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Chapter Text

May 18th, 2023

The sight of the open steppe after the oppressive cave network of the twenty-fifth floor was a welcome sight, even if Kirito didn't particularly felt like celebrating as he pushed open the door and took the first step onto the new floor. Not after everything that had happened that day, not after the losses they had taken, and particularly not as he tried to forget about the fact that, for the first time since the second floor, he was taking these first steps into the frontier by himself.

A little ways in the distance, perhaps a kilometer or so, lay the walled city of Iluria that housed the teleport gate, roofs glinting in the orange light of early evening, waiting for him to activate it. This time though, there would be no companion by his side to walk with him and join him in the thrill of being the first people on a new floor.

It wasn't that he begrudged Asuna the chance to join the newly-formed Knights of Blood, especially since he'd been the one to encourage her to join a guild if she was invited by someone she trusted. It had been months ago now, since the battle against Ilfang the Kobold Lord, and she had come a long way from the desperately reckless girl he had met back in the first floor labyrinth.

In a way, he supposed, he should have been relieved that his self-proclaimed mission of guiding her and protecting her until she could realize her potential was complete; the potential he had seen in her from the moment he witnessed that light-speed Linear cutting through the air, the potential he had seen in her when she took charge of the raid group and held it together even as he'd charged at Ilfang in a desperate attempt to buy time for the raid to regroup after Diavel's death.

He'd expected that battle to be the end of their acquaintance, but she had once again surprised him just days later, and he'd found himself with a partner for the first time in a long while . The swordsman had steered clear of getting too close to others ever since the other player had attempted to MPK him that night, all just to get a head start on the quest reward. It wasn't as though Kirito was any better, having just abandoned Klein and his friends that same evening to their own fate, but at least he hadn't actively tried to kill them.

Asuna, though, was different, something he quickly discovered as their temporary alliance turned into a permanent one before he knew it.

Through struggles, battles, and intrigues she had remained by his side, and as they had climbed the stairs to the third floor back then, she had asked him how long he had intended to remain by her side. His response had probably surprised himself as much as it had her, but something had driven him to see this through, to teach her and give her the tools she needed to survive until she no longer needed him, until she could be his atonement for abandoning Klein on that fateful first day.

Well, the time had finally come that she no longer needed his protection, and she had found a place where she could put her charisma and leadership skills to the best use for everyone. His mission was complete, he'd managed to keep her alive and she was now in a position to do good for everyone trapped in Sword Art Online, a position that he himself could never fill.

It shouldn't feel this empty. I've been on my own before, he thought morosely. Besides, it's not like we're never seeing each other again. She's going to be in charge of the clearing group's planning, so we'll meet at the boss raids. But even as he thought that, there was none of the quiet banter and discussion that usually filled their time as they made their way through the fields, no excited chatter pointing out something interesting on this new floor, even as he passed by the town guards and into the main square.

It took only a moment for the portal to light up and he quickly disappeared down a side alley, idly recognizing the action as something he hadn't done ever since he'd opened up the second floor teleport gate by himself. He'd been the beater then, not wanting to be seen or interacted with, and he'd disappeared before a crowd could form both for his safety and because he felt uncomfortable when surrounded by too many people.

Now, he once again wrapped the gathering darkness around himself like a familiar cloak as he took to the side streets, alone once again.

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May 21st, 2023

Technically, Aincrad had no visible night sky, except for the thin slice visible around the outer edges. That, however, didn't stop sights like the view from the upper floors of Yofel Castle, or the caldera protecting Castle Galey from being breathtaking. The view around him, with endless steppes stretching as far as he could see, illuminated only by the dim silvery-blue glow of the artificial ceiling of the twenty-seventh floor a hundred meters above him, strangely reminded Kirito of some of his favorite stargazing spots.

The field safe zone was not his first choice of places to rest; while virtual avatars did not have to deal with the aches and pains of sleeping on hard ground or sitting up, there was something about the comfort of sleeping in a proper bed at an inn that helped players rest better. Not to mention the peace of mind that came with resting in a locked and secure inn room.

It can't be helped, the next town is two hours away, and I'd have to come right back here in the morning, anyway. In the wake of the devastating losses the clearing group had suffered, he had redoubled his efforts to stay ahead of the level curve, which was precisely why he found himself in this field at this time of night, waiting for a particular pack of monsters to respawn. It had taken some time to adjust to no longer having a partner watching his back, and more than once he'd found himself calling for a switch, only to be met with silence.

There had been a few close calls as a result, and with some amount of dissatisfaction he had noted that the rate of his experience gain had also dropped, but there was no way around it. It wasn't like there were people lining up to party up with the beater, and it wasn't as if Kirito was going to trust just anyone to have his back, a lesson he had learned the hard way on his very first night in this death game.

That was why the slight change in the way the night winds sighed around him caused his hand to drop the skewer he had just materialized from his inventory for dinner and go for the sword on his back. The world tinged a deeper green as he activated his Search skill and looked around. It was a safe zone, true, but he could still be lured or knocked out of it.

Rustling drew his attention as he spotted two people approaching him from the south-east, the direction of the town he had left behind that morning. He ducked behind a nearby boulder and drew his sword as he waited for the figures to approach.

"Oiiii, Kii-bou!" The voice carried across the distance and the rustle of the grass around him, and he relaxed the grip on his blade. There was only one person in the entire game who called him by that nickname.

Stepping around the boulder, Kirito took one last look around to ensure there was no danger lurking - not that he believed Argo would ever directly lead danger to him, but one never knew if she had aggro'ed a mob or if someone had followed her, however unlikely that was. "Argo!" he called out once the info-dealer got within what he figured was the perimeter of the safe zone. "What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't come and check on you?" Argo the Rat came to a stop with her usual grin hidden under her brown hood. Kirito noticed that she had outpaced her companion, but as Argo seemed relatively at ease, he relaxed his guard. "Honestly, I just wanted ta see how you were doing. Hadn't heard from ya since ya took off from Iluria two days ago."

That caused worry to creep in on his mind. Argo never went out of her way unless there was profit involved. "You could've sent a message."

"I know, I know, but this time I decided ta combine business with pleasure. I have a contract out on ya." Argo grinned widely, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder. "Someone really wanted ta find ya." Alarm spiked in Kirito's mind at that. Very few people actually had info-dealers hunt down others for them, and usually not for friendly reasons.

At that point the second person had come up to them, stepping into the moonlight, and Kirito frowned at the sight of a dark grey cloak hiding the figure in the dim lighting of Aincrad's night sky even as he reached back for the hilt of his sword. The thing that immediately caught his attention was the yellow cursor of an NPC above their head, and he blinked in surprise, alarm momentarily forgotten.

"You brought an escort target?"

Kirito could see the Rat's whiskers shake with barely restrained laughter as she shook her head. But it was the new arrival who answered, slipping back the hood of her cloak and replying in Argo's stead.

"Hello, Kirito. It has been a while."

Chin-length, lilac hair shimmering in the starlight. Pronounced, elongated elven ears that twitched subtly with a mixture of amusement and joy. Eyes that shimmered light gray in the night, but that he knew to be a deep violet. Kirito almost dropped his blade. "Kizmel? W-what are you doing here?"

"I came to find you. I figured that if you and Asuna were still at the front of the swordmaster clearing efforts, then I would find you at the farthest town," the Pagoda Knight replied with a smile at his flustered look.

"Ran into her on the way, and Kizmel-chan here figured if anyone knew how ta find ya, it'd be me," Argo added with satisfaction. "And she ain't wrong, eh?"

"Indeed," the dark elf replied with a chuckle.

Kirito blinked, shook his head, and sheathed his sword across his shoulder as he tried to process his shock. He had honestly never expected to see the dark elf who had traveled so much with him and Asuna since they had met, months ago on the third floor, again. Ever since their initial meeting, in which Kirito had been sure she was going to die in a scripted event, the Dark Elven Royal Guard Kizmel had proceeded to confound and confuse him even as she accompanied them throughout the Elf War campaign.

For seven floors the elven knight of Lyusula had been a steady presence on the battlefield at their side, offering her substantial combat prowess and wisdom on and off the battlefield until they had finally parted ways after a nightmarish battle to put an end to the Fallen on the ninth floor. The entire time, from the moment they met, she had displayed a starting level of intelligence and autonomy that had Kirito questioning at times whether she really was an artificial construct.

He had initially even suspected that she had been a character played by a co-conspirator of Akihiko Kayaba's, someone SAO's mad developer had tasked with keeping an eye on the players he'd trapped inside of the death game, but she had swiftly dispelled that notion with her actions. By the time they parted ways after two months together, he had been no closer to figuring out what exactly she was.

She certainly did not behave like a regular NPC, and she wasn't a player, but both he and Asuna had ultimately decided that it didn't really matter. She had become their friend, and all three of them had been through enough together that both of them had missed Kizmel dearly when they had completed the Elf War campaign and left her at the dark elven capital on the ninth floor.

"You came up to find me?" Kirito wondered in what other ways Kizmel was going to surprise him. He didn't even know if she would remain active after they had completed the quest chain and received their reward all those months ago.

The dark elf nodded and stepped closer. "I was hoping to find both you and Asuna, but Argo has since informed me that you have parted ways?"

"Yeah...after the mess that was the boss fight on the last floor..." Kirito was trying very hard to not think about it. Things still felt bitter, and it wasn't just because he was back to being a solo. "Things didn't go well."

The next surprise for him came when Kizmel took another step towards him and he found himself enfolded in a light hug. "I knew then that it was even more important for me to find you. It is good to see you well." She pulled back and looked him over. "I would have asked Argo, but she insisted that it was your story to tell when I inquired about what had occurred."

Kirito looked over at the info-broker in question, surprised that for once she had passed up the opportunity for profit before wondering if Kizmel could even pay Argo. "It's... it wasn't not pretty," he finally said, quietly. Crossing his arms in front of his chest to ward off the cold as much as the memories, he tipped his head back and looked up at the sky. "You remember Kibaou and the ALS, right?"

The dark elf across from him hummed in confirmation. "I do. Quite the headstrong man, if memory serves." That comment earned her an amused chortle from Argo. "Do he and Guildmaster Lind still serve as the leaders of the front line?"

"Lind, yes." Kirito took a deep breath of the fresh, cool air, letting it wash away he memories of the hot, humid, and dark caves of the twenty-fifth floor. "After what happened, though, I don't think we'll see the ALS for a while. Kibaou took them back down to the lower floors."

Argo took the opportunity to chime in. "Word has it that they're planning on expanding recruitment and setting up a goods distribution center. I think there's been talks about them merging with MTD, but nothing's quite confirmed yet." At Kirito's questioning look, she waved him off. "All rumours for now, so there's no charge."

Kizmel frowned and looked over at the two humans. "What happened? I had not heard much while I passed through the human towns."

"It was a massacre, Kizmel. The ALS was always a little too eager to rush ahead, but this time it almost got them all killed." Kirito paused, then corrected himself. "It did get most of them killed. They'd managed to grow enough to almost fill an entire raid group on their own, so I'm guessing Kibaou wanted to show up the DKB. Half of them didn't make it. By the time the rest of us got there, there was maybe twenty of them left. We lost another ten just finishing the job."

Kirito wasn't sure how she would see things - after all, NPC, AI, or something else, Kizmel had just come out of a full-scale war, and casualties were expected. What they considered heavy losses among the clearers, with almost thirty people dead, may have constituted perhaps a skirmish to her people. Then again, he thought to himself grimly, considering the fact that they considered a couple dozen Forest Elves attacking Yofel Castle a major assault, maybe not.

"Those kinds of losses are difficult to recover from," the dark elven knight finally replied, voice soft and eyes turned down. "I do not blame Guildmaster Kibaou for withdrawing. Even if I never held any particular fondness for him in our brief interactions, no one deserves such losses. Morale must be shattered."

Kirito nodded in quiet agreement. The twenty-fifth floor boss battle had been a nightmare, a massive difficulty spike that caught the clearing group unawares, and they had paid for it dearly. It had almost been the first floor boss all over again - worse, actually, since the only one they'd lost back then had been Diavel. "It was, for a while. We almost routed completely. And it doesn't help that the information he'd bought was all wrong. We can't prove a thing, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time someone's been trying to sabotage our clearing efforts."

"As was done on the third floor," Kizmel stated with a look that was too understanding and empathetic to come from a mere NPC. "And from what you have told me of the events of the battle against the fifth Pillar Guardian. Were you able to determine the source of his information?"

This time, it was Argo's turn to shake her head. "Not yet. I've been asking around, but most of them were either not involved in planning the operation, or weren't in a state of mind to give us an answer. Kibaou did say he'd bought the information from a broker, but so far I haven't managed to find him." There was a dangerous glint in the usually-cheerful Argo's eyes, however. "But I will."

"Well," Kizmel hummed quietly as she reached into her cloak, coming up with a leather skin that looked vaguely familiar to Kirito. "It was not the occasion that I had hoped to share this with you and Asuna, but it seems as good a time for it." Opening the cap, she took a sip of the liquid, then held it out to Kirito. "A toast, then, in memory of the fallen. May their sacrifice and legacy carry you onwards."

Kirito hesitated a moment, before looking at the skin, then shrugged and took it, taking a swig of his own. "To the fallen," he echoed Kizmel's words, before passing it on to Argo.

The Rat took it gingerly, face breaking into an excited grin as she smelled the contents and took her first draft of moontear wine. "To the fallen," she repeated, before returning the skin to Kizmel. "You know," she said after a pause, "you could make a killing selling that to other swordmasters."

"It's elven moontear wine, a specialty of Lyusula. I do not think our merchants would be open to trade it with humans just yet," Kizmel replied with a little smile. She stowed it away on her belt, before looking back with a more serious expression. "With the loss of Guildmaster Kibaou's group, it must be a grievous blow to the clearing group. Do you think Guildmaster Lind and his Dragon Knights will be able to bear the burden alone?"

"Not really," Kirito said with a shrug. "By the way, they started calling themselves the Divine Dragon Alliance a while back, but anyway..." At least something good came out of this. Heathcliff at least seems to be the kind of leader who won't get bogged down with guild rivalries.

Lind, despite his best efforts to emulate and replace Diavel as the leader of the clearing group, desperately lacked his predecessor's foresight, cunning, and charisma. And while Kirito would admit that Lind had grown into a somewhat competent guild leader, the constant squabbling between the DKB and ALS was an ever-present power struggle that tended to cause serious problems at times. Lind had always put the prestige and ideology of the DKB ahead of being able to lead a true coalition.

"For a while there, during the battle, it was looking really bad. We were pulling Kibaou's guys out of the line of fire and trying to give as many of them healing potions as we could, but there were a few minutes when there was only a couple of us holding the line. Asuna, and me, and a knight called Heathcliff." Kirito had vaguely remembered Heathcliff from the first day in the Town of Beginnings, but he had been in the starter gear back then, so seeing him in full paladin regalia with shield and heavy armor had been a surprise.

It had been a whirl of steel, blades, and flame, and Kirito found he couldn't really fully recall all the details. "You should've seen Asuna, though. You'd have been proud of her. She ended up rallying us together and giving the orders that got us through it. After the battle, Heathcliff announced that he was forming a new guild to help with the clearing, and he invited Asuna to be his second-in-command since she'd impressed him." If anything, he was glad, because if there was anyone he could see bringing together the disjointed, shattered remnants of the clearers back into a cohesive whole, it was probably Asuna.

"And she accepted," Kizmel stated simply.

"Yeah."

The three of them lapsed into silence for a moment. Kirito was idly wondering what would happen next, and part of him wanted the night to just be over. Dredging up the memories of that bloody battle had been more exhausting than his grinding session.

"By the way, Kii-bou, you owe me five thousand Cor," Argo chuckled and held out her hand as she broke the silence. "After all, Kii-chan can't pay me in human currency."

"W-what?" Kirito snapped his head over in surprise.

The info-broker shrugged with a cheeky grin. "Well, she did ask me for info, and I did have to go out of my way to track you on the map through the friends list."

"You didn't need to take her here in person..." with a grumble and to the accompanying laughter of Kizmel, Kirito materialized the requested amount and handed over the pouch. "How did you even get up here, Kizmel? I thought there were no spirit trees above the ninth floor? And what about your duties at the capital?"

"While there are no spirit trees nor dark elven settlements, we are very much capable of traversing the Pillars of Heaven." For a moment, he wondered if he really had seen that hint of distaste cross the dark elf's features, or if he had imagined it. "As for my duties...the only battles left to fight are for the diplomats. The peace appears to last, and with it, most of our troops have been recalled. I requested leave before the boredom of guard duty could dull my blade."

"And your queen granted it?"

Kizmel smiled briefly. "Easily. With the end of the war against the Forest Elves and the destruction of the Fallen there is no major conflict, and only occasionally do monsters threaten our borders. Or our travelling diplomats."

"Bet ya wish you could let the monsters eat some of them, sometimes," Argo added with a knowing grin, earning herself an amused nod from the dark elf. "Anyway, I haven't seen ya since ya took off day after we opened up the floor, and I wanted to make sure you were okay, Kii-bou."

"I'm fine-"

"No, you're not," Argo interrupted him with a serious look.

He eyed her for a moment, wondering if he should argue the point, before giving a resigned shrug. Argo knew him too well for him to say otherwise. "Okay, I'm not. But it's not like I'm not used to being a solo. It just takes a little bit of time to adjust, that's all."

"Just because yer used ta it doesn't mean you should be, though." Argo sat herself down against a boulder and materialized a sandwich. "It's fine ta take some time, ya know."

"I know. I'll be fine."

"I worry about you, though, Kii-bou. You and A-chan have been together for a while, and after the mess that was that last boss fight..." Argo shrugged, somehow shedding her usual aura of mischief for the moment. "I don't feel right about you being by yourself."

"It's not like I wasn't the one to tell Asuna to go join a guild, you know," he pointed out dryly, with only a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Tilting her head to the side, Argo gave a shrewd nod. "Just because it's right doesn't always mean yer happy with the way things turned out. Wouldn't be the first time, especially for you."

"Nor the second," Kizmel added from the side with a wry smile. "I did not like the thought of you out in the field by yourself, when Argo told me that you and Asuna had gone your separate ways."

"Look," Kirito protested, even if half-heartedly. "I'll be fine." And I really don't need them ganging up on me!

"Especially now that you've got Kii-chan here. Ya really ought ta take her back to a town, the middle of a field is no place ta catch up with a girl," Argo added with a mischievous wink, dispelling the somber mood, and causing him to cough uncomfortably. "So come on, spill, Kii-chan, what's bringing you up here?"

Kizmel sank down next to the info-broker and smiled at both humans. "With our borders peaceful, I had begun to think that perhaps we should explore the wider world of this fortress of steel. Truthfully, I longed for the adventure and company of Asuna and Kirito, and Queen Ilyndrathyl agreed that in return for their aid against the Fallen, I would offer my services to aid your cause in clearing the Pillars of Heaven."

"You...you want to join us?" Kirito stuttered in surprise. A glance at Argo revealed that she was just as nonplussed - clearly, the dark elf hadn't informed her about the reason for her visit when she'd enlisted the broker's services.

"I want to join you, Kirito. There is more I wished to learn and experience in travelling with you and Asuna. I wanted to seek you out. More so now that you no longer have Asuna by your side...if you'll have me." Kizmel smiled briefly and reached out to rest a hand on his knee.

Kirito's head whipped over just in time to see Argo scribble something into her notebook with a satisfied grin on her face. But more than that, he felt something well up in his throat that he couldn't quite identify. Glancing over as both women looked at him expectantly, he was torn between the earnest look in the dark elf's and the Rat's teasing smirk.

"You...you know that we're fighting the Pillar Guardians, right? It isn't exactly a safe thing we're doing. And we're only getting farther and farther away from dark elven territory."

Argo rolled her eyes, but it was Kizmel who answered. "Of course. But perhaps with the peace it is time that we expanded our horizons of this floating land. Perhaps there are new wonders to find, and new allies to make. You have helped my people find peace, Kirito, so let us help you now. Asuna has her new guild to watch her back, allow me to watch yours."

Kirito stared at her blankly for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts. He had never been good with words or other people, which was part of the reason why he isolated himself. He was used to being alone, to not have to rely on anybody else. People just weren't his thing, and sometimes, even before Sword Art Online, he had the idle thought that he understood computers and code better than people.

But a part of him couldn't deny that he had somehow, over the last few months, gotten used to having Asuna's steadfast presence by his side throughout their adventures. And for all the ways he had been on the wrong side of her temper he would not have traded that experience for anything. There was also the sheer curiosity that he still harboured about Kizmel's true nature. He knew now that she was part of the system, an artificial construct of the world of Aincrad, and yet there was so much more to her that he had yet to figure out.

And, as he morosely thought back to his earlier gripes about the slowdown in his leveling pace and the close calls he had had, he couldn't deny the advantages of having someone watch his back. I'm never telling Argo just how many times I almost screwed up by forgetting Asuna wasn't there anymore, he promised to himself silently.

And if there was one person aside from the fencer that he trusted to watch his back, it would have been Kizmel. Even the terror he had felt when they had first teamed up had slowly faded until the fear of a repeat of his abandonment of Klein had given way to pride and excitement at seeing Asuna grow into a fighter to rival any in this virtual world, and the fun of having both her and Kizmel by his side.

And I... he paused, taking a sharp breath as the thought refused to be given voice. I don't-I don't want to be...

He couldn't bring himself to say the words, failing to give voice to his thoughts and feelings like he always did when it really mattered.

Instead, he focused on the sensation of Kizmel's hand on his knee, the warmth of her touch a comforting contrast to the chill night winds. "Kirito. If there's something you want to say, now is the time for you to do it, while you can."

The words had come from the very woman sitting next to him, months ago, and had given him courage then. He raised his head, carefully laid his hand atop hers, and smiled weakly. "I'd like that, Kizmel. A lot." He couldn't see the smirk on Argo's face, but he did feel her elbow his ribs while he automatically opened his menu and sent the dark elf a party invite before he could catch himself.

To his surprise, Kizmel's hand came up and touched an incorporeal button floating before her, and seconds later a second HP bar materialized itself in the corner of his vision. With a satisfied smile, the dark elf looked over. "While we elves do not possess the same powers of mystic scribing that you humans do, I have learned a few things in my idle time at the capital."

Putting aside for a moment the question of how an NPC could even learn to use a player interface, Kirito shrugged off the heavy darkness that had surrounded him like a cloak since first arriving on this floor. Well, he supposed, I guess it might be possible, after all shopkeepers have interfaces, too? Regardless of the particular mechanics behind it, he couldn't help but feel more cheerful than he'd had ever since before people had started dying in the battle against the twenty-fifth floor's boss.

"It's good to be travelling with you again, Kizmel," he finally said as he pushed to his feet.

"Likewise, my friend. I just hope that no one will object to us working together...I had heard rumours that some of the swordmasters were allied with the Forest Elves during the war. And while hostilities have ceased..." Kizmel trailed off, a note of worry in her voice.

"Ha!" Argo laughed. "I'd like to see their faces when you walk into the strategy meeting together!"

Kirito couldn't help but chuckle at that. She was right...he couldn't wait to see what everyone was going to react. And if anyone had complaints, well...there weren't enough clearers to turn people away. Taking a deep breath of the cool air, it somehow no longer felt as oppressive and lonely as it had before. The darkness was still familiar, but instead of cold armor it felt more like an old friend.

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The sun was not quite yet creeping over the horizon of Aincrad when Kirito and Kizmel finally made their way into the next town. Argo had taken her leave a few hours prior, but the two of them had remained to finish Kirito's leveling quota, something that had, to his satisfaction and relief, gone much smoother and quicker with the dark elven knight by his side.

More importantly, even though the last time he'd seen her had been on the ninth floor, by some stroke of luck or system design Kizmel was the same level he was, now.

When he had hinted at it, she had merely looked at him with a smile and replied that she had kept up her training as befitting a knight of Lyusula. It hadn't been an exaggeration, and he had been surprised at how easily the two of them slipped back into the familiar routine and patterns of the months they had spent traveling together.

Partly due to the time of day, and partly due to the fact that, as per Kirito's customary pace, he was well ahead of the bulk of even the clearers, there were few players around as they entered the town's premises. Even so, the sight of the beater in the company of an NPC as powerful as Kizmel was due to draw attention, so he made sure to steer them clear of any large groupings of people. The last thing he needed right now was to stir up the old beater resentment.

On the other hand, he figured, it would be extremely amusing to see everyone's reactions when they showed up at meetings together. Then again, after the fifth floor boss, they're probably used to the insanity. Besides, he figured, it wasn't the first time an NPC would have helped out with a boss fight. He could still clearly remember the stunned looks on Lind's and Kibaou's faces when Viscount Yofilis drew his blade and rallied the soaked clearers against the Hippocampus and charged in like a screaming madman.

"This floor is a welcome reprieve after the last," Kizmel mused as they passed by a few shops that were closed. "Much less oppressive, even for the short time I had spent on it."

"It's not as nice as some others," Kirito agreed, "but it's definitely better than those caves. I wasn't too fond of the ruins on the fifth, either." Especially considering that the maze under Karluin had almost cost Asuna her life...and his, as well, had he not called the man in the poncho's bluff.

Kizmel nodded in agreement. "And there is life on this floor, unlike the underground. Or the lifeless waste that was Kalari."

Kirito searched his memory for a moment. "The eighth floor, right? The desert with no towns anywhere?" That one had been particularly annoying. No towns meant that, after leaving the main city that had been built around an oasis, there were no other places to resupply or repair other than travelling merchant NPCs, and the only safe places had been field safe zones in the middle of the dunes, surrounded by the monsters in the night...and all of the little critters that crawled out of the sand once the sun went down.

They did no damage, even outside of a safe zone, but the feeling of having insects crawling over their bodies while they slept - or even just the mere thought of it - had been enough motivation to make a mad rush for the labyrinth. Asuna had practically torn his arm out of its socket in her rush to get to it...and Kizmel hadn't been far behind with his other arm.

As they stepped through the door of the inn, Kirito finally realized something. "Can you even get a room in a human inn, Kizmel? Or enter a separate room?"

"I have no human currency, and while we once again enjoy free travel between our people's territories, I believe it will be a while before the diplomats and traders have done their work and allowed us to trade freely again. I do not know if they will allow me to enter a room, even rented by you, on my own." Kizmel admitted with a shrug. "Besides, it should not be a problem. We have shared lodgings before, have we not?"

"Uhhh...." He could swear there was a mischievous glint in her eyes, even as he failed to come up with an adequate rebuttal. It was true that they had shared a tent in the dark elven camp on the third floor, but Asuna had been present as a buffer between them. He still distinctly remembered what had happened the first time he had been alone with Kizmel, but failed to banish the memory before it caused blush. Better make sure Argo and Asuna never find out about this, he thought to himself.

Kizmel must have caught his expression, and he just hoped that SAO's emotional expression system didn't have steam coming out of his ears on top of it, because now there definitely was a mischievous little smile to match the humour in her eyes. "Don't worry, Kirito. I am sure my virtue is safe with you."

It's not yours I'm worried about!

Before he could open his mouth to respond, the dark elven knight laughed and patted his shoulder lightly. "Be at ease, my friend. I have learned some things about human customs on my travels with you, strange as they may seem. You have my word I will not do anything...untoward."

"Why does that not comfort me at all?" Kirito muttered under his breath as he ordered and paid for a two-bed room using the innkeeper's menu, deciding to leave the experimentation of whether Kizmel could enter a separate room on her own for another day. He just really had to make sure Asuna never got wind of this.

Ever.

All he could hope for was that Kizmel really did understand human concepts of decency...or that she was too tired from her journey to attempt anything, if she didn't. She's entirely too comfortable being naked around me, even for a race that doesn't have the same concepts of nudity as humans.

And the entire time, the memory of her casually walking in on him in the bath tent refused to leave his mind, no matter how hard he shook his head.

As he trudged up to his room, Kizmel right behind him, he could only think of how his already-strained social skills would handle traveling in close proximity with Kizmel, and came to the inevitable conclusion that his goose was cooked.

The higher up one climbed in Aincrad, the nicer the amenities were...at least this was true for the central towns and cities of each floor. And while this little village was nowhere near the size of the central town of the twenty-sixth floor, it was high enough up that it came with a pair of very nice beds and, something that had made Asuna increasingly happy as they ascended the floors, its own bath.

Upon entering, Kirito had sunk down on his bed in exhaustion while his companion had excused herself to said bath to wash up for the night. While he had been out in the field he had been too preoccupied to think about much more than fighting, which was why he often pushed himself so hard when he wanted to avoid thinking about something. But now that he was in an inn, limbs and mind tired from a few days worth of running from quest to quest and hunting ground to hunting ground, his exhausted mind couldn't avoid drifting towards thoughts of a certain fencer.

It probably took them a day to sort themselves out and run the guild quest on the third floor, he thought tiredly. And they have to recruit and get themselves organized. Even with them, we're still short on people for this floor boss raid. He decided to leave that worry to the ones actually planning the fight. There was still at least two days before they made it to the labyrinth and could start mapping it, much less scouting out the boss itself.

The sound of the bathroom door opening had him blink open his eyes, before his brain caught up and remembered who had gone in there. He barely caught a brief glimpse of the fluttering white fabric of her nightgown that was entirely too see-through before he squeezed his eyes shut again.

Kizmel's chuckle drifted over as he heard the creaking of the dark elf situating herself on the other bed in the room. "I apologize for taking so long, but washing my back without your help was rather...inefficient."

He groaned and refused to answer, knowing that any reply would probably just lead to further embarrassment. Kizmel had proven time and again that she had a cutting wit and sense of humour unlike any NPC's, and that she was willing to use it...even in the presence of Asuna, much to his detriment at times. Instead, he laid an arm over his eyes as extra insurance, and waved her off with his free hand.

"I-it's fine, it's fine." Times like these he regretted leaving Klein behind in the Town of Beginnings on that first day for reasons other than his guilt. Having other guys around would have gone a long way to having help in dealing with situations like these.

There was a brief rustle of bedding, and when Kirito felt safe enough to open his eyes again, he was glad to see that his companion was safely under the sheets, and let out a quiet sigh of relief. He manipulated his menu and stowed his coat, sword, and boots in his inventory before fully rolling onto the bed. "We should be able to make good time tomorrow. There's only one more town between here and the labyrinth, and I want to get there before anyone else," he mused quietly with a yawn.

"In that case, we should both get some rest, Kirito." Kizmel rolled over to look at him. "Tomorrow will be busy."

Chapter Text

May 22nd, 2023

"What the heeeeeell-" Kirito trailed off as he threw himself out of the way of a charging Dire Ram, its glowing horns trailing a path of green light behind him. Sheep, they said. Herd sheep. There was no mention of homicidal rams anywhere in the quest description!

"Kirito, switch!"

As he spun to face their second assailant, Kizmel leapt in with Fell Crescent, her saber blazing with orange fire as it bit into the ram's rear quarter. The monster howled in anger or pain and spun around, its post-motion delay finally over, but it found itself too close to the dark elf to do more than smash its head against her shield ineffectually.

Kirito meanwhile slammed the flat of his blade against the panicking sheep to stop it from stampeding away, grunting as the impact rattled his wrists. He'd never herded sheep in real life, but whatever it was like, he was sure it was nothing like this. It had seemed like such an easy quest, too. Guard the sheep while they grazed out in the fields, then bring them back safely. The area was wide open, with very few naturally spawning monsters, and the promise of further information regarding the labyrinth boss had been too good a deal to pass up on.

Unfortunately for them, the grumpy old farmer who had given them the quest had failed to mention that while his sheep were out in the fields, so were, of all things, wild ram. Wild ram that apparently had a fondness for domesticated sheep, for purposes Kirito really didn't want to think about. The only saving grace was that there was only a single Dire Ram, but between fighting that and keeping control of the herd, it was all they could do to try and not fail their mission.

The Dire Ram was thankfully, despite its name, not overly dangerous. Its charge could cause the tumble status if it hit, but the damage was low enough that even had he been alone, he could have afforded to take a few hits. But managing a rampaging ram while trying to direct a herd of sheep without losing one - and, more importantly, without accidentally killing one - was proving to be a task he was very glad he had a partner for.

Around him, the two dozen sheep bleeted and wailed in terror as they ran every which way, forcing him to keep track and encourage them to move back in line. Kizmel had been doing a good job of keeping the sheep grouped together, but the moment they'd swapped roles they started breaking away left and right.

"Argh!" he huffed in frustration, chasing after one sheep with neon-green wool that was attempting to make a break for it. A slap to its hindquarters with the flat of his blade "encouraged" it to return to the herd.

"Kizmel!" he yelled over the din of animals, looking over where his partner was trading blows with the Dire Ram. With a glance back, she gave a curt nod, pulling her saber back to her side and twisting her body. The spin picked up pace, and she flung herself into a Treble Scythe that unloaded into the ram, leaving three parallel, glowing red damage marks in its flank.

"Switch!" she called out unnecessarily. Kirito slung his sword to his side and crossed the distance with Rage Spike, the thrust doing only minor damage to his target, but he came out of post-motion delay before it could recover and followed it with a Slant.

The ram reared back to bring its horns to bear, and he swung to the side to avoid it. The patterns were easy enough to get a hold of, but the problem was the lack of space around them and the ram's thick hide that absorbed most of the damage he could deal, dragging out the process of killing it even though it only had a single HP bar.

Springing forward to meet the ram's charge with a Sharp Nail caused a momentary backwash as both player and monster collided and rebounded, the sheer momentum of the rushing animal countered by the three swordstrokes carving a glowing inverted triangle into the air between them. Kirito recovered from his post-skill delay first and launched himself into a Vertical Square ripping the blade though his target in four violent strokes.

A sound like shattering glass and his huffing filled the air as even the sheep were silent for a moment, before he let out a breath, dismissing the loot window with a quick wave. He would look through the spoils later, after they were far away from this quest. Swishing his blade through the air up to his left shoulder and bringing it back down in a practiced motion, the swordsman glanced around for his partner, only to see her easily herding the twenty-four sheep towards their enclosure.

"Kizmel," he called out, "I think that's the last one!"

The dark elf locked the gate behind the last sheep and slung her shield over her back. "Very well, let us go see the farmer and report our success. I have little desire to spend more time around this livestock than is necessary."

"You can say that again," Kirito mumbled. He had been expecting almost everything when they had gotten up and set out that morning, following Argo's guide on recommended quests, but while the earlier zones of the twenty-sixth floor had featured beasts for the most part, here, this close to the labyrinth, Kirito was surprised just how many sheep they ran into. Flying sheep, exploding sheep, sheep on fire, if Argo's guide was to be believed. He was still wary about the little side note she had scribbled in the margins about flaming squirrels, of all things.

It almost brought back memories of the hated cow-floor.

As the two made their way through the farm buildings in search of the quest NPC, Kirito briefly glanced over their party window to make sure neither of them had taken significant damage. Satisfied, he pulled Argo's guide book from the pouch at his belt and flipped to the appropriate page. "Let's hope Argo's right about this one, and all that trouble was worth it."

"I agree," Kizmel stated with an amused smile. "I do not believe I am suited to being a shepherd."

The swordsman in the black coat shrugged and looked over at his partner out of the corner of his eye. "I don't know, you did a pretty good job of it. I'd rather be dealing with that ram all over again than trying to keep control of a bunch of animals."

"I believe I can say with certainty that the quiet life does not become me," she replied with a brief laugh. "It is not so different from managing a cadre of trainees...or children."

That caused Kirito to look over in surprise. "Children?"

Kizmel nodded as they passed by a barn. "Ever since the end of the war, there has been little to do for the Pagoda Knights. As such, we were often ordered to attend and secure festivities, parades, and celebrations. Many parents felt it finally safe to let their children play again."

"Oh." It was odd to hear about life moving on even as they left those floors far behind them. Part of him still wasn't sure if Sword Art Online would just unload unused areas in order to free up system resources until someone got within reach again, or if the game kept everything running, all the time.

The sun was still high up, and the clock in the corner of his view told him it was barely one in the afternoon. They had gotten a relatively early start and had made good time in the morning, but this quest had taken longer than he had hoped...

Just in time with his thoughts, his stomach issued an insistent growl. Kirito could feel the tips of his ears redden and the sound of Kizmel giggling next to him confirmed that against all hope, she had heard it. "Let's get this turned in and eat," he muttered, tucking his head down into his collar.

They found the farmer, whose craggy, sour countenance only marginally shifted when they reported their success, by the chicken coop. "Fine," he drawled, "you seem to have managed to not lose any of my animals. I suppose those cursed ram gave you little trouble, then?"

Kirito and Kizmel glanced at each other. "No," the swordsman replied.

"Good. I figured you looked more competent than that herdsman, Yuriteon," the farmer grumbled. "All of us plainsmen are glad that the giant took his dog and moved into the Pillar, but his herd has been out of control. If you ever run into him, beware of his skin of steel, it has repelled axe and blade alike. Only poison ever seems to have given him pause."

That brought Kirito up short. It was unlikely this referred to the field boss, but if he had interpreted the flavour text right, then things did not bode well for the floor boss. Poisoned weapons were of little use against most of Aincrad's monsters, as they were difficult to acquire and sacrificed maximum enhancement attempts that could have gone towards damage or accuracy in favor of a damage-over-time or paralysis effect.

In battle against mobs, with the availability of sword skills, they fell far behind conventional weapons in efficiency, and the only time he had ever seen them used was in the hands of PKers and the Fallen during the Elf War. Kizmel appeared to share his line of thought as she looked over warily.

"We'll let Argo figure that one out. At least we'll know what to look for," he told her, before returning his attention to the NPC. "Thank you for the advice."

"Come back if you ever need any more work."

With that, the NPC fell silent and the quest reward window appeared in front of Kirito. As Kizmel was classified as an NPC by the system, she could neither see nor access her own reward window, although she must be getting the experience points for completing the quest...though how she interpreted those, he had no idea.

What am I going to do with this much wool...and mutton? Maybe Agil will want it, Kirito thought as he glanced through the list before dismissing it. He brought up a messaging window and typed out a quick note to Argo with the relevant information, before stretching his back and looking at his partner. "Come on, I think we passed a good place to take a break on our way here."

The solitary oak tree was a few hundred meters out of the perimeter of the farm, and was notable as the only tree in the area. It wasn't hot yet, as Aincrad was still in late spring, but the reprieve from the warmth of the day was still welcome when they dropped into the shade. Kirito scrolled through his inventory and materialized a sandwich for lunch while the dark elf unwrapped a slice of meat pie from her pouch.

While he was still in his inventory, Kirito shuffled a few things around as he searched for something in particular. "Aha!" Taking a bite out of the bread in his left hand, he hit the materialize command and a black spike appeared in his hand. The description read [Shmargor's Spike], and the onyx black material felt as cold as chilled steel.

Well, I guess it's a good thing I kept this, but is one going to be enough? The spike had been a remnant of their encounter with Morte and the dagger-wielding orange player on the sixth floor. The encounter had almost ended up killing him and Asuna both, and in the aftermath they had used the weapons left discarded by the fleeing PKers to determine their connection to the Fallen Elves.

He twirled the throwing spike in his hand, idly wondering if using it in one hand would result in an irregular equipment state without the throwing weapon skill. I guess if it comes to it, I can stab with it instead of throwing it, he mused to himself.

Kizmel looked on in interest, a wistful expression on her face as he manipulated the menu, returning the weapon to his inventory. "Despite all the charms that remain to us, echoes of the magic before the Great Separation, I must admit I still envy the powers of your Mystic Scribing," she explained as he looked over, halfway into another bite. "Viscount Yofilis has taught me some, how to interact with it when a human initiates it, but no dark elf has managed to cast it in generations."

"Oh? What did he know about it?" Kirito had to admit he was interested, if only to see how Kizmel, and by extension, any other NPCs like her, viewed it. None of them could read English, for one, he was sure, so the menu text must seem like some arcane script, and he had no idea if she had the same kind of party interface as a player on their HUD.

Leaning back against the tree and stretching her legs out before her, Kizmel let out a satisfied sigh. "According to our history, it is described as a power unique to humans, but still one only available to a select few. There were stories of the Great Separation and how, before, many more humans could cast Mystic Scribing, while the other races had powers of a similar kind." She shrugged, pausing to finish off her lunch. "Of course, after the Great Separation, the knowledge of how to acquire these skills and powers has been lost."

"Hm." Kirito flopped onto his back and stared at the sunlight streaming through the branches above. "I'm sure there is a way. Who knows, maybe we'll find it in our travels. There's still lots of things we don't know about this place."

"Indeed," Kizmel smiled warmly. "And it certainly would not be the first time that we have achieved something thought impossible together."

Yeah, like I thought it would be impossible for me to be sitting here with you, having a conversation that would put the Turing test to shame, he thought to himself. Just what are you, Kizmel? Are you a creation of Akihiko Kayaba? Or something else?

He was sure she wasn't scripted to behave in this manner originally. While things had changed from the beta, he had returned to that clearing on the third floor before and witnessed the quest going exactly the way he remembered, albeit with a different dark elf in Kizmel's stead. What did that make her? A glitch in the system? Did he and Asuna trigger a hidden system flag when they managed to save Kizmel against the odds?

With the way everything had changed since the beta test and all of the unexpected twists and turns that had happened along the way, Kirito was beginning to wonder more and more if Aincrad was less a virtual construct operating within the constraints of a game, and more a living, breathing, evolving world. Just like Kayaba said...it's our world now.

Between the unexpected nature of NPCs like Kizmel and Viscount Yofilis and the way the game adapted when questlines were derailed, Kirito couldn't help but wonder if this was what Kayaba had intended when he had trapped them here, or if he was just as surprised as Kirito. He somehow had the suspicion that, perhaps, it was a little bit of both.

At least even through all the surprises, the gameplay is consistent and fair, otherwise we'd all be dead by now.

"Well," he finally said, swallowing the last of his food. "If we want to find it first, then we'd better stay ahead of everyone else, right?" Even with the losses they had taken and the need to reorganize themselves, he was sure that by now both Lind and Heathcliff had their respective guilds scouring the floor.

"Indeed." Kizmel smiled as she hefted her own weapons and stood. "Shall we go, my friend?"

-------------------------------

Argo hadn't been kidding about the exploding sheep, as it turned out. Nor about the flaming squirrels, Kirito thought to himself morosely as he fiddled with the singed hem of his coat as they sat down for dinner. I wonder if anyone's got the tailoring skill high enough yet to fix our clothing. And we need a smith to look at Kizmel's armour and shield, too.

"I would never have thought the day would come I wished for the presence of actual predators," Kizmel muttered beside him, her cloak and tunic as singed as his own clothing. "I would gladly have fought a wyvern or lizardfolk instead."

"Maybe the predators all decided to move to a different floor to avoid being exploded?"

That got a tired smile from the dark elf, her mood slightly lifted as they placed their orders with the NPC waitress. The restaurant was lively, and Kirito had noticed several people shooting them curious looks as they had entered. After all, it wasn't every day that you saw a player walking around with an NPC in town, but so far no one had directly questioned things.

Although part of that may have to do with Kizmel's mood, he thought to himself, but he had enough of a sense of self-preservation to not give voice to it. The usually congenial dark elf had a positively frazzled air around her as they had returned to town, something Kirito could understand well, after hours spent chasing around, and being chased by, all manner of flaming and exploding livestock. His own patience was fraying, after all.

"You two look like you had a rough day." The cheerful voice caused Kirito to groan as Argo slid herself into the seat across from him right as their drinks arrived. "I'll have a berry chocolate crumble," she told the waitress, who nodded dutifully.

"I will return with your food in a moment," the NPC acknowledged, before withdrawing from the table.

"It wasn't fun," Kirito sighed. "I didn't think the exploding sheep were quite so..."

"Explosive," the dark elf finished for him, hiding her grimace behind her mug of ale. "At the very least, we managed to get out of range of most of them."

"Speak for yourself, you had a shield to hide behind." Kirito grumbled into his crossed arms before raising his head. "I didn't think they would be aggressive. And I thought you were joking about the fire-squirrels."

"Ah, ah, ah," Argo grinned as she waved a finger before him. "You should know by now, Kii-bou, that I never joke about info in my guides."

"Yeah, yeah." Their food arrived before Kirito could add much else, and the next few minutes were spent in silence as they ate. A full belly, even a virtual one at that, did help put him in a somewhat better mood, and Kizmel was much the same - though the elf tore into her meal with a ravenous hunger that had him wonder if she wasn't taking her fury out on the meat on the plate, instead.

When they had finished, except for Argo who seemed content to chip away at her dessert a spoonful at a time, the swordsman spoke up again. "So, how are the preparations for the labyrinth going?"

Argo twitched for a moment, before putting down her spoon. "Well, if we take what yer message said at face value, then we're goin' ta have a bit of trouble coming up with enough poison weapons for everyone in the clearing group. I've done some further diggin', and it appears this entire floor has a bit of a Greek theme going on."

"Greek like Athens and Sparta kind of Greek?" Kirito tilted his head curiously.

"Well...more like ancient-er Greek mythology. Mycenaean, I think it was called, based on the architecture alone. Titans, demi-gods, and the like. You know, minotaurs and Trojan horses and all that. Ya said the farmer you got the quest from called the shepherd Yuriteon?"

"I think that's how he pronounced it. Yuri-tee-on."

Nodding, the info-broker crossed her arms before her chest. "That's the third time the name's come up so far. No one knows how it's spelled, of course, but from what my sources say, Eurytion was a character from the myth of Hercules."

"You mean that Greek legend of the son of Zeus?" Kirito vaguely remembered some of the mythology. It was his sister that held the real interest in myths and legends of cultures past, but he had found some of the stories entertaining enough as adventure stories to read them with her.

Argo flipped her spoon in the air and pointed it at him. "Yup! That's the one. Technically, he's called Heracles, Hercules is just the more common Latin spelling after the Romans appropriated the mythology. The tenth labour has a shepherd called Eurytion in it."

"Do you think this herdsman is the Pillar Guardian of this floor?" Kizmel asked, leaning over in interest.

The Rat shook her head. "Nah, if anything, that sounds more like the field boss. But the myth goes beyond that. The final challenge of that myth revolved around stealin' a herd of cattle from a giant demi-god called Geryon. Three-headed and six-armed fella with a two-headed guard dog ta complete the set."

Kirito looked at his partner, nodding at the recognition in her eyes. "That is similar to the story told to us by the farmer," the dark elf noted. "He spoke of a giant and his sheepdog in his warning."

Argo hummed in agreement. "Well, then it seems like we have some idea on what the boss is goin' ta be. Hopefully we can find out more once we find the room and get to scout it out. But just knowing that he may have i-phases is going to be helpful."

"It's not like it's the first time we've come across a boss that has invulnerability stages," Kirito noted. "And it isn't unusual for multi-stage boss fights to involve timers or puzzles before it becomes vulnerable again. The Irrational Cube was the same way."

Argo grimaced. "True, but ya know as well as I do that tryin' ta figure out what we gotta do in the middle of a fight is goin' ta be dangerous."

And an unsure thing is the last thing we need right now, the swordsman finished her thought in his head.

"I...don't actually know if it's meant to be a multi-phase encounter," Kirito admitted, wishing there was a quest or chat log he could scroll through instead of having to rely on memory. "The way he worded it, he may only take poison damage. Or maybe a poison attack makes him temporarily vulnerable."

"That'd be bad. Really bad. We're not goin' ta have enough poison weapons ta go around, and there's too few blacksmiths with the knowledge ta make them. Not ta mention the alchemy skill required ta actually craft the poison materials."

"Couldn't we just poison him and let the DoT tick on?"

Argo shook her head, idly twirling the spoon between her fingers. "That would take forever. Besides, I don't think the encounter would be designed like that. Aincrad has always been, above all, consistent. I don't think it would require us all ta switch to a particular weapon type now, just for this one boss." She frowned. "But ya might be onta something with yer theory about using poison ta make him vulnerable. That's bad enough news on its own."

Kirito really didn't have an argument for that, so he just nodded and stared down at his empty plate. "Well, hopefully we'll be able to find out more before we have to go up against him. By the way, Argo," he asked, looking up. "Since you mentioned blacksmiths, know any good ones that we can get our weapons fixed by? After the last time Asuna and I used a fellow player's services, well..."

The blonde info-broker nodded in understanding. It had been months ago, at the very beginning of their second month in Aincrad, but both of them remembered the Legend Braves and the weapon enhancement scam that their blacksmith Nezha had run. "Five hundred Cor." She continued once he had handed over the silver coin.

"There's a girl they say is pretty good. Her name's Lisbeth, word has it she's the one with the highest smithing skill right now. She's set up a vendor carpet out in the market area of Iluria. I know it's a bit of a trek to get all the way back, but you could also wait until the rest of the clearing group makes it out here."

Kirito and Kizmel glanced at each other. "I don't know if we can wait that long," he admitted. "We got pretty battered today."

"And I bet your late-night hunting trips aren't helping, eh, Kii-bou?"

"They're not that late!"

Argo grinned mischievously. "They better not be. Ya gotta get Kii-chan to bed at a reasonable time, a girl needs her beauty sleep, after all!"

"Argo!"

"So, how is it, Kizmel-chan? Has Kii-bou been getting you home at a respectable hour?"

Before the swordsman in question could raise a protest, Kizmel smiled angelically and responded. "I assure you, Argo, that Kirito has gotten me into bed quite satisfyingly last night."

The swordsman's high-pitched shriek of protest was drowned out beneath Argo's howling laughter.

-------------------------------

Kirito was sure his face was still red as they left the restaurant, though thankfully the worst of it seemed to have subsided. I'm so dead if Asuna ever hears about that. Kizmel didn't use to be this bad when the three of us were together!

It was early enough that neither of them felt like going to bed, but neither of them felt like making the almost hour-long trek to Iluria only to have to spend the night and wait for the vendors to open up their stalls in the morning. At least that had been the case until Kirito had wondered out loud if Asuna had kept up practicing her tailoring skill, and Argo had once again come through...for the right price.

When the floor had been opened, the typical flood of tourists and merchants had come up. Most merchants either traded in equipment, supplies, or monster drops. Others were blacksmiths who made their living repairing, upgrading, and forging weapons and armor for those fighting on the front lines. Thus, the majority of the economy usually centered around the logistics for the clearing group as the most profitable business venture.

However, there had been one woman among the crafters and traders that Argo had singled out as a tailor with an extraordinary talent and skill level, and an extraordinary eccentricity to match. When Kizmel had wondered what such a craftsman was doing on the front lines in a business where most players either wore metal armor or discarded their cloth equipment once it became too damaged to use, the Rat had grinned and pointed out that only the front-liners could currently afford her services.

That alone made Kirito wonder what exactly this tailor was doing, but Argo's recommendation of you won't regret any work you commission Ashley-chan to do! had him curious enough to at least warrant a visit. He couldn't deny, especially after a look at the sad state of his equipment durability, that his beloved coat was in dire need of mending as was, of course, his sword.

Kizmel had echoed the sentiment when she mournfully folded up the tattered Mistmoon Cloak and replaced it with a dark grey cloak from an NPC vendor. The swordsman had to admit he did feel a little bad about the whole situation, especially as his partner had told him there were very few Dark Elven craftsmen even capable of mending the garment. If this Ashley had a high enough skill level to do it, Kirito figured, it would be worth a try.

And so, with Kirito reverting to the old Cloak of Midnight that he had acquired as the Last Attack bonus from Ilfang the Kobold Lord on the first floor, and Kizmel with the Mistmoon Cloak carefully packed away in her travel satchel, they had set off on a late night journey towards the main city of the twenty-sixth floor.

"The architecture here is much different than what I have seen of other human settlements," Kizmel commented idly as they came within view of the high walls that protected the settlement. "It reminds me of the stories of ancient times, before the Great Separation, when the kingdoms built great fortress-cities to protect their borders."

Her partner hummed in agreement. Iluria was built in a style that Argo's strategy guide had referred to as a Mycenaean, which if he remembered right was an early bronze period Greek civilization preceding the more well-known Greece of classical antiquity. As such, the city, while still grand in scale, had the feel of a layered fortress with a temple sitting high atop its peak. Situated as it was in a flat plains, the concentric districts rose into the night sky before them.

"If I remember, humans used to build like this for defense, in the past. Before we really started to spread out," Kirito replied, digging through his mind for the trivia. I wonder if Asuna would have any more knowledge on this? he wondered. It wouldn't surprise him, his old partner had seemed to be well educated in almost any subject aside from gaming despite her age.

"I looks defensible enough," Kizmel agreed. "Though I have never seen a dark elven settlement that is quite so compact."

"It's meant to be a fortress. To be honest, it reminds me a bit of home." At her curious glance, he shook his head with a chuckle. "Not the fortress bit, no, and our buildings don't look anything like that. But the way everything is so close together, the narrow streets..." The only difference was that here the shops sold potions and swords instead of electronics and anime or manga paraphernalia.

"You must come from an interesting world, Kirito," the dark elf said quietly. "So much variety, so many different peoples. Even from the little I saw when we first were began travelling together, I saw the diversity of not just the humans of this castle, but also amongst the swordmasters."

Kirito wondered how she interpreted that. Had the elves of Aincrad only lived in the forests and plains before the Great Separation? "In the human lands, there's many different climates and environments. We've lived in great deserts, plains like this, even forests and frozen mountains, so our cultures are kind of a product of our environments. What we build tends to reflect that, I guess."

Kizmel nodded in understanding. "With so many different habitats, it is no wonder humans developed so richly. We elves have never strayed far from the forests and seas. We can hardly survive in the deserts and mountains without aid from the holy trees. Humans seem to be quite the hardy race to thrive in those hostile areas."

"Also remember, we don't live as long as elves or dwarves," the swordsman added, "so things tend to change much quicker."

Kizmel smiled in acknowledgement. "It must be an amazing place. I would love to see it someday."

"That diversity has caused its fair share of problems, though," he pointed out, trying to ignore the little stab of pain at the knowledge that she would never get to fulfill that wish. "There's been wars, clashes of cultures. It's not always pretty."

"I'm aware." Kizmel smiled briefly. "Even as long-lived as we elves are, you have seen what conflict drives us to between our own kind. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same between the human kingdoms. Still, I have never experienced so much in so little time."

Kirito coughed uncomfortably. "Well, it's not like you haven't gotten anything comparable. Yofel Castle was amazing," he said wistfully.

"True," she admitted with a tilt of her head. "But perhaps due to our long war, all of our structures are built for battle. Maybe now our architects and builders can create for creation's sake once more."

"I hope so. If Yofel Castle is what you build during wartime, then I would love to see what you can do in peace," the swordsman replied pensively, wondering if such a thing was even possible. Aincrad was a fairly static world, and he doubted there would be any of the world-changing events that happened in some other games when they received expansion packs. Could the dark elves of Aincrad even build new houses, castles, towns? He had certainly never seen any of the human NPCs try to build something new.

The city guards only gave them a cursory glance as they passed by, and despite his misgivings, Kirito only got a handful of baleful glares by players this late into the evening. To his surprise, several even waved to him cheerfully. Kirito thought he recognized Shivata and Liten's distinctive armors, and gave a tentative nod in return as they walked past.

The door to a nearby inn slammed open, causing Kirito to reflexively pull Kizmel into the shadows of an adjacent building and activate his hiding skill. Before he could wish that she was still wearing her Mistmoon Cloak, the four men that left the inn stormed down the street without sparing a glance around them.

Was that Lind?

"Was that Guildmaster Lind?" Kizmel echoed his thoughts.

Kirito blinked as they stepped away from the darkness. "I...think so?" He looked down the street, trying to catch sight of the blue hair of the Divine Dragon Alliance's leader. "Something must have really upset him."

"Really, that was uncalled for," a woman's voice huffed from the open door as a shadow stepped into the light cast from the inside.

The swordsman froze at the familiar voice, sharing a glance with his companion. "Asuna?" he called out quietly.

"Oh?" The shadow turned, taking a step outside, allowing them to make out chestnut hair and the red-trimmed white uniform of the Knights of Blood. "Kirito-kun?"

His former partner and the newly minted vice-commander of the Knights of Blood stared in surprise, before a wide smile broke out across her features. "Kirito-kun! It's good to see you! Where have...you..." she cut off abruptly as she noticed the hooded figure standing next to him. There was no way she could miss the yellow NPC marker, but when his companion lowered her hood, Asuna's grin widened impossibly.

"Kizmel-chan! It's been so long! How are you?"

The dark elf reciprocated in kind, inclining her head with a gentle smile. "It has been some time, Asuna. I am well, though I must admit when I first arrived on this floor and could find neither you nor Kirito, I was worried."

Asuna practically flew forwards as she reached for the other woman's arms, enfolding her in a crushing hug before letting go. "I'm all right Kizmel, but how about you? What are you doing up here?"

"Uh...Asuna?" Kirito interrupted, glancing up and down the street. "Perhaps...not here?"

Realization dawned in the fencer's eyes, before she nodded sharply. "Oh!"

Kirito looked up at the inn's sign, then over at his companion. "How about it, Kizmel? We haven't found a room yet." He peeked inside, trying to see if the common floor was busy. "This isn't where the KoB are set up, right?"

There was a distinct lack of uniforms for that to be the case. Though why is Asuna meeting with members of the DDA by herself? Must be some negotiation thing.

"No, Lind just wanted to meet here, something about it being neutral ground. I was just about to head back to the inn we're using, but I can stay a bit longer." Asuna tilted her head curiously, hazel eyes flickering between the two of them. "And besides, I really want to hear this story."

Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Kirito wondered even as he stepped in and brought up the menu to reserve a room for the night. It wasn't until the three of them were on their way up the stairs that he realized the implications.

He'd rented a two-bed room, out of habit. Oh no. Forcing himself to calm down, he trudged ahead, opening the door as casually as possible. He could swear the temperature in the room dropped several degrees when Asuna entered, but when he turned around her still smiling face was unreadable as they sat down around the table between the beds.

"S-so, Asuna," he began hurriedly, "what're you doing out here? KoB business?"

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment before letting out an exasperated huff. "We've been trying to negotiate a leadership structure with the DDA since we were formed."

"Lind isn't cooperating, then?" Kirito let out a breath he hadn't been aware that he was holding when she seemed content to let things go for the moment.

"He believes that as the most experienced raid leader remaining, now that the ALS is gone, he should be the one in charge, with the KoB providing support for the DDA." He could practically see her fists clench under the table, and winced in sympathy. It was the same attitude that had already rubbed her the wrong way when she had been his new partner and Lind had attempted to dictate to them which guild to join.

"He does realize that while he's got the numbers, from what I saw, the KoB managed to grab some of the best of the ALS that wanted to keep going on top of most of the high-level solos, right?"

Asuna nodded and relaxed slightly. "Yeah. The fact that the commander made sure to announce that we didn't care about whether you were a beta tester or not went a long way to helping with that. Despite everything, Lind and Kibaou did a lot of damage in that regard with their attitudes."

"And Heathcliff did hold off the boss by himself. I'm pretty sure that impressed a lot of-ouch!" Kirito rubbed the spot where the fencer had punched his arm. "What was that for?"

"That was for recklessly charging in on your own like you did! I never got to talk to you after the battle, you just went up and left after disbanding the party!" Asuna's eyes glittered angrily, and the swordsman found himself instinctively leaning back.

"Look, it was a bad day for everyone, and you had a lot of stuff to do, I figured it wasn't anything we hadn't done before. I'd just have gotten sent up to open the gate by myself, anyway," he muttered defensively.

Her glare softened, and with a sigh, Asuna relented. "You're right. I never thought there would be this much work involved with running a guild. You could've warned me about that before letting me commit to it!"

"What do I know about running a guild, I'm a solo, remember?"

"Oh." She stared bashfully for a moment. "Right. Anyway, the commander was hoping that we could work something out, so he contacted Lind to set up a meeting. For some reason he wants me to be the field commander for the KoB, but we'll need to be able to work with the DDA for that."

"Well, you're really good at it." Kirito shrugged at her pointed look. "What? It's the truth. You saved our lives with the last floor boss."

Asuna shook her head vigorously before settling on an expression of mild discomfort. "I just did what I learned from you. And without that stupid," she slapped his arm again, "reckless," another hit, "insane distraction you caused by pulling the boss before the commander could get into position, we'd never have gotten the time we needed to heal up and regroup."

Kirito frowned and sank deeper into the collar of his coat. "Look-"

Asuna sighed and seemed to decide to let up. "No, it's all right. I understand why you did it, and I'm just feeling bad that I wasn't there to help you like I should have been." Shifting gears, she perked up and looked over at Kizmel.

"Well, enough about me. How have you two been? I haven't seen you since the boss fight," the fencer said, jabbing her index finger at Kirito, "and Kizmel-chan, I'm so glad to see you again, but what are you doing up here? I didn't think there were any dark elven outposts this high up?"

The dark elf smiled and placed a hand on top of Asuna's on the table. "I came to travel with you. The peace appears to last, and there is little for the Pagoda Knights to do in times of peace. And," she admitted with a sorrowful look in her eyes, "I was longing for my friends. This peace was something that Tilnel dreamed of, and to see it realized means more to me than I can say."

Once again, Kirito had to wonder about the depth of expression and emotion Kizmel so easily put on display. Sword Art Online had a fairly complex and in-depth emotional expression system, but even so it needed to exaggerate a player's expression in order to properly read and convey it. Kizmel was showing genuine sorrow at the loss of her sister, and it made him question again whether Tilnel the dark elven herbalist had actually ever existed.

Kizmel certainly acted like she had, but even if Aincrad had been in existence from the moment the servers went live for the retail players, it would have been a close call on whether there could have been an NPC Tilnel that had died. Any memories Kizmel had of her sister beyond that definitely had to be artificial creations of the system, except...

Except for the fact that she has dreams...and memories of the beta test. Why? And how does she remember me, when I had a different avatar back then?

"To be honest, Asuna," Kizmel continued with a watery smile, "I was lonely. During our adventures together, the two of you were better friends than any I'd had before, and I haven't been this close with anyone except for my sister. So I figured that helping my friends with their quest seemed to be a better use of my time than guarding a kingdom at peace."

Friend. That word was something that Kirito felt conflicted about. He wasn't used to being called a friend, with as much as he had always isolated himself from everyone around him. There had been friends on his contacts and friends list before, in other games, of course, but that was little more than a convenience to keep in touch with people he would see and interact with online maybe once a week.

And yet, despite it, after all the time he had spent around them, after his uncertainty of knowing where he really stood with them, Asuna, Kizmel, and even Argo hadn't ever really changed. He'd begun to think that perhaps what he knew of them, what they'd shown him of themselves, was actually who they really were. That in this virtual world that had become their reality, the player and the character could truly be one and the same.

Even Agil, the giant, burly axe-wielding tank, had slowly been working his way underneath his guard, and if he hadn't abandoned him on that first day, Kirito thought, perhaps Klein could have been one, as well. These were the people who had gotten the closest to him in a very long time.

And Kirito was honest enough with himself to admit that it felt good. He wasn't sure he deserved it, after abandoning Klein in order to save his own skin, but Kirito couldn't bring himself to push that feeling away. He wanted the companionship and comfort that came with it.

Asuna reached over with her free hand, taking Kizmel's in both of hers. "You're always welcome with us, Kizmel-chan. You're our friend, too. I'm really happy to see you again. I missed you."

"Thank you, Asuna." Kizmel paused briefly, glancing down at their joined hands. "I was surprised when Kirito and Argo informed me that you had joined a guild, but I can see it agrees with you."

At her resulting glare and Kirito's panicked waving, Kizmel chuckled. "It may not seem like it, but leadership suits you, Asuna. I believe you will accomplish great things with them at your back."

"I...guess," Asuna leaned back with a sigh, somewhat mollified. "It's stressful, and it's a lot of work, but I think we can really do some good out there. We've got a lot of really good people. Even if there aren't a lot of us yet. We'll need every single one of them after the losses we took."

"The raid group's still short, then?" Kirito asked, curious as to how many people had actually decided to quit the clearing group after the disastrous last boss fight. He could understand why they would, but it still left them dangerously short-handed, and it would also discourage future players from rising up and joining them.

Asuna plucked at one of the ribbons of her uniform uncomfortably. "Yes. Between the KoB and the DDA, we're looking at six full parties, plus the assorted solos." She looked up at Kizmel. "If you're joining Kirito, then I'm glad he at least has someone to watch his back. I was worried about him-" she waved off his coming protest.

"I know, you told me that I was strong enough to no longer need you, and that I could do more good joining a guild, but I didn't feel right just leaving you by yourself," the fencer admitted. "Especially not after how bad the last boss fight was."

"Do not worry, Asuna." Kizmel gave her hand a squeeze. "He will not be alone, I promise."

Asuna gave the dark elf a radiant smile, before glancing off into the corner of her vision in a manner that Kirito knew meant she must have gotten a notification. "Thank you, Kizmel, that means a lot to me, and it takes away at least one of my worries."

She blinked, then returned her attention to them. "So what brings you both out here? I would have thought that you'd be far ahead of everyone else by now, since I haven't seen you around. Don't tell me you're slacking, Kirito-kun?" she asked mischievously.

Waving his hands in front of him in protest, the swordsman shook his head frantically. "N-no, not at all! We, uh, we were actually going to start mapping the labyrinth tomorrow, but we had...well."

"An unpleasant encounter with some exploding livestock," Kizmel finished for him with a grimace.

"Yeah. That." Kirito shrugged despondently. "And you know I don't use metal armor, and Kizmel's got her cloak, and we needed a tailor."

"I don't think my tailoring skill is high enough for that yet, Kirito-kun, I'm sorry."

He waved her off easily. "Don't worry, I thought about it, but Argo said there was a really good tailor in town. And if Argo recommends someone..."

"I see, but what is a tailor doing this far up?" Asuna nodded with a frown.

Kirito merely shrugged in response. "Either way, we were hoping she would be available early enough that we could make it back by noon and start working on the labyrinth tomorrow."

"Rest assured, Asuna," Kizmel leaned towards her with an enigmatic smile. "I will ensure Kirito will be quite...busy."

The fencer's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the teasing smile on the dark elf and the panicked look on the swordsman, before breaking out into a giggle before standing and pulling Kizmel into a sisterly hug. "I'm sure you will, Kizmel-chan. I've got to go now, but you two take care of each other for me, all right? I'll see you in the field soon."

"You have my word, Asuna," the dusky elf muttered into her friend's hair. "As a friend, as a sister, I will do everything within my power to make sure we see your journey through to the very end. All of us, all the way to the very top of this steel castle."

-------------------------------

May 23rd, 2023

Their meeting with Ashley the tailor had been an interesting experience. Argo's praise and her reputation were all well-deserved, even if Kirito had the feeling he was paying in embarrassment as much as in Cor for her services as the tall woman in a fur coat puttered around both of them, crooning over what a cute couple they made while turning them this way and that as she took their measurements and looked over the things they had brought for her to mend.

The good thing to come out of it was that while Ashley had been less than impressed by Kirito's coat - which was why he was being measured for a new one - she had been all but enamoured with Kizmel's Mistmoon Cloak and instantly begun compiling a list of very expensive materials she would need in order to fix it. Kirito's right eye had begun twitching as he looked at the list that seemed to keep going and going, but one glance over at Kizmel's happy expression had settled the matter for him.

The morning bustle of the Iluria marketplace was slower than he had expected as they stepped into the grand square, looking for their second stop of the day. Must be because most of the clearers are out in the field by now, Kirito thought to himself as he searched the square for one vendor in particular.

Kizmel had once again pulled her hood over her head in order to hide her distinctive ears, and Kirito hoped that it wouldn't look too unusual for a player to be walking around with a quest NPC in town. Something about the whole situation brought back pleasant memories of the early days and the way Asuna used to hide within her own cloak as they travelled together.

Agil was right where Kirito had expected him to be, renting out a market stall at one of the busiest intersections of the square, and the swordsman watched in amusement as two players walked away from the stall, their expressions glum. Agil had a reputation for being an expert negotiator and shrewd merchant, but along with that came an equally-deserved reputation for honesty.

The tall, dark-skinned man looked entirely too cheerful as he waved after his departing customers, before turning to look at them. "Oi, Kirito!" The merchant's eyes turned from sharp to friendly as he recognized his fellow clearer. "Haven't seen you in a while, did you run off ahead of everyone else again?"

"Something like that." Kirito shrugged. "I decided I needed more of a margin, especially after that last boss fight."

"I hear ya." Agil had been a steady part of the clearing group since the very first floor and as such had fought in the twenty-fifth floor battle. As a tank, he had seen firsthand how much damage the boss had been able to inflict and just how many people it had cost their lives. "But you're doing okay? What with Asuna joining the KoB and all?"

He trailed off as he noticed the swordsman's companion. "Oh, excuse me, Miss. I remember you, but I don't think we were ever properly introduced."

That's right, I think they only ever met at the fourth floor boss battle, and we never introduced her. There was perhaps a handful of other times when Agil must have seen the dark elf while she was travelling with him and Asuna, but he couldn't remember an instance where they had actually been in a setting that didn't involve life-or-death combat.

"Oh, right. Agil, this is Kizmel. She's a Pagoda Knight and Royal Guard of the kingdom of Lyusula," he introduced her, gesturing grandly at his companion. "Kizmel, this is Agil, the best merchant in town, and one of the tanks of our clearing group."

Kizmel smiled and bowed, before extending a hand to shake Agil's. "A pleasure to meet you, Master Agil." She glanced briefly at Kirito. "A...tank? Ah, yes, one who distracts the enemy and protects his fellow warriors so they may strike at an opening. Kirito and Asuna explained it to me some time ago."

Agil shook the proffered hand with a curious look at Kirito. "The pleasure's mine, but please, just Agil is fine. And best merchant in town, eh? You must really want something rare or expensive, Kirito." He leaned over towards the swordsman and lowered his voice. "Uh, by the way, is she...?"

"A dark elven ally, not a human swordmaster," Kirito confirmed, hoping his tone conveyed that the merchant shouldn't ask too many questions in public. "We met during the Elf War campaign on the third floor, and she just came up two days ago looking for Asuna and me."

"That's correct," Kizmel confirmed, "I spent some time travelling with them as they aided my people, so I wished to return the favour. And if Asuna is no longer by his side, then it is even more important that I be here."

"I see." Agil's face expressed that he really didn't, not yet, at least, but he decided to drop the subject for the moment. "One of these days, you'll have to tell me the story behind that. But I'm guessing you didn't come here to trade stories, did you? So, did you find anything interesting you want to get rid of?"

"The other way around, actually," Kirito coughed and pulled the list Ashley had given him. Some of the things they were able to gather by themselves, and Kizmel had agreed that buying them was not worth the expense, but there were a few things on the long list that had even confounded Kirito as to where to acquire. "I need, well...this."

Agil took the list, his eyes widening in surprise as he took in its contents. "That's a lot of stuff. Very specific stuff."

"I know. I figured if anyone could get a hold of some of it, it'd be you." Kirito shrugged and leaned back. "Some of it we can collect ourselves, but I don't even know where to begin looking for some of these things."

"Argo would know."

"Kirito suggested that you might be a better resource for acquiring these than doing business for their sources with Argo," Kizmel replied with a chuckle. "I do believe he has been trying to avoid having to pay her more than strictly necessary these last few days."

"Ha!" Agil laughed, before returning his attention to the list. "Mind if I keep this? I'll ask around a bit, see if I can collect up the quantity you need. It won't be cheap, but I think I can get them. When do you need them by?"

Kirito looked at the dark elf beside him. "How about it, Kizmel? Do you think it can wait until the clearing group's caught up, or should we get it mended as soon as we can?"

The dusky elf shook her head and laid a hand on his shoulder. "There is no rush, Kirito. The cloak is safe with Ashley, and I am in no rush to have it mended. Besides, we will need to collect several of these items ourselves, and we do not currently have time for that."

"If you're sure..."

"I am. I'm already very grateful that Ashley is capable of mending it for me, so there is no need to further inconvenience her or Agil."

"Ashley, huh?" Agil looked at them curiously. "Well, if you want, I can take these straight to her once I've gotten them and send you the bill. Should take a few days."

"Thanks, Agil." Kirito grinned and shook the burly merchant's hand. "Let me know when you've got it all together so I can pay you."

After a little more discussion over the price and payment, the pair left the pleased Agil with a custom order and headed for a different section of the market. Finding the blacksmith that Argo had told them about proved to be an easy enough task, but following the sound of hammer strikes led them to a crowded stall with...

"A line," Kirito groaned. And a pretty long one, at that. I guess Argo was right, if this girl has the highest smithing skill in the game right now, no wonder she's so popular.

Kizmel eyed the assembled masses waiting their turn with a mixture of distaste and exasperation. "I believe this...may take a while, as you would say."

"Yeah. Uh...so, how about lunch while we wait?"

The dark elven knight looked over at her sheepish partner and gave a brief smile and nod. "That would be fine. Shall I wait here while you buy it?"

"Sure." Kirito glanced around the different food stalls. "What do you feel like having?"

-------------------------------

May 26th, 2023

The town closest to the twenty-sixth floor labyrinth was called Rythia, and had been their home for two days before the rest of the clearing group arrived. In that time, Kirito and Kizmel had begun exploring deep into the labyrinth itself, though their progress had been temporarily sidelined by a number of the floor's quest lines supplied by Argo, and by the time they returned their attention to the labyrinth, a group from the KoB had reported that they had located the boss room.

As Kirito walked into the large meeting room that had been co-opted for the strategy meeting, he couldn't help but feel anxious. The last time they had held this kind of meeting, the resulting battle had turned from routine into desperate rescue mission - though the chances of that happening again were slim at best.

Whatever could be said about the KoB, they held themselves to a standard of their own, and refused to engage the Divine Dragon Alliance in their attempts of one-upmanship. The stalwart, silent presence of Heathcliff, the KoB's leader, undoubtedly had something to do with that.

Still, there was some hope welling up in him as he stepped past other players, ignoring the curious and sometimes downright hostile looks they shot him as he walked with Kizmel by his side. The last few days had been anything but unpleasant with the dark elf by his side. If Kirito had somehow retained any doubt about her being just another NPC, the last several days would have quickly dispelled those notions.

Just as she had been months prior, she was as quick to pick up on his cues as Asuna had been no matter how colloquial he got, and while she didn't understand every reference he made, she understood the meaning behind the words well enough. By the time they had begun delving into the labyrinth, the two of them had fallen into a familiar, comforting rhythm, and Kirito was glad to have her with him and had no hesitation in trusting her to watch his back.

Even if he still had yet to figure out a solution to their living arrangements. He had confirmed that Kizmel couldn't rent a room of her own, and that she could not call up the menu to access a room by herself. That had left them with little choice but to bunk together, but she had dismissed his worries easily with the reminder that they had already spent time together in her tent when they had first met.

As far as she was concerned, as long as she had a bed - and not necessarily one of her own, which had caused a whole slew of other issues for Kirito - the practicality and savings of renting a single room outweighed any potential problems that might have arisen from sharing the room. After a while he finally ran out of ideas to try, and ended up having to admit defeat. Thankfully for his sanity and continued health, Kizmel had at least been willing to adhere to some human customs of modesty, and more than once the swordsman thanked his lucky stars as the last thing he needed was for Argo to have yet more blackmail material on him.

He idly wondered what the rest of the clearing group would think of Kizmel's presence. Asuna, he knew, would support her presence. Some of the veterans might have remembered her or the intervention of Viscount Yofilis during the fourth floor battle against the Hippocampus and would not find the idea of NPCs helping in their fights too outlandish. Even if people were to give him trouble, most of the clearers still gave him a wide berth considering his reputation, and not even the most vocal opponents of beta testers or solos could deny that he pulled his weight in boss fights.

That didn't stop Kirito from feeling antsy, though.

Considering the hours they had been keeping and the distance they had put between themselves and the rest of the clearing group since coming to the twenty-sixth floor, this would be the first time he and Kizmel would be in a large gathering of players - their recent trip to the Iluria marketplace notwithstanding. Most of the time other players had not given them much thought as they slipped by on their way to deal with their own business.

Today, they walked in broad daylight with her hood down, pointed elven ears, lilac hair and dusky skin on full display, a combination no player avatar could achieve, and they drew more than a few stares and murmured comments as they pushed their way towards the doors of the meeting hall.

I figured Shivata and Liten wouldn't be surprised, Kirito thought with amusement, confirming that the couple had seen them together before. But Hafner's face was pretty funny. As he passed by the DDA member standing outside the door, the tank's face seemed torn between exasperation and amusement.

He, at least, would remember Kizmel from their dramatic rescue of the raid party on the fourth floor, and would also be one of the people that wouldn't be overly surprised at Kirito's unorthodox companion. Especially not after taking part in Kirito's insane plan of raiding the fifth floor boss with only twelve people.

Now that they were just outside the room, Kirito could already hear voices coming from inside. It appeared the meeting had started a little bit ahead of schedule and he hoped they hadn't missed anything important.

"A few new players have come up, mostly solos, now that the ALS has withdrawn," Kirito heard as they came up on the door. "Some beta testers and others who were afraid of stepping up while Kibaou's group was still active. Our own recruitment has gone well, and we have several people who will be looking to join the front lines soon."

Kirito recognized the voice as Asuna's, and he couldn't hide the smile at the thought of how confident and how much like a leader his former partner was sounding as she stood at the head of a room full of clearers. As he pushed the door open, they walked in just in time to hear Lind's voice speak up in rebuttal.

"Still, while we have had some reinforcements, we are still short handed. We have not managed to completely recover from our own losses, and while your KoB may have picked up several new members, I still cannot see how we will be able to field a full raid. In fact, we have seen some of our members withdraw from the boss raid and limit themselves to mapping the labyrinth."

"There is no denying that the last boss fight was a huge blow to morale," Asuna conceded calmly. "And players are right to be worried. The losses we took are significant, crippling, even, but we are in the exact same position as we were on the very first floor. Our solution is the same now as it was then, and if you think yourself any kind of successor to Diavel's legacy, you will see it, too." Kirito couldn't hide the smile at her open challenge at Lind's self-styled image.

Lind didn't look as confident as he usually did, and Kirito realized that this was one of those instances where he could never measure up to his predecessor. Diavel had been the type to deliberate, but then commit to a course of action whole-heartedly and without hesitation. Right now, Kirito felt, Lind had the same subdued and conflicted demeanour about him that so many had felt in the aftermath of the battle against Ilfang and the loss of Diavel.

In contrast to the DDA's leader, Asuna was standing tall and firm in her spotless white uniform, and while it was still strange to see her in something so elaborate as opposed to the more practical garb she had worn while she was his partner, she wore it well. Her voice was firm and held the same confidence that had rallied them on the last floor boss raid and taken charge before it could become a total rout.

"You're right," Lind admitted as Kirito and Kizmel leaned against the wall at the back of the room to watch quietly, "but you have to admit that even that battle was not without cost. And with our numbers depleted enough to not be able to even fill a full raid, I still believe it would be better to hold off on the raid until we can recruit more...in fact, even your own former partner has hardly been seen on this floor so far."

Kirito caught his partner's eye, and at her smile and minuscule nod, he took a step forward and cleared his throat. "Actually, we're right here." Every pair of eyes in the room turned to them, and Kirito had to fight the urge to flinch back into the safety of his coat.

Asuna smiled widely as she waved at them. "That's because while everyone else was catching their breath, Kirito-kun was moving ahead, as we all should be doing. And Kizmel-chan, I'm glad you could make it!"

Kirito let out a relieved sigh when he noticed that everyone's attention was shifting from him to his companion, and mutters began to fill the room. Kizmel returned the fencer's smile as raised a hand in greeting. "I would not have missed this meeting. I hope there are no objections to my joining in this coming battle?"

As he looked around the room, Kirito noticed with amusement that his initial assessment had been correct. Most of the veterans that had fought since the lower floors and were used to the strange things that happened around him rolled their eyes in either amusement or vexation, much like Hafner. Lind, who he knew recognized Kizmel, looked shocked and baffled at her presence. Many of the others though, who had come up to join the clearing group long after Kirito and Asuna had run their strange variation of the Elf War campaign, had no idea who Kizmel was. And even with the lack of NPC cursors indoors, there was no mistaking her as a player, further increasing the confusion in the room.

Some of the players had the presence of mind to shoot questioning looks at Kirito, but he only smiled blandly in return. Even if he had been able to provide answers regarding who and what Kizmel was, he felt no need to let them know that he was just as confused about her presence and abnormal behaviour. He did have a reputation to maintain, after all.

"An NPC? Without a quest?" Kirito caught someone muttering to his left.

Asuna must have heard it, too, as she pinned one of the KoB members with a glare. "I certainly have no objections. And as Lind just pointed out, we are almost two full parties short of a raid. Right, commander?"

"It would indeed be foolish to turn away any offer of help at this stage, no matter how...unorthodox." The quiet voice of Heathcliff the Paladin, who had until now remained a silent presence at the head of the table, cut through the din of voices. "Unless Lind has any objections?"

The blue-haired knight stared in silence for a few seconds longer, before shaking his head. "No, I agree. We can't turn down any help we can get, and the dark elves have helped us out before," he managed. "Besides, I believe that Kizmel-san's presence will be beneficial to Kirito at the least, given recent changes."

He's still up on that, huh? Still trying to make me see the error of my ways by pointing out how even Asuna managed to fit in with a group, and yet I haven't? He shrugged, not really caring about Lind's opinion. It had been irritating when he had been competing with Kibaou over the balance of power between the DDA and ALS, but even Lind had to be able to see that in the long term, there would be no way for them to compete with the Knights of Blood in the same way.

"Then the matter is settled," Heathcliff announced. "Welcome to the clearers, Kizmel-kun."

The dark elf inclined her head in response. "Thank you, Guildmaster Heathcliff. It will be a pleasure working with you."

Asuna turned to resume the meeting, when Heathcliff spoke again. "A moment, if you would." When his sub-commander turned to him with a questioning glance, the knight clad in red armor looked at Kizmel across the room. "I do admit I am curious. I had not heard of dark elves this high up in Aincrad, much less this closely allied with humans. This is only the second time I have heard of dark elves aiding humans, and both times you were involved. Do tell, Kirito-kun, how did you manage to gain Kizmel-kun's friendship?"

Kirito noted with some surprise that the paladin was choosing his words carefully so as not to break immersion. It was a curiosity he filed away for later as he gave an apologetic shrug. "It's a long story. I think Argo's working on an anthology of that, and I doubt she'd appreciate me cutting in on her profits."

Heathcliff nodded and turned to the side. "Fair enough. How much for that story, Argo-kun?"

The self-styled Rat grinned as she stepped away from the wall. "Five thousand Cor for the grand tale of the Elf War and the exploits of Kirito, Asuna, and Kizmel," she offered, crossing her arms. "Another five hundred if you're interested in the story of Kizmel's arrival and what she's been up to since then."

"A fair price," the paladin agreed, manipulating his menu to materialize a pouch of coins. Setting it on the table, he slid it over to the info-broker, who handed him a bound volume in turn.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Master Heathcliff," Argo grinned as she pocketed the money.

Kirito began to sweat as he saw Asuna's suspicious glance bounce between him, Kizmel, and Argo, before settling on him with a preternatural intensity that he always knew was followed up by her temper. To his surprise, the chestnut-haired fencer broke into a brief smile and a wink, before returning her attention to the table.

Phew. Maybe leadership is good for her temperament, Kirito thought in relief.

Clearing her throat, Asuna rapped her knuckles on the table. "Anyway, as you all know, the Knights of Blood located the boss room yesterday afternoon, so we will be leading this raid. Several scouting attempts were made, and we have confirmed that the boss is called Geryon the Steppe Hunter. Additionally, there is a sub-boss called Orthrus. Geryon is a giant-type humanoid armed with three shields and three spears in the first phase, while Orthrus is a two-headed giant beast-type with claw and bite attacks."

She nodded at Kirito and Kizmel in acknowledgement. "Due to information obtained in quests on this floor, as well as the efforts of the scouting party, we have confirmed that Geryon is highly resistant to physical attacks. The details should be in Argo's guide book on the boss." That statement caused a lot of uneasy muttering among the assembled clearers.

Kirito couldn't fault them, he had wondered what kind of mechanic the twenty-sixth floor boss would have after everything he and Kizmel had found out and speculated about. High physical resistance in any other game wouldn't have been a big deal. But Sword Art Online had no magic, no elemental damage, and all fighting was done with swords and melee weapons divided into either slashing, piercing, or blunt damage. The only exceptions were the rare poison or even rarer ice- or fire weapons that were literally blocks of ice or on fire.

"The good news is that the scouting party was able to confirm that while under the effect of a poison damage-over-time effect, his physical resistance is greatly reduced," Asuna concluded. "Therefore, our raid group should be divided as follows..."

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May 27th, 2023

Kirito watched in apprehension as Lind and Asuna went over their last-minute preparations with their guild members as their raid stood assembled in front of the boss room of the twenty-sixth floor. Despite their best efforts, their raid was still an entire party short; it was not the first time that Kirito had been part of a boss fight with fewer than the maximum possible forty-eight players, but those had not come on the heels of the near-disaster that had been the twenty-fifth floor.

In preparation for the raid, the KoB had distributed a limited number of poison weapons that they had managed to acquire among the clearers. Kirito glanced over his own party of six as they shifted in anticipation. He and Kizmel had been joined by Agil and the remaining three members of his Bro Squad, Wolfgang, Lowbacca, and Naijian, to fill out Team G.

"All right everyone," Asuna called out from the head of the group, having become the de facto leader of the raid since Heathcliff was noticeably absent. Kirito had wondered about that, since the KoB's leader had to know how important this victory was - or perhaps that was just a sign of how much trust he had in Asuna that she would get the job done. Whatever the reason, he'd left her in charge of this battle - and now, Kirito watched as she rose to the challenge.

"We know what this boss's weak points are. We have the weapons to pierce his defense. This will not be like the last floor, we know what we're up against, and we are prepared. This victory is important. If we falter here, our momentum will stall and our progress will stop. That won't happen. This castle, this place, will not beat us."

There was no cheer accompanying her speech, but a murmur of agreement ran through the ranks. Without a second glance, Asuna turned and strode forwards, pushing open the doors to the boss chamber. Torches lit up mosaic walls as they inched their way into the chamber until the form of the boss came into view.

[Geryon the Steppe Hunter] appeared over his head, accompanied by five life bars as the three-headed, six-armed giant was bathed in the light of the torches. Kirito held his breath for a moment as three large speartips glinted menacingly. The giant growled, shifting his right foot back, and with a massive thud three large round shields arrayed themselves in front of him. The arms on the right came up, spears slung back such that the tips were resting on the valleys between the overlapping shield rims.

A growl from the side distracted him as a canine howl announced the presence of the sub-boss of the floor. Kirito focused on it, causing the interface to bring up its name and information: [Orthrus the Guardian] along with three life bars.

The swordsman looked over at his partner. "Here goes," he muttered, squeezing the grip of his sword. Kizmel nodded in response, her own shield raised in preparation and saber at the ready while behind them Agil and his friends brandished their own two-handed weapons. They needed this victory, all of them knew without being said.

For a moment, the room was silent. Asuna raised her rapier until its tip was aimed squarely at the boss's forehead.

"Teams A and B, forward! Team C, prepare to flank! Teams D and E, be ready to switch. Teams F and G, we leave the sub-boss to you!"

With a warcry, the forty-two players charged.

Kirito and Kizmel fell onto the two-headed dog the size of a car in unison, their sword skills carving glowing red damage marks into it. Agil and Wolfgang passed by them, their heavier weapons biting into Orthrus before it could retaliate. Lowbacca and Naijian leapfrogged their fellow two-handed weapon users, and by the time their attacks had landed Kirito had come out of his post-skill delay.

He watched as the large body heaved onto its back legs, front paws coming off the floor surrounded by a red glow. "Kizmel, on the left!" he called out, trusting his partner to understand, and threw out a Slant to intercept the clawed swipe coming in towards him, the two attack skills clashing in a violent flare of light and sound as he threw his body's rotation into the strike.

The clang of a heavy impact against a metal shield behind him told Kirito that Kizmel had stopped the mirrored strike behind him. "Hit it!" The backwash of the attacks shoved them backwards until he could feel her back against his, but they held, their HP only dropping by a few percent.

Agil, the rest of his team, as well as the DDA's Team F wasted no time in surrounding Orthrus and unleashing their most powerful sword skills into him. A blinding array of multicolored lights blasted into the beast, causing its first HP bar to drop precipitously.

The hound recovered at the same time their skill delay ended, and Agil's group of tanks took defensive stances against the incoming attack while Kirito hung back with Kizmel. "It appears to be going well," she commented from his side as the tanks braced against the bite attack.

The swordsman had to agree; so far the sub-boss had not presented them with much trouble, and there were no cries of panic coming from the group fighting Geryon, only calmly shouted orders. Despite the fact that the giant carried three weapons, spears were mostly dangerous in the thrust; this was especially the case when used for sword skills. However, with weapons as massive as these, the movement was very much telegraphed, and if one managed to evade those, the only thing left to look out for was the wide area sweeps that could inflict the tumble status and knock players back. But those required space, and Geryon would have to drop his guard and move his shields out of the way to wind up for such a swing. The biggest problem with this fight would be circumventing the boss's substantial defenses.

Keeping an eye on his party's life bars, he ordered the DDA team to switch in while his own party downed health potions. The first of the hound's life bars had emptied, and the second was dropping past the yellow by the time the DDA team's leader called for a reversal.

So far, so good, Kirito thought to himself. Glancing over at the main battle playing out twenty meters away, he nodded in satisfaction. The strategy they had come up with at the meeting the day before appeared to be working. One team would circle around behind the giant, past the defense his shields afforded him, while two others occupied the front. Once the poison had been applied and he was vulnerable, they could begin the attack, and caught in a three-way pincer, Geryon's life bars were draining rapidly.

Stuck in the post-skill delay from a Vertical Square, Kirito froze when his own target's HP dropped to its last bar, and with a bellow, it crouched onto its haunches. "Team F, evade, evade!" he yelled as the massive hound launched itself off the floor and over their heads, aiming for the six players behind them that were in the middle of their pot rotation.

The six from the Divine Dragon Alliance scattered immediately, and the beast crashed down onto the floor. By the time it had recovered, Kirito's party had regrouped and was charging towards it, weapons already glowing with deadly intent.

Kirito's own blade bit deeply into the beast's skin, severing its right front paw with the twin cuts of a Snake Bite, but it was Kizmel's attack that finished it off. After parrying its claws with her shield, the dark elf ducked and spun, bringing her blade to her right side. The momentum carried the blade forward, where it bit deeply into her target; a twist of her wrist yanked the blade to vertical, and with a cry she carved it upwards before bringing it down in a vicious overhand that very nearly split the giant dog in two.

The sub-boss froze for an instant before exploding into multi-colored particles with a sound like shattering glass.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Kirito suppressed a grin at the sight of Agil giving Kizmel a clap on the back that almost staggered the dark elf, while Lowbacca held out a hand for a high five, which she returned enthusiastically. Looking over at the DDA's Team F, the party leader gave him a thumbs-up, and Kirito took a moment to assess the fight against the floor boss as they inched closer to the battle.

The battle against Geryon was proceeding smoothly, and the giant was down to his last two life bars, and even as Kirito was watching, the second to last one drained past the red. "Watch for a change in his patterns!" Asuna's voice carried through the din of combat noises even as the last few sword skills landed to drop Geryon into his last life bar.

With an angry bellow, he fanned out his shields around his left flank and spun viciously, picking up speed in a demented imitation of a Treble Scythe. Shouted warnings came too late as one party was caught attacking him from behind. Frozen in their post-skill delays, they were caught up in the whirlwind of shield rims and spear shafts, and knocked into the air to land a dozen meters away.

The two parties who had held his attention from in front of him managed to scatter, but before they could regroup Geryon crouched, the tips of his three spears glowing a menacing red. The howl of a jet engine filled the air, and the giant burst forward, easily swatting aside three DDA members with his shields even as his spears reached for three others that were only now in the process of turning back to face their enemy.

Three people reacted instantly and simultaneously.

The blade of a sword bit into the shaft of a spear, surrounded by green light as it forced it off its trajectory, with the full weight of a swordsman clad in black behind it.

Orange light surrounded the blade of a saber as it intercepted a spearhead, knocking it up and away from its intended target, skimming off the shield that was raised defensively as Kizmel slid into a guard position in front of a player.

And a white comet impacted with the very point of the last spear as Asuna's Linear collided head on, her rapier's basic skill lent considerably more force by its wielder's incredible speed and precision. With a small ting that was almost lost in the howl of the two skills meeting each other, small cracks began to form along the wooden haft of the weapon before it shattered into glowing motes of light.

"Teams D and E, fall back! Team F, recover Team C. A and B, finish healing." Asuna glanced over at her old partner as the rest of Kirito's group arrived in a dead run. "Team G, on me! Let's go!"

Kirito grinned at her order as he and Kizmel followed her charge. He knew there was a matching grin on both women's faces as they ducked under the range of Geryon's remaining spears while Agil and the Bro Squad forcefully slammed their own weapons into the giant's defenses. The poison debuff next to the boss's life bars began blinking.

Just like old times, he thought to himself, watching from a step behind as the fencer fired off an Oblique at the boss's ankle.

"Kirito-kun!"

Not needing the encouragement, he leapt past her as he brought up his sword to rest across his shoulders. The skill he had just unlocked the previous day on this floor as his One-Handed Sword skill reached 750 enveloped the blade in a blue-white glow. The sword traced a graceful arc as he spun and slashed, whirling through the air in a somersault as the system catapulted his body through the motions of the Deadly Sins seven-hit combo.

Kirito landed in a crouch next to Asuna, leaving seven angry glowing marks criss-crossing all the way up the giant's leg. "Kizmel, switch out!"

The dark elf gracefully dove past the pair, her saber enveloped in a brilliant white light, her body almost horizontal as she had taken the run-up to accelerate. Streaking past Asuna and Kirito and pushing a wave of displaced air ahead of her, Kizmel's blade buried itself deep into Geryon's knee. The rest of the momentum followed, tearing clean through the joint with a thunderous roar of the force expending itself as she flipped through the air to come to a stop in a crouch.

Geryon stumbled, his right leg completely severed below the knee, then crashed to the floor, forced to lean on his spears to prevent from toppling over completely.

The boss's HP bar dropped further...then halted abruptly.

Kirito reached for his belt, grasping the item he had stashed there just in case. He drew it out and jammed it to into the giant's flank with all the force he could muster. A fresh debuff icon appeared by the boss's name, but it started blinking almost immediately. The poison on the spike was too weak to last very long, especially on a boss.

But he didn't need it to do damage.

"Take it, Asuna!" Kirito yelled, ripping out the spike and stabbing it back in.

The fencer's blade glowed viciously and stabbed out three times in quick succession, causing Geryon to reel back and freeze, his entire body glowing before, with a victorious fanfare, the giant exploded into colorful shards of light. A large banner reading [Congratulations] appeared over the place where he had died.

In the moment of silence that followed, Kirito, Asuna, and Kizmel looked at each other before matching smiles erupted on their faces. The fencer practically leapt at Kirito, leaving the swordsman floundering in a panic before she realized what she was doing and blushed deeply, letting go and bouncing over to give Kizmel a hug.

The three found themselves surrounded by Agil and the rest of the Bro Squad as the remainder of the raid broke out into cheers around them. Looking at Asuna's relieved and exhilarated expression, Kirito found that he didn't really care about missing out on either of the Last Attack bonuses.

Yeah, this really does suit her, he thought to himself as he bumped fists with Agil. Fencer and dark elf made their way over to them, and Kirito offered a high five to his partner who returned the gesture with a wide smile.

"Congratulations on your first raid, Asuna." Kirito grinned and gave his old partner a thumbs-up. "Zero casualties and a perfect strategy." The chestnut-haired girl turned away from greeting Agil to grin at him and flashed a victory sign. Wolfgang and Naijian pushed past the merchant to offer their own congratulations, and for a moment Kirito could forget his worries about how people saw Kizmel as he watched the two sling arms around each other with the dark elf in the middle.

Everyone had made it out, the boss had been defeated, and there had been no problems with Asuna's first official raid as the actual, dedicated raid leader. It was a good day, Kirito thought. Exactly the kind of morale boost the clearing group and the players as a whole needed to show that even after what had happened on the twenty-fifth floor, they could still push on.

With a laugh, Kizmel disengaged herself from the boisterous men, and excused herself to stand beside Kirito. The two looked on at Asuna for a moment as she gathered up Lind and the other party leaders. "She did very well," Kizmel noted, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Yeah, she did."

"E-excuse me?" The voice from behind drew their attention away from celebrating for a moment. Kirito recognized Liten in her heavy armor. The visor was up, and the girl looked relieved, if a little nervous. "Kizmel-san? I just wanted to thank you for saving me. I know many of us were worried about having you with us today, and we were wondering if you would get in the way-" she almost flinched at that, and Kirito couldn't help but wonder who among the DDA had voiced that sentiment.

"But you didn't have to, and you saved me, and if you're with Kirito, then I'm glad you're with us," Shivata's girlfriend finished with a blush.

Kizmel smiled gently and shook her head. "You don't need to thank me. I'm sure many of you would have done the same."

I wouldn't bet on it, not when they think you're an expendable NPC, Kirito thought with a hint of bitterness. Part of him had been afraid of that line of thinking, that someone would eventually come up with the idea that, since she was an NPC, Kizmel was in some way disposable. Not while I'm around, he swore to himself.

Liten's eyes danced from Kizmel to him in curiosity. "I hope so," she said enigmatically, before bowing slightly and withdrawing back into the DDA's ranks.

The dusky elf's gaze met his. Kirito wondered if his own eyes mirrored her confusion at their brief interaction. Kizmel inclined her head towards the back of the boss room where the stairwell to the twenty-seventh floor had opened up. "I understand that you and Asuna usually open the gates to the next floor and activate the teleportation circle?" she asked.

Kirito nodded in response, eyes drifting over to the fencer in question. "Yeah, usually because everyone else is busy dividing up the loot. Looks like she'll be busy this time, though. How about you and I go instead, partner?"

The smile on the dusky elf's face told him all he needed in response. "Why break with tradition, my friend?"

The stairs, which had felt cold and lonely the last time he had climbed them to the top, held a familiar warmth and excitement again, and Kirito couldn't help but grin as he and Kizmel put their hands on the massive doors at the exit, pushing them open together.

Chapter Text

Kizmel had often wondered what her dreams meant. She had no memories of dreaming before that fateful day when she had consigned herself to death in the service of Lyusula whilst battling the Forest Elves for the Jade Key. Before she had been saved by a human swordsman clad in black and his elegant companion.

At first, she had believed that the dreams had been spurred on by her narrow escape from death; a reasonable assumption, considering her dreams were always the same. Always of her desperate fight against the Forest Elven knight, but in her dreams, he was not accompanied by a lady fencer, but a small group of other young swordmasters. Their faces and clothing changed, sometimes there were four of them, at other times they were six in number, depending on the dream.

The one constant between all of them was his presence and that, in the end, she always died as he looked on sadly. She couldn't feel any emotion tied to the dreams, and had to wonder why that was, why everything about the dream seemed almost mechanical except for that one, lasting expression of desperate sorrow that inevitably was the last thing she saw before she woke up.

The dreams were a part of what had spurred her on to join his small party, accompanying them even when their goals had little to do with her people's own. At first she had justified it as repayment for the not insubstantial help that the two humans had continued to provide to the Dark Elves, but deep down she knew that the truth was that she was curious.

She wanted to know why the one look he gave her in her dreams affected her so deeply, why she dreamt so often and so consistently of him, of fighting alongside him, why the same events kept replaying themselves in her sleep, only for her to die protecting him. She was sure there was a deeper meaning behind it all, and while he had never explained it to her, Kizmel could see that he recognized something about her descriptions of her dreams. That there was more to them than her own mind playing on her fears and doubts. That it was something that pained him and stilled his tongue whenever she broached the topic. Whether it was guilt or shame or fear she couldn't tell.

The dreams had continued as long as she had been by his side, and for seven floors they had fought together, but even by the time they parted on the ninth for what she had believed would be the final time, she had been no closer to an answer. She had believed that perhaps after the battle at the Fallen citadel, when he had once again saved her life and looked upon her with a desperate, terrified expression, that the dreams might change.

They hadn't.

And when they had finally said their goodbyes, moving on to where she was unable to follow, bound by duty to her own people as she was, Kizmel had wondered if they would ever change.

And finally, the dreams had stopped.

But the respite brought her no peace. For months afterwards, the kingdom had been at peace, thanks to the efforts of the two human swordmasters to whom she had grown so close. A part of her had felt elated and relieved at the end of the war, content in the knowledge that no more of her kin would die in fruitless battle, but as the weeks passed uneventfully, she began to grow restless and unfulfilled. Peace held none of the excitement and adventure of travelling with him, with the swordsman in black and the fencer she had come to think of as a sister.

She longed for adventure and for the first time in her life, among the Dark Elves and surrounded by her peers, she began to feel alone. Even her kinsmen among the Dark Elves felt monotonous and cold in comparison to the warmth and humour and rich variety of emotion that the two humans with whom she had once travelled so easily and casually displayed.

Perhaps it was because she was used to being so far away from the capital and the customs and the propriety of the royal court, perhaps it was because none of the people in the capital had ever seen the full reach of the war. But she no longer felt like she belonged. She longed to be out there, travelling the floating castle and experiencing new things.

There was little to do for the Pagoda Knights. With no battles left to fight, she had been watching over merchants and diplomats, even children, in a city that had virtually no crime. Without battle, without the struggle against the Fallen, without purpose, it felt as if she had lost something.

Weeks had passed into months as her restlessness grew, as did her isolation from her fellow knights. It was a startling reminder of what she was missing. None of her fellow Pagoda Knights came to seek her out or diverted from their daily routines. What she had once seen as stark dedication to discipline and duty became indifference and emotionlessness. None came to speak with her the way he and his companion had while they were travelling. There had always been something to talk about, things to ask about and learn, and things she taught them in return.

Perhaps, she thought, this was why the dark elven kingdom only reached as far as the ninth floor of this floating castle, while the humans had spread throughout. The elves had not made any effort to move beyond their ancestral grounds that had been brought up into the sky during the Great Separation. Was this drive to explore, to move ever higher, to reach ever farther something that so distinctly separated the humans from the elves?

She even found herself missing the dreams.

Then, one night, she had awoken, drenched in sweat, a wordless scream echoing around her small bedchamber. She couldn't remember what she had dreamt, and the only thing in her mind was wild terror and two eyes like the night sky shimmering with sorrow, and she had known then what she had to do, what she had wanted to do.

She had failed to keep Tilnel safe, and they had saved not only her life, but also her people. Perhaps, she realized, even though there were no battles for the kingdom left to fight, there could be something for her personally. A quest, as her human friends might have put it, of her own. There were things she had to do for herself, dreams she wanted to know the meaning of, and debts she needed to repay. Friends she had to keep safe the way she had been unable to do for her sister.

It was then that she realized the dread that had unknowingly coiled within her at the thought that she might very well lose another sister and a dear friend without being able to be by their side. Tilnel, at least, had died in her arms, comforted in the knowledge that she was with a loved one. Her friends might perish in their dangerous endeavour to climb this floating castle, and she would never know. The thought frightened her more than she had been willing to admit.

So, encouraged by Viscount Yofilis, she had decided to ask permission to leave her post.

Kizmel had chosen her words carefully as she approached the Queen. Maybe it was because of the favour she had earned, or perhaps it was because her words rang true even if they disguised her true motives, but Queen Ilyndrathyl had granted her request for leave to seek out the two humans who had helped bring peace to the kingdom of Lyusula. She had told the truth when asked about her reasons: that she had wanted to know more of the world they now lived in since the Great Separation, that there would be new allies for them to find, and that she felt a debt of honor to those who had saved their kingdom.

And maybe she had imagined the small smile that had briefly graced the Queen's lips when she had said that she wanted to be with her friends.

When she departed, overflowing with excitement, she had only taken the bare minimum of time needed to pack for the journey. She didn't know how far up the castle her friends had managed to climb in the intervening months, but she was looking forward to finding out.

But more than that, she wanted to know more about her dreams, what they meant, and why she dreamt of the swordmaster named Kirito. What was the connection between her and the young man who threw himself into the conquest of this floating castle with greater zeal and fervor than anyone she had ever known? Why did he look upon her with such sorrow in her dreams? And why, whenever she asked him about it, did he seem to be hiding something?

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May 31st, 2023

The bat shrieked as its body was bisected by the twin strikes of a Vertical Arc, the skill tracing a glowing V into the darkness of the cave. Its wings separated from their roots, and the entire body shattered into colorful fragments of light. Kizmel watched with a tinge of envy as her partner manipulated the invisible pages of the Mystic Scribing charm that would tell him the spoils of their defeated enemy while she kept watch behind him.

She knew that in the past he had been envious of some of her own trinkets that had been given to her by the royal court for her service, but Kizmel couldn't help but think that the utility and versatility of the human charm far surpassed even the heirloom enchanted elven equipment. It made her wonder what the dark elven equivalent of old that the legends spoke of were. Being able to interact with it when it was cast by a human was a good first step, and it gave her hope that one day, she may be able to master it, herself.

Kirito sighed and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Just the one. That makes seventeen in total."

"Three more, then," the dark elf commented as she dispatched a bat that had come out of a side passage, noting in disappointment that there were no remains for her to inspect. Sheathing her blade, she exchanged a "high-five" with Kirito, the human custom becoming almost second nature to her during her time spent travelling with him.

She had learned a great deal about the swordmasters, the warriors that had been summoned to this world by ancient magic to protect its human inhabitants, since first meeting Kirito and Asuna. Many things that had once appeared foreign to her she now understood as their explanations filled in the gaps of the lore and legends of her people.

Her friends had also taught her to understand much of the strange dialect many of the swordmasters borrowed from, but even then she had noticed that sometimes, even other swordmasters baffled them on occasion. Guildmaster Kibaou was one such example, and Kirito had admitted to her once that even he had trouble understanding the man's words at times. There were other times as well, when both Kirito and Asuna had struggled to find a way to explain certain words, concepts, or phrases to the dark elf, only to give up in resignation, saying that there was no direct translation.

Despite everything she had learned, however, Kizmel still found some things strange beyond her comprehension, and the need for them to avoid all contact with others while traversing the eleventh floor was one of them.

As they crept through the caves on the lookout for the giant bats that would provide them with one of the ingredients that Ashley had requested for mending her Mistmoon Cloak and creating Kirito's new coat, Kizmel wondered why such secrecy was necessary. It wasn't the monsters that her companion seemed worried about; enemies that would have posed a threat to players on this level were easily brushed aside by two clearers with weapons that could threaten a Pillar Guardian ten floors above, even in this dungeon that was far more dangerous than appeared normal for this floor.

So why, then, did Kirito seem so insistent on avoiding all contact with his fellow swordmasters? She had known he had been worried about the reactions of his fellow swordmasters when he had brought her to the strategy meeting for the battle against the twenty-sixth floor's Pillar Guardian, but the battle had gone well. There were a few swordmasters she had caught stealing questioning and doubtful looks at her, and several that had made muttered comments she knew would infuriate Kirito had he heard them, but no one had caused a problem with her presence, and many of those who would had been silenced once word of her performance in that battle spread. No, she believed that most of the hostility was not directed at her, but rather at Kirito himself for reasons she couldn't understand.

When she voiced her question as they exited the cave an hour later with their mission accomplished, Kirito paused before settling into the grass with a sigh. "It's a little complicated. There's more to it than people not liking the fact that we're here. A lot of it has to do with how people see us...how they see people like me."

People like him? Kizmel pondered his odd choice of words as she settled down next to him, enjoying the sunlight after several hours in the dark caves. The eleventh floor was mountainous with tranquil valleys nestled in between, and the sight from halfway up one of the peaks was as pleasant as the cool, misty air. "This is not just envy over your strength, is it?"

"Kind of," Kirito admitted quietly. "When we first came here, everyone was equal. We all started in the same place, with the same equipment, at the same strength." Kizmel nodded for him to continue. Standardization was a common procedure in many armies, surely the swordmasters would be no different. It made sense for those to be summoned to be roughly of equal measure. The swordsman hesitated noticeably before continuing, an oddity she decided to address at a later time.

"It would make sense that the magic that brought you here ensured that those who were chosen to come here were equally well-prepared."

Kirito inclined his head in confirmation "Close enough. Anyway, basically, we all started on an even footing when this quest began. In theory, at least. When it came down to it...some people took to fighting better than others. A lot of people lost their nerves early on...and their lives."

She could tell this was something that bothered him, though she could not figure out why. It was common that soldiers on their first deployment were nervous, anxious even, but surely the swordmasters must have known what was expected of them when they came to this world? Thinking back to her own experiences, Kizmel suppressed a frown. No, she had seen behaviour like this before, in the trainees that had been rushed to the battlefield to fill the gaps left by grievous casualties in their battles against the Forest Elves and the Fallen.

But that made no sense. No one would choose to come to a world like this without being prepared. She turned to Kirito, but if he had noticed her conflicted thoughts, he didn't show it as her partner continued.

"On top of that, some of us were...let's say better informed about what we were going to be facing and how we could become stronger. As a result, a gap began to open between the swordmasters. Some of us moved ahead faster than others, and some chose to simply stay on the lower floors, afraid to fight for their lives."

Kizmel turned towards him sharply, something about his words feeling wrong to her. She replayed them in her mind before she realized what had unsettled her. "I understand that it can be difficult to have to risk your life in battle, but surely the swordmasters were prepared?"

He laughed humourlessly, and looked up at the ceiling of the twelfth floor overhead. "Nothing could have prepared us for this," he replied enigmatically, his tone more bitter than she had ever heard from him, and it only left her wondering even more about this mysterious group of saviours that was the swordmasters. "And you know how people get about things like this, especially when their lives are on the line. The more people fell behind, the more people died, the more the resentment grew. They felt like those of us who got ahead, who managed to become stronger, owed the rest of them."

Kirito shrugged. "Maybe they're right. We abandoned a lot of others on the lower floors while we pushed on ahead."

The dark elf wondered about that. There was an undertone of guilt and regret in his voice that was much different from the steely, determined, even carefree swordsman she was familiar with. It made sense, in a way that those who wouldn't fight be left behind by those that could. No one needed or wanted to have a liability on the battlefield, and perhaps if they were too afraid to fight, it was better for them to be left behind where it was safer. It made sense for those that could and would fight to do so, and to grow stronger themselves in order to push onwards.

And yet there was something about the entire situation that made her uneasy. It made sense from a strategic point of view, that was true, but it made no sense that the swordmasters were summoned, presumably with the knowledge of the quest they were embarking on, only for many of them to lose nerve or faith. Why did Kirito seem to imply that he and a handful of others had had access to knowledge that was denied to the other swordmasters?

Was this the reason why people like Lind and Kibaou treated Kirito, arguably one of the strongest members of the clearing group, the way they did?

"So this is why Guildmaster Kibaou seems to hate you?" She wasn't oblivious enough to miss the fact that Kibaou didn't really hate the swordsman, though it was a facade he often kept up in public. There were times, however, when she noticed that beneath that act, the gruff man seemed to hide a reluctant respect for Kirito that he would probably deny to his dying day.

"I wouldn't say he hates me, at least not anymore," Kirito confirmed her thoughts, "but he's one of the people that think people like me got an unfair advantage. Enough of an advantage to start violence over, even. Lind was one of them, too, right after the battle with Ilfang on the first floor." Kirito grimaced and tugged at the collar of his black coat. "I managed to head things off before things came to blows, thankfully, but Diavel's death made it a close thing."

Diavel. She had heard that name before, in passing, as the first leader of the clearers, the predecessor to what would become Lind's Dragon Knight Brigade and, ultimately, the Divine Dragon Alliance. From what she had heard, the man had been charismatic and a good leader, and his death had been a devastating blow to the morale of the swordmasters at the time.

"I take it both Kibaou and Lind were there?"

"When Diavel died and they started calling me the beater? Yeah. Both of them really admired Diavel, and Kibaou accused me of letting him die. Our information on the boss was incomplete, but I was the only one who recognized that Ilfang had a different weapon than we expected. Diavel had already leapt in before I could warn him, and-" Kirito cut off abruptly and stiffened in a manner that Kizmel had come to realize he was stopping himself from reliving painful memories.

"Anyway, long story short, they thought that I had deliberately held back on them for my own gain. So when they started making noises about wanting to put people like me in their proper place and make them pay in blood, if necessary, I kind of...made myself a target, instead."

Kizmel wasn't surprised that it had come to that. She had seen on multiple occasions how he had deliberately drawn the ire of entire groups upon himself in order to defuse conflicts between his fellow swordmasters. Much like the time he had deliberately stood in between the feuding Dragon Knights and ALS as they were on the cusp of open war on the third floor, she thought grimly. No, it didn't surprise her at all. She was sure that, if she and Asuna hadn't arrived in time, the other swordmasters may have actually attacked him. Kirito would have defended himself, she was sure, but the way he fought to keep violence among swordmasters from happening, she didn't think that when it came down to it he would actually strike the finishing blow on an attacker.

For someone who proclaimed to prefer being alone and not caring about others, Kizmel thought, Kirito seemed to go out of his way to help others much of the time, regardless of the risk to himself.

"But a lot of that died down, thankfully," he continued. "But this? Well, there's still a lot of us around and a finite amount of resources, so a lot of people think that people like us who don't need it shouldn't be poaching from those on the lower floors."

The pieces began to fall into place for Kizmel. "The weaker warriors who are unable to move onward would look poorly upon those that they believe are taking from those unable to hunt in more dangerous grounds."

Kirito looked strangely satisfied with her insight and finally smiled. "Yeah. Now, what we're doing is fairly harmless, since it's a dungeon and the, uh...residual magic should replenish the monsters quickly. Besides, the items we're after wouldn't even be of use to anyone without a high-level tailoring skill, but not everyone is going to believe that's the only thing we're here for."

It made more sense to her now, though Kizmel suspected that Kirito hadn't told her the full story yet. There were many more questions this opened up, such as why the swordmasters seemed so ill-prepared for their quest and why they were chosen to begin with, but envy and jealousy were concepts the elves were familiar with, as well. It certainly helped her to understand why there seemed to be so many disparate groups among the swordmasters when they all were supposedly fighting towards the same goal of conquering this castle.

But even then, every so often she got the feeling from him that despite the clearing group's grudging acceptance of him, he was worried. Kizmel suspected that it wasn't so much the stigma of being the "beater," whatever that meant, as she had heard the word banded about several times in town with scorn but not outright hostility, but she could read her partner well enough to know he feared there was something about him that would distinguish himself from other swordmasters on sight: herself.

She knew he was worried for her, but as she followed the thought further along she realized that during their travels together, both on the lower floors and the past week with him since they had been reunited, she had not once seen another swordmaster partnered up with anyone who wasn't a swordmaster themselves. As far as she knew, there was no other elf, dark, forest, or fallen, that had ever partnered with a human this closely.

Even those who had never ventured beyond the safety of city walls, had not been witness to Diavel's death, had never laid eyes on Kirito himself, would be able to recognize their partnership as unusual the moment they saw that she was not a swordmaster.

It gave her pause that Kirito might suspect there could be danger to either of them. She knew him well enough by now, however, to understand that he would have said something if he believed her to be in danger. No, she realized. If there was any danger at all that he feared, it would be to himself, and for some reason her partner seemed determined to carry on bearing that burden alone.

Kizmel swore to herself that she would not let him.

-------------------------------

They had been on their way out of the eleventh floor labyrinth after collecting the remaining items on their "shopping list" as Kirito had called it, and Kizmel been looking forward to returning to their temporary lodgings on the twenty-sixth floor after their day off from the front lines. It had been a welcome break from forging on ahead of everyone else, and they had needed the time to finally gather the remaining materials for Ashley as well as the new saber that now hung at Kizmel's hip.

Kirito had looked openly envious when she had revealed the blade that had been the reward for her killing blow on Orthrus, one of the Pillar Guardians of the previous floor, and had excitedly asked her if they could take it to Lisbeth to have it inspected. The saber with the gleaming black edge was appropriately named Blackrazor, and had been a substantial improvement over her trusty knight's blade, and Kirito had immediately recommended having the blacksmith reinforce the weapon. As much as she was attached to the sword that was as much as symbol of her knighthood of Lyusula as the sigil ring on her finger, Kirito's excitement had been infectious, and she had agreed that it was time to perhaps take some time to deal with their own matters.

Mindful of their earlier conversation, the two had made careful progress through the labyrinth, easily dispatching errant foes on their hunt for the kobolds that would yield the necessary fangs for the weapon's reinforcement, and Kizmel had believed them safe as they made their way back towards the entrance with their prize safely stored away in Kirito's Mystic Scribing charm without ever having encountered another swordmaster.

Neither of them had expected to hear an entire party of them screaming for help as they rounded a bend. Desire to avoid trouble aside, she knew they couldn't ignore it, and she wasn't surprised when Kirito didn't hesitate to take off in a sprint, with her only a step behind.

Kobolds were the first thing Kizmel saw as they headed towards the sounds of battle, a group of the dog-faced small humanoids brandishing their swords and axes at the group of swordmasters. Four of them were attacking a swordmaster with a shield and mace. Another three that she could make out were in the process of flanking around him to threaten the humans huddled behind the "tank" trying to ward them off with spears and staves. The dark elf grimaced at the situation.

The small group of human swordmasters had taken position in an intersection, presumably to have room to fight with their collection of polearms. Unfortunately, that also opened them up to further attacks from the sides, and she could hear another group of kobolds scurrying towards the party from one of the side paths.

To Kizmel and Kirito they posed little threat, and the two of them could have easily dispatched two or even three entire groups of kobolds with little effort, but to a group of swordmasters of the skill level usually found on this floor, it was a possibly lethal encounter.

"Hold on!" Kirito yelled as he charged forward, his blade already glowing in preparation for a sword skill.

Without hesitation, her partner flung himself into the back ranks of the kobolds with a Serration Wave that caused them to stumble. It did little damage, but it had the desired effect of turning the kobolds' attention from the beleaguered swordmasters to Kirito himself even as he recovered from the backlash of the skill.

She knew exactly what to do in this kind of situation. By the time Kirito called out "Switch!" she leapt forward, the tip of her saber glowing a brilliant white, her body propelled by the power of the ancient charm as she surrendered control to the sword skill's pull. Five meters from the kobolds her feet finally left the floor, her body nearing horizontal as the roar of displaced air filled the stone tunnel.

The target she had chosen exploded into glittering shards the moment the comet-like light at the tip of her saber touched it, and the rest of its compatriots were thrown about by the shockwave of her passing, scattered like leaves in the wind to slam against the walls of the corridor before shattering into azure bursts of light themselves.

Kizmel smiled grimly as she made a note to thank Viscount Yofilis for instructing her in the technique that he had used to breach the Forest Elven lines during their battle at Yofel Castle months ago as she skidded to a halt next to the shield-bearing mace-wielder, frozen in the backlash of her skill. It had certainly been worth the effort it took to learn it, and the great effect to which the Viscount had used it only reinforced her wish to add it to her considerable arsenal.

Her partner took immediate advantage of the opening and leapt for the flanking group, his blade lashing out from right to left, bisecting one of the kobolds before it reversed its path. The momentum pushed the swordsman into a spinning third strike that cleaved a second kobold from shoulder to hip before he finished the technique with a vicious forehand cut that caught the last kobold and sent its head flying. All three shattered as the glowing path of the sword traced an ethereal square in the air.

"Get behind us," Kirito addressed the apparent leader of the group as they shuffled around, trying to hide behind the only one of them with a shield, two of their spears aimed past him in an attempt at a defense. "We'll take care of this."

Kizmel eyed their formation for a moment as she listened to the direction of skittering movement. "Kirito, left!" she called out, bringing her shield to bear and slinging back her saber. Her partner rushed to her side, and with some satisfaction she noted that the other humans had heeded his advice.

With a brief nod at the swordsman next to her, she launched herself towards the nearest kobold the moment it came into range, her Reaver carving a line of blood-red light in its wake as it passed through the creature. Caught in the brief aftermath of the charm, she lifted her shield defensively as a second kobold flung itself at her, its blade biting into the sturdy wood and metal.

A spear reached past her left side and pierced the kobold, pushing its weight off of her, and the moment she was free of it, Kizmel's saber lashed out in a pair of vicious cuts that staggered it enough for the spear to stab out again and finish it. Kizmel glanced over her shoulder to see one of the two spear-wielders of the humans give her a somewhat shaky smile, and she nodded curtly in return.

On her other side the noticed that the party's shield-bearer and their other spearwoman were working in tandem to tackle one of the other kobolds, while her own partner was cutting through the remainder of the reinforcements. Turning her attention up front again, Kizmel hefted her blade and leapt forward again.

Between the occasional help from the other party that seemed to have rallied now that she and Kirito had taken most of the pressure off of them, as well as their own strength, it did not take long for the last kobold to shatter into glowing shards of light.

Kirito swept his gaze around the area, his eyes glowing a vivid green as he searched for further threats. A few moments later the swordsman relaxed his stance, and she took this as her cue to sheathe her saber and sling back her shield. Her partner likewise returned his weapon to its scabbard and turned to the group they had rescued.

"That's all of them," he said, looking them over. "But we're still in a dungeon, and they might respawn any minute, so you should probably heal up and head back to town before that happens."

Kizmel noticed that all of their eyes were focused on her, and she suppressed an unconscious blush at the attention, unsure of what had warranted it when her earlier thoughts crossed her mind.

"Uh...guys?" Kirito asked, stepping next to her. "Did...did we not make it in time?"

Kizmel suddenly realized that between the two spear-wielders, the mace-man with the shield, a youth armed with a dagger and a young man clutching an iron-clad staff, there were five of them, one short of what could be bound together by Mystic Scribing in a party, and her blood ran cold.

The swordmaster with the staff jerked up in surprise before he shook his head abruptly, looking from her to Kirito. "Oh...no, no, you did, thank you very much, err..."

"I'm Kirito," her partner introduced himself with a nod. "This is Kizmel, my partner."

She mirrored his greeting in the human fashion. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said, relieved that all of them were safe; whatever injuries they had, she knew that swordmasters could heal from even the most grievous wounds as long as they were still alive. Her suspicions were confirmed when all of their eyes returned to her. It was easy enough to guess what had caught all of their attention, and she wondered just how true her earlier thoughts had been.

The leader leaned towards Kirito and lowered his voice, though she still managed to hear him. "That's an NPC? How..."

NPC. She had heard that term several times, more so in recent times; strangely enough, it had never been used as much when she had accompanied Kirito and Asuna on the earlier floors, but once she had travelled to rejoin Kirito, the number of people calling her that had increased substantially. She was still unsure of its exact definition, but knew that it didn't refer to monsters, but both human and non-humans alike, though what distinguished swordmasters from the native humans of this fortress was still a mystery to her.

It had been one of those terms that when asked about, Kirito had been unable to give a precise translation of, only stating that generally it referred to those who weren't swordmasters, but also were not hostile to them. Kizmel had made note of his hesitation when referring to her, and apparently the fact that she was an exception to that rule was making a clearer distinction troublesome.

Apparently, he had as much of a problem of explaining it to his fellow swordmasters as he'd had explaining it to her as he scratched his head nervously and shrugged. "It's...a long story that isn't really important right now. All you've got to know for now is that she's pretty much just like any other player, in a fight or out."

Player. That was another word whose use had baffled Kizmel. She knew its definition, of course, but much like many other things the swordmasters said, it appeared to have been co-opted from the meaning she understood it as. It certainly made no sense in the context the swordmasters used it in, but it did appear to refer to the swordmasters themselves. Kirito had confirmed that notion, but said that she needed to understand the proper context to fully understand it.

It was something to think about later, as her partner's original point still stood, and she stepped around her partner. "Perhaps this is a discussion best had in the safety of town? Do you need an escort out of this dungeon?" She glanced over at Kirito, who nodded in agreement. For someone who doesn't like being around people he does seem to be incapable of denying others help them when they need it.

The group of swordmasters conversed for a moment, before the spearwoman took a tentative step towards her and nodded timidly. "Thank you for saving us, and please, we would appreciate the escort."

Kizmel noticed their leader looking on in fond amusement, but he nodded in agreement with her. "We were running low on supplies, and I don't want to take the chance of another encounter like that again, so we will be in your care. And besides, we should at least treat you to dinner for saving us."

This time it was Kirito who hesitated, but Kizmel placed an encouraging hand on his arm and nodded at him. Neither of them interacted with other swordmasters much outside of their small group of friends and the necessary interactions in town, and she was interested in meeting more of them. Besides, she thought, they seem to be curious more than hostile, which is a pleasant change from the clearing group. It might do both of them good, and leaving now would only foster more rumours.

"All right," Kirito said with a nervous smile. "Let's get out of this place, then. Kizmel and I were on our way out anyway."

-------------------------------

"Cheers!"

The main town on the eleventh floor was called Taft, though to call it a town might be stretching it a bit, Kizmel thought as they settled down in one of its taverns after exiting the teleportation circle. It reminded her of barely more than a small farming village, something she had seen often enough in her travels with Kirito and Asuna, though usually on the outskirts of a floor, rather than as its centrepiece. The advantage of it was that it was only sparsely populated, and many swordmasters preferred a town with more amenities. As such, only those who were currently hunting or training came to this floor, so it was no surprise that the inn they had selected was devoid of other swordmasters.

The relative privacy suited them just fine as Kirito, Kizmel, and the party they had rescued pushed together two large tables and gathered around for proper introductions. The leader of the small group had insisted on getting a round of drinks after dinner, which had led to a toast, and Kizmel savoured the flavour of the human beverage.

It wasn't as refined as elven moontear wine, nor did it have the bite of some of the heartier brews she had tried in her time, but there was an earthy, refreshing quality to the ale she had selected that pleasantly surprised her. Still, it felt strange to be sitting down with this many swordmasters in one place; the only time this had been the case had been at the strategy meeting a week prior, and the occasion hadn't been nearly as cheerful.

But these weren't the clearers; if she had understood Kirito's explanation correctly, these were the swordmasters who were yet weaker than those on the front lines, working to improve themselves and become stronger, akin to a trainee cadre, perhaps, or squires.

"Thank you again," the leader, who had introduced himself as Keita, said as he lifted his mug in a salute. "It was getting rough there, and I was starting to think we weren't going to make it before you two showed up." He shrugged a little sheepishly. "Truthfully, I think a lot of it had to do with our party composition. It's not the best..."

Kizmel had to agree as she looked around the faces of the small guild that called themselves the Moonlit Black Cats. Between Keita's staff and the spears of Sasamaru and Sachi, they only had Tetsuo and his mace and shield for defense, while Ducker was their self-proclaimed thief. The dark elf had frowned in confusion at that, wondering briefly why someone would deliberately take a moniker so associated with crime, but he had merely grinned and responded with having a fondness for knives and loot.

But as she had learned from working with Kirito and Asuna, as unorthodox as her friends may have been in their own battle style, humans generally favored a much more regimented deployment than elves, with dedicated roles for offense and defense. It was something that Kirito had explained in depth to her in preparation for the fight against the Pillar Guardian, and while it was an unusual concept for her, she had grasped it quickly due to its simplicity.

Between the assorted weapons of the group, the Moonlit Black Cats had certainly no problems with the offense, but as Tetsuo was the only one outfitted with heavy armor and a shield, there was no one to share the burden of drawing the enemy's attention and taking the fight up close to the enemy.

It also meant there was no one to execute a Switch with, in case he needed to recover, something that could end up being fatal.

"If I may," Kizmel said, setting down her own mug of ale. "You may need another melee fighter. A...tank, is it?" she glanced over at her partner for confirmation. At Kirito's nod, she continued. "Someone with a shield and a sword or even an axe, perhaps? Someone who is able to support or step in for Tetsuo and absorb heavy blows, if necessary. At the moment you have the advantage of reach over most opponents, but your flanks are unprotected, and a prolonged battle will eventually wear you down."

Keita gave her a strange look as he scratched his head. "I don't disagree. We originally picked out what we each preferred to fight with, without regard for party composition, but once we started questing together..." He glanced over at the sole girl of their group. "Actually, I was thinking of asking Sachi here to switch over, but she's kind of nervous about trying something new."

"Can you blame me?" she asked despondently. "It's bad enough holding off monsters with a spear while they're far away, I don't want them to get even closer when I have a sword!"

Kizmel glanced at the girl with the short black hair. She looked a little older than Kirito - though the dark elf had often found it difficult to judge human ages, with their shorter life-spans than elves. Her demeanour was timid, almost afraid even, but something about her eyes compared to the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats told her that perhaps she was the one who was most aware of how close they had come to death today. The others, even Keita despite his concerns, did not seem overly subdued by their close call.

She was used to hardened soldiers brushing off near-death experiences; had done so, herself, in fact. She had even seen Kirito and Asuna do so, but something about the way Black Cats and some of the other swordmasters she had met acted struck her as very much out of place. Perhaps she was reading too much into it, but there was a nagging feeling that she resolved to ask Kirito about later that night.

"It's a bit scary at first," the swordsman acknowledged with a glance at Sachi, before his eyes shifted over to Kizmel. "But you're actually safer than with a spear, especially when you're with a party."

"He's right," Kizmel added, patting the rim of her shield that was slung over the back of her chair. "While a spear gives you reach, it is only dangerous in the thrust, and once the enemy is too close, it becomes useless. A shield will allow you to block with more than just your weapon, and it will cover more than the shaft of a spear, or the blade of a sword on its own."

"You seem to manage just fine with just the two of you," Ducker pointed out.

Kizmel chuckled and glanced over at her partner. "I do have a shield, though. And Kirito is...unique in the way he fights. But the point is that we can each still cover for the other when necessary. Currently, Tetsuo has no one to step in for him."

"She's right," Tetsuo added, "I could use help up front every now and then, and we don't have anyone to switch with me properly. Plus," he said, rolling his eyes at the self-proclaimed thief, "I don't see you giving up that little butter knife for a more useful weapon, yourself."

Keita sighed and looked over at them as Ducker and Tetsuo started bickering next to him. "Well..." he hesitated, casting a fond look over his guildmates. "I don't know if you're in the middle of a quest or anything, since you have an NPC with you and all, but I can tell you're stronger than we are, so I was wondering just what level you are. I know it's rude to ask, but since you seem to do well on your own, I was hoping you could give us some pointers or tips on how to fight more effectively."

"I'm not sure you'd be so eager to have me around, if you actually knew," Kirito said with a bitter smile. He glanced over at Kizmel, an unvoiced question in his eyes.

She took a moment, but once she understood, Kizmel patted his arm in support and gave him an encouraging nod. After their display in the labyrinth and whatever the Mystic Scribing charm told the Black Cats about their strength, there seemed to be little point in hiding anything now. If they ended up hating them when they learned the truth, so be it, but it wasn't something that could be hidden forever, especially from suspicious eyes. Lying about it now would only do more harm in the future.

Kirito grimaced and turned back to Keita, one hand unconsciously clenching on the table. Kizmel placed one of hers atop his, willing him to calm down. Finally, he sighed and looked up. "We're level forty-five," he admitted, describing their strength according to the strange numerical system the swordmasters used.

"Kizmel and I came down to this floor because we needed a few things to reinforce our equipment, and we figured it'd be easier to get them ourselves than to pay a merchant for them." He shrugged, feigning indifference, though there was a line of tension running across his shoulders that she could see now that he wasn't hiding underneath his usual coat. "We were actually on our way back up when we ran into you. You're probably not going to believe it, but we weren't actually here to poach from the lower-level players."

Her partner stilled as they both glanced around the tables, and Kizmel suddenly realized just how true his prediction had been, and how much she had underestimated the situation.

For a moment, she held her breath, wondering if she'd made a mistake in asking Kirito to trust these swordmasters. His words from earlier in the day echoed in her mind as the tension in the tavern rose, and the demeanour of the other swordmasters cooled significantly. Tetsuo and Ducker had stopped arguing and were staring suspiciously, Sasamaru seemed torn, Keita stared at Kirito with an intense frown on his face, and Sachi...

Sachi seemed unbothered by the situation. In fact, she seemed to have perked up a little from her earlier downcast look and seemed even a little excited at the announcement. That's odd, Kizmel thought to herself. Why would Sachi be-

"You're the beta tester who saved the first-floor raid!" the girl called out animatedly, just as Keita was hesitantly opening his mouth. "The beater!"

Kirito blinked in confusion, and Kizmel stared in surprise. Neither of them had heard that moniker ever uttered without disdain of some kind, but Sachi spoke it with an almost reverent tone.

"You're the one who saved the members of the first floor boss raid by calling out its attack patterns when you found out it had the wrong weapon, aren't you?" she continued, her eyes shining. "They say you've been running solo on the front lines ever since, and you've fought in every floor boss battle. There's even rumours that you went out of your way to cool things down a few times when things were about to get violent between guilds...or against beta testers..." Sachi trailed off abruptly.

There was that strange phrase again she had heard several times. Beta tester. Kizmel made a silent note to ask Kirito about it later, as Keita's head swiveled back and forth between Sachi and Kirito. "Solo...? Are you kidding me?"

Her partner shook his head with a wry grin. "The solo part is a bit exaggerated. I did have a partner until the twenty-fifth floor, and after she left to help lead the KoB, Kizmel found me and has been with me since."

"But still, only two of you, all the way at the top floors? How are you not dead, man?" Tetsuo burst out.

He glanced at her with a brief smile before answering. "Lots of luck, and a great partner to watch my back."

"Well..." Keita hummed in thought, though the earlier hostility had faded from his expression, "I'd never heard of anyone from the clearing group being down this far, and with someone as strong as you, I'm sure people would've noticed."

Sachi nodded vigorously. "Right! And if you think about it, there's really nothing valuable this far down for them. Not even experience, at this level."

The leader of the Black Cats grinned weakly at her infectious enthusiasm. "Right. Especially for someone who's level forty-five, unless it's for a quest or materials. Besides, it's not like we haven't dipped down to the third or fourth floors for those, ourselves."

"And there's a bunch of cool rumours about you, too," Ducker added, clapping his hands together. "Like they said you solo'ed the fifth floor boss by yourself? And the whole beater thing after the first floor boss fight, too!"

"Uh..." Kizmel met her partner's eyes with an amused smile, before shrugging her shoulders to tell him he was on his own for that one. She may have travelled with him for a while, but she usually wasn't present for his battles against the Pillar Guardians, the fourth floor notwithstanding. She was glad to see the cheerful, relaxed atmosphere returning so swiftly. The scorn of a small guild like this ultimately meant little to either of them, especially to Kirito who had endured the scorn and condescension of the DDA and ALS without so much as batting an eye, but just because he could endure, didn't mean he should.

"I-I didn't actually solo that one, that was twelve of us," Kirito managed to squeak out. "The beater one's probably true, though. That story's still going around?"

"Oh yeah," Ducker drawled as he leaned over the table. "It was all in the MTD newsletter back then, and the ALS has been spreading it again, trying to drum up support and donations."

"They're back at it again, then, huh? What is Kibaou thinking..." Kirito muttered under his breath. "Well, that one's a long story...and probably a more complicated one than you'd think listening to the ALS."

Surprisingly, it was Sachi who looked over with the most interest. "I'd like to hear it sometime." She smiled at him. "And we'd heard about the KoB forming after the twenty-fifth floor battle, but you said you know one of their leaders? That's so exciting! Though," she paused, somehow almost instantly reverting to her prior timidity, "after that, aren't the clearers really busy trying to recover? I don't think I've ever heard of any clearers going out of their way to help a small, low-level guild like us before, but especially not after what happened."

Keita glanced over. "Well, that brings me back to my original point. I know it's a bit unreasonable, now that I know you're a clearer, and you seem to be on a quest since, well..." he nodded at Kizmel awkwardly. "But do you think you could stick around for a little while, even so? We could really use the help. Little things, like Kizmel-san said about our party balance and such. Eventually, we were really hoping to get strong enough to make it up to the front lines, but that's a long way off. In the meantime, I really want to start helping out other players, but we can't really do that while we still need saving, ourselves."

Kirito opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated suddenly and looked back down at the table. Kizmel understood why; ever since meeting him for the first time, she had known him to have fully dedicated himself to being at the very front of the clearers, to storming so far ahead few others were capable of following. What his motivations for that were, she didn't know yet, but it had resulted in him having participated in battles against - and probably struck final blows on - more Field and Pillar Guardians than every other swordmaster combined.

It was this dedication to keeping his strength up that had allowed him to survive with just Asuna by his side in areas where others feared to tread even with an entire party. On the other hand, he always had shown a strong desire to help others, though sometimes she got the feeling he was seeing it as a form of penance for some wrong he had done in the past.

Keita seemed to sense his hesitation and chuckled weakly. "I-it's not like we're asking you to join us, or anything. We wouldn't want to keep you from your work on the front lines. I was just thinking you could spend maybe a couple of days with us to help get us on our feet properly..."

Kizmel made up her mind, and leaned over her partner's shoulder. "I think it's a good idea," she said, sending a little sideways smile as her partner glanced up at her in surprise. "I mean no offense, but you need help, and in this world, lessons often come at too steep a price to take chances. And, as Sachi pointed out correctly, currently the clearing group is still recovering from the losses it has taken."

Looking over at Keita and the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats, Kizmel decided that, perhaps, this was a good thing for Kirito. For as long as she'd known him, he had been a loner, and had never been part of a larger group outside of the battles against the Pillar Guardians. He didn't fit in with the human guilds, he had said, something to do with people like him not playing well with others, though she didn't know if he truly believed that, or if that was the constant deprecation of the ALS and DDA speaking.

Neither of those groups would ever have taken him in she knew, although she suspected that Lind may have grudgingly accepted him as a member of the DDA if only out of a desire to "put him in his place," as Asuna had acerbically explained. She knew that the fencer herself had offered Kirito a place in the newly-formed Knights of Blood not too long after clearing the twenty-sixth floor, but he had declined once more. When Kizmel had asked him about it, especially since the KoB appeared to be much more tolerant of his "beater" stigma and other beta testers, he had explained that he didn't want to potentially bind her to anything.

This was the first time a group had made an actual friendly overture to her partner, with no binding commitments, and she believed it would be a good thing for her friend to have more people around himself to turn to than just herself, Argo, Asuna, and Agil.

So, she continued with a smile, squeezing Kirito's hand underneath hers. "We barely have enough people for the battles against the Pillar Guardians, but that is a dangerous task not many are ready for yet. But there are other things, less dangerous things, that we could use help with. Exploring the floors, gathering information, mapping out the routes to the Guardian's chambers, for example. In those things, our group is far too thinly spread, and it has begun slowing down our progress."

Some of that she was aware had to do with the losses they had taken. But for the most part, people like Kirito, Asuna, and Argo had accounted for the majority of the information gathered prior to the Guardian battles, and as the clearing group became ever more elite, there were fewer people willing to prioritize that sort of progress over their own strength.

She just hoped that Kirito wouldn't mind too much that she had pretty much committed them to this without consulting him.

After a few moments of surprised silence, Kirito gave her a crooked smile. "You sure you want to do this, Kizmel?"

"It may set back floor exploration slightly," she admitted, "but we are still gathering strength. I know Asuna is still concerned that we will not have enough fighters for the battle against the Pillar Guardian once it is discovered. In the long term, helping another guild to become strong enough to contribute will benefit everyone, and in the short term, it will be easy enough for us to return when the Guardian is located to join the battle."

She gave him a teasing smile. "Besides, I do not think missing out on one or two Field Guardian battles will have too much of an impact on your record. The other clearers may even be glad to get a chance at striking the final blow, for a change."

"True," he acknowledged, and she caught a hint of his ears coloring red, "and you have a point, more people would always be a good thing." He looked over at Keita. "I'm glad that what happened on the twenty-fifth floor didn't end up putting everyone off from trying to join the clearers."

Surprising Kizmel once again, it was Sachi who replied in Keita's stead. "I don't know about the others, but...I-I admire the fact that you chose to keep going after that," she whispered quietly, her head downcast.

"Yeah, and I'd love to hear all the crazy stories you've got to have to tell!" Ducker exclaimed, bumping Sachi's shoulder and causing the girl to perk up a little.

"So, how about it, Kirito-san, Kizmel-san? Would you take some time to help train the Moonlit Black Cats?" Keita stood, extending his hand towards Kirito.

"I can't guarantee you won't regret having us around, but I'll do what I can, Keita," her partner replied, taking the proffered hand. "Thank you for having us."

"We should be the ones thanking you," Keita replied, glancing over at Kizmel. "Both of you. For saving us, and for all the help you can give us."

She rose and laid a hand over theirs. "We will do our best, Keita. I look forward to working with you, as well. Aside from Kirito and our friend Asuna, I have had little opportunity to talk with other swordmasters, and I would very much enjoy the chance to trade stories of our travels."

This, Kizmel thought, was what being part of a group should feel like, as everyone followed Keita in a toast to their new alliance. There was none of the chilly, almost hostile rivalry between the disparate parts of the clearing group, none of the clambering for power and a voice to be heard above all others between people whose separate interests were only tenuously united by a greater goal.

The Moonlit Black Cats may not be as strong as the Divine Dragons or the Knights of Blood, they may need training and practice, but those could come with time. The one thing they did have, that seemed so sorely lacking amidst the frontlines was the easy, familial camaraderie that had them sharing drinks and food after a long day out in the fields, and that was something no amount of training could produce.

I wonder how much the clearing group would change if they had this sense of camaraderie, Kizmel wondered. And what things they could achieve. Perhaps, once day, Keita and the others can reach the frontlines and truly make that difference he spoke of.

But even so, part of her was left with even more questions. The Black Cats had talent, she was sure, from what she had briefly seen, but once again none of them felt like warriors despite their incredible strength. It was a mystery she was sure was connected to the swordmasters' appearance on this floating castle.

-------------------------------

As Kizmel unclasped the brooch that held her cloak in place, she heard the gentle tinkle of the Mystic Scribing charm that heralded her partner's own change of clothes, and once more she sighed in mild envy. The fact that he could so easy store his clothing, weapons, and other equipment and change with such ease was something that a knight used to travelling with heavy supplies for days on end would have no trouble admitting jealousy of.

But as she settled onto the bed in the room they had rented in the very same tavern as the Moonlit Black Cats in Taft, other questions occupied her mind, now that she had the time to think and they were alone. Across the room, Kirito slipped into his own bed and reached for the lamp to turn it off, when she shook her head.

"Kirito. May we talk?"

He paused, then glanced over at her, stilling for a moment before getting out from under the covers and sitting up. "Sure. What did you want to talk about?"

She took a moment to gather her thoughts. Truthfully, there were many things she wanted to ask, things that had come up during the course of the day. Some of these had been sparking her curiosity for a while now, some even since they had first met. Even the dreams that had begun again since she had rejoined Kirito were not at the forefront of her thoughts after today.

"I just wished to talk, and appease my curiosity, if you would," she said, smiling gently to let him know that she didn't want to upset him. "There were a few things said today that I wished to understand the meaning of, and I was hoping you could explain."

"Oh." Kirito eased back onto his bed until he was leaning against the wall. "Sure."

Kizmel hummed as she chose the first subject. Perhaps it's best to begin there, she thought. They finally had some time to themselves, and she had the opportunity to ask. "What is a beta tester?" she asked, carefully sounding out the foreign syllables. "I have heard others use it to refer to you and other swordmasters, though it seems to apply to only a select few. You yourself have said it once or twice, I believe, in relation to your knowledge of this castle."

"Hmm..." From the look on Kirito's face, it was another of those concepts from the swordmasters' dialect that was difficult to translate, though he did seem to have given the matter some thought as his response came with less hesitation than she had anticipated.

"All right, you remember how I mentioned that some of us were better informed of what to expect before coming here?" At Kizmel's nod he continued. "Okay, so...before we were brought here, to Aincrad, some of us, about a thousand, were chosen to take part in a-an excercise, I guess you could call it. A war game. A partial copy of Aincrad, based on what information we had of the real thing, mocked up to teach us about it and prepare us. Beta testers are those that went through that practice run."

"Only one thousand..." Kizmel wondered, her thoughts a whirlwind. It did explain much, like his earlier comments about some of the swordmasters having more information than their peers about what they were getting into. But as with everything surrounding the swordmasters, it brought up more questions than it answered, as well. Why only one thousand? Kizmel wondered.

Why would only a tenth of those sent here receive any sort of training? Were they meant to be leaders? Teachers? Commanders to their troops? Still, to send ten thousand warriors and only brief a tenth of them?

And yet...to have to power to recreate even a partial copy of this steel castle, however incomplete...what a strange, amazing place they must come from. Who could have such wonders, such power, and still send people into battle with so little knowledge? If they knew of Aincrad, knew enough to recreate it, how could they have been caught unaware upon their arrival?

Perhaps they could only guarantee that those who had prior knowledge of Aincrad could be brought here, but had no control over who else might be chosen? If that was the case, then perhaps those like Kirito, those few beta testers, were meant to rally the others, to lead and train them to accomplish their mission?

"But from what I had heard, the swordmasters that were summoned here numbered almost ten times that," she noted, choosing to start there.

Kirito nodded. "And not all of us testers came. There were maybe only eight hundred or so that actually arrived in Aincrad."

From what Kirito had said, some of the swordmasters were here by their own volition, as a fifth of the "beta testers" had clearly opted not to return after their experience. And yet that clashed with the knowledge she had that the swordmasters were not here entirely of their own free will; she had heard them speaking of freeing themselves often enough. Maybe whatever had brought them here had also bound them in this place against their will, with no way to return home? Were they unintentionally stranded here, in this strange land, unable to return home?

He shook his head, his expression a strange mix of sorrow and anger. "And sometimes, that kind of knowledge was a double-edged sword, too. Almost half of the testers got themselves killed in the first month, before we even cleared the first floor."

She froze, a sudden thought rushing through her. "It was not a perfect recreation." It was more of a statement than a question, but she was intimately familiar with the concept of military intelligence and disinformation. Such a thing had lost them battles in the past, and caused casualties that could have otherwise been avoided.

"No, it wasn't. As a result, a lot of them went into battle with strategies and equipment and overconfidence that ended up getting them killed." Kirito's voice took on a bitter note she had heard only a few times before. "Others...instead of trying to help others, went off on their own, trying to save their own skin. Some even tried to get each other killed, over a sword, a quest, or a piece or armor, even on that first night, just to get that little bit farther ahead."

A chill ran down her spine, and Kizmel knew, without a doubt, that he had spoken from experience. "Kirito..." she whispered, warring with herself whether to reach out for her partner as he huddled back into himself against the far wall. Things made even less sense to her now. Why would those who were prepared desert the others? Was it not their duty to lead, after all?

It was a basic instinct of every living thing to put its own survival first, so Kizmel wasn't surprised that when it came down to it, some had chosen their own well-being over their peers. It was not a pleasant thought, but reality seldom was, and she could understand, even if her own instincts disagreed. Perhaps it has to do with what Kirito said. How none of them were really prepared for this, after all. How none of them feel like warriors.

Maybe they had been shaken by the thought that their training had been inadequate, or in some ways not fully prepared them. "But some of it must have been correct," she asked quietly.

Kirito looked up from where he had been cradling his knees on his bed. "A lot of it was," he agreed. "Some things were changed from what we had expected, here and there. Different weapons, slightly different monsters. Changes in environment on the same terrain. But overall, we sort of knew what to expect until the tenth floor. Enough to give some of us an edge over others."

"Then why..." Kizmel trailed off, unable to find the words to give voice to her thoughts. As she looked into her partner's eyes, the dark elf felt, for the first time since meeting him, a thread of unease. Those dark eyes that usually shone brightly were dull, listless, as though caught in the throes of a nightmare.

"Because humans are like that. Practice or not, experience or not, when it comes down to it, we're selfish creatures," he spat bitterly, clenching his fists. "When we came here, when it became more than a trial run, when our lives were on the line, I left. I ran as far and fast as I could. I left the first friend I'd ever made on this floating castle behind me, because I wanted to survive. I wanted to be so far ahead of everyone else so I could be strong enough to make it back."

She froze, unable to think of anything to do or say for a moment. It wasn't the first time Kirito had been reflecting on things in his past, but it was the first time he had been so open about it with her. I never thought he carried such a burden, she thought. It made him seem much younger than his attitude on the battlefield suggested, and his expression, unguarded for once, displayed a kind of fear and guilt she had seen on soldiers far older than him.

"What is it you're so afraid of?" she asked quietly.

