:: Author's Note ::

Thank you to everyone who has been leaving comments and reviews, frequent feedback really goes a long way to help me get in a good headspace while writing a series. Also, like I say to all my readers, don't be afraid to offer ideas for things like enemy types or boss references you'd like to see. I've got plenty of ideas of my own already that I intend to implement, but I can always use more. If I don't incorporate an idea right away, it might be simply because I was already planning on using that idea for something later down the line. Even if it never shows up, don't be discouraged. Sometimes simply offering new ideas is enough to get the gears turning so I can come up with something good.

With that out of the way, here is Chapter Six.

:: End Note ::

The rooms at the inn were surprisingly luxurious given the relatively rustic design of the building. Each suite featured a fully furnished bedroom and kitchen area. As well as a small bathroom with a functioning shower. Asuna couldn't help but wonder how a game with a fantasy setting clearly inspired by the middle ages could have running water, but she wasn't about to question it. After the busy day she'd had, a hot shower was more than welcome.

Her bed was also surprisingly comfy. Asuna was slightly unnerved by the prospect of sleeping in an inn where other night time...activities might be taking place in the rooms around her. But Merida assured her she wouldn't have to worry about overhearing anything she didn't want to. The walls were programmed to be completely soundproof. The only way you could hear what was going on in someone's room was by knocking first.

That was unless your listening skill was high enough. A thought that unnerved Asuna greatly. Fortunately, Merida explained that they'd thought up a solution for that too. Two Beta Testers would take turns standing guard for a few hours, ensuring no voyeurs tried to listen in on what was supposed to be a private rendezvous.

With her mind at ease, Asuna was able to sleep soundly that night. When she woke up the next day, she had a small moment of panic where she completely forgot where she was or what she was doing. However, upon checking the time on her HUD, she noted that only about two and a half hours had passed by in reality. She was never going to get used to that no matter how hard she tried. Asuna still had roughly two days before the server shut down.

Upon waking up rested and rejuvenated the next day, Asuna made her way back downstairs to find a surprisingly more tranquil scene than the one she saw last night. There were still couples flirting with each other at the tables. Yet this appeared to be a more loving scene between legitimate partners than purely based on carnal desire. She was especially tickled to see Merida and Gatrie sitting together eating breakfast. Just looking at the way the two interacted with one another, she could tell how deeply they loved each other.

"You bite your end first," he insisted while holding a piece of bacon up in front of her.

"No you," she giggled at him playfully.

He shook his head. "No you."

"No youuuuu," Merida insisted in a lovey dovey voice.

Gatrie started pretend biting her neck while making grizzly bear noises, causing Merida to giggle even more hysterically. Asuna, meanwhile, simply stood by and watched, a content smile on her face.

"Oh hey, Asuna." Merida looked up just in time to see her standing there even while Gatrie nibbled on her neck. "How'd you sleep?"

Asuna snickered at the display. "Just fine. Am I interrupting?"

Merida giggled while trying to pull her husband off of her. "Don't mind him. He's just being a complete goober." She swatted him on the back of the neck insistently. "Babe. Babe! Come on, ease up. We've got company."

"Hmm?" He finally looked up from his nuzzling to see Asuna waving at him. He offered a rather charming smile before waving back. "Hello there. You must be the girl my wife was telling me about. Asuna, right?"

"That's me," she replied in a chipper voice.

"Sorry we were never formally introduced last night," he apologized before standing up and offering a hand in greeting. "The boys and I were hitting the mead pretty hard."

Asuna chuckled at him before shaking his hand. "It's alright. I got the gist from your wife last night." She then added playfully. "You should have heard her gushing about you."

Merida turned her head away and blushed fiercely. "I don't know about all of that now…"

He chuckled heartily before running his hand along her cheek, to which Merida sighed contently. "You'll have to forgive our rather public displays of affection, Asuna. We're still newlyweds and all that."

"And I may still be just a little bit fluttery from the whole thing," Merida admitted.

Asuna shook her head vehemently. "I couldn't be happier for the both of you. Love like that is hard to come by no matter its form."

Gatrie nodded in agreement. "Too true."

She looked around for any sign of her guide. "While I hate to interrupt you two further, I don't suppose you've seen Kirito around by any chance, have you? When I woke up this morning I saw our party had been disbanded."

"Oh! Thank you for reminding me," Merida exclaimed, having just remembered something. "Kirito asked me to give you a message. Apparently the Cardinal System detected players on the seventeenth floor. He was sent there to see if they're legit."

"*cough* Bullshit! *cough* *cough*" Gatrie joked.

She giggled at him before swatting his arm. "Oh behave." Merida then turned her attention back to Asuna. "Yeah, it's very unlikely any players up there got so by honest means. Considering even Diavel hasn't been able to get past the Tenth Floor's boss yet. Which means Kirito will probably be hunting Beaters all day."

Asuna frowned worriedly at that. "Wait...all day? So what am I supposed to do?"

Merida and Gatrie both frowned at one another. They hadn't considered that.

"You come adventure with us!" a boisterous male voice behind her suggested.

Asuna turned around to see Diavel smiling brightly at her. Argo, Pitohui, Coper, and Chrysheight directly behind him.

"Wait really? You guys don't mind?"

"Not at all," Diavel assured. "We were planning on running a skirmish through the Floor One Labryinth today anyway. I figured it would be a good experience for you to at least get to see what a Floor Boss looks like."

"The...the Floor Boss?" Asuna took a step back nervously. "I don't know. I mean, I'm only level six. What if I get killed in there?"

Argo chuckled at her. "The proper term is player killed. Big difference there, Sweetie."

"And you should be perfectly fine," Chrysheight assured. "We may all be bronze players, but we're close to level one hundred."

"Sorry, noob question here," Asuna apologised. "What do you mean by bronze players?"

"Oh right, I forget you don't know how the leveling system works just yet," he commented. "Diavel, you understand it a heck of a lot better than I do, wanna jump in here?"

He nodded. "Right! So Aincrad's leveling system is a bit different from your standard MMORPG. When it comes to your base player level, the number alone doesn't always tell you how far along you are."

"There's a prestige based ranking system to the game," Argo chimed in. "Every ten floors, you 'class up' upon hitting the level cap of one hundred."

"It's a system put in place to balance out player leveling," Diavel continued. "Each floor of Aincrad has a zone populated with monsters up to ten levels higher than you. That's a hundred levels for every ten floors."

"So the maximum level you can reach is a thousand?" Asuna asked in bewilderment.

Diavel shook his head. "Not exactly. See, this is why the class up system was put into place. To avoid this kind of confusion."

"Right now, you and Diavel here are both level six," Argo explained. "But that doesn't mean you're on the same playing field. See, he's an iron rank adventurer whereas you're still bronze like the rest of us."

"Okay?" Asuna still looked confused.

Diavel chuckled at her. "I'll explain how it works. Every ten floors you have the potential to reach a level cap of one hundred. Once you reach that level cap, you have the option to class up, putting you back at level one."

"But why would I want to do that?"

"Because a level six iron player is still a lot stronger than say…" Argo smirked at Pitohui playfully. "A level eighty five bronze player."

Pitohui crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks, pouting at her. "Oh sure, call me out why don't you."

"You know I'm just teasing you, Love," she insisted.

Asuna thought about it for a moment. "Okay, I think I get it. So when you class up, you're not so much resetting your level as you are bumping up to the next rank."

Diavel nodded. "Exactly. Your level and stats will reset, but your base power output won't. You'll still be stronger than a bronze player as an iron player, even if your numbers look relatively the same. This is just a way to organize the game so stat numbers and percentages don't get out of control."

"There are ten ranks in total for all one hundred floors of Aincrad," Chrys explained. "In order they're Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, and finally Steel for the first fifty levels. After which you receive master sword arts training and your first rank in the master class. The five master classes are Platinum, Mithrul, Orichalcum, Adamantite, and finally Diamond."

"I'm a level ninety six bronze player," Argo boasted proudly.

