Chapter Six: Truth Through Turmoil

July 27th 2031

Edmond stared down his target: a wild boar. He raised he crude wooden bow towards his eye, which was bloodshot from a lack of sleep and relentless explanations to Thatch and his guild about what he'd experienced with Kayaba.

As he honed in on his shot, he continued to recount the previous thirty-two hours. Right at the top of this list was a lack of sleep. Aside from the obvious inconvenience that it had offered, he had spent that time walking Thatch through everything that had happened. The guild was skeptical, to say the least, but in time Thatch had convinced them to listen to Edmond.

As soon as Edmond had let Thatch know what he possessed the ability to use the fruits of any class in the game, Thatch sent him into training. The toll was beginning to make Edmond's body stiff and tired. Before the pain barrier had been disabled, avatars could spend hours grinding away at enemies without even feeling the least bit tired. Now, however, approaching the sleep barrier had much more real consequences. Most hardcore players could pull about thirty-five hours of gaming before their avatar forced them into an inn. Edmond was testing this theory to the fullest extent.

"You know, you DO have to let the arrow go…"

The voice suddenly snapped Edmond back to the reality in front of him. Kitami's voice. Even as sleep was trying to force it's way into Edmond's system, her voice had a sobering effect on him. Thatch had sent Edmond and Kitami (with a team of four other Gunners) to the outer walls of the Town of New Beginnings to teach Edmond to properly use a bow.

Thatch had developed a plan. He was taking Khale's threat very seriously, and had sat down with a multitude of guild leaders to discuss plans of action. After a five hour stint of egotistical bickering, the collective of leaders all agreed that the first plan of action should be to secure the Town of New Beginnings. From that point (providing they survived Khale's new assault) they would work their way through the treacherous floors of Aincrad. It was a bold plan, but it was eons better than some of the other proposed plans which ranged from: "Look, why don't we just shotgun the floors, and kill 'em all?" to "We're all going to die! What's the point in even trying?"

Thatch's plan was to launch a projectile defense against Khale and his assassins. He figured that if they could hit them from a distance, they'd had no chance at harming defenseless players within the walls. The assassin class had the ability to wield a crossbow, as did the engineer class, but it was slow and clunky compared to how quickly the traditional bow could reset an arrow. Edmond, Kitami, and an army of archer classed players would keep a continuous barrage of arrows flying, as the Smoking Gunners Guild would be using smoke bombs and powdered explosives to keep Khale's assassins confused and vulnerable. All of the other guilds were being directed to hold down key points of the Town. These points hid the weaker players in an attempt to keep the body count light.

Edmond released the arrow. Bull's-eye. The boar fell over, dead, blasting into a million tiny shards of glass. Edmond's avatar glowed slightly and the words "LEVEL UP!" rose above his head. He was now level seventeen. Not too bad for almost a day and a half of straight training. Still, it probably held no candle to the likes of Khale's men. He could only hope that the majority of Khale's men were a comparable level. Regardless of that, Edmond felt much stronger than when he had started.

"Nice shot, maybe you'll be as good as me someday…you know, if we survive."

Edmond turned around, lowering the bow. Kitami was cracking a weak smile, even following the morbid joke she'd just told. Kitami had been a huge help when Edmond had begun training just twenty or so hours ago. When he first started, he was holding the bow awkwardly, and couldn't hit a target to save his life (literally). The first ten or so arrows he shot flew clear over his target, agitating it, and causing it to attack. Luckily, Kitami was there to land a, well placed, shot between the eyes. It wouldn't have been so bad if the Gunners who Thatch had sent as a defense force didn't laugh hysterically every time it happened.

"Probably not at the rate I'm going. That's the first shot that's actually killed my target in one hit."

Edmond notched another arrow and aimed towards the boar which had just respawned, seconds earlier.

"Everyone starts somewhere I suppose. Look at it this way, you've yet to kill any of us."

Kitami looked over to the Gunners and gave a thumbs up. The Gunners returned the sentiment with salutes.

"Well, you're right, I guess…"

Edmond released the arrow. Another clean shot. The boar fell dead, again.

