Chapter Two: Girls' Day Off
Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own any properties related to SAO. Thank you.
Floor 77- One Day after Chapter One
One day ago, Asuna contributed greatly to the boss fight on floor seventy-six.
Opinions of her leadership practically changed overnight. There were still many who doubted Asuna, though, for the battle stirred new questions. The main concern was how skilled she was as a tactician. Normally, her strategy of hitting the enemy hard and fast would've worked, but because of said strategy, many Assault Team members could have lost their lives.
Asuna attempted to dissuade any thoughts of her controversiality as she ate her food. Nowadays, she couldn't even eat out at a local restaurant due to her popularity. If she was seen doing anything even remotely normal, one of two reactions would occur. She would either get gawked at or mocked depending on the person's opinions.
A notification icon flashed at the upper right of her vision indicating that a message had been sent to her. Opening her menu, the sender of the message was a person Asuna had not spoken to for awhile.
"Lisbeth?" She whispered to herself. As she clicked the message, its contents spilled out over the menu.
Dear Asuna,
Hey, I'm sorry it's been so long. I know that's a crappy excuse, but it's all I got at the moment. First off, I needed time for myself. You probably didn't know this, Hell, nobody knows this, but Kirito and I once went on a sort of adventure together. Long story short, he was a good friend of mine. I will be the first to admit that my reason is selfish, but I don't want to lie to you.
Secondly, I didn't want to upset you because I know you don't like pity, so I regrettably distanced myself from you.
Anyway, meet me at the 77th floor town of Auburn at 3 pm. Let's catch up!
-Your favorite blacksmith, Lisbeth.
Huh, what a nice surprise. She thought happily to herself.
It was only nine A.M., so Asuna still had time until the meetup.
For the first time in a long while, Asuna felt happy. Forgetting about Kirito for right now, she decided to choose a quest from the board. As she walked over to the quest board, and a certain piece of paper caught her eye. It was a player made newspaper. Normally, Asuna would try her damnedest to stay away from them, but the heading was what really got her intrigued.
"Commander Asuna CHALLENGED by Player Nautilus"
An attractive title was all it took for such a read to get noticed. Speaking of getting notice, there were two reasons why Asuna had yet to be swarmed by players and press alike. For one, the seventy-seventh floor was still relatively unknown to most. Not only that, but besides, many chose not to visit the current human frontier, for the masses are petrified of the unknown. Plus, It was an off day, so go figure.
The rest of the paper recapped their duel, but seemed to portray Nautilus as a righteous hero. Asuna would be the first to admit, Nautilus' speech would seem just out of context, but she knew deep down that floor seventy-six could have easily become a massacre had she not chosen to rebuild the Assault Team during those three months.
So, they really do cherry pick viewpoints in these articles. Asuna wondered why she wasn't surprised.
After searching for awhile, there seemed to be nothing good to choose from.
I guess I can attempt to map at least some of this floor.
With that thought, the refreshed commander of the KoB headed onto uncharted territory.
Two Hours Later-Field's of Purity on the 77th Floor
For a whole two hours, Asuna had been busy mapping the areas outside of town in search of the labyrinth. Labyrinth are a pathway to the boss room and the next floor, so it normally would be in view from as far as the city. For some reason, though, there was no sign of such thing.
How… is this possible? The labyrinths are normally huge, so why can't I spot it?
Such a thought was interrupted by a loud scream from right behind her. "Booooo!"
"Ahhhh!" Asuna squealed before noticing the smiling girl behind her. "L-Lisbeth?"
"Who else would be this cute?" The pink-haired girl Lisbeth grinned deviously.
"Don't… just, how did you find me?" Asuna asked in a surrendering tone.
Lisbeth clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth a few times while shaking her pointer finger. "Seems like someone forgot the basics. You do know that I'm still on your friends list, right? Anyone on that list can track your very location."
Very...location? Asuna thought worriedly. Good thing I don't have many friends. She then awkwardly chuckled to herself, making Lisbeth a bit uncomfortable.
"Well, it sure is good to see you again." Asuna sympathetically told Lisbeth.
