December 31, 2024

Floor 22 - Forest House K4

"Wake up, Mama! Wake up, Papa! It's morning!" Yui's cries of greeting intruded upon Kirito's sleep, rousing him from a wonderful dream he was having. In it, he was flying through the sky with no more effort than walking, an enormous broadsword strapped to his back. All around him was endless blue sky, dotted with the fluffiest white clouds, and he knew that nowhere he saw was beyond his reach.

Wearily opening one eye, he looked toward Yui's bed. The girl was bouncing excitedly on it, laughing all the while. "Five more minutes, Yui," he grumbled, letting out a sigh of distraction as his head plopped back onto the pillow.

"Can't I persuade you to wake up, Kirito-kun?" came the sultry whisper from Asuna, her breath tingling his ear as she leant over him, the jewel representing her connection to their daughter swinging lightly across the pale skin covering her throat.

Kirito had to suppress a groan from how intense a feeling her actions caused him, and managed to do so successfully - it was a close run thing though. "No fair," he groaned before letting out a crippling yawn.

Asuna giggled lightly before getting out of bed to join Yui. "You're up early," she commented as she sat, smiling at the boundless energy Yui was showcasing.

Yui grinned back brightly, bouncing in time with her excited laughs of delight. "I couldn't sleep any longer," she beamed, performing one final, mighty, bounce before coming to a stop in Asuna's lap. Asuna smoothed her daughter's hair, enjoying watching the grin on Yui's face from her tender actions.

"Any particular reason?"

Yui bobbed her head. "I'm excited for tonight," she answered somewhat breathlessly, barely containing the need to be active again.

"Ah, the gathering," said Kirito, his clothing newly equipped. He stretched to his full height with a guttural groan of satisfaction. "Is everybody still coming?"

"Last I checked, nobody had declined," answered Asuna, setting Yui's feet to the ground after kissing her cheek. "I'm going to have a lot to do before then," she muttered to herself, thinking through the logistics of the gathering.

Kirito heard her quiet words. "Would you like some help?"

Asuna smiled. "No, that's fine, Kirito-kun, but thank you for offering. Why don't you and Yui-chan go and do something fun today?" she suggested, knowing that he hadn't been able to spend much time with her as of late.

"Hmm, we could do that..." he mused. "What do you think?" he asked, looking to Yui for confirmation of whether she liked the idea. Her resumed bouncing and huge grin served to give him an inkling of her receptiveness.

"Great!" enthused Asuna, getting to her feet in one long, languid motion.

Kirito appreciated the soft lines his wife's body took as she stretched, noting that she was uncommonly beautiful, but it was more than just skin-deep. Her soul was beautiful - there really was no other word to describe it; never before had he met someone to whom the phrase 'beautiful inside and out' was more apt. Asuna noted his watching her and, with a wicked smile, stretched on the tips of her toes, reaching her hands to the sky. Kirito's eyes had taken on a glazed, not-quite-there quality by the time she placed the soles of her feet to the floor once more. With a bright blush on her face from her rather forward actions, she looked to the kitchen of their log house in semi-resignation. "Be back no later than five, okay?"

"Okay," said Kirito lightly, almost in a trance, before methodically shaking out the cobwebs and holding his hand out to Yui. "Shall we?"

With a giggle, Yui took a hold and walked primly at his side, their arms swinging in sync with their footsteps. "We're heading out, Mama!" cheered Yui, smiling that ever infectious smile.

"I'll be waiting for you to come home, Yui-chan," promised Asuna.

xOxOx

Floor 48 - Lindarth

"Why do you want to come here, Yui?" asked Kirito as they stepped out of the transport gate in Lindarth. The town of craftsmen was abuzz, with banners and streamers hanging from every awning and door, all proclaiming the message 'Happy New Year!' NPCs and players alike were chatting excitedly, all exchanging tales of the past year, their experiences within the game and their hopes for the forthcoming year.

"I want to see Beth," said Yui in that tone she sometimes took that told Kirito he had asked a stupid question that had an obvious answer.

"Right, right..." mumbled Kirito, allowing himself to be led in the direction of the blacksmith's shop. Every so often they would be approached by a player who would wish them well and comment on how cute Yui was. She always blushed in embarrassment, though she smiled brightly, and Kirito would accept their well-wishing with gratitude, and extend the goodwill of himself and his family.