"Of course, with you as my guide, I think I've actually got a chance of survival."

Kitami was taken off guard by this compliment, and turned her head to the side to prevent the blushing she was experiencing from showing.

"Yeah, right. Need I remind you that you chased me up a tree the first time we met?"

Edmond grinned.

"Everyone starts somewhere I suppose."

Kitami rolled her eyes and smiled at the witty remark. She then pointed to the boar, which had respawned, yet again, indicating to Edmond that he should continue slaying it.

Amid the insanity of being trapped in a death sentence, Edmond was garnering some joy from Kitami's presence. He'd never felt such a connection with a girl before. Even the girlfriends he'd had in his real life didn't make him feel this at ease. Still, he tried to dwell on it as little as possible, they were, after all, playing a game, and it'd only been a few days since they'd met.

"How's it coming along?"

Both Edmond and Kitami whisked around to see Thatch who had come to join them. Thatch exchanged salutes with his men, and then approached Edmond.

"Decently, I suppose. I'm actually able to hit something, now."

Edmond shrugged in a modest way.

"Oh, please! He's doing better than he lets on. He's just hit two bulls-eyes in a row."

Now Edmond was the one who was taken aback by the sudden boost of character.

"Excellent, any extra firepower on the front lines will be much needed."

Thatch swiped his hand and equipped a new item, one that Edmond hadn't yet seen. It looked similar to a pear, only it was black and had a fuse.

"Why not try one of these on for size? This is what Me and the rest of the Engineers in the city will be using to keep Khale at bay."

Edmond reached out and carefully took the object into his hands. He examined it all over and determined it to be an explosive.

"So…I just throw it right?"

Thatch laughed.

"Theoretically, yes, but a little bit of aim never hurt anybody."

Edmond shrugged and smirked. He honed in on the boar. After taking a deep breath, he threw the explosive as hard as he could. The pear shaped explosive rocketed toward the boar who turned to look just as it made contact with its body.

A rather large explosion followed the action, causing Edmond to jump back, wide eyed. Tiny flecks of glass shards and shrapnel went flying in all directions, leaving only a black pile of soot on the ground beneath where the boar was standing.

As the ringing in his ears subsided, Edmond heard the hands of a small group clapping. He turned around to see Thatch and the other Gunners committing the action. He also saw Kitami, standing behind Thatch and clinging to him in fear. She obviously wasn't impressed.

"Well, Edmond, I may just have to set you up with a few of those when the time comes. That was an amazing hit."

Thatch looked back slightly to tease Kitami, who was terrified of the blast.

"Kitami loved it too, didn't she?"

Kitami let go of Thatch and immediately crossed her arms.

"Yeah, those are cool, if you want to get blown to pieces!"

"Well, Kitami, that's the fun part about being on our side, we're the delivery service and not the recipients."

Edmond smiled. It felt good to know he'd done something right.

"You do realize…assassin or not…these are real people that we're going to be launching these at? Don't you?"

All laughter and smirking ceased as Kitami spoke this sentence. It was a sobering moment. Thatch looked down, and nodded. The situation had just gone from joking to serious in no time at all. Even still, she was right. People were going to die. It was either going to be them or the assassins. The thought of people, actual people, dying hadn't crossed the minds of anyone in a serious way up until this point.

"Edmond, you and Kitami should probably go to the inn and get some rest. Your avatars are probably about to collapse, not to mention that the lack of a pain barrier probably doesn't make it any easier. Edmond, you're showing good progress, being that you've only been doing this for a few hours. You've earned a decent rest…enjoy it."

When Thatch said "enjoy it" Edmond could understand what he was really saying. Which boiled down to "Enjoy it…because it may be the last peaceful sleep you'll ever have…unless of course, you die."

"Thanks, Thatch. When and where would you like us to meet you?"

Thatch swiped his hand. The clock now read that there was just under forty hours left on it.

