Yo. Time for chapter 8.

January 4th
Aincrad Tier One, Central Plaza

As Kirito watched Diavel whip the crowd into a frenzy, he didn't notice the small group sit down near him. But they quickly drew his attention when they started talking loudly.

"Issin, you lazy bastard I knew you would make us late. The crowd is going crazy and we don't even know why."

A voice spoke teasingly. The voice sounded familiar to Kirito but he couldn't place it. Turning to look Kirito recognized them as the group he thought was a guild during the first event. They were all dressed in different armor with varying amounts of red clothing. Six in all, they were good naturedly joking amongst themselves while Kirito observed.

Klein noticed the player in black near them, and saw the player was staring at them. He quickly elbowed Issin, who was bemoaning his leader's lack of care for his beauty sleep, to shut him up.

"Hey you there in black."

Klein began. The other four's attention was drawn to who Klein had called out to.

"You look really familiar. Have we met before?"

Speaking up Kirito answered.

"Yes. I believe we met about 30 days ago. Klein was it?"

Klein's face was scrunched up as he tried to remember.

'Well clearly we have met. He knows my name. Hmmm... 30 days ago... 30 days ago... OH! The first event. So I met him during that...'

"OH Yeah!"

Klein suddenly exclaimed.

"I remember, you were in line next to us right before the gate broke open. Good to see you are still alive and kicking."

Kirito smiled back, he hadn't spoken to Klein for very long but he had enjoyed their previous conversation. Something which was rare for him with most people he met.

"Same to you. Did you guys manage to form an actual guild yet?"

Kirito queried. Looking confused at Kirito, Klein replied.

"Well no. No one has managed to form a guild yet. No one knows how to."

'I wonder why he doesn't know that. Probably because he seems to play solo. So he must be out of the loop.'

They realized that the crowd had grown quiet again, and the group turned to the stage. Kirito realized the stands had filled up so there had to be about several thousand players in attendance. But on stage the other man standing besides Diavel was now speaking.

"... as Diavel-san and I have agreed, tomorrow I will take command of the front line. While Diavel-san shall be leading in a more administrative role to keep everything smoothly going. He will keep us organized and work out the rotations and give any adjustments he sees necessary. We have another associate ‹‹Kibaou›› who will be leading the ranged component of the raid tomorrow."

A man stood in the stands and made his way forward.

"I have also been told that the group calling themselves the guild ‹‹Knights of Ruin›› will be participating in some form tomorrow. However they refused to join the raid. So Kibaou-san if you could come up here. Ah yes, here he is. Now if you wish to join the ranged division please come talk to Kibaou-san. While everyone else come talk to Diavel-san and I, so we can organize you."

As the man finished speaking Kirito tracked Kibaou, and watched the man swagger up onto the stage. He was of average height, and quite stocky. His hair however drew Kirito's attention, it was a light brownish orange color and it was spiked oddly, it reminded Kirito of a cactus. Turning to the group next to him Kirito listened as Klein spoke.

"Ahh its cactus-man."

One of the others interjected.

"I fucking hate cactus head. That guy is such a prick."

The other five nodded in agreement.

"Too true Harry One."

Klein responded. He then turned to Kirito.

"Hey, we weren't planning on joining the raid but are still gonna fight tomorrow. You wanna join us so you at least know who you are fighting next to tomorrow?"

The offer was genuine and Kirito couldn't see a reason to refuse. He had no intention of joining the raid and this way he wouldn't just have to stand by himself somewhere. Kirito verbally accepted and then Klein and he exchanged friend requests. Klein made a huge show of saying he remembered Kirito's name just before he saw it pop up. No one was convinced however. They agreed to meet tomorrow for lunch to be grouped up and ready for the event. With the meeting over Kirito left with another destination in mind.

-[S]-[A]-[O]-

Second Tier
Northern section

Since all the lumber came into the city from the forest to the north, Kirito assumed the woodworkers would naturally station themselves in the northern part of the second district. He was incorrect however and was told by an npc merchant to look on the east side.

After making his way eastward, Kirito started asking around for specific directions. Argo had mentioned a certain shop to him. Supposedly the owner had the 2nd highest wood carving and crafting skill in the game. Where the highest leveled player was someone who didn't run a store. His store ‹‹I carve because I care›› was medium sized and made entirely out of logs. The floor was covered in wood chips and flakes, creating a sort of cushion feeling. And Kirito enjoyed the shop's atmosphere for a second as he entered

The store was empty, which he preferred, and looking around he admired the displays. After five minutes Kirito realized the owner must not be aware he was in the shop, approaching the counter he noticed a bell with a note next to it that said to ring if no one was there. Following instructions, Kirito did, then stood there before someone charged through the door from the back room. They veered left hard and came to a halt on the opposite side of the counter from Kirito.

