Ten Swords

by Plasma Knight

What would become of the 6,147 players of Sword Art Online had Kirito fallen to Heathcliff on the 75th floor? Obviously, they would need to find the courage to press on, even without him. If a single sword can get you anywhere in Castle Aincrad, how far can ten go? For there were indeed ten unique skills. This is the tale of those ten swords.

3. Rekindling

The following is a non-profit fan-based creative work. Sword Art Online is owned by ASCII Media Works, Yen Press, and Reki Kawahara. Please support the official releases

---

There was nodenying that was the darkest things had gotten since as far back as the twenty-fifth floor.

Back then, we didn't know what to expect from that floor, or that ridiculous difficulty spike of a boss...

That was when things went wrong for us. Even with Seriyuha's leadership and Hinoka's strategies, we lost a lot of players to the first quarter-boss. If it hadn't been for a few new heroes springing up right then, there was no telling what would have happened.

The first of those heroes was, of course, the "Living Legend". It wasn't until some time later that Kirito would make himself known as the "Black Swordsman". Their presence on the front lines brought hope to other players, but now both were gone. Luckily, there was one more hero, this one trained and conditioned by our enemy. Asuna, the "Flash". And now she was most likely waiting for a chance to die.

If we lost her too...

---

The Summer Knights trudged into their meeting hall, which was really just the living room of an apartment Seriyuha had purchased in Marten, the town on the fifty-seventh floor. Housing wasn't particularly cheaper there compared to the rest of the castle, but it was one of the towns that looked the closest to being from the world outside. Her meaning had to be to remind the Summer Knights of what they were fighting for.

Their "meeting area" was pretty bare-bones in reality, being little more than a large round table encircled by chairs. The rest of the apartment itself was empty; Seriyuha didn't live there. It was simple, but it worked, and there was no need to be fancy about things. The Summer Knights were a guild that was past its prime...

Keh-keh was the last to get to her seat. The young girl threw her hands up and screamed, "Well that happened!" the moment she was settled in.

"Yes, Keh-keh," Seriyuha said, her eyes shut tight, "that did indeed happen. Meeting's started, though I'm not sure why I bother mentioning that when Keh-keh took it upon herself to start it on my behalf. Again."

Razler looked around glumly, not particularly surprised that nobody was amused at the antics. Elise was glaring at - or rather through - Seriyuha, Lyle was leaning forward with his elbows crossed on the table, and even Hinoka was struggling to sit upright. Silence took control for a period. Seriyuha frowned at the middle of the table, most likely unsure how to even begin the meeting.

"May the Lord have mercy upon poor young Kirito," murmured Samson.

Lyle scoffed and shot his considerably larger guildmate a dirty look. "Him? What about us?" he snapped.

Samson simply shook his head, but Lyle seemed near to the edge of getting on his feet.

"Enough," Seriuyha said firmly. "The last thing we need at this point is an argument."

"Where do we go from here?" asked Flashy, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Well that's obvious," said Hinoka, "we begin exploration of the seventy-sixth floor and – "

"Beat Kayaba's ass across the top of this castle!" cried Elise.

Flashy shot Elise a worried look and shrank in her chair. "It's not going to be that simple, Elise!"

Elise turned and gave Flashy a cocky smile. "Why? Nobody from our guild died today. We're still up for more!"

"No, Flash has a point," Razler said loudly. "And to make things worse, the other clearers have got to be pretty scared right now. But Elise isn't wrong either; we've gotta do something. We've got the numbers, and we aren't reeling particularly badly from the fight against Skull Reaper."

Elise looked to him and nodded furiously.

"But how can we raise morale?" asked Samson. "We lost our good name among the clearers back on the twenty-fifth floor."

"That was ages ago!" cried Lyle, "The other clearers were just quick to jump to the KoB!"

"Enough," said Seriyuha. "This isn't the time to break into that debate again. Without Heathcliff and Kirito, the other players will need somebody to look up to, that means we have to make certain that Asuna is well."

"She looked ready to give up to me," Keh-keh said as she twirled her hair around in her fingers.

A seat clattered to the floor. Lloyd was on his feet, glaring down Keh-keh. Razler stared, alarmed at his explosive reaction. "Could you try some tact?" Lyle said quietly but thickly.

Razler looked away from Lloyd.

"The Flash is stronger than that," cried Flashy.

"No," Samsum said loudly and calmly. "Back when we were clearing the middle floors, she was so determined to clear the game as fast as possible that she was getting frantic. Whenever she held those strategy meetings for smaller raids she would snap at every little thing. I expected her to break down sobbing eventually."

Razler grimaced. It had been so long ago that his scattered meetings with Asuna had blended together, but he'd always gotten in the impression she was just a harsh person. But then, memories of her quiet tears from less than an hour ago were crystal clear. Samson had read her right.

"It wouldn't have surprised me either," said Seriyuha. "If I thought it would help I'd have tried warning her about the stress she was putting herself under. Not that I knew how to reach her anyways. Luckily, she calmed down after meeting Kirito."

"Yeah, what a concept, learning to enjoy a video game makes you happier," said Keh-keh.

"Tell that to MOBA players," muttered Razler.

Hinoka growled loudly, though nobody gave an indication of having heard her. Lloyd, however, nodded, a humorless smile on his face.

"So what can we do for Asuna?" asked Hinoka. "None of us know her that well."

"We have to put the fight back in her," said Lloyd. "Tthe KoB is going to be expecting her to lead them now. If she refuses to replace Heathcliff the guild might just disband."

"And it that happens, most of the remaining clearers might just give up on ever clearing this game. We cannot let that happen," Seriyuha said firmly, "but we also have to begin scouting the seventy-sixth floor. The other players have to see that some of us are still committed to clearing this game, today."

She then ran down a brief breakdown of orders; she'd take a half-dozen members of the guild to look into Asuna's condition, while Hinoka and Lloyd split the remaining eleven to begin exploring the next floor. Razler and his guild mates gave their confirmations, Samson more loudly than the rest, and Keh-keh speaking after the others had fallen quiet."

"Should we start immediately?" asked Hinoka.

"Go ahead," Seriyuha said without hesitation. "We'll arrange another meeting once the situation with Asuna is settled."

Hinoka and Lloyd nodded and stood up. The other eleven stood and made to follow them, including Keh-keh, who instead leaped to her feet.

After a short walk the large group found themselves at the teleport gate, and they bunched up onto it. Hinoka called out, "Teleport, Limia!"

A column of light enshrouded the group, blinding Razler to everything else. He shut his eyes tight against the light, until its glare against his eyelids faded.

Razler heard stone clattering beneath his feet, and water rushing under that. The wind was blowing strongly, spraying him and the other with a light mist. A river somewhere? As he moved off the teleport gate to make room for the rest of of his guild, he felt soft wood underfoot. Definitely a river.

His vision cleared. He was standing on a wooden platform, through the gaps of which he could see water rushing by. It was flowing fast but was only a few feet deep, probably shallow enough for him to stand in and certainly shallow enough for him to see that the riverbed was filled with smoothed stones. Looking up, he saw that the platform was larger than he first guessed. It was wide and ringed with light wooden barriers to prevent people accidentally falling in. Not far away was another platform, this one with small wooden buildings built upon it, and linked to the gate platform by a wooden rope bridge. All around him were more and more bridge-linked platforms, some with buildings, some with benches and light wooden pavilions, but it all looked homey enough for a river town. He moved out to the edge of the platform to get a better look.

"Oh wow, how'd I not see any of this earlier today?" Elise asked as she walked up next to him.

Razler realized numbly that they had been there – they'd stopped for a few seconds in Limia after ascending from the seventy-fifth floor. Had he been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed any of this?

Stepping away from the edge of the platform, he shook his head vigorously. What was wrong with him!? Gaping and getting excited after everything that had happened? Someone touched him on the shoulder lightly.

Hinoka.

His big sister gave him a forced smile.

"Looks like another water floor" he said quietly. It wasn't the first, but a river-floor was a little different from a floor riddled with lakes, or a floor with nothing but a lake as the ground, or a floor that periodically got flooded...

Razler realized sullenly that this wasn't the first case of repetition in floor themes in SAO. In a hundred floors, some variance in imagination was to be expected.

"Until we've seen more of the floor I'm not about to jump in that river," said Hinoka. "The current might be meant to sweep us somewhere."

He eyed the rushing waters again and nodded. The river was definitely there for more than just decoration. Otherwise, it was just wasted space on the floor.

"Or else it'll just dump us over the edge of the floor," said Keh-keh, who had wandered over to them.

He shuddered at that. Falling off a floor inevitably meant death.

Samson's heavy footfalls approached from behind. "Well, shall we get underway?" he said. "We still have a job to do."

