SAO: Fearful Reload (2022) (Cancelled)

How the Story Was Meant to Go

Part 1 of 5 – "Heart of the Uncrowned Queen" Arc

It's been a while, hasn't it? Four months since the release of Chapter 18. As of this moment, in this time, I am feeling rather melancholic. I mentioned a while ago that I aspire to be a writer with my own novel series to reinforce such a reputation. I found that life was getting in the way of completing this project with its many complications. If you are still hoping for a continuation, as is the case with lots of other worthy fanfics, then please… do not get your hopes up.

I have returned only for the moment because I think I'd like to give everyone still reading a conclusion to this fanfiction that has been planned for almost the entire year. This writing piece here, this chapter, is going to cover the remainder of this arc in my story. The next chapter will go through making comparisons to the original game, then back to the fanfic, as is the case with the other arcs until this story is finished. Maybe then, satisfied or not, we can all have some closure on a story I've wanted to tell almost way back since Fatal Bullet released back in 2018. So here you are…

CHAPTER 19 – SEPARATED

This chapter would have opened silently only for a moment before the streets of the Old City became a war zone. In the game, a persistently annoying storytelling technique was to have all the important moments happen with the conquering of a dungeon or area. Nothing happens during segments of the explorable open world of note, as it is just freedom to pick and choose your battles. I love the setting in this part of the game. It's fun to grapple around and scour the rooftops for sniping positions. I still think it was a missed opportunity not to have the BoB simulator mode conclude in this city as one of the locations but whatever.

As it turns out, several smaller factions and gangs within Gun Gale had united to take down Kunai and attempt to transfer ownership of Rei over to themselves. This would not work but they would try and Kunai worried for what might happen to her if he failed to stay alive. Technically, as Rei is considered a player companion, she would be safe from any real harm because if everyone is downed, then they all get teleported back to town. I wanted to include later on, but I'll say for now, that Rei is an anomaly where she can be claimed by another player if they killed Kunai – this was due to interference from the mysterious shadowy figure I kept teasing at the end of every arc bringing to life manifestations of Kunai's past friends back in SAO. The gangs ambushing them were not just there for Kunai, they would also be there for someone else they were already tracking down. But right now, the gangs are led by Taipan. For a quick refresher, Taipan was Itsuki's right hand in the Alphard squadron. Due to disagreements about the nature of Itsuki taking leave to join Kunai in helping Rei, Taipan took offence and plotted to use information against them.

In an intense firefight, Kunai and Rei would be divided from the group and forced to flee deeper into the city slums. Kureha, Joe and Itsuki would have to break away from their current position and flee in the opposite direction. Most of the gunmen chased after Kunai and Rei, whereas others merely monitored the trio to ensure they wouldn't become a problem while attempting to seize their prize. Another gunfight ensues, and Kunai and Rei are holding the line very well. Unfortunately, an explosion strikes deep in the heart of their defences from an enemy rocket launcher. Kunai is de-buffed and staggered, unable to respond quick enough as he hazily spots through smoke and fire… that Taipan manages to shock Rei into paralysis and haul her away. His lackeys remain behind searching through the rubble to find and finish off Kunai. In this moment, you might think it would be understandable for the Incarnate System to kick in, but in my personal opinion… this system is kinda bullshit, so I'm pretending here that it doesn't exist. Kunai recovers before he can be found and uses the debris around him as makeshift melee weapons to bash in the heads of his assailants. Kunai angrily retrieves his gear and sets off after Taipan, trying to get Rei back.

In the meantime, I wanted a brief moment in the chapter where Kureha, Joe and Itsuki find shelter inside of an abandoned hospital building with several floors. After checking the rooms quickly and efficiently, watching behind them for following attackers, they secured a floor of the hospital. They laid low, afraid to contact Kunai because of the possibility that the call might alert unwanted players to their position. This would have been more ideal for them to formulate a plan to get back to their friends, but this was supposed to be a quiet moment where all three characters interact and learn more about each other. While keeping to his promise, Itsuki would mention to Kureha that his brother and Kunai were familiar with each other. Without revealing anything concrete, Itsuki assures Kureha that Kunai cares deeply for her and is keeping her in the dark because he is ashamed for failing Hunter. As it wasn't their secret to tell, even Joe mentioned he and Kunai connected over the fact that important members of their history were no longer with them. I can't remember if I made this clear or not, but Kunai doesn't think that Kureha knows that his sister is dead. She does know but doesn't say anything for fear that he might abandon the game and break contact with her. So between them is an awkward misunderstanding about relativity.