After introductions where Kirito learned the man's name was ‹‹Arisawa›› Kirito made his business known. After several minutes of haggling an agreed upon deal was reached and Kirito said he would be back tomorrow near 11.

-[S]-[A]-[O]-

January 5th
Day of the Second event
Second Tier ‹‹Ode to the Stomach››

Kirito had visited Arisawa earlier and picked up the completed order. Then he had gone to meet Klein and the rest of his bunch. No one knew when the event would start today but Kirito could see the nervous tension everywhere as he walked. He himself was on edge. Not enough to get his adrenaline flowing as he would be too tired to do anything later, but he was definitely on alert as he walked around.

They were meeting in a restaurant that had one of the few player musicians working there. The music helped calm him slightly as he sat there waiting for the others to arrive. All night Kirito had wondered whether he should make use of his bow. By using it he might be able to kill more of the enemy before they got within range. But the bow was bind on equip and Kirito knew someone else would be able to put it to better use.

Of course he then had to justify why he didn't just give it to someone. Which was a hard argument, but in the end, surviving the game was his goal and the best way to do that was to be as strong as possible and having the money from the bow's sale would help tremendously.

'But dam I would look so cool as the only player with a bow. Decisions… Decisions…'

Knocked from his thoughts by several people sitting down around him. Kirito realized that Klein's group had just arrived. They greeted one another and Klein officially introduced the rest. Besides Klein, there was Issin, Harry One, Dale, Kunimittz, and finally Dynamm.

They all were equipped to fight as a group. Dale, Harry One and Dynamm were shield users and used a sword or mace. While Issin and Kunimittz wielded two-handed spears. Klein was the odd one out with his katana but Kirito assumed he was able to cover their flanks that way. Introductions done, Kirito told them how he planned to begin the fight by exhausting his supply of ranged weaponry.

He figured he would be able to join them later as he didn't expect their group to be near the front as they weren't even part of the raid. The invite was sent and he joined up as the seventh member of their party. He was placed alone in the second party slot which technically made their party into a raid. But this way they would be able to use the grouping features together and Kirito would have no issues locating them later. All set they left the store and headed towards the central plaza in the first tier.

While walking Kirito found out that the group called themselves ‹‹Fuurinkazan›› which meant wind, woods, fire, mountain. They explained how they were all real friends and they had been gaming together for a long time. They planned to make a guild together whenever anyone could actually figure out how to. Kirito asked if any of them had a mount yet, to which they all replied negative. This prompted Kirito to summon Midnight and let the others examine him. He couldn't help but wonder.

'Who wouldn't show their mount off in this situation right?'

After several hours of sitting around in the central plaza. The space was filling up the several thousand players from yesterday were all arrayed out in party groups and another couple thousand were milling about and chatting. Well wishes and good luck charms were passed around. One player dressed as a priest appeared to be offering blessing to anyone who wished.

To pass the time Kirito's group sat in a circle on cushions provided by Issin. When questioned about it he answered.

"If I gotta sit around for several hours. I sure as hell ain't sitting on cold ass stone without no cushion."

As the hours passed the atmosphere grew tense. Many of those players not preparing to fight had left. The light conversation had died out and the laughter and smiles turned to hard faces and general unease.

The sun was getting close to setting and it was definitely into evening. The air had a chill. There was a slight dusting of snow around the plaza to simulate the winter conditions this region experiences. It was getting late and everyone was starting to wonder when the event would happen. This was something Kayaba was certain to have calculated. He was mentally wearing everyone out. It was at this moment a very scary thought crossed Kirito's mind.

'We still have four years and ten months to fight through. That is 58 more events. No one is going to be sane by the end of this. If we even last that long. We aren't soldiers, we are gamers. But then in Aincrad everyone is a soldier and no longer is one a gamer. Its life or death…'

After all even Kirito was beginning to lose it from the wait. When to the sudden shock of everyone, the city's alarm bells suddenly rang out. Everyone tensed and most jumped. The wait was over. Now it was time to fight or die. Aincrad was officially beset by forces of the enemy and only the players in this courtyard could stop whatever was coming.

Besides the bells ringing across the city it was silent in the courtyard. Approximately 3,000 players were on their feet weapons in hand. Faces set into hard looks, some determined, some frightened, and others were blank. The remaining non-combatants had quickly cleared out moments ago.

Diavel broke the tension by yelling.

"Alright everyone, this is it. There is a report of mobs approaching across the south plain, let's move out!"

-[S]-[A]-[O]-

Fuurinkazan found themselves mixed in with the mass of players marching haphazardly towards the south. There was no real order here. Just a steady stream of bodies heading in one direction. Then they entered the second tier and found thousands of players rushing about. These were the non-combatants and they were as disorganized as you could get.

Small children were screaming. Older people were white as paper. And all of them were moving to safety behind the second and third wall. As they approached the second tier's gate into the third tier, Kirito could see players crowding all along the wall in anticipation to watch.