Truth be told, Lisbeth had been affected by the loss of Kirito greatly as well. The girl had put away all feelings for him when she found out he truly belonged to Asuna. Even so, the lonely blacksmith still awaited the "Black Swordsman" every day in hopes he would require her services and return. He never did come. Lisbeth held no anger to Asuna nor Kirito, for she knew their duty as front-line players was to get people like her out of this death game. Still, that did not ease the pain in her heart.
When she found out Kirito had been killed on the seventy-fifth floor, her heart shattered like a glass pitcher being slammed against the tile floor. After closing her humble smithy, the broken girl stayed far out of sight. Until one day...
Two Months and Ten Days Ago
It was a chilly night in the fiftieth floor town of Algade. The seventeen year old Lisbeth had briefly went shopping for bread in the market, and was now heading back to the inn which had served as her home for the past month.
The usual hustle of the city was still very much ongoing, yet Lisbeth had blocked out all noise at this point. Well, almost all noise.
"Help! Help!" The desperate voice of a man shouted out from the distance, snapping Lisbeth out of her mindless daze.
Suddenly, a group of high-level players dashed by at the speed of sound. Curious of the commotion, the ex-blacksmith tried her best to pursue the mysterious iron-cladded men.
When the group reached the distressed victim of an unknown opponent, Lisbeth noticed something about the leader. In one hand he held a single longsword. That was fairly normal, but what wasn't was that an the outline of a second sword could be seen sheathed on his back.
"Huh!" Lisbeth gasped. Covering her mouth as the truth penetrated her soul.
He's… dual wielding!
That supposed dual wielder's name was Brent. Shortly after Kirito died, he noticed a new skill had appeared on his list. This skill was in fact, "Dual Blades". Overnight, Brent, a lower level player, gained a literal advantage over his fellow players.
The level seventy-four sixteen-year old did indeed have the fastest reaction time in the whole game.
Needing another player to assume the role of "Dual Wielder", the Cardinal System actively sought out the one with the best reaction time until it reached Brent.
Fortunately for the other players, Brent's heart was pure. In fact, Brent looked up to the now deceased front-line player Kirito.
Knowing that his newly acquired skill would provide more than enough safety, Brent promised himself that he would use this blessing to clear the game. No matter how long it took.
Of course, Brent was still sure to conceal this gift for his own protection, but he would not hesitate if a life was ever in danger. But one day, when the boy was out leveling on the seventieth floor, he was caught using his ever so powerful skill.
The group which had found out his secret seemed trustworthy enough, and Brent had been looking for an excuse to head to the front lines with his current level, eighty-nine. His whole life changed the moment he spoke the words, "How would you like to head to the front lines with me?"
The five men were rightfully shocked, but they, too, shared the dream of fighting the supposed, "War Against Aincrad".
Now they were here; receiving a tip from a contact about harassment. Brent, being the hero that he desperately wanted to be, charged head first onto the fiftieth floor.
Paying no mind to the pink-haired youth behind him, Brent asked the screaming man what happened.
"There was hooded man! He-he hit me. I don't know how! It was just…"
"Calm down." Brent told the man reassuringly. "Bub, Joe? Get this man to an inn." He asked his party members.
Lisbeth, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "How…?" Brent noticed Lisbeth was eyeing his sheathed second blade, and put his finger over his mouth, signalling for Lisbeth to shush. He glanced back once to make sure the victim was receiving proper treatment before heading toward Lisbeth.
"Damn it. You saw it, didn't you?" Brent asked while he opened the equipment menu, then proceeded to unequip the second sword.
Lisbeth nodded at his question. "Rookie mistake. Well, I hope you know how to keep a secret?" He asked. Lisbeth tried her hardest to suppress the burning urge of informing this dual-wielding stranger that she knew his predecessor, but she lost that internal struggle.
"You're not the first." She said coldly. Brent nervously chuckled before realizing the truth behind those words, then confirmed his knowledge of the situation.
"Yeah, I know about about the fabled 'Black Swordsman' Kirito."
Lisbeth wasn't satisfied, for she could not allow this inexperienced player disgrace Kirito's name just because he gained the unique skill.