Finally, after an extended conversation with an NPC tailor who gave them his best then all but demanded they purchase something so his family would be able to enjoy the festivities - emotional blackmail was an advanced technique that Kirito had only experienced from a shop vendor a couple of times in the past couple of years - the father and daughter duo arrived at their destination, Lisbeth's Smith Shop.

Opening the door, the pair were greeted by Hanna, Lisbeth's NPC assistant who handled the selling of goods to customers so she, Lisbeth, would be free to smith. "Welcome to Lisbeth's Smith Shop," was the default greeting before her face brightened considerably. "Oh, Yui-chan, how nice to see you again. You as well, Kirito-san." Her face tilted slightly as she gave them a closed-eyes smile.

"Hi, Hanna! Bye, Hanna!" beamed Yui as she sped past her into the back room.

"Hey, Yui-chan, wait a...no good," said Hanna ineffectually, staring at the door that the girl had run through.

"I apologise for her," said Kirito, inclining his head. "She gets excitable at times."

"Oh, no, Kirito-san, it's alright," replied the assistant, shaking her head. "Lisbeth-san said she didn't want to be disturbed."

"Oh, why is that?" He had been witness to Lisbeth's smithing when she created Dark Repulser for him, and it wasn't possible for something like industrial sabotage where a point-based skill was concerned.

Hanna lowered her voice. "She said she was making a very special weapon, a one-of-a-kind piece, for somebody. She wanted to have absolute quiet."

The sound of laughter came from the back room. "It doesn't seem so quiet now," commented Kirito with an expression of defeat, one which Hanna couldn't help but laugh at.

"No, it doesn't," she agreed evenly, though she held her further giggles within.

"I'm going to find Yui," he mumbled, feeling Hanna's eyes boring into his back. For an NPC she was extremely lifelike; perhaps they have been designed to take on traits of the people they are stationed around over a length of time...he pondered as he walked into the back room to see Yui and Lisbeth speaking in rapid whispers. "What are you both up to?" he asked, watching in amusement as they both looked at him, their heads turning slowly in perfect synchronisation.

"Nothing, Papa!" said Yui in an innocent tone, her eyes looking anywhere but at him.

"Are you sure?" he asked teasingly, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Of course we are!" barked Lisbeth, her tone one of annoyance and challenge.

Kirito, recognising his continued existence depended on not annoying her further, backed off immediately. "I'm sorry," he said, watching as Lisbeth's frown grew more pronounced. "I'm just going to go now," he stammered somewhat brokenly. Turning about-face, he fled from the room. Shutting the door behind himself, he leaned against it with a heavy sigh. "What was that? She was terrifying! I wonder what's going on..."

"I did say she didn't want to be disturbed," said a laughing Hanna.

Kirito could only sigh in disbelief. "Right..."

"Kirito-san!?"

Kirito was drawn from his relief by a soft feminine voice that he hadn't heard for many months. Turning his gaze upwards, he spotted a young girl with a crystal dragon growling good-naturedly resting atop her head. "Silica? What are you doing here?" he asked confusedly. Last he had seen her, they had parted on Floor 35 after reviving her familiar. Even with the few level boosts the equipment Kirito gifted her provided, he knew that she was not sufficiently levelled to survive the greater level of difficulty the higher floors would provide - there had also been his commitment to the front-lines as a consideration.

"After we parted, I wondered what I was going to do. I didn't want to get caught up in a situation where I wouldn't be able to defend myself again, not after what happened before..." She trailed off towards the end, not needing to repeat what had happened on Floor 47. "One day, I was wandering through the marketplace on Floor 39 when I met a man named Agil-san."

Kirito nodded at the mention of the man. "I know him," he said. "Agil's a good man."

"Yes, he is," agreed Silica. "He gave me money to upgrade my equipment. I told him I couldn't possibly accept it, but he shook off my protests. He told me that there was no point in people dying because they were under-equipped if he had the money and the ability to do something about it. I didn't want to be ungrateful and refuse his kindness, so I accepted. I still haven't been able to do anything to repay him."