'Why do they watch? Why won't they step forward and help? Do they not even care enough to fight for their own lives? This isn't real life, everyone has the potential ability to fight in this world.'

He had no answer for the thoughts that plagued his head. He couldn't understand. His focus since the start of the death game was levelling and growing as strong as possible to survive. Their reluctance challenged his drive. But Kirito didn't have time to ponder anymore as the group arrived at the southern gate.

Diavel and his second in command had already organized the front two lines of defense. So Kirito's group inserted themselves into the third line. They were on the left side as they stretched across the front face of the plaza that expanded from the gate's entrance. Kirito mentioned he was going to go up onto the wall then, and Klein promised he would hold a spot for him to come back, and if for some reason they had to move he would send Kirito a message.

Kirito slipped through the lines and got up the stairs that led to the wall. He noticed several things different from the previous event. The npc's were all alive already and deployed. All 100 archers already stationed in intervals. No mob sneak attack to wipe them out. Then there was about 200 players on the wall. From what he could see they were all fingering daggers and throwing picks. One player even looked to have a small throwing axe in hand.

He wondered how large a supply of weaponry each one of these people had. Personally he still had three of his daggers from the last event. As well as about 150 Graig throwing picks. He had the 25 javelins he kept on hand plus the additional 200 javelins he had commissioned Arisawa to make.

Using the throwing picks Liz had made, Arisawa had attached the pick to the end of a sturdy stick. Thus creating a javelin. But after the first one he learned the recipe and the end product was a much more finished looking result. While not seemingly hard, one needed to be 200/1000 in wood crafting to do such a thing. So in total Kirito was packing just under 400 weapons to throw. His daggers would be saved for once he got lost amidst the melee. Sometimes you just needed a quick short range attack.

The javelins wouldn't immediately decay after being thrown but he wasn't optimistic they would hang around to be collected by the time the event ended. The loss of his resources put into them would be his own sacrifice during this event.

Then approaching in the distance along the southern road, Kirito could faintly see what appeared to be another scouting group moving quickly towards the city. Based on their speed and from his experiences up near Graig Kirito assumed these scouts to be mounted. Several minutes later he could make out that they were indeed mounted.

'I swear I spent a month fighting warg riders. And now this event is kicking things off with some more.'

A player to his right made a comment of how both events had begun with a scouting party. Another player questioned whether this would always happen. But neither could know for sure and their conversation lost Kirito's interest. Other conversations began talking about how mounted mobs were a rare encounter and only a couple people had found any. They were very surprised on those occasions and the locations had been sold off for a high col value. Apparently the other zones to the south, east and west were not as heavily populated with mounted mobs like the hills around Graig.

Someone with some kind of vison skill yelled the enemies too be labelled ‹‹Warg Scout››. They were level 20 and each warg had a rider on its back. Each rider was likely an orc. As goblins were typically too small to ride wargs. As they closed in Kirito could see they wore iron caps and stained leather vests that were in bad repair covering their upper body. Several of the wargs had banners attached to their saddles. It show cased a black fist surrounded by red flames splayed over blank triangle shaped banners. They snapped wildly in the wind as the wargs drew closer.

Approximately 200 yards out, the wargs reigned to a stop. Someone shouted there to be about 100 in the pack below. Then as one their riders all lifted twisted black compound bows and in a hail of whistling arrows they fired. Several arrows smashed into the crenellations on the wall, while the rest arched over and rained onto the players below. With no prior warning seven players instantly died from the barrage. Others were knocked to red or yellow hp. Only several players reacted in time to snap their shield into position overhead. Most of the players were just given a scare as the arrows came down.

Kibaou was also yelling, but he was yelling at people to return fire... Now everyone up top wanted to but they had nowhere near the range. Throwing weapons just don't reach quite as far as a bow can be shot. So for nearly 20 minutes back and forth volleys were exchanged by npcs. The warg riders only were interested in hitting the players below and so they didn't shoot the npc archers. Eventually they were whittled down to about 20 left. And then Kirito saw something that left him staring in shock.

'No way is anyone going to last all five years inside Aincrad. These people are already insane after two months!'

Out on the plain hugging the wall heading south, he could see about two dozen players swiftly moving to engage the scout archers. These player's rode their steeds in a solid formation. A broad arrow head, aiming to slam into what was left of the scouts. For some reason the scout archers took no notice of the approaching cavalry and continued to trade volleys. The players on the wall stayed silent besides one person yelling the news down. The wall was suddenly a much more crowded place.

Then as the charging players were reaching full speed and only a handful of seconds from impact. The wargs howled their wrath and were spurred forward to meet the charge. From his position on the wall Kirito watched as the two groups prepared to slam into one another. The npc archer guards seized firing and stood still. Their programming didn't allow them to fire where they had such a high chance of hitting a player.

