Chrome and Veille stood at the door to the boss room of the floor seventy-one dungeon. Gathered before them were all of the members of Azure Storm and ten members of The Gilded Templars. Everyone had their weapons in hand and the determination in their faces was clear. Chrome gazed out amongst the players, there was no fear in those eyes, only determination and resolve. With this many players, progressing through the dungeon had been easy and barely any HP had been lost.
Chrome looked to Veille and the red-haired martial artist nodded. There was an intake of breath as the two guild leaders pushed open the doors. As they walked inside the room, the others followed close behind.
The room was large, like all boss rooms, and looked like a vast grassland. The walls of the cavern were made from a slick stone with vibrant chunks of quartz jutting out of it randomly. Standing at the far end of the room with its eyes closed was the floor boss. It was a large unicorn, its horn shining slightly with a mysterious light. The beast's coat was a dull grey and its emerald coloured eyes opened as the players began to fill its lair.
The Ashen Einhorn tussled its mane and beat its hoof on the ground a few times, as if warning the players not to approach. Chrome felt bad, having to fight such a beautiful looking creature, but none of them could afford to stand down now. Chrome issued an order and his guild members charged. Veille hurled his cloak aside and charged in with his own men.
The boss galloped forward, causing the approaching players to split out to the sides. At Chrome's instruction, the members of Azure Storm had paired up. He had paired with Muko, Arcadia with Hakuya and Kotetsu with Vakross. It was a simple and common strategy but it would help keep them alive with only one of the two fighting at a time. Right now it was Muko, Arcadia and Kotetsu.
Kotetsu chased the unicorn down, running at full pelt. His speed stat was the greatest in the small guild and even he had trouble keeping up with the beast. He flicked three of his darts at it, none hit directly but the last one grazed the boss' rump. There were a few seconds of decreased speed, enough time for Kotetsu to catch it and deliver a fast three-hit combo into The Ashen Einhorn's side.
As if that blow had signalled the real start of the fight, the members of The Gilded Templars all charged in as a faceless mob, raining down blows on the unicorn. Chrome motioned for his teammates to move and they ran in.
Muko watched as the unicorn bucked and sent one of the many gold-clad players flying across the cavern with a kick from its powerful hind legs. Muko moved in, making sure to avoid the rear of the enemy as it kicked several players in a bid to escape the horde surrounding it. As she went to strike with her mace, The Ashen Einhorn broke free. A pair of rainbow coloured wings burst from its sides and the beast soared into the air, its strong wing beats blowing over several players including Muko.
Hakuya called out to Arcadia and the two ran parallel to the boss, a little to its right. Arcadia held her black axe out to the side and Hakuya leapt nimbly onto the flat of the blade. Arcadia's high strength stat enable her to spin once before launching Hakuya into the air. His blonde hair, fluttered all around him as he drove his spear into the back of the flying unicorn. The boss let out a cry of pain and slammed into the ground, sliding several metres.
Hakuya leapt away from the fallen enemy and switched with Arcadia who swiftly buried her axe into the unicorn's body. Streams of data erupted from the wound but the creature still got back on its feet.
The battle dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. By the time The Ashen Einhorn was down to its final HP bar, two members of The Gilded Templars had been killed and Arcadia had almost been taken down by a powerful charge from the beast. Chrome stood on the outskirts of the arena, catching his breath after just having switched with Muko. He stood watching the battle alongside Kotetsu and Arcadia.
"Give it everything you've got, this bastard is almost down!" he heard Veille roar. The other guild leader leapt into the air and delivered a powerful uppercut into the boss' jaw, causing it to reel backwards and shake its head.
Vakross jumped into the air and sprung off the boss' hindquarters before delivering a series of twisting slashes along the creature's wing, opening up a river of shining wounds. He landed on the ground and drove his katana up into the beast's belly and then rolled away before he was stepped on.
As The Ashen Einhorn's HP entered its last quarter, the situation changed. The unicorn reared up onto its hind legs and the two massive wings exploded into a series of glowing feathers that seemed to hover in the air around it. Then they began to fly at blinding speeds, digging into the bodies of all the players around. Another three Templars were killed and Vakross was brought down to the red. Hakuya had managed to avoid most of the projectiles and Muko had blocked many of the ones aimed at her.
Kotetsu ran out to switch with Vakross and Chrome could see that Muko had been staggered. This meant she wouldn't be able to move for three to four seconds. He charged in and called out the switch command, taking her place in the battle.
Chrome and Veille charged at the boss together, their weapons shining as they went. Veille delivered a lightning fast series of punches that Chrome could barely see, whittling away the boss' remaining HP. A strong uppercut launched the unicorn off the ground and finished his combo.
Chrome leapt into the air with a roar, getting above the unicorn and gripping his sword with both hands. The blade shone a brilliant green as he descended, tearing the blade down through The Ashen Einhorn's body.
As Chrome landed, there was silence. The boss exploded in mid-air, pieces of data falling slowly like snow over all of the remaining players. As Chrome sheathed Amethyst Edge there was a cheer from all directions. Everyone was patting each other on the back and he could see others falling to the ground in exhaustion. Veille made his way over to the swordsman.
"Well, it looks like we made it through the day. That's one boss down," the martial artist said.
"Let's hope the next one goes well. You lost a few players today," Chrome said, looking around.
