Chapter Four- Beater (2)

The raid party walked along a thin trail in Floor One's forest, the party assignments leaving Kirito and the girl trailing behind. Diabel led the front, Kibaou walking behind his right shoulder. The two had shared drinks the night before and seemed to have bonded. They were close. A little… too… close. Kirito dug his fingernails into his palm and winced, but the pain was nothing compared to the lovesick feeling in his chest.

Maybe Kibaou would die during the battle. Then he would have Diabel all to himself. He might even have to comfort the grieving man over his loss. Kirito began to sweat with excitement. He realized that his behavior was becoming suspicious, and pivoted to making conversation with his partner. Kirito was unsure whether they were prepared for the raid, he had never even seen this girl fight, after all. "Let's go over it again. We're the backup. So, our target's gonna be the boss's minions- the Ruin Kobold Sentinels."

"I know" she replied blankly with little emotion. The rest of the group was already a few yards ahead of them, but the girl showed no intention of rushing to catch up.

"I'll use a sword skill to knock their weapons up and out of the way. When I do, switch and jump in," Kirito elaborated. If all went well and his strategy was followed, Kirito would be given a shining moment within the fight. He imagined Diabel giving him a pat on the back afterward. He wished Diabel could pat him in other places. But he wasn't a slut, duh.

"What's the switch?" she asked.

Kirito let out a slight gasp and turned to his left to face her. His eyebrows lowered with concern. If this girl was a rookie, it might weaken his attacks and he'd have to rethink his plan. "Okay, level with me. Is this the first time you've ever been in a party?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded. Kirito stopped and gave her a vacant expression of disbelief as she continued to walk. The girl eventually looked back to see Kirito bent over and groaning over this discovery. His thoughts were of pure disappointment. If I can't use this girl to impress Diabel… why is she even here?!

The raid party had arrived in front of the boss lair's door inside the first floor's dungeon. Large bowls attached to the walls beside the entrance acted as torches lighting up the dim corridor. The double door appeared about 12 feet tall and its wooden panels were covered with rusted metal, forming intricate Celtic designs. Diabel slammed his sword into the dirt floor and addressed the group."Listen up everyone," he spoke confidently. "I've only got one thing to say to you: Let's win!"

Kibaou grunted in agreement, and the rest of the players remained silent, all nervous about what would be waiting behind the door. "Come on," Diabel said, pushing the door open. The hinges creaked as the boss's lair was revealed to be a long dark gallery with a looming figure sitting at the end. The raid stepped forward into the room and the floor and walls lit up, revealing the shape to be Illfang the Kobold Lord, as expected.

The giant red beast jumped forward, crashing to the ground a few yards in front of the players. In its left hand it held a round shield, and in the other an axe with a long tailbone for a handle. Its stomach had a blue symbol painted on it, and a red and black cloth was tied around its waist. For one, Kirito was glad that genitals were being covered.

Illfang bent backward and roared at the ceiling, shaking the ground below. The cursor above its head glowed red menacingly. Below it, flashes of light formed the Ruin Kobold Sentinels, wearing medieval knight's armor that stopped at the waist. Their thighs and legs were covered in metal leg guard, but only a loincloth did the rest. Kirito's fingers twitched uncontrollably as he imagined Diabel wearing the same flashy costume.

All at once Illfang and the three minions charged at the group with full force. Diabel lunged his right leg forward and pointed his sword ahead of him, "Commence attack!"

The raid party charged at the enemy, Kibaou the first to make contact with a Ruin Kobold Sentinel. His sword glowed yellow as he charged up a sword skill and hit the minion's purple-lit staff. The hit erupted into a flash of white light. Diabel began to shout orders at the disoriented party, "Squads A and C, switch in!" Illfang began to swing his weapon down at the front line of players. "Here it comes! Squad B, block!"

Agil raced forward with his axe and blocked the attack, while Kibaou charged up a sword skill and hurled it at the enemy. "Squad C," Diabel shouted, a bit calmer, "keep guarding and prepare to switch! Everyone else, when you fall back, regroup and flank them! Squads D, E, and F, keep those minions off us!"

"Yeah, you got it!" Kirito responded. It was a pleasure to follow orders from Diabel, something Kirito didn't truly realize until they entered the dungeon. His blue locks of perfection were both intimidating and reassuring, and Kirito couldn't even fathom what was under that armor.

A feisty Sentinel jumped through the air, preparing to land before Kirito and beat him senseless. The black-haired swordsman held it back, and yelled a command at his female partner."Switch!"

