Seven Kingdoms Online: Seido

by daniel.ong.37

Kayaba Akihiko created a virtual world unlike anything seen before. Over 5 million players logged into the game only to find it turn into something of the stuff of nightmares. There are 7 Kingdoms that must grow, expand and rise in power against the hordes of Hell, of the Sea and of the Heavens. This is the mix of SAO and ALO without magic, this is Seven Kingdoms Online.(OP Kirito)

9. Chapter 9 - The Apprentice

Chapter 9 - The Apprentice

"The creating of specific functions within safe zones of a city's immediate vicinity can be done so by the Ruler of the Kingdom. Furthermore the creation of additional temporary and permanent safe zones for new construction sites, or further outpost, can be controlled once again by the Ruler of the Kingdom. This can include new titles for players in an area or a new safe haven. Only a Game Master or a Divine Immortal can even begin thinking of breaching these established safe zones. They require 24 hours to set up and another 24 hours to settle into the land, for every passing hour after that the safe zone becomes stronger." ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Rulers Authority

It had been five months since the start of the [Academy], but they were no closer to ending the [Four Island War] than they had been since the [Battle of Seuokano]. The [Centauri] had been calculated to attack them after a month from the pushing back of the [Seiyari], however two months passed before the Kingdom of [Seido] finally decided to send scouts to both islands around them, wanting to check and see what was going on; what they found shook them.

Two scouts who had returned from the groups expedition into both the land of the spear wielding warriors and the half man half horse, now stood before the entire [Court of Seido] and presented their findings. Both looked battered, they had been living in harsh conditions for the last two weeks and had only returned one day before, yet here they stood with back straight, eyes confident and presented their case before the ruling powers of the Kingdom.

"Speak Lavista and Hanan, Hunters of the [Kinoshin], the [Court of Seido] recognizes you." Argo stated, calm and collected as she stared at the presented scouts.

"Thank you Empress. We have returned from the two week scouting expedition into [Centauri] land and now return with this information." the female spoke, her blonde hair in a tight pony tail that descended to her mid back, crystal blue eyes the same as the sky with the green molten cloak of the Hunters strapped on to her back, a longbow wrapped around her shoulders, "The fourth island has unleashed a devastating attack upon the [Centauri] people. They are known as the [Toririka] and are essentially harpies; half bird and half human. They have access to limited fire magic. The description of their physical appearance resides upon the report scrolls handed out to the council. Whilst they do not have magic equivalent to that of the [Centauri Magicians], which from our reports confirms the rumors of their capabilities, they have unhindered flight; it seems to be their main way of moving around. Their primary weapon of fighting are bolts of fire which they create within their palms and fling with force strong enough to puncture through iron armor. Their average level seems to be about a hundred."

The second scout now spoke up, he was a tall man with earth brown eyes and a strong physique; the same molten cloak and longbow wrapped around him in a familiar manner. As he spoke his voice carried confidence and the authority of someone who witnessed the event first hand.

"Their normal tactics are simple. If faced in an open battle where both lines are initially drawn up the male [Toririka] will charge forward with hand-to-hand combat in mind. However when they begin to fight often they will simply place an open palm against the chestplate of an opponent before igniting a shaft of fire leaving no chance of retaliation nor reaction before they are dead with a shaft of fire through their chest. The females on the other hand generally take to the air and fling bolts of fire into the ranks of their enemies. So far, from what we have seen, shields of any material we known now will not be able to stop these attacks. The only thing that seems to stop them are stone or mounds of dirt." He looked around the council room before continuing, maintaining eye contact the entire time with one person or another, hand gestures around him signifying the importance of his message, "However their normal tactics are not open warfare, they fight with guerilla tactics in mind and hit from all points of the day. Morning, afternoon or night; none make a difference to them. They strike hard and they strike fast, before quickly vanishing before retaliation can occur; not many of the [Seiyari] ever survive their raids."

"Yet their strength is also their weakness. They have never been drawn into a full out committed frontal battle; they have no idea in how to wage war like that. Instead they harass and harass and harass until their target is sufficiently weak enough that they their next raid leaves everyone dead. The moment true resistance is put up they slink away like cowards." the female snarled, obviously displeased with such cowardice, "It takes roughly 3 seconds for them to form and release a fire bolt. They believe themselves as a superior race due to their magical capabilities and do not take prisoners. There is no interest in gold or silver in any kind, but only love the flesh of roasted enemies. They wear no armor asides from some basic breastplates made from hardened wood. That is all we have to report to you council. Thank you for your time."

Wings protruded forth from their shoulder blades, bird wings, whilst claws and the scaly skin decorated their fingers and toes. They had sharp angular faces with black beady eyes with tufts of feather sticking out at their joints. This was what was displayed in a realistic drawing of a [Toririka] as it had its arm back, ready to hail down fire bolts to slay their enemies.

"Thank you for your efforts Hunters, you shall find rewards for both you and your entire group waiting for you by the door." Argo stated with a soft smile and thankful eyes, "Councillors, this meeting is adjourned until further notice. Dismissed." she stated as she stood up, walking out gracefully back into the palace with the [Executor Primarch] walking alongside her as well as Head Hunter Hantaerufu. Meeting the party by the door were the ten Generals of the army. They had decided on getting the number of Generals to a full whole number despite the fact that they had no where close enough numbers to form a full [Battalion].