But at the moment before impact Kirito could only marvel at the sheer stupidity being displayed before him.

'Mounted combat is hard as hell. And these idiots don't even need to be out there right now. No way. No there is no way this is going to end well.'

And then they collided.

-[S]-[A]-[O]-

Asuna POV

Asuna led the charge from the center of the arrow head. The formation was two lines deep and staggered so they didn't smash into one another. Five riders angled slightly back to either of her sides. With the others filling in behind. Everyone in the front row had a spear or lance. While the second row varied, some had pole arms while others had sword or axes or maces. She had tried hard to make everyone look uniform but she had just been brushed off by most of them. So they were each equipped with whatever they fancied really.

As the charging players drew near Asuna felt her worry melt away as her adrenaline spike beyond anything she had ever experienced. She felt like laughing at the exhilaration. All her effort was about to pay off as her group wiped these orc thingys out and then everyone would cheer for her.

The foes were in no formation from what she could tell. They all looked the same so she guessed they had no leader. Unknown to her the scout leader had just caught several arrows and died minutes earlier. A couple more than a dozen remained. Compared to her two dozen they were nothing. In the back of her mind in a place she had never really used before, her mind noticed the lack of riders on a handful of the wolf creatures.

At the fore of Asuna's charge 11 lances were levelled and she gave a cry of,

"CHARRRRGE!"

Her soft feminine voice was quickly followed by each of her fellows in their own unique yells. The group reached top speed and they were even still in formation. Again Asuna felt like laughing at how well everything seemed to be. She was so dam good at this. Then the enemies reacted and their mounts howled and began their countercharge.

To Asuna a thunderous clamor erupted as the two groups slammed into one another. Following the loud impacts, were screams and curses from both sides. Each one of the lances had struck true but the remaining orcs and wargs had found targets of their own. The KoR's formation was in complete disarray. The second line slammed into the stalled front line and did as much damage to the opposite side as to their own. Wargs and orcs pounced into the confusion and began a series of desperate struggles in the fray.

The center of the first line by Asuna had managed to break free during the charge and they quickly wheeled around to witness the mad close combat. Several player's had been dismounted and horses ran around trying to get free without anyone controlling them. Asuna was shocked at what she was seeing. Never had her group had this happen before. Always they had charged in formation and easily overcome whatever they encountered. The ground locked small groups of goblins from past days were nothing like these ones.

She saw a wolf thing bite down into someone's neck and realized she was just staring. Someone next to her urged their horse forward and yelled out.

"Come on, we have to help them."

The others around her were spurred forward by his words and Asuna found herself following along. They didn't charge full out, as they didn't want to cause friendly damage. So when they got close Asuna found herself engaged by a mount less orc.

The greenish black creature wielded a curved dagger and quickly struck out with it. The shield attached to her left forearm was hastily used to block. But locked in close combat Asuna had a hard time bringing her long lance to bear across her body. A warg appeared from the other side and took a huge chunk out of her horse. The animal buckled and fell.

In a tangled heap Asuna lay dazed. A thought occurred to her.

'I..I-I could die right here… I really don't want to die.'

Her horse took a blow from the orc and shattered into pixels. She was not untangled but still somewhat disoriented. Before either opponent could take advantage of her another player charged and skewered the warg while a second lopped the orc's head off for a finishing blow. They final two scout members shattered into pixels. And Asuna stood up to see the remnants of her previously proud group.

-[S]-[A]-[O]-

Kirito POV

Kirito watched as the two groups clashed. The Knights of Ruin did decent enough in their first charge. Kirito realized their mistake of going for the rider first instead of the warg. A mistake he had quickly learned to never make. Killing the warg always left the rider less maneuverable, whereas the warg could now fight better without a rider.

Quickly it turned into a free for all melee. The KoR seemed much less confident when in such frantic close quarters. As the final orc and warg were dispatched, Kirito did a quick count and found the group 16 horses short and five players less from when they engaged. All in all, a foolish waste of life as the npc archers were going to finish the scouts off soon enough. The charge had accomplished nothing.

The group gathered themselves and started heading alongside the wall towards the ‹‹East Gate›› where they presumable had exited. Thinking about it Kirito realized it was better they did this foolhardy charge now then later during the main part of the event. Where they would have been caught up by a larger force and completely annihilated. He remembered when he ran into the group. That girl Asuna was quite attractive. It would be a shame if a girl that pretty died so early on.

'Pretty girls are not exactly common in Aincrad. Every one lost is quite a blow to morale.'

There was a general silence around the ‹‹South Gate›› at the moment. No one had cheered, most had realized the pointlessness of what had occurred before them. Diavel was up on the wall near Kibaou. Together with his second they managed to hard the defenders back into the plaza and organize them back into place. Kirito hadn't wasted any of his arsenal as he realized the npc archers were doing well enough. While some players had attempted to hurl their picks or daggers, they missed by a large margin, even with the game's auto assist you can't huck a knife 200 yards.