"Right," said Hinoka. Clearing her throat, she turned toward the rest of her guild.

"Okay, we're a pretty big group just for floor exploration, so we're going to break into two teams of six and seven," she said. "I'll lead one group, and Lloyd's in charge of the other," she continued, gesturing to her companion pole-fighter.

"Only if you get stuck with Keh-keh," Lloyd said quietly.

Hinoka rolled her eyes but didn't refuse.

As the large group split into two, Hinoka dispersed her own team to explore the river city and prepare before they set off. As usual, she immediately joined Razler, and the pair made for the npc blacksmith to examine new upgrades for their gear. Razler took a moment to commit some of the materials he'd need to memory and then checked the list of new uses for older ones, though he found nothing that was to his liking. Upgrading equipment only got harder as the list of required materials became more and more exotic, and in a virtual world without Gamefaqs, it wasn't fully known where some items even dropped. Razler had, for a long while, come to prefer simply obtaining new weapons as convenient and upgrading those to serviceable levels instead of focusing on grinding the most out of a single weapon. He was was in a minority that way; most got attached to a certain weapon that had served them well. He could guess this strategy would get less appealing near the final floors, but equipment drops were still improving for the time being. He was beginning to have troubles with upgrading his current sword, though. It was looking like it was time to trade off his main arm once again.

Maybe he'd try another hammer? He spent so long trying out various weapons and grinding them to find one style to call his own that he'd managed to reach a high rank at most of the weapon masteries during his time in Aincrad.

With that business done, he and Hinoka continued exploring the city - mostly at her insistence. Even after two years spent in Aincrad, Hinoka had held to her conviction that npcs should always be spoken to, and in this particular instance she was well-rewarded, for the townsfolk frequently warned of the river current being stronger than it looked, especially with the slippery rocks lying beneath the surface. Those that fell into the river invariably ended up carried off to the end, where an underwater cave and a horrible river-beast lurked.

Which, to Razler, sounded like a quest they'd want to look into later. Hinoka agreed with him, but the surface of the river was their priority for the time being.

They eventually found an old boat man npc willing to take the group to shore, and Hinoka messaged the team to reconvene at the boat man's location. Once everyone was gathered, the party handed over the fee (which was actually a pittance - only 5 Cor each) that the old man requested for his service. Their dues paid, the seven of them - Keh-keh, Lyle, Hinoka, Razler, Samson, Elise, and Flashy, stepped carefully onto his small boat and got seated as he took to the rear, steering the team toward the southern half of the forests that bordered the river.

The journey was slow and somewhat uncomfortable, as their numbers didn't leave them much in the way of elbow room. Also, the old man rambled about his various programmed-backstory doings in the town. Razler tried to follow the tale for a few moments, but when subjects began to jump suddenly and character names changed without warning, he gave up and stared at their destination instead. The part that bothered him most was that he couldn't see anything resembling an actual landing in the direction they were going. The trees were drawing near, but the water continued as far as the eye could see. Surely there had to be a point in this floor where the river ended and dry land began? Or would the old man just leave them in ankle-deep mud?

But nope, they were some relative of mangroves that Razler had seen from the distance; trees that grew from beneath the placid waters on the river's edge. He groaned loudly.

It seemed Kayaba had found yet another way to torment his victims.

Sure enough, the old man stopped suddenly after a few minutes, bidding his guests to disembark and watch their steps. Razler wasn't the only one to check awkwardly over the edge of the boat, but the npc didn't seem to be planning on going any further. Finally giving up, Razler swung his legs over the side of the boat and into the foot-deep water, his feet sinking a little further with a light squelching sound.

"We're gonna get gangrene or something before we're done with this floor," he muttered.

Groaning loudly, Razler began struggling in the direction of what seemed to be shallower ground. The others followed behind in more or less the same state, though Keh-keh seemed to be sliding over the surface of the water with relatively ease. Her (nearly-maxed, according to her boasting) agility was serving her well. He and the others were less lucky, and waddled along behind her in the muck.

After a little ways the mud hardened underfoot and the water level receded just a bit, allowing them to make greater progress. They definitely seemed to have chanced upon something approaching a trail, for the water deepened if they ever tried to deviate too far to either side.

Unfortunately, it was a path for more than just the players. Before long, Razler could see a creature in the not-so-far distance. It was a sort of greenish fish – a fish standing on long back fins – a "Splasher Scout". Keh-keh had already stopped moving onward, and was holding a pair of small knives in each hand. She turned to look at Hinoka as the others caught up to her. Before Hinoka could give any orders, the scout fixed its gaze on them and let out a high-pitched shriek, and four or five green-colored shapes shot out of the water around them. It was more of the "Splasher Scouts", all snarling and with saliva dripping from their open maws.

"Well, Sahagins," Hinoka said quietly as she raised her naginata.

"Let's let 'em have it!" Elise cried as she ran in, her great axe raised high and a wide grin on her face.

"Don't overdo it!" Flashy cried, her staff held protectively in front of her. A brightly-shining ball of light, a "Dancing Fairy", appeared and hovered around her shoulders. "Don't work Aliera too hard this time, Elise!"

"You know she loves patching us up!" Elise said as she began swinging her cumbersome weapon.

Hinoka dashed in in one direction, and Razler went in another. He let fly with a sword skill that carried him to the first Splasher Scout, but it dropped down to all fours just as his blade drew near. With Razler carried too far, the beast turned and raised a crude bone-crafted sword. It was pure instinct and Razler's buckler that saved him from the beast's counter, but it was Samson's massive fist that saved Razler from wasting more time on the creature.

"And the Lord is with us!" Samson thundered as he turned from the splasher he'd pulped.

"Duh, I'm always hanging out with you guys," said Keh-keh.

"Quiet, girl!"

Samson moved quickly for a man his great size, and the Splasher turned and knelt low, spit flying and crude weaponry held ready. Samson tucked into a dive that carried him into the Splasher's attempt to duck his blow, his shoulder colliding with the beast. It went flying beneath the water, and Samson turned to drive his fist into it, only for a trio of small black darts to strike the creature's neck, splintering it into fragments.

Razler and Samson both rounded on Keh-keh near-simultaneously. She was smirking, a few knives in-hand.

"Benedictions upon thee, giant man!" she cried.

"I'm the only Lord we need," Lyle said calmly as he squared off with a Splasher, rapier and swordbreaker in alternate hands.

The creature lunged forward with its bone-sword, but Lyle caught the weapon with his swordbreaker, and the Splasher itself with his main weapon.

"Though I'm more a Lord of Blades."

"You're no match for Asuna, Lyle!" cried Elise.

"Someday we'll put that to the test," he said.

"Cool, you could stand to get knocked down a peg!" Elise cried as she swung her axe wide this way and that. Its sheer reach kept the Splasher she'd chosen as her opponent at bay, but the small beast was darting and ducking between her wide, slow sweeps. But despite that, she was giving the monster a toothy grin.

"Hah! C'mon, springy, it'll only take one nick to lay you flat!" she cried.

A red shape dove in from behind, Hinoka's naginata piercing the Splasher's torso. It shattered, and Elise gave her leader a dirty look.

Smiling, Hinoka said, "I told you your weapon's way too clumsy, Elise."

"Doesn't need to be graceful when it's got loads of power!" Elise said as she shook her fist at Hinoka.

Grinning despite himself, Razler turned to find a Splasher of his own to kill. Against smaller creatures it was easier to be like this: bickering with one another, competing for kills and fighting each in their own way. Against bosses it was either compose themselves or die. Seriyuha often proved helpful on the "composing" part. Even so, they always looked out for one another in their own - unusual - way.

The Splasher Scouts turned out to be only the first of the Splashers to appear, with Splasher Knights (armored and more defensive versions) and Splasher Brutes (larger and deadlier, but slower) following, both having an annoying habit of being drawn and aggroed by the sound of a Splasher Scout screaming. Elise was the only one to truly enjoy fighting the larger foes, but the Summer Knights weren't terribly troubled by any of them.

Then, when they once came across a single Splasher idling away for a threat to scream about, Keh-keh casually picked it off from range with her throwing knives. The summer knights lowered their weapons, all thoroughly deflated.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" demanded Hinoka.

"Eeehh, these stupid sahagins are boring already," Keh-keh said tiredly as she moved ahead.

So it went that they spent the rest of that day wondering whether or not Keh-keh would steal kills from them – and arrangement she had a good laugh about.