"Well, I figure you two will need at least sixteen hours, given how little you've rested since I sent you out here. If I can manage to give you a full twenty-four, to completely restore your avatar's stamina, I will. If not, Klein will wake you up and direct you to where you need to go. I've been sending him private messages updating him on everything that's happening. He's holding a group of engineers and assassins at the inn, he's been assigned to protect it. I figure it's a good combo. Assassins are good for sneaking and cloaking, and We engineers pack the heat. The only thing better than a bomb, is a bomb you can't see until it's too late."

"Assassins, huh? I guess not all of them see things the way Khale does."

Thatch nodded in approval.

"Luckily, no. Anyway, meet up with Klein, he'll give you room keys. I'll be seeing you two shortly."

Edmond and Kitami excused themselves and walked back into the confines of the Town's walls. They didn't speak much, instead they were interested in looking around at the different players from different guilds and clans setting up defense barriers, and directing each other to their proper spots. Some practiced swinging their different weapons, others secured parts of their particular area of defense, some players even huddled together in meditation, or prayer. The essence of teamwork was in full swing.

When they arrived at the Inn, Klein immediately waved them over. He was far more lively and pleasant now.

"Hey guys! Thatch told me to let you guys get some shut eye. You'll have to shack up together though, we're running a bit short on rooms, given the influx of players."

By this point, Edmond and Kitami were so tired that they looked at each other and shrugged. Sharing a room, or bed, at this point didn't matter, as long as their heads could touch a pillow.

"That's okay, Klein. Thank you very much."

Kitami also thanked Klein, who waved it away and gave them a thumbs up.

"Hey, if I wasn't married, I'd offer to share a room with you, instead, Kitami."

Kitami's eyes widened. She blushed intensely, and bolted inside the inn before Klein could tell her he was joking.

"Sheesh…I was just joking, you know that right? Edmond?"

Edmond was now a walking zombie, and barely registered the voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, haha."

Klein shook his head in frustration.

"Tough crowd, you two. Anyway, here's the key, I'll be seeing you two soon enough,"

Edmond walked inside and walked with Kitami up the stairs to the exact same room they'd shared the first night they were together.

Edmond groggily unlocked the door and ambled inside with Kitami right behind him. He approached the side of the bed he'd first slept in and sat down, placing his forehead in his hands and yawning. He tried his best to remember what he'd be facing, just hours after he would wake up, but sleep was numbing his senses and sending him into an immobile trance.

Edmond swiped his hand, navigated to his cosmetics menu and selected to hide his armor, putting him in a much more comfortable state. This time, he wasn't concerned with almost completely disrobing in front of Kitami. Factually, he had almost forgotten she was in the room with him. He turned around to see what she was doing. She'd also selected to hide all but her basic clothing needs. Her head lifted slightly to look at him. Their eyes locked for a moment, she cracked another weak smile and then sat down on her side of the bed, breaking the gaze.

Edmond felt comforted by Kitami's weak smiles. Somehow, they felt like a small dagger penetrating an ever so small portion of the darkness that was the reality that they were facing. But then, that same reality became real in Edmond's mind. Kitami was in danger, so was Edmond, but he had much less concern for himself. If something happened to Kitami, he'd feel so alone, he'd have no small smile to look at in times of distress. He could feel his heart begin to race. Sweat began forming on his face and body. No…that couldn't happen.

"Are you okay, Edmond? You're shaking…"

Kitami's voice, again.

Edmond immediately turned over and faced her. Kitami's eyes flew opened as she began instantly alarmed.

"Uh…yeah, I'm fine. I just…need some sleep. My body must be reacting negatively from the amount of time I've been awake."

An obvious lie. But, luckily enough, Kitami nodded.

"How about you? Are you okay? You've said little to nothing since we left Thatch."

Kitami smiled, but her smile quickly diminished as overwhelming emotion spilled over. Tears flooded her eyes and she began to sob.

"No! I'm not okay, none of us are okay! Edmond, we're all going to die, don't you see that yet? Even if it doesn't happen tomorrow, it'll happen the next time, or the time after that. We're fish in a barrel! Khale has absolute control over us! We can't win..."

Kitami finished this sentence and burst into even more hysterical tears. She grabbed her pillow and buried her face into it, trying to stifle her cries of desperation.