Back on track, the chapter concludes with Kunai finding Taipan before he can enter a dungeon through a subway tunnel entrance in the form of stairs descending towards a station door. Kunai with his assault rifle and improvised weaponry would cleave through the defences upfront, but the snipers and launchers in the distance made it impossible to breach the line. Suddenly, he would be rescued by two players that tackle and haul him out of the way of a minefield trap. It would Zeliska and her own Type-X companion named Daisy. The two of them would force Kunai away from the battle and further into the city. While Daisy is meant to be the typical example of a deadpan character, Zeliska would be more serious yet flirtatious in a more controlled environment. Zeliska would guide Kunai back to their hideout in an old tower building overlooking much of the old city. While being grateful for the view, Kunai is worried for his friends and very upset about Rei being captured – however, he knew he did not have the necessary equipment or power to go it alone in saving his faithful partner.

CHAPTER 20 – ZELISKA

Chapter 20 is a lot more slow in terms of pacing but it is on purpose. With Kunai missing from the action, Taipan fears that his new enemy might be coming up with a solution to overwhelm their defences as he escorts Rei through the subway dungeon to unlock a bridge that blocks progress into the next area. Kunai and Zeliska accompanied by Daisy scout out the city from above. After their recon is done, they start figuring out a plan of action on where to go to slip into the dungeon past all of the defences. While they waited for the day and night cycle to pass into twilight, Kunai and Zeliska were left on their own as Daisy patrolled the corridors leading up to them for security.

Kunai and Zeliska would share their experiences finding their own ArFA-SYS units and what they mean to each other. What this is meant to depict, is just far from Kunai is willing to go to protect his friends, who at this point have become a secondary family. Zeliska is the only one of the main characters he has met so far that understands him on the deepest level… because she also has someone she is fighting to protect – the other gangs had united to try and take down Zeliska even if they were scared to do so before because of her reputation. No. They weren't fearful now. After the talk, it was meant to imply that Zeliska began to develop feelings for Kunai that were only borderline romantic but mostly admiration for his determination and calm demeanour in spite of losing Rei. Kunai himself felt great for having someone to connect to more personally than the others since they didn't have anyone that he knew of at the moment to protect besides themselves, but he held no romantic feelings towards Zeliska. Either way, the biggest take-away was meant to be that Zeliska saw Kunai differently than she first believed. Ultimately, she goes from viewing him as a weak and incapable guardian, feeling strongly about it because she herself is in the same position. But his determination and resolve inspires her to take heart despite her own shortcomings in trying to protect Daisy. For once, Kunai is directly changing her mindset rather than either of them being hostile until the end of the arc.

The chapter would conclude with Daisy interrupting claiming that enemy scouts had noted their building as suspicious. Fearing reinforcements might be on the way, Kunai decided to help fortify the building floors. Thanks to his father's teachings from his time serving in the military – Kunai created many different guerrilla-style traps and mechanisms to catch the enemy unawares if they tried to enter their hideout. Spikes, pit falls, bombs, everything he could manage with scavenged materials and shared inventory with Zeliska. With their traps in place, as expected, the building was surrounded and a team entered to look for them.

CHAPTER 21 – LOCKDOWN

Chapter 21 is a guilty pleasure scenario of mine because I had two things in mind that I wanted to accomplish. The first was to pay homage to Rambo while also showing in a different light how Kunai takes the military experience from his father and applies it to the situation. So a large group of the enemy gangs would raid the building pretty easily because it's mostly empty and only defended by three people. While Kunai himself has no military experience, his father still taught him how to handle rifles and work traps etc. Once the gangs close in on their positions, they are distracted by several sounds and strange obstacles in their way. Suddenly, bombs go off and spikes crash down and impale the assailants. All of them start panicking because of how ruthless and graphic this all seems to them, scaring them further because they don't know where Kunai is hiding specifically. So as the group splits off, Kunai would pick off stragglers with silenced weapons and knives and makeshift weapons while traps took care of the larger divisions. The way I imagined this scene was how it was in he finale of the film called Rambo: Last Blood – I don't care how forgotten it was, it was a really good film and that finale was extremely brutal. I hoped to emulate that scene in this.