The party entered into one of the rooms along the long large hallway. Before them, as they passed the door boundary, was a large round stone table with a map crafted from a single slab of marble sitting upon it at about waist height. Each island had various wooden constructs, forest, lakes and rivers, all crafted from wood and colored accordingly so. It was definitely an impressive work of art that allowed the war leaders to plan a strategy. As more and more information was passed on to their intelligence force various maps of various things had begun to appear along the walls of the octagon shaped room, which was known as the [Strategy Room]. This was where the Generals and war leaders of the [Seido] Kingdom had been planning their strategies for the last three months.

"The news is certainly most … disturbing." one of the Generals stated. She had long black hair that reached down to her waist and wore a linen one piece that allowed her great flexibility; adorned across her body were scattered pieces of armor to protect her. Both her arms were wrapped up in the grey and red armor with the swirling pattern design. Across her chest was another piece of the same armor whilst both her outer thighs and shins were covered as well. Red leather boots covering her legs. She had a soft face with sharp features of a soft high cheekbone line, thin lips and a strong jaw line. Her heart shaped face framed perfectly by her hair and in all honesty she was an absolute beauty. Her black almond shaped eyes stared with both a mixture of warmth and coldness. General Nagawa was about twenty-three years old.

"You could say that again." this time it was General Arashi, General Storm. He was an average height boy, about fifteen years of age, with an extremely slim build. He was incredibly thin and almost what you could call gaunt like. He had a longer face, smooth curves along his cheeks and silky short black hair that hugged his face with twin onyx colored eyes that seemed to peer right through a person's soul or eyes that just never seemed to be there, "So now we have to deal with flying fire birds; great. Just when I thought this death game couldn't get any better."

"At least they are currently preoccupied by the [Centauri] and [Seiyari]." this lady had long blond hair, the color of ripe wheat, and wore a bright green dress with a dark cape which gave her the appearance of fresh plant shoots breaking through the earth as patterns and swirls were sown through the cloth. Also a crown of woven corn leaves and adornments of poppies, and had a sweet distinctive scent of rainstorm over a field of jasmine. However her peaceful and gentle appearance was not to be fooled as weakness, she was second to only the [Executor Primarch] in terms of combative skills. Even if her eyes were a lustrous warm brown that seemed to scream comfort. Her name in the game was known as General Shukaku and she wielded twin golden swords into battle.

"Not for long, and if we allow them to gain control of the other islands -" General Shiage was never allowed to finish. She was an interesting one, tall and lean. Chocolate brown hair flowed down to her waist as they framed her sharp looking face. Every line perfectly, and accurately, defined as well as standing out. She had a small mouth that seemed to be in a flat neutral line constantly, dark brown eyes stared intensely at the origin of her interruption. Her hands gripping the stone table tightly.

"What will they do then? We can always make a peace treaty with them." this time it was a fourteen year old boy who spoke. His name was General Ko, and despite his smaller appearance and youth, he was a terrible sight to behold on the battlefield. He had light brown hair that sat messily on his head with bright blazing green eyes that sparkled with mirth constantly. He had the air of a child like innocence around him that caused many to just enjoy being around him, whilst others infuriated by his youth. Yet he did hold a childish wisdom that seemed beyond his years that at the same time held the minxing laughter of a child.

"The [Toririka] are not going to simply stop and lay down you foolish child. They want control over all four islands to access the hidden temple treasure. They will stop at nothing to gain what they want, and so must we." the growling voice of General Kyojin spoke, his low voice like the rumbling of thunder with the hidden strength of a thousand blows. He was a large man, standing at two meters in height; his domineering size was coupled with huge arms and a body built like that of a bear. Crimson red eyes glowered from beneath his deep set eyes, strong bushy eyebrows nestling above the orbs of blood. His jawline was as though chiseled from stone whilst every feature of his face screamed masculine. Locks of red hair hung forth from his head, resting around his shoulders whilst a thick red beard flowed down from his face to his upper chest.

"Yet brute force isn't always the answer General Kyojin." The quick reply originated from none other than General Shizu. She was about medium height with chest length hair the color of faded grey as though all substance had been leeched from it. Her twin grey eyes seemed to have the reflection of someone who thought about a million things a second, her sharp small nose as well as slightly puckered lips made her an interesting sight. She was dressed in black, grey and white garments that swirled around her like the pooling of decay itself. Yet out of all of the Generals she was known to be the strategist, the one who thought the fastest, the one who was at most peace with herself than anyone else, "Sometimes a sharper keen mind will do the job your muscle can not."

"You guys are always bickering. Stop it." the General known as the peacemaker, or otherwise General Heigun, stood at about one point eight meters tall. He had blond to light chestnut colored hair as well as crystalized blue eyes that seemed to be like the clear ocean waters that surrounded their island. He had a strong chiselled jawline that was currently gritted in exasperation at the group's lack of teamwork. He had one fist firmly planted against the stone table as he chastised the two bickering Generals, one of mind and the other of brawn. At least it could not be said that their war council did not have character or color.

