Disclaimer: I own neither Sword Art Online nor K-On. That would be cool, but I'd ruin them both.x))

KingofBeasts Productions Presents:

K-Online: A Sword Art Online and K-On Crossover

Chapter 2

The Town of Torbana, December 2, 2022.

"C'mon Mio! We're late for the meeting!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" whined Mio, a.k.a Mio Akiyama, as her friend Taiga, a.k.a Ritsu Tainaka, egged her to hurry up. It had been a month since they've been trapped in the death game known as Sword Art Online, and already 2,000 players have died since then. It didn't help that no one had found the Floor Boss yet.

That is, until today.

"Hurry up! We'll miss it if we don't get there soon!" urged Taiga who, along with Mio, had gained some decent gear and levels over the month. She now wore a small breastplate that covered her chest, and had long abandoned her [Beginner's Sword] for the [Whacker], a two handed wooden mallet she earned from a quest two villages back.

"What's so important about the meeting anyway?" asked Mio, who carried with her a standard [Katana]. She was clad in a white long sleeve blouse, blue vest, black trousers that hugged her figure. She also wore [Leather Boots] with an agility stat increase that she won off a short quest.

"We'll be discussing how to beat the Floor Boss today! That's why a lot of players will be gathering there!" Taiga answered back, hoping that Mio would catch up to her "You don't wanna rush into battle if you don't have a strategy, y'know!"

"I guess you're right." Mio sighed exasperatedly. Inside, though, she was impressed with her friend's forethought. Normal, it would be either Azusa or Mio herself that would plan for things ahead of time.

Something good came from being in this game after all. She smiled to herself.

Yet, she felt very uneasy.

"Hey, Taiga?"

"What is it?" She asked as Mio caught up with her.

"Do you think we'll be able to beat the floor boss?" Mio asked, her eyes reflecting her uncertainty "We were able to survive up to now, but I can't help it. I'm still worried..."

Taiga turned to her friend with a reassuring smile "We've beaten whatever came up against us so far, so I think we'll be able to make it." She stopped her running to pat Mio on the shoulder "Don't forget, we only made it here 'cause we stuck together. That won't change, especially now."

Upon hearing this, Mio smiled and nodded. She was glad that Ricchan was still Ricchan, even if they were fighting for their lives in an alien world. "Thanks, Ritsu." She smiled as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"It's Taiga! Why do you keep forgetting?!" She sighed in exasperation as they continued to run towards the meeting place.

~0~

"Whew! We made it!" Taiga panted, catching her breath from trying to make it to the meeting on time.

"Let's go get a seat." Mio suggested as players began to pile up on the theater. They managed to snag a couple of seats on the farther end when they saw a familiar face a few seats away from them.

"Hey, isn't that Kirito-san?" Mio whispered to Taiga once they caught a glimpse of the black-haired boy they met when the game first started.

"You're right!" Taiga's face lit up when she recognized him "Oi, Kirito-san!" She called out to him, and he recognized them with a smile. She was immediately shushed by Mio when a blue haired man in armor approached the front to address the audience.

"Thank you all for coming today!" the man said to everyone "My name's Diabel, and you could say that my job is a knight!"

That earned a him a good amount of laughs from the crowd. "Nice one, dude!" Taiga shouted from her seat.

After the laughter ended, Diabel's mirthful expression turned serious. "Today, our party found the boss' lair at the top of the tower."

Astonished gasps rang out in the theater. Mio took a big gulp, listening intently despite her nervousness.

"We have to beat the boss, reach the second floor, and make sure everyone waiting at the Beginner Town knows that it's possible to beat this game!" Diabel continued vigorously "Everyone here will now be participating. What do you say?"

It started with few approving nods, then it grew into a round of applause along with some whistles. "Alright!" Taiga roared in agreement. Mio glanced at Kirito, who had a small smile on his face. This brought a smile on her face as well.

"Okay!" Diabel said after the applause ended "We need to come up with a plan to defeat the floor boss. First, we'll divide everyone into parties of six!" This caused the crowd to scatter, scrambling as they intended to complete their parties.

"Hey, can we-" Taiga began as she approached someone, only to have the guy shake his head.

"Sorry, we're already full." He told them.

"Thanks anyway." Taiga sighed. After a few minutes or so of this, she threw her hands up in defeat. "This is recruitment week all over again..."