Kirito shook his head. "He'd be upset if he knew you were thinking like this. He doesn't help people because he expects something in return. He just doesn't want to see anybody die needlessly, especially someone so young as yourself. You have your whole life to look forward to, Silica. Honestly," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder - he didn't fail to notice the shiver that ran through her body at his touch, though he shrugged it off as her being unused to somebody touching her in such a familiar manner, "he's just a really nice guy, and one of the best men I know."

"Well, if you're sure, Kirito-san," said Silica uncertainly. "Though, if I can ever help him out in some way, I will."

"I'm sure he'd appreciate it. So, what did you do next?"

"Next, I began to search out reports of you, Kirito-san," she said brightly, though her cheeks took on a distinctive red hue. "I, of course, asked Agil-san for any news he may have about you, but he refused to tell me, saying that it wouldn't be right to share private information."

"Why look for me?" asked Kirito in confusion.

"Well, as far as I knew, you were still a solo player, and I wanted to be a part of something again..."

"You wanted to form a party with me," Kirito surmised, making Silica nod her head.

"Yes. Of course, I knew that you were extremely high-levelled back in February, so I could only guess as to how strong you would be now, but I knew that I would still be lagging behind, so I threw myself into levelling again. I didn't want to be a burden to you again. Just last week, I reached Level 63," she said proudly, while Pina crowed delightedly in agreement.

Kirito didn't have the heart to tell the girl that he was still over thirty levels higher than her, so said nothing.

"I decided that I was now ready to start looking for you. I met Agil-san yesterday who told me that if I wanted to get the very best player-made equipment, there was nobody better than Lisbeth-san. To be honest, the dagger you gave me is looking a little worse for wear," she said with a weak smile, withdrawing the Ebon Dagger Kirito had given her months prior. The blade was indeed looking dull, and its lustre was all but gone.

"That dagger is definitely on the threshold of its durability."

"Yes, but I didn't want to part with it. It's a precious item to me," she said with a flush to her cheeks. "You gave it to me with no regard to its potential worth to you. You helped me to revive Pina. You protected me from Rosalia-san and her orange thugs. It was a gift from my big brother for a day. For those reasons, how could I not keep it?" She looked close to tears by the end of her words as Pina let out a low keen.

"I understand," said Kirito kindly, feeling taken aback by the effect her words had on him. "You should give it to Liz. She's the best smith in Aincrad, by a wide margin."

"I'm pleased to hear you think so, Kirito," came the less-than-friendly voice of Lisbeth who had just entered the room, Yui skipping merrily behind her. Crossing her arms underneath her bosom, the blacksmith stared down Kirito.

Kirito faced down her glare gamely. After all, it was easier to escape her wrath in the shop than in her forge.

Silica looked between the two of them, wondering what was going on. It was obvious to her that they knew each other, but the way the girl was looking at him made her wonder just what he had done to annoy her. Plus there was the little girl standing beside her. Who was she?

Kirito provided her with the answer. "So, are you finished? Can I have my daughter back now?"

"Daughter!?" Silica couldn't contain the full-body blush that accompanied the word as she considered it. It was scandalous! How was such a thing possible anyway?

Kirito looked mildly amused. "Oh, you haven't met her, have you? Come here a second, Yui." The girl walked to her father's side. "Yui, this is Silica. Silica, Yui."

"It's nice to meet you," managed Silica, holding out a hand to the younger girl.

"Nice to meet you," echoed Yui, shaking Silica's hand in return. "How do you know Papa?" she asked in a suspicious tone of voice that instantly put Silica on edge.

"Now, now, Yui," remarked Kirito, making the girl pout cutely. "I met Silica months ago. We partied together once to defeat a guild of player killers."

"Oh," said an embarrassed Yui whose cheeks had coloured intensely. "I'm sorry, Silica-san."

Silica shook her head to show she had taken no offence. "You're very protective of Kirito-san, aren't you, Yui-san?"

"He's my Papa," was Yui's simple answer.

"Right...you still haven't explained that to me, Kirito-san."

Kirito scratched at his temple. "That's a story that could take a while...more time than we have now. Liz? Silica needs her equipment repairing and upgrading. Can you do it for her?"