The girl opened her friends list, and scrolled to the greyed out name "Kirito".
Brent looked curiously at the newly opened screen, but was soon put in his place when he spotted the name.
"Kirito…" He muttered under his breath. "You knew him?"
"Forged his Elucidator." She grinned as she talked.
A new question popped into Brent's head. "Your blacksmithing skill must be real high." To which Lisbeth nodded to that as well.
That eventually led Brent to a great idea.
"You know how this skill works, huh? You know, our party could always use a blacksmith."
Lisbeth could not believe what she was hearing. A dual-wielder was once again proposing an adventurous offer to her.
Stuttering nervously, Lisbeth tried to give a neutral answer, "I-I'll have to, uh, think about it."
Brent stroked his chin, thinking, then said, "Can I see how high your blacksmithing skill is?"
It was considered taboo to see another's skills, but Lisbeth felt that him knowing how good of a blacksmith she was wouldn't kill her. Opening her UI, she pointed to the high leveled skill that was blacksmithing. Brent jumped back, startled after seeing how many skill points the girl had put into it.
After that event, Lisbeth went back to the inn to clear her excited head.
I could join his party! No, No. That would only drag me down. But wouldn't Kirito want me to help this new dual-wielder? These thoughts raced until Lisbeth finally decided to give it a try.
Present Day
"Wow. So that's what you've been up to these past months." Asuna said. "Yep. And that's how the guild of 'Misty Fog' was founded.
Guild of…'Misty Fog'? Asuna wondered, for she had never heard of that name. She was also surprised about the new Dual Wielder, though she had been suspecting someone had to get the skill eventually.
"So…What are we gonna do?" Lisbeth asked cheerfully. Asuna hadn't thought of the plans for today, but decided to wing it and hope for the best.
"Well, I was going to search for the labyrinth, but that doesn't seem possible as of yet." Asuna said while stubbornly admitting defeat to this floor's intricate layout.
Lisbeth was disappointed by this answer, for the Asuna she truly knew would have never given up that easily. "You know what?" Lisbeth asked sassily. "Let's find this labyrinth! Right now!"
What the Hell? Lisbeth was never this persistent. But maybe…
Asuna suddenly came to the realization that Lisbeth simply wanted Asuna to hang out with her.
She's lonely. I… didn't know Kirito meant so much to her.
"Fine. Got any ideas on where to start looking for this hidden labyrinth?" Asuna asked while simultaneously agreeing to Lisbeth's demand.
Lisbeth thought about that for a moment, then said, "What if it only appears after completing a certain quest? Like some sort of trigger."
Though a labyrinth had never been 'triggered' before, neither had one ever been invisible like it was now. Lisbeth's theory held some plausibility, but that would beg the question. What quest would be so important as to trigger a labyrinth?
"Hey, Asuna?"
"Yes?'"
"Every floor has a main dungeon, right?"
"Well, uh, ye- Wait a minute!"
Asuna yelled as Lisbeth snickered. "Are you implying that…We take on a main dungeon by ourselves?"
The daring Lisbeth continued to giggle wildly to herself. She had indeed planned on taking on the dungeon with Asuna.
Unfortunately, the Commander Asuna was much different than the sub-leader Asuna whom Lisbeth knew so well. The woman who stood before her was much colder than she remembered. It was like a different soul entirely inhabited this beautiful body.
Discouraged and heartbroken after Asuna's seeming rebuttal of her intrepid idea, Lisbeth decided to head back to the inn before embarrassing herself any further. The outline of her pupils felt oddly wet, and before the girl had any idea of the situations, her cheeks grew red as hot liquid gushed down the sides of her face.
As Lisbeth tried to come up with a reasonable excuse for bailing so early, Asuna noticed the struggle in her best friend's voice.
"Lisbeth…?" Asuna asked gently to the weeping Lisbeth. "What is it, Asuna?" Lisbeth replied in a surprisingly aggressive tone of voice.
Asuna was taken back by the anger radiating from the depths of her friend's very being, but quickly regained her usual stark composure and finished her question.
"Do you really want to assault the dungeon on our own?" Asuna asked.
