A/N:

Early post!

Like I mentioned before, I'm probably going to start posting Thursday evenings instead of the literal start of Friday because I, for one, do not particularly enjoy sleep deprivation and with my new work/school schedule, that's going to be difficult to avoid with my current posting schedule. I'm not going to commit to a strict posting time, per se, but it will most likely be Thursday evenings. (That's approximately 4-6 hours earlier than usual for those of you not in my same time zone.)

So yeah. Sorry for any inconvenience, but enjoy!

A deafening, ear-splitting cheer roared throughout the Town of Beginnings.

A rather timid-looking girl gripped the hem of her skirt nervously. She sat in the main fountain plaza with her four closest friends as they watched the Clearers take on the 7th floor boss, a gargantuan crimson drake called ((Aghyellr the Igneous Wyrm)). It was a fearsome creature, resembling an overgrown red-scaled lizard with terrible spikes protruding from its spine, head, and joints. If that wasn't daunting enough, the enormous reptile was also capable of breathing searing flames on any unfortunate enough to catch its attention.

She gulped.

There was no way she'd ever be able to do anything like that. Even if this were a normal game where death wasn't permanent, she wasn't sure she would ever have the kind of nerve and courage to face something that terrifying. It was just too real.

Well, as real as a 10-ton fire-breathing lizard could get.

Unfortunately for her, she found herself in a predicament, one borne of equal parts fear and empathy. The four boys seated near her were not so scared of this world. In fact, like many others, they chose to climb the virtual prison of Aincrad themselves and ultimately reach the front lines, eager to do their part and help free themselves from the death game.

She was not necessarily of the same mindset, but nonetheless she felt obligated to help them. Even if she wasn't the best at fighting, there was no way she'd leave them to their own devices. That would invite death more than anything else, so she held herself responsible for keeping them out of trouble.

"Isn't this the coolest, Sachi?!" The blond boy, Ducker, cried out. Despite attempting conversation with the blue-haired girl, his eyes remained locked on the floating screen above them. "These guys are the real deal!"

"Yeah, I guess." Sachi responded, smiling nervously.

"You okay, Sachi?" The leader of their group, Keita, asked, looking across Ducker as he threw a piece of popcorn in his mouth. "Lookin' kind of off, there."

"I'm fine… it's just intense, that's all." She half-lied. It was intense, but the action on screen gave her anxiety more than it did excitement. It was impressive, but it was still too real. One slip up and somebody would die on screen for thousands to witness firsthand.

"You can say that again." The purple-clad shielder, Tetsuo, answered. "Watching this makes me feel inspired and inadequate at the same time, I swear!"

"We've gotta step up our game then." The beret-wearing boy, Sasamaru, said. "We're only on the 2nd floor and they're already pushing to the 8th!"

Like so many before them, the boys in her party initially had no urge to risk their lives clearing the game. For the first month, they spent their days simply surviving on the 1st floor, content with easy daily fetch quests to make ends meet. Occasionally they would explore the fields if it suited them, but apart from that they stayed safe in town and just hung out. That all changed after the first floor boss broadcast, which served to inspire hundreds of aspiring Clearers to join in on the action.

Admittedly, Sachi and her party were slower to progress than many of the newly inspired adventurers, but now that they had almost two month's worth of questing under their belt, everyone felt confident in their abilities.

Well, nearly everyone.

Sachi was yanked out of her train of thought by yet another cheer as the crowd collectively lost their minds at what was on screen right now. A young, pig-tailed girl had just run up the length of the great wyrm's tail and was now riding atop its back. Using its many spiky protrusions, the young Clearer held herself steady while she repeatedly stabbed downward with her dagger. Sachi had heard of this particular Clearer before; Silica, if she remembered correctly. The dragon tamer.

"Whoa!" Ducker cried out, grasping the sides of his head in sheer and utter awe. "I didn't even know you could do that!"

"Get good, Ducker." Sasamaru chuckled out. "You gonna let a little girl show you up like that?"