The sudden anger in his eyes caught her as much by surprise as the sudden darkening of his mood had earlier. "Don't you get it, Kizmel? I'm not fighting this hard because I'm some kind of saint. I'm fighting this hard because I want to survive, and I'm willing to leave anyone and anything behind to do it. I left my friend behind, my friend who knew nothing about this place, who barely even knew how to fight. I-"

"Kirito." Kizmel stood and settled down next to him on the bed, resisting the urge to flinch at the uncharacteristically hard expression on his usually youthful face. She reached out to touch his shoulder, and actually flinched back when he swung around and slapped it away viciously.

"Just-just leave me alone, Kizmel."

"No," she said firmly, reaching out again, and this time he didn't stop her as she grasped his shoulder and turned him to face her. "I won't, Kirito. You're my partner, my friend, and I've sworn that as long as I am able, I will be by your side."

"You shouldn't," he muttered darkly. "Don't you get it? I left a friend to die. I never looked back. One day-"

She suddenly realized what had brought this on, and felt a stab of guilt at having pushed too far, too fast. Perhaps this was not such a good idea, after all. But still...

"Kirito. Listen to me." She waited until she was sure his attention was upon her. "You are not going to leave me behind. Just like you did not abandon Asuna. Whoever you were, however scared you were on that night you first arrived, that is no longer who you are." Kizmel tightened her grasp on his shoulder. "Because that person would not have taken the time to train Asuna. He wouldn't have taken the time to teach her, to keep her safe, until she was strong enough to stand on her own. That person would not have saved my people. He wouldn't have gotten involved in-"

A sudden, desperate thought cut her off abruptly as more pieces fell into place. The tenth floor. "But overall, we sort of knew what to expect until the tenth floor," she thought, replaying his words in her mind, her thoughts a rushing maelstrom. That must mean...

"The dreams..." she whispered, covering her mouth in shock. "My dreams...your...your copy of the steel castle..."

He looked at her, then nodded once, sharply. "Yes. Even you, and your battle with the Forest Elf." Her partner smiled a humorless, pained smile. "Everything up to the final battle, though things were a little different."

"Then...what do they mean? Why are you in my dreams?" She leaned back, out of fear or despair she didn't know.

It took him a moment to respond, and though she could tell there was a part of him that wanted to hold back, he apparently decided not to. "No matter what we did, no matter how many times we tried, no matter how many we brought, you always died," he said quietly, then shrugged. "After a while, we decided to accept it as inevitable. And when I first saw you here..."

I was supposed to die. The thought shook her deeply, though not as much as she had expected it to. After all, she had been prepared to give her life in service of Lyusula every day of her tenure as a Pagoda Knight, and that day, that battle, had been no different. And yet...she couldn't help but keep seeing her dream before her. Different faces that faded from her view, until it narrowed onto a single one, two onyx eyes shining with sorrow.

"When I saw you here," Kirito continued, "I was prepared for that outcome. I didn't even think to fight my hardest. If it hadn't been for Asuna..." he trailed off, but not much more needed to be said.

Kizmel understood what he had left unspoken. He had been drilled to accept her death as unavoidable. Even the wonder at the fact that such detail could be included in whatever arcana or magic his people had used to recreate Aincrad faded in comparison to this thought. He was prepared to leave her to die, and if it hadn't been for Asuna, that may well have happened.

"My dreams...they aren't just dreams, are they?" she asked shakily.

"I don't think so," he admitted. "I don't know how it's possible, but they may be memories that were somehow transferred from the beta test when we were brought here. How or why, I don't know. But do you understand now, Kizmel? I was ready to let you just die. I gave up trying, because I thought I knew better. I'm not-"

It hurt, she acknowledged silently, but it also didn't fit with the person she'd come to know during their travels. It didn't fit what she'd seen when she'd been around him and Asuna. Perhaps that had been him, at one point, but she knew it wasn't who he was today.

"You're not that person anymore," Kizmel interrupted him. "Kirito. I believe there is a reason why, out of everything that could have happened, out of everything I could have remembered, I remember you. Your eyes, looking on with a deep sadness. Out of all the faces I see in my dreams, yours is the only one that is always there. You are the only person to try and save me more than once. So tell me one thing. Since we have met, have you ever given less than your full strength to whatever battle you have encountered?"

"...no." The reply was muffled, delayed by several seconds, but it satisfied her nonetheless.

"I know," Kizmel replied, her death grip on his shoulder softening. "Kirito, I have seen you fight. The person whose side I fought along is not the coward you believe yourself to be. The person who became my friend is not that self-serving. I think...I think perhaps you never were that person. If you had been, you wouldn't look so sad in my dreams as you watched me die."

She swallowed a lump that had appeared in her throat before continuing. "And I need to apologize to you. I accepted Keita's proposal partially for selfish reasons, because I wanted to get to know them myself, without thinking of how it might affect you. For that, I am deeply sorry." Dropping her arm, she clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head in askance.

"Kizmel..." the whisper came from in front of her, and she glanced up. Kirito's face hung low, his eyes covered by his bangs. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, his body heaving as if the enormity of what he had told her had just hit him. "I shouldn't...I shouldn't have said what I did. That's not your problem, and not your burden to bear. And you didn't deserve to hear that."

"Perhaps not," she agreed, inclining her head until her forehead touched his. "But, Kirito, I'm your friend. So are Asuna and Argo, and anyone else you will let in. Yes, it hurt to hear that you were going to let me die, but you didn't. And everything you've done since then has more than repaid that debt. In fact," she added with a smile, "I think I may still owe you one or two."

"I thought we stopped keeping track on the seventh floor," her partner mumbled.

Kizmel smiled. "You may have, but Asuna and I never stopped." She took a deep breath. There were many things that she wanted to ask, still, but her friend was hurting, and she felt no satisfaction at any answer she might get tonight. Releasing a long, slow breath of air and letting all of her questions go for the night, she relaxed slowly, feeling for Kirito's tension to ease.

"Kirito, listen to me," she said quietly, watching as his clenched hands fell limp. "I have long had the feeling that, however skilled you may be, none of the swordmasters are warriors." She shushed him before Kirito could attempt a reply.

"Do not answer yet, that is something that you can tell me about on another day. I have been trained from a young age to be a knight of Lyusula. I chose this life, I trained, and I practiced for years. And still, when the time came to make my first kill, I hesitated. It almost cost me my life. As time passed, I grew accustomed to pushing that feeling aside in order to survive, but it never went away. You, and Asuna, and all the other swordmasters; I do not know if you chose to come here, or if you were brought against your will. It matters little."

Kizmel paused for a moment, looking to the side and out of the window into the night. "You do not feel like blooded warriors. You have the skill, but not the mind for it. Perhaps you do now, after having been forced to adapt, but I would wager that in the beginning, you were scared...as scared as I was the first time I was on an actual battlefield. People do strange things when they're afraid. I first thought of running away, too. Of running far away from the war, and bloodshed. So you see, perhaps we're not so different, you and I."

"But you didn't."

"No, I didn't," Kizmel agreed. "Because I remembered what was waiting at home for me. My sister, her husband, my family. My people. Tell me, Kirito...do you still only fight for yourself?"

He hesitated for a long moment before admitting, "No."

"I know," she spoke softly. "I have seen you, and as you humans are so fond of saying, actions speak louder than words."

Her partner let out a long sigh. "It's...I'm sorry for freaking out on you like this. It's okay. I'm just...I'm just afraid, I guess. Of failing them."

"Kirito. You are not going to fail the Moonlit Black Cats. Just like you haven't failed Asuna," she said with a gentle smile, reaching out and pulling him towards her. "And you haven't failed me. There is nothing wrong with wanting strength. It is how we use that strength that defines who we are."

Her partner surprised her by leaning into her touch, a shudder going through his body, his usual aversion to bodily contact momentarily forgotten as she ran a hand through his hair. I might have taken him for a warrior through and through, if not for this, she thought to herself. But perhaps, this is better. The answers to her questions could come later, she decided.

"On my first night," he said quietly, hanging limply in her arms, "after I'd left Klein behind, after I'd rushed out of the Town of Beginnings, I met another beta tester in the field. He'd done the same thing and was working on the same task as me, hunting the same mobs. He offered for us to work together."

Kirito paused, his breath catching for a moment, before it evened out again. "We did, for a while. But after I'd gotten the item we were both looking for, he decided to attract everything within sight. I thought it was an honest mistake at first, but then he tried hiding to wait it out."

"He was trying to kill you," Kizmel replied evenly, her hand never stilling.

"Yeah. I don't know how long I fought, or how many monsters I killed that night, but I heard him scream. He didn't realize that they hunted by smell. By the time I'd killed them all, my weapon was broken and there was nothing left of him."

It was a vicious betrayal, and served him right, the knight in Kizmel had to admit. Such dishonourable actions deserved nothing less, but there was more to the incident than just a paranoia of other party members.

"It was the first time I saw...I let someone die."

Her hand stilled for only the briefest of moments. "He made his choice," she whispered in response. "I know it sounds cold, but there was nothing you could have done. You survived, and you learned from it."

He didn't reply, didn't move, and throughout the night, her hand never stopped moving.

-------------------------------

June 1st, 2023

It was the insistent, rhythmic knock on the door that woke her up. Glancing around the room, she realized that Kirito was still asleep, head pillowed on her shoulder as they leaned against each other. The gentle smile that crossed her features quickly turned mischievous as she slowly untangled herself from him, leaving him half-covered by the sheet and leaning against the wall as she headed over to the door.

"Who is it?" she asked quietly.

"Oi, is that you, Kii-chan?" Argo the Rat's cheerful voice came through the door, only slightly muffled now that one of the room's occupants had responded. Kizmel slowly opened the door a hand's width, and was greeted with her friend's whiskered face grinning at her when she saw what she was wearing.

Noticing the info-broker's eyes wandering into the back of the room, Kizmel smiled as an idea came to her. She didn't know if Kirito would still be upset or even remember the previous night, but there was one surefire way to take his mind off things. Stepping out of the door but keeping it slightly ajar, she quietly clued Argo in on her plan.

"What brought this on, Kii-chan?" the self-styled Rat asked once Kizmel had finished explaining. "Not that I'm against you trying to seduce Kii-bou, especially if I get to play along, but still..."

The dusky-skinned elf merely smiled and glanced back into the room. "I may have accidentally upset him last night. Kirito may have said a few things he'd prefer to have kept private, and...well..."

"Ah." Understanding glimmered in Argo's eyes. "Freak the boy out so he forgets all about being gloomy about it. Gotcha." Her eyes narrowed sharply. "This wouldn't have something ta do with that massive guilt complex he carries around, would it?"

"How'd you-"

Argo waved a finger in front of the dark elf's face. "Nah, nah. You know how it works, Kii-chan! Now shoo, let's get this show going!"

With a matching grin, Kizmel slipped back into the room and eased herself back onto the bed next to her partner, taking care not to jostle him. Sliding back into the position they'd first woken up in, she leaned her head against his and pulled up the covers, before silently counting down the seconds.

Three, two, one...

"Oi, Kii-bou!"

The door to the room slammed open with a crash loud enough that it would have woken the dead. It certainly was enough to wake the sleeping Kirito next to her. Despite whatever she had said the previous night, he had the reflexes and skills of a warrior as he shook off his sleepiness and went on full alert at the sudden noise, only to relax when he noticed Argo standing in the doorway.

"Argo?" he asked in confusion. "What're you doing here this early? And how did you get in?"

The info-broker merely stepped into the room, closed the door behind her, and grinned while fishing a recording crystal out of her pocket. The flash of the crystal taking an image brought him out of his stupor. "Kii-chan let me in."

"Kizmel...?" He craned his head over to look at her empty, untouched bed, and Kizmel suppressed a laugh at his confused expression. She could practically feel realization flood his body as he slowly, ever so slowly turned around to face her, staring at his arm where it was trapped behind her back, before his gaze wandered up her torso to land on her eyes.

The blush crept up his neck at the same time as the realization dawned in his eyes. The corner of her mouth twitched...

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Kizmel had genuinely never seen her partner move this quickly as he bolted from the bed, flinging the cover into the air and into the bathroom. She supposed he'd moved faster even than Asuna on her best day, which in its own way was impressive.

The dark elf was left staring at the empty space next to her, blinking in confusion, before she met Argo's eyes and both women broke out into peals of laughter. The info-broker snapped the recording crystal closed and grinned at Kizmel as they both looked over at the bathroom door.

It opened a moment later, and Kirito emerged fully dressed and clad in his usual black cloak, though his face was still red. "Argo!"

"Oh, lighten up, Kii-bou," the blonde grinned merrily. "Is that any way to talk to someone who comes bearing gifts?"

The swordsman was resolutely not looking in her direction, Kizmel noticed with amusement. "Why'd you let her in, Kizmel," he muttered petulantly, though she noticed with satisfaction that if anything had remained from his poor mood of the previous night, it was gone beneath the embarrassment that he always exhibited around the info-broker. Something about not needing her to have more incriminating material on him...

"Please don't sell this to Asuna," he pleaded with the cloaked woman. "She'll skin me alive if she finds out-" he stopped himself abruptly, clapping both hands over his mouth.

"If she finds out what, Kii-bou?" the Rat smirked and slid the recording crystal into a pouch on her belt. "That you've been shacking up with Kii-chan? Seriously, I don't know why you shell out the Cor for a two-bed room when you end up in the same bed, anyway."

"I-it's not like that!"

"Sure looked cozy from where I was standing," Argo shot back, grinning toothily. Her expression softened as she took pity on him. "You know the deal, Kii-bou. I don't sell unless asked, so whether she asks or not...is all on you," she finished with a wink.

"That somehow doesn't make me feel any better," he muttered, shooting a strange glance at Kizmel. The dark elf merely returned a mysterious smile, her expression carefully blank. "So, why are you here so early? How'd you even find me?"

"Friends list, remember?" Argo grinned and withdrew a leaflet from her sleeve. "As for why I'm here, we finished scouting out the field boss while you were busy farming up mats, and A-chan wanted ta know if you're in, or if you're going to grace the others with the chance for the LA bonus for a change."

Kirito met her eyes for a moment, and Kizmel shrugged, leaving the decision up to him. It was early enough that they could slip out and return in time to at least get together with the Moonlit Black Cats later in the day, though they also did have equipment maintenance to take care of.

Her partner waved off Argo. "It's fine, I think we're going to sit this one out. Actually, we're running a bit behind, we meant to get back up last night and drop things off with Ashley and see if Lisbeth was still open, but we got...held up."

"Oooooh, I smell a story," the Rat smirked, causing Kizmel to chuckle. She had long ago gotten used to Argo's antics, especially when money was involved. The information broker had made a few exceptions for her already, since she seemed to consider a friend and was as of yet unable to pay in human currency, although Kirito had offered to share his sum of Cor with her.

She did decide to take pity on her partner though, knowing that if she let this continue, Argo would drag out every last morsel of the story. Not that this was a problem generally, but Kizmel figured he deserved a bit of a break. "I don't believe many people will find occasion to pay you for it, Argo," she told her blonde friend with a sidelong glance at Kirito. "At least...not yet."

The grin that had started slipping from the Rat's face was instantly back in full force. "I see you catch on quick on how this works, Kii-chan!" With a flourish, she stuffed the leaflet back into her sleeve. "Well, if you two ain't going to the field boss meeting, I'll let A-chan know you're busy. I'll see ya up on twenty-seven soon - don't be a stranger, Kii-bou!"

"See you, Argo." Kirito let out a relieved sigh as she stepped through the doorway. Kizmel knew it had been too soon when she paused.

"Seriously, though, Kii-bou. You could save a fortune on rent if you just shared Kii-chan's bed."

"Argo!"

Kizmel barely managed to keep a straight face as she replied in as even a tone as she could muster. "That would require her majesty's permission, Argo."

"Pretty sure ya got it, saviour of the realm and all." The blonde grinned as Kirito's face heated up even more, her bright laughter disappearing behind the closed door.

Chapter Text

June 1st, 2023

They had said their temporary goodbyes to the Moonlit Black Cats, and arranged to meet them later that afternoon to work out the finer details of how a level-45 swordmaster and dark elven knight would train the group most effectively. Keita and the rest, though disappointed, had understood that they had had prior engagements, and knew that, for the clearers, their equipment and weapon maintenance always came first. Their lives very literally depended on it, after all.

Kirito smiled as his partner positively fidgeted in excitement as they made their way through the streets of the twenty-seventh floor's main city on their way to Ashley's temporary tailoring shop. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy and guilty for the way he'd snapped at his partner the night before. Huh...I don't even know what brought that up, I haven't thought of those early days since...the swordsman in the black coat paused. Since I started travelling with Asuna, he realized.

He wasn't usually one for self-reflection, but he had found out over the months they had been partners that despite their tendency to butt heads, the chestnut-haired fencer grounded him, gave him a goal to work towards, and gave him purpose. I don't even know what Kizmel's thinking about all of it, he thought to himself, managing to suppress a blush as he remembered the morning's encounter. She certainly hadn't seemed overly upset then, and he'd quickly found out that his new partner had a mischievous streak that could easily match Argo's.

Heaven help anyone those two decide to gang up on...which is probably going to end up being me, he gulped nervously. Still, her presence had been welcome, calming, and soothing. And true to her word, she had remained by his side. Kirito still wasn't entire sure what to expect from the dark elf, but she had taken any revelations he had made the previous night in stride. Or perhaps she was still thinking things over, trying to come to terms with them, he wasn't sure.

He did know, however, that eventually she was going to ask him more about her memories of the beta test, or what he assumed were such. There simply wasn't any other explanation, though why she remembered his face as it was now, when he'd had a different avatar then, was still a mystery to him.

The bell to the shop dinged pleasantly as they both stepped through the door, attracting the attention of its owner. Kirito hadn't been able to understand how Ashley had been able to afford moving from rental shop to rental shop as the clearing group moved on until he had seen the price tags on some of her exclusive designs. The amount had him in a cold sweat for a moment, until the seamstress had announced that she was charging considerably less for mending garments, especially if they brought her the materials...and the job was interesting.

His poor, beloved leather coat had unfortunately not met that last criteria and, after a ten-second critical inspection, had been summarily deposited into the recycling bin for Ashley to deconstruct later. It was the other item they had brought her that was the reason they were here today, and Kirito watched with amusement as Kizmel hovered over Ashley's desk while she arranged the material they'd brought her.

Just like when he had seen Asuna use the Tailoring skill, her needle glowed, though significantly brighter than when the fencer had used it, and began tracing across the folded-up garment. The little stack of giant bat wings shimmered as she taped it with the needle, glowing in a matching light for a second before vanishing. A second later, the entire cloth Ashley was working on took on the same light, morphing before their eyes.

Kirito couldn't help the smile as he watched his partner's almost childlike expression of wonder at seeing some of the "magic" of the swordmasters at work as the light, almost translucent cloak turned into something a little heavier, a little sturdier, and his preferred shade of black as the night. Little threads of silver wove throughout the now-heavier fabric, shimmering almost like the night sky, and when she was done, Ashley tilted her head and brought up the item window to appraise the garment she'd created...

"Not bad," she said smugly, looking over stats only she could see.

"May I see?"

Ashley shrugged, and set her window to public, before flipping it around towards Kizmel. Kirito wasn't sure if she could see the status window, since it wasn't a direct interaction with a player, and leaned over her shoulder to read the details.

"Cloak of Stars?" Kizmel whispered quietly, almost reverently. That answered that question, Kirito mused as he perused the rest of the stats. He wasn't sure they would mean much to her, as he doubted she perceived her skills and abilities in terms of numbers, though.

"Huh...bonuses to the Hiding and Search skills...unrestricted by shadows or moonlight..." it certainly seemed like an improvement over the Mistmoon Cloak it used to be.

"Two hundred points?" Kirito all but screeched as he read on, drawing an odd look from Kizmel.

Ashley merely grinned and dramatically swung her feather boa across her shoulders as she turned around to work on something else while the two of them stared in shock. Kirito blinked, rubbed his eyes, and read again, just to make sure he hadn't hallucinated.

Granted, he hadn't spent a whole lot of time getting familiar with the crafting system in Sword Art Online beyond the enhancement of weapons, but he didn't think an item upgrade from a repair was possible. Which meant...

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Well, I figured it was such a nice cloak, it'd be a shame to just fix it and have your friend discard it in a couple of floors," Ashley replied, still turned away as she was. "So I decided to give her a little upgrade with a rare recipe I acquired from Argo a while ago."

"Upgrade?"

"Mhmm. It's a little heavier than the original, but it should provide more protection. And, of course, do its job much better." She looked over her shoulder at Kizmel. "I hope you don't mind, dear? I know I promised to mend your cloak, but I couldn't help myself."

The dark elf gently, almost reverently picked up the garment, letting it unfold before her. It fell heavily, the texture different from the cloth it had been originally. It almost looked like a very thin leather to Kirito's eyes, though it didn't creak like leather as Kizmel's fingers ran across the fabric. She swung it across her shoulders and sighed happily as it settled.

He did have to admit the black looked good on her. Though that might also just be my personal bias, he thought in amusement as the usually reserved Kizmel lit up with a beaming smile. And were those sparkles in her eyes?

"Thank you, Ashley. I had resigned myself to having to return to the capital in order to have it mended by one of the master craftsmen there, but their work is expensive and their commission time lengthy. I never even thought it possible that your human charms and skills were able to do this much..."

"Oh, my work doesn't come cheap either, honey," Ashley replied with a matching grin at her satisfied customer. "But I do like a challenge. And that was definitely fun to work on. You should let me do a dress for you sometime, you'd look stunning in it!"

Kirito watched as his partner blushed faintly, before realizing the tips of his own ears were getting warm as Ashley directed her grin at him.

"Perhaps another time...when I have occasion to wear such," his partner replied a little sullenly, causing him to feel a little bad when he remembered that she had to actually carry her belongings around physically, which meant that she always travelled light. That, and there really weren't any occasions for a girl to wear a dress in Sword Art Online.

The only one I can remember was...the Christmas we spent at Yofel Castle. A mental image of Asuna and Kizmel in their respective attires floated through his mind, though he clamped down on it rather quickly.

"Well, you know where to find me," Ashley said and turned back around, having finished her work. A heavy package flew towards Kirito, and he caught it on reflex. Upon inspection, it was a black calf-length heavy leather duster with silver trim, and he didn't have to inspect it to know it would add a significant amount of defense to his usual light armor. A smaller, folded up parcel of cloth dropped out as he unfolded the coat. When he shook it out, he realized it was a dark purple dress shirt the exact shade of Kizmel's tunic.

"There," the seamstress announced grandly. "Now you're a matched pair!"

Looking over at his partner and seeing her excited face, Kirito brought up his equipment window. The Cloak of Midnight vanished from his shoulders, to be replaced with the new garment.

"Go on, put it on," Ashley encouraged, still staring at him. "You're not leaving my shop with a lady looking like that. It'd positively ruin my reputation!"

Both women continued to look at him expectantly, and with a defeated sigh he dragged the new shirt onto his mannequin. With a brief flare of light that covered his torso, the exchange took place. Kirito had to admit the fabric felt good, though he had no idea when he'd ever have the occasion to wear a shirt like this.

"T-thanks, Ashley," he responded, fighting the urge to duck his head into the collar as the seamstress came around her counter to look them both over, a pleased, excited glint in her eyes.

After paying a rather lower sum than he had expected, the two of them left the shop, the doorbell's merry jingle announcing their departure. There was one further stop for them before they could head back down to the lower floors to meet up with the Moonlit Black Cats.

The stall where Lisbeth had set up her portable forge wasn't too far away from the main mercantile square, and Kirito couldn't help but enjoy the sight of his partner enjoying her new cloak, her fingers continually running across the smooth, slick-looking fabric. He idly wondered if it felt as smooth as leather, and if the inside was lined in silk.

There were more than a few excited mutterings his hearing picked up along the way, and belatedly he realized why that was. Between him and Kizmel, both shrouded in what to all appearances was black leather, they struck a strange sight in the town, especially matching as they were. At least this time it has less to do with the NPC cursor over Kizmel's head...I think.

"Kirito! Kizmel!" the cheery voice of the brunette called out to them as they approached the stand, her short hair waving in the slight breeze of the morning. They had quickly found out that Argo hadn't exaggerated her skills, and even after introducing Kizmel, she had taken the dark elf's strange circumstances in stride.

Part of it, Kirito was sure, was that for her, business was business, and if Kirito was paying for both of them, there was no reason not to do the job. But the other part was that the girl's perky, friendly attitude seemed genuine, and she had seemed to take a liking to Kizmel.

"Lisbeth! It is good to see you again," Kizmel greeted the younger girl with a brief, one-armed hug while Kirito gave her a quick wave before materializing the stacks of materials from his inventory.

"Haven't seen you around for a few days. Finally needed your weapons fixed?"

"And upgraded," Kirito added, handing over the bag. "I think that's everything."

Lisbeth opened the bag and peered inside. "This is for both of your weapons, right?"

"Yeah. I was hoping to get Kizmel's saber up to maybe plus five or six today, if you can." His own blade was already a +8, though Kirito hoped there would be enough remaining to push it to +9 or +10.

"Of course I can! So, what were you thinking of for enhancements, Kizmel-chan?"

Removing her saber from its sheath, the dusky elf handed it over to Lisbeth, tilting her head. "My preference would be quickness, sharpness and durability. Two each to begin with, if you would."

"Sure thing!" She dumped the contents of the bag onto her work station and began sorting through the ingredients while her forge turned on. "By the way," she glanced backwards with a grin. "Nice matching outfits. You look good in something other than all black, Kirito-kun."

He quickly clamped the front of his coat shut in embarrassment as Lisbeth laughed and the forge roared. "Thanks..." Kirito muttered.

"Ashley was quite right...the colour suits you," Kizmel added from the side, causing his attempts at containing his blush to fail completely.

"I still think it looks better on you," he muttered, ducking his head into his collar, before realizing what he had said. Eyes wide open, he clamped both hands over his mouth as the two girls laughed.

-------------------------------

"Well, if they need a second forward, I'm still thinking Sasamaru or Ducker would be better suited," Kirito stated as he walked next to her through the streets of Taft upon their return from the twenty-seventh floor. Kizmel had practically had to drag her partner back down in order to prevent him from running off to try out his newly-improved weapon.

Though, she thought with a smile, she had been no less excited as her saber, freshly cooled by whatever charm human blacksmiths used, settled into her palm; the improvements made by Lisbeth immediately apparent in its gleaming edge and heft as it sang through the air.

"But Ducker has too many skills he would have to replace, so I'm thinking Sasamaru. Perhaps we can think of something to make Ducker more effective?"

"I agree that Sachi doesn't appear to have the disposition to be fighting at close range," Kizmel agreed with her partner. "While it would be a waste of Sasamaru's training with a spear, his constitution and fortitude would likely be better suited to the position than Sachi. However, there is one thing speaking for Sachi to be the forward and for Sasamaru to remain with his spear."

"What's that?" Kirito's eyebrow raised curiously, and it struck her for a moment that perhaps this swordsman who was so powerful hadn't actually had the same training in warfare that she'd undergone as a knight. It was just one of those ideas she found difficult to unite with just how much else he seemed to know about fighting.

"Sasamaru is much taller than Sachi; since you swordmasters do not just rely on physical strength, she might be able to use a larger shield just as easily, and it would cover more of her body. Additionally, with his height, Sasamaru is going to have a much easier time in the second rank with a spear," Kizmel explained as they stepped around a group of swordmasters who gave them inquisitive looks as they overheard parts of their conversation.

"Mobility might still be a problem," her partner pointed out.

"That's true, but the shield will make up for a lot of the deficiencies in the armor. Also, I think it will give her some much-needed peace of mind, knowing that she can defend herself with more than just the haft of a spear." Kizmel's first impression of the sole female member of the Moonlit Black Cats hadn't exactly been favorable in terms of her aptitude for battle. Skills could be trained, hesitation and fear could be overcome, but one needed to have the mindset for it.

She wasn't sure that Sachi was quite ready to step forward and fight, despite the fact that she had made it to this floor with the rest of them. There was a timidity and hesitation within her that spoke of issues beyond what they had seen so far, and it made her wonder why Sachi had even come up this far in the floating castle. Surely she would have been safer in the larger human towns on the lower floors?

"Well, if there's anyone who can teach her how to use a sword and shield right, it's going to be you."

The dark elf smiled at her partner's assessment, pleased that he found her skills sufficient for the task at hand. "I shall endeavour to take her as my first student, then, provided she accepts me. What about Ducker, then? His weapon is...lacking, to say the least."

"Yeah, a knife isn't exactly the best thing to use in a fight. It can work, but you need to know how to use it well."

"His lack of armor is also a concern," Kizmel noted, thinking back to the complete lack of even the most basic protection the young man had been wearing. Coupled with the fact that his weapon lacked reach and the protection for his hand that would enable him to reliably parry, it was a concern.

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Right. From what I can tell, he's mainly their support for delving into dungeons. Finding traps and disarming or avoiding them, spotting enemies in hiding, and such. But in a fight he's a diversion at best, and he's got little to defend himself with."

"Perhaps a longer weapon, then? Something to enable him to properly parry?" Tilting her head in thought, Kizmel pondered the issue for a moment. "If he prefers to be mobile, much like you, but eschews the use of too long a weapon, then perhaps a dagger and buckler would be agreeable to him. It would add a second avenue of defense without weighing him down."

"Good idea. Let's bring it up with Keita once they get here." Just before he placed his hand on the door to the inn they had arranged to meet the Moonlit Black Cats in, Kizmel reached out for his shoulder to stop him.

"Kirito, wait."

"Hm? What is it?" He turned around with a curious look, and Kizmel took a deep breath. Glancing around to ensure no one was within hearing distance, she leaned towards her partner.

"About last night..." Kizmel paused for a moment. "I feel like I owe you an apology, my friend. I asked things that went beyond what you were clearly comfortable in answering, and as a result I caused you pain. I-"

His land closing over hers caused her to stop and look at him. There was still some lingering darkness in his eyes that had never really gone away from the night before, but his smile was genuine. "Don't worry about it," he told her gently. "I understand you're curious, and to be honest, I wish I could give you an answer to a lot of your questions. But the truth is, I don't have a lot of those, at least not yet. As for what I said..."

He shrugged and sighed. "The first few weeks were really rough. Until I met Asuna and she became my partner, I wasn't in a very good place, and even after...Well, what you need to know is that I'm pretty selfish, Kizmel. I'm selfish enough to want to live, even if it means leaving my friends behind. Just knowing that I'm capable of that isn't the best feeling in the world, you know."

"And as I've said, whatever person you were back then, or thought you were back then, isn't who I've known you to be. I don't think you're capable of being that person, Kirito," Kizmel replied, just as quietly. "As Asuna has had to point out many times, you spend too much time getting yourself into trouble for other people's sake to be that person."

"Maybe. If anything, I think it's being with Asuna and you that's done it."

"I doubt it, considering what you have told me of the aftermath of the battle against the first Pillar Guardian." Kizmel shot him a wry smile. "Even back then, you were ready to step in to shield others from violence. We all have our moments of weakness. We all fall down in our lives. What's important is how we choose to stand back up."

"When did you get to be so old wise?" he glanced at her with an equally wry grin.

Her eye twitched slightly. For a human, she may have been old, but for an elf, she was still in the prime of her youth. "Better old and wise, than young and foolish," she snapped back, a little more harshly than she had intended, before chuckling weakly.

Kirito, however, didn't seem to take offense at her tone and merely rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, sorry. Still, you surprised me with that one."

The dusky elf shrugged, pleased with the fact that some of the darkness that had been surrounding him had lifted. "Perhaps my time in Lyusula's libraries was well spent?" she replied with a small, teasing smile.

"Thank you." Her partner met her eyes and looked away almost shyly. "I mean it. You being here means a lot to me. And I know you're curious - I am, too. I'll always try and answer your questions, I just...don't always have an answer. There's a lot of things about us being here that I want answers to, but I have a feeling it'll be quite an adventure getting them."

"Then perhaps we'll find answers to both of our questions together?"

Kirito smiled broadly. "Sounds good to me."

-------------------------------

"All right, guys, here they come. Get ready!" Kirito's voice came through the trees as the sound of rustling leaves and trampling hooves closed in. Kizmel paid it little attention as she watched Sachi heft her shield and blade, trying to imitate the stance the dark elf was showing her.

After their return from finishing up their business with Lisbeth and Ashley the pair of them had met up with the Moonlit Black Cats, who had gone to procure a shield, one-handed sword, and heavy cuirass for their new tank. After a brief discussion with Keita, Sachi, and Sasamaru, they had agreed that Sachi would be the best candidate for the small guild's new forward position. The girl in question had expressed some hesitation and concern, but had been willing to give it a try after Kizmel had promised to look after her and provide guidance.

The dark elf had been surprised when Sachi had readily agreed to be her pupil with an eagerness that belied her former hesitation, and it had made her believe that perhaps the girl just needed a push in the right direction. Kizmel did feel a little apprehension as she outlined the basics to her very first student, but it faded quickly when Sachi turned out to soak up knowledge like a sponge.

While she was busy getting her new ward used to the new equipment, Keita had convinced Ducker to accept their proposition and switch from his combat knife to using a dagger and shield. Kirito had explained that it would not require him to study a new weapon type, as they were similar in use. The crossguard of the dagger paired with the small buckler on his left arm would vastly increase his defensive options; despite his protests, he had seemed satisfied that he still retained his speed and agility after equipping the new items.

It had been decided, after deliberation with Keita and the remainder of his guildmates that, since there was a limit of six people that could be bound together in a party by the human Mystic Scribing, Kizmel would join Sachi, while Kirito joined the remaining four. While she wasn't clad in heavy armour - often having heard Kirito and even Asuna refer to her breastplate, greaves, and vambraces as "medium armour" - her partner had pointed out quite correctly that she was the best suited to teaching Sachi how to use a sword and shield combination most effectively in combat.

In the meantime, as she ran the younger girl through her drills attempting to teach her footwork and balance before moving on to live practice, Kirito had taken it upon himself to begin combat training the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats. Currently, as she watched from the corner of her eye, Tetsuo was up front with Sasamaru just two steps behind him, a long pike reaching over his shoulder while Keita and Ducker were taking up flanking positions.

The coming stampede kept getting louder, and the dusky elf frowned. "How many did you bring?" she called over to Kirito as he skidded to a halt before their little battle formation.

Shrugging, the swordsman grinned and spun around as the monsters he had attracted crashed out of the foliage and into the little clearing they occupied.

"Three or four."

"I thought you wanted to start with one or two!" she shouted back, heaving a sigh. Not that she really begrudged her partner, especially since he genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself, but the point was to make the Moonlit Black Cats work together to take down a target to work on their coordination. It would do them little good to bring a host of monsters only for Kirito and Kizmel to have to wipe most of them out themselves. At least here, on this floor, the monsters were weak enough that there was little actual danger to any of their prospective students, even if they were to be cornered and outnumbered.

"I brought some for you, too, by the way!"

At the announcement from her partner, the dark elf's eyes shot up into the direction he was pointing.

"Ah!"

Two flying green reptiles crested the trees, one of them having launched itself forward, diving towards the two of them. Sachi's cry had been one of surprise as she reflexively brought up her shield and ducked her head, causing it to clip the top of the shield. It spun, having lost control, and crashed into the ground behind her.

Before Kizmel could act, Sachi turned with the impact, her blade automatically coming down from above her shoulder in a vertical slash, trailing glowing light. It struck the dazed thing dead on, leaving a blood-red line carved through it, before reversing its path.

The dark elf raised a curious eyebrow at the sight, but a second later the spell broke when the second lizard swung down and raked its claws across Sachi's armoured pauldron. The strike knocked the girl off balance, and off her feet. Kizmel readied her shield and prepared to step in, but held off as there were no visible marks on the armour.

She didn't need to, after all. Sachi fell, but managed to use her shield to prop herself up on one knee, taking cover behind it as the flying creature swung back around. She had good instincts, Kizmel noted. Little experience moving in armour this heavy, and little experience using a shield for defense, but she knows how to use a blade. Arguably better than a spear, even, she mused while observing her student.

When the creature dove in once more, the blade in Sachi's right hand glowed a brilliant teal as it lashed upward and forward, pulling the girl along as the power of the charm took hold, propelling her at her target. The upwards slash was a little off-target as the creature moved to evade, but it still bisected its right wing. Falling to the ground with a pained screech, it exploded into blue shards.

"You have talent for the blade," Kizmel said as she slung back her shield and helped Sachi to her feet, watching the girl sway a little as she adjusted to the weight of the armour. The dark elf eyed it skeptically; considering the limited funds available to the Moonlit Black Cats, as well as the general skill level of craftsmen around this floor, the cuirass seemed ill-fitting and unbalanced on the girl's small frame. Perhaps they could commission something from Lisbeth for her later on.

"T-thanks," the girl replied, flushing. "But I almost messed up there."

The dark elf hummed in thought as she looked Sachi over. The armour did look a little disproportional on her small frame. Perhaps a lighter breastplate was in order? It would be less protective, but being immobilized or even just losing one's balance could be just as fatal. Besides, she was Tetsuo's backup, and her small frame would work well with the larger shield she had chosen.

"True," Kizmel finally admitted after a moment of silence. "But I think that has more to do with the way the armour affects the way you move. But you used the shield well, and you did manage to defeat both of them entirely on your own." It was a strange observation for Kizmel, but the experienced elven knight could see that Sachi wasn't uncomfortable with the idea of fighting, but for some reason held a fear and timidity of it. They had hoped that the increased protection of the heavy armour and shield would help with that.

The girl blinked in surprise, as if just realizing what had happened. "I-I did?"

Kizmel nodded. "I would like to try something. Do you still have your old leather armour?" At Sachi's nod, she continued. "Please, switch to it."

She watched as Sachi deftly cast Mystic Scribing and the lighter hardened hide plates replaced the full-plate harness she had been wearing. "Now, let us-"

An inhuman howl from the other side of the clearing drew both of their attention as four male voices clamoured in mild panic.

"Left! Left! Tetsuo, left!"

"I know, I know, I see him!"

"Aaaaaah, it's chasing me! Get it off me!"

"Hold still, I can't hit it!"

"Keep calm, guys. If you panic and break formation, you're going to lose," Kirito's calm voice came over the din of shouting and animal roars. "Tetsuo, don't back up too far. Use that shield, hit them with it if you have to. Sasamaru, don't swing the spear around. Keep it over Tetsuo's shoulder so he doesn't run into it."

Kizmel and Sachi looked over to the men, then back at each other. Sachi giggled, causing her companion to smile at the sight before them. Kirito had been attempting to keep the men of the Moonlit Black Cats in order, but right now between the stampeding creatures, their neat line had dissolved into chaos as Ducker was being chased around by an ox-type beast, which in turn was being chased by Keita trying to land a blow to draw its hate.

Tetsuo and Sasamaru were attempting to work together on the second beast, all the while Kirito was nimbly dancing around the remaining two a little ways away. It was the perfect opportunity to test her theory, Kizmel thought. She met her partner's eye across the clearing, glancing between Sachi and Ducker.

Kirito shrugged and grinned. "Ducker! Try heading over to Sachi!"

"W-what?" the girl squeaked, looking up at Kizmel.

"It will be fine, Sachi. Trust in yourself. Your instincts will help you."

The girl looked dubious. "My instincts to hide behind this, you mean," she said, hefting her shield.

"That's what it is there for," Kizmel replied with a laugh. "And truthfully, that is all you need to do. Be comfortable defending yourself, before thinking of attacking. Remember, any sort of attack leaves you open, no matter how fast or well-protected you are. If you are to be Tetsuo's backup, then it is enough if you can hold the line for others to strike the killing blows."

She could see the determination and fear struggling for supremacy in the girl's eyes as Ducker neared at a dead run. "Strike the first blow, then defend," Kizmel instructed. "Remember, surviving in itself is already a victory."

Sachi nodded nervously, gripping her blade and readying it for a strike the moment Ducker passed by. Her blade, even unpowered by the ancient charms, bit into the flank of the beast chasing him, leaving a long, blood-red gash along its entire flank. It came to a tumbling halt, and Sachi quickly pivoted, bringing her shield up and between herself and her target.

Kizmel watched in apprehension as it charged her, intent on knocking her over with its momentum, but the girl dropped to a knee and braced herself against the shield. She rocked back from the impact with a cry of fear, but it left the beast stunned long enough for Keita to catch up and deliver a swinging blow to its head that knocked its snout into the ground.

Ducker had taken the opportunity to leap backwards, instantly changing directions, and flew in as Keita withdrew, dagger in hand already glowing. The beast roared up, shaking off its disorientation, and made to turn around when Sachi rose, thrusting her shield forward into the side of its head. Her blade rose from the bottom right, glowing as it carved an arc through the air and across its snout.

"Yes! You got him!" The call came from behind her, Tetsuo's victorious cry. Kizmel glanced over to see the mace-wielder and spearman finding their rhythm as they moved and struck, and both teams' opponents fell nearly simultaneously.

"Good work, Sachi," Keita praised as the dark elf returned her attention to her student. Kizmel had to agree, though she wondered as the girl climbed to her feet shakily. Sachi had reacted almost on instinct, her actions smooth like an ingrained reflex. It reminded her a little of the way Kirito fought, but there was a hesitation in her that seemed very much at odds with the competence she showed with the sword.

Curious. It reminded Kizmel of the thoughts she had the previous day. The swordmasters have skill, but not the mentality. Who are they...

"All right, reform the line!" Kirito called out as the Moonlit Black Cats resumed the formation that he had been trying to drill them in. With an encouraging nod from Kizmel, Sachi headed over and took her place next to Tetsuo, while Keita mirrored Sasamaru's position behind the mace-man.

Kizmel stood off to the side, hand on the hilt of her saber and ready to jump in if necessary as her partner leapt out of the way of the charging beasts.

-------------------------------

June 12th, 2023

"What do you think?" Kirito asked as he settled down next to his partner in the shade of a pine tree. They watched as the five members of the Moonlit Black Cats chatted and laughed around the picnic basket in the middle of the clearing a couple of meters away. The safe zone in the middle of the field bordered against a cliffside on one end, and was surrounded by woods on the others, nestled against the very edge of the floating castle on the sixteenth floor.

The last few days had been spent practicing and training on the weaker monsters of the eleventh floor, with Kizmel and Kirito alternating as they taught the small guild what they could. The weaker monsters of that floor had presented a good opportunity for the Black Cats to learn while taking lumps and bruises without ever actually being in mortal danger. It had been an interesting experience for the dark elf, and brought up many more questions. For now, however, as they settled in for a late lunch, she was satisfied with the progress they had been making, and told her partner as such.

"They are doing well," she acknowledged as she unwrapped one of the chewy rations Kirito had introduced her to, a mixture of oats, nuts, and dried fruit that she had quickly taken a liking to. It was much better than the hard bread and dried meats her people usually carried for field rations. "I think they have a basic grasp of how to work together, but I'm still concerned about Ducker's role."

Her partner nodded in agreement. "Yeah. There's very few occasions for a proper flanking attack, especially when you're facing multiple opponents, or in a dungeon with no room to maneuver." Kirito took a bite out of his own bar before changing topics. "How is Sachi doing?"

"She seems comfortable enough in formation, especially with Tetsuo beside her and Keita behind," she noted, thinking over the lessons with the short black-haired girl. "She's moving well. Her instincts are there, but they seem...blunted, almost. By fear or hesitation."

Kirito nodded silently, his eyes shaded as he glanced over at the group. "I noticed. But she's doing a lot better. Good call on switching her back to a lighter armour."

The dark elf nodded in agreement, brushing some of her dark violet hair away from her eyes. She spent a moment considering the mystery of her disciple. "She has good skills with a sword," she finally muttered, glancing over at her partner's profile and tilting her head curiously. It was true, Sachi's attacks with the blade came easily and swiftly, but there were things that didn't entirely add up.

"Kirito."

"Yeah?" he turned to look at her, balling up the wrapper before it disappeared into a burst of azure light in his clenched fist.

"I have noticed something strange," she began, a little hesitantly. "It was something I was meaning to ask you a few nights ago, but..." she trailed off, glancing past his shoulder to avoid looking into his eyes.

If he had any reaction to what had happened that night, he didn't show it. She let out a little sigh of relief at his nonchalant shrug. "Sure, what is it?"

Kizmel took a moment to collect her thoughts, putting words to the vague feelings and questions that spending time with Sachi had raised. "She clearly knows how to fight. She knows how to use the ancient charms on her blade. Her fighting is polished and her instincts are good. She has training," the dark elf noted quietly. "But she does not seem like she wishes to be on the battlefield. It's something I have noticed with other swordmasters, as well."

Kizmel had the suspicion that perhaps Sachi had been fighting or practicing on the lower floors in relative safety until her movements were sure and smooth. It could explain how her usage of the old charms were so refined while she shied away from actual fighting. It was almost as if she had never fought tough opponents in the fields. From what Kirito had said, even those that had been in the "beta test" had, upon arrival, panicked and lost their nerve to some extent.

It wasn't far-fetched to think that someone unfamiliar with Aincrad, someone who was unused to fighting for their lives, would act in such a manner. Some of the dark elves' own recruits, the young ones drafted to replace losses when the fighting had been the heaviest, had been placed under similar stress. And yet it all came back to the same question.

Who are these people that came to this steel castle?

"I know," Kirito responded quietly, his expression dark. Her partner frowned, and she could see him try to formulate an answer, before shrugging helplessly. "A lot of us weren't fighters when we were summoned to Aincrad, Kizmel. Even the ones who went through the beta test. But you already guessed as much."

Kizmel's head snapped up, her eyes fixed on the side of Kirito's face as she nodded. "I thought so, though it makes little sense."

It didn't, no matter how she tried to twist and turn the reasoning of it all. Who would send noncombatants into battle? Especially somewhere as far away and remote as the floating castle they were now in? What were they hoping to achieve? How desperate had they been?

Her partner nodded, finally turning to look at her. "None of this makes sense," he voiced her unspoken thoughts. "We've been trying to make sense of what happened on that first day ever since." The swordsman shrugged, turning his attention back to the five humans enjoying their picnic.

If the swordmasters themselves were in the dark as to the purpose of their presence here, Kizmel couldn't help but wonder why they had come in the first place. It is almost as if they volunteered, but were deceived as to what to expect, she thought to herself. It was the only way that made sense of the conflicting things she knew about these strange humans.

But surely, those that had been to the partial copy of Aincrad must have told others of what was to come?

"How old do you think she is?"

Kirito's sudden question surprised her, but she eyed the girl eating and chatting with her guild mates carefully. It was difficult to judge human ages for her, considering how much longer an elven lifespan was, but she took a guess, anyway. "I'm not sure. Humans age much different than elves. Perhaps...fifteen?" That would make her a child to the elves, but to humans, it would be early adulthood.

The swordsman sitting next to her hummed in agreement. "Probably fifteen or sixteen. I doubt she's older than that, though." At that moment, Kizmel couldn't help but think back to that night, days ago, when her partner's masks had dropped for just a few moments, and she wondered how old he was.

"Most humans where we come from at that age are in school, Kizmel," he continued. "We're not fighters by nature, not anymore. A lot of the swordmasters are probably still children, or young adults. They were never trained to fight, they're not soldiers or knights."

"Then how...?"

He picked up on her question easily enough. "How come they're so good at fighting?" With a shrug, he leaned back and idly played with the grass. "Part of it is that we humans have always been adaptable. Well...we humans where we're from, I should say," he corrected himself.

"The other reason is that a lot of it has been trial and error. It's part of the reason so many people hate beta testers, because we had come here knowing how to fight, and the rest...didn't."

Kizmel frowned at that thought. It lent more credence to the idea that perhaps those few who had been chosen for the trial run - the beta testers - were meant to pass on their knowledge to others. At the same time, her partner's words insinuated that many, if not all, of the swordmasters were not fighters by trade. That, in fact, many of them were even young enough, by human standards, to not be trained for, or used to battle.

Kizmel thought that humans came of age around fifteen or sixteen years old - certainly she had seen children working on the farms and helping the adults before. But those had been the residents of Aincrad. Did the world the swordmasters came from have different standards for their young?

She didn't know when humans of Kirito's world came of age, but she got the distinct feeling from Kirito that when he said that many of the swordmasters were children, he meant it. Why would they come here if they were not fighters? Why send their young? Why risk coming to Aincrad at all?

"And you're stuck here," she deduced quietly, causing him to raise an eyebrow in surprise. And was that a glimmer of pride she saw in his eyes? "I've heard the swordmasters talking about freeing themselves many times," she said by ways of explanation.

"And it is the only reason I can think of why those who are not fighters would even volunteer to come here. Either they were all randomly chosen, or you were expecting that the magic that brought you here could keep you safe from harm, in some manner." Perhaps they had not counted on whatever it was about Aincrad that had torn the magics of old to shreds and left only the charms they had now as a feeble reminder of the splendor of times past. Had the swordmasters intended to come not as fighters, but as explorers? Merchants? Craftsmen?

"Or," she said, looking at him questioningly, "they volunteered, expecting to be able to return to their homes at will."

-------------------------------

Kirito's eyes widened as he listened to the dark elf sitting next to him. It was hard for him to believe she had been a programmed NPC at all these days, and he could admit to himself that he was somewhat afraid. Kizmel was developing and learning quickly...too quickly.

Although I'm partially to blame, too. I let slip too much, too soon, he thought to himself grimly. And he was afraid of what would happen if Kizmel found out the truth about her existence...about Aincrad's existence, and begun asking questions he had no answers for. He didn't know what that kind of knowledge and self-awareness would do to her programming. Would she be able to cope? Would she implode at the knowledge that her entire life, up to their very first meeting, had been a lie, memories created and implanted by a system for the sole purpose of being a puppet in someone else's game?

But he couldn't lie to her. It had been his personal issue in the past, the thing that had driven him to drift away from his family when he had found out the truth that the parents he had grown up with, who had raised him, were, in fact, his aunt and uncle. That his sister, whom he had adored, was his cousin, instead. And Kizmel deserved better than being lied to.

Of course, he still didn't have a proper answer for her. He thought for a long moment, glad that she seemed content to give him time to think and sort through his thoughts. In the end, he nodded sharply, exhaling with a sigh.

"Yeah, we're stuck here," he admitted, though she didn't really seem surprised by the confirmation. "We knew that the...the spell that brought us here was going to take ten thousand people, but we never knew we would be stuck here, fighting for our lives."

He could practically see the gears turning as she processed the thought. Kirito had no idea what his dark elven companion would make of the pieces of the puzzle she already had, but at the same time, part of him was excited at the thought. Here, sitting next to him, might be something that went far beyond any regularly programmed NPC. There had been basic adaptive AIs in games as far back as the very inception of video games, but all of those had depended on a set number of algorithms and lists and tables.

Modern NPC AIs could hold basic conversations and interact with players based on certain key words without breaking immersion, something that had been especially pushed for VRMMOs. But something like Kizmel was, as far as Kirito knew, unique. An NPC whose artificial intelligence was advanced enough to keep up with a player's slang and shorthands, one that was adaptive enough to learn new concepts and trigger words in English as well as Japanese. He wondered if she would pass the Turing test as she was now. What was Kayaba thinking? Did he plan for this, or is she something that was out of his control?

"What happened?" his dark elven companion asked quietly.

"I don't know. Like I said, we're still trying to put the pieces together." Kirito hesitated for a moment. Should he tell her about Kayaba's involvement? He didn't know how to put it into a frame of reference she would understand, not without involving talk about GMs and the meta-knowledge that came with everything that happened on that first day. He finally settled on the half of the truth he could actually explain for now.

"The truth is, when we signed up to come to Aincrad, everyone expected that we would be able to move instantly and safely between this world and ours," he explained, suppressing a shudder at the memory of the blood-red sky and system alert notices. "The magic that brought us here was supposed to allow us to go home at a moment's notice. When it failed, all we knew was that our only way to return home was to conquer this castle."

He could see her eyes widen at the revelation. "Why did your people come in the first place?"

"Many reasons. Fortune, exploration...adventure." Kirito shrugged. There were a million different reasons why people played video games, and the emergence of full-dive technology had only added to them. "We may not be fighters, but we've always been driven to explore, to be the first to go somewhere new and unknown."

"I see..." Kizmel frowned thoughtfully. "But why are there so many children? Exploration is not war, but it is still dangerous. Should they not have been prepared?"

He was about to answer when the dark elf shook her head. "No," she said. "It explains why they are able to fight so well, yet seemed unprepared to fight to the death."

Any further conversation they might have had was forestalled by the hum of distorting air as the invisible barrier around the safe zone warped. The pair of clearers were on their feet with their hands on the hilts of their weapons before whoever had stepped into the safe zone had fully cleared the barrier.

The chattering coming from the Moonlit Black Cats halted as they, too, looked over warily. While this was a safe zone, it didn't mean that they couldn't be ambushed leaving it. Kirito inched the blade of his sword out of its scabbard when a female voice called out.

"Kirito-kun!" The stark white of her uniform stood out against the forest around her as Asuna emerged from the tree line, looking around until her eyes settled on them. She waved excitedly. "Kizmel-chan!"

"...Asuna." Kirito let out a sigh of relief and released the hilt of his sword to wave back. Next to him, Kizmel smiled broadly at the sight of their mutual friend.

"So this is where you've been hiding," the chestnut-haired vice-commander of the Knights of Blood grinned as she looked around. "I was wondering why we hadn't seen you on the twenty-seventh floor recently."

Kirito blinked in surprise, before realizing that she was right. They had last been to the front lines to update their gear, and only sporadically returned for brief quests while the Moonlit Black Cats rested or hunted on their own. "Ah," he muttered. "We kind of got caught up in something."

"I can tell. I had to go through Argo to find you," Asuna chuckled. "How are the two of you doing? Taking a break from the front?"

It was Kizmel who replied for both of them with an easy smile as she wrapped her friend in a hug. "A little, although we have not been idle." She inclined her head over to where the five members of the Moonlit Black Cats were on their feet, staring wide-eyed at Asuna's distinctive uniform.

"May I introduce the Moonlit Black Cats guild," the dusky elf said, waving the five humans over. "Guildmaster Keita, tank Tetsuo, spearman Sasamaru, thief Ducker, and swordswoman Sachi," she introduced, nodding to each in turn.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Asuna replied with a small bow, ever graceful. "I'm Asuna, a friend of Kirito's and Kizmel's."

"Y-you're Asuna t-the Flash!" Ducker exclaimed in shock, pointing at her. "The vice-commander of the KoB! You're supposed to be the fastest swordsman around!"

Kirito chuckled as the heads of Keita and Sasamaru swiveled between the thief and Asuna. "We met them in the labyrinth of this floor a couple of days ago, and they asked if we could help them get set up to progress more safely," he told his former partner as the four men of the small guild stuck their heads together in muttered discussion.

"You shouldn't be so modest," Sachi said from behind the group as she waved at Asuna shyly. "They saved our lives when we got caught out in the labyrinth. Ever since then, they've been training us to be stronger."

Asuna glanced over at him, and Kirito smiled lamely. "It was Kizmel's idea, really."

"Was it, now?" the arched eyebrow on the fencer screamed skepticism.

The dark elf in question nodded. "It was, indeed. I believed it would be a good investment of our time, especially as the clearing group is stretched thin as it is. Helping others to catch up will be good for everyone in the long run, especially if they can do so safely."

"You're right," Asuna relented. "We could always use more people, even if they're not going to fight the boss. Believe it or not, Argo has been complaining that the two of you haven't been around to help her with gathering information."

Kirito coughed in surprise. "Really?" He thought she would have enjoyed the larger profit margin by not having to buy information from them. Then again, he usually traded whatever he learned to Argo for favours or other information rather than Cor.

They paused as Keita seemed to have come to a decision and took a step towards Asuna. "It's an honour to meet you," he said, extending a hand. As she shook it easily, the leader of the Moonlit Black Cats smiled briefly. "I apologize for monopolizing these two for the last several days, but their advice and training has been invaluable. I hope they were not too badly missed among the clearing group."

Asuna glanced over her shoulder at Kirito. "Actually, I think their absence made a couple of people fairly happy. Agil's really happy with the axe he got from the LA bonus on the field boss the other day," she said cheerfully.

"That's good to know." Keita scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "We're hoping to be up there soon."

"That's right!" Sasamaru added. "We'll be doing our part in no time!"

The fencer grinned at their enthusiasm. "That's very good to hear. We always need more people at the front lines. I'll be looking forward to welcoming you among us soon, then!"

"Right!" Keita nodded eagerly.

Considering their progress over the last few days, Kirito had to admit that day might come sooner, rather than later. While the Black Cats were still far from his own level, they were getting to the point where they could begin challenging some of the mid-level floors, as they had done today. With himself and Kizmel as backup, even more dangerous areas or higher floors were doable. He had been thinking about taking them to some of his older leveling spots soon enough.

And part of him recognized that the reason he hadn't really missed being on the frontlines as much over the past few days had been the easygoing, almost familial atmosphere around the Moonlit Black Cats. The five of them - all members of the same computer club at school, Keita had told him once - were really more like family. It was a massive change from both the aloof, competitive environment of the clearing group and the solitude that came with travelling with only a single partner.

Kirito could understand why Kizmel had jumped upon the idea when Keita had first suggested it. He felt...welcome with them, and he knew that while not all of them had opened up to the dark elf the way he and Asuna had, they were at least courteous. None of them, despite whatever misgivings or questions they might have, had ever excluded or dismissed Kizmel the way some of the clearing group had.

NPC she might be, but she was also his friend, and he was glad she was finding people to talk to, as well.

"Err...so, what brings you down here today, Asuna?" he finally asked, tearing himself from his thoughts.

The fencer clasped Keita's shoulder and inclined her head. "I know that you are in the middle of training, but I need to borrow these two for a bit," she told him. Letting go, she turned back to her friends. "We found the boss chamber. The strategy meeting is this evening, and we're moving out to raid it tomorrow morning. I need you both there."

So that was it. Kirito had wondered if they were going to hear about it. After all, Argo had come down herself to invite them to the field boss raid, but apparently, Asuna had decided to seek them out herself this time. Missing the field boss was one thing, but they would need everyone for the floor boss.

A glance over at Kizmel told him she had thought along the same lines. "We're in," he said after receiving a nod from his partner. "How many do you think we'll have?"

"Well, the Legend Braves have been moving up steadily, so they might feel ready. With them, and you, we'd be up to forty-six." Asuna shuffled her feet idly. "Can you come up with me early?"

That still left them two short of a full raid, but it was better than what they had stormed the twenty-sixth floor boss with. There was always some variation in the group composition, with some people not able to make it, or opting to not participate for whatever reason, so the number was not set in stone until the actual meeting took place.

Sharing a look with his partner, Kirito shrugged and fiddled with his menu to shift himself and Kizmel into a party of their own. "Sure. Just like old times."

-------------------------------

June 14th, 2023

"So, how much did we miss while we were gone?" Kirito asked from beside her as they waited for their food to be brought out. Keita, sitting across from them, waved his hands in a gesture clearly meant to dismiss the worry in her partner's tone.

"You two were only gone for a day and a half, even we couldn't get into much trouble in that time," he chuckled. "We just spent both days in the field you showed us working on our teamwork and coordination. Tetsuo and Sasamaru did gain a level."

"That's good news." Kizmel had to agree with her partner. When she had originally asked him about the strange way the swordmasters denoted their strength, Kirito had explained that it was a way to compare themselves to the strength of the monsters on a particular floor of Aincrad. Specifics could vary, of course, such as strength, toughness, and speed, but overall the gist had been that a swordmaster of the same "level" as the floor number they were on was comparable to an average creature of that floor.

The Moonlit Black Cats had ranged from level-16 to level-19 when they had first met them on the eleventh floor. In theory, they should have been able to handle themselves had they not been overrun. If their group composition had been what it was now, they would likely have been fine; it was also possible that, had they not panicked, they would have been fine as they were.

But battle was rarely predictable, and as Kizmel had realized, many of the swordmasters were unused to the rapidly changing conditions on a battlefield. Many had fallen prey to panic and lost composure...and then their lives. In order to prevent such occurrences, the swordmasters usually kept a margin of strength between themselves and the creatures they were fighting to be safe. According to her partner's explanation, swordmasters hunting by themselves or in smaller groups preferred to be the equivalent strength of a creature from up to ten floors above their current location in order to be safe.

It was not a foolproof method, of course. Plenty of swordmasters had died despite being technically strong enough to handle themselves. Strength alone was not a replacement for good sense and tactics, and it was no cure for stupidity and recklessness.

In the next few weeks, as they took the Moonlit Black Cats to the seventeenth floor and beyond, Kirito and herself would be that safety margin for them. Now that they understood the basics of fighting together and they had addressed the weakness in their formation, the Black Cats were eager to forge ahead. The latest boss fight had also been a sign that the reinforcements were going to be very welcome.

"So, how did it go with you guys?" Sachi asked from across Kizmel, sipping on a cup of tea. "The newsletters only said that the fight went as planned, and there were no losses."

"That's right." Kirito shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "It wasn't anything too dangerous. Not easy, but no one even went into the red."

"I think much of that can be attributed to Asuna's leadership," Kizmel chimed in with a smile. Asuna had indeed been just as formidable a leader as in her previous battle against the last Pillar Guardian. And while the Knights of the Blood were still few in number, they made up for it with skill and ferocity. Despite her long years as a Pagoda Knight, Kizmel still found it hard to think of a memory that filled her with more pride than seeing her friend standing at the fore of the swordmasters, blade held high as she led the charge. She had the feeling Kirito felt the same way.

"Yeah," her partner agreed readily. He paused momentarily as their food was delivered, and Kizmel turned her attention to her own order. She eyed the plate curiously, before deciding to spear a piece of meat.

As she savored the flavor of the spices and thick sauce it was drenched in, Kizmel noticed Sachi staring at her. Swallowing, the dark elf looked at her erstwhile student. "And how have you been doing, Sachi?"

"You weren't gone that long..." the girl muttered shyly as she blushed. "I think I'm getting the hang of it. I'm still scared, but you were right, I do feel safer with a shield."

"Yeah, she's right up front with Tetsuo right now. We haven't really practiced switching them out, but I don't think she's entirely comfortable with being the sole tank at the front just yet."

Keita had a point, Kizmel thought as she ate the human curry she had ordered. Sachi's fears would best be combated by giving the girl experience and easing her into the role. There was no doubt that she had the talent for it, but she needed the confidence that came with understanding she had those skills, herself. If standing shoulder to shoulder with their other tank and having the support of everyone else behind her was what it took in order for Sachi to get used to being at the front, then that was what they were going to do.

Of course, such a thing would eventually be unsustainable; the whole purpose of training Sachi had been to be able to switch out with Tetsuo in case he ever needed to recover. But for now, it was good enough that the girl felt comfortable enough to trade blows point-blank with the enemy. The necessary awareness of her surroundings when fighting multiple opponents could come later.

"That's good to hear," Kizmel praised the short-haired girl, who ducked her head. "Give it time, it's only been a few days. The fact that you are comfortable at the front next to Tetsuo and have the skills to coordinate your own attacks while defending is impressive on its own."

She gave the odd look that Keita was sending her way little thought when Kirito continued. "Anyway, between Asuna and the KoB, even the DDA has picked up their pace. I think I've seen more of them in shiny new armor yesterday than I ever have before."

That seemed to drag Keita's attention away from Kizmel and back onto her partner. "So, how is it looking up at the front? I heard the other day when you spoke with Vice Commander Asuna that you hadn't been able to fill a full raid party for the boss."

"Yeah, it's still that way. Probably going to be like that for a while," the swordsman shrugged. Due to chance and the formation of the Knights of Blood, somehow their losses after the twenty-fifth floor had not been as devastating as they could have been. Yes, the loss of manpower hurt them, especially with the departure of Kibaou's ALS, but despite the renewed danger the quarter-mark floor had displayed, a surprising number of swordmasters had stepped up to join the clearing group.

"We've got a few coming up soon to reinforce," Kirito continued between sips of his drink. "And the good news is that with our latest successful raids, people who were afraid after the twenty-fifth are coming back up. It'll be a long while until we've got the manpower we used to, again, but it seems to not have affected the actual raid group as much."

Kizmel nodded in agreement, thinking of the brief conversation the two of them had had with Argo and Asuna after the strategy meeting. While the numbers were almost there to fill the battles against the Pillar Guardians, floor exploration had taken significantly longer with the smaller number of swordmasters available. This, in turn, had led to Argo needing more time in order to thoroughly research the guardian and follow up on possible clues as to its weaknesses and strengths.

"On the other hand, Asuna tells me that things are actually running a bit smoother now than they used to. Even Lind had to admit that. Seems with the tight ship the KoB are running, the DDA are feeling somewhat inspired to follow suit, and Kibaou's group aren't there for them to be competitive with."

Keita and Sachi both looked at the swordsman at his proclamation. Kizmel wasn't surprised, having seen firsthand the kind of trouble the infighting and competition between the two leading guilds of swordmasters had caused on the early floors. The discipline of the KoB was something the knight thought the clearing group had desperately needed to keep things from escalating and to keep minds on their common goal, rather than personal interests.

"I didn't know that the clearing group was that fractured..." Keita muttered.

Sachi nodded as she patted his arm. "I'm not surprised," she said quietly. When the others looked at her curiously, she explained further. "The kinds of people that make up the clearing group are usually the hardcore players. The kind that grinds and levels up just for the sake of progression, for getting stronger than anyone else. They're usually the competitive kind."

"And everyone wants to be the leader," Keita added in understanding. "Or the hero of the story."

"Right." Sachi shrugged and blushed when she realized everyone was looking at her. "I mean, if you think about who would be the farthest ahead, and who would be most likely to put themselves on the line for that next level-up, or that next piece of gear..."

"The kind to start a fight over the best piece of loot, or a good quest reward?" Keita asked dryly.

"Or the kind who would go through others to score the last attack on a boss." Sachi shrugged helplessly. "I can imagine all sorts of problems with a group of people like that."

"That sounds like it could be bad." Now even the ever-cheerful Ducker was frowning. "It's not that bad, really, is it?" he asked in a hopeful tone, looking over at Kirito. The swordsman in black looked down, eyes dark, but didn't reply.

Keita frowned as he looked between the two of them. "It sounds more like a leadership problem than anything else. Don't they respect each other? I can't imagine even guild members competing with each other like that."

"Part of the problem in the early days was the difference between the way Lind and Kibaou think," Kirito explained quietly, and Kizmel tilted her head curiously. She had known of the ideological differences between the two, but never heard the full story of how the rivalry between the ALS and Dragon Knights had come to be.

"Back on the first floor, when Diavel organized the first raid on Ilfang, both of them looked up to him. They both really respected the way he led. When Diavel died, I think they both tried to emulate him to the best of their abilities, but they had different ideas of what he would have wanted." Kirito shrugged and leaned back in his chair, although she could see that he was feigning the nonchalance he was displaying. "For Kibaou, it meant evenly distributing everything. Loot, weapons, gear, even experience. He's hell bent on bringing everyone up to the same level, at the same time, together. Say what you will about him, but he's held on to those ideals since the beginning. He's hated people who got ahead by being selfish ever since."

"And Lind?"

Her partner grimaced at Keita's question. "Lind...was of the opinion that only the best and strongest should be part of his group, by whatever means necessary. That a small group of heroes should push forward for the liberation of all, no matter how far behind they left everyone else in the process. If that means taking advantage of anything they can get their hands on, then so be it, because it's for the greater good."

The faces of the Moonlit Black Cats were an array of dismay and disbelief as Kizmel glanced around after Kirito had fallen silent. She hadn't truly understood why the two groups of swordmasters had been so opposed to one another, and only managed to cordially work together for the battles against the field and pillar guardians. But after Kirito's explanation, she believed she understood a little more. The two leaders would have been intrinsically biased against the other from the very beginning.

Ordinarily, that may have led to competition and rivalry...but they were also attempting to carry on the legacy of a dead man, the legacy of a leader. The legacy of a hero. And each believed themselves the only true steward of that legacy. Neither could have allowed the other to come out on top.

"But...the ALS is gone, right?" Sasamaru asked quietly. "So there shouldn't be any more issues with them?"

"I do not believe we will have the problems we did in the past," Kizmel admitted in her partner's stead. "Before, Lind and Kibaou often butted heads about who should lead and who was ahead of the others. Their philosophies were also sufficiently different to foster conflict, and they almost came to blows on several occasions."

"R-really?" Keita stuttered in disbelief. "They almost fought each other? In a duel?"

Kizmel shook her head. "There are at least two occasions I remember where large groups of both guilds would have erupted into open battle in the middle of the field. Thankfully, it never came to that, but it was a close thing." She smiled at her partner. "Often enough, it was Kirito, with Asuna's help, that ended up resolving the situation peacefully."

"That almost sounds like it's every man for himself up there..." Sasamaru muttered sadly. Kizmel agreed silently; while the clearing group was made up of unmistakably powerful swordmasters, almost every single one of them seemed to be out for their own well-being before anything else. There was nothing wrong with self-preservation, but the extremes that some clearers took this attitude to was not going to play well with the teamwork necessary to successfully challenge the Pillar Guardians in the long run.

Kirito shuffled his empty glass between his hands on the table, deep in thought. "I think the KoB are going to help a lot with that," he finally said, looking back up. "They have the discipline to enforce the kind of teamwork we're going to need."

"More importantly," Kizmel added, "they are the kind of leaders that others, even Lind, respect. When Commander Heathcliff or Asuna give an order in the heat of battle, no one is going to question them."

"Well, that's good." Keita settled back. "At least that means things are running safer and better, right?"

"The two raids that Asuna's been in charge have gone a heck of a lot smoother than the ones where Kibaou and Lind were always arguing over whose orders to follow," Kirito laughed. "Even if they supposedly worked out which of them was in charge beforehand. Even then, the ALS didn't always take orders from Lind without Kibaou backing it up, and vice versa."

"There was also the many times they were at odds about operating in the field," the dark elf added, thinking back to the many times that both guilds had clashed about which quests and missions to accomplish and which objective belonged to whom.

"Don't remind me," Kirito said, making a face. "Then there was that one time with the Flag of Valor...yeah, that one could've ended really badly. Almost did, too."

"It sounds very...cold," Sachi whispered, her head turned down and hands clasped in her lap. "Do you really think we belong there, Keita?"

The leader of the Moonlit Black Cats frowned momentarily. Kizmel could understand the girl's concern, the clearing group was a far more uninviting place for these people who were used to easy camaraderie between friends. Perhaps it would be different for someone who would be folded into one of the existing major guilds, but she didn't believe that Keita or any of the Black Cats would be willing to join someone else's banner. No, the reception a small, upstart group like them could expect, once they made it to their ranks, was anything but warm.

If anything, they may even be seen as yet more competition for the limited resources at the very front lines.

"I agree that it doesn't sound very inviting," Keita agreed. "But it won't be that way for us. We'll stay together and have each other. And if nothing else, we know we've got at least two friends," he said, grinning at Kirito and herself in turn.

"Yeah, besides, Asuna-san seems really nice, too! So they can't all be that bad, right?" Ducker added excitedly.

Kizmel smiled at the enthusiasm and nodded in agreement with her partner. "Indeed. And to be honest, I believe that those on the front lines would benefit greatly from having you. Not just for your swords, but also to see what you can achieve when you fight for each other, instead of yourself."

Keita raised his glass at her, a grin spreading across his face. "Hear, hear!"

-------------------------------

June 18th, 2023

Practice with the Moonlit Black Cats proceeded well, in Kizmel's estimation. In the two and a half weeks since they had been training with them, they had grown from an assortment of individuals into a quite competent little fighting unit. The dusky elf hid a smile at the thought of what her instructors at the dark elven capital would say if they could see her now. It wouldn't be long now until they were ready to move further up.

Once the groundwork had been laid, the rest was just catching them up with the rest of the clearing group. When it came to that point, Kizmel mused with a little sadness, the Moonlit Black Cats would no longer need to have the two of them around all the time. It would make things safer, that was true, but as Kirito had pointed out, they could only grow stronger if they defeated their opponents by their own hands. They would also have to learn what risks were worth taking without the backup of two over-leveled clearers there to bail them out.

But that was still weeks, if not months in the future. After all, no one could really replicate Kirito and Asuna's breakneck pace, and they had agreed early on to take things slowly and safely. And besides, she thought to herself, it's not like we will never see them again. They will be with us on the front lines soon enough, just like Asuna.

The teleport gate deposited them back onto the eleventh floor's main city of Taft after a day away of catching up on the state of the twenty-eighth floor with Argo and Asuna. It hadn't been a particularly long excursion, although Asuna had requested their help in clearing a particularly maze-like dungeon with two other members of the KoB. The change of pace had been interesting, after two weeks of relative inaction. Part of her missed charging headlong into the unknown, challenging herself and her partner as she followed him in pushing the frontier ever further.

But as she stepped off the platform, Kizmel noticed that her partner wasn't following. Kirito frowned as he stared in front of him at something Mystic Scribing had showed him. Tilting his head curiously, he swiped his hand through the air to cast the charm. After a moment, he stepped next to her, his eyes narrowed.

"That's odd," he said. "It's an urgent message from Keita."

"Is something wrong?" Apprehension built inside of her at the thought. The Moonlit Black Cats knew they were headed back to meet them this evening; what could have been so urgent to require a message to be sent that couldn't wait until they met with them in person?

"Hmm...oh. That's...not good." Kirito's eyes darkened further as they flickered across text only he could see. "Sachi's gone missing. According to Keita, after they came back to the inn from practice, she said she had something to take care of and left. They haven't seen her since, and they can't find her."

Kizmel stopped short, her body suddenly numb. This wasn't like the quiet girl at all, and she feared something may have happened to her. "What about Mystic Scribing? You once told me that it was possible to locate someone on the same floor as you?" she asked.

He shook his head. "They tried. She's not showing up on their maps. But the good news is, they're sure she's still alive."

That, at least, brought some relief to her icy chest, and Kizmel felt herself ease up a little. Mystic Scribing, as versatile as it was, did have its limits. Kirito had explained to her early on that, while it was amazingly powerful at times, there were areas of Aincrad it couldn't reach. Messages like the one he had received were incredibly useful, but only reached others on the same floor of the floating castle as the sender.

Likewise, locating someone on the same floor did have its own limitations, and a special charm was needed to locate others on different floors. It could not reach into dungeons or the Pillars of Heaven. There was also the possibility of areas and camps like the one she had led Kirito and Asuna to on the third floor, that had been protected by a sinking charm.

But knowing that Sachi was still alive was a good thing, but it also meant that she may still be in danger. Surely the girl wouldn't have gone into battle by herself...

"Keita and the others have gone to the labyrinth," her partner told her as if reading her thoughts. "She's still showing up in the guild list, so she's not dead, but who knows how long that'll last."

Kizmel shook her head. "She won't be there. Her fears...I feel she will not find what she's looking for there."

"You're right," Kirito admitted, "she's not really the type to run off to fight monsters on her own out of nowhere, no matter how much she's improved. But where then?"

"Are there any protected places, safer places, on this floor that Mystic Scribing can't reach?"

The swordsman frowned in thought, then shook his head. "No, not that I can think of. Wait. Pull up your cloak for a moment."

My cloak? Of course! Nodding in understanding, Kizmel pulled up the hood and wrapped the fabric around herself for the first time since Ashley had mended it. To her eyes, the world appeared the same, if slightly dimmed as she looked through the transparent lining. To Kirito's eyes, though...

Her thoughts were confirmed when his eyes ran over the spot she was in, unable to focus on her form. Even when his eyes glowed a dark green with the charm he used to seek out and uncover hidden things, he seemed unable to see her. After a few moments of confirming that, no matter how hard he looked, he was unable to detect her, he cast his gaze to the ephemeral page he'd brought up.

"You're no longer on the map," he confirmed, letting out a relieved sigh. "Looks like invisibility or a high enough Hiding skill blocks out tracking information on the map."

Kizmel lowered the hood of her cloak. "Sachi mentioned she had found a cloak with concealing properties a few days ago."

"Right, so she's probably still somewhere in town." Kirito frowned again. "But why would she..."

"She's looking for something," Kizmel muttered quietly, thinking back to her interactions with the timid girl. She had reminded her of Tilnel, for some reason, even though she shared almost nothing with her departed sister. Perhaps it was their souls, Kizmel mused. So unwilling to do harm, fearful of battle and the damage it wrought. And yet...both of them had an inner strength that belied their fearfulness. It was something Kizmel firmly believed she had seen in Sachi, and it only needed nurturing and the right push to come out.

Tilnel had found her purpose in the healing arts, helping others, and, ultimately, in finding love. Despite what Kizmel may have thought of her brother-in-law, the wolf handler her sister had chosen as her husband had been dedicated and proud. And ultimately, he had sacrificed his own life in order to avenge her sister. She hadn't been able to begrudge him taking the kill from her, but only days later she had found herself facing off with the Forest Elven Hallowed Knight in a clearing of the third floor for the Jade Key. And it was there, ultimately, that Kizmel had found her own purpose.

What purpose would Sachi find?

"I'll go find her."

"Kizmel..."

She shook her head, forestalling his protest. "Keita and the others may have delved too deeply into the labyrinth. You have a better chance of finding them and bringing them back home safely. If Sachi is still in the safety of this town, then I will find her."

"...you're right," her partner admitted. "And besides, I don't think she'd open up to me. I don't know what's bothering her, but it's got to be something serious for her to run off like this. She hasn't said anything during training, has she?"

"No. But then, it may be that she does not wish to open up in public. Perhaps she fears disappointing her friends."

Kirito gave her a long look, before nodding sharply. "Maybe. All right, I'll go collect the rest of them and bring them back to the inn. Go find Sachi." He bit his lip as he turned around. "I wish you could send me a message to let us know when you found her."

I wish I could, too, Kizmel thought as they parted ways, with Kirito sprinting off towards the Pillar of Heaven in the distance. Sending messages across vast distances, even if it is limited to the floor we're on, locating each other at a glance, even knowing if your friends are still alive...and of course, being able to carry so much more than we can by hand. Truly, it is an amazing charm the swordmasters possess.

Kizmel began her search at the front of the inn. Her own senses differed much from how Kirito had explained the swordmasters perceived the world. It was refined to the point where he could make out distinct sets of footprints at a glance and track them into the dark of night, even when the surface they were walking on did not leave visible footprints when stepped upon.

But as a tenant of the forests and a knight of Lyusula, Kizmel had been trained to look for the details that allowed her to spot other traces of a person's passing. The town square and the front of the inn were busy as expected, but as she widened her search, the paths slowly dwindled in number. Knowing that Sachi would have preferred to avoid crowds as she left, Kizmel eliminated the areas of high traffic and began looking for trails that led to more isolated locations, until...

There.

It was a lone trail left behind; little things like barely disturbed soil and shuffled leaves, that told her someone had passed there in a hurry. The mark of a single person's passage leading away from the crowds of other swordmasters disappearing down into a disused side street. Following it further away from the inn, Kizmel instinctively knew that it was Sachi's path, almost as surely as if she could see glowing footprints on the cobblestone, as if she could sense her pupil's presence pulling her along.

The trail led her to a bridge spanning a river at the east end of Taft. The signs of passage were more obvious as the person who had left them had veered off the paved stone road and down and underneath the bridge, out of sight of prying eyes.

She slowly eased her way down the riverbank, deliberately keeping her footsteps audible. There, in the shadows cast by the bridge overhead in the dim moonlight and hunched against the stone foundation of the bridge, sat the girl Kizmel had been looking for. Her dark hair was in disarray, and she clutched her cloak around herself as if holding on for dear life as she shivered.

Kizmel's heart broke at seeing the girl who was as close to her own student and ward as anyone had ever been in such a state. And she felt helpless, because there was no one to fight, no vengeance to achieve. No one had done this to the girl but her own fears, and even the strength of a clearer could banish those incorporeal foes.

"Sachi?" the dark elf asked softly so as not to startle the girl as she slipped into the shadows, herself.

Her student slowly lifted her head, blinking slowly. Kizmel suppressed a shudder at the sight of the tear tracks running down her cheeks. "Kizmel?" she whispered hoarsely. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Kizmel kept her voice quiet and even. "Everyone's worried about you. Keita and the others thought you might've gone into the labyrinth, and Kirito went to make sure they come back safely."

Sachi looked down as she pulled her knees up to her chest and circled her arms around them. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause trouble."

"It's no trouble, Sachi. I think they would all prefer it this way, than if something had happened to you."

"I just...I just needed some time alone." The girl winced and slumped into herself.

Kizmel slowly, carefully, moved along the inner arch of the bridge until she was at arm's length from the young human. She sat down and leaned back against the cold stone. For a moment, the only sound between them was the gentle sloshing of the water in front of them. "What's wrong, Sachi?"

The girl, whose posture reminded Kizmel so much of a frightened animal, didn't respond at first. When Sachi finally managed to bring herself to speak, the answer didn't surprise Kizmel as much as she thought it would. "...I'm scared," she whispered, and even with her elven hearing, Kizmel had to strain to hear the words.

"I want to run away. From this town. From the monsters. From the Black Cats...from this crazy world."

There were two ways Kizmel could think of to take those words, one of which chilled her to the bone; however, she didn't think that Sachi would go that far. It didn't fit her personality and fears. "You don't mean suicide, do you?" she asked, regardless.

The girl shook her head sadly and chuckled humorlessly, and when she spoke it was in a tone of resignation, though there was a faint trace of macabre amusement. "Ha-ha...Yeah, maybe...Sorry, no. If I had the guts to die, I wouldn't be hiding in town like this. It's a nice thought, actually. But no, I'm not ready to do that. If I were, perhaps I really would have gone to the dungeon."

The cold that had stolen Kizmel's breath eased, but didn't relent entirely. She had suspected that Sachi hadn't run off to contemplate suicide; the girl's fears revolved around dying in this strange world, so Kizmel had banked on the hope that she wouldn't go and do just that. On the other hand, just because she didn't want to die, didn't mean the girl was in any way fine. If she were, she would not have run off to be on her own.

I should have seen this coming, the dark elf thought miserably. She's my student, and I knew she was struggling with her fears, and I did nothing.

"I'm scared to die. I'm so scared, I can barely sleep anymore," she murmured. "Why did this happen to us? Why can't we go home? I don't understand why we can't-" a broken sob left her throat followed by a wordless wail.

Kizmel hesitated for a second before reaching over and enveloping the human girl in a hug as she sobbed. She doesn't understand, either, the dark elf realized, the words of her partner from weeks before echoing in her mind. She doesn't understand the summoning spell, or the purpose of it, just like Kirito. But Kirito...he wants to go back to his world just as badly, yet he seems to have a purpose here, a goal. None of the clearers ever seemed to have had any doubts that their answer, their salvation, would be found at the top of this castle, in the Ruby Palace.

None of this makes any sense.

"Sachi," Kizmel asked gently, one arm tightly wrapped around the girl's shoulders, offering what comfort she could. "What do you mean?"

The sobs slowly subsided, followed by a heavy sigh. "...I don't know how well I can explain it," Sachi replied slowly, seeming realizing where she was, but made no attempt to move. "The world we come from is so different...you're so different..."

Sachi hiccupped and shook her head. "I don't even know how to explain it. I don't know how you see this world."

There it was again, the hint that this world the swordmasters came from was so vastly different from hers that she might not be able to understand it. It had been something Kirito and Asuna had often alluded to; that she wouldn't understand, or that they couldn't explain things not because she lacked the intellect, but because she had no frame of reference to what they were describing.

"I'm sorry, I'm rambling," Sachi murmured. "This...this place, it wasn't supposed to be like this for us. It wasn't supposed to terrorize us. It wasn't supposed to make us fear for our lives. We weren't supposed to be trapped here. This world...it wasn't supposed to be able to kill us..."

With each word, dread crept up Kizmel's spine, a feeling of dark foreshadowing as she remembered the conversations she'd had with Kirito about her suspicions. The way he had all but confirmed that the swordmasters had been ripped from their world and trapped here against their will. That they had expected to be able to freely move between this world and their home through whatever magical means had brought them to Aincrad.

Now came the realization exactly why so many children and noncombatants were part of the group of swordmasters that had come here. The pieces were slowly falling into place, much to her growing horror. Kirito said they expected to be able to return home at will. If they had believed they would also be safe from harm when they came, even those without proper training would have no reasons not to volunteer to come here.

There were still pieces of the larger picture that were missing, but it was beginning to take shape. What Kizmel was starting to understand was that the truth of the swordmasters' presence in this floating castle of steel was far more sinister and disturbing than she could have imagined. All of the contradictions suddenly came together in an image that made an unsettling amount of sense. But was it by design, or by accident?

She had the uneasy feeling that it had been the former, rather than the latter.

"Sachi," the dark elf asked quietly, brushing the girl's hair to calm her as much as herself, "what happened? What went wrong when you came to this world?"

Sachi remained silent for a long moment, the same kind of heavy silence, Kizmel noted, that seemed to grip Kirito and Asuna whenever they sought to explain something beyond her experience. "It was supposed to be like the beta test," she finally explained, looking up into Kizmel's dark purple eyes.

"A war game exercise?" She thought back to Kirito's explanation when she had asked him about it, wondering how it fit into the puzzle.

"Something like that. In the beta test, because it was practice, if you were killed, you simply came back to life in town."

Kizmel nodded in understanding. She had no idea what magical means the swordmasters had used to create a copy of Aincrad for them to practice in, but she had taken part in mock battles and war games before where the simulated weapons and deaths often resulted in the participants returning to their camp to wait until the next event. Perhaps this was something similar to what the swordmasters had experienced during the beta test.

"We were supposed to come here, fight and explore and make our way to the top floor. It was supposed to be like a game," Sachi explained further, huddling into Kizmel's arms. "If we wanted to take a break, we could simply leave the bodies we have here behind and return to our own homes, our own world. If our bodies here were...killed, we could just create them again."

Icy cold flooded the dark elf's veins at the implications. So it hadn't been some kind of teleportation spell, as she had assumed, that had moved the swordmasters instantaneously from their world to Aincrad. Was Sachi alluding to having shifted their very souls to this world, to inhabit temporary bodies, instead? If so, that truly was magic beyond anything in the libraries of Lyusula, even in the records of the ancient world, before the Great Separation. It would explain how they could expect to simply create and inhabit new bodies should they die. And yet...

She remained silent, content to let Sachi tell the swordmasters' story. The mere thought that the swordmasters' souls could freely travel from one body to another, from one world to another through this spell was almost too fantastical to believe. And yet, proof was right in front of her very eyes.

"The day we came here for real, Akihiko Kayaba, the...sorcerer who cast the spell that sent us here. He turned on us. Changed the...spell so that we were trapped in these bodies, so that if these bodies died, so would we. And if anyone from our world tried to disrupt the spell, we would die, too. The only way out was to make it all the way to the top floor, and defeat the final boss," Sachi continued raggedly. "And...he wouldn't even tell us why..."

The girl was shaking enough that Kizmel felt it; the dark elf tightened her grip on the younger girl, wrapping her cloak around the two of them. She couldn't blame her for breaking down like this. Suddenly, everything made a frightening amount of sense to Kizmel; the way some of the swordmasters were more prepared than others in some twisted experiment before the sorcerer had cast the completed spell, lulling them into a false sense of safety and security. How some swordmasters seemed to know nothing of battle and came here, regardless.

And yet, the very fact that the swordmasters had come to a world not their own to save it, but were as determined to escape it as if it were a prison that held them all. Why the swordmasters often talked about it like it had been a game, despite its deadly stakes...and why they often referred to themselves as players. It hadn't been an error in translation.

The thought that the swordmasters' very souls had been bound to these temporary and yet very mortal bodies against their wishes made her insides ache and her heart bleed and her hands itch to run the foul sorcerer through with her blade.

Now I understand...If it was something they had been told could be treated almost like a game, for all its seriousness and consequences to the inhabitants of Aincrad, and that no matter what happened they wouldn't die, then they could fight against even the greatest odds and deadliest foes without fear.

And when that guarantee was taken from them, when they were betrayed and thousands died as a result, it took more than just their guarantee of safety from them. It shook them, took their trust and belief in this world. It demanded a price from them they never could have expected.

Her mind was awash in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions as she suddenly understood so much more of the swordmasters' plight than she ever had before. There was horror that ten thousand people had been deceived and trapped to fight for their very lives, far away from their homes and loved ones. Anger at the man who had trapped them here without giving them a reason why.

Pride and warmth towards Kirito and Asuna, her two friends who, despite their own attempts to return to their homes and the threat to their lives, had risked everything to help her people despite having no reason to.

"I don't understand," Sachi whispered brokenly. "Why we were trapped, why we can die. Why it turned out like this. What's the point of it all? Why would Kayaba do this to us?"

Kizmel didn't know the answer. For the first time she realized this must have been how Kirito and Asuna had felt when they hadn't been able to find their own answers. Whoever this sorcerer was, this Akihiko Kayaba, he must have been immensely powerful to be able to cast a spell on so many.

What could he possibly have to gain from taking ten thousand people from their homes and stranding them in a place where they would have to fight for their lives? What even was the purpose of bringing the swordmasters here, to this world, when his own power seemed so limitless that he could have easily been the savior or destroyer of this world on his own?

But Kizmel finally understood what Sachi seemed to have been searching for, what had caused the girl's uncertainty and fear. Sachi wanted, needed, to understand the reason for which she had been brought here. She needed to understand that there was meaning behind the death and suffering of the swordmasters. That if her life was at risk it was for something greater than the whims of a single man.

The dark elf suddenly found herself with a burning drive to find those answers, herself. For Sachi's sake, for Kirito's sake, for Asuna...for all of the swordmasters who had been trapped in this world, for all those who had died as a result, and those who would die as they moved onward.

"I can't sleep at night, I'm so scared..." Sachi whispered. "I...I don't want to die, not here, not in this place. I want to go home..."

Hearing the anxious, fearful tone of her student, Kizmel decided that whatever the motivations of this shadowy mastermind were, whatever vengeance there was to be sought of him, it could wait for another day. This Kayaba was not a foe she could reach today, not on her own. Perhaps not ever, if he truly was this powerful, but she wouldn't let that stop her.

But right now, there was another battle to be fought, another war to be waged, one that had little to do with sword and steel, and more with words, and strength of the soul

She eased her grip on Sachi, leaning back far enough to wipe the tears from her cheeks with her free hand. In that moment, the girl reminded her of Tilnel so much that her heart ached once again at the similarities between the two. Tilnel found purpose in healing. Kirito found purpose in becoming stronger to protect others. Asuna found purpose in striving forward and dedicating herself to besting the sorcerer Kayaba. Perhaps all Sachi needs is a purpose of her own.

"You're not going to die, Sachi," Kizmel said quietly, the words coming easily. "You will get to go home, and see your loved ones again. This world will not be the end of you."

"How can you be so sure?" the girl asked, looking younger than her years as she stared up at Kizmel with watery eyes.

A small, proud smile graced the dusky elf's lips as she thought about all the progress the small group of friends had made in the weeks since she and Kirito had first encountered them. "The Moonlit Black Cats are strong, and you grow stronger with each day," she promised. "And Kirito and I will be by your side until you are strong enough to stand on your own, much like Kirito once did for Asuna."

"The vice-commander of the Knights of Blood?" Sachi whispered, anxiety momentarily forgotten at the thought.

"The very same," Kizmel confirmed with a chuckle. "You should ask Kirito how they met, sometime. It is quite the tale. And besides, Sachi, you are stronger than you think you are."

The girl looked down into the darkness of her lap, her shoulders slumping again. "I'm not strong," she said immediately, almost reflexively. "Not when it really matters. Not when it counts."

There was, perhaps, a story behind that, Kizmel suspected, but for now it didn't matter. She certainly wasn't going to ask about it now, after the emotionally draining and terrifying things Sachi had already revealed to her this night.

"You're wrong," she replied instead. "You have good instincts, and excellent technique. You are improving every day. I know you don't want to have to fight. I cannot even imagine what you must have felt upon coming to this world and being betrayed as you were. I know the paralyzing fear of death."

Kizmel smiled bitterly. "I've also known the other side of that fear, of wanting to run away from everything so much that you're willing to just...give up. It was then that I met Kirito and Asuna, and found a new strength to draw upon. If I have learned one thing about humans from my time spent with them, it is that when it truly matters, you are capable of some extraordinary things."

"Not all of us are like that," Sachi shook her head stubbornly. "I've never even held a sword before coming here. When I first picked one up, I kept messing it up, and putting everyone else in danger. I just want to run and hide away. I don't have the kind of strength you're talking about. The kind that you and Kirito have."

This, at last, was something Kizmel could provide an answer to. It may not be sufficient to ease Sachi's fears entirely, but it would perhaps serve as a starting point so that she could begin to come to terms with whatever demons were plaguing her.

"The kind of strength that Kirito and Asuna possess...it's not something that's innate to them, you know," she told Sachi. "When she first came here, much like you, Asuna had never so much as touched a sword. She had no experience, no training. She was no beta tester like Kirito. Until a few weeks ago, she had never been in a group larger than three, aside from battles against the field and pillar guardians. She knew none of the intricacies of this world the way Kirito did. And when she first arrived, she had many of the same fears and worries that I believe are troubling you. She did not want to die, not here, not so far from her home and loved ones."

The dark elf let her gaze drift through her memory of her first meeting with the pair of swordmasters that had so deeply impacted her life. "Now? She is the second-in-command of the Knights of Blood. She leads the elite of the swordmasters in battle to liberate all of you. She was chosen by Guildmaster Heathcliff of the Knights of Blood by name, and believe me, they do not recruit just anyone."

Indeed, based on what she had heard from Sachi and Kirito about who the swordmasters had been in their own world, Kizmel was beginning to understand just how remarkable the young woman she had come to consider her sister really was. If the world of the swordmasters was so different that many of the youngsters of Kirito and Asuna's age were still being schooled to be scholars instead of fighters; if fighting was not something common and reserved for the very few who chose that vocation in their world, and they had been called under such false pretenses...then Asuna's ascent to one of the strongest swordsmen in Aincrad was a legend in the making.

Sachi certainly seemed to believe that as she stared, eyes wide with astonishment. "Asuna the Flash was just a beginner?" she asked. "But...she's supposed to be the greatest swordswoman in Aincrad!"

The Flash, huh? Kizmel thought with some amusement, wondering what her friend thought of the moniker the swordmasters had bestowed upon her. I suppose it's apt, considering her most distinguishing feature is her speed. Of course, considering the skewed gender ratio she had seen among the swordmasters, there was not a whole lot of competition for the title of strongest swordswoman, but even so, Asuna stood at the very front of the clearing group in terms of skill and strength.

"That's right," she confirmed, pulling away from her musings. "Perhaps one day you can sit down with her and ask her how frightened she was when she came to Aincrad, and how much she wanted to go home."

The dark elf paused in contemplation as Sachi shuddered, some of the tension easing out of her small frame. "Do you know what makes Asuna and Kirito so strong?" she asked. "It isn't speed and strength and skill, though they certainly play a role. But those can be gained through practice and time. But there's something else without which they never would have achieved the things they did."

"What is it?"

"Purpose." Kizmel spoke the single world with the full strength of her belief. "They both struggled and suffered, and got back up on their feet. The thing that drives them, the thing that I have seen cause humans to keep getting back up on their feet time and again when other races would have long surrendered, is the stubborn will to pursue their goals and fulfill their purpose, no matter what it may take."

She shifted slightly, glancing away from the girl and across the silvery surface of the river. "Kirito has always been willing to do whatever it takes to protect others, even at great cost to himself. That seems to be the purpose he has found for himself. Asuna...her purpose is to leave this place stronger than she was when she arrived. To not be beaten and broken by this world, to rather die standing and fighting it with every fiber of her soul than to surrender to it."

"...I don't think I can do either of those things. I don't have that kind of strength. I just...if I can just live on," Sachi whispered, clutching at Kizmel's cloak in a death grip and pressing her face into it. "If I just...could believe I could go home..."

Kizmel stroked the girl's short hair in comfort. "Those are their own goals, Sachi. They need not be your own. Whatever purpose you find that gives you strength, that is something only you yourself can decide. It need not be something grand and heroic. The simple will to see home and loved ones again is enough. If you can take it, and make it your strength, there is nothing in this floating castle that can stand against you."

"You're sure I won't die? I'll get to go home?"

"I'm sure," the dark elf confirm solemnly. "You will not die. Not until long after we have defeated this castle and you have returned to your family."

"If I could...if I could believe that...I could fight for it..."

Kizmel remained silent as the whispered words faded into the night, and tears continued to soak her cloak. She just held the girl close, her hand never stopping its soothing motion. In that moment, she made a promise to herself.

I already swore to Kirito that I would accompany him and aid him until he had accomplished his goals, in return for saving my people and restoring peace to our kingdom. Now that I know the truth...this is something that I cannot abide. This sorcerer, this Akihiko Kayaba, has done the unforgivable. For the betrayal of his own people, for the deaths of thousands by his actions, he must face justice.

I will help the Black Cats, I will help my first student, become strong enough to survive. I will teach her what she needs to know. I will help her find purpose that will make her strong. We will make them all strong enough to stand with the rest of us when we storm the Ruby Palace at Aincrad's peak. We will strike down anything in our way, we will destroy any abomination or monstrosity the sorcerer Kayaba has placed in our path. And then we will free all of them, and find this vile sorcerer. And I will find out the reason he did this.

-------------------------------

When Kizmel and Sachi returned to the inn that was serving as the Moonlit Black Cat’s temporary home on the eleventh floor, Kirito had already returned with the rest of the guild’s members. In deference to the girl’s privacy, Kizmel had merely indicated that she had needed some time alone to think and sent her up to her room to go to bed before Keita could ask any more questions.

She did, however, concede Keita’s point that Sachi should have let the rest of them know where she was going, and that she would be in a safe area. Under the suspicious and watchful gaze of the leader of the Black Cats, Kizmel announced her own retirement to the room she shared with Kirito, and for the first time she was glad to put some distance between herself and the human swordmasters of the Moonlit Black Cats.

Much of it had to do with the questions she could see in their eyes; they were a group that was very closely-knit, enough so that they could see there was something wrong with Sachi, that something had been bothering her. Kizmel didn’t believe that now was the time to confront it though, not with the realizations and the wound so fresh.

Then there were her own revelations about the swordmasters that kept her mind occupied.

When the door to her room opened without a knock to reveal Kirito, she let out a sigh of relief at having avoided sorting through the night’s events with the rest of them. Her partner, however, was just as perceptive as he settled onto his bed, looking across the room at her. After a moment of silence, he sighed and changed into the short-sleeved shirt and shorts he used for sleepwear, pulled his legs up onto the bed.

“Is Sachi going to be all right?”

Having already changed, Kizmel stood looking out of the window in her light sleeping gown. She idly noticed that Kirito’s intent gaze flickered away from her the moment she turned and he realized what exactly he was looking at. With some amusement she realized that even after the time they had spent travelling together during the Elf War and the recent month they had spent together, he still was shy around her. I suppose the lessons of Asuna’s reaction to situations like these left deep impressions beyond whatever passes for regular human taboos.

The mirth was fleeting, however, as she recalled the discoveries she had made this night. “She’s afraid,” she told her partner, glancing at him over her shoulder. “Of dying. Of being in this world. Of not understanding the reason she’s here.”

“That’s…natural,” he responded honestly. “Considering…"

Kizmel nodded. "She'll take some time, but I believe she'll be all right. She just needs to find something that gives her strength. When she finds that..."

He smiled at her. "Well, if there's anyone who can help her, it's you. She looks up to you, you know."

That brought Kizmel up short. "I'm sorry?"

"I think she sees you as a bit of a role model," Kirito nodded sagely. "I can see it every time you work with her, she gets that look of a student who wants to please her teacher."

"She is a good student," Kizmel shrugged nonchalantly. "She has talent. If there's anything she's lacking, it's the confidence in herself and her abilities, and a purpose to give her direction. Perhaps...you or Asuna should talk to her about it?"

"Maybe Asuna. I don't know how good I'd be at it, all things considered," her partner admitted wryly. "Reckless one here, remember?"

"Point taken. But...she needs a reason to fight. Even if it is only to discover the truth about the reason you were trapped here. I think that is what she fears the most. That there is no reason to everything that happened, that should she die here, her death will have no meaning."

"I think that's something all of us are afraid of, in one way or another. Sachi's really no different from the rest of us."

The dark elf nodded in contemplation. "All she needs is to see that. Those fears aren't easily overcome, but I believe she can do it."

“That’s good. I was worried, and I know Keita and the rest were, too.” Kirito shook his head. “They’ve come a long way in just a few weeks, haven’t they? Even at their level, they just about tore through everything between them and halfway to the boss room by the time I got to them.”

Kizmel smiled with pride. “You’ve trained them well. Who knew the most famous solo swordmaster would have such a good grasp of group tactics?”

“We both did,” Kirito shrugged awkwardly. “It’s not like I did it alone. Besides, it’s not the first time I taught someone else the basics. You were there for a lot of the early days with Asuna, and even on that first day, there was…someone else…”

Kizmel remembered the story her friends had told her, of how Kirito had first met Asuna in the labyrinth of the first floor. How he first witnessed her unbelievable speed, akin to a shooting star, honed to perfection in absolute disregard of her own safety and life. By the time I met her, Kirito somehow managed to temper that part of her, although the fierce temperament shines through every now and then, still. And she’s only gotten faster since…the Flash, indeed.

“Still,” the dark elf noted, understanding now even more what her friends had done for her and her people. “Not so many people, among your kind or mine, would go so far out of their way to teach other warriors, to take students when their duty is to fight on the front lines. Fewer still would have gone out of their way to help my people to the extent that you have. For someone who was thrown into risking his life without warning, you really are incredibly generous.”

Whether it was the compliment, or the way he seemed to realize the moonlight was silhouetting her body against the thin fabric of her nightgown, Kirito blushed and turned away. Even in dim light cast by the lamp by his bed, she could tell his face was red enough that she thought it might actually light on fire.

“I’m not that good a person,” he mumbled, trying to turn away to hide his blush without seeming rude. “I just…can’t turn away from things that are right in front of me.”

“Still,” she noted, “you make a fine teacher. I would almost think that you were a warrior twice your age who had fought many battles before.”

“A lot of it is from…prior experience.”

“Other worlds you have visited?” Kizmel could see the question had caught him off-guard.

“Some,” Kirito acknowledged quietly. “How did you…”

She turned away from him to stare out the window for a moment, wondering where this Kayaba was at this moment. Was he standing atop a tower, looking down upon Aincrad, watching the swordmasters struggle for their lives? Or did he not even waste a thought for the lives he had destroyed, the spirits he had crushed?

"I'm not blind, Kirito. The magic your world must have had at its disposal to recreate Aincrad...it must have been capable of creating copies of other worlds, as well. Perhaps you were scrying them in the same way you did Aincrad, or perhaps they were created from nothing. You and the other swordmasters speak of this beta test as if it was no extraordinary feat, so there must have been others." Kizmel smiled patiently, the idea of such a thing filling her not at terror and dread, but wonder at the things the swordmasters must have seen.

“I was right, you know,” she finally said. “About you. Sachi told me that real death was not a danger you expected to face here…among other things. She told me about the sorcerer Kayaba who trapped you here under false pretenses, stripped you of the protections you were promised. That you still risked your lives to help them,” she gestured towards the door to indicate the Moonlit Black Cats, “and my people…”

When he remained silent, Kizmel merely smiled and turned to face him, trying to show him she understood his reluctance to talk about these things. She saw it in his eyes when they had first begun training the Black Cats, and now she understood his fear. It was the kind of fear that was dawning on him, the fear that he could very well die in this place, and that he was now responsible for the lives of others, as well. Perhaps that was the true horror the swordmasters faced, their own mortality in this world.

“These other worlds you have traveled to…were they like Aincrad?”

It took him a moment to respond, but she was content to give it to him. “In some ways,” he told her. “Some were worlds like this, worlds of swords and magic, others were worlds of the far future. Most of them I have only seen through…an eagle’s eyes, you could say. Someone observing from far on up. This is the first time I actually got to enter the world physically.” She could see he was struggling with the explanation, and that there were things he wasn’t telling her, but she appreciated the effort, regardless.

Just the thought of the magic required to view other worlds was beyond her wildest imaginations. “I think…” she paused, tilting her head as she realized he somehow looked more at ease thinking about these far-off foreign lands. “I think I should like to see these other worlds, someday. Will you show me, once we have left this place? Will you show me your world?”

The smile he returned to her seemed tinged with sorrow. “We’ll have to get out of here, first. Climb all the way to the one-hundredth floor and defeat Akihiko Kayaba.”

Kizmel’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I do believe I should like to meet him in person. Preferably armed.”

That got a dry laugh out of her partner. “You, and just about eight thousand other players. Who knows, you might get your chance. I always figured he'd be waiting for us up at the Ruby Palace.”

"Perhaps," Kizmel acknowledged. "Still, whatever he has in store for us, I have confidence that you will be there to defeat it. I'll do everything within my power to be by your side when that time comes."

Kirito grinned and laid back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, though she noted with amusement that he was carefully keeping his eyes averted from her direction. “I wonder,” she said thoughtfully.

“If this sorcerer is so powerful…if he might be responsible for the Great Separation that created this floating castle. Mages of his power must be rare, even in your world. But then, he would have had to be far older than I thought humans could live.”

"I don't know." Kirito shrugged, though the tone in his voice told her that he was holding something back. Perhaps he had doubts about the fact that even Kayaba was powerful enough to live this long? "He's definitely the one behind what's happened to us, and what's going on with Aincrad now. But whether he caused the Great Separation? I don't know. Before I met you and heard about it, I didn't know anything about how this world came to be, so I can't really say."

Kizmel once more got the impression that he was somehow evading the answer, but she understood the sentiment, that it was the truth as he understood it. He isn't lying, she thought to herself. But perhaps there is something he isn't saying.

Whatever it was, it could wait for another time. He would answer when he felt that he was ready, and she trusted her partner to do so. And in this moment, after the revelation of how terribly the swordmasters had been betrayed, any other unpleasant tales could wait for another day.

"Then we'll just have to ask him when we find him." She smiled as she stepped away from the window and settled into her own bed. "Still...I cannot bring myself to fully condemn him for what he has done. It was a terrible thing, but your arrival has also brought hope to the people of this castle. We existed in a seemingly endless cycle of almost meaningless existence before you came, but now..."

She wondered at the sudden reaction he showed to her words, almost as if something about them had hit a mark deep inside. Perhaps it was akin to what they had been told when the swordmasters were called to Aincrad.

"More importantly, however," she continued looking across the room at her companion, "it has allowed us to meet. And if you ever doubt yourself or anything you have achieved, look no further than the life you have given me, my friend."

The dark elf could tell he was struggling with a reply, but she hadn't really expected one. It wasn't something that required an answer, she had merely been speaking her sentiments. But a knock on the door forestalled any other things that might have been said between the two of them, and their eyes met.

"Are you expecting company, Kirito?" she asked teasingly, idly wondering if it was Argo or Asuna come to track them down. They both seemed to have a sense for when Kirito needed an interruption in his life.

"N-no!" He leapt out of the bed and headed for the door. When he opened it, to their surprise, Sachi was standing there, clutching a pillow to her chest.

With a sheepish smile and wearing a nightgown, the girl bowed awkwardly. "Um...I'm sorry to intrude, but...I still couldn't sleep," she said softly. "Do you mind...could I...just for tonight?"

Kizmel sat up when it seemed like her partner had frozen with indecision. He looked torn between relief that Sachi hadn't jumped to conclusions about the fact that he was sharing a room with Kizmel, or utterly confused at what to do about her request.

"Uh..."

Goodness, you would think he'd never shared a tent with me and Asuna before, Kizmel thought in amusement. "Come in, Sachi. It's quite all right, we don't mind."

She couldn't quite resist getting in one last shot at her partner, though. Perhaps Argo is rubbing off on me. She winked towards Kirito while smiling at Sachi.

"There's plenty of room...in either of our beds."

"Kizmel!"

Chapter Text

June 18th, 2023

Kirito had no idea how he ended up in the situation he found himself in. His life, ever since he'd first logged into the retail version if Sword Art Online had been one crazy incident after another, but after over half a year trapped in the virtual realm of Aincrad many things had fallen into somewhat of a routine. Fight. Level up. Survive. He would even say that he had gotten used to the world he lived in now, however different it might be from the life he'd led before SAO.

He didn't really understand the reasons why Akihiko Kayaba had done what he did, but he thought that he understood enough that the man had a reason, that the person who had been capable of revolutionizing the VR industry, of pioneering the VRMMO genre, that the genius behind the NerveGear had done all of this work not to simply throw it all away. In a sense, he even understood what Kayaba had told them on that very first day when he had said that this was their world now, and that he wanted to see them write their own story.

In that sense, he even understood the death conditions of the game, however horrible they were, because Kayaba wanted them to treat this like it was their real life. And in real life, there were often no second chances, no do-overs, no save points.

He even understood why things had changed from the beta; he didn't like it, but he could roll with it and adapt. It was what gamers like him did, after all.

Kirito understood all of these things, and the few he didn't, he was able to manage. What baffled him, however, was how he consistently ended up in situations like these, because that was definitely not something that had carried over from before SAO. It had started innocuously enough, with Asuna practically commandeering his bathroom back on the first floor. Which, fine, he could certainly make sense of. The girl loved baths, and it was her one tenuous connection to home, and she had wanted to relax after spending days non-stop fighting in the labyrinth.

Argo's usually fortuitous - for the info-broker, anyway - timing aside, that situation he had somewhat of a grasp on. When the fencer had, upon their arrival on the second floor, invited herself to come along with him, he'd been surprised, but seen it as a way to make up for his abandonment of Klein. Their arrangement had been simple enough, separate rooms whenever possible, and they had been teacher and student, and partners on the battlefield.

I think where things really started going sideways was when we met Kizmel, the swordsman thought to himself. That was the first time he'd found himself sharing an enclosed space with two women, one of whom seemed to have no sense of modesty - human modesty, at least. Which only served to rile up his other co-habitant, and part of Kirito had the feeling that even in those early days, Kizmel had done things on purpose, just to keep things interesting or because she found amusement in their reactions.

After a while, he'd fallen into somewhat of a routine while the three of them had travelled together, and the awkwardness of living with two women had subsided somewhat. Then they'd parted ways on the ninth floor, and Kirito and Asuna had resumed their previous duo arrangement.

He was used to being alone; he was near enough a shut-in by choice in the real world. Being despised and mocked was nothing new to him. He was fine playing the role of the anti-hero, the "beater" everyone could blame their problems on. It was faulty logic at work, but human nature, something he could understand.

That people would still seek him out afterwards? That had been strange.

That Kizmel had sought him out after arriving on the twenty-sixth floor, on her own, completely breaking any boundaries NPCs should have had? It was weird, but then he had long since stopped thinking of her as an NPC.

That Argo was rubbing off on Kizmel, of all people, and that the dark elf seemed to take to her style of trolling humour like a fish to water? It made him shudder in terror at the thought, but all things considered, he could deal with it.

He had even come to terms with the fact that Kizmel had practically planted herself as a fixture in his room, and at this point he doubted that she would move out even if she somehow were suddenly able to rent and use an inn room for herself. What he still found strange about the whole situation, and couldn't quite get used to, was the casual way she handled the entire situation of living together.

Asuna had always been adamant that he maintain extreme levels of decorum, enforcing them with heated disapproval, lectures, and angry, threatening glares to get her point across. Kizmel, on the other hand, seemed to have no problems with casually strolling around in her sheer nightgown in full sight of him. Considering that she seemed to have no issues with walking in on him bathing while completely naked, he tended to believe that the nightgown was really more for his sake than hers, as well. The way she moved around their shared space, crossing boundaries that Asuna would have carefully laid down with a flirtatious ease was making him wonder if someone up there was laughing at him.

Perhaps, he thought, this was Akihiko Kayaba's way of entertaining himself.

When Sachi knocked on his door and asked to spend the night, he didn't know what to make of the situation. At least Argo isn't here, she'd have a field day, he thought to himself, before quickly putting a lid on that thought. The last thing he needed was to jinx himself and make the situation any worse than it already was.

At least Asuna isn't here. Forget the floor, I'd be sleeping out in the hallway if she were.

When Kizmel bid Sachi to enter and casually, teasingly, offered either of their beds, he wondered if she really was kidding, or if she was serious. How is this my life? He moaned silently. I'm a shut-in with no friends who barely even talks to his own sister. How do I keep ending up in situations like this? And why do I only have one guy on my friends list in a game whose population is overwhelmingly male?

At least he wasn't alone in his embarrassment at Kizmel's flirting. Sachi looked about as red as he thought he himself did, and she was ducking behind her pillow to hide her face. "Mou..."

Kirito shuffled aside to let the girl in, and despite her mortification she slipped into the room, her eyes bouncing between both beds; his own, empty one, and Kizmel's where the dark elf was sitting up. His partner, noticing his situation, thankfully seemed to take mercy on him and patted the mattress next to her.

"Here, Sachi, feel free to share mine. I do not think Kirito is quite ready to have company in his bed just yet," she smiled, and a shudder ran down his back. "Do not worry, I don't bite...unless I'm asked to."

He was pretty sure that was not a whimper that came out of his throat. Throwing himself onto his mattress and pulling the sheets over his head, he tried to ignore the fact that his roommate seemed to be in an especially teasing mood right now, in stark contrast to just a few minutes earlier. The rustle of clothing and fabric of people arranging themselves in a bed signaled to him that it might be safe, and he carefully stuck his head out from under his pillow.

Sachi and Kizmel had arranged themselves on his partner's bed, and the dark elf was in the process of pulling the covers over both of them, when Sachi caught his eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly, and Kirito felt something within him stir. Perhaps it was because, in some ways, she reminded him of his sister, Suguha, or perhaps it was the fact that she so openly displayed her fear of this world that he kept so carefully hidden, himself.

He dug himself out from the little protective fort he'd built from the blankets and pillows and half sat up. "Don't worry about it. We're all worried about you, so if we can do anything to help..."

"It's all right to be afraid, Sachi. But you're here, with us, with the rest of your friends, and none of us will let anything happen to you," Kizmel added from behind her.

"...I just...I don't want to be afraid anymore..." the girl whispered, and Kirito could tell that it was taking a lot of effort for her to keep her voice steady.

"I know you don't. Being scared sucks," Kirito said with forced lightheartedness. "It means you can't go out and enjoy yourself and have fun with your friends."

That got a choked laugh from the girl. "It really does," she whimpered. "I can't sleep, and I keep having these stupid thoughts."

"And you're always down, even if you don't want to be."

"And I can't get excited with the rest of my friends." Sachi agreed sullenly. "I feel bad sometimes, because the others were so happy when you agreed to help us out, and I can see they're so excited every time they manage to pull off something you've taught them, and I just...I can't..."

Kirito laid on his back and sighed. "Give it time. You're all getting stronger. And Kizmel's told you that you're her best student, right?"

"I'm also her only student," Sachi mumbled, and Kirito thought he heard a small snort of laughter from behind the girl.

"Besides the point," the swordsman argued. "What matters is that she's there for you. I am, too, if you ever need me. So, even if it takes a while, we'll get you through this."

That seemed to settle Sachi a little, and she relaxed. Oddly enough, he noted that Kizmel seemed to be stroking the younger girl's hair, and stranger still was that Sachi seemed to not notice or not care. If anything, she looked more content than anything. "As long as you're here..." she yawned. "Maybe I can sleep...finally..."

"Sleep is good," Kizmel agreed. "We do have plans for tomorrow."

There was some more rustling from the other bed, and an amused chuckle from Kizmel. "Say, Kirito," Sachi finally asked sleepily. "Was Asuna really scared when she first came here?"

He shot a look over the girl's head at his partner, who merely smiled and him. "She was," he confirmed. "But also, at the same time, really, really angry."

"Angry?"

"Mhmm. She was scary, let me tell you." Kirito grinned as he remembered just how...intense his first partner had been in those early days. Everything she had done had been with a single-minded determination that came at the expense of almost anything else. It hadn't been until that bath, ironically, that Asuna had begun easing up slightly, and not until after the battle with Ilfang that she had begun to really see their stay in Aincrad as something approaching real.

"She was afraid of not being able to go home," he conceded, "afraid of never seeing her family again. But do you know what her real, deepest, fear was?"

"No, what was it?"

He grinned at the memory of the little tidbit about real life that his former partner had let slip in a moment of exhaustion. "That she'd missed her mock placement exam and her mother would be so disappointed in her."

"Really?" Sachi giggled into her pillow. "That's such a silly...thing..."

"It is," Kirito agreed easily. "But you know what? She was also upset and angry, and she took that fear and that anger, and she pointed it somewhere. Thankfully, somewhere other than me."

Sachi rolled over and looked across at him curiously. "How'd you even meet Kizmel and Asuna?"

"That's a bit of a long story," he muttered, more to himself than in reply to her. "Would you believe that I met Asuna almost the same way we met you guys? She was fighting in the first floor labyrinth, almost a month after we were trapped here, and she was surrounded."

"So you saved her like you did us?"

Kirito could tell that Kizmel seemed interested in the story, as well. "Twice."

That seemed to get both women's attention. "Twice?" Kizmel asked in bewilderment. "I'd heard of the time you carried her out when she passed out, but..."

"Err...never mind that," he quickly attempted to deflect. If Asuna ever hears that I blabbed about that particular event, she's going to kill me.

"There was a second time, then?"

His dark elven partner probably wasn't going to let this one go, he realized, and even Sachi seemed to have perked up a little. "I, uh, I don't think Asuna would appreciate me telling that story. If you want to hear it, go ask Argo, at least that way it won't be my head Asuna will be after."

Neither of them needed to know about the time he'd found her passed out in the labyrinth and dragged her out in a sleeping bag to leave her with Argo in a safe zone. And Asuna really would take his head off if she ever found out.

"Mmm...what about Kizmel, then?" Sachi asked with a yawn.

"Ah, the grand tale of the Elf War..." the swordsman chuckled. "It's a long story about the ancient elves of this world, and their battle to save Aincrad...or destroy it."

As he spun the story, he couldn't help but notice that both Sachi and Kizmel were listening attentively, but before long he'd almost forgotten he had an audience. It was only when the quiet snoring of both of his roommates caught his attention that he realized they'd fallen peacefully asleep.

Well, he thought to himself. Maybe this isn't so bad, after all.

-------------------------------

June 19th, 2023

"Switch!"

The command was followed immediately by Tetsuo launching a devastating strike against his opponent. Against one of their regular foes, it would have been enough to dispatch the man-sized, bipedal salamander. However, here on the twentieth floor, it inflicted a grievous, but not lethal wound on his target, causing it to stagger backwards.

The half-step opening was all Sachi needed to step in, ramming her shield into the salamander's chest while her blade arced out to carve the three strokes of a Sharp Nail into the creature, drawing its attention towards herself. When she froze, caught in the backlash of the skill, Sasamaru angled his spear down over her shoulder and stabbed deeply into their wounded foe. It roared, hampered by the spear, and flailed its weapon ineffectually at Sachi's shield.

Kizmel nodded in satisfaction as their wards moved together, their actions smooth and practiced, with none of the hesitation that had plagued Sachi in the first weeks present. The girl had appeared well rested and had actually smiled as she woke, earlier than Kirito, and had said her quiet goodbye to Kizmel to retire to her room for her morning cleansing. Whatever peace Sachi had found with them last night, it seemed to have changed something in the girl. At breakfast she had been chipper and more outgoing that she used to, and she had been eager to get to training. She was still timid and hesitant, but she was stepping forward and into the fray, actively launching herself at the enemy instead of ducking down behind her shield.

Keita and Ducker, meanwhile, were flanking around the salamander, waiting for its attention to be fully on Sachi before committing to their own attacks. Kizmel was observing for the most part while she guarded the party's rear. She had suggested that, since Kirito was able to actually see the state of the group using Mystic Scribing, that he would be best suited to keeping watch over their exercise.

"Watch out for the tells," her partner instructed while he nimbly danced around two more of the saber-wielding lizards. They were here to catch up Sachi and Ducker, as both had fallen slightly behind the others in their progress. Kirito had decided that it would also be a good opportunity for them to practice their teamwork on single foes in the relative safety that the sparse monster population of the floor and the presence of two clearers brought.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kizmel noticed that Ducker had circled around the enemy throwing himself at Sachi's shield, and his dagger was glowing a fierce red as he launched his own attack. The charm pulled him into a spin, the blade carving parallel vertical slashes into the salamander's back, and with a shriek, it exploded into azure light.

"Ready for the last two?" Kirito shouted. A few seconds later, Keita called back an affirmative. "All right, here they come. Tanks, get ready!"

Sachi and Tetsuo formed up, with Keita and Sasamaru right behind them, and her partner led the two foes he had been lightly sparring with in their direction. "Get ready, and...switch."

The moment Kirito passed between the two forwards, Sachi and Tetsuo stepped in, their respective weapons glowing as they hammered a foe each, drawing their attention away from the swordsman and onto themselves. In near perfect coordination, the two with polearms behind them took advantage of the opening and stepped in. Sasamaru's target received three consecutive thrusts to the chest before it could recover while Keita took the opportunity to bring down a vicious overhand blow on his opponent's skull.

Ducker, ever the speedy opportunist, charged towards the stunned target for a quick blow before withdrawing in between the lines. The two forwards stepped back into the fray, having recovered from their own techniques, and moments later both salamanders broke into multi-colored light mere seconds apart.

"Nice," Kirito praised, and Kizmel had to agree. Their coordination had been nearly perfect, and she hadn't been able to see many openings that could have been taken advantage of. Her partner grinned at her as the Moonlit Black Cats exchanged high fives, and Kizmel smiled at the human custom that had become so familiar to her. Why is it that I feel so...alive among these people?

Perhaps it was because the swordmasters were so different from the dark elves, or even their own kind that inhabited Aincrad. Everything they did seemed to carry a weight and emotion behind it that was difficult to find in the people that lived in this floating castle - every action they took was tinged with a vividness and colour that made them seem alive. It made her think back to the days she had spent languishing in the capital, wondering if her fellow elves had always seemed so...monochrome.

The two clearers allowed their students a few moments of rest before they decided to move on. The dungeon was a fairly straightforward affair, with very few branching paths to get lost in. Kirito had chosen this particular one for its final encounter, a lizardkin champion empowered by the magic of these caves, something the swordmasters referred to as an elite opponent, similar to the spider queen they had faced in the caves on the third floor.

It would be the first time the Black Cats would take on such a foe on a floor this high, and it would be their first test against something that would require tactics akin to those used in battle against the field and pillar guardians.

When they arrived at the chamber, Kirito halted their little column and turned to Keita to give instructions. "All right, here we are. The Iksar Champion that's the boss of this dungeon is a little different from the mobs you've fought so far. He's going to be using a large shield and a scimitar. Now, he doesn't have a second phase, so you should be fine, but keep an eye out for his tells. Sachi and Tetsuo, when he starts up his Treble Scythe, you're up front. Everyone else needs to be behind you."

The leader of the Moonlit Black Cats nodded and stepped forward, facing the rest of his party. "You heard him. Remember, we're still over-leveled for this place, and there's five of us. We have Kirito and Kizmel here as backup, but let's not rely on them too much, all right? They've spent their time and effort to teach us, let's show them that we can stand on our own!"

A chorus of agreement bellowed in return, and with a wide grin, the staff-wielding human pushed open the door. The two shield bearers took up position in front of him, and the little column marched into the room, leaving Kirito and Kizmel in the entryway to look upon their progress.

-------------------------------

The wide grin on Sachi's face as her blade struck the killing blow on the champion of the dungeon was something that Kizmel had never seen on the girl's face before. The battle hadn't been easy, but the group had held together and according to Kirito, none of them had been dangerously injured. Neither of them had had to jump in to assist, although she had been tempted at various stages during the fight - and she knew from the tension in her partner's frame that he had been, as well.

But the Moonlit Black Cats needed this; not only would jumping in when it was unnecessary hinder their learning, but there was also their own pride that was on the line. As Keita had said, they needed to see for themselves that they were capable of defeating their opponents on their own strength alone. The five swordmasters were huddled over one of the ethereal pages of Mystic Scribing, excitedly inspecting the spoils of their battle.

"They're not doing too badly, huh?" Her partner sidled up to her silently. Kizmel smiled; the Black Cats had come a long way in the few weeks since they had begun training them. "Another two months maybe, and they'll be ready to start exploring on the front lines."

"Two months?" she arched an eyebrow curiously. "At your usual pace, I would be expecting them there in half that time." It would take significantly longer than that before either of them would be willing to risk the Black Cats in the actual clearing group to face pillar guardians, but they would be ready to begin exploring on the highest floors soon enough.

"Yeah, well," Kirito shrugged awkwardly. "It's...different when it's more than just myself, you know?"

Kizmel shook her head with a chuckle. It was indeed different when it came to her students. "I understand."

"Sachi seems to be doing better."

"She is." The dark elf looked over where the young girl currently had her fellow tank's arm slung over her shoulder and was laughing with the rest of them. "I believe she's starting to find her peace in this world. It will take some time, but she's strong. You all are."

He didn't respond, instead ducking his head into his collar in the manner that told her he was embarrassed, and instead tilted his head towards the Black Cats. "I'd better get them going. We should get out of here before anything else shows up."

"Or this dungeon chooses a new champion," she acknowledged. The pair of them headed over and were met by Keita.

"I know it wasn't the toughest monster," the leader of the band of swordmasters grinned, "but it felt good, anyway. Thank you, both of you. I don't think we'd have ever made it this far without you guys."

Kirito waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Come on guys, let's get out of here."

While her partner and Keita led their procession out of the dungeon, Kizmel brought up the rear. To her surprise, Sachi dropped back to walk with her. The girl seemed more at ease than she had in the days before, and she walked as though a weight had eased from her shoulders. It was still there, Kizmel knew; such things did not disappear overnight. But it was a start.

"You and Kirito have been through a lot together, haven't you?" she asked, much to the dark elf's surprise.

"We have," Kizmel confirmed with a nod and a genial smile towards where her partner was walking ahead of the group. "And I can freely admit that they have been the most rewarding times of my life."

Sachi seemed to consider that thought for a moment. "Why did you decide to follow him? The war was over, right? Wouldn't you have had duties of your own? Why'd you decide to help us?"

"Many reasons," Kizmel answered. Why, indeed. There were so many questions, so many things about the swordmasters and Kirito himself that she wanted an answer to. Knowing now what had happened to the swordmasters, it made her wonder even more about her dreams. Had her destiny truly been set in stone? Kirito had admitted that the beta test had been incomplete, and inaccurate at times. Had she and the Forest Elven Hallowed Knight she had fought on that day been fated to kill each other? Or had whatever magic that replicated Aincrad been unable to account for a different outcome?

Had Kirito and Asuna changed her destiny upon meeting her?

And why would the spell cast by the sorcerer Kayaba to bring the swordmasters here also bring with it shreds of images to her mind from the beta test? She had no connection to their world, it made no sense to her that she would remember things that had not ever happened to her. Perhaps she was seeing Kirito's memories of the event? It would explain why, strangely, she always seemed to see his face as it was now, rather than the temporary body he had told her he had inhabited for the test. If that was so, then it was possible that their fates were even more deeply entwined that she could have imagined.

But beyond all of her curiosity, she just genuinely enjoyed being with Kirito and Asuna, and with her immediate duties to her kingdom and her people at an end, she had indulged in her desire to explore the wider world with her friends. Now that she knew of the plight of the swordmasters, Kirito's mission had become even more immediate. The injustice done to them was not something her pride as a knight could allow her to ignore.

"I owe Kirito and Asuna my life," she began to explain, noting that Sachi seemed to be eager to listen. "More than that, our kingdom owes them its current peace, and they might very well have prevented the destruction of Aincrad, if our legends are to be believed. As we travelled, they became dear friends to me. Asuna has become my sister in all but blood, and Kirito..." she shrugged with a sly smile. "He is a mystery I intend to unravel."

Sachi glanced up ahead at the black-haired swordsman and giggled. "He is, isn't he. He tries to be this gruff and aloof person, but it doesn't really work most of the time."

"That's right. I have my own reasons for wanting travel with them still, and was granted leave by Queen Ilyndrathil to do so. When I caught up to them, however, they had already parted ways."

"Because Asuna went to join the KoB, right?"

Kizmel nodded. "Since she now has all the support she needed, I believed she was in good hands. Kirito, however...as much as he professes to be used to being alone, I must confess I never liked the thought of him having to actually be alone."

"I wouldn't, either." The girl sighed and looked down at her feet. "I don't think he'd be the kind of person he is today if he'd been alone. I'm glad he has you to watch his back."

"I'm only returning the favour," Kizmel stated quietly. "I had a younger sister. Her name was Tilnel, and you remind me a lot of her."

"I-I do?"

"You do," the dark elf confirmed, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Not in stature or appearance so much as spirit. She was gentle, not one for conflict, despite the fact that we were embroiled in a long war against our own kin. She was a healer, a herbalist who, despite her aversion for violence, travelled with our advance groups."

"What happened to her?"

Kizmel shrugged and clenched a fist. "She was murdered by a Forest Elven Falconer when they ambushed our rear guard." She sighed and forced herself to relax. It had been months ago, and she had long ago come to terms with her grief, but the dull ache that remained was one that Kizmel was sure would never truly go away.

"When my sister died, mere days before I met Kirito, I was overcome with the desire for vengeance. I tracked down the Forest Elf who had taken her life, but in the end, I failed to get revenge. My sister's husband, a man I had always scorned, was faster still. He fought his all and gave his life...not to kill his wife's murderer, but to protect someone else. I was unable to save him...and I was unable to avenge my sister, for he had beaten me to it."

It had been a long time since she had thought of those days, the dark, passionless days before she had met the human swordmasters that would change her life. "I was a failure as a knight and as a sister. When the assignment came to recover the Jade Key, I didn't hesitate, even knowing the dangers. I knew I was going to go to my death, even before the rest of my party fell around me. I just...wanted it to be over. To give my life in the service of our Queen and kingdom, so that at last, it may have some meaning. There was nothing left for me in this world but my duty."

"I'm sorry..."

Kizmel looked over with a smile at her student's saddened expression. "Don't be. I'm sad that Tilnel didn't live to see the peace that Asuna and Kirito's help brought us, but I believe she would be overjoyed that there is peace at all. She would think her life a small price to pay."

"But..." Sachi opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.

"I miss her," Kizmel told her honestly. "And there is a void left by her passing. Her death...it left me adrift, without purpose, without goals, without the will to keep on fighting to live. That was how Kirito and Asuna found me. When they came to my aid," when they saved my life, she added silently, "I was...unsure of what to do. I had no plan beyond carrying out the orders I had been given."

Sachi looked up at her curiously. "Did it ever get better?"

"It did, with time," she confirmed, smiling. "Kirito and Asuna's presence helped, as well. I could say many things about the time I spent with them, but it was never boring. And they always cared, even though I was a stranger to them." Although there had always been that feeling in the beginning that Kirito seemed to know her, something that had finally been explained when he told her about the copy of herself he'd encountered during the beta test.

It had surprised her, back then, when the two human swordmasters had decided to involve themselves in the affairs of the Dark Elves. They hadn't been in a position to be picky about whose aid they were getting, however, and as such had chosen not to look too deeply into the motives of the humans. It was only when Kizmel began travelling with them and getting to know them that she started to understand more about them.

"They became friends," Kizmel added, "and in remarkably short time. They gave me something to care about, hope that there could be an end to the bloodshed."

"And you chose to come up to help them because you felt you owed them for what they did?" Sachi asked, an indecipherable look in her eyes. Kizmel had seen that look before, in Asuna and Kirito's eyes, when they were surprised by her motives and actions, although the dark elf suspected there was more to it than that.

"In part. I could have led a peaceful life, guarding the capital. The Queen and her generals certainly offered all the honours and advancements that came with our achievements, but in the end, I found life there to be...dull."

"Dull?" Sachi's eyes opened wide in surprise. "You...wanted to keep fighting?"

Kizmel shook her head. "I wasn't looking to continue fighting. I missed the excitement of travelling with my friends, of exploring new areas of Aincrad, of learning new things. I cared for them and couldn't bear to see them go off into danger on their own, while I was safe in the capital's barracks."

"I think I understand..." Sachi tilted her head to the side with a knowing look, her eyes darting towards the swordsman's back. "You found something new to fight for. Someone new."

-------------------------------

July 12th, 2023

The twenty-fifth floor was a place that held many terrible memories for a lot of the clearers. Much of that was due to the ill-fated boss fight that had caused massive casualties among the ALS and forced them to withdraw from the front lines entirely. Still, the difficulty spike for this floor had been, while less pronounced, still noticeable in the regular mobs.

Once they had the reference frame to compare them to, Kirito had come to the conclusion that the monsters of the twenty-fifth, on average, were about equal to those of the twenty-seventh in strength. However, due to the layout of the floor and the types of monsters they were facing, the twenty-fifth was still a safer place to grind for levels. That, and there had been the added safety of there being no anti-crystal zones on this floor that he was aware of.

It was something that he and Kizmel had run into for the first time during one of their brief excursions to the front lines while taking a break from training the Moonlit Black Cats; both of them had been a high enough level that the trap hadn't posed much of a threat besides the sheer quantity of mobs that had been spawned into the trapped room. But to an unprepared group - even one that had an appropriate safety margin - it had the potential to spell disaster. The sudden inability to use not only their teleportation crystals, but also their healing and curing ones, without warning could easily turn a situation from dangerous to deadly.

Upon receiving this information, Argo had immediately published a newsletter forwarded to everyone involved in exploring new floors, and the clearing group had made it a point at their next strategy meeting to prioritize reporting anti-crystal zones that were found during their exploration to prevent them from becoming a death trap for other players.

Despite all of this, the twenty-fifth floor had some spots that were ideal for quickly catching up a well-balanced party in levels. The stronger monsters meant they rewarded them with more experience, and the lower spawn count meant that even a small party capable of rotating out tanks and DPS were able to farm them in relative safety without fear of being overwhelmed by numbers.

Of course, that was before you added in a pair of level-47 clearers as a safety net.

The twenty-fifth floor was a network of caves and tunnels that wound every which way, with the main settlement located in what had once been a prosperous mining outpost. By the time they made it back from the hunting spots Kirito had located for them, all of the Black Cats were looking forward to leaving the oppressive floor.

"Man, I'm going to be so glad to be out of this place," Ducker sighed as they passed through the gate of the town. "This floor sucks. It's all narrow and dark and damp."

"They can't all be open-air," Tetsuo replied amiably, though he looked just as worn. "Hey, Kirito, how's the next floor up looking?"

The swordsman in black glanced over his shoulder at the question. "I think you're going to like it. It's open plains, with a Greek theme."

"Are we talking modern Greece, or..."

He shook his head at the thief. "Ancient Greece. Myths and all. Argo's bound to know more about its original background than I do, but it's not even classical Greek. More like Mycenaean antiquity. The labyrinth looks like it could've come straight from Knossos, minotaur and all." Thankfully, there hadn't actually been any minotaurs on the floor; Asuna had been particularly thankful for that fact, still remembering the borderline indecent state of the tauruses on the third.

"Cool, when can we go there?"

Kirito exchanged amused glances with the dark elf walking next to him at Ducker's excited question. "Well, the average mob is easier on the twenty-sixth, but there's more of them. The upside is that there's fewer demi-human and humanoid monsters, so you'll have to look out for fewer sword skills."

"Although the beast types that are prevalent on that floor have their own...difficulties," Kizmel added with a wry grin. "I seem to remember you taking particular issues with the rams."

Kirito shuddered and winced. "Yeah, those were a nasty surprise the first time we ran into them. Not deadly, just annoying. Especially if you don't have a shield."

"I don't know, you seem to be doing just fine without a shield," the spearman shot back genially. "I mean, I've never seen you struggle. I know it's a much lower floor for you, but if you're not using one while you're out at the front lines or at boss battles, it can't be that bad, right?"

"I would not recommend using Kirito - or Asuna for that matter - as an example of your ordinary swordmaster," Kizmel commented with a chuckle. "Nor, really as an example of the clearing group as a whole. I do believe, after having seen them fight, that both he and Asuna are...unique cases."

"Yeah, I think both of you are the only ones I've seen that use a one-handed weapon without any sort of shield that don't just do it to look cool." Sasamaru threw a meaningful glance back at Ducker; the self-proclaimed thief had the good grace to scratch the back of his head awkwardly.

Kizmel nodded in agreement. "The benefit of a one-handed weapon, be it a sword, dagger, or even short spear, is the ability to use a shield for defense. In Asuna's case, the benefits of a shield are outweighed by the loss of speed she would suffer with her rapier. Kirito, however..." the dark elf smiled slyly at him, causing him to gulp uncomfortably.

"Kirito's style is...entirely offensive. Even his defense is steeped in offense. His parries are attacks in their own way. While Asuna is faster, certainly, I think he does have the edge in reaction speed, and it is only that alone which allows him to fight the way he does, by reacting to an attack launched by his opponent and still land a counterattack before being hit." Kizmel grinned mischievously. "It is not a fighting style I would recommend anyone try to emulate."

How does she make something that should sound like praise sound so much like critique? he wondered absently. It was true, he eschewed the use of a shield for the same reason that Asuna did, although in his case a one-handed or even hand-and-a-half swords were usually designed to be wielded with a shield, and suffered very little in terms of speed when paired with one. It did, however, come with one drawback.

"It's more the lack of mobility, in my case," he admitted, sending a mock glare at his companion that promised retaliation, only to receive a mysterious little smile in return. "Kizmel's right, I'm not as fast as Asuna, but a shield would get in the way of how I fight at times. Besides, there's a few tricks I have up my sleeve that'll only work with an empty off-hand."

"But wouldn't it be safer to block instead of relying on being able to dodge and parry?" Sachi asked, tapping the rim of her shield. "I know I didn't seem like it at first, but you were right, after getting used to being up front, I do feel safer with a shield. I know it's a big piece of armor in between me and the monsters, and even if they get past that, I can still use my sword to protect myself."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I tried it before, but it just...didn't feel right. This is comfortable, and it...well, it works, for now. It may change in the future, but..."

Ducker clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, if it works, why mess with it, right?"

"Right," Kirito smiled weakly in return. "Anyway, back to your original question, since everyone's pretty much caught up and evened out, we could take a trip up there to take a look. At least maybe get an inn there and start fresh in the morning, if you're up for it."

At Kizmel's wary look, he sent a reassuring smile her way. "It'll be fine. Right, Kizmel?"

She tilted her head and considered for a moment, before nodding. "Agreed, I do think they are prepared, and the foes there will be weaker than the ones on this floor. And if there are too many at a time, you will just have to play bait," Kizmel noted, the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly.

"R-right..." he sighed, before smiling back at her. It wasn't like he hadn't been doing just that the entire time. The group of six players and one NPC companion made their way through the empty streets of the town towards the teleport square. Kirito idly noted that even with the floor cleared, it didn't seem like many players came to this floor; be it from being scared of the monsters, bad memories associated with it, or generally the fact that it seemed like a fairly unpleasant place to stay long-term.

Either way, it had worked in their favour as there was little competition for the good hunting spots, even with Argo's guide listing most of them.

"What's the city on floor twenty-six called, anyway?" Sasamaru asked as they approached the great stone ring.

"Iluria." Kirito grinned as he stepped onto the platform. The floor had been fairly good to him, despite the rocky start, and he had to admit a certain fondness for the Greek aesthetic of the main settlement. "Teleport, Iluria!" he called out in tandem with Kizmel, having discovered fairly early on that the dark elf could use teleport gates just as easily as a player, despite her status as an NPC. It had made him wonder at the time if it was something unique to her, or if other NPCs were capable of travelling between floors this way, as well.

Unfortunately, with the regular NPC AI significantly more limited than Kizmel's, neither of them had felt the urge to attempt to kidnap one to find out.

The dim orange lighting of the cave network gave way to the late afternoon sun and open air of the town square of Iluria, and the pair of clearers stepped off the platform to make room for the Moonlit Black Cats when a notification popping up on his HUD caused him to pause and bring up the messaging screen. "Huh..."

Kizmel stopped short next to him, and looked over curiously. "A message?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's from Asuna. She's asking if we're available to help her out with something." He quickly read over the few lines of text from his old partner. "She must've sent it on her way through, because it only just got to me. She's actually on this floor right now."

"We should not keep her waiting too long, then," the dark elf said as the other five players materialized behind them.

He nodded and turned to Keita. "I just got a message from Asuna. Do you guys mind if we take off and go meet with her really quick? It's just on this floor."

"Not at all," the leader of the Moonlit Black Cats told him. "Actually, if she wants to meet with you guys here anyway, why don't we all go and get ourselves rooms for the night after? Provided this isn't some top-secret guild or clearer business, of course."

"Shouldn't be," he confirmed. At least, the message hadn't hinted at such. "Sure, why not."

Kirito opened the messaging window and typed out a quick reply. It took only a few seconds before a return window popped open with the answer. "She's at one of the inns at the outskirts." He glanced up at Kizmel. "Shall we go?"

The trip was a brief one, despite the Black Cats looking around themselves as they wandered through buildings in a style not seen in their world for at least several millennia. It always astounded Kirito how much effort Kayaba had put into the design of Sword Art Online. There were a lot of things he'd pulled straight from history or adapted from other properties, and with the massive scale of Aincrad there was bound to be some overlap, but no two floors were identical. It just further drove home the fact that the man must've had a reason for trapping them here, this was too much effort just to get the players killed.

In fact, so far each floor had had its own unique story and quest chains, themes, even foods. The amount of research and effort that must have gone into compiling all of this data and then recreating it in the full-dive environment was mind-boggling. It made Kirito wonder what the driving core system of SAO was like, how much of it was automated and how much of it was scripted.

There has to be at least some degree of automated adaptability, he thought to himself. Otherwise things like what happened to the main quest on the sixth floor wouldn't have happened. The game wouldn't have rewritten itself around Cylon's death.

He surreptitiously glanced at his dark elven companion. And if Kizmel really was scripted to die and we somehow broke the script, it had no problems rewriting itself around her survival. I somehow can't imagine Kayaba sitting at his computer at home writing new quest scripts as all of this is happening.

Part of him was also wondering just what the developer of SAO was doing at this moment. Was he watching them? Had he left them to their own devices, confident that the government wasn't going to shut down the server for fear of killing the players that were logging in while he had gone on the run? Was he still out there, or had he been arrested?

In the end, none of those questions really mattered in the immediate future. To find the answers, they would have to beat the game first. They were making good progress in that regard, but even then, at their current pace, it would take at least another year. It was strange how the thought didn't seem to fill Kirito with dread as he thought it would. He missed his old life, for sure. Missed his parents - even though biologically, they were his aunt and uncle, they had raised him and were his parents in all but blood - and his sister.

Sugu...the thought of his sister filled him with a twinge of sorrow. He'd pulled away from her over the past few years, unsure of where he stood within their family, of who these people were once he'd discovered the truth. Incidentally, it was here, in the virtual world of Aincrad, that he had found somewhat of an answer to that. Here, where the player and the avatar had become one and the same, where he'd seen the best and worst of people that they had been unable to hide, he'd begun to realize that perhaps actions defined relationships more than any words or concepts.

Still, he was determined to make it back, but part of him also felt at ease here, in this world. In Aincrad, where he could be Kirito the swordsman, instead of Kazuto the socially awkward fourteen-year-old high school student. Here, in the virtual world, where his strength mattered, where he was more than a scrawny little kid. In a way, he felt more at ease here, in the full-dive, than he had in the real world in a long time.

The touch of his partner's hand on his arm caused him to break from his thoughts as her curious violet eyes stared into his with a hint of worry at his absent-mindedness. He shook his head briefly to clear the fleeting thoughts from his mind and shot her a reassuring grin, which eased Kizmel's expression. The dark elf tilted her head to the side, indicating that they had arrived.

The tavern Asuna had chosen was a rustic affair with a lot of wood decor that contrasted with the whitewashed stone facades and pillars of the rest of the city. Kirito vaguely remembered it from his time spent exploring this floor months ago, particularly because of the time Kizmel had ordered half of the menu in an attempt to try human cuisine. It had been an interesting experience, to see the usually reserved dark elf happily moving from plate to plate, offering her commentary almost as if they were on a cooking program.

Thankfully, he'd managed to reign her in somewhat before they'd gotten to the dessert selection, although when Asuna had heard that he'd stopped Kizmel at that point, he'd been subjected to a lengthy lecture about depriving a girl of the pleasures of sweets and confections.

The rough wooden door swung open with a creak, and Kirito immediately zeroed in on the fencer's long chestnut hair and white uniform. "Yo, Asuna," he called and waved towards her.

"Kirito-kun! I wasn't sure the message was going to get to you today." She glowered at him playfully as she rose from her seat. "It would've been so much easier if you just added me to your friends list, that way we could message each other regardless of which floor we're on."

That actually brought him up short. "Sorry? I, uh...I forgot?" he managed. He actually had forgotten. Kirito had been so used to travelling with her that the need for any kind of instant messaging never arose, and even in the few cases where they had sent messages to each other, they had always been on the same floor together anyway.

Once they had split up, he'd simply...forgotten that she wasn't on his friends list.

Asuna's head tilted further, in the manner that he knew meant she was displeased, and her foot began tapping. She managed to hold the serious expression for a moment, before glancing over his shoulder at the rest of the group accompanying him. A wide grin spread across her face as she dropped the act and laughed. "I know," she said, her tone conspiratorial. "I forget that you're not in a party with me most of the time, too. For the first week or so in the KoB I kept calling for a switch and expecting you to be there."

"Ah..." he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, I know that feeling."

The fencer giggled. "Well, it's easy enough to remedy later. You brought everyone along, I see. How are you, Kizmel? Keita-san? He didn't drag you up here against your will, did he?"

"I'm well, Asuna," the dark elf replied, wrapped her friend in a brief hug. "It is good to see you again."

"We're just fine, Asuna-san. Actually, we'd just finished training for the day when Kirito got your message, and since we were going to move up to this floor for the next couple of days anyway, we just tagged along," Keita explained, scratching his head. "I hope it's no trouble."

"Not at all!" The smile on Asuna's face widened as she caught sight of the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats behind them. "Come on, have a seat, I'm sure you're all tired from a long day's work, and I want to hear all about how our soon-to-be newest members are coming along! I know Kirito-kun can be a cruel taskmaster at times."

"Hey!"

"Oh, it's a compliment, Kirito-kun." The grin on his erstwhile partner's face was teasing but kind, and he relented from his protest, slumping in surrender. It wasn't as if he had ever been able to really win against her, anyway. Curse my social awkwarndess! Her eyes softened, and she touched his shoulder lightly - something else that he'd noticed had been happening more often since they'd parted. She didn't use to touch him so freely on her own while they had travelled together.

"Without you pushing me like you did and teaching me, I'd never have made it this far," she said softly. "I'd probably be dead."

He shrugged, unsure of how to answer that exactly, but his partner came to his rescue. "You give yourself too little credit, Asuna," Kizmel chided gently. "You have the skill and drive to excel, I believe you would have eventually come into your own by yourself."

"I just never would've lasted longer than the first floor," Asuna replied with a laugh. "Literally, because he pulled me out of the first floor labyrinth when I was dead on my feet. How did you even drag me out of there? I didn't think you had the strength to carry me?"

"Uh, well..." he stuttered, unsure of whether he really wanted to answer that. At her expectant look, however, he gave in. "I kind of...put you in a sleeping bag and pulled that with me. It's a system loophole..."

The swordsman glanced over at Kizmel, wondering if she would say anything about it; the dark elf would have no concept of stats except in the very literal sense that they grew as you exercised, much like they would in the real world. MMOs, however, were much different than that, and while Kirito hadn't had the strength attribute back then to have carried another player, he could probably have easily carried both Kizmel and Asuna by now.

From a purely strength requirement point of view, naturally. Walking around carrying two girls without losing his balance or knocking into anything was a whole other matter entirely.

But if Kizmel figured anything was odd about their exchange, she didn't show it, probably chalking it up to more of the strange idiosyncrasies of the swordmasters and the way their bodies in this world behaved. Asuna's eyes, however, narrowed in suspicion.

"You didn't do anything...untoward, did you?"

"O-of course not!" He waved his hands in front of him in wild denial. His further protestations were interrupted when she broke out into giggles.