Liz, her scowl forgotten, nodded gamely. "Leave it to me. Come here and show me what you've got, Silica."

Silica was about to move before she let out a cry of alarm. "Kirito-san, I haven't gotten to ask you yet."

"Come to Floor 40 tonight at seven," said Kirito, cutting her off.

"Why?"

"We're having a gathering to celebrate the new year. If you're serious about being in a party, then come." His voice had taken a no-nonsense quality that was exciting. Lisbeth had to fight down a blush that she swore she would never experience again where the swordsman was concerned. Holding out a hand to Yui, he excused himself and, together, he and Yui left the shop.

"That Kirito," cursed Lisbeth after he left, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Um, excuse me for being forward, but how do you know Kirito-san?" asked Silica timidly.

Lisbeth looked at her with an expression of pity. "Oh, not you as well? What is it with him?" she muttered. "Well, Silica, he and I went on an adventure together once to find a precious ore after he broke my greatest sword..."

xOxOx

Floor 40 - Libertia

Exiting the teleport gate, Asuna, Kirito and Yui looked out at the town. Every surface was covered in long, flowing lights of every conceivable colour, flashing at regular intervals. Crowds of people chatted loudly, pitchers of ale and various alcoholic beverages were chugged down by raucous groups of men and a general atmosphere of joy could be felt.

"They're so pretty!" breathed Yui, bounding over to the nearest building to get a closer look at the lights.

"Yui-chan, don't wander off," warned Asuna, following after her while Kirito got his bearings. He had only been in Libertia for a few days while they rushed the Floor. It had been he who claimed the final blow against the Floor Boss which netted him the Ebon Dagger he had gifted Silica. Now that he got a chance to look at it clearly, he could see that it was designed as a homely place one could quite easily lose track of time in.

"Hey, Kirito!" shouted a familiar voice with a friendly greeting.

Looking to his right, he saw the red-haired, bandana-sporting, katana-wielding samurai Klein hustling towards them, his guild-mates/ friends in-real-life jovially cheering behind him.

"Ah, Klein, you made it," greeted Kirito, crossing forearms with the older man.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. You have to ring in the new year properly, right? No better way to do it than what we have planned for tonight."

"Definitely not," Kirito agreed. "Be ready - we head out in fifteen minutes."

"Roger that, Kirito-taichou!" said the samurai with a mock salute.

Kirito merely shook his head in exasperation as he moved around the plaza, looking for other people that had been invited. The light of teleportation lit up the gate periodically as players began to arrive - Calanon, and a contingent of Seekers of Justice arrived, all wearing shining plate-mail and wielding gleaming silver swords; Agil, the tall and imposing merchant, his double-bladed axe hefted easily in one hand; Thinker, Yulier and a small number of Aincrad Liberation Force members, all equipped with shimmering hauberks and armour, lances and maces in hand.

Finally, with one sharp flash, Silica appeared, Pina flying rapid circles over her head, and one other.

"Wow, there are so many people here," breathed Silica in surprise. She had expected there to be a few people - it was a gathering, after all - but not on this scale. There must have been close to fifty people, all of them scary-looking, although Agil favoured her with a smile and a raised hand of greeting.

"Yo, pleased to see you again, Silica-chan," said the man, his height a terrifying thing to those who didn't know him - a gentle giant was the perfect definition for the man...if you were his friend; cross him, and the giant became less-than-gentle.

"I'm pleased to see you again, too, Agil-san," bowed Silica.

"Hey, less of that," said Agil, embarrassment clear in his voice, before he addressed the other latecomer. "I didn't know you were coming as well, Lisbeth-chan."

"Just call me Liz," huffed the blacksmith as she looked around. There were people she knew, like Agil, but the vast majority were completely new to her. Fortunately, she wasn't kept waiting for long in this crowd of unknowns.

"Everyone, thank you for coming," called out Kirito, gaining the attention of everybody. "We have it on good authority that an Event Boss will be appearing on this floor tonight. The item drop is rumoured to be something that can create a miracle."

"What does that mean? It's kind of vague?" called out Agil.