"Ninety three," Chrys added.

"Ninety two," Coper admitted.

Pitohui sighed despondently. "Eighty five."

Diavel thumped his chest with his fist. "And I am a level six iron adventurer."

Asuna smiled at them. "Nice. So if you don't mind me asking, you wouldn't happen to know what rank Kirito is would you?"

The group exchanged bewildered looks with one another, none of them really seeming to have a clear answer.

"We uhh…" Coper scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "We don't have a clue what level Kirito is."

Asuna looked slightly surprised. "You don't?"

"As far as we know, the Black Swordsman doesn't technically have a level just yet. I know he was the same level as me when we dueled, but I think that's just what he set his stats to to make it fair," Diavel explained. "His work requires him to be able to enter certain areas that the rest of us simply can't reach yet. Which means his stats tend to fluctuate all over the place based on where the Cardinal System drops him off."

She blinked at them in bewilderment. "Oh...okay then."

Argo chuckled at her. "Yeah, that was our reaction too. It'll be interesting to see how he handles being knocked back down to level one with the rest of us grinders come launch day."

"Ugggh, don't remind me," Pitohui pouted. "All that hard work I put into my leatherworking skill...flushed down the drain."

Diavel chuckled thunderously at her. "Enough of that dreary subject, friends! Come, we've got a floor boss to defeat."

"We'd like to come too," Merida spoke up, having stood from her table alongside Gatrie.

"Certainly! The more the merrier!"

Pitohui leaned over and mumbled to Argo. "Oh great. A whole day of the newlyweds."

Argo snickered at her comment. "Someone gag me."

"I heard that, you two," Merida responded while rolling her eyes.

Diavel knocked his fist into his palm. "Alright! No more dilly dallying. Time to show our newest guesty the ropes!"

One of the first things Kirito told Asuna when they started their journey was to always stick to the main roads to avoid the worst danger. Which was why she found herself becoming slightly nervous that her new group had taken the still relatively new level six bronze player so far off the beaten path. They were in the middle of the woods, stepping over logs, crossing streams, and cutting through bramble as they followed a shortcut directly to the Labyrinth Tower. Nevertheless, Merida assured her she was in good hands.

"Christ, it's hot out here." Gatrie wiped the sweat from his brow as they cut through another thicket. "If we weren't so deep into monster territory I'd strip off this armor here and now."

"Hey, no ones stopping you, Hot Stuff," Merida commented with a flirtatious tone in her voice. "You know how much I love that chiseled body of yours."

He smirked at her before pulling his wife in by the waist. "I'd rather see you strip, my dear."

She giggled at him in a bubbly tone before shaking her head. "Nuh uh. Not happening, Mister."

Argo stuck her finger in her mouth and made a gagging noise before calling back insincerely. "Get a room, you two!"

Merida blew a raspberry back at her while holding on tightly to Gatrie's arm.

"Still, I have to admit, this heat is appalling," Chrys commented.

"Dense forests such as these are not made for us delicate humans," Diavel, who was leading the group and clearing the way with his sword, explained. "The beasts who call this land their home simply love them, though."

"And there he goes roleplaying again." Coper groaned while pushing a tree branch out of the way.

Pitohui giggled at his comment. "Aww, give him a break. I think it's cute when he gets like this."

He smirked back at her knowingly. "You would. Given what you and Argo were..."

Argo swatted him over the head. "Hey! Can it, Douchebag. We've got virgin ears in the party."

"Ow!" He rubbed his aching head while grumbling to himself. "Don't see why you're getting so defensive, it doesn't make it any less true."

"I know it's not the most comfortable way to go, but we're almost through to the other side everyone," Diavel assured.

"Thank Christ," Pitohui groaned in relief. "Compared to this forest even a tower full of elite monsters sounds like paradise."

Asuna wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and looked at it. "So, I've a question if you don't mind."

"Sweetheart, we are more than happy to answer any questions you have," Argo assured.

"Aren't you guys like...ridiculously overleveled for this area? Why'd you want to bring me here if you could be adventuring on the higher floors?"

"Honestly, we're bored," Pitohui admitted frankly.

"Try as we might, no one's been able to clear the Tenth Floor boss," Argo added. "Not even Diavel here."

He sighed in a melancholy tone. "Tis sad, but true. After our twelfth failed attempt, we decided it was time to call it quits."

"Beta ends tonight anyway," Chrys explained. "Which means we're all gonna get sent right back to the Town of Beginnings. Back at level one."

"Joined by nine thousand effing casuals," Coper commented glumly.

Merida giggled at him. "Aww, don't be like that Coper. The more the merrier, I say."

"We'll see if you still think that when all the good farming zones get swarmed on day one. I'm telling you, the first week is gonna be chaos." He turned to Diavel. "Do we really have to release that player's guide right away?"

Diavel's normally upbeat attitude vanished and he sighed in annoyance, his voice returning to normal. "Coper, we're not having this argument again. I've already told you, I made up my mind. We'll be posting Argo's guide at launch, end of discussion."

"Sorry, what guide?" Asuna asked.

Argo smirked proudly. "I wrote an in-depth player's guide full of tips and strategies for the first ten floors of the game. Where the best farming spots are, how to beat the floor bosses, that sort of thing."

"That was awfully generous of you," she replied in an admiring tone. "I'm sure all the new players will appreciate that."

Argo snickered. "Thanks, I do what I can." She then gestured over at Coper with her thumb. "Some of us are a little butthurt that we're not keeping that information secret, though."

"Look, I'm not saying we never post it," Coper insisted. "Just...give the rest of us a chance to get a head start first. We've been the ones doing all the legwork for this game while it was still in Beta. What's wrong with us reaping some of the benefits of early access?"

"You sound like a Beater," Gatrie commented in a slightly snarky tone. "Come on Dude, isn't the whole point of this world to get away from underhanded crap like that? This way, everyone's on the same playing field."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at him. "It's not like I'm suggesting we start cheating. I just don't see what's so wrong with setting ourselves away from the pack a little."

"To what end?" Pitohui asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "So we can climb higher than the new players? Lord our wealth and power over them? It's exactly that kind of Machiavellianistic philosophy is why I hate the world we were born in. That whole bullshit I was here first so this is mine now mentality is such trash. Why would I want to bring that in here?"

Chrys nodded in agreement. "I'll have to side with the others on this one, Coper. We see more than our fair share of uneven distribution of wealth and resources on Earth. Bringing that kind of mentality in here will only cause problems."

"So what, everyone gets everything?" Coper challenged before switching to a terrible impression of a Russian accent. "There is no 'I' in Soviet Aincrad only 'we'. All work for the glory and prosperity of the Mother Castle." He waved them off. "Gimme a fucking break."

Diavel rolled his eyes. "We're not saying anything of the sort. Don't be dramatic. But the whole point of Aincrad is to determine who's the best by each individual's skill and talent at the game. Not by who had the biggest head start."

"We already know who's the best. It's Kirito," he argued. "I thought the whole point of us forming this group was to try and make him King. That is what we all agreed on right? So what's wrong with getting a leg up on the competition to make that happen?"

"You know damn good and well Kirito wouldn't want it that way," Argo replied, starting to sound put off by his attitude. "For God's sake, the man's spent the better part of Beta making sure this game is as fair for everyone as humanly possible. He could be having fun, just enjoying the game with the rest of us, but he's dedicated his time in SAO to hunting down and eliminating players trying to do exactly what you're talking about right now. Look for exploits and loopholes they can use to raise their station before anyone else has a chance to."

"That's why he'll make such a good King, Dude," Gatrie insisted. "Kirito's the only player here I'd ever trust with admin privileges."

"Then it stands to reason you'd want him to get there by any means possible. Before someone can beat him to it," Coper countered.

Diavel laughed at him. "Come on. You don't give Kirito nearly enough credit. It doesn't matter if there are a hundred thousand players on the server come launch. I'm telling you, no one can beat him. He'll get there first. And he won't have to cheat or take advantage of anyone to do it. Which is why he'll make such a good King." He placed his fist over his heart and spoke in his RP voice. "And I will be honored to serve as a Knight in his Court."