The not-so-deep path they were on appeared to branch at several points as they went, though they tried to keep the same relative distance from the center of the river. A few times - increasingly as they went on - they saw other groups of players exploring and fighting Splashers. Often they would offer words (or cries) of support or trades on minimap exploration or items. There weren't all that many clearers compared to the total number of players left, and though he often didn't know them by name, Razler could recognize at least most of the players they ran across by sight. Anybody who saw another player on the uppermost available floor would know what their purpose was, and they were best off helped. The clearing group had become increasingly tight-knight as their numbers dwindled.

And Razler felt relieved to see some of them out and about, regardless of the tragedy that had occurred. Maybe they still had hope after all.

As the sun began to set, Hinoka called for the group to begin heading back to town. Everyone agreed without a fuss; nobody wanted to be so far out at night while exploring an unfamiliar floor for the first time. They managed to find another npc boat man willing to take them back to town only minutes before night in Aincrad officially began. Just as he'd done on the ride out to shore, Razler watched the edges of the river. He couldn't be certain, but he thought he saw large dark shapes slinking out from the water. He elbowed Keh-keh and pointed out what he saw.

"Oohhh, it's a giant croc, very spoopy," she gasped.

"Giant crocs!?" cried Elise. She rounded on Hinoka and hurredly said, "Let's go back out there!"

"Denied."

"Please?"

"We wouldn't be able to go bak out anyways," muttered Hinoka. She poked her thumb toward the boat man. "Old rowie up there said we only just made it before he went back to town for the night."

Razler shuddered. So this floor also stranded players out in the field at night. Kayaba had clearly had a very bad day when he laid out his plans to the development team for this one.

Upon returning, Hinoka called for a head count back at the teleport gate, Lloyd's team having already returned and left before Hinoka's had. The Knights gathered in a small scattered group, Hinoka facing them with her back to the gate.

"Nice job today, everyone. We got some loot, but more importantly, other players saw us out there. We might have lost Kirito, but we're not beaten yet!"

The others cheered, even Keh-keh (though as if bored).

"Once they realize that this too shall pass, they'll want a shot at Kayaba all the more," said Samson.

"If what he did today really does drive them even harder to complete the game," Razler began, "then..." He was about to say, "then maybe it would be worth it". His stomach writhed, and he was immensely thankful that nobody said anything.

Samson laid a heavy hand on Razler's shoulder and gave him a warm grin, which Razler forced himself to return.

"So, meet up again tomorrow morning?" Keh-keh asked, her arms crossed behind her head.

"Yeah, around ten AM sounds good to me," said Hinoka, "I'd like to see if we could at least find the path to the Labyrinth tomorrow. Finding that would be really good for us."

Samson gave a booming laugh, his arms crossed over his chest. "Then tomorrow we shall show them a greater miracle than any they've yet seen!"

Lyle laughed lightly. "Save it for the boss, Samson, we might need a miracle or two then."

"That's an excellent idea!"

Samson stepped onto the platform – Keh-keh having already used it while nobody was watching her – and teleported to his home on floor Forty-Six. The others followed, one-by-one. The last to depart, Hinoka and Razler stepped onto the platform together and teleported to the city of Selmburg on floor Sixty-One, where the siblings shared a home.

Their vision cleared, revealing the city that was already starting to become bathed in the golden lights of its street lamps. This came with a price: Selmburg was one of the most expensive places to live in Aincrad that had yet been unlocked. Back when Hinoka first pitched the idea of moving there, Razler thought that buying a home on such an expensive floor was a waste of cor, but she invoked Big Sister Privilege and overruled him. To her credit, she paid the majority of the cost on their house.

But as he walked down the pristine streets, the city lights glowing around him, Razler couldn't help but take some comfort for the lost money. Selmburg wasn't bad as far as cities in Aincrad went, and the house they picked out wasn't far from the teleport gate. Much like the city, their house was expensive but ultimately worth it, being a two-bedroom, one kitchen, one living room affair. Both rooms were comfortable enough by the fantasy-world standards of SAO but were sparsely decorated, furniture being mostly superfluous in this world. Hinoka had tried to make up for the lack of decoration options by placing some of her old equipment sets on armor stands and framing boss or quest reward trophies that she was particularly fond of. Both siblings spent most of their time when actually at home in the living room anyways, talking mostly about their recent doings or future plans. The past - specifically of the real world - was off-limits as a rule.

"Shirou," Hinoka began as she called up the NPC-made stew she'd picked up for dinner - while applying liberal amounts of seasonings, for what good it did – "are you doing okay with everything that happened today?"

Razler likewise summoned up some NPC food and said, "Yeah, I'll be okay. I can't say I knew Kirito that well."

"That's not what I meant," Hinoka said, her gaze firmly on her little brother.

Razler sighed and collapsed in his seat, picking at his food with a fork. "I know. I've been trying to think how anybody might beat Heathcliff one-on-one. I thought for sure Kirito was our best fighter."

"Thinking's my job, though," Hinoka said through a mouthful of stew.

Razler looked up at her, smiling. "I thought you weren't very good pvp? Isn't that why you rage quit that League game after like six months-"

"Oh fuck off!" cried Hinoka. "You'd be mad too at all the bronze players never doing what I wanted them to do! MOBAs suck anyway."

Razler laughed quietly.

"But you're right about dueling here," Hinoka said, quietly. "Monsters, either bosses or just groups of small-fry - they're no problem to figure out. Players are harder. And it's tricky to think when they're coming at you with a sword"

"C'mon, Sis, we both know you're better then that."

Hinoka's eyes clouded. "Only when I have to be..."

"Yeah," Razler said quietly.

He quickly thought about something else.

When he thought back to it, he felt he could have picked at least a few things apart from the fight between Heathcliff and Kirito, and he'd spent some time thinking about that. The first thing that he kept firmly in mind was how absolute Heathcliff's defense had been. That wasn't a surprise, of course; the man's staying power in a fight was most of his legend. Razler was still glad that he had been firmly reminded of how useless a direct assault would ultimately be against Heathcliff - though it came at a high cost.

One thing was for sure: if Kirito wasn't strong and fast enough to break down Heathcliff's defenses, then nobody else could in a fair fight.

"I don't have any good plans just yet, but I think Kirito was wrong to try just hammering away at him like he did. It worked the first time, but I bet Heathcliff wasn't fighting as seriously."

"What would you do in Kirito's shoes?"

"There's no way to beat Heathcliff when he's focusing on defense," he said slowly. He narrowed his eyes at his pork bowl. Heathcliff never took to the offense on his own. He only ever countered Kirito's attacks.

"I'd try to find a way to bait him into attacking and getting a single good hit in when his guard's down." he said at the same time as the plan came to him.

Hinoka leaned forward, beaming. "Not bad, Shirou. We might end up having to go with that."

Razler shuddered at the thought. "I'd rather we just ganged up on him, but after that dramatic show he made today about having a duel to the death with Kirito, I bet he'll-"

Hinoka suddenly gasped and opened her menu. She began reading a message, frowning, and gave a huge sigh as she reached the bottom. "Oh, crap."

"What's wrong now?"

"Asuna's gone missing," Hinoka said heavily. "Seriyuha had a couple members of our guild waiting near her house on his floor all day while she and a few others asked around at the KoB to see her, but she hasn't returned home or gone back to headquarters."

Razler's bowl of food clattered to the floor. "She isn't going to hide until her grace period ends is she!?"

Hinoka leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. "I figured as much. She's having a horrible time of it and teenagers are really stupid and moody in the best of times. Why do you think I need to watch out for you? With the shape she's in, who knows."

Razler gaped at Hinoka for a moment, realizing slowly that it wasn't the fact that Asuna had gone missing that she was upset about. "Where'd you expect her to go?"

"Asuna isn't somebody who does things halfway," said Hinoka, "I thought that if she were in bad enough shape she'd just lock herself up in her home and ignore everyone else while dwelling over losing Kirito."

So Hinoka assumed that Asuna would hide at a place several people already knew she lived. In a lighter mood, he might have laughed at her. "She might have gone somewhere else," he offered. "She and Kirito vanished for a couple of weeks until just this morning."

Hinoka's eyes snapped open. "You're right. We'll have to ask around tomorrow and try to find out where they were."

"Where do we even start, though," muttered Razler.

He despaired for a moment since he didn't know Kirito or Asuna personally, but he quickly realized it was easier than he had thought. He could clearly remember the other players, Klein and Agil, who reached out to Kirito just before the end. Klein and his guild would re-appear in the seventy-sixth floor eventually, but he didn't know where their base was. Luckily, he knew where to find Agil's shop; it had featured on the player newspaper after Kirito tried to hide there when his Dual-Wielding was first revealed.

He explained his idea to Hinoka, but she groaned "Eww, but that means going to Algade."

Razler rolled his eyes at her.

"I'll definitely need to get some of the guild involved in this one," she said, "exploring it with just the two of us could take hours with the size of that place."