"What is the plan Executor?" one of the two remaining unspoken Generals asked. The one who spoke looked about nineteen with interesting features that had been editted by the game system. He had navy blue colored hair that had been buzz cut on the side whilst trimming the top, giving him an extremely aesthetic look of an army general. His eyes were the same deep sea blue that hinted towards a mystery lying beneath the surface with powers and strength beyond imagination. His lips were currently pressed into a thin line, as though he had sucked on a lemon, as he looked before the current map before them; this was an issue that needed an immediate response towards. He was, at the moment, wearing a dark blue armor that covered his body, shoulder guards holding straps into place whilst the elaborate swirls and patterns carved into it gave off the feel of an ancient Japanese samurai warrior. General Mizumi.

"We need to do something and quickly." the last General said. She was an absolute exotic beauty amongst all the men and women. With silver shoulder length hair and bright marble white eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness; and with a physique that screamed agility and flexibility along with her litheness, she was a powerful and influencing General. She was adorned in a white and silver linen dress that had pieces of armor dotted around, sweat pooled at her eyebrows hinting towards the lately finished sparring or workout session that she had been a part of. She looked like a princess ready for war, not afraid of bloodshed nor gore nor violence; but one that saw it as a necessary evil to accomplish the greater good; General Exota, "Your plan Executor?"

Kirito looked out from behind his mask as all ten Generals, as well as Head Hunter Hantaerufu, turned to look at him. He had been forced to accept the role of [Executor Primarch] of the [Seido] army after the establishment of the [Taisai no Seido], to be a leader amongst leaders; it was logically presumed that since he was the one who came up with the idea it was only right that he led the army. There had been a huge struggle, debates and arguments, and of course a lot of testing, but eventually the War Council had decided unanimously that the previously known General Kenta was to be the [Executor Primarch]. Now though he wasn't sure to regret the decision or accept it and move on with life; a combination of both was probably the best idea.

"Head Hunter Hantaerufu, how comes the archery and scouts training?" he asked the direct question.

"We have around a hundred ready scouts, this includes the scouting team that just returned from their expeditions." the Head Hunter reported casually, "The archery units are getting better, recurve bows have been handed out as the standardized weapon and we have over four hundred being trained at this moment."

"Four [Tani]." Kirito breathed, "Impressive."

The current army structure went like his. The [Executor Primarch] would lead the ten [Generals]. Each [General] was in charge of a [Battalion] which was supposed to be constructed from ten [Tani]. Each of these [Tani] were led by a [Captain] that presided over the hundred soldiers within each [Tani]. Lastly in each [Tani] the groups are further broken off into [Parties] which consisted of ten people which were led by their [Party Leader]. However at this moment the army of [Seido] did not have anywhere near the amount of properly trained soldiers to even attempt their structure yet. They had pockets here and there but nothing major nor serious, they needed more trained batches to fill up their army.

Many people had questioned the need for such structure and organization, it was then reminded to the hundred of thousands of people within their Kingdom what had happened during the [Battle of Seuokano]; where 300 players lost their lives because they had no idea on how to fight prolonged battles. It was reminded to them that whilst this was a game, it was not the typical MMORPG, there was skill required more than just using the preset abilities of the game. Those of the previous army were compulsorily engrafted into the training program whilst application forms were wide open for the general public. The rewards of being part of the army was the pay in Col as well as the loot in equipment, crafting material and other items that one gained from raids and the battlefield.

There were few specializations at the moment, but some people prefered to be in those specialized units than in the main army body, such as the Hunters that Hantaerufu led. Those that refused to join, such as the occasional older person, or young kids, or just those that did not want to participate; were asked to assist on the NPC farms that were well protected, or asked to help the Crafters and Blacksmiths in their jobs. Of course there were those that ignored the authority structure, defying it and intent on creating anarchy where every person lived for themselves and the strong took from the weak; however they were exiled by Argo and within weeks reports of their deaths from the wild came in. That caused fear to surge through the people and give them an incentive to follow the Empress Argo.

But now back to the present.

"No other [Battalions] or [Tani] are ready are they?" Kirito asked no one in particular, his godlike equipment armored upon his body; the black mask hiding his face as the fifteen year old led an entire War Council in this gaming world.

"None Executor." came the reply from General Arashi.

"How goes the oversight of training for the first batch?" he asked the entire room, statistics needed to be known if they were to be planned correctly.

"They are doing well, most have succeeded the [Trainee] stage and are starting well into the [Apprentice] stage." General Shukaku stated, her arms folded across her chest as she looked at the map and back to the Executor

"Head Hunter, did any of your scouts see the number of elite, or champion, level mobs amongst our new enemy?" Executor Kenta questioned; no one having a firm grasp of where this was going in any manner.

"They've stated that the most they have seen were ten in total; they're normally larger and stronger and have a greater affinity with fire." was the reply that he got.

Nodding Kirito stated his plan.