"I'm on it!" she called back, speeding forward with her rapier pointed at the villain. She charged up her sword skill and her cloak lifted to reveal more of her figure than Kirito had seen before. Underneath her maroon ensemble, she wore a drab white shirt accompanied by a small red vest, leather belt, and crimson mini-skirt. As she plunged her sword into the minion, he couldn't help but feel distracted.

I thought she was a beginner, but at least she's got good skills. But I can't even believe what she's wearing! What happened to fashion sense, it's not like this is the Apocalypse. His thoughts stopped. I bet Diabel would be pretty hot in Apocalyptic cosplay. Kirito quivered and he felt a small moan escape his lips.

The Sentinel cried out before bursting into hundreds of shards of colorful glass. "Right on!" Kirito muttered to himself, cheering on the girl silently and clearing away he sexual thoughts. Another Sentinel raced towards the two and they fought it off together in nearly perfect harmony. This sort of chemistry was something that Kirito as a solo-player had never experienced before in the world of SAO.

Illfang roared dramatically to the ceiling before snapping his head down and flinging his weapon to the side. He spread his legs across the floor and for a brief moment, both of his hands were in the air. Kirito wondered if he was programmed to do a dance break but then realized that the monster's last health bar had reached the red zone.

"Looks like the guidebook was right," Kibaou said smugly. "Stay back! I've got it!" another voice said through the crowd. It was Diabel, racing through the wave of players and towards the boss.

Kirito grunted as he blocked another Sentinels attack, falling back afterward and letting the girl switch in. He turned to watch the main raid party groups as they fought off the main attraction. I thought the plan was for everyone in the group to surround it! He saw Diabel, his hair flowing as he raced forward and strong jawline looking as perfect as ever. For a second, the knight glanced back at Kirito and smirked, before coming face to face with the monster. Illfang whipped out his second weapon, revealing a long rectangular blade with a triangular section cut out at the end, attached to a sturdy handle.

Kirito gasped, nearly screaming in fear. That's not a Talwar! It's a No-Dachi! This isn't like the beta. "Wait, stop!" he called to Diabel, afraid for his love's life.

"Huh?" Kibou turned to Kirito, confused. Kirito screamed back. "It's no good! Get out of there!"

Illfang jumped like a spider around the columns surrounding the end of the hall, and Diabel began to realize the mistake he'd made. He looked up, gritting his teeth in frustration. He prepared his sword, but the enemy lunged down and knocked it out of his hand and sent him flying. The monster slashed the knight across the length of his body with his No-Dachi, and Diabel let out a guttural shriek as he fell back. Illfang whipped his weapon at the blue-haired knight once more, sending him shooting across the hall. A slash that started red and faded white towards the center generated across his torso.

"Diabel! No!" Kibaou shrieked, turning around to see the growling Kobold Lord directly behind him. It roared at the shocked players, grit falling out of his mouth onto the tiled floor below. Kibaou stared up at the monster in rage and disbelief, mourning for his defeated friend and potential-lover.

"Diabel!" Kirito squealed, sprinting towards his fallen playboy. The knight was sprawled on the galaxy colored floor, his shield knocked out of his hand and sword on the ground beside him. Kirito took seven steps and then slid down on his knees to finally give Diabel the kiss of life he'd been dreaming about for the past 12 hours. He wrapped his arm around the back of his neck and pulled him up, prepare to lay one on him.

He leaned in but was stopped by Diabel's groaning protest. Kirito brought him up further and forcibly shoved the player's face into his chest, muffling the potential yelps for help. "What the hell were you thinking?" he scolded, looking over his shoulder and digging through his bag for a potion or crystal to save his love. Diabel's health was already in the low red zone, if they didn't make haste he might not make it. Kirito turned back and handed the fallen knight a small bottle filled with red liquid.

Diabel raised his left hand and pushed Kirito away, groaning slowly in the process. Kirito looked down at him in horror, unable to understand the motion. Diabel grunted and his eyebrows twitched. His energy was draining quite obviously. He looked at Kirito soulfully and addressed him shakily, "You know- you were a beta-tester too, weren't you?"

Kirito gasped and felt his pulse quicken, not only from the blunt question but from the warmth of Diabel's hand wrapped around his own. If it weren't for the dying player's unattractive expression of defeat, Kirito would have screamed with pure bliss. Instead, he clutched Diabel's hand harder and savored what he assumed would be the last few moments of their budding romance.