"Well, I do-not! No! I-I do. I mean-" Asuna halted this frenzy when she shocked even Lisbeth by saying, "I do." with a comforting smile.
Two Hours Later in the Dungeon of "Lizard's Terrain"
"Look, Asuna! Isn't that an NPC up ahead?" Lisbeth said as she pointed toward the outline of a humanoid figure.
"Affirmative." Asuna replied while looking at it's cursor.
When the pair reached the unknown thing, it's uncanny appearance was initially off putting. The smile that was seemingly glued upon its face disturbed Lisbeth, but her fears eased after remembering that Asuna was at her side.
This deathtrap of a dungeon had yet to cease the two's progress by even a smidge. Of course, it wasn't easy venturing this deep into unknown territory, especially with their lack of numbers. But what the pair lacked was easily made up for with sheer willpower combined with their determination to find this lost labyrinth.
Every single "Lizard Beast" so far had been dispatched crudely but thoroughly by Asuna's rapier. Lisbeth mostly stood by nervously while the girl with the sparkling rapier did the heavy-lifting, but would occasionally 'Switch' when Asuna needed to wait through the cooldown process of each skill. When the cooldown period ended, Asuna would blaze forth directly toward the enemy.
Lisbeth noticed a certain aura seemingly vibrating off the thin blade belonging to the Commander Asuna. The item was supposedly made entirely of polygons, but it almost seemed as if it were alive.
No. That's impossible.
Lisbeth reassured herself before initiating conversation with the NPC first.
"Heya, buddy." She said in a casual voice in order to alert the NPC's protocols. When the words reached the NPC, he looked at the two with his unnerving features before beginning to speak.
"Help, help! My wife's stuck in there! The ruble fell while she was on the other side."
The way he said that with such a smile made the two tense once more.
"Stand back." Asuna said, though Lisbeth could not guess if she was directing the command at her or the man. With that said, Asuna activated a skill unknown to the retired blacksmith. The raw power exerted from the skill sent the ruble flying away. For a moment, Lisbeth was worried that the woman supposedly behind the ruble would be damaged. But no one was there.
The Commander and the mace wielder entered the oddly lit room. No one else was there. "Hey, wasn't your wife supposed in here?" Asuna asked. At that very moment, the ruble collapsed again. All the while, "Lizard Freak"s spawned all around them. "Stand back Liz!" Asuna commanded. Lisbeth looked around, but saw that monsters were all around them.
"Asuna, they're everywhere." Lisbeth said worriedly. Asuna's ego had been gravely injured by this event. Knowing that she, the Commander, could have been so stupid as to be lured into a trap. "Lisbeth, I know you're not a fighter, but you're adept with a mace, correct?" Lisbeth nodded at this question, then Asuna began again, "Good. Because we won't get out alive if any one of us lacks the grit and strength to get this done.
Asuna led the charge while ordering Lisbeth to get her back up against a wall. The Commander Asuna was evident no more. Instead, the "Lightning Flash" rebirthed from the depths of Asuna's broken heart. Lisbeth helped, but was extremely focused on the way Asuna fought.
She fights with everything. Doesn't she?
Lisbeth finally noticed the reason for Asuna's success. Everything she did was done to the fullest.
"Aaaa!" Asuna screamed viciously while slashing her rapier horizontally in as she jumped in the air. The first beast to go down was split in half, but Asuna had to rebound quickly as to fend off the other monster behind her. Lisbeth reverted back to focusing all her might on the one before her.
Four "Lizard Freak"s were all Asuna had to take care of. Originally there were seven, then Asuna killed one, and Lisbeth was handling two on her own.
All four rushed at Asuna, forcing the girl to use the skill, "Spinning Jet". Upon activating it, the skill guided her. Her body twisted and spun around as the beasts took heavy damage from the rapier. Asuna's chestnut flew with wind, and her hazel-brown eyes were determined to win.
When the skill had ceased, all four monsters were now on the ground with half-depleted health. One rebounded quickly, though, and went for Asuna's blindside.
"Asuna! Watch out!" But it was too late. The warrior-girl spun around only to find the sharpened edge of a lizard's blade.