Suddenly someone yelled out.

"HO-LY SHIT!"

This of course attracted everyone's attention and really the player was under stating it. Because their view was rapidly filling with a mass of black. Kirito was just as surprised as everyone else.

'How the hell did I not notice that just a minute ago…?'

He had no idea. But right now was not the time to wonder. The sight did not alarm him much more. This was expected. After the previous event. This one was not going to be something lesser.

Marching northward across the southern Aincrad plain was the second event's army. The scouts had come and gone and now it was the real deal. The force looked equal in size with the previous one. He was told it was a force of 4,500 last event. He couldn't imagine this one was less. Eleven columns by four long rows with each block 100 mobs strong. Followed by an additional block most likely comprised of elite mobs and a boss.

As the force drew closer they entered Kirito's max ‹‹Searching›› distance and allowed him to analyze what was coming their way. Along the wall others were doing the same thing. The blocks were made up of orcs. Each one was led by a standard bearer. While the rank and file bore spears and shields. They were clad in black twisted armor and Kirito could make out skin colors ranging from neon green to pitch black.

Aptly named the ‹‹Spear Orc›› and ‹‹Orc Standard Bearer›› were what Kirito could expect to face off against. At level 20 with 3,000 hp the spear orcs would not initially wear out the front lines. But their numbers would surely start to tell over time.

The standard bearer wore more impressive armor the declared their importance over the spear wielders. Clutched with both hands they bore large banners held on long black metal spikes. The banner was the black fist surrounded by flames as flown earlier by the scouts. They were level 20 as well but carried greater weight to the battlefield with 3,200 hp.

As the force continued its advance. The final block entered Kirito's range and let him get a peek at was to come near the end. The block was made up of ‹‹Uruk Fanatics ››. Wearing no armor these mobs stood taller than their orc counter parts and would have been head and shoulders above any goblin. A common family tree it was well known the goblinsorcsuruks. The uruks in attendance had the banner emblem burned onto their chest and they carried massive two-handed weapons, such as axes, maces and swords.

At level 25 they were five levels above the rank and file and each had 4,500 hp. They would be able to take quite a bit of punishment. Even without armor. Their skin varied less in color and stayed in black and gray tones. And they had long wild black hair hanging off their skulls.

But in the middle of this block towered a creature that Kirito hadn't expected. At a glance anyone with fantasy knowledge could name this creature. Troll. Named ‹‹Black Fist's Hammer›› probably for the massive war hammer slung over its back. At 14 feet tall it loomed over its army. It was not clad in any armor and its intelligence was questionable. But its strength was undeniable. At level 25 it had 8,000 hp and likely was somewhat resistant to physical damage with such a thick hide.

The troll had a small face for such a large head. It looked docile at the moment and just sort of walked along at the back of the army. But Kirito could only imagine how fearsome it would look when enraged and in the middle of combat.

The ranged division of the Aincrad defense was almost entirely made up of players who had only started levelling since the first event. They had sat the last one out hidden within the second or first tier. Here now with a front row ticket to what was about to befall them. They couldn't help but feel the fear trickle down their spines. It urged them to abandon such a foolhardy endeavor. They wouldn't last one hit against the troll.

Several did indeed turn tail and flee off the wall. The sheer terror on their faces inspired others among the crowd to flee. An impatient player yelled out.

"Well, what the fuck is it?"

A general rumble of agreement from the players in the plaza rolled around. Then Kibaou turned and with his hands on his hips struck a pose facing the crowd.

"FEAR NOT MEN! It is but a rabble of orcs and some uruks with their pet troll along for the ride. Together with Diavel leading us we cannot lose~! YEAH WOO HOO!"

His attempted bravado did little to inspire confidence in those already fleeing. Neither did it do much for those staying. Besides provide a chuckle of amusement. Kirito wondered.

'Is the man a genius and meant to soften the blow of what lays before us or is he truly such a fool? For a cactus head there is no way to know….'

With that settled those in attendance grimaced and accepted what their task now was. But it was not time to shirk or back down. They came here today knowing they would face a mighty challenge. And they will see it through till the end. Kirito split the defenders into two distinct groups. Those who had met the previous event's challenge, and perhaps some who were real life soldiers or had life and death experience were those he called ‹‹The Guardians››.

Those who would always rise up to meet the challenge of the events and were driven similarly like Kirito to prepare each month to survive. They made up about 500 of the players in attendance. A large portion of the Guardians was beta testers as they were mostly the players to do the most levelling during the first month.

This group was mid-twenties to thirties in level range. And the entire first line and most of the second line was packed with these players. Most of them were equipped in heavy armor with strong shields and fulfilled a tank role within the raid. Those who focused more on dps stood right behind the towering defenders to deal out damage from behind cover. With the higher levelled and better geared players focused at the front. The quality of defender decreased the further from the front you looked.