"You were after the Last Attack Bonus- the rare item."Kirito stared into Diabel's eyes, the dying man quivering with his entire body in an attempt to keep his head up. The black-haired swordsman felt his heart drop to his stomach, he knew that he and Diabel had a connection unlike any other. "You're just like me, a beta-tester," he stuttered, unable to accept that soon his blue-haired sweetheart would be leaving him.

Diabel closed his eyes and winced in pain, but opened them again to look at Kirito one last time. "Please… you have to… defeat the boss… for everyone here!" Mid-sentence the player began to glow a light blue and his body erupted into shards of colorful glass. Kirito felt the warmth of Diabel's hand leave his own and stared into the empty air where his world had once been.

When this death game started, the only thing I thought about was how I was gonna survive. Nothing else mattered. But you weren't like that, Diabel. You never abandoned the other players. You brought them together. You led everyone, and you fought brilliantly. You tried to accomplish something you couldn't.

Kirito stood slowly and with care, as if Diabel were still there, lying right in front of him. Turning over his sword in his hand, Kirito looked back at the monster that had started this all. Illfang roared at the mass of players, pushing a gust of wind onto them and startling the massive group. Swords and shields clanked to the floor as they were knocked out of the players' grasps.

"I'll go too", said a soft but sure voice behind him. Kirito saw his partner step into view, right beside him. For once, he was comforted to see the girl's shadowy figure.

"Okay," he responded calmly. He pointed his sword forward and began to sprint at full force towards the boss. Memories of Klein, memories of Diabel, memories of all the men that had put their heart's in Kirito's hands flashed before his eyes. He sped faster, someone needed to finish this and he knew who it would be.

"We'll hit him just like we did the minions!" Kirito yelled at the girl running beside him. He glanced up at his health bar in the very corner, he was still in good standing, enough to make it through this fight. Below his own health bar, he noticed a smaller one, with the word "Asuna" written beside it in white text. It must have been her health bar, from when they formed the party the day before.

"You got it," she replied, with ease.

The Kobold Lord swung its No-Dachi behind itself and charged up a gleaming sword skill as the pair approached it. Kirito did the same, his black sword turning a fluorescent blue as he followed through with his initial motion. He let out a fiery battle-cry as their weapons collided. Kirito was sent flying back and Illfang tumbled off of his feet.

"Switch!" Kirito instructed from afar, trying to get back on his feet and assist his partner. She charged at the disoriented enemy, taking advantage of Kirito's attack. Her rapier glowed a blinding red as she whipped it back, preparing an attack. The boss's eyes twitched and it regained its balance, about to strike her.

"Asuna!" he called out, not ready to lose another companion today. Although, her loss would be nothing compared to… Kirito cleared the thought from his mind. In this instance, his partner was about to be-

She quickly dodged the attack, striking Illfang and receiving only damage to her armor. Asuna's maroon cloak disappeared, revealing her mysterious face for the first time. Kirito marveled at her long luxurious chestnut locks, drifting behind her delicately. For that moment, time seemed to stand still.

Hauntingly familiar glass shards illuminated her figure as she drew back her arm. Her rapier began to glow a faint red once more, and she thrust it forward into the boss's side. Kirito was taken aback by not only her skill but the gracefulness she carried.

But the moment was over just as soon as it began. Illfang regained its composure and swung out its sword to its side. The monster ran towards them, shaking the ground as it approached.

"He's coming back!" Kirito warned, stepping forward and clashing swords with the boss once again. Their weapons met, with a flash of sparks, the rebound sending Kirito tumbling backward. He glanced over, prepared to charge back in, but was met with a blur of light rushing the monster at amazing speed. Asuna pointed her rapier straight out and delivered the blow, sinking her sword into the beast's abdomen.

The room erupted in a blinding white light as Illfang slammed its No-Dachi down into the girl's sword. She pulled the rapier out and stepped backward, but Illfang began to follow. Asuna whipped her sword down, preparing to throw another sword skill its way, but Kirito jumped in between, his black and silver broadsword taking the blow from Illfang massive weapon.

Illfang began moving faster, sinking its weight more and more into each strike at the black-haired swordsman. Kirito gritted his teeth and matched each attack, taking the blunt force of them with sheer willpower. He wouldn't lose this fight to anyone, not after Diabel had given his life so heroically.

Each time their weapon's made contact, sparks flew about the dimly light dungeon. Almost matching the galaxy allusion of the floors, was a mass of color in the air surrounding the two from the sword skills they continuously fired at each other.

Kirito blocked hit after hit, stopping only for a split second. Illfang waved its No-Dachi backward and then slammed it into Kirito's body with full force. The momentum gained from that move alone catapulted him across the dungeon and straight into Asuna. His sword flew out of his hand and knocked to the floor, and both he and Asuna skid across the ground generating a path of smoke in their wake.

