohn.

"You're going to pay you bastard!" Ayumi yelled as she ran into battle, eager to get revenge on the Redcoats for imprisoning Hin. Her fast movements allowed her to land a few small blows against Gage before he knocked her away to parry a strong downward slash from the samurai.

With both Generals fighting at a disadvantage, May was easily able to slip past the battle to where the prisoner was being held.

"Are you here to defeat the Generals?" He asked anxiously as May made her approach.

"Yes we are." May replied before using her Double Hit technique to break the chains holding the man to the wall. "Get to safety and leave the fighting to us!"

"No. I want to help!" The prisoner replied. "Defeating the Redcoats was my mission and I intend to see it through. Let me help you defeat the Generals!"

As the prisoner finished speaking, May's menu opened with a prompt: Accept 'Prisoner' into your party?

"Fine. But don't push yourself too much." The cleric replied as she accepted the invitation.

"Thank you so much! General Benedict Arnold of the Confederacy is at your service!" He replied as he grabbed two swords off the ground. One sword was dark gray in color with a swirling black aura, presumably for himself, while he gave the other to May. "I believe that sword belongs to your friend over there." Benedict said, gesturing toward Hin. "With a powerful weapon like that at our disposal, we should be able to defeat them easily."

"I certainly hope so." May replied, tightly holding the katana next to her body. "I'll deliver this sword to its proper owner if you want to help those two with General Howe."

"It would be my pleasure." Benedict replied before rushing off into battle.

While May had released Benedict, the fights against the two Generals were not going as well as they initially appeared. Wrottzen and Bojohn struggled to land hits the speedy General Howe and the tag team of Ayumi and Hin was having difficulty breaking through Gage's defenses.

"Come on Hin! Hit him harder!" Ayumi said as she used her weapon to block a sword swing from Gage.

"I'm trying!" The samurai shot back, a bit frustrated. Fatigue from his months captivity was quickly catching up with him. That combined with the unfamiliar weapon in his hands was making the fight extra difficult for the Atlas guild leader. He tried to attack the Redcoat general again but his swing was too slow. Gage easily moved out of the way as Hin's steel blade only connected with air.

"This blade feels foreign to my hands." Hin contemplated. "If only I had my Fuyu no Tsuki, this General would be toast..."

"Hin! Ayumi!" May called as she ran toward the battle, "I have something for you!"

"I know you're the only healer in here but you don't have to brag about it!" Ayumi called back as she landed another couple hits against Gage before a nasty counterattack landed, bringing her health into the red.

"I do have healing. But I also have this!" The cleric said as she tossed the katana into the air toward its rightful owner.

Hin's eyes went wide at the sight of his personal weapon. With a huge grin on his face, he dropped the borrowed steel blade on the ground and leaped into the air to reclaim his weapon. As soon as Hin landed back on the ground, it was clear he had caught his second wind. A thin cloud of mist emanated from the blade, as May cast a Heartbeat Healing on both Hin and Ayumi. With his blade back in hand and passive healing from May active, the Atlas guild leader charged once more into battle, confident that the second round would not be like the first.

Wrottzen and Bojohn had not fared much better against their opponent. Even though they were holding their own against the wily General Howe, both Adventurers struggled to land any hits against him.

"This guy should not be giving us this much trouble." Wrottzen said as he activated an Anchor Howl to try and lure the General into attacking. "He's only one enemy and we have a numbers advantage on him."

"Yeah. Its almost like he's a final boss or something." Bojohn quipped as he rushed in to attack. The swashbuckler's attack landed but did not do anywhere near the damage he had hoped.

"You know what I mean." The guardian replied as he tried to think of a strategy to use against the speedy general. "Hang back for a couple minutes while I build up some aggro against him. Maybe with a little extra attention on me, he'll stay still long enough for you to use some of your skills on him."

"Worth a shot right?" Bojohn replied as he tossed his friend a HP potion. "Heal up and give him hell."

"Will do!" He replied confidently before charging back into battle.