Sachi's brow furrowed as she shot her fellow spear-wielder a glare. "What exactly are you implying, Sasa? Are you saying she should be weaker because she's a girl?"

"O-of course not, Sachi!" Sasamaru sputtered out, clearly attempting to get out of the hole he'd dug. "She's just setting a high bar, that's all!"

Sachi smirked. They may have been idiots who constantly made a habit of putting their feet in their mouths, but they were her idiots.

"Hey look, there's Yuna!" Ducker exclaimed, holding a pointed finger out towards the screen. "Look at her go!"

Sachi looked back at the screen to see their friend, the bard-turned-Clearer Yuna teaming up with a girl with a rapier as they made swift and precise attacks at the wyrm's wrists and elbows. The two of them were dizzyingly fast, her eyes having a difficult time keeping track of their movements.

"Can't believe we know a Clearer personally." Keita said with an amused chuckle. "Wonder if she could give us any pointers or tips someday."

"You've still got her on your friends list, right?" Sachi asked, earning a nod from Keita. "You could always ask her sometime."

Their brown-haired leader only nodded once more, his attention still locked on the spectacle above.

"Maybe she can introduce us to the other Renegades." Tetsuo suggested. "Wouldn't that be something?"

"Meeting Asuna would be so cool…" Sasamaru trailed. Sachi could have sworn she saw a little drool come out of the side of his mouth. Gross.

"Yeah, she's cool, but I'd like to meet Liz and Leonn, myself." Tetsuo responded.

Just then, the two tanks in question stepped up to the wyrm's face and unleashed several punishing blows with their heavy weapons, the boss's head jerking from each impact. Aghyeller then unleashed a torrent of flame onto the duo, eliciting several shocked gasps from the audience. Liz, having blocked most of the flame with her shield, jumped back for some healing by Silica's small dragon pet. Leonn, on the other hand, stood his ground and continued to throttle the wyrm's face with his maul, despite the wreath of flames covering his plate-armored body. Shortly afterward, the tiny dragon familiar flew over and doused his flames with a gentle mist of watery breath.

"I mean, look at that!" Tetsuo cried out. "They just took a jet of fire breath to the face like it was nothing! Can you imagine the amount of health they must have to do something like that?"

"Liz took the brunt of that fire with her shield, though." Sasamaru interjected. "I don't think they could take a full fire breath directly and live to tell the tale. They're both tanky but even a Clearer has their limits."

"I think it'd be great to meet Kirito, actually." Keita chimed in, momentarily drawing his friends' attention. The swordsman in question was seen leaping forward and impacting with the wyrm's face, stabbing his longsword deep into its eye. "Not only is he incredibly skilled, but he's their leader. He's surrounded himself with a team of incredible people. He's the real deal, if you ask me."

"Not a fan of the other leaders, then?" A voice called out from behind them.

"Nah, Lind's got an ego and Kibaou's an ass. Klein and Orlando seem cool, though." Keita said before he blinked, the realization now setting in that a stranger had joined their conversation. "Sorry, who are you?"

A tall, surprisingly lithe woman with styled red hair broke free from the crowd and took a seat nearby, her gazing flickering between the broadcast above and Sachi's party of five. She wore a confident, if not overly smug, expression on her face. Sachi noticed a spear stowed on her back. "Oh, no one of consequence."

Sachi couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion. Who was this stranger, and why did they feel compelled to insert themselves in the conversation so abruptly? It was almost rude.

Before she could dwell on the thought too much, another cheer roared out across the plaza. Sachi whipped her head around and looked back up at the broadcast. The faint outline of an enormous lizard was floating on screen, composed entirely of crystalline polygons. They'd done it, yet again. The Clearers had triumphed.

"Man, I'm fired up!" Ducker proclaimed, jumping to his feet and clenching his fists near his chest. "Let's get back to work! Those cows aren't gonna kill themselves."

"Not so fast, Ducker." Keita warned. "Remember what happened last time? With only Tetsuo as our tank, we've gotta be more careful when taking those things on."