Shhk!
The blade made a disturbing sound as it pierced Asuna. At that point, the other creatures were raising their hideous faces in an attempt to get up from the rocky floor.
"No! Not you too, Asuna!" Lisbeth yelled passionately while charging forward, mace in hand. She went for the one nearest to her as it struggled to regain its footing. Its tries were in vain as Lisbeth quickly put an end to his artificial life. Then, stuck the second one hard, killing it. The next nearest "Lizard Freak" was attacking the defensless Asuna. The beast had no time to react before Asuna activated a skill, whacking its head off with a single strike.
"Three left." Lisbeth muttered with a killer instinct.
Asuna, now able to stand, charged for one while Lisbeth held off the other two. Lisbeth had other plans.
Using both the head and hilt of the mace to pin the two lizards against the hard wall, Lisbeth pushed harder, and harder. Until…
Pop!
The pressure was to much for their thin throats, and the amphibious heads gave in. Before the two green heads hit the ground, they disappeared in a ray of light, and the lizard's torsos shattered into blue pixels as well.
Asuna had long since finished off her lizard, and was now staring wide-eyed at the feat Lisbeth just accomplished. Smiling, Lisbeth walked past her and mothed, "thank you."
"You. Talk." Lisbeth commanded the now feeble NPC.
In an automated voice in line with his programing, he said, "Oh, no. How did you- Never mind. Leave and enter the labyrinth. It's there." The man pointed to the giant tower.
The two girls eyed their surroundings, but noticed that the dirt and rock surrounding them had now been replaced by blue skies and green grass.
"I-is that…"
"The labyrinth." Asuna finished Lisbeth's sentence for her.
The even more astonishing fact was that it looked to be extremely narrow, meaning that it would be a straight shot up to the boss room.
"Lisbeth, you were right after all." Asuna whispered softly. "Heh. I guess I was." Lisbeth said sounding even more surprised herself.
The NPC had disappeared, and the girls were alone in the grass, looking up at the great sky which enveloped the entirety of this world.
"Lisbeth…I'm sorry."
The mace wielder was originally confused at Asuna's apology, for this had been one of her favorite days in Aincrad so far.
"Asuna, you don't understand. You've finally showed me something I've long been searching for."
"No. I don't need lies to fill for pity. Lisbeth, I've neglected you, my only real friend in this floating fortress."
Lisbeth said nothing as Asuna quietly sobbed. But eventually, she could hold her piece no longer. "You...You don't have to take the blame for this. I'm-I'm just as guilty as you!" She blurted. "I was so alone! But you decided to talk to me, a humble blacksmith. Asuna, I can never repay you for your help."
"Lisbeth…"
The two gripped each other in a tight embrace. Reunited at last, the inseparable duo forgot about the pain this cruel world had brought them. A friendship that would test the boundaries of time.
Letting go, Asuna wiped away the tears from her apple red cheeks, and said with a determined smile, "If your guild really is led by a dual-wielder, then this floor is ours for the taking."
Somewhere at an Inn on Floor 73
"Good job, aye boss?" Brent's second in command, Rusty, asked cheerfully. "Yep! Hey, man, did I show you the new loot?"
Brent popped open his menu then clicked on his 'ITEMS' category. He scrolled until he reached the bottom, which showed his recently acquired gear. With a single tap, everything was revealed about this item.
It was a necklace. Jewels littered the beautiful aesthetic design, making it seem all the more valuable. The name of this drop was 'Divine Jewel of the Ten'.
"But boss, its stats are blank!"
Indeed, the stats of the item were nonexistent.
Beep! Beep!
Brent and Rusty had both gotten the notification of new mail.
"It's from Lisbeth." Brent murmed before nodding at Rusty. "It reads as follows,"
"Hey guys! I'm with Commander Asuna. She would like to know if the guild can spare some time and help her defeat a boss floor."
Brent had to confirm he wasn't dreaming. Rusty had a mega grin stretched out from ear-to-ear. "Rusty...We aren't dreaming, are we?"
The man sitting beside him shook his head.
Next, Brent pinched himself.
Ow! Yep. Definitely real.