"They're lost but not gone forever. At least they have their lives. A player sent back to level one can always get those levels back but a life is something that cannot be regained."
"That's true. I guess we take a day's break and then tackle the floor seventy-two boss."
"I want to talk to you about what will happen after that."
The two guild leaders moved away from the rest of the players, walking towards the staircase that would lead to the next floor. "What do you mean?" Chrome asked.
"Once we defeat the next boss, you will have access to floor seventy-three where Nobunaga is supposedly hiding. You and your guild should go and attack him as soon as possible. I will take mine and Kurogane's guilds and keep as many Death Gamers as possible busy," Veille explained.
"So that way they won't be able to come help Nobunaga."
"Exactly. I'm confident you and your friends can handle what needs to be done. Just look at today for example, I lost five of my guild members whereas you lost not one of yours. Your group works better together and you fight as one. I think that will see you through a fight against Nobunaga."
"We'll do whatever we can to stop him. I made a vow that I wouldn't let any of my friends die and that I would get everyone out of this game. After all, I have things I need to do in the real world." Chrome looked down at his ring as he spoke. Veille placed a hand on Chrome's shoulder and then turned back to his men.
"Come on you lot, get a move on!" he yelled before heading up the stairs. His guild members quickly followed as Azure Storm approached Chrome.
"Well, shall we head back to your place and have a rest for a while?" Kotetsu asked, looking at Chrome. The swordsman nodded in response. The group headed up to the next floor and then used the teleport gate in town to return to Lindas without even looking around. They went and got Lisbeth and then returned to Chrome and Muko's house.
"So, you two little lovebirds are married now huh?" Hakuya said, smiling at Chrome and Muko. The two had been waiting for this. They had told everyone that morning but with the upcoming battle, nobody had really responded.
"Cause you know, nobody saw that coming," Kotetsu said with a grin.
"I can't believe you got married before me…," Arcadia said, pouting a little.
"Well we can make sure nobody else does," Hakuya said, slowly moving to one knee.
"Don't even think about it," the axe-woman said with a small smile.
"Ouch," Hakuya said with a grin as he stood up straight.
Chrome watched the three of them while Muko chatted away with Lisbeth on the couch and Vakross leant against his usual wall. He knew the group gathered before him were the best friends he had in his life whether they were inside ALO or out in the real world. He couldn't think of a better group.
"Since we're gonna be scouting the next dungeon tomorrow and challenging the boss the day after, why don't we have a party for you guys tonight?" Kotetsu said, looking around the group. Nobody raised an objection so Kotetsu took the quiet murmuring as a yes. "Come on, liven up! It's gonna be a party not a funeral."
"We can make it a funeral," Vakross said with a small grin. Everyone laughed at the comment, except for Kotetsu, he took a few steps back and decided to stay quiet.
"I guess we should go out and get some food then," Arcadia said, looking at Muko and Lisbeth. The latter two rose off the couch and all three girls headed for the door. "Don't go causing any trouble before we get back." Vakross waved off the comment and the three girls left the house.
"So… the heck do we do now?" Vakross asked, looking between the other three male players.
"We could… yeah I got nothing," Kotetsu replied, leaning against the kitchen bench.
"We're an exciting bunch aren't we?" Hakuya said with a sad smile.
"I can't think of a more exciting group," Chrome said.
The four waited for the girls to return and then the party began. The group of friends all sat around drinking various beverages and chatting about various things. Eventually the topic of what they would do once they got out of the game came up. Everyone went quiet as they thought about the question.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to go back to work. Not much choice there for me," Arcadia said with a sigh.
"Yeah, that means back to school for us," Chrome added in, looking at Kotetsu.
"Man, I was trying not to think about that," the dagger user groaned.
"The first thing I'll be doing is going to find my lovely lady in the real world," Hakuya said, smiling at Arcadia. Muko chuckled at the comment and at Arcadia's blush at the thought of meeting Hakuya for real.
"What about you Vakross?" Lisbeth asked, looking at the swordsman.
"I'm not really sure. I guess it'll just be back to everyday life, nothing overly exciting really," Vakross replied as he stretched.
"Well that's no fun," Lisbeth said, pouting.
"My apologies, I'll be going back to my rich lifestyle which involves relaxing by the pool at my mansion with all my servants waiting on me," Vakross said. Everyone looked at the swordsman, unable to tell if he was actually serious or not.
"I know, why don't we all meet up and do something in the real world? I mean we've spent a while together in here now so it wouldn't be so bad to meet in person right?" Muko suggested, looking around at everyone.
"Ooh that sounds fun, I've done something like that before!" Lisbeth said excitedly.
"I guess it's settled then, once we beat Nobunaga and get out of here, we'll all meet up in the real world," Chrome said with a smile. Everyone nodded their agreement and began to praise Muko for the good idea.
The party lasted for a few hours, running late into the night. Eventually everyone returned to their respective homes. Chrome and Muko changed and climbed into bed. Muko put her arms around her husband and cuddled up against him. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"Soon, we'll be out of this game and talking back in the real world," she whispered.
"That's right. Soon I'll end Nobunaga and get us out of here. As nice as it is living here together every day, I want to be with you for real. I want to wake up next to you and not have to go out and kill monsters straight after. I just want to sit at home and be with you," Chrome said, stroking the girl's hair.
"That'll be nice. I can't wait."
"You won't have to wait long."