The first line was going to be run by Diavel's second. Who would mainly just be there to encourage players not to give up and hold strong. Diavel would be back directing players when to move forward and switch out. Switching out was a very challenging task however when you would have hundreds of orc banging on your shield wall trying to break in.

Compared to the previous event the army this time came prepared. Among one of the blocks was a giant felled tree. One end was capped with a tempered black iron spike. And all along the trunk where numerous handles. A battering ram if ever Kirito saw one. Last event the goblins had just beat on the gate with their weapons till it broke.

They would bring the gate down much quicker with the battering ram. From this point on he imagined the events would only bring more effective siege equipment to provide variety and increasing challenge. That was how rpgs worked after all. Who knows what Kayaba would cook up for them.

Down among the defenders Diavel had been yelling something about fighting hard. But Kirito just zoned his speech out. Kibaou was shouting as well. Kirito could tell the guy really liked to yell. The man's voice was clearly his favorite sound. He was really starting to piss some of the ranged division off. And what was Kibaou yelling about at that moment? Kirito listened in and actually face palmed.

'What the hell? Start throwing? They are like 400 yards out. Is the guy retarded? No one is going to just waste their ammo. Let's kill the troll? No way will we just managed to kill it before it gets into the thick of things. Likely everyone will be out of ammo any way. For the ranged defense division the assault had already begun, just it was verbally and by their own "leader".

Finally the army had stopped marching. It was now quite dark out. And there was a very frosty chill in the air. Illuminated by the large fires on the wall. 300 yards out the central block started trying to form a shield turtle around the battering ram. Being sort of successful the first block began coming their way. Two other blocks to either side began advancing as well. Not flanking the middle block but following behind to take over should the first fall.

Atop the gatehouse Diavel suddenly appeared again.

"Alright everyone this is really it! We can't fail. To fail is to condemn everyone else to death. No matter what we must defeat this army. But remember no stupid actions. Play it safe and rotate when you need to. We want no one to die tonight. Watch the backs of everyone around you. VICTORY THROUGH UNITY!"

Answering him back several thousand players chorused,

"Victory through unity!"

All Kirito could think was.

'Shiiit he surprised me and I listened through his whole bullshit speech. Can we just start fighting already I am sick of these guy's speeches.'

Kirito found himself to the left of the gate house near the stairs so he could quickly get down to his spot in line. Suddenly the npc archers reacted and as one they raised their bows up and fired. The whistling drone cut through the night. Then followed by the thunking and clinking sounds as they ricocheted of shields and armor, and several cries of pain as the orcs found themselves pierced. No kills yet though.

Seconds later another volley was released. The orcs were walking slowly to keep their pseudo shield turtle in position. But some of the ones on the edges were free game. When the shield turtle got closer, the players would be able to hurl their weapons right down on top of the orcs manning the ram. It was at this point Kirito noticed the huge pile of rocks in the gate house. And he realized someone had collected several hundred fist to head sized rocks to hurl down.

'What a shitty task that would have been.'

Kirito thought.

'Did his inventory count each one as a stack? Or did they stack to 100?'

Several volleys later and about a dozen dead orcs, the ram was now about 20 yards out and some players finally answered Kibaou's cries of action. Daggers and picks sailed out from the top of the gatehouse. As these players had been closest to Kibaou it was understandable they would have gone insane and just started hurling their weapons. Not really inflicting any damage Kirito watched as they were deflected. He then stepped forward and drew out a javelin. Cocking back his elbow he chose a target. He could sort of just line up one of the orc's carrying the ram. Inputting the motion and allowing the system to take over and guide his javelin. Kirito and every player around him watched as it soared narrowly by the shields and got stuck in the orc's throat, killing it off.

'Oh yeah how awesome was that.'

He mentally patted himself on the back. Staying cool and aloof was key to appearing cool in any situation.

Another orc instantly stepped over his downed comrade and took his place. But the damage was done and there was now a slight hole in the shield turtle. Which every single player now exploited. A rain of deadly steel began to pour down. Instantly the orcs were mown down. 200 players plus 100 archers raining down death was too much for the block of orcs and they met a swift end. As the first block disintegrated, the following four blocks rushed into position. And it seemed they were not completely unprepared.

Somehow while analyzing Kirito had missed that one of the blocks was labeled ‹‹Orc Slinger›› They took out hide pouches and with a whirring sound whipped 100 stones right at the players on the wall. Several players, who were lower level and had decided to help the fight by throwing things, were caught in the head and killed. Kirito saw two die himself and guessed another handful were killed off at the same time. Those rocks were deadly.

'Don't get beamed in the head. Although… I might be able to survive a straight head shot… Not worth it to find out.'