"I honestly don't know," answered Kirito. "I guess we'll find out once the event is cleared." The crowd chuckled at Kirito's words. This was how they liked things - short and to the point. "Everybody, party up. We go in groups of seven." Many party invites were sent out then, leaving the groups decided - Klein and his guild; Thinker, Yulier and the men of the ALF; Calanon and the men from the Seekers of Justice; and the final group - Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Agil, Silica and Lisbeth, them being the six remaining party-less.

"Are we all ready?" A resounding roar boomed across the plaza. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," Kirito chuckled, getting a laugh from those closest to him as they began the march out of town.

xOxOx

Floor 40 - Hidden Grove

The march was loud, everybody chanting various songs, keeping their spirits up. Silica walked with rapid steps, keeping up with the much longer stride of Agil, taking five steps to his one. Lisbeth checked and rechecked her mace over and over, turning it this way and that, looking for any hidden faults that would be invisible to the untrained eye. Agil was whistling to himself, quite at ease.

Asuna, Kirito and Yui were strolling together as a family, Yui in between the two of them, holding both their hands. Before, when they journeyed into that accursed dungeon on Floor 1, Yui wasn't recognised as a player character in the game, therefore, she didn't need to be accounted for. Since her revival, they had quickly learned that she was truly a player, and as such could, and would indeed need to, be added to a party.

Truthfully, Kirito and Asuna felt concerned bringing Yui along with them, but they also reasoned that the Event Boss shouldn't be that tough - they were several Floors below the current challenge, and Kirito had soloed the previous Event Boss during that cursed time when he had been driven to the brink of despair. With the sheer numbers attempting the challenge, they felt relatively comfortable. Of course, that didn't stop them from saying that Yui would stay back from the fighting, guarded by one of them at all times.

"Um, Kirito-san, may I speak to you for a moment?" Silica spoke in her quiet voice, but Kirito heard her clearly.

Turning to the girl, he nodded lightly. "I'll be a minute," he said, loosening his hand from Yui's grip. "Come with me."

Walking a short distance away from the group - not so far that they would be missed, but far enough for them not to be overheard carelessly, Silica wrung her hands together nervously. "Why did you ask me to come with you tonight?"

Kirito considered her for a moment before answering. "You want to become a member of a party with me, don't you?" Silica gave a short nod. "When you explained your reasons for wanting to group up with me, they were factually inaccurate, or perhaps I should say outdated. I'm no longer a solo player. I haven't been for a while now. I party with Asuna, the leader of the Seekers of Justice. She is my wife, who I love more than my own life. We have our daughter, Yui, who I would gladly give my life for. We are clearers, running the front-lines and challenging the Floor Bosses. In our last battle, we lost three men." His voice was hard and his words cutting.

Silica was troubled. "Why are you telling me this?"

Kirito smiled then. "If you are still willing, even knowing the risks, to join us, then I would be glad to have you in our party."

Silica's face lit up, a beaming smile quickly forming. "Oh, yes, I would love to! Thank you, Kirito-san!"

"Don't thank me yet," he chided lightly. "You're going to have to level like never before. I'll help you as much as I can."

"I'll work hard," she promised, clenching her fists before scooping up Pina in delight. "Isn't it wonderful, Pina!" she said excitedly, walking away cradling her familiar.

Kirito smiled after her before rejoining his family. "Is that okay?" he asked Asuna, knowing that she would have heard everything.

"It's fine by me," she answered softly. "Nobody should be refused the chance to fight for their liberation. We'll have to speak with her soon about the very real threat the higher Floors pose."

"We will," Kirito assured, retaking Yui's hand.

xOxOx

Fifteen minutes later, as the clocks struck eight, the group found themselves wandering deeper into the trees. All around were imposing roots, gnarled branches clawing skywards, dead leaves littering the wooded floor. As they trod further in, it seemed as though the wan light the moon and stars were providing was slowly being whittled to nothing, the branches twisting, writhing, trapping.

Yui shivered as the temperature began to descend rapidly. "What's happening, Papa?" she asked in a small voice.

"It's beginning," he said grimly. "Stay with Asuna. No matter what happens, you stay out of this fight, promise?"

"I promise, Papa," she said, retreating further back with Asuna, who stood guard over her, Lambent Light firmly in her grip.

"Don't worry, Yui-chan, everything will be fine," she reassured, squeezing her daughter's hand in hers.