"I'm sorry, Kirito-kun, you're just easy to tease sometimes." The smile she sent him was genuine and warm. "After all our time together, I trust you. It may not have always seemed like it, but I do."

Phew. Bullet dodged, he thought to himself. "Thanks..." he muttered out loud as they all sat down. "So, what exactly did you need our help with? You didn't say much in your message."

"Oh, I didn't want to say too much in case you didn't get it in time," the fencer answered glibly, flagging down an NPC waiter to order dinner. After all of them had selected their meals, she continued. "We're making pretty good headway towards the labyrinth on the thirtieth floor, and I wanted to ask if you two were going to join in the exploration."

Kirito shared a look with his partner, and shrugged. "I don't see why not," he said, "if the Black Cats are all right with being on their own for a few days."

"Oh, don't worry about us," Keita waved him off easily. "You've helped us more than we could ever have hoped for, really. We can handle a few days on our own."

"Yeah, we'll be fine!" Ducker chimed in, and Sasamaru and Tetsuo nodded in agreement.

Kizmel, however, was looking at the lone girl of the guild, Kirito noted. "Sachi?" the dark elf asked, and Asuna's gaze snapped over to her.

The black-haired girl was silent for a few moments before looking up with a smile that seemed only a little forced. "Don't worry about it. It'll be a bit strange knowing you're not there to back us up, but you can't always be around for us, right? And it'd be selfish to keep you with us when they need your strength up at the front lines."

"It's not like we're going to be gone forever. It's just a couple of days until the floor is cleared, and we'll come back in the evenings and check in with you guys," Kirito offered, earning himself a grateful look from both Sachi and Kizmel.

"That's right," Asuna added, "I don't want to take these two away from training you guys, but we're still short-handed when it comes to exploration, especially when it comes to the labyrinth."

"We'll do our best to be able to help you with that," Keita responded with a grin. "It's why we're working so hard, after all."

The fencer returned his smile. "That's good to hear. You'll be a welcome addition to the front line group. I haven't seen you fight yet, but with Kirito and Kizmel training you, I imagine you'll be putting many of the others there to shame once you get there."

Kirito sat back as the food and drinks arrived, and for a little while all conversation stopped in favour of an early dinner. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps they had spent a little too much time training the Black Cats, but he dismissed the thought immediately. Kizmel and himself had still maintained a healthy safety margin even beyond that of the other clearers, although he could tell that the distance between them was shrinking slowly.

Much of that was due to the fact that excepting brief excursions to the higher floors, they had spent most of the past two months in the mid-level floors with the Black Cats, rather than hunting on their own. Might be time to start going out late nights again. I'll have to ask Kizmel if she's okay with that. I'll have to see if Argo knows any good hunting spots on the thirtieth.

It wouldn't do to lose their edge and fall behind, but he didn't want to slow down the Black Cats just because he felt the need to grind a few levels. It wouldn't be the first time he'd pulled a couple of all-nighters, and it would be helpful to actually fight and get back into the swing of fighting mobs on higher level floors. Plus he was used to knowing almost everything about the new floors by exploring them, and so far he'd explored very little of anything above the twenty-seventh.

"Kirito-kun, Kizmel-chan," Asuna said after delicately wiping her mouth with her napkin and placing down her fork. "The labyrinth exploration was only part of what I wanted to ask you about, really. With the floor boss coming up in a couple of days, I went to see Lisbeth to upgrade my rapier, and she gave me a list of ingredients."

Oh, so that's what she wanted our help with. He remembered the first time she'd upgraded her Wind Fleuret, and suppressed a grimace at the memory of losing the farming contest to her by the slimmest of margins. Her speed had simply outmatched his own, even after adding in the Martial Arts skill.

Asuna glanced down at her folded hands as she spoke. "I was wondering if you could give me a hand gathering the items. There's only a few I need, and they're all on this floor, but they're all drops from elites."

"Of course we'll help, Asuna," Kizmel told their friend, patting her arm. "While I'm confident that you could handle any foe on your own, it will surely go much quicker with us helping you."

Kirito shrugged and nodded. "Sure, it's not a big deal. We can start tonight if you want to, we were finished for the day, anyway."

"Thank you!" Asuna threw her arms around Kizmel, causing him to smile at the sight. He really did miss travelling with the fencer; their trio didn't really feel complete without her.

"So, what exactly are you after?" he asked her, smiling as the fencer's joy spread.

"Well..." she pulled back from Kizmel. "Cockatrices?" she muttered.

"What?"

"Cockatrices," Asuna repeated with a chagrined look. "I need their talons."

Kirito leaned back in thought. Cockatrices were elites of the twenty-sixth floor that spawned in isolated areas around certain nesting spots. The good news was that meant they would be unlikely to run into too many other mobs that could make things more dangerous, and the cockatrice itself was not overly difficult to fight. Like many monsters of this floor, the danger lay in numbers, rather than single strong creatures. The downside was that cockatrices were annoying to deal with. He could see why Asuna had wanted help to farm them.

"Yeah, the three of us should be able to handle a nest pretty easily," he concluded. It wouldn't be easy, but at least he'd get a workout out of it. Part of him actually looked forward to that, which made him wonder if he was turning into a masochist.

Keita cleared his throat, and Kirito suddenly realized that the Moonlit Black Cats had been chattering among each other with their heads tucked together. "I know it's really none of our business," the staff-wielder said, "but...we could help?"

Asuna actually blinked at that for a few seconds, caught by surprise. "I'm...sorry?"

"We'd like to help you gather the materials for your weapon upgrade," Keita repeated with an awkward smile. "It's really not a big deal, and it's the least we can do to help all of you out, after everything you've done for us."

"But I-"

"We've taken up a lot of time of two of your clearers," he countered before she could get too far. "I'm sure that despite everything, you'd be much farther ahead if these two had been up on the front lines instead of babysitting us." Keita glanced over at Kirito. "Provided Kirito and Kizmel think we can handle cockatrices, of course."

The swordsman rubbed his chin thoughtfully and glanced at Kizmel. His partner looked pensive for a moment before giving him a curt nod, indicating that she thought the Black Cats could handle themselves. "I don't really see a problem with it. They're elites, but they don't hit very hard, they just have an annoying attack pattern, and you've got two tanks that can switch in. With a full party like yours, it should be fairly easy to handle, especially since they only spawn one or two at a time."

"There you have it, then," Keita grinned victoriously, looking at his guildmates. "We'd love to help out, if you'd have us."

Asuna glanced around the table, before bowing her head. "Thank you all for your help, then. I'll be in your care."

-------------------------------

Sachi had thought that the Black Cats had been making very good progress under Kirito and Kizmel's tutelage. At the same time she had been incredibly impressed by the way either of the two clearers seemed to just dance around whatever foe they were occupying while their students worked on their current targets, before passing them over. She knew exactly what they were doing - keeping just enough hate on the mobs to cause them to attack themselves instead of their group, while not inflicting so much damage to them so as to take all the experience from the kill.

Even so, though their life pools were probably large enough to easily soak a few hits, neither Kirito nor Kizmel ever just idly stood there and protected themselves. No, they were always a whirlwind in motion, dodging acrobatics and glinting, lightning-fast parries. It was a testament to how good they were as teachers that the entire two months they had been training them, the pair had only had to physically step in once early on, when Sachi had overextended herself and Tetsuo had been an instant too slow to switch in.

The sheer, raw speed with which Kirito had dashed in and struck the kobold guard had taken them all by surprise. None of them had been able to so much as scream before he'd been in front of her, his blade arcing out with the teal glow of a Rage Spike that had impaled its target and shattered it into fragmented light. She hadn't even had the time to scream or flinch before the mob that would have taken a good few of their attacks to defeat had been obliterated in a single, swift stroke of the sword.

When Kizmel had told her that Asuna was even faster than Kirito, it had been difficult to believe.

Seeing the trio of clearers in action, however, put into perspective just how distant their level was from the Black Cats' own, and it was ever so slightly a depressing thought just how far they had yet to go to reach the levels of the clearing group, no matter how much Kirito and Kizmel denied being in any way a representative sample.

When Keita had signed them up to help the clearers, Sachi had had mixed feelings. It was their first time on the twenty-sixth floor, the highest they had ever been. Regardless of their plans to tackle this floor in the morning, regardless that their average level was thirty, there was a bit of anxiety about facing the unknown, even though the trio of clearers had very clearly explained what they would be facing and how they could be safe while fighting it.

In that way, it wasn't really any different from any other of their training exercises, much like they probably would be doing the following few days. It wasn't the first time they had been hunting monsters with only a four or five level safety margin, something she really only felt comfortable about because of the presence of the two clearers. But another part of her was glad that they could do something to give back to Kirito and Kizmel, to repay them for their help.

As she watched the trio pull ahead, Sachi found herself with little time to be hesitant or fearful, dashing forward and swinging her blade in the attempt to simply keep up. The party of clearers were maintaining a steady pace ahead of them, carving a swath through anything that came into aggro-range, and even then, Sachi could tell they were actually moving slower than they were capable of in order to allow the Black Cats to keep up.

Anything that got in their way was eliminated with a prejudice and coordination that made her wonder if those three were actually telepathic. By the time they arrived at the valley that held the cockatrice nests, the Black Cats were all panting with exertion, and had this been real life, they would've worked up a decent sweat simply from the exercise of trying to keep up.

Just thinking about the fact that Kizmel had told her that Asuna had never touched a blade before, and Kirito later confirming that not only was this the fencer's first exposure to a full-dive VR environment, but also the first time she had played anything more complex than a mobile game, was mind-boggling to Sachi. While she didn't fully understand all of the intricacies of the full-dive tech, Sachi knew enough from her own interest and studies in the computer club that the NerveGear required some getting used to, and that the avatar's reaction times and speed directly correlated to how fast the user's brain could process information and issue commands to its virtual body.

If that was the case, then "the Flash" had a nickname she had well earned; she was the only player Sachi had ever heard of or seen who could not only approach Kirito's already insane speed, but utterly outmatch him when it came to just flat out blade velocity. It appeared to be as Kizmel had explained: while Asuna was faster in terms of pure speed, Kirito had the better reaction time, making them an oddly mis-matched, and yet fitting pair.

Either way, both of them were completely and utterly insane, Sachi concluded as she watched the three finally come to a stop and wait up for the rest of them with easy, matching smiles on their faces. The girl was surprised to see such a happy expression not just on the usually reserved Kirito, but also on the vice-commander of the Knights of Blood. She had imagined that someone in her position would be regal and always dignified, but had to remind herself that Asuna was a girl very much of a similar age as herself.

"Holy crap," Tetsuo wheedled as he came to a stop, bending over to catch his virtual breath. It wasn't like he actually needed to breathe, and there were no lungs to hurt in these virtual bodies, but the sensation and brain impulses were still there. "I didn't think I'd ever see anyone who was faster than Kirito," he huffed.

Sasamaru nodded in agreement as he leaned on his spear. "Just how high a level are they?"

"I don't think it's just their level," Sachi commented after catching her own. "I think they're actually just that fast. Plus, they actually know how to perform their attacks, they're not just letting the system assist take care of it." It was a concept that Kizmel had explained to her late one night when she hadn't been able to sleep, and the topic of their practice had come up.

The dark elf had explained that mastering the actual motions of the attack and learning to perform it without relying on the "charm," as Kizmel had explained the system assist, to guide them through the motions was the key to using the sword skills to their fullest. By moving with the attack and adding their own force within the confines that the system still recognized as valid, the motion could be sped up or slowed down, and could produce far more force than it could otherwise.

The risk there, Kirito had added to Sachi's surprise, was that if they strayed too far from the motion the system recognized as the sword skill, it would cancel the skill and leave them vulnerable in a post-motion delay. Neither of the two clearers had seen that as an issue though, and just chalked it up to just another risk to be taken on the battlefield, akin to a missed parry, or an ill-timed block.

While Kizmel hadn't really phrased things in terms of system assist and sword skills, the dark elf's knowledge of the inner workings of Sword Art Online had left Sachi surprised and wondering if it had been Kirito who had explained these things to her. Instead, she had phrased the concepts in terms of the spells and charms that were familiar to the residents of Aincrad, left behind as the remnants of magic from a time long past, before the Great Separation.

The sheer amount of repetition and practice it must have taken to gain the muscle memory of even just their favorite sword skills, and the skill and speed to pull them off fast enough to actually outstrip the system assist beggared belief. If Kizmel were to be believed, that could mean one could hand either of them a sword in any other VRMMO or even in the real world and, barring their physical conditioning, they would be able to recreate the skills as much as physics would allow.

"All right," Kirito announced as they all gathered up. "There's three nests not too far from here. One is pretty isolated, so I'd recommend the Black Cats take that one. Asuna, Kizmel, and me will bounce back and forth between the other two. Yell if you need help, guys. This is a pretty high floor, so if you're in trouble, don't wait till it's too late, okay?"

"Got it," Sachi and the rest of the Black Cats chorused. The three clearers shot them an amused glance.

"We've gone over their attack patterns, and they only spawn one at a time, without adds. Did I miss anything?" The swordsman turned to look at his two companions questioningly.

Both women shook their heads, and Kirito nodded, satisfied. "All right, if you guys don't have any more questions, let's go."

The two groups split off, veering towards their respective objectives; despite what Kirito had said, the nest they were going to be hunting at was reasonably close to the other two, easily within a stone's throw. Easy charging range if they needed help and one of the three had to come rushing over. Despite her nerves, Sachi was glad for this fact, and it calmed her considerably knowing that help was very close by.

However, as they lined up their first cockatrice to charge, Sachi couldn't help but notice the flashes of light and the clanging of swords coming from where the three clearers were fighting, even while she brandished her shield and switched in for Tetsuo, her blade glowing with its own attack.

The fight didn't last extremely long, but by the time the cockatrice lay dead at their feet for an instant before exploding into azure shards of light, Sachi and Tetsuo were winded. Kirito had been right in his assessment that battling the creatures wasn't so much difficult as annoying. With the way they sped around on the ground and occasionally took flight to dive bomb on them, there wasn't a whole lot of damage being dealt, but both tanks had their hands full maintaining aggro.

"Damn," Tetsuo commented as he sat heavily on the ground, his mace thumping down next to him. "That thing moves around a lot."

"Makes me wish this game had ranged weapons," Sasamaru agreed. "Bows, maybe, or crossbows."

"How about just a hunting rifle?" Ducker offered with a grin. "That'd make right short work of them."

The sound of breaking glass echoed around them, and all five turned just in time to see Asuna come out of a skill delay while Kizmel fluidly switched in with Kirito on another cockatrice. The fencer recovered, took a half step back, and waited for her partners to create an opening.

There was no call for a switch, no verbal cue, but they moved seamlessly as Kirito gave way to Kizmel, her Treble Scythe leaving angry red gashes across the beast's torso, causing it to leap into the air. The vice-commander of the KoB leapt up and forward, her rapier a streak of light as she closed the distance and struck with a mid-air Oblique thrust that angled up and through the cockatrice's throat. Kizmel, having recovered, sped into the opening and delivered a killing blow to the creature. It, much like its brethren, shattered into colorful motes of light.

The more time she spent around her, the more Sachi wondered what Kizmel really was. Keita and the others merely wrote her off as a highly-advanced AI, designed for combat with players rather than against, akin to NPC party members and companions in older RPGs. Sachi doubted that; she had seen and interacted with other NPCs in Aincrad, she had even, in the early days, had actual NPC party members when she had hired the NPC mercenaries from the Town of Beginnings.

They had all learned a lot over the weeks spent with Kirito and Kizmel, and Sachi had spent a lot of time with Kizmel. They'd taught her about the sword and shield she had taken up at Keita's urging, about the world of SAO, and how much larger and deeper this world they were trapped in truly was, about what was possible within the confines of the game. She had seen and experienced things she wouldn't have believed possible; as much as Keita and the others were still skeptical, Sachi truly believed that Kizmel was a real Artificial Intelligence, not just a collection of scripts and pre-rendered animations and dialogue options.

She had seen Kizmel fight, and the dark elf moved with a grace and fluidity that belied her being anything but alive. Sachi had learned from her, and from Kirito, how to properly fight given the rules of the game, and what she had seen from her tutor - there was really no other way for her to think of Kizmel by this point, lest she get too attached to her - spoke of a flexibility and adaptability that no NPC, no matter how well-designed, could match.

The NPC mercenaries she had hired in those early days were as different from Kizmel as night and day. They had no ability to converse, no responses beyond basic acknowledgements and affirmations. They had never been this smooth, this fluid, and had never acted of their own accord unless given the "attack on sight" command. Even then, they had behaved in a very linear fashion, possibly just as much as the monster AI as they beelined for the nearest target.

And giving them vague directions and having them read the flow of battle the way Kirito and Asuna were doing? Using the slang and gaming shorthands? The AI on those NPCs would react much like the shopkeepers or villagers and either freeze up or become unresponsive, and return to the beginning of the dialogue script. No matter how much work Kayaba had put into SAO, its NPCs were just as simplistic as those of RPGs from decades past.

NPCs didn't react to players and new situations the way Kizmel did. NPCs didn't engage in late-night girl talk when she couldn't sleep. NPCs didn't soothe her fears away and found just the right words to make the anxiety go away. It had taken her surprisingly long to realize that talking to Kizmel late at night, much like she would a roommate in the real world, shouldn't have been possible.

Akihiko Kayaba was a pioneer in his field. His inventions and programs were miles ahead of any competition - one need only look at the NerveGear and Sword Art Online to see proof of that. Perhaps the creation of a true Artificial Intelligence wasn't beyond him, but that just begged the question of why. Why Kizmel? Why was she the only one, and why her specifically. Was it by design, or was it by accident?

Sachi was beginning to realize a little bit how Kirito must be feeling, delving deeply into the questions and reasons of this virtual prison that held them, seeking answers that went beyond simply wanting to know why they were trapped inside a death game. A part of her, the part that joined the computer club and got excited at any new development, was starting to become invested in these mysteries.

"I don't think they need a hunting rifle," Sachi grinned and pointed at the trio of clearers that were currently making short work of another cockatrice. "That's, what, their third? Fourth?"

"Fifth, actually," Keita replied. "It's almost depressing how fast they're tearing through them." Their leader grinned and looked around them. "It's a goal to strive for, at least. We may not be able to match them, but let's work hard so we at least don't slow them down."

"Yeah, just give me a second," Tetsuo said, pushing himself back to his feet. "All right, next one up, here goes."

Sachi hefted her own shield and sword and scanned the area for the next spawn from their next. For the next two hours, her world narrowed to the weapon in her hand, the monster in front of her, and the party around her. It was something that Kirito had referred to as the "zone," a state of concentration reached when the body took over without needing conscious thought.

"Sachi, look out!" The last cockatrice had just shattered into azure particles when Ducker's yell caught her by surprise. On reflex and instinct alone, she brought up her shield and turned, absorbing the impact that pushed her back a step. The sudden appearance of the add, or additional enemy, was unexpected, but she braced herself and found that her leg moved on its own to sidestep and give way to the monster that had opened itself up by running into her shield. Her sword arm flashed out, trailing blue light as it struck from high to low, before reversing direction and carving back upwards in the motions of Vertical Arc that she had learned recently.

She absently noted that the cursor over the mob was a shade lighter red than the cockatrice had been, but a glance around revealed that there were four of them, enough to actually pose a credible danger to their party. The HUD identified the creature as a [Big Rocco], and with a start Sachi realized that Kirito, Asuna, and Kizmel were currently engaged with a much larger monster than even the towering cockatrices.

An Irregular, here? The thought that they had caused an irregular champion mob to spawn by hunting cockatrices, one that hadn't been in any of Argo's guidebooks slipped through her mind. Maybe no one's ever really farmed these things to this point?

Whatever its spawn conditions were, the three clearers were currently fighting something that, a humorous part of her mind noted, looked like a giant, house-sized rooster with snakes for a comb, and it had brought adds. A quick glance was enough to confirm that the champion's cursor was almost midnight black to her, which meant that even those three would be struggling. For at least a few crucial seconds, until they could create an opening, the Black Cats were on their own.

The adrenaline rushed through her as she realized that she was on her own. Cold gripped her limbs for a moment before she got her nerves back under control and the situation snapped back into crystal clear focus. Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and Keita each would have to hold off their own opponents. Ducker wasn't suited to occupying one by himself and would have to be the wild card floating in between each of them, delivering attacks of opportunity.

"You guys all right?" The shout had come from Keita as he warded off the large bird with his staff. Sasamaru and Tetsuo chimed their somewhat strained replies. The spearman would need help first, she figured, having used one herself not so long ago and knowing just how little protection it offered once something got close. Her grip on her weapons tightened.

Sachi smoothly brought her shield up to block her opponent's beak, this time shoving back against it. The blade of her sword scraped against the side of her shield as she laid it flush against the rim before launching herself into an unassisted thrust that staggered her foe and gave her the opening she needed to swing her blade upwards, this time glowing with the light of a sword skill, causing its HP to drop into the yellow. It stumbled back, and they both recovered at the same time.

"I've got this one! Sasamaru, form up!" A yell came over the din of combat, and it took Sachi a moment to realize that it had been her own voice. Her guildmate wasted no time questioning her and began retreating from his own foe until he stood next to her, his target barely kept at bay at the end of his spear.

Sachi took a deep breath and forced her shaking hands to still as she raised her sword and stepped forward before slamming it tip first into the ground. The system recognized the Serration Wave, and a ripple of light spread from her, dealing little damage but succeeding in drawing attention towards her while causing its two targets to stumble briefly. Immediately, two pairs of beady eyes focused on her, and she reflexively ducked behind her shield as both monsters charged as one.

The impacts shook her frame as they crashed into her large shield, and even with her bracing against it, she slid backwards. Their own attacks exhausted for the moment, Sachi glanced around to find the bird she had been fighting. Raising her arm, she slid it across her body from the left, carving a line across her chosen target, biting deeply into its jugular with the distinct sound of a critical hit. The blade swung back and retraced its path while glowing a bright blue, dropping the Rocco's health further towards the red.

It was still alive, and for the next few excruciating heartbeats she would be trapped in the post skill delay with two very angry mobs still aggro'd on her. Without conscious thought, her lips moved to form words.

"Switch!"

Sasamaru didn't need the encouragement to step forward, his spear glowing a violent red as he stabbed towards the uninjured beast. The attack went deep into the torso, angling down from over her shoulder. It glared defiantly at him for a second before crying out angrily and staggering backwards half a step.

It was only a moment's respite, but Ducker flew in with a Rapid Bite from the side, and one of the Roccos' life bars finally drained empty. By the time it shattered into motes of light, only a moment had passed, but it was long enough for Sachi to recover. She arced her blade around into a simple Vertical at the remaining creature that was attempting to get around her to attack Sasamaru. The sword came down hard on its head, knocking its entire body towards the ground. Stunned as it was, Sasamaru wasted no time in thrusting towards it, the tip of his spear trailing green light from a Triad. The trio of stabs left its health bar in a precarious state, and Ducker took full advantage.

The moment their opponents were dealt with, Sachi spun around to look for Keita and Tetsuo. Both were engaged with their own opponents; Keita had been able to land a few hits, his target in the yellow, but a glance at her HUD told her that he had paid for those in return. Tetsuo in comparison had been afforded little opportunity to counterattack, but between his armor and shield had suffered only a little bit of damage, not enough to drop him out of the healthy blue.

"Sasamaru, on Tetsuo. I'll get Keita," she heard herself ordering. "Ducker, find and opening and stab something."

She almost missed the jolly grin on their resident thief's face as he saluted her before she sprinted off, trusting her guildmates to take care of their parts. Keita's last parry had left his opponent off-balance, the Rocco twisted sideways from where his staff had met its claws. "Keita, switch!" she hollered.

Spotting the opening left for her, Sachi dove forward, letting her body control her actions. She charged in with a Sonic Leap, the sword skill generating more than enough hate to cause the beast to switch targets. Both of them froze up; Sachi was caught in the backlash of the sword skill, and the Rocco staggered from the blow.

Keita needed no further invitation to step in while its attention was elsewhere, and the staff in his hands spun as it picked up velocity, cracking down on his target violently. He spun with the blow and delivered the skill's second hit. Her own weapon came up in the pre-motion for her own sword skill when her world was filled with white light. A shining silver streak like a comet trailing sparks and white cloth that fluttered in the breeze.

The tip of the rapier unerringly found the Rocco's throat, exiting out of the far side of its neck with bloodless ease, easily sending its life bar plummeting out of the blue, past the yellow, then into the red before it emptied entirely in the fraction of a second it took for her vision to clear.

Asuna's coat had barely settled from her rush as she flourished her blade through the scattering polygons, and only then did Sachi realize what had just happened. She looked past the fencer just in time to see Kizmel spin through the air in an oblique Fell Crescent that obliterated the Rocco that had been beleaguering Tetsuo with the same ease.

The look in the fencer's honey coloured eyes was gentle, and despite her neutral expression, Sachi felt as though she were looking her over and assessing something visible only to her, before giving a curt nod and a small smile. She let out a heavy breath, allowing her shoulders to slump when a sharp yell brought her attention back. Asuna's eyes snapped to the side, and Sachi followed their gaze, her heart jumping into her throat.

The champion mob that had spawned wasn't quite dead yet. It was on its second - and final - life bar, just edging over into the yellow as she watched. The HUD popped up the name [Chuck, the Medusa Chicken] for her as her eyes zeroed in on it, and if the situation hadn't been what it was, she might have laughed at the whole thing.

As it was, Kirito was currently dancing a deadly duet with it, his sword a glowing line in the growing darkness, and Sachi realized what they had just done. Asuna and Kizmel had rushed to their aid, not knowing if they would be able to handle themselves and clearly not wanting to take that chance, leaving Kirito to face Chuck alone. Before she could say anything, Asuna and Kizmel had taken off at a dead run, sparing only time for a quick glance to make sure they were all still in one piece and accounted for.

Sachi didn't know how Kirito had the attention to spare to know both of his partners were incoming, but she could tell the instant he realized. He stopped playing keepaway with the Medusa Chicken's attacks and hefted his sword to his side. The horizontal swing bit deep into the creature, and for a moment Sachi thought that was it, a simple Horizontal.

Then Kirito rotated the blade sideways, twisting his body away from the house-sized giant chicken and leapt up, pulling the sword upwards with him as it trailed a long, glowing damage line after it. At the apex of his jump, the swordsman spun back around, blade held high overhead. A vicious roar announced the devastating downwards stroke that left him kneeling on the ground, locked in his post motion delay while the champion monster rocked back onto its clawed heels.

It recovered first, training its eyes on the immobile form of the human in front of it, but before it could do more than rear back to attack, two glowing points of light streaked past and intersected on its body. The two women came out of their skills in identical recovery poses, the aftermath of the twin Shooting Stars having finished the job that Kirito's attack had begun.

The sound of shattering glass echoed in the valley and for a moment, everything was silent.

-------------------------------

"I'm really sorry about this," Asuna repeated while bowing apologetically, and Keita waved her off for what seemed like the tenth time, much to Kirito's amusement.

"It's all right, none of us knew this could happen, and it wasn't even in the guide book," the leader of the Moonlit Black Cats said, scratching his head nervously while gesturing towards the leaflets sitting on the table as they all attempted to figure out if they had missed anything. "Look, you didn't know that was going to happen, and we're all fine, so it's all good."

"Still..." the fencer looked unconvinced, and this time Kirito couldn't really fault his former partner. When the irregular champion mob had spawned, he'd locked up for a second. There were other mobs like it in Aincrad of course, with similar spawn conditions, but this one had thus far been unrecorded so its appearance took them all by surprise.

When he'd realized that there were adds, he'd been about to go running off to help the Black Cats, and he had a feeling Kizmel had been about to do the same, but neither of them could leave Asuna to fight an unknown, unscouted champion by herself. He had the confidence in his former partner to know that she would've been able to handle it, but that didn't mean he was comfortable with the thought.

In the end, his two partners had made the decision for him as he threw himself at the oddly-named Chuck - and he wondered what kind of twisted sense of humour Kayaba had - with all the ferocity he could muster to drag its attention away from any other possible targets. It hadn't been easy by any means, but the mob's size had worked in his favour; the sheer size and mass meant it telegraphed its moves and was relatively slow to execute them, which made avoidance fairly easy.

It also meant that it wasn't as prone to being staggered by their attacks, and would recover that much quicker unless hit by something big. Using Savage Fulcrum, a skill he'd picked up after his One-Handed Sword skill crossed over 650 a few weeks ago, had been a gamble due to its massively long post-skill delay, but it had all worked out in the end.

One of these days I'm going to have to ask Kizmel if she'll let me look at her weapon, he mused idly. It's supposed to be a saber, so it should fall into One-Handed Curved Swords, but she's been able to use Rapier and One-Handed Sword skills as well. It was a mystery to be solved on a later date, however.

After Chuck the giant chicken had been dispatched - and despite the danger they had all just escaped, none of the Moonlit Black Cats had been able to keep a straight face every time they called it by its name - they had unanimously opted to withdraw back to town. Thankfully, during the trip Asuna had counted up her spoils as the Black Cats offered their share, and their mission had been a success, all in all.

Even more so than we thought. Kirito glanced over at Sachi where the girl sat sandwiched between Ducker and Sasamaru with an embarrassed expression. She had been the surprise of their little excursion; most of it he'd heard about from Kizmel and Asuna as his full attention had been on keeping the Medusa Chicken busy. Not that it had actually been a medusa-type monster, as nothing had turned to stone. Probably was referring to the snakes on top, but they seemed rather pointless.

"It's all right, Asuna-san," Keita ended the debate decisively. He cleared his throat. "I actually think this calls for a bit of a celebration. We managed to survive our first night and a surprise attack on this floor! Not to mention, we discovered a new field champion, I'm sure Argo's going to pay well for its discovery."

"Hear, hear!" Ducker shouted.

"And Asuna-san got all of the materials she needs-"

"Hear-" Ducker's second shout was cut off by Tetsuo knuckling the top of his head. "What?"

The heavily armoured tank shrugged. "It's late. Don't make so much noise."

Looking on as the two began to bicker quietly amongst themselves, Keita grinned. "Look, Asuna-san, I understand you feel bad for it, but we volunteered. If anything, we should apologize to you, because I think we just made the whole thing take longer than if you three had been on your own. It was...an eye-opening experience."

It was the fencer's turn to wave off any concerns. "I appreciate the help and the sentiment behind it. Besides," she said, casting a shrewd look over the five Black Cats, "I was interested to see how Kirito-kun and Kizmel-chan's students were doing."

"Ah-ha, I'm guessing it was a bit of a disappointing performance, then," Keita laughed awkwardly.

"Not at all. I was actually surprised at how well you did." Asuna smiled and glanced over at Kirito and his partner. "Individually, yes, you're not as strong as some others," she coughed into her hand with a pointed look at the two clearers, "but your teamwork is excellent. There are actually few groups within the clearers with the kind of coordination and practice that you have, and, frankly, it's something we could do with more of. But each guild has its own standards and people, so there's little we can do until we have a final tally of who is coming to the boss fights."

"You also need to consider, Keita," Kizmel chimed in as she sipped from her mug of tea, "that many times you will find the swordmasters fighting single opponents. Two at most, which is easy on the forwards. When there are more opponents than there are forwards, how they manage the space around them becomes much more important."

Kirito nodded in agreement; it wasn't often the case that the clearing group encountered boss fights where the mobs outnumbered the tanks or even the raid party as a whole, but there had been a few instances where there had been a number of weaker mobs in addition to the boss. It happened more often during field boss fights, as the floor bosses as a rule had much less space in their chambers.

The few times it had, though, the lines of tanks had almost crumbled. The first time, in fact, it had devolved into a free for all, and only the fact that the adds had been weak enough that a single sword skill could take them out had prevented casualties. How the tanks managed the aggro was a much more involved affair than just standing up front and spamming the taunt skill, Kirito knew. Especially in a game like SAO where a player's avatar didn't automatically guard or absorbed damage when the hitbox was touched.

Players in tank roles actually needed to be aware of their surroundings and block, parry, or otherwise defend themselves against the monsters they had just drawn the attention of. It also meant that usually the tank could not counterattack and risk exposing themselves with a skill delay, which meant the switching tactic took on a whole other level. Entire parties were now the units being swapped around, rather than individual players.

The only other option was to have a dedicated rear guard group of DPS that would be able to tackle the adds and keep them under control. This, too, had been a role Kirito had played in the past; most clearers that were part of the big guilds preferred to be up front fighting the boss for the prestige and chance at the Last Attack bonus rather than being the cleanup crew.

It was one of the reasons Kirito liked being a solo player. Going after single targets was slow going at times, but there was an inherent risk the more people were involved in any given action. That, and he didn't see himself as being able to handle dealing with a group of others long-term. The times he was put in charge of the party made up of independent players during raids was more than enough responsibility than he was willing to carry, thank you very much.

When Asuna spoke again, her voice pulled Kirito out of his reverie. "Sachi-san did especially well. She pulled her flank together and managed to dispatch both of their targets before we even got there."

It made the swordsman wonder if Kizmel had talked to the chestnut-haired fencer about the girl's issues, and when she would even have found the time to do so. Asuna smiled gently to put the blushing girl at ease.

"I didn't really do anything special," she muttered. "I just...reacted, the way Kizmel and Kirito taught me."

Keita hummed in thought. "She's right, though. We had four mobs, one each. All Tetsuo and I could do was defend ourselves, but you not only managed to regroup with Sasamaru, but the two of you plus Ducker actually managed to kill your monsters when we hadn't even dented ours."

"That's right," Asuna confirmed with an emphatic nod. "You took charge and formed your lines, that's something not even most party leaders among the clearers can accomplish. You kept a level head and made sure that you held your ground. I've seen much higher level players with raid experience crumble under less. Panic and routing groups have caused more casualties among the clearers than direct attacks from the bosses, after all."

"But it was just four of them..."

"Four or fourteen or forty, it doesn't matter," Kizmel added, laying a hand atop the girl's forearm. "You acted despite your fear, and you didn't let panic control your actions. Even if Asuna and I had not stepped in, you would have prevailed on your own. Everything you did in this situation was correct, and I couldn't have asked for a better student."

Just when Kirito thought Sachi's face would catch on fire - with the over-exaggerated emotional expression system in SAO it was a very real possibility - Asuna decided to add more fuel to the fire. "You may not think that now, but what you did there, Sachi-san? That was very important. It's what makes my job in commanding the raids so difficult, because I have to keep an eye on all of the various groups. There's eight separate parties, and most of the time I need to be aware of what they're doing and in what state they're in. There's usually only one or two I can leave alone for any lengthy period of time and trust them not to do something stupid-"

Kirito was about to interject when she tilted her head at him with a mischievous smile. He closed his mouth wisely, and her grin grew.

"Usually Kirito-kun and Kizmel-chan manage to keep them in line fairly well, but that still leaves six or seven other parties, not all of whom usually listen to me. Or they sometimes get creative with what they think my orders mean."

"No kidding," the swordsman muttered under his breath, remembering some of the absolutely, spectacularly, stupid arguments between Lind and Kibaou right in the middle of some boss fights.

Asuna merely nodded in agreement - thankfully with the advent and rise of the Knights of Blood, such instances had become much more infrequent. No one could deny the ruthless efficiency and authority the small but powerful guild held. "If you joined us, and you work together the way you did today?" Asuna leaned over the table, her gaze wandering from Sachi to Keita, then back to the girl, "that's one less group I have to worry about. Those fights tend to be less about how strong the individual is, and more about how they work with the group."

The fencer winced as she realized what she'd just said and shot her former partner an apologetic look. "Certain people are, naturally, exceptions to that, though they're not exactly the norm."

Kirito merely shrugged nonchalantly and favoured her with a lopsided grin to let her know he wasn't upset that she had pretty much echoed Lind's opinion. It was true, he didn't usually play well with others. Well, I did all right with Asuna, he amended silently. And Kizmel. And Agil, I guess. And the rest of his Bro Squad.

Okay, in hindsight, perhaps he was a bit more of a team player than he'd planned on being. Or perhaps that was because the people he got along with were ones that didn't mind his unusual quirks and tactics in battle.

Keita's rumbling laugh echoed through the tavern, and caused Ducker and Tetsuo to look up from their bickering. "You're not the only one who's surprised, Asuna-san," he said genially, gently ruffling Sachi's hair. "I didn't think Sachi would take charge like that, either. I must admit, I feel bad that I failed as the leader of this guild so that she had to step in and do it for me."

"K-Keita..."

"It's fine, Sachi. I'm not upset or anything, but you should give yourself more credit. Out of all of us, you've grown the most since we started training with Kirito and Kizmel, and I'm proud of you. I'm proud of all of you."

Asuna raised her mug in a toast. "I'll say this, Kirito-kun. You've always had a good eye for talent. We'll make clearers out of you yet, Keita-san, Sachi-san. So...to the Moonlit Black Cats! May you join the clearers soon!"

-------------------------------

Kirito leaned back in his seat as he let the exhaustion of the day drift over him. It wasn't late, not by his usual standards, but the surprise appearance of a field champion had taken enough out of him that, coupled with the happy, lazy atmosphere of the Black Cats around him, he almost felt like dozing off.

Over at the corner of the long table they had commandeered, Asuna and Kizmel were chatting quietly, cups of tea strewn around them along with empty plates of desserts. His dark elven companion had recently taken a liking to human teas and had made an effort to sample as many of the different fragrances and flavours offered by the human locales in Aincrad as she could. Apparently, Asuna was wholeheartedly supporting her tea addiction and collection.

Kizmel had even begun a little collection of her favorites in a pouch on her travel pack. Huh. I'm guessing Asuna's picking up where she left off, he thought idly. The two women were laughing and glancing over at him, probably talking about something related to him. Any other time, it would have filled him with dread, but he was too satisfied at the moment to really care. The rest of the Moonlit Black Cats, despite their earlier raucous bearing, had slowed down, probably even more exhausted than he was considering how much fighting they had done that day.

It was one of the few times he actually felt comfortable enough in public to somewhat let his guard down and smile as he watched the room through half-lidded eyes. A chair scraped the wooden floor next to him, and he glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Keita and Sachi settling in on either side of him. Across the room, Tetsuo and Ducker were half-passed out on a table, and Sasamaru was attempting to wake them up to get them to go to bed.

"She's something else, isn't she?" Keita asked from his left. At his curious look, the guild leader tilted his head towards Asuna and Kizmel. "She's the vice-commander of the KoB, I somehow had this image of her as a..." he shrugged after a few moments of struggling for the right word, before giving up. "Something different, I guess. She's...normal."

"I think I know what you mean," Sachi agreed. "I thought she'd be much more serious all the time. Always in perfect control and aloof. Not like, well, this. Laughing and smiling and joking." The girl smiled and looked down at her hands. "At least, until I thought about it. She's about our age, so why would she act like some kind of military veteran, right?"

Kirito chuckled as he thought back to his first meeting with his old partner. "She wasn't always like this. Back when we first met she was pretty much a fire spitting dragon. Remind me to tell you about the time she almost went and tore Lind a new one during a strategy meeting in public, in front of everyone." He snorted in laughter at the memory. Asuna had looked about ready to walk up on stage and rip into the Dragon Knights' leader had their dark elven friend not interfered and caught their attention. "Asuna never really had a stake in the whole guild issue. She could have, if she wanted to. Lind and Kibaou tried often enough."

He looked over at the girl sitting next to him. "Meeting Kizmel I think was really good for her, it gave her perspective, and it gave her a friend. It took a while for her to get comfortable with our whole...situation."

"I don't think I'll ever be really comfortable with it," Sachi admitted quietly.

"You don't have to be. I don't think any of us ever really are," the swordsman countered, "we wouldn't be fighting so hard to get out of here if we were. But...if you keep pushing onwards without regard for anything else, you'll end up burning yourself out long before you get there. Take it from someone who's burned himself out on more games than I can count."

It was Keita that nodded in understanding as he glanced around the tavern at his friends. "I think I get what you mean. This...yeah, this whole death game thing sucks, but we're here with friends, and if we can't unwind like this, we're going to lose it sometime." He glanced back over to the two women in the corner. "Still, I hadn't imagined she'd be quite like this. She's so powerful, I see why she's second-in-command of the leading clearing guild. But still, she's taking the time to RP with Kizmel. It's...not what I expected, is all."

"I don't think she's RPing, though," Sachi commented as she followed his gaze, a fond look in her eyes. "I really do think that she genuinely sees Kizmel as a friend and enjoys being around her. Right, Kirito?"

The swordsman nodded in agreement. "Kizmel's been with us since the third floor, well, all the way up to the ninth. Asuna really hit it off with her when we all first met her. We've been through a lot together, and since Tilnel died, Asuna's been about the closest thing to a sister that Kizmel has." He shrugged. "At this point, she's probably one of the few real friends and partners I've had, too."

It took a moment for his sleepy mind to process what he'd said and realize that it probably sounded odd to anyone who wasn't Asuna. The awkward, strange look Keita was directing at him confirmed his suspicion. It was akin to a person attempting to slowly edge away from someone they had just realized were insane.

"...what?" he asked as the awkward silence dragged on.

"You realize she's just an NPC, though, right?" Keita said slowly. "She isn't real. This...all of this," he waved towards them, "is just scripting and dialogue bots. I get that she's more advanced than any other NPC we've seen in Aincrad, but that's what she is. I get that you like to indulge her to relax and unwind, but given that she's an NPC generated for a quest, no matter how strange a turn it took, Tilnel probably never existed. It's all fluff so you can roleplay to it."

Kirito frowned. It had been a while since he'd been around anyone at length who had questioned his odd relationship with the dark elf. Asuna, of course, was in the same situation as himself considering her strange bond with the NPC, while others who had seen them together like Agil, Argo, and even Ashley and Lisbeth had never really questioned it and just taken it in stride. And once they had begun interacting with the dark elf more, they had come around and started treating her much like one of their own, as well. He'd almost forgotten how people who weren't in the know usually reacted to Kizmel.

Huh. I don't know if that means I'm surrounded by weirdoes, or if my particular weirdness is infectious. I know exactly what Argo would say to that. He suppressed a shudder. Besides, there's only so many times you can get trolled and teased by an AI before you start forgetting she isn't a real human being.

"Kizmel's...different. She's not just an NPC, Keita," he explained slowly, trying to formulate the strange feelings of attachment to the dark elf in a way that would convey what he wanted it to. With a small smile, he looked over at the corner where this two partners were still in animated conversation, with Asuna arguing spiritedly about the benefits of dessert, it would appear.

"If you think about it, when was the last time you deliberately used the kinds of key words and phrases with her that you would any other quest NPC? Because Asuna and I have been talking to her like we would any other player, and she's never fallen back on any kind of default 'I don't understand the question' line."

Sachi nodded in agreement, leaning over the table to look at Keita. "He's right. I know you don't really talk to her much outside of training, but, uh..." she twisted her hands in embarrassment, "I've been spending a lot of time with her late at night, and we've gotten to talking about a lot of things. Things that aren't really related to Aincrad, or SAO, or fighting. I've never seen an NPC do that before."

Keita looked skeptical. "I've seen you explain things to her before, Kirito."

"Because there's concepts that she lacks the reference frame for," the swordsman acknowledged with a tilt of his head as he set down his mug. "It's like...trying to explain tablet computers to someone from the 1960s, or cell phones to someone from the 1930s. Once she has a handle on the concept within her own frame of reference, she's usually grasped it before I can even finish my explanation. Sure, there's things I have to explain to her, but that wouldn't even work with any other NPC. Sooner or later you'd go back to the default response, and Kizmel never has for as long as I've known her."

"Still..." Keita looked unconvinced. "I mean, perhaps she's just some really advanced chat bot?"

"And what would be the point of that in a game like SAO?" Kirito shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Combat algorithms I can understand, but the kind of learning and adaptive behaviour she's showing? She's as close to an actual true AI as I could imagine."

"I guess..." Kirito couldn't blame the Black Cat's guild leader as he stared at him for a few moments, clearly unconvinced. Sachi, on the other hand, seemed to be as curious about Kizmel's nature as he was, himself.

It wasn't like he could blame Keita for his attitude entirely. Kirito himself had entertained those doubts, and it was only the extended period of time he'd spent with Kizmel - some of it in uncomfortably close proximity - that made him realize she was more. To this day, the dark elf's existence was a mystery to him. Everything he'd ever read about in articles published about SAO's revolutionary core systems as well as modern computing literature about the development of artificial intelligence ultimately came to the same consensus that it was stalling out - with experts seeming to agree that a fully sapient bottom-up AI was still decades away.

The sheer amount of computing resources that would be required alone were staggering. Still, I have yet to find anything she can't handle, he thought to himself. No matter how advanced, how large her conversational database, at some point she should've hit a snag, especially in casual conversation.

But she never had. Either Kayaba had managed to script and collate an absurd amount of data on conversational topics that included many with absolutely no bearing on the game, or she was being controlled by a human, something he had excluded as a possibility a while ago. There simply didn't seem any point, and he doubted that anyone would willingly become an accomplice to Kayaba's actions - or even if they did, that the government hadn't tracked them down by this point.

There was a third option that he almost didn't want to consider. That, somehow, Akihiko Kayaba had actually created a functioning learning AI within the confines of Sword Art Online.

He didn't know how to explain any of his suspicions, nor did he really care to. The only one who really needed to know was Kizmel herself, and he didn't want to say anything to her until he was absolutely sure. Part of it was selfish, he knew, because it would be a discussion that would upend her entire world view, and that wasn't something he thought he ever would be ready to do to her. Kizmel was his friend, and that was all that needed to be said on the topic. Asuna understood, and like him, the fencer knew and believed that there was more to their dark elven friend than met the eye. Sachi seemed to be coming around as well, and as for anyone else? Kirito had never really cared much of what other people thought.

What're they going to do, anyway? They already think I'm weird. As long as we pull our weights, I don't think people are going to care enough to cause problems, he thought to himself.

Sachi surprised him by shooting an uncharacteristic glare at her guild leader. "Maybe you should spend a little bit more time with her, Keita. She's my friend, too."

"I never said-"

"No, but I can see it," the girl cut off his protest. "I can see that you think I should spend more time with you guys instead of spending my free time with her. You've never said anything while training, but I can tell the way you guys look when we're just hanging out." She scrunched her face up and grimaced. "It's just...she's another girl, you know. Sometimes I just feel a little left out with all of you guys around. And she understands, and she doesn't mind talking to me about things none of you guys do, and..."

Keita held up a placating hand and sighed in defeat. "I get it, I get it. Look, I'm sorry if I somehow came across as offensive. It's just...hard to wrap my head around people treating an NPC like an actual person. I get that she's been very helpful in training, and I'm very grateful for it, but in the end, she's a computer program. She's not real, like us. She doesn't risk her life here."

"That's where you're wrong," Kirito told him evenly, perhaps a little more coldly than he'd meant to. The swordsman glanced over where his partner was smiling as Asuna happily encouraged her to try another dessert. "Kizmel risks her life just as much as we do. Yeah, she's not human, and you're not wrong when you say she's a very complex program. But to me, to Asuna, she's alive. And if she dies here in Aincrad, her memories, her experiences, whatever makes her different from the other NPCs, it disappears just the same as we do. She's not like other NPCs. She doesn't respawn, she doesn't get do-overs."

That seemed to startle the Moonlit Black Cats' leader, and Kirito pulled his eyes away from the two women across the room to look at him. "We checked. There's no one else like her. The quest line has replaced her with a different dark elf NPC, one who does respawn identically. No one has been able to replicate whatever happened to make her what she is. In a way, she risks even more than we do, because she's doing it for someone other than herself. Think about it. We didn't hire her. She came up to help us on her own. She wants justice for us, and she's told me she'll do whatever it takes to get us home. And if we do beat the game, and Aincrad disappears...so does she."

It was something had occurred to him some time ago, that when the SAO servers were shut down, all of it would be lost, including Kizmel. There had to be a solution, but for now, beating the game was still a far-off dream, and he was going to continue hoping that he would learn enough to find a solution until then.

"...I see." Keita slumped a little and looked between Kirito and Sachi with a weak smile. "I get where you're coming from, and I apologize. I just...it's hard to believe, you know?"

"Oh, trust me, I know," the swordsman agreed, relenting at Keita's admittance. "I was wondering the same thing for a very long time after meeting her. I considered every possible scenario. At some point I even thought she was being controlled by another person from outside the game, but none of them ever panned out. If you want proof, I suggest you spend some time getting to know her. If you think she's a collection of dialogue scripts, feel free to try and trip her up, and you'll see."

Keita shrugged. "I don't think I'm feeling like that much of a jerk. But...I suppose it'd be nice to get to know another friend." He glanced at the dark elf, and Kirito could tell that for the first time, there was a deeper look to his gaze, as if he truly was looking at Kizmel for the first time. "But you know what? I think you're wrong on one part. She's not doing it for all of us. She's doing it for you. You, and Asuna-san, and anyone else who's her friend. And NPC or not, that makes her someone I can respect."

Chapter Text

July 17th, 2023

The battle against the Pillar Guardian of the thirtieth floor had been an exhausting matter, but there had been no casualties, much to everyone's satisfaction. The impeccable record of the Knights of Blood remained intact, and the legend of the human guild created by Heathcliff the Paladin and led to battle and victory by Asuna the Flash continued. Kizmel and Kirito, as had become customary ever since she had rejoined him, had taken over the tradition that the swordsman had begun with his first partner, of travelling up to open the next floor to the swordmasters by activating the teleportation gateway.

It was the evening of the day the swordmasters had cleared the thirtieth floor, at an inn on the newly-opened thirty-first level of the floating castle, when Asuna settled heavily into the seat across from Kizmel and her partner with an exhausted sigh. The fencer shot Kirito a mock look of outrage through half-lidded eyes, before tilting her head back and slumping uncharacteristically.

"Ki-ri-to-kuuuuuun," she whined. "Why did I let them convince me to run the KoB?"

The swordsman in question scratched the back of his head, nonplussed. "Because...you're good at it?"

"Not good enough," she huffed, her eyes shifting over to Kizmel as the dark elf hid a smile behind her hand. "You want to give it a try, Kizmel-chan?"

The dusky elf shrugged and took in her friend's pristine uniform that was in stark contrast with her haggard face. It wasn't often Asuna let her guard down like this, she knew, and it was usually only with the two of them that the vice-commander of the Knights of Blood felt comfortable enough to do so. "I do believe Kirito has a point. You are the best suited for the task, and with every victory, you only reinforce that notion."

The glare in Asuna's eyes intensified as it shifted fully to the elf. "I didn't ask why I'm doing it, I'm asking why I let them talk me into it in the first place! If I'd known it'd be this much nonsensical work, I'd never have accepted the Commander's offer!"

Kirito sighed and shook his head, both he and Kizmel knew full well how little patience their former partner had for guild politics. "So, what happened this time?" the swordsman asked. "Was it the DDA again?"

"No, surprisingly. They've been rather well-behaved for the past few days, actually," Asuna admitted. "No, it's all of the new recruits that are applying to join the KoB. Half of them are applying because they think we're easy to get into, and the DDA didn't want them. It's almost like they think all of the entry requirements are suggestions." At Kizmel's questioning look, she elaborated. "Equipment standards. You're required to have a minimum of gear when you apply to the DDA. We've also got a couple of others. Weapon skills, levels. To make sure they're strong enough."

"Ah."

"So, what about the other half?" Kirito asked curiously.

The fencer's expression darkened and her eyes narrowed dangerously, causing the swordsman to lean back in alarm. "They're applying...because of...because of..."

Kizmel suddenly wondered when Asuna's face had gone from angry to beet-red. Before she could think to ask, however, her friend blurted out the rest of her answer.

"They're applying because of me!" she all but shrieked, before glancing around the inn, hoping no one had noticed or paid attention to her unusual outburst. "There were so many girls, and every last one of them said they wanted to be just like the Flash. Do you know how hard it is to turn them down when they make puppy dog eyes at you?" A glare at Kirito silenced the humour that Kizmel knew was welling up inside of her partner, and she couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.

Kirito leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Do you think we should tell her about that one cosplayer we ran into on the fifteenth the other day?"

The dark elf brought up a hand to hide the sudden grin that spread across her face. She had been utterly surprised to find what had by all rights appeared to be another female member of the Knights of Blood during a quick supply run for Lisbeth several days ago. When she had voiced her surprise at seeing one of the prestigious clearing guild on such a low floor, her partner had tilted his head for a moment before pointing out that the woman in question appeared to be too weak to be part of the KoB, and that the weapons and armor she was wearing did not match up with the entry requirements.

When the pair of clearers had walked over to investigate further, they had discovered to both of their shock that the woman bore a striking resemblance to Asuna, replete with long chestnut hair. Although her face was a different shape and her eyes blue instead of warm brown, between the light armor uniform and the rapier at her waist, at first glance she could have easily been mistaken for the woman the swordmasters called the Flash.

When they had confronted her about it, the girl had admitted to having been inspired by the vice-commander of the KoB and wishing to emulate her to the point of having commissioned a similar uniform and taken up the rapier as her preferred weapon. Kirito had simply nodded in acknowledgement, and, with a promise to explain to her later, they had bid the girl a good night.

It was later that evening as they both prepared for bed and Sachi had stopped by for an evening chat that they had told Kizmel's student of the encounter, and Kirito and Sachi both explained to her the concept of cosplay, a practice from the swordmasters' world. It was an odd, if not entirely unfamiliar concept to the dark elf that people would show their appreciation and admiration for others in attempting to copy their style of dress and mannerisms.

It was a little unsettling to realize that Asuna had become such a prominent figure among the swordmasters that other women wanted so much to be like her that they decided to dress and style themselves after her image. Not that it is entirely undeserved, Kizmel thought to herself. Asuna was, after all, about as good of a role model that other female swordmasters could aspire to as they could get.

Yet Kirito and Sachi both laughed and acted as if the practice was no big thing. Truly, the world of the swordmasters was a strange one, if such things were commonplace.

"Cheer up, Asuna, it can't last forever. They're just really into things right now because the boss fights have gone well, we've had no casualties, and a lot of it is thanks to you. You're just about the most famous guild figure in all of Aincrad. You might even be more popular than Diavel," Kirito said out loud. Kizmel had to agree with that assessment.

Between the fact that she was female, one of the strongest of the swordmasters, and the vice-commander of one of the most elite guilds, Asuna certainly had everything she needed to rise to prominence.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" the girl all but wailed. "But you weren't there. You didn't see all the girls dressed like me. They even dyed their hair! It was so embarrassing!"

Kizmel exchanged a glance with her partner, who had all but snorted out the drink he'd sipped from. Kirito choked out a cough, before clearing his throat. "Yeah, uhm...we know."

"What?" Asuna's voice suddenly turned calm and icy.

Kirito fidgeted nervously. "We, uh...ran into one of them a couple floors down. On that errand we ran for Lisbeth."

Her friend's stare remained hard for a second, before Asuna slumped again, her face reddening again as she buried it in her hands. "Oh, no..."

"She had a rapier, and everything."

Asuna moaned in despair. Kizmel patted her on the arm in comfort. "You should be flattered, Asuna. You've become a role model for all of the female swordmasters of Aincrad."

"You know," the fencer sighed as she rotated one eye, almost lizard-like, to stare at the dark elf, "I can't even tell if you're serious or not anymore."

Kizmel shrugged and smiled as she took a sip of her tea. "There is nothing that can be done about it, except to look at the positives. Recruitment must be up, which means many more swordmasters are coming up to the higher floors. Perhaps some good may come of it, after all."

"There have been some actually talented applicants," Asuna admitted. "We picked up a swordsman today, his name is Nautilus. He isn't really high level, but his weapon skills are really good."

"Nautilus, huh?" Kirito asked thoughtfully. "I don't think I've heard that name before."

"You wouldn't have, he said he's been on the lower floors until recently, working on improving his skills before coming up to level."

"Are you going to take him on?"

Asuna nodded. "We already did. We might put him with a couple of others the other recruiters chose as suitable, and see about getting them paired up with some of the higher-level members so they can catch up quicker. Godfree is going to have his hands full." She looked over the pair of them shrewdly. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in helping out in that regard? You've been doing such a good job with the Moonlit Black Cats..."

"I don't think we're ready for more students," Kirito coughed, clearly surprised by the suggestion. "Actually, I think after we've gotten them up to speed, I'd like to go back to the front for a while. We've been getting rusty."

Kizmel nodded in agreement with her partner. She had noticed during that day's battle against the Pillar Guardian that her reflexes and reactions had been a little slower than she had become accustomed to, and she could see the dissatisfaction in Kirito with the way he had performed, himself. He still had outperformed many of the members of the clearing group, but, ever the perfectionist, the swordsman was seeking a level of strength beyond what he was currently capable of.

"What about you, Kizmel-chan?" Asuna turned to her.

"I think I will go with Kirito. Training the Black Cats has been a wonderful experience, and they will soon be ready to join in the exploration efforts of higher floors, but I, too, long to challenge more difficult opponents and aid in our progress. Besides," the dark elf noted with a smile, "it will be nice to be among the first to see and explore new things again."

Asuna looked a little disappointed, but not surprised by their answer, Kizmel could tell. "Too bad. But still, it'll be good to have more people helping again. Having both of you and the Black Cats when they're ready is going to help out a lot."

"It should not be too long, now. They have the skills they need, now they only need to become strong enough at this point. I believe another...five or six...levels, Kirito?" She rolled the unfamiliar phrase around her tongue for a moment. Kizmel had long since learned the odd phrases the swordmasters used, but it didn't stop the words from sounding alien on her tongue. It would come with time, perhaps, as she immersed herself more into their culture.

Her partner nodded. "That's about right. I think their average is about thirty or thirty-one. Give them another five or six, and that'll put them at thirty five to thirty-six. It's a bit lower than our usual safety margin, but they do work very well together in a group, and they'll catch up faster now that they're on the higher floors. If they're not doing anything too dangerous while exploring, they should catch up to the usual plus-ten safety margin easily enough on their own."

Asuna sighed in relief. "At least that's a couple people less we'll have to train. From what I saw the other day, you guys really did a great job with them."

Kirito blushed and ducked his head in the manner that was familiar to both of them, and Kizmel chuckled throatily. "They have talent and drive, and they're family. It makes it easier if you have others you wish to fight for."

"That's true," Asuna acknowledged. The three of them fell silent for a moment before the fencer clapped her hands together and waved over one of the waitresses. "I completely forgot! We were supposed to be celebrating today!"

"Well, you did have your hands full after the raid..."

She glared at Kirito at the reminder. "I swear, loot distribution is just about the worst part of my duties. Our guild policy of whoever getd the item being allowed to keep it without having to announce it only works if it's just us. Everyone else wanting a piece of their share makes it significantly harder to deal with."

"Don't remind me," Kirito shuddered, likely remembering the times on the earlier floors where he and Asuna had been involved in very similar disputes with the Dragon Knights and ALS.

"Anyway," Asuna said decisively as the waitress arrived, "Kizmel-chan, I promised you chocolate, and Argo says this is the best place in town for that. So let's have...the salted caramel chocolate tart, the chocolate truffle with roasted nuts, one of the chocolate and mint bark, one of the chocolate and vweilu nut Napoleons, and three hot chocolates," she told the human waitress, who took the order in stride and announced she would return with the items shortly.

Kirito's eyes had widened progressively as Asuna continued to select items off the menu, and once the waitress had left, the fencer turned a mischievous grin on him. "You're paying, of course, Kirito-kun."

"Of course I am," the swordsman mumbled. "And I didn't even lose a bet this time. Don't you think that's a bit much, though?"

Asuna cocked her head to the side, before glancing at Kizmel. "Well, we don't carry over all these calories into our bodies in our world, so..." The fencer grinned before leaning over to playfully shove at Kirito's arm. "Besides, maybe some of these will have a nice buff like the blueberry tarts on the fifth floor."

Kizmel could tell that the idea immediately seemed to perk up her partner as he picked up the menu and began to look it over with renewed interest. She shared a glance with Asuna, and both women carefully hid their smiles at his predictability. The brunette chuckled fondly as their order arrived. "Here, Kirito-kun, have a try. Chocolate is always good for cheering up, and we could all do with something nice to close out the day."

"Nyahaha, if I'd known you'd be taking care of big sis' Argo like this, I'd have dropped by sooner!" The new voice held a tinge of mischief and mirth as Argo the Rat slid into the seat next to Asuna and winked at them in greeting. "Hey, A-chan, Kii-chan, Kii-bou."

"Argo!" Kizmel smiled. "I did not think we would see you today."

"Well, I thought I'd come by and see you since you were all in one place tonight," the shorter girl grinned up as she lowered her hood, whiskers shifting merrily. "I figured it'd be a good time ta catch you all in one place, besides, I have some business with Kii-chan here."

The dark elf caught the worried look her partner was sending Argo, and tilted her head curiously. "What is this about, Argo?"

The self-styled Rat hummed in thought as she commandeered Kirito's fork and stuck it into one of the desserts. "Well, it's nothing really serious, and I'm almost tempted ta give it to ya free of charge..." she grinned over at the swordsman. "If Kii-bou here orders another hot chocolate for me. And doubles this entire dessert order."

Kirito sighed and flagged down the waitress to place the order with a tired smile while Asuna glanced at their friend. "Is this private business, Argo? Did you want me and Kirito-kun to give you some privacy?"

The info broker waved her off easily. "Nah, I think it'll be fine, besides, part of it also affects Kii-bou."

"Argo," Kizmel repeated carefully, catching her partner's eye and wondering where she was going with this. "What is this about?"

The Rat glanced around the inn carefully to make sure no other swordmasters were around. "Well...word is that Lind is considerin' making another offer for you two ta join the DDA."

That was not exactly news to Kizmel; she had been witness to multiple attempts by Lind to recruit Kirito and Asuna to his side before the formation of the Knights of Blood. The ill-fated attempt to maintain the balance of power between the Dragon Knights Brigade and the Aincrad Liberation Squad on the third floor came to mind. Lind and Kibaou's demand to split up the duo of Kirito and Asuna between each of their guilds had not sat especially well with either of them at the time.

I suppose now that the Knights of Blood are establishing themselves, especially with Asuna at the front, it makes sense for him to attempt to recruit Kirito again. With someone of Kirito's strength in his guild, Lind may be able to contest leadership from the Knights of Blood.

The dark elf blinked as the meaning of Argo's words occurred to her. "You're saying...Lind is considering extending an invitation to me, as well?" she asked slowly.

"Yep. You in particular, actually, in the hopes that where you go, Kii-bou will follow." Argo grinned. "Looks like someone went and found out that the other way around doesn't work so well, eheheh."

Kirito and Asuna exchanged a look at that, before sighing. Kizmel chuckled, knowing that Argo, who had been present for the offer to join the KoB, had likely been asked to sell any information regarding their possible recruitment. She hoped her friend had made a tidy profit from it, as she herself was of a similar sentiment as her partner. If neither of them were inclined to join Asuna, their close friend and partner, in the Knights of Blood, why would they join anyone else?

"I do not believe I would be particularly interested in joining the Divine Dragon Alliance," Kizmel said, looking over at her partner and seeing the tension ease from his frame. "I think we work much better as free agents. I quite enjoy the freedom we have as we are."

"I thought ya might say that, Kii-chan," Argo grinned and winked at her. "Like I said, it's not anything serious fer now, and I don't have any concrete intel on any plans Lind has, but he's asked about you, so I figured I'd give ya a head's up."

Returning the smile, Kizmel inclined her head. "It is appreciated, Argo."

Kirito was still frowning, however. "Do you think Lind is going to start causing problems over this?"

Argo stared at him intensely for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah, he shouldn't. He'd know better than ta antagonize either of you, considering how well that worked for him in the past. But you know how he is."

"Persistent," the swordsman muttered.

"Yep!" Argo nodded as she finished one of the plates of dessert. Kizmel glanced down at her own plate as she took a delicate bite from her fork, letting the chocolate dessert melt on her tongue the way Asuna had instructed her to. The flavour was bitter and sweet at the same time, with a hint of earthiness, and she decided she quite enjoyed it over the saltier sweets she had tried with Asuna earlier.

"That reminds me," Asuna noted from beside the information dealer, "with a lot of the new players coming up to try and join the clearing group, we've been getting a lot of questions about Kizmel. You guys haven't been around much, and some of the veterans have been explaining things as best as they can, but your appearance in the boss fights has made things interesting, to say the least."

"I'll say," Argo piped up with a satisfied smirk, "I've been selling a lot of copies of the Elf War guide recently. You're the talk of the town, Kii-chan. Well, the talk of multiple towns, really. It's not every day we got someone who's not human helping us out the way you're doing. Better look out if the two of you are gonna be spending more time up on the higher floors, we got a lotta new people who've never seen someone like you before."

"This isn't going to be an issue, is it?" Asuna glanced over at the shorter woman, and Kizmel leaned forward, interested in hearing her answer, as well.

"Hmm..." Argo shook her head and shrugged. "It shouldn't be. Kii-chan's pretty well entrenched in the clearing group by now, and she's got Heathcliff's backing, so I doubt anyone's going to be stupid enough to start complaining about the extra help. Just sayin', you might be getting some odd looks in town."

"You mean, more than they already get?" Asuna asked with a grin. "Kirito-kun alone was getting some strange ones when we were in a party together. Like that one time with the bandanna..."

"It was better than the sack you suggested I put over my head!"

Asuna snorted delicately, while Argo started coughing with laughter, both of them waving off Kizmel's unvoiced question as she stared at the two. It took a few moments for the fencer to get herself under control to answer. "It was before we met you, on the second floor, Kizmel-chan. Right after the beater thing happened. Kirito-kun was worried people would notice him and try to attack him if they recognized who he was, so he tried covering his face."

"It worked," the swordsman muttered petulantly.

"No, it didn't," Asuna replied merrily. "I recognized you immediately. You looked like a bandit. Honestly, where did you get the idea to use a bandanna?"

Kirito opened his mouth to respond before realizing that Argo was still there and closed it rapidly. Kizmel merely smiled at her partner's antics, and attempted to picture him with his face covered in the way Asuna had described. It really was a rather amusing thought. Something her partner had said caught her attention as she replayed the conversation in her mind, however.

"You mentioned a sack..."

"...oh, crap."

Asuna and Argo turned to look at the swordsman with identical mischievous grins, and the dark elf had the sneaking suspicion that this was the fencer's revenge for her partner's earlier amusement at her recruitment predicament. Kirito's response, much to Kizmel's amusement, was to simply bury his head between his arms on the table in an attempt to shut out the outside world.

"I might have suggested that a burlap sack would be a better alternative if he wanted his identity to remain completely concealed," the brunette recounted. "I believe his reply was that it would just make him look like a PKer."

"PKer..." Kizmel tilted her head at the unfamiliar word.

"Player-Killer," Argo supplied helpfully. "A criminal among swordmasters, one who deliberately causes the death of another swordmaster, either by his indirect actions or through direct combat."

"Thank you, Argo."

The Rat winked at her, before prodding Kirito's motionless form. "Oi, Kii-bou. That'll be fifty Cor."

"Add it to my tab?"

"Ya don't have a tab, Kii-bou," Argo reminded him merrily. "But that's 'cause you're a good customer and always pay your dues. Don't wanna be setting a bad example for Kii-chan now, do ya?"

With a groan, Kirito roused himself and produced a coin which he flipped over to the blonde info broker. As amusing as the entire scene was, Kizmel was also a little disturbed. I knew the swordmasters were not entirely united, and that there were squabbles amongst each other, she thought to herself, but I never thought that, trapped as they are in this world, they would deliberately cause harm to each other. It seems...illogical. What could anyone have to gain from doing such a thing?

She resolved to ask her friends about it later, however, after she had more time to consider the matter. It wasn't as though she couldn't understand people of the same race killing each other - one need only look to the war between the Forest and Dark Elves for this - but it made little sense to her that the ten thousand swordmasters stuck here in Aincrad by the magic of the sorcerer Kayaba would fight and kill each other rather than working together to escape.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Argo sliding a fresh plate of dessert in front of her. "Try this one, it's really good," she said, licking cream off her spoon. "So, how is mini-A-chan coming along, hmm?"

The odd question caused both Kizmel and her partner to tilt their heads at Argo in unison, something that prompted both of the women across the table to giggle. "The guild you've been working with. I hear there's a young lady with a lot of talent that you've especially taken under your wing," the info broker elaborated. "Kinda like Kii-bou did for A-chan here."

"Oh." Kizmel nodded in understanding. "It goes well."

Argo's grin widened as she waggled her spoon in her direction. "Come on, spill the details. You can tell big sis' everything!"

"I'm sure by now you know more about the Moonlit Black Cats than we do," the dark elf countered blithely.

The blonde hummed in agreement before setting down the utensil she had been brandishing like a weapon. "Oh, come on, you're no fun."

"On the contrary, Argo, I can be plenty of fun. I'm sure Kirito would be happy to attest to that."

Three pairs of eyes focused on the swordsman in varying intensities, and Kizmel had to fight to contain her mirth at the visibly rising panic in her partner. His hands came up defensively as three eyebrows arched in perfect coordination.

"It's not what it sounds like!"

"Sure it isn't, Kii-bou," Argo drawled.

The three of them managed to maintain the stares for a few seconds longer before breaking out into laughter. Kirito caught on quickly enough and pointed an accusatory finger at his elven partner.

"You set me up!"

"She sure did, Kii-bou," Argo chortled. "Anyway, I figured if I saw you I'd give you this to hand to them," she said and slid over a small, leather-bound book.

Kizmel looked over her partner's shoulder curiously as he picked it up. It looked very different from the information dealer's usual guide books. When Kirito opened it and shuffled through the pages, though, the information seemed similar.

"It's Argo's Guide to Mid-Level Quests for Quick Leveling," the whiskered girl said by way of explanation, pointing to a hand-sketched image of her face on the bottom corner of the cover with the words, "Don't Worry, it's Argo!" scrawled underneath it. "I figured it'd be useful for them to have once you decided they were good enough you could let them go at it on their own."

"Argo..."

She waved them off. "It's free of charge, just this once." Her happy mood dimmed a little. "We need more people at the front, and the safer they can get there, the better off we'll all be, so you two take good care of the mini-ones, all right?"

Kizmel shared a look with her partner, before smiling and nodding. "Thank you, Argo. We'll make sure they receive it, and we will do everything we can to ensure their safety."

"Good, good." Argo licked her lips and idly drew her spoon across her empty plate, her expression darkening a little further. "That reminds me, Kii-bou, Kii-chan. There was something else I wanted to bring up with you guys, especially since yer still working on the mid-level floors with the Moonlit Black Cats. It's part of the reason I made that book."

Kizmel frowned at her friend's unusually serious expression. "Is something the matter, Argo?"

"I don't know," she said after a long pause. "I'm still looking into it, ya see, but there's rumours of something odd going on at the middle floors. Now, this isn't actual intel, and it's too serious for me ta charge ya for it. But just keep an eye out for anything strange while you're down there, all right?"

"Something odd?" The dark elf tilted her head to the side in thought, idly swiping a strand of hair behind a pointed ear. Around her, Asuna and Kirito had likewise tensed up, all merriment and exhaustion of the day forgotten. "What are these rumours?"

"Nothing I can confirm just yet," Argo said slowly, though the lines of tension around her eyes and in her small frame belied the calm she portrayed. Whatever was going on, it had the information dealer worried, and that in itself had Kizmel worried. "A couple of people recently have gone missing on the middle floors, but they don't seem to be dead. I even double checked the monument in Black Iron Palace. They're still on the guild registers and friend lists, but they're off the map. No one's been able to locate them through Mystic Scribing."

"That is strange." Kizmel thought back to the incident they had had with Sachi briefly running away from the Black Cats a few weeks prior. "Perhaps some kind of invisibility or concealment charm or skill is involved?" she asked, remembering what she and her partner had discovered in the process of tracking the wayward girl.

"It could be..." Kirito's eyes were far away in a manner that meant he was considering the possible options as he leaned forward. "Maybe they're in an instance..." his eyes flickered back to her for a moment, before he corrected himself for her sake.

"An area with a human version of your forest sinking charm, accessible only to those with the correct...key, or enchantment, I suppose. Those inside are usually concealed from attempts to locate them. But that doesn't explain why messages aren't getting through to them."

She nodded in understanding as she caught what he had left unsaid. As far as she understood Mystic Scribing, the charm, while powerful, had its limits. It could not reach swordmasters on different floors, not unless they were bonded through a specific friend charm, or they were connected in the same guild. If their friends and guild mates had attempted to reach out and received no response, that meant the missing swordmasters either did not wish to be found, or were incapable of responding. Considering how easy the charm was to cast, and that it was usually invisible to others, even stopping a prisoner from casting it and responding would be a difficult task.

The only other option left her with a growing feeling of unease. If they are not being physically prevented from casting the charm, they must be incapacitated.

It brought back to mind the agitation she had felt at the thought that the swordmasters would cause each other harm in their already precarious situation. Who would do such a thing? the asked herself silently. Perhaps it was something she needed to address with her friends sooner, rather than later.

"You do not believe they went willingly," she said simply.

"I can't imagine they'd just go off on their own," he agreed. "But then..."

The way he froze, before swinging his head around to look at Argo made Kizmel worry. "There's one place I can think of where you're hidden from locators and you can't receive messages. A dungeon."

Kizmel frowned. "Do you believe they attempted to brave a dungeon on their own and were caught unawares? Perhaps they retreated to one of the safe areas but have been unable to leave?"

"No," Argo interjected, shaking her head. "All of the people who were reported missing were different levels, from different floors, at different times. Some were in guilds, some weren't, but I don't think they were in some kind of party or raid group. And it's too much of a coincidence that they'd all go into different dungeons on their own and get stuck."

The dark elf nodded in agreement with that assessment. It was incredibly unlucky that for every single swordmaster who had gone missing, neither their friends nor guild mates would have any idea of where they might have gone. "How many are missing?" she asked.

"So far?" Argo frowned thoughtfully. "Four that I've been able to confirm. Two more that were reported, but it's so recent that I haven't been able to make sure they didn't just hop floors, or something. About the only thing they have in common is that they were all in the mid-levels and between floors ten and twenty."

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Kizmel glanced at her partner, before realizing that Asuna was sharing his worried expression. Kirito's eyes were shadowed, his shoulders tense. "You don't think..." the fencer whispered. "The guy in the poncho?"

"I don't know," Kirito admitted with a minuscule shrug. "It doesn't fit with the way they worked before. Besides, why keep these people alive? Why kidnap them at all? They always just outright tried to PK people, either by MPK or by abusing the duel system."

It was the dark elf's turn to stare into the distance, her eyes hard. It had been some time, but Kirito and Asuna had told her of their encounters with the swordmasters called Joe and Morte, both of whom had tried on multiple occasions to kill them. At first, it had been by inciting violence among the swordmasters against each other, when they had attempted to rile up the DKB and ALS into fighting each other on the third floor.

The memory of Kirito standing alone in between two hostile groups that were ready to draw their weapons on him any moment still sent a shudder down her spine. Even as she and Asuna had intervened, it had only been by divine grace that open violence had been avoided.

Then there were the more chilling encounters her partners had recalled; the attempted murder by the axe-wielding Morte just before the clash between the ALS and DKB by using a flaw in the duel system the swordmasters used to settle disputes non-lethally was only one such instance. Morte and Joe had attempted once more to assassinate Kirito and Asuna during a quest on the sixth floor, and Kizmel had spent a long time regretting not having been by their side for it.

Most chillingly, however, was Kirito's suspicion that everything had been planned and acted upon by the orders of a figure in the shadows, a swordmaster whose name they did not know, but simply called the man in the poncho. According to Kirito, this man had been the architect of conflicts between the swordmasters with the ultimate goal of simple bloodshed ever since the second floor. There had been many instances of little nudges and pushes as well as outright incitement of violence that could be traced to him and his group.

He would even have continued to operate in the shadows, unbeknownst to the rest of the swordmasters, had he not exposed himself on the eve of the swordmasters clearing the fifth floor by attempting to lure Kirito into a trap himself. Argo had, upon their request, maintained a watchful eye on the situation without getting too deeply involved. While the blonde could take of herself, Kizmel agreed with Kirito and Asuna that this man and his group were too dangerous to get involved with on her own.

"I haven't heard anything that would fit their MO," Argo replied quietly. "Been keeping my ears open for anything like what they pulled with the Legend Braves and duel-PKs. Aside from a couple MPKs that were caused by mob trains, there wasn't anything that sounded like them for the last couple of months."

"I don't know, but I can't help but feel there's more to it than just random people going missing," Kirito muttered. Asuna nodded in agreement.

"From what you said, the man in the poncho really had it in for you. Morte and Joe, too, especially after..." the brunette swallowed tightly. "After you almost killed him on the sixth. I can't imagine they'd just quietly go away."

"I'm surprised it's been quiet this long, actually," Kirito agreed sullenly. Kizmel looked between her partner and the girl she considered a sister.

If this really is this mysterious man and whatever group he has surrounded himself with, we will be ready for them. I will not let Kirito face them alone, she silently vowed to herself. "What about Asuna?" the dark elf asked. "Was she not involved in foiling their actions repeatedly? Would that not also make her a target?"

The fencer ran a hand through her hair with a grimace. "As much as I hate to say it, but I don't think so. I've always been more of a collateral target when it came to things. They really were after Kirito-kun because as a beater, he was usually a couple of steps ahead of the rest of the players and could see what they were up to. If they're out for revenge, they'll be after him."

"So this may be a trap to lure him to them?"

"I don't know." Asuna shrugged helplessly, hazel eyes boring straight into Kizmel's own violet ones. "It's too elaborate for a trap, there's not enough to go on."

"Usually for a trap you need a destination," Kizmel realized in understanding.

"Right. This seems...like it's something more."

Something involving the abduction and incarceration or incapacitation of multiple swordmasters. What could they possibly hope to achieve? They all fell silent for a while as they considered the possibilities. None of them were pleasant to think of, and it made Kizmel itch to return to the Moonlit Black Cats and ensure that they were indeed safe.

Argo cleared her throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to kill the mood like this. I'll keep my ear to the ground and see if anything more pops up, and you'll be the first ones I call once I find something out. I just wanted to let ya know to keep an eye on the little ones, the sooner they get off those middle floors, the safer they'll be from this."

-------------------------------

July 18th, 2023

Their mood was somber and subdued when they returned to the twenty-sixth floor on the next morning to meet with the Moonlit Black Cats at the inn they had made their temporary home. Neither of them could easily forget about the previous night's revelations, and both were worried for their students. When they pushed open the door to the inn and saw all five Black Cats surrounding a table and chattering excitedly over breakfast, Kizmel couldn't help but release a breath of relief that she had been unaware she had been holding in.

"Kirito! Kizmel!" Keita grinned as he waved them over, the rest of the guild raising various hands, utensils, or, in Ducker's case, an entire chicken leg in greeting. "How did it go?"

"About as expected," her partner replied as they settled into chairs the Black Cats had pulled over. "No casualties, and it was a pretty routine fight. Scouting was good, so there weren't any surprises."

"You may enjoy the thirty-first floor," Kizmel added, "the terrain is mountains and lakes, with large, incredibly tall trees, and the primary human settlement is a quaint little village."

"Think redwood trees," Kirito supplied helpfully.

"That sounds nice," Sachi sighed. "I've always wanted to take a trip to Nozawaonsen..."

"Well..." Kirito scratched the back of his head, "they do have an open-air bath house and resort. Asuna was all over that one."

Kizmel hadn't been able to enjoy the bath house during the half a day they had spent on the thirty-first floor, but Asuna had practically made her partner promise to take her there so they could enjoy it together. It was something she looked forward to, and the dark elf smiled at the gleam in Asuna's eyes when she had found out. She would have to make sure they went back soon, so she could compare it to the bath at Yofel Castle.

"You're welcome to join us, Sachi," the dark elf smiled at her student. "Asuna was very excited when she found out about it, and she hasn't had an opportunity to visit it yet with her duties to her guild. Perhaps in the next few days, once things calm down a little."

Sachi blushed and looked down at her hands, before nodding her head. "I'd like that. If that's okay."

Kirito shrugged and glanced at the guild leader. "It's just in the main town, so it's a safe zone. We can take the teleport gate and be in and out without ever going out into the fields, so I don't see why not, provided Keita says it's all right."

"I think that'll be fine. It'd be nice to take a day off from training and grinding to enjoy some new sights." Keita's announcement was met by a chorus of hollers and cheers from the other three men at the table. "But maybe not right now. Let's see how things are going. After all, it's up to Asuna-san's discretion, since she's the one who'll be taking Sachi and Kizmel along."

As she and her partner settled down at the table and ordered their breakfast, Kirito inquired about how the Black Cat's training had progressed during their absence while telling them of their adventures in return. They had not been completely gone from the lower floors, but as Asuna had indicated, the thirtieth floor labyrinth had required an extensive amount of time to scout out and explore, in addition to the time needed to gather enough information about the Pillar Guardian to formulate a proper strategy.

It had been a challenging few days, and as always she and Kirito had set a grueling pace that few of the clearing group could keep up with. Kizmel thought with some amusement that Asuna was likely one of the few who would even attempt to, much less succeed. Since the fencer had her own group of swordmasters to command during the exploration, the pair of independent clearers had been sent into the farthest reaches of the labyrinth to map out locations other parties could not reach expediently.

It had been a strange experience, working this closely with the mapping group, an assembly of swordmasters that were significantly larger and yet different from the actual raid battle groups that assembled to fight the guardians. Though there was some overlap, many of the faces she had encountered were new to her. There had been some concerns raised about her presence by those who had never encountered her before, but Asuna and Heathcliff both had quickly put an end to any potential dissent. Not that either Kizmel or Kirito would have cared; she was the swordsman's partner, and that was all there was to it. Anyone who had a problem with that, Kirito had made it abundantly clear from the very beginning, could take it up with the beater himself.

There had been some familiar faces, too, she thought fondly. Liten and Shivata, both now members of the DDA, had occasionally crossed their paths as the dedicated forwards and leaders of their own exploratory party. Hafner, too, had briefly stopped by to say hello, and even Lind had made the time to talk to her. Although Argo's warning that he is attempting to court me to join his guild certainly puts that into a new light, the dark elf thought to herself.

The greatest surprise, however, would have been Heathcliff the Paladin himself. The leader of the Knights of Blood himself had taken a few moments of his time before one of the strategy meetings to talk with her, seemingly interested in the dark elven culture and how she came to decide to travel with Kirito now, after the war was over. The man the swordmasters simply called the Commander had struck her as a good leader; reserved, but not aloof. Driven, but understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of those under his leadership.

She had only heard stories of his strength, but what she had heard, had been intriguing. According to Asuna and Kirito, he was the strongest of the swordmasters, his defense nigh impenetrable, and after the devastating battle against the twenty-fifth floor's Pillar Guardian, Heathcliff seemed to be a veritable legend in the making among the swordmasters.

"You could've warned us about the exploding sheep, though," Sasamaru chided with a laugh. "If we hadn't had Tetsuo and Sachi with us, and Sachi had read about them in Argo's guide book, we'd have paid a fortune just to repair all of our kit."

Kirito chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Ah...yeah, I kind of forgot. Actually, that happened to us, too."

The dark elf shot her partner a fond look and shook her head with an amused smile. "I apologize for our oversight, although I'm happy to see Sachi had the foresight to purchase one of Argo's guides." She glanced over at the swordsman next to her. "That reminds me, Argo asked us to give you another guide."

"Oh?" Keita leaned forward in interest. "How much do we owe you for it?"

Kirito waved him off as he produced the item from the ethereal storage of Mystic Scribing. "It was free, she said she was making these to help the mid-level guilds level up safely and quickly so they could help with the clearing sooner."

It struck Kizmel as odd that the usually profit-focused Argo would go to such lengths; then again, her worry over the mysterious disappearances of swordmasters from the mid-level floors had seemingly shaken the info-broker to some degree. On top of that, Kizmel figured, this book was as much a personal favour to Kirito as it was an advance payment on their future help with the investigation.

The guildmaster of the Moonlit Black Cats took the book Kirito offered and scanned the first several pages, Sasamaru and Ducker leaning over his shoulders. "Wow, this is going to be really useful. I can't believe she's giving this away for free!"

Kirito shrugged. "Argo moves in mysterious ways," he said, glancing at her with a small smile.

Kizmel silently agreed, amusement turning up the corner of her lips. "I suppose you have not run into too many problems on this floor, then?"

Keita shook his head with a proud smile at his fellow swordmasters. "None. We followed the advice you gave us, avoided certain areas around the center of the floor, and found small groups of mobs to fight. There was one quest that got a little dicey, but that was more to do with us actually going to the wrong area."

"Because someone couldn't ask the NPC for directions right," Ducker wheedled with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Keita grumbled good-naturedly. "For a moment there, I actually treated the quest giver like Kizmel, but he-" he suddenly stopped, and glanced between herself and Kirito. "Uh, nevermind. It wasn't anything dangerous, but we almost ran out of time to complete the objective."

Interesting, Kizmel thought at Keita's slip of the tongue. It wasn't odd that they would treat her differently from the other humans of Aincrad, but what he had seemed to imply was that the way he interacted with other swordmasters was more similar to the way he talked to her, and that the true difference was in how they treated the rest of Aincrad's inhabitants.

Very strange. Perhaps it has to do with this distinction between "NPCs" and swordmasters? But then, they have referred to me as an NPC, as well. Perhaps Kirito would shed some light on it later.

"That is good to hear," she said out loud. "I'm glad that you were safe."

Sasamaru slung a friendly arm over her shoulder as he moved his chair to sit next to her. "We were fine, you guys made sure of that," he told her with a grin. "Seriously, you guys did an awesome job. There wasn't anything we couldn't handle. None of us even dipped into the red, and Tetsuo only went into the yellow once."

Keita and the others nodded in agreement with the spearman. "Once we're actually in formation and moving, there wasn't anything that was really dangerous," the guildmaster added, "although I can see how it would be dangerous if we got split up. There's definitely something to be said for safety in numbers."

"I'm actually a little surprised that with enemies like these you made it all the way up here by yourself," Sasamaru added, looking at Kirito. "I mean, I know there was two of you, and we're doing okay up here, but there's five of us. I can't even imagine doing this with just one other player."

The swordsman shrugged and glanced at his partner. "It's slower than with a group, for sure. You've got to take your time to move ahead, not get caught out by more than one group, and always watch your back. A lot of it has to do with knowing the mobs well enough to predict their attack patterns, and making sure you're never up against more than one or two at a time. It's rather inefficient, really," he explained.

"Then why do it?"

Kirito hesitated for a moment, thinking of how to answer. "Some of it is for loot distribution. I've had some parties where they pretty much tore each other apart over a loot drop. This way, even if I'm farming for a reliable drop, I get to keep what I get with no drama."

"That seems reasonable," Keita agreed. "But still, I don't think every party would be like that. Especially among friends, or guildmates.

Kizmel had to agree; she could see what Keita was trying to do. Enticing them to join the Moonlit Black Cats would be a tremendous asset to the small guild, although she believed that he also genuinely wanted to keep them around as friends. The past week especially had seen him make an effort to include her in more than just training when it came to downtime for the Black Cats. She also had to agree with his reasoning; Kirito had grounds for concern when it came to what he'd sometimes called a PUG - a quickly thrown together party of swordmasters with no particular fondness or affiliation for each other. But certainly when it came to friends and guildmates, these things would be planned out, much the way the Knights of Blood had.

"Perhaps not, but not everyone is like you guys, either," Kirito insisted. "The KoB have a system that works fairly well, but part of it is also that I prefer to do my own hunting."

"You mean, you don't like asking others for help," Sachi added helpfully. Kirito stared at her, which she returned with an angelic smile, before sighing and nodding.

"Yeah, usually. It just...I don't know. It feels weird asking people for help and giving them nothing in return. And if I'm going to be paying for them to help, I may as well do the hunting myself, or buy it from a merchant."

All five human swordmasters of the Black Cats plus one dark elven knight stared at him incredulously. As the seconds passed, Kizmel could see the apprehension building in her partner as he began to sweat.

"...what?" he asked mutedly.

"Kirito," Kizmel sighed as she reached over to tap him on his arm in mild annoyance. "You have to realize how hypocritical you are sounding."

"That's right," Keita nodded. "I mean, I get the whole not wanting to ask for help thing, especially if you feel like you're bothering your friends. I really do get it. But come on, what do you think you've been doing this entire time?"

"Uh...helping out?"

Kizmel and Keita exchanged looks and exhaled identical long-suffering sighs before turning back to the swordsman. "Kirito," the dark elf began slowly. "You have spent the last six weeks with the Black Cats, teaching them and training them to survive Aincrad without ever asking anything in return."

"Well, yeah," Kirito scratched the back of his head. "But that's because they're...friends..."

She watched as a mixture of disdainful realization came across his features. "Oh," he muttered.

"Oh, he says," Keita chuckled. "Look, I know we weren't much help with the cockatrices the other day, but I mean it. You're our friends. Anything you need help with, we're always willing to offer. Because that's what friends do, right?"

"That's right," Sachi piped up in agreement. "We don't need anything in return. Actually, we would be owing you two so much if we were keeping score, so..."

"So please don't keep score," Ducker said with a grin, which earned him an elbow from Tetsuo.

Their antics seemed to put her partner at ease, and Kizmel watched as a smile that was only slightly strained tilted up his lips. "All right, I get it. You guys win," he said, holding up his hands in defeat.

"Back to the original point, though," Keita commented after they had settled down. "That can't all be it, right?"

"Well..." Kirito shrugged for a moment, clearly considering if he should prevaricate. "The main reason is that a lot of people...don't really want me along."

"Is it the beater thing?" The leader of the Black Cats frowned in thought. "I mean, sure, it may have been an issue early on, but that whole thing's gotta have blown over by now, right? Nowadays I'd reckon people would love to have a clearer along to help them out. I know we're certainly not complaining about having you and Kizmel with us."

"I believe it has more to do with the fact that Kirito is seen as an outsider by many of the clearing group," Kizmel explain for him. "Most of them only tacitly accept him due to his skill because of his earlier history with the ALS or Dragon Knights. Many of them cannot understand why he would chose to remain independent instead of joining one of them, and they see that choice as a betrayal born of selfishness."

Keita shrugged. "Their loss."

"Indeed." The dark elf smiled in return. "Though you are correct, the stigma does appear to have lessened somewhat, as Kirito no longer needs to hide his face around town," she noted with a mischievous grin at her partner. "These days, I believe the Knights of Blood would be more than happy to have him."

The swordsman in question pulled a face at that. "Yeah, I know. But there's just something about joining a guild that doesn't sit right with me."

"Too much responsibility?" Ducker asked good naturedly. Kirito merely shrugged in response while throwing a sidelong glance at his dark elven companion.

"Something like that."

-------------------------------

August 7th, 2023

The frantic knock on the door to their room caused all conversation to suddenly stop. Kizmel glanced across at her partner questioningly, but he merely shrugged his shoulders in confusion. Sachi, who had been deep in conversation with the dark elf, glanced at the door worriedly when the knock repeated itself.

"Isn't that Argo?" The knock was fairly distinctive, and the dark elf recognized it as the signature of their blonde friend.

"I think so." Kirito hurriedly pulled the door open to let her in. The small woman rushed into the room, pushing Kirito out of her way as she did.

"Kii-chan! Kii-bou!" The huffed breaths came heavily. "There's trouble, I need your help."

"Argo?" Kizmel sat up straight immediately, reaching for her cloak and blade. "What's the matter?"

"It's...Klein," Argo panted, bending forward and bracing herself against her knees. She waved at the pair of them to hurry up. "We gotta go, we gotta go now! Come on!"

Neither of the two of them had ever gotten themselves battle ready so fast. All sense of modesty was forgotten as Kizmel dropped her sleeping gown and slid into her tunic and pants while Kirito used Mystic Scribing to magick his armor and coat onto his person, unheeding that she was naked and in the same room. With the rustle of cloth and leather all of their gear settled into place; any other time Kizmel would have taken a moment to tease her partner about his near-nakedness during the changing of his clothes, brief as it was, but the urgency of the situation drove any such thoughts from her mind.

"Sachi, stay here. Let Keita know we're headed out on an emergency, we'll be in touch," the swordsman told their ward. "I'll message you if something happens or when we're on our way back. Stay at the inn, get the group together, and make sure you don't let anyone in."

"K-Kirito..." the girl sounded scared at the sudden harshness in his tone.

"Go," he insisted as they rushed out the door. "It's for your safety, I'll explain later."

Sachi hesitated for a moment longer, before nodding sharply and trotting down the hall to wake Keita and the rest of the Black Cats. Kirito watched her go for a few seconds before turning back to Argo. "All right, where are we going?"

"Twenty-third floor," Argo replied as the three sprinted out of the inn towards the town square and the teleportation gate. "Fuurinkazan's in trouble in one of the dungeons in the fields to the north, about halfway between the main town and the next village out."

Kizmel frowned. "That would be an hour's walk almost. Are you sure we will be in time?"

"Half that if we run. Less if we run," her partner bit out, grim determination in his voice. Kizmel nodded; she would keep up, no matter what it took, even if it meant ignoring every foe in their path. Argo as well, the information broker was very quick on her feet.

"What's going on? What happened, Argo?" she asked the blonde. It was very much unlike her to be this panicked; for that matter, it was very much unlike Kirito to be just as visibly unsettled. She knew of Klein, the swordmaster Kirito had briefly taught on the first day the swordmasters had arrived in Aincrad and subsequently abandoned after they became trapped. Fuurinkazan, too, had been mentioned once or twice as the guild Klein had founded with his friends from the other world.

What kind of trouble could they possibly have encountered that had them reaching out to Argo, and that had caused the Rat to be thrown into such a state?

"You guys remember that rash of abductions and thefts happening on the middle and lower floors recently?"

"The ones you were investigating, right? Armed robberies out in the field, but no violation of the anti-criminal code?" Kirito asked as they skidded to a halt by the teleport ring and called out their destination.

There was a brief moment of vertigo and a flash of light as the magic shifted them to the main square of the twenty-third floor. Argo bolted off in a dead run, Kirito and Kizmel right behind her.

"That's the ones," the info-dealer finally responded between heavy breaths. "Crime's been picking up lately. I don't think it's related to the abductions or your poncho guy, because it's a totally different motive. Looks like just plain greed this time."

Kizmel frowned at the explanation. Of the missing swordmasters who had been reported over the past two weeks, two had been found, catatonic, in one dungeon's safe zone on the thirteenth floor, while four others had perished. Checking the monument the swordmasters used to keep track of their dead, the enchantment had revealed that they were all killed by monsters in the field. Presumably, if they had been abandoned in the same state as the ones that had been found alive, it was no surprise that they had died to opportunistic monsters.

Following that, all had been quiet for a while. There had been no further abductions, and the two who had been recovered alive had shown little signs of improvement, their minds for all intents and purposes broken and it was unknown if they would ever recover. Kizmel shuddered to think what they had gone through to leave them in such a state, and it had been a major concern for the clearing group, as well.

It had been several days until Argo had informed them and the rest of the clearing group that there had been a rash of thefts and robberies by a semi-organized group of swordmasters preying on groups in the field and holding them up at swordpoint to take their belongings.

It hadn't technically been murder, but some of those incidents had led to deaths afterwards as the robbers had left their victims without armor or weapons out in the open, unable to safely make their way back to town.

"I was scouting around, trying to get a read on the situation when I overheard some shady guys saying that they'd be going after a group that's been regularly hunting in a dungeon on the twenty-third floor. A group all in red samurai armor," Argo explained as they sped their way out of the town's gate. "I overheard them maybe a half hour ago. I sent a warning to Klein, but they were out in the fields already. The message didn't get to them."

Kirito swore under his breath and picked up the pace, seemingly having an idea of where they were going now. Kizmel looked on in worry as she glanced over at Argo. "Do you know how many of them there are? Their strength, their equipment?"

The info-broker shook her head. "I was still tryin' to find that out. All I know is that there seem to be one or two organized groups, and there's mutterings that a woman calling herself Rosalia is involved, but she's never been seen together with any criminals. Just that she goes around joining parties for a while, and afterwards, some of them end up robbed. Some of her stuff also looks a lot like the stuff that might've been recently stolen. Survivors say there's a different number of people usually, but always enough to threaten the group they're targeting."

"That means they've got good intel," Kirito bit out. Kizmel agreed; it meant they had observed and chosen their targets carefully, exposing the minimum number of themselves necessary to public scrutiny and danger as they engaged in their activities.

I cannot believe Argo would sell this kind of information. She usually is much more selective when it comes to her clients, Kizmel thought. Almost as if she'd read the dark elf's thoughts, the petite woman spoke up.

"They didn't get that info from me, Kii-chan. But remember, there's a bunch of other info-brokers around, and not all of them are as above-board as me," the Rat said without a hint of annoyance at her friend. "Trust me, I've been lookin' into whoever's been selling them that info, myself. It's bad for business if word got around that info-brokers are selling out other players."

"Is there anything you can tell us about this group of robbers?" Kizmel asked, switching mental gears to the more immediate situation. They could deal with whoever had been feeding the criminals their information later; right now they were sprinting towards a potential battlefield. It would be the first time she had openly fought against swordmasters, but to her surprise, she felt relatively calm.

Her loyalties were with Kirito, and Asuna, and Argo, and the Moonlit Black Cats...with her friends. If other swordmasters threatened them, they would be swept aside just as much as the monsters of Aincrad had been.

"Well, Fuurinkazan has six members, averaging about level thirty," Argo offered in return, "I'll be sendin' you the bill for this info later, by the way - so I'd guess they'd bring at least six to twelve of the same level. I don't think the robbers have anyone much higher level than this, because they haven't really worked on any floor above twenty."

It made sense; much like the rest of the swordmasters, the robbers would have to maintain a safety margin to ensure they themselves were not in too much danger from the monsters around them, plus they had to account for potential battle with their victims. In the chaotic free-for-all that saw monsters pitched against swordmasters against other swordmasters, even numbers often were no guarantee for success or safety. They couldn't spend their ill-gained fortune if they were dead, after all.

Still, at least these criminal swordmasters appeared to be motivated by a much more basic urge than the man in the poncho that Kirito had been fearing. Greed was common even among the dark elves, and it was the kind of motive that Kizmel could understand, even if she could not abide by it.

She absently swatted aside a monster that crossed her path as Argo beside her did the same. Kirito seemed a blur as his blade carved a deadly swath ahead of him. Despite the fact that his weapon wasn't glowing with the signature light of the swordmaster's weapon charms, his regular swings were precise enough to find the weak points in their targets, dispatching foes with ease.

Such was their strength; as Kirito had once explained to her, the swordmasters' growth was tied directly to the numerical value they called their level. As they grew in level, so too did their life force, stamina, endurance, and physical strength and agility. Kizmel had wondered how she had compared, as many of her fellow dark elves had always been around the same strength as herself, though looking back on it now she realized that the stronger the opponents she had faced, the stronger she herself had grown afterwards.

Oddly enough, Kirito had told her that Mystic Scribing had assigned her a "level" as well, which meant that she was growing in strength alongside him. The human charm seemed to translate her relative strength into a value the swordmasters could understand, as it did with monsters, and with a note of pride she had realized that she was keeping up with her partner. A large part of that, she was sure, was due to the fact that they were facing strong opponents in their travels, but the sheer speed with which she was improving was something that was practically unheard of among the dark elves. It was the kind of growth that made the swordmasters so formidable.

As it was, by virtue of sharing the same party with Kirito she had continued to match him in strength to the point that she had suspected of being able to take on the Fallen general N'ltzahh at the strength he had been during their battle on the ninth floor on her own. Even Kysala, his adjutant who had taken the keys from her on the sixth, she suspected at her current strength to be no more than a distraction at best. Not after having faced several Pillar Guardians since coming up to join Kirito.

At this very moment, both herself and Kirito were level-50, with Argo not too far behind them, considering her dangerous profession. If her estimation was accurate and their opponents had brought a group around level-25, the exponential growth of the swordmasters would mean that they would be nigh on invincible against anything the robbers could do to them.

Just because there is a chance we may be safe is no excuse to let my guard down, Kizmel reminded herself. The enemy did have numbers on their side, after all. The best case they could hope for was that the robbers, after seeing the arrival of the trio of clearers, would decide that discretion was the better part of valor and withdraw. The last thing they wanted was a protracted melee with multiple targets of opportunity that would risk the members of Fuurinkazan or themselves.

And if the worst happened, and they ended up having to draw their blades...well, Kirito and herself had a few tricks of their own up their sleeves. They had prepared them for the coming battles against the Pillar Guardians, and the disastrous fight against the twenty-fifth guardian had lit a fire under Kirito to become stronger still, as the fiftieth floor drew ever closer.

They approached the entrance to the dungeon, a dark, ruined structure that appeared out of the darkness of the night in front of them. The black maw of the stairs leading downstairs loomed ahead, and without hesitation they pushed onwards. Once they crossed the threshold, both Kirito and Argo swiped their hands through the air in the familiar motion that heralded the casting of the Mystic Scribing charm.

The location charm must be working again, now that we are in the same area, Kizmel thought to herself as both swordmasters quickly conversed over their findings, before Kirito motioned for his spell to become visible. An ethereal, floating map appeared before him, and she peered at it. Their location was clearly marked out with a blinking red dot, while another, blue colored dot had appeared some distance away. The area around their location appeared uncovered and she could make out hallways and corridors stretching away from them, but after some distance, the map became unclear and fuzzy.

"I don't suppose you've got a full map for this place?" Kirito muttered at the info-broker. The Rat merely grinned and slid two fingers across the air. Whatever she had just done, Kirito's map suddenly changed and filled in with the details that had been missing.

"I'll add it to yer bill," she drawled. Kizmel glanced at the completed map, the urge to marvel at the magic of the swordmasters falling by the wayside as the knight in her planned out the quickest route to their beleaguered comrades.

"This way," she said, indicating a route on Kirito's map. To her surprise, her finger trailed a clean yellow line as she traced it through the air. Even as she withdrew her hand in wonder it remained, and Kirito blinked in surprise. Her partner recovered quickly enough, before nodding, and making the map invisible to anyone but him again. She understood; the light it gave off would only announce their presence to anyone who might be watching.

"All right," he said, shifting his blade back into his right hand. "Let's go."

The winding, twisting paths took them over ruined flagstones, through holes in crumbled walls, and past collapsed passageways in the basement of what had once been a castle that could have rivaled Yofel. The few monsters and demi-humans whose attention they attracted were dealt with much the same way as the ones on the surface had been. Argo suddenly motioned for their attention while they were running.

"Kii-bou, I got a reply from Klein. Looks like they're surrounded. They've been stalling and holding out for the last ten minutes or so, but they're getting impatient," she cast a worried glance up ahead into the dimly lit corridor. "They might actually start violence this time, especially if they noticed him getting a message. There's about fifteen of them."

Kizmel was afraid her partner was going to actually break the hilt of his sword with the death grip he had on it as they proceeded, the tension rising with every step towards their goal. By the time he held up a hand to stop them, they could hear shouting ahead, followed by the near-immediate clash of steel on steel.

Please let us get there in time.

She caught the flash of light reflecting off of a swordmaster's armor ahead, and pushed Kirito and Argo against the wall, pulling her cloak around the three of them. When her partner opened his mouth to protest, she clamped her free hand down on his mouth.

"Quiet," she whispered. "They are just ahead. If we attack now, with no plan, we just risk our lives and that of the ones we're trying to save."

"She's right, Kii-bou," Argo agreed quietly. "If we all go chargin' in right now, it's gonna turn ugly."

Holding her partner's gaze for a few seconds, Kizmel eased her hand from his mouth slowly. He looked unhappy, but nodded in agreement. "You're right. According to the map there's only one way in, it's a dead end room, I think there was a boss in there. They must've just beaten it when they got jumped."

"It's a good trap, then." The dark elf thought for a moment. One way in meant it was a trap for the prey, but now it could also become a trap for the hunters. "If you want them to face justice, we must not let them escape, but we do not have the ability to handle that many captives, even if the members of Fuurinkazan were to help."

The thought of letting some, if not most, of these criminals escape justice was a bitter one, but the only other option was to kill them, which was not something she was willing to do unless they were in truly dire straits. A glance at her companions showed her both had realized the same thing.

"Go for the leader, then. We figure out whoever's in charge, and take that one. Hopefully the rest will fall apart without them, or at least we'll be able to get some information out of them," Argo suggested, an unreadable look in her eyes. Kizmel found herself reminded that, despite the fact that the information broker did not actively participate in the battles against pillar guardians, one notable exception aside, she was a very capable and dangerous opponent in her own right.

The dark elf came to a decision. "I can approach undetected, especially if their attention is diverted. After I get into position and determine the most likely target, I can signal you to attack from behind. If we catch them unawares, they may choose to surrender peacefully."

"I can get in with you, Kii-chan. You might need some help keeping all of them safe if some of Fuurinkazan are in trouble. Or if they decide to attack you, instead." Argo glanced at Kirito from underneath her hood. "And Kii-bou alone should be enough to put a bit of a scare into them from behind."

"...okay," the swordsman gave in, although Kizmel could see the reluctance in him in not being able to jump straight in.

"Wait to the count of thirty, then approach the doorway out of sight. When we draw weapons, feel free to show those standing in your way the folly of assaulting our friends," Kizmel ordered, her voice hard as she let her knight's training take over. She lowered her cloak before wrapping it around herself. Next to her, Argo blurred slightly as she used her own concealment charm.

The two women crept into the chamber. Fifteen enemy swordmasters. It appears to be two groups of six, plus three scouts to find their targets, Kizmel counted, grimacing at the confirmation of the odds against them. Six in matching red armor, that must be Fuurinkazan. One of them currently dueling with one of the robbers, that must be the leader.

It appeared that the robbers' patience had run out, and they had pressed the unfortunate leader of the small guild into single combat. Whether it was for the stakes of their release or simply for their sadistic amusement, Kizmel wasn't sure, but to her relief, the knight-like figure in polished red armor wielded his two-handed curved blade with enough skill that he would eventually overcome his opponent.

But Kizmel knew, just as much as everyone else present, that even if he won, they would not be allowed to leave peacefully.

The hand gripping the hilt of her sabre trembled with barely restrained fury as she watched the ongoing duel that the leader of Fuurinkazan must only have agreed to as a way to stall for further time. As a deft parry left his opponent over-extended and open to attack, he raked the blade of his sword across his foe's back, leaving an angry red mark that had the bandit scrambling back to his feet in fear. His mouth opened to shout for the rest of them to attack.

Fuurinkazan appeared to have realized this as well, and five more hands reached for their weapons. Kizmel glanced around, trying to find a more opportune target, but her gaze kept returning to the wounded one that had withdrawn from the impromptu duel. He was glaring at the bandanna-wearing leader of Fuurinkazan, teeth gritted and eyes burning with anger as he leveled his blade at him.

He will do.

It was time to let them know the cavalry had arrived.

"Kill the-" the words cut off abruptly as the dark elf pulled off her cloak and drew her weapon at the same time, the gleaming blade of silver arcing through the air unerringly to find the bandit's neck.

The tip of the blade rested in the hollow of his throat; she knew enough about human and swordmaster physiology to understand that, even if they felt no pain, a direct strike to a vital spot like this would undoubtedly be fatal. All movement stopped around her as twenty-one swordmasters froze at her sudden appearance.

"I would not finish that, were I you," she said evenly.

"An NPC? What the-"

"Did we trigger an event?"

"Where the hell did she even come from?"

"Who the hell are you?"

The cacophony of conflicting voices came from both sides, but Kizmel kept her focus on the man in front of her, the tip of her sabre never wavering as she eyed his fourteen compatriots out of the corner of her eye. All of their eyes wandered to her, then to a spot just above her head. She briefly wondered at what they were looking at, when all of their eyes widened in terror, and everyone who was able took a step backwards.

"Holy shit, it's black! Her cursor's black!"

"No way, man, what the hell, is that a boss?"

"T-That's darker than the field boss was! Shit, get me outta here!"

The dark elf glanced past the assembled bandits into the hallway beyond, just in time to see her partner step out of the shadows from his own concealment, his blade drawn and the black cloak and dim lighting lending his figure an air of menace and darkness. Argo had remained undetected in the shadows, and Kizmel approved; while Argo was strong, she was not exactly a frontline fighter, and it would always be best to have an additional surprise...just in case.

She spoke up, her voice cold and even. "I suggest that whatever misdeeds you had planned, you reconsider. Lest you find opponents that will not take this laying down."

Despite quaking with fear - and the pointed end of the sword a hair's breadth from his throat - the bandits's leader appeared to find his courage again. "S-she's just an NPC! She's not a boss, we can take her!"

"Maybe," she responded dryly, flicking her eyes over his shoulder and keeping them there until he got the hint and glanced behind himself, his men following suit. A collective flinch went through their lines as they were unsure of which way to go to take a step back from the threats they suddenly found on either side of themselves. "You could try. You might even succeed. But I doubt you could take on both of us."

The six swordmasters bearing the red armor of the Fuurinkazan guild meanwhile had gathered themselves, weapons drawn, behind her. She appreciated their lack of hesitation at seizing on their good fortune, even before their leader recognized Kirito. They are well practiced, she realized, impressed. Their equipment was worn and required maintenance, but their stances and the ease with which they guarded each other spoke of training and dedication.

They might be better than the Black Cats, even, Kizmel thought. According to Argo, they were about the same strength, going by the level the info-broker had told them these six swordmasters were, but their movements were smooth and polished and lacked the hesitation that their own students had. They must be used to fighting together, perhaps from their own world.

In a moment of what could only be utter stupidity, two of the bandits decided to take their chances and charged the swordsman clad in black who was the only thing standing between themselves and their freedom. Kizmel worried only for a second as her partner refused to raise his blade to defend himself, instead letting the two bandits strike him, the glowing red lines marking the passing of their weapons across his body.

He didn't flinch, didn't move, nor did he give any indication of being in pain or startled by the action. Kirito did nothing at all, in fact, as he stood there, letting their blows rain down on him in what was clearly a display of how futile their efforts were. Sharp intakes of air behind her indicated that something about the situation had changed, and once more Kizmel wished she could see the world as the swordmasters did. There must be something, perhaps their Mystic Scribing charm or something else, that told them things that she was unable to perceive.

Her partner allowed the assault on his body to continue for another few seconds before he slammed his weapon tip first into the ground. A wave of red light rippled outward from the point of impact, knocking back his two assailants and causing them to stumble off their feet at the suddenness of the attack.

"Thanks for turning orange," Kirito growled, bringing up his blade and letting it rest across his shoulders in a motion the dark elf realized as the beginning of the sword charm he called the Horizontal Square. At this close range, in these confined quarters, it would strike many of them. With Kirito's strength, few would have the ability to defend against the attack, and it would likely be fatal for any it struck.

The bandits must have recognized it, too, as Kirito's blade began glowing, his legs bent to charge towards them. Weapons clattered to the ground as murmured protests broke out.

A dark smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "If you value your lives," she told the bandits' leader, "be somewhere else."

It took only seconds for them to reach a decision as the bandits decided to raise their hands in surrender and shuffle out of the room, past a disdainful looking Kirito. She understood his feeling of malcontent well, and it galled her to let base criminals such as these, caught in the act as they were, simply go, but they had no way to keep them under control for the long trek back to town and then to whatever prison the swordmasters had set up for their own.

If they even have such a thing. While this cannot be the first such occurrence, I do not think they would have thought it to be a common enough thing to actually require a prison and wardens.

When the leader made to turn around and follow his group, Kizmel pushed the tip of her blade a little deeper into his skin. "Not you," she said coolly while her partner stepped to her side, carefully watching the bandits' retreat. "You will be telling us everything you know."

He seemed to find some of his courage as he reached for her blade to push it away. The dark elven knight deftly shifted her stance to avoid his reach while maintaining its point on him. He finally stopped struggling and spat at her, glaring defiantly. "Can't fight your own battles, huh? Hiding behind NPCs now?"

Kizmel shook her head at the sheer obtuseness of the man, but the reply came from her partner, instead, his voice cold and hard. "That's rich coming from the guy ambushing other players with twice their number and leaving them to die." Kirito walked into her field of vision, his footsteps impossibly loud on the stone floor when the dark elf knew full well that he was capable of moving almost as silently as she was. "Maybe we should strip you of your gear and leave you behind to find your own way out of this dungeon, huh? Who knows, maybe you could even make it before the monsters respawn."

The swordsman tilted his head in mock curiosity. "But you know, I don't think you'd be lucky enough to avoid everything in the fields. So how about it?"

"You're not gonna attack me," the man spat. "You don't have the guts to turn orange. I'm a green player, you can't attack me."

A feral grin crossed Kirito's features, and Kizmel was struck by how easily her partner seemed to fall into whatever role he needed to play. Had she not known him the way she did, she, too, would have feared him at that moment. "I'm a solo player. You think I care if I have to sit out the criminal timer for a few hours? There's places I can go no one will find me, places I can still farm and grind no others dare to go." He tapped his chin as if in thought.

"And even if I didn't feel like doing it, she could." His head tilted over in Kizmel's direction.

"Oh, it's not them ya should be worried about," Argo suddenly spoke up next to him, coming out of her own concealment, claws bared with an unpleasant grin. "We're not gonna kill you, if that's what you're worried about. But I can make life very, very unpleasant for ya."

The bandit leader suddenly tensed up, eyes bulging, and almost toppled over, had it not been for Kirito grabbing him and pushing him against the wall. The onyx dagger gleaming with a sickly green paralyzing poison that had been brandished in her partner's hand threateningly vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with his usual sword. "You got this, Argo?"

"I got this, Kii-bou. Go check on them and make sure they're all right, so we can get outta here," the information broker responded, her eyes never leaving their prisoner. Kirito nodded before glancing at her, and the two of them turned to head towards the six members of the Fuurinkazan guild.

"K-Kirito?" the bearded man in red armor with the two-handed curved sword stuttered as the pair approached them. "What are you doing here?" The first impression Kizmel had of him was scruffy, with a stubbly, unkempt beard and wild red hair held back by a colorful bandanna. An easy grin seemed right at home on his face when he recognized her partner after getting over his surprise.

A shadowed look passed over the swordsman's features, and Kizmel remembered what he had told her about the man. This must be Klein; if the bandanna didn't give it away, then certainly her partner's reaction to him did.

"Keeping you out of trouble, apparently," Kirito responded neutrally, glancing over the six swordmasters in front of them. "You guys all right?"

Klein scratched his beard before looking back at his people to receive a variety of thumbs-up gestures and waves, before turning back to face them. "Yeah, we're all here. Thanks to you guys, don't know how much longer I could've held that guy off."

"It seemed like you were winning to me," Kizmel commented, drawing his attention to her for the first time since she had revealed herself. His eyes, just like the bandits', wandered up to a spot just above her head, and she could see the suppressed flinch. Curious.

"Him? He wasn't that tough," the guildmaster of Fuurinkazan admitted. "I honestly had more trouble making it look like I wasn't winning to keep him fighting."

"Good point," she acknowledged. "I'm glad we got here when we could. When Argo informed us that you might have been waylaid, we feared that we would not have made it in time."

"So, Argo's the one who called you, eh?" He shifted his bandanna around and his eyes wandered to the diminutive woman in the corner who was dealing with their belligerent captive. "Guess I owe her one. And you two, too."

"I think you'll find that there's no debt that needs to be paid," Kizmel replied with a glance at her partner.

Despite his appearance, Klein was perceptive enough to notice. "He still on about that, eh? Hey, Kirito, man, how many times have I told you to let it go? You did me a solid back then, we're good. Even if we weren't, we totally would be now, so come on, man."

He stepped up next to the quiet swordsman and elbowed him in the ribs. "So, what's the deal with her? Last I heard, you were traveling with that cutie Asuna the Flash." The red-haired man shot her a wary look as he leaned closer. "And is she, uh...friendly?"

Kizmel wasn't surprised by this reaction; the clearers were only just getting used to her, and after two months on the front lines there were still those who looked upon her guardedly or avoided her outright. Swordmasters farther removed from the front tended to often react like the Black Cats first had, or, worse, with outright fear and suspicion. Klein, however, seemed to catch himself quickly and banished the hesitant look from his face as he forced his body to relax. The rest of his fellow swordmasters took that as a cue to follow suit, and once more it struck Kizmel that the man seemed to be a good leader.

The question got a little smile from her partner. "Yeah, she's friendly. It's a long story, just...think of Kizmel as a player for now, all right? I'll fill you in some other time."

"Another player, huh?" Klein turned to look at her, his eyes settling on her now that he understood that he and his men had nothing to fear from her as he examined her for the first time. She felt a little uncomfortable at the scrutiny, but understood why when his eyes lingered on her lilac hair and pointed elven ears. "An elf?" he whispered, almost to himself.

Kizmel took that as her opening to introduce herself. "Indeed. I am Kizmel, of the Pagoda Knights brigade, hailing from the Dark Elven kingdom of Lyusula. It's a pleasure to meet you, Guildmaster Klein. I've heard much about you," she said with a curt bow.

He froze up, seemingly caught by surprise, before a grin spread across his lips. The smile drained from Kirito's face at the same moment, and Kizmel's stomach dropped at the sudden thought that something was going to be very, very wrong.

The tall red-haired main took a step towards her. Then, to her surprise, he snapped to attention, before bowing deeply at the waist with remarkable precision and speed. "Hello, my name is Klein, twenty-three years old, single, looking for-oof!"

He suddenly cut off as Kirito elbowed him in the side while the rest of his guildmates crowded around the pair trying to pull him back upright and clamp a hand over his mouth. The entire scene looked frankly ridiculous to the dark elf, and her expression must have reflected that as her partner looked at her with a wry smile.

"Sorry about that, he's a good guy, just a little...strange sometimes, when it comes to women."

She heard the other swordmasters arguing with their leader in hushed tones, her elven hearing catching repeated uses of the phrase don't piss off the scary over-leveled NPC that could wipe the floor with us without breaking a sweat. The absurdity of the situation caused a chuckle to escape her throat, the sound of which quieted the bickering before her. Seven pairs of eyes turned to her, six of them terrified, one pair exasperated.

It just made her laugh harder.

-------------------------------

"Thanks again," Klein said as he shook her partner's hand. They were outside of a small cottage that was the current home of Fuurinkazan; Argo had split off from the group after they had exited the dungeon, informing them that she would take their captive down to the first floor to be dealt with - whatever that entailed, Kizmel wasn't sure she wanted to know, especially considering the gleam in Argo's eyes. With the diminutive information dealer dragging their subdued prisoner behind her, it had fallen to Kizmel and Kirito to escort the small guild to their home on the seventeenth floor.

The dark elf noted absently that the floor's architecture, which Kirito had once mentioned to her was similar to that of his ancestral homeland, was much different from the solid stone or wooden structures she had seen in human settlements so far. It looked almost delicate, with sweeping arches and thin paper walls and windows. But the sightseeing would have to wait for another time. During their journey the dark elf had found that she quite liked the little guild. They reminded her very much of the Moonlit Black Cats and the way they acted around each other like family.

After the initial introductions had been gotten out of the way, the six had been quick to include her in their conversation, asking about her and wanting to know of her adventures with Kirito. Ostensibly, she knew, some of that was more to do with their interest in the swordsman and wanting to know about him, but the ease with which they approached her and treated her almost as one of their own without fear or hesitation was something she hadn't even found among the Black Cats, aside from Sachi.

"You sure you guys don't want to come in for a bit?"

Kirito shook his head at the offer. "Maybe another time. We...kind of ran out on some people. We need to get back and let them know everything's all right."

The leader of Fuurinkazan scratched the back of his head again. "Right, right...sorry for the trouble again."

"Don't worry about it," her partner waved him off as he turned around to leave. "I'll see you around, Klein."

"Don't be a stranger, man!" He waved after the swordsman. "You guys are always welcome to stop by!"

When Kizmel began to follow, Klein spoke again, calling her name.

The dark elf turned and for a moment, she paused, stunned by the sight in front of her. By all intents, Kirito had only been half-joking when he had described the older man's appearance as almost bandit-like, scruffy as it was with the bandanna on top. But here, now, silhouetted by the light sprawling from the open door and flanked by his five comrades standing at attention in their gleaming red armor, she had to admit he cut a dashing figure, the kind that would be found in the stories of battlefield heroes.

"Yes?" she asked.

Klein's eyes wandered to where her partner had strode off to, a few paces ahead. "I know it's a lot to ask for someone you've just met, but I have a request."

"Name it, and I shall see what can be done," she replied gently.

"I know he can be difficult at times, and he's pretty much addicted to battle, but he's a good guy. We heard from Argo about him and Asuna splitting up after the boss fight on the twenty-fifth floor. It's good to see he's not alone. So please, take care of him, would you? I can't do it myself, not yet." The guildmaster bowed his head, and the rest of his men followed suit.

A soft smile spread across her lips. It would appear that Kirito had more friends than he had believed, not that it surprised her entirely. "You have my word. As long as I am able, as long as I can lift my blade, I will watch over him."

The answering grin that split Klein's face was all the affirmation she needed as she threw them a quick salute, before hurrying off after Kirito. The two continued their walk through the dark streets of the seventeenth floor in companionable silence, the town devoid of activity at this time of night. "Sorry about Klein," the swordsman said suddenly.

The dark elf smiled at her partner. "It was no trouble at all. It was rather...charming. He seems to speak his mind freely, which is refreshing."

"He does," Kirito chuckled. "Although sometimes I think he gets a little too into it."

"I admit that while he was rather...forward, it was enjoyable to be courted. If only for a brief moment," the dark elf smiled despite the awkwardness the situation had initially caused.

"You wouldn't if you knew he did that with everything female on two legs," her partner muttered, but she only laughed.

"Kirito," she chuckled, "even if I were so inclined, his request would require my Queen's permission. Besides, despite his appearance, he does strike me as reliable."

The swordsman by her side nodded reluctantly. "I know. He's managed to keep his guild together this entire time, and he hasn't lost a single one. I can't even imagine how difficult that must have been."

"He does seem to be a good leader," Kizmel agreed. "And they seem strong, stronger perhaps than the Black Cats."

Kirito smiled wryly as he shook his head. "I think the only thing holding them back for now is the fact that they need to get some decent tank gear. They've got enough DPS to do the job, but eventually, you'll run into something you can't just kill faster than it kills you."

"I did not see a shield among them, that much is true," the dusky elf noted as she thought back to the six swordmasters. "But their armor seems to be heavier than what the Black Cats use, so perhaps they rely on that, instead."

"They do." Kirito shrugged as they arrived at the teleport gate. "The advantage is that they can all share the forward position and rotate in if need be. The downside to it is that none of them are really specialized for it. I get what they were trying to do, having a bunch of generalists instead of specialists for each role."

"So that they could fill in for each other, regardless of who was missing, injured, or out of commission," the dark elf realized as her partner nodded. "It makes sense, but it also means their forwards are more vulnerable."

"That's true. It generally means they have to rotate and switch out more frequently, whereas with Sachi and Tetsuo, nothing short of an unexpected boss encounter or something like that should take them down enough to need an emergency rotation. That's also the kind of fighting style the KoB are trying to get going for the floor bosses, because it's the most efficient, and it keeps the most people safe."

Kizmel pondered that for a moment, considering the oddity that her partner was so well versed in the kinds of battle formations needed for the Pillar Guardians, but perhaps it had to do with these other worlds he had visited. It made sense to her, however, that the safest approach would be to have dedicated forward "tanks," as the swordmasters called them, that could be guaranteed to soak up the attacks of the guardians rather than have a number of generalists who might not be able to remain in place for long before having to be rotated.

"Then why would Guildmaster Klein choose the approach he did for Fuurinkazan?" she asked after considering the matter. "It would seem that perhaps the way we have taught the Black Cats to fight would be more beneficial, especially if they intend to join the clearing group later on."

Her partner hummed in thought. "I wouldn't say that. What we've been doing isn't necessarily safer. I mean, it is, but it's because we were around in the beginning to pick up the slack. Imagine if we hadn't been there early on."

Kizmel thought back to the earliest practice sessions they had had. With Sachi as reluctant and fearful as she was then...if they had engaged in actual battle against dangerous foes, only Tetsuo would have been able to jump in. And if he had been occupied, their entire flank would have collapsed...The realization must have shown on her face, because Kirito chuckled weakly.

"Yeah. The way Fuurinkazan's doing things isn't necessarily bad. It's keeping them safe, and it means that anyone can immediately jump in for anyone else. It's just not great for boss fights, and it also means that once they run into tougher enemies, they'll have to either deal damage faster than they're taking it, or actually have a dedicated forward." The swordsman shrugged. "At times I actually worry a little bit that we're rushing the Black Cats too far, too fast."

"What do you mean?"

He looked up at the sky, silent, for a second before answering, uncharacteristically hesitant. "I've...seen things like this happen before. Where someone who means well helped a group out. In some of the other...worlds...I've seen. Sometimes it ended well, but other times..." he shrugged. "We have a proverb where we come from. 'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for life.'"

"You are afraid that the Black Cats will become so accustomed to our presence that they will be unable to do things on their own?" Kizmel frowned. "That seems unlikely. But perhaps..."

Her eyes shot to her partner. "You believe they will be accustomed to us being there for their safety that they will take unnecessary risks?"

"The thing that's holding Fuurinkazan back right now isn't levels," Kirito explained. "If anything, I think they're even more tightly knit and determined than the Black Cats, so the fact that Keita, Sachi, and the others are actually on par with Klein and his guys is pretty amazing. But because we were around to help them, the Black Cats were able to hunt on higher floors than they would've otherwise been able to. That means they progressed faster and made more money than, say, Fuurinkazan."

"They were able to buy the equipment they needed, and afford the necessary maintenance."

"That's right. I'm betting you that the only reason Fuurinkazan isn't further ahead right now is because they've realized that they need better weapons and armor, and maybe a shield or two, so they might be hunting for materials or money, and spending some time getting those skills up to speed," Kirito said thoughtfully. "In a way, it's even more impressive that Klein's been able to go at this pace all by himself."

"I would not dismiss your own efforts, Kirito. Look at what you've achieved with the Black Cats, at how far they've come." Kizmel smiled at her partner. "And I do not think you need to worry too much about them. Yes, perhaps they're a little further than we are both comfortable with, but we will be around to guide them for a while longer."

"I had you to help me with that," he smiled wryly. "I don't think I could've done any of this without you, or Asuna."

"Then it is a good thing that we will be by your side for a long time yet, is it not?"

Kirito paused, glancing at her, and took a deep breath before smiling broadly. "Yeah...yeah, it is."

-------------------------------

The next morning found a slightly haggard and tired-looking group of six swordmasters and one dark elf sitting around a table for breakfast. Given the late night they had all had, it wasn't surprising that all of them had overslept, and when the two clearers had returned they had swiftly given the Black Cats the go-ahead to go to bed with an explanation promised for the morning, along with the assurance that everything was fine.

Keita had seemed a little subdued after the explanation the pair had just finished giving the Black Cats; while they had all seemed reassured that it hadn't been an immediate threat to themselves, all of them worried about the implications of swordmasters targeting their own in such a fashion. When Sachi had asked Kirito about what had prompted him to set them on alert before he'd left, the swordsman had little choice but to explain.

"A while back there was a couple of incidents on the same kinds of floors," he'd admitted, recalling the information Argo had related to them a few weeks ago. "Mid-level floors, mid-level players. A couple went missing, and we think they were abducted. We never figured out why or what for, all we knew is that they were unreachable by message or locator, and they were still alive. A couple of weeks ago they started showing back up; some of them catatonic, some of them dead, but all, we assume, abandoned in areas where they would likely be found."

That had sent a spike of worry through the small guild, and he hurried to continue. "We thought there may have been a connection to some earlier incidents with a couple of players we'd run into before. The kind who'd deliberately run a mob train on you for an MPK, or attempt a duel-PK. They also tried to get some violence started on the lower floors way back."

Kizmel noted that he'd left out the part of him in particular being a target of this group, but there was no point in overly worrying the Black Cats for now. Her partner continued with a shrug as he set down his mug. "Thankfully, they haven't been seen since - and there was no evidence they were even involved with the disappearances of the last month. We thought that if we had PKers loose on the mid-level floors it might be safer for you to stay together, but it turned out to just be robbers."

"Not that they were any better, from what you've said," Keita noted darkly. Apparently, the fact that a small guild much like theirs had been the victim of an incident like this did not sit well with him. "I can only imagine being stuck out in a dungeon, no weapon, no armor..."

"Yeah. They might not have actually killed anyone themselves, but they may as well have," Ducker agreed, uncharacteristically serious. The blonde was clenching his fists angrily as he stared down at the table. "I'm glad you guys got them."

"We didn't exactly get all of them," Kirito noted. When they all looked up, Kizmel picked up the response.

"There were fifteen of the criminals. We didn't have the means to secure and transport them all, so we had to be content with their leader. Argo said she was going to take him to what passes for a prison on the first floor, perhaps she will learn anything from him that will lead us to apprehending the rest."

Keita nodded in understanding. "True, there was only three of you. I hope he rots in prison." He opened his mouth to say something else, but took a moment to consider it. "I wonder why they only went for the mid-level floors, though. I get that they didn't want to risk going up against clearers or high-level players on the higher floors, but why not the lower ones?"

"Because of the Army," Sachi realized. "After the ALS and MTD merged, they've got a lot of relatively high-level people that could probably easily handle a couple of mid-level players. And they're all over the lower floors."

"Keep in mind, they'd also need numbers to overwhelm whoever they were targeting at any given time. There can't be that many of them, so going after smaller mid-level guilds would mean they have a better chance to have enough people to threaten them into submission without having to worry about the Army or higher-level clearers," Kirito added. "I don't think the Army really moves past the tenth or twelfth floor."

"I see." Keita nodded in understanding as the table fell silent.

"I'm surprised by the way they worked, though," Kizmel stated finally after a few moments. "They seemed to coerce their victims into giving up their valuables under the threat of violence, but surely it would have been easier at times to simply take them by force? Had they chosen to do so against Fuurinkazan last night, we would not have made it in time."

The swordmasters looked among themselves, before Kirito leaned forward. "There's a...a protection charm of sorts. We call it the Anti-Criminal Code. It's the same kind of charm that makes the inside of towns and dungeon safe zones secure. It basically protects us from any criminal actions - theft, attacks, and so on, from other swordmasters as long as we are inside, and trying to do anything will automatically teleport you to the prison on the first floor. Outside, there is no protection, but committing them causes us to be immediately labeled as criminals for all swordmasters and human town guards to see."

"Which means you'd be open to retaliation, capture, or even be killed by other swordmasters or the town guards," Sachi added.

Kizmel thought about this for a moment, before her eyes widened in surprise. "This is why you let them strike you first, isn't it? However you swordmasters perceive one another, I noticed that something changed about the two that had attacked you. You mentioned them 'going orange.'"

"That's right," her partner confirmed as Sachi gasped in surprise and the rest of the Black Cats turned sharply to look at him. "Believe it or not, I did have my reasons for that. It was either let them attack me first, or have you deal with them all. If you are labeled as a criminal, we refer to it as either going orange or red, depending on the severity. The charm also slightly alters how we appear to each other accordingly."

Alarmed at the implications, Kizmel sat up straight. "And this is permanent?"

"No, no," he calmed her down. "At least not initially. If you do it once, it wears off after some time. The more violations you accumulate, the harder it becomes to get rid of it. There's a few missions for the town guard that will grant amnesty. Because they attacked me, I was allowed to retaliate. But if they'd gone after you..."

Kirito shrugged helplessly as he trailed off. "The Anti-Criminal Code only takes effect between swordmasters."

I would have been open to attack by all of them, and unless he wished to risk being labeled as a criminal and "turning orange," for however short a period of time, Kirito could not have interfered, the dark elf realized with a start. Truly, there are many things I have yet to learn about the swordmasters.

She hadn't realized just how vulnerable she was among the swordmasters. Initially, she had believed that the swordmasters were working together and abiding by whatever common law bound them out of their own morality. This still seemed to be true for most of them, but now that she knew there was an added protection by an ancient magic charm, things began to look different.

I don't think many would think to attack me, especially among the clearers, but if any of them did choose to strike at me...

Her friends would be paying a hefty price if they decided to come to her aid.

However, it also meant something else. "I am not protected by this charm," she began slowly, "but that also means I am not bound by it. That is why they were afraid of me, was it not? Because they knew I could have struck at them without fear of consequences."

Keita's chuckle surprised her as the guildmaster answered her curious glance. "I think part of it may also have been that they realized just how outmatched they were with you, Kizmel." His words seemed to lift the Black Cats' spirits, as slow, if somewhat tired, smiles began to spread around the table.

"Is there a way for me to gain the same protection under this charm?" She looked at her partner as she asked, knowing that if any of them knew the answer, it would be him. Kirito appeared to know much about not just this world, but also the magic that had brought them here and made the swordmasters so different from the inhabitants of Aincrad.

"I don't know," he finally said after considering it. "I don't think so, not without actually gaining the same powers and attributes as a swordmaster. It may be possible, but I wouldn't know of a way."

"Is that even possible?" Sachi asked quietly. "To go from...from..." the girl's hesitant glance at Kizmel caused the dark elf to give her an encouraging nod. "To go from NPC to player?"

Weeks ago, this would have confused Kizmel somewhat, but now she understood what Sachi was truly asking: if there was a way for a native of Aincrad to become like the swordmasters themselves. Kirito shrugged, unsure of his answer.

"I don't know, but I'll ask around. Maybe Argo will know," he offered.

It appeared that her self-imposed mission to learn Mystic Scribing would encompass more than that simple charm. Whether all of the things that came with being a swordmaster - the protection charms, the ability to store and immediately retrieve items, sending messages and locating one another across vast distances - was all part of Mystic Scribing, or whether Mystic Scribing was merely one part of a larger whole, it all seemed tied to the mystery of the swordmasters themselves. Perhaps the sorcerer Kayaba would have the answer, perhaps she would find it along the way.

Returning her attention to their previous topic before they had gotten diverted, Kizmel considered the criminal swordmasters for a moment. "I suppose that is why they operated in the manner that they did, then," she commented. "If they could force their victims to voluntarily give up their valuables, they would not have invoked the protection charm."

"That's right." Kirito sighed and leaned back. "I'm just glad that whole thing got sorted out without too much violence, even if we didn't get them all. But I get the feeling this isn't over quite yet."

"Greed is a powerful motivator," the dusky elf concurred as the others around the table murmured in agreement. "Even if we had caught them all, there would have been others in the future."

"Then we have to get stronger still," Keita declared as he sat up straight and looked at the members of his guild. "We'll get strong enough so that we can not only help with the clearing group, but also to help keep people safe. Next time you need to go after someone like this, we'll be ready to help you protect them."

"They give thieves like me a bad name," Ducker agreed grimly.

Tetsuo and Sasamaru nodded their assent as well, and even Sachi had a determined look on her face. "It's bad enough if we have to worry about dying to this world," she said, "I don't want to have to worry about dying to one of our own, too."

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August 15th, 2023

"I think we can take it," Keita argued as they stood in front of the chamber of a dungeon on the twenty-seventh floor. Chancing a peek inside, they could see a dwarven champion lounging atop a throne with his attendants and warrior court surrounding him.

"Yeah, but keep in mind, I'm pretty sure that room is an anti-crystal zone," Kirito cautioned. "If we go in and have to retreat, it'll have to be the same way we came in."

"So we go in shields up, and if we have to bail, we go out shields up. The corridor's narrow enough two tanks can cover it." The guildmaster grinned at Kirito. "Come on, you know we can take them. There's one champion and three elites, we've taken on more. Tetsuo can keep the champion busy, Sachi and Sasamaru can handle the elites, and Ducker and I can knock one of them out."

"I don't know..." her partner hesitated. "That's one more elite than I'm comfortable letting you handle on your own. Without actual support or a second line..." Kizmel, however, worried that perhaps they weren't quite ready for it, even if Kirito seemed to consider it.

She understood the Black Cats' desire to grow stronger even quicker. Part of it was removing themselves from the immediate danger of being targeted by robbers and bandits much like the "orange" swordmasters that had tried to rob Fuurinkazan. The other part was their own desire to be strong enough to help, whether that be by battling the pillar guardians, exploring the higher floors, or helping guard their fellow swordmasters from criminals. The past week had seen Keita push the Black Cats harder than he ever had before, with the long days even leaving Kizmel and Kirito drained enough to stop them from going on their nightly hunting expeditions. As a result, they had been pushing higher and higher, narrowing their safety margin, but the Black Cats had also grown in strength as a result.

The presence of anti-crystal traps made things much more dangerous. The dark elf still marveled at the items that Kirito had informed her had begun appearing on the twenty-fifth floor as a reward from the townspeople and monster spoils alike. They had many uses, from curing poisons to healing even the most grievous wounds instantly, but most of all, there were those that could teleport one to the safety of any settlement with only a handful of words.

They were expensive, befitting their rarity, however Kirito had made it a policy to always keep a few on hand, and he made sure that every one of them carried at least a teleportation crystal at any given time. Keita had made attempts at paying him back for the expense, but Kirito hadn't taken a no for an answer. If the zone permitted the use of crystals, perhaps Kizmel might have considered it, but being an anti-crystal zone, it would not only cut off their quickest avenue of retreat, but also prevent the use of healing crystals, should things become dire.

Perhaps this was pushing things a little too far. If there were one less foe to fight, perhaps they could handle it, even without crystals. But with four opponents against the five of them, it was simply too many enemies to keep track of, even if most of the Black Cats were level-30, and thus supposedly stronger than the creatures on this floor. However...

"A compromise, then," Kizmel offered, as she realized Keita was going to continue arguing the point, and only Sachi seemed to be concerned with the odds they were facing. "For our peace of mind. Allow myself or Kirito to occupy one of the enemy until you have thinned their ranks. This would not be the first time we have used such an arrangement, and it would leave one of us free to step in, should it become necessary."

The Black Cats' leader appeared to weigh his options for a moment, before glancing back at his party. "You may be right," he finally relented. "Sorry, I guess I got a little overzealous."

The dark elf gave him an encouraging smile. "I applaud your enthusiasm, Keita, but please also remember that for us, your safety is paramount to all other concerns. I understand that you wish to grow stronger, and that doing so requires testing yourself to your very limits, but whether it takes you one additional day or not is not as important as all of you remaining alive."

The brief look of relief that crossed Sachi's features told Kizmel that she had made the right decision. If they had engaged as they were, the forwards would have been left handling either one champion or two elite foes each with no backup, and she could see that despite all of the strides they had made, the girl still felt safer knowing the others were next to her or right behind her.

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Sachi let out a sigh of relief when Keita agreed to let Kirito kite one of the elites around the room. A few minutes later, they had worked out their plan of attack; Tetsuo would hold the champion, while Sachi would occupy one of the elites. That left Keita, Sasamaru, and Ducker free to deal with the last add before splitting into their usual pairs. Despite all of the practice she'd had over the last few weeks working with Kirito and Kizmel, Sachi was still apprehensive.

She hadn't been entirely comfortable with pushing past the twenty-sixth floor, but Keita had insisted that they were strong enough, and that they needed to practice against mobs that were able to use sword skills, rather than just beasts. The twenty-seventh floor, unlike the previous level, was almost entirely underground and as such featured corridors and passageways hewn out of rough stone as well as the elaborate carving and tunnelwork of past dwarven civilizations.

Of course, this also meant that usually there wasn't a whole lot of room to fight, which actually worked in their favor. It allowed her and Tetsuo to stand shoulder to shoulder, blocking almost the entire width of some corridors while Sasamaru and Keita reached over their shoulders to attack.

"You guys ready?" Keita asked at the head of the group. "Remember guys, Sachi and Tetsuo, just keep your ones busy until we've dealt with one, then we'll come help you guys. Don't get too aggressive, just defend if you have to."

A chorus of replies later, he nodded and they filed into the room, spreading out from their usual formation. Sachi found herself facing a stocky dwarf who had foregone the usual axe and instead wielded a one handed spear and a stout shield. A quick glance out of the corner of her eye told her that Tetsuo had lined up his own target, while Keita and Sasamaru were moving in on theirs.

"Who dares disturb the rest of Basdrod Bronzeheart?" the champion drawled as he rose from his throne. "Who dares defile these hallowed halls? Show yourselves, vermin!"

Looks like he might be a quest NPC for something, Sachi thought to herself as she hefted her own shield in preparation. The large dwarf atop the dais slowly descended, reaching for the two axes that rested against the sides of the throne. The system popped up cursors and icons for the four dwarves in the chamber. [Basdrod Bronzeheart, Dwarven King] stood at the center, his cursor a dark blood red, while the four [Elite Dwarven Guards] flanked him, their cursors a comfortingly lighter shade of red.

"Humans...and a dark elf. It has been centuries since I last saw your kin, and longer still since I have slain any. Your bones shall make a fine addition to my collection. Guardians! Rouse yourselves from your slumber, we go to battle!"

As if on cue, the elites brandished their own weapons, and as they charged in, Sachi braced herself. The spear glanced off her shield, and she used the opening to close further inside of its reach, Kizmel's teachings of always keeping a weapon or shield between herself and her opponent in mind. Her left leg stepped forward, the shield that had kept control of the spear rising to slam into the dwarf's stout figure.

Short as she was, the dwarf before her was shorter still, and she used it to her advantage to reach her blade over the top of his shield to aim a quick thrust into his chest. It wasn't a sword skill, but it was enough to get his attention. A flash of light from the corner of her eye told her that Kirito had engaged his own opponent, drawing him off easily, while Tetsuo and the champion were having a standoff.

Her foe shifted his balance onto his back foot, and she hurried to compensate as he withdrew a few paces to bring his spearpoint to bear again. Her legs moved forward of her own accord, keeping the gap small to prevent him from using his weapon. Sachi's instincts were screaming at her to back off, to put the safety of distance between herself and her opponent, but Kizmel's training took over as she willed herself to move forward.

She slid forward, keeping her shield pressed up against the dwarf's spear. Just keep him occupied, no need to try and go for the kill, she thought to herself. As long as I stay close, he can't really attack me. The dwarf stepped back again, but before she could follow he lunged forward, his shield glowing with the green light of a sword skill as he launched himself at her. Reflexively, she ducked behind her shield, feeling the impact push against her.

Sachi held firm, determined to use the opening the post-skill delay would give her to push her advantage again, but something grabbed the rim of her shield and yanked. The girl gasped in surprise when her protection was almost wrenched from her grasp, the beard of the dwarf's axe hooked over its rim. A moment later she realized that he must have dropped his spear and drawn something more useful for the kinds of close-quarters they were fighting in.

Did he use Quick-Change? She only had a second to wonder, but after taking a hasty step back Sachi caught the haft of the abandoned spear on the ground from the corner of her eye. "Look out," she called over to her guildmates. "They're carrying secondary weapons!"

With her advantageous position gone, she circled around, trying to keep an eye on the dwarven elite as he swayed from side to side, the axe swishing through the air. I can't let him get a hold of my shield like that again. The axe stopped spinning and glowed. The dwarf brought the weapon up high into the air, striking downwards at her shield, again and again and Sachi swore she could hear the metal rim screeching as it bent and the wood splintered under the furious assault. The attack, however, left her opponent open enough with his right arm forward and exposed from behind the shield.

Her own blade came up and across her body as it glowed with blue light. The system assist took over, and she threw her arm and shoulder into the swing as it hurtled downwards, through the dwarf's forearm and back up across his torso. The severed limb fell to the floor, taking the axe with it, and the dwarf recoiled with a snarl while Sachi froze in her own skill delay.

The limb would eventually return if the mob disengaged from battle or respawned, but for now, he was effectively disarmed, and Sachi breathed a sigh of relief as she chanced a brief look around the room to see how the others were doing. Tetsuo was holding his own, taking blow after blow from the champion's two axes on his shield and hunkering down. Her eyes passed over where Kirito was dancing with a second elite, to come to rest on the third just as Keita's staff came spinning from the side, its arc sweeping into the dwarf and launching him against the far wall to shatter into colorful polygons.

With the death of one and the fact that her opponent was down his right arm, Sachi hefted her own blade, somewhat emboldened. The dwarf had circled around, but she followed him easily. With no weapon and just a shield to defend himself with, the Horizontal Arc she launched at him easily found its mark, the first strike glancing off his shield while the second bit deep into the throat, draining the remainder of his life bar with the strike to the vital point.

"Ready, Sachi?" Kirito called from across the room.

She took a moment to settle herself and calm her heartbeat. "Ready," she confirmed, and he moved past her, allowing the mob he'd been kiting around to aggro on her. A moment later, Sasamaru stood behind her, his spear a reassuring presence over her shoulder as she squared off against the last elite.

With the odds against them swinging in their favor, it took only a handful of minutes before the last elite dwarven guard fell to the ground and exploded into motes of azure light. Tetsuo, meanwhile, had been having a slightly rougher time with the champion even with Keita and Ducker to back him up. As Sachi glanced into the corner of her HUD to the party status window, she noted that he had lost about a quarter of his health, while Keita and Sasamaru had both taken the breather after defeating their elite guard to down a potion.

Sachi herself was in decent shape, the only damage dealt to her having bled through her shield from the hard impacts of the dwarf's battle axe. "Tetsuo," she called out as she rushed over with Sasamaru next to her. "Switch!"

The mace-user responded almost instantly, launching himself into the air to come crashing down with the full force of the system assist, his body weight, and the mass of his armor, the glowing purple mace slamming into Bronzeheart's guard and pushing his crossed axes to the floor. Sachi took full advantage of the opening, leaping into the gap with a Rage Spike, the tip of her sword carving a line across the dwarven king's pauldron. His attention immediately turned to her, his beady eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You will wish you had remained on the surface!" The shout was followed by the large dwarf crouching and launching himself forward, spinning like a demented top while the axes in his hands glowed a vicious red.

This time she felt herself get pushed back, unable to fully bring her shield up due to the backlash of her Rage Spike, and each impact against her shield rattled her to the bones. The skill spent itself on her defensive barrier with a final, decisive swing, and then she heard the last sound she ever wanted to hear.

Crack.

The durability warning flashed in the corner of her vision, and the shield crumbled into polygons. Her eyes opened wide as the axe head struck her chest, leaving an angry red gash carved across her virtual body. She felt no pain, but her HP gauge flashed angrily as it drained from a healthy blue into the yellow.

Sachi opened her mouth to shout for help, but Sasamaru leapt in from the side, his spear trailing green light as it stabbed out, leaving three angry red holes across Bronzeheart's torso and staggering him backwards. Ducker leapt at the chance and came in from behind the dwarf, his own weapon glowing angrily.

She fell back, letting Keita take her place. Absently reaching for a health potion, she watched in a haze as Keita and Sasamaru brawled with the dwarven champion, Tetsuo joining them a few heartbeats later. The life bars of her fellow Black Cats stopped draining precariously as the tank rejoined the fight after healing up.

She stood helplessly on the side as her friends fought, aware of Kizmel's worried eyes on her. I have to do something, she thought to herself, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. I can't let them fight alone. Tetsuo's depending on someone to switch out with him, and Keita can't hold him off for long. But without my shield...

Neither the dark elf nor the swordsman who had been training them for the past few months had yet stepped in. She knew Kirito could see their HP bars just as well as herself, and she'd caught him struggling with himself on whether to step in or not several times. Kizmel, she knew, would be wanting nothing more than to leap in and vanquish their foes for them, too.

But both of them knew that the Black Cats wouldn't learn anything that way. We pushed this far. They're trusting us to handle this on our own. If we always come back to them for help, we'll never be strong enough to stand on our own. Her gaze wandered to Kirito. The swordsman didn't need a shield to protect himself. He was significantly over-leveled, that was true, but when he was fighting she'd never even seen him get hit. He was always in motion, avoiding what strikes he could and parrying those he couldn't.

One particular lesson came back to her from the time they had spent on the twenty-fifth floor, dealing with mobs that had given even the clearers trouble at the time. If you can't block an attack, avoid it. If you can't avoid it and feel it's going to break your guard, you have to hit it with something just as strong. Hit a sword skill with another sword skill if you have to.

A shout came from the melee before her, and Tetsuo's HP bar took a precarious dip back into the yellow as Bronzeheart bellowed in rage and spun again, scattering the Black Cats that were besieging him on all sides. Keita and Sasamaru can't take much more of this, she thought. The two polearm users had already lost just under half of their life, and without a shield to block it, the tumble status effect icons blinked angrily next to their names.

