Level 100: Trost. Great Hall.

The silence was deafening, filling the Hall with tension that could be cut with the swords that the players were still gripping tightly. Kirito did not see immediate danger and lowered his sword slightly, glancing to Asuna and Agil to do the same. They did not trust these new arrivals – just in case – but they did trust Kirito. The soldiers from the Knights of the Blood Oath kept their weapons at the ready.

"You need not be afraid: we are not here to hurt you." The man continued, making sure he made eye contact with each of those stood opposite him; he could see the intensity in their eyes, the pain and fear clouding their minds. They had learnt to be very wary in this game, particularly in unfamiliar situations. Akihiko Kayaba had a very deadly, creative imagination, and one which they had grown to fear. However, these people did not appear to be monsters; if anything, they looked like a guild in themselves. The man took a step forward, making Kimiko stiffen her grip on the handle of her sword. Asuna reached out and put her hand on Kimiko's shoulder to calm her – risking an immediate sword-shaped reaction – and Kimiko obliged: they needed whatever information they could get, and by her sides were some of the most skilled fighters in the clearing group. They could handle it.

Kimiko lowered her sword, although she did not feel comfortable enough to return it to its scabbard; with this, her subordinates from the Knights of the Blood Oath also lowered their weapons, keeping themselves at the ready but loosening their muscular bodies.

"I am Commander Erwin Smith, and this is my partner Captain Levi Ackerman." The tall man went on, gesturing to the small man who stood beside him, while radiating comfort and calmness with the situation, more so now that the players' weapons had been lowered. "This is Mike Zacharius and Hange Zoe," he went on, nodding to the two people stood behind them. "And we are the Squad Leaders of the Survey Corps."

"Nice to meet you!" Hange exclaimed, leaning forward so that her eyes jumped out to the new arrivals, conveying her very real excitement and enthusiasm for their mere existence.

"Hello." Mike muttered, looking overall bored and disgruntled at what he viewed to be a waste of time, saying these pleasantries without even knowing who these people are and if they could be trusted.

"I see you made it here well enough." Levi murmured, deadpan yet acrimonious, his eyes flickering from person to person, critiquing their stances and analysing their capabilities. Kirito snarled a little at this display of sheer ignorance, remembering the plight of the players to his sides, and of those who did not make it this far. Asuna grabbed his wrist, trying to calm him as she had Kimiko earlier, and he bit his tongue. However, Asuna did not reach out to Kimiko with this calming influence.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you inconsiderate bastard?!" She yelled, lunging towards the oak table that stood between her and Levi, ready to hurdle it and put him in his place. However, before she reached the table, Taiki grabbed her arms and pulled her back: he was her bodyguard, and wanted to avoid unnecessary fighting. He also had the attentiveness to realise that these people could be strong allies; they had structure, weapons (he had noticed the 3D Manoeuvre Gear, but did not know exactly what it was) and potentially information.

Levi sighed lightly, not thinking her outburst was worth fighting back against. Taiki continued to prevent her from lunging at Levi, while Miyu spoke to her in order to calm her down; the third member of the Knights of the Blood Oath simply stared at Levi, enraged but stationary. Kirito looked to Asuna and Agil, inquiring with them whether they should thump Levi on Kimiko's behalf, but both shook their heads. Kirito still wanted to, but he decided it best to leave it. If nothing else, waiting would make that punch all the sweeter.

Erwin looked to Levi disapprovingly, but without even a hint of surprise in his eyes. He then looked up to Kimiko as she began to compose herself, and took a deep breath. "My apologies. He can come across as insensitive, but he's a good man." Levi scoffed at the end of Erwin's sentence, but the Commander ignored it, stepping forwards further into the room. "Which one of you is the leader?" He asked coolly, addressing all of the players with a cool, consoling tone.

Kimiko flushed with slight embarrassment after her outburst, realising that she was the representative of all of the players. She shuffled slightly forward before clearing her throat with an awkward, gruff cough. "I am." She said in a simple, sharp tone.

"Well, we have a lot we need to discuss." Erwin replied shortly.

"Actually, we have to go..." Kimiko replied.

"Go?"

"Exactly how do you suppose you'll do that?" Levi snorted, shocked at the arrogance displayed by these new arrivals, as if they were just tourists who could come and go from this living hell as they pleased.

"The Teleport Gate..." Kimiko continued, before trailing off. Usually NPCs had inbuilt knowledge of Teleport Gates, and some even used them in order to trade on various Levels. But these NPCs seemed to have no knowledge of it.

"The Teleport Gate?" Levi imitated "What the fuck is that?"

The players' hearts sank in unison, everyone's hearts clogging their throats so they were unable to answer Levi's question. Kimiko turned and ran to the door, closely followed by her fellow Knights of the Blood Oath. Kirito, Asuna and Agil remained in the Hall, not needing or wanting the confirmation of what they already knew to be true.

Kimiko dashed up the stairs and burst through the oak door, sending it crashing into the stone walls; she stood in the centre of the room, surrounded by her subordinates, before calling out "Teleport: Yokan!"

Nothing happened. She tried again. Nothing happened.

Miyu walked towards her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Kimiko." She assured her leader and friend, although she did not believe the words she was saying.

Meanwhile, Kirito sheathed the Elucidator onto his back. "Will you help us?" He enquired, still not entirely sure these NPCs were trustworthy.

"Actually, I was thinking you of asking the same thing; maybe we could work out a bargain of sorts?"

Erwin's reply caught Kirito, Asuna and Agil off-guard; they hadn't expected to have to help NPCs on Level 100, which was normally the substance that made up side missions on earlier Levels, which those who were not part of the clearing group seemed to get up to in their time in the game. Not the final Level. Moreover, if these NPCs were so important and wanted to help the players, why would Akihiko Kayaba introduce them on the final Level? Was this battle going to be that hard?

All this diplomacy and distrust would have to wait, as a single bellowed word changed the entire state of affairs.

"Titans!"