Kirito turned his attention to the darkened grove, his every sense abuzz. "Silica, Liz, stay close to me and work together!" He got sharp nods from the two girls - Silica, small but quick, her dagger a sliver of shadow; Lisbeth, nervous but strong, a mace of ebony gripped in her hand. "Agil, you know what to do."

"You know it," said the tall man, his axe ready to cleave any and all enemies. "I've got to get my hands on that miracle item."

"First come, first served, you know that," commented Klein with a chuckle, "and I intend to be first."

"Don't be overconfident, Klein. I wouldn't want you to have to waste that revival item I nearly died retrieving," said Kirito, though his jibe fell flat - nobody liked to be reminded of that particularly dark time in Kirito's past. Nobody was aware, though they all had guessed semi-correctly, of just how close he was to killing himself at that point - the loss of the Moonlit Black Cats, Sachi especially, had hit him hard - too hard for someone of his limited mental maturity.

"Kirito-san, I don't think it's a good omen to make a joke like that," said Silica in her soft voice.

"You're right, sorry," muttered Kirito, already feeling silly for having made such a blasé comment in the first place. "Time to focus."

Looking out into the mire, he could first hear what sounded like snuffling, a vast nasal sound that sent shivers involuntarily down his spine. "What is that? Approaching from within the gloom, after much rooting about was a pig, its beady eyes fixed to the ground, its snout creating that snuffling sound once more as it foraged. "A pig?"

Seeming to notice the large group of players, the pig looked up with its beady eyes, blinking once, twice, thrice before letting out loud cries of alarm...which were echoed several times over.

Turning on the spot, Kirito could see many more pigs waddling towards them, searching amongst the roots with their snouts.

"The Event Boss is a bunch of pigs? Can this be for real?" Agil was perturbed.

"Who cares? We have ourselves the perfect opportunity to grab some prime barbecue right here!" cheered Klein whose guild-mates laughed along raucously. Kirito was silent which led to Klein groaning loudly. "Why do you have to do that?"

Kirito looked up, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"You always go all silent and brooding whenever an enemy appears. Everytime you do that, something bad happens."

As though to mock him, an enormous thundering boom ripped through the grove, deafening the players to everything else. Klein glanced sideways at Kirito, eyebrows raised. "I swear I have nothing to do with it!" swore Kirito, waving his hands in surrender.

"Enough banter, get your heads in the game," shouted Agil as the ground beneath them shook distinctly.

"I got it, I got it!" Klein called, unsheathing his katana and getting into his battle stance.

Silica was the first to notice the disturbance when Pina let out a cry of alarm. "What is it, Pina?" Following her familiar's line of sight, she could see an indistinct shimmering appear at the furthest treeline. "There!"

Traipsing out of the knotted grove was what looked to be a old man – he was bent over, relying upon a stick to walk. The major concern to Kirito was that this old man was more of an old giant, a beast of a man standing at twenty feet tall.

"Uh, that is one big old man," sweated Klein.

Kirito felt somewhat apprehensive, too, but gamely chuckled. "You know what they say, the bigger they are..."

"The harder they fall," grinned Agil, his axe hand twitching.

The old man hobbled along, ignorant of the players, scattering what looked like grain around himself. The pigs, as one, all stopped their sniffing and made their way to his side. With a chuckle that seemed terrifyingly guttural due to its immense size, the old man finally raised his eyes, glinting with sudden malice, to them.

That was when his name appeared. "Lanos the Blademaster," read Agil, before stumbling upon something that confused him. "If he's a blademaster, where's his blade?"

His question was answered as, standing straight, tall and powerful with no need for support from the cane in his hand, the Boss whipped said cane into his outstretched hands and held it like one would a sword in a scabbard. Pulling it in two, a concealed blade was revealed, sharp and threatening.

"You just had to ask," groaned Klein, looking at the merchant with a deep frown.

"A swordstick," said Kirito, analysing the enemy, his stature, body position and reach. Due to his size, the swordstick was a terrible length – easily ten feet long, making blocking his strikes of tantamount importance.

The pigs meanwhile had been getting steadily agitated, their cries becoming much more aggressive. At a grunt from the Boss, they all became deathly quiet, their beady eyes now consumed by the party of players.