Asuna sat up, grunting, and saw the collapsed Kirito's health bar progressively shrink from a comfortable green to a solid yellow. He attempted pushing himself off of the cold tile floor but lacked the strength to do so. Asuna felt the room get colder, and suddenly the light that was surrounding them was gone. She looked up, only to see Illfang standing directly above them, weapon held high over its head prepared to strike down and obliterate both of them.

Its teeth were bared and the gleaming red of its bulbous eyes matched the threatening glow of its gigantic weapon. Asuna squinted, as she felt a gust of wind from the No-Dachi falling down on them. She was met only with the sound of metal crashing against each other, and opened her eyes to see what had interfered with what she had thought was her end.

A large figure dressed in light weighted white and grey armor stood above them, his battle axe swung back from the impact of blocking Illfang's move. Agil Kirito thought, glancing upwards from his face planted position on the ground.

The monster roared louder as it was sent skidding back on all fours from the force of Agil's axe. The rest of the boss raid party sprung into action, running while yelling their best battle cries. Through the crowd, Agil turned around and stared into Kirito's eyes meaningfully. "We can hold off this bastard until your health's back up!" he reassured him, before rushing off to join the other players.

Kirito grinned, and propped his elbow under his side, raising up his upper-body."You got it…" he said to the already gone hunk of fresh man. He traced Agil's muscular figure with his eyes from afar. Watching a body like that might give me all the strength I need Kirito voiced to himself internally. He loaded a red health potion from his inventory and drank it, watching the raid party fend off the attacker.

"Watch out!" Kirito yelled, jumping up from his position with a new sense of purpose. Illfang had leaped high and gripped its sword above its head. The No-Dachi glowed an ominous purple, as Illfang prepared to kill Agil, who laid helplessly on the dungeon floor.

Kirito vaulted into the air with extreme agility. "You're going down!" he threatened the creature, blocking the attack on Agil with the immense style and grace that only a lightweight like Kirito could accomplish. The two met in the air, but Illfang was reaching its limit and was easily slammed downward, sending a giant boom through the lair.

Kirito made no hesitation and continued running towards the Kobold Lord. "Come on, Asuna! Help me beat this sucker! One last attack!"

His partner trailed behind him, "You got it!"

The two charged in unison, swords pointed outwards towards the fallen enemy. It regained its balance and stood towering over them as they met its feet near the end of the hall. The beast squatted and took a battle stance with one arm open and the other positioned back to give its hefty weapon the right amount of momentum.

Kirito blocked the first strike with ease, the rebound giving Illfang a disadvantage as Asuna immediately switched in. She slashed it across the torso with her shining rapier, knocking the No-Dachi out of its hands. Her partner followed, ripping into the boss's chest. Kirito took back his blade and jumped upward, slicing the monster at close range, his sword deeper than any of the attacks before.

Illfang flew up into the air, and a giant red scar formed across its body where the damage had been done. Before the monster could hit the ground, its chest erupted into beams of turquoise light, until the entire dungeon was filled with a light so strong that Kirito couldn't see in front of him.

The light vanished and the sound of breaking glass filled the silent room. Everyone paused.

A congratulations notice in white letters appeared above their heads, and the crowd erupted into cheers. All the player's menus appeared, showing the col, exp, and items that each had received through the long fight. Friends and strangers alike embraced with delight and relief, most around the room on the verge of tears.

Kirito was left panting on the ground, only able to muster enough energy to lean on one knee. A translucent white rectangle popped up before his eyes, and he peered up to see what could possibly be next. The message was simple: "You got the last attack bonus".

The lights dimmed, and the now empty dungeon returned to the way it had looked when they first entered. The swirling galaxy floor was gone, replaced with plain stone tiles and a musty carpet stretching the length of the room.

Kirito heard footsteps clacking towards him, and turned his head to see Asuna and Agil approaching him.

"Nice job." his partner said cooly as if the two of them hadn't just defeated the first level's boss and almost lost their lives. She crossed her arms and slouched a bit, her composure completely different from fighting style Kirito had witnessed just minutes ago.

"That was some fine swordsmanship," Agil stated, his hands on his hips and toned body looking as fine as ever. "Congratulations- today's victory is all thanks to you." Kirito's expression remained vacant, this moment would have been perfect. But there was something missing… someone. He felt his gut sink.

"No" Kirito replied, the guilt and grieve hitting him like a bag of rocks.