"Ah come on!" The blond replied. "We'll be fine! Nothing a little quick footwork can't take care of!"

"We survived, didn't we?" Sasamaru asked pointedly.

"I'll just have to up my game then!" Tetsuo declared.

"Alright, alright!" Keita exclaimed, clearly exasperated at Ducker's insistence and the pleading looks from the other boys. "We'll get going, then."

Just as the quintet stood up and began walking off, Sachi heard shuffling from behind them. She turned around to see the stranger standing up, herself. The stranger seemed to smirk before turning to walk away, but not before getting the last word in.

"Have fun out there." The red-haired woman said with a smirk as she closed her menu window.

"What was that about?" Sasamaru murmured as the group walked toward the teleporter.

Sachi looked down, absent-mindedly watching her feet as she walked. What was that about? She wasn't sure if that was just friendly chatter or a threat, honestly. The whole encounter just rubbed her the wrong way, for some reason. While the woman's eyes were on the screen during most of the broadcast, Sachi couldn't help but feel that they had been watched closely.

Sachi made eye contact with Keita, who had a similarly troubled look on his face.

"I don't know, but something about her seemed off."

"Tetsuo, back up! Sasa, Sachi, cover him while he heals!" Keita shouted.

Sachi absolutely hated filling in as the off-tank. Granted, she shared the role with Sasamaru every time because of their spears' limited ability to tank attacks individually, but tanking involved getting far too close to the enemy for comfort. She wasn't sure how Tetsuo or the hundreds of other dedicated tanks out there did it, really. There was a reason she preferred a long spear as her weapon of choice; tanking in close quarters felt plain claustrophobic.

Sachi and Sasamaru quickly moved in, allowing Tetsuo some breathing room as he leapt backward and pulled out a healing potion. The ((Trembling Ox)) immediately charged forward to impale the spearers with its wide horns. Sachi and Sasamaru immediately rolled to either side, dodging the oncoming horns while also placing themselves in prime positions to flank the beast. Recovering from the roll, Sachi thrust forward with her spear, stabbing into the ox's flank. She pulled the spear free and watched as the ox spun to face her, whipping its head towards her in an attempt to gore her. She quickly brought her spear up and blocked the horns with the hilt of her spear. Unfortunately, she wasn't entirely prepared for the force of the impact, and as a result tumbled backward as her spear clattered to the side.

"Ugh!" She groaned out as she rolled to a stop. She glanced up at her health bar; fortunately, she was still in the green, but her hit points had taken quite the blow. Refocusing on the ox, Sachi saw Sasamaru struggling to fend off its attacks, using the hilt of his spear to consistently block every thrust of the horns. He was holding fine on his own, but he wasn't able to return any attacks in kind.

"Sachi, are you good?!" Keita called out as he ran forward, striking the ox's flank three times with his quarterstaff.

"Y-yes, I'm fine!" Sachi replied, her apprehension about the fight starting to seep into her speech.

"I'm good, going back in!" Tetsuo cried out, brandishing his mace and kite shield. Just as the ox was wheeling around to strike at Keita, Tetsuo interposed himself between the two, taking the hit with his shield.

At this point, Sasamaru backed off now that Tetsuo was tanking again. Her fellow spear-wielder jogged over to Sachi. "I'm never going to get used to this whole tanking thing, I swear."

"Same here." Sachi replied as she watched Ducker leap over Tetsuo and plant himself on the ox's back. "Are you crazy, Ducker?!"

"Maybe a little!" Their dagger-wielding comrade yelled out. Ducker planted the blade of his dagger firmly into the ox's back, causing it to buck backward. What Sachi guessed was supposed to be an imitation of Silica's attack style on the ox quickly devolved into Ducker trying desperately to stay on the beast's back as it rampaged back and forth. "Mistakes were made!"

"You think?!" Keita and Sachi both cried out at once.