"We can do nothing now in preparations of our defence as we were before. Except I now want the setting up of the sentry towers we were talking about earlier to be carried out immediately. Head Hunter Hantaerufu, I want you and Head Crafter Lenan to settle out those towers. We need strong flyers and strong archers stationed in those sentry towers." Kirito assigned the first job as he got a confirming nod from the Hunter, "The rest of you, keep training the First Batch, however I want each and everyone of us to grab a [Legacy] from the current class of students today. I will meet you all at the [Academy] and we shall oversee the [Party] battles today. Train them and make them strong in the terms of battle combat. We'll need more strong units to take out these monsters. Also, Generals I want you and your future apprentices to hunt down unique mobs for stronger equipment; we're going to need all the help we can get. Dismissed."

"Executor." they said as one as they got up before exiting the room with the hushed whispers of talking.

Kirito sighed knowing that in a way he had just signed his own torture. Getting an apprentice was going to be hell for him, he wasn't even that good at teaching anyway; that is according to him, no doubt Klein and Argo would disagree for the sake of riling him up. He quickly walked out of the palace halls and the moment he stepped foot outside of the enclosed space his wings came to life and allowed him to disappear in a flash of black. He soared through the air, spinning and reveling in the feeling of freedom that he gained through this experience. The feeling of wind, no matter if it was artificial or not, against his skin, the weightlessness of flight and the intoxicating feeling of having your gut squirm as you soared was something that he would not trade for the world.

His eyes scanned the ground just as he slowed his flight, getting to the [Academy] in a manner of seconds due to his empowered and enhanced flight capabilities; then again the distance between the training grounds and the palace were not that far in all brutal honesty. The [Academy] was simple. There was a large marble wall perimeter that stretched on for a quite the distance. It was shaped largely in an octagonal shape. Their entire ground was split equally into eight sections with eight different marble walls drawing the boundaries through the various sections. To the north was the [Medical Wing] and beside it on both right and left were the [Hall of Apprentices] and [Battle Training Ground] respectively. The former was for the teaching and training of Sword Skills and the general battle arts, to increase the soldier's battle combative effectiveness and was solely for the batch of students that made it past [Trainee] and into [Apprentice]. However the later was for realistic [Party] against [Party] or similar spars for the building of teamwork and for players to take what they learn in class outside of class and into their own words. Next to the former was the [Archery Wing] where all archer [Tani] were being trained.

Following this was the [Library] which held a great store of knowledge needed on the art of battle and strategy, it was a place that would mainly be used by later those ranked as [Party Leader] or [Captain] or any future [Generals] in the training. Beside this was the [General's Sanctuary] for the Generals of the army, it was spacious as it held their own training ground, living quarters, kitchen, medical wing, armory as well as their own restricted library. The only other people allowed into this area were any [Legacies] being taken on by the [Generals]. The conjoined neighbour was the [Armory] where a few chosen blacksmiths and crafters resided in the case of needing new weapons or maintenance of equipment. Lastly the section that laid on the west was the [Trainees Hall] which was essentially the same thing as the [Hall of Apprentices] but instead reserved solely for [Trainees].

All of these eight sections conjoined towards a singular point in the center of the large grounds. In that singular point was a octagonal room with a fountain splayed in the middle, it was for the purpose of allowing quick access from one place to another. However along all the conjoining walls were large gates that allowed students to pass from one area to another as needed. Yet separated from this main grounds were the living quarters of the [Trainee] and [Apprentice] ranked students. It was situated towards the East and were large blocks of wood with dotted holes as windows and the paper sliding doors. Within were many living spaces for those who had nowhere else to go, each room was decently sized with the bare minimum necessities: a bed, wardrobe, table, chair and a lamp. Each living accommodation had hundreds upon hundreds of rooms and in total over the four blocks, as well as the other blocks that were coming soon, there would be over a hundred thousand holding capacity within these accommodations. There was a single [Mess Hall] where the students could eat meals that resided near their accommodations; it forced fellowship and team building relationships to be built due to the close proximity players had with one another constantly; girls and boys were separated obviously with NPC guards set to patrol the grounds. This training program was calculated to last a year in total before players were ready for the title [Warrior]. Three months for [Trainee] and nine months for [Apprentice].

Zooming past those buildings Kirito saw the running vast group of teenagers and young adults simply having fun and relaxing in the company of one another. It wasn't that odd that most of the people who joined the forming army were teenagers, who as this generation were heavily immersed into the gaming and virtual world, as well as the younger adults who no doubt grew up with the technology of games and never really broke away in the first place. Although it would be awkward if they found out a fifteen year old was leading their entire army.

Kirito finally touched down, his landing completely silent as he stood on one of the high walls overlooking the [Training Ground], the other Generals landing quietly beside him as all eleven of the strongest battle competitors of the Kingdom of [Seido] watched the mock trials that was happening. The [Party] battles were held for those who were in the [Apprentice] category to strengthen teamwork. Students had all chosen their groups, these would be the people who they would live life with over the entire course whilst at the [Academy] and even possibly graduate into the army with.

The current two teams that were fighting in the jungle terrain that had been set up were the teams known as [Sleeping Knights] and [Fuurinkazan]. One was led by [Party Leader] Klein, the goofy young adult who came in with his crew, and who were handpicked to enter this [Academy] by Kirito himself. The other was a group that consisted of an oddly relaxed bunch of people, they seemed to laugh in the face of danger and had excellent team work; as if they had worked together for a long long time. The [Party Leader] was someone he had not seen in quite awhile, the last time he had was carrying her out from a dungeon into a forest after she burnt herself out from fighting; she somehow fitted in the group well, but yet at the same time did not, as if she herself was an anomaly amongst other anomalies.