Tetsuo managed to get back to his feet, his shield having protected him from taking the debuff, but Bronzeheart recovered faster. With a roar, the dwarf launched himself at Tetsuo, axes trailing blue light as he leapt high into the air for a vicious overhead blow. The axes crashed into Tetsuo's shield, pushing him back further as the champion continued his relentless assault, and she could see the damage that bled through slowly trickling through to her friend's life bar.

I don't think his shield can take much more of this, either. "Tetsuo!" she screamed, running forward. "Switch!"

The tank, despite his confusion, reacted instantly as they had been drilled and pulled back, leaving Bronzeheart a few paces away with a feral grin on his stocky dwarven face. He wound up for another overhead leap, bringing his axes up and over his shoulders.

Sachi dashed in between the two, her blade glowing blue as she swung it from left to right, connecting with the axes in an explosion of light and sound. The glow around her sword dimmed slowly, but she pushed more of her body weight into the attack, willing every ounce of her strength into the attack. The glow around her sword regained it former luster, and with a scream she only belatedly realized came from her own throat, the axes lost their power. The return stroke of the Horizontal Arc struck the sides of the dwarven weapons, knocking them aside.

For a moment she caught her breath, looking at the enemy before her, still frozen in the finishing stance of her attack. Keita and Ducker took advantage of the opening, ignoring their depleted HP, and leapt in, weapons blazing with light. Bronzeheart's own life bar drained past yellow into the red, and the moment Sachi felt the system release her body from its frozen state, she rushed in between her two guildmates, sword glowing red as she carved it up from right to left before flipping her wrist and guiding it back in the two remaining strokes of a Sharp Nail.

The triangular trace it left in the dwarf's body sent him reeling backwards and howling with pain. Sasamaru stepped into the opening and followed it up with a Triad before Keita recovered and emptied the champion's HP gauge with a vicious overhead swing that made Sachi wince from the sheer impact of it.

All of them were left breathing hard in the silence that followed, and the girl had to fight to keep her hands from shaking as the adrenaline left her body.

A slow clapping filled the silence, causing all of them to look around hesitantly. Finally, her eyes settled on a hooded figure at the entrance of the room, the features hidden in the shadows. The dark, reflective poncho he wore was ragged and torn, and a large cleaver hung from his belt.

"Not bad, Blackie. Not bad at all. This might be entertaining, after all."

Three others stepped out of the shadows, brandishing their weapons, the cursors above their heads the orange of criminals.

Chapter Text

August 15th, 2023

Kizmel knew something was wrong the moment she saw the hooded figure reveal himself, and the dark elf cursed herself for her inattentiveness. Her entire focus had been on their wards fighting with the dwarves, and she had taken her eye off the entrance to the chamber for only a moment. Ordinarily, that wouldn't have been much of a problem, other swordmasters had come across them every now and then, but always remained out of their way and waited their turn, something that Kirito had explained was common etiquette.

But these were not ordinary swordmasters. She could practically feel their bloodlust in the stale air of the chamber. Their worn, ragged cloaks and hooded features alone were uncharacteristic for swordmasters, their choice of weapons suspiciously ill-suited for battle against the many monsters and demi-human enemies they faced in Aincrad. The equipment they used looked ragged and in disrepair, but they carried themselves with the supreme confidence of predators. The way they seemed to simply melt from the shadows spoke of great skill in concealment, if they had even evaded Kirito's passive observation.

She couldn't even be sure if they had been here from the beginning or if they had happened upon them during the fighting, and they had simply missed their entry in the commotion. Beside her, her partner froze, his spine stiff with tension. His eyes were wide in recognition as they travelled over the new arrivals.

He knows them, the dark elven knight realized. The man, that poncho...it can't be.

"It's you...Morte's boss," Kirito spoke, his tone flat. Kizmel inhaled sharply at the confirmation of the man's identity.

Her eyes wandered over the rest of their uninvited guests. Then these must be the others. Morte, the one they call Joe...and one other. Her gaze drifted across the four men, settling on a hooded figure whose eyes glowed red like a demon, casting barely enough light to allow her to see a skull-like mask covering his face.

That one is dangerous. They all were, but this one gave her a cold feeling of dread. The thin, narrow blade in his hands reminded her of Asuna's rapier, though the blade was longer and had a simple crossguard instead of the more elaborate swept ring guard of her friend's preferred weapon.

"The...player-killers?" she asked quietly, the unusual words feeling foreign on her tongue, and Kirito nodded.

"That's them," he muttered coldly.

Behind them, the Black Cats' eyes wandered to her partner for a moment before they gathered themselves into a little group and slowly backed away while the four new swordmasters slowly advanced on them. The man who had spoken, who had clapped, opened his mouth again, his voice silken and smooth, his grin visible even under his hood.

"It's been a while, bro. You've just up and left me to find my fun elsewhere. Is that any way to treat your friends?" The tone appeared jovial, but there was no real emotion behind it.

"You're no friend of mine," her partner growled back.

The man in the poncho shook his head. "Really? That's a shame, because really, if you think about it, we're the same, you and I." The grin under the hood was barely visible, but the white teeth gleamed in the dim light. "We're both in this world because it lets us do what we want. We're finally free of what others think of us. If we want to steal, we steal. If we want to kill...we kill. I thought you'd finally realized that when you ditched that preachy girl you used to hang around with."

"Kirito is nothing like you and yours," Kizmel spat back in her partner's defense. It drew the man's attention to her, and the dark elf felt a chill run down her spine. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, she could feel the malice in them, and she shuddered as his eyes roamed her figure.

"I see you've picked up a new pet in her stead, one from this world. I guess you are getting used to living here. Good taste, at least," he commented in seeming light-heartedness. He turned back to address Kirito once more. "Anyway, you have one point, at least. We can't be friends if I've never introduced myself."

The smile stretched thin lips almost the width of his face. "You can call me PoH. I'm the Prince of Hell."

"Like the bear?" The absurd question had come from Ducker in the back, and Kizmel took it as another of those references the swordmasters had among themselves. The dark elf wanted to reach back and slap the dagger-user for his inane comment that would only serve to further provoke the PKers and escalate the situation, but the man who had called himself PoH actually laughed.

"Ahhh-ha-ha-ha, I like that one," he said, chuckling. "Yes, I suppose it does sound that bear's name, doesn't it? Unfortunately for you, my honey is death and carnage."

"What do you want?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Blackie. All in good time. Now, I've told you my name, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Kirito stiffened and brought his blade to bear. Kizmel took that as her cue and brought up her shield, shifting so that the Black Cats were behind her. It was difficult to keep an eye on the four circling them at once, but Kirito seemed to have focused his entire attention on PoH.

"No?" The man in the poncho shrugged. "Well, either way, Black Swordsman, you owe me. I missed out on a clean sweep on the fifth floor because of you. And because someone tipped off the Rat and got everyone else to rush in, we didn't even get the wipe on the ALS raid group we wanted a couple months back."

Kirito's spine stiffened until it was straight as an arrow, his muscles as taut as a loaded bow. "You're the one who fed Kibaou the bad intel on the boss."

The leader of the PK group shrugged before bowing with a flourish. "Y'all really should've seen that one coming. I mean, it's not the first time we've used Joe's little trick."

"How did you find us?"

PoH grinned maliciously. "You're not that hard to find, Black Swordsman. Despite the fact that you like to pretend you're just another solo nobody, when you're gone from the front lines for a while, people notice. And when they start asking questions, well, certain people are really good at providing answers...for a price."

"Argo would never-" Kizmel began, but she was cut off by the man with the glowing eyes in the skull mask, his eyes practically boring into her soul.

"Silence, pet. This is, not your, business."

PoH seemed to take the interruption in stride, however. "Argo herself? No. But she does sell to others. And who knows where this kind of information ends up. The beater himself power-leveling a tiny guild. Why, you were practically inviting us to the party and leaving the door wide open!"

"C'mon boss, I'm bored, let's get to the killing already," one of them whined, his voice shrill and high-pitched as he twirled a large dagger between his hands. "Get it on with Blackie already, I've been waiting to pay him back for what he almost did to Mamoru and almost MPKing us!"

The hard glare her partner sent at the one who had spoken froze even Kizmel for a moment as the swordsman seemed to radiate pure hatred in a manner that was utterly uncharacteristic for him. Before he could say anything, however, a second of the PKers laughed.

"Oooh, scary," the man said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Unlike the others, he wore no cloth hood, but his face was hidden beneath a chainmail coif that hung low on his forehead. In his hand was a sword, much like Kirito's. "How 'bout we go for round two, then? I don't see your little fencer girlfriend here to give you a hand this time, ah-ha-haaa."

"You see," PoH laughed, "you've been in just the right place a few too many times, Kirito. Perhaps it's time to...motivate you to stay out of our way."

His hand reached for the cleaver by his side.

"It's showtime."

-------------------------------

Kirito froze, half paralyzed by fear, half in anger. At himself or the man standing before him, he wasn't sure, but he was silently cursing himself for not thinking of this possibility. I led them straight to the Black Cats. He glared at the man in the poncho; the last time he had seen him had been in the catacombs below the fifth floor, and he had used a dagger then. Apparently he'd acquired a heftier weapon in the meantime, but the swordsman had no doubt that it was just as poisoned as the dagger he'd attempted to kill him with on the fifth.

And we're in an anti-crystal zone, which means no teleporting out, no healing crystals, and no antidote crystals. His sword came up to parry the cleaver that spun by his arm before coming around to halt a second strike at his wrist. The man in the poncho pulled back, a predatory grin visible under the cowl of his hood. He lunged forward again, coming in fast enough that Kirito's dodge still left the trailing edge of his coat to catch the blade.

"You're not bad, Blackie," he commented. "But tell me, do you actually know how to fight with that sharpened iron bar of yours? How to really fight with it?"

Kirito took the brief second of respite to glance from the corner of his eyes before forcefully wrenching his attention back to PoH. Kizmel and the red-eyed demon were locked in a high-speed exchange fast enough that even Kirito had trouble keeping up with it, Kizmel's slower, heavier blade not hindering her speed in the slightest. But her opponent demanded her full attention, which left the five Black Cats under siege from the other two, Joe and Morte laughing gleefully as they battered at Tetsuo's shield while Sasamaru and Keita attempted to keep them at a distance.

The swordsman launched a counterattack, the Rage Spike closing the gap between them in a heartbeat, but PoH was no longer where he'd been. The man spun out of the way with the grace of a dancer, bringing his cleaver down on Kirito's exposed wrist, and only a last-second flinch caused it to miss by a hair's width. The skill delay wore off, and Kirito withdrew slightly.

The PKer leapt into the opening, cleaver spinning in his hand as it flashed out repeatedly, and Kirito found himself submerged in a haze of flashing steel as he struggled to evade or parry the blows. He hurried to get his sword in between himself and a rapid thrust that came fast enough it may as well have had the force of the system assist behind it, and as the cleaver screamed against the flat of his blade sending sparks into the air, he turned the parry into the pre-motion for a Slant.

The sword skill activated, and he sent his full strength hurtling along with the system assist, ripping the blade towards his opponent's shoulder. PoH reacted in an instant, disengaging his blade from Kirito's and leaping backwards. The Slant caught the edge of the PKer's sleeve and trailed a shallow red line across his forearm. PoH laughed as he whirled around with the momentum and out of reach. "Too slow!"

Kirito had a brief second to reflect on that before his opponent was upon him again in a whirlwind of flashing steel and black cloth, and he hurried to deflect and avoid the incoming blade. He's not using sword skills, Kirito realized, stunned. He's just naturally that fast. The knife itself may not do a lot of damage if it does hit me, but if it's loaded with a paralysis poison, or anything else, he doesn't have to hit me for a lot of damage for it to do its job.

Backing away further bought him some space, and PoH seemed content to advance slowly. Kirito knew that this couldn't go on forever, especially as maniacal laughter from behind him mixed with shouts and heaving grunts he knew came from his partner being hard pressed. He didn't know how high level these guys were, but they were dangerous enough on their own in the past. In a group like this, they could all end up dead if they weren't careful.

Taking a second to catch his breath, he launched a quick Uppercut at his opponent, watching as PoH slid out of the way of his sword with almost contemptuous ease. Kirito realized his mistake a second too late as the PKer took the opportunity presented to him and struck like a snake. With the swordsman held in place for a fraction of a second by the system's skill delay, PoH snuck in and raked his blade across his forearm.

A warning flashed on his HUD, and a poison debuff icon appeared next to his HP bar in the top left corner of his vision, confirming his fears. Due to his level and stats, the poison was only affecting him slowly, trickling down his HP, and at least it wasn't a paralysis poison, but now he was on a timer, and he didn't think his opponent would be nice enough to let him take a time-out to swallow an antidote potion.

If I attack him with sword skills, he'll be able to read them, and they'll leave me open. PoH was good enough to capitalize on even the shortest pre- and post-motion delays, and was fast enough to take advantage of even the slightest opening. Unlike his opponent's weapon, Kirito's sword wasn't coated in any kind of venom, either, so while blows without system assist would do more damage than the knife's, it wouldn't be nearly enough to be dangerous, at least not in a hurry. To make matters worse, Kirito's sword was larger and heavier than the knife the other man used. It gave him an advantage in reach, but also meant it was slower and more unwieldy in extremely close quarters.

"What's the matter, bro?" PoH asked as he advanced slowly, cleaver spinning in his hand. "Afraid?"

Kirito didn't respond as the man came at him again, the effort of warding off more lightning-fast blows straining even his exceptional reflexes to their limit. Unlike the dagger-wielding Joe whom he'd fought before, or the duel-PKing Morte, their boss was much better at using his weapon of choice without the system. Instead of going for larger, easier to hit targets, he was slowly, methodically, probing his defenses, trying to cut his way in, from the wrists up to the arms, to the shoulders. If an opening was big enough, he took a shot at the vitals that Kirito knew would result in critical damage to his HP, but he was confident enough to know that the poison would do its job eventually.

The chilling realization went through the swordsman that the way PoH was whipping his knife around, slashing and striking with precision and speed that he'd never seen inside a VRMMO, was almost like the man knew how to fight with a knife from the real world. Kirito knew of very few people who could muster more than a basic baseball swing with their weapons in VR, and he suspected that the number of players that had any real knowledge of how to use a melee weapon was fairly low. Higher than in other games, considering SAO's setting and advertised combat, but there was a reason sword skills existed, after all.

PoH's unassisted combat style made up for the lack of power and system-assisted speed with experience and unpredictability, and with the poison ticking away at his HP, PoH would only have to outlast him, something the PKer certainly appeared capable of doing.

The worry about his partner and the Black Cats wasn't helping matters either, as a panicked shout from the other side of the room diverted his attention for a moment. It almost cost him as the cleaver nicked his forearm, his HUD flashing with another poison debuff stack. He's too fast. I can't keep up without the system assist. He was too busy to spare the attention and see much, but the mad maelstrom of flashing lights and steel hitting steel told him that Kizmel, at least, seemed to be holding her own, and the party status window told him the Black Cats were still in fairly good shape, although their HP was slowly draining from the damage bleeding through their defenses.

"Come on, Blackie, entertain me! You almost did in poor Morte over there, so I was expecting at least something out of you," PoH taunted from beneath his hood. "Ahhh-ha-ha-ha, look at him go, he's gotta be really upset I didn't let him have first crack at you!"

Even knowing it could be a trap, Kirito chanced a brief look away from his adversary to see the chainmail-wearing duel-PKer throw himself against Tetsuo's shield, his axe glowing with the use of a sword skill. Kirito's blood ran cold, and against his instincts, his feet shifted to run over to help.

"I wouldn't, bro," PoH drawled, idly twirling a black gleaming throwing spike in his off hand. "Bad things tend to happen when you turn your back." He inclined his head over to where Kizmel was barely keeping ahead of the red-eyed masked PKer, his thin blade a flash of lightning in the dim illumination of the room, stabbing out with a speed that almost matched Asuna's rapier. "Wouldn't want your new pet to get double-teamed now, would you? I don't think she'd last."

Cold dread settling in his gut, the swordsman turned back to his foe. I've gotta be faster. His blade flashed out in an arc, unassisted by the system, with as much power and speed as he could put behind it. It passed by PoH harmlessly, and the PKer skipped out of reach. "Tick-tock, Black Swordsman. Who do you think's gonna give out first? You to the poison? The NPC girl fighting XaXa? Or the kids playing with Morte and Joe?"

His grin shone with malice. "I hope you're not gonna disappoint me, Kirito."

With an angry bellow, Kirito launched himself forward, the Sonic Leap trailing green light as it flashed through the space between them. PoH stumbled backwards from the unexpected assault, but it was a fraction of a second too slow, and the blade left a shallow cut across his chest. Kirito realized his mistake the moment he locked up in the post-skill delay, and in the race between skill delay and knockback recovery, PoH won out by a heartbeat. The cleaver bit deep into his gut as the man passed by, too close for him to bring his sword between them to defend himself.

The growing poison stacks ate away at his HP faster. I've got maybe five minutes at this rate, if he doesn't land another hit on me.

"That's more like your rep, Blackie!" PoH grinned jovially. "But still, too slow. You just don't have what it takes to go for the kill!"

With a sinking feeling, Kirito suspected that he was right. It was something he'd realized months before, when he first dueled with Morte on the third floor. There was a huge difference between a duel in a game, even a PvP match, and a fight in SAO, where the consequences were fatal. The mindset required was much different, and along with that came the understanding of what victory in such a fight would cost in the world of Sword Art Online. It meant more than just lumps and a bruised ego, or even the lack of a few hours progress and XP loss.

It meant death, as surely as if they were fighting for their lives in the real world, and those who were truly willing to accept that and had the will to kill had an inherent advantage over those who didn't. Even if it was a fraction of a second spent second-guessing oneself, hesitation could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Between life and death. The fact that some players were willing to do it anyway reflected things about the people behind those avatars that Kirito didn't even want to think about.

Between that and the fact that PoH actually knew how to use his weapon without relying on the system assist, Kirito was beginning to doubt if he would be able to defeat him. Okay, so sword skills are out. They'll just leave me open. I've got to try something else, but what? A memory crossed his mind, almost forgotten. A time before he'd distanced himself from his family, before video games and the virtual world had consumed all of his attention. A time when his sister had stood by his side in defiance of their grandfather.

PoH isn't the only one who knows how to fight without the system assist.

The thought was insane, that he could match an expert knife-fighter with only the most basic of kendo training, but there were no other things to try, no other tricks to pull.

But can I really do this? It's been years since I've even held a shinai.

His feet intuitively settled shoulder width apart, and his left hand came up to join his right on the hilt of his hand-and-a-half sword. Basic stances, basic parries, static blocks. Footwork and balance. Timing and distance. All of which had been subsumed by the style of VR fighting that relied upon the system assist to pull off nearly impossible acrobatics and powerful sword skills to deliver devastating, combat-ending blows. But none of that would work here.

But just because sword skills existed, and most players didn't know how to actually competently use their weapons, didn't mean they never used manual attacks, at all. There were times when using a sword skill to finish off a severely wounded opponent was simply inefficient, or too dangerous, especially when faced with multiple foes.

Right foot forward. Blade up, middle-guard, tip towards the opponent's throat. It wasn't a shinai, but the sword in his hands was long and straight, and it would do.

I can't let him just keep attacking. Sooner or later he'll wear me down. And if he doesn't, his poison will get me. Thought in mind, the swordsman grit his teeth and launched himself forward. I've got one shot at this. "Kyaaaa!" the blade of his sword swung overhead. PoH, just as he'd expected him to, didn't bother to attempt to block or deflect the attack, but merely took a step back out of range as the downward swing struck nothing but thin air.

"Whoopsie, you almost got me with that one. Careful swinging that around, you might hurt someone with that," he tsk'ed as he danced backwards on light feet, grin never leaving his face.

Kirito ignored him as he turned the momentum of the missed blow into a follow-up strike, stomping forward with his left foot and flipping his wrists, bringing the blade swinging back up diagonally as he approached. His mind fought for control with his virtual body, trying to override muscle memory as almost a year of fighting in Aincrad warred with a childhood of kendo training from the distant past. Gotta go faster.

The poncho-wearing ganker smirked at the sight as he took another step to the side to avoid the second swing. "So, you do know how to fight!" He seemed almost elated at the fact, before stepping in from the side, cleaver reaching for Kirito's wrist.

It would have gone clean through and severed the hand, inflicting a missing limb debuff for a few minutes or until the system recognized Kirito as having left combat, but the swordsman had counted on it.

He pivoted sideways on his left foot, bringing his raised sword in between them and letting the cleaver strike with an unearthly screech of metal on metal as it bit into the edge of his blade. He pushed it forward in a straight thrust aimed at his opponent's throat, willing his arms and core to rotate and move. PoH's shorter weapon slid up his blade until it collided with the quillon of his sword, and he brought their joined weapons down in between them. Kirito's left hand clenched into a fist. Faster.

"Haaaa..." the Flash Blow took PoH by surprise as the uppercut struck him in the chest. The man had thrown himself backwards at the last second, turning the punch from a clean hit into a mere glancing blow, but the distance he'd put between them allowed Kirito to recover from the brief skill delay.

"You were holding out on me! That's just rude!" He laughed, just as emotionless as it had been before, but an edge of excitement started to creep into his tone. "That's it, come on, show me whatcha got!"

-------------------------------

Kizmel had never actually fought against one of the swordmasters before; it was an experience she had hoped to never have to make, as unlikely as it was, but traveling with Kirito and Asuna and interacting with the Black Cats and even the clearing group had somehow had made them more real to her. They had become more than foreign intruders on Aincrad, and had become people with their own worries, hopes, and dreams.

Even while training the Black Cats, they had usually avoided sparring. Kirito had even completely refused to use the dueling charm that allowed swordmasters to fight against each other without triggering a violation of the protection charm. When asked, he had explained that the implications of fighting each other were so disturbing to most of them that they were reluctant to take up arms against each other, even in practice. Knowing what she did now about their situation, Kizmel could finally appreciate his explanation and understand it.

They could have sparred against her, but again, Kirito had felt that mistakes could have been too easily made that might have resulted in serious injury to one or both parties, and he was unwilling to subject either herself or the Black Cats to that potential danger. Instead, they had practiced their techniques on the monsters and foes of Aincrad on the lower, safer, floors.

The masked man that stepped into her path, his blade leveled at her, was notably different from the regular swordmasters she had encountered to this point. "I hope, you can keep me, entertained, girl." The short, clipped staccato tones of her opponent were of less note than his glowing red eyes. If Kizmel hadn't known that he was a human, even if he was a swordmaster, she would have thought him a demon. The gleaming skull-like mask he wore only reinforced that notion.

The sheer speed and strength with which he wielded his strange sword would likely have added further credence to that assumption, and it was only her experience battling her Forest Elven and Fallen kin since meeting Asuna and Kirito that allowed her to keep up. The weapon the man was using had no edge, something she had noticed early on when a near miss had failed to leave so much as a scratch on her skin, but the force he could bring to bear bruised and battered regardless. Had it not been for her armor, the blow would have broken and shattered bone underneath.

As it was, he came at her with a speed that nearly matched his strength, his weapon stabbing out in lethal patterns. As her Reaver deflected an incoming Linear and they both froze in the backlash of their respective skills, the dark elf took a moment to observe her foe from close range. He's incredibly fast. Kirito's reflexes are better, but when it comes to sheer blade speed, I believe the only one I have ever seen who is faster is Asuna herself.

His blade was lighter than hers, and balanced for tip speed and control, whereas her saber's balance was further forward, allowing her to deliver devastating cuts and thrusts, but at the same time making it slower to wield. It was only the added protection of her shield allowed her to fully avoid being skewered by the demon's lightning-fast strikes. This foe would require her full attention, and as loathe as she was to leave the Black Cats to fend for themselves against the other two, she would be of no help to anyone if she was killed.

Besides, she trusted that the swordmasters she and Kirito had taught would not succumb easily. As she brought shield and blade around in a defensive whirlwind of steel and wood, the other's expression shifted from impassive to a strange mixture of irritated amusement.

"You do not, disappoint," he said evenly. "I did not, think a mere, NPC could, fight, like this! Were you, real, I would be, impressed!"

She pushed aside for a moment the odd wording of her opponent's taunt, recognizing the opening stance of a Triangular, and slipped out of the way in the nick of time, before returning the favour with a Slant. Despite the fact that he should have been frozen in the backlash of his skill, the red-eyed demon managed to twist his body just enough that her attack left a shallow red mark across his shoulder instead of opening him up from shoulder to hip.

"What are you after?" she ground out. "Why are you doing this?"

The man merely chuckled, withdrawing as he appeared to take stock of their surroundings. "You would, not, understand. The strength, of killing, for the, sake, of strength. You are a, doll, a mere, illusion within a, dream. Parroting things, you do, not, even understand!"

Her opponent spun elegantly, belying the bloodthirst radiating from him in a motion she remembered from watching Asuna fight. The realization came just in time for her to tilt her head to the side, letting the upper blow of the Diagonal Sting graze her cheek, while she moved her leg back and to the side to avoid the lower follow-up thrust. She stepped in close into the opening it created, whirling her saber into a point-blank Folium.

It was the most solid blow either of them had landed thus far, and he recoiled from the force of the impact. Red eyes dimmed in anger, and he wasted no time on theatrics as he lunged in a counterattack. Kizmel followed suit, her saber reaching out. Her Streak met his Oblique with a concussive boom that blew both combatants back in an explosion of clashing light.

I need to hurry this up. Kirito and the Black Cats need my help! Gritting her teeth against the crushing pressure, she rallied herself and, not bothering with proper form, threw herself into an aggressive spin that would have left her instructors shaking their heads in disapproval. Her body was pulled along by the charm, and she felt rather than heard the repeated metallic clang of her opponent's Triangular being battered aside by her heavier saber. Her opponent's grunt of surprise left her with a grim smile of satisfaction.

Before she felt her body lock up in the aftermath of the skill, she extended her left arm as her final spin finished, reaching out with the tip of her shield. The metal rim slammed into the demon in human form with the force of her momentum, backed by the waning power of the charm, and sent him sprawling across the chamber.

She felt her body move at the same instant her foe regained his feet. Treat me as a mere figment of a dream, will you? she thought with a scowl as she leapt forward, pushing herself in this contest of speed as her Full Moon raced against his Shooting Star. In that case, I'll not object if you keep underestimating me!

Their sword arts once again met in an explosion of light and pressure as her upward slash impacted with XaXa's weapon, smashing into the thin blade. The charm twisted her body around, using the momentum of her first swing to spin around and fuel a vicious downward stroke. He threw himself into a desperate, backwards tumble, the first break in her opponent's infuriating composure.

Kizmel rushed to press her attack the moment she could move again, but he had already recovered, his Stinger reaching out as she approached him. The dark elf snapped her shield into the path of the attack on sheer instinct, feeling the force of the blow rattle her shoulder as the two passed each other, having sacrificed her opportunity to attack by defending herself.

The next few minutes were spent in a blur of whirling steel as slashes and thrusts sought to pierce the other's defense. Kizmel's focus narrowed entirely onto her opponent, and it was only months of fighting alongside powerful swordmasters like Asuna and Kirito against foes no other Dark Elf had faced and lived, and years of discipline and training as a Pagoda Knight that kept her aware of her surroundings.

The player-killing swordmaster named XaXa was unlike any other foe she had ever fought. He easily had the physical strength to overwhelm her, much like the Forest Elven Hallowed Knight she had battled in the clearing on the third floor when Kirito and Asuna had come to her aid and changed her destiny. He was easily faster than even Viscount Yofilis, and he had more raw skill with the blade than any other swordmaster she had ever met, including Kirito.

She let out a low hiss as the tip of his weapon bit deeply into her side, finding the small opening between the pieces of her breastplate. But it also left him open, and her retaliation elicited a deeply satisfying grunt of surprise at the impact of her weapon and shield as it battered him backwards. Since the swordmasters didn't feel pain, she had begun using her shield as a bludgeon to knock him around and keep him off-balance.

"This is, fun, after all," he rasped out, grinning widely beneath his mask. "You are, not so bad, for a, program."

As she failed to fully evade a Parallel Sting and felt the cold steel part her flesh as it bit into her shoulder, she decided to abandon decorum. Grabbing a hold of the thin, narrow, edgeless weapon with her left hand, she brought up her gauntleted fist and punched her opponent in the face. It wouldn't do much damage to him, she knew, as she fought him for control over his weapon for the split second she would need to launch her own attack.

Their duel devolved into a vicious melee brawl, technique and stances forgotten in the moment as they grappled for supremacy, the swordmaster's superior strength warring with her flexibility and dexterity. She battered away at his head with her shield. He reached for her throat.

Kizmel dropped her saber, letting the weapon clatter to the ground and reached for the item that hung from her belt ever since the battle against the twenty-sixth floor's Pillar Guardian. As the PKer's grip on her windpipe tightened, his red eyes flashing with the pleasure of feeling a life extinguish beneath him, she reared back and jammed the obsidian spike into the side of his neck.

With a gasp of surprise, he fell back, fighting for control over his limbs as the poison took effect; it wasn't particularly powerful, considering where the spike had come from, but it was enough to buy her a few seconds as she scrambled for her sword.

"You are, exciting," the sheer malice and pleasure in his voice sent a shudder down her spine. "I will, delight, in killing you. Even more, than some, real, lives. This, game, has become, fun."

Perhaps I was wrong, she thought as she fought to calm her frantic breathing. Perhaps he is a demon wearing human skin, after all. This must be the real terror the swordmasters face. Not just the dangers of being trapped in a world far from their own, but the fear of the traitors within their own ranks.

With a savage yell, Kizmel launched himself at the demon disguised in human form before her, spinning her body through the air in an oblique Treble Scythe whose fury caught him unprepared, the three heavy strokes of her blade hammering at his defense, easily smashing through the thin blade he'd put up and sending him flying against the back wall of the chamber with bone-crushing force. He collapsed to one knee, before rising like a spectre.

The swordmasters felt no pain, no exhaustion. Any other opponent would have long given in to the damage she had inflicted and been incapacitated - and Kizmel herself was nearing that point; it was only her tough armor and shield that had spared her from suffering a lethal blow thus far. With cold dread settling inside her stomach, she realized that XaXa would keep rising and fighting until one of them was dead.

She grounded herself, determined to finish this battle and be the last one standing.

"Not bad," the demon wheezed as he approached. "But do you, really have, time, for this?"

A bone-chilling scream tore her attention away from her foe for a split second. "Noooooo! Sasamaru!"

It was followed by the sound of shattering glass and a wordless, voiceless scream that barely drowned out a maniacal cackle. She followed it to where her students, her wards, were fighting for their lives, and where the spearman had, just mere moments ago, fallen.

No...No! Something inside of her broke, shattered into a million pieces much like the bodies of the dead did in Aincrad, at the thought that she had failed the students that she had promised to keep safe, who had put their trust in her. Without a second thought, she flung her shield at XaXa, catching her opponent by surprise as she tore off towards where the lines of the Black Cats were crumbling.

-------------------------------

Surprisingly, Kirito found, the swords he was used to in Aincrad weren't too dissimilar from the shinai he had used to practice kendo what seemed like a lifetime ago now. If it had been Iai or anything else, I'd have been in serious trouble. But much like his weapon of choice in Aincrad, the bamboo training swords were straight and didn't really have a preferred edge, and he'd discovered he could do some very interesting things with the back edge of his blade and his fast reflexes. I think I'm gonna ask Kizmel if she can train me how to properly swing this thing around if we ever make it out of this.

Still, it was barely enough to keep him ahead of being turned into a shish kabob by the more experienced fighter, and the weight of the sword in his hands felt unfamiliar coupled with the moves he was attempting. Or perhaps I'm just really rusty, he thought, his slightly awkward riposte barely nicking PoH's shoulder.

A low feint failed to elicit the desired response from his opponent, and Kirito chose against the follow-up strike he'd planned and instead stepped backwards slightly to buy himself some breathing space.

"Not bad, bro, it looks like you know some tricks, after all!" The excited grin on the man sickened Kirito. "This is proving to be fun, after all!"

"Only someone like you...would call this...fun," the swordsman grit out as he hurried to deflect the PKer's renewed attacks. His blade arced out in a parry meant to intercept another lightning-fast slash, and Kirito reversed the direction of his wrists, snapping his sword around in a flat horizontal cut that would've taken PoH's head off had the man still been there.

But the PKer was a heartbeat faster, ducking in under the weapon and coming up to deliver a series of shallow cuts to his shoulder and flank. He grit his teeth against the attack as the HUD flashed out more warnings. My stats are high enough that the poison won't proc on every hit, but I can't let him get any more stacks on me. Another strike missed, and PoH laughed as he easily slid out of the way.

Kendo isn't really working, either, the swordsman thought grimly as his eyes flicked up to check on his steadily shrinking HP bar. He was already closing in on the halfway point, and it was dropping rapidly. I can do a few things without the system assist, but this weapon is just too slow for this...I can't out-swing him, but I can't keep him at reach indefinitely, either.

Clenching his teeth, he swung his sword again, in the simple patterns of the early kendo katas, forcing every ounce of speed and strength from his virtual avatar. If he could just land a single, solid hit, carve one solid chunk from his opponent's HP. He didn't need a sword skill to do damage, a hit to the right vital area would do.

Faster.

He brought the blade up in an arc that would have opened up its target from hip to shoulder, had it hit.

Faster.

The sword became a flash of silver in his hands as he rotated his wrists above his head and brought it down in a downward stroke designed to split his opponent's skull wide open.

Faster, dammit!

His feet followed the momentum of his blade, and he pushed off into a powerful thrust that would send it straight through PoH's torso.

As if to drive home the futility of the attempt, the PKer laughed as he slapped away the flat of his sword with the back of his hand, causing Kirito to overextend for a crucial second. He closed in, intent on going for the kill after having had his fun, but this time the swordsman was ready for him. Pushing off his right foot and using the change in direction from PoH deflecting his thrust, he threw himself, shoulder first, into the PKer, knocking them both off-balance and sending PoH toppling over. It doesn't matter if I don't strike to kill. If he gets low enough, he'll have to back off.

Kirito spun with his own fall, whipping his sword around and towards the ground as he aimed for where the other man was rolling back to his feet.

Faster!

He spun, letting the weight of the blade accelerate him like a mad spinning top in a demented imitation of his partner's Treble Scythe, and PoH was just a fraction of a second too slow, taking the brunt of the slash across his chest as the tip of the blade bounced off the ground after striking him.

Kirito kept on spinning, following his forward momentum and letting the blade carry him on to keep from falling, unleashing a flurry of attacks as he took advantage of their relative positions. Whether it was surprise or shock that slowed PoH's reactions by just a sliver, the swordsman leapt into the opening presented to him just the same, and finally, slowly, the PKer's HP bar began to drain.

"There you go, Blackie!" PoH crowed joyfully after Kirito had expended his momentum and come to a dizzying stop, leaving them both panting for air. "That's the way it should be! Can you feel it? The thrill? The freedom?" The PKer grinned, and Kirito was surprised that this time, it seemed less malicious than before. He ran his finger along the edge of his cleaver before looking back up at Kirito.

The swordsman was about to spit a hateful reply when with a panicked scream cut him off, and one of the life bars in the corner of his vision flashed an angry red before draining empty and winking out of existence. He froze, speechless and motionless in the moment, unable to process what had happened as Sasamaru's name vanished from the party window. Time slowed to a crawl as he looked over the sprawling melee happening in the chamber.

Kirito saw Kizmel brutally batter her own foe with her shield before abandoning him to make a mad, desperate dash to where the Black Cats were fighting for their lives. He saw Sachi's mouth opened in a wordless scream, her eyes filled with tears, anger, and hatred. He saw Keita's disbelieving expression, Tetsuo reaching valiantly for his fallen friend. Ducker's vengeful charge from behind, dagger glowing a deep purple as he leapt in with a Mirage Fang at Morte's back.

He opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it came too late as Joe dove in from the side, his own dagger surrounded by an electric blue light as it bit out into the blonde thief. The four thrusts of the PKer's Lightning Ripper drained Ducker's HP gauge faster than any health potion had a hope of restoring it. To their credit, the Black Cats hadn't panicked, as Keita had a healing crystal out and was pointing it, but Kirito didn't need to see the result to know it wouldn't work.

They were in an anti-crystal zone, after all.

A second life bar on his party window winked out.

Kirito's heart sank. His grip loosened on his sword, and he stumbled, mouth open in wordless protest. Kizmel arrived a half a heartbeat too late, and even the fact that her Fell Crescent carved through the air and took off Joe's right arm at the elbow almost didn't register.

PoH noticed the fight had gone out of his adversary, but seemed content to take in the carnage. "Looks like it was the kids that gave out first," he commented, as easily as if he were conversing about the weather. "And I think your new NPC girl's gonna be next, since she made the mistake of turning her back on XaXa."

"...Sasamaru...Ducker..."

"Well, looks like playtime's over, bro. It's been fun, but it's time to wrap this up." For the first time in their fight, PoH's weapon took on the distinctive glow of a sword skill.

It's over. Sasamaru...Ducker...they're dead. They're dead because PoH came after me. They're here because of me. Unseeing eyes watched as his partner traded furious blows with Morte, the axe-wielding duel-PKer hard-pressed by the dark elf's vengeance-fuelled rage, but even from this distance, he could see the pain in the set of her shoulders, the unshed tears that must be in her eyes.

Unblinking, he tracked XaXa as he rose, shaking off the disorientation from having been hit in the face with Kizmel's heavy shield, and moved to line up the perfect charge. His estoc came up and took aim to spear through his partner's back and deal a killing blow. My partner. Kizmel. His eyes flicked up to the corner of his vision, where three life bars still glowed yellow. Sachi, Keita, Tetsuo. I have to save them, even if it means I die here. I'll go through him if I have to.

His eyes settled on PoH, wandering to his glowing knife. Why would he use a sword skill now? There's no single dagger skill that can kill me outright, even with the poison. In a minute, maybe. And it'd leave him open just like it did me...

Pupils narrowed in suspicion. The PKer had to be up to something. No time to think about it. His blade came up, abandoning the kendo grip he'd used and the hilt shifted into his hand, settling as comfortably as though it had always meant to be. Blade parallel to the ground at shoulder-height, he spread his legs and lowered his center of balance. A dull red glow surrounded the blade, matched by a dull roar he wasn't sure only he could hear.

Wait for it.

PoH drew back, launching himself at him with the same malicious grin that had been plastered across his lips the entire time.

Wait for it.

The PKer approached almost in slow-motion, sword-arm tucked to his side, ready to slip out and deal whatever blow the system would guide him into.

Now.

Kirito released his body to the control of the system assist at the last moment before it could acknowledge the skill as failed, accelerating his arm and the blade forward as it catapulted him towards his opponent. The swordsman was aware that the skill he'd just released could end up fatal for the other man, but he was beyond caring. The roar increased in volume and pitch, and the thunder of a jet engine filled the chamber.

He felt a slight pull at the very tip of his sword, and loosened his wrist just enough for the point to twitch ever so slightly to the side.

The tip of a sword met the edge of a cleaver. By a stroke of luck or fate, the very tip had hit the very edge. Neither bit into the other, neither slipped or skidded off the other. Time stopped for an instant, the two sword skills discharging into the smallest of contact points with a thunderous report and blinding light.

A sharp ting filled the air, its twin so simultaneous they could have been mistaken for a single sound.

Kirito felt, rather than saw, the tremor run through his trusty sword. He had felt it once before, on the fourth floor, and just like his beloved Anneal Blade had then, the blade in his hand shattered from tip to hilt.

Across from him, as the light of the shattering blades reflected in dark eyes, PoH's expression was frozen in surprise when the cleaver in his hand did exactly the same.

The violent red light of the Vorpal Strike he'd unleashed, however, continued onwards, through the PKer's shoulder as it threw him back, the arm spraying red damage polygons in lieu of blood as it separated from the point of contact.

Across the room, red-eyed XaXa took his stance, and the weapon in his hands glowed as he shot towards Kizmel's unprotected back.

-------------------------------

Kizmel, Royal Guard of the Pagoda Knights brigade of the Dark Elven kingdom of Lyusula, honored knight of her majesty Queen Ilyndrathyl, had not often experienced failure. She was driven to excel, her warrior's spirit among the brightest of those in her training cadre from a young age. There were times during training when she had been unsuccessful at her given task, of course, but those instances were few and far between.

Fewer still were those instances on the battlefield once she had become a full knight and fought to protect her kingdom from the Forest Elves and the Fallen, where one misstep could lead to death. The only times she could remember feeling his abhorrent emotion of abject failure and utter despair was when she had heard of her sister's death and her brother-in-law's subsequent sacrifice, and even then it had been subsumed by a terrible need for vengeance. The grief had come later, the tears shed long after the blood had been.

Now the same burning desire to avenge the fallen warred with the sheer and utter grief of watching another of her students die as she was unable to reach him in time. She threw herself at his murderer, her charging Fell Crescent an orange streak of light as it disarmed her target - literally, the blade severing the swordmaster's right arm just below the elbow, effectively removing him from the fight for a few valuable minutes. She knew it was not a devastating blow to the swordmaster as he felt no pain, but it would take time for him to recover and regain use of that arm.

She wasted no further time on him, dismissing him without his dominant arm and weapon as it clattered to the ground and he howled in disbelief. Kizmel turned her attention on the last PKer out of the four - the chainmail-wearing axe-man, whom she recognized from her partner's description as the one named Morte. The one who had attempted to murder Kirito on the third floor, and who had been part of the group's attempts to play the ALS against the Dragon Knights.

Thoughts of their past machinations were lost to her, as she set upon him, taking little satisfaction in his surprised and almost fearful look as she allowed rage to fuel her swings. The dark elven knight hurled herself at her target in reckless abandon, intent on nothing more than removing the immediate threat from her surviving wards. This one, too, was skilled, though less so than the red-eyed demon she had been fighting before.

She still had to watch herself, but he didn't have the sheer speed and power of her previous opponent that had her hard pressed and on the defensive, and unlike XaXa, he continuously fell back from her furious assault despite the shield held in his left hand. The few attempts at counterattacks he made were batted aside despite her own lack of a shield, and after months spent fighting against and defeating the toughest enemies she had ever faced with Kirito by her side, this, too, would be just one more to add to their number.

From the corner of her eyes she noticed Tetsuo and Keita stepping into the opening she'd left, hammering their blunt weapons into the cloaked, dagger-wielding PKer who, without his weapon, had turned to flee. Kirito was hard-pressed by his own foe, apparently having lost the will to fight as their wards died around them, but she trusted that he hadn't given up. She paid neither of them much heed, her entire being focused on making the man before her pay for what he had done.

Gone were thoughts of justice from the honorable knight as she swung her blade with bone-crushing force, gone was the hesitation and doubt at fighting swordmasters as she punched and kicked and screamed out her grief, battering her opponent until panic had set into his eyes and his motions became frantic with desperation. A scream of fury came from her left, followed by the glowing blue blade of a Sonic Leap as Sachi came charging in. Her student's attack sent the PKer's frenetic Rage Blow sailing wide past her head.

Kizmel made him pay for his miss, taking advantage of the second the swordmaster was frozen by the backlash of the skill to unleash her own weapon charm. Battered by her Treble Scythe and caught between an angry dark elf and a grieving Sachi, he soon fell to his knees, a defiant, toothy grin on his lips.

Sachi stood over him, blade leveled at his face and heaving with sobs, tears streaming down her face as he laughed at their grief and sorrow, and Kizmel had half a mind to strike the finishing blow, herself. But she hesitated as the rush of battle subsided for a moment, and the rage left her for an instant as her training took over and she glanced around to take stock of their situation.

Tetsuo still appeared to have the upper hand against the now one-armed dagger-user, Kirito and the poncho-wearing PoH were currently occupied, and XaXa...

She cursed herself for letting her focus narrow on the target in front of her, blinded by grief and rage as she was, and spun, just in time to see the red-eyed demon pushing off the ground to streak towards her faster than most swordmasters could track. The tip of his weapon glowed blue as he closed the gap between them in a heartbeat, and the dark elf froze, time seeming to stretch for the second instant that day.

Sachi was bereft of her shield, and unfocused on anything other than the man she held at swordpoint, unable to do more than hold him at bay as he attempted to rise, axe back in hand, and only the fact that the girl's blade was pressed against his neck was keeping him from moving. Kirito was too far to help, the end of his duel with PoH having carried him to the far side of the chamber. Their battle concluded with a brilliant flash of red light, but even as Kirito froze from the backlash of the skill he'd used, she knew it would be too late to help her.

The glowing tip of the estoc approached, like a shooting star.

She watched helplessly, in that eternal moment, as her partner's weapon shattered, and her heart sank. Even if he had been close enough, what hope did he have without a weapon? For all his speed and agility, for all his skill, he was simply too far away, and the red-eyed demon closing in on her had a head start.

If she still had possession of her shield, she would've brought it in between them to take the brunt of the impact, but she had carelessly discarded it in a moment of rage to distract the very same opponent that was now coming to claim her life. Her saber rose in a desperate attempt to parry the lightning-fast charging thrust, but she knew it was too late.

The impact slammed into her, knocking the wind from her as she fell sideways. The lack of pain surprised her, but instinct took over and she rolled back to her feet...or tried to, finding an unexpected weight in her arms as she attempted to rise from her crouch.

Keita grimaced at her from his position on the ground, a red, glowing, violent line almost bisecting his torso width-wise, and her saber clattered to the ground as she released it to grab hold of the swordmaster in her arms.

"...Keita..."

She reacted as Kirito had taught her to do when a swordmaster was incapacitated, reaching for the healing potion on her belt, only to find the vials gone and shattered, forcing her to watch helplessly as the last of his life drained from Keita's body. Tears dripped down onto his face as he looked up at her with a sad smile. She wanted to scream at the injustice of it all.

"Why?" she whispered as the young man shattered into azure light, mouth open to give a wordless answer she would never hear.

She collapsed back onto her knees, spent and wanting to curl up and shut out the cruelty of the world when Sachi's scream of rage carved through the air like a blade. Keita's sacrifice had left Tetsuo dealing with his disarmed foe by himself, and Sachi had been left with the axe-wielding Morte. Kizmel froze when she saw her student's eyes wide with a mixture of terror, rage, and hatred reflected in them, her sword brought back in a wide arc to cleave through Morte's neck.

She recognized the mistake the moment it happened.

The only thing holding him at bay had been the threat of the blade immediately against his skin. Now that Sachi had pulled it back to deliver a rage-fuelled killing blow, he swung his shield upwards, knocking away her sword arm and shoulder-rammed her. The girl was sent tumbling backwards, and he was upon her in an instant.

Kizmel grasped her saber, readying herself to rush to her aid when she spotted XaXa clashing with Tetsuo, and she froze in indecision. It lasted for only a second before she closed her eyes in despair, hoping that her partner could get to Tetsuo in time, and lunged forward. The tip of her saber glowed with blue light as she shot forward, intent on skewering her target the same way XaXa had intended to do to her.

She leapt at Morte, the Shooting Star trailing flickering blue-white flame in her wake, and the tip of her blade buried itself deeply in the swordmaster. His eyes were wide with shock as the blade emerged from his back, buried to the hilt inside his body. With a wordless scream of denial, the black-clad dagger-user threw himself at Morte, pulling at him with one arm to free him from the blade holding him upright.

He ignored her as he fumbled with his left hand for the bottle of healing potion from his own pouch, all but stuffing the entire flask into his partner's mouth in his haste. A grim part of Kizmel noted that even these murderers apparently feared the death of one of their own. The dark elf took a step forward, her boot landing heavily on the axe that lay where it had fallen from his limp hand, the blade of her saber raised.

I will end them for this.

Two swings. All it would take was two swings to separate their heads from their bodies and put an end to this nightmare.

-------------------------------

Kirito forgot about PoH the moment their weapons broke, turning to Kizmel, only to let out a scream of denial. Keita had thrown himself into the path of the PKer's charge, the estoc carving a huge gash with the passing of the Shooting Star charge. He'd reached Kizmel in time, and pushed his dark elven partner out of the way of the attack, but being neither as high-level as them, nor as well-armored, even the glancing blow of the high-level sword skill was rapidly draining Keita's HP.

The swordsman watched as Kizmel reached for the healing potions on her belt, his feet already in motion before the HP bar on his party window hit empty and winked out of existence. His eyes focused in on XaXa, the fencer having turned to engage Tetsuo after recovering from his attack. Even with his shield, the Black Cat's tank stood little chance against someone of the PKer's skill.

It didn't register in his mind that he had no viable weapon as he brought up the system menu to activate the Quick Change mod to reach for his backup. It was an old sword, several floors out of date for the front line, but ever since his Anneal Blade had broken on the fourth floor, he'd gotten in the habit of keeping another sword, even a basic one, on hand.

The weapon that appeared in his hands was an old one, the Queen's Knightblade he'd received as a reward for completing the Elf War campaign with Asuna all those months ago on the ninth floor. Here, on the twenty-seventh, it was horribly out of date, its stats unsuitable to fight even the weakest of mobs. He hadn't been able to bring himself to discard it or melt it down for materials, having kept it as a memento of the time spent with Kizmel before she had rejoined him.

But as PoH had put it, it was a sharpened iron bar, and it was something in his hands. I'll bludgeon them with it if I have to. One hitpoint at a time. Kizmel and Sachi were standing over Morte and Joe, one of them missing an arm and the other just run through by a vengeful dark elven knight, they could handle themselves for a moment.

The sword in his hand allowed him to use a Rage Spike to close the gap between him and XaXa, but the masked PKer shrugged off the damage as he continued to lay into Tetsuo's defenses. Kirito cursed the weak weapon in his hand; the already weak Rage Spike had barely nicked his target's HP because of the weapon in his hands.

Discarding the thought of using a sword skill to attack he leapt forward, intent on ramming it straight through the PKer's back, but his target twisted aside in the same motion that launched a Diagonal Sting at Tetsuo. The tank managed to bring his shield up to deflect the upper thrust, but he had no experience with PvP or rapier skills and, unaware of the skill's nature, the action left him exposed to the second, lower strike.

The thrust went deep into Tetsuo's leg, and he fell back with a wordless scream of surprise. Kirito watched helplessly as his HP drained from the halfway mark and into the red from that single hit alone. With a wordless scream, the swordsman in black threw himself on his opponent's back, trying to hold on to his right arm to keep the weapon from swinging again.

The cloaked and hooded PKer swung him around and off himself easily, causing Kirito to slam into the ground next to Tetsuo. He wheezed out a laugh, before reaching forward and catching the rising Tetsuo with a barrage of rapid-fire thrusts. To his credit, Tetsuo managed to take the first three vertical thrusts from head to belly on his shield, but as he brought it around to parry the remaining three from right to left, his shield cracked and crumbled under the onslaught, vanishing much like Sachi's had earlier, and the final two thrusts struck home. He stared down at the two glowing red holes in his torso in disbelief for a second, and Kirito reached towards him helplessly as the boy shattered into azure light.

"Kirito!" Sachi's voice echoed across the room, and he glanced up just in time to see her throw something at him. Instinctively, he reached out and his hand wrapped around the edge of her sword. Ignoring the little bit of damage it did to him as the edge bit into his virtual palm, he flipped it over and swung it across his body with as much force as he could muster.

Rage, adrenaline, and grief fuelling his strike, the Savage Fulcrum ripped a glowing figure four into the air and through XaXa's virtual body, and his HP dropped from just over halfway into the red. Kirito froze, heaving deep breaths as he realized that with his usual blade, the attack would have easily done enough damage to kill the PKer. The thought was discarded in anger the moment he glanced into the corner of his vision and saw only a single life bar below his own remaining, glowing yellow as it floated alone in the space that, mere minutes before, had been occupied by a full party of six.

The blast from the sword skill had thrown XaXa clear across the room, and the moment the post skill delay released him, Kirito reached for an antidote potion and swallowed the strange tasting liquid in one gulp. The green border around his own HP bar stopped blinking, and the poison debuff icons disappeared, leaving him well into the red, himself.

The PKer rose, dusting himself off and turned to face Kirito. I don't know if I can take him with this weapon, the swordsman thought to himself. And if PoH has another one, we're done for. He looked over to where Kizmel was standing over Morte and Joe, a look of unbridled rage and hatred twisting her delicate elven features. She looked ready to kill the two men before her.

He glanced down at his own hands. I'm going to have to kill them to finish this.

"Well...shit." That had come from PoH, of all people, and Kirito craned his neck to look at the mastermind behind it all. He stood nonchalantly among all of the carnage, observing the scene almost as if he was looking at someone having spilled a glass of water. He put two fingers into his mouth and whistled sharply.

It was enough to still all of them. Kirito and XaXa eyed each other warily, while PoH strolled over to where Kizmel had barely halted her blade from taking the head clean off of Joe's shoulders. Both of the PKers under her blade looked defiant, but neither had hold of their weapon. PoH glanced around, apparently looking at their handiwork, before shrugging.

"Guess it's time to go. You put up a much better fight than I thought you would," he said, glancing between Kirito and Kizmel with an amused grin.

"You..." the dark elf heaved. "Do you really believe we would simply let you walk away from this?" The rage was pouring off of his partner in almost visible waves, and the way her shoulders were shaking, he knew she was itching to finish what she had begun. He had never seen anyone as ready to kill in cold blood as the dark elf looked now, and it terrified him.

PoH chuckled and shrugged, spreading his arms as he held Kizmel's gaze. "I think you will. Look around, girl. Only two of you are in any state left to fight. The same is kind of true of us, but Kirito no longer has a weapon. We could keep this going, and yes, you might kill one or more us...but is it worth the risk to you?" He grinned widely under his hood. "Come on, do you want their blood on your hands that badly?"

Kirito clenched his own fist around the hilt of Sachi's sword. I hate that he's getting away with this, he thought to himself, teeth grinding. Sasamaru...Ducker...Tetsuo...Keita. They killed them all, and they're just going to walk away?

The logical part of him, however, knew that PoH had a point, loathe as he was to admit it. Sachi had collapsed to her knees and was sobbing into her hands as the reality of the situation sank in, no longer conscious of the situation around her. Kizmel was in rough shape, and he wasn't the healthiest, either. Kirito reached for a health potion, but he knew that wouldn't change the equation significantly. He still had no weapon; Sachi's sword was decent for her level, but it was nowhere near the potential of a clearer's weapon.

XaXa was back on his feet, just as hurt as Kizmel, but PoH seemed confident enough to have a spare stashed away somewhere and Joe and Morte were recovering more with every passing second. The odds were looking worse all the time, unless Kizmel went for the kill on both of them right then and there. He suppressed a shudder, it was not something he wanted his partner to have to do.

"Get out," he ground out. He hated himself more than he'd ever hated anything in his life at that moment. Keita and the others can hate me from the afterlife all they want, but Sachi's still alive, and I need to keep it that way. The fact that the bad guys had effectively won sucked, and it tore him up inside to concede at this point. But they couldn't fight them like this. Not now, not in the state they were in. Even if they won, he could feel it in himself, the desire to just end their foes for good. It was not a feeling he was very comfortable with.

"Kirito-"

The swordsman glanced at his partner, then at Sachi, and shook his head. We can't risk Sachi dying here, too. "Just get out and the next time I see you, know that I'll kill you," he spat.

"I'm counting on it!" PoH gave him a thumbs-up and strode past easily, XaXa following in his wake. Neither of the two spared a glance for Morte and Joe as they followed.

I'll get stronger, he promised himself. Strong enough that next time we meet, I'll take them all on. They won't get away with this.

Joe and Morte shuffled to their feet, throwing taunting leers at Kizmel as the dark elf looked upon them in impotent rage, and as they made their way past Kirito, Morte tilted back his head and grinned at him. "Should've killed me when you had the chance, Kirito. Next time, you won't be so lucky."

The swordsman remained quiet, eyes burning as black as coal. As they left the chamber, PoH waved, his poncho billowing behind him. "Till next time, bro! Ta-ta!"

Only when they had finally left and the chamber was quiet did Kirito release the iron grip he had on himself. The blade fell from his limp fingers, and he crashed to the floor on his knees, face buried between his hands. His shoulders trembled as the tears finally came.

-------------------------------

"I thought I might find you out here." Kizmel said quietly as she stepped onto the public balcony of the inn they were temporarily staying in on the thirty-first floor. Neither of them had felt particularly safe on the twenty-seventh anymore, and Kirito had suggested that a higher floor, surrounded by clearers and with their friends close by, would be safer. Even PoH and his group wouldn't attempt to attack them with this many powerful swordmasters around.

It was still a dangerous journey back to town on the twenty-seventh, but between Kizmel and Kirito wielding Sachi's blade, they had made it with no issues; neither of them had felt like going back to Taft on the eleventh floor that had been the Black Cats' home, so Kirito had sent off a missive to Argo and Asuna the moment they had arrived at the front. They had rented a room and put Sachi to bed, the girl having passed out from grief and despair. Kizmel knew that more would come later, but for now, she was spent.

Her partner had disappeared shortly after Sachi had lost consciousness, and while she respected his need to be alone, right now she needed his reassuring presence by her side as much as she was willing to bet he needed hers. Four of the Black Cats were dead; her students, her wards, people who had trusted them, trusted her to keep them safe. They had been more than just students, though. They had been friends, and their loss - and her failure - hurt.

The fact that their deaths had been caused by something neither herself nor Kirito could have controlled was a hollow comfort at best, and by the time she went to find him, she was holding back her own tears by a thread. Logic told her that the blame for the deaths of Sasamaru, Ducker, Keita, and Tetsuo lay with the men who had struck the killing blows, but her heart couldn't get around the fact that perhaps the Moonlit Black Cats wouldn't have ever been in such a position had they never run across them.

PoH had singled them out specifically, targeted them because of Kirito. The thought of blaming her partner never crossed her mind, but she began to think that perhaps this was the reason he preferred to keep everyone else at arm's length. You cannot be hurt if you do not allow anyone close. And others cannot be used to hurt you, either.

Her own shortcomings had been glaringly obvious in her duel with the red-eyed XaXa. The murderous swordmaster had been faster and stronger than anyone she had ever fought, short of Kirito and Asuna; and even if she was of roughly the same strength as her friends, she had to do better. She had to become stronger, faster, herself. Next time she met any of them on the battlefield, there would be no openings, no quarter given to them. She had to become strong enough to protect herself and her partner, because there would be a next time, she was sure of it.

The only way to be safe was for either party to end up dead...or for them to become powerful enough that PoH and his group could not attack them without significant risk to themselves.

The swordsman had his back to her, and was so still that had the wind not rustled strands of his hair, she would have thought him a statue. He didn't reply to her words as she stepped up next to him, his posture closed off and arms crossed. Tension was visible in every muscle, and his eyes were dark, though with grief or rage, she didn't know. For the first time since meeting him, she was unsure how to act in his presence; even when she had first encountered him and Asuna in the forests of the third floor she had felt more confident in herself around the human swordmasters.

"Kirito..."

"I'm...fine," he whispered brokenly.

She shook her head at his stubbornness. "You're not. Please, don't pretend to be." The dark elf leaned into her partner, taking a moment to find comfort in the warmth and sensation of his presence. "I need you to not be fine. I need to know that I'm not...not alone in this," she replied quietly.

He remained silent, but didn't pull away from her touch the way he normally would. Slowly, hesitantly, he leaned back against her, unfurling his arms. Kizmel took the invitation and laid a hand on his. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "This...this is my fault. I didn't even think about them. I should've realized they wouldn't stop coming after me. If I hadn't agreed to teach the Black Cats-"

She shook her head, allowing a few tears to fall in the comfort of his touch, before wiping them away. "Then the blame lies with me. I convinced you to train them. I was just as responsible for them as you. They trusted me to keep them safe, and I failed."

Kirito opened his mouth to respond, but no words emerged. He turned away, looking past her across the open nightscape of the city around them. "I...I don't know what to do now. Sachi...she's got to hate me. I let them all die. I thought I could keep them safe." He laughed hoarsely. "I can barely keep myself safe, much less anyone else."

"You did what you could, as did I." Kizmel followed his stare out into the night; she had seen reactions like his before. It wasn't the first time she had lost someone, and it hurt just the same, but as cold as it sounded, she had learned to put it aside. The fact that the Black Cats had been friends made it hurt more, but the dull ache was a familiar companion for those who had fought in a war. But for some reason, this time, the loss hit her harder. Perhaps it was because the failure had been hers, or because it had been so senseless.

They hadn't been fighting a war, hadn't fought to save their kingdom or their people. It had been a senseless, pointless, meaningless slaughter because their murderers enjoyed the feeling of taking another life. There was no meaning, no purpose to the deaths of Keita, and Ducker, and Sasamaru, and Tetsuo.

"It wasn't good enough, Kizmel. None of it was..."

In this moment, the dim moonlight illuminating the tears that remained unshed in his eyes, she finally realized how young Kirito looked. The undefeated swordsman she had come to admire and consider her dearest friend, the implacable, unstoppable force on the battlefield ever since she had known him, barely looked older than a child. He seemed even younger than Sachi in this moment, and it struck her how at odds this side of him was with the Black Swordsman.

"...I know."

He took a deep, shuddering breath, and she could tell he was putting himself back together. A cold, almost emotionless mask settled in place across his features. "We've got to...there's some things we need to do. Asuna and Argo are on their way, and we need to figure out what to do about Sachi."

Kizmel nodded, her own eyes hooded with pain and grief, but understanding that right now they needed to get themselves together. They had had their moment of weakness, and they had things that needed to be taken care of before they could let themselves grieve properly.

"Yo, Kii-bou, what did you need ta see us so urgently about?" Argo's cheerful voice brought the dark elf up short. "Oh, am I interrupting anything? Eh-he-he..."

The info-broker's mirth died as quickly as the admonishment from Asuna's lips as the pair turned around, their expressions even and flat. "We need to talk," Kirito said. "Inside."

The four of them made their way back into the second room Kirito had rented for the night; none of them wanted to wake Sachi, and though they didn't want to leave her by herself, this meeting needed to be held. Once they were seated around the small table in the suite, Asuna looked back and forth between dark elf and swordsman.

"Kizmel-chan, Kirito-kun...what's this about? What happened?"

She looked at her partner, wondering what he was thinking and if she should reply for them when he gave her a minute shake of his head. "We were ambushed a few hours ago," he began slowly. "The Black Cats were hunting in a dungeon on the twenty-seventh floor, when a group of four PKers showed up."

Argo's eyes widened, and Asuna's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no..." she whispered. "Is everyone...are they...?"

Kirito froze for a second before shaking his head. "Keita, Sasamaru, Tetsuo, and Ducker...didn't make it."

Asuna's eyes widened impossibly, tears gathering and slowly making their way down the fencer's cheeks. Kizmel watched almost impassively, and a part of her, the part the was the trained and battlefield hardened knight, envied her dear friend for her ability to show grief so openly. Next to her, the information broker looked grim, her fists clenched and her jaw stubbornly set.

"I...I don't know what ta say," Argo spoke. "I'm sorry, Kii-bou, Kii-chan. I'm so sorry."

Kizmel looked at her partner, his jaw just as set as their friend's in his stubborn refusal to let the tears fall, and she leaned forward, laying a hand atop his. "Thank you, Argo," she spoke in his stead, her voice tremulous. Much like Kirito, she didn't know what else to say about the situation. Not much else really could be said, after all.

To the dark elf's surprise, Asuna stood abruptly, wiping tears from her eyes angrily, and walked around the table and pulled both her and Kirito into a kneeling hug. Awkward as their position was, Kizmel took comfort in the warmth of her friend, and she could feel Kirito easing somewhat, as well. "It's not right," the fencer whispered. "Why would anyone do this?"

Kizmel watched as her partner just shrugged helplessly in response.

"What did they want? Were they the same kind of guys from the other night?" Argo asked, leaning forward, her expression uncharacteristically dark.

"No." Kirito licked his lips. "Worse, actually. It was the guy in the poncho. Morte, and Joe, and one more they picked up along the way."

"Kirito-kun..." Asuna squeezed them both tighter at the mention of the familiar names.

"They wanted nothing," Kizmel added. "They were killing for the sake of their own enjoyment. Part of it was revenge on Kirito for having foiled their plans in the past, but they were after nothing more than gratifying themselves."

"Names. I want names," Argo ground out. "I will find them."

The swordsman shook his head. "No, Argo, it's too dangerous. They're strong, and tough. They may not be as high-level as the clearers, but they make up for it by being really good. The guy I fought..." he shuddered at the memory. "The guy in the poncho calls himself PoH...he knew how to fight. Actually fight. He didn't need the system assist, and if he hadn't gone for a sword skill at the end, I don't think I could've beaten him."

"It was a pseudonym," the dark elf added, "for Prince of Hell. I suppose he wouldn't be committing these crimes under his own name, and it's a fitting enough moniker."

"The Prince of Hell, huh?" Argo asked dryly. "That's more on the nose than I expected for someone who operates as covertly as he does."

"If he chose his name to be intimidating, then he certainly lives up to his name," Kizmel admitted. "The other swordmaster I fought, was exceptionally skilled as well. I believe they mentioned his name was XaXa." At Argo's questioning look, she proceeded to describe him. "His face was masked, and his most distinguishing features were his eyes. Red, glowing eyes..."

Argo leaned back, looking between the pair of them. "If they were good enough to give you two trouble, that's not good news, at all," she muttered.

"You don't understand, Argo," Kirito replied. "They didn't give us trouble. Morte gave me trouble. Joe might've given us trouble when we fought them on the sixth floor," he said with a glance at Asuna. "They almost killed us today. I don't know about Kizmel, but I got out alive by a fluke. The rest of the Black Cats weren't so lucky."

Kizmel nodded in agreement. "My opponent was strong, as well, and fast. Faster than any swordmaster I have ever encountered, except maybe you, Asuna. They are dangerous, even to clearers. Most I believe would not stand a chance, and they will not hesitate to go for a killing blow."

That comment in particular elicited a shudder from the two women across them her. "That's not good," Asuna finally said. "If they start going after others, and they're that strong..."

"We could have a massacre on our hands," Argo finished. "This really is a mess."

"The clearing group needs to know this," the fencer decided, rising from behind her friends as she slid into the persona of the vice-commander of the Knights of Blood. "And the Army. We need to let everyone know that we've had our first open PK. Our first murder, and that they need to be careful."

"You'd start a panic." Kirito glanced down at the table. "If you let people know there's guys running around able to kill most clearers? Think about how people are going to react."

"We can't just do nothing!"

"He's right, though, A-chan," Argo chimed in. "People know to take precautions against sleep-PKs and they're wary of duel-PKs. Even MPKs are one thing, but to know there's a group out there that's strong enough that if they trap and fight you, you're gonna die? No one would leave the safe zones. No one would trust one another, and the clearing group would collapse. Perhaps not the front-liners, but all of the support. Crafters, merchants."

Kizmel nodded in agreement. She didn't know much about the swordmasters in general, but she knew how her own people would react to news like this. "If it were just one or two, you might have a hope of being able to fend them off with a well-prepared group. But with four of them, possibly more..."

"A single party won't be able to fight 'em," Argo concurred. "You'd need a raid group."

"So what do we do, then?" Asuna asked, glaring around the table angrily. "Just let them be? They murdered four players!"

"We'll have to deal with them eventually, but Asuna..." Kirito looked at his former partner, eyes dark. "If you send anyone after them unprepared, they're not going to make it. If we go after them, they've made it very clear that we'll have to be ready to kill them, if necessary. Can you do that? Do you know anyone in the clearing group who could?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. "No," she finally said, quietly. "You don't think they'll surrender?"

"Who knows?" the swordsman shrugged. "But are you willing to risk lives on the off chance that they will?"

"Then what do we do? We can't just let them run around freely and kill others?"

Kizmel agreed with her friend; it was simply too dangerous to leave the swordmasters unaware of the murderers in their midst. They were not like thieves or robbers, they had no clear objective or motive. They could strike wherever and whomever they pleased for the simple reason of feeling like it at the time, so there was no way they could caution people to avoid certain areas or behaviors.

At the same time, her partner had a point, and causing a panic among the swordmasters would serve no one. "A compromise," she offered, after taking a moment to think about it. When the others turned to her, Kizmel tilted her head at Argo and Asuna. "Let the guildmasters know, inform them there's a threat. Perhaps the Army could be of help in setting up patrols on the lower floors, and the clearing guilds could keep watch for any instance and help provide response groups, if possible. It would keep the leadership in the know, but avoid a mass panic."

"That's...actually not a bad idea," Argo conceded. "Because as much as I hate ta say it, Kii-bou is right. None of us are ready to really play police or do what may need to be done to stop 'em."

Asuna stared a moment longer, before relenting and nodding. "I guess you're right. I just...I don't know what to do."

"None of us do, Asuna. This...it isn't a war to fight. There's just no purpose to any of this." Kizmel shrugged and closed her eyes. "I don't know what to tell Sachi when she wakes."

Her brunette friend nodded and wiped at her eyes. "What about you two? Maybe...maybe it'd be safer if you were in a guild?" She looked between the dark elf and her partner. "Don't take this the wrong way, but they came after you once, and there's at least four of them. If...if you were to join a guild, they could help protect you. You'd be safer..."

Kizmel looked over as the swordsman's arm tensed underneath her hand. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't think...I don't want..." He struggled for a few seconds before giving up. "I don't think it'd be right, not now. Perhaps Kizmel should-"

"No, Kirito," she cut him off, squeezing his arm. "Where you go, I follow. You will not face this alone."

He looked at her, the question visible in his eyes, but before he could give voice to his doubts, she shook her head emphatically. "No. You are my partner, my friend. Nothing you say will change my mind. If you wish to join the Knights of Blood, do so because you believe it is the best thing to do. If you wish to remain free of them, do so because you believe it is the best thing, not because you believe it would benefit me."

"...all right." He looked at Asuna. "Sorry, but I don't think we're ready to join anyone. And even if it would be safer, I'd just be putting more people at risk. PoH is after me, and I don't think being in a guild is going to change that."

"Okay," the fencer still looked skeptical, but decided to let it slide. "But the offer's always open, all right? To both of you. And if you never need help, don't ever hesitate to call me. I mean it, Kirito-kun, Kizmel-chan. Don't think just because I'm not in a party with you guys that I don't care about you two."

"Thank you, Asuna," Kizmel said gently, lowering her eyes and trying to blink away the sudden moisture in them. Next to her, Kirito nodded in agreement.

The brunette gave her friends a watery smile, before taking a deep breath to compose herself. "So, what are you planning on doing about Sachi? I don't think she should be alone, and there aren't any more Black Cats, are there?"

Kirito looked at her, before turning back to Asuna. "I...don't really know. You're right, I don't want to leave her alone, but the Black Cats are gone, and we need to get back to the front."

"Now, more than ever, we need to become stronger," Kizmel added from his side.

"Right. And she's not high level enough to bring with us. And..." he shrugged self-deprecatingly. "I don't even know if she'd still want to be around me...us, at all, after what happened. But I don't want her to feel like we're just abandoning her, either."

Asuna looked like she wanted to object, but Argo beat her to it. "Don't think that, Kii-bou. She seems like a smart girl, I don't think it'll be like that. But yer right, you can't really leave her here, and she's still too low for the KoB recruitment program. Maybe one of the guilds on the mid-level floors?" There was a look that passed between the info-broker and her partner for a moment, and understanding dawned on Kizmel when he grimaced and nodded.

"I'll ask. Don't know how much good it'll do, but it may be the best place for her." The swordsman shrugged. "But shouldn't we ask her what she wants, first? I don't even know if she'll want to keep...going. She might just want to go back to the Town of Beginnings and never come back out."

The fencer looked torn at Kirito's words, but eventually nodded. "Maybe you're right. Or perhaps Agil and the Bro Squad can help her out? They're not always on the front."

-------------------------------

Kirito sank into his bed heavily, scrubbing his face with his hands. The night had been long, and by the time Asuna and Argo had left with a tentative plan to inform the major guild leaders about PoH's group and their recent attack, he'd been just about ready to close his eyes and wake up from this nightmare.

Or perhaps never wake up again. Don't know which would be better, he admitted to himself. He heard the faint rustle of metal and cloth as Kizmel took off her armor and set it on the floor next to her own bed. A part of him was grateful for the presence of his dark elven partner; Kirito could tell that Kizmel was hurting, grieving the loss of their friends as much as he was, but she seemed steady despite it all. And for all that he wanted to shut out the world and let himself fall apart right now, he knew that if he was by himself, he never would allow himself that weakness.

Paradoxical as it may sound, the fact that she was there, within reach, for him to lean on was what allowed him to let himself break. Knees pulled up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them and silently the tears flowed. The mattress shifted next to him as Kizmel sat down, wordlessly putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him towards her.

Head pillowed on her chest, he couldn't tell how long they remained that way as he shook and shivered, quiet sobs wracking his virtual body. SAO's emotional expression betrayed him as he lost hold of the tenuous control he'd held on to. Fists clenched as though to hit something, anything, only to open in despair at the realization that even if there were anything for him to hit, he'd been helpless when it came to it that day.

When it came down to it, all that strength I wanted for myself didn't really do a damn thing. His fight with PoH replayed in his mind, over and over. Was there anything I could have done? Did I miss an opening?

"Kirito," his partner whispered soothingly. "There was nothing you could have done. Do not do this to yourself."

"If I'd been stronger-"

"Do you blame me for what happened to Keita? Or Ducker?" She looked down at him, hands idly stroking through his hair in a motion so similar to what Asuna had done months ago when he'd broken down with her. "If I had been stronger, or faster, I could have dispatched my opponent and reached them before Sasamaru or Ducker were killed. Do you blame me for that?"

He shook his head vehemently, as much as he could with one of her arms wrapped around him, clutching him to her chest. "No!"

"Then why do you hold yourself to a different standard?"

"I-" he cut off abruptly. She made sense, and logically he understood that he'd done everything he could have at the time. PoH and XaXa had simply been too strong, and they had been unprepared. He'd gone all-out, and it simply hadn't been enough. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just wish...I wish I'd been stronger." Perhaps that was the crux of it all. He'd given everything, and it hadn't been enough.

"As do I." The minute tremor in his partner's voice caused him to look up, and for the first time he realized that despite her deceptive calm, her spine was rigid, her frame tense. This close up, touching her, he could feel it, and another realization shot through him, followed by guilt. "Because I wasn't stronger, faster, better," she murmured, "Keita had to save me."

With a start, Kirito realized that perhaps even more than him, Kizmel was questioning herself. Keita had died protecting her. The swordsman tried to imagine himself in the same situation, how he would be feeling if Asuna or Kizmel had sacrificed themselves for him, and came to the conclusion that he never wanted to find out.

She's hurting just as much. They were her friends, too, and as much as I'm beating myself up for not doing enough, she's got to be doing the same. He'd been seeking comfort from her when she was feeling much the same as he was, and the thought brought him up short.

"We are two different kinds, you and I. Him and me. Human and elf." Her gaze was far away as she spoke, asking no one in particular. "Why would he do this? I've come to expect you and Asuna to do such a thing for me, but Keita never...I never knew he even considered me a friend until last week." His partner's voice shook and trembled, and he hated it. Truth was, he was wondering what had possessed the Black Cats' guild leader to come charging to Kizmel's rescue, himself.

They had seen the worst in people today. Perhaps Keita had also shown them the best, as well. Even if it wasn't the truth, it was what Kirito chose to believe, but he couldn't find the words to comfort his partner.

"Kizmel..."

She took a deep breath, before leaning back and pulling him with her. "I have lost friends and comrades on the battlefield before," she explained slowly, deliberately taking her time. Maybe she was trying to bring up a painful memory, or perhaps just trying to find the right words. "We were at war for a long time. Even that very day we first met, I had lost four of my comrades in battle."

"I remember."

The dark elf smiled briefly, bitterly. "It is never easy. One learns to deal with the pain, to handle it and not let it affect the task at hand. The grief can come later, when the battle is won...or lost. But it never really goes away."

"What do we do?" he whispered, hoping that she had an answer for him.

"Many things." She smiled fondly, glancing over his head before returning her attention to him. "We might pursue vengeance for the fallen, if we think that would put them to rest. We could seek justice, and hope to prevent others from falling to this fate. We may seek strength to overcome, should we ever be in the same situation again. But above all, we must simply...carry on."

"Just...carry on?" Kirito rolled the thought around his mind. It seemed so...simple, and yet at the same time he wondered if he had any right to just keep going, when Keita, and Ducker, and Sasamaru, and Tetsuo would never get that chance.

Kizmel nodded, and the arm around his shoulders tightened briefly. "The ones that remain carry with them the legacy and memories of those who were lost. If we were to simply...stop, then our foes will have succeeded in doing something much worse than merely taking our friends' lives: they will have taken their memory. That, more than anything, will truly have erased them from this world."

"That's...deep." Perhaps it was a little too deep for their current situation, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. Part of him also understood what she was telling him. If I don't keep moving forward, PoH will have won, even if he didn't kill me. And if I let him win, then Keita and the others will really have died for nothing.

"It's something I learned from you and Asuna," the dark elf admitted with a gentle smile. "I wished for nothing more than death in the service of my Queen after my sister's passing. Then you appeared and gave me purpose. You saved me then, even more so than you did from that Forest Elven Knight."

Slowly, he clenched the hands that had been hanging limply by his side, and he brought them up to wrap around his partner, soaking in the scent of the forest, and the warmth of summer. He realized she felt soft against him, different from how she usually was, protected by her armor and invincible next to him on the battlefield. As if she had been waiting for his touch, she melted into him, her frame easing as she sagged and fell into his side.

The hand that had been stroking his hair fell to her side, and rose to clutch at his shirt. He realized how warm, how soft she felt against him, and closed his eyes, unwilling to bring up the sudden wetness at his shoulder. He didn't know what to say, so he simply held her, and it appeared to be enough as her breathing evening out. Tilting his head back and taking a deep breath, he eased them around until they were both comfortable.

He clung to her as much as she did to him. Perhaps, he thought, he didn't have to say anything after all. Maybe, just like her presence was a balm to him, his was to her.

-------------------------------

August 16th, 2023

"They're really gone..." Sachi whispered as she looked down at the table between them, eyes watering and red from crying. Maybe it was a good thing they didn't really dream in VR, because at least that had saved her from having nightmares about the previous day's events, Kirito mused. Waking up to the slightly awkward position of finding a scantily-clad dark elf using him as a pillow had been an interesting experience, and only the memory of what had happened the night before kept things from being awkward.

When they had gone to wake Sachi, they had found her already awake and sitting on her bed, crying. It had taken some coaxing, and a lot of comforting from Kizmel, until she had settled down enough for them all feel comfortable enough to broach the subject of what to do next.

"I'm sorry."

The girl looked up at Kirito, and he forced himself to control the involuntary urge to shrink away from her gaze, almost as if he was afraid of what he would see in her eyes. Maybe I am, he admitted to himself. "Why?" she asked, instead.

Why? It could mean many things. Why did this happen? Why did she survive? Why were her friends all dead?

"Why did they attack us?" she clarified, and the swordsman tried to swallow the lump that had appeared in his throat.

It was the question he'd feared the most, because there was no way any answer would end well for him. But Sachi deserved the truth, she deserved to know why four of her friends were dead. "Because they were after me," he admitted. "Those guys...we've run into them before. Me and Asuna, mostly, in the early days. On the first couple of floors, they were trying to get the ALS and DKB to fight each other. One of them, Morte, the guy with the axe, tried to murder me on the third floor once."

And he told her everything he remembered, from the first suspicion they'd had of PoH being behind the Legend Braves' upgrade scam to try and incite the rest of the players into a lynchmob, to Joe and Morte feeding the ALS and DKB conflicting information on the third and fifth floors, to PoH's attempted PK of him on the night they had cleared the fifth floor.

He was afraid to look at her as he spoke, his voice raspy at times, but Kizmel's steadfast presence next to him urged him to plow on through. Every encounter he could remember, every plot of theirs that he and Asuna had - intentionally or inadvertently - foiled, every possible reason PoH had to seek revenge on him.

When he was done, the three of them fell silent for a long few minutes, and Kirito found his eyes wandering everywhere except for Sachi. He grimaced at his own cowardice, but he wasn't sure he was ready for the inevitable recrimination and hatred that would come from her. He'd led murderous psychopaths right to her friends, after all.

"...we can't let them get away with this," the girl finally said, and he looked up, blinking in surprise. Had he heard her correctly?

"We can't let them get away with this," Sachi repeated more firmly, her voice bitter and hoarse from crying, but with an underlying core of steel that he'd last heard in Asuna. It wasn't something he'd expected from Sachi, especially not with how she had been when they had first met. The timid, scared girl who hadn't wanted to leave the Town of Beginnings was still there, but there was a strength to her he hadn't seen before.

No, that's not right, he corrected himself. He had seen it before. In Asuna, in Kizmel, even in Kibaou and Lind. In all of those who had chosen to leave the Town of Beginnings and make their mark upon this floating castle. In all those who, for a myriad of reasons, chose to fight, rather than wait for salvation. He shared a glance with the dark elf next to him, and she gave him and encouraging smile. "They won't," he told Sachi. "But right now, no one's really strong enough to go after them, and no one knows where they're hiding. That's why we need to go back to the front, to training."

"You're going after them?"

Kizmel nodded in reply. "Not today, or tomorrow, but yes, eventually. If not for vengeance, then to stop them from doing this to anyone else." She smiled wryly at her erstwhile student. "I would be a poor knight if I allowed them to continue."

Sachi nodded, before falling silent again, her hands folded in her lap. "But...what about me?" she asked quietly. "I can't come with you to the front, I'm not strong enough. And...I don't know if I can just...keep going as if nothing happened, not right now."

"We...talked about it," Kirito said, a little hesitantly. "I don't like it either. We promised we'd help you get stronger, but..." he shrugged, "I don't even know if you want us around anymore. After...what happened."

The look she shot him made him feel like he'd said something crazy. "Why would you think that?" she asked evenly, her tone brooking no argument.

"Because...because of what happened?" It came out more lamely than he wanted it to.

Once again she looked at him with a glare that screamed "are you stupid," and shook her head. "No, I...I just don't know what to do. They were my friends, my family here. It doesn't feel real yet that they're just gone." She sniffled, her eyes watering again, and Kirito prepared himself for Sachi to start crying again, but she surprised him by wiping at her eyes and taking a deep breath to get herself back under control.

"I understand that you need to get stronger. You tried your best, Kirito, Kizmel, and really, I should be thanking you because you being there is the only reason I'm still alive. We all could've died there. So please, understand that I'm not mad at you for that. But I also don't want to be alone...not again..."

"And you won't be," Kizmel said confidently, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Even if you have to come with us to the front, we will find a way, Sachi. I swear to you."

Kirito nodded and cleared his throat, trying to get his mind off the awkwardness of the situation. "I've asked around, and there's a few options. There's a...friend of mine, with a guild on the seventeenth floor. They're about the same level as the Black Cats were, and he said he'd be happy to have you join them, even if only for a little bit." Klein had responded almost immediately, to Kirito's surprise, although neither Argo, Asuna, nor Kizmel had been. The would-be samurai didn't know all of the details, and it had been too fresh, and too much for him to go into in a simple message.

"The other option," the swordsman continued, "is the recruitment program the Knights of Blood have. You're a little too low-leveled for that yet, but Asuna thinks she can get an exception made for you, especially if she vouches for you. It'll take some grinding, but you could be a full member of the KoB pretty soon, once you've gained a couple of levels."

Sachi fidgeted a little, wringing her hands, and even Kirito could tell she looked uncomfortable at the prospect. "I...I don't want to be a burden on Asuna-san," she said quietly. "She's already doing so much, and I don't know if I'm ready to become a clearer...ever again..."

Kizmel leaned forward, the dusky elf's hands coming up to cradle Sachi's against her chest. "Sachi, if none of these options appeal to you, then come with us. Yes, it will be a little bit dangerous, but we will keep you safe. The same way that Kirito kept Asuna safe when they began their journey." Her eyes darkened, and her voice trembled a little. Kirito instinctively reached over to clasp her shoulder in support.

"We made a promise to you, Sachi," he continued for his partner. "I know we didn't really keep it until now, but if it's what you want, we'll make sure you're ready to be up on the front lines with us."

The girl shook her head, black hair cascading around her. "No, no, I know." She looked up at him with watery eyes, and he almost lost it right then and there. "I didn't mean it like that. I just...I know I have to keep going. For Keita and the others, otherwise their deaths...they won't have any meaning." She shrugged helplessly, the same look of awkwardness in her eyes that he recognized from the mirror last night, trying to make sense of something that just didn't.

"Everything we did, everything we wanted to do, our ideals, I can't just let it die," she whispered, staring down at her hands. "And they would've wanted me to carry on. I just...I don't know if I can do it right now."

"Take as long as you need, Sachi." Kizmel smiled encouragingly. "When you are ready to come up, we will be there. But we also don't want you to be alone, and we want you to be safe."

"This...guild, this friend of yours. Are you sure he won't mind?"

Kirito shrugged. "I don't think he will. I didn't explain everything that happened to him, but he said he didn't mind. We can go meet them, if you like. If you're not comfortable, we'll figure something else out. It's the least we can do."

"No, Kirito," Sachi replied, looking at him earnestly as she reached for his hand. "You could've chosen to walk away, or to never even help us. You could've left me with anyone, or no one. This," she waved around them, "this is you caring."

-------------------------------

"So you're Sachi-san, huh? It's nice to meet you." Klein scratched his beard as he waved them inside the home of the Fuurinkazan guild. "You know, when I invited you over last week, I didn't really think you'd message me to come over this soon, not that I'm complaining, but I'm guessing this isn't a social call."

He led them through the entry hall of the compound, through a fusuma sliding door into a room that looked significantly out of place with the rest of the architecture, with a long European-style banquet table occupying the center, surrounded by chairs.

"So, what's the story? Your message said it was something serious. Y'all look like someone died, or something..."

The easygoing smile on his face died when his three guests fell dead silent, and his eyes wandered from one downcast expression to the next. His mouth opened in a wordless "oh," before closing again. He took a step back and shook his head. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Your message didn't exactly say..."

Kirito waved him off with a shrug. "It's my fault, but it wasn't exactly something I wanted to explain by message. It's...a bit of a long story, and it's not a happy one."

They settled around the table, torches casting a soft light through the white paper walls in the Japanese-style compound as the remaining members of Klein's guild gathered around their guests, eager to say hello to Kirito and Kizmel again. Klein glanced between them and the three. "This something you want to tell me about in private first?" he asked.

"No," Sachi replied firmly, to Kirito's surprise. "You should know about it, if you're offering to take me in."

By the time they had finished explaining the way they had met the Black Cats and how they had met their end, Klein and the five other members of Fuurinkazan were staring at each other in grim silence. "Shit, man," Klein said after a lengthy silence. "That sucks. I'm really sorry. I thought the other day was rough, but this..."

Kirito just shrugged, unsure of how to respond, and simply grimaced. "We want Sachi to go somewhere she's safe while she's coming to terms with what happened," he said finally. "I know the Black Cats originally wanted to become clearers, but, well..."

"Long term's looking a bit far away now," Klein finished, nodding in understanding and glancing over at Sachi. "Well, if you're looking for a place to lay low and get yourself back together, we'd be happy to have you, Sachi-san."

"But...you don't even know me."

Klein grinned amiably, slinging an arm around Kirito's shoulders, causing the swordsman to look entirely awkward. "It's fine. Kirito's a good buddy of mine, so if he's asking, then you can't be all that bad. The offer's there, and besides, what kind of samurai would we be if we didn't offer our help to a lady in need, right, guys?"

"Right!" the others echoed behind him in unison.

"But it's up to you, Sachi-san. I can imagine where you're coming from, and maybe not wanting to be around a crowd of boisterous guys," Klein said, uncharacteristically serious, and once again Kirito could see how he'd managed to hold his group of friends together throughout the months spent in Sword Art Online. "But let me tell you something about grief; when you feel like nothing more than hiding away from the world, sometimes you just need someone to pull you out there or make you smile to remember that it's not all bleak. And in this death game, we need to stick together, right? Especially with murderers like that running around."

"Thank you, Klein-san," Sachi replied hoarsely, wringing her hands.

"Now, none of that. Just call me Klein." The man grinned amiably, before sobering again. "I've lost a couple of friends since this death game began myself, but nothing like that. It's a hell of a thing to happen to you. If you want to take some time off, you're welcome to hang out with us. And if you want to keep going, well...we may not be on the level of Kirito or Kizmel, but we'll help you however we can."

"I'd like that." Sachi swallowed, but met his gaze levelly. "Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but I need to keep going, to keep fighting. If I don't, I'll either just die, or hide somewhere and never come out. And I don't think they'd want that for me."

"No, no, I'm sure they wouldn't," Klein agreed with a gentle smile that was incredibly odd to see on his face, but at the same time seemed right at home. "What do you think, guys?"

A burly guy with a naginata shrugged and grinned lopsidedly. "The more the merrier, boss. Besides, like you said, we couldn't exactly call ourselves men of honor if we ignored a girl in need, right?" The others behind him chorused in agreement, and Klein turned back to them. "There you have it, Sachi-san. Welcome to Fuurinkazan."

She looked around the group, whose smiles were inviting and open, and stood, with a bow and tears trailing down her cheeks. "Thank you. I'll be in your care."

"None of that, come on, Sachi-san. We're family here. Maybe we're not yours just yet, and we'd never want to replace the one you lost, but maybe someday..." The five members of Fuurinkazan crowded around her, not to the point of entering her personal space, but close enough to give her pats on the back and shoulder and chime their own welcomes.

"I'd like that," she said, wiping the tears off her face with a weak smile.

"Thanks, Klein," Kirito told him quietly as he pulled away from the bandanna-wearing guildleader. "I know I didn't really have any right to ask, but-"

The samurai tightened his arm around Kirito's shoulder and rapped him on the head with the knuckles of his free hand. "I'm gonna stop you right there. I don't know if your partner there's gotten around to telling you yet, but whatever you think you owe me? Ya don't. You took time out of your day when this mess started to teach me the basics when you didn't have to, so why would I ever expect anything more? And what you taught me got me and my buddies here, and we're all alive and well, so don't go thinking you could've done more. Look at what you're doing for Sachi-san. You did plenty to help us, so you've got nothing to be feeling sorry about. Let us help her the way you've helped us."

If Kirito felt his eyes mist up for a moment, he showed no outward sign of it, blinking them clear. "If you say so."

"Damn right I do." Klein released the swordsman from his hold and grinned, glancing over where Kizmel was hovering protectively near Sachi. "So, come on, let's change the topic to something more pleasant. How'd you find yourself an elf?"

-------------------------------

By the time they left, it was nighttime. Klein and Sachi had walked them to the edge of the compound, after Kizmel and her partner had declined his invitation to stay the night. Sachi, of course, would be remaining with Fuurinkazan, and in the following morning Klein would handle whatever charms needed to be cast through Mystic Scribing for Sachi to pledge her allegiance to Fuurinkazan. But after they had made up their mind to return to the front, Kizmel shared her partner's eagerness to return to the thirty-first floor and once again begin pushing the boundaries ahead of the rest of the clearing group.

If nothing else, it would be a welcome distraction from the dire fate of the Black Cats, and their own feelings of guilt.

In the few hours since then, Sachi had thoroughly charmed the members of Fuurinkazan, and while they seemed to be rough around the edges to the dark elf - her impression of their leader seemed to be a good description of the small guild as a whole - they struck her as good people. The way they had immediately closed ranks around their newest member had put her at ease that they were leaving Sachi in good hands.

They had promised her to come visit and check in on her, of course, and Sachi and Kirito had been connected through the "friends list" of the Mystic Scribing charm, so they would be able to send and receive messages regardless of what floor they were on now. Kizmel, much like her partner, had assured the girl that if she needed anything at all, she only needed to send Kirito a message, and they would both be there as soon as they could.

"You sure you don't want to spend the night?" Klein asked again as they stepped out into the cool night air, the warm glow of the lamps of the compound behind them. "I've got some private rooms that are unused."

She shared an amused glance with her partner; it had become quite obvious over the course of the afternoon that Klein, despite his ill-fated attempt to court her on their last meeting, seemed determined to consider her and Kirito an item. To be honest, it wasn't a thought she was opposed to, but her partner certainly appeared to be, considering his reaction. It just made teasing him about it more fun for the dark elf, especially since Klein had quickly picked up on what she had been doing and gleefully joined in. The man really was much more perceptive than his appearance suggested.

"Thank you, but I believe it would be best if we returned to the thirty-first floor. We have an early start tomorrow, and much to catch up on," she told him.

"Gonna get a private room up there, then?" The grin on his face told her what he was up to, and she winked at him.

"It would be the same arrangement we have shared since I first met him, after all. Why change it?" The nonchalant shrug was more for Kirito's benefit as she matched his mischievous grin. "After all, we have also shared a room with Asuna before. And Sachi. And there was the one time with Argo and the bath house-"

She cut off abruptly as Kirito's hand clamped over her mouth, his other raised in a warding gesture, and her lips curved into a smile behind his palm.

"It's not what it sounds like!" her partner protested loudly, before realizing that his palm was perilously close to her lips and withdrawing it hastily.

Kizmel sighed internally at the loss of contact, but Klein made up for it by elbowing her partner with a mock leer. "You dog! Seriously, leave some for the rest of us!"

It didn't take long for her partner to figure out that he'd been had, and after a moment, all four of them broke out into somewhat subdued laughter, the shadow of the previous day lifting ever so slightly. Klein finally spoke after they had calmed, his expression serious.

"You two take care of each other, all right? Don't worry about Sachi-san, we'll take good care of her. I'll make sure she's ready before she starts fighting again, and we're not going to let her wallow, so I don't want her to have to worry about you two, as well."

"It's not like we go out looking for trouble," Kirito argued, but nodded in acquiescence. "But yeah, we'll watch each other's backs. It's what we do."

Kizmel shared a glance with her partner, and smiled. "It is, indeed. Please, take care of yourself and your own, as well, Guildmaster Klein. If there is anything we can help with, don't hesitate to ask."

He sighed, hanging his head in defeat. "I'm never gonna get you to just call me Klein, am I?"

"Perhaps." The mischievous smile that played around her lips was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "I wish there was more we could do for you, Sachi. If you ever wish to join us, you need only give the word."

"Thank you, Kizmel, but I'll be fine. I think they're great. They're not like...like...Keita and the others, but..." Sachi shrugged helplessly. "But they're nice. I don't want to hold you back, but maybe we'll see each other again soon."

"That's right," Klein added proudly. "We've decided we want to become clearers, ourselves. It's gonna take a while, because we'll be taking it slow, but we now have Sachi-san here to help us with that. She was trained by the best, and maybe if she feels up to it, she can give us a few pointers. Right, Sachi-san?"

"I-I don't really know..." the girl blushed. "I'm not really good enough..."

"You are my prize student, Sachi," Kizmel said with a smile. "Take pride in your accomplishments."

"I'm also your only student, Kizmel." The girl giggled and hugged her. "Watch out for yourself, and for Kirito, okay?"

Kizmel nodded and squeezed her friend tighter for a moment. "I will."

Sachi let her go and turned to the swordsman. "Kirito..." She hesitated for a moment, before throwing her arms around him, as well. The way Kirito stiffened up in surprise and awkwardly tried to return the hug had Klein and Kizmel sharing an amused glance.

"Sachi..."

"It'll be all right. I'm gonna be all right," she whispered into his shoulder. "You two promised me that I was going to make it out of this game after all, right?"

"...that's right."

"Promise me something, Kirito?"

"Sure..."

Sachi pulled back, her hands falling to her side. "Promise me that you will beat this game. Promise me that you'll find the reason we were brought here when you send us back to the real world."

Kizmel could see that the question meant much to her erstwhile student, and Kirito as well, as he nodded decisively. "I promise."

"Thank you." She stepped away from the dark elf's partner and waved at them. "I'll see you soon?"

"Until then," Kizmel returned with a smile as she glanced at Kirito, and the two of them set off into the night.

-------------------------------

It didn't take them long to make their way back to the teleport ring in the center of town and return to the inn room they had rented on the thirty-first floor for the evening. Neither of them felt much like sleeping this early as they simply stood out on the balcony, the silence between them more companionable than it had been the previous night. Kirito was still tense, but he had lost some of the intensity of the immediate aftermath of yesterday's battle. Perhaps, with Sachi's absolution, he could finally make some measure of peace with the situation.

"Kirito...may we talk?"

He looked over at his dark elven partner, silhouetted against the evening light. "Sure." A wry smile tugged at his lips and he shifted, settling against the balcony railing. "Seems like we always end up talking like this, late at night."

"It would appear so," she agreed with an easy smile. He didn't know what she was going to ask; there were simply too many things to choose from, none of which he was really comfortable talking about. But he'd never been able to say no to her, as much as he wanted to at times, because she deserved better than to be lied to, or have the topic avoided. And, deep down, a part of him knew that no good would come from postponing whatever conversation she wanted to have with him.

For a long moment she was silent, and he thought she might be enjoying the peace of the night just as much as he was before their discussion would shatter that peace. Whenever they talked like this, it had a tendency to upend his world view of her and Aincrad, and he was pretty sure the same happened to her. Then, finally, she spoke a question that he had been dreading.

"When I was battling the...PKer...named XaXa, he mentioned something curious. He said that I wasn't real, spoke as if I were no more than a figment of his dreams. That I was a doll, incapable of understanding the world around me, a mere plaything for others, nothing more. And Guildmaster Klein, he called this a death game, earlier. I believed he was referring to what the sorcerer Kayaba did to you when he trapped you here, but Sachi, too, called this a game. When she told me that the swordmasters believed themselves immortal when they came here, I thought I understood that you meant it could be treated almost like a game. But is that truly all this world is to you? A game? A...dream?"

Kirito closed his eyes with a wince; it wasn't one of the questions he had expected, but it hit him like a punch to the gut regardless. He'd known it would come up sooner or later, in some form or another, ever since he'd realized just how intelligent and autonomous Kizmel really was. At the same time, he'd done his best to avoid this topic, and any related to it, because he had no way of knowing how she would react to the truth.

The truth was that yes, this was supposed to be a game to them. Her world, her life, her beloved sister, were nothing more than creations from the mind of Akihiko Kayaba, purely for the entertainment of others. All of her memories, at least up to the point where the Sword Art Online servers went online, were fake. Everything she had known was a sham. The swordmasters hadn't come here to save the world, or liberate Aincrad from some ancient evil. They had come here to enjoy themselves, to make this floating castle their playground. There was nothing noble about their motivations, nothing heroic.

The truth is that she's a programmed character in a video game that was supposed to be for our entertainment. She wasn't supposed to be sentient, just like this wasn't supposed to be a death game. The truth was that he was afraid, afraid of how he would even begin to explain everything to her.

He was afraid that she would hate him for the truth.

The truth that she was a program, a collection of lines of code, just like everything else in this game. But did that truly define the limits of her existence? Fake or not, her memories shaped who she was, just like Kirito's did. He'd seen her grow and overcome boundaries and obstacles he'd thought impossible for an NPC. He had told Keita that he believed her to be alive and sentient, despite the fact that she was different from the humans who dove into this VRMMO. But how could he explain to her that in this dream, this illusion, this deadly nightmare that Aincrad had become for the swordmasters, she was the only real person out of the hundreds and thousands of creatures and people that were native to the floating castle? That she was only real because somehow, something had malfunctioned?

He tried imagining himself in that situation. If someone came up to him and told him that he was a program, a piece of code, software that had somehow malfunctioned beyond its parameters and gained sentience, and that the world around him that seemed so real and all of his memories of it were nothing more than a creation for someone else's enjoyment, how would he handle that? Kirito shuddered at the thought; he actually had the required reference frame to understand it all conceptually, and he didn't think he could cope with the revelation, so how would Kizmel fare?

Maybe on some level she understood the gravity of the question she had asked, because she waited patiently for his response. Then again, Kizmel has always been patient with me, regardless of how serious the situation was. It was one of the things that made him feel comfortable with the dark elf as his partner. Even Asuna had pushed from time to time, forcing him out of his comfort zone when he wasn't ready, and there were times when he could admit it had been necessary. But Kizmel had a soothing kind of patience around her, even as she must know the answer to her question would invariably change the way she viewed the world she called home.

Unfortunately, as patient as Kizmel was, once she was determined to find an answer to something, nothing would dissuade her. Even now, while she waited patiently for him to find the right words to answer her question in a way she would understand, he knew that she wouldn't let up.

Finally, he answered, quietly and hesitantly. "That's what it was supposed to be," he admitted. "That's what Kayaba sold it as. A game. A...a vision, I guess you could say, or a lucid dream. Something that would feel real without actually being real. It was supposed to be the most lifelike dream ever. A place for us to go and have fun and explore. A new world to play in." He shrugged and grimaced. "It wasn't supposed to be this way, this deadly."

"Sachi told me that you were expecting it to be like the magic of the beta test, where you would simply awaken in your own world, or come back to life in the Town of Beginnings, should you die." Kizmel frowned, eyes narrowed in thought.

"That's what we were promised." Kirito chuckled self-deprecatingly. "After all, a game's no fun if you end up losing at the very beginning and never get to play it again, right?"

"So when you call yourselves players..."

"That's because that's what we are," he confirmed, though he suspected from her lack of reaction that Kizmel must have figured that much out on her own. "We were never supposed to be anything else. When Kayaba trapped us here...a lot of us didn't handle it very well. Some still can't really believe it, that we're being killed by a game, but that's a reality that settled in very quickly."

"Then this place...this world..."

"To most of us, it isn't real. These aren't our real bodies, these aren't even our real names." He huffed in frustration at the admission, knowing that it was the answer she had been seeking, but unable to find the words that wouldn't upset his partner. Deep down, he knew it was a futile attempt, because there was no easy way to put it. "To most, this world still isn't their own, it's something they still see as a game, like they're caught in a dream or nightmare they can't wake up from. It's one thing for the danger to be real, but the rest of this world...seeing the rest of Aincrad as real, that's a different matter."

"Then what is this world to you? A mirage? A creation of the sorcerer Kayaba? What about its people, Kirito? What about me?"

"It's not a mirage," he was quick to assure her. "It's so much more than that. But I guess in some way, you could say Kayaba had part in creating this world. Maybe not entirely, but in its current form, if that makes any sense. But still, to most of the swordmasters, Aincrad isn't really real...and neither are the people in it." He shrugged helplessly, hating himself for not telling her the whole truth then, that the world of Aincrad hadn't existed up until a few months ago. "To be honest, in the beginning, I was the same way."

It was a tough admission to make. He had no idea how she was going to take it, but it was the truth, and she deserved to know. And especially now that she was questioning the reasons for Aincrad's existence - and, by extension, her own - this was something that could no longer remain unspoken between them if they were to continue as partners. She had to know that he genuinely believed her to be real, that Aincrad, after all these months, was just as real to him as his own world, even if it hadn't always been so.

In fact, it was because he had thought of Aincrad as a game and its people as set pieces and decorations in it that he'd almost let her die when they first met.

No, that wasn't quite right. He had let her die, before ever getting to know her. Three times, in fact, during the beta test. Even if she hadn't somehow, by some miracle, retained her memories of the beta, he would have to tell her that he had been willing to let her die, not because he'd been powerless, but because, as tragic as her death was, it was all just a game to him.

They had talked about it before, and she had seemed to understand, but would she still be so understanding if she knew that he'd allowed her to die because he hadn't considered her real, rather than a physical inability to save her? Regardless, she needed to know.

"Your dreams," he muttered quietly, catching her attention. "Your dreams are memories of the beta test."

"You've explained this before," she acknowledged with a curious tilt of her head.

Kirito nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. "The beta test was an incomplete copy of Aincrad. It was supposed to be a...a preview, of sorts, to show us what the game could be like." She nodded for him to continue; this was all familiar to her. "Those times I fought and couldn't save you? It wasn't really because I physically couldn't. After I couldn't save you that first time, or the second...after a while I just stopped trying, because I figured it wasn't in the rules that we could save you. I stopped trying because you were just like a character in a book that the author decided couldn't survive. And when we came here, I almost did it the again."

Her eyes softened for the briefest moment. "But you did, Kirito. You managed to save me." The dark elf took a deep breath, and he struggled to look anywhere but her. "I can understand why, after having been told that this world would be much like a dream, the swordmasters would not want to think it was real. But what about you, Kirito? What do you think of this world? Of its people? Of...me? What are we to you?"

"It's...complicated." He smiled humorlessly. "Actually, no, that's not true. I used to think that it was all a game. When I first got here, that first day before Kayaba trapped us here? I was having fun. I was...able to be someone else, someone I wasn't in my own world. I was able to be Kirito the swordsman, not...who I was in my world. Someone strong. Someone brave. A hero."

The swordsman shrugged and uncrossed his arms, grasping the balcony railing in front of him. "A lot of things haven't made sense since I came here and this entire thing began, Kizmel. I thought I understood at least a little bit of it, but...well. You're actually one of the few things here that's kept me going. I don't know what to make of Aincrad, but I'm here, and for better or for worse, the consequences for dying are the same here as they are in my world, so I've treated it like I would my own. And if I'm honest...I think I prefer this world."

She stared at him unblinkingly for a few long moments, before letting out a little sigh. "So is this world is simply a...diversion to you, as well? A game to be played, even if your very life is at stake?"

"No." Kirito shook his head emphatically. "That's how it started out, but after everything I have seen, everything we've been through, this world has become just as real to me as my own."

Kizmel nodded slowly, her gaze softening somewhat. "What am I, Kirito?" she asked quietly. "Am I real?"

"You are to me," he responded instantly, with all the conviction he could muster.

It was another few long, tense moments before she spoke again, her voice still soft. "I guessed as much. You would not have risked so much for my sake, otherwise. Or that of my people," she added with a wry smile. "It explains much, why your people aren't fighters, why none of them seemed prepared for what awaited them, even had they not been trapped. And if they really were expecting nothing more than a dream, a realm of fantasy like a storybook come to life, then there was no reason for children not to come here, was there?"

Kirito shook his head. "No. Most of us are like the Black Cats, kids having fun and wanting to explore a new world. I'm sure there's some people who have some kind of military training, but they're in the minority. We were kids playing a game, like a storybook come to life."

"And what about you?"

The swordsman laughed, bitterly and humorlessly. "Me? I'm a school kid, Kizmel. I'm a year younger than Sachi, I'm turning fifteen in two months. I should be in a classroom right now, learning language, or science, or the history of my world. The closest I ever came to learning how to fight was practicing with wooden swords when I was little. But even that was just for sport, recreation. Everything I know about fighting for real I learned here, in Aincrad."

"Then...is that who you were before you came here? Is that who you really are, Kirito?"

"That's..." he heaved a shuddering breath as he finally uttered what he had come to realize over the months he had been trapped in SAO, the terrifying thought that was slowly churning in his mind. "That's not even my real name. None of our names are real, Kizmel. This was a game, we were playing characters. Me...the real me, is not who I am here."

Her eyes flared with something for a moment, anger or confusion, he wasn't really sure. "And what about all you have accomplished here? Saving me, saving my people, was all of that but an act?"

"...no," he admitted, not really able to dispute that.

"People grow, Kirito. Whatever name you chose to call yourself by, it is your deeds and your intentions that define who you are. Perhaps before you came here you were a child, and perhaps you believed you had no place in a life or death struggle such as this," her voice was soft and gentle, and he found it hard to turn away from her for some reason as she spoke. "Whoever you were then, that is only a part of who you are now. This is the situation you were placed in against your will, and you have adapted and risen to the challenge when you could have simply hid and waited for rescue. That is not something that can be taught or learned, it is ingrained in your very soul."

When the player and the character become indistinguishable...are we still playing a game, or are we living here, in this world? Is this what Kayaba wanted, for us to live our lives here as if they were real? What they had just seen just reinforced the doubts he had before about being able to cleanly separate anything they did here, in a game, and outside in the real world. If they escaped SAO, would PoH and the others be tried for murder? They had killed four people, but he had to admit to himself that they would likely get away with it. There was simply no precedent for something like Sword Art Online.

Kirito didn't really understand other people - he was fourteen, and socially awkward at that - but he understood gamers. He knew that to a lot of people, video games and MMOs were an escape from reality, a way to forget the drudgery of school or work and the chance to be someone else. It was fun and games, but at the same time, there was also a darker side to it. Games, like all competition, tended to bring out the best in people cooperating to beat a new raid, or figure out a new boss, but more often than not, it brought out the worst in people, as well.

Hyper-competitiveness and the idea that because it was all a game they could do whatever they liked without having to face consequences in the real world. It wasn't his first encounter with PKers, they were rampant in almost any game that allowed it, and they were often a large part of the player base. But it was the first time that he'd seen the lines between virtual and real crossed by a player, because SAO wasn't a game, not anymore. And if the player and the character were one and the same, then that meant that PoH and XaXa and Morte had just deliberately become killers, with the full knowledge of what they were doing.

It wasn't an attempt anymore in the way Morte had tried to duel-PK him on the third floor, and it wasn't something he could easily write off. It was something that the player behind the screen - or rather, the player inside the NerveGear - was responsible for and that they had done deliberately. Gleefully, his mind supplied at the laughter and taunting from the PKers. What did that say about them in the real world? A flash of white-hot rage hit him at the thought that his friends were dead, and no one was going to get justice for it.

"Maybe it would've been better if I had hid," he muttered angrily. "At least, that way the Black Cats would still be alive."

He didn't have to look up to know she was glaring at him. "And how many others have you saved by foiling their plots, Kirito? How many others live because you did not hide?" She kept looking at him - he could feel her eyes, almost like lasers boring into him, until he finally broke and snapped.

"I don't know, okay?" It was a petulant answer, and he knew it the moment the words left his mouth. But I don't know what else to do. They're not going to go to jail even if we get out of SAO, and there's nothing I can do about it. For the first time since coming to Aincrad he felt like the persona of Kirito the swordsman had been stripped away, that all the strength he had built up in this virtual world just to survive amounted to...nothing at all, in the end. "You want the truth? Kirito the swordsman is as big a coward as you'll find, and behind everything I'm just a selfish little kid."

He almost laughed at her disbelieving expression. "Why do you think I chose not to join a guild? I'm not fighting to be recognized or praised. I don't have a shred of dedication to anyone but myself and those immediately around me. I'm not self-sacrificing like Keita, or a leader like Klein. The only reason I fight is for my own survival, Kizmel. I'm not a noble knight, fighting to protect others, I'm a selfish bastard who just wants to live. I didn't want to stick with Klein and his group on that first day for the same reason I didn't want to train the Black Cats. I'm a child, I have no business being responsible for anyone, much less choose who gets to live and who has to die because of something I did!"

He did laugh then, almost angrily, bitterly. "In my world, I can barely even remember to take care of myself."

It felt good to actually let it out, and to give voice to his own doubts and worries. There were things he hadn't even told Asuna, because she had needed him to be strong, to be someone she could believe in as she grew into her own until she could surpass him. He had played at being someone that, deep down, he believed he wasn't, and with that also came the admission that, on some level, he was responsible for the deaths of Keita, Ducker, Sasamaru, and Tetsuo.

Maybe he didn't swing the blade that ended their lives, but without him, they never would've become a target for PoH and his murderous group. He'd drawn PoH's attention in the first place by continually interfering in their schemes when he could have chosen to simply let them be and walk away, consequences be damned. But despite all my talk about being a solo player, I couldn't just let them do what they wanted, he realized. He'd been caught between the decision to risk PoH's ire and interfere, or let him be and cause mayhem amongst the other players.

It had been fine while it was only his life on the line, because as much as he wanted to survive, he at least knew that whatever happened, it was on his head. But when Asuna had almost been killed on the sixth floor by Morte and Joe in their ill-fated ambush, it should've been a wake-up call that things couldn't continue this way. That he was putting others at risk, in addition to himself. He should've realized it long before ever getting involved with the Black Cats, and now four of them had paid the price.

If anything, that thought only further strengthened his conviction that he had no business getting involved with anyone else. "In the end, Kirito is a lie," he muttered. "I guess I'm really just Kazuto Kirigaya, after all."

And now she knows, he thought to himself, relief warring with gloom. At least now she knows the truth about the partner she's been working with. A child playing at being a hero for the sake of his own ego, unfit to stand next to an actual knight. A child who's selfishly kept the truth about everything to himself, because he was afraid that the only person in this world who would stand by his side would abandon him.

There was a rustle of cloth as she shifted closer to him. "Kazuto..." he heard her whisper, pulling him away from her morbid thoughts. "I can call you by that, if you wish - if you truly believe that everything you have done here is a lie, and that everything you have accomplished means nothing. But know that even if you think that, it means something to me. It means something to Asuna, and Argo, and Sachi, and Klein, and Agil. You are more than what you were before you came here, just as I am not who I was before I met you. If you wish to be Kazuto, then I will honor that wish, but know that Kirito the swordsman is a part of you, as well."

He hesitated, unsure of how to answer the question, but did it really matter? Here, Kazuto Kirigaza had no meaning, no history. Here, only Kirito the swordsman mattered, and only his skills were needed to survive. Kazuto would never have stood up to hold the line after Diavel's death he knew, because Kazuto was a child who went to school and worked on mechatronics projects and played video games in his free time. Kirito, the Black Swordsman, the beater - they were born of the death game that was Sword Art Online, someone who had started out as a lone survivor trying to rush as far ahead of the rest of the pack as he could, and yet, somewhere along the way, he'd found friends, despite his best efforts. After all this time, he could barely even remember being just Kazuto.

Maybe she's right, he thought. Maybe I'm both Kazuto and Kirito, player and character. But did he really have need for Kazuto in this world?

Before he could formulate a coherent response, he felt arms slip around his waist from behind. Kizmel's head settled on his shoulder, strands of dark purple hair tickling his cheek. Warmth enveloped him, and he felt her weight press into his back. Not heavily, but a reassuring, soothing presence to let him know she was there. Kirito stiffened in surprise when her warm breath caressed his ear as she spoke.

"You're a brave man, Kirito," the dark elf whispered.

He tilted his head, trying to look at her, but only managed a glance from the corner of his eye. His partner's face was unreadable, eyes hidden behind a curtain of silky hair. "Brave?" he asked her, caught off-guard by the apparent non-sequitur and trying to control his breathing from feeling her so close to him.

"You believed this world would be a game, a place to come for enjoyment. By your own admission, you are but a child in your culture, with no training for war. And yet, you have not only persevered, but always pushed the very front lines in the entire time I have known you, Kirito. You may see your own motivation as selfish, because you wish to survive, but we all do. I knew you were young, but had you not told me, I would never have suspected you were anything but a mighty warrior. A swordmaster from our tales of old, from before the Great Separation. A knight...a hero."

Kirito began to shake his head in protest, but stopped when he realized exactly what the motion was doing to the contact between their bodies. "I'm not a hero, Kizmel. I'm just a pretender. I left Klein to fend for himself right after I met him when I could have stayed and helped him. I couldn't save the Black Cats, because I wasn't fast enough, or strong enough. And-"

"And no one expects you to bear the responsibility for everyone in this world, Kirito," she told him soothingly. "There will always be those we could not save. And it hurts, because we failed, because we weren't good enough. But think about all of the lives that were saved by your actions. The conflicts you have averted, the lengths you went to in order to keep the peace among your fellow swordmasters, little though as they seem to appreciate it. Take comfort in the knowledge that there are those alive today because of your actions, and learn to better yourself from the ones you failed to save, but do not let fear of failure paralyze you."

Her eyes darkened, and she buried her face into his neck for a moment. "I will always feel some measure of guilt for the fact that Keita chose to save me, even knowing it could cost him his life. As a knight, it is my duty to sacrifice myself for the sake of others, not to have others die protecting me. But it means a great deal to me that he would make that choice, that he saw me as real enough to make it. And I shall strive to honor his sacrifice by becoming better than I am, to give it meaning by using the chance he gave me." She smiled, a little sadly. "Knowing what I do now about the swordmasters, I am even more surprised that he would do such a thing."

"It should've been me," Kirito whispered. It slipped out unconsciously, and he clamped up the moment the words had left his mouth, hoping she hadn't heard.

Kizmel, however, merely smiled serenely. "I am honored that you would think so, but Kirito, I am not your responsibility. Neither is anyone else. Whomever you wish to blame for their fate, nothing we do will bring them back. The only thing we can do is move forward, and give our all to freeing all of you from this world." She sighed quietly, shifting until her front was pressed firmly against his back to ensure he couldn't move and that his full attention was on her.

"I cannot judge you by who you believe you were when you came here," she said, "but I can judge you on the man I have seen since meeting you. I cannot read your mind, Kirito, but I have eyes, and I can see your actions. They speak louder to me than any words. I have seen you push yourself to become stronger than anyone else, when you could have remained in the safety of a town. I have seen you step into conflict, when you could have chosen to stand aside. I have seen you take on the burden of the outcast and pariah, and yet still you fight for your fellow humans. In fact, you also fight for my people, and others, when you have little reason to do so. That is who Kirito the swordsman is to me."

Kizmel tightened her grip on him for a moment, her weight settling against him for emphasis. "You may not see yourself as a hero, Kirito, but I see the actions of someone as honorable as any knight I have ever known."

Chapter Text

September 18, 2023

The trailing end of August had been a slow time for the clearers as the major clearing guild struggled to reorganize themselves and news of the first actual murder of Sword Art Online spread. As much as they had tried to stop word from getting out, such a thing was impossible to achieve entirely, but the leadership of the Knights of Blood had prevented a total panic. Members of the guild, in their distinctive white and red armor and surcoats, could often be found visiting the mid-level floors to be available for emergencies, and when no further murders had occurred in the weeks following the initial incident with the Moonlit Black Cats, tempers had slowly started to cool. Lind's Divine Dragon Alliance, too, had surprisingly been more than happy to take up exploration duties during that time as they took the opportunity to expand and bring their newer members up to speed.

After a few weeks of slowing down, however, the month of September had seen the clearing group pick up momentum as Kirito and Kizmel once again rejoined the front lines full-time, throwing themselves into becoming stronger and leveling up at a pace most others would call insane. The swordsman had been grateful for the break, as it allowed both himself and his partner to pull themselves back together and settle back into their usual rhythm. Nights were spent farming and grinding out in the fields, and days passed exploring the floors and quests. None of the mobs on the intervening floors had been overly dangerous, and the field and floor bosses had been handled with growing ease, thanks to Asuna finding her stride as the raid leader and the growing core strength of the clearing group. The floor boss of the thirty-seventh floor had just fallen, with zero casualties and no close calls, making it another notch in the growing record of the Flash.

Even now, as Kirito and his partner came out of their post-motion delays for the final sword skill hits on the boss, a part of him marveled that the floor boss fights like the one that had just ended had become almost routine. With no casualties among the clearers since the ill-fated twenty-fifth floor, the strained atmosphere among the clearering group was now just a distant memory, and morale was high. People were starting to believe again, especially as the clearers had begun steamrolling through the field bosses.

Klein had even gotten in contact with him a week after they had parted and left Sachi in his care, to inform them that the girl had begun going out with the rest of Fuurinkazan on hunting and grinding trips, and was fitting in well with the other guild members. Both clearers had been relieved at the news, glad to hear that their former student was beginning to cope with the loss of her friends.

Kirito looked over at his partner as they gathered themselves up, clapping his hand into hers in a high-five gesture that she'd taken a liking to as she looked over the remnants of the battlefield with a smile. Asuna was off to one side, coordinating things with Lind while Heathcliff the Paladin looked on with stoic satisfaction. Kirito didn't know why the leader of KoB looked expressionless most of the time, other than the fact that he seemed to only have that single, stoic expression. Perhaps it was just his way of dealing with being stuck in the death game that SAO had become. Rumors had it that he had been an employee of Argus, the company who had developed SAO, so he may be harboring some bitterness towards his former boss. So would I, Kirito thought to himself.

"Nice job on getting the last attack," he told the dark elf by his side as they strode over to Asuna, a small cadre of other players around them. Agil and his Bro Squad had, as usual, been part of their party for the raid, but this time around they had also been supported by a squad of dedicated tanks from the DDA led by Hafner. The gruff tank looked satisfied with their day's work as he accompanied them to the guild leaders.

"Yeah, congrats," Hafner grunted in amusement, "good to know that someone can actually beat our beater here to the punch." The older man clapped Kirito on the shoulder in a friendly gesture the swordsman would've thought impossible between them months ago.

"Thank you. I look forward to...giving it a try." Kizmel grinned as she inspected the saber she had gotten as the reward for scoring the Last Attack Bonus on the floor boss, while Kirito grumbled good-naturedly by her side at their ribbing. He didn't really begrudge her the weapon as her saber had been reaching the end of its useful life, but the replacement sword he'd commissioned from Lisbeth still felt odd and light in his hands, even though she assured him that it would last him well at least through to the fortieth floor. Really, it had more to do with losing out on the LA bonus rather than the item itself. He had a reputation to maintain, after all.

As they approached the brunette fencer, the group around Lind started perking up as they took notice of the two parties approaching them. Liten and Shivata, the leaders of the DDA's other two main tank groups, waved at them merrily, while Lind merely looked on impassively. Asuna turned around and gifted them with a brilliant smile, giving Kizmel a brief hug and nodding at Kirito. "Good work, you two, as always. And congratulations on the LA bonus, Kizmel-chan."

The dark elf inclined her head with a smile. "Thank you, Asuna. I was fortunate that the reward was a weapon I can use, otherwise I would have presented it to you to gift to someone else who could make use of it."

"That's very generous of you," Lind acknowledged from the side as he conferred with Hafner, before returning his attention to the Knights of Blood. "As it would appear, all of the party leaders have reported in with their loot. Shall we begin the distribution?"

Asuna sighed and nodded. "Let's get it done and over with," she said, not sounding particularly enthused, and Kirito didn't envy her duty. As glamorous as the job of leading the clearing group into battle was, the logistics behind such leadership always ended up being a headache. "Kirito-kun, Kizmel-chan, since Kizmel-chan's keeping her weapon, would you mind going to open up the next floor?"

"Sure." The swordsman looked over his shoulder at Agil, who merely shook his head and gave him a merry wave before turning back to Wolfgang in discussion. Unsurprisingly, the merchant quartet wanted to be around to see what kind of wares they could possibly pick up from the boss drops. With a shrug, Kirito opened his menu and shifted himself and Kizmel into a party of their own.

"Hafner, would you mind accompanying them?" Lind's request took the DDA's tank by just as much surprise as it did Kirito and Kizmel. All three of them looked over, and Lind smiled sheepishly. "I thought it might be good for morale to be able to say that the DDA was among the first to step on the next floor."

Kirito glanced at his partner, and they both shrugged in acquiescence. At least the DDA's guildleader was being honest about his motives this time. "Yeah, that's fine," he said, looking over at the tank. "Whenever you're ready, Hafner."

"Yeah, all right, let's go."

The trio waved their goodbyes, and headed towards the back of the chamber. "That's odd," Hafner said as they were a ways away from the rest of the group. "Boss has never really asked for that before. Usually it's about the prestige of clearing the floor, opening up the next one doesn't really matter much."

"It is strange," Kizmel agreed, but shrugged. "Perhaps he is simply trying to improve morale, as he said."

Kirito made a noncommittal noise. Whatever Lind's motivations were, it didn't affect him, and for a change the DDA's leader hadn't been focused on trying to get him to join their guild, either. The stairwell was in its usual location, at the back of the chamber, through a massive set of double doors that had swung open once the boss had fallen. Torches flickered as they lit the way. He fell back a little bit to chat with his partner.

"That went well," he commented, before realizing just how lame that sounded.

Kizmel chuckled and nodded her agreement. "Things have indeed been going very smoothly recently. I think Asuna's leadership has a good deal to do with that. Even Guildmaster Lind defers to her in strategic situations now." She noticed his eyes running across the new, second sword hanging from her hip, and the corner of her lips tilted up in a smile. "I can see your interest, Kirito. You need only ask."

Embarrassed at being caught, he scratched the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly. "I guess you caught me. I was just curious about it. I know you've been looking for a better weapon for a while, but, well..."

Kizmel laughed brightly, and pulled the weapon from its sheath before flipping it over and handing it to him. "You are excitable like a child with a new toy when it comes to swords, my friend."

He took the comment in stride with only a minor blush and took hold of the saber. It settled into his palm with a hefty, satisfying weight, the handle reminiscent of a katana, with a grip long enough to just fit a single hand, wrapped in dark green silk strands over dark wood and curved downward from the blade. The hilt tapered into a simple, short S-shaped guard, but the blade was that slightly wider and longer than a traditional katana, and yet thinner, maintaining the same curvature. It felt nimble and quick in his hand, but hefty enough to feel solid.

Bringing up the item screen revealed that the weapon was called Hallowed Redeemer, classified as a one-handed curved sword. His eyes widened as he looked at the potential enhancement attempts of the weapon. "Thirty?" he muttered to himself. Thirty chances of increasing its durability, or strength, or other attributes. It wasn't as exceptional as Asuna's Chivalric Rapier had been at her level, but it was still substantial.

His own weapon only had ten enhancement attempts, six of which were already spent. There was still a ways to go before it maxed out, but he still missed his old blade, which had shattered in his fight with PoH weeks prior. Lisbeth had freely admitted that it wasn't her best work, but he'd needed a weapon immediately and it was the best she could do with the materials on hand. Naturally, he needed a weapon to go hunting for the materials she would need for a better weapon, and he'd left her shop with a list and a promise at a hefty discount for the next blade.

I would've had to replace it by now, anyway, he thought to himself as he took a few tentative swings with his partner's new weapon. It wasn't like he could try any sword skills, seeing as he had no proficiency in the One-Handed Curved Swords skill. Its stats were quite good for a monster-drop, and about on par with a well-crafted weapon of its level, but it was the flavor text that caught his attention. He peered at the item description more closely.

"An ancient elven weapon forged from the branches of the holy tree and imbued with the remnants of its magic to battle against the undead. It is exceptionally accurate, but also protects its wielder in battle with a shield of holy light," he read quietly. "I wonder what that means." He was itching to take the weapon to Agil or Lisbeth to have them appraise it and see what additional stats or abilities it would reveal.

Kizmel smiled as she took the weapon back from him a few moments later. "Did your Mystic Scribing charm reveal anything about the weapon?"

"Yeah. You've got thirty enhancement attempts for Lisbeth, so we'll have to spend some time hunting up the required materials sometime, but it looks like it'll last you quite a while," he replied. Quite a while, indeed, the saber might last her all the way to, and possibly beyond, the fiftieth floor. "But apparently there was some history attached to it," Kirito continued as she stowed the blade next to her current weapon.

"I was unaware that Mystic Scribing allowed you to see such details. What did it tell you?"

"It's not like I could see into the past," Kirito grumbled with a chuckle. "It's more...like that thing where we can see how much potential a weapon has, or how powerful it is in relation to our level, or others. It kind of tells us a bit about the item itself."

"That would be incredibly useful," the dark elf mused thoughtfully. "There are many times when I have been unable to identify an item on my travels, and had to rely on a merchant to fully appraise it."

"Oh, it's the same for us, but there's always something basic the charm tells us. But you should probably also have Lisbeth take a look at it later." Kirito shrugged, unable to further explain the mechanics - or lack thereof - behind simple flavor text.

His partner nodded in agreement. "So, what did it say?" It was Kizmel's turn to look at him expectantly, eyes shining in excitement.

The swordsman grinned at his partner's antics. "It's an ancient elven weapon, crafted with branches from one of your holy trees. It said it was really accurate, and there was something about ancient magic protecting its wielder with a divine shield, whatever that means."

Before his partner could answer, Hafner called out. "Hey guys, come look at this!" Kirito looked up ahead where the heavily armored tank was standing in front of the looming arch of the stairs that would lead them up to the thirty-eighth floor. The stairs beyond were illuminated by orange torchlight, but that wasn't the surprise. Standing next to the opening were a pair of obelisks. Three meters tall, with a square base that tapered to a sharp point on top, the two stone monuments were an unusual sight - not just for a boss chamber, but for Aincrad in general. Stone monuments and ruins on their own were generally not a feature that had been seen in Sword Art Online's level design, although no one really knew what Kayaba had in store for them on the higher floors.

"That's...new," Kirito said as he approached one of the massive stone objects. "Are those carvings on it?"

"Yeah," Hafner said, leaning in close and running a hand over the stone. "Kinda cool, but it's a little dark to make out. You got a torch or anything on you?"

"Yeah, give me a sec." Kirito brought up his menu and materialized a torch, striking it against the wall in the system-recognized motion to light it, and the orange flame burst to life. In the new light, he could make out stark relief carvings on the front and sides of the obelisk. They were pictographs, very much like what one might find on the monuments of ancient Egypt.

"That looks interesting," Kizmel commented from his side. "I have not seen anything like this before. But does this not depict a person?"

"That's not just a person, that looks like a dwarf," the swordsman noted, his curiosity piqued. The short, stocky figure looked almost cartoonish in how exaggeratedly short and rotund in the side-on view of it, standing in front of a structure of some sort. The image below it showed the structure as some kind of castle or fortress, two massive pillars rising on either side of a domed gate house with a tall, rectangular tower rising behind it. And in between the front pillars of the structure, where the gate should have been was the same figure, right arm raised...

"Is that a system window?" Hafner asked in a hushed tone, pointing at the carving of a floating rectangle with writing hinted at inside of it. The layout was intimately familiar to the two players, with the window divided into two sections. On the obelisk next to it the same figure was carved standing in a courtyard. "What do you think this is?"

"I don't know," Kirito muttered back. He leaned in closer, focusing on the relief in front of him. The system responded to his action, lowering the resolution of the environment around him as it sharpened and enhanced the view in front of him as the Digital Focusing System activated to render the object he was looking at in high resolution. His eyes wandered over a carving that was rendered in a clarity and sharpness that was impossible to achieve in real life. The indistinct lettering on the small carving came into focus, but it was just nonsensical symbols. But this up close, there was no mistaking the carving as a crude depiction of a system window.

"Could be a quest? Maybe it's a hint at some kind of extra skill, or something?" He thought back at the other extra skills he had heard of. Neither had been offered in what could be called an orthodox manner, with a set quest giver in a sensible location. The Martial Arts skill had to be specifically sought out and was unlisted in the quest log, and to this day he had no idea how Argo had found the NPC any other way than simply walking around the floor until she stumbled across him.

The Awakening mod for the Meditation skill had been even more convoluted, as he'd searched all up and down Galway Castle until he'd stumbled across the NPC's little hidey-hole on accident while checking the top of the castle for ways the Fallen could have attacked by. This was a little bit more direct than either of those, but at the same time it also offered no hint as to what it may lead to. There was one other reason he could think of for what was clearly a non-human character interacting with a system window. If a GM or system admin was able to use any skin, any creature model in the game, then...

"Or maybe..." he didn't want to entertain the thought, because he would be getting his hopes up, only to have them crushed afterwards by SAO. "Maybe it's a system console?"

"No way, like the one they said was around on the first floor?"

Kirito nodded cautiously. Rumors of a logout spot or system console on the first floor had been rampant in the first few weeks of them being trapped in Sword Art Online, and it had turned out to be a fool's errand that had gotten dozens, if not hundreds of players killed. Asuna had almost been one of them. "I don't know, and I'd treat it very carefully. We don't want a repeat of what happened back then."

"True, but this is official, right? This is actually in the game, and it's not someone spreading a rumor," Hafner argued, and Kirito was forced to agree. Whatever this was, it was actually a hint from the game itself. It didn't guarantee anything, but at least it meant there was actually something there.

"Still, let's be careful about this. I mean, a lot of people are gonna walk by this thing, but let's not make assumptions and cause a riot," the swordsman cautioned.

"Should probably let the boss know about that. Maybe Argo will have some info on it?" The DDA tank asked, and Kirito shrugged.

"It's possible, but it may be a bit too early. It looks like it's something that's going to happen on the thirty-eighth floor, so maybe we'll find out as we explore it? I think she'd appreciate a picture of it, though." The swordsman dug through his inventory to find a recording crystal and handed his torch to Kizmel in order to take the pictures. Several screenshots of all eight sides of the two obelisks were summarily sent to Argo by message, and he took the torch back.

"If that truly depicts a dwarf, then perhaps this is a remnant of the Great Alliance," Kizmel noted curiously as she studied the carvings. "Stories tell that, before the Great Separation, the races of human, elf, and dwarves warred with each other until a great evil befell the land. Some of our elders believe that the evil come to the world may have been the plague of undeath that seduced the Fallen with its power, but after decades of strife and war, the three races came together to banish the evil from this world."

The dark elf looked up in surprise when she noticed Kirito and Hafner staring at her, unblinkingly. "Go on," Hafner said.

"Oh." Kizmel frowned in recollection. "The alliance was disbanded not long after their victory, and by the time of the Great Separation, it was a thing of myth and legend. But there are stories of warriors of unique skill and power, with weapons said to rival the gods themselves during that time. Many have tried to hunt for relics of these days past, but few have returned with anything in hand. Some have not returned at all."

Kirito looked at the DDA member next to him. Hafner looked back with a grin. " Your partner sure is a treasure trove of information. Unique skill or weapon, huh?" the tank said, perking up, earlier caution forgotten at the thought of a new skill or extra valuable loot.

"Uh-huh," Kirito nodded, a slow grin spreading across his face to match the older man's. "Better let Lind know about it, so he can't complain if we claim it first!"

"Hey, no fair, you guys run solo, you've got a head start over all of us!" Hafner complained, only half seriously.

Kirito grinned, grabbed his partner's hand, and dragged her up the stairs as he ran for it, the pair of them laughing the entire time. "You snooze, you lose, Haf!"

-------------------------------

September 21, 2023

Kizmel watched her partner as he came at her, blade alight with an azure glow. Her own saber came up, enveloped in red light, and the two skills met in a clash of light and thunder, the force of the impact pushing against both of them. The saber in her hand pinged and shivered ominously, before a sharp crack resounded in the clearing around them, and the blade fractured a hand's width from the handguard. The blade spun off into the air and buried itself tip-first into the ground not too far away, leaving her weaponless.

Kirito came out of the backlash of his skill, spun around, and leveled his sword at her.

The dark elven knight lowered the useless hilt in her hand and smiled. "I believe you hit it correctly again."

"Did I?" Kirito wiped at his eyes as she held up the broken sword in her hand seconds before it disappeared in a shower of colorful light.

"I believe Lisbeth is going to be very curious as to why you ordered so many weapons of inferior quality from her, but I cannot argue with the results," Kizmel stated as she walked over to where they had lined up another half-dozen swords and sabers against a tree trunk.

They had spent the last three days, in between exploring the thirty-eighth floor, in a secluded part of the forest on the northern side of the floor, halfway between the main town and the nearest smaller human village. When Kirito had asked her to help with some training, the last thing she had expected was for him to produce a veritable pile of weapons from the Mystic Scribing charm, none of which had been of particularly good quality. He'd explained that he had a suspicion about what PoH had been up to when he'd fought the PKer the last time, and that the incident, coupled with Asuna's destruction of the twenty-sixth floor boss's weapon, had him intrigued as to whether such a thing was deliberately possible.

Of course, breaking a weapon was possible, she had argued, but then he had remarked that he had wanted to do so in a single blow, to a fully intact one. The knight had been torn between skepticism and intrigue, but the last few days had proven that Kirito could, in fact, destroy a weapon in a single blow using the empowered attacks the swordmasters called sword skills. As he had explained to her, it took some practice to instinctively find the weak spot in a weapon - and any weapon in Aincrad was bound to have one, regardless of how well-crafted it was - and hitting it with just the right amount of force and precision.

As to whether such a thing could be done reliably in battle...Well, I have seen him do things I had believed impossible before, she thought to herself. What is one more thing? It would be one more thing to add to their arsenal should they ever encounter PoH and his ilk again...and she was certain they would.

"I admit, I did not think that you could master this technique so reliably, at least not this quickly." She picked up another of their spare weapons and swung it through the air, trying to determine how he managed to find its weak spot.

Kirito came over, sheathing his blade and picking up one of the spares, himself. He looked at it for a moment and frowned, likely inspecting the weapon for any imperfections. Finally, he gave it a practice swing and turned back to her. "You want to give it a try?"

Her lips curled into a smile. "I thought you might never ask." Kizmel glanced at their dwindling supply of practice weapons. "Perhaps you could instruct me in finding the weak spot first, before I practice aiming for it in battle?"

"Sure." The swordsman tilted his head and pinched the end of the blade in her hand between two fingers. "All right, a lot of it has to do with the balance of the weapon. Most of the time the weak point is going to be where the heaviest part meets the lightest."

"Such as the end of a heavy warhead on a wooden shaft," Kizmel supplied, and her partner nodded in agreement.

"It's more difficult to find on an all-metal weapon like a sword or a mace. Now, I don't know if this kind of perception is unique to swordmasters, or if you are capable of it, but we can definitely give it a try. If you close your eyes and feel the weapon in your hand, try and swing it around. Feel where it's balanced. If you swing it just right, you'll notice a little bit of vibration if you swing it wrong, because you're putting stress on the weak spot."

She complied, intrigued by his explanation. Doubly so, as it sounded rather educated for someone claiming to have no knowledge of the blade or its use. When she asked him about it, Kirito merely shrugged with a wry smile.

"I don't know much about swords in my world, but I've picked up a few things here, and I know physics. Argo's even got a guide on weapons and their proper use by now, I think she came up with it when we told her about PoH and the others actually knowing how to fight without sword skills."

It made sense to her that after their encounter, he'd wanted to further learn how to fight, and she had even sparred against him several times, with weaker practice blades. He had been surprisingly quick in picking up the basics of stance and balance, and his naturally quick reflexes aided him significantly in their mock battles. Kirito turned out to have an almost instinctive grasp of swordsmanship that she had seen in few other warriors.

The dark elven knight swished the blade through the air a few more times until she felt it. A little bit of an odd vibration, something she would surely have missed on her own in the heat of battle. She focused more on it, trying to pinpoint its origin, and after a few more swings, she decided to hack the saber into a nearby tree. The impact sent a shock up her arm, but this time she found a spot, about a third of the way up the blade, that seemed to where the blade was vibrating from. It was minute, almost lost in the hand shock from hitting the tree, but it was there.

Opening her eyes, she shifted the practice weapon into her left hand and drew her saber. Lifting it overhead imbued it with the blue glow of the charm Kirito called Vertical. She aimed carefully, bringing it down on the same spot on the practice blade, and with a sharp metallic ting, it snapped cleanly in half.

"Great job," her partner praised as he ducked out of the way of the whirling, rogue part of the broken weapon. "So now we spar, and each time my blade hits yours, try and figure out where its weak point is."

He came at her, at a fraction of his usual speed, his blade flashing through the patterns she had taught him without the use of the weapon charms. She concentrated on feeling her blade every time it struck his. Now that she was aware of it, she could feel the minute vibration of her own weapon's weakness, and unconsciously shifted it to avoid striking it against the incoming blade.

They went slowly for a moment, exchanging basic diagonal cuts and parries as she shifted her aim to different parts of the incoming weapon. Again and again until she was nearly ready to growl in frustration.

There!

It was even less pronounced than the impact she had felt in her own weapon, but it was there. The slightest bit of vibration travelling from his blade through hers, the slightest shift in his wrists as her weapon struck his just right. On the next exchange, she slung her practice weapon back, glowing with a Slant, and struck.

Like hers had earlier, Kirito's weapon shattered and split neatly at the point of contact, tip whirling off into the distance. A smile slowly spread across her lips.

They went through their remaining supply of practice weapons swiftly after that, and Kizmel soon found that she was able to find the weak spot on most weapons fairly reliably in only a few exchanges once she knew what to look for. Hitting it, however, proved to be an entirely different issue altogether, especially during a high-speed swordfight. Her partner, she knew, was able to do so because of his incredibly fast reflexes, but Kizmel knew she had no hope of matching his sheer reaction speed. The added difficulty was that most duels would involve sword skills clashing with other sword skills; intercepting like with like was difficult enough, but actually aiming for a precise location would involve launching her sword skill even later than her opponents. One ill-timed attack could expose her to retaliation or being struck by an incoming blow.

But perhaps she could make up for it with planning and feints to lead her opponent into more predictable attack patterns. She was a knight of Lyusula, and tactics and strategy had been drilled into her head from the moment she had become a squire in training at the capital. As they fought, ever so slowly speeding up, she began prodding at her partner, striking here and there to see if she could produce the desired reaction.

To his credit, while Kirito did fall into certain patterns, he usually swiftly caught himself, and again his reflexes proved to be a boon to him as they allowed him to adjust before her follow-up blow could land. A predatory grin formed on her lips as she struck, again and again, finally eliciting the response she wanted.

The Horizontal Arc struck against the Snake Bite he'd launched in defense, and their blades clashed in a flare of blue and purple light, and on the return stroke she shifted her wrists minutely, guiding her weapon a hair's width away from the path the charm wanted to pull it.

With a crack their blades met again, hers passing cleanly through Kirito's as its tip missed his chest by an arm's length, and they both came to rest as the hilt in his hand dissolved into azure motes of light.

The swordsman held his hands up in surrender with a grin. "Nice job," he offered as she wiped the sweat from her brow and stepped in to clap her hand against his.

"Thank you." It had taken more effort than she had anticipated, and they had gone nowhere near full speed, but it was progress. With a pang of regret she realized that even with more practice, she may never have the kind of swordsman's intuition that Kirito so easily displayed almost effortlessly. No, it's not just the intuition. It's his sheer speed, much like Asuna's, but different. Their strengths lay in different places, and perhaps that was why the three of them had worked so well together.

"Well, we're out of weapons, but if you want to keep going, I'll see about picking up a few more from Lisbeth later today," Kirito offered while she returned the practice blade she'd used to its sheath.

"I would appreciate that. This skill could be useful in many ways." She paused when she realized he was looking at the weapon in her hands. "Is something the matter, Kirito?"

The swordsman shook his head briefly, before shrugging. "No, no. Just wondering about something."

One eyebrow arched up, and she tilted her head. "What about?"

"It's something I've been wondering for a while," he said sheepishly, further rousing her curiosity.

"Go on," the dark elf encouraged.

"Well...okay." Kirito settled down against a tree, and she took a seat next to him. "So, for swordmasters, the sword skills we can use are tied to how good we are at using a certain type of weapon."

Kizmel nodded in understanding, tucking a strand of lilac hair behind her ear. "Proficiency with a certain weapon allows for the use of more powerful weapon charms."

"Right." He coughed and indicated at the sword strapped to his back. "In my case, I've used a one-handed sword for as long as I've been in Aincrad. I did experiment with some others during the beta test, but this one just felt right. So...I can use some pretty powerful sword skills with it. But if I were to pick up, say, a rapier or a saber, I'd be lucky if I could pull off even the most basic attacks."

"I think I understand," Kizmel nodded. "As a knight, I have been trained to use many different kinds of weapons on the battlefield. I suppose you could say I am proficient with most of them."

"Right," the swordsman agreed. "But it's not just a matter of you being proficient with a weapon. If I decided to train with a rapier, I could eventually become good enough to use some of the high-level skills that Asuna does, or that I've seen you do. What I'm actually wondering about is how you can use sword skills with your saber that we can't." Kirito paused for a moment, head cocked to the side, before correcting himself.

"I mean, for us swordmasters, our sword skills are tied to the weapon type. My sword is classified as a one-handed sword, while your saber, and scimitars, fall under the one-handed curved sword category. Weapons like Asuna's rapier and the estoc XaXa was using when he fought you would fall under rapiers. For us, each type of weapon has a specific set of sword skills available, but you're able to use rapier and one-handed sword skills with a saber. None of us can do that."

The dusky elf's eyes widened in surprise and understanding. "Ah, I see. It is not my skill with various weapon types, but rather the ability to use skills that are denied to you with some weapons."

"Yeah, that's about it," Kirito confirmed.

Kizmel's brow furrowed. "I...do not know, exactly, how this came to be. I understand what you are saying, but you must remember that for us, a sword charm is not tied to the weapon itself. Whatever ancient power is used to unleash the charm, we are trained from the moment we become squires to use it. I will admit that certain charms come easier with some weapons than others, and some knights have been unable to learn some at all, but we have never had the restrictions you speak of."

It was her partner's turn to frown in thought. "That's...interesting. I wonder..." he caught himself before he began muttering to himself, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I mean, it'd be really useful to be able to use some rapier skills with my sword."

"Agreed," Kizmel said with a wry smile. "And I understand your confusion, especially in regard to some charms. The one you call Flashing Penetrator, or the Linear Asuna is so fond of certainly seem like they should be much easier to execute with your preferred type of sword than mine."

"Exactly!"

The dark elven royal guard hummed in thought. It was an interesting question that Kirito had brought up. Was it something about the swordmasters themselves, and how the ancient magic of the weapon charms interacted with their own? Or was it simply a matter of them not being aware such a thing could be done? Either was equally likely, and Kizmel could see how, if this entire situation had been presented to the swordmasters as a game, they could've easily been mislead about it.

Then again, it may also simply be a result of magic interfering with magic. "Were you ever directly told that it was impossible to use weapon charms with weapons different than the ones they were intended for?"

Kirito's brow furrowed in concentration. "It wasn't explicitly in the rules for the game, no...we were just told that increasing our skill with a certain weapon would unlock certain sword skills for it."

He took a few steps to the side and drew the blade from his back. Sliding into a ready stance, he swung the weapon into the preparatory motion for a Linear, but nothing happened when he thrust it forward. With a frustrated noise, he tried again. when nothing happened, Kizmel moved to stand beside him and held out her hand. "May I?"

"Sure." With a shrug, he relinquished his weapon, and the sword settled into her palm. It was the first time she'd held one of her partner's weapons, and Kizmel took a few seconds to explore it. It was heavy, heavier than her saber, even. Straight and double-edged, with a blade just as long, and a longer handle that might allow him to use a second hand on the pommel for extra leverage.

She slid into the same motion her partner had attempted just moments before, and the tell-tale silvery-white glow of the Linear weapon charm surrounded the blade. Kizmel held the stance for a second, before releasing the charm and lowering her guard. With a frown, she returned the sword to its owner. "That is strange."

"You're telling me." Kirito sighed, casting Mystic Scribing and looking intently at something on those ethereal pages. "And I don't have an open skill slot to try anything else. Man, sometimes I wish you could cast Mystic Scribing just so you could tell me what's going on with your stats..."

Kizmel merely smiled apologetically and shrugged. "I admit, I am curious, myself, as to how your human Mystic Scribing charm would evaluate me." Something strange he'd said then occurred to her. "You mentioned a...skill slot?"

The swordsman blinked, as if just realizing what he'd said. "Oh. Uh...it's one of those rules from the magic that brought us here. Abilities and skills are actually pretty restricted for swordmasters, and we only can have a certain number of them." He scratched the back of his head in thought. "So if I picked up a certain weapon to train with it, that would take up one of those slots. Martial Arts is another, and Meditation, and Tailoring, and so on."

That was a strange concept to the dark elf. The fact that the swordmasters, for all their power, were restricted in such a manner seemed almost unnatural, as was the concept that one couldn't simply improve by practice and training alone. "So...you cannot simply pick up a weapon and become proficient with it? It would require the use of one of your...skill slots?"

"Well..." Kirito hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I could still learn how to use it and swing it, but without using Mystic Scribing to actually lock in that I want to learn and train in that particular skill, it'll never improve to the point where I can use sword skills."

"That seems...unnatural," she finally voiced her thought after a moment of consideration. Perhaps it was a measure put in place to counteract the otherwise incredible powers the swordmasters wielded. If this had been a game to them, then, as her partner had said, it could easily be one of the rules enforced upon them for no other reason than that the sorcerer Kayaba had decided that it should be.

"I know, it's weird that you can't just freely do anything you want and naturally get better at it beyond a certain point. It has some other side benefits, like us being able to use sword skills just by improving our skill without actually getting good at using a sword."

"Ah." That, too, made sense. If the majority of the swordmasters had no experience or training with weapons, then this would allow them to still fight effectively. It also was why people like PoH and XaXa were so dangerous.

Kirito shrugged. "You get used to it after a while."

"You have seen these restrictions before?" Kizmel thought back to what he'd told her. "In the other worlds you have visited?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "They weren't always exactly like this, but similar. Hey, is it the same way for you? How did you learn the skills you know? I know for a fact you didn't know Flashing Penetrator when we parted ways."