Wide eyed, Edmond stared at her, just inches away from his face. He'd never dealt with feminine emotion on a scale like his. His previous relationships had mostly ended with the other party breaking things off, so there were rarely any tears involved. Most importantly, Edmond had NEVER cared when his previous girlfriends would cut things off… But this? Never… This display of emotion was ripping at the very fabric of his soul.

If there was one other thing that Edmond never seemed to do, it was cry. But now, in this moment of hopelessness, a tear ran down his cheek, closest to Kitami. His lip began to quiver slightly. He knew that he had to take hold of this situation, now. He didn't know much about the balance of emotion, but he knew somebody needed to stay (at least somewhat) emotionally sound. Something inside of him was longing to break out and comfort Kitami. Manhood? Common decency? Whatever it was didn't matter. He took a deep breath.

"Kitami…Back in the real world…in…England? I'm assuming. Do you, uhm…"

Kitami raised her head, her red eyes, puffy from crying, stared directly into his. She didn't look confused. She looked as though she was relieved, as if she was secretly begging Edmond to say something. She nodded in approval to show that Edmond's assumption was correct, and for him to continue with his question.

Edmond gulped hard, he was about to make a move far more ambitious and risky than any other he'd attempted in his life, thus far.

"Do you happen to have a boyfriend? I mean, like, someone you hang out with that you care a little more for than others?"

Seconds after he said this, Edmond quickly realized just how much of a wordsmith he wasn't. His description of a boyfriend was more like the description of a house pet, rather than another human being. It was okay, though, because It seemed like he could've said anything and Kitami would've been comforted by it.

Kitami's eyes widened even more. She was shocked, and possibly a bit embarrassed. Even still, her head moved again. This time, to say no.

Edmond's heart stuttered. He took a deep breath, and silently hardened his resolve. He exhaled and put himself into his best "smoke 'em if you got 'em" attitude.

"Good."

What happened next had Kitami's breath halted in absolute shock.

Edmond grabbed Kitami, and planted his lips firmly on hers. He cradled the back of her head with his hand and slid his other hand under her back, pulling her closer. He felt her soft hair slide between his fingers.

Time seemed to stop for a moment. Her lips were so soft, that for a second, Edmond forgot that he was actually kissing an avatar. But then again, he too was controlling an avatar. But most importantly, he didn't care. For this first time, Edmond felt true connection with someone. His heart was now racing for all of the right reasons. He pulled Kitami as close to him as possible, and continued to kiss her softly. The thought that she might object, never even crossed his mind.

Kitami, who at first froze up and refused to move, let her body relax, and wrapped her own arms around Edmond. She closed her eyes and let Edmond take her into his arms and cradle her from what felt like the weight of the entire world falling on top of her.

Perhaps it was the raw emotion between the two, or the fear of dying, or maybe the pent up angst of feeling trapped against their will, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that they were together, in what could be their last night alive. Edmond could have been absolutely awful at kissing for all he knew, but Kitami didn't seem to object.

Finally, Kitami pulled back, breaking off the moment of bliss.

"Wait…"

Edmond looked at her in fear. Had he just done something wrong?

"I'm sorry…I'm really not sure what came over me-"

Kitami put her hand on Edmond's mouth.

"No, it's not you, I just don't know if this feels right. I mean, we've only just met one another, regardless of the circumstances at hand. I just don't want to do something crazy, given the situation we're in. You know? I know that right now, drastic moves seems appropriate…but-"

Edmond heard sank. He felt genuinely dejected. The emotion must have shown on his face, too.

"No, no, no! Please don't get down about this, or about what just happened…it was fantastic…I just, don't know if I'm ready to…"

She paused and shyly looked away.

It took Edmond a second to figure out what she was talking about. Suddenly, Edmond had an unbelievable "oh" moment.

"Oh, no, I wasn't planning on…I mean, not that I wouldn't, you're beautiful, I just…wait…what?"

Edmond's words were coming out in a jumbled mash-up of embarrassment. Sex? No. Absolutely not. Would that even work in this game? It didn't matter! It wasn't going to happen. Still, Edmond felt honored that Kitami hadn't withdrew in absolutely disgust at the thought.