Her name was Yuuki and Kirito watched in awe as she struck with fury and vengeance. She was extremely slim with her body curving slightly in certain areas, her lustrous and gorgeous long purple hair swaying in the wind, splayed out behind her like the wings of a death angel. Her eyes were crimson red, like the blood that was lacking in this game with purple tinges on her pale white skin. She was wearing obsidian half-armor which covered her chest, hugging a bluebottle violet blouse and a windswept dress of the same color beneath the armor. A thin black sheath hung chained to her waist whilst a jet black obsidian sword danced in her hands with the spiralling colors of the Sword Arts.

He watched as the two [Parties] crashed into one another, the flashing of colors bathing the green, brown and black enviroment which they fought in. Due to special programming of the games software, as well as options available to Argo as she was Empress, the entire [Training Ground] allowed players to attack each other till the point of Final Stand, after that they become invulnerable and rooted to the spot in whatever form they fell with an invulnerable protection field around them until the battle was over. Kirito watched with fascination as one of the [Sleeping Knights] members dodged underneath a swing from one of Klein's men before lashing out with their own purpled colored Two-Hit Sword Skill that cut painfully across the man's chest and then neck; an instant kill into Final Stand.

Yet across the battle the young Executor watched as Klein parried, and interrupted, the flow of a Four-Hit Sword Skill before stabbing his own crimson katana deep into the gut of the opponent before slicing upwards with a jerk, sending them backwards whilst red crystal pixels exploded forth from their wound; the closest equivalent of blood they got in the game. They fell backwards onto the ground as they entered the immortalized Final Stand, taken out of the fight.

"Impressive." one of the Generals murmured and Kirito turned over to see what he was looking at; and indeed it was impressive.

Yuuki, who had her purple-blackish short wings out, was dancing against the onslaught of three [Fuurinkazan] members. She dodged underneath the blazing orange colored blade as it flashed across her head before spinning and pushing off a rock at her feet to dodge the slash of a sword, only to deliver her own three hit response that 'killed' one and sliced the arm off another. She kicked off the ground and backflipped through the air with the help of her wings whilst her blade flashed dangerously close, staving off the attackers for a few seconds. The moment her feet touched the ground she was off again, she made quick work of another [Fuurinkazan] member, leaving him as a torso alone as his other three limbs were sliced off before a blade to his chest sent him well past into the Final Stand zone.

By right that sort of attack would have killed him and bypassed the Final Stand, however thanks to the programming of the area, even that would not be enough for death. After the battle was over all wounds would be healed at the medical wing and they would be fine, at the current moment they would only just see the world normally without being able to feel their limbs. Any attempt to do such things outside of the [Training Grounds] would result in failure as the system would stop the blade from even getting close to the players skin. The wonders and gifts of programming.

The last opponent standing before Yuuki managed to duel her for quite a few seconds, both parrying and attacking with their blades. However it was over when the black and purpled haired girl unleashed a barrage of slicing Sword Arts that seemed to merge from one skill into the other, a flawless flow of what beta testers have called the Sword Chain. She faltered once, but by that time the girl in front of her was covered in the crisscrossing lines of a blade slicing through the body before she slumped to the ground out of the fight.

"[Sleeping Knights] have won this [Party] battle!" a thunderous voice cried out and cheers and applauses could be heard echoing out through the stands, "The undefeated champions stand tall!"

"She was certainly impressive." General Arashi said, "That last Sword Chain was incredible."

"Yeah, I counted like what, five Three-Hit Sword Skills chained together?" General Nagawa said, stunned in amazement.

"That's nothing, all of us can chain incredible amounts together." General Kyojin scoffed, his arms crossed and a glare directed down towards the girl who had no idea she was being appraised by the [Generals] of the army.

"Except that she has speed and accuracy that I doubt you have Kyojin." Shiage commented, a little smirk playing along her lips.

"How dare you women!" Kyojin thundered with a roar, fury written on his face whilst the other Generals snickered and laughed.

"Enough you two." Kirito said with a grin hidden behind his mask, "Stop making such a racket, if you want to yell at each other so much find a bedroom and go release some stress." he teased causing an even louder round of laughter to now surround the two furiously blushing Generals.

"Executor Kenta!" Shiage screamed, "H-how dare … what … Arghh!" she exclaimed throwing her hands into the air whilst her face became even redder, causing more laughter; some descending into the silent laughter where one is laughing so hard no sound comes out.

He simply let out a chuckle before jumping down from the wall, wings flaring as they helped him gently glide down without a sound. He stood before both [Fuurinkazan] and the [Sleeping Knights], NPC medics, and a few player based ones, already on the scene to reattach limbs. The moment they saw him everyone hushed, the chattering stopped; the tension only grew when the ten Generals flew down, landing on the ground beside him.

"Executor and Generals, what do we owe this to?" the head NPC medic spoke up, ironic that the players were hiding behind the authority of an NPC, even if it was ranked higher than they were in the structure.