Pitohui snickered at the Renegade Knight. "Considering your antics last night, I feel like Kirito might not be so inclined to offer you the job, Diavel. Aren't Knights supposed to be chivalrous and chaste?"

He grinned at her twistedly. "Hey, there's a reason I call myself the Renegade Knight, you know? I believe you can still stand for justice and honor whilst getting into trouble every now and then."

Argo nudged Pitohui and whispered to her. "No one who spanks as well as he does has any business calling themselves a Knight."

Pitohui had to physically contain her chortling fits.

Coper shrugged, refusing to let it go. "I'm just saying. A lot can happen after launch. There's no guarantee Kirito will be able to make it all the way just by..."

"Oh my God, would you just cut the bullshit already?" Argo spoke with clear aggravation in her voice, having officially had enough. "This has absolutely nothing to do with Kirito. Quit using him as an excuse. You just want to make sure you end up with the biggest slice of the pie possible once the full game launches."

He stopped walking and glared at her sourly. "Excuse me? Since when did I ever imply this was strictly about me? I'm thinking about all of us here."

"No, you're making it all about you," Pitohui insisted, sounding pretty fed up as well. "You may not have said it directly, but we can all hear the subtext in your voice. You're just scared your burgeoning streamer career won't take off if you can't separate yourself from the pack. Out of every one of us here, you've been riding Kirito's coattails the absolute hardest. What's the matter? Worried you won't get your own floor if you fall too far behind?"

Coper narrowed his gaze at her sharply. "I resent that. Have I not been contributing to this team, same as the rest of you?"

"You're a decent player, Coper. But I've gotta be honest, if it wasn't for the fact you're friends with Chrys, I'd never party with you," Argo admitted bluntly. "For someone who's not a Beater, you're easily one of the most selfish players on the server. You never want to share map data with anyone. You're constantly bitching and complaining if a weapon or item drops with stats you can use and you don't get it. And you are constantly trying to suck up to Kirito whenever he's around just for special privileges."

"Games are meant to be won," he replied bitingly. "Sorry if I'm more committed to success than you are."

"Games are meant to be played, Dude," Gatrie insisted, still as laidback as ever. "Don't be such a Tryhard. If you're not about having fun, why bother being here?"

"To build a new life for myself? Same as the rest of you?" he replied in a snarky tone. "Come on, you of all people should know this is more than just a game, Gatrie. What with your wife being..."

"Don't go there," Gatrie cut him off sharply, a menacing growl in his voice.

Coper groaned in exasperation. "Look, my point is, if I were you guys, I'd be taking this a little more seriously. There's a boatload of opportunity here that will fly right over our heads if we don't take full advantage of it."

"And we will take full advantage of it," Diavel insisted, really wanting this conversation to come to an end. "By proving ourselves the strongest players in a fair and balanced game where everyone has a shot at the throne. That's how it should be."

"You think everyone will play fair? Christ, I'm surrounded by such idealistic fools. What's wrong with wanting to profit from my work? What's wrong with wanting to use the advantages I have?"

Pitohui chuckled at him. "I think he's just chickenshit at the idea of a little more competition. Look, if your skills can't back up that big mouth of yours, then you've got no business trying to be a floor leader."

He scoffed. "This coming from the weakest Beta Tester in our group."

She wheeled right around and glared daggers at him. "Excuse me?! You wanna say that to my face, Punk?!"

He shrugged, seemingly less than bothered by her threat. "I'm seven levels higher than you despite the fact we're in the same raid group. I've got a way higher kill count than you, and I've only died twice since the Beta started."

"That doesn't make you hotshit, Jackass," Argo snarled at him, coming in defense of her friend. "Pitohui's naginata has a much steeper learning curve than your sword and shield does. A monkey with missing thumbs could get good with your outfit. It's the most basic weapon system in SAO."

Coper smirked before turning to Diavel. "Hear that, Boss? I think she's talking shit about you."

Diavel groaned in exasperation. "Don't rope me into this, please. And for the record, I agree with Argo. The sword and shield is one of the simplest weapon combinations to master in SAO."

"In that case how about a duel, Pitohui?" Coper challenged, that same arrogant smirk on his face. "If your weapon is so much better than mine, a measly seven level difference shouldn't be an issue for you."

Chrys sighed wearily. "Just let it go man. There's no need to start shit in the middle of this humid forest."

He shook his head vehemently. "No no. I insist. If I'm such a garbage player let's see Little Miss Snooty do better."

Argo's face turned red with anger. "Or better yet, how about you duel me for running that fat arrogant mouth of yours!"

"Guys! Enough!" Merida shouted at the top of her lungs.

Everyone fell silent. For a woman who was usually so demure and soft spoken, she had a surprisingly strong set of pipes on her.

"Everyone calm down," she insisted, having grown completely fed up with this argument. "We shouldn't be arguing like this when we have a guesty here. Have none of you stopped to consider how uncomfortable Asuna must be right now?"

Argo turned and slowly frowned at their guest guiltily. "Ah hell...I'm sorry Asuna. We must look like a bunch of jerks right now."

"Some of us more so than others," Pitohui mumbled to herself while glaring at Coper, who simply cast his gaze away spitefully.

"I swear we're not usually at each other's throats like this," Argo promised. "The issue with the player guide has just been a major point of contention among some of the Beta Testers."

Asuna smiled at all of them assuredly before waving off their concerns. "It's really no problem at all. I've seen my fair share of drama among friends as well." She then walked up to Coper and folded her arms behind her back. "Your name is...Coper, right?"

He eyed her warily. "Well duh. It's not like it's not posted right there on your HUD along with the rest of the party."

"Hey! You be nice to her," Merida insisted sharply, an intense gaze in her eyes.

Coper raised his hands up defensively. "Okay! Okay! Sheesh." He turned back to Asuna. "So what do you want, new girl?"

"Well...I was just going to say I can kind of understand where you might be coming from," she admitted, at which point everyone looked at her curiously, including Coper.

"You do?"

She nodded. "As someone who was born into a rich family IRL, I can see how you might think the way you do." Asuna's demeanor turned somewhat melancholy. "But I can tell you from experience, having a ton of wealth doesn't automatically make you successful, and it definitely doesn't always make you happy."

He scoffed at her. "That's easy for you to say. You haven't had to..."

"Dude, let her finish," Chrys insisted.

Asuna took a breath to keep herself from getting irritated. "I'm still new to this world, I'll admit. And maybe I didn't exactly work as hard as you did. In truth, the only reason I'm here is because Kirito was nice enough to buy me my NerveGear." A depressed sigh escaped her lips. "And honestly? I envy him for that. Specifically, I envy that he has the freedom to be that kind and that open. I envy the fact that he gets to make his own money and do whatever he wants with it." Her expression darkened even further. "But most of all...I envy that he has a family who supports him and his dreams. That's not something I ever had."

They all frowned at her in concern. Coper, for his part, just looked guilty.

"My friends IRL used to always tell me how lucky I am. But honestly? I've never once felt that way. Yes, I'm rich, but it doesn't really matter because it's not really my money. It's my fathers. Sure, I'll get into a good college, but I don't get to pick where I go, or what I major in. My father decides that because he's paying for it. In the real world, he controls me. He controls every aspect of my life simply because he has enough money to do so."

She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

"Being rich and successful just means seeing everything in your life as a means to advance your station. Even your own daughter. What's so great about that exactly?"

"Asuna…"

She took a breath to calm herself down before smiling at him. "But in here, I get to do something I've never done before. Build my own life. Make my own money. Work hard on a skill I want to master."

Asuna clutched her hands to her chest.

"Marry whoever I want to marry…"

Merida smiled at her.

She sighed. "I guess my point is, I feel lucky just to be here right now. And...correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's something we all have in common, right?"

