Hey so yes this chapter is very late. On the plus side it is the longest chapter I have ever written at more than 4k words.
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The sun shone down as Inferno entered an open theatre. It reminded him of the Roman amphitheatre, although much smaller scale. The sky was cloudy; not a ray of sunshine was found. The theatre was only a fifth full; in the centre on stage was a man in his late teens with long blue hair. He was of Asian descent and wielded a long sword. Small packs of players were scattered around. However, two players sat on their own. The first was someone covered in a brown cloak. Inferno couldn't get a good look, but from their petit figure, he guessed that they were female. The other was Kirito. Just thinking of the guy made him angry. They had managed to stay out of each other's way until today.
"You should talk to him." Inferno looked behind him to see his brother, who spoke with a soft tone. "You guys used to be such friends."
"And now we're not." The younger brother replied, catching a glimpse of Kirito staring at him before turning away. Both teens with hatred boiling over. "Come on, let's join the others." Inferno walked towards Klein and the party; meanwhile, Blaze looked back to Kirito. Beneath all that hatred, he could sense regret between the pair. Blaze slithered back to his seat as the blue-haired individual stepped forward.
"Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Diabel, and my job is a knight!" The whole crowd laughed at his joke. There was no job system in Sword Art Online. "And now that I have your attention let's get down to business. As I'm sure you're aware, the floor boss has been found. Once we defeat it, we'll finally be able to move onto the second floor. So I propose we all tackle this thing together. We'll make sure everyone knows that completing this game is possible!"
"Diabel, what nationality are you?" A short, light brown-haired young man asked the player on stage. He had tanned skin and blue eyes. He wore tattered grey robes. Inferno could sense this guy was bad news. He looked at his username; it read Kibeau".
"Not sure why that's relevant, but I'm Korean."
"One thousand beta testers got to play this game before it was released worldwide. They knew where all the best loot was and the locations of every lucrative quest. Every single one of these Japanese freaks has been hogging all the loot. We can't trust any of them." A few murmurs started to go around; many agreed with the young man. Inferno squirmed in his seat. He looked to his brother, who tried his best to stay positive. However, Inferno could easily see through his facade. "Not to mention this whole thing was caused by a Japanese man. If that doesn't tell you the Japanese are untrustworthy, I don't know what will." More cheers flowed around the amphitheater. "Almost two thousand people have died already, and the Japanese are to blame."
The entirety of Klien's party looked at one other. Except for Thunderbolt, all of their members were Japanese. It was apparent Kibeau was a xenophobic ass, but he seemed to have had the ability to rally people to his cause. Still, not everyone was cheering; a reasonably tall, well-built man with black skin and a bald head stood up. He looked to be in his early thirties. He wore a dark green tunic and carried a mace.
"Can I say something?" The man asked Diabel, who nodded in complete silence. "Names Agil; I'm American. Now let me get this straight, you blame the Japanese players for the deaths of everyone else?"
"Correct." Kibeau sternly replied. Agil proceeded to take a small notebook from his inventory.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Of course, it's the tutorial handbook."
"Did you know that this guide was created and distributed by the beta testers?" Kibeau scowled to himself as Agil turned to the crowd. "I understand how you all feel. Tensions are high, and you don't know who to trust. However, if we let our hatred boil over, we'll never escape this game."
The two players glared at one another before taking their seats. Diabel was once again the only one standing.
"He's right, and if we all work together, this boss will be defeated. And we will be one step closer to our freedom." A loud cheer came from everyone in the amphitheatre, besides Kibeau, his friends, Kirito and the hooded figure. "So, let's get down to business. We shall all form parties of four, five or six players. Then we shall all gather tomorrow at the boss's room. Make sure your equipment is in good condition, and you're all stocked up on potions and ailments."
Inferno looked back at the other members, who had a tragic look. Even Blaze didn't have his usual happy go lucky vibe. Suddenly it clicked. If they could only have a maximum of six members, then someone would have to leave the group. Nobody glanced at one another. Nobody wanted to be the one to suggest another to leave. Yet Inferno noticed his sibling with a smirk on his face. He knew that Blaze only ever had that expression when he was up to so something mischievous.