"I think they see us," said Lisbeth in a deadpan monotone. Her mace was gingerly hovering in the air, moving in a nervous stutter every-so-often. Though she was ill-suited to raids, she had been assured by everyone – meaning Asuna – that the Event Boss wouldn't be too difficult, and the number of players attacking would ensure a safe, speedy victory. She kept repeating it to herself as a sort of mantra. Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine...

As one, the pigs began to stamp their feet on the spot, tilling the earth. "What are they doing?" asked Silica in a shaky voice. Though she knew she had the backing of many people, most of whom were much stronger than herself, it didn't stop her from feeling apprehensive.

"Trying to intimidate us. Don't let them bother you, Silica-chan. I'll look out for you," promised Agil. Silica nodded her head, grateful for the older man's words. They really did settle her nerves, though she was still worried, but to a lesser degree.

"Silica and Liz, together with Agil, take out the pigs. Don't let them surround you. I'll work with Calanon and the others to strike at the Boss. Once you're finished, come and back us up."

"I'll do my best," said Silica.

"Leave everything to me," Lisbeth assured.

"I'll keep them safe," promised Agil.

Kirito nodded. "I'm counting on you all."

Plans hastily formed, Kirito was off like a shot, twin swords flashing as he ran for the Boss. His charge seemed to be the rallying call as the other players shouted out their own battle plans and followed him into battle.

Batting aside the few pigs that charged him as though they weren't there, Kirito sped at the Blademaster. Sensing his approach, the Boss' swordstick sang as it cleaved the air, hurtling towards him at breakneck speed. Kirito barely had enough time to react, slamming his two blades into a hastily formed guard, wincing as the Blademaster tried to overwhelm him.

With a battle cry, Klein's katana sliced at the Blademaster's sword arm, jarring it enough for Kirito to savagely wrench it away and make a counter-attack. "You're mine," he growled as his swords burned with savage light, aiming to hew a great deal of HP from it.

The enemy then did something that Kirito had not expected. He had expected that the Boss would have merely discarded the sheathe and used the sword two-handed, like most Japanese blades were intended to be wielded – instead, he had kept it in his left hand, and the reason was now obvious. He's using the sheathe as a shield. The Boss parried his counter and let his swordstick descend, slicing into Kirito and taking a sizeable chunk of his life with him.

"Kirito-kun!" cried Asuna, seeing the angry red data wound in her husband's side, fervently wishing that she could be fighting with him, but knowing that she had to keep Yui safe.

"Papa!" Yui was beside herself with fear. Though she knew her Papa was strong, she also knew that he could be reckless, and she could remember just how fearful Boss enemies could be – their encounter with The Fatal Scythe was proof enough of that. She wanted to help him, so very much...

"Oi, Kirito, you okay!?" Klein exclaimed, sword flashing as he carved some more HP from the Blademaster, ever mindful of the swordstick and its devastating range.

Kirito had spun away from the blade, watching his HP gauge deplete to around fifty-percent. He took a half of my HP with that blow. He's no pushover. Clearly, whatever item he's guarding is valuable. Shouting to Klein, "I'm fine," he grimly renewed his assault.

"There's just...no...end to them!" panted Lisbeth, crushing the skull of yet another pig as it came too close to her for comfort. That was the tenth she had destroyed since the battle began, and her arm was becoming tired. Though she was used to heavy tools, what with being a blacksmith, there was a distinct difference between hammering an ingot until it formed the weapon she desired, and denting the bodies of enemies who kept dashing this way and that.

They had quickly learned that these pigs were anything but slow and lazy. From the moment Kirito had rushed forward, they had charged themselves, moving at speeds that were, while slower than the human players, several times faster than a normal farmyard animal. It had taken some well-timed thrusts from Silica's upgraded Ebon Dagger to stop the first wave.

"We have to stay strong, Lisbeth-san," came the demure voice of Silica, her dagger flashing as she ended another, its form breaking apart. "We must hurry and support Kirito-san."

"I hear you," said Agil, his axe crashing down, ending two at once, their cries terrible to hear. "We'll finish this up quick and help him."

With a grim nod of agreement, the trio faced the oncoming enemies.