Unfortunately, the ox's random movements made it near impossible to get close enough to land a hit on the rampaging creature. Only Sachi and Sasamaru were able to semi-reliably deal any blows due to the extended range of their spears, but even then they could only poke and prod at its defenses. There wasn't much damage being done, and even Tetsuo found himself having to fight defensively just to prevent the beast from accidentally smacking into anyone else.

"Ducker, get off!" Keita shouted out. "You're not helping!"

"I-I'm trying, man!" The blond cried out in reply. "It won't stand still long enough for me to get off safely!"

For the next 30 seconds, Sachi could only watch as the ox bucked back and forth, whipping poor Ducker around in a panicked frenzy. Were this the real world, Ducker likely would have suffered whiplash several times over at this point. Finally, with one last violent thrash of its head, the ox sent Ducker flying backward into a tree.

"Gah!" Ducker cried out upon slamming into the tree. "T-that was wild!"

Sachi sighed as she reapproached the ox, which was now calmed down somewhat and refocusing its hate on the others. For someone who proclaimed themselves to be an agile, dextrous thief and treasure hunter, Ducker was anything but graceful.

"It's almost down. Regroup." Keita calmly commanded. "And let's not do anything that reckless again, at least not without warning, okay?"

"Point taken, boss-man." Ducker groaned out as he jogged back over to join the fight.

Quickly, yet carefully, the five friends surrounded the beast and alternated attacks. With no clear primary target, the ox kept wheeling around to switch targets, thrashing around with its horns every time. It wasn't the best strategy given the damage everyone was taking, but it was a solid improvement over Ducker's rodeo-style strategy. A minute later, the ox exploded in a blast of polygons, signalling its defeat.

Sachi slumped over, putting her hands on her knees. "Why did that seem harder this time?"

Keita threw a pointed look over at Ducker. "We got careless. Ducker, if you want to try new strategies, give us a heads up next time, okay?"

Ducker awkwardly chuckled to himself, nervously rubbing the back of his neck due to the arguably hostile attention he was now on the receiving end of.

"I don't know, that was quite the show you put on there. I quite liked it."

Sachi wheeled around. She knew that voice. She'd heard it earlier today, and just like before it seemed so confident, so smug that she couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit unnerved. Backdropped against the orange sunset behind her, the red-haired woman from before emerged from the trees. The stranger had her arms crossed and her head tilted slightly back, as if looking over each of them appraisingly.

Keita raised an eyebrow. "Glad you enjoyed it. How can we help you?"

"Actually, I'm glad you asked. See, I've been looking all over for something and I couldn't find it. I don't suppose you could help?" The stranger asked, her face taking on a pleading expression.

"What is it you're looking for?" Tetsuo asked, stepping forward. "Maybe we've seen it and can point you in the right direction."

"Oh you'll help?" The stranger asked with a smile, her arms unfolding. She rested a hand on her hip. "See, I want your belongings. All of them."

Sachi froze. So did everyone else, actually. Even Ducker knew this had the potential to be a very bad situation. Sachi looked over at Keita, whose expression looked remarkably stoic, but she'd known her party leader long enough to know that he was probably just as unnerved as she was.

"Like a trade?" Keita asked innocently, concern starting to creep into his voice.

"You misunderstand me." The redhead replied, raising her unoccupied hand into the air. She snapped her fingers, and just over a half dozen other players emerged from the trees nearby, surrounding them. "No trade. No negotiation. Your belongings and your Cor. Or your life, your choice."

Sachi's eyes looked from player to player. Each of the new people not only looked higher leveled due to their armor and weaponry, but each had an almost hungering look in their eyes. What was more unnerving was the fact that hovering over each of their heads was not the typical green diamond that signified a friendly player.

No, it was orange.

She'd heard of orange players before, but only as a rumor, honestly. According to some information brokers, orange players were players that committed crimes such as theft or player killing. As a consequence, these offending players would be marked with an orange cursor, indicating their less-than-noble deeds. Green players could enact their own justice by attacking orange players without consequence, but that obviously came with its own risks. It was supposed to be a deterrent for hostile player-on-player behavior, but that didn't seem to stop these guys.