Kitami chuckled and blushed.

"Calm down…I'm sorry, it's just that I come from a place where guys are always trying to…get…with the girls around where I live. I suppose old habits die hard."

Kitami gently removed herself from Edmond's embrace and turned onto her other side.

"But you're not like any of them, Edmond. I hope, if you make it out of this, that you find someone who appreciates that as much as I do."

Edmond felt his face getting red. He was flattered.

"You mean when WE make it out of this. Plus…I'm not really interested in anyone…outside"

Suddenly, Edmond got what he thought was a brilliant idea.

"Hey…Kitami."

Kitami rolled over and smiled.

"Yes, Edmond?"

She said this in a jokingly serious tone, poking harmless fun at Edmond.

"This is a fantasy game right? Which means it's supposed to be something much unlike real life…right?"

Kitami thought for a moment.

"Well, yes, but as we've seen, things have a tendency to become real at the most inopportune times."

Kitami winked, offering a playful answer to Edmond's question.

Edmond took another deep breath and made his second gutsy move of the hour.

"Then, if you want, I was wondering if you wanted to be my girlfriend. In game, of course. I read about the marriage function in this game, and that's definitely not what I'm hinting at. I just thought, maybe, you'd want to, you know, pretend?"

Kitami chuckled again, after closing her eyes and moving her head from side to side. She turned over again and faced away from Edmond.

"If I say yes, can you let me sleep?"

Edmond smiled from ear to ear. He felt like a fourth grader who'd just gotten his first love note. Now, he was back in a relationship. For the first time, he actually felt like it meant something.

"Deal."

Kitami turned over one last time and lifted her head to kiss Edmond's cheek. She then shuffled closer to him and closed her eyes.

"Good… Edmond, you make me feel safe…"

Edmond was on cloud nine. He felt like a king. He got comfortable and took Kitami into his arms.

"I'm going to protect you. I promise."

As overplayed and cliché' as it may have sounded, Edmond felt like it was the right thing to say in this situation. Kitami didn't respond, but Edmond knew that she'd heard him. It was a bold promise, and one that Edmond was worried about keeping. He was determined to do it, or die trying. As Edmond laid there, thinking of Kitami's safety, the grogginess of sleep began to quickly creep back in to his body. He dozed off quickly, turning all fear and feeling alike, into a temporary nothingness.

"Hey, sleepyheads! Up an' at 'em!"

Edmond's eyes cracked open to reveal Klein standing over him. Sunlight was leaking into the room from the one window on the side of the inn. He tried to calculate what time it must have been in his head, but was promptly interrupted by Klein.

"You two were out like lights! You should thank me, too, I convinced Thatch to let you guys sleep a full twenty-four hours. Given how much training you two were doing."

Edmond rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. He stretched his arms and then looked up at Klein. Klein had his usual ear-to-ear grin on his face.

"Thanks Klein. We really appreciate it."

Edmond yawned and stretched his arms out in front him.

"You know Klein, there's something about your beaming face in the morning that comforts me."

The sarcasm was well met, as Klein winked and offered a thumbs up. Edmond chuckled and then took the conversation in a much more serious direction.

"What's the time table looking like?"

Klein nodded and swiped his hand.

"We're looking at about sixteen hours to go before…well, we'll call it Khale's surprise party. I really hope this sleep is going to be able to hold you two over, because the way it's looking, you'll be grinding it out until tomorrow morning…"

Edmond swiped his hand and looked at the various counters and clocks on his menu. It was 7:34 in the morning. Khale was due to return at just half past 1:30 in the following morning, under the shroud and uncertainty of darkness.

"Anyway, Thatch's taking his rest now, so I'm in charge of orders. You two are supposed to…-"

Klein scrolled through a rather lengthy private message of orders from Thatch.

"Ah! Yes. It looks like operations are complete in defense preparation. So you two are just in charge of getting to know your piece of the wall."

Edmond raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Our piece of the what?"

Klein laughed.