A brief scene would interrupt the carnage with Kureha. Itsuki and Joe sneaking through the city streets closer to the subway entrance they were looking for. They followed other players who were given orders to retreat due to the problems caused by Kunai. They also heard about how Rei was captured and being taken down to the dungeon in the subway tunnel. They witnessed many more players converging on the tower and were conflicted about their next course of action. Joe would take charge of the situation: he asked Kureha to head into the subway tunnel once they cleared the path so that she could find Rei and try to help her. Itsuki would take up position in an elevated area atop a building to provide sniper support in the windows as well as counter-snipe other sharpshooters and launchers on other buildings. Joe would take care of the ground troops and pinch them between Kunai and himself.

The plan begins and is executed to perfection. Kureha breaks through and enters the dungeon. Itsuki is already on a building with reasonable line-of-sight to other rooftops where he spots other snipers. After some back and forth, he manages to ping all of the snipers and launchers while Joe makes work of the players on the ground level. Then Itsuki turns back on his comms unafraid about enemy players detecting his signal because he already loaded the corridors behind him with tripwires and mines. Itsuki had a balancing act of feeding information about future contacts and hostiles to Joe as he cleared each floor, sniping the tougher opponents in the tower, and also watching his own back by firing rounds down the halls behind him to suppress enemy advancements. Eventually Joe reaches the floor where Kunai is stationed but because comms were active again, Kunai could communicate with Joe and Itsuki and so he was cleared to pass on through. But Itsuki was still vulnerable and now more enemies were pouring into the old city with vehicles and heavy armaments – not to mention also that other defeated groups of players had respawned, left the hub of the Glocken and were ready to fight once more with a fresh stock of ammunition and other supplies. Not looking good for Kunai and the rest of the group.

Itsuki was under more fire as the vehicles approached. More players raided the building exhausting the traps left behind by Kunai. With a crazy idea in mind, Joe led Kunai, Zeliska and Daisy down the elevator shafts to the lower floors. The spaces were empty and the falls were massive, but with his Human Fortress skill in tandem with other defence-buffing skills from Zeliska and healing capabilities from Daisy – Joe was able to act as a cushion for great falls. With Kunai, Zeliska and Daisy mounting his back, Joe would leap down elevator shafts and be shielded from the falls. He would take substantial damage but not enough to put him in a downed state. Then by the lower floors, Joe was a one man army walking and shooting against all opposition that entered their vicinity. Kunai picked them off at a distance with his assault rifle, Daisy stayed by his side to be a healer, while Zeliska moved behind Joe watching his sides and blind spots with her shotgun. But then on the next floor down, the opposition became too much, and Joe had to fall back to a position with no visible exits. Itsuki understood their predicament and asked for a fix on their position. Once Joe informed him of their location, he fired off an Explosive Shot to burst a hole in the side of the tower. Joe once again had his Human Fortress skill and other defence buffs at the ready. He jumped down with the trio upon his back. He desperately used whatever he could to slow his descent but the fall was too great. Joe ended up in a downed state on the streets while the trio took significant damage but not enough to get downed from the impact. Itsuki on the other hand, had deployed various smoke screens and scaled down the building using ledges. On the ground, he rushed towards his friends but thanks to the AED Shot skill used by Daisy, Joe was back on his feet but the others were still hurt. They all broke from their position using the cover of the smoke and headed for the entrance of the subway under fire from the entire reinforcement squadron.