Sachi felt a shiver go down her back. "Keita… these guys are..."

Keita visibly winced even as he kept staring forward at the red-haired woman. "... Yeah, I know."

"Look, it's nothing personal." The redhead said with a smirk. "We just want your stuff."

"Are you crazy?!" Ducker shouted out. "Even if we gave you our stuff, there's no way we'd reach town alive with nothing to defend ourselves with!"

"That's your problem, honey." The redhead said with a laugh. "Not ours. Now hand everything over. Now."

Sachi nervously dripped the hilt of her spear tighter. Ducker was right. Where they were right now, they would need their weapons and armor just to survive the trek back to town. They could avoid the ((Trembling Ox)) monsters easily enough if they were careful, but the ((Windwasps)) would be unavoidable due to their sheer abundance and overwhelming speed. Either way, they were screwed.

"We're waiting…" The redhead droned out, irritation evident in her tone. "Any longer and I don't know if I can keep my boys in check."

Sachi glanced over at Keita, who looked visibly troubled. Even though all five had known each other for years and their friendships were no doubt on equal footing, Keita had naturally taken the role of leader. That's why he was the president of their computer club at school, after all. With that role came responsibilities and burdens, which unfortunately this decision fell into. She did not envy his position right now. Or her own, for that matter.

"I don't think they're hearing us." The redhead said, giving a snap of her finger. "Give 'em a little tap on the head, make sure they're awake."

One of the men off to their left pulled out a circular metal weapon resembling a hoop - Sachi remembered Ducker calling it a Chakram - before spinning it and finally throwing it. It rocketed forward with surprising speed, slamming into Tetsuo's head. The already-injured tank fell to one knee from the attack before the chakram rebounded and returned to its owner's hand. Sachi audibly gasped at the warning strike before glancing up at her party's interface.

Tetsuo was now in the red. These guys weren't just at a higher level, they weren't messing around either.

"Consider that your last warning." The redhead called out, her voice suddenly carrying a serious edge to it. "If your tank could barely survive a hit like that, what chance do the rest of you have?"

Sachi gulped. "Keita, we'll find a way back. Please…"

"Listen to your girlfriend, honey." The redhead said, her smirk returning to her face. "Last warning. Items. Now."

Keita sighed before he gave a nod to his party. Slowly, everyone opened their menus and began dropping items onto the ground in front of them. Potions. Cor. Monster drops. Even their camping gear. Their armor was the last to hit the floor, leaving them only in their regular common clothes.

"I trust you'll at least let us leave with our dignity…?" Keita asked, staring the redhead straight in the eyes.

"Hmm. I suppose I can. Consider it a gift for being so… compliant." The redhead replied, her grin growing more manic. She snapped her fingers, causing Sachi and her party to flinch. "Mino, be a dear and fetch their stuff."

Several seconds passed with no one stepping forward. Sachi looked around, confused. Why wasn't somebody coming to retrieve their belongings? Maybe the redhead got her own comrade's name wrong?

The redhead also looked confused as she looked around. "Where the hell is Mino? He better not have ditched us."

The thieves looked around, many of them completely ignoring Sachi and her party entirely.

"Fine. I'll deal with him later. Yanoki, you go get - "

The redheaded leader was interrupted when there was an abrupt yelp as one of her men suddenly fell backward into the bushes. There was a scuffle in the brush, sounding like a series of slashes and blunt impacts before there was the sound of glass shattering. Then it was quiet again.

"What the hell?!" The redhead exclaimed. "Who's out there?!"

"Rosalia, we just lost Yanoki! Mino's gone too!" One of the thugs yelled, looking frantically all around, his axe drawn and ready for attack.

"What do you mean, lost?!" The redhead apparently called Rosalia screamed out. "How do we lose somebody?!"

"Boss, he disappeared from the party!" The same thug shouted out.