The three remaining infantry blocks used the cover provided by the slingers and rushed to the ram. They picked it up and formed another shield turtle. But already in position they stepped up to begin beating the gate down. And a beat down it was. With five quick smashes, the gate broke apart and surprised the first line with how quick it happened. Orcs immediately started pouring in as the battering ram was extricated and thrown to the side.

While that happened Kirito and the ranged players were player peek-a-boo by popping up and hurling a weapon then ducking down. The npc archers thankfully seemed to be focused on the slingers. For five minutes the two groups duked it out hurling death back and forth. But with no cover and less numbers the slingers fell.

By now all three groups were pushing against the front line. And the defenders met the charge solidly without giving ground. Even with the ferocity brought by the orcs, these battle tempered players were able to weather the storm and fight back. A large amount of them had been in similar positions in the first or second lines during the first event.

Players in the gate house used the murder holes to slaughter the orcs as they charged through. The blocks were meat grinded and now about 50 orcs remained keeping the assault up. By now dozens of players had run out of ammo having spammed their weaponry as quickly as possible and were resorting to throwing the rocks. The pile was quickly diminishing.

Another three blocks proceeded to come forward. Already five blocks of the first 11 were gone. With no cover fire, all they could do was hold their shields above their heads and hope. But as they drew within range, the players unleashed their salvo and again the orcs started hemorrhaging numbers.

Kirito had thrown half his picks and 1/4 of his javelins. Thankfully, throwing weapons didn't take nearly anything out of a player. The system did 90% of the work, while the player just had to pick a target and initiate the motion. So Kirito and the others wouldn't be tiring.

About 80 orcs made it to the defensive line. But Diavel's second must have known what he was doing as they easily fended them off. Then a shout rang out and huge portions of the second line moved forward and switched with the front line. Already another three blocks were approaching. These orc's advanced as the others had, slowly with shields raised to ward off the archers. But 100 yards out, right as the first couple players started throwing. The orcs sprinted all out at the gate.

Naturally everyone missed due to the change. The orcs thundered through the gate and clashed against the newly formed front line. Caught for a moment the line seemed to buckle in several places. But a man stood tall in the middle slashing left and right with a huge shield warding off orcs at the same time. The man was Diavel's second.

Kirito had no time to observe however as he was still busy throwing javelins at the orcs stuck outside the gate, waiting to get in. Thankfully the line only buckled and several players' health dipped into the yellow. But as the fight died down they grabbed potions and drank deep. Recovering their lost hp.

The stone pile was about 1/4 the size it was at the start, nearly empty. Most of the players were now relying on it. Kirito had several picks, his daggers and 15 javelins. That's when the orc's second row made its move. All at once. Along with the remaining three blocks of the first line. Unfortunately it turned out one of these blocks was also another slinger block.

Which again surprised several people and led to them dying from rocks to the cranium. The ranged division hunkered down behind cover and let the npcs duel. They continued to drop rocks down the murder holes onto the orc's heads.

So as thirteen blocks stormed forward under cover the 150 players forming the front line had to dig deep and prepare themselves. If they managed to fight this off they would surely get a break and switch. Yeah a break. Totally worth what was coming towards them.

But the pure force of weight behind 1,300 orcs was much more than the 150 opposing could muster or withstand. As shields pushed against shields and swords and spears bit into flesh, the front line was constantly stepping back so as to not be shoved to the ground and trampled. But the gradual giving a ground couldn't last, one of the less experienced players shielding the right side was shoved too violently and tripped backwards causing two players behind him to trip as well.

The players who now made up the second line were a mixture of recovered first liners, left over second liners and very eager third liners. So naturally some of those eager third liners ran forward to cover the gap. While eager, their abilities were definitely in question. One tripped over the players trying to stand back up knocking them down again. While the other two who rushed forward managed to navigate to the buckling line. One with a shield immediately elbowed his way into place. And did a decent enough job holding that pressure. While the player behind starting stabbing wildly.

He quickly over extended himself and an orc replied in kind by jabbing that player in the face. The player and orc both met their end. The second line was moving in behind to support the front line, adding more weight to push back against the orcs. With around 500 players pushing against the remaining 900 orcs the players stopped giving ground and stood resolute.

The orcs raged against them furious and violent. Trying to find any opening to exploit. Having failed to made headway in the previous gap they were very eager for another try. The slingers were soon finished off and with the archers now raining down arrows onto the orc's back. This orc assault was ground out and vanquished.

At this point Kirito had exhausted his projectiles and grouped back up with Fuurinkazan. Everyone else up top was also out of ammo. And a large portion of them were running up into the second district to purchase more. Naturally with the funds they just earned by slaughtering orcs wholesale they would have plenty to spend.

The orc wave was finished off and the front liners regrouped. Their losses hadn't been anything large. But every loss was a key player in Aincrad's defense. Those who had held the front line since the first switch and most of the second line that had reinforced the first line fell back to rest. The eager third line was shifted forward and prepared to receive their enemy. Diavel's second still lead from the front. He had stayed strong without needed a break the whole fight. And he appeared to not be in need of one any time soon.