The dusky elf tilted her head in thought, wondering how to explain to him how the natives of Aincrad learned and improved. It was strange to be on the other side of the question for once, and she began to understand her partner's frustration and sometimes outright inability to explain certain things to her. After all, what was normal to her may be completely foreign to him, and without anything to compare it to, how could she find the words to make him understand?

"I suppose," she began slowly after a few moments of collecting her thoughts, "it's rather different from the swordmasters. I cannot really imagine how your own training progresses over time, but for us, we are raised, and we are taught. Over time, as we practice and improve, we become better at our task. There is no limit, other than time, to what we can learn and do. As for the charms you call sword skills...we are usually taught the basic ones by our instructors when we are but squires, and our training always continues when we become knights."

Kizmel paused for a moment, trying to imagine herself in her partner's place, how he saw this world around them. Only a limited number of skills to choose from, and a very restrictive selection, she mused. If each weapon counts as a single skill, I can understand why most swordmasters only ever pick up a single type of weapon, instead of mastering several. And if even things we would consider mundane like tailoring and cooking are considered as "skills" by their magic, which would I pick? What would I choose if I had to survive in this world?

"As for the Flashing Penetrator charm, it was taught to me by Viscount Yofilis while I visited Yofel Castle a little while after we parted ways," she informed him. "He was kind enough to spend many hours instructing me in the proper technique, and allow me the use of the castle facilities to practice and hone it while I was there."

"But you make no distinction between what sword skills are for what weapons, do you?"

Kizmel shook her head. "No. Admittedly, some charms are more difficult with some weapons. Other knights, for example, have chosen a weapon like yours - a straight, double-edged blade. They have learned the same charms I have, but told me during training that they find it difficult to execute a Treble Scythe, while it is almost second nature to me."

"Hmm. Maybe there's still some kind of weapon preference there, but it's amazing you can just learn all of these skills through practice alone. I wonder if you even have skill slots like we do, perhaps you just trained all those skills..."

"We do not." At her decisive reply, Kirito glanced up. "At least, not in the manner that you describe. And it still would not explain why, even if you had proficiency with rapiers in your...skill slot, that you were still limited by your weapon. It seems to be a limitation innate to swordmasters."

At his disappointed look, Kizmel tried to cheer him up. "Take heart, Kirito. If it is possible for you to learn to use these charms with weapons outside the bounds of what swordmasters are supposed to, I am sure you will find a way. Just look at what you have accomplished here in the last few days."

-------------------------------

September 22, 2023

"Did Argo say what she wished to talk about?" Kizmel asked as they settled into a table in the corner of the inn. After successfully learning the skill Kirito had ended up calling "Arms Blast," his method for destroying an opponent's weapon using a sword skill, they had decided to move further ahead with their exploration of the floor. Now that Kizmel, too, knew the basics of how this ability worked they could practice it while travelling, and they had wanted to keep their usual lead on the remainder of the clearing group.

"No, her message just said that it was important, and something to do with the big stone carvings we found in the last boss chamber." Kirito sounded just as curious as she felt; neither of them had been able to come up with an explanation for the carvings, even after spending hours some evenings talking about their theories and pouring over the images Kirito had recorded.

Kizmel was convinced that it had something to do with the dwarves. There had been few sightings of dwarves in Aincrad since the Great Separation - living dwarves, that is, as those corrupted by the ancient evil much like the Fallen were spread throughout the floating castle, as were those who had turned to banditry or become obsessed with hoarding their small treasures - and many elves had believed their culture entirely extinct by now. But then, we dark elves have barely ventured past the ninth floor, and even our furthest expeditions have only reached the twenty-third, she mused. Who knows what awaits us farther up?

It was possible there was a dwarven colony that had settled on one of the higher floors of the floating castle and remained there, much like the elves had limited their own expansion to no higher than the ninth floor. But the monsters of Aincrad were tough, and as she had learned to her surprise after Kirito had left, travelling with the pair of human swordmasters had somehow made herself more powerful than her fellow Pagoda Knights. She had returned to the capital from their raid on the Fallen stronghold stronger and faster, and she wondered how she would measure up against Viscount Yofilis now.

The growth in strength she had undergone, her increase in "levels," as Kirito had stated that Mystic Scribing ascribed her relative strength, had been near meteoric once on the higher floors, and the more she attempted to compare herself to her fellow knights in the capital, the more she realized that perhaps her own strength now had more in common with the swordmasters than her own people.

It was a strange and somewhat disconcerting thought. Was it the constant exposure to the swordmasters and the magic that surrounded them that had done it? There were few reports of scouting expeditions that had reached anything past the fifteenth floor, and fewer still beyond the twentieth, because only the strongest and best knights had any hope of surviving.

Now, as they stood on the precipice of conquering the thirty-eighth floor, Kizmel had to admit that nothing had truly given her trouble since joining up with Kirito on the twenty-fifth, and even without her partner she could hold her own against the monsters of this floor. Where did that leave her in relation to the other dark elves? In the past, those that had returned from the fifteenth floor had been heralded as heroes of the kingdom. The ones who survived to tell tales of the twentieth had become enshrined in legend, honored as the most glorious knights not just of their generation, but of the Kingdom of Lyusula as a whole.

Was their own growth and strength truly so limited that they could spend a lifetime training and never achieve the kind of strength the swordmasters had, and if so, why was she capable of it?

"Excuse me." Dark elven knight and human swordsman looked up in unison at the voice, its owner clearing his throat awkwardly at their synchronized stare.

Lind stood in front of their booth, alone, although peering past him Kizmel could see his usual retinue at another table across the inn. They were looking back at them somewhat uncomfortably and quite a few of whom were sending disdainful glares at Kirito.

"Guildmaster Lind," she greeted him cordially, while Kirito merely nodded in greeting.

"Kizmel-san, Kirito," Lind returned the greeting, before gesturing towards the free chair he was standing behind. "May I sit?"

Exchanging a glance with her partner, she could tell Kirito was just as confused by the appearance of the DDA's leader as she was. Finally, Kirito shrugged and waved at the empty spot. "Sure. What's this about?"

"Actually," Lind settled into the wooden chair and looked at Kizmel pointedly, "I was hoping to talk to Kizmel-san, if you would indulge me for a bit."

That caused both of their eyes to shoot open in surprise. "You wish to speak with me, Guildmaster Lind?" Kizmel asked carefully. When the man nodded, she frowned in thought. "Very well. What did you wish to speak about?"

Lind sent an awkward look at Kirito before focusing back on her. The swordsman picked up on it and slid his chair back a fraction. "Uh, is this something you wanted to talk to her about in private, Lind?"

The guildmaster looked torn for a moment, clearly thinking about how to answer and weighing his options. Kizmel could see him considering how whatever he was going to say might be received by Kirito, and how her partner may react to the implication that Lind wanted to keep what he was going to say secret from him.

Kirito, too, seemed to sense Lind's hesitation, and glanced over at Kizmel. "I'll leave you guys to it. We were waiting for Argo anyway, so if she pops in, at least she won't charge us for making her wait. I'll catch up with you later, Kizmel?"

The dark elf hid a smile at her partner's confidence in her, thinking back to every time he'd interacted with Lind. Many of them had not been particularly pleasant, although Lind had always maintained a polite, if disapproving tone. It just made her even more curious as to what he could have to say. "Very well. Please give my regards to Argo if I cannot make it in time, Kirito."

"Will do. See you around, Lind." The swordsman waved at them as he stood and headed over to find an unoccupied table. Kizmel waited until he'd found one, his gaze occasionally flickering over to her, but mostly locked onto the inn's entrance, before turning her attention to Lind.

"Pardon my presumptuousness, Guildmaster Lind, but this is rather unexpected."

"I understand," he coughed before leaning forward. "The truth is, I was not expecting to be talking to you in private. I'm surprised Kirito trusts me enough to leave me alone with you. We have not exactly always been on the best of terms," he added with a dry chuckle.

Kizmel dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Perhaps it is not so much that he trusts you, as he trusts me to be able to take care of myself."

"You might be right there." Lind seemed a little more comfortable with that explanation. "I'll get straight to the point, then. I would like to extend an invitation to you and Kirito to join the Divine Dragon Alliance."

"And I assume you are making this offer to me, because you know what Kirito's response would be."

Lind nodded in acquiescence. "Kirito and I...have not always seen eye to eye. And I admit that in the early days, I was overzealous in how I handled things, but I got caught up in our rivalry with the Aincrad Liberation Squad, and we were all trying to find our feet back then. I had a hard time understanding why anyone wouldn't want to join either of our guilds for safety."

"I can understand some of your reasoning," the dark elf admitted, "but there was more to it than that. For as long as I have known Kirito, he has always been looked down upon by almost every other swordmaster I have encountered. Perhaps much of that had to do with his status as a beta tester, or with the way he avoided being a part of a group. Surely you can understand why he would be wary of joining anyone else."

"I can." To her surprise, Lind appeared honest as he said that. When he noticed, he smiled sheepishly. "I didn't always, but I can now. But, now that things have calmed down somewhat and the frontline has reorganized, I wanted to extend the offer again. I had hoped that maybe he would be more receptive to it coming from you than me. I really believe we could offer a lot to the two of you, and that you have a lot you could bring to the DDA."

Kizmel nodded to herself; it had been a while, but she remembered Argo bringing up the possibility that Lind might approach her. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but it still left her with many questions.

"And what of the fact that I am not a swordmaster? Not even human, in fact?"

"It won't be a problem," Lind promised eagerly. "I admit, initially when you joined the clearing group on the twenty-sixth floor, there were concerns about your...status and abilities, seeing as you aren't a...swordmaster." Kizmel noticed that he used the title for the humans transported to Aincrad, the "players," hesitantly, as if he was unused to it. It was strange, as Kirito, Asuna, Argo, even Agil and his friends to Lisbeth and Ashley had never had problems with it.

"And have these concerns been allayed?"

"They have. Absolutely," he rushed to assure her, holding up a hand to placate her, his eyes briefly wandering to a spot above her head. "Please understand, Kizmel-san. The last time you fought with Kirito and Asuna was on the ninth floor. When you showed up on the twenty-sixth, many of us hadn't heard of you before, and those who had were unsure if you had leveled...I mean, become strong enough."

Inclining her head to acknowledge his rather valid concern, the dark elf couldn't help but ponder just how the rest of the swordmasters viewed her. She was aware not all of them saw her the way Kirito and Asuna did - as a close friend and ally - and in fact, the majority of them seemed rather indifferent to her or ignored her altogether. Dismissing her, perhaps, as a native of Aincrad without the magic and charms of the swordmasters. Not that it mattered much to her; in fact, being underestimated could be a powerful weapon if one knew how to wield it.

"What do you want from us, then? And what benefit could joining the Divine Dragon Alliance possibly offer Kirito and myself?"

Lind relaxed a little, spreading his hands on the table as the conversation delved back into a topic he was more prepared for. "You two are some of the most powerful members of the clearing group. What you would bring to the DDA is obvious, I would think."

"You wish to balance out the prestige and growing power of the Knights of Blood. You wish to have Kirito as a counterpoint to Asuna." It wasn't a question; and to his credit, Lind merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"That is part of it, and I do not wish to diminish your own contribution in any way. From what I can tell, you are Kirito's partner and equal in almost every regard. I hope you can understand that as the leader of my guild, my goal first and foremost is to strengthen us enough so we can achieve our goal. To clear this castle and return all of us home."

"Of course. I do appreciate your honesty about this."

Lind shrugged. "I always have been, at least about this. Even early on, I wanted to make sure that we always progressed, always got stronger. Of course, the situation with the ALS made things a little bit difficult."

"That is also mine and Kirito's goal. We wish to reach the pinnacle of Aincrad and defeat the sorcerer Kayaba to send the swordmasters home to their own world."

The DDA's leader nodded and gestured grandiosely. "You see, our goals align. Your strength would be a very welcome addition to the DDA, and it wouldn't even have to change anything during the boss fights. You would still lead the same party with the same people, only now it would be under the banner of the DDA. At the same time, we could offer you information, intelligence, even assistance with your own quests and missions." He held up a hand to forestall her reply before continuing. "I know you two usually can handle things on your own, but you have to see how the backing of a large guild could be beneficial to both of you. We can help provide materials, equipment, even smiths and tailors. And, if you needed it, manpower. We have a lot of talented fighters. None really up to Kirito's level, as much as I hate to admit it, but you have seen them during the boss fights."

"That is a very generous offer, Guildmaster Lind," Kizmel conceded. If he had come offering this to Kirito in the beginning, maybe he wouldn't have alienated him as much as he did. "And what would you wish from us in return, except our strength? Surely there must be more you are after beyond the mere prestige of having another party in the clearing group."

There was some hesitation in the man before he answered this time, and Kizmel could tell that she had hit the heart of the matter. "There was something we would have liked to ask you to do if you agreed to join. As you know, the Knights of Blood have started a recruitment program to get lower-level players trained and geared to begin participating in floor exploration and eventually boss fights." At her nod, he continued.

"The DDA has its own recruitment program, but I will be the first to admit that because of our roots, it is...very restrictive. We have strict requirements for skills and equipment for new applicants, and it has been brought to my attention that this could be detrimental to our efforts. Whereas we require our applicants to have a certain proficiency and equipment, the KoB actively mold their recruits into the fighters they want them to be. When we heard that you and Kirito were training a small guild on the mid-level floors, I asked around. Their improvement has been nothing short of amazing. According to my information, it took you perhaps two months to take a group of disorganized level-20 players and push them all the way to level-30 and beyond, and from what I heard, they were fighting well above their actual level with coordination on par with the clearing group. Rumor has it they even impressed Asuna-san."

So that was it. Kizmel glanced down at her hands, her hair cascading in front of her eyes. She resisted the urge to clench them into fists. Word had spread about their involvement with the Moonlit Black Cats. Not that she was entirely surprised; when Kirito and Argo had first informed the major guild leaders about the PK incident that had cost four of the five Black Cats their lives, questions had been asked what Kirito had been doing with them at the time. He had managed to avoid answering the question in its entirety for the most part, but in hindsight that would only have served to spur further interest, and it was not surprising that others would have looked further into it.

"You wish for us to train your new applicants," the knight deduced flatly.

Lind seemed to realize he had hit a sore spot, and hastily waved his hands in front of himself defensively. "It wouldn't have been mandatory, or anything, and we weren't going to ask you to spend all your time training them. We were just hoping that perhaps you could give the lower-level applicants some help the way you did the Black Cats. Advice on how to fight together. I think they'd really benefit from having someone as experienced as you two around. And it would help them see you two as more than just the beater and his dark elf partner."

Kizmel forced herself to relax, though the brief tensing of her body may have given her away. So that is how he wishes to approach this, is it? If Lind thought he could pretend to be concerned about the way others saw Kirito, then it spoke volumes about whether the man had indeed changed...and he had not.

"I meant no offense by that," he attempted to backtrack, having realized his mistake. "I'm just saying that even beyond just his beater reputation, Kirito is...someone a lot of people feel uncomfortable around, and I just thought that being more approachable would help with that."

He seemed genuinely contrite, but Kizmel knew that ultimately, little had changed in his attitude towards her partner. "I hope you'll forgive me for saying so, but I doubt you really considered Kirito's standing with other swordmasters when you made that offer." She tilted her head to the side curiously. "Tell me, Guildmaster Lind, what do you think of Kirito and myself? What do you really think, because if we were to join the Divine Dragons, then the overture should not be made under the mere pretense of friendship and honesty."

Lind's expression soured for a moment, but he sighed in resignation and nodded. "You're right. It wouldn't be fair to you, or us, and in the end, it'd only cause problems." He glanced up at her and straightened his posture. "Yes, I do want both of you to join the DDA. You'd be an incredible asset to us, whether you decided to train the new applicants or not. Part of my intention is to restore the power balance between us and the KoB, but I genuinely believe that to strengthen us is to strengthen the clearing group as a whole."

Kizmel continued stared at the man sitting across from her, trying to read his expression. Swordmasters tended to have over-exaggerated emotional responses according to Kirito, and often were unable to hide their actual thoughts. It seemed highly inconvenient to Kizmel, but also made things much easier for her. Kirito and Asuna had long ago learned that they couldn't really hide it from the dark elf if anything was bothering them, and right now she applied that same experience in reading her human partners to the man before her.

"Kirito...is a wild card. A rogue element. I firmly believe it would be in everyone's best interest if he was at least nominally under the oversight of one of the guilds. Not just for everyone else's sake, but also for his own. He's made his fair share of enemies-" Lind held up his hands defensively. "Hold up. I don't mean to imply that I or anyone else in the DDA bears him ill will. But his tendency to involve himself in dangerous matters, like he has done with Morte, Joe, and PoH, makes him a target. Being part of a guild would alleviate some of that danger."

"And allow you to curb some of his behaviors you see as unnecessary, I'm sure," Kizmel added dryly.

He tilted his head to the side momentarily, before nodding. "I won't lie about that. I think some of the things he does are...motivated by things other than progressing us forward. I'm hoping that being part of a guild will adjust his priorities accordingly, because regardless of whatever else I think of him, I respect his loyalty to those around him. I admire his dedication to whatever he puts his mind to, and I think it'd be a great help to all of us if only he was given a little bit of guidance."

The dark elf arched an eyebrow skeptically. "And you believe you are the one to provide this guidance to him?"

"Oh, no, not at all." Lind shook his head, and she actually believed he meant that. "There's too much history between us for him to take my advice on anything that is not related to fighting bosses, and as much as I hate to admit it, even then he probably knows more than I do. But I wasn't lying when I said your strength would be a great help to us, and I think that if you see the benefits of joining us and working with us, rather than apart from us on a parallel course, you can maybe temper his more...impulsive decisions."

He seemed to contemplate something for a moment, pausing before continuing. "And I do believe that teaching and training our new applicants will be good for Kirito. His loner attitude has so far worked out for him, but eventually, he'll reach a point where he'll need more than just you as his support. As good as he is, no one man can stand alone, even with the likes of you or Vice-Commander Asuna at his back. We may not get along, but that doesn't mean I want to see him die and lose that resource for us. You two had no problems working with the Moonlit Black Cats, so I know Kirito's attitude isn't the problem, and I think it would help him become more of a team player."

So that is what it was. They were tools to be used; useful tools to be courted, but tools nonetheless. "The Black Cats were a unique case. Kirito would not have trained them of his own will had I not asked him to."

"Exactly. He listens to you, and I think you're good for him. You temper him, Kizmel-san. Asuna was always a little too hot-tempered, and while the two of them together were a force to be reckoned, I think someone more...mature and level-headed would be a good partner for him. Someone like you. Join the DDA, Kizmel-san. If it's about the fate of the Black Cats, no one blames Kirito for what happened. They are murderers, and we all want to help bring them to justice, but there are others who could use the same kind of help you gave them. If they come after you, either of you, while you're a part of the DDA, we can help you fight them. We won't be as helpless as they were."

"The Black Cats were far from helpless," Kizmel countered evenly, fighting to suppress the flush of anger that darkened her cheeks, and she had to remind herself that the man truly didn't seem to mean ill by speaking of their deceased friends. "Their deaths were not because they were weak."

"I understand, and I apologize. I meant no offense," Lind said, leaning back from her slightly. "I just wanted to say that if either of you were worried about getting involved with a guild because you fear a repeat of that incident, then you don't have to worry."

"There is something I wish to know, Guildmaster Lind," the dark elf finally said after a few long moments of silence between them. When he motioned for her to go ahead, she asked. "I understand your desire to strengthen your guild. I also understand that, whatever you may think of Kirito, you do not wish to see him die. But what would you say if he were to join the Knights of Blood?"

He frowned and stared down at the tabletop for a heartbeat before answering. "I suppose that would be one way to achieve those goals. I wouldn't be happy about it, if that's what you're asking. But do you really think that the KoB would be a good fit for your partner and yourself?"

"No," Kizmel admitted honestly. It was part of the reason why she had turned down Asuna's offer repeatedly. The fencer was really the only one she knew among their ranks, and many of the others were...aloof. The strict discipline enforced by the Knights of Blood would only stifle Kirito's independence and progress, she believed, and many of them had simply ignored her and refused to give her the basic courtesy that Asuna, Kirito, and others had, simply because she wasn't one of them.

Lind's expression softened somewhat. "I understand you have some friends in the DDA. I think even a couple we picked up from the ALS when they disbanded. You know some of our people, and you get along with them. I'm not saying everyone will be like that, but I think having a few friendly faces around would be a good start. Think about it, Kizmel-san. Even if you didn't want to train our new recruits, we'd still love to have you both."

With that, he stood, cape swirling behind him as he spun to take his leave. Kizmel almost didn't notice it when Kirito and Argo arrived at the table, the swordsman looking worried.

"Everything all right, Kizmel?" he asked. "Lind didn't give you trouble did he?"

She blinked, trying to shake herself from her thoughts, and shook her head. "No, although it was an interesting conversation."

"What did he want?" As the two of them took their seats, Kirito next to her and Argo across from them, the dark elf recounted her conversation with the DDA's leader.

-------------------------------

When she finished, Kirito's expression was one of surprise and reluctance.

"He's got a bit of a point," the swordsman admitted. "Eventually, there'll be a time when we've gone as far as we can by ourselves, and we'll need more than just you and me. But that's a long way off."

"Ya could always start yer own guild, Kii-bou," Argo cacked merrily. "You'd finally have a use for that guild flag that's still sitting in your inventory."

"No. Absolutely not. No way," he protested emphatically. "I didn't want to do it then, and I'm still not doing it now. Speaking of, please don't mention that thing, or the whole trouble about it is going to start up again."

Kizmel frowned at the thought; Kirito had told her of what had occurred on the fifth floor, and how he had led a pre-emptive strike on the pillar guardian to acquire from it the Flag of Valor, a mystical battle standard that would embolden and empower those nearby when it was planted. Conflict had nearly erupted between the ALS and Dragon Knights had Kirito not stepped in and claimed it for himself, instead offering it as a reward should the two feuding guilds cooperate and end their struggle for supremacy.

Neither had really given in to the offer, and with the withdrawal of the Aincrad Liberation Squad, the offer had lost its meaning and value. Many had forgotten about it, but not everyone. It was an artifact from the fifth floor, but its magic was still powerful, and it surely would be a boon to any of the clearing guilds.

"I don't understand why ya don't just give it to A-chan. The KoB's practically in charge of the raids nowadays anyway, so what's the harm? Besides, it's A-chan in charge."

"I don't really know," her partner said, shrugging. "I just have this weird feeling about them. You're right, it'd probably do the most good there, but there's just something about some of their members..."

"They're kinda cold fish, aren't they?" the information broker supplied helpfully. "I mean, most of them are okay, like that Godfree fella, but some of them just rub me the wrong way sometimes, even when they want something from me." Argo snorted disdainfully. "Power gamers..."

At her curious glance, the blonde help out her hand, palm up. "Fifty Cor, Kii-chan."

With an amused chuckle, Kizmel fished the appropriate coin from the pouch on her belt and handed it over. Payment made, Argo smirked and provided her explanation. "Think people who take games way, way too seriously. Now, this isn't really a game anymore, but they're still in it more for their own ego and bragging rights rather than the good of the group. Everything's a competition to them, and everyone else is their opponent."

"I see." There had been several with the same attitude in her training cadre; they had not seen the war with the Fallen and the Forest Elves as a game, of course, but some of her fellow squires and trainees had been more occupied with lording their own superiority over their classmates rather than working with them. I suppose elves and humans have more in common the more I learn about them.

"It's actually getting a little out of hand, from what A-chan tells me," Argo continued. "You know how they started out taking everyone the other guilds didn't want, you just had to be good enough?"

"Yeah, that's why they grew so fast to begin with," Kirito nodded.

"Yup. Apparently now they're growing too fast. And being considered the best of the best if you make it in is just the cherry on top. You know what happens when a guild starts being considered the best."

Kirito nodded with a sigh, and Kizmel could easily see where such a meteoric rise in fame would lead, especially with someone as driven as Asuna at the helm. The Knights of Blood were almost universally considered the best fighters of the swordmasters, leading the charge through Aincrad from the fore. It wasn't hard to imagine that such an environment would cause some of their members to feel superior to others. Even disciplined soldiers were not immune to their ego and pride at times, and as long as the warriors were powerful enough to meet the standards of the group, there was little their leaders could do but tolerate them.

"Yeah," her partner finally said tiredly. "But it's exactly that kind of thinking that got Diavel killed on the first floor."

"Haven't heard this story before. Spill, Kii-bou," Argo leaned forward in interest. "I won't even charge ya for what I'm gonna tell you next if ya do."

Kizmel, too, leaned closer. She had heard Kirito talk about Diavel before, but it had always been about the man's leadership and his importance as a symbol to the clearers. He had been their first martyr, used to inspire them to gather their courage and charge onwards and upwards, and even now he served as the basis for the way Lind led his Divine Dragon Alliance.

The swordsman hesitated for a bit before speaking. "I don't really want to speak ill of the dead, but he didn't just jump in on Ilfang out of the blue. He wanted to stop me from getting the last attack on him."

"And take that LA bonus for himself, huh?" Argo frowned. "I mean, everyone wants to take the LA bonus, but why would he want to stop you in particular from getting it?"

Kirito's expression darkened somewhat at the memory, if only for a brief moment. "Because he remembered me from the beta. He remembered how I always went for the LA bonus, and got all of the unique items from them. Do you remember the mystery buyer who kept making offers on my Anneal Blade?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to-" the information broker cut off abruptly. "I thought Kibaou was the one making the offer."

He shook his head. "Kibaou was only a go-between. The actual offer came from Diavel. He knew exactly what he was doing offering more money for my blade than it was worth, because he didn't want me to have it when we left for the boss fight."

"To ensure you were ill-equipped to strike the killing blow?" Kizmel asked with a deep frown.

"Literally," Argo confirmed, her own expression unreadable. "So he was getting rid of the competition for the best loot, huh?"

"That's what it looked like to me," Kirito said, "but to be fair to him, it might be because he was going to be leading and wanted the best gear for it."

"Either way, it's not exactly a pleasant attitude, but it's not entirely unexpected," the blonde commented wryly. "They think they're better than anyone else because they've got one of the best fighters in the game leading them and they have a perfect raid record. We can't really do much about it, because they'd need to fall on their faces to learn a lesson..."

"And that means people die," Kirito finished for her.

Argo nodded. "Yup. A-chan's got her hands full trying to sort the chaff from the grain, but as long as they're strong enough to meet the KoB's requirements, there's not much the leaders can do about it." The blonde's disdainful sniff told Kizmel exactly what she thought of it. "Anyway, I didn't just call you two here to talk about the KoB's general attitude."

"Right, so what did you want to see us about?" Kizmel glanced at her partner when he asked, and Argo grinned toothily.

"It's about those obelisks you found in the last boss chamber. I did some asking around and it took me a few days to confirm it, but apparently there's supposed to be a ruins looking just like this on this floor." The info-dealer slid her fingers through the air to cast Mystic Scribing, and an ethereal page appeared between them. She flipped it around so they could see.

Kizmel recognized the image of the obelisk they had encountered only days before instantly; it must have been one of the images Kirito had recorded and sent to Argo for further investigation. The blonde pinched her fingers together before spreading them back out, and the image enlarged until it was centered on the carving of what they had believed to be a fort of sorts when they had first seen it.

"You...you actually found it?" Kirito asked in disbelief, staring between the image and Argo.

"Yup," she grinned broadly. "But there's a catch."

The swordsman sighed in exasperation, much to Kizmel's amusement. "Of course there is."

"What is it, Argo?" she asked in his stead.

"I didn't find it. I bought the info about it from one of the DDA exploration teams. Confirmed it was legit, of course," now the information broker was frowning, herself. "Sure enough, it was where they said it would be, and it looks a lot like it."

With a brief gesture, a second image appeared next to the floating one, and the dark elf had to suppress a gasp at the sight of the half-overgrown ruins. It was eerily similar to the carving, but now that she could see it in detail and in color, the architecture was something she was intimately, uncomfortably, familiar with. A sharp intake of air next to her told Kizmel that her partner had come to the same conclusion.

Black marble columns rose from the ground. Obsidian walls gleamed between them, the windows long dark as spires twisted themselves into the air, lending the structure, even half destroyed and decayed by time as it was, an aura of menace. The gate house had long ago collapsed much like the majority of the ramparts, its domed roof a shadow of its former splendor, allowing a glimpse behind the walls. The tower that rose at the center at the keep of the castle was in ruins, half of its facing wall collapsed, but what remained of its stone walls was a pure white in stark contrast with the rest of the fort. Clean lines clashed with the twisted spines in the fore, hard lines at odds with the flowing, almost organic shapes of the outer walls.

"That's a Fallen fortress," Kirito muttered in disbelief.

But that wasn't all there was to it, Kizmel realized as she peered closer at the image, a memory tickling at the edge of her mind. "That's not all," she finally said. "The defenses are of Fallen origin, but the keep itself appears to have been built by somebody else." Her partner was right in his assessment that the structure resembled many of the Fallen Elven fortifications and castles they had encountered during their long campaign against them, most notably the Fallen stronghold on the ninth floor that had been the site of their final stand against the corrupted General N'Ltzahh. But there was something else about it that seemed off.

"Yeah, that tower doesn't really fit with the walls," Argo agreed. "Almost as if someone built around it."

The dark elf nodded in concurrence with her. "And that keep is unlike anything built in Aincrad by human or elves."

Kirito's eyes snapped over to her, and she could see her partner thinking, turning over her words in his mind until he came to a conclusion. When the question inevitable showed on his face, she inclined her head in confirmation. "I believe it is a dwarven keep," she said. "Our records from before the Great Separation make little note of dwarven architecture above ground, but what little of it there was, fits with this ruin. Geometric lines, hard angles meant to deflect incoming attacks by any enemy. Walls thick enough to repel any foe."

"And if there are dwarves in Aincrad, there's not exactly a lot of underground they could dig into," Kirito realized.

Argo tilted her head curiously. "So you think dwarves built that? And it was taken over by the Fallen at some point? Interesting..."

"So, what's the catch, then?"

The info-broker grimaced. "This is part of why I'm not chargin' ya for this. Aside from the DDA scouting party that found it, a couple of other players have been visiting it since, tryin' ta figure out what it does and why it was important enough ta point out in the previous floor's boss chamber."

"And?"

"...and nothing," the blonde woman admitted. "Nothing at all. No one found anything. They walked all the way around it, stuck their heads inside, tried it during the day, tried it at night. If there's a quest for an item or unique skill, then we haven't found the right flag fer it yet." She held up a hand. "And before you ask, I looked around, too. No NPCs, no other dialogue references it in any way, and sadly, it doesn't look like there's a system console there, either. That would've been too easy."

"It's there for a reason, though." Kirito hummed in thought, glancing at her. Argo followed his gaze with her own, a sly smile on her lips.

"To be fair, no one else so far has heard any lore about dwarves, much less been able to confirm it's their architecture. And no one else has a dark elven companion," the information broker offered.

"It is worth a try," Kizmel agreed. "I would certainly like to investigate it. If nothing else, the libraries of the capital might offer more insight once we have more information. And if there is a chance to find something that might aid us in our mission to liberate the swordmasters from this world, then it is worth the time spent."

"Thought ya might say that." Argo grinned. "Here's how ya get to it..."

-------------------------------

September 23rd, 2023

The ruins where exactly where Argo had said they would be. But as they looked up at the gleaming black obsidian rising into the afternoon sky, Kizmel couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sheer scale of the siegeworks before them. The images Argo had shown them had given little indication of size or scale, leading them to initially believe that it was a small fort, perhaps not unlike some of the Fallen outposts they had encountered on the lower floor. It was only now, as they stood in the shadow of one of the massive bastions flanking the gate house, that they realized just how large the castle truly was.

The central keep rose into the air almost a hundred meters, coming close to touching the bottom of the floor above them. Most of it looked inaccessible due to damage, but if her instincts were right and this was, in fact, a dwarven construct, then their most valuable possessions would be stored underground. Even as shallow as Aincrad's ground was, history and legend had told them the dwarves were masters of fortifications and siegeworks; if anyone would be able to create bunkers and vaults in shallow ground, it was them.

"Well...it's big..." Kirito said, trailing off as he looked up.

"At least it does not appear as though we'll have trouble getting inside," the dark elf pointed out, heading to one of the massive breaches in the outer wall. At its highest, once, it would have stood eight meters tall with two meter tall merlons, large rectangular stones for the defenders to take cover behind atop the ramparts. Tall black spires rose at even intervals, and up close the wall, while smooth, had a rippled surface like waves. The entirety of the battlements flowed together almost seamlessly, and the unbroken areas of the wall looked like they had been cast, rather than shaped and carved and assembled.

"That's good news." Kirito stepped over a fallen log to join her as she pulled aside a tangle of vines. She hacked at a few of the thick branches that wouldn't move with her saber, wiping the sweat from her brow and tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear. The thirty-eighth floor had always been warm, but this part of it was pure jungle, with all the humidity that came with that. The trees and foliage around them provided some shelter from the sweltering sun and heat, but the muddy, almost marshy ground emanated enough moisture to make wading through it extremely uncomfortable.

The dark elf envied her partner; swordmasters didn't seem to sweat or be bothered much by the humidity aside from some discomfort from the temperature and general wetness, and even in his heavy black cloak Kirito was moving easily. They stepped across the brushes and broken stone through the hole in the outer defensive wall.

"Whatever made that hole, I do not want to meet."

Kizmel silently agreed with the swordsman's assessment; the opening they had stepped through ran six meters across and had been powerful enough to cause an entire section of the four meter thick wall to collapse. There was nothing in Aincrad that could have done this, no siege weaponry large enough, and no magic. The only thing that came to mind was sappers, but few powers that remained on this floating castle had the skills or resources to devote themselves to such an undertaking.

It must have happened before the Great Separation, then, she thought as pebbles crunched under her boots. The interior courtyard was paved, and she suspected it had once been a military parade grounds of sorts, or a mustering place for the defending troops to rally and gather. Gleaming black flagstones glimmered under moss and roots, seemingly absorbing the sunlight and adding to the burning heat underneath their feet.

As they continued to move through the courtyard, they found that at its center stood an imposing statue, carved from the same shining black obsidian as the walls, of a majestic bird rising from the ground in a plume of flame. Its beak was pointed at the sky, open in a soundless screech, wings spread as if ready to take flight. Kizmel shuddered, suddenly feeling cold despite the heat surrounding them. The nearly perfectly preserved image of a black phoenix stared back at them, the symbol of the Fallen as they remade themselves in their own image and rose from the ashes of their exile.

"Kirito..." she muttered under her breath. If there had been any doubt about this ever having been a stronghold for the Fallen, they were now gone.

"Yeah," he said grimly. "I see it."

They moved around the statue quietly, carefully, listening and watching for possible threats; they were technically in the fields of the floor, and though they hadn't actually encountered any beasts over the past hour spent trekking here, it didn't mean there wasn't something that had made these ruins its home. Argo had reported that no one had found hostiles of any sort in the area, but it always paid to be careful regardless.

Especially when it came to anything related to the Fallen.

The central keep rose before them, and up close the damage to it was even more pronounced. Entire sections of its outer walls had collapsed, and the top third of the building looked like a giant had taken a knife and carved a slice from it top to bottom at an angle. The windows were dark and empty, sporting remnants of fractured and broken glass, and the whitewash on the walls had been stripped by time and the elements. Vines and overgrowth covered the walls up to the second floor, but behind it all the white marble glistened faintly, sparkling in the light. Even with all of the damage, it was clear it had been built by a different hand than the fortifications.

"That definitely doesn't look like it was built by the same people," Kirito commented as he ran his hand over the smooth surface of the massive quarried stone blocks, so different from the seamless, almost organic look of the defensive wall and towers. "You think this is dwarven?"

"I believe so, though it will be difficult to tell without heading inside. Even then, there may be no evidence left, but they are the only ones with the expertise to build something like this without magic." She gestured above them, where the tower reached towards the sky. They made a circuit around the entire exterior of the keep, sweeping the area for possible threats before meeting up again at the entry.

Stepping into the large opening of the keep felt like taking a step into a different world. The white marble reflected the sweltering heat from the outside, and the cool air of the shadowed interior felt divine to the dark elf. Kizmel heaved a sigh of relief, taking a moment to lean against the cold stone wall and relishing the feeling of it sapping the heat radiating from her body.

Opening her eyes after a few seconds, she looked around; the interior was as damaged and destroyed as the exterior would have suggested. On the floor was a remnant of a mosaic, though what it had once depicted was impossible to say. A winding, spiral staircase led upwards, but terminated abruptly halfway up to the vaulted ceiling, having long ago crumbled.

Ramps led up to platforms on either side of them, connecting to halls that she presumed would lead deeper into the tower. A brief foray of the great hall revealed no other way of heading towards the higher floors, eliciting a disappointed look from her partner. Kizmel wasn't entirely surprised at the state the entire area was in; if her guess was correct, then this place had been a ruin for a very long time before the swordmasters had first come to Aincrad. There was hope still, however; if this structure had truly been built by dwarves, then there was a chance there was an underground level to it, perhaps one that had weathered the assault better than the surface building had.

"This may have been the site of a siege," she offered as a suggestion while they explored the ground floor of the keep. "I do not think the battle that left this fortress in its current state happened after the Great Separation."

"You think it came up from the ground like this when Aincrad was formed?"

The dark elf nodded in thought as she ran a hand across a wall that had once held a mural. "We have battled the Fallen for as long as we have been on this floating castle, as you know," she explained. "We have never seen evidence nor encountered the Fallen past the fifteenth floor. There is little of value for them this high up in the castle, and no one else who could have laid siege to this fort in this manner."

"Are you sure? I mean, I know the dark elves have spanned several floors, but it wasn't always like that, right?"

Kizmel inclined her head in acknowledgement. "That is correct. Our loremasters tell that when the Great Separation first happened, Lyusula was the only dark elven settlement that rose from the ground. Over time it grew into a city, and then a kingdom. I assume it was much like it was for our Forest Elven brethren."

"Then...if the capital was part of what came up to become the ninth floor, isn't it possible that other cities or villages came up as part of other floors? I know you have the sacred trees to travel between floors, but those were planted, right? They weren't originally part of Aincrad."

"They were planted and nurtured by priests, yes," she confirmed. "Taken from seeds and branches of the sacred tree that stands at the center of Lyusula."

"So Lyusula isn't the name of your original kingdom? It's the kingdom that formed here on Aincrad."

"That's right." Kizmel wondered at her partner's sudden interest in their history on the floating castle, but quickly realized what he was after. "Records have long been lost on what greater empire we might have belonged to, or if we were united with the Forest Elves, but our elders tell us that it once was so, when we were on the surface of the world."

And if the dark elves had been able to forge their own culture and kingdom, separated from the empire they had once been, then might others not have done the same? "You believe that perhaps a dwarven settlement might yet survive and thrive, as part of a different floor of Aincrad."

"It's possible," Kirito said. "Maybe they have their own kingdom, much like yours. Humans don't really travel between floors, aside from us swordmasters. Most humans in Aincrad don't even know it's possible, or have no desire to, so they're pretty isolated. You don't see us forming kingdoms spanning across different floors, but you managed it. Perhaps they ended up so far up no one else could reach them. Or perhaps they ended up so far up that the monsters were too dangerous to leave the city."

He had a point there; and it once again made her wonder about the difference in strength between the swordmasters and her own people. If they were, individually, as strong now as they had been during the height of their wars on the surface, then there was little chance any of them would survive on a floor like this without preparation. If the dwarves had been in the same position as the dark elves when Aincrad rose into the sky, and they had ended up on a thirtieth or fortieth, or any of the higher floors, then perhaps they had never had the chance to form a kingdom of their own.

Still, her initial thought remained. "I still do not believe this damage was done after the Great Separation. Even if there were factions of dwarves and Fallen alive and active, I doubt either of them would have the resources to inflict this amount of damage. I simply cannot think of a way to move war machines needed to lay siege to this type of fort without subterfuge across floors, and if they had been built on this floor, we would have seen signs of a fort, camp, or settlement required to build them here."

"You've got a point there." Her partner let out a low whistle. "That means it's really old."

"Over nine hundred years," she confirmed. "If that is, in fact the case, then there is a good chance that it has been scoured clean by scavengers and robbers since, although I do not know of any that would be able to survive this far up."

"Your people never went this far?"

Kizmel shook her head, wiping irritably at a strand of hair that clung to her damn forehead. "No. Once we determined the Fallen, like the Forest Elves, were after the keys, we sent scouting parties to the floors just above the capital, but when none of them reported sightings of the Fallen, we believed they were safely contained on the same floors as us. Even then, few of our knights were ever strong enough to survive a trip to even the twentieth floor, much less this one."

Kirito grinned briefly at that. "So you're the first one this far up, then?"

"I do not know if I am the first, but I am one of the few," she replied, a matching smile slowly spreading across her lips at the thought that she was seeing things very few, if any, of her race had ever seen before. A pang of regret that her sister was not there to share her discoveries with her briefly dulled her joy, but it was short lived. I am here, and I am seeing these incredible things with my friend. Tilnel would more than approve.

They spent another few hours exploring the tower and its basement, finding nothing of value. Somewhat discouraged, they decided to set up camp inside the tower for the night, and when the sun began setting they headed outside again to enjoy the sunset and a simple dinner as the temperature cooled to something much more pleasant. Sitting on a collapsed part of the outside wall of the keep, her eyes wandered around the area; the fortress, which from the outside had looked so imposing and threatening, seemed tranquil and peaceful from the inside.

The battlements were still there, still black and dark and menacing, but it was almost as if the aura of menace was directed outwards, away from them. Here, even amidst the ruins and rubble, she felt at peace, almost as though they were in one of the dark elven forward camps. The reddish light of the evening sun caught the carved phoenix in the center of the courtyard, dyeing its angles red and orange.

Kizmel found herself mesmerized by the sight as the light played across the polished surface, somehow miraculously still intact and pristine after centuries of neglect. To her eyes, the statue almost came alive in the orange glow of the light as flames licked up at its clawed feet in a funeral pyre of rebirth. Unable to resist, she stood, slowly approaching the phoenix which now was taking on the color of the dying sun, looking more alive than any statue she had ever seen before.

A hand tentatively reached out to touch the smooth surface, brushing across the cold, polished obsidian as it reflected her own violet eyes. She could almost make out her own mirror image amid the orange flames. Suddenly, with a start, she realized that she was actually looking at her reflection as though in a mirror. The unearthly, majestic screech of a bird of prey filled the air, and for just an instant the phoenix behind her - or was that the one in front of her? No, the one in front of her was still carved from obsidian, it was its reflection behind her that had turned to flame and was rising into the air.

As swiftly as the vision had come, it disappeared, leaving her disoriented and swaying. Kirito was by her side, holding her up by her shoulder as he looked on with worry.

"Kizmel? You all right?"

"I'm fine." She shook her head to clear it of the sudden vision, unsure how to explain what had happened to her partner. Straightening up after a few seconds, she placed her hand on the statue and just stared at it, trying to see if anything would happen again. When nothing did, she released a disappointed sigh and turned, her fingers brushing across the base of the statue.

The light of the setting sun glinted off an odd edge. Kizmel froze, bending to peer intently at it, trying to identify it. It was hard to believe that anything could have scratched the monument, and as she ran over it with an armored fingertip, it became apparent that the indentation was more than a mere scratch on the surface.

"Kirito," she called her friend over, and he knelt next to her. "Light."

He quickly brought out a lantern and the yellow-orange light flickered across the midnight black base. But as he leaned closer, it splayed across hard edges, and she realized that it was an inscription of some sort. Squinting to make it out, she traced the lettering.

"Some kind of message?" her partner asked from the side. "I don't recognize the writing."

"This is not the common tongue," the dark elf finally whispered, stilling. "It's an ancient elven script, from before our schism into Forest and Dark Elves, before the Great Separation."

"Can you read it?"

A brief smile played across her lips as she remembered her father sitting by her bedside, reading from ancient tomes. Nights spent in the libraries of the capital as she grew older, her father gone on his duties as a knight. "I can read some of it. It has not been used for much other than formal correspondence, and even so it has fallen out of use since the Great Separation."

Her brow furrowed in concentration as melodic, foreign syllables fell from her lips in the ancient tongue of her people. They were sounds she hadn't heard spoken out loud in years, not since she had been tutored by the librarians in the capital, and it hadn't been a skill she had ever expected to use. Kirito watched on with interest as she sounded out the inscription.

"Behold the gate beneath your feet, those of ancient kin. The strength of your forebears lays beyond, awaken it within," she translated for his sake, and before he could reply a brilliant blue glow burned itself into the ground around the statue, flagstones lighting up in azure flame one by one in a circle.

One after another they erupted with light until the circle closed. Despite her instincts, Kizmel made no move to rush out of whatever was happening, and Kirito seemed intrigued more than concerned. When the circle closed around them, a roiling wave of blue-white light rushed inwards until it met at the base of the phoenix statue and burst upwards in a mushroom-shaped cloud that enveloped them.

Her partner's grip on her arm tightened for a moment, and there was an instant of vertigo before she fell.

It wasn't a very long fall, and it would have done little more than knock the wind out of her even if something hadn't cushioned her descent with a muffled groan. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and realize that she'd fallen atop of her companion; as she made to get up, parts of her armor brushed across his torso. Even in the dim, flickering light around them she could make out his blush, and despite their situation she couldn't help a smile.

She didn't really enjoy making him uncomfortable, but there was something endearing about his awkwardness around women, even after all of the time he'd spent traveling with first Asuna, then herself. And this was despite the fact that her armor was a much more substantial barrier between them than his coat, and none of their skin was actually touching.

Perhaps I should ask him about the life he left behind, one day. I know he said he was young, but most of the time he displays a maturity fit for an elder knight, and yet any time matters such as this come up, all of his confidence and maturity vanish.

Still, for now, her thoughts were nothing more than idle musings, and they had more serious matters to attend to. Regardless of her friend's age or origins, they were in an uncharted area with no way of knowing whether there were enemies around them or if there was even a way out. And in situations like these, her friend was easily her equal in all the ways that mattered, and whatever awaited them ahead, she was confident he wouldn't let her down.

Just as much as she was refusing to fail him.

They gathered themselves and stood back up, wary of their surroundings. They had found themselves in a stone vault, carved and worked stone blocks as long as she was tall and probably just as wide making up the walls around them. The ceiling was vaulted, and lanterns embedded in the walls cast a soft blue light of a similar hue to the magic circle that had brought them here.

So that was a teleportation circle, then, she concluded. I did not know there was magic such as this left in Aincrad, but how did it activate? It must have been when I read in the old tongue.

Kirito seemed a little put out by their situation, though it seemed to have less to do with where they had found themselves and more with their means of transport as he stared up above them, where she could barely make out a glimmering ring of stone several meters up in the air.

"Did...did we just get Stargated?" he asked, somewhat disbelieving.

As with many things he said at times, Kizmel did not fully understand the reference, but assumed it was something from his homeland. Maybe they had similar methods of transportation, as the swordmasters appeared to be used to the teleportation circles in their settlements, and this really was no different. But her attention was somewhere other than her partner.

More inscriptions caught her eye, these in two separate places mirroring each other, and in different scripts. Much like the phoenix had been on the surface, the vault seemed untouched by the passage of time or the hands of elf, human, or dwarf alike, and the carvings were as pristine as the day they had been chiseled into the granite.

One side of the wall was decorated in the elven script of her ancestors; the other was as alien to her as she assumed the elven language was to Kirito. The light was enough for her to read it by, and her partner stepped close, wary eyes flicking about the chamber.

"Only with determination does any journey begin. Only with wisdom can the doors be seen. Only with sacrifice may the doors be opened. To those who cannot see, every path is closed. To those who will not sacrifice, every door remains locked."

"That's...cryptic," Kirito said when she finished reading. "Sounds like we stumbled into something pretty big. I've never heard of anything like this in Aincrad before."

Kizmel was inclined to agree with him; but something compelled her to move onwards. "I think there will be answers ahead. We are here, perhaps we are meant to see something others cannot. In any case, let us not waste this chance."

"Right. I'm not liking all this talk about sacrifice, but it's not like we have a convenient way out." The swordsman shrugged and drew his sword from its scabbard on his back. "But let's be careful about this."

"Always." Kizmel brandished her own weapon and the pair of them set off down the hallway.

-------------------------------

Kirito hadn't been sure what to expect, exactly. He'd been prepared for anything after a giant stone ring on the ground had lit up and teleported them who-knew-where with no apparent way out. Mobs, perhaps, or a boss fight, but the thing he hadn't been prepared for was puzzles. Lots of puzzles.

Tile puzzles on the floor to get arcane power from one end of a room to the other. Wheel puzzles that required them to spin a large wheel and lock in the proper runes in the correct order - which then involved finding those runes in the rooms they had passed. There was even a basic version of a codebreaker puzzle. At one point he'd played checkers against a beholder. It made Kirito wonder if Kayaba had actually gone through all the trouble of putting these in for a reason, and if the man, on top of everything else, had been an avid player of RPGs in his past and was now choosing to inflict the same kind of puzzle torture on the players of his game.

It almost made him miss the sudoku puzzles of the sixth floor.

By the time they cleared the third puzzle room, he was on the verge of tearing his hair out and almost found himself wishing for a simple boss rush in the next room. When he voiced his discontent to Kizmel, his dark elven partner just laughed and told him that rooms like these were apparently legend among her people as a staple of the dwarves and their treasure hoards. Unlike himself, she had been thoroughly enjoying herself, jumping from puzzle to puzzle and working through them not quite at the lightning speed Theano had run through the sudoku puzzles, but swiftly enough he rarely found himself with enough time to get overly annoyed at the problems laid out before them.

At least Kizmel's assurances that dwarves, aside from the usual fortifications, often used puzzles like this to protect their valuables gave him some hope that at the end of this there would be something to show for it. I wouldn't say no to a shiny new sword, he grumbled silently to himself as he flipped another tile around, completing the circuit and powering the door on the other side of the room. This time, however, the doorframe lit up, but the door remained resolutely shut.

"Did we miss anything?"

His partner frowned as she stood before the closed doorway. "I do not believe so, but there appears to be another inscription here. Two are needed to reach, but only human hands may open the door within. "

"That sounds...ominous." Kirito opened the door and the pair of them stepped through. The swordsman let out a low whistle at the sight before them.

A large, open expanse of nothing spanned across what looked like fifty meters. The ground they were standing on was a platform only a few meters across before the abyss opened up around them in all directions, broken up only by occasional floating platforms at various angles. I don't think we're in Aincrad anymore.

On the other side of the chasm - was it still a chasm if the nothingness extended everywhere? The more he thought about it, the more it was like a void, impossible to traverse without the ability to fly. He didn't even know what other door the inscription had been referring to, because there wasn't another door in sight, much less within reach.

Unless...Kirito trailed off as he looked around the floating platforms, a glowing rune inscribed into some of them. His eyes wandered down, to the platform they were on, with another rune carved into the floor.

"I do not suppose that Mystic Scribing has imbued you with the power of flight?" Kizmel asked with a hint of amusement.

"Not really, but I think I've seen a room like this before. Hang on." Materializing a piece of junk loot, Kirito tossed it over the edge, watching as it tumbled into the infinite blackness. "Yeah, we're definitely not in Aincrad anymore."

The dark elf next to him snorted in delicate laughter. "I would presume so, as it would be difficult to hide a bottomless pit on any of the floors of this castle. But I would also not discount dwarven ingenuity."

He produced another piece of junk loot from his inventory, this time stepping atop the golden rune. A brief flash of light heralded its activation, and a debuff icon appeared next to his HP bar. It wasn't one he'd seen before, but his feet wouldn't move easily, although he still had use of his arms. Kizmel, however, let out a surprised yelp as she began to lightly float upward.

"Kizmel!" He reached out desperately, trying to catch a hold of her before she could accidentally push off of a nearby surface. Kirito's hand latched onto his partner's arm as she helplessly flayed around in the now zero-g environment, and pulled her to himself, hoping that the impact wouldn't knock him off the rune.

Thankfully, whatever the rune did in addition to negating gravity also locked him into an almost immobile state as long as he stood upon it and kept it active. Kizmel took a moment to regain her composure before looking around herself in wonder. "I suppose this is some sort of flight," she mused, "though I had not expected magic of this magnitude. It will make crossing the void possible, if difficult."

"You're taking this rather well."

Kizmel shrugged and smiled as well as she could, carefully navigating her body until she had a more firm hold on him. "I believe that there will be time for marveling over such accomplishments later. At the moment, there are other things that require our more immediate attention."

I wonder what she makes of all of this. I mean, this is strange to me, and I know I'm in a game. Kirito peered out at the platforms around them and located one that was nearby and had a rune on it. "Kizmel," he called out to her. "Do you trust me?"

"Completely," came the immediate reply from the dark elf that was clinging to him.

"Okay. See that platform over there? The one with the glowing rune?" He pointed in the direction he wanted her to look. "I'm going to throw you towards it, and you need to grab onto the platform and get your feet on that rune."

Kirito didn't know what would happen if either of them missed their jump and ended up drifting in this seemingly infinite void. Maybe there was a bottom or a wall to it after all, but it wasn't something he was eager to try out. This was so much less stressful when we just respawned and our soul stones appeared at the beginning for the clerics to resurrect, he thought grimly. And I didn't exactly want to be the one launching her first, either. If I'm wrong and this isn't what I think it is...

As if she could sense his sudden doubt, Kizmel patted him on the shoulder, her face set in determination. "We leapfrog across," she concluded after staring over the expanse before them.

"If I'm right and you activating that one deactivates mine," he agreed. "Kizmel-"

"It will be fine," she cut him off with a brief smile. "Do not doubt yourself now, Kirito."

"Okay." Taking a deep breath to settle himself, the swordsman tensed. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"On three. One. Two." The dark elf in his grasp tensed minutely. "Three!" He pushed more than threw her, unwilling to chance the inaccuracy a more powerful throw would have incurred. Kizmel let go and drifted towards a nearby platform; Kirito cursed silently, he'd been a little off in her trajectory.

But ever undeterred, the elven knight curled herself up, bringing her legs under herself and pushed off, correcting her course and after a few long seconds she collided with her target, flipping around to land in a crouch on the rune. It flared to life, and he could tell the moment it took effect. His body suddenly lightened, and he could barely make out Kizmel tensing as she locked in place.

Okay. I can do this. Just don't think about drifting off into space forever, and we'll be fine.

He glanced around for the next platform to use. It was too far out for him to reach in a single jump, and his companion seemed to have realized the same thing, as she was beckoning him towards her. Taking a deep breath, he crouched, aimed, and kicked off, feeling an odd sense of vertigo as he drifted towards her.

Strong arms grasped hold of him and halted his momentum, and he wrenched himself around to right his orientation. Taking a moment to confirm that Kizmel was all right and prepared, he pushed off.

They continued their zero-gravity dance for another half an hour before Kirito finally made it across to the other side of the ravine and to the last rune. When Kizmel crashed into him, it flickered off automatically, returning normal gravity, and both fell to the ground heavily.

"I hate puzzles," the swordsman groaned. Next to him, Kizmel was breathing heavily, herself, both of them coming down from the adrenaline rush of several almost-misses and close calls.

"There are some among my people who decry the dwarves as evil incarnate," Kizmel commented between huffs. "I am now inclined to agree with them. I believe I would have preferred a test of battle to this."

Kirito nodded heavily. "I just hope all this is worth it. Whoever built this went to a lot of trouble to protect something." He got his feet underneath himself and stood slowly, heading towards the outline of a door at the edge of the platform.

When Kizmel reached for it, a purple barrier rebuffed her, shimmering into being along with the English lettering [Locked]. Kirito blinked in surprise; Sword Art Online usually didn't make system barriers like this visible.

"This appears to be the same kind of arcane script I have seen used with Mystic Scribing," she commented with interest as the barrier faded. "Perhaps this is what the inscription meant by only human hands being able to open it?"

The swordsman didn't know what surprised him more: the fact that she could see and make sense of it, or the fact that she recognized the English lettering that was used for the main radial items in the player menu. Deciding to file that away for later, he reached out, expecting to see the same barrier appear, but instead, a system window popped up on his HUD.

[Open? Y/N]

His hand slid across to the confirmation button, and the barrier in front of them disappeared, revealing a glowing white light beyond. With a look at his partner, they readied themselves and stepped through together.

Unlike the other doors they had stepped through, however, this one deposited them in an open chamber that was a little smaller than a usual boss room. The ceiling wasn't as high, though still vaulted, and the previously dim blue lighting had brightened to a stark white, highlighting the glimmering marble walls as they arced up above them.

If we're underground, I wonder where we are. I don't think any of Aincrad's floors are deep enough for this place. It could be an instance generated just for the purpose of this quest, or encounter, whatever it was. Which would explain the need for a teleporter to get here, Kirito concluded.

But then why would a regular in-game quest require an NPC to activate it? He was pretty sure that it was Kizmel who had triggered the big blue teleporting swirl that took them here, and it just brought up more questions. It was also possible that just reading the inscription had done the trick, but then again, why would a quest be hidden behind such an obscure piece of lore? He filed a mental note to ask Argo or perhaps even request a meeting with Heathcliff about it; as an Argus employee, if anyone had any idea of the inner workings of SAO's quest system, it might be him.

"Well..." he trailed off, taking in the room before him. It just about screamed "boss room" to his gamer instincts, but there was nothing, no enemy, no NPC, not even a treasure chest. Not even breakable pots, he thought to himself wearily. "This is different."

"I admit, this is not what I expected, either," Kizmel admitted. "Perhaps this is another riddle to be solved?"

After all of the rooms they had just been through, it wouldn't have surprised him if the empty expanse they now found themselves in was indeed just another test. "At this point I'm wondering if the dwarves are bigger trolls than Argo," Kirito muttered to himself. Out loud, instead, he said, "The inscription said something about only the wise being able to see the doors to move forward. Maybe there's something here, we just have to know where to look."

Anything further he was about to say, however, ground to a halt as a figure melted out of the light in front of them. Shadows appeared against the white stone, coalescing until they melded together into something that looked vaguely human. A sharp intake of breath from his side told him that he wasn't just imagining things, and his hand clenched around the hilt of his sword. Would this be a boss fight, after all?

A short figure, one that only came to about his shoulder in height, with hints of brown curly hair that flickered as if insubstantial resolved itself. The face was neutral, locked into one of the expressionless default looks Kirito was familiar with from the beta for NPCs that hadn't been quite finalized or finished. A nondescript white robe clung to the petite figure, but it, too, was flickering through different colors and textures as though the game hadn't quite decided what to settle on yet. Distorted lines ran vertically through the figure as if it was glitching out constantly.

Finally, the NPC before them stabilized into something more cohesive, with a youthful face and large golden shimmering eyes. Her robes settled on a neutral brown that covered her, with a cowl that hung around her neck.

"The first trial awaits," she said, her voice carrying a mechanical reverberation Kirito was familiar with from the beta, but that he'd not seen in Aincrad NPCs since. Is this a leftover from the beta that didn't get finished? "Greetings. I am Cardinal."

Isn't Cardinal the name of the system that runs Sword Art Online? He suddenly remembered trawling the internet for articles on the game before its release, and coming across one that touted the state-of-the-art self-contained, self-maintaining Cardinal System. According to the interview with Akihiko Kayaba himself, he had developed Cardinal to manage all of SAO's systems and features without requiring human input; really, it was one of the things that made an MMO on the scale of Sword Art Online even possible without the need for an army of programmers, game masters, and continuous testing feedback.

Everything from adjusting experience and item drop rates to NPC behavior, monster AI and even...quest generation...It couldn't be a coincidence that the NPC before them shared the name of the almighty system that quite literally controlled all of SAO. But before he could formulate much of a thought, his elven companion took a tentative step forward, towards the figure that to all the world looked like a child.

-------------------------------

Kizmel was unsure of what to make of the human-looking being that had appeared before them. Although the one who called herself Cardinal looked like no more than a young human child, younger even than most swordmasters, there was an almost tangible aura of power surrounding her that set the knight ill at ease.

"What is this place, Sage Cardinal?" she asked quietly, staring intently at the figure before them. She wasn't sure what Kirito thought of the being that called itself Cardinal, although there had been a flash of recognition in his eyes at the name, even if he seemed surprised by her appearance. Maybe the human swordmasters had heard of her before? What was she, a spirit? An apparition? A remnant of ancient magic cast by a sorcerer long ago? A guardian left behind?

"You are in the Chamber of Insight, in the Halls of Wisdom," said the little sage, her tone slowly gaining warmth.

"The Halls of Wisdom?" the dark elf asked. "And what is this trial you spoke of?"

"The Halls of Wisdom are the reliquary of the ancient races, where the most hallowed knowledge is stored. Artifacts of great power and tomes of great wisdom await. Ahead lies the power to forever change the world, and knowledge long since lost. It was meant to be found when worthy descendants of the ancient races appeared. The door you stepped through was an affirmation of your bond as allies, Lady Kizmel. Now, you must prove yourselves worthy of what lies beyond."

"Worthy of what?" Kizmel frowned, looking around at the empty chamber.

Cardinal's gaze shifted inward, as though looking at something far away only she could see before answering her question. "You come seeking knowledge and power, as have many before you. But without the wisdom to see the path you must follow, you will forever be lost in darkness. What you seek does not come without a price, and the journey you are about to begin will require much of you both. Bravery, to face the unknown; wisdom, to see that which is hidden; and the strength to see it through to the end. But all journeys must first start with a sacrifice."

The little sage tucked her curly brown hair before her eyes and looked back over at them before continuing. "Sacrifice demands the surrender of things cherished above all else. Only out of the agony of those losses can a new resolution be born, and a new path be forged."

Kizmel wondered at the sage's words; her appearance suggested that she was a scholar of sorts, or perhaps a mage of old, from the tales she had heard as a child, of a time when magic pervaded the lands and mages were made into legend. But her age suggested that she was young, though to one skilled in the arcane years mattered little, if the stories were to be believed. But why was she here, in an ancient dwarven vault?

Is she the guardian of whatever treasure the dwarves went to such lengths to hide? None of our records mention a Chamber of Insight, nor the Halls of Wisdom, but surely something with such a name and hidden behind trials like this must be of importance. The dark elven knight's brow furrowed in thought as she mulled over the words Cardinal had spoken. She speaks as though she knows what we are seeking, when even we ourselves do not know what prize awaits us here.

"I do not understand. What awaits us at the end? What is asked of us?" Next to her, Kirito moved to speak, but abruptly cut off as Cardinal's gaze focused on her, those piercing golden eyes looking deep beneath the surface, and Kizmel felt as though the sage could see into her very soul.

"Lady Kizmel," the diminutive girl spoke, her voice even and almost gentle. "You are of elven kind. Yet, you fight for humans, swordmasters who are not of this world. You have pledged yourself to your companion, even though his goal is as much to return home as it is to purge the evil from this floating castle. You have chosen to walk alongside him, to share the path of the swordmaster, a path that is not your own. The road you have chosen has its own price to pay."

The dusky elf tilted her head, brushing lilac hair from her eyes with an armored glove. "I understood this the day I left home on my mission to find Kirito. Whatever price shall be asked of me, I am prepared to pay."

"Are you? Do you truly understand what will be asked of you, Lady Kizmel?" Cardinal asked. "There are things about the swordmasters you do not yet understand. Some things you may never understand without seeing the world as they do. If you continue on this path, you will discover what it means to be a swordmaster, but before that, before you met Kirito, you were a Pagoda Knight, in service to the Queen of Lyusula. Though you have been given leave to aid your friend, there may come a time when you must make a choice: remain by his side, or return to your home."

Kizmel inhaled sharply at the implied threat as it began to dawn on her what Cardinal was saying. She had always known in the back of her mind that her time with Kirito was limited by how much leeway her Queen was willing to give her. And while Ilyndrathil had been more than generous and held Asuna and Kirito in great favour for the aid they had given the Dark Elves, the Queen would have her limits. In the end, Kizmel was a royal guard, and her current experience and expertise likely made her one of the most powerful in the kingdom's history. The Queen would expect her to return, to teach others, or perhaps to take on duties only she could accomplish.

If she decided to remain with Kirito against her Queen's wishes in order to see this journey through, if she was recalled when her partner needed her most, what would she do? She may already have been recalled, but no messenger could reach her here. They had already climbed higher in the floating castle than any dark elf before her. Her own power and skill had grown leaps and bounds beyond any of her peers, for reasons she could not understand. The ties that bound her to Kirito, to the swordmasters, now went beyond simple gratitude and curiosity.

"Kizmel..." her partner muttered from her side, where she realized he had always been ever since they had stepped down this path.

Before he could say any more, she raised her head defiantly. "If you mean that one day I should have to choose between my duty to my friend, and my duty to my homeland, then my choice is clear. There are many others to protect the walls of Lyusula, other knights who can take my place. But there are precious few who would stand by Kirito's side."

Cardinal merely nodded before turning her attention towards the swordsman next to her. Kirito swallowed tightly, and she saw a shiver run down his spine as golden eyes bored into his own with the same intensity that they had looked at her.

"Kirito," she began. "Your bravery in the face of danger is well known. Yet the path you have chosen for yourself is one of burden, blame, and guilt. You have chosen to shoulder hatred and fear upon yourself to spare others. It is an admirable choice, but how long can you last? Had people not seen how your actions belied your claims of villainy, if Lady Asuna and Lady Kizmel had not been by your side, how long could you have borne that burden?"

Kizmel knew that Kirito never really had considered the consequences of his rash actions on those early days; or rather, he had, if only briefly, before he'd made the choice he had, and then tried to avoid thinking of the result. In the end, that very moment had been the birth of the persona the swordmasters now had begun to call the Black Swordsman, someone who fought only for his own gain and survival, someone who stood apart from the rest of them and inspired fear and awe and disgust in equal measure.

It wasn't who Kirito really was, but it was who he had chosen to portray to the world in order to spare others a more grueling fate. More than once it had almost come to blows between him and other swordmasters, and she didn't know if he would actually have defended himself if it had. Much of that hatred had abated by now, but if it hadn't...she thought back to the Moonlit Black Cats, and how much more at ease he'd been among them.

As if seeing the struggle in his eyes, Cardinal's expression softened. "You have proven that, for a brief moment of dire need, you can stand tall and carry the burden of leadership. But can you carry on without your shield of anonymity? Can you carry that burden with the knowledge that this entire world will know your name? There will come a time when you must step from the shadows and have others look towards you. This path you are treading will make your name known to all of Aincrad, whether it be as a hero or a villain."

"I'm...not some kind of hero," Kirito muttered weakly. "I don't...I'm not the kind of person who wants to be in the spotlight..."

"You are not," Cardinal agreed, "but it is the path you stepped on the moment you chose to stand when all seemed lost in the battle against Ilfang the Kobold Lord. For good or ill, you have made your presence known to all of Aincrad with that deed, and if you continue on this road, you must decide if you are willing to bear that burden. You have shown that you are prepared to have people hate you, but are you ready to have them look to you for guidance and salvation? Of leading them when needed? You will never progress on this path if you cannot find the answer to this question."

His breathing was ragged, and he was swaying enough that Kizmel was afraid he might collapse as panic struck him. It was similar enough to the kind that gripped young soldiers and knights on the battlefield when they first realized the gravity of the situation they found themselves in. She had seen it in those leading troops into battle for the first time. No one was immune to it, and her partner was no exception. She took a step towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kirito," she muttered. "Listen to me. I know this is not the path that you wanted. I know that it is a burden no one has any right to ask you to carry, but you chose to do it. You're a good man, and regardless what anyone else thinks of you, know that you have friends to share that burden with. Asuna, Argo, Agil, even Klein...and myself. We will all be by your side, no matter what may come." She gave him a reassuring squeeze and leaned in close.

"We will not let you stand alone. So stand tall, stand strong, my friend."

Her words seemed to calm him a little, and when she was sure he was no longer in danger of falling over, she released her grip and moved to stand next to him. Not touching, but close enough to lend her support. After knowing him for so long, the dark elf knew that stepping from the shadows and into the light was one of the swordsman's greatest fears; he thrived on anonymity, on quietly slipping by beneath everyone else's recognizance. He could handle being hated and despised, but he never would choose to step into a leadership role the way Asuna had, despite his talent for it.

Cardinal stepped back and with a wave of her hand, a stone plinth appeared before them. A mirror wavered into existence just above it. "Both of you have a choice to make. Before you lies the door to wisdom, and only those who are willing to sacrifice may open it. Kirito, Lady Kizmel, the path you walk will forever change who you are. You may turn away now, and continue as you have, fighting to reach the top of this steel castle as dark elf and swordmaster, but with the knowledge that one day, that path will end. Or you may take a step forward, into a grander world. It may mean the loss of everything you held dear: your titles, your accomplishments, your past, even your ties to your own kind. It might mean taking on and forever carrying the burden of being a symbol to others, be it of hope or hate, but never being able to slip into the anonymity of shadows again. It might mean the loss of everything that defines you as you are today. Are you willing to sacrifice who you are, for what you will become?"

Their reflections wavered as Kizmel stared into the mirrored surface, and suddenly, her coat, armor, and weapons vanished, leaving her clad in a simple garb of what she assumed was that of the swordmasters; the image of herself ahead in her full knightly regalia stared at her in disgust and turned away. Beside her, Kirito's ubiquitous black cloak vanished from his shoulders to be replaced with the stark white and red coat of arms of the Knights of Blood. The sword slung across his back was replaced by the Flag of Valor, its banner unfurled. The mirror image of her partner stared at him in dismay, before turning away, as well.

The sage motioned again, and a swirling black void shimmered into existence before them, and two items appeared on the dais. Kizmel started when she realized what they were: Kirito's folded black coat, and her own knight's sigil, the ring bestowed upon her along with her knighthood, and the symbol of her service to Queen and Kingdom of Lyusula.

It was then that the knight realized what was being asked of them, what Cardinal was asking them to do. Uneasily, she looked over at her partner, only to find himself looking as pale and anxious as she felt. For her to see the world through a swordmaster's eyes, she would have to renounce everything she was, everything she had become, and face an uncertain future. She would have to leave her own people behind and begin a journey that would lead her down a path no dark elf had been meant to travel.

"Cast away the ties that bind you to the past that made you who you are. The decision is yours to make," Cardinal spoke. "No one will think less of you for turning away, for the past is a powerful shackle."

Kirito's eyes widened as he came to the same realization she just had, and grappled with the implications of it. Kizmel could see his spine stiffening in determination has he came to a conclusion of his own. "It's going to happen anyway, right?" he asked, and she got the impression it was directed at himself as much as it was at the sage.

"If not now, then a week, or a month, or a year from today, but there's no running away from it, is there?"

Cardinal smiled, and only now she realized how strange the childlike features were on someone with a demeanor of an ancient sage. "You can choose to delay the inevitable. Hide from it as long as you can, until you are prepared to face it. But as long as you are the kind of man who would step up to turn a rout into a victory, this will be something you have to face."

"I wasn't exactly by myself," Kirito pointed out weakly. "Asuna was there with me, too."

"Just as I will be with you, now." Kizmel came to a decision then. It was perhaps earlier than she had thought, but a part of her had always known this day would come, and she would not go back on her word now. Perhaps that was how it would have to be; in order for her to see and experience the world as the swordmasters did, she would have to part with her dark elven heritage, to make the same sacrifice they had made when coming here.

There are others to take my place in protecting our kingdom. My place is here, with Kirito. This is a journey I will see through to its end. And even if I have to give up everything that made me who I am, they are merely titles, words given meaning by the deeds behind them. The dark elves are my people, they are my past, but they need not be my future as well. And even if they forever banish me for making this choice, they will always remain a part of me.

The dark elf reached out and picked up her sigil ring. With one last look at it and everything it symbolized, she steeled herself, then cast it into the void, where it disappeared with little fanfare. "I stand by my word. The Queen has more knights and warriors. If I have to cast aside my past, so be it; I will forge my future on my own. Whether I have the approval of my Queen and people or not, I remain who I am, what my past has made me. Nothing will take that away, and nothing can unmake the person my father raised. I will not abandon my friend."

It was no small sacrifice to make, but she wouldn't hesitate even an instant. The look on Kirito's face, however, reminded herself of why she was so determined to walk this path with him, and to learn more of the swordmasters that fought for Aincrad and to be free from it. She wanted to help her friends the way they had helped her and her people. More than that, she wanted to explore the world they had opened to her with them.

"...Kizmel." His voice cracked, but he held himself upright, a determined look on his face. She gave him an encouraging smile and a nod, willing him to understand what she had only just come to realize: that even though the past had forged them into the people they were today, it need not define who they could become.

His eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath. It was something she noticed he had always done when it mattered the most, and it was one of the things she admired about him and other swordmasters like him and Asuna: their ability to draw upon great strength when it was needed the most, regardless of the cost to themselves. They may not be knights, they may not have sworn an oath, but they were as strong as any she had ever fought beside. Kirito hadn't asked for the burden that now lay across his shoulders, and he may bend or buckle at times, but Kizmel was sure that he would always stand fast when it truly mattered.

"I guess I can't just back down now, can I?" he asked wryly, his voice steadier than it had been just moments before as he glanced up at Cardinal, before his eyes settled on her. "I don't know how long I can keep going, and I don't know if I'm ever going to be okay with being hated or looked up to. I'm no hero, and to be honest, that scares me more than being the villain to everyone else. Asuna's the hero. Heathcliff is a hero. Kizmel, a knight, is a hero. I'm just...there, trying to survive. But I know that I have to keep trying, because in the end, what matters isn't really what anyone else thinks of me, but that I can protect my friends when I have to. I've got promises to keep. To Diavel, to Asuna and Sachi...to Kizmel. So, as long as I am able, I will stand."

He grabbed his beloved coat and cast it into the void before them. It swallowed the garment with ease, and within moments, the mirror shattered and the void disappeared. Their mirror images gone, Kizmel suddenly found herself clad in her usual armor once more, while next to her, Kirito's familiar cloak settled onto his shoulders. The pair looked at each other in confusion.

"Congratulations," Cardinal smiled. "It takes much wisdom to realize that one's true self is not defined by titles, accolades, or accomplishments, but rather the experiences that can never be taken away. The decision of who you are need not be constrained by the thoughts and feelings of others. It takes courage to take a step into the unknown, towards an uncertain future, and cast aside one's past," the sage spoke, looking at Kizmel.

Golden eyes wandered to Kirito as she continued. "And it takes much strength to step forward without knowing if you can remain standing. But remember, the one who has the right to be called a hero is not one who took up the blade. It is not the one who raised his shield, nor the one who healed the wounded. It is the one who chose to stand and risk his life to protect those around him, when no others would."

"Just like that? We passed?" Kirito asked, his breath hitching, and Kizmel wondered if he was feeling as overwhelmed and confused as she was as her partner clutched his coat to himself as if in reassurance that it was really there, the physical manifestation of the shield to his deepest fears.

The plinth wavered and shimmered, revealing a small chest on top. "The trial was never meant for you to make that sacrifice today," the sage explained gently. "But it was to see if you were willing to make that sacrifice at all, and if you could see what lay beyond what was asked of you. You have proven that you have the wisdom to see the path you must take. There are other trials that lie ahead of you before you can claim the ancient treasure, but for now, take your reward with pride."

Kizmel carefully approached the dais and slowly, reverently, reached out to touch the lid of the chest. When Cardinal simply kept smiling, she slid open the lid, revealing a velvet interior and a small gemstone necklace resting within. The Pendant of Wisdom, she read the inscription on the inside of the lid to herself. When nothing happened and Cardinal remained silent, the dark elf reached for the necklace.

The moment she touched it, a flash of white light blinded her; Kirito, by his noise of surprise, had suffered a similar fate next to her. When she could see again, they found themselves in front of the black onyx phoenix, the sun having long since set. But what startled her the most was not that they had been magicked back to the entrance of their little adventure, nor that she still held the pendant in her hand.

What amazed Kizmel the most and had her full attention was the floating, ephemeral page that had appeared before her. Its edges glowed purple, and its translucent surface held lettering in the common tongue. Though she had never seen one like this, the knight knew immediately what it was, without having to read it.

She had seen such things before, had learned to cast a very basic one herself. She had seen Kirito and Asuna and Argo cast and manipulate pages and "menus" like these and allowed her to see them on several occasions. They had explained to her that swordmasters often had to interact with Mystic Scribing pages even when they themselves hadn't cast the charm, but this was the first time such a thing had happened to Kizmel.

Pandora's Box has been opened. The ancient treasure holds knowledge and power to forever destroy Aincrad, or save it. Follow the path of the three great races, and prove your worth.

A second, smaller page appeared overlaying the first, and it had a brief line of arcane script she was unable to read, but recognized from some of the more esoteric parts of the Mystic pages she had seen. Beneath the writing were two symbols.

V and X.

She hesitantly reached out, remembering that the swordmasters often considered the slightly lopsided V, a checkmark Kirito had called it, as a symbol for confirmation, and an X as a denial. She didn't know what the arcane script had said, but felt herself drawn to one of the symbols. Her hand reached out and touched it.

-------------------------------

Kirito blinked in surprise when they were teleported back to where they had come from. Part of him was grateful for the quick return to the surface of Aincrad from...wherever they had been, but the larger part of him was still reeling from what had happened just minutes before. What happened there? Was that really the Cardinal System? Is this a quest that was always in the game, or did it tailor it to us...and how did it know so much about me?

Before he could voice any of those questions, or even think further about them, though, his eyes drifted to his partner, who was staring at the empty air in front of her, expression frozen in surprise at something only she could see. He caught her eyes flicking to a place every player was intimately familiar with. Her arm reached out, pointer finger extended as she reached for the invisible object. The moment she made contact with it, he knew.

He knew, because a system window appeared in front of him. Kirito froze, and his mind ground to a halt at what he was seeing.

[KIZMEL wants to share the quest PANDORA'S BOX with you. Accept? Y/N]

What in the world...

Without hesitation, he hit the confirmation button, and his menu chimed with the sound of a new quest. When he opened his journal, though, there was no entry there.

"Kizmel?" he asked slowly, trying to wrap his head around the fact that they had stumbled out of a strangely personal quest and into a new one...one that had not only needed his NPC partner to trigger it, but also had been presented to and accepted by her in the form of a system window.

His dark elven companion took a few moments to gather herself, her eyes wide with wonder as she turned around. A slow smile crept across her lips as she sank to the ground and settled down to sit at the base of the phoenix. "I admit, I did not expect that," she finally said, toying with the necklace in her hands.

Kirito grinned wryly and sat next to her, leaning back against the cool stone and taking a deep breath of the fresh evening air. "I can't say I did, either."

The swordsman tilted his head back and closed his eyes. The thought that one day he might have to face a repeat of what had happened with Ilfang wasn't new to him. It had almost happened again on the twenty-fifth floor, after all, but even then, it had shown him something important. Asuna had stood right by his side then, as she had during that very first battle, and others had stepped up, as well. Heathcliff the Paladin had stepped up to begin the genesis of the Knights of Blood, even Lind, Liten, and Shivata, and those that remained of the ALS had thrown themselves into the battle, determined to pry a desperate victory out from the jaws of defeat.

It gave him a little bit of hope that the next time it happened, maybe he wouldn't be alone in standing up to fight, and that no matter what may come, he wouldn't be facing it alone. Just as Asuna had stood with him then, she would in the future, he hoped. As would Argo, Agil, and, if he could ever get over his guilt and earn their forgiveness, perhaps Sachi and Klein would, as well.

And Kizmel. He couldn't forget the dark elf who'd been by his side without fail for the past few months, through what had probably been his biggest failure with the Moonlit Black Cats, and still remained steadfastly at his back. He cracked one eye open and glanced over at the knight who had her head tilted back just like him, a content smile on her face. His companion had been asked to make a much more significant sacrifice than he had - after all, she was a knight, carrying the burden of protecting others was what she had devoted her life to - but giving up her past and her heritage, it was something he couldn't even conceive of, and yet here she was, as relaxed as he had ever seen her.

"Does it bother you?" he finally asked. "What's happening? That whatever this is, it knows so much about us? About our fears, and what the future might hold?"

She leaned her head over to look at him, idly huffing to move a strand of lilac hair out of her eyes. "Some," she admitted easily, though her face didn't reflect nearly the concern he thought it might. "But the words Cardinal spoke also have merit," Kizmel continued serenely. "During my journey with you, I have long wondered about my place in this world. When I learned that Aincrad was but to be a playground for the swordmasters, I wondered what this world meant to you. Some, as you have explained, see it merely as a game still. A deadly one, but one which has no bearing on their own realities. But you are different, Kirito. The effort you have put into protecting, saving this world that is not your own is...humbling."

"I'm not-"

She shushed him with a finger to his lips, and for once he didn't blush or think too much about the intimate gesture. "Let me finish, Kirito. You may not see it as such, but what you and Asuna have done for my people, for me...I have known family that have not gone to such lengths for each other. And that is what our travels together have made you to me. You are my family, perhaps even more so than any other of my own kin. Certainly more than any other dark elf. That is one of the reasons I wish to see this journey through. Yes, there are things about our situation that bother me, and they, too, only urge me on to continue along this path, to find out the truth behind this world. I want to see this through, because otherwise we will never see the answers to all of our questions, and we will never achieve what we both want: your freedom from this world."

"You might not like the truth when you find out," Kirito managed, his throat suddenly dry. "You might not like what's on the other side."

"Perhaps," Kizmel agreed, inclining her head. "But I need to know, Kirito. I need to know the truth about this world. And if this is the only way to find out, then I will make what sacrifice I must to remain by your side." She smiled, then, patting his shoulder lightly. Her voice was reassuring and steady as she continued.

"I meant what I said. Our past is just that...the past. It shaped us, it made us who we are, but in the end, it doesn't define us. We forge our own path, and I have seen you overcome the impossible often enough that I know that I couldn't choose a better companion for stepping into the unknown. Perhaps it is destiny that brought us together, maybe it was fate that allowed you to save me when you were previously unable to do so. Whatever the reason, I chose to stand by your side. The answers to both of our questions are out there, my friend. So let us seek them out, together."

There had been things about Sword Art Online that had caught his interest, even beyond the simple drive to survive. Questions about what Akihiko Kayaba had been trying to achieve, why he had committed such a heinous crime. Meeting Kizmel had only added to the mysteries, and a part of himself was thriving on trying to find an explanation. There was a good chance many of those answers would turn out to be rather simple and mundane - but there was an equal chance that they were not, and he couldn't shake the feeling that they stood on the precipice of something greater than themselves.

Kizmel had a point; they had come this far together, and part of him knew that he just couldn't let things go now. Whatever SAO had been meant to accomplish, whatever it had become, perhaps even the truth about Kizmel's very existence, it might define the very future of not just VRMMOs, but perhaps even the world as a whole.

Provided we survive and make it out of here, he amended quietly, but his partner's good cheer proved infectious as he let himself slump back and simply enjoy the night sky above. Many times he'd spent the night grinding for experience or drops, and only rarely had he taken the time to just...pause and take in the world around him.

It's actually kind of funny. I'm the one who was enjoying this world and pulled Asuna out of her hyper-focus on clearing the game or die trying. Then she pulled me out of my own tunnel-vision when we met Kizmel...and now it's Kizmel pulling me away. He leaned back and closed his eyes again, letting his mind drift. Not all of his experiences in Aincrad had been bad, really. Yes, there had been some really low spots, and some really bad times, but thinking back on it, some of the best times he'd had in his life had happened in SAO, as well.

"You think we're ready for those answers?" he finally asked, though there wasn't as much doubt in his voice as he expected.

Kirito could almost hear the grin in his partner's voice, even with his eyes closed. "There is only one way to find out, my friend."

Bolstered by Kizmel's confidence, the swordsman allowed a small smile to spread on his lips. "All right, then. Let's go find them."

Chapter Text

October 15th, 2023

The fortieth floor was one large network of prison complexes; Kizmel marveled at the fact that humans and elves seemed to have a very similar approach to construction prisons, but then again, their purpose was simple: keep whatever was in them from getting out. Still, she had to wonder where in the world this massive complex had originated from, before it had been sundered by the Great Separation and merged into the floating castle of Aincrad. As they passed by floors of the labyrinth on their expedition to map it out and locate the chamber that contained the Pillar Guardian, she couldn't help but note that it probably wasn't humans who had created this structure, at least not in its current form.

Certainly not judging by the types of creatures that Kirito informed her the Mystic Scribing charm identified as jailers and wardens for him. Rough hewn stone walls passed into blocks of cells built from carved stone blocks, and the central town of this floor had been, appropriately if a little unimaginatively, called Jaileum and had been located in what must have once been the massive prison complex's central yard or atrium. The floor was divided into sections of what had been a much larger prison complex, to the point that she was beginning to think perhaps it had once been an entire island built as a prison. Kirito had muttered something about a placed he'd called "Australia," but hadn't elaborated further as they hacked and fought their way through the labyrinth.

The roar of battle filled the narrow passageway ahead of them as they approached, clashing weapons and shouted cries. Amidst it all, a commanding voice rang loud and clear across the battlefield.

"Team B, forward!"

The shout was followed by a battlecry and an animalistic howl of pain as whatever monster the was being fought raged in pain and anger. The sound of weapons and armor clashing echoed across the stone around them.

"Segro, Muldar, draw its aggro from the front! The attack pattern might have changed, so focus on defense. Fultz, to the right; Sanza and Nautilus, spread out to the left!"

Another thunderous roar shook the corridor as the pair sped towards the sounds of battle. More cries rang out, these filled with more panic and fear than before. Two pairs of eyes looked at each other. Vioket eyes met dark, almost black, and with a nod, the two sprinted off at top speed.

"Nautilus! What happened?" A female voice called out, shortly followed by another cry. "Sanza, retreat!"

No respite was given, however, as whatever creature the swordmasters were fighting bellowed again in rage, the scraping of metal and panicked footsteps echoing harshly against the irregular stones of the passageway. Finally, as they came into view close enough that the light of the hallway and the flashes from the weapon charms of the combatants was no longer blinding, Kizmel could finally make out what was happening.

A huge, humanoid creature with dark red skin and bizarrely long arms was hefting spiked metal rods, while behind its mask, muddy yellow eyes gleamed with bloodlust. The elven knight recognized it as a larger version of the monsters and demi-humanoids they had been fighting throughout the labyrinth and across the rest of the floor. It reared back, weapon low and horizontal, and the instant before Asuna screamed her command, the dark elf knew what was going to happen.

"Area attack! Low guard!"

The words had barely left her friend's throat when the thick metal pole came crashing into the formation of swordmasters arrayed before it. Two pairs of swordmasters, the honey-haired fencer among them, succeeded in guarding against the attack. On the left flank, closest to them, a lone spearman had been in the process of retreating, but had been caught out. He jammed the tip of his weapon into the ground in a desperate attempt to protect himself, and against most other monsters of this floor, it would have worked.

But the creature before them was no ordinary foe; Kizmel had been around the swordmasters long enough and had enough battle experience of her own to recognize it as a guardian-type, what the human swordmasters referred to as a "mid-boss." It wasn't quite as powerful as a field guardian, but it was substantial enough to serve as the champion of a dungeon. Taking it on alone would be suicide for most swordmasters, and a difficult task for even the most powerful; ordinarily, an assault would require at least a full party of skilled swordmasters. Counting those present, Kizmel came to the conclusion that, especially under Asuna's leadership, the Knights of Blood scouting group should have had little trouble unless something unexpected occurred.

Which it clearly had, with one of their swordsmen frozen in the back lines, leaving the unfortunate spearman on the left flank by himself to bear the brunt of the champion's assault. The spiked metal rod obliterated the wooden shaft of the unfortunate spearman's weapon with ease, shattering the weapon and carrying on towards its wielder. Struck by a blow whose force was unhindered by his attempted defense, his body careened backwards through the air to crash into the wall right behind him. He collapsed to the floor, disoriented and, if Kizmel had to guess, severely injured.

"Darurururu..." letting out a weird laugh, the creature shifted its gaze away from the swordmasters trying to draw its attention. They bashed their swords against their shields, shouting taunts, their weapons glowing with the charms. On most other creatures, it would have worked, but the champion ignored them and stomped towards the downed spearman.

The dark elf could see his companions attempt to come to his aid, but all of the ones in range including Asuna were held firmly in place by the backlash of defending against the creature's attack. Asuna strained to reach for him, her rapier twitching helplessly in the fencer's hand.

"Sanza, run!"

The spearman named Sanza didn't respond. Perhaps he had been stunned by the massive impact of the weapon against him, or by hitting the wall, or perhaps he, too, was locked down by magic backlash. The creature grinned cruelly and raised its rod, the shaft glowing with a venomous violet light. Kizmel forced her legs to move faster, dashing towards the downed swordmaster to put herself between him and the incoming attack.

But a glance to her side caused her to shelve that plan. "Rear," Kirito shouted, not waiting for her response as her partner sped ahead of a her at a pace she was unable to match.

It had been a single word, but the two of them had fought together long enough that she knew what he wanted. Slightly changing her trajectory, she hefted her shield and saber, and charged forward.

The spiked rod slammed downward with bone-crushing force, and from the corner of her eye she saw her partner arrive just in time, bursting into the melee like a hurricane with a single upward slash that bore none of the usual glow of a weapon charm. And yet the sheer speed and force of his strike answered the thunderous overhead swing from the massive creature with seeming ease.

Kizmel leapt into the opening the stalled attack presented her and reached out, stabbing a six-part Crucifixion into the exposed back of their foe. It lumbered forward, thrown off balance by her attack, her charge lending it more impact than it otherwise could have produced.

"We've got the left, you guys fall back and heal up!"

Unfettered by the magical backlash of a weapon charm, Kirito pulled the one named Sanza to his feet and pushed him towards the back lines. Asuna recovered swiftly and rallied the remainder of her party to the center and right flanks. Her expression, previously marred with worry and anxiety, softened somewhat at their appearance.

"...I'm counting on you!" she finally replied, glancing from swordsman to knight. Kizmel smiled reassuringly at the vice-commander of the Knights of Blood, hefted her shield and nodded.

After the arrival of the unlikely pair the balance of the battle shifted, and though Kizmel intellectually knew how strong the champion was supposed to be, between herself, Kirito, and Asuna, with the support of a full group of Knights of Blood at their backs, their enemy felt less like a dangerous champion and more like a regular foe out in the fields.

The dark elf marveled at Asuna's skill at coordinating the mismatched groups, easily adapting their strategy to fold around the pair of high-level clearers that had joined the melee. With herself and Kirito spearheading the attacks, trading off with practiced ease and delivering devastating blows with each rotation, and Asuna joining them after having reorganized her group, it only took a brief time for the three former partners to find their rhythm. Kirito was a whirlwind of steel, crushing any incoming attacks from the creature with almost superhuman foresight, opening it up to attack by the two women.

Asuna was, as her moniker suggested, little more than a flash of light as her rapier slashed and pierced in lightning-fast thrusts, the cover the swordsman was providing her with allowing the fencer to use much more powerful attacks. Kizmel herself was a veritable tempest of sword and shield as she danced around the flanks of their opponent, her saber biting deep into its exposed skin, and her shield deflecting any swing that came her way. Once they had recovered, two of the tanks from the Knights of Blood rejoined the battle, and between the five of them, the beast toppled to the ground in less than five minutes, even before the other half of the KoB scouting party had finished recovering.

The red-skinned monstrosity shattered into azure light, and members of both KoB parties let out a grand cheer. But even though Asuna gave them both a grateful smile, Kizmel saw that her friend had more pressing concerns than celebrating their victory.

"Recover your HP," she ordered, returning her rapier to its scabbard and tucking long auburn tresses behind one ear. Turning to face them, she offered a brief nod of thanks. "Kirito-kun, Kizmel-chan. Thanks for the support."

Kirito merely shrugged sheepishly and sheathed his own weapon. "We were passing through here, anyway."

"It would appear that we are making quite the habit out of coming to the rescue of parties in labyrinths," Kizmel added with an amused chuckle. Her partner shot her a surprised look, before realizing what she meant. Kirito shook his head in amusement as he agreed.

"True. You guys going to be okay from here on?" he asked Asuna.

The dark elf could see the hesitation in her friend's eyes; the fencer who was as close to her as a sister in all but blood was weighing the options. Had she been by herself, with Kirito and Kizmel for companions, the answer would have been undoubtedly yes, but now that she was in command of a unit from the KoB, and one that Kizmel noted wasn't part of the main clearing group but rather trainees, there were other responsibilities to consider.

Instead, though, Asuna replied with a question of her own. "You guys are still going further ahead?"

Kizmel nodded as she glanced at her partner, no hint of fear or apprehension in either of their stances. "Yes," she answered for both of them. "We hope to locate the Pillar Guardian's chamber today, or tomorrow by the latest, so that the scouting and planning for the assault can begin."

Asuna tilted her head, hesitated, before giving a sharp nod. "I see. Be careful, you two. We should be fine heading back. I'm assuming you left a pretty empty path."

Kirito chuckled at the assessment. "Yeah, it's pretty clear, but some stuff might have respawned on the lower floors, so watch out when you get there." The swordsman turned to leave, and Kizmel made to follow her partner when she caught the mournful, yearning look Asuna was casting after them.

"...Asuna?" she asked, halting. Kirito, too, paused, head turned back halfway in indecision, unsure of whether to step back and join them or give them privacy.

The fencer quickly averted her eyes, staring at the ground, before shaking her head decisively. When she looked back up, the smile on her lips was forced and strained, but Kizmel could also see the desire to drop everything and join them there. The knight felt for her sister, for the duty she had chosen to take up. The white and blood red coat, along with the golden sigil ring on her right hand, bound her to the Knights of Blood as surely as any oath Kizmel herself had once sworn to the Pagoda Knights. The dark elf had found a brief respite from her own duty to Queen and kingdom, but Asuna was only just getting settled into hers, and the strain of leadership was easily visible to those who knew her.

"I'm fine," Asuna finally managed, deliberately turning around to face her troops. "You two go on ahead, I'll catch up with you in town." She returned to her guildmates, heading for a group of swordmasters that included the swordsman who had failed to respond in time and the spearman Sanza whose life Kirito had saved.

"Hey, you! Nautilus!" The fencer called out to the swordsman in the Knights of Blood's distinctive white and red surcoat. Her tone was harsher than Kizmel was used to, and it surprised the dark elf somewhat. "Why didn't you switch?"

With a last, lingering look at the back of her friend, Kizmel turned around and returned to her partner's side.

"Everything all right?" Kirito asked when they had taken a few steps further into the hallway towards their objective and she fell easily into step with her partner.

"I'm worried about Asuna," she admitted, casting another brief glance over her shoulder at the space the KoB group had just vacated. "She appears...harried."

Her companion nodded, seemingly deep in thought. "Yeah, I saw it, too. Leading the KoB and planning all of the boss fights has got to be really stressful for her. And now she's training the new members, too." Kirito's expression morphed into one of worry. "You think she's okay?"

"I believe so," Kizmel hummed in deliberation. "Asuna is strong, but perhaps she needs a break. While the pace at which we have been conquering floors is a good thing for you, ultimately, it also allows for little downtime. Even during the war, we understood the value of resting our troops. Especially during the war," she concluded.

"We could...slow down a bit?" Kirito asked, his tone tinged with uncertainty. "I don't know about the rest of the clearing group, but we could bring it up at the next strategy meeting. We definitely don't want to be burned out when we hit the fiftieth floor."

-------------------------------

The electronic noise of her alarm tore Asuna from her shallow sleep. She reached out instinctively and stopped the alarm by blindly hitting for the button on her menu before burying her head inside her pillow again with a sigh. After fighting the temptation to return to sleep for a good thirty seconds, she rolled over on her side and placed her feet on the floor.

The small room on the second floor of the guild headquarters of the Knights of Blood was illuminated only by the silver moonlight. It had just started creeping towards its apex at the current time, which read one o'clock in the morning on her HUD. She was exhausted, but the same drive that her parents had imparted in her to become the top student in her class now saw her rising out of bed after only a scant few hours of rest to begin her routine as the vice-commander of the leading clearing guild in Aincrad.

After dinner she had accompanied the members of the KoB's Second Army, their training cadre, on their leveling trip, made notable by Nautilus's absence. She had discussed the matter with Heathcliff and decided to cut him a little bit of slack; he would be benched until after the floor had been cleared, anyway. After accompanying the five members of the reserves on their leveling trip she had returned, caught a brief two-hour nap, and now been awoken by her alarm clock.

It was something she had rapidly picked up from Kirito during their time together; the swordsman was a habitual night owl, preferring the solitude of the night to grind for experience while few others were around. A few quick taps on her menu brought up her battle garb, the armor materializing on her body and the comforting weight of her Wintry Stroke+2 rapier settling by her side.

It had only been a week since the fortieth floor had been opened, and the Knights of Blood had just moved their headquarters to the thirty-ninth in order to have more ready access to the hunting and grinding spots available on it. At the pace at which they were proceeding through Aincrad, though, it would swiftly become obsolete, and travel times could become an issue once the frontline moved several floors up, but the nature of the shrinking floor size as they progressed also made it easier to base out of a floor's central town.

Seven hours, she thought to herself. I've got seven hours to grind a bit before we're leaving for our scouting mission tomorrow to try and find the boss room. Hopefully we can beat the DDA to it, or maybe Kirito-kun and Kizmel-chan found it for us. I never did get the chance to catch up with them to see if they were successful.

Even though the clearing group was somewhat more cohesive now that it had been in the past, there was still some friction between the two largest groups. The DDA had the numbers, usually furnishing at least half to two-thirds of each raid group, while the KoB had only two parties that could effectively contribute to any given boss fight. Three, if they pushed it and really needed to commit their eighteen frontline members. It was why the six reserve members of the Second Army training group were being pushed to level up and gear up, and why she had taken them into the labyrinth with her the previous day.

Despite the fact that the KoB had the more powerful fighters, Lind had a valid point every time he contested leadership of the raid group from the KoB. The Divine Dragon Alliance consistently brought more members to the raid parties, and as such, carried more of the risk, he had argued, something Asuna couldn't very well dispute without sounding petty. They were still working out a system of joint leadership and planning, and while it hadn't always been smooth sailing, it was much more amicable than the relationship between the DKB and ALS had been on the lower floors.

Still, as Godfree was in the process of organizing the guild vault and weapons and Daizen was handling their finances, training the new recruits fell to her. So did planning the raids, executing them, and part of the day-to-day operations of the guild like exploratory trips. That left her with precious little time to keep up her own training and leveling. She could have slacked on it, taken a few days off her leveling curve considering she was already significantly ahead of everyone else in the KoB with the exception of the Commander. But her time with Kirito and her own innate drive to excel had her persistently getting up early in order to maintain her level advantage.

After all, it would be much easier to be respected as the raid leader if she was one of the highest-level players. That was something else that had been ingrained in her during the time spent with her erstwhile partner. Being a higher level never hurt.

So she found herself sneaking out of the guild headquarters after midnight, moving through the still and deserted hallways like a ghost until she stood in the courtyard. With a deep breath, she glanced up at the sky before shaking off the last remnants of sleepiness and heading out.

Under the blue-white moonlight coming from the floor's horizon and the twinkle of the artificial stars that marked the underside of the floor above, it seemed that the entirety of the floor was peacefully sleeping. There were a handful of monsters that roamed the nearby fields, and a few players ventured forth to fight them, but most people were in bed by now. Asuna's feet carried her past the teleport gate in the center of the town and out of the nearest gate and into the fields. Just before leaving the relative safety of town, Asuna brought up her menu and equipped a grey cloak, pulling it around her to cover the distinctive white and red uniform, then ran down an unpaved path.

Unlike the fortieth floor, which was themed around a jail and was generally a massive network of stone structures, dungeons, and towers with very little open space, the thirty-ninth was much more pleasant and open. They hadn't quite figured out exactly what the inspiration for the floor had been, but she had been told by others that it resembled an archetypal fantasy RPG-style rural town, much like something that would be found in a classic tabletop adventure. The fact that the dungeons and bosses followed a very similar vein just reinforced that notion, and the floor boss had been a classic western-style dragon.

It took her twenty minutes to cross through the meadows and forests to her destination, a gently hilled area stretching out in the north-eastern part of the floor. During the daytime, this was a relatively safe area, populated only by a weak type of plant-monster whose spawns were few and far between, but during the night it transformed into something else entirely. Gone were the weak Nepenthes that were present even on the first floor, to be replaced with large, bat-like monsters whose bodies swelled out like a perfectly round balloon.

Just in time, the air in front of her flashed and shimmered with the effect of a monster spawning in the field, as one of them appeared before her. At its largest, with its wings fully extended, it came to perhaps sixty centimeters, and four vicious fangs gleamed in its mouth. Long talons grew from its wings. The HUD identified it as a [Balloon Roussette], and the moment it appeared, its large eyes began moving restlessly. Being a bat-type, it was nearly blind, but had other senses that enabled it to find its targets. It was one of the monsters against which the Hiding skill was utterly ineffective since it didn't rely on sight.

Before Asuna could draw her rapier though, her ears, even unaided by the Listening skill, picked up the sound of a sword skill discharging. Simultaneously, the bat-monster before her swiveled its head around and took off in the direction of the noise in a straight line. The fencer drew her weapon and gripped it tightly as she sprinted after her wayward target, closing in on the sounds of battle. It took only a handful of seconds for her to crest a hill and come to a halt at the sight; this wasn't more monsters spawning, this was a full-on melee going on down below.

A square of blue light flared up, followed shortly by the sound of breaking glass as multiple monsters fragmented at the same time. Asuna slowed her approach; the color cursor above the pair told her one was a player while the other was an NPC of dangerously high level. Neither had the name, level, or guild tag attached, but the fencer already knew who they were.

She halted twenty meters from the battle, watching as the NPC spun around to intercept the Balloon Roussette that had evaded her. Further ahead, a lone swordsman was fighting solo, dancing amidst a group of monsters, his black cloak causing his form to melt into the dead of the night. The flash of sword skills and shattering monsters lit up the darkness in harsh flashes, casting the fighting pair in an eerie light.

The Balloon Roussette by itself was not a particularly dangerous foe. It had a high evasion rating which, combined with its ability to fly and hover, made it a difficult target to hit for most players, but it didn't do a lot of damage and had no troublesome special abilities like poison or stunning effects. However, it did have one particular trait that made it as dangerous for the unwary player as it was desirable as a grinding beast: its aggro range was abnormally large, and once attacked all of the nearby monsters of the same type would converge on its location. The entire hilly area effectively fell into that range.

If one wasn't prepared for the deluge of monsters, or didn't have the damage output to dispatch them faster than they spawned and aggro'd, a player could easily find himself in trouble and have to either run and hope to pass through an unpopulated area to get out of threat range, or be overwhelmed and die. In SAO, where death was absolutely not an option, the bats of this hill would usually be considered one of the worst enemies to fight because they would just keep coming and coming in a never-ending stream until they physically blocked in a player from moving or escaping and pecked them to death.

But the black-clad swordsman and his partner didn't seem to have the slightest consideration for the possibility of falling under that kind of siege. Quite the contrary, between the two of them, they were making use of the Balloon Roussette's special ability to link up with its kin to continuously pull in more and more of them, making sure to just exterminate enough to keep them coming.

And Asuna knew both of them well enough to know that even if they slipped up and were overwhelmed, they were individually strong enough to carve their way out of it by brute force alone, if necessary. As she was watching, the NPC, whose cursor unlike the Balloon Roussette's light orange was a vivid red, made her way back to the swordsman, multiple mobs on her heels. She passed by him as they traded off, and he leapt into a Horizontal Square with superb timing, the light trailing behind his blade carving four deep blue glowing lines into the air that tagged everything within the skill's radius.

More cracks like shattering glass sounded through the night as monsters disappeared in the wake of his attack, and the swordsman flicked his blade through the air in a familiar motion as he glanced over and touched his partner's shoulder. Asuna glanced over the hill at the sounds of more bats approaching.

This is going to take a while...she thought to herself with a sigh. Granted, there was no way to know in advance if a spot was going to be taken, but she had hoped to get some work done tonight. But to her surprise, the pair sheathed their weapons, waved at her to follow, and sprinted down a valley between two hills. Despite her wearing a dark mantle to blend into the night it seemed that they had noticed her presence, and she quickly followed them. As she passed by the balloon bats, she noticed they were staggering aimlessly, having lost track of their enemy. Several more spawned ahead of them, but the pair ahead of her skillfully dodged around their detection ranges and finally stopped in front of a long, narrow rock towering at the edge of the hilly area.

Bathed in the moonlight and gleaming a bluish-black, water spurted from the top of a three-meter tall rock. The water flowed down and formed a small spring at its base, around which white and blue flowers swayed in the gentle breeze. As she arrived, the black-clad swordsman was just turning around from taking a deep drink from his cupped hands, while his companion was leaning down to do the same.

Seeing the swordsman, her former partner, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat, Asuna was struck by two urges. The first was the simple desire to take a long drink of her own from the spring water that was oddly appealing to her after the sprint to get to this leveling spot. The other was the urge to stem her fists into her hips and scold him for being indecent and not using a cup from his inventory.

Until almost half a year ago, she would have uttered that with no restraint, though also with considerably less heat than one might have imagined. However, she was no longer his partner; that place had been taken by the woman currently resting next to him as they leaned back against the rock. Besides, as one of the leaders of the Knights of Blood, it wasn't her place to reprimand a player who was not part of her guild, former partner or not.

Still, he was her friend and she was glad to see him again, though her exhaustion somewhat muddled that feeling. It brought back the same kind of desire to throw away her sigil ring and dismiss her uniform and ask him to form a party with her again. A part of her felt stifled by the demands of the guild; demands that she understood had to be fulfilled and that she was best qualified for under the circumstances, but a large part of her longed for the freedom she had had when they were traveling alone, just the pair of them.

Or even the three of them, with Kizmel, on the lower floors. She squashed that feeling rapidly, not wanting to be deterred from her chosen course with the KoB, but she couldn't help the brief, longing look as the two settled down and waved for her to join them with an ease and familiarity that was nowhere to be found within her own guild.

"You should try some, Asuna. It's tasty," he said, slinging his scabbard over his head and resting it next to him to be able to sit on the ground.

As she lowered herself to sit next to them, she took a little more time to observe them. Ever since the recruitment for the Knights of Blood had picked up, she had seen less and less of her friends, busy as she was. She missed them, and though she saw them frequently during boss fights, she missed interacting with them beyond barking orders. And considering how well those two had their group in hand, Asuna didn't even do much of that. She even regretted not having the time to sit down more with Kirito and Kizmel in the aftermath of what had happened with the Moonlit Black Cats, to be there for them beyond planning patrols for the mid-level floors and generic pleasantries.

Kirito smiled at her, the same smile she had seen a hundred times in the past, though still with a tinge of darkness in his eyes that hadn't fully gone away in the aftermath of SAO's first public, official, murders. For a while, despite their closeness, even Asuna had been afraid to approach the pair of them as they radiated a mixture of pain, determination, and anger to the outside world that only Klein, Sachi, and Argo were brave enough to tangle with. The fencer had worried about them in their first few battles together after the...incident, as both swordsman and elven knight had thrown themselves into battle with a greater ferocity than she had ever seen from either of them.

He would recklessly dive in to use sword skills, seemingly glued to the boss as though he had no fear of dying. She would follow, always at his back, always in perfect sync with him, as though they were determined to hack and carve their way to the top of the list of Aincrad's strongest warriors. It was only the fact that they were looking out for each other when no one else had a hope of keeping up with their insane coordination that kept Asuna from dying of worry for her friends.

This, more than anything, had solidified their reputation as two of the most dangerous players among the clearers, further adding to the infamy that surrounded Kirito and attaching a new moniker to the dark elf with the striking violet eyes and midnight-black cloak who was never found far from her partner.

It had given even the veterans of the clearing group pause, and some had been fearful of this attitude of theirs. Mutters had gone around of the Black Swordsman and the dark elf, much like in the early days, causing people to go out of their way to avoid the two of them. Thankfully, after a while, they had eased up a little, perhaps having had enough time to come to terms with what had happened, their rage and fury spent in its intensity. Asuna wasn't about to say anything other than wish for them to be careful - she hadn't been as close to the Black Cats as either of her two friends, and she couldn't begin to imagine how the event must have affected them.

And though their sheer intensity seemed to have leveled off and returned to something less fear-inducing, they still were at the frontlines of exploration, pushing farther and deeper into the labyrinths than anyone else and holing up at leveling spots where a single slip could mean death for either of them. Asuna was glad they had each other to watch their backs.

Following their invitation, she leaned down and cupped her hands to collect a bit of the spring water. It felt cool on her virtual skin, and as she sipped from it her tiredness slowly washed away. "Is this a safe zone?" she asked, splashing some of the water on her face, relishing the feeling of the cold liquid waking her up.

"Yeah, monsters don't seem to come out around the spring."

Having answered her question, the swordsman leaned back and let out a breath. No matter how exhausted a person was, their avatar's complexion didn't change, and the only real way to tell was to look at their eyes and posture. Still, somehow, Asuna got the feeling that her old partner's cheeks, bathed in silver moonlight, seemed almost abnormally pale. A quick glance at Kizmel told her that the dark elf appeared similarly weary - it was only natural, their pace could only be kept up for so long, and those two had been at it for longer than anyone thought possible.

"You should still be careful, Kirito-kun, Kizmel-chan. If you're up here so late and don't rest enough, you'll slip. And with these mobs, if you fumble a single sword skill, you'll be vulnerable to being stun-locked. Even with two of you..."

It was Kizmel who interrupted her gently, with a fond expression. "It's all right, Asuna. We're being quite safe, and as Kirito has ensured, we have an adequate safety margin."

That brought the fencer up short. She knew Kirito never joked around when it came to safety, and even though he occasionally did something reckless, it was never because he wasn't aware or conscious of the mechanics.

"...just how high is your level?" It was considered ill-mannered to ask another player, but having known Kirito for as long as she did, Asuna figured he wouldn't mind. As she expected, he shrugged and answered without hesitation.

"We recently went up to fifty-seven."

"Fif..." Asuna's breath left her, and her jaw dropped. The standard safety margin for players was the floor number plus ten. With the frontline on the fortieth floor, that would put most of the clearing group around level-50, although there was some variation depending on gear and equipment quality, but the majority of the top players were around the level-50 to 51 range. Asuna herself, having made use of the strength of her beloved rapier, had raced on to level-53 herself, making her the second-highest level player in the KoB aside from Commander Heathcliff himself.

And here Kizmel and Kirito both had surpassed her by four levels, which, considering the experience penalty and leveling curves of grinding on a lower floor, must have taken an incredible amount of time and dedication. Running solo or in a small group like they were was certainly one of the more efficient ways to level up quickly, but their pace ever since the deaths of the Black Cats was so abnormally fast that it couldn't be explained by anything other than high-risk, high-speed farming for countless hours at a time.

She longed to ask them why they were pushing themselves so hard, why they danced on the razor's edge of life and death here in Aincrad, but she knew the answer without having to say the words. The people who killed the Black Cats. They want to be strong enough to never have something like that happen again. To be strong enough to stop them, to do more than just fight them to a draw the next time they meet.

It was a sobering thought that her best friends in this virtual world were gearing up and preparing to meet murderers head-on and defeat them, and a part of her didn't even want to think about what "defeating" them might entail. She shrugged that thought off and settled back across from the pair.

"Well, that explains how you were able to deal with the Warder Chief today, then. Well, yesterday now, I guess," she said instead. "Thanks for that, by the way. Thanks to you two, we managed to get by without casualties."

The fencer couldn't help the teasing smile that crossed her lips as she looked over at Kizmel. "And I think quite a few of our rookies have a new hero-crush on you, Kizmel-chan. Their gallant violet knight in shining armor, come to save them from the depths of the dungeon."

The dark elf's blush was easily apparent on her cheeks, even without SAO's exaggerated emotional expression system. Kirito chuckled at his partner's discomfort, tilting his head a little.

"Well...I'm glad we didn't get in your way. Did you come all the way out here at a time like this just to thank us? Actually, how did you even find us?"

"I bought the latest info on high-efficiency farming spots from Argo. There were four of them, but knowing your preferences, I figured I would find you two here." She shrugged. "Actually, I wasn't sure if you'd be here, so I was going to get some leveling done, myself if you weren't."

The swordsman coughed and hid a smile. "I guess you know us too well. How's those two guys of yours doing, anyway? I didn't think your trainees were ready for the labyrinth yet."

"Sanza is doing fine," Asuna replied, referring to the spearman whose weapon had been destroyed and who had nearly been the target of the mid-boss's killing blow. "Not even shaken, so the moment he's got a new weapon he's ready to return to the front. The other one..." she sighed, thinking back to the conversation she'd had with the Commander.

"Commander Heathcliff thinks he's got full-dive nonconformity."

"FNC, huh?" Kirito shuddered. "Nasty."

"Yeah," Asuna admitted. "And it's worse than Nezha's." They had dealt with a player with FNC before, the Legend Braves's Nezha, back on the second floor. In his case, it had caused a problem with his depth perception and coordination, resulting in him being unable to fight effectively in melee, but they had found a workaround that allowed him to use a returning thrown weapon to overcome that problem. In Nautilus's case, however, the Commander had postulated that his FNC wasn't bad enough to completely prohibit him from playing SAO and other full-dive games, but there was a problem with his motor control interface in times of high stress and fear.

Truth be told, after her discussion with Heathcliff about Nautilus's issues and the group composition for the upcoming boss fight on the fortieth floor, she had hardly thought about what to do about the rookie. The Commander had left his fate up to her decision, and she simply hadn't found the time or energy to think about it. Truthfully, it was something she had wanted to ask Kirito about; as a solo player - in a manner of speaking, anyway - he was unbound by any loyalties or internal issues of any particular guild. And dealing with Nautilus was too heavy an issue for her to deal with, especially in her current state.

Kirito had played other games before, he'd probably been part of guilds in those, and must know how to handle situations like these better than herself. After all, this was her first time in a leadership position, and it wasn't just any guild she was the head of; it was the Knights of Blood, the most prestigious and powerful clearing guild in the game, and the game wasn't just any game. It was Sword Art Online, where any mistake could lead to death...permanently.

She pulled her knees to her chest as she perched on a stone, and it was Kizmel's gentle voice that drew her attention as the dark elf asked her question.

"What is this...FNC?"

Kirito glanced at her for a moment, before exchanging looks with Asuna. "It's...a rare side-effect of the spell that brought us to Aincrad," he explained carefully. "When our souls were bound to these bodies, sometimes the process...doesn't work quite right. It's nothing outright lethal, but some people have trouble fully controlling these bodies. Sometimes it's little things like not being able to perceive depth correctly at range. Other times they lose control of their body when they're under stress."

The elf tilted her head in understanding, a frown marring her exotic features. "That in itself would not be dangerous, but for you..."

"Yeah," the swordsman nodded. "If a player gets caught in a battle and his FNC kicks in, it could end...badly."

"And Ser Nautilus is aware he has this condition?"

Asuna shrugged, unsure of how to respond. "I think so. He must have, I mean, there's no way he wouldn't not know, right?"

"You said he came up from the lower floors suddenly, with abnormally high skills for the floor he was from?" Kirito asked curiously. When the brunette nodded in reply, he leaned back and nodded to himself. "I see. Yeah, I think he knew he had it. Probably spent his time grinding away on his skills on low-level mobs where he knew it wouldn't kick in before coming up. Depending on how bad it was he might've even had to fight through the sheer fear of being trapped here in the first place."

It made sense to Asuna, and it made her feel a little bad for having yelled at him earlier. She hadn't been aware of his condition then, and she could see how, just like Nezha, it must have taken quite a bit of courage to come up and join the front lines despite his FNC.

"...I told the Commander that I won't allow Nautilus to participate in the upcoming boss battle. Even if it leaves us a man short, it's the safest solution until we can properly deal with his situation afterwards. But I don't know what to do about him. I mean, I fully intend to look for a solution, but I don't know if he'll trust me again if I exclude him based on his FNC once..."

Despite her desire to seek out Kirito's thoughts on the matter, Asuna clamped her hands over her mouth as she realized she was speaking perhaps a little too freely. He was her friend and former partner, yes, but she was the vice-commander of the Knights of Blood, and it would appear unbecoming of her to be discussing guild internal matters and her own problems so openly with someone else, much less someone who wasn't even part of her guild and thus, shared no responsibility towards the matter. She was about to take it back and tell him to ignore what she'd just said, but he beat her to it.

"So that was why you guys were a little uncoordinated yesterday. Huh. I thought it was an unusual switching mistake for the KoB." Kirito shrugged as if the subject didn't bother him. It probably didn't, Asuna thought. "I guess things with the DDA must be getting more serious, if you're pushing your recruits into the labyrinth and into the boss fight already."

The swordsman's eyes wandered to the imposing labyrinth tower in the back, but it was Kizmel who spoke in the ensuing silence. "Ser Nautilus gained the attention and passed the entrance requirements for the Knights of Blood; that alone means his strength is real. If he was aware of his condition and is fighting to overcome it, then his will is strong." The dark elf looked at her, lilac hair obscuring one eye. It had grown a little longer since she had last spent a lot of time with Kizmel, Asuna suddenly realized. Or perhaps that was just her imagination.

"I believe perhaps with time, he will overcome this obstacle, too. The Knights of Blood might be the safest place for him now; if he were to fight alone, like we are, with the chance that his legs would become unable to move, then he would surely die," Kizmel continued, "but by the same token, if he were to fight alone, his would be the only life at risk. If he were to fight as part of a group, he could expose not only himself, but also his fellow comrades to danger."

"So what do you think I should do with him?" Asuna asked tiredly, swallowing harshly.

"That, I cannot answer," Kizmel said quietly. "As a knight, I would ask him to remove himself from combat of his own accord until his condition has improved, but he deserves a chance to do so. But if he were unwilling to acknowledge his weakness, then he must be removed by his leaders."

"She's right, you know. Yeah, he's worked really hard for it, but until he's got it under control, he's a danger to himself and others," the swordsman agreed.

Asuna could see that it pained her friend to speak those words, and she could understand why. Kizmel and Kirito had spent a lot of time helping the Moonlit Black Cats to overcome their own weaknesses, and they knew how hard some of them had fought. And only the most hardened gamers felt nothing at excluding someone in their guild deliberately, but in this death game, Nautilus's condition could mean death not just for himself, but for his fellow party members as well. With that thought in mind strengthening her resolve, Asuna rose to her feet. The desire to grind for a few hours had suddenly left her, and despite her newfound determination, she just felt tired at this moment.

"Well...thank you for the advice, Kizmel-chan, Kirito-kun. I'm sorry for bothering you with this matter and interrupting your farming."

"Think nothing of it, Asuna," Kizmel said at the same time as Kirito chimed in with a "No worries."

Let me make it up to you by treating you an all-you-can-eat dinner, Asuna wanted to say, suddenly missing the easy camaraderie and comfort she'd shared with the two before her. But the part of her that had become the vice-commander of the KoB clamped down upon that thought, as well. They each had enough on their plate, dinner could wait until things had slowed down a bit.

A traitorous part of her mind was telling her that things would never "slow down." In fact, if all went well, they were gearing up to speed up, if anything. She turned to leave the pair to their farming when Kirito's voice followed her and caused her to pause.

"Asuna." When she turned around, her former partner was looking straight at her, his eyes glimmering knowingly in the moonlight. "Don't overwork yourself, okay? If...if we can help with anything, let us know. We're here for you."

A wry smile made its way onto her face as she looked at the two of them, geared up in the middle of the night, the cursors of dozens of mobs around the area. "You're one to talk, Kirito-kun. Who's the one who's four levels ahead of me again?"

-------------------------------

October 16th, 2023

"Never a dull moment with you two around," Argo grinned as she slid into the seat across from them. "Heard about that stunt you pulled with A-chan's training group yesterday. You two are turning into Rescue Rangers on me."

"We're not chipmunks, Argo," Kirito groaned in response as their blonde friend cackled mischievously.

"Okay. Knights in shining armor, then. Well, at least Kii-chan is already properly attired for that," the information broker shot back merrily. "Ya hear what they're startin' ta call you? The Violet Knight."

The dark elf in question had no idea what the particular reference was, but hid her smile at Kirito's exasperation behind her mug as she took a sip, unbothered by the nickname the clearers had seen fit to bestow upon her since it was out of her hands. "What brings you by tonight, Argo?" she asked, changing the topic.

"What, I can't spend time with my two favorite customers?" Argo affected a look of mock outrage. "Figured I'd give you a head's up. After you guys and the KoB found the boss room earlier, the KoB and DDA are moving out to scout it. Word is, first group to scout it gets to lead the raid, and Lind is really eager to be the first this time around."

"Why are you warning us about it? We don't usually do the scouting." They had run into Asuna at the head of the KoB's exploration party earlier that day and managed to clear the Pillar all the way to the Guardian's chamber, but by the time they had reached it, it had been too late in the day to summon reinforcements to begin probing its defenses.

"Because I've been sent ta hire you fer the scouting." At the blonde's declaration, both Kirito and Kizmel froze, exchanging curious and confused looks.

"I beg your pardon?" the dark elf asked after a few heartbeats.

Argo sniffed, her whiskers twitching idly. "Lind asked me ta extend to both of you an offer ta join the DDA's scouting party first thing in the morning. He's offering a rather large sum of Cor for it, too, as compensation."

"He's...what?" Her partner looked utterly nonplussed.

Kizmel frowned at the thought that the DDA's leader thought of them as some sort of mercenaries whose services could be bought. "I do not like the implication that Lind believes our services are for hire," she said quietly and evenly.

Picking up on the displeasure in her voice, Argo waved her hands defensively. "Hey, I'm just the messenger. As far as I can tell though, I don't think he meant it like that. Just asked if you guys wanted ta join, and said he was willing ta compensate for your time, in case ya had something else planned."

"And he could not deliver this message himself?" Kizmel asked, arching a curious eyebrow.

The shorter blonde shrugged and grinned. "He paid me to ask, and I'm not gonna complain if he wants ta spend money. If you want my take on it, it'll cost ya."

"How much?" Kirito sighed, already digging through his pouch for the money.

"Two hundred." Argo smirked as the coins exchanged hands, before continuing. "I think he heard about the KoB's little SNAFU yesterday and thinks it's his chance to jump ahead. The DDA's been growing, and he's been itching to get back that number one spot for leading raids. Not to mention people are still trying to figure out what those obelisks back on thirty-seven were for, and Lind's trying to make sure the DDA's at the front if new ones are found. And you two being, well you two, who better to bring in as back-up?"

Kizmel and Kirito exchanged a glance at that. They, too, had been wondering what was involved in the mysterious quest that had been bestowed upon the dark elf and which she had chosen to share with her companion. Kirito had informed her that the Mystic pages that usually housed information about such missions were blank, and she herself had no further knowledge other than the cryptic lines that had been written on the ethereal page when she had been presented with the quest called Pandora's Box.

No further obelisks or hints had been found upon clearing the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth floors, and they had devoted a significant amount of effort between themselves and Argo to locate anything out of the ordinary that might have been related. In fact, their plans had been to further chart the fortieth floor before the final strategy meeting for the Pillar Guardian was called. To their knowledge and according to Argo, no one else had been able to activate the Fallen Elven phoenix, which had led the three of them to speculate that it wasn't something that had been left for solely the swordmasters to find.

Or perhaps, it hadn't been meant for the swordmasters at all. Kirito had voiced that suspicion, backed by the fact that the script had been written in ancient elvish and dwarven language, along with pointing out that Cardinal had chosen to bestow upon her the item reward for their trial and subsequent quest. What it did, she still had no idea, but for now the Pendant of Wisdom hung around her neck, tucked between her tunic and chestplate.

Both her partner and Argo had inspected it, and they had even brought it to Agil, but none of them had managed to make anything more of it other than to confirm that Mystic Scribing did, in fact, identify the simple green stone in a simple silver setting and chain as the Pendant of Wisdom, and that, to the eyes of the swordmasters, it had little worth and was not enchanted as far as they could tell. That in particular had piqued Kirito's interest, and he and Argo had begun muttering about ancient tablets, though it must have been in reference to some other time the two had encountered such things, perhaps in those other worlds her friend had visited.

"If that's the case..." Kirito glanced at her. "What do you think, Kizmel?"

The dark elven knight hummed in thought. She could understand Guildmaster Lind's desire to once more bring the DDA to prominence after their position had been summarily usurped by the Knights of Blood for the past fifteen floors. And while Lind was ambitious, he was so for the right reasons, and he wasn't as hot-headed and impulsive as Kibaou had been with the ALS. Then again, if he wanted to wrest the crown of the clearing group from the KoB, he would have a rather difficult road ahead of him.

"It wouldn't hurt to aid the DDA in their scouting," she finally said after some consideration. "They did request our help, and theirs is an objective that will ultimately help the clearing group."

An expression of distaste briefly flashed across Kirito's face before the swordsman schooled his features back into something neutral. "You're right. But you don't think the KoB will want to jump in on it?"

"Oh, they will, most likely," Argo agreed, taking a sip from her mug. "But Lind wants ta move tonight. Camp out in the labyrinth, and hit the boss first thing in the morning, or maybe even start hitting it tonight if there's enough time. I think he's taking a page outta your book there, Kii-bou," the info-broker cackled merrily.

Kirito glanced over at her, and Kizmel shrugged in return. "I have no pressing matters to attend to tonight," she replied. Over the past few months the clearing group had gotten used to her presence, and many had begun interacting with her, especially after their concerns about her ability in combat had been proven time and again. Still, Lind's words tugged at her memory; the DDA, for all their pretentiousness, had actually been more welcoming to her in the battles against the Pillar and Field Guardians than the Knights of Blood. Oh, Asuna, Guildmaster Heathcliff, and a handful of others like Ser Godfree had been more than accepting of the dark elf's presence, but the majority of the Knights of Blood were incredibly reserved by comparison.

Perhaps it was because she shared a much longer history with those she knew in the Divine Dragon Alliance, Kizmel mused absently. For good or ill, she had known some members like Liten, Shivata, and Hafner for far longer, and she had even fought by their side on occasion. No matter how their relationship had started out, they had earned each others' respect as warriors on the battlefield.

Her long silence had not gone unnoticed, as Argo and Kirito were looking at her in concern. "Kizmel?" her partner asked quietly.

Shaking her head to clear those stray thoughts from it, Kizmel returned his worried look with a smile. "My apologies, Kirito. I was merely lost in thought. Something Guildmaster Lind said a few weeks ago merely just struck me."

"Lind?" Kirito asked, curiously. "This from when he tried to recruit you back then?"

Kizmel nodded. "He said something I had not considered until then." At her partner's curious glance, she explained. "Remember when he asked me if I believed that you and I would be strong enough to walk by ourselves to the very top of Aincrad? He said that there would come a time when we would need more than just the two of us to conquer what stands before us."

The swordsman grimaced in distaste. "He's...not wrong. I'm actually pretty happy Asuna joined the KoB, because she's now got a whole guild watching out for her, and she's leading them well. Honestly, Kizmel, there'll probably come a time when the two of us just aren't going to be strong enough to keep up with everyone else running in groups and guilds."

"I know, my friend," the dark elf said with an easy smile as she patted Kirito's hand. "But that day is still far in the future, and we shall...cross that bridge when we get to it, I believe the saying is?"

"Yup. And don't forget, Kii-bou, you two might not be in a guild, but you've got friends to help watch your backs, too, ya know," Argo added cheerfully.

With a grateful nod at the blonde, Kizmel swiped at a strand of hair that hung into her eyes. "Regardless of this, I asked Lind why we should choose the Divine Dragons over the Knights of Blood when that day came."

"So what did he have to say?"

Kizmel frowned and toyed with the mug in her hands, uncharacteristically nervous at revealing her thoughts to her companion and friend. "He asked if I believed the Knights of Blood would truly be a place for us...for you to fit in."

The swordsman snorted indelicately. "And he thinks we'd be better off in the DDA?"

"Actually..." Kizmel shrugged helplessly, trailing off for a moment. "I believe he is right."

Kirito and Argo both coughed as in surprise, and the blonde had to pat Kirito on the back to keep him from further choking on his drink while muttering something about not thinking choking on drinks was possible. When he had recovered, the swordsman looked at her, his expression a mixture of confusion and interest.

"What makes you say that?" Argo asked for the both of them.

"It is not something I can say for certain," the dark elf began slowly as she tried to sort through her thoughts. "But I have at times felt ill at ease among the Knights of Blood. It feels...much like the first time I met swordmasters other than Kirito and Asuna. As though they ignore me, or do not trust me."

Kirito frowned and opened his mouth, but Kizmel shook her head at him; her partner swallowed the anger she could see welling up on her behalf, and she smiled warmly at him for it as she continued. "This is not to slight them. They are incredible fighters, and their discipline and dedication is to be commended - though I believe a large part of that is due to Asuna's leadership. But it feels...awkward, every time we have to fight beside each other. It is very much different from how it is with you, Kirito, and how it was with Asuna and even...the Black Cats."

"Yeah, I can see that," Argo said before Kirito could speak up, glancing between the elf and swordsman. "A lot of the KoB's members are either solo power-gamers or the kind of people that didn't fit into the ALS or DKB way back when. The kind that usually don't play well with others," the info-broker shot a pointed look at Kirito, who had the good grace to shrug awkwardly, "and the types that generally just are out for themselves. Some of them are actually genuinely shaping up nicely from what I hear, but recruitment has started pulling in other types now."

"You said as much a few weeks ago," Kizmel nodded in understanding. "We have had similar rivalries in the past between our various knight brigades."

"Right, and now take that to the extreme," Argo said, almost bitterly. "And ya got loads of folk who think they're better than anyone else because they're in the KoB and yer not, and then there's the type that really are just in there because they want a shot at being part of the best."

"He also mentioned that we have...friends...in the Divine Dragons, even though they may not have started out as such," Kizmel added. "And I have come to realize that perhaps he is not entirely mistaken."

Kirito smiled wryly as he shook his head in amusement. "I can't really disagree with that. I don't know if I'd call them friends, exactly, but you're right, we do know more people in the DDA."

"And ya even get along with some of them," Argo cackled mischievously.

The dark elf nodded in response. "Liten and Shivata, Hafner, Okotan and others. I find that even though they may not always welcome me, they also no longer treat me much different from Kirito. It feels...better than being among the Knights of Blood."

"I know what you mean," Kirito agreed quietly, eyes downcast. "I miss them, too."

Kizmel remained silent, unsure of how to continue their conversation as they sat quietly for a few moments, lost in thought. The loss of the Black Cats no longer hurt as much as it once did, but aside from checking in with Klein regularly, neither of them had really had the heart to go and see Sachi in person. They were determined to let the girl decide when she would reach out to them, though both herself and Kirito had made sure that Sachi knew they were always there for her, should she need them. Kizmel missed the easy camaraderie they had built with the small group who had quickly become their friends and been on their way to become more, before tragedy had struck.

Perhaps Lind is building on that, knowing that feeling welcome is more important to someone like Kirito, and even myself. The dark elf sighed, unwilling to dwell on thoughts that were quickly turning morbid. Across from her, she could tell Kirito's thoughts were running along similar lines, as the swordsman's expression darkened and his eyes took on a haunted, shadowed look. She cleared her throat, attracting the attention of the other two at the table.

"So, Kirito, what do you say? Should we join the Divine Dragons for their scouting mission?" If Lind is honest in his offer, maybe being around friendly faces will do us both some good, Kizmel mused, thinking back to the genuine offer he'd made to her weeks ago, figuring that she might have been too hasty in ascribing ulterior motives to his actions back then. Regardless of his motives, he did take into account our well-being, which is more than can be said about his actions in the past.

It took him a few seconds to wrest his mind from his thoughts, but finally he gave a curt nod. "Sure. Might as well keep the KoB on their toes."

-------------------------------

October 17th, 2023

"Thanks for your help, Kirito, Kizmel-san," Lind said politely as the group of swordmasters halted inside the gate of Jaileum. Dawn had just broken across the horizon of Aincrad when they returned from the Pillar of Heaven, tired but exuberant at their success.

A large man ambled up to them, his heavy armor gleaming in the first rays of the morning sun, and clapped Kirito on the shoulder heartily and directing a curt but friendly nod at the dark elf by the black-clad swordsman's side. "Yeah, good work on that. You guys really made it easy for us there, so thanks."

"It was our pleasure to be of assistance, Hafner," Kizmel responded with a tired smile, idly scrubbing at some dirt on her cheek. "I had an...enjoyable time fighting alongside all of you."

"Oh, just admit you had fun," Liten came up from behind and gave the dark elf a brief hug, equally cheerful and tired as Kizmel felt. "Thanks, Kizmel-san, I'm glad you and Kirito were there to help us."

"They're right," Lind agreed as he looked on his guildmates swarming around the impromptu additions to his guild's scouting party. "The two of you were instrumental in how quickly and safely we could get the scouting done. With the information we have now, plus what Argo has provided, we may even be able to start planning for the raid today. A day to get ready, and we should be ready to hit him day after tomorrow."

"That's good news," Kirito agreed, stretching his arms above his head and suppressing a yawn. "Good working with you guys, but I think I'm going to go take a nap, and then see about food." He tilted his head with a frown as his stomach rumbled loudly. "Maybe not in that order."

Kizmel smiled at her partner's antics. "I believe I, too, will seek some rest before continuing. Would you mind letting us know when the strategy meeting will take place, Guildmaster Lind?"

The leader of the DDA nodded and waved his party together. "Absolutely. I'll send Kirito a message, and he can let you know if that's all right?" He grinned wryly. "I could always send a message through Argo again, but I admit her fees are as high as her service is reliable, but if you're more comfortable with that..."

"Nah, it's fine," the swordsman waved him off, the time spent in proximity with the DDA's leader and his group having gone a ways to alleviate any tension he felt between them. "Just send a PM. We've got no plans on being off this floor for the next day or two anyway, so it should go through."

"All right, then." Lind grinned and lifted an arm. "Divine Dragons! Move out! We're going home!"

An exhausted but victorious cheer answered his announcement, and Kizmel watched as the twenty or so swordmasters headed off, presumably to return to the inn that served as their home quarters on this floor. She turned to her companion and smiled at his drooping eyelids. "Come, Kirito, let us return to our room. The day is yet young, and we must be well-rested to make the most of it."

"Right." They fell into step easily, wandering through a city that was just waking up as the sun crested the horizon. The smells of freshly baked bread and pastries began to fill the air as they entered the main plaza at the center of the town and swordmasters began milling about. Some of them had just woken up and were beginning their tasks for the day, while others, fewer in number, were just returning much like they had from a night's work out in the field.

It was...peaceful, relatively speaking. Even the scouting mission against the Pillar Guardian had been fairly uneventful, with no close calls and all three and a half parties from the DDA plus their two irregulars had worked surprisingly well together. Much to Kizmel's surprise, Lind had put herself and her partner in charge of one of their groups, and the other party leaders had heeded their advice and recommendations when rotating between them with no objections, and offered their own with polite, even friendly courtesy.

As they passed by, a voice carried through the fresh morning air, accompanied by the faint hum of a lute. Kizmel paused, intrigued by the strange sounds of music. She knew the humans had musicians in some of their towns, but this was unlike any other music she'd ever heard played, and she knew instinctively that it was a swordmaster performing even before she could make out the words and realized that they were not in the common tongue. Kirito halted next to her as she turned to look for the source, her eyes settling on the slim figure of a young woman standing on the rim of the fountain in the center of the plaza. A white cloak covered her shoulders, her hat tilted at a coquettish angle, with a large feather stuck into its band.

A dazzling smile was on her face as passersby stopped and paused to listen to her, some waving while others settled down to enjoy the performance. A flash of white from the corner of her eye caught her attention, and when she looked, Kizmel realized that a young swordmaster in the garb of the Knights of Blood was sitting on the atrium stairs at the back of the plaza, listening intently with a fond and longing look on his face as he stared at the singer.

I haven't heard music like this since I was little. Even if I cannot understand the words, the tune is...soothing. A content smile spread across the dark elf's lips as she tugged at Kirito's arm to lead them over to a bench and sat down, leaning back and closing her eyes, letting the exhaustion of the past two days' activities wash over and away from her as the singer's voice rang through the air.

Beside her, Kirito's breathing evened out as he settled at her side, and without needing to look she knew that his eyes, too, were closed and he was relaxing, the ever-present aura of intensity of the Black Swordsman fading away to simply leave the boy with a more peaceful expression than she had seen on him in a while. Kizmel didn't know if she had dozed off or not, simply enjoying the morning as one song ended and the next one began. The melodic notes washed away her tiredness and troubles, and it was only when the performance ended after a time that she had utterly lost track of that she opened her eyes with a start.

The singer was smiling broadly and bowing repeatedly to a roused and excited audience whose cheers filled the air. The girl waved at the swordmasters around her happily and hopped down from the fountain's stone rim. "I'll be back here tomorrow! Thanks for coming!"

The Knight of Blood approached her as the crowd around the singer in white thinned out, and enfolded her in a hug that was enthusiastically returned. Kizmel turned to face her companion, only to notice he'd nodded off on the bench beside her. An fond smile crossed her lips as she decided to let him rest for a little while longer as her eyes drifted back to the singer and knight at the fountain that were clearly a couple. Lovers, perhaps, or maybe just youngsters in love. It reminded her painfully of both her late sister and brother-in-law.

It also made the plight of the swordmasters much more real to her. She knew they were capable warriors, at least the ones she had met over the course of her travels with Kirito and Asuna. She knew they unwillingly thrust into this, but had chosen to pick up arms and fight regardless. But here were others, swordmasters who were up to more mundane tasks. There were shopkeepers, of course, like Lisbeth and Ashley, craftsmen and merchants like Agil, and she knew that Wolfgang had considered opening a restaurant on the lower floors. But rarely had she ever seen a someone pursue a non-combat related calling such as this, at least not among the swordmasters, whose priority was to escape from Aincrad. Despite this, there were people like the singer at the fountain and those that had simply paused in their daily routine to listen, that had decided to put thoughts of escape on hold and just enjoy the moment.

And that, perhaps, was the greatest gift the singer could have given them. She watched as the pair chatted for a little while longer, before stretching out and lounging on the bench, making sure not to wake Kirito. Maybe our plans for the day can wait a few hours. This is as good a place as any to get some rest, she thought, tilting her head up into the warm morning light, relaxing, but still alert. The crunch of boots on stone caused her to crack her eyes open a moment later, and to her surprise the couple she had been watching - knight and singer, both in matching white, one trimmed in red, the other in blue, stood before her.

"Can I help you?" Kizmel asked, opening her eyes fully and straightening up a little. Up close, she could tell the singer was a pretty young woman, possibly around Sachi's age, with brown hair that fell to her shoulders. The cowl of her cloak was still down, and she was smiling brightly at the dark elf. Beside her, the knight looked a little more uncomfortable as she held his hand, having pulling him along with her.

"I'm Yuna," the singer greeted her, before gesturing towards her companion. "This is my friend Eh- I mean, Nautilus," she corrected herself. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but are you Kizmel-san and Kirito-san?"

"We are," Kizmel confirmed, curiously. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Yuna, Ser Nautilus. You have a wonderful singing voice," she added with a smile.

The girl who had called herself Yuna blushed and looked down. "Thank you. It's always been my dream to perform, and I'm glad people enjoy it. Anyway, I saw you two sitting here, and I wanted to come over and thank you."

"Thank us?" The dark elf blinked in surprise. "I am unaware of anything we did that would warrant thanks."

Yuna grinned, tugging on the knight's hand to pull him forwards. "But you did. You saved Nautilus-kun's life two days ago. I can't tell you how much that means to us."

"They didn't exactly save my life," the swordmaster clad in the white and red garb of the KoB muttered at the same time as Kizmel said, "We didn't exactly save anyone."

The two glanced at each other, an amused elven glance meeting a sheepish human one, before Nautilus gestured for her to go ahead. Kizmel smiled at Yuna as she spoke. "We encountered the Knights of Blood having some difficulty, but nothing they would not have been able to handle on their own. We simply...lent a hand. Ser Nautilus was uninjured, I hope, so there is nothing you have to thank us for."

That drew a muttered comment from the swordmaster, and she looked over at him as Yuna clutched his hand worriedly. "Is something the matter?" Kizmel asked.

Nautilus took a deep, shuddering breath, clinging to the girl's hand like a lifeline. "I'm not a knight, not anymore. I'm quitting the KoB after what happened. I'm not...I'm not fit to fight with them."

"Eh-kun..." Yuna whispered quietly under her breath.

"I-I failed them, Yuna," he scowled, balling his fists angrily. "When it came to it, I couldn't move. I thought all the practice I did would be enough, I thought that if I really tried, I could-"

"You're the guy with FNC, huh?" came Kirito's quiet voice from next to her. Three heads swiveled to the swordsman who was looking at Nautilus and Yuna from half-lidded eyes. "Full-Dive Nonconformity. Right?"

The knight stared silently at his feet, fists shaking with anger or despair she didn't know, but finally nodded. "Yeah, I do. It's not bad enough that I can't dive, but when I'm under stress, or in danger..."

"There's a brain-wave interfacing issue with your NerveGear, and your body locks up because it's not getting the proper signals." Kirito was uncharacteristically mellow as he spoke, and even though the words were still foreign to Kizmel, she understood the gist of what her partner was saying. Their discussion with Asuna about his condition the previous night was still fresh in her mind.

Nautilus merely nodded, and Yuna moved closer to wrap an arm around his waist, staring at Kirito intently. The swordsman's gaze, though, never left the white-clad knight. "Look, it's not your fault. It's not like you turned tail and ran, or didn't want to fight. You made it into the KoB for a reason, because Asuna thought you were good enough for them. That means you have skill and talent. This," Kirito waved vaguely towards him, indicating his condition, "is not something you have control over. And the tech's too new to know if there's a way for you to overcome it or if it needs to be tuned."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" the knight snapped back, eyes blazing with fury. "Go back and cower in the Town of Beginnings?"

Kirito smirked and sat up straight, uncrossing his arms. "If you want, because that's what you're looking at. But you know how to fight. I'm betting you haven't had trouble against anything really up to the day before yesterday, so it's not a fighting issue. You can fight, it was just the boss that was triggering your FNC. Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, because I think Asuna did the right thing in benching you. As long as you have that condition, you're a liability in the field." The swordsman held up his hand to forestall any protests before continuing.

"If you want to blame anyone for that, blame me, because I told her that if you didn't step down from frontline combat yourself, then she should remove you from the squad. As long as your FNC has a chance of kicking in, you're not just endangering yourself, but your entire party, too." Kirito's expression softened somewhat, and he summarily ignored the sharp look Kizmel sent his way at his usual habit of taking the blame. "Look, with the way you fight, I'm willing to bet you used to have a much more severe form of FNC, right?"

"...yeah," Nautilus mumbled quietly. "I didn't even use to be able to fight regular mobs until I had the skills and levels so I knew I could do it safely. Until I had some kind of a safety net."

"Then you worked to overcome that." Kizmel's partner shrugged neutrally and fixed a stare at the knight in the KoB uniform. "This is just more of the same, but in boss fights, you never know if you're ever going to be safe. So maybe you can overcome it with enough practice. Maybe you can't, but you'll never know if you give up now. So you can't help in boss fights yet. Big deal. But you're okay to explore the floors, help clear dungeons and the labyrinth until you find out if you can overcome your FNC."

"...I don't know if I can."

"And you will never know for certain if you don't try, Eh-kun," Yuna muttered comfortingly. "He's right. You worked so hard to get here, you worked hard to get into the Knights of Blood. It's a little setback, but we can work through it."

"Asuna will understand," Kizmel added. "I may not fully understand your condition, but I have known other warriors among my kind who have frozen in the face of their first champion, or their first duel. Take heart, for you can help in other ways if you choose. This need not be the end of your journey, Ser Nautilus."

The knight remained silent and tense for a few heartbeats longer, before huffing out a breath that was somewhere between angry and defeated. "All right...but it's out of my hands, anyway. Vice-Commander Asuna already took it up with Commander Heathcliff when we got back the other day. They said I couldn't participate in this upcoming boss fight, and they'd decide what to do with me afterwards."

"And they'd be a fool to let a good fighter go simply because he has an issue with boss fights that's out of his control." Kirito shrugged and stood. "Look, you got this far. Don't waste the effort you already made. If they let you go, then that's out of your control, but if you quit, you're throwing it all away."

Yuna seemed to agree with them as she patted Nautilus on the back and muttered soothing words to him. The girl reached into the pouch on her belt and pulled out a small glass container filled with colorful marbles. Opening the lid, she plucked one out and handed it to her companion with a bright smile.

"Listen to them, Nautilus-kun," she said, closing his fingers around what Kizmel realized was candy. "Come on, have one and cheer up, you worked hard, so be proud of that."

The knight in white sighed and eyed the bright blue marble in his hands with fondness, before slipping it between his lips. "You're right," he finally said. "You always know how to make me feel better, Yuna-chan. And thank you, Kirito-san, Kizmel-san. I'll try to keep your words in mind. Maybe you're right, and this is something I can work through. I'll leave it to the Commander to decide my fate."

Yuna grinned brightly at them and waved as he turned away, and she made to follow. "Thanks, Kirito-san, Kizmel-san! I hope to see you again!"

As they walked off to disappear into the crowd, Kizmel got to her feet next to her own companion, unable to shake the impression that the singer's words might prove prophetic. Still, she, too, wished to see both singer and knight again, if only to listen to her sing once more. "Shall we find some breakfast and get an hour or two of rest before continuing, my friend?"

Kirito's gaze followed the pair as they left the plaza, an unreadable glint in his eyes. His eyes wandered to a spot in front of him, likely looking at some Mystic page that had appeared before him, then at her, and dark eyes widened in surprise.

"Kirito?" she asked again.

"Chant, huh?" he muttered, a slow smile spreading across his lips. When she was about to call his name again, he turned and shook his head. "Nevermind. Sure, let's get some food."

-------------------------------

"If I'd known they were going to have us dig a tunnel, I'd have brought a shovel," Kirito grumbled as he walked beside her, covered in dust and dirt. Kizmel carefully hid a smile behind her hand as she patted down his coat to get the larger pieces of debris off of him.

"I'm sure it will wash off...with regular soap."

The swordsman grimaced at the reminder of one of their encounters with giant spitting toads whose sticky mucus could only be reliably removed with a special soap made by artisans. It had been an...unpleasant floor, and Kirito had continually alternated between muttering death threats to the sorcerer Kayaba and blushing deeply every time he'd looked at either Asuna or herself when they had been all but covered in it. "Yeah, yeah. At least we got it, right?"

"We did indeed." The little golden idol, which now rested safely in her partner's Mystic storage charm, had been the objective of a rather lengthy quest that had them traverse to the far edge of the fortieth floor, and they found themselves on their way back to the town of Al'qutras, the human settlement closest to the Pillar of Heaven. It had been a lengthy expedition, but as the strategy meeting for the battle against the Pillar Guardian was to take place in Al'qutras this evening according to the message from Lind, they had decided to take on the mission and return to Jaileum afterwards.

"Still," Kirito frowned, "I'm kind of disappointed we haven't really made any progress on your quest."

"It is indeed disappointing," she agreed, "but there are many floors left yet, and I am hopeful that we will find a hint on how to proceed soon."

"Yeah," he agreed, "I just never really liked these vague, unlisted quests with no direction."

"It did give some direction," she chided amusedly.

The look he gave her was utterly flat and unimpressed. "A vague mention of following in the footsteps of the three great races is a very loose definition of direction."

"Ah, but it is not so," Kizmel countered, still smiling. "We have already encountered dwarven construction, and the challenges that led us to begin this quest were most definitely of dwarven origin." Oh, what our historians and loremasters would give to have seen what we have, she added silently. The librarians at the capital who had told her stories of the great races as a child would be beside themselves when she returned to tell her tale.

Even the thought that it would possibly take a very long time for her to return - or, as the trial had hinted, that she might not be able to return at all - did little to blunt her excitement. I wonder if Master Bellisarius still maintains that hidden passageway I used to sneak into the library after curfew.

"So that leaves what? Elves and someone else?"

"Elves and humans," she confirmed. "The great three races of the world, before the Great Separation."

"You said that before. About them banding together to fight some great evil that came to the world." Kirito hummed in thought as they passed through the gates of Al'qutras, the thick walls guarded by human spearman, though not swordmasters.