"Get the guild together, Rusty! We're going on a boss raid!"
Two Days Later at the Entrance to the Labyrinth
"Alright, people!" Asuna spoke in her naturally strict tone. "My name's Asuna, and I will lead you to success in this boss raid. Now, here's the plan: We will work our way up this labyrinth with all we've got. Then, upon reaching and entering the boss room, each of us will line up for sword skills one at a time. This boss is blocking our path. What will we do?"
"Kill it!" The Assault Team shouted in response.
"The boss is a giant crab. It's name is the 'Crystal Claw'. Show it no mercy!" Asuna finished. Her and Lisbeth had ran up the labyrinth at unreal speeds, and caught a glimpse of the boss up top earlier. Of course, getting back down was much harder, but the two burst through the enemy lines and back to the bottom at even faster speeds than before.
Today, Asuna planned on beating this boss. Though she had fun with Lisbeth two days ago, Asuna realized that she was still the Commander. So, even though it was against her will, she had to return to her usual self. But the girl had learned something, at least.
It was alright for her to be herself every once and awhile.
Being with Lisbeth once more opened up plenty of new and exciting opportunities. Not only that, but Asuna felt something stir within her heart. Kirito was happy with her.
The whole Assault Team charged into the labyrinth, where they were greeted by 'Horned Lizards'. About fifty of them, against twenty-five members of the Assault Team. They had most likely been dragged out by Asuna and Lisbeth when they ran by here. The surprised Asuna slowly came to the conclusion that the floor-boss would not fall today.
"Draw them outside! We can take them in an open area!" Asuna ordered.
The Assault Team went back outside, followed relentlessly by the lizards. When they had all got into position, the battle began.
Everyone had a lizard to destroy, and Lisbeth was no exception. The girl tried desperately to dispatch the three who were after her. Fear's grip caught her, and the war cries of the Assault team drowned out Lisbeth's screams. Mostly…
The dual-wielder Brent had been keeping a close eye on his guildmate, Lisbeth. When he saw the blade that would ultimately end Lisbeth's precious life fall, he reacted accordingly. Lisbeth looked up to find the honed-edge of a silver blade barreling down from above. She braced herself, but it never quite fell. The only thing Lisbeth heard was the ear-splitting sound of metal on metal.
Brent had just barely been able to deflect the hurtling blade before it reached his friend. The other two lizards joined in on the attack against the boy, but even they, the strongest type of mob on this floor, could not prevail against the pure might of dual-wielding. It was now that people took notice of Brent's unique skill, but he did not mind.
Their blades shattered from the force. Using this advantage, Brent slashed his blade in a line from right to left, killing all three lizards.
"Looks like you could use a hand there miss." The swordsman said charmingly to Lisbeth while extending his right hand.
Asuna looked over, and Brent nodded. Now knowing that her friend was out of harm's way, she fought even harder.
The Assault Team had been dealt no losses as the lizards army started to thin. It was about twenty-five to thirty at this point. Asuna in particular was making progress in this battle.
Two years ago, Brent had just barely begun high-school. He was by no means a social butterfly, but he had friends. His life was rather dull, yet the boy seemed content. He would have no idea what would come.
Now, he fought a life or death battle with giant lizards. In this world, Brent was free from rule. He could be who he wanted to be, and do what he wanted to do. The attachment he had garnered to was almost to the point of obsession.
Yet, his urge to help people trumped that obsession greatly. Though he would miss this fortress of iron and steel, he understood that the game had to be cleared for everyone's sake. The boy would never admit it, but he, too, desperately sought to return home.
Shaking off these troublesome thoughts, Brent sat Lisbeth down outside of the ongoing battle. The feelings he felt for this girl were unknown to him.
"I'll be back for you, so hang tight." He said. Lisbeth simply smiled in return.
He jumped furiously back into the fray. The swords grasped in each hand were nothing special. Just monster drops unworthy of being called "partners".
One lizard noticed Brent, and strayed from his path to another member of the Assault Team. Brent readied an attack, but him distracting the monster allowed another player to strike it first. The man looked on with amazement at Brent's dual-wielding at first, but soon returned to the fight. With that over with, Brent went to help someone else who was being overpowered.