They all smiled at her. Merida walked up to Asuna and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're absolutely right. I never came here to become rich or powerful. Honestly? I don't even care if I get really good at this game or not." She turned around and stared back at Gatrie lovingly, who smiled back at her. "My life in SAO may not be glamorous or make me famous...but at least here I get to actually live a life. That's more than I could ever say IRL."

Merida proceeded to hug Asuna tightly to her.

"And I'm so happy I found a kindred spirit here. I hope to God you find the life you've always wanted to live in SAO, just as I have Asuna."

She returned the gesture, hugging Merida tightly to her. Diavel meanwhile, grinned knowingly at her.

"You know something? I just knew you were gonna fit in here."

She looked up from Merida's shoulder to respond to him. "You did?"

He nodded. "I'll be honest, part of why we invited you to party with us was to see for ourselves what it was Kirito saw in you."

Argo chuckled in agreement. "It was something the three of us were talking about last night. We were all blown away by the fact that Kirito of all people brought a guesty in here. But having gotten to know you for myself, I'm beginning to see what it was he saw in you when he invited you to play."

Pitohui nodded in agreement, beaming cheerfully at her. "You're just like us, Asuna. A misfit looking for somewhere to belong."

"Which is why you're out here with us. We want to see how you'll stack up to a floor boss." Diavel's grin widened. "Think of it as...tryouts."

"Tryouts for what?"

The seven members of their group all gave each other knowing looks.

"For the guild that Kirito and I are forming."

There are certain things a near fully adult woman never thinks she'll ever have to deal with in life. Getting gored to death by a giant multi-tusked pig monstrosity is one of them. Asuna was in the middle of an open field, running for her life from a giant armored boar the size of a bus. A situation that was as deadly as it was ridiculous.

The group had reached the base of the tower, whereupon it was explained to Asuna that they would have to fight a field boss in order to make it inside. And given the rest of them were hideously overleveled for this, the executive decision was made that she would be doing the vast majority of the fighting for this one.

As eager as she was to prove herself to her new friends, there was one slight problem. Kirito explicitly told her that field bosses, and indeed most bosses in general, were never meant to be soloed. And given this thing was a level ten elite monster, she definitely had her work cut out for her.

Asuna just narrowly avoided being ran through with another tusk by diving to the right and rolling on the ground. Whereupon she swung her sword into the dirt, hitting the beast in the eye with a Dirty Shot skill. It was paralyzed momentarily, allowing her to hit it directly in the face with Linear, achieving critical damage in the process. It was too early to celebrate, however. As despite the successful hit, the armored boar's health was still in the green. It reared back on its hind legs and attempted to stomp her with its front hoof, only for Asuna to dash backwards at the last second, gaining her another level in acrobatics.

"Great footwork, Asuna!" Diavel called to her encouragingly.

Feeling a bit bolder, Asuna went in for another thrust. She hit the boar square in the snout, staggering it yet again. Whereupon she parried an attack from its tusks and attempted a riposte. But the beast didn't stagger like she was used to. Instead, Asuna was knocked aside by a tusk and sent flying into a tree.

Argo winced. "Ooooof. That one looked like it hurt."

"Careful with those parries!" Diavel continued to coach her. "Most bosses are immune to staggering!"

That would have been helpful to know about twenty seconds ago. Asuna groaned in both pain and frustration as she slowly staggered back to her feet. Her health was now squarely in the red from that one hit alone. The boar pawed at the dirt with its front hoof and flared its nostrils before charging her yet again. Whereupon Gatrie jumped in front of Asuna, his tower shield at the ready. The beast's tusks hit his shield dead on yet Gaitrie stood fast, holding his ground before slowly pushing the beast back, his strength skill overpowering the boar.

"Woohoo! That's it, Babe! Use those sexy muscles!" Merida cheered from the sidelines.

Gatrie shot her a slick grin before heaving the beast off his shield with a single push of his arm. The boar attempted to attack again, the aggro having been pulled to Gatrie, only for him to counter with a shield bash attack that stunned the boar.

"You recover your health, Asuna! I'll play tank for a bit!" Gatrie assured while continuing to push the field boss back with his shield.

"Right!" She stood up straight and held her sword upward with the guard pressed close to her chest and her eyes closed, activating the combat healing skill. A skill that Pitohui was kind enough to show her.

When activated, this skill allowed her to slowly recover her health so long as she was not moving or using any other skills. A useful ability, to be sure. Yet one not without its own drawbacks. For one, the skill took an incredibly long time to fully heal the user until it was leveled up sufficiently. In addition, it only worked as long as the user was standing completely still with their eyes closed for the first one hundred levels. This essentially left them open to attack. In practice, it was really only useful in parties where certain players could act as the 'tank' of the group. Like Gaitrie with his bulky armor and shield. Otherwise, it was far more efficient to use healing crystals and health potions.

But Asuna was in a group full of high level players. So there was really no need to worry about how long it took for her to heal up. And this way, she could level up the combat healing skill far more quickly. It was a strategy they called power leveling. Wherein a bunch of higher level players assisted a lower level one with dungeons and raids that would normally be far too much for them to handle without a large group of equally strong players. While they weren't terribly worried about getting Asuna's skills and overall level higher, they did want to expand her understanding of SAO's skill mechanics.

Diavel in particular proved to be just as good a teacher as Kirito, if not moreso. Her guide still possessed a great deal of knowledge on the game, but there were times he had difficulty getting a point across in such a way that didn't confuse her. Diavel was able to give directions to her that were a touch more concise. Able to 'dumb them down' for the noob as it were. Something she greatly appreciated.

Not that she needed much in the way of instruction. As the group of friends were quick to discover, Asuna was a remarkably quick study.

"Alright! I've got him in the red for you, Asuna!" Gatrie declared. "Switch out!"

Gatrie used shield bash once more before jumping to the side. Whereupon Asuna charged in with renewed vigor, stringing together a combination of strikes on the boar before dashing backwards out of the way of its tusks. The beast reared back on its hind legs again, whereupon she charged up a Linear attack and hit it square in its armorless belly. It squealed in pain before falling backwards onto its side.

"Now's your chance! Finish it off!" Diavel cheered enthusiastically.

Asuna hacked at the boar's exposed belly with sweeping strike attacks, hitting it again and again in a relentless barrage. Finally, she drew her blade back, charged up Linear and drove it home,soaring straight through the beast as its body shattered into light. Upon seeing her level ascend to seven and a textbox appear with a list of everything she received from the monster, Asuna's face erupted into an ecstatic smile and she jumped for joy.

"Yes! Yes! I did it! I beat my first boss!" she cheered happily.

Argo placed a hand up to her mouth and giggled at Asuna before resting back on the stump she was sitting on a few yards away. "God, she is so freaking adorable."

Pitohui, who was sitting next to her, chuckled quietly before nodding in agreement. "To be fair, we were pretty much all the same way when we first started too."

Chrys, who was leaned up against a tree next to Coper, nudged his buddy and gestured to Asuna with his head. "You've gotta admit, she's good."

Coper shrugged indifferently, his mind elsewhere. "Eh...I've seen better."

Merida ran up to Asuna and took her by the hands, sharing in the young fencer's excitement. "You did so good out there, Asuna! I was completely blown away."

Asuna chuckled at her before turning away and blushing. "Oh, you're just saying that."

She shook her head vehemently. "Are you kidding? The first time I went up against that thing it wiped the floor with me. I'm telling you, you're a natural at this."

"Uhh hey?" Gatrie grinned at her with his arms outstretched. "What about me? I did just tank that thing pretty much all by myself, you know."

Merida giggled at him before walking up to Gatrie and curling her hands along his bicep. "Of course I'm always impressed by you, my big strong man."

"Then give your big strong man some love." He pulled her in by her waist and hoisted her up in the air. Merida giggled like a schoolgirl as they kissed each other lovingly, her legs curling up in the air as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Jesus Christ…" Argo turned her head away and blocked her vision by cupping her hand to her face. "Any more of this and I'm gonna have to log out to take my insulin."