NPCs, Kizmel's memory quickly supplied. That was what the swordmaster tended to call these humans and other Aincrad natives. She herself fell into that category, though very few among the clearing group still referred to her as such. Part of it was because she had earned their respect, another part of it was fear, she knew. Fear that became apparent every time one of them looked at a spot above her head at something only they could see. Kirito had explained that it was part of their Mystic Scribing charm that allowed them to assess her strength relative to theirs, and as she was keeping pace with Kirito in his quest to become ever stronger, that made her as powerful as one of the most powerful swordmasters in Aincrad. It just made her wonder more about how the swordmasters saw the world.

Speaking of the swordmasters and their world..."I have been meaning to ask, Kirito," she began, dodging beneath the awning of a closed shop as it swayed in the wind, "about the meaning of the name I saw when I received the...quest. Pandora's Box. Does it have a particular meaning to the swordmasters? You seemed like you recognized it."

"It's a myth from our world. You remember the twenty-sixth floor?" When she nodded, he continued. "It's an old story about a titan named Prometheus, sort of a giant demi-god, came to the world and decided to gift humans with fire. In revenge for that, the king of the gods created a woman and sent her to Prometheus's brother, who had a box. The stories vary on if they knew what was in the box, who had it first, and who opened it, but long story short, it contained disease and war and famine, and all the nasty things that tend to happen to people."

"It was revenge by the gods for simply giving you fire?" Kizmel's eyebrows raised. The dark elves had tales of their own gods and deities, and even though many of the religious practices of old had been lost with the Great Separation, though some of their faith had survived. But most of the stories of gods among them were of benevolent deities, spirits of nature that shared their blessings with them and who punished with the absence of their blessing rather than vicious retaliations. There were tales of gods of war and strife, of course, but those had long faded into history.

"It's more complicated than that," Kirito said, looking a little uncomfortable, himself. "If you want the full story, it'd probably be best to ask Argo, but the short of it is that particular mythos believes that gods are very much like mortals, flawed, jealous, quick to anger and hard to appease."

"I see." It made some sense, perhaps, that humans would believe in gods that were similar to themselves, and in a way, maybe that made them easier to believe in. Still, it was a strange oddity, but there was something else about the way he had said it. "So this myth is not part of your worship, then?"

To her surprise, the swordsman laughed as he pushed open the door to the meeting hall that had been commandeered for the strategy session, nodding briefly at a few of the swordmasters that were milling about outside. "Oh, no. That civilization had its peak about two-and-a-half thousand years ago. In my world, there's many different beliefs and pantheons, many different religions. They don't always get along. Well, they usually don't get along, but it's rare things get violent."

Truly, the more she heard of this world the swordmasters hailed from, the more intrigued she became. Between the wonders of magic they must be capable of, the marvels of their buildings and architecture, the richness of their plentiful cultures, she itched to see it with her very own eyes and experience the things she knew she never would in Aincrad. Part of her wondered if that was what their own world had been like, before the Great Separation had torn it asunder. There will be time for that later, she mused idly as they stepped around small groups of swordmasters, many of whom were by now familiar faces to her. After we have ended the plight of the swordmasters and returned them home. Before anything else, the sorcerer Kayaba must be brought to justice.

"The DDA did the entirety of the scouting, and even if you bring out your reserves, we are still fielding half of the raid group," Lind's voice carried through the air, and Kizmel noticed her partner letting out an exasperated sigh. The power struggle was ever-present still, and even though she felt that it was at times impeding their progress, Lind had become a shrewd enough negotiator and never let it quite get to the level it had been when it had been a rivalry between the Dragon Knights and ALS.

However, it didn't mean he had stopped contesting the Knights of Blood for leadership and the prestigious position of commanding the swordmasters in battle against the Pillar Guardian, though in recent weeks he seemed to have redoubled his efforts to shore up support for the DDA.

"I understand that, and we appreciate your efforts, truly," Asuna's voice, in comparison, sounded strained and tired, as though she had just come from fighting the Pillar Guardian, instead of planning to do so in the morning. "But since we are the frontline tanks-"

"With all due respect, Asuna-san," Lind interrupted gently. "While the KoB were holding the frontline as tanks since the twenty-sixth floor, and we do appreciate the risk and effort you have put into it, at this point the DDA is in a position to shoulder its part of that load. Let us help carry that burden. Besides, not all of your team members are suited for a tank role, and I believe we can achieve a much more efficient strategy if we shuffle our parties around more specialized roles."

"And you're saying the DDA can field more specialized parties than the KoB."

The leader of the second-largest guild in Aincrad nodded, looking not at all repentant at Asuna's dry tone. "Yes. As it is, we have begun reorganizing our teams into dedicated tank and DPS parties, and worked out a routine for switching between them. It significantly decreases the likelihood of a mixed group getting caught out and one of its members being unable to counter an incoming attack, and frees up all of the dedicated attackers to deal damage."

Kizmel knew from her own discussions with Kirito about the way swordmasters fought that there was very little her friend could say to counter that argument. The way the swordmasters fought simply lent itself better to specialized groups, and while in the early days there hadn't been enough warriors who had the proper training and equipment to fill those required roles, the further they went, the more experience they gathered and the more organized they became.

"That is true," Asuna admitted. "It is a much more effective way to fight, as you said, and we have not yet finished reorganizing our own teams accordingly yet."

Nor do they have the numbers to correctly organize in such a manner, the dark elf thought wryly. While individually, the Knights of Blood were superior to any member of the DDA, as Kirito had once pointed out, in the end what mattered was numbers. If the DDA could field twice as many as the Knights of Blood, then it didn't matter if each member of the KoB could deal half again as much damage as any of the Divine Dragons. And limited in number as they were, putting together dedicated assault teams would prove difficult for the smaller of the guilds.

Then Lind went and delivered the killing blow to the argument. "Asuna-san, while no one here would ever think to question your competence or leadership, which I think we all can agree has proven itself repeatedly since you have taken over field command for the KoB, I would also like to point out that you are by no means the most experienced raid leader here. While I think that the strategic and tactical insight yourself and other veterans like Kirito and even Kizmel-san can bring to the planning is important, I would think your individual skills would be much better suited focusing on commanding your own parties. Look at how effective Kirito's party is even with minimal commands, for example. That way, each individual unit is significantly more independent of overall command, and can react and adjust to changing situations faster. For that same reason, during our restructuring, we have put experienced players who have been through a number of raids already in command of our own parties."

Kizmel glanced at her partner when the pair were finally noticed by the arguing leaders. Both Asuna and Lind looked up, greeting them with a curt nod, before returning their attention to each other.

"...I would simply like to caution you against any sudden changes in the raid leadership that could possibly cause confusion and disarray," Asuna finally said, though the look in the fencer's eyes told Kizmel that it was the last card her friend had to play, and that she was aware it wasn't a particularly strong one.

Lind uncrossed his arms and leaned against the table. "You misunderstand, Asuna-san. Nothing has to change in the planning phase. Please don't take this to mean that I or any within the DDA are unhappy with the way things are run, but were are putting more of our people at risk with every battle than any other single group here. There are a lot of people who would feel more comfortable with one of our own at the helm, or at least someone who could be counted on to not put someone else's survival ahead of theirs."

"I would never-" Asuna began, but her counterpart cut her off with a placating wave.

"I'm not saying you would, Asuna-san. And I know - or at least, I hope - that everyone in the KoB feels the same way when I say that I don't think any of us would deliberately make such a decision. But tell me, Asuna-san. If you had to choose, in a split second, who would come back alive and who might die, who would you pick?"

His eyes flicked over to herself and Kirito, causing the fencer's gaze to follow. Kizmel winced in commiseration with her friend. What Lind had asked was a difficult question for even battle-hardened veterans to answer, and it was a loaded question at that. But it also held a kernel of truth, and that was what must have been bothering Asuna, as the brunette swiftly averted her eyes.

"And you're saying you'd make the correct decision, Lind?" she asked quietly. "That if it were someone from the KoB and the DDA, you wouldn't choose your member?"

To his credit, the knight across from her didn't hesitate in answering, didn't prevaricate, and didn't lie. "No," he said, shaking his head. "I can't guarantee that. If we're being honest, I don't think any of us can. But short of putting an uninvolved, independent third party in charge - which has its own set of problems," he added, glancing over at Kirito, "I think that as a matter of representation it would be beneficial to have someone from the DDA as the main raid leader while a member of the KoB is the sub-commander. That way both guilds have someone in the command structure, there is a backup to the raid leader, they each have to worry about less of the overall battlefield, and both guilds feel someone in charge cares about their well-being."

It was then that Heathcliff spoke up from the back of the room, observing the argument happening in front of him through steepled fingers. The man, who among the clearers was regarded as the strongest swordmaster in Aincrad, was usually taciturn and allowed Asuna to handle the meetings, but when he spoke, he did so with a commanding authority that compelled everyone present to pause and listen.

"There is merit to what you are saying, Lind. I agree that it would be beneficial to have a second-in-command of the raid. However, at this point in time, the entirety of the clearing group is used to Asuna-kun's style of leadership and you can't deny that she has been handling the responsibility thrust upon her superbly."

The two guildmasters stared at each other intently, and Lind gave first, reaching up to clasp at the hem of his cloak and nodding his assent. "You are correct, of course, Commander Heathcliff. However, you must see the validity of our concerns."

"They are noted." The man who had been dubbed the Paladin by the clearing group inclined his head. "And I agree that it would be best to head this matter off before it becomes a larger issue, but a strategy meeting right before a boss fight is hardly the proper time to negotiate, wouldn't you think?"

"Fair enough." The DDA's leader relented, but Kizmel got the impression that he had still gotten what he wanted. He had brought his grievances to be heard here, in the one forum where most of the clearing group could be counted on to be present at the same time. Lind had made sure he was heard by as many as he could, instead of keeping the negotiations behind the closed doors of the leadership cadre.

"A compromise, then. Asuna-san will remain in command for this boss fight, after which, upon reaching the forty-first floor, the leadership of the DDA and KoB will negotiate a proper command structure for the subsequent floors," Lind suggested, spreading his hands wide. "But for this one, in light of us being able to field a full seven parties that would technically enable us to assemble a complete raid with the help of the independent players, we would request a second-in-command of our choosing to ensure that our concerns are heard and considered valid."

"That sounds reasonable," Heathcliff agreed cautiously. "And you would nominate yourself for that role?"

The dark elf wondered if this hadn't been what Lind had been after from the beginning, setting the bar high and expecting to be negotiated down to something more sensible in the short term while still making his stance heard in a public forum. Already she could see mutterings of the DDA members around them agreeing with their leader, and Kizmel well understood the desire to be led by one of your own. When she heard what he said next, however, her eyes widened impossibly and fixed on her partner, along with everyone else in the room.

"No, Commander Heathcliff. I could, but Asuna-san and I have no coordination, no trust between each other, and this is something that needs to be built up over time. By general agreement with all of the DDA's party leaders, we would put forth Kirito as the sub-commander to lead us into this battle."

"Excuse me?" Asuna shot up at the same time that Kirito did. Their eyes met, and Kizmel saw something akin to betrayal flash through her friend's pupils as her eyes rested on the swordsman in black.

"Me? Are you kidding? Why?" Her partner whined in protest as mutterings erupted around the room.

Lind favored him with a nonchalant look as he explained. "Simple. You have worked with many of our team leaders in the past, and they all respect your abilities, regardless of whether they like you or not. You also have arguably the most experience in boss fights out of all of us here, barring perhaps Asuna and myself. You know the mechanics, you know the strategy, and you're good under pressure. We unanimously agreed that you would be an acceptable substitute to having one of us in command for this battle."

"This is unprecedented!" a man clad in the white and red of the KoB yelled from the side of the table. "We're not gonna let a no-name beater lead us!"

"Yeah!"

"We only fight when the Vice-Commander is leading us!"

Unperturbed by the angry outbursts that followed, Lind returned his gaze to Asuna. "More than just that reasoning, Asuna-san, you have worked with Kirito before. Not just as partners, but also to take charge and lead raids when the need arose. You know each other and trust each other, so there should be none of the issues coordinating with someone with whom you have never worked before."

Angry mutterings from the white-clad members of the KoB started to fill the meeting hall, although Kizmel also noticed several of them shooting appraising glances at her partner. It appears not all of them are opposed to the idea of being led by Kirito, she thought. It made sense, from her earlier talks with Argo about the situation it would appear that those who had first made up the core of the Knights of Blood after the disaster on the twenty-fifth floor had been much like Kirito and Asuna at that point - loners who hadn't seen the need to join one of the factions, or outcasts who had been rejected by the Dragon Knights or ALS. They were those most likely to see themselves reflected in Kirito. It was the ones who had joined later, when the KoB had risen to prominence, that would take the most offense at being led by one not of their own.

"Silence!" Heathcliff's voice, though quiet, cut through the din with commanding ease, and though disgruntled the knights were disciplined enough to heed their commander's order. The man at the head of the table leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the large oak table. "This is a highly unusual request, Lind. Personally, I have no objections to having Kirito-kun as Asuna-kun's second-in-command. However, I am surprised by your choice. I would have imagined you would have liked one of your own in that position, rather than an independent."

Lind inclined his head in acknowledgement. "That is certainly true, Commander Heathcliff. However, all the points I have listed are still valid. I would also like to add that the DDA did all of the scouting with their help, and, if necessary, I could simply have asked Kirito to be my second-in-command as we form a raid of our own, without the help of the KoB. Instead, for the benefit of all of us present and all of the players trapped here, I am hoping that you will see my arguments as valid and lend us your strength."

"You make a number of valid points," the Commander agreed. "Very well, unless Asuna-kun has any objections, I will agree to install Kirito-kun as her second-in-command for this raid."

The fencer seemed to waver between surprise, anger, and vexation for a moment before shaking her head. "I have no objections." Angry mutterings from some of the Knights of Blood started up, only to be silenced by a vicious glare from her.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Kirito finally spoke up, drawing the entire room's attention. "I didn't sign up for this, and you could've let me know you were going to do this, Lind," he protested.

"You can refuse, of course, Kirito," the DDA's leader placated him, "but please keep in mind that it doesn't make what I said any less true. On short notice, you really are the best qualified, and the only one outside of the DDA that we would trust to share leadership with."

Kizmel suppressed the urge to smile at the way her companion stared at the man in disbelief, opening and closing his mouth as he struggled for words. "How...how exactly did you go from hating my guts to, to...this?"

"I never hated you, Kirito," Lind sighed. "Neither did Kibaou, despite all of his protestations to hating beta-testers. But we both never understood your refusal to pick a side. In hindsight, however, I do see why you did what you did, and while we maybe don't always see eye to eye, I - and many of us in the DDA who have been here from the beginning - respect your ability. Now that that's out of the way, will you take the job?"

The swordsman hesitated for a moment, glancing between Asuna and Kizmel. The dark elf herself found her gaze wandering between her partner and the fencer across from them. "Kirito," she whispered in his ear. His eyes snapped back to her, and she could see the turmoil in them.

It wasn't an easy decision for him to make, she knew. Kirito never had the desire to lead, and in fact would be the first one to say that he didn't have the temperament for it, despite his tendency to step up in times of dire need. But she could see the way Lind was attempting to steer the situation. If her partner refused, Lind would simply walk away from the clearers, taking with him the largest contingent of the about hundred-strong group. With more than forty capable front-liners at his disposal, he could easily make good on his threat to form his own assault party to take on the Pillar Guardian, leaving the Knights of Blood in a very precarious situation.

And if that happened, it would end one of two ways. If the Divine Dragons were as strong as Lind believed them to be, they would succeed, and the Knights of Blood would have to scramble to remain relevant; the balance of power would be irrevocably shifted. If the DDA failed without the aid of the KoB, they would take irreplaceable losses, and might face a situation similar to the ALS on the twenty-fifth floor; if their losses were severe enough, it could even shorthand the entire clearing group for a significant amount of time.

They need the strength of the Knights of Blood to have a better chance at success, and both Guildmaster Lind and Commander Heathcliff know this. She glanced at her partner. Kirito does, as well. But if the Divine Dragons push onwards on their own and succeed, then what will happen between these two guilds? I cannot believe Commander Heathcliff would be as rash as Guildmaster Kibaou once was.

It might not lead to a feud, but it could lead to the Knights of Blood possibly withdrawing their support from the Clearers, making the conquest of Aincrad significantly more difficult for those that remained. It was also not a situation she wanted to put Asuna in.

The swordsman beside her seemed to grasp this, as well, and still warred within himself to come to a decision. "Kirito," she repeated quietly. When she had his attention, she made sure he was looking at her, instead of glancing around nervously at the rest of the room's occupants that were waiting for his response.

"Do you think Lind will make good on his threat and take the DDA to battle the Pillar Guardian on his own?"

Kirito's face twisted into a grimace as he considered the possibility. "I think so."

"Do you think they will succeed?"

"Without the KoB? Possibly. They're not that far behind in strength, and the DDA has a better party setup from what Lind's said. But without Asuna commanding them?" He shook his head in negative. "They might, but chances are higher they'll take losses."

The swordsman's eyes wandered over to his former partner, meeting Asuna's with an unreadable expression. With a sigh, he relented after a few moments of thought. "All right," he said out loud, wiping the hesitation and doubt from his face and replacing it with the confident, stoic mask of the Black Swordsman. "I'll do it, unless anyone has any objections. Anyone important, that is," he declared boldly, turning to face the muttering mass of Knights of Blood to the side.

-------------------------------

October 18th, 2023

The cool early morning air was disturbed by the sounds of numerous armored boots striking paved stone. The assault party, chosen from just over a hundred clearers, was assembling in the plaza of the central town of the fortieth floor, Jaileum to depart on their mission to defeat the Pillar Guardian of this floor: a large, red-skinned creature that might once have resembled a human or an elf, but was now only known as Bracken, the Prison Warden to the swordmasters.

They approached from two sides, the white-clad Knights of Blood arriving from the teleport ring that had brought them up from their headquarters on the floor below, their faces set and grim as twelve of them arrayed themselves in two rows, standing at attention in the center of the plaza while the rest of the guild stood behind them in a semi-circle. At their head was Asuna, her garb looser and lighter than the assortment of metal and leather armor of her fellow knights, the flowing white cloth and ribbons more reminiscent of a dress rather than armor, since the fencer preferred to be quick and mobile, much like Kirito.

Still, if they had believed themselves to strike an imposing sight, it was soon put into perspective as the Divine Dragons arrived, marching through the streets in almost perfect step, five abreast and ten rows deep, as if to strike the point home that they had the numbers. They came to a halt, Lind at the fore, resplendent in polished armor. Immediately, he and twenty-nine of his men and women stepped forwards, meeting up with the Knights of Blood in the center.

In comparison to the two guilds that were now staring each other down, the party of independents that usually made up the final addition to the Guardian battles was loitering by the fountain, their mismatched garb a stark contrast to the unified colors of the two major guilds. Kizmel glanced over at her partner as he exchanged words with Agil and Lowbacca, Wolfgang and Naijan having opted to not participate in this battle due to prior engagements. Their places were taken by a pair of solos, the mace-wielding Lisbeth who'd volunteered for this fight, and a blonde self-proclaimed treasure hunter who'd introduced herself as Philia.

Kirito had eyed them curiously for a moment, likely viewing them through the magical lens of the Mystic Scribing charm, before nodding his assent to their presence, and leaving things at that. It had left the entire group, with the exception of Kizmel, as what the swordsman had referred to as a "DPS" group, a unit whose sole purpose was to inflict as much damage as possible on the Guardian or its protectors, before withdrawing behind the ranks of the tank groups. While it made her the odd one out, being the sole member of the party outfitted in plated armor and carrying a shield, none of the others questioned her presence or doubted her ability to keep up, though she had drawn an interested look from the sole newcomer who didn't know her yet.

A little ways away stood the six members of the Legend Braves, and though they would not be participating in this battle, they had interrupted their training to come up and show their support. While they were not officially members of the Knights of Blood, they had been aided in their efforts to rise back up to the ranks of the clearers by the larger guild, and the hope was that they would soon be able to join the clearing efforts once more. Already they were aiding in exploring newly opened floors and even filled in the ranks during the battles against the less dangerous Field Guardians.

"Well, looks like everyone's here," Kirito said, turning away from his conversation with Agil. "Let's get this show on the road."

As their little group made its way towards the standoff between the two major guilds, Kizmel couldn't help but feel a sense of unease welling up within her. Asuna reached into the pouch on her belt to withdraw an item, and emerged with a large blue crystal the size of two fists, set into a sturdy metal base.

It was a Corridor Crystal, a magical device that worked much like the teleportation circles in the main city of each floor of Aincrad. Ever since their first appearance, crystals - particularly teleport crystals that allowed for a swift escape - had become commonplace, if expensive, additions to the swordmasters' arsenals. However, the kind her friend was holding aloft was so rare that even now the an entire floor might be conquered without a single one being found by the clearing group. Unlike the teleport crystals, this one allowed its user to open up a portal to allow passage to a predetermined point for an entire group, essentially keeping a magical doorway open for a certain amount of time.

This made it one of the most priceless and well-guarded items for any guild; many were hoarding them jealously as it allowed instantaneous travel from any one place in Aincrad to another, even across floors. The Knights of Blood were the only ones who had been using them unsparingly ever since they had first appeared, and no one knew where the small guild had acquired such a large stockpile of them. Their use, when keyed to the antechamber of the Pillar Guardian's room in the labyrinth, saved the assault group from having to traverse the Pillar of Heaven and fight their way to their objective. It had become a common enough sight for the Knights of Blood to utilize one whenever a tough battle was being anticipated.

Their strategy meeting the previous night had concluded that foe they were facing was one that warranted such measures to ensure all swordmasters were fresh and at their peak for the battle ahead. Running her eyes across the parties assembled before her, Kizmel realized that the Knights of Blood had rearranged their lines somewhat. Instead of their usual eighteen, they had opted to send only twelve. Six were outfitted much like Asuna, in lighter armor and without shields, but wielding large two-handed weapons or polearms, and were led by a large, burly but chipper looking man with curly brown hair. Godfree, she remembered, having been introduced to the KoB's squad leader before. In contrast to Asuna's lightweight garb and weapon, however, the remainder of her party consisted of five knights in heavy plate armor underneath their heraldry and without exception wielding shields.

It was a testament to how strong a warrior Asuna had become that she was the one leading this group of heavily armored warriors into battle with nothing more than a rapier and her sheer speed.

The parties from the DDA likewise had been reorganized from what she had seen in the past, with three groups bearing heavy armor and shields and two groups brandishing spears, blades, and axes. As her eyes wandered over the faces of those present, the dark elf realized that every single Knight of Blood present was a veteran of prior battles.

The DDA had responded in kind. These were the elites of the swordmasters, and both sides were determined to make a statement with their presence. Many of the ones present among the DDA's front ranks were those who had been battling Pillar Guardians since the very first floor, and by the sudden intake of air next to her, Kirito had realized the same.

Lind and Asuna stared at each other for a moment, before turning and looking at Kirito in unison. The black-clad swordsman let out a long-suffering sigh and stepped forward, through the throng of people and in between the neat lines of the two guilds.

"We're all here and accounted for," he reported. "Six independents, twelve from the KoB, and thirty from the DDA. As long as there hasn't been a change in plans, we should be good to go on our end."

"We're all set," Lind agreed, eyes flicking over to Asuna.

With a lingering look at her former partner, the fencer went ahead and set the corridor crystal on the ground, tapping the top of the crystal to activate it. A shimmering blue ring burst into existence in front of it, and with a nod from the brunette, the Knights of Blood rearranged themselves into two columns and marched through, shortly followed by the Divine Dragons, Lind at the fore.

"Well." Kirito said evenly, staring as the last of the DDA vanished through the portal. "Shall we?"

Kizmel was about to respond when a shout of surprise filled the air, followed shortly by the splash of a body hitting water. She turned and frowned; while those of the Divine Dragon Alliance who hadn't been chosen to participate in this battle had peacefully withdrawn back to their headquarters, some of the Knights of Blood had remained behind and congregated around the fountain, surrounding something.

Or someone, she realized. Four of the knights were standing around the rim of the fountain, and between their bodies she spotted a fifth in the same white and red uniform on its back in the shallow water. Kirito's eyes followed hers, and both of them recognized the figure immediately.

Swordsman and dark elf moved towards the group in unison as the four white-clad knights began jeering angrily, unaware of their approach. As they closed in, Kizmel suddenly realized that the remainder of their party was looking for them, though they appeared to have realized something else was going on and were hanging back by the portal to prevent any hapless passers-by from going through it.

"We got a problem here?" Kirito's voice was icy as they came to a halt a few meters away. The four men turned around slowly, as if only just noticing their presence.

Kizmel stepped around her partner and the four men, and reached an arm into the fountain to help up the bedraggled swordmaster there. "Are you all right, Ser Nautilus?" she asked, only to receive a meek nod in response as she pulled him to his feet.

"This is none of your business beater," one of the men, a tall, thin figure with a two-handed sword slung around his waist, spat. His hooked nose crinkled in distaste at the thought of speaking to her partner, and his demeanor immediately put her on alert. While she had confidence that he was no threat to either of them in a straight fight, his was the bearing of someone who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. It was an arrogance and cruelty she had seen in many an aristocrat before.

The look Kirito sent her way might have been something between annoyed, amused, and exasperated, as though to bemoan the fact that the "beater" label was still being used after all this time. Outwardly, though, the Black Swordsman showed no reaction other than a slight, arrogant quirk of his lips as his gaze flicked between the four men, all of whom towered over him by a couple of centimeters.

"Maybe," he replied coolly, "but I tend to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. So, do you want to tell your vice-commander that you've been tormenting and bullying one of your fellow guildmates, or should I?"

"This piece of trash shouldn't even be in our guild. He can't hack it and almost got Sanza killed!" the man to Hook-Nose's left growled, turning to glare at Nautilus. The dark elf took a protective step in front of him, and the man's glare turned to her. "He should've had the decency to quit the guild and make space for someone else."

"Yeah, if he knew he was going to be a danger, he should've just stayed solo and not put the rest of us in danger with him! Why should we end up protecting him if he's useless?" another agreed.

Kizmel's brow furrowed as she noticed the knight behind her shrinking back further with each accusation from the corner of her eye. It made her wonder how much torment these men had inflicted upon him in the barracks in the mere day since they had last met. "This man has fought harder to be here than any of you," she spat back viciously, unwilling to remain silent any longer. "He has clawed his way up to this point with his bare hands, conquering his fears and shortcomings, and you are doing the name of your guild a great dishonor and disservice by showing such disrespect."

"You gonna let your pet NPC talk to us like that?" The hook-nosed man sneered, taking a menacing step towards her, hand resting on he pommel of his weapon. "She's not a player. There's no penalty for killing her. So unless you want your precious-argh!"

The man cut off with a loud grunt that was lost in the sound of a small explosion. Kirito's blade had embedded itself into his torso - or so it appeared, as it struck a shimmering purple barrier before touching cloth or striking armor, and the backblast catapulted the man off his feet to crash against the center spire of the fountain, stopped by another purple barrier that wavered into existence before he came into contact with the stone.

His fellow knights reacted instantly by drawing their own weapons, though, much like Kirito, they knew that here, in town, it was a futile gesture as the protection charm cast around towns and safe zones kept the swordmasters from harming one another. Kizmel resisted the urge to follow suit, knowing that drawing her own weapon was pointless and would only serve to escalate the situation.

"You bastard," the man snarled as he picked himself back up, his hand twitching to reach for his blade.

"There a problem over here?" The deep baritone that boomed across the plaza belonged to Agil. The large, dark-skinned man and the fairer-skinned, though equally large and muscular Lowbacca stepped up behind Kirito, their weapons gleaming dangerously over their shoulders without needing to be drawn.

The swordsman tilted his head and stared blankly at the Knights of Blood in front of him, sword held loosely in his hand by his side. Snorting dismissively, he turned his back on the four men deliberately and walked towards the large merchant-warrior. "Just some punks," he said, just loud enough for them to hear.

Kizmel couldn't deny her partner had a gift for riling up people when he put his mind to it, something he had put to use frequently to throw people off-guard or deflect their attention from something he didn't want them paying attention to. It had worked this time as well; all four men were red in the face and looking angry enough to start a fight. She just hoped that Kirito hadn't just made more enemies, though it was likely that this kind of behavior would have them facing repercussions from the leadership of the Knights of Blood regardless.

They were still staring at the swordsman, but at least one of them was looking nervous as he tugged on the ringleader's arm. "Come on," he muttered. "They're not worth our time."

Anything else they might have said or done was interrupted when a swordmaster came rushing in from the gate towering over the west side of the plaza, shouting loudly as he stumbled forward.

"S-somebody...somebody, please, help us!" The desperation was clear in his voice, and Kizmel stopped reflexively, her eyes snapping to a man in ragged leather armor and a curved sword in his right hand. When she looked closer as he approached the center of the plaza, she could tell that the armor he was wearing, while not as expensive or protective as the metal breastplates or mail worn by most clearers, was nevertheless finely made and of good enough quality that it wasn't out of place on the front lines. To be in the state it was in, he must have suffered considerable damage.

The black, jagged piece of a spear shaft that was stabbed into his back was just more proof towards that assumption. The weapon was one the dark elven knight was very familiar with, having encountered it repeatedly as a favored weapon used by the creatures on this floor while exploring with her companion.

"Hey! Hey, are you all right?" Kirito asked, his attention having snapped to the man at the same time as hers, their spat with the Knights of Blood forgotten almost instantly. She could tell her partner was concerned about the injuries, but in the safety of town the swordmaster would be safe; any lingering damage or injuries he might have suffered would have been stopped the moment he crossed the threshold into the protective charm of the town. It wouldn't be pleasant, but as long as he remained within the safe zone, he would be in no danger of dying even if he remained untreated.

"Fi...five of my comrades were trapped in the field dungeon and are being chased around by an army of mobs! They won't hold out for very long...somebody, please come with me to help them!" The almost tripped over his feet at his rush towards them, having spotted the pristine white of the Knights of Blood standing next to them. "Y-you're with the KoB, right? You're clearers, please, help us!"

Kizmel's eyes narrowed when the hook-nosed man and his compatriots scoffed as the injured swordmaster stumbled, collapsing to his knees before them with a pleading look. What they did next, though, made her wish she they were outside of city limits so she could display to them just how deep her displeasure went.

"Get off of me you loser," Hook-Nose snarled, kicking the injured man away from him with his boot and tipping him over. "We've got better things to do than bail idiots out of trouble they should be able to handle themselves."

"B-but...you're clearers, and the rest of the raid-"

"Yeah, we're raiding, so we're busy. Get lost," another white-clad knight added dismissively.

With a disgusted look at the four men as they retreated, Kizmel stepped forward and offered a hand to the downed man. "You dishonor the uniform you wear," she spat at their retreating backs. "You have no honor. If there is anyone here who should not be with the Knights of Blood, it is yourselves."

The four men froze, their backs stiff as they slowly turned around, a dangerous glint in their eyes. Kirito moved to stand by her side as she soothed the injured man, trying to gather more information from him while her companion dealt with the nuisance. Agil and Lowbacca had closed in meanwhile, and Nautilus was kneeling next to her beside the nearly hysteric young man.

"Is anyone going to help this man?" Kizmel asked aloud, raising her voice to be heard in the entire plaza. The ten or so other swordmasters who were there gulped and took a step back. She couldn't entirely fault them for their reluctance; the field dungeon of this particular prison-themed floor was home to a particularly nasty trap that even clearers had difficulty with at times. It involved being locked into a room with a host of enemies and requiring a trap to be disarmed within that room. The catch was that oftentimes the trap could not be found until the monsters guarding the room had been defeated.

His party must have been unable to deal with the monsters, and he was the only one who escaped before the room locked, she realized. However, even in those cases, there were still emergency escape routes. Her eyes met the knight's by her side, his former timidity forgotten as he took in the situation.

"What about teleport crystals?" Nautilus asked. "If you're fighting on this floor, you must have at least one of them!"

The curved sword fell from his death grip as the man shook, his face pale. "No dice...among the mobs that surged up, one was able to cast a Silence debuff and we were unable to use the crystals in time. I just barely got out myself before he cast that debuff..."

If the tension between the swordmasters in the plaza had been thick before, it was now downright oppressive. The Silence state, something she had some passing familiarity with, but which Kirito had explained when they had first encountered it in much more detail, was a state that on the surface seemed like it would merely impede communication between swordmasters. To Kizmel, it had always been a relic of ancient times, designed to render spellcasters harmless, but those times of magic had long passed. However, the crystals that were now the swordmasters' lifeline, such as healing, antidote, and teleport crystals, could only be used by uttering a spoken command.

The Silence state meant that none of the swordmasters trapped could use their crystals. They were still able to use potions, however-

As if anticipating her thoughts, the man glanced at her.

"...none of us have a cough potion. We never expected a mob that could cast Silence..." he answered while downing the healing potion she had handed him from her belt.

That caught Kirito's attention as he spared an annoyed look over his shoulder. "If you're going out into the outer fields on the front line, at least have the decency to read the strategy guide Argo is distributing free of charge!"

Kizmel shook her head minutely at her partner, and he caught her eye before relenting. The swordsman spun around and walked away from the four Knights of Blood. The dark elf had an inkling of what he was thinking. If what the injured swordmaster was saying was true, then there were at least five people who were at this very moment fighting for their lives.

Surveying the dozen or so players present in the square, she noticed that many of them were visitors from the lower floors, or mid-level swordmasters who were hoping to join the clearing group just like the injured man before her. But among the rabble, she spotted two men wearing a familiar gleaming red plate in the Yamato style that Kirito had told her reminded him of the ancient culture of his homeland. It was an armor style rarely seen in Aincrad, and one she knew very well.

And they were men in whose training, skill, and discipline she had no doubt in. Kirito himself looked torn, as did Agil, Lowbacca, and the two women who had joined them. Her partner opened his mouth, but Kizmel caught his eyes and shook her head.

"I will go, alone if I must. Kirito, you must take the others to help with the Pillar Guardian before the portal collapses. Go, I will handle this." Her expression softened for a moment at the worry that was clear in her partner's face. "I will meet you here in the plaza when you return."

"Kizmel-"

"Go," she ordered, a little more harshly than she intended, before standing up and waving the two men in red over. They recognized her distinctive appearance and jogged over, having overheard the injured man's pleas. "You two, will you join me?"

The two members of the Fuurinkazan guild, whom she recognized as the polearm-wielding Issin and the goateed Kunimittz from her prior meetings with the guild, hesitated a moment but nodded in the end. Another five or six others, recognizing her, also came forward, several from the Legend Braves and the Divine Dragons.

"We're coming, too!" they echoed.

As Kizmel helped the injured swordmaster to stand, Nautilus caught her by the elbow. "I'm coming, too," he said.

With a brief assessing look at the knight, Kizmel gave a sharp nod and returned her attention to her partner. "Go now, Kirito. We cannot let this opportunity to defeat the Pillar Guardian go to waste, and you are needed to lead. I can handle watching over these men. Give my apologies to Asuna."

The swordsman gave her an assessing look, before sighing and nodding. "Be careful, Kizmel."

"You as well, my friend." With that, she quickly cast the limited Mystic charm she knew to remove herself from his party and added Nautilus, the injured man, and the two from Fuurinkazan to a new spell.

"Can I help?" a quiet voice asked as she briefly watched Kirito lead his slightly reduced group through the portal. It flickered a little more upon the passage of the forty-seventh swordmaster through it. There was still capacity for one more, but the time limit would be nearing its end soon, causing it to collapse.

No sooner had she thought that when the glowing blue circle did implode and fade from existence. With a start, she turned to find the brunette songstress from the previous day standing next to Nautilus. "Yuna-" the dark elf began.

"Yuna, you wait here. Don't worry, we'll help them out quickly and return," Nautilus interrupted her.

Yuna, however, shook her head conclusively. "I'm going, too."

"Wha..."

The songstress swiftly cast a Mystic charm to shift her armor and opened her arms, revealing a vivid, royal-blue dress trimmed in gold. Kizmel had no idea what its benefits were or how powerful it was, but she recognized a rare enchanted item when she saw one. A white lute settled into the girl's left hand, a dagger sitting on her belt, and her head was graced by a pure white feathered hat, making her the very image of a bard.

"I can help," she repeated determinedly. "I can't use a sword, but I can support everyone else with my songs. I'm not going to get in your way, I promise." The last part was said to Kizmel as much as it had been to the white-clad knight.

Around them, the men and women who had volunteered for the rescue party caught sight of her and Nautilus, and began to rouse a cry.

"It's Uta-chan!"

"It's the KoB!"

"We can do this!"

Even the injured swordmaster, whom the two members of Fuurinkazan had been tending to, seemed much more optimistic. Nautilus, meanwhile had blanched a little.

"Your...songs?" one of the red-armored men asked dumbfounded, before realization spread across his face. "You mean...the Chant skill that's become the talk of town lately?"

Yuna affirmed this with a nod, and Kizmel made a mental note to ask her partner about it at a later date. Kirito must have realized there was something special about this girl, who is such a gifted songstress, she thought. At the proclamation, everyone crowded even closer around.

Nautilus looked like he wanted to protest, but gave up, and while Kizmel re-cast her charm to invite Yuna to her party, the knight turned to his fellow men from the KoB. "Are you guys going to help us?" he asked evenly, his former timidity forgotten in light of the crisis they were now facing.

The hook-nosed man grimaced as he glanced around him, seeing the appraising looks of many of the onlookers and volunteers. A tremble ran through his stiff frame as pride warred with ego.

"Tche," he finally spat. "This isn't worth our time or attention. If you guys want to run to your deaths like sheep led to a slaughter by an NPC and a coward, I want no part of it."

"Big words coming from the man turning tail when he's asked to help save others," one of the red-armored men from Fuurinkazan retorted, stepping forward.

As much as she would have liked to let the confrontation continue any other time, the trapped men were running out of time. Kizmel said as much, before unconsciously mimicking her partner and turning her back on the four white-clad Knights of Blood, effectively dismissing them.

"We have little time," she told the assembled swordmasters. "Have you arranged your party?"

"We're ready," a man replied from under a large, pointed bascinet. Kizmel recognized him as Orlando from the Legend Braves, along with two others from the small guild and three men from the DDA. "We'll follow your lead on this, Kizmel-san."

"Are you losers really that pathetic you're taking orders from an NPC now?" Hook-Nose asked disdainfully from behind her. "No wonder you're all leftovers behind the rest of us."

Kizmel and the rest of her compatriots ignored him as they headed off without sparing a backwards glance.

-------------------------------

The rescue group, split into two parties of six, swiftly stepped into the outer fields through the western gate that the messenger had first arrived from. On their way out, Nautilus had confided her in his fear that the injured swordmaster who had asked them for help was leading them into a trap. It was a fear that was warranted, as after the initial news of the first official murder among swordmasters had spread months ago, the number of incidents had risen somewhat alarmingly, with PKers luring others out into the fields under false pretenses in order to bring them outside of a protected zone.

Kizmel had been watching the man intently as she followed him, leading her group through the field, but his single-minded desperation as he tripped and picked himself back up as he ran seemed too earnest to be an act. Besides, murderers and criminals rarely acted close to or even on the frontlines, aware of the fact that, in terms of fighting power, it was unlikely they would be able to match those of the clearing group.

Or even those that may not be part of the clearing group, but are still powerful enough to survive on this floor, she added silently. There were some exceptions, of course, as PKers like PoH and XaXa were a match for even Kirito due to their fighting styles, but they were the exception rather than the rule. And operating here, disrupting the clearers, is a very quick way to draw their attention, which is something they cannot afford if they want to survive.

Eventually, the half-collapsed, ruin-like silhouette of their destination came into view. It was a field dungeon neither she nor Kirito had been to during their exploration, as it wasn't far away from town, and they had skipped it when Argo had suggested it held little of value to them. The injured swordmaster with the curved blade turned his head while running and shouted.

"Just a little but further ahead!"

"Let's hurry," Yuna shouted back, picking up the pace and pulling ahead.

"Yuna, wait!" Nautilus huffed as he sped after her. Kizmel merely shook her head and hurried after them, wishing that like the swordmasters she felt no physical exhaustion. During their run she had inquired with the knight about his friend, and he had assured her that she was level-40. Nautilus's surprise when he had checked and found out had told her that the girl was serious about her efforts to join the clearing group, though Kizmel had wondered how a noncombatant had managed to work her way up to this point.

Regardless, if she was able to provide support to the fighters with her unique ability then she would be a great help, but her presence also worried the dark elf, knowing that the girl would need to be protected, despite her assurances that she could take care of herself. Still, the presence of the songstress seemed to have bolstered not only the volunteers, but also Nautilus himself, and she could see the change in the way the knight carried himself, knowing that his friend was there.

The field dungeon that was their destination had once been a prison just like Jaileum, though by now only ruins remained. Unlike Jaileum, however, its residents were not humans, nor even elves or dwarves, but corrupted and mutated monsters, beasts and creatures who had been irrevocably changed over the centuries they had spent here, giving in to their base urges. Kizmel easily charged ahead when they encountered light resistance on their way, her saber making short work of a handful of kobolds and slimes along the way with the help of the others.

Led by a dark elven knight who was in every sense the equal of the Black Swordsman, it took the rescue group a mere eight minutes to reach the center of the dungeon after leaving through the western gate. The end of the wide passage was closed off by sturdy-looking iron bars and, from the inside, Kizmel could hear the screams of swordmasters and the roars of monsters overlapping a cacophony of metal striking metal and wood.

"They're still alive..." the injured man huffed as he leapt at the iron bars. Next to him, Nautilus and Kizmel followed with more care, peering at the interior of the room through the bars.

The stone-paved room was quite large; Kizmel estimated it might be twenty meters across and at least thirty deep. The ceiling had collapsed, letting in sunlight from above, but the walls were all intact and at least ten meters high, effectively closing off any avenue of escape unless one could fly.

Five swordmasters were clustered on the right side of the large room, fighting almost the same number of demi-human creatures. The short, stubby monsters barely came up to her waist and were garbed in battered leather armor with tattered hoods. Short black spears were gripped in their hands as they thrust and weaved at their targets. Kizmel had seen many of them before, on this floor. Kirito had told her the swordmasters called their kind "tormentors," because while they weren't very dangerous individually, their weapons and attacks left lingering aches, pains, and injuries. They poisoned, or opened gashing wounds that bled, and that could prove fatal if left untreated. If a swordmaster was strong enough to be on this floor and had knowledge of the monster's attack patterns, it wouldn't be too difficult a task to defeat them, but these were not the only foe to contend with here.

Next to the wall on the far end of the room, a large figure stood a little over two meters tall, towering over both its minions and the swordmasters fighting for their lives. Kizmel had no doubt that this would be the champion of this dungeon; it looked almost identical to the Ruthless Warder Chief that she and Kirito had jumped in to help the KoB's mapping party with two days previous. Coupled with the confined quarters and the fact that no matter how many of the tormentors the trapped swordmasters defeated, more kept coming from the holes in the walls, it was a stalemate that would eventually wear down the humans. As long as they were unable to break through the ranks of the smaller monsters, they would slowly suffer attrition until, one after another, they would die.

Thankfully, the champion creature had yet to begin moving, which was the only reason the swordmasters inside were still alive, but as long as it stood, the enchanted trap would remain sprung. There were more iron bars cordoning off little nooks in both the left and right walls, but they were dark for now. Her eyes narrowed upon seeing them.

"Where is the device to open the bars?" she asked, and the man who had led them here pointed a shaky hand towards the champion.

"There's a lever that looks like it might do it behind the boss! But if they get close, the boss will aggro on them, and then they'll be finished for good! I managed to just barely escape before the bars closed."

Upon hearing this, one of the red-clad Fuurinkazan members shuddered. "That means if we want to go in to save them, the guys inside have to get close to the boss and pull him before they can use the lever..."

His compatriot, wielding a large two-pronged ironclad spear, nodded in agreement. "It's a gamble. Those bars look like they might only open for a few seconds if the boss is still alive. And once he starts aggroing, it's going to be tough to get them all out in time."

Both of them turned to look at her. "How do you want to proceed, Kizmel-san?"

Kizmel considered the situation for a moment. They had to do something, that much was certain; however, evacuation was unlikely to work, if what the two from Fuurinkazan had said was correct, and she was inclined to believe them, after having encountered traps like these before with Kirito. If they attempted a rescue now and tried to coordinate an escape, anyone who was left behind was going to be at considerable risk of death while having to brave not just the guardian creatures, but also the champion himself to trigger the release for the iron bars once more.

And if they rushed in to help them out without a plan, there was a good chance that even more people could be trapped. "The only safe way to extract everyone is to defeat the champion," she concluded after a few moments.

"That's a dungeon boss, we can't take that on!" one of the men in the other party protested.

"We can, we have to!" the man who had led them here wailed in desperation.

Kizmel frowned as she looked around her. "Ser Nautilus, your Mystic Scribing, your...menu...what does it tell you about the champion beyond? Is it the same as the one we encountered in the labyrinth two days ago?"

The knight nodded, his knuckles gripping his weapon so tightly she was afraid his hand would be numb. "It's a similar class," he whispered, "it's called a [Feral Warder Chief]." For a moment he seemed torn, before his eyes wandered from her to Yuna, where the songstress was pressed against the iron bars, anguish on her face at the situation.

The players around her shuffled uncomfortably at that revelation. Word had spread in the intervening time that the Knights of Blood's scouting party had run into a boss that had given even them a little bit of trouble. None of them knew the details, such that it had been a group of trainees, nor that even then, they had had things well in hand. But the rumors that the Black Swordsman had to come rescue them had persisted, and even Nautilus showed some discomfort at the thought of facing another of the creatures, though he likely had different reasons for his hesitation.

Murmured doubts began running through their ranks. "B-but we don't really have any experience fighting bosses, none of us are clearers yet..."

Even Orlando and his fellow Legend Braves, who had some experience battling field guardians on the lower floors and had been exercising with the Knights of Blood, looked uneasy. Kizmel opened her mouth to reply, but Kunimittz beat her to it, hefting his one-handed spear and round shield.

"But we have Kizmel-san here! We have the Violet Knight, who helped save the KoB party the other day! She's a clearer, and she's Kirito-san's partner! She's been fighting with the Black Swordsman since the twenty-fifth floor on every boss battle!"

He pointed to the white-clad knight by her side. "And we have the KoB here! This is just a dungeon boss, with the guys in there we've got three parties, we can do this."

"This is a dungeon close to town," Kizmel agreed cautiously. "The champion will not be too dangerous. Ser Nautilus will be able to confirm that this is the same kind that was a mere hindrance in the labyrinth. All of you are level-40, nay, even if you were level-35, this group would be enough to defeat it."

Seeing some of the hesitation sapped from their eyes, the dark elf pushed on. "I am level-57," she said loudly, using the words she knew the swordmasters would understand. "And Kirito, my partner, has halted this very same creature's attacks with nothing more than a single stroke from his sword - without needing a weapon charm to counter it."

"It's true," Nautilus added, understanding what she was attempting to do. "I was there, I saw it myself. The Black Swordsman deflected its sword skill with a regular attack, and he didn't even flinch."

The swordmaster with the curved blade nodded in desperate agreement. "Please, I'm beggin' you, save my buds! If it gets dicey, you can just run away!"

"B-but..."

He straightened and turned, bowing sharply and deeply at the waist. "I-if it comes to it, I swear on my life, I will pull the lever and stay behind to make sure everyone gets out, myself."

"That will not be necessary," Kizmel told him kindly, placing a hand on his shoulder. She turned to look at the assembled swordmasters. "You volunteered to come to rescue these trapped men. None of you are clearers, and there is no shame if you wish to turn back now. But I urge you to look upon your fellow swordmasters. They need help. They need you. I swear upon my honor as a knight: I will do everything within my reach to make sure all of you survive this battle, but we must stand together. There has been enough needless death in this floating castle, and I will go to help them by myself, if I must. Who will stand beside me?"

A brief murmur ran through the crowd when Nautilus turned to face her. "I'll go."

"Me, too," Yuna added from the side.

The two members of Fuurinkazan glanced at each other before hefting their weapons and stepping forward. "We're with you."

The men in the other group looked torn, but seemed to still be unable to take the final step. Kizmel smiled and turned away. I cannot force them to fight, and if their heart is not with them, they will only be a hindrance. The dark elf wished her partner was here; between herself and Kirito, she had no doubts that even if it was the two of them alone this foe would eventually fall.

But with the lives of five others on the line, and a group of people whose strengths and weaknesses she did not know at her back, keeping everyone alive would be a major task. Her hand tightened on the grip of her shield. You have become dependent on Kirito to guide you through this world, even though he is a stranger here. This is my world, and though we elves have never been this high up in Aincrad, how is it that I've let myself be so complacent and absorbed in the wonder of seeing new things that I have forgotten my training as a knight?

Now was not the time for these thoughts, though, and she swiftly shook them off, instead thinking about what she had learned about the ways the swordmasters fought. "This is what we will do," she began as her group huddled around her.

"I will draw the champion's attention, and keep him occupied until you have ensured their safety and they have recovered sufficiently. Ser Nautilus, Ser Issin, Ser Kunimittz, as I cannot see the state of the group, I need your aid. You must be my eyes through your Mystic pages. Watch out for damage dealt to your fellows, and warn of impending danger."

"Wait, Kizmel-san," Issin interrupted, clutching his polearm uncomfortably. "We can't just let you hold off the boss all on your own, that's suicide!"

"Yeah, let me help you with that," his compatriot, Kunimittz, added, hefting his own shield. "I'm a tank, too. We can trade off."

Nautilus, too, added his agreement with their sentiment. "I can tank, as well. If we all go together..."

She eyed them gratefully, but shook her head minutely. "There are only six of us, and two are in no state to do battle with the champion. Yuna and our friend here," she inclined her head at the man in the ragged leathers who'd led them to this point, "will need help fending off the tormentors. The faster you can hold them off, the faster they can recover and come to my aid."

"But they'll just keep on spawning until the boss is dead..." Nautilus started. "If we're all fighting them, you'll be left to fight the boss by yourself until it's dead."

The Knight of Blood looked torn, but it was Kunimittz who spoke first. "Then at least let me help you, Kizmel-san. The five in there have been holding off the mobs by themselves, if only barely. If Issin and Nautilus-san go to help them, then surely they'll be able to turn the tide. Between the two of us, we can hold him off long enough for them to rally...or escape." He looked at her wryly. "Besides, one of us needs to watch the other's back while they're operating the lever."

If her breath hitched for a moment, she didn't show it, but Kizmel felt a kinship with the self-proclaimed samurai of Fuurinkazan she'd only ever felt with Kirito and Asuna before. Many of the swordmasters treated her as though she didn't exist, or with fear or grudging respect. To many swordmasters, she didn't matter, and many had, early on, suggested that she was...dispensable, only to have that notion quickly squashed not only by Kirito and Asuna, but also by her own actions. Still, she had gotten used to the fact that outside of her friends, few of the swordmasters cared whether she lived or died.

It was what she was counting on, morbid as it was, to motivate the others. If she needed to put her life on the line in order to ensure the volunteers felt safe enough to spring into battle, then she would do it. Not that she felt she stood no chance against the champion, but there was always a risk, especially when she was fighting by herself.

To see one of them offering to put his life on the line along with hers was humbling. The code the knights of Fuurinkazan called "bushido" was as foreign to her as their armor from their ancestral homeland, but in their actions she recognized the same honor and chivalry as in her own knightly code.

She considered his offer for a moment, thinking about how to respond. In that moment, Yuna, who had been observing from a little ways away, called out to them.

"Umm...could you call the people inside to come closer? I have an idea that might help."

The man who had been gripping the iron bars tightly turned at her voice. "What? Y-yeah..." He took a deep breath and waved towards his compatriots inside the room. "Hey! We've come to save you! Can you get closer to us?"

The five people trapped inside slowly began to shuffle along the wall as they continuously fended off their attackers, making sure to keep their weapons pointed outwards and only moving as fast as their slowest member. A mere half a minute later, they had traversed about half the length of the room and had shifted the battle to right in front of the gate that barred entry.

Looking at them up close, Kizmel could see the exhaustion evident in the five men. They all looked ragged and worn, and even though she could not see the state of their health in the way a swordmaster could, she didn't need to in order to know that they were fighting a losing battle against time. Their movement, while still sharp, were lifeless and lacked energy from prolonged battle and mental stress. Freedom was right at their backs as they formed a semi-circle around the gate, but the bars were indestructible.

Kizmel wondered at the songstress's request; even if they were now closer to each other, the charm that locked the room prevented them from even slipping their weapons between the bars to help, and each time she had tried to reach through, a purple barrier with arcane script had appeared and blocked her attempt. In order to evacuate or rescue them, someone would have to cross the room and activate the lever next to the champion.

Before the dark elf could ask, however, the girl began playing, strumming a gentle melody on her lute as her voice struck up a melodic song. Instantly, she felt some of the exhaustion from her dead run here wash away. Similarly, the five men battling against the tormentors experienced some initial confusion when she began singing, but soon showed renewed vigor for battle. Their swords and axes flashed with new energy and strength, and they began to cut down the tormentors surrounding them. More appeared, but what had previously been a losing stalemate had suddenly turned into an aggressive defense.

Unlike the first time Kizmel had heard Yuna sing, her voice was gentler, more comforting, bewitching, and serene. Around her, the men who had volunteered to come with her perked up, strength and warmth welling from within themselves. Kizmel, too, felt it.

This isn't just a charm or skill, she realized, it is the very power of her song itself. The heart and soul...and hope that is within her very being.

Nautilus seemed to have come to the same realization as the knight looked upon his friend with wonderment in his eyes. If this was what the songstress was capable of, then perhaps she could do more than help. She could inspire the swordmasters in their quest to conquer this castle. She could give them hope.

In what seemed to be no time at all, the song had ended, and cheers erupted from around her as even the other group that had been doubting their ability to help unleashed a wild, wavering warcry in their zeal. She could see before her eyes the wounds of the men on the other side of the gate mending.

"The HoT will last for a minute!" Yuna shouted. "Clear out the small fry and activate the lever so we can get in!"

"Ora!"

The five men inside responded with a warcry, the room lighting up with their weapon charms as they annihilated the foes before them. More portals appeared within the room to unleash more tormentors, but they paid them no heed as they charged towards the champion.

With no more time to consider a plan, Kizmel made her decision. "Ser Kunimittz, Ser Nautilus, with me. Ser Issin, take the rest and ensure that everyone is recovered and in good fighting condition before joining us. Make sure to guard Lady Yuna well." She turned to face the six other men who had come with their party.

Orlando had rallied himself and stood tall and proud, every inch the legendary knight Argo had told her he'd named and styled himself after. "What of us, Lady Kizmel?"

"I understand you have led your men into battle against guardian beasts before," she said, and upon receiving a nod continued. "Observe the way we fight; observe the champion's patterns. When it is time to switch out, I will call for it."

Kizmel's eyes focused on the Legend Brave. "I cannot see the state of your health, Ser Orlando. It is up to you to monitor it and ensure you and your men remain safe until we rejoin the fray. No one shall die this day."

"Understood!" He snapped to attention and waved at his fellows. "You heard her! Beowulf, Cuchulainn, you're up front with me as tanks. You three, DPS!"

"Got it!"

The five men inside had passed by the champion, and the moment they came within ten meters of it the large creature began to move, letting out a loud, angry bellow as it brandished its terrifyingly huge axe overhead. Four of the men charging past it abruptly diverted, drawing its attention to the side as a lone man slipped by and grabbed hold of the lever.

The iron bars slid back into the ceiling with a loud grinding noise, and Kizmel drew her saber. "Forward!" she shouted, ducking under the bars the moment they were halfway up as she led the charge. The two men in their red armor brandished their own weapons as they followed close behind, and the remainder of the rescue team spilled into the room.

By the time she had crossed half the distance towards the champion, she absently noted the grinding noise start up again, indicating that the gate was beginning to close behind them. Just a handful of seconds, she confirmed silently. Not enough to get everyone out in time. We will have to stand our ground.

It was just as well that there was little time left for thought as she rushed into battle. Beside her, Kunimittz banged his spear against his shield in order to draw the champion's attention as their group fanned out to deal with the renewed assault by the tormentors. The Feral Warder Chief had wound up and was trying to find a target, but four of the trapped swordmasters were doing a fine job of running around to confuse it.

Eventually though, their luck ran out and two of them found themselves near the wall with their retreat cut off on either side. With a malicious rumble, the champion ambled forward, axe lifted up high. Beside her, the two swordmasters were leaping forward, their weapons glowing as they unleashed their attacks, hoping to draw its attention away to no avail.

Kizmel sprung in between the two, her own saber arcing in, but without the telltale glow of a weapon charm. It was a gamble, but like Kirito, she was willing to take the risk; even if she managed to counter the creature's attack with a charm of her own, the magical backlash would freeze her in place and leave her exposed. With only two others to back her up, both of whom were going to be caught in the aftermath of their own skills, her best chance was to remain mobile in order to draw the Warder Chief away.

Besides, the weapon charm allowed for only very limited control over her own body's movements, so striking or parrying an attack with one was something she had seen only Kirito execute successfully and reliably. The dark elven knight was confident enough in her own strength that, even if she couldn't absorb the blow entirely and halt it in its tracks as her partner had done, she could at least deflect it.

Using the momentum of her run-up to push her blade and shield ahead of her, she sheltered behind the protection of her shield and nearly shouldered her blade into the side of the Warder Chief's axe. It shifted enough to dispel the charm, and the resulting blowback sent both elf and monster tumbling away from each other. Rolling back to her feet, shield held defensively in front of her, Kizmel cast a look around.

Nautilus and Kunimittz were just recovering from their own charms, and the two injured swordmasters behind her slowly lowered their weapons in disbelief.

"An...an NPC?" one of them whispered.

"I-is that the elf that's been fighting with the clearers?"

The rest of the trapped men had regrouped with Yuna and Issin along with the fellow who had brought them, and she nodded towards that gathering. "Go," she ordered. "Heal, and prepare to fight."

Despite their reaction to her presence, they didn't hesitate to follow her orders. Not bohering to watch them go, Kizmel straightened up and took the measure of her opponent. Like the Ruthless Warder Chief she and Kirito had helped the Knights of Blood defeat in the labyrinth, the Feral Warder Chief was tall with red skin, its face hidden beneath an iron mask. Leather straps crisscrossed its torso with the odd metal plate attached for protection, but the largest difference was the weapon in its hands.

Where the foe they had battled in the labyrinth had wielded a large, spiked ironclad staff, this one held a two-handed axe whose edge looked chipped and worn, and more used to smashing rather than cutting or cleaving. Its chosen target out of its reach, beady yellow eyes rotated, searching for a new victim until they settled on the person who had foiled its attack. It twisted its torso, roaring in anger.

"Dirarararara!" The massive axe swung back sideways in preparation for a horizontal strike. As its torso twisted further sideways, the dark elf recognized the incoming attack.

"Horizontal area attack! Evade!" she shouted in the terminology she had learned from battling with the clearers for months, jumping back at the same time as Nautilus and Kunimittz. Seconds later, the axe began glowing a sickly green before the Warder Chief began spinning around, cleaving the area around him.

The moment it recovered, Nautilus dove at it from her right, his blade glowing pale blue as he unleashed a Rage Spike; propelled forward by the ancient magic the tip of his sword found its mark, stabbing deeply into the Warder Chief's knee. To her eyes, the execution looked flawless, though the sword skill seemed to be significantly slower than when Kirito used it. The knight ground his teeth and ripped his blade free the moment the magic released him and leapt back. Perhaps that is his condition slowing him down, she thought. If it is, he is fighting through it. Your actions do you credit, Ser Nautilus.

"Dararuwah!" it hollered in pain, brandishing its weapon high. The bulky weapon came crashing down where Nautilus had been a second before, burying itself deeply into the stone paving. It jerked to an abrupt halt and began tugging at the weapon in an attempt to free it.

Kizmel kept a close eye on the creature as she and the two swordmasters by her side danced their deadly dance. It took a few minutes for her to understand its attack pattern. Dodging another horizontal swipe by the axe, she watched for it to raise its axe overhead.

"Incoming vertical cleave!" Nautilus called out from her side. Clearly, the Knight of Blood had been observing, as well.

She spared only a single nod in acknowledgement. "When it misses, one attack each!" she ordered.

The moment the axe sunk into the floor, one dark elf and two swordmasters launched themselves at the Warder Chief, their weapons flashing with the discharge of sword skills that bit deeply into their target, leaving behind angry red marks in their passing.

"Switch!" she called, and Orlando led his men into the opening they had left, charging forward to buy them time to recover. The Legend Braves were holding the front lines well, and the advantage of having a full group showed as the three DDA members who had joined the rescue party were able to focus on dealing as much damage to their foe as they could without having to worry about it turning to attack them. They didn't last as long as Kizmel and her two companions did but had inflicted more damage to their foe during their turn and before long, Orlando called for a switch back.

For the entire battle, she kept a close eye on the crevasses along the sides of the room as they fought. When she the Warder Chief roared and stepped back, she called for her companions to withdraw and hold back. From the corner of her eye she could tell that the party that had been trapped had formed a tight circle around Yuna, with Issin right by the songstress's side to protect her, his polearm easily reaching in between the gaps of the others to strike out.

They have excellent training, she concluded of the Fuurinkazan members, glad to see her initial impression of them proven right. Guildmaster Klein truly is a formidable leader.

"What's the matter? Is it going to change its attack pattern?" Orlando asked from the side.

Nautilus answered in her stead. "It shouldn't, Warder Chief-type enemies don't change their patterns..."

Kizmel shook her head, eyes wary as she led them to take another step back. "Watch the flanks," she ordered loudly.

This, she realized was the difference between the clearers and those who would join them in the future. While the two men from Fuurinkazan, the Legend Braves, even Yuna and Nautilus himself were acquitting themselves well in terms of pure fighting skill and coordination, especially for a quickly assembled ragtag group, they lacked the experience that came from exploring floors thoroughly by themselves. Perhaps they had always been guided through them by their more senior superiors, or they had bought Argo's guide book.

But they lacked the experience she and Kirito, or even Asuna had as a small group always on the lookout for traps that could prove fatal to a larger party and doubly so to a small team of two or three. Or one, she amended silently.

"Fan out, Ser Orlando! I need you to take your men and assist the other group!" To his credit, while the confusion was obvious on his helmeted face, the Legend Brave immediately barked at his men to shuffle backwards to merge with the eight others into a defensive circle.

Seconds later, as the Warder Chief let out another loud bellow, she explained. "It's a trap. I have encountered one similar to this in a dungeon close to Al'qutras with Kirito. He does not change attack patterns; instead, he will summon more guards. Many more guards."

As if on cue, the iron bars that had seemed like a decorative measure on the little alcoves slid down, and with a high-pitched roar more tormentors emerged. These, unlike the ones they had been fighting before, held wicked looking black-bladed cleavers. Kizmel suppressed a shudder at the thought of how much these weapons looked like the one PoH had been using, and focused on the goal ahead. By her side, both Kunimittz and Nautilus startled, taking a hesitant step back before looking towards their companions.

"Eyes forward!" she bellowed. "There are enough of us to hold off their assault, but it will be up to the three of us to defeat this foe!"

She understood their desire to fall back and either aid or seek shelter with the larger group, but the assault from the new tormentors would be relentless until the Warder Chief fell. She trusted the men at her back enough to hold the line until the three of them could defeat the champion. They were strong enough, and with Yuna bolstering them, that left the larger threat for her and the two men beside her to deal with.

The fact that the champion was calling upon more of its minions meant it was critically injured, what the swordmasters referred to as "being in the red." Now was their chance to finish it off. It wouldn't take much, but doing so would require their full focus. The downside to this was that with the reinforcements, the total number of minions in the chamber now was at twenty, and the swordmasters were finding themselves outnumbered. Still, there were fourteen swordmasters, and Yuna was holding her own with her dagger, much to Kizmel's relief. They would be able to hold out.

"Stand fast!" she shouted back at their defensive line behind her. "Just hold firm for a few minutes!"

Her attention diverted for a split second, Kizmel was a heartbeat late in reacting to Nautilus's warning shout. "Look out! Incoming AoE!"

The Warder Chief gripped its large axe with both hands and whirled it around, making a full rotation with its body. Unlike its previous attacks, which had come at chest height, it bent its knees and swiped low, as if it were trying to scoop out the ground.

With the attack coming at an unexpected angle, Kizmel found herself unable to defend against it. She watched, almost in slow motion, as to her left Kunimittz dropped to one knee and crouched behind his shield, the impact sending him sprawling backwards. Nautilus somehow managed to block the blow with his sword, but he, too, was flung away from her. Green sparkles surrounded both men, indicating that they both were suffering from an adverse enchantment effect.

Kizmel gritted her teeth in anticipation of the impact; her shield was too far off the swing's trajectory to bring to bear, and she only managed to lift one leg and stepped back, hoping to minimize the injury by losing only one of her limbs this day. The large axe head that was as wide as her arm was long came flying at her at knee height. This would hurt; a blow like this would even cripple a swordmaster, despite the fact that they felt no pain. She knew that they could restore missing limbs given enough time, but she had no desire to find out if whatever magic healing they employed would work for her.

The axe came within a hair's breadth of her greave, and for an instant she felt the armor give and yield under the sheer force of the impact, not splitting but buckling and deforming under the tremendous force of the strike that would fracture bone and force its way through flesh by sheer weight alone. Kizmel grit her teeth against the pain she knew was coming.

The very heartbeat the metal of her armor yielded and gave way, a brilliant flash of light erupted around her, bathing the room in a brilliant white-yellow light. The dark elf felt a sharp pain across her chest, confusing her as she would have expected it to erupt from where she had been struck, and then a tremendous impact sent her flying, as though the Warder Chief's axe had just struck her across the breastbone with the back side of the axe head instead of the sharp end.

A harsh crack sounded in her ear, and it became difficult to draw breath as she was flung backwards, her vision dimming as red crept into the edges of her sight. She landed unceremoniously on her back four or five meters away, and for a moment her body screamed at her to just curl up and try to get away from the pain. Every movement she made, every attempt to get up resulted in molten fire scouring her veins, and a bloodied gasp left her throat. She feebly reached for the healing potion in her belt pouch, only to find it crushed and the bottle shattered.

"Cover me!" a voice yelled, followed by the rapid beating of armored feet on stone as a warcry echoed across the chamber. "Beowulf, Cuchulainn, let's go!"

Through dimming vision, Kizmel saw the flash of sword skills erupting around her. The footsteps arrived next to her, and the rim of a bottle was pressed against her lips. "Drink this, Lady Kizmel," Orlando ordered. She obeyed, tasting the pungent flavor of a healing draught, and grimaced as she felt her injured body slowly mending.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, and she found herself cradled bridal-style. By the time the Legend Brave stood her back on her feet near a corner of the room, two of the men from the DDA arrived, similarly carrying Nautilus and Kunimittz slung over their shoulders.

"You are lucky, that should've been a critical hit with your guard down, even at your level," he said from underneath his bascinet. His eyes wandered to the other two swordmasters. "Good, they're only stunned, it'll wear off in a few seconds."

"Thank you," she managed, coughing as healing fire burned itself through her abdomen. Finally managing to stand unaided, she glanced around to take stock of the situation. Beowulf and Cuchulainn were fending off the Warder Chief for now, but Orlando's desperate rescue had caused their small defensive formation to buckle, leaving only eight to fend off the tormentors.

They had tightened their defensive circle again, brandishing their weapons outwards like a spiked hedgehog, and were focused solely on keeping their enemies at bay, for now. Thankfully, some of the tormentors had broken off in pursuit of Orlando's group, and it was towards them the Legend Brave was now turning his attention while she and her two companions recovered. Still, it would only be a matter of time before they would be caught between the champion and its minions, split into two groups with some of them helpless and injured, and then they would be crushed.

"Recover," she ordered her two men, before reaching her saber outwards, letting the ancient weapon charm take hold of her body as it pulled her forward. The Linear intersected with the head of a tormentor, piercing through its skull and causing it to shatter into azure light as she came to a halt by Orlando's side. The victory was short-lived, as more tormentors soon appeared to replace their fallen.

"Teleport crystals," Nautilus gasped out the moment he could move again, in between deep gulps from his own healing potion. "We can still...teleport out."

Then one of the men around Yuna cried out. "Silence! They're casting silence! Get the one in the back!"

The white-clad knight muttered a quiet curse as he glanced over, before looking back at Kizmel. At her inquiring look, he shook his head grimly. "Issin and two others are silenced." Upon glancing at her more thoroughly, he reached into his pouch for a flask and added, "Kizmel-san, you need to drink another potion."

"Ser Orlando!" she called out instead of taking it, "we need to close ranks! Your men can't hold off the champion and its minions by yourself!"

"Got it!" he shouted back, barking at Beowulf and Cuchulainn to fall back. The Legend Braves withdrew, the three men from the DDA following close behind.

"Look out!" Kunimittz suddenly yelled, "Guard it! Guard it!"

The axe smashed into the ground again, only to come up and to the Warder Chief's side. With no one in close proximity to guard against and break the motion of the attack, the creature continued spinning as it traversed the width of the room, towards the retreating Legend Braves and the group battling the tormentors behind them.

The six men caught between the tormentors and the champion reacted instinctively, but were caught by the trailing edge of the attack as it swept across swordmaster and monster alike; the only saving grace was that, by the time it reached Yuna, Issin, and their group, it had lost much of its potency, having spent it on breaking the defense of the Legend Braves, the DDA men, and its own tormentors.

Still, sickly green sparkles sprung up around most of the ones in the area, and the red-clad swordmaster to her left swore angrily. "Paralysis," he said.

Kizmel's heart lurched. Paralysis, she knew from her time among them, was a state that almost always proved fatal for swordmasters in battle. It prevented them from moving any more than the slightest fraction, and lasted six hundred seconds - ten minutes, an eternity in a life or death battle. And now, more than half of her group had been caught by it.

Miraculously, the only ones to have escaped the adverse effects of the attack had been Yuna and Issin, with the red-armored man from Fuurinkazan crouching in a defensive position before the songstress, having broken the bulk of the attack. Yuna was fetching a potion from her pouch and handed it to the nearest swordmaster, before looking at them for direction.

The dark elf could almost feel the fear in Nautilus and Kunimittz by her side, and the Knight of Blood's gaze was utterly transfixed on his friend, who was only separated by the champion and a recovering horde of tormentors by a single polearm wielder.

She came to a decision, then. "Ser Nautilus, Ser Kunimittz, gather whoever is able to fight and draw away the tormentors! Lady Yuna, tend to the injured and remove them from harm's way!"

The white-clad knight on her right nodded immediately, charging towards the songstress, but Kunimittz was a little slower to act. "What about you, Kizmel-san?"

Dark purple eyes wandered over and met sickly yellow orbs. "I will divert the Warder Chief until you have stabilized the situation," she said simply.

"But-"

"There is no time to debate. We have injured unable to move. Now go!"

He hesitated for a heartbeat longer, eyes settling on the struggling six men caught between the champion and its minions. For now, their attention was diverted, but either way they went, it would be bad for those they caught. With a sharp nod of his head, he sped off.

If they can get them out of harm's way and recover enough of their number to mount a defense, we have a chance. Her eyes narrowed on the Warder Chief who was ambling towards Orlando and his five downed men, one of whom was being dragged to safety by Kunimittz while Nautilus and Issin were helping two others in warding off the tormentors. Still, there were only four of them, and twenty tormentors.

The champion needed to die. It needed to die now, before the swordmasters were overwhelmed. For a moment she thought of sacrificing herself to open the gate and allow them to escape, but too many of them were immobile and there weren't enough to protect them and carry the injured at the same time.

As the tormentors closed around the downed swordmasters, Yuna shouted something at Nautilus that was lost in the din of combat, but Kizmel saw his eyes widen and his head shake in denial. Then, with a brief flash of light, the songstress traded her dagger for her lute, and began to sing as loudly as she could, her voice cutting even through the screams and noise of battle as she ran.

Away from the downed men.

Kizmel, like Nautilus, was caught in confusion over her actions as her melody drifted through the air. It was unlike the songs the dark elf had heard from her before; brighter, as if the light of the sun were turned into sound, and even more heroic and emboldening one than the one the songstress had sung before.

And the tormentors, who had been trying to wipe out those who lay helpless, all stopped attacking and turned around. Countless small eyes gleamed from within their hoods and focused on Yuna. Noisily, short spears and cleavers were refocused on a new target.

With growing horror, Kizmel realized that this wasn't a song or chant meant to bolster her allies. It was akin to those skills used by the tanks on the front line to draw a monster's attention upon themselves. Singing while running, Yuna was attempting to pull all the minions onto herself and lead them away until the swordmasters could recover and regroup.

Nautilus unconsciously moved to follow her, only for the shadow of the Warder Chief to engulf him as it passed by, it, too, intent on chasing after the songstress.

"Yuna!" the knight screamed, his hand stretched out towards his friend, unheeding of the colossus bearing down on him. If it joined the pursuit, Yuna would die, and all would be lost.

Kizmel slung her blade behind and across her right shoulder, exhaustion and pain forgotten. "Your opponent is me!" the dark elf screamed, leaping forward and unleashing the sword skill Kirito called the Vertical Square. A vicious overhead blow rained down onto her target before her blade reversed its course; she spun into a third strike, blade whipping around her body as it came up from underneath a second time, the momentum of the charm carrying her high into the air to deliver the final attack from above.

Four glowing blue lines carved themselves into the back of the champion monster, causing it to stumble forward, off-balance. It recovered at the same time the dark elf did and turned around, rumbling angrily. She charged towards her foe the moment she was able, a Slant redirecting a downwards chop from its axe as she passed into its guard. It did no damage, but that hadn't been her intent. The backlash was short enough to allow her to move swiftly, and the charm just powerful enough to ensure a successful deflection as it struck the wooden shaft of the axe. The vibration from striking the massive weapon traveled up her arm. A point-blank Linear pulled her the rest of the way, her saber burying itself deep into the Warder Chief's abdomen.

It released a pained howl, but she was too close for it to do more than step backwards to try and bring its massive weapon to bear.

She didn't let it.

Staying close and maintaining no more than a blade length's gap between them, she kept close to it in the way she was used to doing with Kirito against far larger opponents, shield held aloft to disguise her sword arm as it lashed out swiftly, striking tendons and piercing joints. On a larger opponent, such as many of the Pillar Guardians, this kind of strategy would be no more than an annoyance to it, doing little damage, and would have been mostly a distraction until she could find an opening to exploit.

On a target that was much closer to her own size her saber bit deeply enough to go most of the way through a limb and cause serious harm, even without drawing on the strength of the ancient sword charms. Here, whirling steel and solid wood kept her in relative safety, and she only had to contend with the creature attempting to grapple with her or trying to smash into her side with the wooden haft of its weapon. Her blade and shield shifted this way and that, deflecting and absorbing impacts on occasion as she drove relentlessly forward.

At times, she wondered at the almost preternatural accuracy of her weapon as it unerringly found its mark again and again, causing debilitating injuries to her foe. It was only on the fourth strike, when she felt the tip shift a fraction to the side as the blade went clean through the Warder Chief's elbow join that she realized what was happening.

My saber's enchantment. Kirito said it was unfailingly accurate and would protect me in battle...is this what is happening?

The large creature shrieked in pain and fell backwards, its left arm fracturing into motes of light as her saber stroke disconnected it from the rest of its body entirely. She pressed her advantage further, knocking it off-balance by ramming it with her shield. It attempted to heft its weapon with its sole remaining arm and Kizmel struck, her saber reaching out left to right with a Snake Bite to strike at the haft of the large axe. It tilted precariously in the monster's one-handed grip, before she flipped her wrist to finish the charm, snapping her saber back along the same course and guiding the edge to find its mark.

Crack.

The steel blade bit deeply into the wood, empowered by the ancient magic of Aincrad. Kizmel leaned into the strike, twisting her body to put her full weight into the rotation as she felt resistance. The dark elf could almost feel the charm wanting to pull her body back into alignment, and she danced at the edge of what it would allow her, riding the tension like a spring until it finally discharged entirely.

And the wooden shaft of the Warder Chief's massive axe shattered into glowing azure shards.

It's time to end this.

Twisting her torso as she leapt after her foe, she ducked behind her shield and leveled her saber at shoulder-height. The flat of its blade scraped against the rim of her shield as she waited for the right moment to strike. Her eyes, just barely peering over the top of her shield found their mark as the Warder Chief took another staggering step backwards. Her shoulders twisted to form a straight line pointing towards her target.

With a wordless scream, the dark elven knight rotated from the waist, letting the powerful sword charm take hold as her blade pierced forward again and again, accelerating as it went. Three jabs at the chest sent the creature reeling, and her saber slashed at its legs, trailing glowing red gashes in its wake. A thrust at its neck was followed by another to its belly, burying her weapon to the hilt before her arm folded back.

Hallowed Redeemer glowed with a deep blue light as it shot forward to unleash its final blow into the center of the Warder Chief's chest, the magical energy of the ancient charm the swordmasters called Star Splash discharging in a violent explosion that blew what remained of it backwards and rooted Kizmel to the spot.

For a moment she feared that she had misjudged, and that it hadn't been enough as the large champion crashed to the ground on its back. A heartbeat later, it shattered into countless motes of glowing light with the sound of breaking glass accompanied by an ethereal fanfare. A cheer erupted from behind her after just a few moments more, and Kizmel craned her head, sagging to the floor in relief the moment the charm allowed her control of her body once more and her energy finally left her.

Arrayed in a tight battle line, shields overlapping, were the men of the DDA and Legend Braves, the two from Fuurinkazan and Nautilus at the fore, and Yuna with the remainder of the injured swordmasters at their back, having reformed their lines and weathered the assault from the tormentors successfully. Their voices were nearly drowning out the song the girl was playing to encourage them as they raised their weapons high into the air in celebration. The white-clad knight slipped back and hugged the songstress tightly to himself, rousing another round of laughter from the other men.

With a shriek of tortured metal, the bars that had trapped them in this chamber slid open. The dark elf slowly tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting the soothing melody from Yuna's lute and her calming voice wash over her.

Chapter Text

October 18th, 2023

"Yer really something else, Kii-chan, ya know that?" Argo said while smiling wistfully, looking across the table at her friend. "I guess that's just 'nother notch for ya. At this rate, you'll have bards singing songs 'bout ya."

"You had us worried when you didn't show up," Asuna agreed. "When Kirito-kun said you were helping a rescue group for a stranded party, I had half a mind to postpone the raid and come back to town and help, but it wouldn't have done any good."

The fencer shot a teasing look at the swordsman in question, who was casually leaning back in his chair attempting to look nonchalant. To anyone else, the aloof Black Swordsman would have cut an intimidating, unapproachable figure, but not to the others at the table. None of the women there were fooled by the act, and the brunette continued with a smile. "Kirito-kun was probably the most nervous out of all of us, but by the time we'd gotten back to town it would've been too late already. And from what I hear, you did exceptionally well, Kizmel-chan."

When they had beaten the fortieth floor's boss, Kirito had made his usual dash for the teleport gate on the forty-first floor, though for only the second time in the eleven months in Aincrad, he'd made the journey by himself, missing the familiar presence of either of his partners by his side. Compounding that was the worry about Kizmel; as an NPC, there was no way to register her on his friends list, or use the location tracker on the map. He couldn't even send her a message.

His dark elven companion was a knight, and a level-57 combat NPC, and there were few things, even players, that would be able to take her on. Still, a rescue mission to a dungeon? Even if it was close to town, he couldn't help but worry about his friend. Against any other opponent on this floor, he'd put money on her walking away from it, even a dungeon boss. But the fortieth floor had been tricky, with traps and lots of additional monsters in boss chambers, and the fact that he wasn't there to watch her back didn't sit right with him.

Looking around the table at the four women and one man staring at him, he once again bemoaned the fact that none of them seemed to buy his "cool guy" act.

I'm a socially awkward solo. How the hell did I end up like this?

"In my defense, from what Kizmel said, it did get a pretty dicey," he just said, hiding his face behind his mug. "I just wish I'd been there to help," he muttered quietly.

Apparently not quietly enough, as Argo perked up with a grin. "Always the good Samaritan, eh, Kii-bou? Still, not like I can't say I wasn't worried myself, when I heard. That's a nasty trap, that one."

"Yeah," Asuna nodded in agreement. "I heard about them. A- and C-Teams encountered one while exploring the floor close to the labyrinth. If you don't have the DPS for it..." she shuddered at the thought.

"Coulda been a total party wipe right there," the blonde info-broker agreed. "Being locked in with the boss just makes it even worse."

Kizmel only nodded in agreement, and Kirito caught his partner glancing over at their two guests, the songstress Yuna, who had once more traded her finely made combat garb for the more casual dress and cloak he'd seen her wear in the plaza of Jaileum, and Nautilus, the Knight of Blood.

The black-clad swordsman had immediately teleported back back to Jaileum upon reaching the main town of the forty-first floor, and had been about to go tearing off after his partner when she'd waved at him from a little cafe at the edge of the plaza, looking a bit battered and worse for wear than he'd last seen her, but alive and well. He blushed at the thought of how much he'd ended up fussing over her and asking if she'd been all right. He particularly tried to forget how Kizmel had blushed and looked inordinately pleased at his actions, as well.

Still, a successful raid plus a successful rescue mission with zero casualties on both fronts had called for a little bit of a celebration, and Asuna and Argo had all but threatened him to bring Kizmel to a get-together because they, too, had wanted to know what their friend had been up to, especially considering that she was now the talk of town.

Kizmel, in turn, had asked Asuna if she could bring Yuna and Nautilus along, as both had been instrumental in her efforts, and both were either part of the KoB, or KoB hopefuls. Kirito looked them over for a moment; Nautilus he knew could fight, and fight pretty well, FNC aside. Yuna on the other hand...Kizmel had told him the singer was level-40, which was below the accepted safety margin for the clearing group, but according to the dark elf, she'd held her own just fine with nothing more than a dagger.

More importantly, from what he gathered, the Chant skill seemed to be incredibly powerful and versatile, if dangerous, because it generated a lot of aggro. Still, Yuna had been fearless and quick-thinking, and had probably saved the lives of a lot of people with her actions today.

He pulled his attention back to the table when Argo cackled merrily, and a glance around showed him he must have missed something funny, because Asuna was delicately hiding a smile behind a hand, and Yuna was laughing and tugging at Nautilus's arm in delight. Even Kizmel was grinning tiredly.

"What?" he asked, slightly put out that he'd missed it.

The self-styled Rat grinned mischievously. "Nothin' important, Kii-bou. Was just telling them how I figured, they weren't trapped in there with that Warder Chief, but the mobs and the boss were all trapped in there with her," she merrily stabbed her finger towards Kizmel. "Right old Rambo act she pulled, she did."

"Argo!" the dark elf chided gently, blushing lightly. "I did not accomplish this victory on my own. Ser Nautilus, Ser Orlando and his men, as well as the volunteers from the Divine Dragons and Fuurinkazan deserve as much credit."

"Yeah, but none of 'em got the last hit on that boss, and from what I hear from Issin and Kunimittz, they've got a whole new crush on ya, Kii-chan." Argo shrugged with a chuckle. "Guess they're suckers for heroic knights in shining armor. Especially ones that seem like they could solo dungeon bosses."

"I can't thank you enough for your help, Kizmel-san. We owe you our lives." Nautilus had bowed his head again towards her. "Without you, if we'd gotten trapped there, or if we'd all gotten stunned or paralyzed..."

The dark elf smiled gently at the knight across the table. "You fought bravely, Ser Nautilus, as I believed you would. Even had I not been there, I am certain you would have led them to victory."

"But probably not without casualties," he admitted bitterly. "We didn't know about the trap at the end, when he hit the red. If you hadn't warned us and shifted us all around, we all probably would've gotten caught in that attack, or panicked when more of the minions spawned."

"We wouldn't have wiped, Eh-kun. I know it, because you were there, and you wouldn't have let that happen." Yuna's conviction shone through her voice as much as her passion did in her songs, although there was something that likely would need to be addressed sooner, rather than later. When Kirito brought the issue up, everyone paused to stare at him.

"What do you mean?" Asuna asked.

He cleared his throat, a little unnerved by the sudden scrutiny. "So, Yuna, you weren't going for a particular effect with the Chant skill, right?" When the singer shook her head, Kirito frowned.

"Okay, so...I take it you have some control over the effects? At least that you've managed to observe."

Yuna nodded, tilting her head curiously. "Yes. So far I've managed to get the hang of a heal-over-time, a rejuvenation, and a defense buff. I'm sure there's others."

"But you weren't actively trying to aggro the mobs in the dungeon?"

"I-I don't know." Her face scrunched up in concentration. "I think I unconsciously was trying to, but I didn't deliberately choose to."

"In that case, your skill might be pretty dangerous to yourself," Kirito concluded gravely. "Unless you somehow can figure out if it has a Taunt effect, we should assume that just using the Chant skill pulls an insane amount of aggro, considering you managed to not only pull the entire room, but also the boss. If you're in a party, that needs to be considered. I'm not saying you have to stop using Chant, but maybe it's best used as a pre-battle buff, until we know it's safe for you."

"Oh..." the girl deflated a little, but cheered up when Kizmel reached over and patted her arm.

"Lady Yuna, please don't take offense at this. Your ability is a wonderful boon to any group you would be a part of, but it is also important to know the dangers of your ability. Both to your allies and to yourself." The dark elf glanced over at Nautilus, before returning her gaze to the singer. "If not for your presence and actions, we would have lost many swordmasters today. I may have perished myself, so we all owe you a great debt."

"That's right," Kirito added, "you two did a heck of a lot more than just tag along. If Kizmel says you guys did well, then you did."

"Still..." the knight didn't seem entirely convinced, but looked up from his friend when Asuna cleared her throat. "Yes, Vice-Commander?"

The brunette fencer glanced between the pair of them with an amused smile, before setting her face into a somewhat more serious expression. "Nautilus, member of the Second Army of the Knights of Blood," she intoned officiously. "In light of your recent actions and performance during the rescue mission on the fortieth floor, I will hereby recommend to Commander Heathcliff that you be reinstated to full active duty with the guild. However," she raised a hand to prevent any interruptions.

"However, be aware that you are to remain a reserve member for the First Army for now, until such a time that we have verified your FNC will not be a hindrance during a floor boss battle." She smiled reassuringly at him. "I will recommend that you be placed in a party with someone whom I know can keep an eye on you, probably during dungeon or field boss battles first, and when we've established that you're doing okay, you'll be moved up to the First Army immediately."

Kirito watched in equal amusement as Yuna squealed in delight and clutched the knight's arm to herself. "Congratulations, Eh-kun! I knew you could do it!"

"I-I...I..." he stuttered lamely, eyes bouncing between Asuna and Yuna. "I don't know what to say, Vice-Commander. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Nautilus-kun," Asuna chided gently. "You worked and fought for it, you earned it. I hope you understand that with your condition, I can't move you up to the First Army immediately, so-"

"Oh, no, not at all," he waved her off rapidly. "I understand, I'm just happy to get the chance. After the labyrinth..."

"I want to make something very clear, Nautilus-kun," the fencer said and leaned across the table. "The Commander left the decision on what to do about you up to me; you know this, you were there when you were pulled off active duty. But it was never my intention to simply...kick you from the guild. I heard from Kirito-kun about what happened today just after we left for the raid, and I'll be dealing with it immediately when we get back. Such behavior will not be tolerated in the KoB, and you didn't deserve that for something that's out of your control. You're a good fighter, you have a good head for strategy. I was going to find a way to deal with the situation, but I just..."

Asuna shrugged uncomfortably and flashed an awkward smile. "I don't have as much experience with this whole leadership thing as everyone thinks, and I've been running myself ragged lately between coordinating the guild's activities and training since Godfree started getting his own team in order. I'm afraid I was rather short with things before the boss fight."

Kirito tilted his head to the side as an idea wormed its way through his head. "Hey, Asuna..." he began, unfazed when Yuna and Nautilus stared at the casual way he was addressing the second-in-command of one of the most powerful guilds in the game.

"Hm, Kirito-kun?"

"I have an idea..." he glanced between the two Knights of Blood and Yuna. "Yuna is looking to join the KoB, right?"

"Yeah!" the singer nodded enthusiastically. "I want to help clear the game and get everyone out of here safely with Eh-kun!"

"Right, but you're a little too low level to apply right now," the swordsman continued. "And Nautilus can't actively participate in boss fights just yet."

"What are you getting at, Kirito-kun?" the fencer asked curiously.

Kirito leaned back in his chair, idly fiddling with his mug. "Well, what if Nautilus takes over some of your training duties for your recruits? Not full-time, just fill in until you've got the rest of your command structure settled. It'd take some load off of you, it'll give him some more experience while the new bosses are scouted, and he can keep an eye on Yuna."

"That...that..." Asuna's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, much to Argo's amusement, and Kirito made a mental note to ask the Rat for a copy of the image he knew she'd just surreptitiously taken. "That's actually not a bad idea!"

"You make it sound like I usually have only bad ideas," he mumbled under his breath. She laughed good-naturedly and shook her head.

"I didn't mean it like that, but I like it. Godfree was supposed to be taking up training duties, but he's busy for a little bit getting his own team reorganized and drilled into a proper DPS group." The fencer grimaced. "Lind really got one up over us with that stunt, and we're supposed to be negotiating how future raids are being led tomorrow evening."

"He's got a point, though, A-chan," Argo interjected. When the brunette's attention turned to her, she explained. "Part of it is logistics, the other part of it is gaming etiquette. Usually, the larger guild with the numbers leads in the field unless there's a particularly experienced field commander present. Plus, he's not wrong when he's saying the DDA risks more every time they attend a raid. Statistically, the odds aren't really in their favor when it comes to potential casualties."

"I know," Asuna replied with a grimace. "That's what really bothers me. I know he has a point, but still..."

"Then there's the fact that he could very well get to the point of being able to field an entire raid by himself," the info-merchant added. "When he gets to that point, who knows how things are gonna go. As much as it sucks ta hear it, the KoB needs the DDA more than the other way 'round."

"Well, good luck, Asuna," Kirito chimed in. "At least Lind seems a lot more reasonable than he used to be."

The brunette favored him with a grin that sent a shiver down his spine. "I wouldn't be so hasty to say that, Kirito-kun. He's also requesting for you to be there. Both of you."

That had him looking at his partner in confusion. Kizmel likewise seemed as perplexed as he was. "Did he say what he wanted from us?" the dark elf asked.

"No. He just said that he'd prefer to have an unaffiliated third party there to help the negotiations along." Asuna shrugged helplessly.

"I'm surprised he didn't ask Argo."

"Maybe he couldn't afford my fee, ehehehehe," the info-broker cackled merrily.

The swordsman gave his erstwhile partner a pained look before releasing a long-suffering sigh when Kizmel nodded her assent. "All right, we'll be there. When and where?"

"Nineteen hundred, here in town." Asuna shrugged. "I suppose it's as close to neutral ground as it gets. Just make sure you two don't get carried away exploring and get back in time," she added, only half jokingly, with a knowing look at both of her former party members.

Kizmel smiled nonchalantly in return. "I shall endeavour to ensure we are there on time, Asuna."

-------------------------------

October 19th, 2023

Kizmel woke to the sunshine streaming in from the window of the room she was sharing with Kirito, stretching luxuriously as she allowed herself to indulge in one of the rare occasions of sleeping in late; despite the fact that the healing potions the swordmasters used were significantly more potent than any remedy and medicine she was accustomed to, and no mark nor ache from the previous day's battle was left, she had gone to bed feeling tired and sore, and even the hot bath at the inn hadn't helped matters much.

A good night's rest, however, appeared to have done the trick. A quick glance at the bed across the room revealed it to be empty, but the dark elf wasn't surprised. She had learned quickly during their time spent together that Kirito was an early riser, often making use of the late night or early morning hours to move around and get a head start on everyone else and avoid interaction or conflict with other swordmasters. She briefly wondered where he'd gone to as she sat up.

He didn't know when I would wake, so I shouldn't assume he would wait for me, if he had urgent business-

Her musings abruptly cut off when the lock clicked and the door swung open, revealing her partner dressed in his usual black shirt and coat, carrying a tray of food. Their eyes met for a moment; dark eyes widened as he realized that she was still in little more than a thin nightgown with the sun bright behind her silhouetting her figure. A blush crept up his neck and Kirito quickly turned his head to the side as he stepped into the room, using one foot to kick the door closed behind him.

Kizmel suppressed a smile at his awkwardness. "Good morning," she greeted him instead. "I'm sorry for waking so late."

"Oh, no, it's no problem," he replied, quickly setting the tray down on the table in the middle of the room. "I, uh, I brought you some food. I thought you might be hungry."

"Thank you." Kizmel quickly reached for her clothes and slipped into the bathroom. Returning a few minutes later freshened up and in her tunic and pants, she stowed her sleepwear in the little travel pack she had brought with her. Settling across from her companion at the table, she took a moment to study the meal he'd brought for her.

Two large eggs had been cooked, sitting alongside two slices of crispy bread at the center of the tray. Two sausages completed the main plate, while a little platter of fruit sat in the corner. She eyed the food curiously, having long realized that each of the floors seemed to have its own culture and cuisine. Some of these elements she'd tasted before, albeit separately, and likely with different ingredients.

"It's called a continental breakfast in my world," Kirito explained at her curious look. "It's not really traditional where I'm from, but it's pretty popular in other places. One of the players opened a little cafe that makes it here, and Agil recommended it. It's actually a common breakfast where he's from."

Nodding in understanding, Kizmel picked up the fork and selected her first bite, savoring the taste. She quickly decided she liked soaking up the running yolk of the eggs with the toasted bread, while the sausages were simply too salty for her tastes. As she ate, she glanced at her partner, who simply waved her off.

"I ate earlier when I woke up," he said by way of explanation. "I went for a look around the floor and messaged Argo to see if she had any recommendations on what to do, since we have to be in town by evening."

Chewing and swallowing a piece of yellow fruit and relishing the flavor that was both sweet and tart at the same time, the dark elf hummed to herself in thought. "Did she offer any interesting leads?" she asked, finishing up her meal.

Kirito swiftly cast a Mystic charm and produced a small, leather-bound notebook. "Not a whole lot, considering we just opened it yesterday morning, so there's no official guidebook out yet, but she let me have a summary of her notes so far. Some information on enemy types, and a couple of quests in the main town that look promising."

"What is the rest of the floor like?" she asked with interest. They had spent a little bit of time the previous afternoon exploring the main city of the forty-first floor and its immediate surroundings, looking for missions they could take on and familiarizing themselves with the city proper, but hadn't ventured too far out before returning and retiring for the night, something that went against their usual routine, but she was grateful for the extra rest nonetheless.

The main town of the forty-first floor was called Alashyia, and to her surprise it hadn't been all that large when compared to the other human settlements she had seen before. When she'd stepped through the teleport circle the previous afternoon, the sight that greeted her had been as opposite from Jaileum as she could have imagined. Where the fortieth floor was rural and barely-tamed wilderness, with forests and ancient stone structures, the initial impression she had of the forty-first floor was that it was arid. The air was warm and dry, and what she had seen of the town was colored in varying shades of sandy yellow and earthen tones, leaning towards brown.

The plaza of Alashyia was, like with many of the human settlements, located in the center of town, but unlike many others whose buildings reached three or more stories into the air - or more, when she recalled the massive tree-homes of the third floor - the tallest she could see here was two stories. Many of them were large, blocky, almost box-like constructs that was very much different from other swordmaster or human architecture she had see thus far. Its simplicity seemed to fit the desert theme of the floor, and as they explored the outskirts, she found out that her impression had been correct. There had been sand as far as the eye could see, dunes of smooth kernels that were so fine they felt almost silken to the touch.

"From what I could see, and what Argo said, the rest of the floor is pretty much like the area around Alashyia, dunes and desert wasteland with the occasional oasis and cliffs. There's a massive river cutting through the center of the floor, and some rumor going around about a 'Sea People' that occasionally raid the towns out there, and apparently one of the quests deals with them. I guess she'll have a bit more later today, once she gets more information from scouts."

"You mean, once we procure the information for her," Kizmel suggested with a sly smile.

"Or that," the swordsman agreed. "I reckon we have about nine hours to explore, maybe a little less depending on how far out we get from Alashyia, before having to head back."

The dark elf set the fork on the table after finishing and slid her chair back. "If you will give me a moment, I will be ready to depart."

"Yeah, sure." He nodded and turned his head to look out the window as she donned her armor. Handing him her travel pack, she watched with the same fascination as always when he stowed it in whatever magical space Mystic Scribing granted him.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," she confirmed.

They left the room and headed downstairs, exiting the inn and into the streets of Alashyia. Sand was the first thing that came to her mind as she looked around, reinforcing yesterday's impression. It was everywhere, even the paved streets were covered in a thin layer of it. From where they stood, she could see the exterior walls of the city, as they were close to the northern district. Alashyia was located at the very edge of Aincrad, and its southern wall coincided with the exterior wall that ringed this floor of the floating castle; therefore, the city only had three main gates to the north, east, and west. The outermost districts were appropriately named after their gates, while the central district housed the plaza with the teleportation ring and the main market square.

Out here, in the northern district, few swordmasters milled about, but the human inhabitants of the city had a few shops. Glancing in the direction of the gate, she could barely make out the top of the gatehouse shimmering in the heat as the sun bore down. The oddest thing was that where other towns and cities had a hustle and bustle about them that gave them life, here the human inhabitants were rarely seen out and about, and those few that were, scurried from place to place quickly. It gave the town an anxious, almost deathly feeling that sent a shiver down Kizmel's back.

"Where to?" she asked.

Kirito pulled the notebook from his belt pouch and flipped through the pages. "Hm. Argo said there was one that sounded interesting. Something about those raiders, if you want to check it out?"

"If this settlement is enduring frequent attacks, it would certainly be worthwhile to investigate," she agreed. "Perhaps there is a way to put a stop to it, as well."

"Sounds like a plan then. Uh...let's see...this way." He led them through the streets following the info-broker's directions, until ten minutes later they stood in front of a larger, single-story building above which a simple flag with a shield and crossed swords hung.

"The barracks of the local militia?" Kizmel asked, not entirely surprised.

"Yup. Should be the place." They approached the two humans in heavy armor that were standing guard in front of the doors.

"Halt!" one of the guards shouted as he spotted them. Kizmel took a moment to look him over. His armor was unique, at least as far as she had seen; created from numerous little plates in rows that overlapped upwards, it made for a thick and stout-looking breastplate. A large round bronze shield rested by his feet, and a large, forward-curved blade hung at his waist. "State your business."

"We wanted to know if there was anything we could help you with," Kirito responded. "We heard this city is attacked by raiders pretty often."

The guard stared flatly at her companion for a moment, before nodding and stepping aside. "Speak to the Prefect in the back office. He'll have more information for you, should you want to help."

"Thanks," her partner said as he pushed open the door. They stepped inside and into the cool shadows of the building. Though the air was no less warm inside, Kizmel was glad to get out of the sun. Despite the fact that it wasn't even close to noon, the sunlight was strong enough and uncomfortably hot enough that it reminded her of the wastelands of the sixth floor surrounding Castle Galey.

She briefly wondered if she would need the same kind of protection when leaving the safety of town as she had there. When she mentioned it to Kirito, the swordsman frowned in thought. "I don't know," he said after a moment. "But I thought the elves needed the branches of the holy tree with them because the land was dead and corrupted. It shouldn't be dead here, it's just...dry. I mean, there are living trees around."

"That is true," Kizmel acknowledged. "I did not have any trouble yesterday, but we did not venture far."

Kirito nodded pensively. "Let's check before we get too far out, and if we have to, we go back to the capital and grab you a few branches. I'm sure the Queen won't mind parting with a few for her strongest knight."

They arrived at the office in the back of the barracks, and Kirito knocked. "Enter," a voice bid from within.

The pair entered the room that was less of an office and more of a war room, with maps laid out across a large central table and more maps pinned up against two of the walls. Settled against the far wall was a large wooden desk, and a harried-looking man sat behind it. He looked up at them when the door opened.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Kirito, this is my partner Kizmel," the swordsman introduced them. "The guard out front let us in when we asked if we could help with any trouble the city was having."

"Are you here to help?"

Kizmel blinked in surprise. Is that not what Kirito just said? she wondered silently. Perhaps the guard prefect had misunderstood her partner's meaning? She filed this oddity away for later consideration, however; now was the time to see if they could help this town.

"Yes," Kirito said. "What do you need help with?"

The Prefect's demeanor immediately changed from detachment to interest as he stood. "Good, good. Let me introduce myself, I am Prefect Ammenon, of the Alashyia Guard. I am the second-in-command of the Alashyia Guard, although now that the General is gone, I suppose I am in charge of what's left of us. I would welcome you to Alashyia, travelers, but unfortunately this has been a difficult time for us, so your help is appreciated."

"We heard there were raids?"

Ammenon nodded. "We call them the Sea People, from across the Great River. It runs not far from Alashyia, and once provided us with bountiful food and trade between our settlements, but then the raiders came. They are from the other side of the river, and at first, it was only small incidents. Theft of a day's work of fishing. Some livestock that was stolen. Then they raided villages near the river. In recent years, they have begun pillaging ever closer to the capital, until a few weeks ago, they attacked Alashyia itself for the first time. We barely repelled them."

Kizmel frowned as she listened to his explanation. "Did you not act before then? Why was there no counter-attack, or retaliation for the razing of your villages? Were there no defenses in place along the river after the first attacks?"

"There were," he said, looking at her for the first time, as if only just realizing she was there. "But each time, they crushed our troops and smashed our defenses. After we barely held them off from taking the capital, General Neppukanessar took our best men to try and push the enemy back to the river. They left a week ago, and we haven't heard from them since."

Kirito glanced at her in askance. The dark elf wondered about the situation these humans had found themselves in; she was long since used to each floor having its particular problems that the swordmasters had to deal with, but the presence of a mystery enemy capable of laying siege to a town was something new to her, and, by the looks of it, to Kirito, as well. At least that explained why there were so few people milling about the city, they were still recovering from the attack. It certainly explained the sense of fear and dread she got from the city in general.

"What can you tell us about these raiders?" she asked. "Are they human?"

The Prefect shook his head. "Barely. Wildmen, savages that wear the bones of their enemies as trophies and fight with clawed hands and teeth."

"That sounds...ominous," she whispered at her partner. He merely nodded in return.

"Could be anything." Out loud, Kirito then asked, "so, what do you need us to do?"

Ammenon looked pensive for a moment, before standing up and walking over to one of the large maps on the table. "I don't have the men to do more than barely hold on to the city. If we are attacked again, we're sure to fall. Even with your help, I do not think we'll have a way of turning the tide. Our best chance lies in the hope that some of the General's army survived. Find out if they have, and if there are survivors, bring them back to the city."

His expression darkened for a moment. "And if there are no survivors, then at least we will know what we have to hold out with. I would at least like to give the General's wife closure, if I can."

Once again the pair looked at each other, one set of dark eyes meeting another. "We can do that," Kirito said finally. "Where should we start looking?"

Ammenon pointed at one of the maps. "Alashyia is here, at the southern-most point of this floor. The Great River is a straight shot north; if you follow the road, you can't miss it. There are a few smaller towns as you cross the desert, and the General would likely have used those as supply and rest stops for his troops. Maybe the people there will be able to tell you more. The Old Capital of Ur is located right at the Great River's junction. It has been abandoned for generations, but its fortifications are still intact. If the General made it to the river, then he would have headed there."

Kizmel leaned over the table to look at the map that lay there. As the Prefect had said, Alashyia was at the southern end of the floor, with an expanse labeled as a desert stretching out in almost every direction. A few oases dotted the map, and the only exception was a small line that ran from Alashyia's eastern gate and up and around towards the north, where it linked up with a large river that crossed from north-east to south-east.

"What is this line? It is not a road," she pointed out.

"It's the old tributary to the Great River. When Alashyia was founded, it provided our people with access to the bounties of the river, and ready travel access. It has long been dry, and our city has suffered for it," Ammenon explained.

"I see." Nestled in the junction of the tributary and the Great River was an area that was marked as "Ur." The capital of old for the people that had been brought here. "Why was the capital abandoned?"

It made little sense for such a prime, fertile location to be left, and for a dry, arid place like Alashyia to take its place, not with its water supply cut off, so there must have been other reasons. Perhaps it had to do with why these "Sea People" had been pressing them hard in recent times.

Ammenon frowned in thought. "I...don't know, not really. As long as our history reaches back, the city has been off-limits to settle, but not to visit, though a few have braved the wastes and gone into the city. Most of them returned safely, so there is little danger there. There are legends of a time before the ground was torn asunder to create this floating castle, but that was a dozen generations ago. Everything we know about Ur was that as the capital, it prospered in wealth and riches."

"Hm." Kirito hummed in thought, looking at her. "What do you think?"

"I do not believe the city was razed by an enemy, not if this is true. The fortifications would not be intact, otherwise. Famine, or plague, perhaps?"

"Could be," the swordmaster agreed. "Either way, I guess we might find out when we get there."

Ammenon straightened up and looked them over. "Will you go discover the General's fate?"

"Yes." Kirito glanced at her, and Kizmel couldn't help but think of the fate of some of the Dark Elves whose bodies they had not been able to bring home during their war with their Forest Elven kin and the Fallen. She knew very well the pain of losing soldiers and not even being able to return them to be buried with honor.

"Very well." Ammenon sighed and settled behind his desk heavily, eyes returning to what he had been working on. "I await your report. Hurry, and return quickly, for the Sea People might strike at any moment."

-------------------------------

They were very careful when they left the outskirts of the city, and Kizmel caught her partner checking something on the ethereal pages of Mystic Scribing every so often. She assumed that it was the state of her life force, or her health, as she had heard swordmasters describe it, that she knew he could see for everyone bound together in a party. How the swordmasters managed to equate something so complex as to a person's state of health into a number was inexplicable to her, but the charm had so far not been wrong, and she supposed it made sense for the swordmasters themselves, who were unhindered by pain or broken bones, and only seemed to be affected by the, albeit temporary, loss of a limb in battle.

The dark elf was wary, too, when they ventured into the outer desert, distinctly reminded of the wastelands of the sixth floor, but after an hour's trek, she was pleasantly surprised that, aside from the sweltering heat and dry air, she was suffering no ill effects. Still, when an oasis came into view ahead of them, she was grateful for the respite it represented.

Kirito consulted the ethereal map he had made visible for her, and they both studied it for a moment in the shade of a large-fronded tree. The spring water had been refreshingly cool on her parched lips, and while she envied the fact that her partner was wearing much lighter-weight armor than she was, the fact that his clothing was a singular black color certainly wasn't doing him any favors. Then again, Kirito seemed to suffer only mildly from the heat, and when she asked about it, he'd shrugged sheepishly.

"It's not like I don't feel it," the swordsman said. "But these bodies are much less sensitive than our own, back in our world. It's more of an inconvenience than being really dangerous to our health. The mental exhaustion is what's really dangerous about it to us. If you're disciplined enough, you get by."

Still, he was sweating and his breathing had been as ragged as hers when they'd finally managed to find shade, and they'd both agreed to rest for a bit while the sun rose even higher towards its apex.

"Perhaps we should travel at night, instead," Kizmel suggested. "It may get cold, but it should be less exhausting than continuing in this heat."

"Yeah," Kirito agreed, having shed his coat as he splashed water on his face and drank from the spring. They both stared at the map that floated in the air in front of her friend's face. "There's another oasis a little up the road, looks like maybe one every hour or so at a moderate pace."

The swordsman frowned as he looked at something else, then glanced back into the corner of his vision. "You know, we may not have a choice."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"We both took a status effect getting here, or at least, we were starting to," Kirito explained. "Looks like heat exhaustion. I bet if we'd kept going it would've gotten progressively worse. And the oases are spread just far enough apart that I don't think we can avoid taking one entirely."

Even after all this time, it still baffled Kizmel how these things affected the swordmasters. She could understand that they simply called being afflicted by something a "status effect," it simply was yet another thing that was unique about their use of the common language. Be it poison, paralysis, or any other host of things that could affect them, they simply called it an "adverse status." Even the loss of a limb was simply another of these effects. It seemed such a simplistic way to handle things that might be crippling to anyone who wasn't a swordmaster.

Then again, she thought, with the magical crystals and their potions they can cure almost any affliction almost instantly, so it makes some sense they would not consider them a major issue unless it were to happen in combat. The dark elf briefly thought back to the previous day's skirmish with the Feral Warder Chief, and how several of the swordmasters there had been hit by an adverse status. Paralysis and silence.

No, they do take them seriously, and as the grave threat they are, at least to the way they fight, she amended silently. It was yet another difference between them, and the more she learned, the more she believed that the swordmasters not only saw the world differently from herself and the other inhabitants of Aincrad, but they experienced it differently, as well.

Still, it was odd to hear Kirito and others during the strategy meetings talking about status afflictions and "debuffs" for things that she had taken as natural - or, at times, unnatural - conditions with these strange words. But the important thing was that she understood, at least to some extent. It just made her wonder even more how the swordmasters perceived the world around them.

"Then how shall we proceed?" she asked. "I admit, I am loathe to lose the daylight hours idling while we wait for sundown. Besides, we need to be back in Alashyia by nightfall."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me, too. We could make it to the river in a couple of hours if we hop from oasis to oasis. There's a couple of villages that are on the map he showed us, too, so we could rest there."

"Unless they have been razed," she added grimly.

Her partner frowned in thought, then shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think they were completely destroyed."

"You seem certain of this." Kizmel tilted her head inquisitively. There was a conviction in Kirito's tone that she had come to associate with his preternatural knowledge of this world.

"It's a hunch," he answered, and she could tell he was thinking of how to respond. "It makes no sense to completely destroy them. If you're raiding or pillaging, it's more profitable to leave the villages standing so you can keep coming back to them. If you destroy them, there's nothing left to raid, right?"

It wasn't the entire reason, but the logic was sound regardless, so Kizmel simply took it as another of those things that Kirito had said were almost impossible to explain without the proper context. I wonder if I shall ever acquire the correct...reference frame, she thought, with only a little hint of bitterness. It wasn't directed at her companion so much as at the sorcerer Kayaba and the state of Aincrad in general. There was absolutely no doubt that when he had created the bodies the swordmasters now inhabited he had...altered them, changed them, to be better in some ways, and yet he had also trapped them here.

"I suppose," she agreed. "It should take us another two or three hours at this pace. If we rest every hour, assuming we can find a place to do so, we could be at the river in four hours at the very most."

"That's cutting it a little close, but I guess it'll be cooler in the afternoon and evening when we head back, so we should be able to make better time."

"It would give us at least an hour to explore and attempt to locate General Neppukanessar and his forces, or what remains of them." Kizmel shrugged and dipped her hand into the cool water again, cupping it and bringing it to her lips to drink.

Kirito likewise shrugged and leaned back against the tree's trunk. "Well, if we hurry, the debuff shouldn't be too bad. I guess maybe fifteen minute breaks every hour should do it, and there should be places we can shelter about every hour if we make good time."

The dark elf frowned in displeasure at the thought that they would be pressed for time, and possibly have to retrace their route the following day if they couldn't complete their mission today, but it was not worth using one of the expensive teleport crystals for. Then her partner brought up another thought.

"Maybe rushing there isn't a particularly great idea right now, either," he continued pensively. "If we run into monsters on the way, it's possible we'll be stuck out in the desert with the debuff stacking up, and having to rest longer."

"What would you suggest, then?"

Kirito scratched the back of his neck idly. "We could check on some of the nearby villages and see if we can find some clues before heading back to town, get some supplies, and head out after dark. Without the debuff, we should be able to make it to the old capital ruins in two hours or so."

"A sound plan," she agreed. "And as I am loathe to be late to the meeting with Guildmaster Lind and Commander Heathcliff, this may be our best option."

"Yeah, and as much as I don't want to be there, I don't exactly want to piss them off by not showing up, either," the swordsman added with a chuckle. He brought the map back in front of them. "Okay, so how about this, there's a village nearby called Nuzi on the way, and it looks like the halfway mark is a place called Tayma, according to the map. Let's get to Nuzi and see what we can find out. If we're good on time, we'll try and make for Tayma before turning back."

"Very well." Kizmel glanced at the sand that was reflecting the mid-day sunlight brightly enough to almost hurt her eyes. "I suppose we better start moving if we wish to make good time."

Her partner followed her gaze and winced. "Yeah. Although I'd give my right arm for a pair of sunglasses right now," he muttered, causing her to smile. She had no idea what these "sunglasses" were, but from knowing him, she had a decent enough idea of what they might be.

"Perhaps we can acquire some protective goggles upon our return. Or even in one of the villages on the way," she suggested as they both stood, brushing the sand off their clothes.

"I'm not gonna say no to that." Kirito glanced out into the desert that stretched around them. "Orientation is going to be a pain out here."

The dark elf nodded silently in agreement, without navigational aids, she could easily imagine becoming lost in the seemingly endless expanse of sand, wandering until one possibly hit the very edge of the floor. "I suppose it is fortuitous that your Mystic Scribing charm has a compass."

Kirito laughed as she swiped his hands through the air in the familiar motions of casting said charm. "I guess so. Come on, let's get going, the debuff's just about worn off."

-------------------------------

"There, I can see something," Kizmel pointed out as she squinted and tried to focus on the thing that had caught her attention. The past hour had been an exhausting trek through yet more of the desert that covered the forty-first floor, interrupted occasionally by an attack by the local wildlife. Giant scorpions and beetles alike had fallen with relative ease to their blades, but as Kirito had expected, the battles had slowed their progress to the point that Kizmel was beginning to feel the effects of the burning heat and dry air.

Even though she couldn't feel the same drain on her very life and the nauseating sickness that had threatened her even with the protection of the cloak woven from the sacred tree's leaves, this was an entire different kind of nausea, and she felt it sapping at her stamina and concentration. Kirito, too, despite attempting not to show it, was affected by it enough to almost misfire a sword charm during their last encounter with what Kirito had said was called a Blacksand Beetle. The dark elven knight shuddered at the memory of the massive, man-sized insect with pincers as long and sharp as her own saber and barbed legs like speartips.

Beside her, Kirito, too, squinted and looked in the direction she was pointing, making use of the enhanced sight of the swordmasters to look into the distance with greater clarity than anyone who was not an elf. "Is that...smoke?" he asked after a heartbeat.

"It is," she concluded after another second. "It...does not appear to be the type of smoke column to rise from a hearth, though. More like..."

"More like a village on fire," her partner finished grimly. No words needed to be exchanged as the pair looked at each other, before sprinting off.

It only took a few minutes for them to crest a dune and catch sight of what had caused the thin column of smoke rising into the air. Laid out before them was the burnt and smoldering remains of a camp. Kizmel let out a sigh of relief at the realization that it hadn't been the village they were heading for - it was far too small for it to be, and too structured.

"That appears to be a military encampment," she said as they approached carefully, sliding down the dune.

"Or what's left of it," Kirito concurred. His hand went to his sword as they reached the bottom, stance and eyes alert. "This looks recent."

Glancing around at the wreckage, the dark elf found herself agreeing. Embers were still smoking and glowing in the remains of what had once been tents and crude wooden palisades that surrounded a central area, likely used for mustering troops and preparing food. Tents had been knocked over and the remains of the fabric was fluttering in the breeze. Cauldrons and buckets were knocked over, leaving Kizmel to wonder what manner of attack would have left the camp in such a state.

"It does." She crouched behind the remains of what had once been a hastily-erected barricade that had survived the flames by virtue of being on the fringes of the palisade wall, and peered around the corner. There was no movement she could see. Broken weapons and savaged armor littered the ground, and from the looks of it the defenders had put up a valiant fight before being overrun or withdrawing. It was hard to imagine, as she looked at a tattered battle standard waving in the breeze where it stuck in the ground at an angle near the camp's center, that the defenders had been victorious.

Once, before the Great Separation, burials had been a common thing upon death, as a way to honor the fallen. But in the world of Aincrad, through the magic of the Great Separation, there were no longer bodies left behind, and the only thing left now were the trinkets and armor and weapon of the dead. Preciously little to bring home to a family. Slowly and carefully, eyes alert for any movement around them, the pair entered the remnant of the camp. The silence was eerie, and the dark elf stopped by one of the breastplates nearest to her. It was the same type of layered armor she had seen the Alashyia Guardsmen wear at the barracks in the city. The overlapping plates had parallel gashes carved into them, crisscrossing the front and sides of the armor, and it was difficult to imagine the beast that could have done this much damage.

There were many creatures and monsters in Aincrad she had seen that were capable of inflicting this kind of damage, but the marks were too thin, too close together to belong to any of the larger predators and monsters, and they looked more like clawmarks than clean weapon marks. A large ebon spear stuck through the front of the armor, piercing out the back, and she suspected it had been thrown with enough force to deliver the killing blow to the man the armor had once belonged to.

This kind of monstrous strength...the weapons and the claws...no wonder they barely managed to hold them off. Her eyes wandered over the other remains of the defenders, and with a start she realized she could only see weapons and armor that had once belonged to members of the Guard and human weapons where those that had scrambled to defend themselves had fallen.

"Where are the attackers?" she wondered quietly. Other than the occasional midnight-black weapon, there was no trace of them. No armor that would have been associated with any of the humanoid creatures and demi-humans who might have used weapons, and none of the remains of the monsters and creatures that they would have left when slain. The only time absolutely nothing was left behind was when they were killed by a swordmaster, or a swordmaster's party, as then the spoils of battle went directly to them via their Mystic Scribing charm.

It was one thing to assault a camp like this, which to her estimates may have held as many as five hundred men, a staggering force for a single floor of Aincrad. But to have left no survivors and have suffered minimal casualties?

Granted, the fortifications were hastily erected and crude, but they were on the defensive, and surely some of the enemy must have perished, she thought to herself. At least if they managed to find whatever was left of one of the attackers, they might be able to glean more about their identity and how best to combat them. Kirito may even be able to tell their name through Mystic Scribing and the preternatural insight the charm gave him about the items he picked up.

"Kizmel?" Kirito's voice called to her from across the camp. The dark elf looked up to see her partner peering intently around himself, eyes glowing green as he scoured the area around them.

"What is it, Kirito?"

The swordsman took a hesitant step forward, glanced around again, and approached one of the fallen tents. "There's something here..."

She perked up at that and stood, walking towards him. As she approached the collapsed tent, she heard it. A low, quiet groan. By the looks of it, her partner had heard as well and placed a finger to his lips, sword clenched in his free hand. Kizmel nodded and hefted her shield.

Kirito reached for the fabric that was being held up by the sole remaining corner pole. He pulled it back, and Kizmel tensed, saber lifted to strike as she stepped into the tent. What she saw underneath stilled her arm instantly, and she rushed forward, dropping to a crouch as she reached for a healing potion from her belt pouch.

A guardsman lay in a small patch of blackened sand, angry red wounds carved deeply across the exposed skin of his arms and neck, and an ebon knife stuck in his leg. From the looks of his armor, it had been the last in a series of violent thrusts that had rent the scales and bit deep into the flesh. It was a young, sandy-haired man with a dark complexion, though not as dark as their friend Agil. But unlike his fellow soldiers whose remains she had seen strewn about the camp, he was still alive, albeit barely.

When he caught sight of her, the guardsman weakly reached for the sword that lay discarded by his side, but finally stilled and sighed, a twisted, pained grimace on his lips. "Come to finish the job?"

"We are not the enemy," Kizmel said, leaning over him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as her free hand found what she was looking for. "Here, drink this, it will help with the pain."

"Y-you're not...going to...trick me, demon..." He feebly tried to drag himself away from her, his eyes focused on her pointed elven ears.

The dark elf looked down at the sputtering young man with sorrow. "Shhh. Who did this?" she asked, setting down her shield and using her free hand to brush strands of her hair to cover her distinctive ears and smiled comfortingly. "See? I'm no demon."

"...Mother?" the young man, almost a boy still, stared up, eyes glazed over as they lost focus. "Mother, the demons came. They came from the sand. They came up, and the world burned."

"Drink this. It will help," she whispered, placing the bottle of healing draught up to his lips. The guardsman looked at her blankly, before obediently swallowing the magical cure-all the swordmasters used.

"It tastes strange..."

"I know, but it will help. It's medicine," Kizmel muttered gently. She watched anxiously for the potion to take effect, but to her horror, the angry red marks remained glowing in vicious defiance, and none of his wounds mended the way she had seen happen dozens of times with the swordmasters...or herself.

Why isn't it working? The potions heal me, they have healed others who are not swordmasters, why are they not healing this child? she despaired silently, praying to change as the seconds ticked by.

"I'm...tired, mother...can I rest?"

"Soon, child," she whispered, hating herself for what she was doing. "But first, tell me. I haven't seen you in so long, my child. Tell me of your adventures before you go to bed."

"Hmm..." the guardsman hummed quietly as she knelt and shifted to place his head in her lap. "I got recruited by General Neppukanessar! I was hoping it would make you proud, mother...they said he was choosing only the best to defend our home, and we would bring peace to the lands after...after Alashyia was attacked."

Kizmel forced a smile onto her lips. "A noble cause. The General would have only taken the very best with him on such an important task."

"He did!" the boy agreed enthusiastically, coughing as he went. She gently tilted his head to the side to allow him to breathe easier. "We were marching for the Great River, to the old capital. I was finally going to see Ur, mother!"

"So you were. You must have been excited."

He nodded weakly, his breathing more laboured now. "But...we were making camp for the night. Today we were supposed to march towards Tayma. But before the morning assembly, the watch cried out that we were being attacked."

"What happened?" Kizmel leaned in closer, one hand caressing the boy's hair.

"The...the demons of old. They came up from the sand...from below us. We fought, but nothing...nothing we did would...would hurt them. The General ordered...to set...fire. Burn them, he said. Burn them...between the blazing sun...and scorching sands..." He was fading quickly now, the dark elf knew. Why wasn't the healing potion working?

"Some of us...the injured...we stayed behind to...trap them in the flames." The boy stared up now, his gaze hollow. "It did not work. They didn't burn."

"And the General? The rest of the army? What of them?"

He shuddered in her arms. "They headed for...for Tayma." His eyes slowly slid shut. "I failed, mother. I couldn't p-protect...our home..."

Breath hitching in her throat, Kizmel looked down at the man in her arms, just a few years older than Kirito it seemed, perhaps the same age as some of the swordmasters, and her heart clenched for his fate. She forcefully blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes and placed a hand to his cheek. "You didn't fail, child," she whispered, leaning close so he could hear.

"You did not fail. You did your duty. Alashyia still stands, and the General yet lives. I am so very proud of you, my son."

A slow, pained smile spread across the boy's face as he struggled to turn his head back to her. "...Mother..."

And then, his body went limp in her arms and his chest stilled. Very slowly, very gently, she shifted, laying him on the ground before standing and looking across the tent at her partner, who had watched the scene silently. It was only then that she realized Kirito's face was twisted into a grimace that was a mixture of sadness, anger, and anguish, mirroring the emotions welling up within herself. It was an expression she had seen on his face in her dreams, when he had looked upon her with those same, sad eyes.

With the sound of shattering glass that seemed impossibly loud in the sudden silence, the body of the young soldier shattered into motes of light that looked brighter and more colorful than they had any right to be, and Kizmel hated that, just as it had been with her sister, there was nothing but his discarded weapon to bring home to his family.

"Why didn't it work?" she asked quietly after a few moments had passed. "Why would the potion not heal him?"

"I...I don't know." Kirito's reply sounded hollow, and the wince from her partner showed that he realized this as well. "I don't have an answer for you, Kizmel. I'm sorry."

She looked down at the spot vacated by the guardsman's body, trying to ignore the sudden stab of pain at the thought that while he didn't have an answer for her, he certainly had an idea of why this had happened. Forcing that line of thought down violently, she said a silent prayer for the fallen; she doubted that he would mind that it was an elven prayer that accompanied him into whatever afterlife he believed in.

Once she had finished and gathered up his discarded weapon and sigil that had been left behind like she would do for one of her own, she stood. Carefully securing the items on her person, she turned to her partner. "Kirito..." she began hesitantly, looking around as they now stood in the suddenly cramped confines of the half-collapsed tent.

"Did I do the right thing?"

Her partner's eyes were hooded as he looked across at her, shifting awkwardly. "What do you mean?"

"I...I pretended I was his mother. I asked him about his final moments, when he should be given his last rites. I do not know what customs humans or swordmasters have for their fallen passing on, but I took that opportunity from him. Worse, I lied to him in his final moments," she said tightly, staring down at her hands, clutching the sigil necklace tightly in her fist. "I did not even ask his name. I do not know his family to return his blade to, to honor him."

Had she done this to a fellow dark elf, particularly one who was not a soldier, it would have been deeply frowned upon by the priests and the court. Soldiers were different, soldiers knew their duty and understood the sacrifices that might be asked of them, but he had been so young...

Just like Kirito, and Asuna, and the other swordmasters, she thought grimly.

When Kirito wasn't forthcoming with an answer after several long moments, she hung her head, accepting that what she had done was just as much of a taboo as it was among her own kind. Only when she felt his hand settle on her shoulder, pulling her into an awkward hug, did she open her eyes and look up.

"You gave him peace," the swordsman said simply.

They stood there in silent companionship for a few moments while they gathered themselves, until Kirito, realizing the position they were in, clumsily let go and stepped back with none of the composure of the Black Swordsman. He resolutely looked away from her in embarrassment, and Kizmel felt a note of fondness rise for her partner. She knew he was uncomfortable with being close to women, something she and Argo had often teased him about, but to see him step out of his own comfort to offer it to her caused a rush of affection for the boy whose side she had been fighting at.

No, not a boy, not anymore, she thought to herself, eyes wandering between her partner and where the young soldier had perished in her arms. Not in this world. This world makes warriors out of all of us.

"Kizmel..." the swordsman muttered quietly. Once he was aware he had her attention, he continued. "We should probably look into these demons of old he mentioned. Maybe someone in the city will know about them."

"I wonder..." the dark elf frowned in thought. Now that she had the time to think about what little information they had been able to obtain, something tugged at her memory. "There are demons mentioned in our records of the past, from before the Great Separation," she finally said.

"In Lyusula?"

Kizmel nodded. "Perhaps there will be something to find in the library of the capital."

"Does this have anything to do with the ancient evil you mentioned when we found those obelisks in the boss room of the thirty-seventh floor? The one that led us to the Pandora's Box quest?" Kirito asked curiously.

"Indeed." Thinking back to her youth spent in the library, she tried to recall the stories she had read. "There is mention of demons, or demon-like creatures when the evil first appeared, before the Great Alliance was forged. That it turned ordinary men into berserkers who cared for nothing but bloodshed and violence, and women into howling banshees of rage and lust. That it made them impossible to kill for anyone who was not of god-like power." Or perhaps wielded the power of the swordmasters, she thought.

The elven knight frowned in distaste. "It is this kind of power that seduced our outcasts to take vengeance upon us for their exile, and led them to become the Fallen."

"And the whole undead thing?" Kirito continued.

"As it happens, it is very difficult to kill something that is already dead," she replied with a wry smile. "Perhaps the plague of undeath followed later, or perhaps it was always there. No one really knows the truth about those ancient days anymore, not even the oldest of the elves. The Fallen themselves no longer know if their state was bestowed upon them as a curse or gift by whatever pact they forged in ancient times, or if it is the result of their own experiments."

She started as a sudden thought occurred to her. "Kirito...if there is a connection, however tenuous, between what happened here and the Fallen..."

"I know," he said with a grimace. "It could get very ugly. But it makes sense. Zombies, undead, especially if they're still intelligent like the Fallen, or even just semi-intelligent, could easily be mistaken for savages like the Prefect said. They feel no pain, no fear, and they're incredibly difficult to put down."

"We need to see if the survivors of General Neppukanessar's army safely made it to Tayma. If there is another attack on Alashyia, they will not be able to hold the city without them." Kizmel clenched her fist as the urgency of the situation and the possibility of her people's ancient enemy coalesced into a level of anxiety she hadn't felt since just before their assault on the Fallen's stronghold on the ninth floor. And if it was truly not the Fallen, but some enemy that preceded even them, then it would take more than just the two of them to bring victory. The last time they had seen this ancient foe, it had nearly brought the world to its knees before the Great Separation.

Kirito nodded, his expression worried as the same thoughts occurred to him. "And we need to find out what we can about these demons. If they are undead, or the Fallen, or related to them." He paused, and glanced at her. "Kizmel...if we have to return to the capital to look at the library, do you think they will let us?"

"We would have to explain the situation to the chief librarian at the very least, because the archive on the war is restricted," she acknowledged. "But I know him well, and if we have to inform Queen Ilyndrathyl, I have no doubt that she will grant us access."

The swordsman grimaced. "Do you think she'll recall you if you return to the capital now?"

The dark elf could see the apprehension in her companion's eyes as he spoke. And while she was feeling a measure of the same, she had already made her decision. "I meant what I said when Cardinal asked us, my friend. My place is by your side, seeing your mission through."

"All right, then." Kirito shrugged off any doubts he appeared to have in a manner that made her almost envious as he donned the cloak of determination and force of will that was the Black Swordsman. "Tayma, then back. After the meeting we'll see what we can find out, and if we have to head back to Lyusula. If we don't, we rest for a couple of hours and then head out again tonight."

-------------------------------

The trek to Tayma took another hour across the scorching heat of the sand and sun; Kizmel had been tempted to remove her armor, but their encounters with the wildlife of this floor, however infrequent, as well as the thought of being ambushed by the same foe that had destroyed the Guard encampment, ensured that she never acted upon that desire. When they arrived at the outskirts of Tayma sweating, exhausted, and parched, she was glad she had kept her armor on.

The village was not under siege as they had feared, but there was a definite bustle of military activity happening that spoke of someone anticipating an attack. Soldiers were bringing up baskets of dirt and mud while others hauled buckets of water in order to reinforce the village's mud-brick palisade that looked as though it had been intended more to keep out the elements and protect those inside from sandstorms rather than to hold back the tide of an attacking enemy.

They pair slowed as they approached, glancing about each other. Conscious of the agitation and wariness the soldiers were showing as they took notice but resolutely continued on with their duties, Kizmel had donned a hat that hid her elven ears. When they reached the gate, they were held up by a half-dozen guards wearing the same armor as the Alashyia Guardsmen they had met in the city, but much like the remains in the camp, most of the armor these men were wearing was ragged and battle-scarred. Weapons were drawn and pointed at them, and both elf and swordmaster raised their hands to indicate they were no threat.

"Halt!" one of the soldiers called out. "Identify yourselves!"

"I'm Kirito, this is Kizmel," her partner replied for them both. "I'm a swordmaster and she's my companion. We came from Alashyia looking for General Neppukanessar."

The soldier, a grizzled old man with graying hair and wielding an enormous halberd, looked them both over, peering intently at their weapons and armor. His gaze lingered around Kizmel, but didn't seem to find anything noteworthy. He nodded gruffly, and gestured towards the other soldiers to allow them passage.

"Nissur! Take them to the General. Keep an eye on them. They appear friendly, but take no risks." Orders given, he turned back to them. "I would apologize for the inhospitality, but as you can see, you came at an unfortunate time."

"We understand," Kizmel replied, lifting her hands and deliberately shifting her shield so it rested on her back.

"Good. Now go, we have work to do."

They followed their assigned guard through the town that appeared to be one of the main trade hubs connecting the river villages to the capital, although by now the carts that had once held wares had been repurposed to haul material and weapons to the soldiers at the walls, while the civilians were attempting to organize themselves into a militia of sorts, grabbing pitchforks and long butcher's knives to arm themselves with.

For most of their journey, they were summarily ignored, simply another pair of unfortunate travelers caught in the midst of preparations for war, but a few made remarks about their arms and armor that was unusual for mere travelers. The guard called Nissur guided them to a large house and saluted the two men stationed at the door.

"Guardsman Nissur reporting! These two arrived and asked to see the General. I was ordered by the Tribune to let them through and bring them here."

The two guards exchanged looks before opening the door. Nissur beckoned for them to proceeds, and Kizmel felt rather than saw or heard him move in behind them, hand resting on his weapon. It was not as though she could begrudge them these precautions, considering that they had only barely escaped an ambush earlier in the day with their lives, and were likely being pursued.

The house must have belonged to the mayor of the town or some other influential man as the entryway opened into a large, stately room that would once have been used to receive guests. Now, it served as a war room, with tables shuffled together and soldiers and officers standing in small groups. At the head of it all was a man every bit as old and grizzled as the one that had greeted them at the gate, though his armor was of much finer quality, trimmed in gold, and a large silver clasp held a cloak on his left shoulder.

"General!" Their escort snapped to attention. "You have visitors. A swordmaster called Kirito and his companion Lady Kizmel, hailing from Alashyia."

The murmuring in the room came to an abrupt halt as every head craned to look at them. The General excused himself from the two men he had been talking to, in equally fine if not quite as ornate armor, and stepped towards them. "A swordmaster, eh?" he asked, looking them over with a critical eye that had Kizmel feel as though she was a squire once more, being mustered by her instructors.

"And an elf," he drawled in bemusement. "I have not seen one of your kind since I was a child, elf."

A rustle of hands going for weapons went through the room, but he waved an arm at them. "Stand down. We have not done battle with the elves in generations, why renew old hostilities now? Besides," he added, turning to look around the room, "we have more immediate foes to contend with."

With a dismissive wave of his hand, most of those in the room returned to their work, while General Neppukanessar beckoned them over to one corner of the room. "What brings you here?" he asked simply.

Kizmel glanced at her companion, and Kirito spoke up. "Prefect Ammenon asked us to find you. He told us about the raids and the attack on the city. He was worried he hadn't heard from you since you departed."

"We were out in the field campaigning." The General snorted dismissively at the thought. "If you can call it campaigning. We followed a trail of destruction and helped the survivors rebuild what we could. We hadn't seen hide nor hair of these raiders until this morning."

"Ammenon was afraid you had been killed."

"I'm still alive as you can see. Although for how much longer, is the question."

Kizmel glanced around the war preparations around them. "You fear another attack by the ambushers."

"That's right," he turned to eye her with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "They damn near wiped us out before we got away, but this time there's no running away. There are too many civilians here, and this is our best chance at holding out and breaking their attack."

"What can you tell us of the attackers?" Kizmel asked. "We may be able to help you."

"The two of you?" Neppukanessar shook his head. "You may be strong and skilled, but you are two, and our foes are many. They are stronger and faster than anything I have ever seen, and I wouldn't put odds on anything less than five or six of my men against one of them."

The dark elf glanced at her partner with some amusement. "Kirito is stronger than you may think, General. If we can help, please allow us to."

"If you really want to help, then I need you to get word back to Alashyia. We will need reinforcements, and they need to know what we have learned of our enemy," the old soldier replied gruffly. "I took five hundred men with me when I left, but this morning's ambush cost us almost a quarter of that. Even as small as Tayma is, I don't have the men to defend it properly."

Kirito frowned at the suggestion. "But what if they decide to attack Alashyia, instead? They've done it before. It'd be left defenseless."

"They won't attack Alashyia again." When they both stared at him with confusion, the General smirked. "We haven't been completely idle while we were chasing our unknown enemy. They are after something. Something that will bring them to Ur."

That brought up Kizmel with a start. "You are certain of this?"

"As certain as I am standing here," the General confirmed. "It is the reason we were ambushed this morning, and it is why I cannot return to Alashyia. I can't risk the safety of the capital, but at the same time, I can't leave all of these civilians to their fate."

"Who is this enemy you are facing? What do you know of them?" Kizmel asked, a feeling of dread rising within her as she shared a glance with her partner. "What is it that they are seeking?"

Looking at them again, his gaze wandering down to the guardsman's sword hanging by her hip, the General frowned, a sharp look in his eyes. "How did you come across that?" he asked pointedly.

"We...I found one of your men still alive in the remains of your camp," Kizmel replied evenly, fighting to keep her voice level. "He was dying, and neither potion nor healing crystal would work to restore his life. I...administered the last rites of my people, and took his blade in the hopes of being able to return it to his family, at least." She pulled the weapon and its sheath free from her belt, and offered it to him.

The old man's piercing gaze seemed to look straight through her, and the dark elf felt as though he was capable of seeing through to her very soul and the answer within. Whatever he saw, though, he seemed satisfied as his frown eased and he accepted the sword. "You wanted to know what our enemy is looking for? Come, I will show you." He led them through the back of the room, past another pair of guardsmen, and pulled a large key from his belt, unlocking a massive door.

Once inside, he made sure to close it fully, before returning his attention to them. "What I am about to show you must not leave this room," he intoned gravelly. "If others were to find out, we would have more than just the undead coming for us. The only reason I am showing you this is because Ammenon sent you, and frankly, swordmasters have a reputation. If anyone can help it's one of you, though I'd prefer an army."

He glanced at her for a moment. "And as for the elf, I figure your people have battled the results of this ancient mistake long enough to want to put a stop to it."

The words sent a shiver down her spine. Who is this man, that he knows so much about our history? Kizmel had a feeling she was not going to like whatever the General was about to unveil.

Something about her expression or demeanor must have alerted him to her unease, and his grim smile softened somewhat as he looked her over. "You are young for an elf, Lady Kizmel. But your people are long-lived, and only four generations have passed for you since Aincrad was formed. Chances are, more than just legends and stories have survived."

That much would have been true, had they not been devastated by the war against their Forest Elven brethren and the continued struggle against the Fallen. It had taken its toll over the years, and many records had been lost in the schizm, much less in the great upheaval that had torn the ground asunder and formed Aincrad itself. Still, there were storytellers, old veterans and loremasters who had carried on their history from before the Great Separation.

"The ancient evil that united our races?" she whispered quietly, and he nodded in response, walking over to an ornate chest and opening its lid, revealing an ornate golden amulet. It was roughly the size of her hand, intricately shaped like a six-legged, segmented insect with large pincers and eight vividly glowing red gems inlaid for eyes on the head.

"The very same," Neppukanessar replied. "This is the Dreypa Talisman, one of three relics of that old war. Our legends are vague, but records in the Old Capital of Ur survived before it was abandoned. This thing is a vile, evil creation that dates from that dark time. We don't know for sure what it does, only that it seems to draw these creatures like moths to a flame. The central library in Ur might have more records, and we were headed there when we were waylaid."

Kizmel shuddered at the mere presence of the artifact, feeling cold seep into her skin as it gleamed in the light cast by the lanterns in the room. "How...how did you come into possession of this?" she asked quietly.

"It was found beyond the Great River, by a trade caravan, a few months ago from what we were able to gather. It changed hands several times since then, and wherever it went, destruction followed, until it came to the capital a month ago," the soldier explained.

"And then Alashyia was attacked."

He nodded at her conclusion. "That's right. It needs to go far away from anywhere our people live; Ur is the most likely to have records of it, and is the most defensible, even if I do not have the men to hold a city like that. But I don't think letting it fall into the hands of our enemy is a good idea."

Kizmel looked at her partner, who looked equal parts surprised and worried at the revelation. The swordsman bent over the talisman and cast his Mystic charm.

"Kirito?" she asked.

He frowned before looking up at her. "He's right, it's called the Dreypa Talisman. And whatever it does, it's not good."

"What did Mystic Scribing reveal to you?"

"Not much. It's one of three, it dates back to before the Great Separation, and it's as evil as it can get." Kirito stepped back from the chest, and Neppukanessar closed it swiftly. Warmth returned to the room. "He's right, we need to get rid of it. Unfortunately, there's no convenient Mount Doom to drop it into."

"Mount Doom?" the dark elf arched a curious eyebrow, not having heard of that particular location before.

Her companion shrugged with a wry grin. "A legend of my people, a place where a powerful evil artifact was taken to be destroyed."

"It seems it would be an adequate place to dispose of this, as well," she agreed. "I don't suppose it would be accessible to us?"

"Not really, no," the swordsman shook his head. "We could drop it over the edge of Aincrad, from the first floor. That way it wouldn't land on any other floor..."

Any reply she would have made to that suggestion was cut off by the blaring of a horn, and a call to arms from the outside. General Neppukanessar, who had been patiently observing them while they conversed, snapped into motion, ushering them out of the room and back into the great hall.

"Report!" he barked.

The muttering groups of officers who had been standing around when they had first entered had dispersed and only a few remained, looking over battle plans. A soldier snapped to attention. "General! Spotters on the South Gate have seen dust trail approaching! They'll be at the gate within minutes!"

"A diversion," he grumbled. "They will come up from below, from the sands, the same way they did this morning. Tell the men to keep watch on the perimeter, but dispatch fifty men from the third maniple to the gate."

"At once, General!" the soldier turned and left.

Kizmel found herself looking at a map of the town with her partner while Neppukanessar organized his troops. "There are only two main gates, to the north and south. The General is right, he does not have the numbers for an adequate defense, but it would still take a significant force to properly lay siege to this town. The walls will hold without war machines, and they are not easily scaled."

"This will be some trickery of theirs," Neppukanessar agreed as he returned his attention to them. "We spotted maybe a hundred of them during this morning's ambush."

"What can you tell us about them, General?" Kirito's tone held some urgency, allayed only by the fact that her partner trusted her assessment that the town would be able to hold out for a little while, at least.

"They're demons in human form," the old man replied gravelly. "They may even have once been human, or elven, but whatever they are now, is something I can only describe as corrupted and twisted. They burrow through the sand as easily as we swim through water. Don't let their savage appearance fool you - they are as intelligent as you and I, and faster and stronger than any warrior I have ever seen. We killed some of them, but not enough."

The pair looked at each other, and Kizmel frowned in thought at the description. Humanoid foes that look like corrupted elves and humans, with strength and speed and endurance to match the swordmasters? This is...troublesome.

"General! The walls! They're attacking the walls!" A messenger arrived, panting as he was escorted inside by one of the guards. "Tribune Iranos reports they are assaulting the North Gate and the walls around it!"

"How many?"

"Around fifty, General."

The old soldier grumbled in thought. "Keep the second and third maniples on the walls. Tell Iranos to keep the first maniple in reserve, until we know if they are coming through the ground."

As he turned away to hold council with the other officers, Kirito pulled her away into a corner. "Kizmel," he began. "Are you sure they can't siege this town?"

"Not with the numbers the General said they have. The walls are not the tallest or thickest, but without weapons to force open the gate, or tools to scale the walls, there is little they can do but starve out the inhabitants," the dark elf explained, forehead furrowed. "Unless they come up from below."

"We saw that at the camp," Kirito added. "The holes in the ground and disturbed sand. You think they burrow through it?"

"It would be...difficult, given their bodies," she replied, "it is more likely that they tunneled underneath and came up with shock troops to sow confusion while the main force attacked. That kind of ingenuity is very...dwarven."

"And if they do that here, too?"

"It wouldn't work. Most of them would still be stuck outside, unless..." Kizmel's head snapped sideways as she stared out of the door, a horrifying image of a large hole blasted into a wall burned into her mind from weeks earlier. "Sappers!"

As if on cue, a tremendous boom rumbled across the town and the ground trembled. They rushed outside only to find a section of the wall collapsed and dust rising into the air, but underneath their feet, the rumbling didn't stop. Clawed hands reached up from the sand, spearing upwards like weapons as they clutched at their legs, and Kizmel sidestepped quickly in order to avoid getting caught. One of the guardsmen hadn't been so fortunate as a bony hand covered by taut grey skin clutched tightly at his ankle with bone-crushing force.

"Yaaah!" Kirito's blade severed the hand in one swift stroke before the swordsman backed up several steps, putting the wall of the building at his back. "What the hell," he swore as the bodies attached to the arms rose from the ground, sand spilling off their forms like water.

Kizmel grit her teeth and clutched her saber as she caught her first glimpse of the enemy they were facing. The man - or was it still a man? - stood at nearly two meters tall, towering over her by a significant margin, much like the Forest Elven Hallowed Knight once had. Its figure was thin, but not gaunt, lithe, with taut, cord-like muscles that seemed to always be under tension. She could almost have mistaken it for being human, had it not been for the long, pointed ears and the unnatural horn-like growths on the head. Its nails gleamed in the sunlight, and she was willing to bet they were razor-sharp.

At least now we know what left those claw marks, she mused as she readied her weapon. The armor it wore looked ancient in style, something she had seen in the old books in the library of elven and human warriors from before the Great Separation; a gleaming weapon was grasped in one hand, and cruelly intelligent eyes glanced around until they landed on her. It bared its teeth in a twisted grin, revealing a long, sharp tongue.

Her shield came up just in the nick of time as it leapt at her with impossible speed, the impact nearly causing her to lose her balance. More of the creatures rose from the shifting sand beneath their feet. "Kirito!" she shouted.

Her partner glanced back at her, sword in hand, and took up a defensive position. Kizmel's eyes wandered over their opponents. There were five of them, each different, yet similar. Clad in armor that looked as though it belonged in legends of times long past, each just barely looking like a human or elf, although with subtle outgrowths that made them seem more than simply human or elven.

"Raaaaagh!" Her opponent launched itself at her again, and this time Kizmel shifted and gave way, parrying the blow with her shield and twisting her body around the mass slamming itself into her. Hallowed Redeemer sang through the air as she spun, bringing it down across her target's exposed back. It didn't even flinch as the blade carved a glowing red mark across it, skidding to a halt and turning to face her with the same twisted grin on its lips.

What are they? This strength, this speed, it might even be beyond that of the swordmasters!

She ducked a swipe of his blade, a long, curved one-handed sword of a style she was unfamiliar with. The handle was long and straight, but after about an arm's length it dipped down into a crescent moon blade that looked sharp on both sides. The wicked-looking blade looked capable of delivering devastating cuts while being able to hook limbs and weapons alike when turned over.

Kizmel started as her opponent flipped his weapon and attempted to catch the top of her shield with it. Catching a good glimpse at the blade up close, she realized that she had seen one like it before, in the capital's Hall of Honor, where the greatest of the Dark Elven knights of all brigades were honored and enshrined to be remembered. One of them, the earliest hero of Lyusula, had been the precursor to the Royal Guard to the queen; he had been said to have been an elven hero long before the Great Separation tore asunder the earth and lifted them up to form the floating castle of Aincrad.

And beneath his statue, standing in a place of honor at the very back of the Hall, were laid his ancient weapons, traditional arms of the elves: a spear, a triangular-shaped shield, and a large, sickle-like sword with a long handle and crescent moon-shaped blade at the very end. As they crossed blades and she struggled to keep the ancient weapon from overpowering her, Kizmel's mind swirled with confused thoughts.

An ancient elven sword? How is this possible? Could these truly be our ancestors, risen from the grave? A harsh impact against her blade rang in her ears and sent a tremor up her arm. No, they are like the Fallen. Ancient and unyielding, relentless and thirsting for blood and destruction. Their evil is almost tangible in the air.

She slipped backwards, opening enough of a gap between herself and her opponent to launch a Reaver, the simple attack tracing a horizontal path across the air as she leapt forward, impacting with her foe's own weapon. Shock reverberated through her being as he absorbed the power of the sword charm on his blade and flung it back at her, using the split second she was caught in the backlash of the charm to launch his counterattack.

Pain exploded through her shoulder and back as he twisted his blade around hers, drawing it across the back of her shoulder and upper arm in one fluid motion from the parry. She hissed in equal measures anger and pain, shifting her arm to make sure she still had full use of it. Her armor had absorbed the worst of the blow across her back, and the chainmail sleeves had kept her arm from being cut too deeply. She felt her body release again, and slid into a defensive stance.

That one exchange had told her a frightening fact about her opponent: much like Kirito, he was able to counter and deflect sword charms with a simple stroke of his own blade. The prospect was terrifying, as it spoke to the unnatural strength of her opponent. Her partner was able to do so because, even for a swordmaster, he had preternatural skill and reflexes and made the most use out of momentum and weight, but the creature that looked back at her with a twisted mirror of her own elven features had the brute strength to do so without the aid of flashy movement coupled with the speed to intercept one of her quicker sword charms.

She settled herself defensively behind her shield, eyeing her opponent warily. It took its time to approach her, curved blade idly twirling in its hand. "An elf..." it hissed with a twisted grin. "I have not seen one of your kind since we were entombed beneath these cursed sands! Tell me, are there more of you on this floating castle?"

Entombed...?

Shunting aside the questions that would only distract her, Kizmel gripped her shield harder. It's a tactic to distress and distract you. Focus on your enemy. "What do you want?" she asked, trying to buy herself a little bit of time to formulate a plan of attack. The usual tactic of exchanging sword charms was unlikely to work, and from the corner of her eye she noticed Kirito trading blows with two others, while the guardsmen and General Neppukanessar himself were fighting the remaining two and barely holding their own.