She spent a few minutes sending messages, first to Seriyuha, who agreed with their plan, and then next to a few members of the guild. Razler quietly sat, thought, and ate while his sister arranged for a small group to help them search while others continued exploring the seventy-sixth floor. At least he'd have an excuse not to try hunting for the monster crocodiles with Elise. Once their plans were set, Razler and Hinoka tried to force some small talk, but neither were in much mood to chat that night. They finally went to sleep earlier than usual for either of the two of them.

As Razler entered his own room, his gaze automatically fell to his collage. Hinoka kept physical trophies as memories of her time in SAO, while Razler plastered one of his walls with printed screen captures. Guild raids, victories over the labyrinth bosses, field quests, and scattered celebrations. The first time she saw it, Hinoka stared at it silently for nearly a minute and then excused herself, her eyes wet with tears. He'd kept memories of all of them.

And on another wall, he kept pictures of the ones who'd died.

But he didn't have any pictures of Kirito on either wall.

He sat and stared, arms loose at his side. Kirito had once saved his life, and Razler returned the favor by securing no way to remember him by. Noticing something, his breath caught, and he scanned his wall quickly.

He had no pictures of Asuna either. At least no good ones - there were one or two where she was in the distance and indistinct. Not again.

He spent that night lying sleepless in his bed, and even going for an hour-long walk around city didn't help much. When he finally gave up and came back inside, he noticed Hinoka's door was open and her room empty. Even after he managed to fall to sleep, his dreams were a jumbled mess of images from Kirito's duel with Heathcliff and Asuna's defeated appearance flashing through his mind in random order. When morning finally came, he was relieved. Hinoka was eating her breakfast without looking at it or anything at all, her eyes glassy and her hair slightly frazzled. Razler guessed he didn't look much better.

Though he didn't feel hungry, he forced himself to eat, and felt some life in himself again once he had. He and Hinoka made for the teleport gate once they were ready, and departed at once to Algade. Lyle nodded at them as they arrived, but only he was waiting for them. It was a few minutes longer before Keh-keh, Danger_Close (or just Danger), and Thunder Cavalier (usually Thunder) arrived.

With their help gathered, the siblings turned to face the challenge set before them. The Algade teleport gate was at the center of the city, and to an untrained eye, every street leading away from it looked the same as the others around it.

And as Algade was twenty-six floors ago, their eyes were untrained.

Big, overly populated, full of cramped streets, and maze-like, Razler had hated the few weeks they spent clearing the fiftieth floor. Owing to its size and status as being halfway up the castle, Algade was the second-most populated city in SAO after the starting town. Both casual and advanced players lived there for one reason or another, and the NPCs and loot offered a pretty varied level range of items to be sold to other players. Those two factors drew merchants, which then helped to draw players looking to steal from one another, which finally offered player killers a means to blend in amongst the less-dangerous riffraff. He wasn't quite sure why anybody would want to live in a place like it anymore.

But the city wasn't about to get smaller while they stood at the gate despairing over the task set before them, so they split up to cover more ground. Luckily, it actually only took about twenty or thirty minutes of asking around before Razler received a message from Lyle that Agil's shop had been found. Apparently, the man was famous (if not infamous) for his strong deal-making. Agil's store was hidden away in one of the city's many alleys, and had a distinctly shabby appearance from the outside.

"Man, this guy must be cheap," Keh-keh cried as she approached.

"That's his reputation," said Lyle.

"We're not here for his generosity," Hinoka said as she walked toward the door without breaking stride.

The inside of his store gave a better impression than the outside did. His wares were arranged neatly and attractively on the walls and on and within the front counter, and Agil himself looked up at them with a confident grin as they entered.

"Welcome!" he boomed. As he got a better look at the large group coming into his store, he paused shrewd. "You're from the Summer Knights right? What are you looking for this far down?"

"We're not here to shop," said Hinoka. "We wanted to know if you knew where Kirito and Asuna were over the last few weeks."

Agil's eyes widened, and then narrowed. "Why do you wanna know?" he asked sharply.

"'Cause Asuna's gone missing and we're worried she's gonna to kill herself," Keh-keh said, her eyes on Agil's wares.

Her guildmates gave Keh-keh dirty looks, but Agil sighed deeply and brought his hand over his forehead. "Damn. I was worried something like this was going to happen. I don't know that little girl too well but I've seen her around, always wanting to hang onto Kirito."

He shook his head, and was silent for a moment before continuing, "All I know for sure is that they were on the twenty-second floor, celebrating their honeymoon. They came to see me and tell me the good news before they left."

He laughed bitterly and stared at the wall. "Good news... Their marriage only lasted for a few weeks. Damn Kayaba."

"He'll pay," Razler said thickly. "We're going to make sure he doesn't get away with this. He's waiting for us at the top, and we're going to claw our way up there."

"Damn straight we are," said Agil.

"Thank you for the information," said Hinoka. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure Asuna doesn't do anything drastic."

"Kirito wouldn't want her making any huge mistakes." Agil said quietly.

Razler was one of the first to turn and leave, eager to put the heavy atmosphere of the shop behind. He could almost taste the fresh air on the outside, and he was joined almost as quickly by his companions. Hinoka put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a feeble smile. She then sent off a message to Seriyuha informing her of what they'd learned while they were on the way back to the teleport gate, and their guild leader's reply came before they even reached their destination. She intended to meet them on the twenty-second floor herself. Hinoka and Razler exchanged glances at this revelation, understanding that Seriyuha making a personal visit showed how importantly Asuna rated in her mind.

When they arrived on the twenty-second floor, the noise of too many players (and NPCs) talking and carrying out their daily lives was replaced by serene quiet. The cluster of decaying buildings gave way to green fields and trees, and Razler stepped forward to take in the early floor once again. The sunlight glistened off the wet mid-morning grass and the surface of the lakes, and the wind rustled through the trees. The twenty-second floor was sparsely populated, being home mostly to older players who weren't interested in clearing or getting stronger. Razler couldn't blame anyone for not wanting to spend much time down here, but now that he was here, properly taking the scenery in, Razler understood why Kirito and Asuna had chosen to settle down on this floor.

They hadn't spent much time on the floor; despite being an early floor and thus larger than the ones that tended to come after, most of its landmass was covered with lakes, making it easier to navigate relative to the floors above and below it. There were also few monsters on the floor at all, and the ones that were there were relatively weak. Even the Labyrinth and its boss had been one of the easiest of all the ones Razler could recall, and there were no field bosses. The twenty-second floor could therefore be called, in a word, peaceful. He hadn't really noticed it back then, seeing it at the time as just another floor to clear, but now he had the context to appreciate it.

And he had the time as well; Seriyuha was nowhere in sight. She must have been finishing something up when she got Hinoka's message. Unbothered, Razler went to sit on a nearby low stone wall and take in the crisp air, the rest of his guild mates scattering to find their own places to wait. Hinoka joined him within moments, and sat with her legs tucked in against her chest.

"I didn't notice back then that this place was so nice," she said softly.

"Seems like a good place to settle down," he said. "No wonder Kirito and Asuna..."

The place must have become a scar in Asuna's mind. A shadow of what she'd lost. Where else would be a better ironic place to take her own life?

"I can't believe they even got married," whispered Hinoka. "In this world..."

She sighed and cupped her hands over her face. "I think I can almost understand what she's going through. If I lost you... I don't know what I'd do with myself..."

"Not what she's probably planning to do," he said, his throat tight with emotion.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Seriyuha arrived in that moment, and the Summer Knights (aside from Keh-keh) leaped to give their guildmaster their attention. Hinoka quickly explained the situation in full. Nodding, Seriyuha made for the village that formed around the teleport gate.

"With so few players living here," she began, "and most of them older ones at that, it's safe to assume that people like Kirito and Asuna would have made an impression on some of their neighbors if they were here for any length of time. Split up and ask around for where exactly they were staying. We have to find Asuna as quickly as possible."

The Summer Knights did as told, though Razler and Hinoka remained together as they often did. They found only a few players - both older gentlemen, as Seriyuha had guessed - but none of them new Kirito and Asuna more than in passing. Going out toward the lakes the dotted the floor, they realized that splitting up to cover more ground might have been superfluous. All the players at that time of the day appeared to be fishing around the floor's many lakes, and certainly weren't going anywhere. In fact, they could see from their current vantage point that Lyle and Thunder had already managed to run into one another after only a few minutes of splitting up.

"Maybe we aught to put some distance between us and the town," said Hinoka.

Razler agreed, and they decided to make for the furthest-away lake around which they could see another player. The walk took only a few minutes, but Razler was in no rush to speed the journey up. Walking over the fields and under the trees seemed to relieve some of the weight on his shoulders, and he could tell from her faint smile that Hinoka felt the same.