Asuna noticed that the Assault Team had now grouped themselves into pairs of two or more, for the number of monsters was now less than the players.
The rapier-wielding girl used the skill 'Delta Attack', and the lizard before her dispersed into a thousand pieces of light.
Everyone else seemed to be doing the same, as the battle had practically ended.
In the end, the Assault Team had come out relatively unscathed due to Asuna's quick thinking. Of course, they were no longer fit for a full boss raid.
"Head home for today. Tomorrow, we meet here at dawn. Five o'clock specifically. Good job today, guys. Honest."
That Night
"Wow, Asuna seemed to be in a pleasant mood today." One person murmured to their group. "Yeah. And that new dual-wielder seems to be on our side." said another.
Sayings like this had been gossiped about throughout all of today. Lisbeth had overhead these conversations countless times already.
It was just turning dark, but the newly-opened pub on floor seventy-seven was already bustling with activity.
Lisbeth had attended this "Grand Opening" for the fresh gossip, but was even more intrigued at the fact that opinions of Asuna were turning around so quickly. Tomorrow, Asuna's true ability to lead would be put to the test.
The Next Morning, Outside the Labyrinth
"Alright, people! It's a straight shot up the labyrinth from here. The only foe standing in our path is the boss at the top!"
The rallying cries of Commander Asuna ignited the spirit lying dormant within the hearts of the Assault Team. With a proper plan and strong numbers, the group stormed up the labyrinth.
Upon reaching the large gates, Asuna showed no hesitation before pushing them open.
Sitting in the middle of the room was a giant crab. The 'Crystal Claw' to be exact.
It's deadly claws looked as if they could rush the group at any moment. "Everyone, get in formation!" Asuna ordered.
Sure enough, the Assault Team members got into their respective positions.
The beast was now surrounded, yet it did not seem to care. Everyone stood silent as the crab began to make its first move.
Upon realizing the direction of the impending attack, Asuna yelled, "Everybody step back!"
Like a child obeying its mother, the Assault Team listened and dodged the spinning claw.
Brent had personally told Lisbeth to act with caution this time, but Asuna seemed to trust in her friend's abilities too much. In the end, Lisbeth agreed to be careful, but would still try her best to help Asuna. In the end, did Brent's authority as Lisbeth's guild leader override Asuna's authority as Commander? And could either of those positions hold anything over the unbreakable bonds the two girls had?
Brent decided to trust Lisbeth as well, so could focus all of himself upon this boss.
Asuna leapt off with the first skill, 'Flashing Lance', one of the strongest of all rapier skills. Although it barely put a dent in the creature's HP, Lisbeth's attack would do some real damage.
"Switch!" Asuna barely got out through gritted teeth.
The mace-wielder followed her orders, and used the skill, 'Raining Bullets'. This lowered the first of three HP bars to half.
Others followed suit, but as soon as Asuna saw an attack coming, her safety instincts kicked in, and the Assault Team dodged every attack that she had predicted.
It's first bar had depleted when things started to get serious.
Normally, there was a pattern to these bosses' attacks, but this was not a normal fight. The crab's attacks grew more and more impossible to predict, and eventually, the Assault Team had grown weary. Their HP had been slowly whittled away by this crab, and with things only getting worse, group morale was low.
Soon, no damage was being dealt to the crab that still had two full bars of health remaining.
Out of a plan, Asuna had to use her old tactics to get the Assault Team through this. The crab was standing still, and everyone had scattered to the other side of the boss room. This was where Asuna formed a new plan.
"Hold your heads high. Failure here is not an option. But don't worry, for I have a plan. If most of us gather at the base of the boss, we can slowly chip away its health. Sure, it's extremely risky, but it just might work. Today, a new guild will deliver the fatal skills. They are the 'Misty Fog'. Led by the known dual-wielder, Brent. We've have gotten success out of this strategy so far, so let's keep riding it. We will not lose!"
Everyone stuck to the plan, including Asuna, who went along to attack from the ground.
Brent clenched his teeth, then looked once more at his guild.