"Well, it seems we have too many. We'll go find another group." Blaze merrily informed the group. Everyone looked at each other confused.
"Are you sure, man? You'll be alone with a group of strangers." Klein questioned the player.
"Who says I'm alone." Suddenly, Blaze grabbed his brother by the collar dragging him away from their party. "We'll see you all later." The two brothers caused a scene as everyone was staring at them. Inferno tried to break free, but his sibling's grip was too tight.
"Blaze! What are you doing?" He forcefully proclaimed.
"I just thought we could do with teaming up with different people. And I know a certain loner who'd be perfect for teaming up." Blaze vaguely explained.
"Loner? Who in their right mind would..." Inferno couldn't finish that sentence as he realised who his brother meant. "Oh no. No, no, no. I refuse to team up with that backstabbing fool."
"Well... Tough." Blaze reached the top step and hurried towards a certain black haired swordsman. "Hey, Kirito." The teen was sitting next to the hooded figure. Both looked over in curiosity. "Inferno and I wanna join you for the boss raid." The two players sitting down were unaware of how straightforward Blaze had been.
"Inferno wants to join my party?" Kirito replied half-heartedly.
"Well, I do, and we go everywhere together." The hooded figure looked over the two boys. Inferno still had an obstructed view. Nevertheless, he could now tell that the figure belonged to a female and that she had long light brown hair.
"Friends of yours?" She questioned the black swordsman. Her voice was soft but stern. Like she was uneasy about something.
"I wouldn't go that far, but I know them IRL," Kirito responded. Inferno sighed in anger as he looked away. The two refused to look eye to eye.
"I see. Well, I suppose we should send an invite. The girl fiddled around with her menu screen. She seemed to struggle with inviting a party member, though eventually, she succeeded. Both brothers instantly received notifications; Blaze immediately clicked on his.
"Alright, so…" Blaze looked over the party section of the main menu. "…Asuna, it's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you both." Her petit voice barely even registered with the two siblings. "Blaze and Inferno."
"That's us!" Blaze proudly introduced themselves, putting his hand on his chest like a knight. "Do not fret, my lady, for this day, we shall prevail." Inferno could only hold his head in his hands in embarrassment.
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Darkness had taken over the land; lanterns had been lit all around the colosseum. The scene was nothing but peaceful, the only sounds being crickets. Inferno looked up towards the moon. Kayaba may have been a mad man, but his attention to detail was phenomenal. It looked just like the real thing. The graphics were an actual next-gen experience. Each strand of grass blew individually, and the stone crumbled into tiny pieces. And each strand of hair on Kirito's forehead was as detailed as the last.
The two players' eyes met, but to Inferno's surprise, neither were full of bitterness. It seems both teenagers were conflicted. Kirito sat down next to his former friend; only stairs separated the two boys.
"So... Couldn't sleep?" Inferno awkwardly asked, turning his head away.
"Something like that," Kirito answered. "I had no idea you started gaming."
"Started playing MMOs three years ago. Had a lot of free time." Kirito looked away from his fellow party member. Inferno had taken a swipe at him, and this one cut deep. Nevertheless, Kirito wasn't shanked by this. He looked back at Inferno with determination.
"Yeah, so did I." Kirito sighed as he quickly changed the conversation. "You know, the two of us looking at the moon reminds me of the hot springs after the tournament," Inferno remembered that night very well. Bringing a smile to his face.
"We stayed in there so long that the girls walked in."
"Oh my god, my head still hurts."
"Those buckets are surprisingly heavy." The two laughed together for the first time in over three years. They both gave a glance at one another before turning away again.
"I'll be honest; sometimes, I do miss those days we were in Kendo." Kirito pondered. Inferno finally looked back to the black haired swordsman, slightly shocked. "You and me sparring could shake the whole dojo."
"If you miss it so much, why did you leave?" Inferno bitterly responded; Kirito stayed silent for around five seconds, which felt like an eternity.
"I... I can't say." The swordsman in red scoffed at that answer.
"Are you serious? The whole dojo kicked me out because they blamed me for you leaving! And you don't even have the decency to tell me why you quit?"