"I coined that term, thank you. It means where you'll be positioned for the counter attack. We're using the walls of the town as vantage points. So, your piece of the wall will be home for…however long this goes on for…pretty clever, right?"

Suddenly Klein's eyes shot wide open as he looked to Edmond's side. Kitami had sat up, revealing her cloth chest wrappings. He immediately turned around and began commenting on how nice the weather was that particular morning to try and ease the situation to a halt.

Unfortunately, Kitami soon became well aware of what had happened. She looked and squealed before whisking the bed sheet back over her body.

"Oh gee! Look at the time! I really must be making sure the other Gunners aren't drinking downstairs! Edmond, I'll fill you in as soon as you come down, be timely!"

With that Klein had bolted from the room and down the stairs of the inn. Edmond laughed under his breath. This whole situation was quite comical, and it was nice to have some comedic relief. Edmond assured Kitami it was okay to peek her head from underneath the sheet and promptly navigated to his own cosmetics menu. Once he was properly geared for combat, He nodded to Kitami and started for the door. As he was about to turn the knob, he felt his opposite arm being tugged. He turned around to see concern on Kitami's face.

"Edmond. About last night. I think it's probably best to keep our…uhm…arrangement to ourselves for now. Just for the sake of professionalism. It doesn't seem like relationships have a place in this sort of situation."

The thought of the previous evening hadn't even crossed Edmond's when he woke up. He was suddenly filled will a small amount of happiness remembering that he and Kitami were, if only in game, an item. It didn't bother Edmond in the slightest when the suggestion of a secret relationship was brought up. Edmond was a secretive person, who delighted in other people being as far away from his personal life as possible.

"I agree. Besides, I think everyone has enough on their plate to even care about us being together."

Kitami smiled at Edmond's understanding.

"Thank you…What about Klein? Do you think he knows?"

Edmond laughed out loud.

"I think the chances of him caring enough to ponder the possibility are pretty low."

Edmond smiled at Kitami, who returned the favor. Edmond took Kitami into a hug, one final time before they stepped back into the public eye. As he hugged Kitami, he knew that he had to put himself in a very serious state of mind for what was coming. No job interview, weekly performance review, or anything he'd faced in his life up to this point could prepare him for what was coming. War. Pain…maybe even death.

The two broke their hold on each other and headed downstairs.

Upon arrival Klein waved Edmond and Kitami over to a long table in the corner of the inn. It looked as though the other Gunners (those who weren't currently taking their rest) were sitting around the table eating breakfast.

"Excellent you're here…-"

Klein looked over to Kitami.

"And Decent!"

Kitami looked away and blushed. The other gunners looked around at each other briefly, before returning to their meals without care.

Klein laughed and then continued.

"Okay you two, Thatch has assigned you both to the section of wall that lies directly in front of the inn. Which means I'll be the one lobbing bombs over the wall at your direction…it also means you're the ones keeping me alive…please keep me alive."

Edmond, who had taken a piece of toast into his mouth almost choked to death. He knew he was going to be a part of the counter-assault, but he had no idea he'd be so important to defending a key part of the city.

"Klein, that's an awful idea! I've had less than a day's worth of practice, wouldn't one of your gunners be better suited to defend you?"

Klein frowned.

"Maybe so, but they've been assigned to other areas where Thatch saw fit. Plus, you've got the advantage of being able to use any class and weapon specialization, so I trust you!"

Edmond still wasn't convinced of his own usefulness.

"So? What good is such an ability if I haven't had any practice with any of the classes? "

Klein was now showing signs of actual frustration.

"Edmond, you have three jobs: Stay alive, yell at me to throw cover for you, and shoot a stick with another stick that has a string attached to it. That's not hard. Hell, most things in the world aren't hard! What we all lack is the courage and confidence to attempt them."

Klein's words were strangely inspiring to Edmond. Was Klein right? Was his main problem in life the fear to try things? He may have been on to something, considering how well last night had played in his favor. Edmond peeked over to Kitami who was nodding her head in approval. With this simple gaze, Edmond knew he had no choice, anymore. Kitami was going to be with him. He had to defend her. He'd promised.