She needed to end this fight quickly and come to their aid; at the very least if she could link up with Kirito, then they would be able to watch each other's backs. But as she blocked and parried more of the creature's strikes, she came to a sobering realization.

It fights like PoH, and XaXa, she thought grimly. They fought with very few sword charms, relying instead of raw skill and power to batter their way through any defense presented to them, and took advantage of the magical backlash of sword charms to deliver deadly attacks. It was something that relied so heavily on strength and speed and skill that it was hard to think of these foes as the same kinds of semi-sentient, instinct-driven monsters and demi-humans she had encountered throughout Aincrad, and it was also something that was frighteningly tailored to combat the exact way that they now fought.

But that was something she could ponder later. Right now her focus was solely on exchanging another series of violent blows with her foe, falling back to the base swordsmanship all squires and knights of the Royal Guard were trained in before being introduced to the sword charms. Taking care to keep her arms covered by her shield, she lashed out, her saber arcing around as it sought to find its mark, but her opponent's weapon was always there, always in time to keep her steel from striking flesh.

"You fight in the old ways," it seemed almost...pleased as they kept pace with each other, and she got the distinct impression that her foe was holding back to test her. "It is good to know some yet remember the old ways. Though it will not help you here."

With a frustrated growl, she struck again, her saber coming in from high and to the right, an attack that would have bisected her opponent from shoulder to hip had he not raised his own blade in time, angled to deflect hers. Here is something new I learned, then, she growled silently, letting her momentum carry her forward as she slammed the kite shield in her left hand into her foe's exposed face.

It was not the devastating, debilitating blow she had hoped for, but it sent the creature staggering back enough that it allowed her to follow up with a Slant that carved a satisfying red mark across its torso. By the time they both recovered, she was feeling slightly better about her position.

"What are you?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.

It straightened to its full height, drawing its sword across its chest in an ancient elven salute with a mocking smile. "In life, centuries ago, I was known as Gil-Gamor, a proud warrior of the Elven Kingdom. In the old days, before we let decadence and corruption bring ruin to our lands. Before we lowered ourselves to be neighbours with humans and dwarves, a time when we were still warriors, long-lived and eternal."

"You're one of the old ones!" she realized, shock numbing her body.

The being that had once been a man grinned and took his final step towards her. "So you remember us. It is good to know some of our legacy survives."

"Only tales of caution and arrogance," she shot back, baring her own teeth in response. "Your time is long past, old one. It is time for you to rest."

Gil-Gamor raised his weapon, glowing with a dark blue light. "Then make me, if you can."

As she hurled herself at her opponent, desperately trying to keep her shield between herself and her enemy's blade with barely a chance to attempt a counterattack, Kizmel felt herself giving ground. Slowly, inexorably, he was pushing her back, away from the group that was fighting, away from Kirito. For the first time since that day in the middle of the forest on the third floor, Kizmel felt herself utterly on the defensive, with no one to watch her back. Just like then, her foe was relentlessly attacking her, giving little thought to his own well-being as he kept swinging and ignoring the shallow wounds she inflicted in retaliation.

She had found herself almost helpless then, with little chance for victory. She had, in fact, been about to give her own life in order to destroy her enemy along with herself when two humans had burst from the trees and come to her aid. But there was no one to come to her rescue this time, and she winced at both the thought and the glancing slash she received to her thigh, a heartbeat late in evading the attack.

After the third time a sword charm left her defenseless with her opponent easily countering the Linear that would have been devastating against anyone else, she almost grew afraid to use the ancient charms. Even the Hallowed Knight had not put up such a fierce and unorthodox fight, and she felt herself giving even more ground as she failed to inflict anything resembling a decisive, crippling blow upon her opponent.

I simply do not have the power to pierce his armor, not without a sword charm, she concluded grimly, hastily parrying a horizontal swipe that had been aimed for her throat. It turned out to be a feint, and a white-hot pain in her shoulder told her she should have paid more attention to her enemy as he withdrew the tip of his blade from her body, the crescent-moon shaped blade easily curving around her own saber.

She was running out of time. Kirito would not be coming to her aid this time, occupied and fighting for his own life as he was. A sudden anger shot through her at the thought that she was expecting to be saved from this impossible battle. You are a knight of Lyusula! You are of the Pagoda Knights! When did you become so weak-willed that you were waiting for your friends to save you? For a human to save you?

The last time she had been fighting for her life like this, she had been distraught by the deaths of her sister and brother-in-law, and the only thing driving her to fight was the burning need for revenge, but even that had died out once her sister's husband had accomplished his mission. There had been nothing left to fight for but her own duty on the third floor.

But she had grown since then. She had traveled Aincrad and seen the width and breadth of the floating castle, with Asuna and Kirito by her side. She had seen the world of the humans, and learned of the world the swordmasters called home. There were many more things for her to fight for now.

I have learned many things since that day. Many truths about the swordmasters and the source of their power, and many things about this world. If I want to be able to aid Kirito in his journey, then I cannot rely on him to save me forever. I have my own pride as a knight, and I will stand with him by my own strength!

The ancient sword crashed against her shield, flipped, and hooked the top of it. But instead of making a move to defend herself with it or prevent him from yanking it from her hands, she let go of her trusty defender. It tumbled from her limp grasp, likely surprising her opponent as much as herself. Her left hand, now free from its usual burden and obscured from sight by the shield, was enveloped in a red glow as she copied a stance she had seen Kirito use many times.

By the time shield and ancient blade cleared Gil-Gamor's vision, the only thing he saw was a red comet approaching his face.

With a satisfying crash of thunder, the Martial Arts charm Kirito called a Flash Blow discharged, hurling her foe backwards and onto his back from her. Not taking the time to revel in the first clean hit she had landed, Kizmel leapt forward the moment the magical backlash released her.

Now is my chance. Guide my hand and find your mark, Hallowed Redeemer!

Slashing attacks had proven ineffective against the ancient, but sturdy, armor. Thrusting it would be, then.

Her saber, not the most ideal weapon for it, lashed forward with all the speed she could muster. Kizmel surrendered to the pull of the magic as ancient as the foe before her, allowing the blade itself to choose its targets as it struck forward, biting into armor and flesh four times in quick succession.

The two of them froze; her, caught in the aftermath of the Quadruple Pain she had used to stun her target, and Gil-Gamor, caught in the technique and subsequent aftereffect. Kizmel recovered first, and the dark elven knight charged forward once more. She could see Gil-Gamor struggling against the effects of her assault, what the swordmasters called a status effect, a stun in particular, that rendered him unable to move for a critical few seconds.

Her opponent managed to break through the aftereffects through sheer force of will alone, raising his sword defensively for the first time, eyes narrowed dangerously, but Kizmel had already bypassed his guard. Five more lightning-fast jabs hammered into Gil-Gamor's breastplate, the oblique point of her saber barely breaching the tough armor, but it was enough to drain its durability. The once nearly pristine chestpiece was now ragged and worn, providing less protection with each stroke.

Break the armor, then the weapon, she chanted silently, her blade glowing a bright, vivid orange as she brought it down in a vicious overhead swing that crushed her opponent's attempt to parry, carrying on to carve a shallow red line from his forehead to his pelvis, before her body reversed direction. The magic of the charm Howling Octave carried her high into the air following an uppercut, and her body spun in mid-air, bringing both the force of her rotation and her falling weight to bear in a final, downwards stroke.

It was a gamble; if Gil-Gamor managed to defend himself, she would be left vulnerable long enough for him to kill her. If he survived, he might still be able to land a killing blow upon her. She had risked everything on this attack, and given it her all; much as she had been planning on doing against the Forest Elven Hallowed Knight on the third floor.

She had expected to die, then.

But she had learned, since. Being around the swordmasters and traveling with someone as knowledgeable as Kirito had taught her many things about fighting in Aincrad.

As Gil-Gamor's armor shattered into bright motes of light under the lightest touch of her blade, Kizmel came to a final realization. While her saber carved a wide swath through his body, unable to protect himself from the impact of the technique and the shock of the attack, she knew.

She would not die this day.

The Royal Guard from the Pagoda Knights Brigade landed in a crouch in front of her opponent, blade pointed forward and upward, and froze; she would remain like that for the few heartbeats while the magic of the charm held her fast, but it didn't matter. Gil-Gamor, the foe standing before her, a being that had once been an elf far older than she could imagine, far older than the floating castle of Aincrad, shattered into bright, azure light with the sound of breaking glass.

Picking up her discarded shield, Kizmel took a look around the battlefield; the surprise attack had been costly; even with several of the Alashyia Guardsmen rushing to their aid, she could see that not all of them had survived. However, Kirito was in the process of delivering the killing blow to another of these creatures...these old ones, she now understood them to be, and General Neppukanessar, despite his age, was holding his own against another, with several guardsmen charging in to help.

She pre-empted them, launching herself into a Shooting Star, the charging sword charm taking the General's opponent by surprise as it was focused on its human foe. The creature, what had once been a human female, shrieked in pain and shattered after a devastating overhand blow from the General's halberd. The grizzled old human nodded at her, before shouting for his troops to come to some semblance of order.

"You all right?" her partner asked as he slid into place next to her, his own coat worn and bearing the tell-tale marks of slashes and cuts that had slipped past his guard. His eyes wandered up to a corner of his vision, and she knew he was checking on her health.

"I am fine," she responded, evening out her breathing and glancing at the swordsman reassuringly. "My opponent gave me some trouble, and there is more to what is happening here than meets the eye."

"You're telling me," Kirito grumbled as he looked around. "You figure something out?"

She nodded cautiously. "A...part of the puzzle, perhaps. I do not understand everything just yet, but maybe it will help us put the pieces together."

"You'll have to fill me in when this is over."

"I will." They both turned as further discussion was interrupted by General Neppukanessar waving them over.

The aging General looked weary as he collected his men around him. "We have a breach in the walls, and these demons will soon arrive in force for the Talisman. I have no choice, as much as I am loathe to say, but I need your help."

The pair exchanged a brief glance, and Kirito nodded. "What do you need us to do?"

"Take the Dreypa Talisman, carry it to the old capital of Ur. Find the great library, and seek a way to destroy it. It should divert them from Tayma; the two of you will hopefully be able to make better time than our entire army. Once they realize the Talisman is no longer here, they will break off the attack. Once we are certain the civilians are safe, we will follow you with all haste."

The swordsman nodded in agreement after she gave him a curt nod. "Okay. We'll do it."

Neppukanessar led them to the back room once more, opening the door and handing Kirito the chest containing the Talisman; Kizmel was glad he had not removed it from the chest and that her companion was able to store the entire container within the Mystic charm of the swordmasters. She was loathe to carry the relic on either of their persons, especially bare of its container. It may be ancient superstition, but she was far more comfortable with it out of sight and locked in its case, in whatever magical space swordmasters used to store their belongings.

"There is an ancient library in Ur; perhaps the magics of old have protected it still. If there is any place that will you find knowledge of what to do with it, it will be there. To be safe, you should take the old waterway through the cistern beneath Tayma. You can access it from the well in the center of town." The General turned to leave, but paused in the door. "Oh, and before I forget...beware of the guardians of the old city."

Without a further word, he disappeared through the doorway, leaving them alone in the chamber. Kizmel tilted her head at her partner. "Kirito?"

The swordsman seemed to shake himself out of whatever reverie he had been in at the sound of her voice. "Nevermind. I hate that we can't stay here and help, but these things are tough."

"We can serve these people better by drawing away the enemy. If the General is right and they really are after this talisman, then we can save many more by forcing them to pursue us and cut short their assault than we could by staying behind and fighting." She laid a comforting arm on his shoulder. "Besides, I admit I am curious about the history this library holds. If there are answers there, then we must find them."

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Crawling through the canals that funneled water from the oasis to the cistern underneath Tayma wasn't exactly the way Kirito had imagined he would be spending his afternoon, though he consoled himself with the thought that at least it wasn't a sewer.

Now that would just be the height of video game tropes, he mused idly, trudging through the knee-high water. Although I wouldn't have put it past Kayaba, all things considered. And at least it's nice and cool down here.

After being ushered away from the General's war room with the Dreypa Talisman in their possession and a new quest entry in his journal to take it to the old capital city of Ur, they had hightailed it towards the town center of Tayma, encountering only light resistance. They did, however, have to resist the urge to stand and fight whenever they saw troops or even militia engaged in a vicious melee with the creatures that the system had labeled [Ancient Forsaken]. In their first encounter he'd been able to hold his own, if barely, but their sheer strength and speed had surprised him.

Kirito cast a thoughtful look at his partner, the dark elf trudging beside him. I wonder if she's all right. As oblivious and socially awkward as he was, even he could tell something had been bothering her ever since their first encounter with the Ancient. The fact that they appeared human - or elven, and he thought he might have spotted a fairly stocky one that could have been a dwarf - at first glance had surprised him as well, until he noticed the subtle differences.

Yeah, like the horns. And the spikes. And blades. He shuddered at the memory of how close some of those had come to striking critical hits against him. The way they fought was completely opposite to the way most players did; the system assist and sword skills existed for a reason. Most players simply didn't have the practice, skill, or coordination to properly swordfight, and a game would be no fun if it required actual work, so Sword Art Online simplified combat by providing shortcuts to powerful, cooldown-based attacks.

But when facing an actual swordsman the system broke down somewhat; sword skills were meant to be fired off one at a time or traded, hence the switching tactic implemented by parties, or the still-traditional roles of tanks and DPS and the importance of aggro-management. Fighting against a swordsman who used no sword skills but pure bladework, most players would find themselves horribly outclassed. And while a regular swing did significantly less damage than a hit from a sword skill, eventually, without a proper defense, a player would find that they would slowly bleed HP until it was all gone.

It was only the practice he'd put in with Kizmel after their encounter with the PKers and his battle with PoH that had driven him to dust off his basic kendo skills and begin refining them. His reflexes certainly came in handy with that, and the muscle memory came back easily. Here, unhampered by the need to physically condition his body where the only thing that dictated his response time was his reflexes and ability to think, Kirito had found that he had taken to the martial aspect of being a swordsman much quicker than he otherwise would have. And perhaps it was because of the company, or because he was in a world he felt more comfortable in than his grandfather's dojo, but he had been much more motivated to pick up the basics of swordfighting from Kizmel and Argo's guides than he had ever been as a child.

It might also be that my life literally depends on it. As they trudged through the progressively rougher hewn stone of the canal around them, he chanced a sidelong glance at his partner, who had been uncharacteristically pensive during their trek through the waterway. "Hey, um, Kizmel," he began awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck when she turned to look at him.

"So...I figure we've got a couple of hours before we reach Ur, and it's going to be rough out in the desert. You think it's a good idea to take some of our armor off?"

"Provided we are not attacked, it might be feasible," the dark elf shrugged absently. "We should be able to make it before nightfall."

"Definitely. I need to send Asuna a message. I don't think we're gonna make that meeting tonight," he grimaced at the thought. His erstwhile partner would not be happy with his tardiness, but it wasn't like this one was his fault. The quest in his journal didn't have a timer attached to it, but there was something about the way the battle had been raging through the town that spurred him on to move quickly.

Besides, he didn't exactly fancy bringing something that smelled of an event item right back to the city. Who knew what kind of mayhem that could cause. "Yeah, we're definitely not gonna make it."

That got a smile from his partner. "Indeed, I do not think that we will be back in Alashyia by then. Then again, I believe she will understand that there were...unforeseen circumstances. I would be loathe to bring an enemy to the gates."

"Hm." He grunted noncommittally, bringing up his menu and typing up a quick message to the fencer. Finishing up just as the end of the tunnel came into sight, he closed the menu. "So, uh...so..."

Kizmel had stopped ahead of him and was in the process of opening the buckles on her breastplate, having already unclasped her cloak, until she stood silhouetted in the light from the outside in just her tunic and slacks, which were thoroughly soaked. Kirito immediately averted his eyes - it had been fine as long as she'd worn her armour, but just now the implications of his suggestions struck him like a truck, particularly with the way her tunic and pants were clinging to every curve.

Kirito felt his face heat up, and he quickly averted his eyes, causing Kizmel to glance at him curiously.

"Did you not suggest we would make better time if we traveled lighter?" she asked with an amused smile. He sputtered out an unintelligible response when she crouched down to take a long dip in the water to soak her face and hair before coming back up.

"Uhh...sure, but...Kizmel...?"

"It will be very hot and dry. We would be well served to carry as much water with us as we can before it dries out. It will offer at least a little protection from the heat," she explained simply.

He tried very hard to ignore the way her tunic left very little of her body to the imagination as he brought up his menu and dragged his coat away from his equipment mannequin, before taking her armor and storing it in his inventory as well. Deciding that, while players felt less of the environmental effects than NPCs likely did, it'd probably be a good idea to save on stamina anyway, he dipped himself into the shallow water like she had earlier, then materialized a bucket and sloshed it into the waterway to fill it.

He shrugged awkwardly at Kizmel's astounded and somewhat envious stare when he proceeded to store the entire bucket, filled to the brim with water, in his inventory. She chuckled after a moment, shaking her head, before pushing back up. "Come on, my friend. The sooner we move, the sooner the siege will end, and the more people will be safe from these abominations."

"You really think there's going to be answers in Ur?" he asked curiously.

Kizmel nodded thoughtfully. "I believe so. At least, I hope so."

"Answers to what, though." Kirito wondered; to him, this was simply another campaign quest that Sword Art Online had generated and thrown at them, but Kizmel seemed far too involved for it be to just any quest. Perhaps there was some unimplemented backstory there? Or did they really anticipate a dark elf making it all the way up here?

"Answers to the old sins of my people come to haunt us again," Kizmel replied ominously as she forged on ahead. Kirito scrambled to keep up with her determined stride.

"Kizmel?" he called after her. "Hey, you gotta explain that one to me!"

She hesitated for a moment, slowing her walk and letting him catch up. "Kizmel?" he asked again, wondering what had her so worried. "Is...everything okay?"

That whole thing about the sins of old thing is a really old trope, he thought to himself, but it was one that was a classic for a reason. It dated all the way back to the Bible, after all, and probably in some way long before that.

"I will explain as we walk," she said finally, eyes turned towards the horizon. "It is a long story, one that is shrouded in myth and legend. From before the Great Separation."

Part of him was excited at the prospect of more lore to fill out the sparse history of Aincrad; for an RPG, lore and story was as important as gameplay, especially in something as immersive as Sword Art Online. Another part of him wondered if this had been generated on the spot, by the Cardinal System, to fill out the quest they were now on - after all, Kayaba had wanted them to write their own story, perhaps this was one way for him to achieve that goal. For everything they did, Cardinal reacted with something new. Certainly Kizmel had never been this forthcoming with anything in the dark elves' past, and she had never been as disturbed about anything as she had been after their encounter with the Forsaken.

"Okay," he said slowly. They walked in silence for a while, and Kirito found himself wondering if she was eventually going to get around to it, or if she was still having trouble sorting things out for herself. Hey, an AI that forgets things and takes time to process things could be argued to be the most advanced one of them all, right?

They had trudged through the sands in silence for so long, he was pretty surprised when she finally did speak up.

"In our myths and legends, as with all races and cultures, there are stories of heroes, and demons, and great battles," his dark elven companion began tentatively. "You must understand, when we were separated from the ground, when the earth was torn asunder in the Great Separation and Aincrad was formed, we lost a great deal of our history. Lyusula was not a major city in the old kingdom, and it only has become what it is now out of necessity."

Kirito nodded in understanding. "Because you were separated from the rest of your people, the few that were here had to band together, and it was the most convenient place."

"Correct." Kizmel licked her lips anxiously. "Little survives of our culture from before, and we only had what we carried with us when this floating castle was formed. We elves are long-lived, compared to humans, but even to us, four or five generations have passed since that time, as General Neppukanessar said. And with our battles against the Fallen and the Forest Elves, our numbers have been relentlessly thinned out."

She paused as they climbed over a dune, their steps heavy and their feet digging deeply into the fine sand, and Kirito thanked his lucky stars that SAO didn't model sand getting into his shoes. Or clothes. Or everywhere else it liked to get and be annoying.

"But before that time, there are legends of an elven kingdom that spanned tens of millennia, stories that once, instead of a lifespan of two-hundred years, there once were our ancestors who lived to nearly a thousand years of age." Her eyes took on a faraway look, and Kirito could only imagine what she was thinking of. "Can you imagine everything they must have seen? The knowledge they must have had, the skills they had the time to perfect?"

"Not really, but I doubt any of us really could." It would have been like living from the Dark Ages to the present, and seeing everything that had changed over the centuries as they passed. If you didn't run into an opportunistic viking or knight and got yourself skewered, he thought to himself.

"True," she shrugged with a smile. "But in our library, sparse as it is, some records of that time of splendor survives. They say it was the pinnacle of our culture, that no other race could rival us in those ancient times."

"So, what happened?" he asked his partner. Because there was always a something that happened. Empires never lasted, whether in stories and fantasy, or in reality.

"Hubris, greed, decadence, arrogance...who knows?"

"That's...vague."

Kizmel shrugged once more. "No one really knows, and can you really point to a single cause for the collapse of a civilization?"

"I guess not. So, what happened? Or what do you think happened?"

"I do not know for certain," the knight admitted. "Our history is vague, but there are mentions of a war between your people and mine, and a schism among my kind. Perhaps that was when the Fallen first came to be, the records aren't clear, but we know that the powers of the sacred trees began to wane. Something cataclysmic must have occurred, for we lost our near-eternal life, and our kingdom, once proud warriors who were unmatched in battle, suddenly became one of scholars and defenders. More millennia passed, and then the Great Separation happened. And for that entire time, we have battled a foe as insidious and dangerous as the Fallen, who seek to regain the strength of the elves of old."

Well...so much for detailed backstory, Kirito mused, but it explains why the Fallen are so hung up on trying to live forever by any means necessary. It wasn't quite what he had been expecting, but perhaps Kizmel simply didn't know. Perhaps it was simply another clue that she was more than just an NPC who would've magically had all of the relevant knowledge.

So, I guess this is as much for her to find out the truth of what happened in the past as it is for me to find out what the story behind Aincrad actually is.

"And you think the library in Ur holds the answers?" he finally asked.

Kizmel paused, tilting her head in thought. "I do not know for sure. But something tells me there are some answers to be found there."

"Well," he sighed, wiping sweat from his virtual forehead and squinting against the bright sunlight, "no time like the present, then."

Chapter Text

October 19th, 2023

The grand city of Ur, the old capital of whatever human kingdom Aincrad's forty-first floor had once been a part of, rose into the evening sky before them, its massive walls of white marble gleaming in the light as they towered far above. Fortifications that easily rivaled those of Castle Galey and Yofel Castle, and even those of Lyusula itself, stood pristine and untouched, as though time itself had not passed since the city had been abandoned.

And whatever answers they were seeking, Kizmel hoped that they would find them here. Still, it was strange that the city was completely unoccupied and unvisited, save for a few explorers that Prefect Ammenon had mentioned came on occasion. It was unharmed by time and the elements, and it had clearly been abandoned by the people who had once called it home for a reason other than battle and destruction, for there was not a stone out of place.

Regardless, they had taken a brief respite before entering the city, cautioned by General Neppukanessar's words of warning about the city's guardians. Both of them made sure to don their armor once more before approaching the main gate to the city. It was solid, worked wood clad in steel, reaching almost ten meters into the air above them. It was also closed; even for all of the swordmasters' formidable strength, she didn't think either Kirito or herself would be able to push it open.

"Well...we're here. Now how do we get in?" her partner asked from beside her.

"A fine question." She looked up at the massive fortifications, but they had been well-designed and there was no immediate way she could see for them to enter. But if visitors and explorers had managed to get inside, then there must have been a way; especially one that did not revolve around the use of magic or the swordmasters' unique Mystic Scribing charm.

Kirito was examining the perimeter, too, and ultimately came to the same conclusion. "I don't suppose knocking would help?" he asked.

"It would not hurt to try?" she replied uncertainly. If the inhabitants had abandoned the city, who had closed the gates behind them? Why was the city still in pristine shape? Unlike the main town of this floor, Alashyia, which had been built from mud bricks and hewn from sandstone to withstand the elements, Ur was a grand metropolis the size of Lyusula, with towering buildings of gleaming marble and spires reaching high into the sky for six or seven floors, over halfway to the ceiling of the forty-first floor of Aincrad.

It was stranger still that, amid this arid terrain and the howling sandstorms that could beleaguer the floor, such gleaming white structures were virtually untouched by even the smallest grain of sand.

With a shrug, her partner stepped towards the large gate and rapped his knuckles against the solid wood; as expected from the thick beams, little sound escaped even as the swordsman twisted his face in a grimace and uttered strange words.

"Open sesame? Abracadabra? Knock knock?"

The words seemed as nonsensical to him as they did to her, judging by the distaste on his face as well as the lack of results. At her curiously arched eyebrow, Kirito shifted uncomfortably and shrugged in embarrassment. "It's...sort of a superstition that sometimes works, in my world," he explained awkwardly.

It clearly hadn't worked here, though, as the gate remained resolutely shut.

At least, that was what she had thought, until the gates slowly swung open and the portcullis raised with nary a sound. Kizmel glanced at her partner, who simply shrugged sheepishly. "Hey, I didn't expect it to work, either."

Keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, the pair slowly, carefully, walked through the massive gate that looked to be able to hold back even the most determined attackers. The inside of the gate house was as massive as the exterior had suggested, and they passed through a wall that must have been ten meters thick, made from the same smooth, carved white stone as the rest of the walls. As they exited the gatehouse and entered the city itself, the first thing Kizmel noticed was how quiet it was.

Not a soul was in sight, and the absolute silence that pervaded the air around them lent the place a subdued, almost reverent ambience. A look at her partner told her that Kirito would likely have preferred the word "creepy" instead, but to Kizmel, abandoned settlements were nothing new. The only strange thing was how absolutely perfect everything had been preserved, with not a stone out of place or a single sign of decay or destruction anywhere.

After a few minutes exploring the empty streets, Kizmel had come to the conclusion that perhaps her partner's assessment of "eerie" was more apt than she had initially thought. Ur was a large city, not as massive as some others she knew existed, due to its location on the forty-first floor, and definitely not as large as the Town of Beginnings, Kirito had asserted. But it was still massive in scale, if only from its architecture and fortifications.

She could see why General Neppukanessar believed he would be able to hold out here, but it brought up an entirely different problem for the two of them. How were they supposed to find anything in a city this large without a guide or people to ask?

"I do not suppose your Mystic Map has our destination conveniently marked out for us?" she asked, long since used to the strangeness of having the swordmasters magically know where their destinations were at times. It didn't happen always, but it occurred frequently enough that she was used to it. It did have a measure of convenience to it, she supposed.

"As a matter of fact..." Kirito cast the charm and frowned. "It doesn't. Would've been too easy, I guess."

"I suppose," she acknowledged as they looked around them. There were buildings aplenty, and she could tell what most of them were intended to be; but finding a library in a city like this would be...troublesome, at the very least. "However, we must hurry. The Ancient pursuing us will not be far behind."

"Yeah, I know."

"I would suggest we split up to cover more ground, but we have no way of contacting each other if we find anything," she added thoughtfully. It was times like these that she really envied the swordmasters for the sheer versatility of their Mystic Scribing charm. Their lack of pain and ability to fight on unhindered by injury or exhaustion was amazing, their ability to store many things with their charms were incredibly useful, but nothing really transcended their ability to communicate and locate each other over long distances without having to send a messenger.

Kirito nodded. "Right. I guess we just pick a direction and head towards it, then." He looked up at the city, brow furrowed in thought. "Hang on, I've got an idea."

He pointed at one of the tall spires nearby; it wasn't the highest building in the city, but it was high enough to offer a good view of their surroundings. "I bet we can get a good idea of where we are and where to start looking from up there."

Kizmel followed his gaze and nodded. It did indeed seem like a good idea. "If this library is as important as the General implied, it is likely located near the city's central plaza or palace, if there is such a thing."

"You're probably right. We find the palace, we find the library."

Of course, it was still not quite as easy as that; Lyusula, despite being a city that was not quite as large as Ur, had a palace complex that spanned a large swath of the city's inner core, containing barracks for the knight brigades, guardhouses, guest pavilions, temples, and, of course, the royal chambers themselves. Finding a library in an abandoned, empty palace tract would still be quite a task - but it was a start, at least.

Their trek to the spire, the purpose of which Kizmel couldn't decipher even as they climbed the spiral staircase all the way to its summit, was as eerie as their initial exploration of the city. Not a single living thing had appeared, not even animals. The sounds she usually associated with being in a bustling town were absent of course, but so were all other sounds. There were no insects chirping in the streets, no birds flocking overhead, and not even the rush of air or water as it passed between buildings or flowed through canals.

It was as if time had simply...stopped completely in Ur, and all life had vanished. There were traces of it left still, personal belongings, stalls with their colorful banners fluttering in the breeze, and she spotted a few items that must have belonged to children as they walked the streets and peered through open doors and windows. It was as though the entire populace had packed up their essentials and left in an orderly, disciplined manner with little chaos or furor, leaving behind only the traces of the people who had once called this city home.

And when they had gone, so apparently had the passage of time. Kizmel didn't know how long ago this place had been deserted, but it was in a state that suggested at any moment someone could walk out of the next house, or the crowing of vendors from the marketplace would start up again.

Upon reaching the top of the spire they found themselves stepping out onto a balcony that offered a spectacular view of the city below, and Kizmel felt her breath hitch. White marble buildings glittered in the light of the setting sun as far as the eye could see in all directions, offset by the occasional grey or silver-toned building, of a scale and splendor she had only read about and heard from in the stories of the times before the Great Separation, from a time when the elves had been at the peak of their power and influence in the old world.

Standing where she was, in one of the tallest buildings in the city, she could easily see how many of the buildings below reached towards the sky, and how many people must have once lived here. Rooflines glittered in copper and silver shingles, ornate metalwork shimmered in the dying light, and she could easily imagine that the old capital of the ancient elven kingdom had once looked somewhat like this.

Perhaps it was true, then, that Ur had been one of the relics of that time before Aincrad was formed, much like their legends had claimed of the Ruby Palace that lay all the way at the peak of the floating castle. She peered into the distance, caught up in the sight that laid itself out before her, until she spotted a glint of gold in the distance.

"Kirito," she called out, pointing her arm in the direction of the speck of light that was brighter than the others.

"I see it." Her partner squinted, his eyes taking on the green tinge of the search charm. "There's too much in the way, but it looks like it could be a palace or castle," he finally said. "If we hurry, we could make it in ten minutes or so."

"Then let us go. Time grows short, and we have to yet find shelter and a place to defend for the night."

The swordsman nodded in agreement as they began their descent. "I'm thinking maybe one of these towers. One way in, easy to defend, and if we're on the balcony we've got room enough to fight and bottleneck them."

"Agreed. Although I suspect that we may not have to worry about the Ancient emerging from the sands here, in the city." Kizmel glanced down at the pavement beneath her feet as they reached the streets once more. The roads were not cobbled stone, or made from interlocking paving stones. Instead, she found a rough-hewn slab that offered good grip for the soles of her shoes or the wheels of a cart, and the slab extended at least several meters; two of them side by side made up the width of the road.

"I do not think they will be able to push up from below through these," she said, tapping the slab they were standing on with her heel. "We may be safe from attack from that direction, at least."

"That's something, at least." Kirito shrugged by her side. "If we're lucky, they might not be able to get through the gate, either. There may be no defenders, but I can't think of an easy way to get in here if the gates are locked up tight, even with an army."

-------------------------------

The sun had dipped below the horizon of the forty-first floor by the time they arrived at their destination. True to their initial guess, it was a palace complex that lay sprawled out before them, the roofline edged in gold and walls carved from the same smooth, white marble as the rest of the city. A central, circular keep stood at the center, and buildings radiated outwards from it on roads like spokes from a wheel. Concentric paths circled the keep, connecting everything on the perimeter, and it was protected by its own set of defensive walls and towers.

Unlike the city's gates, however, the gates surrounding the palace were open, and the pair quickly found themselves looking around the courtyard. The palace compound was divided into three concentric areas, circled by a road around the perimeter of each, the outermost of which looked like it had once housed the palace garrison, with low, flat buildings that Kizmel surmised may have served as barracks and guard houses.

"Library, library..." Kirito muttered.

Kizmel glanced around, her eyes fixating on a large, five-story building in the second ring that rose above the smaller buildings of the outermost perimeter. "There," she said, pointing toward it. The dark elf couldn't explain why she felt drawn to it, and the only reasoning she had was that she felt it vaguely reminded her of the great library of Lyusula, with its large rectangular shape and its pitched cathedral-like roof so different than many of the more organically-shaped curved and rounded buildings around them to house rows upon rows of bookshelves and archives.

Her partner took in the building she was indicating and shrugged. "Good a place to start as any," he said as they set off. As they closed in with it she could begin to make out the stained glass windows as they reflected multi-colored light from the last vestiges of the sunset, but what was odd was that...

"The lights are on," Kirito remarked abruptly.

Now, as the night began to fall around them and darkness came creeping in, Kizmel realized that he was right. The windows she could see of the building were being lit from the inside, with flickering white and yellow warring as though candles and magic-stone lamps were being used. It was the first sign of life they had seen since entering Ur, and Kizmel felt anxiety and wariness as they approached.

"Do you think it is the explorers that Ammenon and General Neppukanessar spoke of?" she asked quietly as they arrived at the front stops of the building. Now that it was fully dark and they stood right before it, she could tell that while not all windows were lit up from the inside, a great many were. Certainly too many to account for a single person or even a small group. It was almost as if the building was in active use, but she could see no shadows hushing across the windows and passing by the light.

"Don't think so," Kirito replied curtly, staring intently up at some of the windows. "But at least we're in the right place. That's the Imperial Library of Ur, all right."

Her companion pointed out the elegantly carved reliefs in the marble columns that held up the entryway, but what really shocked Kizmel was that it was in the arcane script she had seen the swordmasters use in their Mystic Scribing charm.

Upon noticing her inquisitive look, Kirito nodded. "Yeah, that says it's the royal library. I have no idea what's going on inside, but there's only one way to find out, I guess."

He pushed the large doors open, allowing the light from inside to spill out towards them. Kizmel's eyes widened as they stepped across the threshold at the sight of dozens, if not hundreds of rows of neatly arrayed bookshelves that ran the entire length of the building in sections, with reading corners, tables, and alcoves dotting the space between shelves. It reminded her less of a place of scholars and studies and more of her home at the outskirts of Lyusula, as though she would find a crackling fireplace and a comfortable rug to curl up on around the nearest corner.

But what really caught her attention were the translucent figures sitting around the tables and spread across the room, some of them pulling books from shelves while others were seated and deeply engrossed in the tomes laid out across the tables before them. Candles and magic-stone lamps lit the room, mounted on the walls and stood on tables, and were the source of the light they had seen from the outside. Strangely enough, it looked much like a regular day in a library, discounting the fact that she could see through every single patron.

Are those...ghosts? Spirits?

"Man, I'm glad Asuna isn't here right now," she heard Kirito mumble from beside her. "She'd totally be freaking out."

Despite their situation, Kizmel couldn't suppress a chortle of amusement; she had never had the pleasure of seeing her brunette friend "freak out," as her partner put it, at the sight of a ghost, but she had heard the story he'd told of the duo's first encounter with spectral enemies on the sixth floor. However, unlike that particular encounter, she didn't think these particular ghosts were hostile to them, something that was confirmed when Kirito's eyes wandered over the host of spectres before relaxing his stance and returning his blade to its scabbard across his back.

One of the spectres rose from its place and approached them. Her garb was as ancient as the city around them, elegant robes trimmed in what had once been a rich color and detailed embroidery. She walked as though among the living, though if Kizmel looked carefully, she could tell that none of her strides ever touched the floor beneath.

"Welcome, travelers, to the Imperial Library of Ur. Those who seek knowledge and wisdom are always welcome within these hallowed halls, but those that seek to further their own gain, to seek power without limit, beware of the secrets hidden in these tomes."

Her voice was smooth and silken, as refined as her dress as she adjusted the glasses sitting upon the bridge of her nose. "What brings you here, travelers?"

Kirito seemed to have noticed something on the ethereal pages of Mystic Scribing, for her partner reached into the folds of the charm and withdrew the small chest that held the Dreypa Talisman. "This was recovered by a human army on this floor," he began. "They were attacked and asked us to bring it here, to find out more about it. We need to find a way to destroy it."

The ghost of the librarian tilted her head curiously as she looked at the ornate container. "The Dreypa Talisman. It is indeed a powerful and ancient relic. We long believed it lost on the surface, but now that it is here..." she turned abruptly. "Follow me. Time is of the essence."

She led them through rows upon rows of books, past ghosts who were dedicated to their studies and quest for knowledge even in the afterlife it seemed, until they arrived in a quiet section of the third floor of the library. "There are no tomes on the creation of the Dreypa Talisman; no one knows how they came to be. However, there might be something you will find of use here on its sister Talismans."

The librarian gestured around them, and a section of the shelves began to glow. "Now, I must leave you, for I have my own preparations to make."

"Wait!" Kizmel called out before the ghostly woman could disappear. When she paused, the dark elf continued. "Are there...are there any records here of the ancient elves? Of my people, from before the Great Separation?"

Head tilted in consideration, the translucent librarian turned once more, then nodded sharply. "There are. If this library stands by the time the Dreypa Talisman and the Ancient are dealt with, I will show you, Lady Elf."

The disappeared through the floor before Kizmel could say anything else. At least she confirmed that I may learn something of our origins here, the knight consoled herself, before reigning in her own curiosity. As the custodian of the library had said, they had enemies on the way and a potentially dangerous magical artifact in their possession. Anything that wasn't immediately related to dealing with those could wait until their situation had been resolved.

"Well...that's going to take a while," she heard Kirito say and looked over at her partner.

When he saw her curious look, the swordsman gestured at the floor-to-ceiling spanning bookshelf that was nearly five meters wide, and likely six meters tall. The sheer number of books in this single section of the library filled Kizmel with equal parts apprehension and excitement.

"Perhaps not," Kizmel countered, reaching out to pull one particular tome from the shelf. "Annals of the Forsaken," she read its title, but what had caught her attention hadn't been the gold lettering, but rather, the image on its spine, that was replicated on its leather-bound cover.

The image of a golden scarab.

-------------------------------

Despite Kirito's initial fears, skimming through the tome hadn't taken as much time as the black-clad swordsman had expected; though Kizmel resolved to take some time after they had dealt with the situation at hand to give the book the attention it deserved as it held references to the ancient elves as well. They had discovered that, true to its title, it had been a history of the old war, but what had been chilling to find out was that the Dreypa Talisman hadn't been the only one of its kind.

"This...this is saying there's two more of them?" Kirito blinked in shock. "W...wait. The...the Syn Talisman? And the...Muur Talisman?"

"So it would appear," Kizmel concurred. "It coincides with what General Neppukanessar mentioned, of it being one of three relics."

The swordsman's brow furrowed in thought. "Muur Talisman...I've heard that name somewhere before."

"One of the human legends from before the Great Separation, perhaps?" Kizmel pondered. It had to be something her partner had come across in Aincrad, unless the swordmasters had somehow had knowledge of even this through the magic that had allowed them to recreate Aincrad for the beta test.

"No, no, I didn't hear it in relation to Aincrad," Kirito shook his head. "It's...wait. Go back a couple of pages, to the kingdoms first struck by the demons."

She obediently shuffled through the pages, before turning the book over and sliding it to him. Kirito peered intently at the parchment, his finger sliding over the names written in the arcane script as he muttered to himself. "It was first encountered in the Siege of Taris," he read. "According to this, it caused demons to rise from beneath the ground and attack the human kingdom of Taris. They called them ghouls, because they weren't like the zombies and skeletons and vampires they had seen. Actually, it sounds less like they are like the undead, because they never died in the first place. They just became...demonically corrupted, I guess, and really tough to kill."

"That sounds...familiar."

Kirito nodded, frowning. "And the other two, the Syn Talisman, and the Muur Talisman. The Muur Talisman apparently traps the soul of the victim in an endless cycle of torture inside its own body, so when coupled with the Dreypa Talisman, it creates thinking, vicious, functionally immortal berserkers with no morals and inhibitions."

"That sounds very familiar indeed." Kizmel peered over his shoulder as she skimmed through the text. "If those two combined created the Ancient Forsaken, nigh-immortal warriors with their intellect and skills intact, then what of the third?"

"That's where it gets interesting," her partner hummed as he flipped through the pages, his finger stuck into the book as a marker. "The third supposedly is here, in Ur. Here, check this out."

He found the section he had been looking for and moved over a little so she could read. "The original purpose of the Syn Talisman is unknown, though as a sister to the Dreypa and Muur Talismans it is likely intended to be equally sinister. Captured by heroes wielding the battle-magicks of the Order of the Radiant Heart before its creation could be completed, the mystical connection of the Syn Talisman to its brethren was used to seal their powers in a ritual that cost the lives of hundreds of sacrificial priests and mages. Its capture and purification would ultimately lead to the end of the war with the Fallen, and the imprisonment of the Forsaken High Priestess, whose final resting place is in the sealed catacombs beneath Ur, guarded by the remnants of the Order of the Radiant Heart and the power of the Syn Talisman, channeled into a magical seal by the most powerful mages of the time from all three races."

That doesn't sound ominous at all, Kizmel thought sarcastically as she considered the meaning of the passage she had read. There was further information on the battles that had been fought to acquire it, as well as a list of names of those who had distinguished themselves, but that had little bearing on their current state of crisis.

"Why Ur, though?" she wondered aloud. "This seems to imply there was a reason that Ur was chosen to emtomb the remnants of their ancient foe. There must have been a reason."

"What worries me more is the implication that there's still some left," Kirito responded dryly. "If that's the same group as the ones that attacked Alashyia and Tayma - and I think they are, considering they were after the Dreypa Talisman - then whatever's left of them here is probably..."

A rumble shook the building, and Kizmel's eyes snapped open in alarm as the earth beneath them began to sway. "What is going on?" she asked, hurriedly reaching for her weapons.

"I have no idea, but I don't think it's good," her partner replied, his own sword already in hand. They rushed down the stairs to find the ghosts who had been peacefully occupying the library in agitation, although they seemed content for the most part to continue their readings. The only one to act upon their anxiety was the library's custodian, who came striding up to them as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"You must hurry! The presence of the Dreypa Talisman is resonating with the Syn Talisman beneath the Citadel! The seal is beginning to unravel!"

"Can we destroy the Dreypa Talisman? Or strengthen the seal in some way?" The ghostly visage turned to Kizmel upon her question, and shook her head.

"The Talismans cannot be destroyed, not by any means we have found, only purified. We had hoped that the others were lost on the surface when the ground was torn asunder and Ur was lifted into the sky, but it looks like our hopes have been for naught. Our only hope now is to purify the Dreypa Talisman, or to defeat the Forsaken Priests while they are still weakened from their long slumber."

"Okay..." Kirito began slowly. "Who are these Forsaken Priests, and where are they?"

The librarian looked between the two of them, a resigned expression on her ghostly, translucent face. "They are the worshippers of the Cataclysm. They seek eternal life and power through draining the life-force of others. They take from the ether with no regard for balance and order. The High Priestess is entombed in the Citadel below, along with two of her most trusted acolytes." She paused as another shudder went through the building. "They are powerful indeed, and we do not know if they retain their ancient magicks. I can show you to the entrance to the Citadel, but the two of you alone may not be enough to stop them."

"And if we wait for reinforcements?" Kizmel asked. "General Neppukanessar and his troops should be here by morning."

"There is little time, every moment the seal weakens is a moment that they regain their strength. We have until sunrise at most until they fully awaken, less if the Talismans come in closer proximity."

She looked over at her partner. "What if we asked for help from the other swordmasters? The Knights of Blood, or the Divine Dragons? They could reach this place in a matter of hours, before midnight, even."

"Asuna might be able to bring some-" the swordsman cut off abruptly as a horn blew through the air, shattering the silence that had been so pervasive the entire time they had been in Ur.

Both of them rushed out of the library in alarm. "It may be too late," the librarian said, hovering beside them. "The city is under attack by the Forsaken. We cannot hold the outer gates for long. Soon, they will lay siege to the Citadel itself."

"How is this possible?" Kizmel stared out into the night, as though she could catch sight of their attackers. "They cannot scale the walls, and they cannot burrow through the ground. They have no siege machines to destroy the walls. And who is defending the city? Who sounded the alarm?"

The spirit looked at her intently for a moment. "Just because they cannot destroy the walls, does not mean they cannot destroy the gates."

That thought brought Kizmel up sharply. The thought of the monstrous strength that would be required to break through the massive ironclad gates defied description, but if the librarian thought it was possible...

"We can only delay them for so long," the spirit continued.

"...we?" Kirito asked hesitantly.

Instead of responding, the librarian merely pointed towards the palace compound gates, where a white mist was swirling into being, seeping up from the ground until it coalesced into a white, foggy maelstrom in the entry. Braziers around the perimeter of the inner wall lit up with magical flame, casting their orange-white light across the courtyard.

Out of the swirling fog stepped a soldier, followed by another, and another, until an entire company, a hundred strong, stood before them. Ancient armor gleamed in the flickering light as they assembled into formation, glinting off the tips of their spears and the rims of their shields. Kizmel couldn't see their faces in the dark, hidden underneath their helmets as they were, but she was filled with awe at the sight of the troops that must have heralded from a time before the Great Separation. Their standard bearer moved to stand in front, holding aloft a flag bearing a glowing white palm print as its sigil, and as one, they marched off to man the walls.

"Who are they?" the dark elf asked, voice low and awed.

The librarian smiled with an equal mixture of fondness and sorrow as she watched the men go off to battle. "They are the Sleepless Watch, a company of men left behind when this city was abandoned. As we guard this library of knowledge, they guard the city from all threats. They will hold out against their old foe as long as they are able."

"How are they still alive? That must have been a hundred years ago!"

"Eight-hundred and seventy-six years, to be precise," the library's custodian replied gently. "The capital city of Ur was abandoned only a few decades after the creation of Aincrad. The chief mages and magistrates feared that with the loss of our connection to magic the seal would weaken and falter. Its citizens were warned that they would have to leave and settle somewhere else, to begin anew."

"Alashyia..."

The ghost nodded at Kirito's assessment. "Correct. Thankfully, the seal has held until now, though the presence of another Talisman is putting it in grave danger."

"Can we destroy it somehow? What if we throw it over the edge of Aincrad?" the swordsman asked.

Shaking her head, the spectral woman turned her gaze back to the citadel. "It is too late. The proximity of its sister has awakened the ancient magic, and the seal is crumbling. And with no wellspring of magic to call upon, renewing or strengthening the seal is impossible. The only chance we have is to purify the talisman within the wellspring of the Citadel using its sister, but that can only happen after the seal is broken. The longer it remains here, the stronger they will become. You will have to make haste to defeat those entombed in the Citadel before they regain their full strength. I pray that the two of you will be enough."

Another tremor shook the ground, and Kizmel wondered if it could be felt all the way to Alashyia...or even all the way across the rest of Aincrad. The ghostly librarian looked up at the sky. "The gate has fallen. Ur has been breached. The enemy will be upon us soon."

"How did they-" her partner's words were cut off when a rumbling screech echoed through the night. Dark shapes flew overhead, and the light from the braziers illuminated reddish-brown scales and leathery skin, sharp claws and gleaming fangs set beneath greedy, hungry yellow eyes.

One of the shapes grew rapidly in size until with a heavy thump, it landed in the courtyard, its beady eyes swiveling as it shifted its long neck and tucked its wings to its sides. Dragons...that is how they got past or through the city gate, Kizmel thought bitterly; they hadn't fully explored the floor yet, so there was a possibility that there was a dragon's nest somewhere beyond the Great River. Next to her, Kirito moaned in despair.

"Wyverns? Why are there wyverns?"

The drake that had landed before them bellowed as its rider dismounted. With a slow, measured gait, he closed with them, until Kizmel could see that it was a tall, lithe figure with flowing midnight-black hair that reached her mid-back. Rings of polished bronze encircled her torso and large pauldrons covered her shoulders. An armored skirt reached down to mid-knee, plated in the same shiny bronze, and the same large, sickle-like sword that Gil-Gamor had used hung from her waist.

"An elf," she intoned lowly, with a throaty purr that would have sounded seductive rather than threatening, had it not been for the wyvern baring its fangs over her shoulder. "And a human. How fitting. All we are missing now is a dwarf."

Kirito was right, these are not undead. Perhaps it is more apt to call them demons, allied and corrupted with ancient magicks, the dark elf thought to herself. As their opponent stepped closer into the light, she realized that the woman had once been an elf, as well; as though the traditional sickle-sword hadn't been enough of a giveaway, the elongated ears and delicate features more than reinforced that conclusion, marred only by a hungry look in her blood-red eyes and the arcane sigil tattooed across the right side of her pale face in dark red ink.

"What do you want?" her partner asked, the rasp of his blade leaving its sheath lost in the tremors around them as fire and noise erupted from the palace walls.

Kizmel chanced a look past the ancient woman, only to see the white-gleaming armor of the Sleepless Watch locked in battle with the red-gold bronze armor of the Ancient. And while they numbered about the same, the Sleepless Watch were merely human, whereas their foes had strength, speed, and endurance on par with even the swordmasters. She watched helplessly as a number of them were cut down before the furious charge of the Ancient, their shapes distorted and hidden in the darkness.

To their credit, the remainder of the men closed ranks and held their ground, for as little good as that action did them. At this rate, they will be upon us in minutes. We must get to the Citadel, else we have little chance of holding out against an attack of this scale...

As she watched the human company fight on even as three more wyverns began diving down from the sky, talons and maws reaching out to find their victims, the impossible happened. The corpses of those from the Sleepless Watch who had fallen had not disappeared into motes of light as was customary in the world of Aincrad; instead, they had remained on the ground where they had been slain.

The ghostly librarian closed her eyes and muttered something under her breath that Kizmel had no hope of hearing, and the bodies of the dead began glowing with the same white light as the fog that had brought them here from wherever they had been awaiting their duty. Slowly, first one, then a handful at a time, they began to rise again, their wounds, grievous as they were, mending slowly. Even with gaping holes and cruel gashes in their bodies, the men stood once more, weapons in hand, and reformed their lines.

The Ancient Elf before them sneered in disgust. "Astoshan's handiwork, no doubt. I should have expected this."

"What...what's going on?" her partner echoed Kizmel's own confusion and amazement.

The spectral custodian spun to look over the desperate battle for the walls with a pensive, regretful gaze as she replied. "The Sleepless Watch is a company of volunteers that chose to remain behind when Ur was abandoned. We had an inkling that the time might come when they would be needed; to help destroy the Syn Talisman and those entombed beneath the Citadel, or to help defend it from those who would wake the Forsaken. And so, a hundred men volunteered to sacrifice their souls so that they may be bound to these immortal bodies, and stand eternal guard over the Citadel of Ur."

"You merely delay the inevitable. The seal weakens as we speak, and with the power of the Dreypa Talisman our numbers will be endless." The ancient elf shifted her gaze to Kirito, her lips curving into a smile. "You are free to partake in our spoils as well, human. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Kirito," the swordsman supplied cautiously.

"Ki-ri-to..." the woman rolled the syllables across her tongue slowly. "Unlike the elves whose heritage we disown, we care little if you have elven blood flowing through your veins, or how pure and ancient your bloodline is. Cast off the shackles that bind you to this mortal world. I can give you eternal life. You would not age...your wounds would heal...and death...would never touch you. The spoils and riches of our conquest could be yours to share in, Kirito."

Kizmel bristled at the way the Ancient's hand cupped her partner's cheek, and the way she whispered into his ear; a part of herself felt the urge to draw her blade and strike the woman down where she stood. Red-hot rage flooded through the dark elf as she watched the other woman's tongue nip at Kirito's ear as she withdrew, a satisfied smirk on her face.

"How about it, swordmaster? All you have to do...is hand the Talisman to me."

For a moment the swordsman stood still, and all Kizmel could hear was the beating of her own heart as her eyes ran over her companion's still form. The black-clad human looked up impassively, tightening his grip on the handle of his sword as he replied.

"Sorry, but that's not happening."

"A pity. You would have made a fine addition to our ranks." With that, the Ancient drew her blade and the drake behind her reared upon its hind legs and prepared to pounce.

-------------------------------

Wyverns, was the thought Kirito had as the fight started, even as part of him wondered what would have happened had he accepted the Ancient's request. He shoved thoughts of branching storylines and divergent quests to the back of his mind as the small dragon in front of them opened its mouth. Those were the thoughts of the gamer and completionist, a part of himself that even the deadliness that accompanied every day in Sword Art Online had not completely stamped out.

"Fall back! Breath attack!" he shouted at his partner who responded instantly and leapt backwards, barely avoiding being nicked by the burning flames. I hate dragons. It had started with an encounter on the twelfth floor, followed by different kinds of wyrms, wyverns, and one particularly nasty dracolich that neither himself nor Asuna were likely to forget anytime soon. They were big, they were tough, they had claws and fangs, and generally some kind of breath attack and could fly. And if they were of the undead variety, they just kept coming back. Repeatedly.

Long story short, anytime he ran across a dragon anything, it meant all-out war.

Any thoughts of the elf the system had designated [Ilaniya, The Acolyte] being any easier to deal with went out the window when the NPC marker went from yellow to deep, dark, blackish-red and four HP bars appeared next to her name. A mid-boss? Here?

Bringing his sword around and launching into the activation motion for a Slant hurled his glowing blade into the path of an incoming vicious Vertical, the two weapons sparking as they connected and the sword skills discharged into each other with a flare of light and a gust of wind that blew them apart.

"You are skilled...for a human," Ilaniya commented idly, her blade flashing through the air.

Kirito grit his teeth and answered each of her sword skills with one of his own, unwilling to take the chance that he'd be able to deflect one without the added power of the system assist to find an opening. From the corner of his eye he caught his partner somersaulting high over the wyvern's second firebreath, launching into a mid-air Treble Scythe that caught the drake across the top of its head and back.

It reared back in pain and anger, bucking and catching Kizmel with the spines on its back as she was tossed away. That was all he managed to see before his attention was wrenched back to his own opponent as she came in low and fast with a Reaver, followed almost immediately with an Uppercut that had him hastily backing away. The glowing blade passed centimeters from his chest on its way up, and Kirito slung his own sword over his shoulder, readying another Slant.

His sword intercepted the Vertical with another crash of light and burst of air. She has almost no post-motion delay, he realized grimly as his opponent continued chaining sword skills one after the other, something he had thought pretty much impossible given the mechanics of SAO's combat system.

Another high-speed exchange with the corrupted elf left him with a pair of glowing slashes across his torso from a Treble Scythe even his superb reflexes couldn't entirely defend against, and a quarter of his HP drained. I can't keep this up for very long. If she had a normal skill delay I could, but this is insane. It's there, but it's incredibly short, and I have to keep countering with weaker skills just to keep up.

Ilaniya charged forward again, this time with a Fell Crescent that left him little time to respond, and he reflexively launched himself into a Sonic Leap, the familiar blue light of his own charge meeting the orange light of the elf's. A tremor ran up his arm at the impact as the two weapons clashed, and his mind raced to come up with options. There was no opening for him to seize the initiative and go on the attack, not with the way she kept running the gamut of sword skills without pause, and he didn't feel particularly inclined to find out if he could parry the sword skill from a boss with sheer momentum and without the system assist. Besides, even if he could intercept them, they were likely still powerful enough he'd take some bleedthrough damage. No, the only way to be completely safe from attrition was to fight like with like.

She doesn't fight like the other Ancients we fought, she's actually using sword skills. Kirito leapt backwards, barely avoiding a glowing blue arc as the elf's blade narrowly passed by his chest, but the uncontrolled tumble he'd sent himself into had landed him in a crouch. Before he could get back to his feet, Ilaniya was already moving towards him, sword at her side and almost dragging on the ground with its tip pointed behind her.

Another Fell Crescent? Another counter, but this time he was ready for the follow-up, intercepting the Horizontal with a Slant. Kizmel's HP bar blinked angrily in the corner of his vision as his partner took a substantial hit, but he forced down the worry for her to focus on the fight at hand. I'm no good to Kizmel dead.

They continued circling each other, for every step he took backwards, Ilaniya took another towards him, always maintaining the same distance. Another Reaver opening was followed by an Uppercut that led into a Vertical.

Wait.

His virtual body responded almost on its own to parry the same three sword skills once again as he slowly adjusted to the rhythm of their battle. The motion of his opponent's blade was almost mesmerizing, the way it flowed from one skill to the next, with almost no break or disconnect between them as he watched it, tensing to prepare a counter at the most minute of tells.

Her activation motion is directly linked to the finish from the previous sword skill, he realized with a start. Ilaniya's attacks were harder for him to read because it was almost impossible to distinguish where one attack ended and the next began. It negated the need for the fluid swordsmanship he'd seen from other Ancients so far, and it hit harder to boot.

But as hard as it made it to read her attacks...it also limits which sword skills she can launch next. That's why she's sticking to the same rotation.

A plan slowly began forming in his mind as he backed away again, jumping backwards to build some distance between them. The monster and boss AI in SAO is good, but it's not perfect, and still relatively basic. I think Kizmel so far has been the most adaptable NPC I've ever seen. And if I'm right and she's like any other boss, she's got to have a rotation I can exploit.

Ilaniya charged after him with a Fell Crescent once again, but instead of meeting the sword skill with one of his own, he jumped backwards again, careful to stay outside of the charging skill's four-meter range, before ducking low and launching an upwards slash of his own.

The Uppercut caught her before she could start her next attack, trailing a glowing red damage mark across her torso, but to his disappointment the first health bar moved only the smallest of fractions. Kirito backed up again and caught his breath. Okay, so she has a predictable rotation, that's good to know. That'll let me get some hits in. Still, she's tanky enough that this is going to take forever by myself. If she's some kind of hidden raid boss or field boss, we're in trouble.

The ever-tightening circle of Ancient and Sleepless Watch soldiers around them wasn't particularly helping his focus any, either. The more he thought about it in between trying to avoid Ilaniya's repeated attacks, the more he came to the conclusion that this was, in fact, a raid zone. There's no way this isn't. One or two parties would be needed to hold back the Ancient alone, even with the Sleepless Watch helping, then two or three parties for the wyvern and the boss, each.

Something bumped into his back, and he glanced over his shoulder, realizing that it was Kizmel. Somehow, over the course of their two separate fights, they had ended up back to back, trapped between the wyvern on one side and Ilaniya on the other.

"This wyvern...truly is a most troublesome opponent," his partner huffed tiredly. "Would you care to trade foes?"

"Mine hasn't exactly been a cakewalk, either, but sure," Kirito replied evenly as they spun around. His sword came up in his hand and he spun it rapidly, letting the system assist take over once it had reached sufficient speed. The Spinning Shield came up in time to deflect the wyvern's firebreath around the pair of them, and as the flames receded the swordsman took a moment to focus on the dragon-type monster before him.

Unlike their elven boss, the creature identified by the system as [Ulgoth, the Corrupted Drake] only had three HP gauges, the first of which had already been half-drained, a testament to how offensively Kizmel had been fighting; but his dark elven partner had paid the price for that as her own life bar was down to just under half and solidly in the yellow. Even swapping opponents would only buy them a little bit of time.

"Kizmel," he uttered quietly over his shoulder, stilling her before she could leap to engage. "Maybe we should retreat. I don't think we can take them by just ourselves."

His partner's response was preempted by Ilaniya leaping forward again with a Reaver, and in concert with it the wyvern swiped at him with a clawed leg, forcing him into a hasty parry. As a monster that didn't classify as demi-human or even humanoid, Ulgoth didn't have a lot of attack skills to use, which made fighting the wyvern somewhat easier; on the other hand, it also had a monstrous strength stat befitting its size, which meant parrying or guarding against any of its regular attacks without the system assist or a good deal of armor was a bad idea.

Its sheer size also meant that while easy to hit, it has an absolutely massive strike radius, and no single leap would be able to carry him out of it and to safety if he missed his chance at defending against an attack. Likewise, its attack speed was not governed by cooldowns or post-motion delays the way Ilaniya's was. It made it both an easier and more difficult opponent to fight, but maybe Kizmel had had the right idea in switching opponents.

Kirito felt significantly more at ease with a target this massive, whose attacks were telegraphed far enough he could see them coming from the other side of the courtyard, and he had the speed and reflexes to avoid them while counterattacking. Meanwhile, Kizmel's shield should offer her some protection against the constant barrage of sword skills from Ilaniya...I hope.

A Rage Spike immediately closed the gap between the swordsman and wyvern, and the short post-motion freeze let up quickly enough that Kirito managed to slide around one of the dragon-type's tree-trunk like legs. It spun, trying to find him and reach him, but by staying right underneath it he managed to avoid the worst of its attacks while landing a handful of sword skills of his own.

A quick glance into the corner of his vision had him let out a sigh of relief when he noticed Kizmel's HP hadn't dropped much since she had started her bout with the Ancient Elf, and while Ilaniya's HP bars had barely shifted as well, Ulgoth's first bar was about to dip into the red. Still, Kizmel, despite her stout defense, was taking bleed-through damage. It meant that even with the dark elf's shield, Ilaniya's attack was high enough that a fraction of the damage went through the block regardless. The only way to really avoid taking that kind of attrition was to cancel out or avoid her sword skills entirely.

We definitely can't keep this up forever. Eventually, that kind of attrition is going to be the end of us. If only we could focus on them one at a time, or switch out...

Most bosses, especially field and floor bosses, in Sword Art Online adhered to the general principle of cycling their attack patterns when they hit different HP thresholds; usually they drastically changed upon entering the last third or quarter of their life bar, when it turned red to signify it had taken critical damage. Some few were on a timer, though that had only occurred twice during the forty floors that had been cleared. It was why they went to great lengths to scout out the attack patterns, weapons, and equipment of the bosses before launching the raid, if only to ensure that no change of tactics would catch them unaware during the fight. No one wanted a repeat of what had happened on the first floor. Or the twenty-fifth.

But despite everything, there's one mechanic we haven't seen yet...an enrage timer, Kirito realized with a grimace. If this is a DPS check, and we're on a time limit before they go nuts and get some crazy buffs, we're screwed. If they get some defensive buffs, we might be able to skate by until it wears off, but if they gain attack buffs, it's gonna be bad. Ilaniya already hits hard enough, any harder and we'd be looking at possibly even a whole party wipe.

Considering the deadly nature of SAO, a lot of players had speculated that Kayaba had chosen to leave this particular mechanic out, since it involved a fair amount of trial and error - after all, if a group didn't have the prerequisite damage output to deal with a boss on the first try, they could only either retreat...or die.

That would've been contrary to whatever point Akihiko Kayaba had been trying to make with the game, many had supposed. The game was deadly, but if he wanted them dead by unfair game mechanics, then there would have been a hundred other places to do so. Every boss fight in the open field always had the option of escape, and even the floor boss battles in labyrinths never locked the doors, so even if teleport crystals weren't an option, as long as the escape route was clear, escaping on foot was feasible if dangerous.

Still, taking on a boss without a full party at his back wasn't something he was particularly eager to do, especially if he had no idea what it was going to do later in the fight. But he was confident in the fact that even if they couldn't defeat them, they could find an opening to break off combat and get away long enough to use a teleport crystal. It would likely fail the quest, and considering Aincrad's nature he didn't know if there would be further consequences for the floor boss or the rest of the floor, but it was better than dying senselessly to a pair of bosses they had no business fighting by themselves.

Kirito was about to reach for a teleport crystal and shout for Kizmel to do the same when two things happened at once. He mis-timed a dodge when Ulgoth's attack pattern abruptly changed and his rotation switched from ranged-type attacks to close combat, and the swipe from the wyvern's thick tail caught him square in the chest. The swordsman watched as his HP plummeted a good ten percent even with his last-minute guard up as he went sprawling backwards.

The second thing that happened was the line of the Sleepless Watch around them collapsing entirely under the pressure of the Ancient and the remaining wyverns; even the immortal soldiers couldn't stem the tide of claws and steel that threw itself at them. It would only take another minute before they were completely surrounded by at least two dozen enemies they had no hope of fending off at once, trash mobs or not.

"Kizmel!" he shouted out desperately. "Teleport crystal!"

His dark elven companion disengaged with an elegant flourish and dashed back towards him, crystal in hand. Receiving a nod in response to his unspoken question, they raised the blue, fist-sized stones in unison. "Teleport, Alashiya!"

When nothing happened, Kirito's stomach sank. An anti-crystal zone? Here, in the field? His mind raced, trying to find an opening in the net of mobs and NPCs that was slowly closing in around them. The swordsman rose, back to back with Kizmel as they slowly surveyed their situation. Ilaniya and Ulgoth had regrouped and were slowly approaching from one side, while on the other the numbers of the Ancient were only kept in check by the slowly thinning line of Sleepless Watch.

"It does not appear like escape is an option, my friend," the dark elf's voice sounded tight and ragged, and a glance at her health bar told Kirito that even with the protection of her shield, his fears had been correct. Even just blocking Ilaniya's attacks caused enough bleedthrough damage that Kizmel's health was rapidly approaching the red. It recovered slightly as she used the brief lull to down a healing potion, but their situation wasn't really sustainable in the long run. His own HP was already in the yellow, and inching perilously close to that red zone, as well.

As in, the next five minutes or so, he thought grimly. Maybe we can cut through the palace and get out the back, get out of the anti-crystal zone. "We'll just have to fight our way out of this, then," he said with a bravado he didn't feel.

It must've been obvious to his partner as she glanced over her shoulder, an unreadable expression in her eyes. "Kirito," she said quietly. "I can draw their attention upon myself for a few seconds. If you can escape in the opening-"

"No." The swordsman shook his head vehemently. "You are not doing this, Kizmel. I'm not leaving you behind."

"You are needed with the rest of your people," his dark elven companion insisted. "The swordmasters need your strength if you are to return home and defeat the sorcerer Kayaba. If I can help ensure you live to fight another day-"

"No," Kirito growled angrily. "Both of us are getting out of here. Together." Or none of us. But at least we're doing that together, too, he added silently to himself. He had lost enough people to SAO, he wasn't adding his best friend in this world to that tally as well, not if he could help it. And there was no way he was leaving her to fight these losing odds by herself regardless. But Kizmel didn't need to know that he would fight any battle, take on any odds, for the few friends he had made in Aincrad. Now he only needed a brilliant plan to-

"Team A, forward!"

"Ora! Ora ora ora!"

"Divine Dragons, charge!"

"Aiiiight, we're going iiiiin!"

A dozen voices shouted loudly over the din of combat, mixing in their battlecries as the solid-looking wall of Ancient buckled, before collapsing entirely under the onslaught of a freight-train of players, a handful of familiar figures leading the charge. The entire courtyard lit up with the glow of sword skills and counters as Ancient fell in droves under the surprise attack.

A familiar white comet lit up the night, crashing through the lines of NPCs and mobs, shattering three of them in a single attack. White cloth settled around a crouched figure with long auburn hair, and worried eyes swept over their ragged appearance. Hazel eyes flicked above their heads to check their HP bars.

"Asuna?" Kirito nearly coughed out the fencer's name as all around them more sword skills erupted, entire parties leaping into the fray. Tanks wielding shields and blades slammed into enemy ranks, only to pull back and have players with massive two-handed weapons spring past them to deal with the disoriented and disorganized mobs. Ancient shattered into azure light where they stood without a chance to recover as the Sleepless Watch rose once more, flooding into the gaps that the wild charge had created.

"Kirito-kun, Kizmel-chan, are you two all right?"

It took the swordsman a moment before he could make sense of the massive brawl that had suddenly erupted all around them even as he watched a tank group from the DDA shuffle in to pull aggro from Ulgoth, while another party he recognized as the Legend Braves moved in on the other side to do the same thing with Ilaniya.

"We're all right, Asuna," Kizmel replied before he could fully gather his bearings, the dark elf's stance and expression one of relief. "How did you know we needed help?"

The fencer tilted her head behind her with a wry smile on her face as she let out a breath of relief, and Kirito glanced over to see Argo emerging from the darkness, her claws gleaming dangerously as she dashed through the melee, barking information at the party leaders. "Always leave it to you to find trouble. You're so unreliable, Kirito-kun," Asuna half-teased.

Yeah, no kidding, Kirito thought to himself, shoving everything aside to switch into raid mode. "Be careful. The girl - Ilaniya - she has a massive cooldown reduction on her sword skills, and she hits hard enough for damage to bleed through a block. Get tanks on her and rotate them frequently, and have DPS hit her from behind."

"And the dragon?"

"That one's pretty straightforward," the swordsman answered. "Firebreath, tail, claws, and bite. Stay close and evade the tail, and you're fine for the most part."

The fencer nodded and threw a look over her shoulder. "KoB Team B, on me! We're taking the elf! Lind, I leave the dragon to you! You two, recover for now." Asuna ordered before leaping into the fray to relieve the harried Legend Braves without sparing a look back to see if her fellow Knights of Blood were following her orders.

"Understood. Hafner, take your group and pull aggro! Shivata, burn it!" On the other side of the battlefield, Lind was marshalling his own troops as the two parties assaulted Ulgoth after leaving a considerable hole in the line of the Ancient that was being quickly filled by the Sleepless Watch and remaining players.

As the furious melee around them left the pair in the eye of the storm for a moment, Kirito finally took the chance to catch his breath and look around as the five parties stormed into the fight. To his relief, the Ancient that were attacking them here were nowhere near the level of the five they had fought in Tayma and fought in a more regular manner like the other demi-human monsters in Aincrad, with sword skills. Those had been elite-type mobs with a dark red cursor much like the ones that could be found scattered in the fields surrounded by regular mobs, or even in low numbers guarding a dungeon boss.

In contrast, the cursors of most of the Ancient here were a reasonable yellow-orange color, and the only challenge seemed to come from adjusting the tactics necessary to fight them, at least judging by the ease with which Asuna and the others were cutting through them. That just left the two bosses as the main challenge. He gulped down a healing potion of his own before turning to Kizmel. "Come on, let's go help them."

But the eyes of his dark elven companion were fixed at something in the distance, as a shimmering light began appearing from the Citadel beyond the courtyard. He followed her gaze, locking onto the massive domed fortress.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," the swordsman muttered.

"The seal," Kizmel reminded him. "The librarian said we needed to hurry, else the High Priestess would awaken."

Kirito took a look at the fighting around them. Asuna's party was holding down Ilaniya well enough; having even just a second person there made a world of difference when one was constantly forced on the defensive, and Lind and his group were making short work of Ulgoth the wyvern. "Yeah. But we'll stand a better chance if we go together. Even if she's a little stronger if we take a few more minutes, we'll have everyone else to back us up, instead of just the two of us. If we can mop these guys up and have the entire group come with us-"

Anything further he would have said was cut off abruptly as another tremor shook the ground, this one violent enough that many of the players were fighting to just remain standing while the NPCs, Ancient and wyvern alike, crouched down low to keep their balance.

That can't be good.

Light began spilling out of the previously dark windows and doors of the Citadel, and Kizmel finally turned to him, a worried look in her eyes. A window appeared in front of Kirito, and judging from the way all the other players were staring at something invisible in front of them, they had gotten it, too.

[Quest Start: "Awakening." Bring the Dreypa Talisman to the Ur Citadel, and stop the High Priestess from reviving at full strength, or she will empower the Ancient Forsaken.]

Once he'd acknowledged and closed the window, a timer appeared on his HUD, along with a caption. [Awakening Timer: 5:00].

Why do I not like the look of that? he groused silently. We must've hit a threshold. I don't know if it's an enrage timer, but it certainly sounds like one, and I really don't want to take that chance.

"Asuna!" he shouted at the fencer, catching her attention as she slid out of a Triangular. When his former partner looked over, he gestured at the Citadel beyond. "We gotta go!"

"I know! She's just gone yellow!" the brunette shouted back. "We've got the timer, too! Go! We're right behind you!"

With one last look at the melee around him, he clenched his fist around the handle of his sword and sped off, Kizmel on his heels.

-------------------------------

Kizmel didn't need to see whatever their Mystic Scribing charm had shown them to feel the urgency that suddenly permeated the swordmasters around them. When Kirito yelled at Asuna, letting her know that they had to go, she was already looking over the quickest route to the Citadel. The instant her partner sprinted off she was only a step behind.

"Kirito?" she asked as they ducked through an archway into the inner ring of the palace compound. "What is happening?"

"The High Priestess is waking up. We're on a time limit here to stop her, otherwise..." the swordsman shrugged helplessly. "No idea what's gonna happen, but it's probably bad."

That almost brought the dark elf to a halt; if it was bad enough that Kirito believed it worth the risk to engage a foe with only the two of them while they had thirty able-bodied clearers at their back, then time must be short, indeed. She got the feeling there was something about the situation he wasn't telling her, but now was not the time to press, and even she could feel an inexorable pull drawing her towards the Citadel, along with a burning sense of urgency and the feeling of dread that something terrible was about to happen.

"Then let us make haste. The sooner we arrive, the weaker our foe will be," she said instead, speeding up her pace.

They slipped past the innermost ring of buildings, and only a minute or so later the Citadel at the center of Ur stood towering above them. It was a round building, fitting with the circular architecture of the palace grounds, rising five stories into the air above them and capped with a domed roof of the same gleaming white marble as the walls. Towers protruded from the central hub in each of the cardinal directions, and between them large arches bid entry into the inner sanctum of the old capital city.

They passed by a life-sized statue of a man, paying it only fleeting mind as they entered the large fortress. A vast expanse opened up before them; the entire ground floor was open to the outside, with stairways and doors leading up and into the towers and a high, vaulted ceiling, but the main part of the space was empty, except for its central, defining feature.

Kizmel's breath caught in her throat and she stumbled to an abrupt halt at the sight before her. Kirito, likewise, came to a stop as the swordsman, too, recognized the significance of what was before them.

Standing in the center of the city's Citadel, at the very heart of the city of Ur itself Kizmel would bet, glittering with droplets of water and whose presence was almost impossible in this arid desert land, was a massive, gigantic tree. Just being in its presence felt invigorating and inspiring, and the dark elven knight knew immediately what it was.

"A sacred tree..." she whispered, awed and confused at its presence here, in a human city.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Kirito's eyes were wide as the pair stared up at the tree that towered at least thirty meters above them, its trunk easily five meters across. "That explains the really high ceiling," the swordsman muttered absently.

Kizmel merely nodded in agreement, feeling herself drawn to the tree the likes of which she had only heard about. Galleries wound themselves around the perimeter, allowing a tall space nearly to the very top of the Citadel itself for the tree to grow as it reached up almost to the ceiling. "This tree...there are ones like it in our myths. Never in all of Aincrad have we seen one of the old sacred trees from before the Great Separation, only its children..."

Their musings were interrupted by another tremor, followed by a pulse of light from the tree itself. The sheet of bright white light washed over her, and Kizmel felt a chill run down her spine, as though someone had doused her in cold water. "We must hurry."

"Yeah." Her partner's eyes flickered to the corner of his vision. "We have just under four minutes."

She didn't question how he knew the exact amount of time they had remaining, and instead, began looking around. "What are we looking for?"

"I don't know. We're just supposed to bring the Talisman here and stop the High Priestess somehow. Problem is, I don't see the other Talisman, or a priestess."

The base of the tree was ringed by a small pond that must have been used to feed water to its roots, and a low wall that came up to knee-height ringed the perimeter of it. Kizmel slowly, almost reverently approached the sacred tree. The interior of the Citadel, unlike the library, was not lit up by torches, lamps, or lanterns of any sort, and the only illumination came from the dim white glow of the tree itself.

"There! Kirito!" she called out. "At the base!"

The swordsman came over immediately, leaning over the wall and looking in the direction she was pointing in. Embedded into the trunk of the tree, almost between its roots, was a small glint of gold.

"Okay, so the other talisman is here. The librarian said something about the High Priestess being entombed beneath the Citadel, so...somewhere underground here?" The swordsman glanced around the vast open space around them, looking for a path that would lead them down.

"I do not think the builders of this place would have left something so dangerous easily accessible," Kizmel countered gently.

Kirito paused, tilting his head in thought, and Kizmel was distinctly aware that precious seconds were ticking away even as she herself glanced around to find a hint at where they were supposed to go. Her eyes wandered around the ground floor, finally settling on...

"The tree!" Kirito shouted suddenly. "Kizmel, the elves use these to travel between floors, right?"

"Yes, but no swordmaster has ever set foot in them before..." Kizmel trailed off. Just because no swordmaster has ever used one before doesn't mean they can't use them. It is merely that we elves have guarded them zealously, and the swordmasters never had use for them, as they have their own methods for moving between floors, she realized with a start.

Leaping over the low wall, she waded through the ankle-deep water while waving for her partner to follow her. Closing with the tree, she realized that she had indeed been correct and nestled into its bark, just above the roots, was another golden talisman much like the Dreypa Talisman General Neppukanessar had shown them in Tayma. But Kizmel ignored it for now, instead searching for something in particular.

"Here," she called out, reaching for a small opening in the massive trunk, just wide enough to slip through. With the two of them squeezed into the tight confines she was intimately aware of her partner's body pressed up against hers, and even in the darkness, she could see the blush radiating off Kirito as he realized the same thing. Still, she paid it no heed for now as her partner's eyes, much like her own, widened in surprise at the sudden appearance of a mystic page before her. The ethereal sheet glowed a dim purple, but in the darkness it was bright enough to read.

Once again, as with much of the arcane script she had seen smattered across what she had seen of Mystic Scribing, she could not read much of it, but followed Kirito's example and confirmed whatever the magical page had said. A bright flash of light enveloped her, similar to what she was used to from the human teleportation rings, and yet different. The magic surrounding them felt more like the ancient sorcery that connected the sacred trees her people used on the lower floors, and yet different still. The magic felt stronger, more resonant, as though this was what it was meant to be, far more pure than the diluted remnants of the lower floors.

It feels...like it belongs, she thought for a moment, as the magic transported them, and the dark elven knight felt a moment of vertigo as she was displaced.

A large chamber opened up ahead of them, three sarcophagi sitting atop a dais in the center. They had once been occupied, but judging by the lids now laying on the floor, they were no longer. Motes of light floated in the air, suffusing the area in a multi-hued aurora, and even down here, someplace Kizmel guessed was deep below the Citadel, buried somewhere between the Citadel and the bottom of Aincrad's forty-first floor, the air was still clean. Looking up, she could see roots piercing through the ceiling, woven in between the carved stone as though the chamber was built around the roots of the massive sacred tree.

The former occupants were now turning to face them, having aborted whatever ritual they had been in the midst of, and Kizmel took a long look at their foes. The Forsaken High Priestess was immediately obvious, garbed in ancient but recognizable elven robes, similar to the ones worn by the priests at Yofel Castle, and it galled her to see her people's heritage so maligned. As her eyes wandered across the silver-trimmed robes with their angular, geometric design, past the swell of breasts and the vestment that covered the robes, to the hood that covered delicate features, Kizmel realized she had seen an image of that exact robe before. She had been but a child then, devouring the tomes in the library of Lyusula, hungry for tales and history of the ancient elves, and of the event that had split the earth and torn asunder their homes to form the floating castle that was Aincrad.

By the priestess's side were two acolytes, one male and one female, though to her surprise, the male was a dwarf, while the female was human. Both were clothed in finely-made garb of their own whose design she didn't recognize, but figured must have had meaning of their own. The High Priestess turned to face them, her eyes running over them curiously as a cruel smile tugged at her lips.

"Like lambs to the slaughter, they run towards their doom, having carried with them the very instrument of their own destruction. You have spread your power too thin, and grown complacent, a far cry from the warriors of old. Are a lone human and a single elf really all the resistance this realm could muster?" She spread her arms, raising her staff towards the ceiling. "We are the Forsaken! We bring an end to order! We are the harbingers of chaos! We are the tide unyielding of everlasting change!"

Next to her, Kirito muttered about not having time for dialogue before leaping into battle with his signature Sonic Leap that spent itself against the priestess's stave. The ancient woman laughed, throwing back her head to reveal long, pointed elven ears and the dark, almost onyx-black eyes of an elf, and with horror Kizmel realized that this was not an impostor who had taken upon herself the garb of the elves, but one of her own kind.

"You are too late. Even now, the children of chaos awaken. The talisman you hold gives us strength, and soon we will rise again to claim this realm as our own! We, who were cast out by our own, forsaken by our own people, left to wander without guidance shall bring ruin to all we touch!"

"Three minutes," her partner ground out through gritted teeth as he exchanged a flurry of blows with the High Priestess, the ancient elven woman, corrupted by whatever magic she had used centuries ago, matching the swordsman blow for blow.

The two acolytes had also drawn their weapons, but instead of rushing in to help, they were eyeing her warily, as though to keep Kizmel from interfering with the battle as it unfolded. The dark elf followed Kirito's example by lunging forward, her Fell Crescent met by a spear surrounded by a pale blue glow. She pushed aside any thoughts of history and desire to unravel this mystery of her own people for now. Her partner had said they were short on time, and she believed him. The search for answers could come later, then.

"Hand the Dreypa Talisman to me, and you may join us," the High Priestess continued to speak evenly, almost conversationally, as though Kirito was currently not doing his best to connect a solid blow with her. Unlike Ilaniya, the guardian they had battled outside - that Asuna and her group were still battling - the priestess did not seem to push the offensive much, instead preferring to evade and counter.

She does not have to defeat us to win, Kizmel realized grimly. She need only stall long enough for the seal to fail, and her full powers to be restored.

The dark elven knight wanted to rush to her partner's aid; surely between the two of them they could conquer even this foe, but for now the two acolytes stood in her way, and Kizmel focused on guarding her partner's back from them. The human female wielded a staff much like the High Priestess and seemed only moderately skilled with it, but the dwarven male was dangerously quick with his spear-like weapon, though trading the lack of a shield for the quickness of his two-handed grip.

The human one first, then, Kizmel decided, lifting her shield to absorb one of the dwarf's lightning-quick thrusts. Two more stabs pounded against the resilient but abused wood, and by the time he was recovering from the Triad she had launched herself at the human acolyte, Hallowed Redeemer lashing out in a sword skill of her own, two thrusts lancing past the woman's guard easily, biting deeply into her shoulder and thigh.

The human acolyte shrieked in pain and fell backwards, letting go of her weapon and twisting her hands through the air in a motion eerily similar to the Mystic Scribing charm the swordmasters used. Kizmel's eyes widened in shock as a glowing ball of flame appeared in the acolyte's hand, disbelief at the sight of magic that hadn't ever been seen in Aincrad, hadn't been thought possible in Aincrad since its creation during the Great Separation, flooding through her. It was only the knight's ingrained reflexes that allowed her to duck behind her shield in time as the fiery projectile splashed against it, licking hungrily at the wood.

Magic? Here, in Aincrad? Impossible! Yet she was witnessing it herself as the woman pulled back, nursing her injuries though they were not immediately debilitating. Kizmel had little time for further consideration, however, as the dwarf was upon her once more, spear reaching out as it sought to find its mark upon her body.

She batted aside his assault with relative ease; these foes were not the warriors of the Forsaken like the Ancient they had battled before, they were priests and acolytes dedicated to whatever dark rituals and magic that had corrupted them. But much to her vexation, whenever she would make headway against one of her foes the other would jump in, thus forcing her to abort her attack and protect herself. To anyone else, they may have been elites, or even champions, but Kizmel had been through countless battles with Kirito that had challenged them and pushed their limits further than any of the other swordmasters. To be stalled here by two noncombatants galled her, but the fact that one of them was able to assault her from a considerable distance, out of reach of anything except a Flashing Penetrator's charge, made fighting her current opponents considerably more difficult.

Warfare in Aincrad had evolved for purely melee combat, as ranged weapons and spells had been a thing of the distant past. Magic, of course, had been lost during the Great Separation, but the more she considered it, the less sense it made to her that no other forms of ranged combat existed other than thrown knives and darts. If darts and knives could be thrown, why not spears? Why could they not be launched from bows, as the texts of old had said the elves had once been the pinnacle of archers in the ancient world.

More questions whose answers I will have to find...later, she concluded.

Raising her shield to allow another ball of flame to disperse against it and rocking slightly from the impact, Kizmel considered her options. The dwarf was doing a fair job of keeping her away from the human acolyte, and every time she attempted to disable or kill him his counterpart would take advantage of her exposed flanks. She could not reach the human woman without a considerable run-up, and doing so would leave her vulnerable to the dwarf.

She would have to move the fight closer to the human acolyte while protecting her flanks, then. Aware that precious seconds were ticking way, Kizmel carefully maneuvered herself into position, making sure to keep her increasingly battered shield between herself and both of her opponents and using her saber to aid in her defense. Despite their coordination and individual strengths, neither of her opponents seemed to recognize her ploy.

They will, soon.

Evading another thrust from the dwarf's spear-like weapon, Kizmel took the last few steps that would land her in the perfect position to enact her plan. Hallowed Redeemer sang through the air as it crashed against the spear, hastily raised in defense by her foe, and battered it down and to the side as she followed through her swing from left shoulder to right hip. The dark elf rotated her wrists and pounced forward, letting the sword skill carry her four meters forward, leaping past the dwarf and his guard in the blink of an eye. The path of her blade crossed the stout humanoid's neck without halting as she came to a stop, shield raised defensively. This close, no amount of armor would protect a weak spot like the throat from being pierced and dealing a lethal blow.

The sound of shattering glass was impossibly loud in her ears as she turned her attention to her one remaining opponent. Angered by the loss of her companion, the human woman cast another charm, her expression painted in harsh tones by the blazing orange glow from the flames flickering between her hands as the projectile grew in size. Whereas before she had been hurling flaming orbs the size of fists at her, the one she held hovering between her hands now was as large in diameter as her own shield, and soon Kizmel lost sight of her opponent behind the massive ball of flame as it continued to grow.

That will make attacking her directly...difficult. She herself does not seem to feel the heat of her flames, but it is real enough, the dark elf concluded, carefully eyeing the charred craters the prior assault had left in her shield. The acolyte extended a hand, the massive projectile hovering at her fingertips. Flames licked hungrily at the air around it, and with a wordless scream, she hurled it towards Kizmel.

The dark elf threw herself to the side in an uncontrolled tumble as the massive ball of fire rushed past her at a speed she hadn't quite expected, splashing harmlessly against a purple barrier that shimmered into existence behind her. Arcane script flashed visibly for a second before fading away, protecting the hewn stone wall. Rolling to her feet, Kizmel hastily scrambled to the side again as another projectile screamed through the air in her direction, spending itself against the same purple arcane barrier.

How can she conjure them up so quickly, when before she was struggling to cast even the small ones? It is almost as though she is getting more powerful the longer this battle continues on. The dark elf grit her teeth, remembering the words of the ghostly librarian as she launched herself to the side again as another blast of flame lurched past her, singing the hem of her cloak. With each moment that passes, the seal weakens, and their powers reawaken further. This cannot continue on, we are running out of time!

Coming up from her crouch, Kizmel's eyes narrowed. The next projectile was already on its way, barreling through the air towards her, but this time she stood her ground, saber at the ready as an idea she would have dismissed as foolhardy before meeting Kirito began to form in her mind. But traveling with the swordsman had opened her eyes to the wider world of Aincrad, and time and again her partner had managed things she never even would have conceived of. I have seen Kirito counter and dispel sword skills with one of his own. They are magic, as much as this is magic. I may not be able to strike a sword out of the air with a sword skill, but this is a target I cannot miss!

She twisted her body sideways, slinging her sword back in preparation. The blade of her saber began to glow a deep vibrant purple, and a hair's breadth from impact she released control over her body to the sword charm, allowing the ancient magic to pull her forward as she spun. Flames licked at her exposed skin and blackened her armor, robbing the air from her lungs as the Treble Scythe carved its way forward, the purple glow of her saber warring with the fiery orange of the flames engulfing her body.

She rotated once, Hallowed Redeemer striking the very edge of the ball of fire and flame. By the time she had spun around for the second strike, the flames were all around her, but she continued undeterred, her momentum not slowed in the least by inferno burning all around her. The second stroke of her weapon cleaved deep into the center of the blast, striking something deep within the spell, and, like a high-powered sword skill meeting another, cancelled it out in a bone-rattling detonation.

But she was not yet finished.

The third pass of her saber buried itself deeply into the human woman's flank as she finally crossed the remainder of the distance to her, and as she fell, shattering into motes of light, Kizmel collapsed to one knee. The dark elf tried to force air into her body and winced as pain flooded through her veins at the heat emanating from her metal armor bleeding through her tunic. Taking a few precious seconds to find and down the last of her healing potions and catch her breath before rising, the knight winced as burned skin glowed an angry red like an open wound as it mended until it was pink and healthy once more.

Straightening up wearily, she wondered how such a promising day had ended in this manner. Perhaps Kirito is right and Asuna is not the only one in need of a...vacation? But thoughts of a break and relaxation could come later, when the crisis at hand was dealt with. With Kizmel's own foes dispatched, she turned to where her partner had been battling the High Priestess for...she blinked and mentally recounted how much time had passed.

Over two minutes, she realized darkly. I do not know exactly, but we are running out of time. Looking over where Kirito was a whirling, spinning, slashing blur, she noticed that his opponent, too, had resorted to magic. It was only his preternatural reflexes and skill with sword charms was keeping the barrage of projectiles from striking home, while each stroke from his blade was diverted by a shimmering golden barrier around the elven priestess.

"You fight an impossible battle, swordmaster," she goaded as Kirito's sword lashed out, its path deterred by the deceptively flimsy-looking barrier. "Your time is up, and the Forsaken shall rise to cast out those who abandoned the old ways!"

Her partner didn't respond, but Kizmel could see the renewed urgency and near panic in his motions as his attacks came more hastily and erratically. The knight spent a few precious seconds observing their last remaining opponent before deciding on a course of action. If her foe's barrier only covered her front, they had a chance. If it extended all the way around to her blind spots, then perhaps her plan could still work, but it would be risky. Please, Hallowed Redeemer, guide this one strike. Find your mark one last time!

"Kirito!" she shouted, taking a few steps back before launching herself forward in a sprint. Her body leaned forward until she was almost horizontal, blade leading the way as a glowing white comet formed around her. "Switch!"

The swordsman reacted instantly, disengaging and leaping back to gain some distance, and the High Priestess turned around to face the new incoming threat. By the time she was facing her way, Kizmel's body was parallel to the floor, her feet almost leaving the ground, and the only thing stopping the dark elf from losing her balance was the insistent, irresistible force of the ancient magic charm.

White-hot glowing saber met shimmering gold barrier as the most powerful sword skill Kizmel knew met a magical barrier so ancient it predated the creation of the floating castle. Time seemed to slow for her as she approached, and Kizmel could feel the instant the tip of her weapon touched the ancient arcane shield. A tremor ran up her arm, followed by a shock that might have shattered all of the bones in her arm, had such a thing been possible through the protection of the sword charm's magic.

Light flared around her, pulsing first once from the point of impact, then a second time from the blade of her saber, discharging in a bright burst of white-gold light. The roar of displaced air filled her ears, and even frozen in place by the magical backlash of her skill she felt the sheer force tugging at her body, trying to push her off her feet as it warred with the barrier, trying to inexorably push her forward.

Ting.

Another tremor ran up her arm.

Crack.

She could feel the blade in her hand flex and give, slowly, surely, even as she drove on with all of her weight and momentum, trying to force it past the impenetrable barrier that surrounded the High Priestess.

"Yaaaaah!" Kirito crashed into their foe from behind, his own sword skill hammering against the shield, confirming her suspicion that she was protected all around. But it didn't matter. She focused her entire will, her entire belief into the singular tip of her saber, willing it to pierce.

She could feel the insistent pull of the sword skill, could feel its power waning as it slowly spent itself against the barrier, but she continued to push, trying to force the charm to continue by sheer willpower alone. She felt her weapon respond as her body slid forward, minutely, almost imperceptibly.

Cra-crack.

She ignored the noise coming from her weapon as the point of impact flared up again. Please, hold together. Just a little bit more. Just a few seconds longer.

With a quiet tinkle, almost like a small bell had been rung, the force pushing against her ceased and her motion, which the barrier had stopped dead in its tracks, resumed. Kizmel felt herself falling forward, almost losing her balance as the vertigo of sudden motion threw her off. The comet around her blade flickered once, twice, before dying out completely, releasing her from the charm as it spent itself.

Golden motes of light floated around the chamber as the remnants of the arcane barrier dispersed. A lithe elven body slammed against hers as Kizmel froze, locked down from the magical residue of the aborted sword charm. Her saber had not found its mark, having missed piercing through the priestess's body by having been diverted half a meter to the side...and being only a quarter of its former length.

With another almost inaudible tinkle, the larger part of her blade that had snapped off shattered, leaving her holding on to the hilt and a palm's width of blade. But her shoulder had still rammed into the other elven woman, knocking her off-balance enough for Kirito's sword to bite deeply as it finally struck home, no longer obstructed by a barrier it could not penetrate.

With a shriek of pain and anger, the ancient elf hurled herself away from them, sliding to a halt five meters away as she somersaulted through the air, a glowing red line carved across her back.

"Fools!" she uttered, deathly calm despite the grievous wound, though Kizmel knew from battling guardians and champions alike that unless it was a strictly disarming or critical wound, the only impairment to her fighting ability would be the pain, which many of their foes appeared able to fight through. "The seal has fallen, now witness the true magic that has been denied us elves for millennia!"

The priestess raised her staff on high, one hand pointed towards them, fingers splayed. "In my hand, the Creator's sword that calls eternal sleep! Honor our pact and hear my command!"

A rumble erupted from beneath them, shaking the very ground itself as pillars of rock and dirt shot up from beneath them. Kizmel watched in alarm as a half-dozen slabs rose from the ground, trapping Kirito between them, and took a few hasty steps back on instinct. When nothing seemed to be forthcoming, she returned her attention to her partner. What she saw flooded her with a measure of panic; her partner's form, grasped in between slabs of stone, was still. his eyes were closed and he hung motionless. No signs of damage were apparent on his body, and once more she cursed the fact that she had not yet learned the art of Mystic Scribing enough to check on him more thoroughly. For now, Kirito seemed to still be alive, although how much longer that would remain so was not something Kizmel wanted to test.

The priestess stalked towards him slowly, stretching out a hand, palm up. The dark elf looked on in wide-eyed shock as the Dreypa Talisman shimmered into being in her hand. How is this possible? No one has been able to steal anything a swordmaster carries within Mystic Scribing, it shouldn't be possible without killing them!

The ancient elven woman smirked cruelly, closing her fingers around the golden relic, and turned to Kizmel. "You of all people should understand. How many of your kind have died since the Great Separation? How many could have been saved had they been as strong as we once were? Five generations have passed for you since that time of upheaval, when before it would have been but a moment in time. We were proud, then, powerful. The old world lay at our feet! But we grew complacent, decadent. Content to negotiate and make concessions to the vermin invading our lands and cutting down our trees, eroding our soil. They sapped us of our bond with nature, took our strength and burned it to fuel their own!"

Fury gleamed in the woman's eyes, a madness that made Kizmel hesitate, even though time was slowly ticking away. "By the time we resorted to the old ways to preserve them, we had grown weak. No longer would the sacred trees grant us their blessings of long life and mystic power, and we who had once witnessed the rise and fall of entire civilizations, who had held the fate of nations in their palms and toyed with them, were reduced to something akin to...human," the priestess spat. "And when we began to search for a way to regain that which we had lost, we were cast out. We were abandoned to fend on our own, lost between borders with no homeland, forsaken by our own people."

The dark elven knight's grip slacked, and her saber's broken tip dipped to the ground as she stood in shock, some of the pieces of her own people's history falling into place. Her opponent, upon seeing the glimmer of realization in Kizmel's eyes, continued on. "We vowed to never again be at the mercy of others, never to depend on nature and trees for our own strength. Just as they took from us the strength of our ancestors, we shall take their strength for our own. Abandon this human filth and join us, rise above those that came before you. Live for eternity, with the power of life and death itself at your very fingertips!"

"No..." Kizmel whispered, hand trembling as she raised what remained of her blade. Eyes clamped shut, she grit her teeth and clenched her fist around the hilt of her saber.

"Then watch them die and become our servants in death, before following them into oblivion." The priestess pointed the talisman in her hand at Kirito's still form, the relic glowing a deep crimson between her curled fingers. Demons, Kizmel thought to herself bitterly. They became demons in their quest for power, and turned others into demons with the talismans. The burden of an ancient evil beyond that of the Fallen is even more on our shoulders than I could ever have imagined. The implications were slowly crystallizing in her mind as pieces began to fit together, painting a picture of a dark part of the elves' history.

With a savage yell that was part anger and fury, part pain and anguish, the dark elf leapt towards her foe, broken weapon swinging through the air as she rushed forward. There was no plan in her mind, only the need to strike her foe and protect her partner.

Hallowed Redeemer, though broken and shattered, sang through the air once more, the short, sharp remnant of a blade glowing with a dark red light as Kizmel rushed forward, arm at shoulder-height. She would never reach her opponent in time, she knew. Maybe if she had a full blade in her hands, if she had that extra meter of reach, but as it was, her eyes were shut tight to contain the tears burning behind them as she flew through the air.

Both elves were highlighted sharply in the red glow from the weapons in their hands, and as Kizmel slid to a stop, the whine from the sword charm she had unwittingly unleashed still ringing in her ears, the only thing she heard was silence...and her own ragged breathing.

A second later, the silence was broken by the sound of shattering glass, and Kizmel forced her eyes to open. The hilt in her hand had exerted the last of its power and its polish faded to a dull sheen. Raising her gaze from the ground, she found no trace of the priestess, and only the Dreypa Talisman lay on the stone floor before her, its own malicious light gone. Slowly turning around, she spotted Kirito, the swordsman's body crumpled where the stone pillars that had kept him captive had disappeared. She rushed over and knelt next to him, digging through her pouches for a recovery crystal.

Before she could find one, however, his eyes opened and he groaned as he rolled over onto his side in her lap. "Kizmel?" he asked, eyes focusing on her worried expression above him. "I hate paralysis."

The dusky elf let out a choked laugh and shook her head. "Kirito," she breathed in relief. "I had feared the worst."

"Yeah, I wasn't exactly keen on being turned into a zombie, either." Rolling over and getting to his feet, the swordsman brushed off his coat. "Last time this happened to me, we got whacked and abducted by a crazy mayor. Yay for the Awakening skill, I guess. Could've timed it better, though."

The off-handed comment caught Kizmel somewhat by surprise. There seem to be a lot of stories that have yet to be told, the dark elf mused silently. "You will have to tell me about it sometime," she said, rising to her feet and gazing sadly at the broken hilt in her hand.

Kirito followed her eyes and his brow furrowed. "May I?" he asked, and when she nodded, he touched the hilt, sliding his hands through the air to cast Mystic Scribing. The swordsman stared at ethereal pages only he could see intensely for a few moments, before his shoulders slumped and he withdrew a step.

"It's fine," he said finally. "Yeah, it's broken, but not completely destroyed. It's a good thing you didn't fully upgrade it yet. A skilled blacksmith should be able to reforge it, though you'll probably lose a few reinforcement attempts on it in the process. Or we can get you a new one, I'm sure Lisbeth would be more than willing to forge you one."

The dark elf stared down at the dull brass handle and disk guard from which protruded perhaps twenty centimeters of jagged, fractured blade. The cloth wrap under her fingers felt cold to the touch, a far cry from the warmth and strength the blade had exuded the first time she had held it after receiving it a mere four floors ago.

It certainly lived up to Kirito's prediction when he first inspected it, she mused sentimentally. Thank you, for protecting me. Thank you, for guiding my hand in saving my friend.

"I think...I will ask her to reforge it. This blade has served me well, I believe it deserves a new life, at the very least," she finally responded.

"How about you?" her partner asked, and she paused, looking at him in confusion. "Are you all right?"

"I am...well enough," Kizmel sighed, idly swiping a strand of her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. "Some of the things she said were...disturbing." That was putting it mildly, but Kizmel was frankly exhausted, and in no mood or condition to consider everything that she had learned today. Perhaps a day of rest would be conducive to her ability to properly process everything, but for now they had more immediate matters to attend to.

She didn't need to look at him to know the swordsman's forehead was creased with worry; but for now, they needed to ensure their foes were entirely defeated. After all, whatever time had been given to Kirito and the others had surely run out by now. So, instead of elaborating on her partner's obvious yet unspoken question, she crouched by the place the High Priestess had fallen, her hand brushing the cold stone as she picked up the Dreypa Talisman.

"I didn't even know her name," she whispered quietly to herself, finally allowing the thought to the fore that she had just ended the life of what likely was one of the oldest living elves in Aincrad. The knowledge of history, of their culture, their way of life she must have had...That, and fighting her own kind was never easy, as she had learned quickly during the early days battling her Forest Elven brethren.

"Vandria," Kirito supplied somberly. She could tell the name had some sort of meaning to him, though it was impossible that he'd know the woman who'd fought them. "Her name was Vandria, High Priestess of Sehanine."

Vandria, Priestess of Sehanine. Kizmel burned the name into her memory; perhaps it was a name best forgotten and lost to history, or perhaps it was a piece of the elves' past that should be remembered and learned from. But for now, Kizmel couldn't help but send a brief prayer for one of her kind who had lived longer than she could even fathom. The name Sehanine, too, was familiar to her, as one of the few deities whose worship had survived the upheaval that had created Aincrad. Having performed what rites she could for the fallen, she looked at the relic in her hands.

It no longer had the feeling of dread and doom that she had felt upon first laying eyes on it in Tayma, but it was a cold, uncomfortable weight in her hand, and it pulsed with barely restrained energy. "Did we succeed?" she asked quietly.

Kirito once again cast the swordmasters' Mystic charms as he searched for an answer. "We did," he confirmed. "The threat has been stopped, and the power of the Forsaken has been broken. The magic of the sacred tree is now free of the seal that once kept High Priestess Vandria imprisoned," the swordsman read.

"Then what about this?" she indicated the item in her hand. "If this should fall into someone else's hands..."

"That'd be bad," her partner agreed. "Well, it doesn't say anything about what to do with it. We could just leave it here...it'd be incredibly hard for anyone to find, much less actually get to, considering you need to go through the sacred tree."

"Just leaving it here strikes me as...unwise." The dark elf inspected the talisman in her hand. It looked as it had before, when General Neppukanessar had shown it to them, although there was no trace of the magic that the High Priestess had summoned from it. Still, the fact that not only Vandria, but also her acolyte, had been able to summon magic that was thought to be long gone from Aincrad was concerning. Perhaps it had to do with the talisman, or the presence of the elder tree itself. Maybe it was whatever dark arcana Vandria had used long ago to prolong her own life that had granted her these powers, but she had been able to accomplish something even the most accomplished scholars of Lyusula had not.

The ability to cast magic beyond simple trinkets that were little more than a shadow of what they had once been could forever alter the balance of power in Aincrad. It could be of tremendous help to not only her people, but also the swordmasters...but it could also bring ruin, should the likes of PoH gain access to it.

"Especially with the other one here, too," Kirito pointed upwards at the bottom of the sacred tree's expansive roots. "But we don't really know what else to do with this one and its sister up there."

Kizmel wandered over to where the sarcophagi had stood on a small dais, running her hand across the intricate carving in ancient elven script she had only seen in the oldest of history books in Lyusula's libraries. Actually, she realized, that is not quite true. The last time I saw this writing was when we found the old dwarven stronghold that housed the Halls of Wisdom, another place that survived from before the Great Separation. Entranced by the detail of the sacred tree used to bless and seal the lids, and saddened by the need for it, her fingers gently traced the old lettering.

"They were bound here by the power of the sacred tree," she whispered, to herself or to Kirito, she didn't know, as she read. "May those lost to darkness find peace in eternal slumber, watched over by Sehanine and Corelllon's blessings, until the evil can be purged and nature's blessings restored to elvenkind."

Corellon...the ancient god of magic and warfare. Sehanine, his consort, the ancient goddess of dreams and secrets, protector of the dead. In the ancient texts, their blessing is the power granted to the sacred trees. Corellon's strength and vigor in battle, and Sehanine's protection and longevity. Kizmel's eyes wandered across the three sarcophagi, each inscribed similarly.

High Priestess Vandria...she said that our ancestors' strength and life was lost when the trees were cut down and the ground defiled by others. How fitting that she was once a priestess of Sehanine, watching over those souls that were lost to us. Perhaps, in her own way, she was trying to follow her goddess's path. The dark elves still maintained their reverence for those two deities, the highest of what had once been a large and sprawling pantheon of gods and goddesses. But such pursuits had had a difficult time surviving their initial arrival and struggle just to exist and rebuild in Aincrad, not to mention the loss of history and rituals from the separation.

Besieged on all sides, first by circumstance, then monsters, and finally by the Fallen and their own elven brethren, there had been too much suffering, too much death, for the clergy to be as influential as they once were, though that had begun to change in recent years. But perhaps now, with the peace, with time to study their history and time to breathe and reflect upon themselves they could recover some parts of their past. Though I wonder if some parts are truly worth recovering, Kizmel thought bitterly.

Unprompted, a shimmering, translucent page appeared in front of her, hovering above the sarcophagus that had once held Vandria. Unlike the others she had seen, this one held little in terms of the arcane script of the swordmasters' magic, and instead was written in the ancient elven lettering. She considered for a moment that perhaps it was a remnant of magic, or perhaps part of the Mystic Scribing charm for the swordmasters - such as she had seen them cast or interact with spontaneous instances of the charm at certain points, after the fulfillment of some of their missions.

But no, this one was not written in the common language, the script was not something the swordmasters could read or even recognize, and it was specifically elven in origin, in a chamber set beneath a sacred tree, one which held a dark secret of their ancient forebears.

All of this left Kizmel with one inescapable conclusion: this page wasn't meant for a swordmaster, nor even a human explorer. It was meant for her, or someone like her. An elf, come to explore a remnant of their past, or perhaps one who had come to right an ancient wrong. But no elf had ever made it this high up in Aincrad, which meant this was something that had been in place from before the floating castle's creation...or it was meant specifically for her.

A notion that was only further reinforced as she read the mystical text that had been conjured before her.

"Kizmel?"

The dark elf ignored her partner's question as her eyes wandered over the old script. "This...this is impossible," she whispered as the implications sank in.

"What is it?"

Her hand came up, but she hesitated, uncertain as to what to do. When Kirito's reassuring presence appeared by her side, she finally turned to look at her companion. "This...this is one of the mystic quest pages."

"I can't see it, remember?"

That's right, she thought. I have been unable to learn how to make mine visible the way he does. Not that there had been much reason to, as the few times she had seen mystic pages of her own had been in receiving rewards and spoils from the battles against the guardian beasts, or interacting with Lisbeth when enhancing her weapon and armor, but those were different. "This...is offering me a choice," she explained slowly, trying to process what had been offered to her. "In dealing with the Dreypa Talisman."

"Okay." His brow furrowed in thought, and she could see the questions percolating in his mind. It is unusual that I should receive such an offer, she mulled over in confusion. Until now, only on a select few occasions have such pages appeared even for Kirito, much less Asuna and I when we travel together. The only other time... Cardinal said that there would be other trials, is this one of them?

Shaking those thoughts from her mind, the dark elf returned her attention to the ethereal page hovering above the sarcophagus. "It explains that the sacred tree above us is an elder tree, as I suspected from its size. It is far older and far more powerful than the sacred trees you have seen us nurse and guard on the lower floors."

"So...it's like the parent tree, right?"

"In some ways, that is correct," she agreed. "The elder trees provide the seeds from which new sacred trees are grown. Only a handful were said to still exist by the time of the Great Separation, although once they had been plentiful in the world."

"The priestess...Vandria...she mentioned that humans had cut them down."

Kizmel nodded, eyes dark. "Dwarves as well, to make room for their cities and castles. It is...an unfortunate thing. Not many revere nature as we elves do and seek to build in harmony with it, and not all understand how dependent we are on nature, and the sacred trees in particular. But we draw our strength and our life from them, and the absence of nature and life physically harms us."

"Like it did in the wastes on the sixth floor."

"Right," she said. "Unless we are protected by a living piece of the sacred trees. The elder trees have long been claimed to have been the source of the elves' longevity and magic prowess in the past. We do not know for sure, of course, but considering our connection and dependence on them..."

"It's a logical conclusion," her companion finished.

She nodded again, brushing across her sigil ring absently. "This...is offering me a choice. The magic of this elder tree was used to contain the Forsaken, along with High Priestess Vandria and the Syn Talisman. With the priestess gone, the strength of the Forsaken wanes, and the power of the tree no longer needs to uphold the seal guarding them. It could be used to purify the Dreypa Talisman, and remove the threat of the Forsaken. Without the talisman they will not be able to corrupt others, and slowly, they will die out."

"Okay. Sounds like a good deal. We were wondering about what to do with the talisman, anyway, right?" Despite his words, Kizmel could see it in her friend's expression that he expected something else.

"Or, if left alone and untouched, the elder tree could slowly, over time, regain its strength and restore my people to their former state. There is only one elder tree here, in Aincrad, but we elves number far fewer than in the grand cities of old."

Kirito closed his eyes in contemplation, a troubled frown on his face. "You mean, you could live a thousand years, maybe more, again. Maybe have access to your old magic?"

"But leave the Dreypa Talisman a threat. We could hide it, we could guard it, but its presence alone would corrupt any guard with time, and even if hidden, the Forsaken would always be a threat," Kizmel concluded.

"Crap."

She took a hesitant step back, before turning around, away from the magical page, and slumped heavily to the ground. The knowledge she had gained this day, the confusion and questions, and the guilty knowledge that the Fallen had been but the remnants of the Forsaken, their ancient foe of their own making, warred with the sliver of hope for her people, cast off and isolated in Aincrad as they were. There was much that she would be looking for in the ancient sections of the libraries the next time she was in Lyusula, Kizmel resolved for herself. Much like the circumstances around the swordmasters, her own people's history was a mystery, and recent revelations had only added to her desire to see more of it make sense. If only for the purpose of knowing more about the Forsaken and the Fallen, and the threat they may pose in the future.

Still, that left her with the dilemma at hand. She stared at the golden, insect-like relic in her hand, almost having forgotten that she was clutching it, the cold metal almost unnoticeable in her palm. Red gems twinkled maliciously at her. I could destroy the threat of the Forsaken. More than even the Fallen, they threaten all of Aincrad. It would guarantee peace, but doom all elves in Aincrad to a forever shortened, nearly human-like life. Her eyes wandered to the sarcophagi and the spot where Vandria had perished.

Or I could restore my people to their former glory, to the peak of our power. It would take time, years, perhaps even a lifetime for now, but we could once more be long-lived and eternal, wielding powerful magic to protect ourselves. But then the Forsaken would be certain to rise again. And if not them, then another foe seeking the power of the Dreypa Talisman. Perhaps the Fallen, perhaps someone else, but as long as this artifact of power remains, people will seek it out. We would have to be forever vigilant, and guarding it and ensuring its safety would forever be our duty for the boon we would receive in exchange.

She knew that many among her people would argue in favor of restoring the elves to the glory of the past, secure - and perhaps arrogantly so - in the knowledge that they would be able to withstand any foe and defeat any enemy that would dare challenge them. But unending years of war waged against her own kind and others had taught Kizmel that it was not a state of being anyone should be subjected to, no matter how powerful they might be. Entire generations had marched to battle only to return broken and battered, barely enough to sustain their population.

And perhaps it was better this way. The humans she had seen, the swordmasters in particular, seemed to see no great loss in not living past their mere hundred-year long lifespan. The dark and forest elves of Aincrad lived almost twice as long, if they were lucky and did not die in battle. But while age brought the benefits of wisdom and experience, it also brought with it a stubbornness and inflexibility that she had observed even among her own kind. It had only become obvious to her after spending so much time around the swordmasters and watching how they had adapted to being thrust into a world that was not their own, one they had been told could be treated as a game with no real danger only to be faced with a world of horror and monsters, where death could strike at any moment.

It had been hard on them, that was true, and there had been great tragedies, but from those had also risen a force the likes of which Aincrad had never seen before. The swordmasters of the clearing group charged ever onward, relentless in their pursuit of freedom, prepared to crush underfoot any resistance along the way. Even though they were outnumbered, they adapted to their situation with a remarkable ease that Kizmel felt other cultures in Aincrad, even other humans, lacked.

Would they lose what ingenuity and flexibility they had by living two hundred years? Three hundred? A thousand? Would they become rigid and set in their ways, content in the knowledge that they had the power to simply muscle their way through any challenges by brute force alone? She had seen herself how the power of the old sword charms had led some to be overconfident in their abilities to do battle, only to perish when those failed. Perhaps that was what had led to the downfall of the ancient elves, she mused. Much like the priests at Yofel Castle, perhaps we once were too inflexible, too stuck in our ways.

But that was all speculation, whereas the decision before her was final and immediate.

I don't know what to do. Father, what would you have done? Tilnel, never have I missed your advice more than I have at this time, she thought morosely. The page glimmered in the air behind her, almost taunting her with her indecision.

"You have the opportunity to restore the elves to greatness," she heard in her father's voice, a general of the Pagoda Knights in his time before he had fallen in battle. "You have the opportunity to restore a part of our history, our strength, and our long life. That is a legacy you can be proud of."

It would be, she agreed silently. She could return to Lyusula, heralded not only as the Queen's honored guard for her service during the war with the Fallen, but also as the most powerful dark elf to yet grace Aincrad, the one who had restored life and strength and magic to the elves.

"And in doing so, you would leave the Dreypa Talisman a threat to all of Aincraid," her sister's voice retorted. Kizmel shut her eyes at the memory of Tilnel's quiet strength. "There will always be those that seek power beyond their means. It may even be one of our own - after all, is that not what High Priestess Vandria once was? And what if we ever were to wage war against our Forest Elven kin again? Only not with ancient sword charms and blades of steel, but magic that can bring ruin with a mere thought? Perhaps not today, or tomorrow, or a year from now. But a hundred, or a thousand years of vigilance is much to ask of a people, and leaving this threat behind for future generations is irresponsible for a knight. Is that the legacy you wish to leave behind, sister?"

"You can protect our people by giving them power, or by giving them peace," her father's ghost replied in the confines of her thoughts. "The strength to conquer any foe, or the need to not conquer anyone at all. You have fought and bled for the sake of our people, my daughter. You know the value of strength, and the cost that it demands."

I do. Images flashed before her. Faces of those she had lost to war and battle. Young dark elven squires, soldiers marching into battle for the very first time. Scouts and other knights during their campaign against the forest elves - even the forest elves whose lives she had taken, as they were her kin. Ducker, Sasamaru, Keita, Tetsuo, the swordmasters who had been her friends, and who had been lost to this floating castle. Sachi, who was once again learning how to stand and fight for her life after having lost all those she held dear.

Her eyes and thoughts wandered to her companion. Kirito, and Asuna. Argo and Agil. Klein, and even Lind. Those who battled on relentlessly, who fought and clawed and sought strength to protect themselves and those around them, not for the sake of strength itself, but to free their fellow swordmasters from their imprisonment in Aincrad. All of the people around her, herself included, sought to gain strength. Giving her people back theirs could not be wrong, could it?

But would they take that strength and use it in the way that she wanted them to? And who was she to dictate to her own people what they could do with their ancient powers? In the end, that decision would fall to Queen Ilyndrathyl, and despite her loyalty to the queen, Kizmel did not feel right in passing on the responsibility for that decision. Would the elves remain at peace, or would war ever break out again? How many more would die if battles that had once been fought with sword and shield would now be waged with magic that she couldn't even imagine?

Our legends and stories say we once had conquered the entire known world, she remembered, and it took our near destruction to learn to live with others in peace, rather than to conquer and subjugate. If our strength of old returns, would we heed the lessons we learned, or fall back into the old ways of arrogance and pride and conquest?

Strength came with a price. Those that sought it often failed if they did not have the will to see their path to the end, and it was that will that forged the discipline and responsibility which served as the sheath for the power gained. I am sorry, father. You taught me once that we are all made from iron, and at some point in our lives we face our own crucible of fire. Some of us will burn...while others are forged into steel. You cannot forge a blade without that heat, and a blade that is not tempered right will break and shatter.

I hope you can forgive me.

Opening her eyes and taking a deep breath, Kizmel turned to the ethereal page that was patiently hovering before her. She stretched out her arm and placed the Dreypa Talisman inside the open sarcophagus lid, beneath the shimmer of purple magic. The golden relic slipped from her fingers and she stood, offering a brief, muttered prayer in the hopes that she was doing the right thing before grasping the lid that lay slanted against the side of the dais. Despite its appearance and thickness it moved surprisingly easily, and she lifted it, sliding it into place atop the sarcophagus.

The moment it slid shut, light burst forth from within the stone coffin, suffusing the relief carved into its side with a bright, golden light that reminded her of the warmth of the sun. It pulsed briefly, before retreating back to a low glow around the sarcophagus. Looking down at her feet, Kizmel noticed the same light traveling across the dais, lighting up channels and crevasses she had missed before as they burned an intricate arcane pattern of spokes, circles, and geometric shapes across the stone. Both dark elf and human took a step back, and a pillar of light shot up around the perimeter of the dais; the same thin and transparent barrier Vandria had used to protect herself using the magic of the elder sacred tree to make it nigh on impenetrable, only now, it was being used to contain the Dreypa Talisman while it was being purified.

The process might take decades, if not centuries. Perhaps it would not ever be completed as long as Aincrad stood, but at least it would be safe. Kizmel knew nothing of the arcane arts, understood little of magic and how it might work, as that art had been lost even by dark elven scholars hundreds of years before her time. But something about the warm glow from the dais and the sarcophagus as it lit up the area around them - highlighting the previously cold and dark chamber like a miniature sun while little blades of grass that had been growing between the stone paving rose to greet the first light they must have seen in centuries - gave her the impression that this was how it was supposed to be.

She was torn from her reverie as shadows began to play across the light that illuminated the chamber from its central dais now. Before long, clad in the same long, flowing brown robes she had worn the last time she had stood before them, a familiar figure stepped from the light, curls fluttering lightly in the breeze, and golden eyes shimmering with the same light that was emanating from the sarcophagus. Beneath Kizmel's tunic, the necklace she had hung around her neck pulsed with warmth, and the dusky elf reached under her breastplate to pull free the Pendant of Wisdom she had received weeks ago, her lips parted in a quiet whisper.

"Sage Cardinal..."

"Lady Kizmel, Kirito," the diminutive girl greeted them with a smile. "I am pleased we meet again."

Cardinal waved a hand towards Kizmel, and the pendant's pulsing quieted to a pleasant hum that felt comforting to the dark elf, as though it was replenishing her lost energy and ridding her of the exhaustion of the day by supplying its own. The knight felt her waning strength being restored as she closed her eyes for a brief moment, basking in the feeling of being reinvigorated. When she opened them again, the little sage stood before her, looking up with golden eyes glimmering. She frowned for a moment in displeasure, before tapping her foot on the ground lightly.

A pillar of stone slid up underneath the shorter woman, raising Cardinal until she was at eye-level with the dark elf. Kizmel knew from the sharp intake of breath beside her that her partner was equally surprised by the sage's powers, but something about her gentle, almost child-like demeanor spoke of loneliness and longing rather than malice and evil. Once she had straightened up and smoothed down her robes, golden eyes found and held Kizmel's own, and the elven knight found herself almost entranced in the swirling patterns of golden mist.

The previous encounter with Cardinal was still fresh in Kizmel's mind, and the events of the intervening weeks had dulled neither her memory of the trial the sage had guided them through, nor her curiosity about what lay at the end of the mysterious quest that Mystic Scribing had called "Pandora's Box." The presence of the little sage here could only mean one thing for them.

As though she had read her mind, Cardinal nodded with a gentle smile. "Lady Kizmel. You were given a choice. The sacred tree above us has stood since the times of the ancient elven empire, and survived war and strife. Its power and strength, which once blessed the elves with long life and arcane power, was sacrificed to keep an equally ancient evil at bay. You could have chosen to return that strength to the elves, to reclaim power that had been lost to your people for millennia. Yet you chose to sacrifice that chance, and instead use the sacred tree's magic to seal away the talisman in the hopes that it may never again be a threat to others."

Kizmel nodded in acknowledgement. "My people have suffered much, even before their arrival here, this is true. We are far from our days of glory, and our strength has been sapped by the destruction that brought us here and the battles we have fought since. But we have also adapted, learned, and grown in our own way. That is something we would not have achieved without that suffering. It is the trials that forge us into who we are, and it is only those trials that can truly show us what we are capable of."

The dark elf's eyes wandered from the sage to her partner, the swordsman content to hover by her side, close but not overbearing, as though to merely ensure that she knew he was there. His eyes shone with understanding that this was something she had to resolve on her own. "And our strength does not depend on how long our lives are or whether we can wield magic. The Forsaken are a danger to all of Aincrad, one of our making. It is the sin of our ancestors that we now carry with us, likely for lifetimes yet to come. If ensuring that they will never be able to use that relic again, then it is a price I am willing to pay."

"But it is not merely you who will pay that price, Lady Kizmel. It is the rest of your people, as well." Cardinal tilted her head curiously.

"I know." Kizmel closed her eyes for a brief moment, wishing for her sister to lend her strength. Instead, she found her partner's hand resting on her shoulder encouragingly, and drew comfort from that, instead. "But my sworn duty as a knight is to protect others. I cannot leave behind an artifact such as this in good conscience, knowing it would endanger others in the future. Even if we were to live a thousand years and regained the magic legends said our people once wielded, as long as Aincrad stands, there would be those seeking to use the Dreypa Talisman for their own gain. No, I would rather my people live shorter, but peaceful and fulfilled lives, than live through a millennia of bloodshed and vigilance long after I am gone."

"A sacrifice demanded of not yourself, but from others often is born of selfish reasons. But peace demands the most heroic of labours and the most difficult of sacrifices; it demands greater heroism than war, and it demands a greater understanding of truth and one's own conscience. Understanding the fine line between selflessness and selfishness coated in a veneer of deceit and deception requires the wisdom to know yourself truly." The sage, who seemed so child-like in stature and demeanor, suddenly reminded Kizmel that, regardless of how she looked, Cardinal was a being that was likely older than any elf, and possibly even Aincrad itself as golden eyes reflected an ancient well of knowledge and wisdom that she could easily lose herself in.

Cardinal reached forward and pressed her hand against Kizmel's chest, her palm resting above the pendant. When she withdrew it, the stone, which had been a smooth, dull green before, now glowed with a deep emerald light. "The second trial has been passed. You are almost at the end of your journey."

"What is it that we are looking for?" Kizmel asked, clutching at necklace and feeling its warmth in her palm. "What awaits us at the end of the trials? Weapons to help us on our journey? Ancient spells and charms?"

"Knowledge and power are weapons in their own ways. Sometimes they are the same, and just as dangerous," the sage replied cryptically, before being lowered to the ground as the pillar of stone she had summoned withdrew back into the stone pavement, melting into it as though it had never existed. "You may not like what you find at the end of your journey, but in passing the trials, you have shown that you have the strength and fortitude to see this through to the end."

Before either of them could say anything else Cardinal stepped backwards, passing through the barrier that surrounded the dais easily, and her form melted back into the light. Within a heartbeat she was gone, leaving Kizmel watching the place she had vacated in silence.

Kirito appeared in her peripheral vision, a hesitant expression on his face. He raised his hand and opened his mouth as if to speak, but seemed to reconsider. The dark elf supposed she knew how he felt at this moment; both of them had questions that they knew there would be no answers to for now, and there was little either could say about their situation that would help. Maybe after they had some rest and time to think they could collect their thoughts and put words to them, but for now, there was little else to do but leave this place.

At some point she would have to return to Lyusula and inform the queen about what had transpired, and the decision she had made. Kizmel held no doubt that there would be consequences for her actions, but those, like her questions, could wait for another day. Perhaps Queen Ilyndrathyl would understand, or perhaps she would not, but Kizmel was sure there would be at least some at her court and among the rest of the dark elves that would reject the reasons for her choice, regardless of her intentions.

Right now, she simply wanted to go home.

Oddly enough, a traitorous part of her mind was reminding her, "home" was no longer Lyusula, among her fellow dark elves, nor was it the house on the outskirts of the capital where she had grown up. Instead, it was wherever her friends were...where her partner and companion was. Maybe that thought had also influenced her decision somewhat, affected her loyalty to her own people, but Kizmel wanted to believe that wasn't true.

Straightening up, she stood with the grace and poise befitting of the Pagoda Knights Brigade, before turning to leave the chamber; she would face the challenges to come with her head held high. Without a single look back, she strode over to where they had first appeared after the sacred tree had transported them here, and waited for Kirito to join her. "Let us tell Asuna and the others that the mission has been completed."

There was not a doubt in her mind that between the fencer's prowess and Lind's not inconsiderable leadership, the swordmasters battling above had been triumphant. The swordsman gave her a sidelong glance and she knew he was warring with himself on whether or not to pry; thankfully for now he decided to let it be and simply nodded as he stepped up beside her. "Let's."

Chapter Text

October 20th, 2023

"Leave it up to you two to find the field boss quest before anyone else, and by accident, no less," Asuna chided gently, though the expression in the fencer's hazel eyes made it clear she was equally as amused as she was exasperated by it. Naturally, she would be - after having once been Kirito's traveling companion, Asuna would know better than most the kinds of antics and trouble her former partner could get caught up in.

"How did you guys even know we needed help?" Kirito asked curiously, leaning forward on his elbows.

The brunette tilted her head to the side, indicating Argo, who was sitting next to her. The self-styled Rat flashed her index and middle fingers in what the swordmasters called a victory sign and grinned broadly. "You weren't the only one interested in the quests out in the field, ehehehe. When ya sent A-chan that message about having ta miss the meeting that was supposed ta happen last night because you were stuck out in the field, she came 'round asking me what quest info I'd sold you. Guess she was worried you'd gotten in over yer head."

"When I mentioned that you said you were headed to Ur, the city by the river, Argo got suspicious, because the Desert Raiders quest shouldn't have taken you that far out," Asuna added. "We were supposed to meet up with Lind in the field for an exercise anyway, so..."

"So you redirected them to Ur," Kizmel finished, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Your timely arrival was impeccable."

Next to her, Kirito nodded in agreement. "Yeah, those two bosses were giving us a hell of a time. I don't know if we could've taken them."

Eyes flashing in amusement as her partner downplayed the severity of the situation, Kizmel met Asuna's hazel eyes, the other woman's face a mask of carefully concealed mirth as she, too, knew the swordsman too well to be fooled. The dusky elf shook her head and carefully hid a smile behind her hand. "We are incredibly grateful for your assistance, and that of Guildmaster Lind. Please convey our thanks for their intervention to him, as well as all of the party members who came to our rescue."

"You can thank them yourself," Asuna waved off easily. "At the meeting. At noon. Today." She fixed Kirito with a flat stare that had the indomitable Black Swordsman squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"We'll be there," he finally said awkwardly while ducking his head. "I promise! It's not like we planned for that quest to take that long! Ask Argo - I asked her specifically for one that wouldn't take us too far out of town!"

"He's got a point there," the info-broker cackled, stabbing at a piece of her pancakes merrily and shoving them into her mouth before chewing happily. "But still, only you, Kii-bou."

"Yeah, yeah," the swordsman in question sighed.

"And seriously, the Muur Talisman?" Argo smirked. "Didn't peg Kayaba for a KOTOR fan."

The swordsman shrugged and buried his head in his crossed arms on the table; at the dark elf's curious look, the blonde info-broker smiled graciously and explained. "A legend from our world. Old story, from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

Upon seeing Argo barely able to hold in her laughter, Kizmel decided to take pity on her companion and caught the brunette's eyes. "We will be there on time, Asuna. Yesterday was...unforeseen, and I apologize for the inconvenience. We will not be leaving town until after the meeting."

"Oh, all right," she huffed in amusement. "Lind agreed that it was a good exercise, despite the unexpected boss fight, and everyone did well enough so they're in a good mood."

"Besides," Argo chimed in, "I'd recommend getting a new weapon before you gather your party and venture forth, anyway, Kii-chan. Yer not gonna get far with what you've got."

The dark elf's gaze wandered to her waist, where the remnant of her saber, Hallowed Redeemer, hung. "We had planned to visit Lisbeth today," she agreed. "I am hoping she will be able to reforge it."

"I'm sure she will, Liz is really good at what she does." Asuna peered at the duo curiously. "So, what exactly happened down there, after you guys took off? That timer we got ran out by the time we made it to the Citadel."

Kizmel and her partner looked at each other for a moment; they hadn't discussed much of what had happened the previous day, though they both had agreed that it would not be wise to inform the other swordmasters of the Forsaken's ability to cast magic. Kirito had speculated that based on what they knew, perhaps it had only been the Dreypa Talisman and its connection to the sacred tree that had enabled Vandria to do so, but they had no proof. Still, the swordmasters - and even the residents of Aincrad - understood the manner in which this world they found themselves in worked, and upsetting that without further proof, or utility, made little sense.

The dark elf had considered letting at least Argo and Asuna know, but Kirito had insisted they hold their tongue about that particular detail, at least for the time being. It wasn't that he distrusted their friends, he'd explained, but once Argo knew, the information would be out for sale. It wouldn't be cheap, but it would be available - such was the nature of the Rat's business. And Asuna...was the second-in-command of the Knights of Blood, and one of the foremost leaders of the clearing group. The fencer had a duty and responsibility to the swordmasters that made up that group to pursue any advantage they could lay their hands on, and this kind of magic, if they could even figure out how to harness it at all, would be a major weapon in their arsenal.

A weapon, the swordsman added, that could be devastating if it fell into the wrong hands. Kizmel only had to think of the destruction the likes of PoH could cause with it to understand his reasoning. As much as she wanted to believe in her friends and trust that they would not let that happen, the even just the knowledge that it was possible to cast more than just charms and cantrips was dangerous.

They hadn't even informed their friends of Cardinal's appearance, nor of the fact that, upon leaving the chamber underneath Ur's Citadel, Kizmel had heard an ethereal chime and found herself faced with yet another mystic page that had announced that the quest known as "Pandora's Box" had progressed. Considering that Kizmel was the only inhabitant of Aincrad that was fighting alongside the swordmasters, and it was her specifically who had received the quest and Cardinal's attention, they figured that it would be best to wait until they knew where it would lead them before deciding if the information would be worth anything to Argo, or if it was dangerous in its own right.

"Not a whole lot," Kirito shrugged. "We made it to the Citadel, found a sacred tree there-"

"Wait," Argo interrupted, leaning forward in interest. "A sacred tree? Like the kind the elves revere and use for transport?"

"The very same," Kizmel confirmed this time. "It would appear that before being a human city, Ur was once the site of an elven settlement, long ago, before the Great Separation. Regardless, it was chosen as the place to seal the Forsaken because of the presence of the elder tree. Its magic and power was used to entomb High Priestess Vandria and her acolytes, as well as the corrupting power of the talisman."

"We made it just in time, too," Kirito took over from there. "We didn't have a whole lot of time left by then, and to be honest, I don't even think we managed to beat Vandria before the timer ran out. Did anything happen up top?"

Asuna shook her head. "Not that we noticed. Neither the dragon nor Ilaniya changed their attack patterns, and I think we'd have noticed if they got stronger. Lind said that if that was an enrage timer, it was the strangest one he'd ever seen. Why? Did something happen with you guys?"

Kizmel shared a knowing look with her partner once more. It appears that merely Vandria herself would have regained her powers. When she had asked him about the meaning of the time limit imposed upon them and why it had instilled such a sense of urgency into the swordmasters, he had, hesitantly, explained to her that the swordmasters, in the other worlds they had visited, been faced with only a limited amount of time to complete a certain task or defeat a guardian beast, lest it become empowered by rage or arcana. Of course those worlds, despite the battles being more ferocious, had much less deadly consequences for the swordmasters, and as such the presence of such a concept here in Aincrad was a serious matter to consider.

Thankfully, it had seemed that it hadn't been the case. So Kizmel simply shook her head and continued for her partner. "I believe it was simply the time until High Priestess Vandria would fully awaken and take possession of the Dreypa Talisman," she said simply. That alone would have been a dire enough consequence, after all.

"During our battle, I dispatched her two acolytes and came to Kirito's aid in dealing with her, though we had some trouble that led to...well..." she glanced towards the broken sword at her waist. "Regardless, after she was defeated, the Dreypa Talisman was secured in her sarcophagus, and is now sealed by the power of the elder tree."

Argo glanced between the two shrewdly, and the dark elf knew that her blonde friend suspected there was more to the story than what they had told them, but the info-broker merely shrugged and leaned back, though the gleam in her eyes told Kizmel that there would be some digging for more information yet to come. After all, it was Argo's nature and her business.

"So that's dealt with," Asuna sighed in relief. "Well, that was a little more stressful for a first full day on this floor than I had wanted it to be, but I suppose there's never a dull moment with the two of you around, is there?" she ribbed at them humorously.

"Yer not so far removed from being Kii-bou's partner, yerself, to make that claim, A-chan," the blonde cackled. "I remember the shenanigans you two used ta get up to."

The fencer blushed somewhat, and Kizmel shot the shorter blonde woman a grateful look, only to receive a wink in return. There would be questions asked later, she knew, but hopefully by then they could come up with a reasonable explanation.

"Well, then," Asuna said after her cheeks returned to a more normal temperature, "I'm glad you two are doing okay. That was quite the adventure, and so soon after your last one, Kizmel-chan."

The dark elf inclined her head in concession. "I was thinking of trying to convince Kirito to perhaps take a day of rest."

"Good luck with that, Kirito-kun is obsessed with working his way through Aincrad," the brunette laughed. "But a day off sounds good. Maybe we could pay those hot springs on the thirty-first floor a visit. Have a girl's day at the spa."

"Kii-bou can stand watch outside again," Argo added helpfully. "Like the last time."

The three women turned to look at the swordsman in question, who sighed and ducked his head behind the collar of his coat. "Believe it or not, I'm kind of...looking forward to taking a break, too," he finally admitted.

At the three identical looks of disbelief he received for that comment, he straightened up indignantly. "Hey, I know the value of rest! Besides..." he shot Kizmel a sidelong glance. "Me and Kizmel were going to suggest for you to take a day off, too, Asuna. After we ran into you in the labyrinth on the last floor, we were worried you were overworking yourself."

Kizmel carefully hid a grin behind her hand, unwilling to let her mirth at either of her friends show openly, while Argo had no problems laughing loudly, and the dark elf could make out something about a pot, kettle, and the color black between the blonde's chortles.

Asuna blushed once again, before shrugging. "I won't lie, the last few weeks have been busy, but hopefully today will resolve a lot of the open issues between the DDA and KoB. But a day off sounds good, just as soon as we've taken care of everything and my duties allow me the time."

"Speaking of, how's that going? Nautilus and Yuna working out well?" Kirito asked.

"There's been some...tension between Nautilus-kun and the rest of the Second Army, especially since many of them were there during that fight where he froze," the fencer admitted cautiously. "I've managed to discipline the three men who were harassing him just before we left for the boss fight - thank you for bringing that to my attention, by the way - but I'm afraid a lot of people agree with them. If not in the manner in which they voiced their concerns, then at least with the sentiment behind them."

"I was afraid of that," the swordsman muttered under his breath.

The four of them around the table fell silent; there was nothing that could be said about that matter. Nautilus was a good fighter and well-matched within the Knights of Blood, at least that was the impression Kizmel had gotten from the brief time she had fought alongside him. But she could also understand the concerns of his fellow guildmates, and the stigma that came with a serious condition such as his. Until he overcame his condition and proved himself, there was little that could be done, and interference by the leadership would only earn them the ire of both the other members as well as Nautilus himself.

Asuna's eyes flickered over to her erstwhile partner. "Regardless, that is something I have to deal with in the next few days, but for now he's doing okay. Anyway, I should probably get going, I have to meet with Godfree and prepare for the meeting later. Please do try and be on time, Kirito-kun."

"I will, I will!"

"Good. Then I'll see you later in the town hall. You should try and stop by Liz's place before the market gets too busy - oh, and let me know if you need any help gathering whatever materials she needs for your saber, Kizmel-chan. Bye!" The fencer stood, brushing off her clothes despite the fact that there were no crumbs or spills with food and drink in Aincrad, something else that was different about the world the swordmasters hailed from. It was likely a sign as to how deeply ingrained etiquette was to the girl that even almost a year after arriving here, she held on to those mannerisms.

Kizmel and Kirito waved their goodbyes to her as she swept out of the inn, and a few moments later, Argo likewise excused herself, leaving the pair of them alone. The swordsman remained quietly contemplative for a moment, before looking over at her. "Well, what do you want to do with our morning before we have to head over?"

"Perhaps Lisbeth's smithy would be a good start," she conceded. "And afterwards...perhaps we could explore Alashyia more, now that the immediate threat is gone?"

"Sounds good to me."

-------------------------------

Lisbeth still ran her smithy from a mobile forge in the town center of whichever floor the clearing group currently found themselves on; Kirito didn't know much about the crafting systems in SAO, but he suspected that she would soon have to settle down and open a fixed location for her shop to gain access to a proper, full-sized forge, before she ran into the limit of what the portable unit could do. At least if the smithing system works anything like cooking and the rest of the crafting systems, he amended silently.

As it was only the second full day on the forty-first floor, Lisbeth, along with many of the merchants, were still content to offer their wares and services from the main town rather than having moved closer to the labyrinth. At this time of day, just after 9 o'clock in the morning, the main square was a bustling marketplace filled with players who were looking to either buy or sell something, interspersed with the occasional tourist or visitor from one of the lower floors who were looking for a particular merchant.

Kizmel moved through the sea of people with only minimal notice; the dark elf by his side had become a common sight among the clearing group and on the front line floors in the last few months, and a few even greeted her by waving merrily. Agil was among those, the large, burly merchant usually one of the loudest - and shrewdest - vendors in the area. Situated across from the merchants in the town square were the crafters, and that was where they were headed.

Lisbeth's stand was easy enough to find; her reputation had grown rapidly over the past months as one of the best smiths in Sword Art Online, and the line for her shop was usually quite long. At least, it was unless you were a regular. The number of people crowded around her workspace, which she had slowly upgraded from a vendor's carpet and small mobile forge to add a number of display tables and advanced crafting tools, was a fairly usual sight for Kirito.

The bright pink hair the formerly brunette smith now sported, however, was most definitely not. The swordsman blinked and had to look twice at the sight. Okay, I know she likes pink, but when did she get that dress?

The smith caught sight of them and waved them over merrily, clad in an all pink dress with a flared skirt and white accents and apron that was rather more colorful than many of the other clothes worn in Aincrad. Actually, he revised silently, I think I know exactly who she got it from. That just about screams Ashley.

"Kirito-kun! Kizmel-chan!" she called out happily, never ceasing to swing the hammer in her right hand. When she had finished, the smith handed the item over to her customer before shooing the rest of the crowd around her stall away. "What brings you here today? More practice weapons?"

"No, not that," the dark elf said from next to him. "I am afraid I have need of your services, Lisbeth. My saber is in rather bad shape."

"Hallowed Redeemer, right?" The now pink-haired girl frowned, tugging idly at one of the barrettes holding back her hair. "Didn't I just do maintenance on your weapons before the boss fight two days ago?"

Kirito exchanged an amused glance with his partner, before shaking his head with a chuckle. "We had a bit of a run-in with three field bosses yesterday."

"T-three?!" Lisbeth stuttered in shock, before sighing in exasperation. "Seriously, only you two, Kirito-kun..."

"Asuna said the same thing," he remarked nonchalantly.

"I hear she had to come to your rescue," the pink-haired girl teased. "You're slipping, Ki-ri-to-kun."

The swordsman took the ribbing good-naturedly, scratching the back of his neck. "Anyway, long story short, our weapons are a bit of a mess. Kizmel's more so than mine, but if you've got the time after fixing hers..."

"I'll take a look at it," the smith promised, running a critical eye across both of their armors. "I can't do much for your coat, but I can take a look at your armor while I'm at it, Kizmel. It looks like it needs a polish, too. And if that's in such a state, your shield's probably going to need some work, too."

"That would be appreciated, Lisbeth," the dusky elf nodded her assent. "However, my main concern is...this."

His partner unhooked the saber, sheath and all, from her belt, and handed it to the other woman. Lisbeth took the blade in her hand, frowning as she noticed its weight - or lack thereof. "What's going on? This is way too light to be a sword."

"I may have...broken it in an attack," Kizmel admitted.

"Broken it...?" Lisbeth questioned, before drawing what was left of the blade from the sheath. Her eyes widened, and her mouth formed a silent O as she stared at the remnant of what had been a high-tiered boss-drop just the day before. "What on Earth did you do with it?"

She continued to stare at the dull metal that had been gleaming steel and brass sadly, before looking back up at the duo. "I just upgraded and polished it the other day!" she whined, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Kirito doubted that the girl really was about to cry, considering SAO's emotional expression system tended to over-exaggerate facial expressions, but he could understand where she was coming from.

After all, Lisbeth had spent a considerable amount of effort on upgrading Hallowed Redeemer since Kizmel had acquired it on the thirty-seventh floor. The dark elf seemed equally mournful at the sight of her shattered blade, and he quickly decided to say something, before the two women could commiserate more.

"But you can fix it, right?" he asked.

That snapped the blacksmith out of her reverie, and her head shot up as she fired a heated glare in his direction. "Of course I can fix it!" she retorted, fired up at the challenge to her blacksmithing skill. "But...Kizmel, I have to warn you, it probably won't be cheap. I'm going to need some pretty exotic materials. It might be easier for me to forge you an entirely new one. I could smelt this one down to use for that, if you like."

"I appreciate the offer, but I wish for this weapon to be reforged. Perhaps at a later time, I will ask that you smelt it down to use it to craft me a new blade, but for now...I would like to hold on to it a little longer." There was a somewhat longing undertone that Kirito was intimately familiar with; the swordsman really shouldn't have been surprised anymore at this point, but he still couldn't help but marvel at how human his companion sounded. It was the same note of fondness many players held for a particular piece of gear or a costume or set of armor they had worked hard to get, or that had been with them for a long time.

And parting with them always elicited some nostalgia, even though from a purely numerical point of view in most MMORPGs - and even regular RPGs as well as other games - it made complete sense to trade an inferior piece of equipment for a better one. Still doesn't stop us from wanting to hold on to them, Kirito thought to himself. Asuna had experienced it for the first time, too, when she had believed that Nezha had broken her beloved Wind Fleuret in an attempt to upgrade it, and had later gone on to reforge her Wind Fleuret into her Chivalric Rapier.

Kirito figured that even now, her current Wintry Stroke contained part of that very first weapon she had wielded as a serious player in Aincrad, and that part of its soul was carried on in the sword's lineage. And though he'd made up a lot of what he had told her back then in order to placate and comfort her, there was a tab in his inventory, all the way at the bottom, where his broken Anneal Blade still dwelled.

Lisbeth looked at the dark elf with knowing eyes, before turning sharply around to her forge. "Well! Then let me see what I need in order to breathe some new life into this sword!"

She laid the hilt onto her anvil, before opening her menus to appraise it - and likely figure out what her chances were of repairing the weapon, considering the state it was in. "Okay..." the blacksmith drawled slowly, sliding her finger through the air as she presumably scrolled through a list of materials while pulling up a notepad and scribbling down a copy. After a few minutes, she looked up and handed Kizmel the list.

"Here's what I'm going to need. You've got your choice of ingots, but obviously, the higher rarity you can get for me, the better your chances will be. The rest is regular enhancement material." Lisbeth glanced between the pair of them. "Do you have a backup weapon? I can craft you one really quick or you can pick one from my stock, it won't be as good as this one was, but it'll hold you over until you can get all the pieces together."

"Thank you, Lisbeth," Kizmel took the proffered note and glanced it over, before pocketing it. "I would be grateful for a temporary replacement."

"Sure! I've got a couple of sabers on hand, people have been asking for the recently, ever since they discovered the hidden Katana skill." The pink-haired smith waved his partner over to one of her display tables where a half-dozen of her crafted curved swords sat. Kirito hung back, content to let the dark elf pick her replacement weapon as he eyed the rest of Lisbeth's wares curiously. True to her words, despite the respectable selection of one-handed swords, shields, and two-handed weapons, most people concentrated around the table Lisbeth had taken Kizmel to, and he supposed only part of that could be attributed to both women's exotic appearance. Kizmel alone in a crowd was difficult to miss, given her height and distinctive lilac hair and elven ears; Lisbeth's new hair color and dress only added to that.

He was so lost in thought for a moment, that he almost missed the smith's return, with his partner in tow, a new saber hanging from her belt. "Find something you like?" he asked.

"It is a good weapon," she responded, "though, as Lisbeth mentioned, not as well-made as my old one. However, it will serve well until we can gather the materials to restore Hallowed Redeemer."

"You'll have to hurry, though," the blacksmith chimed in, "at the pace at which you guys are clearing the bosses, you don't have a lot of time before the next one, and I don't want you going into that fight without that sword, Kizmel."

"I understand."

"How bad's the list?" Kirito asked, looking over at his partner. "Aside from the ingots, I mean."

The dark elf handed the folded piece of paper to him, and he briefly skimmed over the contents. "Huh...that's not too difficult to get, I think..."

Kizmel nodded in agreement as he returned it. "I believe the only challenging part would be the Scarab Pincers, which are sourced from the creatures on this floor."

"Yeah, that's the strange part." He tilted his head in thought. It was strange that a recipe would require items from a floor higher than the one the original item had come from; usually the ingredients were from lower floors, which made sense considering that one was improving the base item. "Is it different from repairs?" he directed his question at Lisbeth while opening the trade window to pay her for Kizmel's interim weapon.

"It is," she confirmed, waving off the payment. "Pay me when she actually breaks that thing, otherwise, just bring it back when you're ready to reforge."

"Anyway," the pink-haired smith continued, "since Equipment Restoration is different from just repairing or maintaining the durability of your weapons, it's actually taking higher-tier resources to fix a piece of gear that's completely broken. Though I'm surprised it didn't just shatter, it's at zero durability."

"I see." Equipment Restoration was an extra skill Lisbeth had earned by reaching a high enough rank in her Blacksmithing skill, and its sub-skills, Create Weapon and Create Armor. It was one she had originally thought had no practical use, since most items upon reaching zero durability simply shattered beyond anyone's ability to recover and every other weapon could simply be repaired by using the regular blacksmithing skill, but there had been a few exceptions - like Kirito's old Anneal Blade, and now Kizmel's Hallowed Redeemer. As several others came to her wanting to restore their broken weapons or armor, rare as though they may be, the Equipment Restoration skill was rarer still, and so she had decided to keep it in order to drum up business.

The swordsman brought up his inventory and scrolled through the list of items there while thinking, I really have to go through and sort through all of this stuff at some point. Maybe Agil will want some of it?

SAO had a generous weight limit restriction, and it didn't have a fixed number of inventory slots like other games, which was great for players because they didn't have to return to town as often while out hunting in the fields or play what gamers sometimes referred to as "inventory Tetris." Conversely, though, it also encouraged hoarding, and if one wasn't careful, a player could quickly find themselves with an inventory tab that was cluttered with junk items and other things they didn't want or know what to do with, or suddenly encumbered in the middle of the field if they hadn't paid attention to their overall weight limit.

"Well," he concluded after a few moments, turning to look at Kizmel while Lisbeth had moved to attend to her other customers, "I've got some of it. I've got enough Palladium ingots, some of the lower-level items we've got left over from our previous enhancements, but we'll have to go out and get those pincers."

The dark elf by his side frowned in thought. "Were you not keeping the ingots for a new weapon of your own?"

"Yeah, but that can wait a little bit, worst case I should be okay up to the fiftieth floor if I'm careful with my upgrade attempts and don't get too many failures. You need your sword right now, so that's more important." Seeing her discontent look, Kirito offered a compromise. "Okay, how about we use the ingots now, and when we've got some time you can help me get more?"

She gave him a wry smile that told him she knew exactly what he was doing, before sighing in defeat. "That would be...acceptable. Thank you, Kirito."

The swordsman shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, technically half of my money and half of everything in my inventory is yours. Just because you can't carry it all around doesn't make it any less true."