Mio chuckled, remembering the time they had to recruit members for the Light Music Club "Well, at least we're not in animal costumes." She quipped, which caused Taiga to laugh.

"That's true." She agreed.

"Hey, why don't we join Kirito-san?" Mio asked, noting that his party only consisted of him and a hooded figure. A girl, by the looks of it. "Looks like his party needs a few more people."

"Good idea!" Taiga grinned, then took the lead as she and Mio approached them. "Looks like you could use some members. Mind if we tag along?"

Kirito turned to see the two girls he met with Klein on the first day. Smiling gratefully, he turned to the hooded girl.

"Is it okay if these two joined us?" He asked her and she nodded without a word. Seeing that as a positive sign, Kirito turned to the other two with a smile "You two can come along."

"Alright!" Taiga pumped her fist to the air joyfully. "We got ourselves a party!"

Mio just shook her head, but was happy nonetheless. At least we have a familiar face...

She was shaken out of her thoughts when she saw Kirito extend a hand towards her.

"I hope we can work together." He said with a small smile on his face. This caused Mio to blush furiously as she shook his hand.

"I-I hope we can get along." She stammered, a strange warm feeling buzzing inside her as he gave them both party invitations. Unfortunately, this was not unnoticed by Taiga, who gave her a sly smirk.

As soon as she accepted, she saw the life bars of Taiga, Kirito and the stranger pop up below hers. Asuna, huh?

"Are you done making your parties?" Diabel asked the crowed "Then-"

"Wait a sec!"

All turned to see a man, who looked about 30 years old or more, make several leaps from the back to the very front of the stage. He had spiked hair and a small goatee.

"My name's Kibaou!" he began "I just wanna say somethin' before we take this thing one."

"What's with this guy?" Taiga whispered to Mio "He looks like a friggin' porcupine, if ya ask me."

Seeing no negative reactions, he continued. "Some of you need to apologize for the thousands that died so far!" He pointed an accusing finger at the crowd, which caused them to gasp in surprise.

"Kibaou-san," Diabel inquired "Are you saying the beta testers should apologize?"

"Of course I am!" Kibaou continued his outburst "The day this stupid game started, the testers ditched the newbies and left us to die! They took all the good grinding spots and quests for themselves while they ignored the rest of us!"

"Kirito-san..." Mio murmured while she glanced at the boy, who wore an uneasy expression on his face. She and Taiga knew that he was beta-tester, so they imagined how hard this would be for him.

"Who does this guy think he is?" Taiga muttered while watching him, growing frustrated by this idiot's audacity.

"I have no doubt that someone is here from the beta!" Kibaou continued in a accusing tone "They should get down on their knees and apologize, and give up all the items and money they've saved. Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us as party members and they can't trust us either!"

Taiga was about to come up there and sock him personally when another individual went up the stage.

"Hang on a sec." the man said as he approached. He looked very intimidating; bald head, a beard and black skin with a tall and muscular frame. He wore a decent amount of armor on top while carrying an imposing battle-axe on his back.

"The name's Agil." The man continued in a deep, calm baritone "I just want to make sure that I understand you correctly. Are you saying so many beginners died because the beta testers didn't babysit them? That they should take responsibility and provide compensation?"

"T-that's right!" Kibaou stuttered, obviously intimidated by the man's size.

Agil reached for his pocket and took out a small booklet. "You have this guide book, don't you? They gave it out for free at the shops."

"'Course I did." Kibaou answered him "Who cares?"

"So did we actually." Mio said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear as she took hers out "But what does this have to do with your point?"

Agil turned to her with a kind smile "You'll find out in a while, little lady." He then turned back to Kibaou with the same calm, yet serious, expression from earlier. "It was compiled from the information provided by the beta testers themselves."

This incited gasps from the crowd while Taiga grinned happily.

"Listen," Agil continued as he addressed the audience "Everyone had equal access to the information, yet many players have died despite this."

"We're getting way off track here, guys!" Taiga chimed in, her boisterous personality shining through as she stood up. "Weren't we here to talk about how to beat the boss, and not whine like a bunch of babies?"

"Way to put it, Taiga." Mio chuckled. It's funny that, even in a game genre that often shows a player's change in personality, Taiga was still very much her usual, upbeat self.

"I'll have to agree with the girl." Agil laughed slightly "We ought to learn from their deaths and apply what we've learned to beat the boss."