CHAPTER 22 – KALAMITY

Chapter 22 would actually begin from the perspective of Kureha as she descends further into the subway dungeon. As Taipan and the rest of Alphard escort a paralysed Rei through the dungeon, Kureha is playing catchup and notices the lack of enemies – attributing this discovery to Alphard clearing the path ahead. She would eventually find the squadron keeping Rei captive but ultimately be discovered herself. They are one of the most capable squadrons in all of GGO, as had to be shown. Kureha would manage to take down one of the Alphard members but the others would defeat her and put her into a downed state. Kureha would be flung backwards into the dungeon through some obstacles and down to lower levels they needed to scale upwards from. Seeing it as too much of a bother, the others were ordered by Taipan to keep a lookout and keep pressing forward into the dungeon. Taipan and Rei, with the rest of Alphard in tow, would breach the centre of the dungeon where the boss protecting the dungeon would finally appear.

Before the fight can begin, it goes back to Kunai entering the subway dungeon with the others. Now in his company was Zeliska and Daisy, along with Itsuki and Joe. They rushed on ahead without much of the hustle of dealing with enemies, as only strays were left behind, drawn to the high aggro from their presence and from the recent battles initiated by Alphard. Kunai would run into Kureha who was in a downed state, and now close enough for radio communication. Kureha would be revived manually by Kunai, and a brief explanation by Kureha would be given as they rush towards the boss room. Upon entering the boss room, they glimpse upon their enemy. I actually forgot the name of the boss and I can't be bothered looking it up, but from what I remember: it was supposed to be a large four-legged creature with body armour that constantly charged you and leapt into the air while swiping. The arena itself was also four ramps leading to a single platform in the middle surrounded by barricades and crates obscuring switches that activated some mechanism. In this instance, it is exactly as described but without the multiple switches. Assessing the situation, Kunai notices that Alphard has suffered heavy losses but are close to ending the boss. Only four of them remain, not including their cowering leader holding a paralysed and captive Rei.

Taipan instantly spots the intruding players and begins to panic while Rei is happy. Not Kunai though, he is understandably angry. With clever use of his skills and tech, Taipan draws aggro and leads the boss monster into position to block the line of sight between himself and Kunai. Eventually Kunai's interference, his charge at Taipan trying to rescue Rei, turned the monster's attention from Taipan to Kunai. While the boss didn't lose its fixation on Kunai, Taipan and his remaining crew rushed in further to investigate the room. Nothing to pick up, except for what he feared – he needed to kill the boss for it to drop something. Itsuki remained guarding the door to the exit of the boss room, while sniping against the beast and covering his friends. Taipan and his crew placed smoke throughout most of the room. Kunai and the others fought savagely against the boss, with Zeliska's support and Daisy standing in as the healer of the group. When the boss was weak enough, Taipan landed the final shot from behind that killed it. A series of flashbang and concussion grenades followed, knocking back Kunai and his group. Gunfire rained wildly into the smoke but did not kill any of the group. However, one of the Alphard members retrieved an item from dead boss. By the time the smoke cleared, all of Alphard were back to fighting strength as all of them had been revived. They all charged against Kunai and the others. In spite of their overwhelming numbers, the skill paled in contrast to the chemistry displayed between the most unlikely of allies. However, aware of their imminent defeat, the Alphard gladly charged into the fray to sacrifice themselves and buy Taipan the necessary escape as getting Rei away from Kunai was paramount. Itsuki was overwhelmed and knocked down as Taipan did not bother trying to take down his old commander. Instead he fled with Rei paralysed over his shoulders. Kunai and the others did manage to defeat all of the Alphard squadron present in the battle, but the other rival factions and gangs would likely converge on their position, and most importantly… Rei was still missing. They all took off as fast as they could towards the exit of the dungeon. Kureha was the fastest of them all just ahead of Kunai. She managed to reach the end of the dungeon just as Taipan did. They had a battle of their own, through guns and hand-to-hand combat but she was defeated. Kunai caught up right at the moment Taipan escaped the dungeon. But before he could help Kureha to her feet to chase Rei's kidnapper… something familiar and dreadful happened: Kunai's vision turned red and blurry, and he was once again transported into a hellish recreation of his surroundings. But this time, he was out on the city streets of the Old City, unarmed and confused. That's when he saw her down the street walking slowly towards him… Kalamity.