Pitohui cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted "Would you two go be cute somewhere else, please?! You're making us jaded assholes all wanna puke!"

Merida finally pulled away and turned to Argo, still floating in the air. "Sorry everyone!" She then turned to her husband and spoke sweetly. "Honey, I think we're causing a bit of a scene again."

"Ahh, let them bitch all they want," he insisted before proceeding to pepper her neck with kisses.

She giggled hysterically. "W...wait! No! Not my ticklish spot! Ack!" Merida started squirming like crazy in his grip, trying desperately to pull free. "Babe! Gyah! Stop it, you meanie!"

While Merida continued to laugh uncontrollably at Gatrie's ticklish kissing, Asuna's heart swelled with joy at the sight. What she wouldn't give to one day feel even a fraction of the love those two held for each other. She felt a hand grab her shoulder gently causing Asuna to jump in surprise before turning around.

"That was some killer work back there." Diavel offered a charming grin. "You've really got a lot of natural talent with that rapier."

"Oh umm...thanks. I couldn't have done it without your guidance."

He chuckled at her. "No need to thank me, Asuna. I'm serious. You really do have a gift. I'm just happy I can help nurture it."

Asuna found herself getting flushed again, her heart beating faster in her chest. Christ, why did Kirito, Diavel, and every other male player she'd met have to come up with the most stupidly attractive avatars they could possibly build? It was really making it hard to focus one what they were trying to say.

Not only that, but Diavel had quite a lot of natural charisma as well. Having spent some time with him, Asuna could kind of see why Argo and Pitohiu were so quick to...fool around with the Renegade Knight. He really wore his avatar well. And, silly roleplaying aside, he was clearly a very genuine and kindhearted guy. In a lot of ways, he reminded her of Kirito. Only not quite so severe.

A pang of guilt hit her. That wasn't a fair comparison to make. Diavel was clearly just an average twenty something year old guy. He didn't have a condition that made it difficult to fully convey his emotions like her guide did. Just because Kirito couldn't express himself in quite the same capacity as someone like Diavel, that didn't make him severe or overly serious. She really needed to stop doing that.

The sound of stone grating against stone pulled her from her thoughts. Asuna looked to see off in the distance the massive gate that was the entrance to the Floor One Labyrinth slowly begin to open. She'd done it. Asuna and the rest of her friends could now enter the first tower, Kobold Keep.

The monsters in the floor labyrinth were insane. Every single one of them was an elite monster who put that murloc she fought in the cave to absolute shame. They were all level nine or ten and Asuna had trouble just keeping up with the ridiculously nimble monsters. She'd never seen creatures like these before. According to her bestiary entry, they were known as jackalopes. A sub-species of demi-human renowned for their speed and agility in combat. Whatever these things were, they looked like large furry bunny rabbits with long tails, massive canines, and antlers. The design would have been almost laughable if they weren't so hideously fast.

There were other obstacles that stood in their path as well. Kobold Keep boasted twenty floors in total, each one living up to its title of labyrinth. Each floor was a maze of dark corridors and deadly traps of increasing complexity with each new floor they ascended to. It was more than a bit daunting, all things considered. But fortunately Asuna was in good company. Diavel had already mapped out the entirety of the dungeon's twenty floors and practically had the entire route memorized.

Practically. There were several moments where he'd make a wrong turn, forcing them to run away from a giant boulder or avoid a barrage of poison barbed arrows shooting out from the wall. But she didn't hold it against him. Not everyone could be born with Kirito's, frankly intimidating, eidetic memory.

It was when they made it to the tenth floor of the labyrinth that they decided to stop for lunch in one of the rooms that had been designated a safe zone. The group set up a cooking fire, while Pitohui walked Asuna through how to roast the high quality boar meat she'd acquired from the field boss on a spit.

"Okay, now you've got to get the timing perfect," Pitohui instructed while Asuna gently rotated the meat over an open fire. "Once you see it turn golden brown, take it off immediately."

She continued to monitor the meat's progress as its color slowly darkened.

"Patience...patience...nearly there," she spoke gently.

"Hey new girl, wanna hear a joke?" Coper suddenly cut in.

"Huh?" She looked up from her work.

"Oh shit! Take it off! Take it off!" Pitohui insisted frantically.

Asuna pulled the meat off the spit only to see it had gone from brown to slightly black. The item text read 'overcooked meat'.

"Dammit," she grumbled.

"What the hell, Asshole?!" Pitohui shot him a death glare. "We almost had that perfect!"

He continued to laugh hysterically. "Aww, come on. That one was funny."

Chrys sighed at him wearily before shaking his head in disappointment. "You know, you don't have to be a colossal dick all the time."

He blew him off. "You guys just don't have a sense of humor."

Pitohui ignored him in favor of consoling Asuna. "Sorry about him. The good knews is the meat is still edible. With a few extra ingredients, we can make it into a stew."

Asuna smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Sounds good."

They began setting up everything they would need over the fire to make the stew. Argo replaced the spit with a hanging iron cooking pot while Pitohui walked Asuna through how to chop vegetables.

"You don't have to individually dice or chop each piece of each vegetable," Pitohui explained while placing vegetables down on a small portable prep tray. "Just equip your cooking knife, select the kind of cut you'd like to make, and the system will take over from there."

Asuna equipped her cooking knife and selected chop on the small dropdown menu that appeared next to it. She then simply tapped on the vegetable she wanted to cut, whereupon it immediately fell into small bite sized pieces, just like she wanted.

"Your options will be limited for the kind of cut you can make at first," she continued. "But as you level up your cooking skill, you'll gain access to more overtime."

"This is so much easier," Asuna commented excitedly while cutting vegetables.

Pitohui nodded in agreement. "I know right? I used to hate cooking in the real world. Just didn't have the patience for it. But SAO takes out a lot of the tedium and prep work that goes into it, letting you focus on the fun stuff. Like experimenting with different ingredients and flavor texts."

Once they'd cut up the vegetables, Asuna cut up the meat and they added the ingredients to the pot along with some fresh spring water. Pitohui then helped Asuna familiarize herself with various herbs and spices that could be found in the game.

"It's tastier to prepare your own broth before you cook the stew. But you need a fully stocked kitchen to do that," she explained while adding different spices to the stew. "So instead, we're just gonna add a few concoctions I've made myself."

"You made all these?" Asuna asked in disbelief.

She beamed pridefully and nodded. "I've been working on my Herbalism and Mixing Skills since the start of Beta. If you get good enough at them, you can play around with different flavor texts to simulate ingredients you'd find in the real world." She handed Asuna a small white jar filled with a blue powder. "Smell this."

Asuna gingerly sniffed at the blue powder before smiling at Pitohui in amazement. "That's paprika!" She then stared down at the strange substance. "But it's blue…"

Pitohui snickered at her before adding the spice to the stew. "Yep. I haven't gotten it exactly right, but it's close."

"You know, if you spent as much time practicing with that naginata as you do messing around with plants, you might be higher than level eighty five by now," Coper commented.

She glared at him in aggravation. "Well sorry we can't all be one track minded egocentrics like you, Coper. I'm actually here to have fun and enjoy the game."

He shrugged. "Leveling up is fun. Gaining power and better sword skills in SAO is...well, it's honestly the most fun a man can have without being forced to cuddle afterwards."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Classy."

He chuckled at her before resting back against the barrel he was leaned against. "Look, unlike the rest of you, I haven't lost sight of the true objective here. Getting to the top of the castle. That's when the real fun will begin."

"Oh Christ, here we go…" Argo groaned in complaint.

"Allow me to bring you into the bright shiny world of enlightenment for a second, new girl," Coper spoke to Asuna in an arrogant tone while she stirred the pot. "See, these scrubs are all so quick to just see this place as a fun distraction from their miserable IRL lives."

"Remind me why it was again we let this guy in the party?" Argo commented derisively.

"They can't see this place for the opportunity it represents," he continued, completely ignoring her. "Once the Beta ends and official launch day comes, this whole place is going to become host to one of the greatest revolutions in modern media since the advent of streaming services."