Kirito and Fuurinkazan were just behind the front line. Ready to assist their side. And then an entire row of orcs came forward 1,100 strong and crashed into the third line turned first. The backup forth line was called forward to assist the third line while the original first and second rested. As the orcs were ground down to half of this wave's original numbers another 1,000 orcs came dashing forward. The huge surge of orc numbers added with the less experienced players leading the defense at the moment lead to a high casualty rate.

The resting experienced players wanted to help but they knew they were would be needed soon when the harder challenges come forth. Players were now streaming back and forth from the second tier to resupply projectiles as they ran out and had to go buy more.

Suddenly on the left side in front of Kirito several players holding the line when down back to back. A gap appeared. And the orcs quickly surged forward to break the defensive line. As Kirito and Fuurinkazan stepped up to hold the hole the entire left side of the front line had to give ground quickly to stay in any sort of cohesion. Folding back to protect the rest of the line's flank dozens of players became desperately trapped in a pocket against the wall.

About 300 orcs remained and the players had taken 100 casualties. But the worst had yet to even come. When the boss and his posse rolled in the death toll would very likely sky rocket. Then as if called forth by the players dread. The troll came lumbering into the tunnel. Arrow littered its torso but it ignored them. From behind it the uruks streamed forth. The orcs cleared a straight line through themselves and the troll inserted itself.

The troll's bloodlust was up and roaring. An angry visage replaced its early dumb docile one. And its war hammer sang a tale of injury and death as it smashed into the front line. All remaining resting players got to their feet and surged forward to reinforce the frontline that just took a heavy hit. The troll hit the right side of the line.

Giving ground frantically the players barely held together to try and stay out of the trolls reach. They were just short of all out retreat. A lack of discipline and self-survival instinct took hold. And some players in the troll's path did turn and flee. As it continued forward the line just melted away rather than challenge the behemoth. Diavel's shouts fell on deaf ears. The orcs and uruks inserted themselves into the new gaps and individual fights were breaking out all along the line.

It was utter chaos. Cramped with little room and maximum chance of death. It looked hopeless. The archer's arrows seemed to have no effect on the troll as they continued hammering it. Then the troll reared back to unleash another mighty hammer blow when the unthinkable happened. As it swung the hammer blow slammed into a shield and was rebuked. A shockwave blew out from the contact. And somehow someone had blocked the troll and now was holding its agro.

Then the hero spoke.

"Kill the troll, Kill it! Kill this god damn beast NOW! I will keep its attention."

Like a divine savior the man's words captivated and inspired those around him. They sprang to action, defeating whatever orc or uruk before them and rushed to aid the hero. Sword strokes and spear points struck true and the troll's hp began dropping quickly. Its lack of proper armor now coming into account. And while they dealt it damage, Diavel's second in command held the troll off toe to toe. He matched every hammer stroke with a steadfast shield.

Kirito was stuck holding the already overrun left flank wading deep into the fray and striking down orc and uruk alike. His effort on the left kept the center and right from being overrun from behind. Along with Fuurinkazan and several dozen others, they staged a fierce attempt to cut through to the players they had lost trapped against the wall earlier.

After several minutes of fighting forwards, they arrived at the wall to find all of them missing. Slain while completely surrounded. No one said anything. They only turned around and prepared to join the last few pockets of fighting.

As Kirito turned around he witnessed Agil, Agil of all people, the man who Kirito often did business with. Rush forward and slam a war hammer onto the troll's back. And earn himself the last attack bonus.

With the troll dead, the last pockets of resistance crumbled and the second event came to a close.

-[S]-[A]-[O]-

It was an exhausted Kirito who found himself crashing face first into his pillow at an inn. He knew others who had fought at the front the whole time were probably more tired. But he didn't care. Sleep was his mistress and he would not ignore her call.

Klein had told him that the man who had held the troll at bay was named ‹‹Heathcliff››. But after the last orc had died Kirito had dropped from the party and bid farewell to Fuurinkazan. Claiming exhaustion as his escape. Not that any of them were up for celebrating. They were looking for a bed same as he. Kirito agreed to meet up with them for lunch tomorrow before turning and stumbling off.

On his journey to his inn. Kirito had passed through a veritable river of players rushing down from the second tier. They were all cheering and celebrating. Tears of happiness and joy they cried. But Kirito felt numb to their celebration. Lots of people had just died. And he was so, so very tired. He just needed to sleep. Thinking could be done the next day.

And so when he arrived at his rented inn, he walked straight to the bed and fell face first onto it, only to pass out.

'Yes, sleep is good.'

He thought just before unconsciousness hit.

That is that. End of the second arc. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to leave a review or write me a pm. I love getting the feedback.