Kalamity is yet another one of Kunai's old friends from SAO and the last recruit to his guild before all of them perished. Kalamity's big deal was that she was often distant and cold to others, but always wanted to help regardless. Someone manipulated her for her help in an event that caused much pain and death. She was marked as a betrayer and her cursor had turned red as she murdered another player that set her up… who also had a green cursor, tending to use others to do their dirty work. A quest was needed to be completed to revert their status. But because of the restrictive access due to her cursor being red, she had to steal from other players for their supplies to survive but further villainised her. Kunai took pity and decided to help her complete the quest that ended up redeeming her as they saved several groups from other player killers – making them notorious for escorts and other mercenary work from that point onwards. Kalamity would engage in hand-to-hand combat with Kunai, and Kunai would be the victor. Only this time, he wouldn't be upset or broken by this apparition… only more disappointed in himself but ready to make amends… knowing that Rei is out there and hurt. He vowed never to let anything bad happen to her and he was failing. Now wasn't the time for sorrow but action.

Kunai awakened on the streets of the Old City, but this time he was being watched by Zeliska and Daisy who were with him in an abandoned building. For some reason, they couldn't break him out of a trance he was in. Not ready to talk about his problems with her, nor ready when Rei is still in trouble, he thanked them for watching over him and returned to the empty streets to give chase by locking on to Kureha's position. They were slowly progressing further along several blocks away, fighting and shooting against the other factions while Taipan made his getaway with Rei. Apparently the other gangs were trying to seize Rei for themselves now that Alphard was but one member at the moment. Itsuki climbed aboard a vehicle commandeered by Taipan, crawling towards his position to shoot him as they drove off. The others were left behind to fight off the reinforcements as Kunai bore witness to Taipan's escape…

CHAPTER 23 – REUNION

Chapter 23 is the conclusion to the conflict in this arc but not the last chapter. Kunai looks overhead to see a swarm of large hulking automatons capable of flight attack from the skies, looking like mechanical angels. With this distraction, due to the disturbance within the dungeon and the retrieval of the code necessary to trigger the bridge leading into the next area, Kunai and the others hijack a nearby jeep to chase after Taipan.

Itsuki and Taipan are already fighting for control over the jeep they are currently in. They are a fair distance ahead and close to the bridge itself, having driven across much of the plains in the gap between the outskirts and the Old City. Their struggle causes the jeep to overturn because Taipan cannot control it and fight off Itsuki at the same time. They both fall out as the jeep crashes, as does Rei but she is unharmed, only paralysed for but a moment longer. Itsuki and Taipan engage each other in hand-to-hand combat with Taipan keeping Itsuki on the backfoot. Behind him, Itsuki turned to see the automatons flying around the streets of the Old City but something else became focal: a much larger automaton flying towards them: an area boss going by the name of Mjolnir – a gargantuan automaton flying straight for them wielding a gigantic tech weapon in the shape of a hammer. Seeing the boss approaching them along with Itsuki's temporary vulnerability, Taipan pounced and beat Itsuki down until he was locked in a downed state. He could not recover the remains of the jeep in the time he had, so he refreshed the paralysis effect on Rei and carried her off running towards the bridge for the remainder of the distance.

Barrelling forth underneath Mjolnir was another jeep, driven by Joe carrying Kunai, Kureha, Zeliska and Daisy. Understanding the danger this automaton poses, Kunai does not wish it, but decides to entrust Rei's safety to Kureha once more. She is hesitant, but accepts anyway. She asks him what he is thinking but there was no time for explaining. He nodded towards Zeliska and she handed him a grapple hook that she had constructed in her travels. A very basic tool with limited uses but that's all that was needed. Taking Mjolnir down was part of this mission now, and shooting underneath it while exposed was too risky. Kunai swung the grapple and hooked it cleanly around Mjolnir's foot. Kunai jumped and began hauling himself up the rope to the end, while being shaken about and almost losing his grip entirely. Kunai scaled onto the back on Mjolnir and began picking apart the engines. Mjolnir broke off pursuit and flew around an area of the plains to try and remove Kunai. Kunai placed his feet firmly upon the back engine jets of Mjolnir, utilising all of his skills including Omnia Vanitas to dart into the air and use the grapple to swing around to a new position. Targeting the protected and exposed areas imbedded deep into Mjolnir's spine did considerable damage – even if the others could not provide support.