Asuna quirked a wary brow at him. "That so?"

"Think about it. People pay to watch internet personalities play games all the time. Even just a mildly successful streamer can make hundreds of thousands of yen a month playing normal videogames. How much more do you think they'll pay to watch us?"

"It always comes back to money with you, doesn't it," Gatrie commented while shaking his head in disbelief. "Can't you just enjoy this place for what it is? A way to escape our IRL responsibilities for a while and have fun with our friends?"

"Hey don't get me wrong. I'm all for distancing myself from IRL as much as humanly possible." Coper assured. "But why stop there? You know what's better than having an escape from the real world? Making that escape your career and never having to deal with the real world ever again."

"Jesus." Argo blew a breath through pursed lips, really just ready for him to stop talking.

"Once the server goes live, we'll be flooded with viewers wanting to live vicariously through us. The ones who separate themselves from the pack early on will get the vast majority of those viewers. Obsessive video game fans who want to watch their favorite streamers play the world's first virtual reality MMO." His grin widened. "But it goes deeper than that."

Chrys rolled his eyes. "Of course it does."

"See, SAO isn't just a game. It's a completely new world," Coper insisted. "It won't just be gamers who will be interested in us. Movie buffs, competitive sports fans, reality TV addicts, they'll all come trickling over to see what the fuss is all about. The vast majority of all popular media that's consumed is about to become obsolete. And once we have a King? Well...he's pretty much destined to become this world's Gary Cooper."

"You've really put a lot of thought into this," Asuna admitted.

He shrugged. "Someone has to. The rest of these jokers don't seem to comprehend the full gravity of what's been placed in front of us. Once the first server goes up, that'll just be the beginning. Eventually, SAO will go international. And from there? We're looking at global exposure"

"It's not that we don't understand that, Coper," Pitohui insisted. "It's just that most of us really don't care. Sure, it would be cool to quit my job IRL, but that's not the reason I'm here. And I could care less about becoming famous or making a ton of money."

"You laugh at me, but when I'm running my own floor and streaming to millions of adoring fans, you'll be singing a different tune."

"See, this right here is why no one likes partying with you," Argo commented bluntly. "Only you would look at this magical realm we've been gifted and think you know what? I could use this game to become a movie star."

He shook his head. "Not a movie star. A VR personality. Different platform means different type of entertainer."

"Oh for fucks sake, we don't care what you call yourself," she retorted in annoyance. "You're completely missing the point of what makes SAO so great. It's a game that's meant to be enjoyed the way you would normally enjoy life. A chance to go on an adventure with your friends. Be someone else for a few days. Get lost in a fantasy world. Hell, find love like how Merida has. It's not a competition, it's an experience."

"Look, I'm not saying you all have to shoot for the stars like I am," he insisted. "But if maximizing your experience is really all you care about, it still wouldn't hurt for you to plan ahead."

"Some of us don't have that luxury…"

The room went dead quiet as everyone turned and peered at Merida with concern. Who had curled her knees up to her chest, a distant look in her eyes.

"Planning for the future is all fine and well for you, Coper. But I can't afford to think like that." She gripped her knees tighter. "Because the life I make here? That's the only life I'm ever gonna have. Any chance for a future on Earth was taken away from me years ago."

Gatrie wrapped his arm around Merida and hugged her gently to his chest before kissing her forehead. "It's okay, Love. Try not to think about it too much."

"Okay…" She trembled quietly in his grip, finding comfort in her husband's arms.

"Hey...I'm sorry, Merida," Coper finally replied, clear guilt in his voice. "I didn't mean to imply that..."

"Yeah, well if you didn't mean to imply it, then next time think before you open your mouth," Diavel cut him off, a level of severity in his voice Asuna wasn't expecting. "I've kept myself out of this discussion so far because I respect your right to playing the game how you want to play, Coper. But so long as you're in my party, you will be considerate of those around you. Are we clear on that?"

"I apologized, didn't I?" he insisted. "Why is everyone getting on my case all of a sudden?"

"Because you're the only one instigating problems right now," Diavel responded in a stern voice. "Consider this your only warning. Any more trouble and I will kick you from the party."

"Tsk, whatever…" Coper stood up from his seat and headed for the entranceway. "I'm gonna go see if the rare boss spawned. Chrys, you coming?"

He sighed before slowly getting up as well. "I guess…" As soon as Coper was out of earshot he turned to the rest of the group. "I'm really sorry for him, guys. Merida, are you okay?"

She nodded assuredly, though she still wasn't smiling. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

Chrys nodded before turning and leaving to follow his friend.

"I really do apologize for getting you caught up in our drama, Asuna," Diavel spoke sincerely to her the moment they were gone. "Coper has always been somewhat difficult to get along with, but he's really not that bad a guy. The whole thing regarding the player's guide just has him in especially rare form."

"You give him way too much credit, Diavel," Argo insisted. "Face it. If it were up to him, I'd have never even written my player's guide. The only one he really cares about is himself. We can't trust him."

"Maybe not, but I do trust Chrys," he replied. "He's always been the most level headed out of all of us. So long as he's keeping an eye on Coper, I'm comfortable enough letting him stay in the party."

"I just wish I understood why he's so obsessed with this," Asuna admitted. "I get wanting to be successful, but it feels like he's not even enjoying the game."

"He's always been like this," Pitohui insisted. "At least as far as we've known him."

"Chrys and Coper used to both be on a Japanese esports team," Argo explained. "The Diamond Novas. Ever heard of them?"

She shook her head. "Not gonna lie, I barely even know what esports are."

Argo chuckled before nodding in understanding. "Basically, it's where you get paid to play certain video games really well."

"Sort of like a Pro-Athlete?" Asuna guessed.

"Well, there are some who would argue that Pro-Gamers are a type of athlete, but that's not a debate I want to get into," she insisted. "But in regards to the Diamond Novas, they were actually pretty good on the Titan Craft circuit."

"Err...Titan Craft?" Asuna asked in confusion. "Sorry, I really am clueless here."

Argo chuckled at her. "It's okay, we get it. Titan Craft was an RTS game that became hugely popular in Japan back in 2024."

"To his credit, Coper's team was actually really good," Diavel admitted. "I used to watch them play when they were still popular. The Diamond Novas were always in the top three of the leader boards."

"So what happened?"

He sighed glumly. "Same thing that happens to a lot of MLG games unfortunately. People just got bored of watching."

"As popular as Titan Craft was at the time, it really proved to be more of a flash in the pan kind of game. It just didn't do enough to innovate the genre in any meaningful way. As a result, it never really managed to break out into the global market like it needed to," Argo explained.

"Which meant that the game's online servers eventually shut down after funding was pulled," Pitohui added. "That alone pretty much killed any interest anyone had in watching the pros play. Which meant Coper and Chrys lost pretty much everything."

Asuna frowned woefully. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Chrys managed to do okay for himself," Diavel assured. "After the Diamond Novas split up, he went to college to get a degree in cyber security. But Coper? He couldn't really adjust to normal life after getting paid to play video games for as long as he did."

"Translation: he was spoiled," Argo commented snarkily. "The dude wasn't even fifteen yet when he started on the Pro-Circuit. He was pretty much raised believing he'd be playing games and making a ton of money for the rest of his life."

"And he never had a backup plan?"

She shook her head. "According to Chrys he tried breaking out into different games, but he never could get quite as good as he was at Titan Craft. After that, he apparently tried to find success as a streamer, but it never really took off. As far as we know, he's yet to get a stable job and is still living with his parents."

"Jeez." Asuna shook her head in pity at that. "Well at least that explains his behavior."

"Doesn't make him any less of a prick, if you ask me," Gatrie commented bluntly. "I don't see how Chrys can still be buddies with that guy. I'd cave his face in given the opportunity."

Merida snuggled up next to him. "Now let's not go there, Darling," she insisted while gently rubbing his arm. "Just because he's a little insensitive, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to be civil."