"I didn't leave because of you." Kirito started to get irritated by his former friend's words.
"So why did you leave then?" Inferno had finally snapped, and his voice became much louder; nevertheless, Kirito remained silent. The former took a deep breath and cooled off. His voice returned to normal, but the rage behind it still lingered. "Kendo was my life; it was the one thing I was good at. And your actions took that away from me. You aren't a big shot swordsman; you're a scared little kid who runs away from every problem he has."
Inferno stormed down the stairs to the exit. He briefly looked back to Kirito; he hadn't moved from his position, except for two things. The black haired swordsman's face was now looking to the floor, and his hand was gripping his sword as tightly as possible. Inferno stomped out of the grounds. Despite being forced to work with him the next day, he had no regrets. As far as it concerned him, the two of them were done.
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The morning had arrived, although one couldn't tell, as the entire raiding party, minus Klien's party were inside the deep caverns. Awaiting them was the floor boss, a giant Minotaur according to the guide. Inferno and Asuna were readying themselves for battle and waiting for a certain swordsman to show up. Inferno could only assume that Kirito had overslept. A few meters away, Inferno spotted his brother speaking to Agil. The two laughed as they walked over to the pair.
"So this is Asuna, and that's my little brother Inferno." Blaze introduced them.
"Hey." The two half-heartedly acquainted themselves. Blaze cheekily elbowed Inferno, grinning the entire time.
"Sure... Nice to meet you." Inferno said, raising his hand for a shake, to which Agil accepted. "I'm surprised, yesterday, you stood up to that asshole."
"Well, I ain't about to judge some people I've never met. My girl wouldn't forgive me otherwise," Agil mentioned, piquing Inferno's interest.
"Why's that?"
"My and I girlfriend met each other on an illegal international MMORPG server. She's from Japan herself. We planned to play SAO together, but she couldn't get a preorder on time. I thank God that it worked out the way it did."
"That's sweet." Asuna softly said. At that moment, everyone noticed a particular teenage swordsman enter. Kirito had his usual stern look to him. He glared at Inferno for a brief second before walking towards Blaze. Then straight after him, Klien and the party showed up. Klein seemed to be his usual upbeat self. Thunderbolt had her familiar determined look about her. The other guys, however, all seemed to be on edge.
"Are we ready?" Kirito asked Blaze.
"Now Klein is here, yeah." Everybody started making their way towards the door. Inferno gripped the handle of his sword. Unlike his brother, this was his very first-floor boss. He took several deep breaths, keeping as calm as he could. Inferno's mind drifted, however, as he noticed Thunderbolt carrying a bow on her back.
"Hey, Thunderbolt. Why aren't you using a sword?" He questioned the female gamer. She grabbed the bow, pretending to aim at Klein's head.
"Honestly? I needed a change; been practising on boars for the last few weeks. Feel like I am currently at a good enough level for the boss fight."
"Well, I know you're not the type of person to take risks, so I'm sure you'll be fine." Thunderbolt smiled as the two joined the raiding party, led by Diabel, who stood in front of the door.
"Thank you all for coming before we go in a final reminder about the boss. We are about to face the minotaur. It uses a slow but powerful axe. When its health reaches fifteen percent, it switches to a Talwar blade. At that point, its speed increases." Diabel explained. "Now, let us take our first step to freedom!" The entire group yelled out as they entered the boss's room. There in the middle, stood the boss. A twenty-foot tall brown minotaur with blood-red eyes. It rose, the ground shaking with every step, and roared. It carried a one-handed axe and shield, with a sword on its back. A few players shuddered when seeing the beast for the first time.
"The hell." One player exclaimed.
"How the hell are we gonna beat that thing." Another frantically yelled. Some legs started to tremble amongst the groups. Yet Diabel, who was out front, stood tall.
"No one said this would be easy. However, we all have people waiting on the other side. If we ever want to see them again, we must persevere, squads A and B, get behind the enemy." Diabel commanded Squad A featured Kibeau and his cronies. "Squads C and D, we take the front." Squad C featured Agil and Diabel's group. In contrast, squad D was Klien's party. "Squad E, keep those grunts off of us."