The others drove on with Joe behind the wheel of the jeep. He spotted Itsuki up ahead in a downed state but was ordered to keep moving to get Rei back. Daisy waited until they were in an ideal position, even as they sped by Itsuki lying on the ground, and carefully fired off a precise AED Shot. It struck Itsuki's body and he was instantly revived with a portion of his health back. Itsuki lost his rifle amongst the wreckage and started to search for it as the others carried on. Kunai was now getting more heat and vicious attacks from Mjolnir, but now it was taking sniper fire from Itsuki… who now had to carefully pick his shots as the scope on his rifle had been torn. He had to rely on the iron sights and his own careful eye and aim to help bring down the flying mechanical boss. Joe, now just with Kureha, Zeliska and Daisy in pursuit of Taipan, carried on and caught up with the kidnapper right as he reached the station. The bridge was still locked upwards but the item needed to access the controls was still with Taipan. Joe tried to powerslide and take out Taipan but he managed to trick Joe by shielding himself with Rei's paralysed body. Joe already knew that Rei could be revived regardless, but something about that dirty tactic in the moment caused him to hesitate. The vehicle narrowly avoided the pair and slammed into the side of the station building. It did enough to stall the jeep and Taipan dove off to the side beside some crates with Rei over his shoulders. He threw her off his back and fetched his own weapon out of his inventory, dual Uzi submachine guns. Joe was a little disorientated by the impact but he hopped out of the jeep and moved for the remains of the damaged station. He guarded the bridge controls closely. Daisy was commanded by Zeliska to remain with him as she set off to snuff out Taipan and recover Rei with Kureha at her side. It seemed like an easy victory, but Zeliska's biggest problem was underestimating Taipan. He was second in-command of one of the biggest and most dangerous squadrons in all of GGO's history – second only to Itsuki but not necessarily because of similar skills. Taipan was an antithesis to Itsuki, more dangerous in close combat and extremely ruthless and resourceful if a little careless.

All four of them took a hint of damage in the crash. It was enough. Zeliska darted around the corner of the crates but did not find Taipan. Before she could move further, two electro-stun mines placed right around the corner on the ground detonated. The blast caught both Zeliska and Kureha within its radius. Kureha having the lowest defence and resistance was stunned and collapsed to the ground, paralysed. Suddenly, Taipan leaped out from the top of the crates and fired off an Electrodynamic Stunner shot within his range of skills. The remaining build-up brought down Zeliska to paralysis. He used his machine guns and lowered both of the girls' health to zero and downing them. Joe heard the shots and understood from the display on his HUD that Zeliska and Kureha were down. Joe stood his ground and didn't dare move with Daisy using her skills to heal him.

Meanwhile, Kunai and Itsuki had both just finished off Mjolnir as it crashed into the ground. Blue polygons erupting around them sounding off its defeat. Kunai noticed on his HUD that their team had taken some hefty damage. Kunai rushed off across the plains with Itsuki close by to aid Joe and Daisy. Kunai was faster and showed no signs of slowing down for his friend. Kunai arrived on the scene to spot Taipan operating the bridge controls with Rei as a hostage. Normally he would have just killed Taipan regardless of collateral damage since it didn't seem to matter. But Rei had never been deliberately defeated by anyone, nor had she and Kunai been downed at the same time after that first condition was fulfilled. So when Kunai threatened Taipan angrily, his words about the possibility of transferred ownership remained. And how Taipan could easily emergency eject from his AmuSphere and thus take control over Rei as her new master. Kunai didn't quite believe him but had to assume that this was correct because the consequences could be disastrous otherwise. Because even at this moment, Kunai was still her master and could beat Taipan. But if Kureha and Zeliska were taken down solo, Kunai had to assume he was dangerous and vanished behind cover to protect himself. Joe and Kunai both tried to bargain, even going so far as to offer him and Alphard a place with them in conquering the Flugel – that things didn't need to get so messy but Taipan did not agree. At least this way, Rei could still be recovered. Suddenly, a sniper round landed directly into the shoulder of Taipan from so far away, from the direction of the plains, from the rifle carried by Itsuki. Kunai instinctively acted and charged at Taipan. His arm was torn from the impact of the round and momentarily vulnerable as Rei was still paralysed but fell out of his clutches.