He sighed at her before shaking his head. "You are far more forgiving than I am, Love. I just can't stand that he said that in front of you."

She smiled at him adoringly before placing a hand on his cheek. "And I love how protective you are of me, Baby. But I promise you, I'm okay. I've been dealing with this since before I even knew Coper."

He tried to smile but it was clear he was still worried. "Well...okay. I just wish that..."

She placed a finger against his lips to silence him. "How about instead of worrying yourself to death needlessly, you just kiss me and make it all better?"

Finally, his charming grin returned. "I can do that."

"Then do it, you big goof," she giggled sweetly at him.

The two lovers kissed each other much to the chagrin of Argo and Pitohui.

"So what's your story, Asuna?" Diavel asked. "I was just curious considering you said you have wealthy parents."

She frowned sadly and stared at the ground. "I don't really have a story...none I feel like talking about anyway."

He raised his hands up assuredly. "Hey, Law of Nunya. I totally understand."

"The only reason we ask is because we like you," Pitohui assured. "You're fun to hang out with."

After a moment, she smiled. "I tell you what. I'll share my story if I get to hear all of yours."

Argo chuckled at her. "Hey, that sounds like a fair trade to me." She settled back into her seat before pulling out a hip flask and taking a swig from it. "Well, I'm a graphic designer IRL. I've been single pretty much my entire adult life on account of every guy I dated in highschool screwing me over," she shrugged indifferently. "And that's about it. There's not really much about me that's all that interesting IRL. That's why I like it here."

Pitohui scoffed at her. "Oh you are so full of shit. You're like the most interesting person I know."

Argo swatted her on the arm, her cheeks flaring red. "You're just saying that…"

She shook her head. "I'm really not." Pitohui pointed at her and spoke to Asuna. "She really hates talking about herself, but we actually went to college together. She's an amazing artist. You should see some of her portfolio work. She does paintings, sculptures, all sorts of things."

Argo rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "She's exaggerating, I assure you. The art is mostly just a hobby for me. SAO is my real passion."

Pitohui sighed at her in frustration. "I still think it's a waste of talent. If you'd just have a little more confidence in your work..."

She grinned back at her impishly. "Like you're one to talk. When's the last time you worked on your music, huh?"

Pitohui blushed fiercely before suddenly becoming incredibly withdrawn. "That's...that's not the point."

Asuna smiled at her. "You're a musician?"

She turned her head away and frowned. "Guitar is just a hobby for me. IRL I'm a secretary. Nothing special."

"Wait...but I thought you said you went to college."

Pitohui sighed glumly. "I never said I finished college." Her mood started to sour. "Look, I'd really rather not talk about it, okay?"

Asuna frowned at her. "Hey, that's alright. I'm sorry for asking."

Argo nodded in agreement. "And I'm sorry for bringing it up. I forgot college is kind of a raw subject for you."

She finally smiled again and shook her head assuredly. "No apologies needed. I know you guys didn't mean anything by it."

"What about you Gatrie?" Asuna asked next. "I got to know your wife, but we didn't really talk about you."

He shrugged at her, a laid back smile on his face. "What's there to say? I was an amaeutur coder for a long time. Wrote a software program a few years back that sold pretty well. Not enough to make me rich. But enough to where I could get by without having to work regularly." He twiddled his thumbs and looked away insecurely. "I've always had a lot of health problems IRL, so I never really...got out much. I got into online gaming as a way to kill time. When SAO was announced, I figured I'd try signing up for the Beta, and now I'm here."

"You never got married or anything like that IRL?" she asked curiously.

He shook his head, that bright smile still plastered on his face. "Merida is the only love I need. Honestly? I never had much of a life to begin with IRL. Before I wrote that program, all I really did was work and play online games. It was...a little pathetic really."

Merida frowned at him. "Baby, don't say that about yourself."

He chuckled at her. "Hey, it's not like any of that matters now. I'm building a new life in SAO with you, Love. I'm a lot happier here."

She smiled at him lovingly. "Me too."

They kissed again, prompting the group to turn to Diavel next.

"Your turn to share with the group, Boss," Argo declared.

He chuckled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. "Is it? Well alright." Diavel shifted his armor around before resting his elbows on his knees. "I was hired onto Argus Entertainment shortly after they became a game company. Nothing special. Just an IT guy for their corporate office in Tokyo. I entered a competition to help with the Alpha Build of SAO and won, luck be praised. Since then I've pretty much devoted my life to this game."

"You and Kirito have that in common," Asuna observed.

"In a way, the two of us helped build SAO. Playing in Alpha...well let's just say it was a lot different from the Beta."

"What was it like?" Asuna asked curiously. "Playing in Alpha, I mean."

"Very strange," he admitted, chuckling at the memory. "This place was a lot different in Alpha. Little more than 3D rendered textureless platforms and walls. We fought with weapons that were more like blocky toys than swords and axes. And we fought against blocky renderings of the monsters we now face."

"Sounds trippy AF," Argo admitted honestly.

He nodded in agreement. "It really was. But Kirito? He tackled the challenge like it was launch day of the full game. We were just meant to test the physics engine. Make sure our bodies still had full range of motion. That sort of thing. But he took to it right out of the gate." A thought occurred to him. "There was...one other thing Dr. Kayaba asked us to do while we played."

"What was that?" Pitohui asked.

"Imagine," he answered. "Imagine ourselves in the world of Aincrad. Let our minds wander as we fought those blocky faceless creatures with blocky textureless weapons. As we played in Alpha, the Cardinal System recorded our thoughts. I have no idea how, but it did."

"The Cardinal System...recorded your thoughts?" Asuna sounded skeptical.

"Well, they were more akin to dreams," he explained. "Doctors have been recording our brainwave patterns for decades while studying REM sleep. Those brainwave patterns formed the basis for what SAO has become."

"That's incredible," she marveled. "What can you tell me about the Cardinal System?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Not much, I'm afraid. That's waaaay beyond the scope of my programming capabilities. Kirito understands it a lot better than I do." He leaned forward in his seat. "All I can say for certain...is that it is easily one of the smartest AIs ever conceived. A lot of people believe its core was modeled off of 3D imagining taken of Dr. Kayaba's brain, and I can fully believe it."

"Do you think it's fully sentient?" Argo asked.

He shrugged. "It's impossible to say for sure. Dr. Kayaba wrote the programming for the Cardinal System himself. According to what he told us, he created the AI with a single objective in mind. To make SAO the most immersive and realistic experience imaginable."

"Well I'd say it succeeded," Asuna commented while looking around. A thought occurred to her. "Kirito claimed he could...talk to the Cardinal System. Is that true?"

Diavel seemed to ponder her question for a moment. "I once asked him something similar while we were questing together. See...when the game was still in Alpha, Kirito would occasionally make alterations to the game's code if he ever spotted an error or bug with the physics engine. He had that power, as that was part of his job."

She nodded in understanding, allowing him to continue.

"The thing is...I've never once seen him use a menu or user interface to do any of those alterations. He'd just sort of wave his hands around and the world would move accordingly. Even in Beta, I would never see him open his menu to change weapons or open his inventory, it was like all he had to do was think about something and he could make it come true."

Asuna thought about what he was saying. "Come to think of it, I can't say I've seen him use a menu either."

He nodded. "Well, one day while we were questing in Beta, Kirito and I stumbled upon a group of Beaters messing with one of the game's puzzles. Apparently they were trying to create an exploit that would allow them to bypass puzzle obstacles and unlock doors without keys."

Argo rolled her eyes. "Sounds about right."

"Well, Kirito PK'd them and then went to inspect the door. He was able to fix whatever they'd done to it without any kind of console commands or system diagnostic tools. He just placed his hand against the door and...fixed it."

Pitohui leaned forward in her seat. "You're kidding…"

He shook his head. "I've asked him about it multiple times and he just keeps saying the same thing. I can talk to the Cardinal System."

Gatrie pondered this information for a moment while scratching his chin. "Maybe he's using some sort of unique key binding system."

