Chapter Four - Her Return

After having dinner with Silica, Asuna went back to her and Kirito's home on the 22nd floor for the night.

It hadn't been since Kirito died that Asuna had been here. She thought about coming back from time to time, but felt that it would be much too sad. Unfortunately, Asuna didn't have many other places to go, and she didn't want to return to the guild's HQ until she found Heathcliff.

It's just how we left it… Asuna thought as she remembered those joyful days.

She walked around the house slowly, taking in everything, every memory that she held so dear to her heart.

Asuna was examining an older picture when she got a message.

"Hey, Asuna, it's Lisbeth. I know you want to be alone right now, but we have to talk. I chickened out, I'm sorry. As soon as you put me in charge of the guild I panicked and made Brent the temporary leader. The only problem is… he's been gone for awhile. I can't get in contact with him. He's probably just in a dungeon zone on the current floor, but I'm still worried. Anyway, the Knights of the Blood Oath need a leader, a real one, not like this Nautilus guy who wants to be. They need you back, or else things may get real bad."

Nautilus is trying to take over? Asuna thought worriedly. I've only been gone for a day and things are this bad already? Maybe… just maybe, the guild really does need me.

Asuna finally snapped out of her vengeful delusions, and she realized that she would never find Heathcliff, or at least not until they got to higher floors. She needed to return to the guild. Asuna decided to stay the night at the cabin and leave at dawn.

Asuna crawled into the bed that seemed so much larger without Kirito. She cried, and cried, and cried. Her pillow was drenched in tears by the time she finally fell asleep.

Meanwhile, at the KoB's Headquarters on the 55th floor…

"No!" Lisbeth yelled. "The Knights of the Blood Oath already have a leader, and her name is Asuna!"

"You mean the girl who will destroy this guild and lead us to ruin?" Nautilus snapped back. "We cannot put our soldiers lives in the hands of someone so unstable. Besides, at the pace she's clearing floor's, we'll all die of natural causes long before we beat the game."

Suddenly, the door to the office Lisbeth and Nautilus were arguing in burst open as a familiar figure stepped in.

"Brent!" Lisbeth exclaimed in surprise. "I've been worried about you."

"I'm fine, just got caught up is all." He shrugged off Lisbeth's excitement and turned to Nautilus. "I think you should leave now."

Nautilus seemingly disregarded Brent's asking of him to leave. He was too thrilled on having found Brent, the famous dual-wielder.

"You're actually the Brent? I think you and I need to discuss something. I have a very important offer for you, but I'd like to tell you in private." Nautilus glared at Lisbeth to let her know that she was a problem.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave." Lisbeth said as she walked out of the office.

Nautilus locked the door behind her, leaving only him and Brent now.

"You don't have to lock the door, you know. It seems a bit overkill." Brent said, but Nautilus just ignored him.

"Brent-" Nautilus began but Brent cut him off.

"Don't call me by my first name. We're strangers, you don't know me." He said firmly.

"Alright, well, whatever-you-want-me-to-call-you, I need your help. You see, a few other people and I are putting together a team of Unique Skill wielders to aid in floor clearing. We think it would significantly help us. Of course, we need every Unique Skill Wielder, which means we need you too." Nautilus said.

"I don't know. It seems sketchy. Can I meet some of the other people you work with, just to see if this is legit?" Brent asked.

"Hmm." Nautilus contemplated for a moment. "I suppose that can be arranged."

"Alright then, I'll add you as a friend and we can discuss this later on." Brent added Nautilus to his friends list as they said goodbye to each other.

Nautilus unlocked the door and left the office. He shot Lisbeth a threatening look as he walked past her.

Lisbeth walked back into the office where Brent was, and asked him where exactly he had gotten stuck.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story…" He sighed.

Brent went on to tell her about his adventure after falling through the quicksand. He told her how he had broken his swords after using them in a fall, and how he had saved a lost boy who had fallen through the quicksand a couple hours before he had. Lisbeth noticed how excited Brent was while telling the story, and she was proud of him for realizing his importance as a dual-wielder. It was due to her prideness that she felt as if she should reward him. After Brent finished his grand story, Lisbeth asked him a question.

"You must need two new swords right?" She asked.

Brent nodded.

"Then allow me to craft you new swords, just like I did for the dual-wielder before you." She said, trying not to tear up.