Lisbeth, the blacksmith who always donned a cheerful smile.
Rusty, the stunner with a heart of gold.
Chubb, the attacker who was friendlier than his title gave him credit for.
Finally, Tini, the healer-girl who always put her life on the line to use a health potion on the guild.
They all gazed on upon their leader with eyes filled with respect. He would do anything for his guildmates, as they would for him.
Brent nodded, then ran up to the boss followed by his friends.
As the first in line, Brent started out strong with 'Starburst Stream'. Next, Rusty used paralysis to stun the 'Crystal Claw'. After that, Chubb rained down hits with the skill, 'Dancing Spear'. Finally, Lisbeth used the mace skill, 'Guilty Charge'. Tini healed them up to start the cycle all over again.
"Back up! Attack incoming!" Asuna yelled.
But it was too late. Eight members desperately struggled to outrun the claw, but failed. Their lives had now ended.
The group watched on with pure horror. Eight members had been taken out at once with one swift strike.
Asuna tried to separate the Assault Team from the 'Crystal Claw' so they could regroup, but unlike last time, the crab did not give up chase.
"Brent, do you think your guild and I alone can finish off the boss' last bar of health?" Asuna asked.
Brent had a limited amount of time to respond before the crab reached them and the rest of the weakened Assault Team.
"Yes." Was the only thing Brent could say.
His guild looked worried, but a reassuring smile from their leader calmed them.
Asuna led the charge, and met the crab head on with her best rapier skill, 'Blazing Sparks', the twenty hit combo.
She had no time to dodge, however, and was sent flying with dangerously low health.
"Asuna!" Lisbeth yelled as she ran over to her gravely wounded best friend.
"Damnit." Brent muttered beneath his breath, for Lisbeth had left the lineup that would decide this battle.
After the crab finished its attack, Rusty paralyzed the creature once more. The rest of the guild executed their sword skills perfectly.
As soon as the skills were done, the 'Misty Fog' members rushed back to safety. The problem was that the monster still had some health left.
Tini used an endurance potion on her guild so they could be ready for the next attack.
Brent stood up and ignorantly went for the crab's legs. He was met with a direct blow to the head by the beast's claw. If not for the endurance potion, his health would have no doubt depleted fully.
Lisbeth took notice of Brent's collision while trying to resuscitate the unconscious Asuna.
"Brent…" She said through tears as the 'Crystal Claw' turned its attention to the vunerable Assault Team.
She knew what had to be done, otherwise everyone here would die. Gathering every last bit of courage, Lisbeth reached into her soul and pulled out an unmatched determination.
The girl put everything into her mace as she ran. Memories of Kirito flashed sporadically throughout her head. Lisbeth swore she could feel Kirito smiling down on her, however strange it may sound. With her best skill, Lisbeth leapt from behind the unexpecting beast.
"Raging Pulse." Lisbeth repeated the name of the skill.
She thrust downward with all her might, even when she could feel the resistance of the crab's outer shell. Lisbeth kept pushing as the creature flailed about with her on its body.
With a crack, Lisbeth broke through the shell and into the flesh of the monster. When she made final impact, the beast dispersed its shards while Lisbeth fell to the ground.
Epilogue
"So you're finally here, boy. Have you gathered the ones like I asked?" The intimidating man asked from his chair in the dark room.
"No… I'm sorry." The boy responded.
The stout man stood up, but did not step fully into the light.
"I see. Well, this is all very disappointing. I expected better from you… Nautilus."
Author's Note
Phew! That was a long chapter, but I tried my best to polish it like a real story to make it better than chapter one. Sorry for the cliffhanger as well. Just want to keep everyone hooked. Anyways, thank you for reading chapter two of SAO: Surpassing the Limit. It is now early Sunday morning when I'm writing this, so I'm glad I'll be able to get some rest now XD.
Also, I publish a full chapter every Sunday. If I can't get a chapter out or It's not ready, I'll try my best to contact my followers before hand. Remember to follow this story and me as an author so you can see when I upload!
As always, please leave constructive criticisms in the comment section, and be sure to tune in next Sunday as well.
Tip o' the hat
-thecoolpebble