Squad E was Inferno's team. Since they had the least party members, they were tasked with killing all the smaller enemies—much to the teen's annoyance.
"This sucks!" Inferno groaned while slashing at a low-level Jakal.
"Just because we're not fighting the boss doesn't mean we aren't taking part." Blaze comforted his brother. The elder sibling was on the left-hand side, next to him, Inferno. To the right, Kirito readied himself, with Asuna beside him. The party of four hacked away at the oncoming wave. Inferno spotted a goon on his right; he launched his sword into it. However, he had to change its trajectory quickly, as Kirito rushed in and killed it.
"What the hell! I could have hit you!" Inferno screamed at the black-haired swordsman.
"I was closer to it!" Kirito angrily responded.
"I saw it first!" The two were now squaring up to one another.
"And yet I still got there first." inferno gritted his teeth. The two looked like they were about to kill each other. Yet that wasn't what happened as neither of them noticed three enemies approaching them. Thankfully Asuna rushed in and killed them all in five swift strikes. The two swordsmen were left baffled at how quickly she ran across to help them.
"Maybe you both should focus on the task at hand." While what she said was soft-spoken, it had a hint of sharpness.
"Yes, ma'am." They both whispered as everyone got back to their positions.
Blaze slashed at another two enemies, the last of that wave. It had been plain sailing from the beginning, which worried him. While this was the first floor. It was still a floor boss. Blaze had completed this exact boss before, yet with more players, it was easier than before. So why had Kayaba not increased the difficulty?
Inferno briefly looked back at the other groups. They had managed to whittle the floor boss's HP to forty sixty percent. Diabel was busy coordinating all members. Klien and Agil executed a sneaky double attack. Agil's mace especially being effective. Inferno was content, knowing they were all doing well soon though he spotted more monsters, this time spawning across the room.
"Blaze. This wasn't part of the handbook." Inferno noted.
"So this is how Kayaba increases the difficulty," Blaze muttered. "I'm heading over; you three stay here," Blaze commanded the others. Inferno glanced over, not quite believing what he had just heard.
"No way you are going on your own!"
"I won't be." Blaze rushed over to the leading group. "Diabel, I need to borrow someone. We have incoming enemies from the far side!" The leader nodded.
"Thunderbolt; follow Blaze and go cover Squads A and B!" He ordered.
"Yes, sir!" She barked out, following Blaze as they made their way to the group of jackals. Inferno noticed Thunderbolt land three headshots as Blaze launched himself into the fight. He was glad Thunderbolt was back to her usual self.
"Ten percent!" A player cried out. Inferno looked to the boss, who roared before throwing down his axe and shield and unsheathing his blade.
"Seems the intel was right!" Kiabeau smirked. Diabel readied himself before charging in. This confused the three party members at the back. Each party was meant to attack one at a time in tandem. So why was Diabel charging in on his own? Inferno looked over to Kirito, who started to look concerned.
"Wait, Diabel, that sword isn't the same as the beta test! It has a longer..." Before Kirito could finish that sentence, however, the Boss's blade slashed Diabel. The blue-haired player was flung into the air, landing right beside Kirito. Every player was in shock, almost so that they barely dodged the boss's next attack. Inferno and Asuna stepped forward, ensuring Kirito was not disturbed while giving Diabel a potion. Yet instead of consuming the potion, Kirito was holding, Diabel refused to take it. After taking a few more of the smaller fry, Inferno turned back. Only to find the last few bits of blue shards disintegrating into the air. Kirito was shellshocked more players began to shake as more started noticing Diabel's death. They were at a loss, breaking formation and refusing to attack the beast, despite only having less than five percent health left.
The boss screeched as it swung its sword around once again. This Time it managed to bash someone's shield, completely shattering it. Without it, there was no doubt that the player wouldn't have made it. Kirito stood up, clutching his sword with all his might, his face full of determination. He glanced at the boss, not looking away for a single second.
"Inferno, Asuna, you guys attack both sides. I'll finish it off!" Kirito commanded them.
"Right!" They both accepted. Asuna was the first to step up; she sprinted down the left side, landing a three-hit combo. The beast roared as it swung its sword towards her. Asuna ducked as it hit the top of her cloak. Her hood ripped apart, revealing her entire face. She was quintessential Japanese, with long brown hair in a ponytail and blue eyes.