The crowd disagreed, raising their fists for the victorious swordsman, some even praising him verbally. Kirito looked down, he didn't deserve this type of recognition when their own leader had-

"Stop cheering!" a voice interrupted. Kibaou pushed through the crowd. He looked angry as ever, but there was hurt in his eyes. Kirito knew the feeling. "Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you let Diabel die?" Talking ceased, and silence took over the room.

"Let him die?" Kirito responded quietly.

Kibaou looked up, tears falling down his cheeks. "That's what I said. Admit it! You knew the technique the boss was gonna use. You could've told us! Then Diabel would've stood a chance… he wouldn't have to die!" The oh so recent memory of seeing Diabel's body being thrown about like a ragdoll by the snarling Kobold Lord flashed before Kirito's eyes. He didn't mean for this to happen, he had tried to warn him.

The players started to whisper amongst themselves suspiciously. "I know why he knew!" someone else piped up. "He used to be a beta-tester! Think about it! He knew the boss's attack patterns! He knew, but he kept it from us! And I bet he's not the only beta-tester here! Come on, show yourselves!"

The room began to mumble louder. The mood had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time, and now players were wondering whether their own companions were the dreaded cheaters they hated so.

This is bad… Kirito thought to himself. At this rate… Diabel's blissful face crossed his memory once more.

"Hey! Calm down!" Agil said, stepping towards Kibaou. Normally Agil's calming demeanor might soothe such a protest, but Kirito knew it was too late. There was no turning back, at least not for him.

Kirito began to cackle loudly from across the room, drawing the attention of his fellow players. They all stared in confusion as he sat their, seemingly so amused by their argument. "So, you guys think I used to be a beta-tester," he said dryly. Kirito began to stand and faced the party. "It's not cool to put me in the same class with those noobs."

Collectively, the room gasped. Kibaou clenched his fist and yelled back him, "What'd you say?"

"You heard me" Kirito dead-panned. "Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO's beta were rookies." He began to walk calmly through the crowd and towards the double doors at the end of the cavern. "They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Hell, even you guys are better than they were. But me, I'm nothing like those guys, man."

He halted. "During the beta, I made it to floors higher than any of the other testers. That's a fact. I know about the boss, 'cause I fought tons of monsters with way more sword skills on higher floors! I know a bunch of other things, too. More than you can imagine. More than any info broker."

"W-what the hell?" Kibaou stuttered. "If that's true, then you're worse than a beta-tester! You're a goddamn cheater, that's what you are!" He squeezed his eyes closed as if it would make all of this go back to the way it was before.

The players angrily agreed, gritting their teeth and snarling in Kirito's direction. Through the crowd, someone interjected, "He's a beta-tester and a cheater! He's a Beater!"

Kirito smirked with one hand on his hip, and the other dangling by his side. "A beater… yeah, that's good" he remarked, still facing away from the group of players. "I like it. Okay, you can call me a beater. Just make sure you don't confuse me with those beta-testers anymore."

He swiped his right hand upward, revealing his menu and scrolled through his items, dragging one onto his display avatar. A midnight black trenchcoat materialized on his body, blowing in the non-existent wind in the now drifty dungeon. He giggled, then walked up the short staircase leading to the entrance to the next floor. Asuna ran after him, while the other players stood with their mouths hanging open in shock.

"Wait!" she called out. Kirito stopped. "When we were fighting the boss, you called me by my name." She stood a few steps below him, her face still serious and composed.

"I wasn't trying to be rude. Did I mess up the pronunciation?" he asked with little emotion.

"How'd you even know it?"

"If you look right about here," he turned and pointed a few inches above his shoulder. "You'll see another HP gauge under yours. There's a name written right next to it, yeah?"

"Ki… ri… to… Kirito?" she said slowly, stumbling through the characters. "Your name's Kirito."

"Yeah."

Asuna laughed. "I'm so dumb. It was there the whole time and I never knew" she smiled lightheartedly and looked up at her partner.

"You can become powerful here on your own. But if the day comes when someone you trust invites you to join a guild, don't turn it down, 'cause there's a limit to what a solo player can do" Kirito spoke, sounding more sincere than his cold-hearted remarks before.

"But you're solo".

Kirito paused, then continued walking up the stairs towards the door. His sword clanked against his back as he took each step, the only sound filling the still room. He opened his menu again and clicked through various options until finding his party settings. A small request appeared in front of him, asking if he'd like to dissolve his current party. After clicking the light blue okay button, he found himself finally before the entrance. The next floor of many more was waiting on the other side. The doors opened for him and he walked through with determination, leaving everyone and this cursed floor behind.