There was another scream as one of the thugs on the opposite side of the clearing was pulled into the underbrush. Again, the sounds of a struggle echoed out before another shattering sound filled the air. Some of the remaining thugs started to panic, backing away towards the side of the clearing that emptied out into the surrounding fields.

"Keita, what's going on…?" Tetsuo whispered out.

"I-I don't know." Keita said, cautiously looking around the clearing.

Sachi did the same, carefully scanning the area for some clue, some inclination as to what was happening right now.

"Who's out there?!" Rosalia screamed. "Show yourself!"

"If you insist." A new voice stated plainly.

Suddenly Rosalia's eyes went wide and she was thrown forward onto the ground, landing on her face before she scrambled to her feet, her spear at the ready. A new figure stood in the place Rosalia once stood, looking remarkably calm and collected. She was dressed in brown and black clothing that was fitted close to her body, save for her leggings which were slightly baggier, but not enough to restrict easy movement. Her face was concealed by a hood, and around her neck was wrapped a single scarf which trailed behind her. Strapped to her waist were several daggers and throwing picks, and Sachi could swear there was a chakram also holstered on her side.

"And just who the hell are you?" Rosalia asked, a scowl adorning her face.

"..." The figure simply stood there, not answering her question. After several intense seconds of tension-filled silence, she finally spoke again. "Leave, or your lives are forfeit."

Rosalia smirked. "Should have stayed to the shadows, mystery girl. Get her!"

The remaining thugs, six in total, pounced on the newcomer. Each gave out a fierce battle cry as they brandished their weapons. The stranger drew a dagger and simply waited for her opponents to come, silent the entire time.

What followed was a fight Sachi would never forget.

Just before the thugs reached their target, the stranger dashed to the side towards one of her assailants, catching him off guard with her speed. The stranger slashed out three times with her dagger before pivoting herself around towards her opponent's back. Now that she was no longer surrounded, she gave a quick kick to the thug's back, propelling him forward and launching the stranger upward into the air.

While she was flying back, the stranger stowed her dagger and drew several throwing picks before launching them downward into the thug she'd just kicked to the ground. The throwing picks planted themselves firmly in his back before the thug screamed and he exploded into polygons. The stranger landed before drawing her dagger again.

Sachi could feel her blood, virtual or not, drain from her face. Sure, she'd heard of it happening, but after the first month the frequency of it happening was much more manageable and so foreign.

This stranger, whoever they were, just killed someone.

The remaining thugs looked startled at how easily their comrade had been dispatched. Gathering their nerve, they charged again. The thug with the chakram threw his weapon forward, aimed at the stranger's head. The stranger ducked, dodging the chakram only to be met with the lead thug's knee. The stranger grunted as she was thrust back.

"Not so tough now, are ya?!" The lead thug shouted confidently.

The stranger recovered and immediately dashed forward, dagger drawn. The lead thug braced himself to block whatever strike the stranger would launch at him, only to be caught off guard when the stranger slid and swept her leg out - Sachi could swear her leg glowed like a sword skill - and ripped the thug off of his feet. Almost immediately after, the stranger sank her dagger into the thug's chest before vaulting over to engage the other thugs.

Sachi stood there, slack jawed, as this stranger spent the next few minutes dispatching her - no, their - foes with a flurry of dagger strikes, throwing picks, and what looked like martial arts strikes. It wasn't a one-sided slaughter, to be sure, since the thugs were getting in a handful of hits every now and then. Anyone would have difficulty with a six-against-one fight, certainly, but this woman was making do. More importantly, she was winning. Sachi glanced to the side; during all of this, she could see Rosalia slowly backing away, doing her best to remain silent as her crew was systematically eliminated with almost-startling efficiency.

The rest of her friends looked similarly awestruck at the spectacle in front of them. This level of confidence and combat prowess was something they'd only seen among the Clearers, and even then they'd never seen it personally. This was a woman on a mission, and while she wasn't perfect, she was clearly determined.

The last thug shattered with a terrified scream, drawing Sachi's gaze back to the stranger. She was breathing heavily, clearly winded by the effort of fighting six opponents at once, but after a moment she stood up straight and seemed to glare at Rosalia.