"I would like to speak to [Apprentice] Yuuki privately for a few moments if she does not mind." Kirito said, looking at the girl who was about his nose height; then again he was shorter than most of the older teenagers and young adults; but none challenged his position for they had seen him fight and none in [Seido] could best him in a duel, "Also this is an announcement for all students at the [Academy], the ten [Generals] behind me will be choosing a [Legacy] each. If you are chosen and you accept the offer, pack up everything you have and move into the [General's Sanctuary] at their accommodation. It will not be an easy task, you will be pushed, you will cry and you will fight; only the ones with the greatest potentials are being chosen for this position. Dismissed."

Kirito turned around, his cloak billowing behind him dramatically as he walked into one of the doors that allowed the combatant teams into the lower grounds for the [Training Grounds] whilst higher up, above the mid way walls were rows and rows of seats which many of the other students sat in with anticipation whilst they watched the [Party] battle. He could hear the quiet footsteps of Yuuki behind him, and once they were alone in the [Ready Room] he stopped and slowly turned around. He took in the details of her face, she was at the most only fourteen years old, a single year younger than him; but already had the eyes of a hardened warrior. She was vastly different from when he had first met her and she had no hope of living anymore in this death game. Now her eyes held mirth, joy and the promise of laughter if one was to stay around her; but at the same time held loneliness and tiredness.

"I'm sure you know why I have asked you here Yuuki." Kirito said after the pause, "I would like to extend the offer of [Legacy] to you."

"Do I have to leave my [Party]?" she asked quietly, softly.

"In a way." he replied, "You will train directly under me and no longer participate in the class lessons. In that way you will have to leave your [Party]. However you may still participate in the [Party] battles. When you graduate you will be able to continue on with your [Party], however if the need arises you will be called away for special missions. Do you accept?" Kirito asked. If he was being honest with himself he was nervous in a way, his palms were sweaty and internally he felt the fluttering of butterflies everywhere. It wasn't the fact that she was a girl, no that was completely covered by Argo, but rather he was not used to interacting with people he never talked to extensively before. And this time there was no adrenaline pumping through his body as there had been when he had chased down the various contacts he needed to get this [Academy] up and running.

She looked up at him, crimson eyes staring straight at the green flickering flames that were held in his mouthless mask. Her eyes sparked with curiosity before settling down comfortably.

"Will you show me what is behind your mask if I accept?" she asked him, her hands wringed behind her back.

"My mask?" he asked shocked, he had just barely managed to stop himself from stuttering like a fool before her.

"Yeah, everyone wonders what do you look like. It would be nice to see the face of my future [Master]." came her reply, the hinted yes lingering underneath her words.

"I'll show you if you come." Kirito replied, a soft nod in her direction indicated that he agreed to her simple term.

"Then yes, I accept your offer Executor." Yuuki said, bowing her head a little. She watched as he flicked down his menu, undoubtedly manipulating it as she saw the back of the grey circles appear in front of him. He pressed a few buttons before she felt a cold wave wash over her, quickly manipulating her own screen she checked what had happened and looked in awe. He had changed her title from [Apprentice] to [Legacy of the Executor] and with it came huge bonuses to her stats, "Woah." she breathed out.

"You can't tell anyone about those stats increase." Kirito warned her, "It would create too much fighting to get into a [Legacy] position."

"I won't Master, don't worry." she told him, closing her menu.

"Okay, first rule. In private do not call me Master. I'm only a year older than you." Kirito said shaking his head and shivering a little, "It creeps me out and honestly I'm done with the honorifics. You can call me that when we are outside but when we are alone I insist on you calling me Kirito." he firmly stated.

"Kirito." she tried out the name, finding that it easily rolled off her tongue naturally, "Okay."

"Go back to your quarters, pack up and meet me in the [General's Sanctuary]. We can cover more of the basis over there." he said, nodding at her to let her know that it was her dismissal. She nodded once before turning and running out, no doubt taking flight to disappear.

Kirito sighed as he leaned against the wall, one gloved hand cupping his face as he allowed the nervousness and tension to seep out of his body. It was quite a little while later before he finally left that position and returned to his quarters to wait for Yuuki.

She got there later that afternoon, the sun blazing near the west. It was about four o'clock, about two or three hours before the sky went dark. The sun still shone brightly with few clouds hiding them from the light and heat. He gestured for her to enter their new living home. Watching with amusement as her eyes widened and jaw dropped a little slack at the sight before her.

Generals had very nice living accommodations, it was one of the incentives for living the harsh job with more responsibilities. His house was the same as any other General. The living area was directly accessible after the door towards their right, a mere two steps down. The floor was carpeted with fur rugs with a low coffee table sitting in the middle with cushions around it. A fire place towards the far end of the wall sat unlit at the moment. A few lamps decorated the pillars that stood around the living area, giving off the light necessary. A few steps in and she was met with the kitchen. It was past a door frame after the living room and sat on her left. The countertop was created from marble and shone brightly underneath the burning lamps, two ovens and a fireplace with a pot over it alongside a grill and a spit sat clustered all together in that one area; each having their own ventilation. Across from the kitchen was two rooms. The first was shut with a wooden door firmly in place and had the words 'Library' written on a plaque, whilst the second was described as Kirito's bedroom.