Kunai began shooting holes in Taipan with his assault rifle until the clip emptied, each shot ripping into his head and neck. Taipan was already down before the clip was half-empty. Rei finally broke free as her paralysis had worn off. She hugged Kunai from behind and held him back from continuing to brutalise Taipan in his downed state. Kunai snapped out of it, turned to face and then hug Rei. He expressed how worried he was about her and the two of them have a moment. Itsuki joined up with a little late because of his positioning and cover fire. Daisy and Joe moved to revive Zeliska and Kureha. To them, seeing Kunai vulnerable in such a way was both refreshing and inspiring. Kureha was still a little upset with all the secrecy but appreciated how much he valued Rei, seeing something almost familial about them and becoming jealous due to her own sibling hang-ups. Zeliska was teary-eyed at the scene and made sure Daisy was safe, seeing more of herself in this troubled young man than she expected. Joe was reminded of his own partner. And Itsuki, though late, thought back to Hunter and what he would do for his brother. Nobody lingered for much longer, as the others would be cleaning up the automatons and chase them towards the bridge and beyond. They fixed the jeep together, then had the bridge lowered down and drove across it. The vehicle was tightly packed but they all fit with Joe taking the wheel once more as their driver.

The journey through the rough roads, across the mountains and partial desert terrain lasted about two hours. They didn't mind. For once it was a long adventure that didn't involve monster attacks or player attacks. Kunai leaned back with Rei leaning towards him seemingly exhausted. He asked if Taipan hurt her in any way. She just replied with saying that he was rough in handling her but didn't directly do anything to her. He just wanted to use her to trigger the bridge controls and be the first for Alphard to clear the Flugel and prove superior to Itsuki. Itsuki heard this and assured everyone that Taipan, with a little temperance, could have easily surpassed Itsuki. But it was his leadership qualities, or lack thereof, that made him rather unpopular when it came to leadership. Itsuki hoped his little departure and temporary leave would force him to grow but it did not. His place in Alphard may be short-lived should Itsuki ever go back to running it. Maybe he never would after this disgraceful act. In a sense, Alphard wasn't the same, it wasn't Itsuki. It was no longer him, not Alphard, but twisted into what Taipan imagines formation as.

The group arrives at the teleporter gate at last and marks it for the final area before breaching the Flugel and teleports back home. They maintain their cover this time, especially after the trouble they went through, but this time in the northern districts, Zeliska escorts them to her place in the Glocken. She was confident that their conquering of the Flugel first would get every other player to lay off them. But for the moment, if they wished for it, they could stay with her and she would help them finish off the expansion – since she also had similar goals with Daisy. However, not knowing the dangers or outcome, she wanted some insurance in the form of a helping squadron. Kunai was the first to believe her of the group and welcomed her and Daisy in their joint efforts. Zeliska seemed flattered by his boldness and even seemed to harbour some feeling towards him. Kunai had that same impression but didn't think anything of it, as he was just not interested at this moment in time. Kureha was visibly jealous for a moment but kept quiet, and even seemed a little sad. Everything was so different now. But now they needed to log off and get some sleep before the big day tomorrow.

Just a quick note before the final chapter of the arc… It's mostly about how your relationship with Zeliska seems to be in the actual game versus this fanfic. Zeliska for the most mocks you and thinks lowly of your skills as a leader and berates you for your lack of leadership and control over Rei. She doesn't start believing in you until the Flugel raid actually begins, but this happens so suddenly that it isn't believable – leading to an ending to the game, or one of a couple that feels horribly one-sided but I'll talk about that in the final part of these conclusion pieces. Here, Zeliska has doubts about Kunai's skills but is less joking or hostile, but already by having an ArFA-SYS unit with you, she is willing to give Kunai a chance. Made more possible by his sheer determination to get Rei back and wonders if something happened to Daisy, would she be as capable or as strong? Also, Itsuki leaving Alphard is a real thing but nothing really comes of it as a consequence – but everything will be explained in the final part of this wrap-up I'm doing.