It suddenly struck Brent that Lisbeth held him in the same light as she did Kirito. She may not have had feelings for him like she did for Kirito, but she still thought of him as a dear friend and a worthy successor to the dual-wielding skill.

"Lisbeth, you know you don't have to do this."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. I know I will always be Kirito's blacksmith, but he would want me do this." Lisbeth's eyes started to swell up as nostalgic memories filled her head.

Brent wasn't sure what to say, so he worded his response as simply as possible. "Okay."

The Next Morning at the Cabin on Floor Twenty-Two…

Asuna made a good breakfast for herself considering what she had in her inventory. She was able to make some banana oatmeal milk she had bought earlier to drink.

The sun is starting to come up. Guess that means I should be going soon. Asuna ran to the bathroom to get washed up.

Being in this certain bathtub brought back some dirtier memories. Asuna shook her head to force herself to stop thinking about that kind of stuff.

After she got out of the tub, Asuna put on her uniform and equipped her rapier, which seemed almost nostalgic to hold.

Asuna was just stepping out of the door when she felt a comforting presence surround her. The presence made her feel warm and safe. Asuna knew in her heart that it was Kirito still watching over her.

With a bid goodbye to her beloved house, Asuna used her teleport crystal to go to the KoB's headquarters.

She appeared right in front of the massive base. The guards looked down at her in shock.

"Commander Asuna! You've returned!" A young guard yelled from a watchtower. Asuna simply smiled at him as she walked inside.

Asuna walked up the steps to the top floor, where the commander's designated room was.

She opened the door to her room to find Brent sitting at the desk going through papers.

"Let's see, how should we tackle this boss… We could surround it and just keep switching, or-" Brent finally noticed Asuna standing directly in front of him grinning.

"Lisbeth said you wouldn't be coming back anytime soon." He said.

"I don't blame her, I went crazy there for a minute. But that doesn't matter, I'm back now."

"That's good, because I don't know how to run the guild at all." Brent sighed in relief

Asuna took command of the guild once more. After spending the three weeks clearing the labyrinth with her guildmates, she now stood at the door to the 77th floor boss room with an army of players behind her.

"Alright, people. You all know what to do, so I'm not even going to worry about giving a speech. But before we go, I do want to say one thing…" Asuna flashed a determined smile at them and yelled, "Let's win!"

All of the players stormed into the room to be met with a giant slithering serpent called [Constricting Beast].

"Surround it!" Asuna yelled.

But it was hard to surround due to its agility.

"Ahh!" The snake had wrapped its tail around Klein and was squeezing as hard as it could.

"No!" Asuna screamed in panic as she jumped and slashed at its tail. She was able to slice through its skin, and the part that held Klein was severed from the rest of the snakes body.

The serpent was too distracted by its injuries to notice Brent coming up from behind it with his two new swords in hand.

"Oooooh!" Everyone gawked unanimously at Brent's golden pair of swords as he sliced at the snake's neck.

"Stop standing there 'ooing' and attack with your partners!" Asuna ordered as everyone got back in line.

Asuna's system of attack was working as the snake sustained great damage. The snake bit back hard though, and snatched up a face familiar to Asuna.

"Son of a bitch!" Agil yelled out as the serpent's teeth dug into his skin.

It was then that Klein jumped up and used his strongest skill aiming at the snake's head. His attack landed, but he was now vulnerable.

"Attack, fellas!" Klein told his guildmates as they all lined up.

Every single member of Fuurinkazan used their best attack, and the snake's health quickly drained to zero.

Klein, exhausted and worried, looked up to find his friend in good condition.

"Thanks, man." Agil hugged Klein, who had been like a brother to him since Kirito died.

Everyone continued to the 78th floor. The future was looking up now.

Asuna nodded at Klein from a distance, who smiled and nodded back.

"We're going to beat this game, Kirito." Asuna whispered to herself.

Author's Note

We're back once again! Sorry for not being consistent with my schedule, things have just been weirder in my personal life. Anyway, enough about me, how 'bout the shorter chapter? Hopefully things won't be this short in later chapters, but I can't promise anything. I feel like I had to get the story back on track with episode, so things should get even better next chapter. (They'll be an epic fight next chapter, so be on the lookout for that ;) Take care everyone.