Chapter 7 / A Shattered Alliance:

The entire floor shook as the Dark Elf Queen's blast shot through the line of enemies, neutralising the entire Demon army before Kirito's eyes. When the light died down, there was no evidence to show that the Dusk Demons were ever there. The four players stood in silence atop the battlements, shocked beyond belief.

"This…this can't be happening…right?!" Asuna stuttered, finding it hard to form words. "That couldn't have been scripted…could it?!"

"I…" Kirito started, his voice cracking for a moment. He watched as the Forest Elves moved their forces into the castle, leaving only the Dark Elves and a bunch of confused players. "…We'd better get down there." The others nodded in agreement, glad to have a task to focus on. They made their way down from the structure towards the Dark Elves as the sounds of battle grew louder behind them.

The Dark Elf Queen was unconscious, surrounded by her associates. Kizmel was knelt by the Queens side, concern present on her face. She looked up towards Kirito as his group approached.

"We have been betrayed!" She told them, her voice firm.

"We saw..." Kirito responded, unsure of what else to say. Kizmel's focus passed from him onto Klein, her eyes hardening.

"You!" She growled, taking on an accusational tone as she surveyed a sizeable portion of the players in the crowd. "You are allied with the Forest Elves!" The Dark Elf warriors readied their weapons, waiting for the order to annihilate the traitors.

"Hey! I know you're upset Kizmel, but its not their fault!" Kirito interjected, his voice lowering to a soothing tone. "They didn't know that any of this was going to happen. They would have gone off with the Forest Elves if they were in on it."

Kizmel's eyes relaxed slightly as she saw reason, signalling the Dark Elf soldiers to stand down. Just as she prepared to speak again, a loud uproar came from the castle, as a newly spawned wave of Dusk Demons poured through the destroyed gateway. The Dark Elves instantly withdrew their weapons once more, lining up into a battle stance.

The only thing Kirito could hear was the sounds of movement and the varying battle cries of the two opposing forces. He watched as the two sides crashed together, adding the ambience of battle to the mix. Swords clashed and armour sparked. It was chaos. He could barely think. He looked over at Kizmel, realising that she was attempting to talk to him.

"The Forest Elves are still out there!" She shouted, straining to make herself heard. "They can't be allowed to get away with this! You and I need to go after them! We have to end this!"

Kirito went to reply when a Dusk Demon suddenly broke through the crowd, locking its focus onto him. The Black Swordsman grabbed his sword hilt, ready to withdraw his blade, but his effort was in vain. Kizmel rushed forward, dispatching the enemy with a swift three hit combo. She turned back to face him, preparing to speak once more. Kirito spoke first.

"I'll go." He told her. "You're needed here, by your Queen's side…with your people. Just make sure to keep an eye on my people for me too, okay?" After a brief moment of hesitation, Kizmel nodded, agreeing with him. Adira, who had overheard whilst fighting close by, did not.

"Don't be ridiculous!" She cried, making her way over to them. "You can't take them all on alone! I'll come with…"

"NO!" Kirito yelled, cutting her off. "You're already in enough danger being here! I'm not going to deliver you to the Demons! Or have you forgotten that you're the one they're after?!"

Kizmel screwed her face up slightly, having been previously unaware that Adira was the Demon's target. Kirito was too distracted to notice, focusing solely on trying to make Adira understand the danger that she was in. The two of them stared on, partaking in a battle of wills, ignorant to the chaos around them. Kizmel finally spoke up.

"Kirito's right. I know its not what you want to hear but its too risky for you to go. If the Demons get their hands on you and your power, there is not telling what devastation they could cause."

Kirito could see the internal conflict raging inside Adira. He watched as her face passed through a variety of emotions, before settling on one: resignation.

"Don't you dare even think of dying out there!" She told him, her voice shaking with supressed emotion. "You're coming back! You promised me that we would have a duel in the real world one day! You can't back out of that now!"

Kirito was silent, unable to meet her eyes. He couldn't guarantee that he'd make it back, but he knew that he had to end this event mission as quickly as possible, before any players got hurt. And if the Forest Elves betrayal was directly linked to the overall story of the mission, then he would have to take them down too. He finally locked eyes with Adira, noting the look of understanding that she now held. He gave her and Kizmel a quick nod of the head before turning on his feet, rushing through the battle towards he castle.

He flew past Klein, who was in the midst of combat, too distracted to notice him. Asuna, on the other hand, looked up, shooting him a quizzical look as he passed her. He ignored it, continuing to run, dodging Demons left, right and center as he approached the structure before him. He made it through the wreckage of the gates, finding the inside of the castle desolate of life.

He gazed around for a moment, debating on which route he should take. He decided on the tower. It seemed like the most logical place for the mission objective to be set. He looked up, gazing at the daunting sight of the structure before him. He noticed lone figure, striding along the battlements. The figure was clad head-to-toe in green tinted armour. It was the Forest Elf King. Kitito's features tightened as his anger began to rise up inside of him. It looked as if he was going to have to take him down after all.

Notes:

-Ohhhh, we're getting close to the end now! Only four chapters left…

-Taking everything on alone Kirito? That might not work out for you…

-I am a bit worried that I took Kizmel's personality too far for an npc, but the Progressive novel has her acting unbelievably lifelike, so hopefully it didn't seem like too much.

-Musical Choices:

#The Warmind / Michael Salvatori, C Paul Johnson, Martin O'Donnel and Paul McCartney

#A Drink First / Murray Gold

#Trouble in Town / Lorne Balfe