Her own room was certainly a far cry from what she had been living in with the students. It was large with an entire wardrobe accessible to her that spanned the length of one side of her bedroom. When the paper doors were slided over she found hooks and racks to place her armors and weapons whilst other hangers for her clothes; this would free up so much spare space in her Inventory. The floor was completely fur rugged as well whilst a king size bed sat in the middle of the room. Two fluffy looking white pillows alongside a red blanket outlined by white sat snuggly hugging the bed. Quite a few lamps burned along the wall, keeping away the darkness and illuminating the room. She peered inside the bathroom and had to say it was impressive. A large bathtub had been dug into the floor filled with steaming water that caused fog to hang in the bathroom. A rack of towels and a bucket of water with soap nearby was all needed for a nice relaxing bath after a long day of hard work.

"Well I hope you like your room. It's nothing that special and will be the same for all other [Legacies] in the other houses." Kirito said, "If you want to personalize it, go for it. Would be nice to see what happens to this room." he smiled when she gave a snort at that comment.

"Thank you Kirito, this room is amazing." she said, bowing a little and flashed him a grin.

"There will be just a few rules for this house." he said sighing, rubbing his temples as though he couldn't believe he was doing this; a quiet 'stupid Argo' and 'blasted rules' could be barely heard whilst he murmured some words but Yuuki simply dismissed that as her hearing what she wanted to hear but looked confused as to why he pulled out a scroll and had unrolled it, "Firstly as I said before, no calling me Master while we are in private. Kirito will do. Secondly, you are not allowed to take pictures, draw anything from this room or share with students who are not [Legacy] of a General what the room and the house looks like."

"Okay." she replied, a simple nod of her head.

"Thirdly you are not to invite anyone over here unless there is permission granted to you." he sighed again, "Fourthly … No I'm not saying this. You're going to pay for that Argo." he growled before shaking his head.

"Fourthly you must listen to my orders and after the completion of this year you will sit trial to see if you are ready to be claimed as [Legacy Warrior]; if you choose to stay under the tutelage of your teacher after this allotted time then so be it. Fifthly, have fun." he quickly stated catching her complete off guard, "Yes this is a training regime for you to be able to take out Elite or Champion level monsters by yourself during battles, but this is also a game so relax and enjoy." a grin adorned his face behind the mask.

"Thank you Kirito." Yuuki said kindly, it still shocked the black haired boy to see how much she had changed over the last few months, "Now about that mask …" she trailed off, a smirk forming upon her lips as she tried to hide it with her hands.

"Was kinda hoping you'd have forgotten about that." he said, shaking his head, "Stupid conscience."

Kirito allowed his mask to pull back, feeling the material brushing against his skin as it disappeared into the little ring around his neck. He raised a single gloved hand and pulled back his cowl, revealing his face to her.

"You." she gasped, her eyes going wide once more with fear and terror sparkling beneath the red crimson depths.

"Nice to meet you again Yuuki." he said, a sheepish grin on his face whilst he rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands, "You can't tell anyone about me okay?"

He froze when he heard the little sniffles, his eyes quickly snapping over to look at her face as he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. She stood trembling like a newborn lamb as emotions surged through like the raging currents of the sea there for a moment, unable to believe it was the same person who had first shown her care in a long time who now was the person who would be training her and teaching her. She suddenly lunged forward, burying her head into his chest as her arms wrapped around his stomach. Her rushed repeated words muffled over and over again as they were pressed into his armor. Out of all of those mumbled words he managed to eventually catch the faint words.

Thank you.

It was quite a while later that Yuuki had calmed down enough for her to sit on a stool without any tears. They were sitting in the kitchen area, or well she was sitting with her arms resting on the tabletop whilst Kirito was brewing them a cup of tea with the black kettle stilled over the fire. There was simple silence, both lost in their own thoughts, with only the crackling of fire spitting into the air that cut through the blanket of nothingness that hung between them.

"I guess I should apologize for how I acted the first time you met me." she chuckled, a soft laughter softly being uttered past her lips, "It definitely wasn't exactly a very gracious experience for you."

"It's alright, everyone was dealing with the revelation in their own way." he said giving her a small smile in response.

"That's true. You saved me and gave me some food and water, and I screamed at you." Yuuki said shaking her head, "I told you to not give me false hope and yet look where we are now. Standing against both the might of the [Seiyari] and driving them back and now planning on an invasion to the [Centauri] lands. Guess that hope wasn't false afterall."

"We can win." Kirito replied, looking her in the eye as black met red, "We are gamers after all, if anyone can win it's us." He was leaning against the table with his own arms settled on the tabletop, wearing nothing but soft linen shirt and pants. She hadn't known where his armor had gone, but one moment it was there and the next it was not.

"I'm guessing you wondered what changed right? How did I go from yelling about no hope to being here right now." an amused tone underlying her words like the undercurrent of the sea, "It was you."

"Me?" the Executor asked bewildered, "What did I do?"