But, eventually, they did reach the player they had seen, who turned out to be an older man – one of the oldest they'd ever seen logged into the game – wearing a straw hat and metal glasses. He was focused purely on his fishing as they approached.

Razler exchanged a look with his sister.

"You don't think he's an NPC do you?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure they don't fish."

"Yeah, but how do we ask?"

"It's kinda rude, isn't it-"

Suddenly, the older man turned to them, a broad smile on his face. "You can feel free to talk to me, I'm not an NPC."

"Oh!" gasped Hinoka. She rushed a low bow, her face a deep red. "I'm sorry, I just didn't want to distract you!"

"Then I forgive you," the old man said as he turned his gaze back on the lake. "It's not often that young people respect when a man is engrossed in a task."

"Nah, my sister freaks out if you break her concentration," Razler said, giving Hinoka a sly grin. She shot him a nasty look, to which the old man broke out in hearty laughter.

"Siblings, the two of you! It's good to see young players like yourselves enjoying your time!"

"Actually sir, we came looking for a girl a little younger than me," said Hinoka. "Her name was-"

"Asuna, right? Young Kirito's wife?"

Hinoka's eyes widened. "You knew the two of them?"

The old man finally set down his fishing rod. "My name is Nishida. I met Kirito fishing out here only a few days back, and let me tell you, I thought that was the strangest thing I'd seen since I came to this floor, but then he introduced me to his wife, and they even helped me fish up the local lake god!"

Nishida gazed out onto the lake, a warm smile on his face. "They're a good couple. A bit young, but hard times have a way of pushing people together. I'm sure they'll be able to work through any hardships that come their way."

Hinoka looked this way and that, and bowed her head. "Unfortunately..."

Nishida turned toward her, frowning not unkindly, and Razler watched her, realization that she wasn't going to be able to bring herself to say the awful words growing by the moment. How could she, after what Nishida had just said?

But the truth had to come out before they'd get anywhere. And if Nishida was a friend of Kirito's, he deserved to know the truth.

"Kirito is no longer with us," he said thickly.

Nishida rounded on him, his mouth slightly open. Razler bowed his head and shook it, Nishida stepped back and looked out across the lake again.

"This game took him too? Such a good, young man..."

His hands clenched into shaking fists. "Why would anyone do something like this... Crush so many innocent lives..."

"You said Kirito introduced you to Asuna, did he show you where they're staying?" asked Hinoka. "She's gone missing, and we're worried for her safety."

"Of course," Nishida said hurriedly. "Pull up your mini-map, I'll mark the place they lived."

Hinoka quietly did as Nishida asked, and he examined her mini-map for a moment, his hand on his chin. "Right... that's it. It was that event house. Forest House K4, I think it was."

He poked the map with his right index finger, and a white x appeared on it.

"Thank you so much for your help," Hinoka said as she closed her map. "I'll let you know when we're sure Asuna will be okay."

"Not at all," Nishida said quietly as he reached for his fishing poke. "I'd hate to see anything happen to that poor young girl now... The least I can do for Kirito is make sure that his wife makes it through this. She's lucky to have friends like the two of you."

Hinoka and Razler bowed and turned to leave, but Nishida called out to them again. "Let her know... that Kirito would want the best for her. No matter how badly it hurts. She still has a lot left to live for!"

"We will," said Razler.

They left him behind, heading quickly toward the indicated place, pausing only to message Seriyuha with what they'd learned. She replied back, telling them to meet the others at the teleport gate. Upon regrouping, she urged them to lead the way. Now with a trail right before them, they moved at a brisk pace, distance trailing behind them quickly. Razler's heart pounded throughout the short trip, his imagination beginning to run wild on him. What would they find in the cabin? Would Asuna even be there or did she find some secret hole to wait in until she could die?

He gnashed his teeth. She had to be there. And if not, they'd do whatever they had to to find her. They'd narrowed their search down this far already in just a day.

The trip wasn't long; they reached their destination after only around twenty minutes of walking. The place that Nishida had dotted turned out - as he had suggested - to be a small but attractive one-floor log cabin with a patio, nestled within the forest and overlooking a nearby lake. Razler paused a moment to take it in as they approached. Simple but peaceful, it could be called a testament to the floor it was found in.

The knights assembled on the edge of it, Seriyuha up front. "Keh-keh?" she asked without looking at the young girl.

"Yeah, Asuna's in there," Keh-keh said casually as she picked at the grass.

Razler's felt a surge of relief. "She's okay?" he asked.

"Well duh, I wouldn't be able to detect her if she were dead," said Keh-keh. "She's not moving though. Maybe she's asleep. Or sulking."

"The poor girl just experienced a terrible loss, Keh-keh, try some heart," Lyle said, arms crossed.

"Boring."

Seriyuha uttered a sound of disgusted and strode toward the door. She gave a few clear but not overly hard knocks on the door, and received no reply. After a few seconds of total silence issuing from within, she tried to turn the nob, finding it unyielding against her.

"Asuna, this is Seriyuha of the Summer Knights, one of your fellow clearers! Please, let us in. Don't shut yourself away from the world."

Nothing. The knights remained still.

"Keh-keh," Seriyuha said with a glance to the girl.

Keh-keh flipped onto her feet and strolled over to Seriyuha's side. With one hand on the doorknob to Kirito and Asuna's house, she began fiddling through her menus. Razler watched, stunned, as Keh-keh had the door opened within seconds. He'd never bothered with the lockpicking skill himself, but he'd heard that player dwellings were naturally the very hardest doors in the game to unlock - some thought impossible.

It wasn't the first time he found himself relieved that Keh-keh was on their side.

Seriyuha glanced at the others and held her palm up to them, and then slowly and quietly let herself into the log cabin. The moment Seriyuha was out of sight, the knights moved closer to the door, and listened as closely as they could. With the door left open, they could heard the quietened sound of Seriyuha speaking inside.

"Please... it's not your business." That was Asuna. Razler exchanged a glance with Hinoka, whose eyes were wide. Neither of them had ever heard Asuna sound so... defeated... before. They had knowing going into this that she wouldn't be at her best, but...

"Yes it is, it's the business of everyone who knows you," said Seriyuha. "I'm not here speaking only for myself, the other clearers, your guild, they'll all need you. Please, for all of us, you have to be strong.

"Even if I wanted to... go on... There's no point," said Asuna. "How can any of us keep fighting now? Kirito and the Commander are both gone... it's hopeless..."

"No!" Seriyuha said firmly. Razler flinched at her tone - a reflex action. "Hope will never die, not as long as there's still a single clearer willing to get us out of this game! You have a responsibility to others. We're not asking you to just move on as if nothing happened, but at least promise that you won't give up."

A new moments of silence. Razler leaned closer, his heart pounding, hoping that Seriyuha could get through to her.

"Please... leave me alone..."

His heart missed a beat.

"I'll give you some time to think things through, but I will come back. I'm not ready to give up on you just yet," said Seriyuha, a little more gently.

She stepped out of the house, making no reaction to the fact that everyone else was blatantly listening in on her conversation, and immediately looked to Keh-keh. "Is there anything you can do to track Asuna's movements?"

"Uhh." She hesitated a moment, a rare focused look on her face. "Not from long range. If it's not going to be too long I can just wait here and see if she tries to leave."

"Good, thank you," said Seriyuha. "Be ready to teleport after her if she uses a crystal."

Keh-keh nodded and pulled one of her teleport crystals from her pouch. She vaulted gracefully up a tree and onto one of the branches. There she sat, her eyes on the cabin.

"Do you have a plan, Seriyuha?" asked Lyle.

"We need to show Asuna just how many people care about her well-being," said Seriyuha. "I'm going to meet with the KoB and tell them to send as many people as they can spare to meet with us here tomorrow morning. As for the rest of you, contact as many of the other clearers as you know and have them do the same."

The Summer Knights acknowledged their instructions, and returned to the Teleport Gate as a group. This walk was considerably longer than the one to the cabin had been. Razler's heart was heavy, and not even the serenity of the virtual landscape around them did much to ease him. The truth of the matter was, even if they could somehow get Asuna's fight back, she wasn't wrong. Without Kirito, they were facing hard times like never before. What could they possibly do to prove Asuna wrong? He glanced over to his big sister, and saw her walking with her head bowed and eyes narrowed. Was she thinking the same? The others around him looked just as preoccupied in their own ways. Only Seriyuha strode on as if nothing had changed in their situation.

He almost missed having Keh-keh around just then.