CHAPTER 24 – JUST LIKE OLD TIMES

Chapter 24 is here, and yes, Kunai remembers that he owes Kureha a date. When the others go to log off, Rei is left to hibernate inside the apartment of Zeliska. Kureha is asked by Kunai to stay behind. For the next part of the story, Kunai and Kureha wander an area of the Glocken where players are not yet familiar with them – still they changed their clothes to something more casual and altered their hair styles especially with accessories to hide their basic features. They just wandered around buying things, talking about the game and then about each other with what they've been doing in greater detail over the past several years.

Kunai finds a quiet rooftop with Kureha to talk further. He understands her frustrations and lets her know that some terrible things have happened that made him doubt wanting to come here to GGO. She cuts him off and explains that she doesn't know how, but she knows that Emiko, his sister, is dead. She apologises and offers her condolences. Kunai is stunned by her knowledge and is frozen. She says that he doesn't have to say anything about how it happened if it is too painful, understanding that everyone has something in their memories too painful to talk about when they're not ready. But this does make Kunai feel a little better, like a burden has been lifted off of his shoulders. This whole time, in GGO, something about Kureha's behaviour had been bugging Kunai, but he allowed it to pass by because he had Rei to worry about. Maybe if things changed, he'd let it go, but maybe when they helped Rei get home to the Flugel… he'd tell her everything about what happened to Emiko. Out of respect for the family, Kureha did not know more than that Emiko was dead. She kept that information to herself alone and not the rest of her family. Kureha says that it was Kunai's mother that passed on the information, letting her know how important it was for them to reconnect. And a little something else that Kureha didn't dare share with Kunai out of sheer embarrassment.

Kunai and Kureha share a quiet moment before leaving the rooftop to settle back into the apartment. Before Kunai logged off, while nobody was around to see and Rei was hibernating, Kureha pecked Kunai on the cheek and said goodbye. She wandered off and Kunai stood there for a while, amused, then logged off in a better mood. He didn't go to sleep just yet, instead he went downstairs to find his mother doing paperwork for her hospital job. They spent some time talking about Kureha knowing about Emiko, or what else she didn't, and the mother and son had a good heart-to-heart before he left her back to her work. Kunai questioned where his father was and his mother said he was doing laps around the block as he is thinking of returning to service training for recruits and wanted to shape-up.

Kunai prepped himself and caught his father on a circuit and joined in for some jogging. They acknowledged each other in silence, and ran for several more laps. Once they were both ready to quit, they stopped at a nearby park and halted to talk. Kunai explained to his father what had been going on the last week and he listened to his son intently. This was a turning point for Kunai to get his life back on track. He made an effort to get back into old habits, he was talking more naturally with his parents, he had forgiven himself for what happened to Emiko, he had new friends, an old friend and something worth fighting for… virtual or otherwise, it felt all real to him.

Kunai and his father went back home. Kunai slept like a baby that night, dreaming of better days. Meanwhile, elsewhere, the shadowy figure constantly teased continues to plot away but stating that they'll allow him a moment's peace. He was ready for the last nightmare. He had earned the right to tackle the dangers of the Flugel. And once everything had gone right for him, this figure would be there, to give him a reality check… that his past would always haunt him for all his days.

ARC 4 FINISHED…

That's it for the fourth arc. I'm sorry this is what I'm resorting to after all this time, but I thought some form of conclusion was better than nothing at all. Whether it comes out this time next week or a bit beyond that, I'm determined to detail my interpretation of how the Fatal Bullet video game could have been. I'm excited to share more over the course of the next month or two. Don't know if I'll bother with any more fanfiction since I have actually stories I want to write for publication. Hell… if I succeed in doing so sooner than expected… I might come back with this format of writing, or something proper on a smaller scale… with ties and connections to my actual passion projects and novel writings. I'll have to think about that. For anyone still that was still waiting for more, I am sorry and thankful this is what it has come to and that you're still here.

See you next time for the coverage of Arc 5 – "Hero of the Solemn Survivor". Kunai and the others must decide on an official leader for their bizarre squadron… and then the journey begins for Kunai and Zeliska to guide Rei and Daisy throughout the treacherous Flugel. But first, they must conquer a hulking tank of a guardian that protects their home.