Still aggroed against Bojohn, Howe tried to ignore the charging Guardian and rush toward the unsuspecting Swashbuckler. Wrottzen easily saw this coming and blocked his path with a Shield Swing, both dealing damage to the General and shifting his focus back onto him.

"Your fight is with me now!" He called before activating Anchor Howl and Fortress Stance.

With the General's focus now solely on one Adventurer, his attacks became even more ferocious than they were before. Wrottzen began accumulated aggro against General Howe like he set out to do but his Hp was dropping fast.

Get ready to launch your attack soon. The Guardian said through the telepathic link. I don't know how much longer I can hold out against him.

Don't worry. We'll be ready. Bojohn replied, knowingly.

To busy to question the use of the word we in his ally's reply Wrottzen continued to stand firm against the Redcoat general's assault. As soon as his Hp hit the red, he called out. "Do it now!"

"Blade Opera!"

With his attention turned fully onto Wrottzen, Howe was caught off guard as Bojohn's multi-hit skill landed against him, sending him flying into the air and bringing his health deep into the the red.

"We almost have him." The Guardian commented as he prepared to rush in to finish the weakened General off.

"Don't worry. We've got him." Bojohn said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder to hold him back.

"What do you-"

"Luna!"

Just as Howe began to return to his feet Benedict charged in and activated a skill of his own, defeating the weakened enemy.

"Looks like we got ourselves a new ally during the fight." Hin commented as he walked over, having defeated General Gage a few moments before.

"I guess so. That was one powerful skill he unleashed at the end there." The Guardian replied before turning to Bojohn. "Who is he anyway?"

"He didn't give me a name." The Swashbuckler admitted, "He just said that May had freed him and sent him over to us to help."

"Ok. May! Who did this guy say he was?" Wrottzen asked as the druid finished healing Ayumi.

"Him?" May asked, gesturing toward Benedict who was gazing ominously at the two thrones left vacant by the Redcoat Generals. "He said his name was Benedict. Benedict Arnold."

"Benedict- Oh no!" Bojohn and Wrottzen replied simultaneously before the Guardian activated the telepathic link. "Hailstone! What's the situation out there?"

"I was just about to contact you." The mage replied. "The Redcoats out here just stopped attacking all of a sudden. Did one of you do that?"

"You mean they haven't despawned?" Wrottzen asked, ignoring Hailstone's inquiry.

"No they haven't. In fact, they just started glowing red. Is that normal?"

Turning to the group's new 'comrade', The Guardian saw a similar red aura emanating from Benedict.

"Guys. What's happening?" May asked as she saw the red aura around Benedict.

"If I had to guess, I'd say this raid isn't over just yet." Hin said tightening his grip on his blade.

"No it isn't." Bojohn answered as Wrottzen barked orders to Hailstone through the telepathic link. "Everyone! Meet Benedict Arnold: History's most famous traitor and the true final boss of this campaign."

As if to punctuate the point, Benedict turned and let out a massive yell as he was automatically dropped from the party and identified as Benedict Arnold: The Turncoat General.

AN: Hello all! It's been a while hasn't it? If you're a new reader, thank you for reading Adjustments and if you've been a reader since before my last update (nearly 3 years ago), thank you for your patience. A bunch of things have made me super busy irl and I got distracted a bit writing another fanfic but I'm back now and have a drive to write some Adjustments. I apologize if the pacing is a bit off or if the battles seem a bit clunky. As you can probably guess, I'm a little out of practice.

I have a couple of announcements about this story moving forward. First off is that we might begin straying away from mechanics specifically laid out in Log Horizon. I've tried to stay as accurate as possible up to this point but I don't know nearly enough about Elder Tale or its lore to stay 100% accurate and still update this at a reasonable pace. Second up is that I have made the decision to change this story's rating to M. This change won't happen right away, probably in a couple chapters or so, but I have some plot ideas for the story's next arc that I'm really excited about that I believe are a bit on the mature side.

With those out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a review if you enjoyed (I always love hearing from readers) and tune in next time as we face off against Benedict Arnold. Happy Reading!