Alfheim 2

Chapter 3: Beta Bosses

Hirada and Yusuke had been introduced to the Reaper Grimmsley and was about to get started in the battle of the Beta.

Grimmsley began things with one of his weaker moves, "Demon Dash!" His body was now cloaked in a dark maroon color as he leaned his head down and started charging at Hirada and Yusuke. Yusuke being the strategic genius that he is pushed Hirada out of the way as he leapt the opposite direction to dodge the attack.

Hirada then noticed Yusuke's genius showing as Hirada's brain started hatching plans and executing them. Hirada aimed his sword at Grimmsley and yelled, "Spirit Shot!" A large green ball of energy started forming at the end of the blade as Hirada forced the ball of energy towards Grimmsley.

Grimmsley was well aware of the blast well before Hirada started it as Grimmsley quickly spun around and held his unarmed hand and said, "Absorb Absolution!" The ball of energy was stopped cold by Grimmsley's hand as the ball was absorbed into his hand.

Grimmsley now stood straight with his unarmed hand now glowing the same green as Hirada's previous attack was and said, "That was a brilliant move. But when it comes to the dark arts of magic, nothing is as what it seems." A trail of evil laughter followed that sentence.

Yusuke then had an idea and used the in-game messaging to tell Hirada the plan, "Hirada, I have an idea. It will take us both to make it work of course. Are you up for it?" Hirada then shook his head in agreement where Yusuke saw him.

Hirada began the plan by charging directly at Grimmsley but stopped abruptly when Grimmsley sword caught Hirada's in mid attack. Grimmsley with one hand holding his sword and the other by his side he said, "You really think charging head first is the best idea?" Grimmsley noticed Yusuke coming from behind with his Sword of Kings and swung.

Grimmsley had caught the Sword of Kings with his unarmed hand causing his health to lose the smallest fraction barely showing on his health gauge. Grimmsley turned his head towards Yusuke, "Ok, I see your plan catch me off guard with your partner and then swipe me from behind huh? Smart move."

As Grimmsley was talking to Yusuke, Hirada was slowing struggling to get his blade to aim at Grimmsley so he can fire another energy ball off. Finally getting his blade perfectly alligned he yelled, "Waking Wave!" His blade then spewed a wicked red energy wave out towards Grimmsley catching him off guard.

Grimmsley had staggered back and he had lost nearly half of his HP with his health gauge just reaching it's yellow color. When the gauge is green, the health his a good 50% to 100%. Yellow is when the health gauge is between 50% and 25%. Red is when the gauge is 25% or below.

Grimmsley was stunned by how smart these two were working together and he knew that he had to sperate them soon or he would lose. Grimmsley then yelled as he disappeared through the floor in a dark red/ black mist, "You want a fight! Ok, now it's my turn!"

Hirada and Yusuke got near each other and stood back to back ready for anything. Grimmsley then appeared out of the floor between them forcing them apart a good five feet. Yusuke was close enough to the wall he was actually pushed into it losing a bit of his HP.

Hirada then turned around and readied his blade as Grimmsley came charging full on at Hirada with his blade. Their blades clashed once more causing sparks of neat yellows and pretty blues to scatter in different directions. Grimmsley forced Hirada back with a large push of his blade forcing Hirada into a different wall causing him to lose a bit of HP as well.

Grimmsley was about to thrust his blade into Hirada with his sword when Yusuke came from behind and slashed Grimmsley's back heavily damaging him nearly putting his gauge reading red.

Grimmsley then disappeared again into his mist as Yusuke helped Hirada up. Grimmsley saw this act of teamwork and forced them apart again with a large green pulse of energy. Yusuke was still standing as was Hirada after the attack.

Grimmsley then said pissed off, "Alright! No more team work!" Now holding both his hands in towards Hirada and the other towards Yusuke yelled as two great orange sphere's started gathering in his hands, "Orange Repulsors!"

Hirada tried to block the attack with his sword but was only slightly successful as his health gauge read just in the red, one more hit and he was finished. Yusuke almost blocked it fully as his health gauge was just put into the yellow.

Yusuke then tried to attack Grimmsley by rushing with his blade ready to pierce his opponent, "Treaty Thrust!" Grimmsley caught the blade and then grabbed Yusuke by his neck and nearly crushed Yusuke's thoat in causing his health to get about to the red but not yet.

Grimmsley then tossed Yusuke to the corner. Grimmsley then aimed his hand at Yusuke and said, "I hereby render you useless! Temperal Slowdown!" His hand then flashed and Yusuke was temporarily slowed down.

Hirada seeing this slowed state of Yusuke grabbed his sword and managed to sneak behind Grimmsley and land three swift successful hit causing Grimmsley's health gauge to be nearly empty.

Grimmsley seeing that attack nearly ended him he quickly spun around stopping Hirada in mid finish and slammed his palm into Hirada's chest blowing him back a good ten feet away with Hirada's health gauge now blinking red meaning he is in danger of being evacuated.

Yusuke now normal speed grabs his only Potion+ and runs at Grimmsley.

Grimmsley was ready to thrust his sword into Hirada and end Hirada's time in the Beta, but as soon as his sword was nearing it's target a bottle came flying towards Hirada and breaking on him healing his health gauge from blinking red into mid yellow. Yusuke with little time to act leapt in front of Grimmsley's blade causing his blade to pierce Yusuke's back which made his health gauge automatically empty all the way.

Grimmsley was forced back into the middle of the room by the game with shock in his face. Hirada stood there with a look of shock in his face also. Yusuke was kneeling down and said weakly, "Hirada. Make good use of that Potion+ ok? Finish this." With that he was evacuated, his in-game body just exploded into tiny blue crystals.

Grimmsley then said clutching his chest, "NO! Not the Level Drop! When the partner is ko'd in this beta boss battle my level is automatically forced to drop to Lv.8!"

Hirada knew this meant he could win, he then grabbed the Sword of Kings in one hand and his Demon Tail and rushed immediately at Grimmsley and crossed the blades in an X formation which caused a X to appear on Grimmsley's chest forcing tons of blood out as his health gauge then emptied out completely and he vaporized like Yusuke did but in small red crystals.

Hirada's weapons then vaporized as well and he was then evacuated from the game. Hirada then took the NerveGear off and said to Yusuke who was standing there watching him the rest of the time in the Beta, "Yusuke, why did you sacrifice yourself like that?"

All Yusuke could say was, "Look, not much was on the line at the time, so I didn't see any harm in it. It was a good battle otherwise. Plus the way you dual wielded and finished him off! That was awesome!"

Hirada and Yusuke were then called into the conference room to talk about how the game was so far. They told the truth and went home satisfied from the Beta. However, there was still one more tester in the game, the last one, Suguha. She still had to defeat the boss alone since her partner fainted before. We'll pick up on that in the next addition, Chapter 4: Beta Bosses Finale.