Upon reaching the teleport gate, Seriyuha immediately teleported up to Granzam, the city on the fifty-fifth floor where the Knights of the Blood made their headquarters. The rest of the knights scattered to various other floors, and Hinoka and Razler teleported back to their home floor to get some space in which to think. They walked automatically toward the nearest bench and sat down, side by by.

"I'll pass a message along to Agil and Nishida," Hinoka said after a moment of quiet. "Neither of them claimed to know Asuna all that well, but we're better off getting in touch with as many people as possible."

She spent a few minutes fiddling through her menus and typing out messages. Once both were sent, she looked toward Razler, as if expecting something.

"I don't have any other real ideas, if that's what you're thinking," he said after a few seconds. "I only really know other members of the Knights."

Hinoka nodded her face etched in concentration. "I don't... hmm... Maybe we could figure out some people she might know if we could get our hands on some of her items? Her uniform was customized, I know that much - she complained about it a couple times, loudly. Keh-keh knows how to check an item for its stats, like who made it, right?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Razler muttered. Hinoka wasn't wrong though, Asuna's gear was rumored to be of high quality, even by the standards of being a clearer. "I think Asuna mentioned a few times that her rapier was player-made. Actually, she never had her equipment break on her during raids or boss fights as far as I can remember, so she must have had a pretty good blacksmith helping her with her gear."

"Nice one, Shirou," Hinoka said brightly as she sent another private message. She paused a moment after sending it, frowning. "I just hope that she doesn't get even more upset if Keh-keh steals her sword for a while..."

Razler groaned and rubbed his eyes. Of course she could do that too.

After only a few minutes, Hinoka looked up and checked her menus. "Lambent Light, crafted by the player Lisbeth."

That name! He'd heard it before, several times! But where? He stared at the ground and forced himself to think, willing himself to remember.

"OH!" Razler gasped loudly, snapping upright on the bench. "That was Kirito's blacksmith!"

"How do you know that?" asked Hinoka.

"Apparently she said he had to advertise her services as an agreement for her becoming his personal blacksmith. He'd slip in her name every now and again whenever the subject of equipment came up while we were all planning for Labyrinth bosses. I think she was based on..."

He frowned, searching his memory. Kirito had mentioned the floor number a few times, but what was it?

"Uhh, I think it was the... fortieth floor? Somewhere on the forties, I'm sure."

"It's probably," Hinoka said slowly, "floor forty-eight... That floor's supposed to be really good for production classes because there's a lot of waterwheels."

"And how do you know that?"

"I like to look around for player-made items every now and again, it's usually high-quality stuff," Hinoka said as she stood up.

They moved quickly again, just as they had on the way to the cabin, and transitioned to floor forty-eight. The atmosphere there was similar to floor twenty-two; tranquil and simple, but it was a little more industrious. Workshops with waterwheels attached stretched as far as the eye could see. Rivers were also commonplace on this floor, which went without saying given what they were powering.

"So why're these waterwheels such a big deal?" asked Razler.

"Better-quality production activities require sources of power," said Hinoka. "I've heard rumors that you can mine rare stones that give off actual electricity, but apparently windmills and waterwheels are the big thing among producers for now. Maybe there'll be something even better on one of the last floors? Who knows."

"And suddenly this world being a realistic fantasy setting becomes a pain," Razler muttered as he fell in step behind Hinoka.

With the afternoon sun hanging overhead, the siblings spent some time asking around about Lizbeth's shop – being careful to avoid asking anybody who seemed like they themselves might be a blacksmith – and were eventually pointed toward a player-owned house at the top of a small terrace. Attached to the side of the house was a smaller building, from the chimney of which smoke was billowing. A sure sign of smithing being done. They hurried on.

Razler and Hinoka let themselves in, and immediately caught sight of a small pigtailed girl shrieking at a rigid blank-faced young woman - a sure mark of an NPC. Razler and Hinoka exchanged glances. Arguing with an NPC? Few things were more one-sided and pointless.

He saw nobody besides the two arguing (or not arguing, in the NPC's case) so it seemed Lisbeth was indisposed of at the moment. Shrugging, Razler paused to look at the store around him. Various weapons were displayed proudly on the walls, in cases, and on surfaces in the shop. No doubt Lisbeth's work. Though she had a variety of weapons on show, she seemed to have a particular interest in swords. Longswords, broadswords, rapiers, katanas, curved blades. He could immediately tell how Asuna and Kirito had come to require her services.

The little girl got louder, bringing Razler's attention back to her. She was screaming away at the NPC, arms waving. "Just get Lisbeth!" she cried.

"I'm terribly sorry, but the proprietor is currently away. Is there anything I could do to help you in the meanwhile? This shop carries only the finest merchandise!"

"Can you tell me when Kirito will come again, then?"

"I'm sorry, this store doesn't carry the item you described."

Razler and Hinoka exchanged looks.

"Excuse me," Hinoka said as she stepped forward. "We'd really like to meet Lisbeth too, do you know when she'll be available?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but the proprietor did not tell me when she would return. Is there anything I could do to help you in the meanwhile? This shop carries only the finest merchandise!"

Realizing that this was going nowhere fast, Razler turned to the customer instead.

"You said that you were hoping to meet Kirito?" he asked. She was probably just one of his fans, but there was a chance she actually knew him. Whether or not she could help with Asuna, she deserved to know the truth.

The young girl – possibly a little older than Keh-keh – turned to him, her face red. Looking at her, Razler was briefly seized by an urge to reach out and ruffle her pigtailed hair, but he suspected she'd just get angry. Then he caught sight of the light-blue feathered dragon perched on her shoulder.

No way.

"S-silica? You're Silica!?"

There was only one player he knew of who'd managed to tame a feathered dragon!

The girl took a step back, her expression turning from angry to troubled in a flash. "Oh no, you're not one of my fans, are you?"

"Errr."

This was not going well. Razler stood where he was, words tumbling through his mind, before Hinoka sighed and stepped forward, shoving Razler back. "Don't mind my brother, he's an idiot and he's wanted a dragon pet ever since word got out that you tamed yours. He is, unfortunately, one of your fans, but I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Oh c'mon," muttered Razler his cheeks hot, "do you have any idea how awesome that would be, having a dragon with you all day long?"

Silica laughed and plucked Pina off of her shoulder with both hands before hugging her tight. Pina gave a high-pitched chirp and brushed nuzzled against Silica's chest. "It's not just awesome!"

"You know Kirito?" Hinoka asked quietly.

Razler shuddered, his gaze darting briefly to his sister before returning to Silica.

"Yeah, do you?" Silica asked brightly, apparently not picking up on Hinoka's tone.

"He saved me and Pina a long time ago. Ever since then I've been training hard and then I heard that Lisbeth does his smithing, so I wanted to show him how much better I've gotten and the amazing new trick Pina's learned!"

Razler turned aside and clenched his fists. Now they'd have to crush Silica's enthusiasm too.

Damn Kayaba.

"That's... going to be," Hinoka said slowly, her gaze straying away from Silica.

Silica gave her a questioning look, but the ring of a bell drew everyone's attention to the back of the shop, where a pink-haired young woman emerged. Razler immediately assumed she was another service NPC, but she was moving and acting like any other player - fluidly. His wrong first impression was the fault of the young woman's bizarre outfit, which made her look almost like a waitress.

"Phew, sorry to keep everyone waiting!" she said brightly, a cheerful smile on her face. No, she had to be Lisbeth. "I was just finishing up a new weapon, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Oh, yes!" Silica said as she walked toward Lisbeth. "When will Kirito be here next? I've heard you're his smith, and I wanted to talk to him about something really important!"

Lisbeth's expression twitched into a frown for just a second before she mastered herself. No doubt a practiced reaction. "I can pass a message along if you'd like, but Kirito is a very busy man and he has a lot of fans -"

"I'm not a fan, I know him personally, he saved me once!"

"Yes, he seems to do that often, but-"

Hinoka strode forward and cleared her throat loudly. "Actually, I had something I needed to say about Kirito," she said.

Silica continued chattering away for a few moments longer, but Lisbeth looked only at Hinoka, frowning. "What happened, is he okay?"

Razler sighed. Here it was.

Hinoka opened her mouth to speak but shut it right away. Her gaze darted this way and that, and Lisbeth continued staring at her, looking increasingly worried by the second.

Razler placed a hand over her Hinoka's shoulder and stepped forward. "He... fell on the seventy-fifth floor. I'm sorry that-"

"No!" shrieked Silica. "That can't be true! Kirito's too good at this game to... to..."

She shook her heard furiously, Pina giving troubled cries. "It can't be true! That's all there is to it!"

But Lisbeth was looking through her menus, her whole body quivering like a leaf. When she finally had the last menu opened, she froze for a moment, her eyes wide. "K-kirito..." she whispered. She stepped back against the wall and slumped to the ground, her eyes glassy and pointed toward the ceiling.