Rosalia gulped and froze where she stood. "I made a mistake, I see that now. Can't we come to some understanding?"

"Leave." The stranger commanded firmly, her free hand fingering the throwing picks on her belt.

"You'll regret this, whoever you are." Rosalia's face turned to a scowl, before she turned tail and ran away.

Once Rosalia was gone, the stranger's posture suddenly shifted as exhaustion took over. Her head slouched slightly before she stood straight again. She then walked around, retrieving her throwing picks from the spots where her opponents once stood, leaving their leftover item satchels intact.

"W-who are you…?" Keita stammered out. "Why did you save us?"

The stranger paused, glancing over her shoulder before she resumed his task of retrieving her weapons. "My name matters not. I merely removed a pestilence from this world."

"Pestilence? What do you mean?" Sachi timidly asked.

"I mean those who would prey on those weaker than themselves." The stranger explained, placing the last of her thrown picks back onto her belt. "Life is precious in this world, not unlike any other, but there are those who would end it for greed or pleasure. I will end them."

That was ominous. Who was this girl? For all intents and purposes, she looked like a ninja, and she certainly acted like it based on her combat style and her mannerisms.

"Well, thank you anyway, miss." Keita said with a bow. The others followed suit. "We probably wouldn't have survived without your help."

"Think nothing of it." The stranger muttered. "It is my duty."

"... Your duty?" Ducker asked.

"I have no need for their items. You are welcome to keep what they left behind." The stranger said, ignoring Ducker's question. "Return to town. I suspect Rosalia may return with the rest of Titan's Hand."

"Titan's Hand?" Keita asked as he retrieved his items from the ground.

"Yes." The stranger replied. "... It is the name of their clan. They steal and kill with no regard for the sanctity of life. There are undoubtedly more elsewhere. I suggest you leave."

Sachi glanced up at the stranger's icon, not entirely convinced that they were speaking with a player. Sure enough, her cursor was green, indicating that she was, in fact, a player and not an NPC. Maybe this girl was a roleplayer? She'd heard of roleplayers and a couple of roleplaying guilds that were around, but this girl didn't have a guild marker. If one were in a guild, usually a small icon of their guild emblem could be seen just below their cursor if you focused hard enough, but there was nothing here for this girl.

Strange.

"What about you?" Sasamaru asked. "You're injured too."

"I will be fine, fear not." The stranger stated as her posture straightened. "It will not be easy for them to track down a kunoichi."

"... Kunoichi…?" Ducker mumbled.

Sachi then watched as the stranger walked into the underbrush and completely disappeared. There was no rustling of bushes, no twigs snapping underfoot. Nothing. It was as if she was never here. The only evidence of her existence were the satchels left behind by the thugs and a group of five very startled, yet still thankfully very alive teenagers.

"Ok, time to follow ninja-girl's advice and get out of here." Ducker said as he scrambled around, fetching the dropped satchels.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Tetsuo said as he finished re-equipping his items.

"Let's go, guys." Sasamaru said, grabbing a satchel as well.

"A-alright…" Sachi mumbled out as she finished gathering her items. She looked towards Keita, who was now leading the group of five out of the clearing and back towards town. "Who was that, Keita?"

Keita looked pensive and serious as he led the way. He looked back at Sachi and his brow furrowed with determination. The light of the 2nd floor sunset painted her friend's face almost dramatically, giving him a rather stoic countenance.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out."

A/N:

Yes, I know the MBC don't come into play much later canonically, but I figure that the boss fight broadcasts would have spurred a lot of players to start climbing the castle sooner than usual. That means our favorite side-characters-turned-casualties make an early appearance and run into obstacles they never encountered in the canon.

It should go without saying that at this point (if it wasn't already apparent) we are diverging majorly from the canon timeline in a significant way. Funny how a few simple additions (Kirito making friends + boss fights being broadcast) can ripple into lasting changes.

Hope that's cool with everyone.

See you next week!