It had been five minutes since the battle began and the Blademaster's HP had been depleted to one bar. With the support of Thinker, Klein, Calanon and the Seekers of Justice members, Kirito had managed to stave off any further damage to himself. He honestly didn't want to think about what might happen were he to suffer another grievous blow like the first.

Now, as with most Bosses, his attack pattern was changing. "Friends, let us rush the enemy! Do not allow it time to prepare! We will finish it before it can perform any nasty tricks," called Thinker, his longsword held aloft in a rallying cry of victory.

With the men booming out harsh battle cries as they continued to hack at the giant, the Blademaster discarded his sheathe, casually flinging it into the crowd of men who had to scatter to avoid being hit by the eight-foot long wooden object. Placing both hands onto the hilt of the swordstick, a tangible feeling of anxiety ripped through the grove. Expecting to be able to defend, the Blademaster's next slash was stopped by three men from the ALF who had finally joined the battle after destroying the pigs – they were alarmed to find the pressure from the Blademaster's strike allowed it to slice through their swords like they weren't even there.

"H-help us!" they cried in terror, seeing the sword seeking to end their lives.

Kirito would not watch on, allowing them to die for no reason, not while he was able to do something about it. Charging, he slammed his swords into the swordstick, noting with a grim satisfaction that the Elucidator and Dark Repulser were suitably reinforced so as to not be cleaved apart. "Go now!" he ordered, noting the nods of gratitude from the men.

All around him, men and a few women were fighting for their lives, hammering, cleaving, sheering, desperately struggling to end this monstrosity. He could see Agil and the girls coming to help, their task finally done.

"Kirito-san! We're here! Hold on!" shouted Silica, Pina offering her what little healing he could after a pig had managed to get past her guard and stab its trotter into her thigh. It had been swept aside by Agil, his axe brutally efficient.

"Hey, hold on, Kirito!" exclaimed the merchant, redoubling his pace, willing his body to move faster.

Even with most of his skill points invested in STR, he was being overwhelmed. Kirito gritted his teeth. No! I can't die here...not now! I have two important reasons to continue living! I won't lose...not to you...not to this game..!

He was unprepared when the Boss withdrew his blade without warning, making him stagger forward, so focused on defending that he had put the entirety of his weight behind it. With another brutal swing, Kirito could only look on as he saw his end rapidly approach...

The sound of a sword being unsheathed and re-sheathed met his ears as he saw a flash of light so fast, he could have thought he imagined it, until he saw Yui walk past both him and the Blademaster, a sheathed katana in her hands. "Yui..?" It was only then that he noticed the sword that had been poised to split him in half had not done so.

The girl came to a standstill, her back to them both. "Ittōryū Iai: Zantetsuken," she intoned darkly. Turning on the spot, she faced the two of them, a harsh expression that he had never seen on her innocent face before. She watched with satisfaction as, with a guttural cry of anguish, a slash of light was seen bisecting the Boss, his top half sliding across its bottom, falling to the floor in a heap, its sword similarly rent apart.

With a final lamenting cry that was lost to the winds, the Blademaster exploded into data fragments. Kirito knelt to the ground, looking at his daughter, somewhat dumbstruck. Why does she have a sword? Who gave it to her? Better yet, what was that technique? I've never seen anything like it. She sliced it in two with ease.

"Yui-chan! Kirito-kun!" Asuna was frantically running towards them, her hair whipping around her face - so great was her dash. "Why did you run off, Yui-chan?" she cried, holding Yui at arm's length, her hands on the girl's shoulders, checking her for injuries. "I told you to stay with me, didn't I? You could have been killed!" Without warning, she scooped the girl into her arms. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Turning to her husband, she looked at his side where the rent had been. "Are you alright?" she asked. When he didn't answer, but maintained his focus on Yui, Asuna looked more closely at their child. Her narrow focus had been on her continued well-being. "Yui-chan, where did you get that sword?" she concluded, finally noticing the blade held confidently in her daughter's hand.

"That's a question I'd like an answer to as well, Yui," said Kirito, wearily rising to his feet, an oddly authoritative tone to his voice that he had never used with her before.

Yui grinned at the two of them rather sheepishly.

"Mama. Papa. I have something to tell you..."