"I don't think that's it," Diavel insisted. "I've thought about it for a while now, and I don't think it should be possible for a player to alter the game's code without any user prompts to speak of."

"So what do you think it is, then?"

He remained silent for a long time. "I think...he's memorized the Cardinal Systems binary code, and he uses that knowledge in tandem with his NerveGear to make alterations to the game."

Argo laughed. "Hold on. You can't be serious. There are trillions upon trillions of possible binary sequences that the Cardinal System uses to operate."

Diavel shook his head. "I'm not saying he's memorized all of them. He doesn't need to. All he'd have to do is memorize the core protocols and their matching binary sequences."

"That's still hundreds of thousands of lines of code you're talking about," Gatrie insisted. "No human being could possibly..."

"He could do it," Asuna assured. "I can't really go into detail about it, but trust me when I say he could definitely do it. Easily."

They all blinked at her in bewilderment.

"So...what about you, Asuna?" Diavel finally asked. "What's your story in all this?"

Asuna bit her lower lip nervously before finally curling her legs up to her chest and gazing down at the glow of the cooking fire.

"You know how in fairy tales like Alice in Wonderland, when the protagonist lands in a different world, they always try to find their way back to the real one? I've never understood those characters."

Asuna lifted her gaze up towards the ceiling.

"If you had the opportunity to live in a magical realm of endless possibility, why would you want to go back to a world that...sucks?"

They frowned at her in concern.

"Normally it's because they want to see their families again," Diavel commented.

She sighed woefully. "That's just the problem. I can't relate to that. I don't have anyone IRL I'm particularly close to."

"Not even your parents?" Argo asked worriedly.

She gripped her knees tightly, a bitter look in her eyes. "Especially not my parents."

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it. But we're more than happy to listen," Merida assured.

Asuna remained silent for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and addressing them.

"I have never been allowed to live the way I wanted to. My parents have controlled every aspect of my life from the moment I was born. Even now, they're picking where I go to college, what I'll do for the rest of my life...and who I'm going to one day marry."

Merida gasped quietly while placing a hand over her mouth.

"My father formed an arranged marriage for me when I was sixteen with his company's Chief of Research," she explained with cold detachment. "It was a decision my parents made without so much as consulting me first."

"They can do that?" Gatrie asked.

"Apparently if you're rich enough you can get away with anything," Pitohui commented bluntly.

"But why would they make you do this?" Merida asked, clearly heartbroken for her new friend.

"You have to understand, my father is a very prideful man. In addition to being insanely arrogant," Asuna explained bitterly. "He never wanted a daughter, he wanted a dynasty. He's never shown any approval or pride towards anything I've accomplished. Always chiding me to do better, to achieve more than I was already achieving."

"That sounds like normal parent behavior to me," Gatrie admitted.

She shook her head vehemently. "Not like this. He didn't encourage perfection from me, he demanded it. To the point I was expressly forbidden from making friends with anyone who wasn't in some way connected to his peer group. Everything I did growing up had to be done for his sake, not mine." Asuna lowered her head dejectedly. "What makes it worse is that...for so many years I just went on doing as I was told because I genuinely believed I didn't have any other options. They used money and guilt to keep me complacent, all the while scheming behind my back to rob me of the one thing I thought I'd always get a say in. Who I married."

Argo slammed her fist on the box she was sitting on, prompting the immortal object icon to appear. "Fuck that! No way in hell would I ever let anyone tell me how to live my life."

"We shouldn't judge, Argo," Pitohui insisted. "We've never had to live in her house before."

"Who gives a shit?!" she responded angrily before turning back to their newest party member. "Asuna, if I were in your position I'd march right up to my parents and tell them they can fuck off with that arranged marriage."

Asuna chuckled humorlessly in response. "You know, I've considered it. But…" She sighed. "I can't. I've got no way to support myself were they to kick me out. And I'm not going to burden someone else with my problems."

Merida frowned thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "What about your mother? How does she feel about all of this?"

Asuna laughed derisively. "That's the best part. She thinks that all of this is for my own good. That I'm being set up for a future full of success." She scowled bitterly. "I could care less about success. I just want my freedom."

"Have you considered just...talking to them?" she offered. "Maybe if they heard this from you firsthand…"

"I've never seen the point," Asuna admitted frankly. "It's clear they don't really care about what I want."

"They might surprise you." Merida smiled hopefully at her. "Oftentimes, the actions of our parents, no matter how misguided they may be, still ultimately come from a place of love."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"I mean, what if your parents really do think they're doing what's best for you?" Merida offered sweetly. "If you just talk to them, maybe explain how it is you feel, they'd be willing to work something out with you."

Asuna began to fidget uncomfortably. "I...I don't know if I can do that. If I make my father mad, there's a chance he might take away what few freedoms I have left."

Merida frowned at her in concern before nodding. "I understand. It's just something to consider."

She finally seemed to perk back up. "The thing is, ever since Kirito bought me my NerveGear and showed me this place, I've felt more at peace about my shitty situation than I have in years. Maybe it's too much to hope but...I feel like if I can at least have this one small thing. Just this tiny concession. My own little private world away from the real one. Then I can saddle any burden my parents dump on me IRL."

Merida smiled at her and nodded. "If that's what you desire, then I certainly won't stop you. After all, I'm doing the exact same thing."

Asuna sighed. "My situation may not be the same as yours Merida. Nor is it the same as Kirito's. But...I think if there's one thing we do have in common, it's that none of us got to be who we really wanted to be IRL. In here, I feel free for the first time in years. Whereas before, I just felt…I don't know..." She went searching for the word, but couldn't find it.

"Trapped."

They all turned and looked at Diavel, who was now joining Asuna in her fire gazing.

"You felt trapped in the real world," he spoke in quiet understanding.

She nodded at him. "Yeah. That's it exactly."

"Trust me, Asuna. I understand how that feels," he assured her.

"We all do," Argo chimed in. "That's what makes this place so special to us."

"And we want to share it with you," Diavel continued. "Because despite what others may claim, you're just like us, Asuna. Privilege or no privilege, I can tell just by looking at you that you belong here."

Asuna did her best not to get choked up. "That means so much to hear. My friends IRL were never this supportive of me. Ever."

"You're a misfit, like the rest of us," Pitohui offered in a friendly tone. "No matter what happens in the real world, we look after each other in here."

"For better or worse," Argo added just as enthusiastically.

Listening to them, Asuna was reminded of something from her childhood.

"One for all, and all for one," she spoke aloud.

"Hmm?" Argo quirked her head at her curiously. "What's that?"

"It's something I read in a book when I was younger. One for all, and all for one. It was the motto that this group of characters in the story would say. Basically, it was a promise they made to always be loyal to each other and support one another. It was one of my favorite aspects of the whole book." She blushed meekly. "Well...that and the fencing."

Diavel smiled at her knowingly. "You're talking about The Three Musketeers right? Man, talk about a classic."

"You've read it?" she asked excitedly.

He nodded. "It was one of my favorites growing up." Diavel then added with a slick grin. "Though I have to say, I never thought I'd meet a real life d'Artagnan. Or that he'd turn out to be a ravishing young lady."

She turned away, hiding the smile on her lips while her face turned completely crimson.

"God, you're such a flirt, Diavel." Pitohui giggled at him. "Don't just put a girl on the spot like that."

He chuckled heartily before scratching the back of his head, a big goofy grin on his face. "Sorry. Sometimes I just can't help myself. Hope I didn't embarrass you too much, Asuna."

She shook her head, her face still crimson. "Not at all. I've just never been compared to a book character like that before."

Argo chortled at her. "For God's sake Diavel, you turned the poor thing scarlet."

"Hey everyone, I think the stew is done," Merida commented, pulling them away from the conversation for a moment.

Diavel stood up and pulled a flask from his inventory before raising it in the air. "Then before we feast, allow me to toast you, my friends. To the future of our party and to the future of our guild. As Asuna so boldly put it, one for all and all for one."

He took a swig of his flask before declaring.

"To the Knights of the Black Oath!"