Thankfully this gave Inferno the opportunity he needed to rush down the right-hand side and land two powerful strikes of his own. The swordsman turned around; the boss only had one percent of health left. He then looked down to see Kirito charging forward. With just one swing of his mighty sword, the boss was defeated. The entire room fell silent for a second; nobody could believe they had done it. Until a notification popped up on the screen saying 'Floor Boss Has Been Defeated!'. Almost every player erupted in a roar. This was the first step in reclaiming their lives.
Klein, Asuna and Agil all huddled towards Kirito. Inferno hated that he hadn't got the final hit in. Doing so would have captured him a bonus. However, the floor boss was defeated, and they only suffered one casualty. The teenager jogged over to Blaze and Thunderbolt. Both of which were near the entrance to floor two.
"You guys good?"
"Yeah, glad you three defeated it when you did. A couple almost broke through our formation." Thunderbolt said.
"You did great out there. And you didn't even need my help." Blaze praised his younger brother. Inferno smiled at his sibling's words. Meanwhile, the rest of the room began clapping, praising Kirito for defeating the boss. All except for one, however.
"Stop! Stop cheering!" Kibeau screeched at the top of his lungs. The entire room went silent as the Chinese player confronted Kirito. "Why? I saw you next to Diabel. You could have saved him; instead, you just watched him die!" Inferno scoffed at the accusation. Kirito was many things, not many were positive. However, he was far from a murderer.
"Hey, lay off of him, would ya?" Klien sternly fired back.
"Kirito did the best he could!" Asuna chimed in.
"I watched it happen! He's a beta tester and..." Kibeau was interrupted by a chuckling Kirito. The laughter started muted but soon became heard throughout the hall.
"Wow, are you lumping me in with those noobs?" Kirito cockily churned out. Everyone looked at him in shock. Not even Inferno has ever seen his former friend act like that.
"What did you say?"
"Let's be clear; I'm the best player here. Still, that's not saying much. Those beta testers were scrambling to get past floor five. Meanwhile, I made it past floor eight. The last attack pattern was similar to the floor boss on floor seven, so I made sure to get the final hit in." The entire room was stunned; anger began to build.
"You're not just a Japanese beta tester; you're a cheater! You... you're a beater!" Boo's started to ring around the room. None of it fazed Kirito, however.
"A beater. Yeah, I like the sound of that." Kirito opened up his menu, his smile never leaving his face. He equipped his newest earned item, the coat of midnight. A black jacket appeared on the 'beater' as he turned away from everyone. "Just remember, never affiliate me with any of those Japanese noobs". Suddenly it all made sense for Inferno. Kirito was taking the heat so that the other Japanese players could cooperate with the rest of the world.
Nonetheless, this plan of his was bound to fail eventually. This wouldn't change the way people like Kiabeau viewed Japanese people or everyone else. And it would drive away the few people who still had a genuine connection to Kirito. The black-cloaked swordsman strolled past Inferno and the others, not glancing their way. Asuna followed closely behind him.
"Kirito!" Asuna called out to him. Kirito stopped halfway up, turning back to face her.
"You fought well; I couldn't believe this was your first MMORPG," Kirito noted.
"I had a good team." The two smiled at each other before the male turned away.
"Listen, if you get the opportunity, join a guild. There are limits to what a solo player can do."
"Does that include you?" Asuna took one step up, her eyes fixated on Kirito. "I'm still new to all this stuff. And we make a good team."
"Just let him go, Asuna," Inferno exclaimed, walking to her side. "That guy over there could never commit to anything. Isn't that right, Kirito. Or maybe since you're so good at this game, I'll..." Inferno turned his head to look at his former friend. But was shocked by what he saw. There wasn't a hint of anger showing. Only one of sadness and regret was plastered all over Kirito's face, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. There wasn't another word spoken between the two. Kirito turned around and headed towards floor two by himself. The gap between the pair now more prominent than ever.
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Zeon Paralysis Crystal: Unfortunately, both your questions would considered spoilers so I can't say.