Hinoka briefly explained what had happened on the seventy-fifth floor to the two girls. Silica eventually broke down in sobs and collapsed onto her knees, while Lisbeth continued to stare at the ceiling, quiet tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry you had to hear about this this way," Hinoka concluded. "I wish this weren't the truth just as much as I'm sure you do, but it is."

"No, thank you," Lisbeth said quietly. "Thank you for telling me. It's better... that I know what happened... This is better than spending every day, wondering why he isn't coming back... Whether he just removed me from his friends list and found a better smith..."

"He wouldn't have done that," said Razler. "He was a better man."

"He was," Lisbeth said as she stumbled to get back on her feet. Hinoka went to her and helped her up. Lisbeth remained standing, though her legs shook. "I," she said as she turned toward the back door. "I need a while to myse-"

"Wait, we need help with Asuna!" cried Razler.

Lisbeth spun back around and nearly ran up to him, her eyes wide. "Asuna! How is she handling this!? Is she okay!?"

Hinoka shook her head. "She's not doing well. She's shut herself up in her house on the twenty-second floor and we're afraid she'll-."

Lisbeth gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth. "No! No, no, no! Asuna, you can't! I'm going to-"

"We're already gathering everyone who knows her that we can find," said Razler, "we're hoping that if we can show her that there's enough people here that care about her, it might give her back her will to live."

"I'll help! I refuse to be left out of whatever plan you have!" Lisbeth said instantly. "When're we going to meet with her?"

"Tomorrow morning, at eight am," said Hinoka. "Open your minimap and I'll show you you."

While Hinoka marked the location of the cabin on Lisbeth's minimap, Silica suddenly roused from the other side of the room.

"Is... this Asuna..." she mumbled quietly.

Razler jumped, having briefly forgotten she was even still in the shop. Silica walked closer, holding Pina tight. The little dragon looked up at him, an almost pouting look on her face. Was she able to read her master's feelings?

"Is Asuna someone important to him?"

"She was his most important person in this world," Razler said quietly.

"Then," Silica began, quietly and with her gaze on her feet, "let me help too, please. I don't know Asuna at all but..." she looked up, face flushed. "Kirito saved my life once! And he helped me get Pina back! There has to be something I can do to make it up to him..."

"Thank you," Razler said, smiling at her.

"I'll message everyone I know that knows her," said Lisbeth.

"Every person we can get to come tomorrow will help," said Hinoka. She glanced at Silica, and then back to Lisbeth. "Thank you both for being so strong even with the horrible news we've brought you. I hope - I'm sure that tomorrow will go much better."

Lisbeth nodded and went into the back part of her shop again, the door closing with a leaden sound. Silica thanked them for telling her what had happened and excused herself, her steps heavy and slow.

Alone, Hinoka nodded to Razler and then jerked her head toward the door, and he took the hint. They left the heavy atmosphere of Lisbeth's shop behind, and made their way back to the teleport gate. They spent the rest of the day attempting to contact all the other clearers they knew for more support, but they only heard back from one of the members of Fuurinkazan, Klein's guild. From him they heard that Klein was in the middle of furious training to take his mind off of Kirito's passing, and that he would pass news of their request to meet with Asuna to the rest of the guild.

Razler and Hinoka could only guess at how well Klein might have known Asuna, but they had been able to surmise from Kirito's farewell to him that they, at least, were friends, and they also knew that Klein was the honest and honorable type. It was likely that he'd show up in the same gesture of solidarity that Silica had promised. So that was one more likely to show. By the time they had finally finished that, the sun was going down, and so the pair chose to return to their home, hoping that the other Knights would have been able to find more help.

The walk to their house from the teleport gate seemed to stretch for ages. Razler trudged along, feeling more tired than he had at the end of days in which they'd fought labyrinth bosses.

The last two days had been like none other before...

Just as they had the night before, Razler and Hinoka sat at their living room, both quiet. Razler stared at the table, his thoughts racing. He had spent so much time focused on helping Asuna, on reclaiming her will to go on, that he'd barely had time to think of what might come after. Klein was training... for the next twenty-five floors, no doubt. He could only imagine how horrible they would be, and they would have to make that climb without Kirito, without his dual-wielding.

Razler shook his head slowly. He wasn't sure how they would make it. It was ironic – he was trying to bring back hope to Asuna, but he kept none for himself.

Once again he went to bed earlier than usual that night, as did Hinoka. When dawn finally case he felt worse than he had the day before, and only his hope that they'd manage to rouse Asuna from her depressed state got him out of bed. He and his sister hurried to the teleport gate as quickly as they could, and then to the lakeside cabin where Asuna once lived with Kirito. When they arrived they found Lisbeth, Seriyuha, Nishida, and a few of the knights already waiting for them. Lisbeth was fidgeting, wringing her hands, and couldn't seem to take her eyes off of the cabin. Nishida, on the other hand, was watching the lake with barely any movement at all.

Razler sat down on the grass and began waiting, his heart hammering as the seconds passed. Obviously Asuna had to still be inside or else Seriyuha would have mentioned something, so that just left how she'd react. If they managed to gather enough players, surely that would have an effect on Asuna? Or was she too far gone to care any longer?

Soon after Razler and Hinoka arrived, a large number of players wearing the Knights of the Blood uniform showed up. One of them - probably somebody important - chatted briefly with Seriyuha, thanking her again for arranging the event. Within moments they were followed by the members of Fuurinkazan, Klein leading them.

Klein looked around briefly as he drew near, and he turned first to the person closest to him, which happened to be Hinoka.

"Who's in charge of this-"

"That's me," Seriyuha said as she strode forward to him. "I arranged for this."

"Oh yeah, I've seen you around," muttered Klein. He looked up briefly at the cabin. "She's in there now? What're we waiting for, then?"

"Everybody else to arrive, we'll have a bigger impact on her the more people who are here," she said. "Thanks for coming, by the way."

"That bastard would come back to haunt me if I didn't do what I could to help Asuna," said Klein.

Razler smiled despite himself. He knew few people who would refer to Kirito in such a casual manner.

Silica was next to arrive. She walked up briskly first, Pina held loose in her arms, but as she drew near and saw the gathering crowd her pace slowed and her grip on Pina tightened. Seriyuha came out to greet her, a warm smile on her face, and she actually knelt down before her once there was barely two yards' distance between her and the girl.

"You're Silica, aren't you? Razler and Hinoka told me that you'd be coming out this morning," she said kindly.

"Y-yes, they told me about... about what happened..."

"It's a wonderful thing that you're doing this without even knowing Asuna," Seriyuha said. She got to her feet, but continued looking down at Silica. "I'm sure Kirito would be proud to see you now."

"I'd be happier seeing him again," Silica said quietly as she maneuvered around Seriyuha. Seriyuha's gaze remained on her, until finally she returned to her original spot.

Up next were a few more players that Razler knew to be clearers, but little more than that. They mostly kept to the groups they came in. Lastly, and to his surprise, a few members of the Divine Dragon Alliance arrived. They remained the furthest from the Knights of the Blood members Razler looked out across the huge number of assembled players – some seventy-odd in total – and wondered whether Asuna had really touched the lives of even more than half of them. Surely a good number had only come to make certain the Flash would continue working alongside the clearers? Either way, if this kind of gathering didn't demonstrate to her how important she was to the rest of the players, he wasn't sure what else would.

A few more minutes passed without anybody arrived - by then it was tweny-four minutes past eight - and Seriyuha began walking back toward the cabin. Once there, she cleared her throat and bowed low. "I appreciate all of you coming on such short notice. I'm sure most of you understand what we're gathered here for, but I'll explain this briefly."

She gestured to the house. "The Flash has locked herself up in her home, convinced that her life is without point or hope now that Kirito is no longer among us. I'm confident that, when she sees how many have answered this call, she'll realize how wrong she-"

Keh-keh flipped off of the roof of the cabin and began lockpicking the door, earning a dirty look from her guildmaster. "C'mon, Seriyuha, I'm pretty sure everyone would like to see Asuna before the two weeks Kayaba gave her are up."

To Razler's surprise, a low murmur of agreement and a few nods actually sprang up among the assembled crowd, and Seriyuha stepped away, a bitter look on her face. Keh-keh unlocked the door and swung it wide open, crying out, "Hey Asuna, your pizza's here!"

Lisbeth practically leapt onto the porch and shoved Keh-keh aside in her haste to get into the house. Razler heard some confused screams from within, followed by Lisbeth roughly dragging Asuna through the door by the arm.