He turned to Kibaou with a slient glare, which caused him to back off and return to his seat. Taiga grinned at that, happy to see Agil school the idiot.

"Let's continue then." Diabel finally spoke up. They talked about the latest information on the boss, known as Illfang the Kobold Lord. They covered his add-ons (Ruin Kobold Sentinels), his life total (Four Bars), his arsenal (Wields an axe and buckler, but switches to a talwar upon his last life bar) and his tactics which change upon the last bar.

"And that concludes the briefing!" he said as he ended the meeting "Finally, items will be randomly distributed while the exp goes to the party that lands the last blow. Also, whoever gets an item keeps it. Any objections?"

"Not really." Taiga sighed as she stretched her back, finally relieved that the meeting was over. Meanwhile, Mio kept glancing at Asuna, trying to measure her up.

"Okay, we'll leave tomorrow morning at ten!" Diabel said as he dismissed the assembly "See you there!"

"I'm glad that's over!" Taiga said as she reclined, watching the other players leave.

"Yeah." Kirito sighed, relieved that he was not outed. He turned to Taiga with a smile "Thanks for the save, by the way."

"You helped Mio-chan on the first day. It's the least I could do." Taiga grinned as she slapped Kirito's back, causing him to lurch a bit.

Suddenly, Asuna stood up and made her way outside without a word.

"Not much of a talker, is she?" Taiga sighed as she watched the girl leave.

"O-oh yeah!" Mio stuttered as she addressed Kirito "I've been meaning to ask, how's Klein? He was with you the last time we saw each other."

He looked down sadly upon hearing the question "He stayed behind to help his friends."

"Oh." Mio said quietly. She was hoping to see the red-head among the people in the meeting. Upon seeing Kirito's sad expression, she gave him a small smile "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's got his friends with him after all."

"I suppose you're right." Kirito smiled "Thanks, Mio." With that, he stood up and made his way outside.

"Someone's got a crush." Taiga whispered to Mio's ear, which caused her to jump up in shock.

"Don't do that!" Mio yelled as she bopped Taiga on the head. "And no, I don't!"

"How do you explain all the blushing and the stammering, eh?" Taiga asked, grinning from ear to ear. For a moment, there was absolute silence between the two as walked out of the theatre last.

"S-shut up, Ricchan..."

~0~

The Floor Dungeon. December 3, 2022

This was it.

They had climbed the tower and now stand before a giant iron door. No doubt that this is where the boss resided. The assembled players, with Diabel at the head, stood outside ready to storm the gates.

"Listen up, everyone!" Diabel said as he faced the group "I only have one thing to say: Let's win!"

Mio and Taiga nodded, their eyes burning with determination. We're going to get out of here, no matter what!

They turned to Kirito and Asuna, who nodded as well.

"Let's go!" With that, Diabel opened the door, revealing darkness within.

"Do you think it's not here?" Mio said as the players entered the room, her left hand gripping her sword tightly.

As if answering her question, a pair of red eyes glowed in the darkness. Instantly, the room lit up, revealing the massive boss, [Illfang the Kobold Lord]. He leaped from his throne, landing in front of them. With axe and buckler in hand, he gave a mighty roar, spawning [Ruin Kobold Sentinels] to his side.

"So scary..." Mio trembled in fear, her hands shaking as she gripped her katana. She suddenly felt a warm hand on her shoulder and, upon turning, she saw that it was Kirito's.

"Don't worry." He gave her a reassuring smile "We'll make it through this together."

"Yeah." Taiga piped in with a grin "Just stick to the plan, and we'll be fine." At the same time, Asuna nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, guys." Mio smiled gratefully at her party. Her trembling stopped, her grip on her weapon firm. We have to beat this game, no matter what. She thought determinedly to herself So that we can come home to everyone...

"Attack!" Diabel barked as soon as [Illfang] and his [Sentinels] went on the offensive, prompting the gathered players to counter-charge the approaching boss.

With that, the battle had begun.

End Chapter 2

A/N: Yohoho! It's me again, peeps! First of, thanks for taking the time to read this story! I actually intended to write this and Chapter 3 together, but I figured that it was too long. So, I decided to split it into two chapters instead. Anyways, that'll be all for now. Have fun with Chapter 3!

Next Time on K-Online!: Battle for the First Floor