"Okay Klein…you're right. I'm sorry. Is there anything else we should know?"

"Hey, buddy, don't be sorry! Trust me, I've been in your place before. I know what it's like to be terrified to know that each day in this game could end with me never seeing another light of day. But you have to play the game as you would've if this never happened. You can't dwell on it, you'll go insane! Besides, it's no different than the world on the outside, when you think about it."

"Which explains what happened to you!"

The voice came from one of the Gunners at the end of the table. It was accompanied with the laughter of the rest of the guild.

Edmond now felt much more confident. Having the support of comrades at his side. Something about knowing that each one of them were in the same situation made him feel better. He stood up held out his hand for Klein to grab it, confirming that he was ready to fight. Klein, in turn, complied, and gripped Edmond's hand. The rest of the Gunners stood up and saluted the action. Edmond was beginning to feel more and more like a part of something much bigger than just the life of a gamer.

After the Gunners had finished their breakfast, the group walked outside to make each other aware of their positions around the town. As they traversed the cobblestone roads, Edmond took looks at the top of the wall. Many players of the Archer class were already on top of the walls and shooting at targets that had been placed outside of the town. From what Edmond could see, there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of players participating atop the wall. This comforted him.

Finally, after a lengthy walk, the group reached the center of the town. They were met with an enormous group of players. As they approached, a player clad in heavy looking armor greeted them. He was holding a matching helmet at his side, and on his back were a sword and a shield. He had crimson red hair that was low to his head, and in spikes. On his chin was a small amount of stubble, comparable to the hairs on his head. He was about a half foot taller than Edmond.

"Glad to see you showed up…"

The player's voice was deep and scratchy, possibly middle aged, but above all it sounded annoyed. He looked behind Klein and frowned.

"Where's Thatch? And is this all you have to fight with? This is your guild?"

Klein ignored the disrespectful tone and responded.

"Thatch is currently resting. I'm in charge at the moment-"

"And you are? Who, exactly?"

Klein was taken aback. He took a deep breath and proceeded with his answer.

"Klein, of the Smoking Gunners Guild. To answer your previous question. No, this isn't our entire guild, this is just half of us."

The player raised his eyebrow.

"I count six of you…you mean to tell me your guild is a dozen players? You're joking, right? Why are we taking orders from a Guild Leader with a dozen man army?"

Edmond was now annoyed. He hated belittlement, especially if it was unprovoked.

"Thatch is a veteran player who was in the original Aincrad…as well as a guild mate to Khale. Not to mention the fact that he was in a guild run by the creator of the game: Akihiko Kayaba."

The player's eyes widened.

"He was a Knight?"

"Yes, and if you have any more questions, you can take them up with Thatch. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to introduce you to the Gunners."

Klein stood with a cold look on his face. He was in no mood to fool around, any more. The player, in turn, unenthusiastically agreed.

"I'm Narok, and this is my guild, The Hounds of the Blade. We're about four hundred strong, and about ready to start ripping heads off."

Edmond looked behind Narok and saw an army of men identically dressed in the same heavy armor as their Guild Leader. The only distinguishable difference between Narok and his men was that he was taller than everyone else, and that his helmet had red streaks running across it.

"You're aware of your role, then?"

Klein asked this, still in a very stern tone.

"Stay inside, kill anything that makes over the wall."

Narok said this so casually that it made Edmond cringe. How could someone speak of ending another person's life so easily?

"Essentially. But be aware, we know Khale has the ability to control the air, so watch your head."

"We've got it. You just worry about tossing your little powder puffs in the right direction."

Klein reached for his dagger. Edmond quickly grabbed his arm. Klein looked over, the two stared at each other for a few seconds until Klein nodded. It wasn't worth it. Especially not when everyone needed to cooperate.

"If you need us, we'll come support you. Just take cover and shoot us a private message."

"We won't. But I suppose the same offer is on the table for your guild."

Klein nodded. He was obviously done wasting words with Narok. Suddenly, Klein perked up. He swiped his hand and opened his private messages.

"Thatch is awake. He wants a meeting with the guild leaders."