"How could you even think of just giving up on me? On everyone!?" Lisbeth was screaming, angry tears in her eyes. "Don't you realize how many people that would hurt!?"

Asuna ignored Lisbeth, and was staring at the crowd that was gathered on her doorstep. "E-everyone? What's everyone doing here?"

One of the Knights of the Blood members – the same one that Razler had assumed to be a leader and had spoken with Seriyuha – stepped up and nodded to Asuna. "Commander Asuna, the Knights of the Blood won't abandon their own so easily. We still believe in you."

"Everyone here does," said another of the KoB.

Asuna blinked, and nodded. "Thank you," she said numbly.

"My guild and I called for everyone to meet here just hours ago," said Seriyuha. "The fact that everyone agreed to come this morning with so little notice should be a sign."

"He wouldn't want you to die for him," said Klein. "He'd try find a way to die all over again to make up for it, believe me."

"There's no need for despair, Asuna," cried Samson, "Seriyuha's plan working so well is proof like none other that the Lord is still on our side!"

"Ohhh, is he gonna smite Kayaba for us?" Keh-keh said from atop Asuna's house.

"The point is," said Seriyuha, loudly, "that all of these people want to help see you through this time of hardship, Asuna. Nobody's asking you to return to the front lines immediately, but please fight through this with everything you've got."

Lisbeth took Asuna's hands in hers, and looked her in the eye. "Please, Asuna, don't give up. Kirito wouldn't want that. We both know that."

Asuna looked down, her body shaking. "Everyone... thank you all," she said quietly. She gently pried Lisbeth's hands off of her own and stepped forward, past Seriyuha. "I'm so sorry that I worried all of you. I just... lost sight of things..."

"It's understandable. You've been through a lot already," said Seriyuha.

Asuna shook her head and balled her hands into fists. "But I... I think I'll be okay now - I promise. The Comman – Kayaba Akihiko – we will defeat him." She raised her fist high and called out, "He's not going to get away with deceiving us!"

The members of the Knights of the Blood did as she did and gave wordless shouts, and even a few of the others who weren't associated with the Knights did likewise. Razler realized he had even balled his own fist. His heart was pounding again - but not from fear. He scrambled onto his feet, unable to sit still.

Asuna turned to Seriyuha and gave a low bow. "Thank you so much. For everything. You arranged this, didn't you?"

Seriyuha smiled and shook her head. "No, I should be the one thanking you for being so strong. Kirito's loss is hard even on those of us who didn't know him at all. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you."

"It's definitely not easy," Asuna said quietly and with her gaze on the ground. "I'd like to have our guilds work together to search the seventy-sixth floor, to make up for... lost time. It's been two days since we cleared the seventy-fifth floor and we haven't even begun-"

"No, some players have been exploring the next floor," said Hinoka. "And we went there for a while. We can probably coordinate with some of the others players to help speed things up."

"That sounds like a great idea," said Asuna.

"And of course the Summer Knights will be willing to cooperate with the Knights of the Blood," said Seriyuha. "I'll contact you this evening to arrange strategy discussions."

Seriyuha stepped forward and extended her hand to Asuna, and the swordswoman in white took it without any hesitation. Some of the Knights – from both guilds – cheered out or clapped at the gesture.

And then Asuna suddenly rounded on Keh-keh, her hands on her hips.

"And give me back my sword already, you little brat!"

Razler stared at Keh-keh dumbly.

No way.

"Keh-keh!" Hinoka shrieked, "you didn't give Asuna her rapier back!?"

Keh-keh gave the others a blank look and pulled Asuna's prized rapier from her inventory. "What, you didn't say anything about giving the thing back when I was done with it."

"Hinoka dear, would you mind explaining why you arranged with Keh-keh to steal Asuna's rapier?" Seriyuha said, a blank look on her face.

"You stole Lambent Light from Asuna!?" cried Lisbeth. "That was a gift, I made it for her!"

"I... I wanted... I thought..." Hinoka looked desperately from Asuna to Lisbeth to Seriyuha, all of whom were glaring daggers at her. "R-Razler was part of it too!" she cried, shakily pointing toward her brother.

Razler could only stand there as the four women gave him various looks that he wasn't fond of, reflecting on the unfairness of the situation as he tried to think of a way out. He suspected that Hinoka would probably try to find a way to share blame even if he pointed out that having Keh-keh steal the sword was entirely her own idea. Maybe he should just leave and talk to Seriyuha in private about it? Nah, that would ruin the mood - or at least it would wreck it a little more than it already was. Then his eyes fell on Silica, who just looked thoroughly confused.

That was it!

"Hey Silica!" he cried loudly and quickly, "show us that trick you said Pina learned, the one you mentioned at Lisbeth's shop! Right now? Please?"

Silica's expression brightened after a moment's uncertainty and she pulled Pina from her shoulder and onto her arms. "Oh, okay! Sure thing!"

She turned and made her way through the crowd of players. Where was she going? She shouldn't have needed much room to show off something her little dragon could do. Was she trying to sneak away from the insane situation? Razler sighed and turned back to face Asuna, Seriyuha, Hinoka, and Lisbeth.

"Stop trying to look for a way out, Razler!" cried Hinoka. "Accept responsibility for this horrible thing that was totally your fault!"

"Well for starters, Sis-"

"Pina, Transcend!" cried Silica.

A burst of light erupted from behind the rest of the players, and most everyone cried out and shielded their eyes. A flurry of light blue feathers were swirling upward like a cyclone, concealing Silica and Pina. All they could see was a great light and a bright shape rearing up in the center of the blizzard of feathers. The feathers and the light faded away after a few seconds, and a chorus of gasps and alarmed shouts began to surge through the crowd. Even Razler took a step back, his breath catching in his throat.

A dragon was looming before them. A giant, feathery dragon, with fangs as large and keen as swords, a fierce-looking horn sprouting from its forhead, and a vast wingspan that could probably send them all flying with a single flap. The beast looked down at them, judging them with its great red eyes. Was it about to attack? Razler was amongst those who drew weapons and began to charge, but Silica sprang forth from the shadow of the dragon, her arms spread wide.

"Wait, stop, it's Pina! The dragon's Pina! It's safe, I promise!" she cried loudly.

The players slowed to an uncertain stop. Sheathing his sword, Razler looked up at the dragon. The color of the feathers matched, as did the eye color and the twin tails, but was this great beast really Pina? The same tiny dragon that rode on Silica's shoulder?

As if sensing doubt, Silica smiled and turned to reach up toward the great dragon. The giant beast sank low and nuzzled its head into her arms. With a gentle nudge, it sent Silica off her feet, but she just laughed and beamed as it pressed its head against her body.

"See?" Silica cried out without taking her eyes off her dragon. "It's still the same Pina, she's just giant and awesome now!"

There was no denying that Silica was right, but...

Razler stared numbly, hardly believing what he was seeing. He'd seen a few draconic enemies but he estimated that Pina dwarfed them all in size. He'd heard that pets became bigger and stronger with time and good raising, but Pina in her current state looked like she could battle with a Labyrinth boss and hold her own.

"Sis?" he asked.

"I've... never heard of this before," Hinoka said quietly. "I've never seen anything about pets getting this huge in the game's source code or in the Beta... This shouldn't be happening."

He wasn't sure what was going on, that much was obvious. But Razler understood he was seeing something amazing, something that shouldn't be.

This was just like that day that he watched Kirito fighting Heathcliff in Grandzam. The day that he saw Kirito publically unveiling his Dual-Wielding, the ability that shouldn't have existed. Pina shouldn't have been able to morph to such a great size, but she had.

"You mentioned something about a miracle, Lyle?" whispered Razler.

---

Most of Volume 2 is pointless in the long run of the actual plot, as it's all just side stories. Red-Nosed Reindeer mostly serves to demonstrate the backstory that Kirito described to Asuna in Volume 1 (and confuse the ever loving hell out of people with the Divine Stone of Returning Soul when the light novel was adapted to an anime), Morning Dew Girl was actually important because it introduced Yui, but The Black Swordsman and Warmth of the Heart were the worst when it came to this problem.

Warmth of the Heart was actively bothersome about this, as Kirito accomplishes nothing specific with Dark Repulsor (Heathcliff destroys it during the final battle, and Kirito finishes him off with Lambent Light, Asuna's rapier, instead), but Lisbeth was a natural to move the plot of helping Asuna along.

I definitely wanted to find a way to use Silica in this fanfic - I think she's a pretty excellent example of a more "ordinary" player amongst all the super-stars we see in SAO, and her relationship with Pina is adorable. Also, it seems appropriate that two of the lives Kirito once saved would together become one of the ten who would take up his mantle.

Anyways, please take time out to review! Constructive criticism is especially welcome!