The whistling of the kettle cut through their conversation, causing Kirito to jump a little. He turned around and quickly unhooked the steaming black kettle. Two cups were already waiting for them on the table, both made out of ceramic clay with a single cavity within the two walls to allow an escape of heat. He poured the green colored tea into both cups before placing the kettle on the floor and pushing one cup towards her whilst taking the other for himself. For a while nothing was heard except the slurping of tea and the satisfied breathing out afterwards. Then Yuuki spoke and expanded on what she meant.

"Once you left I just sat there crying." she started truthfully, "I didn't know what to do, I hadn't planned on driving someone who saved me away but yet I just wanted to give up on life. No escape in reality nor any escape here." a single tear rolled down her cheek, her eyes watering at such a memory and failing to notice the concerned crest of Kirito's furrowed eyebrows as the hinting of her words were not lost to him.

"Always throughout my life everyone had expected something when I was being treated nice, if someone was nice to you it was only because they wanted something; that's the motto I grew up with." her fingers tightened around the clay cup she was holding carefully in her palms, fingers curled around the curved shape, "I kept expecting you to come back, demanding something from me; yet when you didn't I finally ate and drank the things you gave me. Later when I returned to the closest village I heard a tale of how this young boy, dressed completely in black, had saved an entire party from a field boss and then simply left without asking for anything. I immediately had my suspicion it was you."

Kirito chuckled at that memory, remembering how he had fought against that stupid flying snake, trying to save the players who had foolishly enough aggravated a field boss. It had been satisfying knowing that he had managed to kill one by himself essentially though; it had been a certainly crazy and incredible. He turned back his mind and listened to Yuuki as she continued.

"But then you suddenly disappeared off the radar and I thought how that was where naivety got you and depression overtook me again. I eventually found the [Sleeping Knights] and for the first time in a while I had fun. It felt like a game again, they had been very warm, very open to me. But the only reason I was able to even become friends with them was because I remembered how you first showed me kindness, how not everyone was evil." a breath after the long speech filtered through her mouth, "Then the person that arose from seemingly nowhere was General Kenta, fighting in the frontlines against the [Seiyari] after winning consecutive matches in a row; the special glowing green armor that made it seem like a god fighting amongst mortals. You and Empress Argo single handedly pushed back their army and in doing so saved the [Sleeping Knights]."

"What do you mean?" Kirito asked, his empty cup being slowly spun with his fingers as he fiddled with it. Yuuki took in a deep breath before slowly explaining what had happened.

"We were on the front lines when those special [Seiyari] appeared with their crazy spear wielding abilities. I watched as many players and NPCs died right beside us, only our teamwork allowing us to hold back the spears." she whispered, quieter now, "But then one of our members got struck down, a spear through the gut forcing him into Final Stand and launching him back into our lines. One of our members pulled the spear out of him, allowing the over time heal to come into its works; but we were barely holding the Elite NPC at bay, and our lives were flashing dangerously low. We were all so tired from the hour of fighting that eventually we slipped."

"In a blink of an eye all three of us were on the floor and disarmed. I remember staring up hopelessly as my body felt too tired to move, the spear being raised up high and about to descend; I remember thinking my last thought being how naive hope was." she took a deep drink of the tea in her hands before setting it back down, "Then suddenly General Kenta, or well you, appeared and behind him five glowing [Seiyari] warriors glowing in the death animations. You pushed the warrior back before slaying him, saving our lives and singlehandedly shoving back the enemy waves with Empress Argo. That day I resolved that if you could be that strong, if one man could change the battlefield; then I would become like that as well."

"We joined the rushing force, pushing back wave after wave from the outpost back into their last fortress. I remember us laying siege to it and the rain of arrows that flooded down on us, each shaft a spear that would instantly kill most. There was that one time where one of our members got shot through the shoulder with a spear and was falling, then suddenly you were there pulling him out of the way with flashes of blue hexagons appearing around you as the arrows were deflected by some kind of force field." she finished the remainder of her glass, nodding thanks when Kirito filled it up once more along with his own and they simply sat in silence for a while before she continued her tale, "Why didn't you do what you did to that gate earlier instead of waiting out a four day siege?" she asked him, curious.

"It was deemed an unwise decision on showing our true power by Empress Argo." Kirito replied, "We were trying to keep under wraps just how strong we are, but eventually had no choice but to show a bit of our power. I have a lot more abilities that I have not showed anyone yet." he said with a small smile whilst Yuuki shook her head, deciding to question the logic behind that another time.

"Anyway after that battle I had replenished hope. If two people like that could turn the tide of a war that had surged through our land, then we can definitely beat this game." Yuuki growled out satisfactorily, " When the [Academy] opened our group decided that we wanted to join and so we did, and now we're here." she said, splaying her hands as she finished her drink with a quick few gulps.

"This tea is really good." she commented eliciting a laugh from Kirito.

"It is. It was given to me by Argo; she has some of the finest things within that palace." he threw the name of the Empress around like it was nothing before downing his own drink and placing it back on the counter, "Anyway go grab some rest, we're waking up early tomorrow and you begin you training." he smirked at her as she smirked right back at him, slowly getting up as she accepted the challenge.

She'll show him how there were more than just two players who could single handedly change the tide of war.