-------------------------------

The meeting hall was fairly crowded by the time they arrived, and it seemed that both the KoB and DDA had many of their veterans and party leaders in attendance - but there was also a large number of line members crowded around the outside of the room where the conference was supposed to take place. It wasn't that it was supposed to be secret, Kirito mused, but more a matter of too many cooks in the kitchen if they let everyone in, making it difficult for anyone to be heard. The wide doors were left open, though, so that those outside could listen in and hear what their leaders were deciding.

It seemed as though almost every single member from the DDA was in attendance, and looking at the disparity between the sea of silver-clad armored players from the Divine Dragons and the smaller group of white-clad Knights of Blood just made the difference in numbers quite clear. Many of the DDA had brought out their best kit, Kirito realized as they made their way past more high-end armor and weapons than he'd ever seen, and while he doubted that the average level or skill was on par with the KoB, quantity had a quality all of its own.

They pushed their way through to the door and finally made it inside, where a long table dominated the center of the room. Heathcliff was sitting at one end, flanked by Asuna and Godfree, with two others that the black-clad swordsman didn't recognize standing behind him. On the near end closest to the door sat Lind, with Hafner and Shivata on either side, with another half-dozen of the DDA's party leaders filling up the space behind his chair, some of whom Kirito actually did recognize such as Okotan and Liten - high-ranking, experienced raid members and party leaders who formed the core of the DDA.

"It would appear all of the main party leaders are assembled here," Kizmel whispered to him as they stood awkwardly at the door, trying to figure out where they should sit, considering the front lines between the two guilds appeared well-drawn. He caught Asuna's attention, and when the fencer looked over, gave her a questioning look.

Her reply was a minute shrug of her shoulders, indicating that she, too, didn't know where they should fit themselves in. Kirito was prepared to just lean against the wall next to the door and wait until they were called up for whatever reason they had been specifically included in this meeting, but Lind stood as he caught sight of them, and waved them over.

"Kirito, Kizmel-san. Over here. Please, have a seat," he called out, gesturing towards one of the open sides of the table in between the two major groups.

Hesitantly and somewhat awkwardly, Kirito complied, picking one of the chairs that had been left unoccupied and dropped himself into it heavily. Beside him, Kizmel lowered herself into her own chair with somewhat more grace, leaving them two seats removed on either side from the members of the two foremost clearing guilds, while the seats across from them were empty.

Predictably, it was Lind who began to speak first, and Kirito tuned him out after the first few minutes; much of the speech was reiterating the man's concerns regarding the distribution of leadership responsibilities that he had brought up a few days prior during the strategy session for the fortieth floor boss fight. Either he really wants to make a point, or he just likes hearing himself talk, the swordsman thought with a mixture of irritation and amusement. If this had been a few months ago, before the twenty-fifth floor, I'd have said he just likes the sound of his own voice, but now...

"...in conclusion, we would like to propose a restructuring of the raid leadership in order to consolidate positions that have been informally held so that both of our guilds, as well as those that choose to remain independent and are part of neither guild, or those that wish to join us in the future, have a forum to be heard, and have a proportional voice in leadership decisions," Lind completed his speech and sat back down to murmured assent from the DDA members behind him while line members of the Knights of Blood looked angry. The KoB's leaders, by contrast, seemed impassive as Godfree and Asuna both looked towards Heathcliff for guidance.

The man who had been dubbed "the Paladin" for his stalwart defense in battle and near-unnatural ability to tank better than anyone else in SAO usually left leading and the day-to-day organization of his guild to others, but in this case he would have to speak up.

He rose slowly, silver hair tied back into a ponytail and polished red plate armor trimmed in white lending him a regal aura of authority as it contrasted starkly with the inverted color scheme of the rest of his guild. "I have already admitted that your concerns are valid, Lind," he began quietly, though his voice carried across the entire hall, silencing all murmurs.

"But I appreciate your cooperation in postponing the matter until a more reasonable time could be found to discuss and settle this issue." The Paladin's counterpart inclined his head in acknowledgement, and Heathcliff continued. "To reiterate: I fully agree with the concerns you have brought up. The KoB is small, and as such, we do not have the operational resources to organize into dedicated fighting groups yet, though our players are all strong enough to switch between roles if necessary. However, I do agree that at this point in time, the Divine Dragon Alliance has fielded the majority of raid parties, and as such, has placed a larger number of their players at risk. This cannot be denied."

He held up a hand to forestall any protests from his own ranks. "The last raid has shown us that your suggestion of a split command structure indeed has merit, as there is less burden on the raid leaders individually, and allows us to be more flexible in the field. I commend you on your choice of Kirito-kun to be Asuna-kun's second in that regard."

"Thank you, Heathcliff," Lind replied evenly as he rose again. "I do not wish to imply that we have been feeling disadvantaged by our roles in the planning stages of a raid, as scouting and information gathering is usually handled internally between each of our guilds. But ever since the twenty-fifth floor - ever since the aftermath of the very first battle against Ilfang, even - the clearing group has operated on a very loose structure. Part of that was my fault in the past, as our rivalry with the ALS, and my personal differences with Kibaou got in the way of us working together the way we should have, but I like to believe that what we have experienced since has let me - let us all - grow a little bit."

"And you wish to formalize a...treaty, of sorts, between our guilds in order to set our interactions and manner of cooperation in stone."

"To lay the foundation for the future," Lind corrected. "With new guilds vying to join the clearing group with every successful floor we clear, we will need an organized manner in which to fold them into the clearing group, whether they choose to join one of our guilds, or as a guild unto themselves. I think we can all agree that this can only be a good thing, as we will all have to work together if we want to succeed."

"Indeed. So, what do you propose, then, Lind?"

The DDA's guildmaster swept his gaze around the room, from his own lieutenants sitting by him to the KoB's players across from them, and finally came to a stop on Kirito and the dark elf sitting next to him. The swordsman squirmed in his seat uncomfortably. Why do I have a feeling he's about to spring something on me like the last time he wanted me to co-lead the raid with Asuna?

"A council, of sorts," the knight in light blue armor matching the departed Diavel's finally said. "To ensure that each group among the clearers has a voice. In the field, I would like to see raid leadership split between two, possibly three, people to further reduce the burden on each of them, depending on who is attending the raid. Now, I understand that will require the utmost trust and coordination between those three, as you cannot simply throw two or more people into that role and expect things to go well," Lind added with a wry smile.

No kidding, Kirito thought to himself, remembering the times Lind and Kibaou had shared raid leadership. Most of them had ended...somewhat okay, though there had been a few close calls. Thankfully, when it came down to the wire, those two had been able to actually agree and work together, but when things were going well, their rivalry had always gotten in the way of proper leadership.

"Agreed," Heathcliff conceded warily.

"We all have been satisfied with the way the planning sessions are being held, and no one can deny Asuna-san has been doing an incredible job, but I think everyone in this room can agree that the burden of not just planning a strategy, leading the meeting, and then leading the raid by herself is placing an undue burden on her. Myself and others among the DDA are veterans of the lower floors, as well - we all would like to shoulder our part of that burden. We can help plan, scout, and arrange supplies for the boss fights, as well. The last raid has allowed us to test our efficiency and safety margins with our specialized tank and DPS party rotations, led by experienced veterans, and the result has been very promising ." Lind glanced around the room once more.

"I have already spoken with Asuna-san about arranging combined field exercises between our two guilds in order to build trust and cooperation, and we both are looking forward to seeing others be able to step forward and help lead the raids in the future," he looked at the fencer, who acknowledged him with a curt nod. "As for right now, I would like to propose joint control of the raid planning and execution between myself and Asuna-san, to represent both of our guilds. It would only be a nominal shift in the way things are going right now; with the DDA formally taking the lead, but with Asuna-san's position remaining unchanged, with the exception that she now has our support and help."

Murmurs erupted among the KoB's line members, while Lind's own group had already expected that suggestion. Kirito was about to heave a sigh of relief at having come out of the meeting unscathed when Lind dropped his bomb. "And I would like to suggest Kirito as the third member of the war council, to act as a tiebreaker in case we cannot reach a consensus."

Judging by the smirks and grins he was getting from the DDA contingent, the black-clad swordsman figured that they had already known their leader was going to propose this, but if he had thought the protests against him being the interim raid co-leader for the last boss were loud, he was being proven wrong. Despite their smaller number, the two dozen or so KoB members outside of the room erupted into loud protests, while a smaller number of them - mostly leadership and officers - remained quietly contemplative as they eyed him curiously.

"Now wait a minute-" the swordsman started, but cut off when Heathcliff raised a hand to still the angry mutterings from his men.

"This is not an unreasonable request, Lind, but I have to question your choice of Kirito-kun for this. While I agree that he did a superb job in leading the raid group along with Asuna-kun, and I have no objections should you wish to nominate him for field leadership again-" the Paladin paused briefly, the amusement twinkling in his eyes telling Kirito that the man had definitely noticed his muttered protest at that remark, "he does not seem inclined to get involved in the intricacies of planning and organization."

"That is true," Lind admitted easily, eyes flickering between Heathcliff and Kirito, "but if there is one thing I have learned from our ill-advised feud with the ALS on the lower floors, it is that no matter how well we might cooperate, at some point we will need a tiebreaker between us. And in those cases, it was usually Kirito - and Asuna-san, and sometimes with Kizmel-san's help - that got us all moving in the right direction."

"That doesn't mean I want to get involved in all of this!" Kirito gestured around at himself and the table.

"Kirito." Lind was staring straight at him now. "I understand that this is not what you may want or even feel comfortable with. Believe me, I've butted heads with you frequently enough to know that. But out of all of us here, you and Kizmel-san are the ones who are the de facto leaders of everyone who isn't affiliated with either the DDA or the KoB. The parties that aren't from either guild always end up led by you and Kizmel-san, and that has been to everyone's benefit. Believe it or not, you two have done a good job, and if there's anyone I think a third party would accept to be their voice as they try to join this group, it'd be you two. Think about it. You two have already helped lead the raids."

"I agree," came from Asuna's corner, and the swordsman looked over at his former partner in surprise. The brunette fencer caught his eyes, before relaxing her impassive features ever so slightly. A sudden feeling of dread began to rise within him as he saw the determined expression in her eyes. "You say you don't care, but your actions speak differently, Kirito-kun. Those that can't see that are blind. You've been working harder than any of us to fight on, whether it's doing exploration or boss fights, and I never have to worry about the party you and Kizmel-chan lead during the raid. If both of our guilds ever get so caught up in politics that we lose sight of what's important, I trust you to be able to see it and take action, regardless of what it takes."

She smiled wryly at him. "After all, that's what you've been doing so far, right? Because that's the kind of person you are, Kirito-kun."

"Look," he sighed, fighting down a blush as the DDA members that knew him laughed in good humor, while some Knights of Blood glanced at their vice-commander in confusion, until they were clued in by the older members that they had at one time been a party. "I'm not cut out for this. I don't want to lead anything. You of all people here should know that, Asuna. I'll help out where I can, but unless you need something hit really hard, there's not a lot I have to offer."

The look she gave him told him that the time they had been separated had not diminished her ability to see through his false bravado and facade. "If you think that, Kirito-kun, you're an idiot. And I've spent enough time with you to know that the person who taught me everything I know about SAO is not an idiot."

Suddenly, words he had heard what seemed like a lifetime ago echoed in his mind, though it had only been a few weeks since. "You have proven that, for a brief moment of dire need, you can stand tall and carry the burden of leadership. But can you carry on without your shield of anonymity? Can you carry that burden with the knowledge that this entire world will know your name? There will come a time when you must step from the shadows and have others look towards you. This path you are treading will make your name known to all of Aincrad, whether it be as a hero or a villain."

I guess the time's come, huh, Cardinal? he told himself as he looked around the table, passing over those gathered, faces he knew, whom he'd fought with, disagreed and butted heads with, and who, when it mattered, had come together on his word alone to help. Asuna's just the tip of it, he mused. Hafner, and Shivata, and Liten and Okotan, Agil and his crew, even Klein and his men from Fuurinkazan...for some reason they all listened to me when I asked the impossible from them.

His eyes finally settled on the dark elf next to him. Kizmel, too, seemed to have remembered the words from their first trial on the thirty-eighth floor, and while she tilted her head at him in thought he could see the silent support behind her gaze. "All right," he finally said. "But on one condition."

"We're listening," the DDA's leader replied immediately.

Kirito sighed and glanced around one more time. "There hasn't been a problem with the planning so far. If this is just about leading the raids, then yes, I'm willing to help out if I can. If Lind wants to put up a third person to share command, I'll try and work with them the same way I work with Asuna. But-" he stared at Lind, eyes hard to make sure his displeasure was known and understood.

"But I want no part in arguments and disputes between both guilds outside of raids. If you have a problem, sort it out between yourselves. If others have a problem with you, I'll bring it up, but I don't have to have anything to do with making decisions unless you absolutely can't figure something out. I'll be your neutral third party, but only call me as the absolute last resort."

Kirito swiveled his head between Lind and Asuna and took in the reserved, neutral expression that his erstwhile partner had resumed. "That sounds reasonable," Lind finally said, glancing over at Asuna. The fencer and Heathcliff both nodded their assent to the decision, and the Divine Dragon's leader returned his attention to Kirito.

"Then we are in agreement. There is one more thing that I wish to bring up - and it's one of the reasons why you are the person the DDA agreed should represent a third party," he added.

"Okay..."

"The Flag of Valor." Kirito could see that Lind's statement had been unexpected by both his own people and the KoB this time, as many pairs of eyes widened, while others, who hadn't been with the clearing group when the fifth floor boss had been defeated, looked on in confusion.

The swordsman, though, was beginning to put the pieces together. "You want it," he stated factually. So this is why Lind's been so agreeable lately, and why's he's been courting Kizmel.

Lind nodded. "Your original condition was that either a second flag was found, so that both the DKB or ALS could have one each, or that the DKB and ALS merge. When the ALS disbanded after the losses they took on the twenty-fifth floor and we took in their stragglers to form the DDA, I believe we have fulfilled your condition. Therefore, I would like to ask you for the flag so that we can register it to the Divine Dragon Alliance."

"Hold up a second there," a booming voice from the KoB's end of the table interrupted. Kirito turned the source, a tall middle-aged man with a head full of curly reddish-brown hair who was almost as big as Agil. While loud, his tone was friendly, and his expression one of confusion rather than irritation. "What is the Flag of Valor?"

Lind glanced between Kirito and Asuna, and the swordsman sighed, unwilling to put his old partner into a difficult position considering that she, too, had known about it and not brought it up among the Knights of Blood when she could have. Keep it short, then. "It's a boss drop from the fifth floor," he replied simply. "A flag that gives buffs when it is planted to everyone within a certain radius of it."

Godfree's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "A fifth floor drop? Even if it's a boss drop, it has be to out of date by now, right?"

Kirito glanced over at Asuna, but she just shrugged impassively; it appeared that she, too, had pretty much forgotten about it with everything else that had happened since then. With a sigh, he opened his menus and materialized the flag he hadn't touched since the sixth floor, when Lind had offered to buy it from him. Opening the inspection card, he made it visible and flipped it so everyone could see. Murmurs of astonishment and surprise went through the room as people who had never seen the actual buffs it provided caught a glance of its defense and attack bonuses.

"Kirito-kun..." Heathcliff asked slowly. "I must ask, how did you come into possession of such an item, and why did you not bring it to our attention earlier?"

With a sidelong, annoyed, look at Lind, Kirito closed his menu and settled back in his chair. "It was a drop from the fifth floor boss. The DKB and ALS back then were at each other's throats, and Kibaou was going to make a play for it in order to get a leg up. They were going to try and beat the boss on their own, and we think they were doing it on bad intel," he explained curtly.

"And...?"

"And I got together a group of people from both guilds, who agreed with me that the balance of power between the DKB and ALS was too fragile and that this would have destroyed one or the other, if it hadn't outright killed whoever was going for it considering the source of the information. We beat the boss, we got it to drop, and I told both Lind and Kibaou that they could only have it if we either found a second one, or the two guilds merged." He left unsaid his suspicions that had later been confirmed about Joe and Morte playing up both guilds against each other just to get people killed on what was likely PoH's orders. To be fair, while they did have their issues, some of the problems between the ALS and DKB back then weren't really of their own making.

The Paladin settled back heavily, steepling his hands in front of him. "This is...a problem, then. We could have made use of it significantly earlier. Why, then, did you not think to use this item earlier?"

"Because it needs to be registered to a guild in order to work, and it only buffs the members of the guild it's registered to. Once it's registered, it's ownership can't be changed unless the guild is disbanded." And Lind, knowing that the DDA fields most of the members, wants it for that reason, the swordsman grumbled silently to himself. Out loud, he continued, "And quite frankly, I sort of forgot about it."

"That is rather reckless of you," Heathcliff sighed, though Kirito thought he noticed a twinkle of amusement in Asuna's hazel eyes next to the man. "But I understand that you've had many things to deal with since then. However, now that it has been brought to our attention, it once again begs the question of what to do with it. The rivalry between the DKB and ALS is no more, and this flag and its buffs would be a major asset to the clearing group."

The swordsman glanced between the two guild leaders. "All right. The clearing group seems stable enough for it, and you're right, the ALS is gone and absorbed into the DDA, so technically, that fulfilled my ultimatum."

"Then it should go to the DDA, who can make the most use of it," Lind argued. "We have the most members in any one raid, so we would get the biggest benefit from it."

"But with the percentile increases in attack and defense, the higher stats of our line members would increase significantly more than yours would," Godfree countered, causing more muttering to break out as the KoB members nodded in agreement.

"And this is why I didn't bring it up to begin with," Kirito muttered to himself as arguments began erupting across the room. Strangely enough, Lind and Heathcliff both were eyes of the storms raging around them respectively, looking on impassively as their lieutenants and line members both inside and outside debated and argued. Regardless of what was said by anyone else, it would be their words that settled this matter, and Kirito got the impression that their decisions had already been made; they were just letting the others get their words in before announcing them.

Next to him, Kizmel frowned in concern as she leaned over. "Both have valid claims. And I do not think you will be able to handle it the same way this time," she cautioned.

"I know," he sighed. "Honestly, I can kind of see where both of them are coming from. But still, I'm kind of afraid of what's going to happen if either of them gets it. Hell, you've seen the problems they're having without it. It's better than things used to be between the DKB and ALS, but still..,"

"The arguments Guildmaster Lind made before the battle against the last Pillar Guardian still hold," the dark elf agreed with him. "If pushed, he would have the numbers and the structure, and with the Flag of Valor, he would be less at risk at battling future guardians without the aid of the Knights of Blood."

"Which might leave them in the dust," the swordsman concluded. "But the DDA's already pretty much at that point, so would it really make that much of a difference?" It wouldn't, he had to admit to himself. If he really thought about it, the KoB needed the DDA more than the other way around. If the KoB pulls out of the clearing group or implodes, we still have a viable raid. If the DDA pulls out or gets crushed like the ALS did...

"Then conversely, what would be the outcome if you were to give it to the Knights of Blood?"

"Hmm..." the swordsman hummed in thought for a moment. "Godfree's right, they would individually gain more from it, but..."

"But as you said before, their individual strength matters little if the Divine Dragons have the numbers to even the score."

"Right. At the most, I could see the KoB doing better in the raids, perhaps it'd be a little safer for them, but that's what, twelve out of forty-eight?" Kirito scratched his head in annoyance. "See, this is why I don't deal with leading anything. It always turns out to be a mess."

An amused smile played around the corners of his dark elven partner's lips as her eyes glinted with humor behind lilac tresses. "Dealing with others often does," she simply commented, before turning serious again. "If giving it to either group yields them little discerning benefit, then what about the clearing group as a whole?"

Kirito grimaced as he considered his options. Giving it to the DDA will only push them further ahead, but they're pretty much at the point of not needing the KoB anyway, and giving it to the KoB won't alter their positions within the raid much, if at all, so that's a wash there. The KoB might have twelve, maybe eighteen people that would benefit from it a lot, because they're leveled and geared better than the DDA, but Lind's got usually thirty or more people he's putting on the line, and in a straight up DPS and tank matchup...His eyes wandered over the team leaders for both guilds. Lind has his parties properly set up and led well. The KoB still has a bit of a mismatch in their parties, but that's because they just don't have the numbers, so they're only as strong as the weakest link.

"As much as I hate to say it, I'd probably give it to Lind," he acknowledged quietly. "That's where more people are going to benefit from it, and I think he's reasonable enough to see that he's safer and better off working with the KoB than working against them. I don't think he'll be repeating the mistakes he and Kibaou made between the ALS and DKB."

"And what of the Knights of Blood in that case?"

"That's the only problem," the swordsman admitted. "I don't think Asuna or Heathcliff are going to pull out of the clearing group just over this, but from the looks of it, they might have a lot of disgruntled members if things go that way. They're not going to be happy about this."

The murmured discussions around them slowly began to quiet down, and Kirito shifted uncomfortably as he felt everyone's eyes on him. Lind and Heathcliff had leaned forward, and the lieutenants of both guilds were looking at the swordsman expectantly.

"Well, Kirito?" Lind asked. "The only ones whose opinion we haven't heard so far are you and Kizmel-san."

He blinked in surprise and glanced to the side surreptitiously, only to find that Kizmel, too, was taken aback by the fact that Lind had included her in his question. "Well..." Kirito shrugged, deciding that putting things off would only make things worse in the long run, now that everyone was interested in the flag again.

"Here's what I think. If I give it to you," the swordsman pointedly looked at Asuna, "then I'd strengthen the KoB's position within the clearing group. You guys would be stronger and tougher in boss fights. That's a good thing."

The fencer nodded hesitantly, but she knew him well enough to see that there was more to his explanation, and he smiled wryly in return. "But it would still only buff two or three out of the eight parties. You don't have more people, and it'll take you a while to recruit more. Some of your guys wouldn't even benefit from it, like the Legend Braves, because they're not actually a part of the KoB."

Kirito turned to look at Lind. "And if I give it to you...well, we all know how many more people you guys bring to every boss fight. Numerically, that would make way more people safer and stronger. Not as strong as the KoB, but overall, it'd benefit more people."

"Then you see my point."

"If I don't give it to you, you're probably going to make good on your threat from before and try to raid by yourself, or with the independents, without the KoB, just to prove the point," the swordsman continued, staring at the DDA's leader, who only shrugged in response, neither denying nor confirming the accusation. "But if I do give it to you, you're just as liable to go off and do it, because you can."

Kizmel placed a hand on his arm and leaned forward. "What I believe Kirito is trying to say is that regardless of whom he gives the Flag of Valor to, neither guild's individual position within the clearing group will alter significantly. The Divine Dragons will still remain the majority in battles against the guardian beasts, while the Knights of Blood will provide the smaller, more powerful contingent."

"Then what are you saying, Kizmel-san?" Lind asked curiously, and Kirito was somewhat surprised that the man didn't seem to be upset at all at the suggestion that the DDA had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

"That there needs to be a guarantee that neither guild will withdraw from the clearing group as a result of today's decision." The dark elf looked around the room, dark violet eyes piercing as they wandered from person to person. "The swordmasters need to be united to conquer Aincrad. I have seen with my own eyes the trouble division and rivalry can cause, and the damages that was wrought as a result. Perhaps it is not my place to say so, as I am not of your people, but whatever accord is reached today, it needs to be understood that we will need the strength of everyone, united, to reach the Ruby Palace."

Kirito sighed as he gathered himself back up. "The way I see it, if I give it to the KoB and they get stronger, you guys still won't be able to carry the rest of us by a whole lot. Plus, the wider the gap between you and everyone else, the more dangerous it becomes to them. You plan for what your guys can do and what you're capable of, and if everyone else isn't at that level, well..." The swordsman shrugged and looked pointedly at some of the more vocal KoB line members.

"You think everyone else who's here shouldn't be clearing floors if they can't be as good as you? Then you're going to end up going at it alone - and dying, because Kizmel's right. Your twelve or eighteen guys isn't going to cut it." He turned to Lind. "And if I give it to you, you're right, it'll benefit the most people. But more importantly, it'll close the gap between you and the KoB. It'll make it safer overall, for everyone, which means we can plan for it better. The smaller that gap between the two of your guilds, the less casualties we'll take."

He lifted the guild flag and placed it on the table. "So yeah, you're right, Lind. It should go to the DDA. Just make sure I don't regret that decision."

The man had the good sense to nod in acknowledgement of his past mistakes. "Like I said before. I've made some mistakes in how I dealt with Kibaou in the past. I won't make them again."

-------------------------------

The meeting adjourned with little fanfare after the decision had been made, and despite the fact that many of the Knights of Blood looked as though they were ready to start a riot, it only took a singular glare from Asuna or Heathcliff in order to bring them back in line. Both of the senior KoB leaders had looked impassive, as though they had expected that outcome - but even so the dark elf thought she saw a brief flash of hurt in her friend's eyes as Kirito made the announcement. Kizmel cast a worried look at her partner as they exited the meeting hall, ahead of everyone else while the leaders and lieutenants of both major clearing guilds remained to socialize and discuss smaller matters after the main event had taken place.

The swordsman had been unusually forthcoming during the meeting, and she was unused to him voicing his thoughts and opinions on the decision he'd reached during his contemplations. Kirito was usually quite taciturn and reserved in public, and she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, or that he somehow had felt the need to defend and validate his decisions in front of the group. Thinking back to what she had thought she'd imagined in Asuna's eyes, though, she silently amended that thought. Perhaps not to the group, but to Asuna...and himself.

It wasn't that he shouldn't have - after all, it was important to make other people understand what one was doing or thinking - but it was the fact that Kirito usually didn't. The swordsman never cared about what other people thought of him and usually let his actions speak for themselves even while he stood apart from others. "It's funny," he finally said, whether to himself or to her she didn't really know as they wandered through the streets of Alashyia, heading for the northern gate.

"Lind, I mean." Kirito glanced up at her as they passed through the gate and entered the fields. "He didn't use to be like this. If anything, back in the day, the DKB were a lot like the KoB are now, actually."

Ah, so that is what has been on his mind. Kizmel hadn't interacted with Lind much when she had first traveled with Kirito and Asuna from the third through ninth floors of Aincrad, and even then they had often gone their separate ways on account of their respective duties, only to reunite again. She had used to believe it had been by chance that she had continued to encounter the same two swordmasters repeatedly. Or perhaps it was fate that I should meet the two swordmasters who are as invested in the plight of my people as they are in their own.

She had seen both of them deal with the guildmasters of the DKB and ALS enough to understand that there was no love lost, though the intricacies of the rivalry between the two guilds had escaped her - nor had it been a concern of hers, really. Kizmel knew that there was a difference in beliefs about how to handle the situation the swordmasters had found themselves in, and she better understood that now that she knew what they were facing and how they had come to be in Aincrad.

"People change, Kirito," she said gently.

The swordsman paused, before shrugging and continuing on. "I mean, I know that, but that much?"

She tilted her head curiously. "You will have to elaborate, I am not too familiar with Guildmaster Lind beyond our interactions during battle."

"The DKB and ALS used to be at each others' throats, ever since we cleared the first floor," her partner explained, and a shadow hushed across his features for a brief instant as he remembered. The death of Diavel the knight must still be weighing on him, then, she concluded. Or perhaps it was the weight of the promise he had made the man as he died, to see that the swordmasters continued on the path Diavel had started them on.

"As I understand, both Guildmaster Lind and Guildmaster Kibaou claimed to be the inheritor of Ser Diavel's legacy." She remembered what he'd told her about the two guilds and the differences in their beliefs months ago, back when they had first met the Black Cats and he had explained why he was trying to keep a low profile among the swordmasters. Thinking back to what he'd said then, she began to realize what he meant. "And it is now strange to see Guildmaster Lind take the path towards the good of the many, a position that Guildmaster Kibaou once held."

Kirito nodded quietly, shooting her an unreadable look.

Kizmel pondered the situation for a few moments; she could see the parallels between the Knights of Blood and what her partner had told her of the Dragon Knights, in the way that they believed only the strongest should push onwards while everyone else simply provided support and services for them. It was indeed strange to see Lind now become an advocate of equality in strength and sharing of resources.

Such a turnaround would seem strange to anyone, and considering their prior history perhaps Kirito was right to be suspicious of the man. But Kizmel had seen the battlefield, and elite warriors charging ahead of the rest usually got themselves killed. An army functioned only as well as its weakest link, after all, and the Dragon Knights would eventually have found themselves in the same position as the KoB were in now - outnumbered, and on the verge of irrelevance in the greater scheme of things.

At least, had things continued as they had, she amended silently. "Perhaps, as he said, he has learned from his mistakes? The losses the clearing group took battling the guardian of the twenty-fifth floor would change anyone, much less a leader who would have found the entire weight of leading the swordmasters resting solely on his shoulders," she offered gently. It wasn't that she trusted or even liked Lind, though the man had always been cordial towards her at the very least, but having seen her fair share of losses, she could...understand.

It wasn't even that either of their beliefs had been wrong, entirely. Sometimes, one needed heroes, someone to lead the charge and do the impossible. Someone to look up to and keep hope alive. But heroes alone didn't win war, didn't win battles. They could change the tide of battles, but what made the difference between victory and defeat was more often than not the people standing behind those heroes, the ones who held the line.

When she told her partner this, he merely chuckled dryly, and she got the impression that he, too, understood that concept. But what he didn't seem to have seen yet, because he wasn't part of one of the guilds, and wasn't part of the leadership by choice, was the burden those in charge carried - or maybe he avoided it because he was unconsciously aware of it. Both Lind and Kibaou, despite their differences, had found themselves in a situation not of their choosing after Diavel's death, and both had stepped up to it. And, despite their differences, they had managed to lead the swordmasters all the way to the twenty-fifth floor, a quarter of the way through Aincrad, without any major incidents.

And when the ALS was nearly destroyed on the twenty-fifth floor, Lind found himself alone, with only half the group of clearers, and all of the burden of leading them. "People change," she reiterated. "Perhaps it is because you were never a part of it by choice, but I believe that Guildmaster Lind is genuine in his attempts to better the clearing group, to strengthen the swordmasters as a whole. With almost half their number gone, would he not have realized that depending on an elite few chosen was no longer sufficient? The fact that he reorganized what remained of both guilds into what the Divine Dragons have become now should be proof of that."

"...I guess."

Kizmel sighed as she glanced out into the desert that spread out ahead of them. It would take a while yet for them to reach the hunting spot Argo had pointed out that would be inhabited by the giant scarabs they would need to hunt. "Is Guildmaster Lind's change in attitude really what is bothering you, my friend? Or is it the fact that you are realizing he has changed, and that suddenly you agree with him on certain matters?"

The grimace on her companion's face told her that she had struck the nail on the head. The swordsman hesitated before nodding sharply, and she felt strangely satisfied that he was comfortable enough with her to admit it. "It's strange," he told her as they proceeded to climb a dune. "I never thought I'd agree with any of them. Or the other way around, really. Especially not with Asuna on the other side."

"Asuna understands," Kizmel retorted. "Perhaps she feels uncomfortable with the fact that you are no longer by her side - or that she is no longer by yours, but she understands your reasoning, my friend."

Kirito huffed a heavy sigh. "I know. It just feels weird. Why me, Kizmel?"

"Because, as Asuna said, that is the kind of man you are." The dark elf stopped her partner with a hand on his shoulder. When he turned to face her, she could see the discomfort in his expression. "What you are feeling now is a leader's responsibility. You have always stood apart from others, and only had to worry about those immediately by your side. And despite your insistence to the contrary, you are now part of something greater than yourself, because others are looking towards you for answers and decisions. It is that ability to make the difficult decisions, regardless of who agrees or disagrees with you, that makes a good leader."

"It sucks."

She smiled at Kirito's succint assessment. "It does. However, as long as you are the type of man to step up when it is needed, when no others will, I am afraid this burden will be yours to carry. But I will be there to help you along the way, as will Asuna, and Agil, and others. Even Argo, for a price."

The swordsman sighed heavily and fidgeted with the edges of his coat. "This is what Asuna's dealing with all the time?" he asked, almost timidly.

"In some ways. Perhaps not exactly the same, but I am sure she bears a similar burden as the vice-commander of the Knights of Blood."

"I'm not cut out for this," he groused. "Asuna is, she always was. I always kind of figured I'd see her leading us all to victory."

"She does seem to have the natural ability to lead, and inspire others to follow her," Kizmel agreed. "But that is not all that defines leaders. Some leaders do not lead men into battle at all."

Kirito was silent for a long moment before huffing out a breath and rolling his shoulders. "Okay, it's decided then. We're all going for a vacation. Soon."

Kizmel laughed, and didn't stop for the next few minutes as they continued on.

-------------------------------

The giant scarabs, Kizmel decided, ranked fairly high on her list of least favorite creatures she had encountered in Aincrad so far. There were many contenders, such as the giant, mucus-spitting toads on the eighth floor, but the unimaginatively named Giant Golden Scarabs with their smooth, golden carapaces and wicked-looking pincers had been among the worst. It wasn't the beady-looking, multi-faceted eyes, or the strange, insect-like shape and skittering motion, nor was it the fact that they could fly, even if only for short periods of time.

No, it was the legs. As the scarabs were the size of a wolf, their legs were as long as the swords in their hands, double-joined, and razor sharp. And there were six of them. Each. While the creature had no special attacks of its own, fighting one felt like she was facing multiple opponents at the same time, dodging the pincers, legs, and its maw all at once. But between herself and Kirito it only took two hours until her partner called a halt to their hunting, and the pair of them settled in a small oasis for a brief rest as he assessed their spoils.

"Well, at least we're done with that," Kirito huffed as he dropped down next to her, sounding as exhausted as she felt - and wasn't that a novel thought, Kizmel realized. The swordmasters felt no physical exhaustion, only mental stress in these bodies they inhabited in Aincrad, and her partner had always been the implacable one, unrelentingly, tirelessly pressing onward, so to hear him sounding tired was...different.

Then again, perhaps it isn't the physical exhaustion that is taking its toll on him, she amended silently, glancing up through the fronds of the large tree under which they had taken shelter from the sun. Heading out into the desert during mid-day had not been the best of ideas, but after a morning spent in Alashyia and attending the guild meeting, neither of them had been in the mood for further politicking, and had been eager to return to what they were at their core - warriors.

Besides, the scarabs they had been hunting, according to Argo, were not nocturnal and burrowed underneath the sand to return to their tunnels after dark, so they were forced to hunt them in the daylight. Still, she remembered, swordmasters still suffered from the effects of the heat and sun, just in different ways than she herself did.

"Looks like we've accumulated a half-dozen stacks of that debuff," the swordsman continued, eyes flickering back and forth between things only he could see. "So we should probably take a break."

"Agreed." She loosed the clasp that held her cloak and settled back against the tree, remembering that he had mentioned the adverse status effect yesterday. It wouldn't affect their travel time too much, but fighting on in ever-worsening condition was not the wisest thing to do, if it could be helped. "Perhaps we could stop by Tayma on our way, for supply and rest, before continuing on to Ur?"

With this being their second full day on this floor they were both eager to continue exploring not just the remainder of its vast expanse, but also the city of Ur itself; Kizmel in particular was looking forward to exploring the ancient city that dated from before the Great Separation, and return to the library to perhaps find further clues as to the history her own people had lost to time and war. Kirito, too, despite his usual ardor to push ever onwards, seemed equally intrigued by the city, especially as it lay partway towards the Pillar of Heaven on this floor, and thus would make a good staging ground for the assault on what the swordmasters called the labyrinth.

"Sounds good. It won't take us long to get to Tayma from here, so if you want, we can take a breather and get going, then wait until nighttime to move on to Ur," her partner suggested. Now that they had all of the scarabs' spoils that Lisbeth needed to reforge her saber, there was no longer a need for them to travel during the daytime. By the time they reached Tayma and had rested to recover from the status effects that traveling through the desert had imparted on them, it would be nearly nightfall anyway.

Putting down the canteen she had been taking a long draft from Kizmel nodded in agreement, before halting abruptly when her skin begun tingling with a strange sensation. Kirito seemed to have noticed as well, and looked around cautiously. Thunder rumbled across the sky, and a large shadow began to creep in from the east. The dark elf's eyes widened as she took in the phenomenon, not having expected rain or moisture of any kind in the dry, arid desert they had found themselves in.

Still, rain and storm were, if not expected, also not entirely unwelcome considering the heat, she thought.

Kirito, however, seemed to be of a different mind. "Crap," he uttered, hurrying to stand and pulling her with him.

"Kirito? What's the matter?" she asked, trying to find her footing on the shifting sands. Another crash of thunder rolled across the heavens, and she could almost taste the humidity in the air that the accelerating winds brought with them.

"Sandstorm!" the swordsman pointed into the distance where, now that she looked more closely, Kizmel could see an approaching wall of darkness that had previously been lost in the sunlight and uniform color of the sand. "We've gotta find shelter!"

The wind picked up, tugging at her, and her exhaustion was suddenly forgotten as she scrambled after her partner, encumbered by her heavy armor. At least it lent her some weight and stability, unlike Kirito, whose coat flapped and tugged in the wind. She reached over to grasp his arm to steady him. "There is no shelter around!" Kizmel found herself having to shout over the winds that had abruptly picked up from almost still to howling.

"I know," Kirito yelled back, and she could barely hear him now, despite being no further than an arm's length away. "We're not going to make it to Tayma!"

Looking over her shoulder to see the wall of darkness growing closer by the second, the dark elf was forced to agree. The sudden appearance of the rapidly-moving wall of sand and dust was denser than anything she had ever seen, and the winds were strong enough that they would've knocked her over if she wasn't careful. The wall of shadow and sand, which had outpaced the thunderstorm they had first noticed, would be upon them in a handful of minutes at the most, and Tayma was at least a half-hour away under good conditions.

"Over there!" she pointed towards where the gusting winds had shifted the sand covering a large rocky outcropping. The top layer of dust and sand was already beginning to shift and swirl around their feet, caught in the vanguard of the storm, and visibility was becoming worse by the second. Kizmel grasped her partner's hand in her own, afraid that they would get separated if their vision worsened any further, and the pair of them half-dragged each other towards the relative safety of a large boulder, almost the size of a house, as it jutted out of a dune that was slowly being eroded by the gale.

Tumbling into the wake caused by the outcropping she finally let go as they both caught their breath, watching in muted awe as the wind picked up further, causing a rushing column of sand to pen them in on either side that looked almost solid in its density.

"That's not good," she heard her partner mutter, and it was really only her elven hearing that allowed her to pick up on the sound of his voice over the howing storm.

It was indeed not good, Kizmel mused as they pressed themselves against the boulder at their backs and watched as the winds gradually picked up speed and the sky darkened. This was merely the edge of the storm, and the sky had already darkened. Once the sandstorm fully engulfed their position, they'd be lucky to be able to see their hands before their eyes.

Along with the howling winds and sudden darkness came the biting cold; the sun that had been unrelenting as it beat down on them was now cut off, and the gale winds stripped the last warmth from the sands beneath them, leaving only the rock at their backs radiating heat. The thunderstorm that followed behind the dust and sandstorm was also a concern, it would add rain to the rapidly cooling temperatures and turn the sandy grounds to slush that would be difficult to traverse, much less fight on. Kizmel didn't want to imagine having to do battle in those conditions, should they move out from the safe zone of the oasis.

Traveling in those conditions, even the short distance to Tayma, was out of the question. Hopefully the storms themselves wouldn't last too long.

"We should shelter here," she suggested, wrapping her cloak around herself tighter - it wouldn't do for it to be loose in the wind, and could become a liability. "Give me your hand!"

Her partner, somewhat confused, reached out and grasped her outstretched hand, and she pulled him against her and turned them into the wake created by the outcropping. This would at least protect them from the worst of the storm. She removed her cloak and gripped one end of it, motioning for Kirito to take hold of the other, before huddling close together, using the fabric to protect their faces from the worst of the sand and dust that swept and bounced around the edges of the rock they were sheltering behind.

She could feel her companion's body pull flush against hers, and didn't need to look to know that his face was likely red and warm with embarassment; she didn't know if swordmasters suffered at all from the impediments of the sandstorm the same way the natives of Aincrad did, but judging by the fact that they were affected by the heat of the desert, albeit differently than she was, it was possible.

The muttered curse from Kirito seemed to confirm that line of thought, and she leaned down a little to be able to hear him. "Damn," he muttered. "That actually might've done some damage."

"Are you all right?" she asked loudly, and still had to repeat her question before he heard her inquiry.

He glanced up into the corner of his vision, before nodding sharply. "Yeah. I was taking some damage from the storm, I'm guessing, but it's gone for now."

Kizmel glanced out as the gusts kicked up a maelstrom of sand, dust, and light rocks all around them, with some of them pelting them. It was an annoyance, but most of them were light enough to merely be an inconvenience as they bounced off her armor or her partner's thick coat. "I do not think we will be able to move from this place until the storm has passed," she shouted over the noise.

Kirito's reply was a grimace and a nod, before ducking back down as a particularly nasty gale blew a handful of pebbles in their direction that were intercepted by the heavy fabric of her cloak. "It's probably gonna rain, too," he added.

She glanced up, but there was nothing to see but black skies and sand all around them, but he was probably right; the wind and sand had outpaced the thunderstorm, but it would be following close behind. She didn't know when it would hit, but she didn't particularly feel like being pelted by sand and rain at the same time. "We may have to shelter here until both pass before moving on," she admitted reluctantly. "Conditions are not suitable for travel."

"No kidding," the swordsman mumbled into her cloak before realizing just how close he was to her. Kirito swiveled his head away hurriedly, and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his antics.

"Are you truly this uncomfortable next to me, Kirito? We have been in closer spaces, and in less clothing, after all," she teased, and her elven hearing picked up the choked cough from her partner that was response enough. Perhaps Asuna wouldn't quite approve of the way she was teasing her partner, but the dark elf quite enjoyed seeing Kirito flustered in a way he usually simply wasn't. It was rather endearing.

"Kirito," she repeated, leaning over to whisper in his ear to keep from having to shout. And if the tips of his ears were radiating heat from her proximity, well, then, that was just a bonus. It had nothing at all to do with the fact that for elves, something like this would have been considered quite intimate, not at all.

Keep telling yourself that, a tiny, traitorous voice laughed in her head. She smiled briefly as she acknowledged the thought, before returning her attention to the swordsman huddled in front of her. "Have I ever hurt you, or been cross with you for being close to me?" she asked evenly, making sure to keep the mirth from her voice to ensure he understood that she was serious, rather than teasing.

Her prior mirth vanished to be replaced with a pang of hurt as he not only turned away, but also shifted away from her. "You have known me for a while now, Kirito. You know I have never been shy about being in close proximity to you. I understand that human customs are somewhat different, but we are neither in our sleepwear, nor in a bathhouse. We are fully clothed, and yet you turn away from me. Do you not trust me? Or is it that you find me repulsive?"

She couldn't help but let a bit of genuine hurt bleed through at that last question; she understood that his reluctance to interact with women stemmed from an innate awkwardness born of youth and inexperience, as well as an ingrained behavior from his time spent traveling with Asuna and the fencer's ideals of propriety early on. But had they not spent enough time together for him to be comfortable around her? She knew that elves had a different idea of propriety when it came to sharing baths or being unclothed around each other, but this was simply them seeking shelter close together.

Perhaps part of it was her vanity as a woman, and part of it was her desire to be accepted by her partner; while his timidity and embarassment could be charming and adorable at times, his constant shying away from physical proximity in even the most innocent of situations was beginning to be somewhat infuriating. It was almost as though he didn't trust her...or was disgusted by her. She didn't really think that was what he thought, but his actions spoke otherwise. Hadn't she proven to him by now that she wasn't going to overreact over things like these? Even Asuna, in similar conditions, had, albeit reluctantly, let go of some of her stricter notions during their time together.

She leaned back from her partner, to give him space and to hide the fact that she was growing upset the more she thought about it. Kirito's shoulders tensed, before he very deliberately relaxed and shifted so he was facing her. When she caught sight of his face, jaw clenched, it was easy to see that he was warring with himself; Kizmel almost felt sorry for having brought up the issue in their current predicament, but she had spoken in the spur of the moment. And now that the words were out, there was no taking them back.

The swordsman sighed and slumped a little, before looking up at her. "It's...it's not that. I trust you, Kizmel. I believe when you say you're not gonna hit me or scold me, or anything. And I definitely don't find you repulsive. Just...well..." he shrugged awkwardly. "Just the opposite, actually."

"Then what is the problem? Why do you flinch like I would harm you every time I am close to you?"

"That is the problem," Kirito admitted wryly. "I don't know how things are with elves, but I've never been...well, I've never really been around women much. I don't even really know how to deal with my family, much less other people. Especially women."

She allowed herself a little, comforting smile, then, at least content in the knowledge that it was an issue between them that they could work through. "You seem to be doing quite well with everyone you meet here," she commented.

"Tell that to Kibaou and Lind when we first met," he chuckled. "And just about everyone else in those early days. Why do you think I prefer sticking to myself?"

"I assumed it had to do with the fact that, as Argo once said, anyone else would simply slow you down," she half-teased.

He stared at her flatly for a moment, as though trying to determine if she was being serious, before sighing. "I'm serious, Kizmel. I just...I don't even know how to act half the time. Especially when you're...flirting."

"Flirting?" she rolled the unfamiliar word around her mind for a moment.

"Uhm..." the swordsman seemed to have realized that he had inadvertently talked himself into a corner, and shrank down into himself, face bright red. "It's...uh...it's a thing humans do to show, uh, romantic interest...in each other," he managed haltingly.

Ah, that explained much to her, then. I must remember that by his own admittance, Kirito is but a child, for a human. Well, she amended silently, a child in these matters, at least. Perhaps she had taken her teasing a little too far on some occasions, encouraged by Argo's antics, and given off the wrong impression, then. She leaned over and placed a hand on his cheek, turning his face so he was looking at her.

"Some of that is my fault, then," she admitted easily. "I have been trying to accommodate the human standards of propriety, but I believed that you would accept some of my words and actions in the same vein as Argo's. I had not meant to give you the idea that I am courting you, and I apologize." Though it was good to know what constituted courting amongst humans. For entirely academic purposes, of course.

"I do not ask that you look at me with desire, Kirito, as a man would a woman," Kizmel continued gently, ignoring the blush that flooded her partner's cheeks at the suggestion, "but please, do not shy away from me being close. Do not look away from me and make me think that my presence is unwanted. Do not flinch and make me think that you do not trust me to keep my word."

Kirito chuckled awkwardly, before hesitantly leaning closer, pleasantly surprising her when he made no effort to move her hand or move away from it. "I'll try. I didn't mean to make you think I didn't want you around, either, Kizmel. I just..." he shrugged helplessly. "I couldn't ask for a better partner, and you've saved my life so many times I wouldn't even know where I'd be without you. Or if I'd even still be alive."

"As long as I live, you will not have to worry about finding out," she promised.

-------------------------------

The storms passed swiftly, and though the rain and hail that followed the sandstorm had left the desert soaked the burning rays of the sun returned almost immediately afterwards. By the time they arrived in Tayma their wet and dripping clothes had dried once more, and the lack of hostile encounters during the brief journey had been welcome. After a brief rest and late lunch, they had set off once more as the sun began to set, heading in the direction of the old capital city of Ur.

The desert at night, now that she had the time to appreciate it, was quieter and more pleasant than she had expected it to be, Kizmel mused idly. Many of the creatures of this floor seemed to not be nocturnal; only a handful of enemies crossed their paths and wound up quickly dispatched by the duo. Temperatures also were not as cold as she had thought they would be, and the sand, which during the day had been blisteringly hot, was now radiating a pleasant warmth beneath their feet.

The gates of Ur still towered above them, marble walls shimmering in the moonlight, just like they had the last time she had seen them. Unlike the last time, however, this time the gates were not left undefended, and a small contingent of soldiers stood outside. Kizmel could spy the unearthly white glow of others from the Sleepless Watch company in the gatehouse above shimmering through the windows and arrow-slits.

They turned to them the moment Kizmel and Kirito came into view, but relaxed when they appeared to recognize the pair. Without saying a word the large wooden gate swung open, allowing entry, and as they walked through the empty streets, the dark elf wondered how it was that these undead soldiers were still here. Every now and then they would pass by a patrol; now that they had time and were not under threat, Kizmel took the opportunity to examine them more closely, fascinated by the idea that these were, in essence, undead.

Unlike the other types of undead they had encountered on the other floors, however, the soldiers of the Sleepless Watch looked neither decayed or truly dead, aside from a singular wound she noticed on each member of the unit. For some, it was a gaping wound where a spear or a sword had breached their armor, for others it was a slash or cut, and she suspected that these were the wounds the men and women had originally perished from, since they seemed to heal from every other injury that was inflicted upon them.

But they had neither the shambling gait of zombies, nor was their skin flayed and rotting. In fact, were it not for the single wound that marred their bodies and the white mist that perpetually surrounded them, they would look alive. They were, however, not particularly talkative. They didn't speak at all, in fact, she realized as they simply communicated by looking at each other, and she wondered if that was part of the spell that had brought them back to life, as they seemed to instinctively know what they were trying to say, and they could clearly understand Kirito and Kizmel when they asked them for directions.

What had truly surprised Kizmel was when she realized that not all of the Sleepless Watch were human. While humans appeared to be the majority of them, there were elves and even a singular dwarf among the undead, as well. It appears that Ur is indeed as old as the librarian has claimed, she thought as she recovered from her surprise at seeing some of her ancient kin among the city's chosen protectors.

As they weren't speaking - whether it was because they could not, or would not - the library was their next best lead at finding some answers. As the sun dipped below Aincrad's horizon entirely, Kizmel was surprised for a second time when the lights of the city came on. Lanterns of magic-stone lamps giving off a warm white-yellow glow illuminated the streets, and while the buildings remained dark and unoccupied, it brought a life to the city that hadn't been present yesterday.

Not being pursued by an enemy, they took their time meandering through the grand city, and the more Kizmel looked, the more she noticed the subtle blending of elven architecture into the buildings around them. She wondered how it was that this city had come to be as it was - built by elven and human hands, protected by elves and humans alike even beyond death.

They circled around the Citadel, making a lazy circuit around the inner parts of the city, which, despite its lack of inhabitants, had lost the eerie feeling of their prior visit. Empty market stalls were lit up and colorful banners flapped in the mild evening breeze. If she closed her eyes, the dusky elf could almost imagine how the city must have once been, vibrant and full of life. They had settled on making the library their first port of call, before finding someplace to camp out for the night - Kizmel couldn't imagine that anything inside the city would harm them, especially not in the presence of the Sleepless Watch, so if needed, they could sleep outside under the clear night sky. A part of her found the idea rather appealing, and her companion had merely shrugged and agreed when she had suggested it.

As they passed through the northern-most entrance to the palace grounds, once again greeted but unhindered by a contingent of the Sleepless Watch at the inner gates, Kizmel noticed a statue sitting amidst a roundel that bisected the road leading towards the Citadel itself. As they approached, torches along the path they were walking lit up, illuminating their immediate surroundings in a fiery orange light that felt warm more than threatening until they came to a halt just before the large open gate to Ur's Citadel.

Standing in front of the entrance, as though to guard the way into the Citadel, was the statue of a man carved from marble, one hand extended outwards as if to ward off an unseen foe, while the other cradled a tome to his chest. Like the rest of the city, it was in pristine condition, and the carving was so lifelike that Kizmel almost expected it to move and spring off its pedestal before their eyes.

He was clad in robes, not unlike the ones she had seen Cardinal wear, and though his face was gaunt, even in the white, colorless marble, his eyes shone with a determination and focus that spoke to the skill of the craftsman who had created the statue. A plaque of bronze was set beneath his feet, a handful of words surrounded by more than a hundred small shields bearing names.

"Our service, eternal. Our sacrifice, infinite. Our regrets, absent."

She read aloud, the words filling her with reverence, awe, and...faith. There was no name for the person the statue itself depicted, but she simply knew, deep down, that these were the names of the Sleepless Watch. Of the warriors who had, on blind faith and hope, out of duty and honor, chosen to forfeit whatever afterlife they believed in, and volunteered to be forever chained to this mortal plane in order to protect this city.

The dark elven knight ran her fingertips across the plaque, brushing across each name as she knelt before it, uttering a brief prayer for their sacrifice, before straightening back up. Awe and hope welled up inside her, and she swallowed past a sudden lump in her throat as she realized that, despite her vow to the Pagoda Knights, despite her duty and dedication to the Kingdom of Lyusula and its queen, she couldn't say what her answer would have been, had such a sacrifice been demanded of her. It was one thing to serve unto death and not fear the day that its cold grasp reached for her. It was another to choose to spend eternity in battle, to serve and protect and defend, long after every loved one, every friend, and every comrade had passed on and turned to dust, and to never find that peace.

Somehow, she doubted that any of the men and women of the Sleepless Watch had even hesitated.

Kirito, who had kept an equally awed, but respectful distance, eyed her curiously as she stood, and she merely smiled at him. He frowned a little, likely at the unshed tears she could feel behind her lids. She blinked them away rapidly, but clung to that feeling of hope and inspiration the statue and what it represented seemed to exude.

"Shall we proceed?" she asked quietly.

The swordsman gave her one last look, ostensibly to ensure she was truly all right, before nodding. "Sure." He cast a glance over his shoulder at the statue as they passed by and into the Citadel itself. "I wonder who that is. Must've been someone really important, for them to put it right here, like it's guarding the Citadel and the tree."

"Indeed." The elder tree shimmered with dew in the moonlight as it streamed in through the skylight above, its energy refreshing and restoring as they moved around it to exit out of the southern gate.

The library was, as it had been during their last visit, one of the only buildings lit from within. As they stepped into it, the spectral librarian they had met before was nowhere to be seen, though various ghosts still populated the main reading hall. Kizmel let out an excited breath in anticipation as she looked at the vast collection of history and knowledge before them. Somewhere in there was sure to be at least some answers to the questions they both had.

She hadn't forgotten the trials that had begun in the dwarven Hall of Wisdom; as Ur predated the Great Separation and there had been humans, elves, but also dwarves among the Sleepless Watch, perhaps there would be something here to guide them on the path that the ancients of the three races had forged. So far they had tread in the footsteps of the dwarves and elves of old. Perhaps next they would learn something of the human inhabitants of Aincrad - and where better to begin looking than a human city?

"Well..." her partner stated, looking up at the intimidating sight of several stories worth of bookshelves all around them. "Where do you want to start?"

Kizmel looked around, but since the library's custodian was nowhere to be seen, no help would be forthcoming. "I suppose we begin here, and see if any of these topics capture our interest?"

"Sure..." Kirito sounded hesitant, but shrugged and accompanied her as they explored the various catalogued subjects among the shelves, passing by ghosts that were as engrossed in their studies in death as they likely had been in life. Quiet murmurs filled the library, and Kizmel almost felt as though she was back in her youth, sneaking around the royal library in Lyusula after curfew to read just a few more pages.

-------------------------------

October 21st, 2023

The library, it turned out, was just as much a draw for some of the other swordmasters as it had been for them, and by the time midday came around both the DDA and KoB had officially reached Ur and begun setting up headquarters in the old capital. Other swordmasters came along with the clearing group: crafters, information brokers, explorers, and adventurers hoping to make a living and profit.

Kizmel was glad that they had chosen to travel here when they had, as she wove her way in between a pair of ghosts and a swordmaster as they perused the shelves with the same ardor that had kept her up late at night as a child. Though they had found nothing of importance to their quest, she had thoroughly enjoyed having the run of every book in the library for even just a few short hours.

Thankfully, as busy as it was, Kizmel figured that she maybe had another day's worth of time before the real crowds came to the library.

After the clearing group arrived, the remaining swordmasters on the front lines were sure to follow slowly over the next few days, but the main contingents of both the Divine Dragons and Knights of Blood were eager to set up headquarters in a city as sprawling and large as Ur and skipped the library in their excitement to explore the city and castle. Treasure hunters flocked to the town in search of, well, treasure, and Kizmel had spotted Philia's distinctive short blonde hair and leather armor as the girl, with whom she had only a passing familiarity from the previous boss fight, slipped into the library and waved towards her in greeting. Looking for hints to treasure, no doubt, the dark elf thought with some amusement; it wasn't as though she was doing anything different.

Kirito had gone off to find and meet with Argo to see if the information broker had any further information on the floor, leaving her on her own for a bit. Since they had spent two entire days moving between Ur and Alashyia, he hoped that she might have leads for them to pursue moving forward as they looked towards reaching the Pillar of Heaven on this floor. Kizmel had opted to remain behind in the library, enjoying the time she had before they inevitably packed up and moved on to keep ahead of the rest of the clearing group. She was determined to spend that time sifting through some of the books she had picked up the previous night.

"Kizmel-chan!" Asuna's voice called out in the relative quiet of the library, and the dusky elf looked up to see her friend walk in by Kirito's side as the two entered the library's main reading hall.

"Asuna," she greeted with a broad smile; the last time she had seen the brunette fencer had been only a day ago at the guild meeting, and she had looked somewhat tired and haggard then. Today, Asuna still looked somewhat worn, but also had a spring in her step that hadn't been present the day before. "I did not think I would see you this soon."

"Kirito-kun asked if I had some time, and after marching the guild here and getting them set up in our new temporary headquarters, I'm happy to have some time away." The white-clad fencer made a stark contrast next to Kizmel's partner in black, and the elf found herself contemplating that contrast for a moment. "He said you were spending a lot of time here. I can see why."

"There is much knowledge in these walls," Kizmel agreed, "and while I know that we have to move on soon, I wish to learn all I can before we do. Perhaps one day, when we are taking a brief...vacation...from the front lines, I can return here."

"I don't see why not." Kirito shrugged nonchalantly as he leaned against the wall to stay out of the way of the foot traffic that was picking up as the day wore on. "I mean, we all could use a vacation at some point, right, Asuna?"

The brunette hesitated for a moment, before sighing and nodding. "I suppose. But I think now that things are finally getting settled, it's going to be better from here on out." A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she turned to glance shrewdly at her erstwhile partner.

"I'm surprised to hear you, of all people, advocating for taking a vacation, Kirito-kun. I always imagined you as the type to say you can rest when you're dead."

Scratching the back of his neck abashedly, the swordsman shrugged. "The...break we took after what happened with the Black Cats helped a lot. And things have been going rather fast the last couple of months."

"Our pace has been kind of quick, hasn't it?" Asuna agreed quietly. "Sometimes I wonder if it isn't too quick. Sure, the early floors only took us a week each, so we're not really moving that much faster or slower than we did then, but..."

"But leveling was a lot easier and faster back then, too," Kirito finished for her. "We might hit the point where a floor per week just isn't doable, at least not safely."

Asuna shrugged and glanced over at Kizmel wistfully. "I do miss the days when we could go up a level every day or so. It made keeping ahead of the curve easy."

The dark elf got the fleeting impression that wasn't the only thing her friend missed about those early days, but these were the paths their respective destinies had taken them. "It might also be beneficial to let the clearing group as a whole rest," Kizmel added. "One cannot fight indefinitely, day after day, without resting at some point. Even if your bodies never tire, your minds eventually will."

"That's a good point, Kizmel-chan. I'll bring it up with the Commander and Lind. Maybe now that we've got everything arranged and set up, they'll agree to taking things a bit slower - and we've got a lot more new people trying to join the clearing group, so we'll have to spend some time getting them up to par, as well." The fencer smirked as she turned towards Kirito. "That'll be your job, Kirito-kun. At least for the ones that aren't looking to join the KoB or DDA."

Kizmel carefully hid the smile at her partner's disdain behind her hand. "Did you meet with Argo, Kirito?" she asked to change the subject while tucking a strand of lilac hair out of the way.

"I did," he confirmed. "She had a couple of interesting things for us to check out whenever you want to get going."

Her partner caught the longing look she cast around the accumulated knowledge around them and shook his head with a smile. "Doesn't have to be right now. How about after lunch?"

"That would be...acceptable," she replied with a grateful smile. It wasn't that Kizmel wanted to put a hold to their conquest of Aincrad, but at the same time, there was just so much here that she could lose herself in for days, if not weeks on end before thoughts of anything else ever intruded upon her. Perhaps I will be able to take some of these books with me, she thought idly. I could ask Kirito to carry them within his Mystic Scribing, if it is possible.

The swordsman must have picked up on her thoughts - and despite his insistence to the contrary, he never really seemed to have a problem seeing when something was bothering her - because he grinned at her, an easy smile that had none of the persona of the Black Swordsman masking it. "Don't worry, we'll come back here. Hey, maybe we can ask that librarian if you can take some of these books with you. Kind of...check them out for a while?"

"Pardon me," a voice said from behind Asuna, and Kizmel blinked as she caught sight of a ghost attempting to pass by their small group. Kirito, too, had seen the spectre, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Asuna, watch out for the..."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"...ghost." The swordsman sighed as Asuna moved faster than Kizmel had ever seen - which was quite the achievement, considering that the fencer was said to be the fastest blade in Aincrad - to slide behind Kirito, her face buried in the back of his coat as she gripped his arms tightly.

The spectre gave them an odd look as he passed by, mumbling something about young ones always being disrespectful that made Kizmel chuckle. "It's all right, Asuna, he has passed on."

"...really?" her friend asked timidly as she poked out from behind Kirito's back. "Why didn't you warn me there were ghosts here!"

"Uh...because the entire city is nothing but ghosts? I thought you'd noticed last time you were here. Or that Argo would've told you." Kirito asked awkwardly, only for his answer to earn him a smack to the shoulder. "What?"

Asuna glared at him for a moment longer before sighing. "Nothing. At least it's daylight out. And what do you mean, there's only ghosts?"

"There are no living things as far as we can tell in Ur," Kizmel answered for her companion. "The city was abandoned centuries ago for Alashyia, and the only ones remaining here are the spectres bound to this library, and the Sleepless Watch."

"Y-you mean...those soldiers out there..."

"Actually, they're not really ghosts," Kirito cut in hurriedly, seeing how the brunette was paling and winced as her death grip on his arms tightened once more. "More like...uh...zombies? No, wait. Kyonshi? No, that doesn't really fit them either..."

"The tomes call them revenants," Kizmel supplied helpfully. "Undead whose spirits are bound to their bodies because they have not yet finished their duties upon the mortal plane."

"Yeah, that works." The swordsman carefully pried Asuna's hands from his upper arms. "See? No ghosts there. Just...here in the library."

In hindsight, that may not have been the best thing to say, as it caused the fencer to looked around to spy the various ghosts and spectres as they flittered to and fro, picking out books and lounging in the reading area around them.

"Okay...okay..." Asuna squeezed her eyes shut and turned back towards the door. Kirito gently adjusted her until she was pointed in the right direction. "I think...I'm going to avoid the library for a bit," she said.

"Okay..."

"Walk me out, Kirito-kun."

The swordsman hesitated for a moment, but Asuna gripped his arm once again, eyes resolutely closed. "Walk. Me. Out."

"All right, all right!" He half-turned as his former partner just about dragged him towards the door. "I'll catch up with you for lunch, Kizmel!"

The dark elf waved at her two friends in amusement and shook her head at their antics. Once they had left, she returned her attention to the books she had been engrossed in since early that morning.

The Annals of the Forsaken had, naturally, been one of the books she had insisted on claiming last night, along with several others pertaining to the history of the elves before their schism into Forest and Dark kindred. One catalogued the history of Ur itself, while a handful of others looked to describe, if not explain, the magic of old, from which she hoped to learn more about the sacred trees and perhaps the Mystic Scribing charm the swordmasters used. Unfortunately her initial, albeit hurried, search had turned up nothing with regards to dwarves, or any mention of powerful relics left behind.

She had hoped that perhaps the historical accounts would yield a hint as to what lay at the end of the mysterious quest called "Pandora's Box," but then again, it would have been quite unsafe to leave mention of powerful relics or weapons for others to simply find in the history books. The pile of volumes in the little reading corner she had commandeered had steadily shrunk over the morning hours; no one had stopped her from leaving the library with a stack of them the previous night, even if she had only taken them to the tent they had set up in the gardens a stone's throw away from the library. Kizmel had returned with them this morning, intent on going through as many of them as she could before leaving, but she simply hadn't wanted to take the chance that they might be gone before she could really read them.

"Lady Elf!" the specter of the chief librarian greeted her warmly as she made her way towards Kizmel's table the back of the grand hall, gesturing towards the books laid out on the small table. "You have returned - and eager for knowledge, no less!"

Despite herself, Kizmel found herself blushing at the reminder that she had removed them from the library without asking. "I apologize, but we could not find you last night to ask permission. I hope you do not mind. We meant no offense."

"None was taken," the elegant woman replied as she adjusted her glasses with a smile. "Many have been eager to learn in the past that they have done the same. You will find that it is very difficult to steal or destroy the works entrusted to our safekeeping here."

A wave of her hand summoned a stack of books to her side in a manner that was vaguely familiar of the way swordmasters produced things from their own arcane storage within the Mystic Scribing charm, and Kizmel shook her head in amazement. Another gesture banished the books again, presumably sending them to where they had come from.

"Your magic astonishes me," Kizmel told the ancient, ghostly woman. "It is like nothing else I have ever witnessed in Aincrad."

The librarian tilted her head in acknowledgement. "The legacy of Ur is not simply as the resting place of the Forsaken, but also one of the elder trees - surely, you have seen it."

"We have," Kizmel confirmed. "Like many other things, I was not aware that one yet grew in this floating castle. We had thought them all but lost in the Great Separation."

"Unfortunately, it may as well be lost." Unseeing eyes looked past the dark elf, past the library and towards the Citadel. "Its power, once a source of strength and magic for our city, was consumed entirely by maintaining the seal upon the Forsaken...and now the Dreypa Talisman. I believe we have you to thank for making that choice."

There was no recrimination in the spectral woman's voice, in fact, Kizmel thought she detected a note of fondness and pride. Even knowing what she did, though, she couldn't help but ask. "Was there another way?"

"You already know the answer to that," the custodian replied.

"...did I do the right thing?"

"The right thing..." the librarian mused idly as she moved to begin sorting through a number of books on her desk. Kizmel followed as she floated through the halls to return tomes to where they belonged, and the dark elf was struck by how...mundane the action seemed. "The right thing for whom, is the question you should ask, perhaps."

She looked over her shoulder, pausing in front of a shelf and began rearranging the volumes within. "Do you question your choice, Lady Elf?"

"Of course." Kizmel frowned at the matter-of-fact manner in which the question had been posed.

"Do you doubt your decision, then?"

"Is there a difference?"

Ghostly translucent features turned stern as she looked at Kizmel, and for the first time, the dark elf got the impression that this woman was more than merely the lingering custodian of a library, that she had seen and experienced much in her time. In that instant, despite the fact that she must have led a brief human lifespan at most, she seemed as wise as any of her teachers ever had. "Did you make your decision based on the guilt you feel for the actions of your ancestors? Or did you truly make it based on what you believe?"

The sudden question gave her pause, and Kizmel froze as she considered. Did I truly let my desire to right an ancient wrong guide my hand? Or was my reasoning sound? She was a knight and daughter of a knight, honor was drilled into her very core from the day she was born. Had it been her honor that had led to her sacrificing an opportunity for her entire people that she had no place in making?

No, she told herself firmly. No, this was not about making things right. This was not about what the elves of old did, or failed to do. This was about protecting our future, about giving not just the elves, but everyone in Aincrad a better future. Her father's voice echoed in her mind once more, followed by her sister's words, and Kizmel could find no remorse for the choice she had made. Regret at the price to be paid, yes, but she stood firm in her decision.

The librarian smiled simply instead of answering and glided through the air, books in hand. Kizmel hurried after the ghost, her curiosity now piqued. When she came to a halt, the other woman had paused and turned around, holding out a tome to her. Bound in leather, pages yellowed by age, it was not a very thick book by comparison to the tomes of history that the dark elf had buried herself in yesterday. But it was the cover with its elegant golden script that was faded and worn by time which truly caught her attention. She reached out to take hold and tentatively opened the cover.

"Vandria's Journal," she read. "To our beloved daughter Vandria, priestess-in-training to Sehanine, goddess of the moon. May these pages be a constant companion by your side, and bring you solace when we cannot. Remember, it is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. We are proud of you, daughter."

The dark elf could feel her heart speeding up as she realized what it was that she was holding in her hands. "The arch-traitor, Vandria," the librarian's voice intruded upon the whirlwind of her thoughts, "many considered her to be the absolute incarnation of evil, for the destruction she and hers have wrought upon the world. She tore asunder the realm, caused untold amounts of death and destruction, all in the search for more power. And yet, she, too, was somebody's child. Someone's daughter. She was once an apprentice to the priestesses of Sehanine, and perhaps, in her own way, she was attempting to save her world in the same ways she sought to destroy it."

"Why are you showing this to me?" Kizmel asked, throat suddenly dry as she hesitantly turned the page, only to be faced with not the elegant writing of the cover and the dedication, but the awkward, somewhat stilted and scrawly handwriting of a child. It continued over the pages, changing in color as different inks were used over the...days? Weeks? Months? Years? However long the journal had been kept, it must have been a long time, as the handwriting slowly grew neater, more elegant, until it resembled the most refined calligraphy that was taught only to those of the clergy and aristocracy. She skimmed over the lines that were written there, full of anger and frustration and zeal of a woman who was desperate and angry at the world.

"Because, despite everything, someone needs to remember her. To the humans, she is but another part of elven history, of little interest. To the swordmasters, she is another villain to be fought and conquered. But to an elf...she is part of your history, and as history's keeper, it is my duty to ensure that it is never forgotten." Her gaze softened, and she turned her head to gaze out, across the sea of books. "And perhaps, to ensure that our children learn from our mistakes. Vandria, for all the evil she has done, deserves justice as much as all of her victims do."

"Justice..." Kizmel stared at the book in her hands, the thought familiar and yet strange to her. As a knight, she was bound to protect and defend her people from acts of aggression, both from within and without. Justice was part of the code of conduct that all knights held themselves to. However, the Pagoda Knights rarely dealt with internal matters, a duty left to the Sandalwood Brigade more often than not. And as a Royal Guard, Kizmel's duty was the defense of the Queen and her people; "justice" was an ideal to believe in and fight for, though she herself had often merely acted as the messenger, taking and delivering prisoners, or responding to acts of aggression.

The previous night, in the Annals of the Forsaken, she had read how Vandria had been a once-promising priestess of Sehanine who had been denied ascension past the rank of a shrine maiden due to a lack of magic prowess. It was odd to read ancient accounts of her own people speaking so freely of wielding magic that it was an everyday occurrence, and that so much of their culture had depended on it. Every elf had been able to cast magic, though only those most talented were admitted to the prestigious mage guilds or the clergy, and only the most dedicated and most powerful would be allowed to reach the pinnacle of their chosen professions.

Vandria, coveting power and prestige that came with being a priestess of Sehanine, had not shown the required aptitude for the holy spells that were required by the priests and mages of Corellon, the patron god of magic and protector of the elves, or the priestesses of Sehanine, goddess of the moon, the night, and battle. And so, in a fit of jealous rage, the scorned acolyte had begun searching for a way to grow more powerful. It was a tale as old as time itself, a warning of those coveting power who were willing to go to any lengths to get it.

And yet...It is a cautionary tale, yet it is but a tale only, Kizmel realized. What she had read was little more than a fairytale, a story that had been spun to become a warning to later generations. Reality, she had learned, was rarely so simplistic. Behind every villain, there is a person. Behind every battle, there is a story. In understanding what drove them to their actions, we can learn and become better than they were. We can learn not to repeat their mistakes, she realized.

There was evil in the world, some of which simply could not be explained. People like PoH or XaXa, who murdered and killed for the sake of enjoyment - there was no understanding or redemption for them. But many others had their reasons, however scant, and perhaps, there was something to be learned there, as well.

"What is it that you want me to find?" she finally asked.

"Yourself," the librarian replied with a cryptic smile before leaving.

Kizmel watched her go, unsure of what to say or whether to ask her to stay and explain, and instead looked down at the journal in her hands. Perhaps it would bring up more questions, or maybe she would find out how a child, a daughter loved by her parents, had turned into the High Priestess of the Forsaken. How dreams of serving her people had become dreams of subjugating them. Flipping the pages back to the very front, she settled in a nearby chair and began to read of the hopes and dreams of a child.

-------------------------------

October 27th, 2023

It took a mere nine days from the moment that the fortieth floor had been cleared for the swordmasters to reached the guardian of the forty-first. On the ninth day on the forty-first floor, a group of forty-seven swordmasters made up from three separate guilds and a handful of independents, and one dark elven knight assaulted the chamber of [Onixyus, the Black Dragon].

The Pillar Guardian fell with a groan; the corrupted black dragon had been a larger variant of the wyverns that had besieged them alongside the Forsaken in the battle for Ur. In the end, it had fallen just the same. The battle had been much easier than anticipated, in fact, as Argo had discovered that the dragon would have drawn upon the energies of not only the Dreypa Talisman, but also the elder tree had the talisman not been sealed. Knowing what she now did, Kizmel also believed that a number of the Forsaken would have taken part in the battle had they not been routed, though she kept that suspicion to herself.

Vandria's journal had revealed that Onixyus had once been a king among the dragons, revered and feared for his power, and that she had specifically sought him out as her companion for her conquest of the realm, promising eternal life and infinite power in exchange for lending to her cause the strength of his Thunder. Though decimated by war and battle, she believed that the remains of that Thunder - that group of dragons, drakes, and wyverns - who had once followed Onixyus had become part of the dragon riders of the Forsaken and allies of the Fallen. Perhaps Shmargor, the black dragon from whom the Fallen had taken their poisoned weapons, had been one of Onixyus's, as well.

They had encountered the Forsaken a handful more times during their exploration of the floor, though they had been nowhere as threatening as they were during their first encounter. With the Dreypa Talisman sealed and the High Priestess dead, their power had been broken and their leadership decimated in battle after battle with the swordmasters. Kizmel couldn't help but mourn for them, ancient and long-lived as they were. Even with all the atrocities they had committed, they had once been her kin.

It had not always been about the destruction of the world, she had realized upon reading the words of the High Priestess. Vandria had been denied the opportunity to become a full-fledged priestess of Sehanine, that was true; as was the reason that she simply did not have the magical aptitude that station would require of her. But that had been where the words of the priestess herself and the accounts of historians diverged. History is written by the victors, Kirito had simply said when she asked him about it, and she was inclined to agree with the sentiment.

Vandria had seen her people slowly wilt away, seen their lives shorten with each generation while she herself and other priestesses and priests had been sustained by the holy trees they tended to. She had seen the toll of war and strife unto her people, seen the uprising of those who sought to live forever by meddling with dark, forbidden, life-altering arcana and who cared little for how many corpses they would have to tread upon to achieve their goals. She had lived through the horrors of the war between the elves and the humans and dwarves.

She had seen how the pride and vanity of her own king and council to restore the elves to their past glory as warriors and conquerors drove them further into destruction and suffering instead of peace while their race could still be saved.

Where there had been battle and glory, she had wanted to bring peace and prosperity. Where she had seen suffering, she had wanted to ease pain and bring comfort. Only, Vandria had ended up driving the elves, already battered by millennia of decadence and conflict, into another war - this one more destructive and devastating than any the old world had ever seen.

When she discovered that mages had used the forbidden arts to create the first talisman through blood rituals, it had started her down a path to ruin as she began to contemplate a way to free the elves from their reliance on the powers of the sacred trees. That first amulet only served half of their purpose; it had given eternal life to the body, but without a soul it was just an empty shell. Easily controlled, but useless if she wanted her people to live forever, no longer bound to the sustenance of the sacred trees. Spurred on by the clergy refusing to share what remained of their power with the others in a desperate bid to maintain their own positions and longevity, Vandria had delved into blood magic herself to create the second talisman, to bind the soul to the body on this mortal plane.

Even then, her intentions had been good as she brought her discoveries to light, clamoring for an end to the war and proclaiming that all three races could live in harmony, that the never-ending conflict could finally end. Her leaders had rejected Vandria and her followers, cast them out for delving into the forbidden magic, and proceeded to wage war with the humans and dwarves.

It had been a series of unfortunate events driven by pride, jealousy, and hatred, Kizmel had realized as she read Vandria's journal, that had led a once-promising priestess to abandon her dream of bringing peace to the world in favor of imposing her own vision of peace upon it. She had fallen prey to the same temptation and corruption that had twisted the elven leaders she so despised, and embarked on a crusade to force the entire world to heel, and become a threat none could ignore.

Her actions had plunged the world into nearly a thousand years of war; entire generations had marched to their deaths on the battlefield until she had finally been defeated - but despite all of the destruction she had wrought, she had, in the end, accomplished what she had set out to do. She had united the elves, humans, and dwarves against a common foe. When exactly Vandria ceased being the woman who had once loved and been loved and become the High Priestess of chaos and destruction, Kizmel didn't know; the journal's final entry in Vandria's elegant script had been confusing and incoherent, almost as though she had been warring with herself on what to do and slowly lost control of her own mind to whatever ruinous power she had pledged herself to.

Now she understood why the librarian had asked her if she felt a measure of guilt and let it guide her hand when she had made the decision to finally put an end to this ancient threat. A human proverb she had heard Agil utter a few times came to mind. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," the large merchant had said, and while the phrasing was strange, she understood the meaning behind it well.

The dark elf put all thoughts of the ancient elves and their wars out of her mind for now, though. The swordmasters around her were celebrating their victory; it had been the first true test of how the tenuous alliance, negotiated only a week prior between the Knights of Blood and the Divine Dragons, would work together. Lind and Asuna had been at the heads of their respective guilds, while for the first time she had seen Kirito step up to lead in a situation that was not a crisis.

To make matters worse for her partner, not only did he have to lead the usual party made up of non-aligned swordmasters, but Asuna had also handed him control of the six Legend Braves for the small guild's first trial by fire. Kizmel knew that the Legend Braves had previously been part of the battles against the Pillar Guardians, but had to withdraw from the clearing group after an incident on the second floor. It would be their first battle against a Pillar Guardian in forty floors and many months, and she could see her partner tense at the thought of being responsible for yet more lives.

Still, the swordsman had stepped into the role despite his apprehension, and result had been a swift, decisive, and bloodless victory for the swordmasters. And if Kirito had pulled the mantle of the Black Swordsman around himself to do so, then it had done the trick; no one had questioned his orders, even those among the Knights of Blood who had voiced their resistance to being led by him.

Slipping away from the rest of the assault team she followed Kirito up the stairs at the back of the guardian's chamber, heading up. The stairwell slowly quieted down as the stone sheltered them from the jubilation of the swordmasters below, and as they arrived before the massive doors that barred their passage onward, she could see the tension leave the set of his shoulders. This was what he longed for, this was what he truly wanted to do - explore the unknown and experience this world of Aincrad he had found himself in.

And she found that all she wanted was to continue exploring this world along with him.

The doors to the forty-second floor swung open, bathing the staircase in bright sunlight. Kizmel paused, sparing one last glance over her shoulder for the floor that had brought her many revelations about her people and herself, before looking over at her partner. Here he, too, had discovered things about himself that had pushed him to step past his own shadow, and she hoped that he would accept them for the better.

She had faith that he would.

Chapter Text

November 22, 2023

"This place sure brings back memories," Argo commented as she led the way, ducking under low-hanging branches and stepping over roots. "It's almost like it was on the third floor, right, Kii-chan?"

The forty-fifth floor of Aincrad was indeed reminiscent of the third, Kizmel decided as she followed Argo through the thick forest. In the manner that a significant part of it was woodland dominated by thick, mossy-stemmed trees that reached far up. In the summer, she could imagine the canopy of leaves providing ample shade from the sun and heat, while now, in early winter, it shielded them from the snow that was beginning to fall. But that was where the similarities ended, and the main human settlement here was not carved from the massive trunks of giant trees like Zumfut had been.

Instead, when Kizmel and Kirito had first ascended the stairway that led them from up from the previous floor, they had been greeted by a large motte and bailey castle rising up over the forest in the distance. Roughly-hewn stone blocks had been stacked to make up a tall defensive wall covering earthen ramparts that rose four meters into the air and encircled the settlement, while at the west end, nestled upon a hilltop, lay the keep itself, surrounded by a secondary fortification.

The city called Vindoland lay in the eastern part of the forty-fifth floor, and had once been a military garrison post judging by the barracks that had been repurposed into taverns and inns, whereas the old mustering place had become a bustling market. It did not mean the city had been abandoned by the military entirely, however, as guards from the small force maintained by the mayor at the keep were ever-present, and surprisingly well armed and protected by overlapping bands of steel for armor and large shields with a discipline and demeanor that spoke of professional training.

Argo had called the town's architecture "Roman," and Kizmel suspected it was yet another lost culture from the swordmasters' homeland - which brought up the interesting question of whether Aincrad had once been part of that homeland as well, before the Great Separation. There was simply too much cultural overlap for it to be chance. Or maybe the humans from the swordmasters' world had been brought here in the distant past, and left to their own devices, much like the swordmasters themselves had been brought here now.

Beyond the city lay an untamed wilderness of forest in which Argo had managed to locate the ruins of a fort - similar to the one they had encountered on the thirty-eighth floor, which was what had piqued their interest. As a result, Kirito had asked the information broker to accompany them to the site in exchange for their help in securing information about the field guardian of this floor once it was found. It had been an easy enough request - in part, Kizmel suspected, because Argo, too, was interested in what secrets the ruins held.

Kizmel and Kirito had, after all, been the only ones who had been able to access what lay beneath the fort on the thirty-eighth floor and gain entry to the maze of puzzles that had ultimately led them to the Hall of Wisdom...and their first meeting with Cardinal. The dark elf still wondered what sort of a token the pendant was that she had received; Kirito had, with her permission, taken it to Agil and Lisbeth for appraisal to see if it had any enchantments or magical properties, but to their disappointment it had simply been a piece of jewelry, nothing more.

She still kept it with her, under her tunic, certain that there must be some meaning to the pendant that would reveal itself in time. If nothing else it was a memento of their adventures, and while Kizmel usually wasn't the nostalgic type, she felt like it made a good souvenir to remind her of the friends she had met, should they succeed in their quest to send the swordmasters home.

The few monsters on their way were mostly beast-types, feral creatures like wolves and large felines, with the occasional giant spider - all common denizens of a wild forest, and all of which fell without much effort on their part. Between the three of them, it only took an hour before the ruined fortress loomed ahead of them. Hidden among the trees and nearly overgrown, it was difficult to make out and Kizmel imagined it would be easy to miss in twilight if one didn't know it was there, but Argo led them around the side of the fortifications seemingly knowing exactly where she was going.

"The gate's closed, and collapsed. No one's getting in that way," she explained. "But there's a side entrance over here."

"And...you said there's no monsters here?" Kirito asked dubiously.

"Yup," the blonde replied. "Not a one inside."

"But it's not a safe zone."

"Nope." Argo looked over at them. "Well, here we are. Go on, go ahead."

Kirito looked over at her and Kizmel merely shrugged in response to his unspoken question; Argo's information was always accurate and if she said the area was uninhabited by monsters, than that was likely to be the case. The smaller gate was just as well fortified as the rest of the fortress, but unlike the main gatehouse, it was still intact. The wooden gate had long since rotted away, leaving behind only the iron cladding that had reinforced it once upon a time, and they easily pushed the skeletal remains open.

"This place looks pretty intact for being a ruin," the swordsman commented idly as they carefully made their way into the courtyard.

Argo clicked her tongue and shrugged. "Think less ruined and more abandoned, Kii-bou."

They spent a few minutes exploring their immediate surroundings; as expected, it had at one time been a military fort, albeit one designed for long-term occupation considering the substantial defenses. But unlike Vindoland, Kizmel doubted that this place had ever housed any kind of civilian population. Between the guard houses, the towers, and the walls, this place seemed more like an outpost, similar to the ones the dark elves had used when venturing to other floors.

"The architecture is not elven or dwarven in origin," Kizmel concluded after a few minutes. If anything, it appeared to be the same style of construction as the town they had just left.

Argo nodded, and led them deeper into the fort, towards one of the main buildings that still stood in the center. They ducked through the doorway, the wooden door long gone as was the wooden roof, but the walls still stood strong. "Right. But that's not what was really interesting about this place," the info-broker said. "This is."

Kizmel came to a halt next to her partner, tilting her head at the sight of a mural, a roundel carved into the stone wall at the back, into which were laid twelve swords pointing inwards. A chalice was carved into the center, and weathered inscriptions accompanied each of the swords. Time had worn most of them away, but one, at the very top, was still legible, but it was in the arcane script of the swordmasters' magic and even Kirito seemed unable to make sense of it.

"Rex Arturo," Argo read for them.

Kizmel was as confused as her partner at the foreign sounding words, and Argo grinned broadly at him. "It's Latin...for King Arthur," she explained, and the dark elf watched Kirito's eyes widen almost comically; it was a name he most surely recognized, and by the looks of it, there was a significance to it.

"The King Arthur?" the swordsman asked, somewhat awed. "Sword in the stone, holy grail and all that?"

"The very same."

Kirito suddenly looked up in excitement. "You're telling me there's a chance we could stumble across Excalibur just stuck in a random stone around here?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Kii-bou, but Excalibur wasn't the sword in the stone," the blonde laughed. "Besides, if Arthur is around - which he clearly was, that's pretty much a giant I was here sign - then he's pulled the sword and probably has Excalibur already. Anyway, legends differ on which sword he had and what happened ta it, but more importantly, there's a chance we could find the Sangreal."

"Sang-real?"

"San-greal," Argo enunciated carefully. "Or Sangraal. It's the fancy name for the holy grail, since they went through the trouble of depicting it, I'm guessing there's probably something going on with it on this floor."

"So...we're going to be running into knights searching for the holy grail?"

Argo hummed in thought as she considered the question. "Well," she finally said, "it depends on which version of the legend this is based off of. The later, more modern legends have him as a knight in shining armor and all of that, but the original Arthurian legend was probably closer to the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, so you'd be looking at...Normans and Saxons duking it out with the Britons? It certainly fits with the Roman theme of the floor so far. Let's just hope there's no Battle of Badon Hill. But that side of the legend doesn't even mention the grail, that's a modern thing."

"I didn't know you were such a history buff," Kirito commented as they wandered around the room which may at one point have been the great hall of the fort. "And you're being awfully chatty without charging me, what's up with that?"

Argo grinned and winked. "Aww, Kii-bou, must you suspect me of having an ulterior motive? You wound me!"

The swordsman just stared at her flatly, causing the blonde to laugh. "I'm not a history buff, at least not for this," she admitted, "but you should know by now, it's my business to know. As for what I want...well, what girl wouldn't want ta go on an adventure with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? Gallant men in shining armor, romance and adventure await!"

Kizmel carefully hid a smile at her partner's exasperated look. "You're telling me you're not charging me because you...want to quest with us?"

"This particular one," Argo confirmed cheerily and Kizmel blinked...were those hearts in the blonde's eyes? "C'mon, it's been ages since we've had fun together, besides, it's the original chivalric romance! What kind of girl doesn't want knights in shining armor jousting and battling fer her honor and the right ta court her? It's the age of chivalry and gallantry, with a code of honor and a higher purpose! It's the original quest, searching for the holy grail, it's got knights and magic swords, and Merlin the wizard and Morgana the witch! Who doesn't want ta feast in the hall of the king of legend? And the love triangle between Arthur and Lancelot and Guinevere...poor, gallant Sir Bedivere, and proud Sir Galahad, and-"

"I get it, I get it," Kirito sighed as Argo's eyes lit up in excitement and she clasped her hands together before her chest dreamily. "You're really excited about this particular fantasy legend."

"You're telling me you'd pass up a chance to ride with the Knights of the Round Table?" the blonde asked dubiously. "Ta cross swords with Sir Lancelot, to find the holy grail and fulfill one of the most holy quests in the world?"

"Well..."

"Oh, yer such a shut-in, Kii-bou," Argo cackled good-naturedly. "But the legend of King Arthur was one of my favorite stories as a kid. And by the way, ya owe me fifty thousand Cor for that little bit of information. I'll put it on your tab."

"Fi-fifty-"

Argo winked at him and laughed. "If you can't pay me now, I accept IOUs."

Kizmel watched the interplay between the two with a quiet smile as she ran her hands across the mural. She didn't understand some of what they were saying, but gathered that as with many things in Aincrad, there was a legend among the swordmasters that was of some importance to this place. And part of her was excited to see this legend come to life; as a knight herself she looked forward to seeing what the humans considered as knights, to compare how she measured up to them, and learning about their ideals.

From what Argo had said, it sounded almost...romantic, the notion of noble knights battling for the honor of the women they were courting, standing up for justice and their kingdom. It seemed that this kind of chivalric code of honor and duty was not unique to elves; although Kizmel knew that humans had knights, but she had never met one. She was eager to meet her counterparts. Some among the swordmasters considered themselves knights - Ser Diavel certainly had, according to Kirito, but these were her fellow natives of Aincrad.

"How about this, Kii-bou," the info-broker smirked knowingly. "You let me tag along on this adventure and I won't collect on that tab."

"I don't have a tab," the swordsman muttered in dismay.

"You do now, ehehehehe."

Kizmel chuckled before placing a hand on her partner's shoulder. "I believe it will be quite all right. Argo can take care of herself, and I find that adventures are better experienced together with friends."

"You should listen to Kii-chan," the blonde grinned.

Caught between both women, Kirito's eyes wandered back and forth, before he finally sighed in defeat. "Oh, all right. You know, you could've just asked."

"But where's the fun and profit in that?" Argo grinned knowingly.

"So, how do we get this started?" the swordsman finally changed the subject. "Arthur was here, are you sure he still is? I mean, this place looks like it's seen better days."

Kizmel had to agree; whoever this Arthur was, and whether he was the one from the swordmasters' legends, he had clearly once lived and been in this place. However, the state of the fort told her that it had been a significant time ago, which begged the question whether they were to follow in his footsteps, or whether they would actually encounter him in person, if he was still alive.

"That's why we're here, to take a look around and find out," the blonde explained patiently, looking more excited than Kizmel had ever seen her.

She must really look forward to our adventure, the dark elf mused with some amusement. Perhaps I shall ask her more about this legend of theirs, and why she is so excited about it. Her enthusiasm was infections, as Kizmel found herself similarly energized, and even Kirito seemed eager to look around as they exited the great hall.

Only for the three of them to run into a wall of spears and swords.

Kizmel's first instinct was to draw her weapon, but judging by the fact that they were surrounded by more than a dozen combatants, that would have done very little to benefit them without a plan - and whoever this group was, they clearly had been aware of their presence. Still, they hadn't stormed the great hall or outright attacked them, which meant that there was a chance they could be reasoned with.

Kirito and Argo likewise seemed to have recognized that fact, and she spied her partner forcing his hand to relax and drop from the hilt over his right shoulder. Instead, the swordsman merely glanced from the corner of his eye at Argo.

"I thought you said there wasn't anyone here," he muttered.

The info-broker shrugged, her expression a mixture of curiosity and carefully concealed worry. "I said there wasn't any monsters here. Never said anything about NPCs," she corrected.

In that regard, at least, Argo had been correct; Kizmel took a brief moment to evaluate their potential opponents. Fifteen human men and women in a variety of garb, ranging from colorful tunics and pants to some of the men's torsos being bare. They were brandishing everything from spears and axes, to swords and shields and looked upon them with suspicion. Clearly, this was not an organized force, and the only thing tying all of them together was the blue paint that adorned the exposed parts of their bodies in various swirls and patterns.

A woman leapt down from the top of the rampart and slowly walked over towards them; the group reverently made way for her as she approached, though they never dropped their guard. She stopped in front of them, seemingly not a care in the world while she kept her hand resting on the pommel of the sword that hung from her belt. Red hair the color of the sunset ran down her back in a long braid that reached her mid-back, and the bronze breastplate that protected her did little to hide her figure. Blue paint ran down her cheeks from under her equally blue eyes that blazed with fire and she carried herself with the bearing of royalty.

"It appears we have caught ourselves an interesting prize, men," she declared, her voice low and sultry, carrying a core of steel as she looked them over. Her eyes settled on Kirito, and the woman stepped towards the swordsman. "You wear no armor, and you do not have the bearing of a soldier. Who are you, then? A spy, sent to root us out? A boy, lost in the woods without his parents and cavorting with but a lone chaperone?" The woman's eyes flickered over to Kizmel's armored figure for a brief instant.

One of the men at her side bellowed with humorless laughter. "If he is a boy, then his parents surely must be able to afford a handsome ransom, if he has a bodyguard by his side." His expression turned to a leer. "And a fine one, at that."

Kizmel bristled at the insinuation, but the woman surprised them all by turned around swiftly, her blade arcing out of its sheath in the blink of an eye, to come to rest against the man's breastbone. "I will not have talk of such things among my ranks. That is the domain or savages and the corrupt, and I will stand for neither!"

"M-my lady, I didn't-"

"Begone from my sight, before I decide to make an example of you!"

"Y-you can't-"

She pressed the tip of the blade further towards him, making him wince as he took a step back, his expression morphing into one of anger and hatred. "You're making a mistake Boudica. Mark my words, you better watch your back!" he spat before turning around and leaving.

In the meantime Argo, who had gone mostly unnoticed by the new arrivals on account of Kizmel and Kirito's distinct appearances, was almost bouncing with glee as she stood next to the dark elf, and Kizmel chanced a curious glance at the blonde.

"Boudica," the info-broker explained quietly, leaning over so as not to be overheard, "another legend from our world. Not really connected with Arthur and somewhat anachronistic, but we're in the right place."

Apparently Argo had not spoken quietly enough, as the woman rounded on them. "So you know my name," she said, her tone shifting dangerously as she took in Kirito's awkward expression, Argo's awestruck one, and Kizmel's equally reserved look. "And that of my arch-enemy. Tell me, who are you?"

The eyes of the woman Argo had called "Boudica" narrowed as she slowly strode around them, neither of the three quite sure how to answer her question. "You wear the regalia of a knight," the redhead concluded after completing her circle and addressing Kizmel. "Shield and armor, sword and crest. Whom do you serve? Who is your liege?"

The dark elf refused the urge to flinch under the piercing scrutiny of the other woman, and was about to respond when the redhead's eyes opened wide, as though just seeing Kizmel for the first time. She took a step back, hostility forgotten and replaced by shock. "A fey!" she uttered breathlessly, her eyes fixated on the long, delicate ears as the wind shifted Kizmel's lilac hair. "You are a fey!"

Kizmel tilted her head curiously to the side, surprised and a little confused by the sudden address. "I am Kizmel, of the dark elves. I serve her royal majesty, Queen Ilyndrathyl of Lyusula. My companions here are Kirito and Argo, swordmasters come to this world on a quest to reach its very pinnacle," she replied evenly.

"Sheathe your weapons!" Boudica commanded imperiously, and with a wave of her arm the spears and blades that had kept them in check were lowered and returned to rest. The woman abruptly spun and strode back towards them. "Lady Kizmel, please, follow me. We have much to talk about."

The dark elf blinked in surprise that this human woman would call upon her to negotiate, when it was usually the swordmasters whom the native humans of Aincrad would address. It had never bothered her, she was an outsider to their culture after all, and Kirito had never made a big fuss about excluding her from anything. The strange looks she was getting from both of her companions told her they were as bewildered by these sudden developments as she was.

Boudica waited patiently by the entrance to the old great hall, and with a minute shrug, Kirito indicated for her to go ahead. Kizmel turned and entered the room they had just left behind the redheaded warrior, her two friends close behind. The dusky elf didn't miss the angered look Boudica directed at the mural on the wall for a brief moment, before schooling her expression into something more neutral.

"I apologize for the manner of our greeting, Lady Kizmel," she began, "I was unaware that one of your kind would be traversing these woods. These are dangerous times, and most of our kind have not been courteous towards your people."

"Your apology is accepted, and no harm was done." Kizmel frowned as she glanced around the room. "Though I must admit, we find ourselves somewhat lost. With whom do we have the pleasure of conversing?"

"My name is Boudica, Queen of the Iceni," the redheaded warrior woman introduced herself. "And these are our ancestral lands, taken from us against the wishes of my late father, King Rhun of the Iceni."

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Queen Boudica," the dark elf drew upon the court lessons that her father had insisted she take up as part of her grooming to become one of the Queen's own. "I assure you we meant no harm, and were simply passing through. We were unaware that these were your lands, and would petition you for safe passage."

"Were it within my power, I would grant you that passage, Lady Kizmel, and our hospitality. It has been too long since these woods have seen the blessings of the fey, and despite our best attempts to keep the old traditions alive, the people no longer worship you. Instead, they follow the usurper king and his pagan god!" Boudica spat, palm slamming against the wall angrily.

Kizmel was unsure how to respond, and before she could come up with anything, Argo jumped in. "Queen Boudica, we may be outsiders, but perhaps we can help. What troubles these lands? Who is the usurper who has taken your lands?"

The redhead's focus locked onto the diminutive information broker. "Arthur, of course," she snarled. "You know his name, surely you must know what he has done, and what injustice his so-called knights continue to conduct in his name!"

Argo, now wide-eyed, shook her head. Seeing equally blank and unknowing expressions on Kizmel and Kirito, Boudica took a deep breath to settle herself and shook her head. "It is not a pleasant tale. One that should not burden mere travelers, and I should not bother a lady fey with our mere mortal troubles."

"Please, Queen Boudica," the dark elf found herself asking, somehow drawn to find out what this woman's story was, and if they could help in any form. Is this how Kirito and Asuna felt, when they learned of the plight of my people?

"Very well." The Queen's eyes took on a distant, faraway look as though she was seeing through time itself. "This floor is called Britannia, and has been our ancestral land for generations. It is home to three tribes: the Iceni, the Romanii, and the Atrebati. For many centuries, there was peace among us, until the king of the Romanii, Uther, waged war on the Atrebati. Why he decided to break the peace is not know - many say it was because he lusted for the hand of their beautiful queen, Igrayne. The Iceni stood by, and my father was unwilling to commit us to a war that might see no end, and signed a treaty with Uther that would secure our lands."

"It didn't go that way, did it?" Argo asked, and Boudica shook her head.

"When the Atrebati had fallen, we had thought peace would come again, that Uther's lust for conquest had been sated, now that he possessed the land of the Atrebati and had taken Queen Igrayne as his wife. But Uther's thirst for power knew no bounds, and within days of the Atrebati's fall, his knights marched into our lands. They razed our villages and forced our people into servitude. My father reluctantly took to the battlefield only to be defeated, and Uther declared himself emperor, spilling the blood of all those who resisted."

"What happened afterwards?" Kizmel asked, her fists clenched unconsciously as she listened to the tale.

"I was but a child when Uther's men came. Through good fortune, I avoided the fate that befell my sister and brother at their hands, and was spirited away by the lone fey who was the protector of our people. She cared for me, hidden deep in the woods, even though her power was waning with our people broken." Boudica huffed out an angry breath. "I hear that Uther died soon after Igrayne gave birth to their son."

"Arthur..."

The redheaded woman nodded. "Uther's rule did not go unchallenged. Many among those he conquered felt the yoke of his injustice, and even some among the Romanii felt that he had done Britannia a disservice by disturbing the peace and harmony we had lived in. We were few in number, but his death convinced many that the divine providence he claimed while wielding the holy sword Excalibur was but a lie, and those that followed in his footsteps were too weak-willed to enforce the iron fist with which Uther had once ruled. When I came of age, I returned to my homeland to reclaim what was lost, to return my people to their farms and homesteads. It went well...for a time. Until Uther's son took the throne, claiming Excalibur for himself, and now he seeks to finish what his father started."

"That's definitely not how the legend went," Argo muttered under her breath.

Kizmel took note of her friend's concern, but filed it away for later consideration; after all, as she had been recently reminded, legends were just that - and while there was often a kernel of truth within them, the reality was seldom as simple as they made it out to be. "Arthur wishes to unite the tribes under his rule?" she asked.

"By force, if necessary," the queen confirmed. "He claims the crown, but a crown does not make a king. He was but a boy, a puppet for the sorcerer behind him, the same sorcerer that stood behind Uther. As the years went on he has surrounded himself with powerful warriors, knights and men-at-arms united under his banner. He seeks to crush any opposition to his rule, and bring order to the empire."

Before any of them could reply further, a horn sounded from the outside, and Boudica snapped out of her reverie. "We have dawdled here too long. They have found us."

By the time they hurried out of the building, the sound of battle preparations echoed all around them. Kizmel stared at the courtyard as Boudica's men faced off against a small group of knights clad in chainmail and bearing swords and shields with the same roundel crest that had adorned the wall of the great hall behind them. Leading the knights astride a white horse was a man in elaborate, shining silver bands of armor. Polished pauldrons gleamed in the sunlight, and a steel helmet hid his features. Only a pair of piercing blue eyes were visible behind the lowered visor.

"Boudica!" he shouted. "I have come to put an end to your reign of terror! Release your captives and surrender peacefully, and I promise you will be treated fairly! Resist, and we will slay you all!"

The redheaded woman stalked down the steps to the courtyard, drawing her blade. "False King Arthur, your throne sits upon a sea of blood and a mountain of bones! As long as I draw breath, the Iceni will fight to remain free of your rule!"

The man, Arthur, turned to look at the three of them as they stood behind Boudica. Kizmel found herself returning his stare evenly, and even Kirito and Argo by her side looked back defiantly. The dark elf didn't know if this was to be a rescue or a conquest, but she immediately disliked the manner in which these "knights" presented themselves.

"You claim to fight for freedom, yet you take innocents captive and destroy the land of my people - I cannot let you continue."

"As your father destroyed the lands of my people," the queen retorted angrily. She glanced over her shoulder at them. "Lady Kizmel, as much as it wounds my pride to beg for help from a fey and her companions, we need your aid and strength to reclaim what was taken from us!"

Arthur followed her gaze, dismounting as he walked to the front of his men. "Swordmasters who have come to Britannia, hear me. I am Arthur, wielder of Excalibur, king and emperor of these lands. I aim to return peace and prosperity to all of my people. I acknowledge that my father wronged many in his quest to unite Britannia, but this land cannot continue without order and justice. We have come to rescue you from these rebels who would continue to bring strife and unrest to our people. Return with us to Camelot, and you will see that I only seek to right my father's wrongs."

"Listen to him speak, the puppet of the sorcerer behind him," Boudica spat, "you can right the wrongs of your father here and now, Arthur! Return my people's lands! You are the one who continues to spill the blood of all those who continue to fight!"

"Were it within my power, I would do so, Boudica," Arthur replied, almost sadly. "But you must see that we need to be united. Can you not see that I am doing this for a better future for us all?"

"A future under your heel, Arthur."

Both king and queen paused, and looked at them intently. "Well...what do we do now?" Kirito asked, leaning over to Kizmel.

"I...do not know," the dark elf admitted.

"You've gotta pick a side, Kii-chan," Argo added from her other side. "They chose you to speak for us, so whatever you decide, we'll go along with. Right, Kii-bou?"

The swordsman on her left nodded without hesitation. "Right."

Kizmel's eyes wandered from her companions over to the feuding rulers, and she took in their disparate appearances. Boudica, wild and carefree, unrestrained fury in her stance as she brandished her blade, red hair fluttering in the breeze; and Arthur, calm and collected, the very image of what Argo had called a "knight in shining armor," the steel bands that protected him polished like a mirror's surface, looking every bit the king he claimed to be. Their men were fanned out behind them, tension palpable, but waiting on their lieges to unleash them to battle.

She wanted desperately to know more about what had occurred, why the children chose to continue the feud their fathers had begun; but hatred often ran deep, and time only caused wounds to fester instead of heal. But who should she side with? Boudica led a rebellion against the rightful heir to the throne of these lands, regardless of how ill-gotten those lands had been. Conquest and war was a way of life for many cultures, and the elves were no exception. The deposed queen sought revenge for the injustices committed against her people, and vengeance for her father's death. Her men were crude and crass, a result of a lifetime spent living and fighting on the run, but they were fighting for the right to govern themselves.

By contrast, Arthur's men were all resplendent in their discipline and skill, reminding her of the dark elves' own knightly brigades, though she didn't know what code they followed. Arthur was the son who bore the sins of his father, and who seemed to simply wanted to bring peace to a kingdom torn apart by decades of war. He could have granted Boudica's people back their ancestral lands, but such a thing was not easily done, and she understood his hesitation. As a new king, he had needed to cement his rule, to appear strong and indomitable to his foes.

She could understand both of their claims, and both of their grievances.

It was the first time Kizmel had come upon a decision such as this, and for the first time she appreciated the choice Kirito and Asuna had made when they had jumped into battle to aid her against the Forest Elven Knight all those months ago. The entire field seemed frozen with bated breath as though waiting for her answer.

"What should we do?" she whispered at no one in particular.

For a heartbeat, neither Kirito nor Argo seemed to have an answer, but then her partner replied, just as quietly. "I can't tell you that, Kizmel. From where I'm standing, they both have a good reason to fight, and without knowing more, I can't really tell you which one's in the right," he said knowingly. "Go with what your instinct tells you."

My instinct...she wanted to sympathize with Boudica; the Iceni had been betrayed and forcefully swept from their lands. And perhaps once Boudica restored to them their own kingdom, there would be peace between the two kingdoms, but would the maligned queen stop there in her pursuit of vengeance? Would those following Arthur seek to continue the war do right that wrong, which they perceived done unto them, in turn?

Arthur might bring peace to the land, and with that peace might come prosperity in the future, but at what cost? How much blood would have to be spilled, how many soldiers must march to their deaths before that goal could be achieved? How far were they willing to go, and how far was Boudica willing to push. If they were willing to die to the last for their freedom, then it would end only in terrible bloodshed.

Did a king have a right to rule over his lands, regardless of how that kingdom had come to be?

Had the war between the dark and forest elves not ended in peace thanks to Kirito and Asuna's intervention, how long would they have continued to fight? Once upon a time she had seen it as her duty to continue ever onwards in the name of her queen and people, but were they really best served by prolonging the conflict? How could she be the judge of which of them was in the right and to whom they should lend their swords?

A sudden thought struck her. Perhaps I should not look upon this and seek who is in the right. They both have valid claims, and fight for what they believe is right. I cannot say who has the more valid claim, but I do know that peace for all is in the best interests of both of their peoples. Perhaps, then, I should not look towards who is more right, but who is more likely to be convinced to compromise.

Her eyes wandered to the warrior woman who stood looking ready to charge straight for Arthur. Boudica is emotional and driven by vengeance. Arthur is driven by pride and duty. Which of these can we reason with?

"This is not the place to fight, Queen Boudica," the dark elf finally said after what seemed like an eternity, but likely had only been a handful of seconds. "King Arthur, as a fellow knight, I beseech you to leave the field of battle. Let no blood be spilled this day, and we shall follow you to Camelot."

The knight's face twisted into a grimace behind his visor. "You ask much, Lady Knight. These are criminals, rebels who have caused much damage and harm, and you are asking me to simply let them walk away?"

Kizmel drew herself up to her full height and made her decision. She may empathize with Boudica, she may even have chosen to stand with the woman on her own, but if there was a chance to reconcile both sides, she had to take it. Perhaps she could convince Arthur, speak to him, one knight to another. "I am Kizmel, a knight errant in service of the kingdom of Lyusula, envoy of Queen Ilyndrathyl. I ask this as a favor from one knight to another, so that my arrival and meeting of the ruler of Britannia may not be tainted by bloodshed."

She could tell that many of the men under Arthur's command were disgruntled by the mere suggestion that their king even listen to her proposition, but to his credit, he seemed to genuinely consider it. With a last, critical look across their drawn battle lines, he sheathed his sword, though his hand remained near it, and his shield was still brandished defensively.

"Very well," he asserted. "Boudica, you and your men may withdraw in peace this day, and give thanks to Lady Kizmel that you have another day to live."

The redheaded woman looked like she wanted to protest and charge into battle with the knights regardless, and Kizmel spoke again. "Queen Boudica...I admire your sense of duty to your people, but there will be another day to fight. Perhaps there is a way to settle this without any more of either of your people having to lose their lives. Please, take this opportunity and withdraw peacefully."

"...very well, Lady Kizmel," the queen replied after a long, tense moment. "I heed your words as a fey, but know that even though our old traditions revere your kind, should you chose to side with the usurper king, that reverence will not stay my hand, should we meet on the battlefield."

"I understand." Kizmel let out a sigh of relief as she watched Boudica collect her men and pass through the opening left by Arthur's men as they disappeared into the forest. Only after they had all gone did she turn to the king. "I thank you for honoring my request, King Arthur."

The king inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I wish I could say it was my pleasure, Lady Kizmel, but you must understand that Boudica and her men are outlaws who have been harassing and waging open war against the rightful ruler of this land for years." He pauses, then looks over at them. "I will, however, extend my greeting and hospitality to you and your companions. We would be pleased to have a fey grace the halls of Camelot once more, especially one who is an envoy to her kingdom. Perhaps we could discuss matters further over the evening feast. I know that you are reluctant to get involved in our affairs immediately upon your arrival, and I am certain we can put your worries to rest."

-------------------------------

The journey to Camelot was uneventful, aside from a few pointed glares by some of the knights by Arthur's side. A few of them had muttered out their distrust of an elf - a fey, as they seemed to call them in the lands of Britannia - but Arthur had swiftly put a stop to that, declaring that she was an envoy of her queen and a fellow knight, and regardless of their feelings of fey, she deserved their respect and courtesy as knights and representatives of Camelot.

When asked about the mixed reaction to her presence, Arthur had sighed and explained. "Once upon a time, these lands teemed with spirits and fey alike. The land was prosperous back then, and there was peace." His expression turned contemplative at the thought. "It is a state I wish to return to these lands, when they bore the blessings of your people, Lady Kizmel. Unfortunately, as the years passed, so did the blessings of the fey until but a handful remained, and the old traditions faded into obscurity. By the time of my father, they were all but a memory, thought of as hokey spirits at best, and as the reason for the decline of Britannia at worst."

"I see." Kirito cast a sidelong glance towards his partner at Arthur's response, but the dusky elf's expression was unreadable, even her eyes were hidden by lilac bangs.

He let himself fall back slightly so that he and Argo were trailing behind the group, while Kizmel strode up front next to the king's steed. "Is it just me, or do you think there's something weird going on?" he asked quietly.

The blonde's shrewd eyes wandered across the knights marching ahead of them before coming to rest on Kizmel. "If ya mean that both Boudica and Arthur recognized Kii-chan as an elf, then yeah."

"That, and I've never seen a quest NPC offer her the choice for accepting a quest. It's almost like the system recognized her as a player. Besides...did you see that there wasn't a quest marker above any of them?"

"Yeah, I noticed that, too. Wonder what that means..." Argo shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, never a dull moment with you two around. If nothing else, maybe this'll be a unique questline the same way you and A-chan broke the Elf War."

"We didn't break it!" Kirito caught himself before he could shout that out and forcibly lowered his voice to a hiss. "You sure you don't have anything on this campaign?"

"Only that you're supposed to chose one side or the other, same as the Elf War, and it's not supposed to take nearly as long."Argo patted his arm reassuringly. "Calm down, Kii-bou, it'll be fun. And Kii-chan finally gets ta take the lead on a quest, so it'll be good for her, right?"

"...right."

The remainder of the journey was made in silence until they reached Camelot...or what they thought was Camelot; the castle was shrouded in a wall of opaque white fog, and he surreptitiously leaned over to Argo.

"An instance?"

"It makes sense," the info-broker replied quietly. "If this is like the Elf War, then you'd have to instance it for everyone running it."

The swordsman let out a sigh of relief at the realization that they were unlikely to run into other players while running this quest. Not like I need a repeat of what happened on the lower floors, he grumbled silently. Kizmel didn't hesitate in following Arthur through the fog, Kirito and Argo close behind as their dark elven companion recognized it as something akin to the Forest Sinking charm that to her had protected the dark elven settlements.

"There once were elves - I mean, fey - living here? In Britannia?" Argo asked curiously as both players hurried to catch up to their companion.

Arthur nodded, turning his head to sweep a long look over the trio. "Once, a long time ago. Some of their ancient power remains, but now this floor is inhabited only by us, and their memory." He dismounted at the gate, handing his helmet to one of the waiting men-at-arms, and waved over one of his knights.

"This is Sir Percival, one of my most trusted knights. Sir Percival, please see to it that Lady Kizmel and her companions are seen to guest chambers so that they may prepare to attend tonight's feast." The king glanced over at the dark elf. "Assuming we will have the honor of your company at tonight's festivities, my lady?"

"It would be my honor," Kizmel responded with a brief bow. Having received his answer, Arthur excused himself, leaving them alone with the knight called Percival as the rest of his men dispersed.

"Milady Kizmel, Lady Argo, Sir Kirito," the knight greeted them. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you would follow me?"

He led them into the castle proper, past the protective walls that separated the fortress from the fields and farms outside. Camelot towered behind massive walls, the very picture of a medieval castle, though its Roman influence was clear in the way the inner courtyard was bisected by a number of major roads running perpendicular to each other, creating housing blocks around the central keep. Defensive towers rose into the air at each corner of the perimeter walls, while the main keep at the center was a three story tall, rectangular building from roughly carved stone blocks and colorfully decorated window panes.

Even Argo stared wide-eyed as they passed knights and soldiers sitting around hearths inspecting their weapons as peasant men and women milled about delivering supplies from the fields and going about their tasks. A massive archway led into the keep itself, protected by two large wooden doors that opened invitingly. The interior of Castle Camelot was much more inviting than its exterior had suggested, and mossy grey stone brick that had been weathered by age and the elements gave way to bright whitewashed mortar with lanterns casting bright orange light. Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling added to the glow, leaving few shadows.

They followed Percival up the stairs to the second floor and down a hallway, until the knight stopped in front of a door. "These are quarters you may use for tonight, this room and the two adjacent to it are available for your use during your stay," he explained.

"Thank you, Ser Percival," Kizmel inclined her head in acknowledgement, and Kirito hurried to follow his partner's example when Argo elbowed him in the ribs. Man, it's strange to not be the one the NPCs talk to, for a change, he thought to himself. Wonder if this is how Kizmel feels most of the time? I hope not.

"Right, thank you," the swordsman uttered dryly. The knight didn't seem to notice, though, as he kept looking at Kizmel.

"I also wished to thank you, Lady Kizmel," Percival finally spoke. "Without you, there may have been much blood spilled today. I serve my king, but this battle has been fought since Uther's reign, and it pleases me that today could pass without having to raise my sword against my fellow man. I know many of my fellow knights do not agree with this sentiment, and I ask your pardon in advance...this war has raged for too long and taken a high toll on everyone."

The dark elf smiled briefly and shook her head. "You do not need to thank me, Ser Percival. My people have recently come out of a long war against our own kind, and I understand the toll such conflict takes, not only on the warriors, but also on those left at home."

"Then please accept my gratitude for agreeing to our king's invitation and gracing Camelot with your presence and blessing, Lady Kizmel. Many of us have discarded the old ways, but some of us still remember. I would be honored if you and your companions would sit by my side tonight."

"The honor would be ours," Kizmel replied, and with a curt nod, the knight left them on their own.

Argo didn't hesitate to push open the door to the first room, jumping with an excitement Kirito frankly had never seen in her before, and as he and Kizmel followed the blonde at a more sedate pace, he could understand why Argo had been so excited. The room was decked out lavishly, with a massive four-poster bed against the far wall that looked fit for a king, and an intricately carved and lacquered wooden desk and chair to one side. A chandelier hung from the wall, candles replaced by glowstone lamps.

Man, it looks like it could be right out of one of those fantasy novels Sugu likes to read, Kirito thought to himself.

"I'm taking this one!" Argo immediately chimed up. "You two can take the other two...or just share the one next door," the blonde added with a mischievous grin.

Kirito felt his cheeks heat up and ducked his head below his collar, while next to him Kizmel merely chuckled at the Rat's antics. "It is quite the stately room for simple guests," the dark elf commented.

"Well...Arthur is supposed ta be the king of legend, and his reign one of the most prosperous of all time, so it would make sense that Camelot is loaded," Argo shrugged, before her eyes lit up again. "And can you believe it? We met Sir Percival! I wonder which of the others were Lancelot, and Galahad, and Bedivere..."

Exchanging an amused glance with Kizmel as he inspected the window and finally dropped himself into a seat, Kirito huffed out a long breath. Well, that didn't go quite as intended. One look over at his partner, who was busy testing the softness of the bedding with Argo, matching grins on both women's faces, though, dispelled any notion that the troubles weren't worth it. I guess Argo really is into the whole medieval fantasy thing. And Kizmel seems to be enjoying herself, getting to fully live out her role as a knight again.

He let his eyes drift from his two companions over to the window, and they kept wandering as he stared at nothing in particular...

"Kii-bou!" Argo's voice wheedled after an indeterminate amount of time, and Kirito's eyes snapped open. It took him a moment to remember where he was, before blinking in surprise.

"What?"

The info-broker put away the recording crystal in her hand and grinned evilly. "Time to wake up, it's almost time for the dinner party."

"...what?"

"Ya passed out. Conked right out fer a good two hours," the blonde explained, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder at the bed. "Kii-chan, too. Ya two really must've needed some rest."

"It's been a crazy couple of weeks," he muttered defensively, getting up and stretching out, himself.

Argo eyed him silently for a moment. "Didn't say it wasn't," she finally said. "You gotta take better care of yerself, Kii-bou. Don't wanna go leaving A-chan and Kii-chan here by themselves, now, would ya?" He was glad that his dark elven partner had disappeared into the bathroom next door and wasn't around to see his face flush bright red as his still sleepy brain attempted to process the blonde's words.

"That almost sounds like you're worried about me, Argo," he tried to needle back.

"Only about my best client," she retorted, cackling good-naturedly. "Now go on, freshen up in the bathroom if you need to, and put on your best dress shirt! The purple one you got from Ashley way back when!" How does she even know about that? He shrugged, it was more or less pointless trying to figure out how the Rat knew the things she did.

"I'm going, I'm go-" Kirito cut off abruptly as the door to the adjacent bathroom opened and Kizmel stepped out. His breath hitched and his jaw dropped, and even Argo fell silent next to him as his dark elven partner stepped into the room.

It took a few seconds for either of them to react, and it was Argo who, eyes wide, let out a low, impressed whistle. "Yer looking really good there, Kii-chan," the blonde complimented with a wide, ear-splitting grin and a wink. "Right, Kii-bou?"

The swordsman's mouth was suddenly dry - and did all that moisture just migrate to his hands? This is a VR environment, my hands shouldn't be able to sweat, he told himself. But faced with what his partner was wearing, it wasn't really helping. At all.

Kizmel had shed her usual tunic and pants that she wore underneath her armor and must have dug deep through her travel pack, because he certainly had never seen that dress on her before. The only thing that came close was the one she had worn during their first Christmas in Aincrad, when he had taken Asuna to visit Castle Yofel for the Yuletide celebration, and back then she had looked like she had wanted to wear anything but that dress, weighed down with worry about her mission and the ongoing war between the Dark and Forest Elves.

None of those concerns weighed on her now, and it showed in the ease and the smile with which she wore this dress. His dark elven companion had come out wrapped in a dark purple, floor-length gown whose color complimented her lilac hair and dusky skin; gold trim wound its way across the fabric in an intricate pattern that told him just how high quality it was, and it left him wondering how expensive it must had been. Kizmel's bare shoulders peeked over the neckline, framing the golden chain and emerald green stone of the Pendant of Wisdom in between her collarbone, and long bell sleeves of some kind of see-through fabric encased her arms, running down to be fastened to a ring on the middle finger of each hand.

Her lilac hair, longer than he remembered it from their very first meeting, was pinned up and back, keeping it out of her eyes and revealing the dark, delicate skin of her neck. Kizmel caught him staring, further adding to his blush, but only gave him a brief, knowing smile, and for a moment, he thought he saw a blush creep up her dusky cheeks, too.

A part of him, the part that wasn't completely shut down from shock, idly noted that Ashley had been right. That shade of purple - the same as the shirt Ashley had given him back then - really did suit Kizmel quite stunningly. An elbow to his ribs brought Kirito back to the present, and he blinked a few times before he could get his mouth to work properly.

"Ah...yeah, you look great, Kizmel," he managed to stutter out - and was the room getting warmer? "I'm just...gonna go...change."

He all but ran from the room, trailed by Argo's laughter.

-------------------------------

The great hall of Castle Camelot was as lively as was befitting a grand feast for the king of the realm. Kizmel was reminded of the grand balls of old that had been held at the Queen's court before the war with the Forest Elves that she had heard of as a child, and the victory celebration she had attended with Kirito and Asuna when they had completed their mission and the peace accords had been signed with their brethren.

Unlike then, however, this time she was not attending as a knight, clad in her best armor and heraldry, but as a Lady of the court, an envoy of her queen, and as such she had decided to wear the dress she had commissioned from Ashley the last time they had visited the seamstress. The eccentric seamstress had taken one look at her when she had asked about the offer she had made the first time they had visited her, and merely given a sly grin and a wink when Kizmel had come alone to request the commission, with a promise to not worry about a thing.

Seeing the reactions from Kirito and even Argo, Kizmel had to admit that Ashley had certainly outdone herself; the dark elf had spent some time inspecting the dress when she had come round to pick it up but she wasn't versed enough in courtly, feminine dresses to know more than which was considered appropriate for an occasion. But seeing the masterpiece Ashley had produced, Kizmel had been determined to save it for a special occasion.

Originally, she had planned to spirit Kirito and Asuna away to one of the dark elven strongholds - perhaps even Yofel Castle, if Viscount Yofilis would allow it - for this year's Yuletide festival. They certainly had much more to celebrate this year than the last time they had been at the lakeside castle, and she was hoping that it would give both of her friends a much-needed break from the frontlines, however brief the respite might be.

Seeing the way her partner seemed unable to tear his eyes away from her until he'd fled the room convinced her that the dress had been worth every single Cor she'd saved up for it. Argo, too, must have noticed, considering the substantial smirk on the blonde's face the entire time - and Kirito must have really been distracted, since the usually observant swordsman failed to notice the recording crystal Argo held in her hands. She had brought it out a second time, however, as they were getting to leave once Kirito had suitably changed in the next room over - an action for which Kizmel had seen no real need, since the swordmasters could easily change clothes on a whim through their Mystic Scribing charm, and they were rarely fully unclothed - but the swordsman had refused to return to their room before he'd been done and calmed himself down.

Argo had simple cackled something about taking a cold shower, and insisted on taking a group picture with the three of them in the room to commemorate their shared adventure in Camelot. Kizmel didn't mind, and Kirito looked only mildly uncomfortable - less to do with the image that Argo had taken, and likely more to do with the way that Argo insisted they both press up to Kizmel in the middle. In fact, the info-broker hadn't really put the recording crystal away until they were almost in the great hall of the castle, eagerly and excitedly flitting here and there to capture images of the castle and Kizmel as she walked down the grand staircase, "like a fairytale princess," Argo had commented with a huge smile.

Like herself, the blonde had changed into a dress, albeit a simpler, emerald green one; but it was Kirito who had captured the dark elf's eye as he emerged, clad in the kind of fine livery she hadn't expected him to own. Contrary to his usual garb of black pants and simple black undershirt under his black coat, he had emerged wearing black pants trimmed with fine gold thread to match her dress, and the same purple, long-sleeved dress shirt Ashley had given him months ago, over which he had shed his usual coat in favor of a matching quilted black vest held closed by polished silver buckles.

A fine black cloak was clasped around his shoulder, held in place by a silver brooch - only for Kizmel to realize that it wasn't, in fact, black but a shade of purple so dark that only when it caught the light did it show its true colour. Her breath caught when she realized that embroidered on its back was the seal of Lyusula. It was the cloak given to the swordmasters who had earned the Queen's highest honour, and the symbolism of him wearing it here was not lost to the dark elf, that tonight, Kirito was here as her escort. Her knight.

The ubiquitous baldric that usually held his sword was absent, replaced by a leather belt with silver detailing, and she couldn't help but give him a thorough look as he fidgeted with the unusual weight of his sword on his hip.

If Asuna could see him now, the dark elf thought to herself with some pride and amusement, feeling her own heart beat faster, he certainly looks less like a boy now, and more like the knight Queen Ilyndrathyl made him.

The doors to the great hall were already open, helpful servants pointing them in the right direction, and the hall fell silent as she entered, Kirito and Argo by her side. Seven long tables were laid out in the shape of a horseshoe, with its open side facing the entryway. The long sides were occupied by a number of knights and men-at-arms along with their companions, women dressed in bright and colorful garments befitting their stature as ladies of the court, while at the lone table in the center sat Arthur and his queen, flanked by a knight on either side.

A man dressed in colorful heraldry next to the entryway paused and leaned in to whisper a question at her. Kizmel smiled with a glance at her companions, and uttered her reply back just as quietly. The man nodded respectfully, before clearing his throat and extending his arm to present them. "Lady Kizmel, of the court of Queen Ilyndrathyl, of the kingdom of Lyusula, and her escorts, Her Majesty's Knight Sir Kirito and swordmistress Lady Argo," he announced boldly.

At the very head of the banquet table, Arthur rose, as did the woman sitting next to him. "Welcome, Lady Kizmel, Lady Argo, Sir Kirito, to the royal court of Camelot. I welcome you as a fellow knight, and as an envoy from Her Highness Queen Ilyndrathyl of the Fey."

"Thank you, King Arthur, for extending your hospitality and grace to myself and my companions," Kizmel replied with a smile, clasping her right hand to her chest in an elven salute and bowed from the waist, Argo and Kirito following suit. "We thank you for allowing us the honor to feast by your side this day."

"You are most welcome." Arthur gestured towards the woman to his left, her long blonde hair curled up in an elaborate braid and wearing a dress spun from the finest silks, and the two knights at the table with them. "May I introduce my queen, Lady Guinevere, and my most trusted knights: Sir Kay, my seneschal, and Sir Bedivere."

Both of the men raised their right hands in salute, while Queen Guinevere inclined her head. "Along these tables you will find the most honorable men in Britannia, and its finest knights," Arthur continued, sweeping his arm across the room with pride. He gestured towards the table nearest his left, at the five knights sitting there in their finest garments. "Sir Lancelot, the strongest among us all. Sir Gawain, the First Knight of the Round, Sir Galahad the Noble, Sir Bors the Young, and Sir Gaheris the Valiant."

The knights in turn raised their cups in greeting, and Kizmel held her own salute as she returned the gesture. Arthur then swept his arm to the table at his right, three open spots immediately near his table, and the two remaining knights occupying it. "And you have already met Sir Percival the Swordbearer, and with him, Sir Lamorak the Indomitable."

Introductions complete, Arthur waved them towards the open seats of honor immediately by the king's table. "Please, join us. We would be honored if you regaled us with tales of your exploits, so that we may learn more about your noble deeds, Lady Kizmel, and those of your companions."

Kizmel led the two swordmasters towards the open space, inclining her head at Sir Percival in greeting as she settled down with all of the grace she could muster from years spent at the court of Lyusula. Arthur had placed them in seats close by him and his most trusted, and Kizmel found herself across from Sir Kay with Kirito on her right, and Argo on the swordsman's far side next to Percival.

Once they had settled, and servants had filled their plates and cups, Arthur raised his and stood. "It is not the feast we were hoping for," he intoned grandly. "I promised you that I would bring an end to Boudica's rebellion today. That has not come to pass. In this, I have failed you as your king."

Murmurs broke out among the less disciplined men-at-arms at the further tables, but all nine knights were silent, eyes fixed on their king as he continued. "But today is also a day of celebration, for a fey walks amidst the hallowed halls of Camelot once more! Their people, guardians and protectors of our forebears, have too long been absent from Britannia, and their blessing upon these lands has been sorely missed. Not only this, but our honored guest is an honorable knight herself, envoy of her queen! Let us show her what we have strived to achieve in their absence, let us show them the honor and chivalry of Britannia!"

Cheers erupted around the hall, and Arthur settled back into his throne, looking somewhat weary but excited at the same time as he glanced over towards them. "Lady Kizmel, I apologize for being so forward, but I hope you will indulge my curiosity. From where do you hail? I have never heard of the kingdom of Lyusula before."

"No apologies are necessary, my lord," Kizmel inclined her head and took in the chattering and conversations around them that had picked up after Arthur's proclamation. "Lyusula is the name of our kingdom on the ninth floor of Aincrad. I am a Pagoda Knight, tasked with the defense and protection of the Queen's realm, and one of Her Majesty's royal guards." She tilted her head towards Kirito and Argo, who was chatting energetically with Ser Percival. "These are my companions. Though they are humans, they have distinguished themselves to Queen Ilyndrathyl with their service and aid that was given freely, and I have joined them in their exploration of this floating castle."

The king's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You are indeed far from home, milady. What brings you and the swordmasters here?"

"I met Kirito when he saved my life during battle," the dark elf answered with a fond look at her partner. "He and one other came to my aid when they had no reason to risk their lives, and they stood by my side to end a war that had plagued my people for a long time. They owed no allegiance to my queen or her kingdom, and still rose to the call."

"A noble endeavour," Arthur agreed amiably.

"Indeed. Since then, I have pledged myself to aid Kirito in his people's cause, as he has aided mine."

"So you are on a quest of your own, then, Lady Kizmel?" Sir Bedivere asked from her immediate left, leaning forward in interest. "A debt of honor to be repaid, the salvation of a people, no greater cause or quest could there be!"

The dark elf inclined her head in agreement. "It is as you say. Though I do not fully understand by what virtue or magic the swordmasters have been brought to this floating castle, their mission appears clear: to reach its pinnacle, and uncover the secrets that lay there. What they may find, we don't know."

"Perhaps the secrets to the creation of this world," the knight speculated, "or ancient magics and artifacts of great power."

"It is certainly possible," Kizmel replied neutrally, unwilling to reveal the fact that the swordmasters were simply fighting to get home, wherever that world lay. "And yet it is as far a goal as any I have ever seen. Certainly further than any my people have ever reached, though I admit I was not aware some of the elves dwelled here, on this floor."

"They have not been here in a long time," Arthur replied wearily, "not in centuries. Our history says our people once lived in harmony, yours and ours. That the fey taught us how to survive when the great upheaval first happened, helped us forge towns and villages, build great stone castles, and kept watch over us. We do not know why they disappeared, but ever since, strife has been building. Harvests have become scarcer, and tensions rose between our tribes."

Indeed, Kizmel wondered, why had the elves not known that there were any of their kind on this floor? Perhaps they had been cut off, with no sacred trees to allow them to move as freely as the elves of the lower floors did. After all, that was the very same reason why so few of them had ever dared to explore beyond the tenth floor. Without access to the great teleportation circles the swordmasters used, any elf - dark or forest - who wanted to explore needed to traverse the Pillars of Heaven, and either defeat or bypass the Pillar Guardians.

Having fought enough of them, Kizmel knew that battling one alone was a task only a fool would undertake with the belief that they could come out alive, and few had the skills to simply...sneak past. She didn't even know if it was possible, as the swordmasters would surely have taken advantage of such a thing to bypass the more difficult battles that had cost them dearly. It brought into question the elves that stood in Lyusula's Hall of Honor, and the stories that were told about heroes of legend who had braved and explored well beyond the reach of Lyusula's borders. Perhaps now, that the swordmasters had cleared the way, more of her kind would follow in her very own footsteps. Maybe one day the Pagoda Knights would resume their role to be at the frontier of the kingdom, and begin exploring beyond their borders.

"Perhaps we can help at least return peace to these lands," she offered in lieu of any other answer she might be able to give. "Kirito and I have often continued to offer our services where needed and when the cause was just."

"So you truly are a knight seeking adventure!" Bedivere rumbled boisterously, raising his cup towards her. "A woman after my own heart!"

Kizmel blushed and delicately clinked her cup against the proffered one. When the knight had taken his drink, he leaned back into his chair with a wide grin. "So, tell us, Lady Knight, what mighty beasts have you vanquished?"

"Sir Bedivere!" Arthur admonished swiftly, but the man on his right simply continued to grin unrepentantly.

"I will uphold courtly manners while the occasion calls for it, Arthur, but I am simply asking to exchange stories, one knight to another. I could begin, if you like, milady - why, there was this giant boar that had been terrorizing the outer farms. I remember that time well, Arthur was but a young lad, not even a page yet. Boy didn't even know how to hold a sword!"

"As I remember, you were not much older, my old friend," the king muttered quietly.

Bedivere inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Aye, I was not. But at least I held my practice blade by the handle!"

Kizmel smiled as she listened to the spirited knight spin a tale from their youth, when they had not been kings and knights, but merely boys playing at being warriors. Arthur and Ser Kay occasionally joined in, adding to the story or correcting it when Bedivere's tale got too carried away, and when it ended, she returned the favor by regaling them with a selection of her exploits by Kirito's side. Tales of their battles against the Fallen were followed by stories of the exploits of the swordmasters, and even Kirito and Argo joined in once and again, while Percival and Lamorak added to the knights' tales from her other side.

"You are indeed a formidable warrior, Lady Kizmel," Bedivere concluded after laughing uproariously as she recounted the story she had heard from Kirito about his encounter with the Magnatherium on the fourth floor when they asked about her companion, with some reluctant input from her partner to the story. "And truly, to find such skill in one so young as your companion, the swordmasters are truly remarkable."

"They are," she agreed easily. "In more ways than one. Our people, even as long-lived as they are, had not heard of one since before the Great Separation that created Aincrad, and now, there are many. Sometimes it makes me wonder if fate is at work, and if they have a greater purpose to accomplish in this world."

"Their quest to climb to the pinnacle of this world certainly seems as such," Kay agreed from the king's far side.

Arthur nodded in understanding. "We have not seen swordmasters here in a long time, either," he admitted, "though there are tales of old, that our heroes and legends may have once been swordmasters, blessed with divine powers by the fey to defeat nearly any foe. I had not known that they had returned, but it is indeed fortuitous, perhaps even divine providence, that not just your kind, but also the strength of the swordmasters has returned."

"Why do you say that, my lord?"

The king sighed heavily, and suddenly, Kizmel noted that he seemed to look older and wearier. "I know you must have conversed with Boudica, else you would not have been so forward as to ask that I stay our blades. Pray tell, what has she told you?" He caught her worried look and waved a hand dismissively. "Do not worry, here, among my trusted knights, I always speak freely, for a tongue stifled only leads to discontent."

Kizmel hesitated for a second before speaking. "She spoke of times past, times of peace. A peace that was broken by your father, Lord Uther, and that her sire was once the ruler of the land of the people they call the Iceni."

"That much is true," Arthur admitted heavily. "And what else?"

Kizmel hesitated only for a moment, before deciding to tell the truth. "She described Lord Uther's betrayal of her own father, Lord Rhun, and that her people were conquered by force. She said that Lord Uther ruled brutally."

"That, too, is true." Both Bedivere and Kay sent concerned glances at their king, while Guinevere placed a calming, comforting hand upon his. Kizmel noted that from the table to the king's left, nearer to the queen, Sir Lancelot was sending the queen an unreadable look as he noticed the touch between her and the king. The dark elf shook off the strangeness and focused back on Arthur himself, as he asked. "Did she say anything else?"

"Only that you were seeking to unite the empire your father founded...by any means necessary."

Arthur exchanged a glance with the two knights by his side before returning his attention to her. "I will not lie, she is not wrong," the king admitted quietly, their conversation shielded by the distance and noise around them; even so, she was grateful when Kirito deliberately motioned for Argo to engage the knights at their table in conversation, while the swordsman made himself a barrier to their discussion. "But it is also not the entirety of the truth, though I would not expect Boudica to know or understand the rest."

He paused for a moment, seeming to weigh his options, until an encouraging nod from Ser Kay seemed to give him the final push to continue. "You offered your help freely, Lady Kizmel, and from your actions when we first met, I can tell you are a woman - nay, a knight - of honor. But I would be remiss if I were to acquire your services and those of your companions if I did not explain fully the situation we are in."

"You wish to explain why the struggle between you and Boudica continues?" she asked carefully.

Arthur nodded simply. "When I took the throne, I was barely more than a boy, Lady Kizmel. I had learned how to fight, but little of how to lead. The years since my father's death were filled with strife and bloodshed and battle - not only with the rebels and later Boudica once she began to lead them, but also amongst ourselves. Noblemen plotted against each other, sent their men to battle for the crown as they tried to claim my father's throne for themselves."

"Civil war."

"Precisely." The king tilted his head, deep in thought - or in memory, Kizmel didn't really know. "Despite being my father's son, I was seen as an usurper, an easy enough obstacle to remove. After all, I was a boy with no friends within the nobility, and only an aging knight to guide me. So I gathered my friends," he swept his arm around the tables, "around myself, and swore an oath to bring an end to the ceaseless war that has ravaged our lands since the day my father began his campaigns."

"And that is how we came to be," Bedivere added, gesturing towards himself, Kay, and the other knights around them. "There were twelve of us, originally, in this brotherhood that swore to follow Arthur as the rightful heir and king of these lands."

"We all swore an oath together, myself included," the king corrected gently. "To uphold the virtues and values of a knight, to live and act with honor and chivalry, and to strive always for a better future for all of us, together. There were twelve of us then, twelve Knights of the Round Table. We managed to rally many of the nobles to our side - wielding Excalibur, my father's sword, certainly made things a little easier, but my rule was far from uncontested."

"You were a young king with no army behind you. You would have been an easy target," Kizmel concluded, and Arthur simply nodded.

"Even now, years later, I sometimes struggle to maintain control of the nobles who serve me. My knights do what they can and they rule their lands well, but Boudica's continuing rebellion is not making things easy."

"Certainly hasn't made it easy on us," Bedivere rumbled, his tone a mixture of sadness and anger. "Once we were twelve, now we are but nine. Boudica has taken three of our number from us, and done so gleefully. That woman must be stopped, for she walks the path of vengeance and bloodlust."

"She was wronged greatly, and saw things that no child should," Arthur chided gently, "but I cannot simply let her be. Were she anyone else, I might consider granting back the Iceni their lands, but I am in no position to do so. Others might see it as a sign of weakness and try to break free, and the nobles would see it as a reason to rise up against me. And even if I were to grant the Iceni their independence, I do not know if Boudica will be willing to live in peace, for there has been too much blood spilled between us."

It was not exactly what she had hoped to hear, but Kizmel couldn't deny that Arthur was indeed in a precarious position with not only those outside of his kingdom, but also those within. She had hoped that he might be the one most easily convinced to lay down the sword and find another solution, and she had been right, in a way. Still, it looked like there was little Arthur himself could do without risking yet more turmoil.

"There must be a way to strive for peace without further war," she muttered to herself, only to receive pitying looks from Kay and Bedivere, and a tired one from Arthur.

"Trust me, milady, I have looked far and wide, and yet no solution presents itself. Boudica must fall, and perhaps, when my rule is more stable, I can begin righting the wrongs done by my father's conquest, but I will not do so at the risk of plunging my kingdom into another civil war," he explained with a hint of sorrow.

"There is the grail," Lady Guinevere added gently, interjecting herself into their conversation for the first time. Arthur startled at the reminder, as did Kay and Bedivere.

Kizmel arched a curious eyebrow; she had heard Argo mention a grail before, in her hasty description of the swordmasters' legend of Arthur, but had no idea of what it was, and there had been little time to ask further questions then. She did, however, feel the subtle shift of the bench she sat on as Kirito leaned closer towards her. Perhaps mention of this grail had piqued her partner's interest.

"This is true, my queen," Arthur squeezed Guinevere's hand in gratitude, eliciting another strange look from Lancelot - neither of the knights at the table nor Arthur noticed, but sitting directly across from the other knight, Kizmel couldn't help but wonder what Lancelot was thinking.

"What is this grail?" the dark elf asked when Arthur returned his attention to her.

"A holy artifact, said to possess the power to transcend death," the king explained. "It is said that it can cure any illness, return anyone from the brink of death, and perhaps even restore life to those already within death's clutches."

Another shift under the table, and Kizmel noted from the corner of her eye that Argo, too, now was surreptitiously looking towards them. "A powerful artifact to be sure," she admitted, "but I do not see how that would help in your war with Queen Boudica."

"The grail is more than just a relic, Lady Kizmel," the queen replied in her husband's stead, her voice gentle and soft. "It is a symbol, one of the holiest of relics known to us in Britannia. Were my husband to hold the grail, few would stand against him, for only those pure of spirit and good of heart may even glimpse it. None would challenge his rule, and it would be seen as a sign of divine providence that he is meant to be king. No one would oppose him should he choose to give the Iceni back their lands, and no one would dare wage war against him. More than that, if the legends about it are true, then its blessing could restore these lands to their former riches, return to us bountiful harvests and golden fields once more. There would be no need for war any longer, much like in the olden days, when we were blessed by the fey."

"And your arrival, with the blessings of old and the swordmasters of legend, may very well be a sign that the grail is close at hand," Arthur concluded. "We Knights of the Round Table have searched for the grail for years in vain. We have scoured all of Britannia and found nothing, but perhaps it is within your power to find it. You have offered your help, Lady Kizmel, to bring an end to this conflict. Now that you have heard our tale, will you stand by that offer? Will you aid us in our search for the holy grail?"

Kizmel considered his question for a moment; a part of her, the knight, wanted to agree to help immediately. But another part was wondering about something else. "If we aid you in this quest, what would happen to these lands?" she asked carefully. "What of Boudica's people, the Iceni? What of others like them?"

"I cannot say," Arthur replied honestly. "Perhaps at that time, Boudica will be...amenable to make peace, but my responsibility is to my people first. I will not make them suffer for the sins of my father, and if Boudica cannot see that, then I will have little choice but to pursue her to the end."

He noticed her hesitation, and offered a sad smile. "I understand your concerns, Lady Kizmel. I, too, grow weary of fighting Boudica. She is a leader and a queen in all but name, and she would rule her people well. I just hope that she will accept overtures of peace if we find the grail, and the realm settles. She is the kind of queen her people will need to lead them to rebuild."

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The knock on his door in the middle of the night was not something he expected, and for a moment, Kirito wondered if there was some sort of scripted event that was going to happen; Camelot was a safe zone and an instance, so he knew there were no other players present besides himself, Argo, and Kizmel, his minimap confirmed that much.

And when did I start thinking of Kizmel as a player? he mused to himself as he forced his eyes to open and swung himself out of bed. It wasn't as though it was entirely inaccurate, considering that he hadn't considered the dark elf an NPC for a long time now, but she still wasn't technically a player like they were. Wasn't human. Some, he knew, would even argue whether she was actually alive.

"Who's there?" he asked, enabling the door to allow sound to pass. The guest rooms they had been given, he had quickly found out, worked much like inn rooms to ensure privacy and security, and he was grateful for that, considering that his next-door neighbor was Argo. The last thing he needed was for the Rat to have yet more embarassing material on him.

"It's me," the quiet voice of his partner passed through the virtual door unmuffled. "May I enter?"

The swordsman responded by opening the door, admitting the dark elf into the room, before closing it behind her. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked. It wasn't like he'd been doing any better, having just been laying in his bed staring at the ceiling listlessly for the past hour. Maybe it was the nap he'd taken earlier, or the disruption of their regular rhythm of questing and exploring by day, and grinding by night that was making him antsy.

She shook her head in reply as he led them over to the bed, sitting down on the edge next to her. "It feels strange," she said after a brief pause. "I had become so accustomed to sharing a room with you that I find it difficult to be alone."

The admission caught him a bit off-guard, but somehow, it also didn't surprise him entirely. "It's not like we slept in the same bed or anything," slipped out of his mouth before he realized what he'd said, and clapped a panicked hand to his mouth, feeling heat rushing up his neck.

Kizmel laughed quietly and shook her head. "No, we did not," she agreed, and he thought he caught a flash of something in her eyes. It only lasted a moment, and was gone quickly enough that the swordsman thought he might have imagined it. "But I do miss your presence. It is...comforting to know you are there with me."

"Yeah, me, too," he admitted, and wasn't that a shock. Not just that after years of pushing everyone around him away, Kizmel, of all people, an AI and a virtual construct of this make-believe world, felt like actual family to him, but also that he hadn't hesitated in saying so. "So, what brings you by tonight? I can sleep on the couch, if you want," he offered hesitantly.

The dark elf shook her head, lilac hair swishing around her face. "That is not why I came." She paused for a moment, and looked over at him, causing Kirito to frown in concern. In the entire time he'd known Kizmel, she'd rarely ever acted like this.

"What's wrong?"

"I do not know what to do," Kizmel finally admitted, her voice startling him as it drifted through the darkness as they sat in companionable silence. "I find myself unable to decide on what to do."

"About the quest?" he asked.

She nodded, idly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and he noticed for the first time that she was in her sleeping gown. Good thing I didn't turn on the light. At least in the dark, she couldn't see his blush. His partner's silhouette turned towards him, and he felt the mattress shift under them. "Did I make a mistake?"

"Hm?"

"In siding with Arthur," she added.

Kirito tilted his head and hummed in thought for a few seconds. I've got to remember, this is her first quest ever, she's a lot like Asuna when she first started out. And to her, this isn't a game. Then again, it wasn't really a game to us, either, he told himself. "There's no real right or wrong answer," he finally said. "It's like when Asuna and I chose to help you - there are swordmasters who would've chosen to help the Forest Elf instead, you know."

"I know." Kizmel looked down at her hands, hair falling past her face. "Why did you? Choose to help me, I mean."

There was a lot being left unsaid there, the swordsman knew. "Why did you choose to help me, over and over again, even if it seemed futile," for starters. It had been a long time since she'd talked about her dreams, but he had the impression she had never forgotten them. And if he was honest, he still had no good answer to that. He'd chosen her on a whim, even though the Forest Elven Knight had been the more appealing one initially - tall, bright, in polished armor, he was the very image of a noble knight, while Kizmel had been his dark counterpart.

And dark elves are usually the bad guys, he added silently. Or, if not outright bad, then at least chaotic neutral. He'd chosen Kizmel simply because he'd liked her colors more - and ever since watching her die that very first time, he'd been unable to choose the other path. Perhaps it had been his gamer's pride; as long as it hadn't been stated explicitly that she couldn't be saved, as long as it wasn't a scripted event, it had been a challenge to try. Or perhaps she had simply looked so...real that first time that he'd been compelled to keep trying, because on some level he couldn't bear to see her die.

It had, after all, been a well-scripted death sequence unlike any other he'd seen in the beta, and scenes like that were always written to get some kind of emotional response. And now she's looking at this quest and wondering who we should help.

"Did you?" he finally asked. "Side with Arthur, I mean. I don't think you ever gave him an outright answer."

Sword Art Online had a quest journal, but very few quests actually brought up a menu - it was bad for immersion, and usually only happened when an event started, or when the quest was finished and displayed a completion and reward window. Instead, a lot of the quest acceptance and delivery happened verbally, or in writing posted on the town's message boards or letters, leaving the players free to choose whether to pursue the mission or not. It made things a little vague, and occasionally cluttered up the quest log with missions a player had encountered but not outright accepted, but it also left them free to complete them at their own pace, if at all, or to abandon them halfway through. There were some exceptions like longer campaign arcs, but even those could be simply set aside.

Kizmel hadn't outright given Arthur the go-ahead, and even so, there was usually some very careful wording or action required to deliberately trigger a quest acceptance. It was unlikely she had tripped the quest yet, and even if she had, they still had a choice.

The dark elf shook her head. "I cannot see this ending well. A part of me understands Queen Boudica's rage and lust for vengeance, but she does not simply seek revenge - she seeks a future for her people."

So that was the problem she was having; just like players could have chosen either elf faction to aid on the third floor, his partner was struggling to justify choosing a side of her own here. And just like on the third floor, the choices were deliberately even, because in the end, in a game, it didn't really matter. Hell, if this was still a game, I might've run both sides just to be thorough and see both storylines, maybe get both rewards.

"And Arthur is doing the same. But we help either side, the war doesn't just stop."

"I imagine it would carry on to the destruction of either Boudica's rebellion, or Arthur's kingdom, no matter who we pledge to aid," she agreed, head tilted back and staring at the ceiling.

"We could just...leave," the swordsman suggested. "Walk away from it all. Find something else to do on this floor, it's not like we don't usually have a lot to do."

"I am loathe to walk away from people suffering." Kizmel turned to look at him, and even in the dark he could make out her violet eyes shimmering in what little light filtered in from the window. "Could you?"

"...no," Kirito admitted. It wasn't just because he was a gamer at heart and wanted to complete the quest and get the loot. It wasn't because he wanted this to be a fun adventure for Kizmel and Argo. Deep down, he had the frightening realization that, just like Kizmel, and just like the dark elves, somewhere along the line he' started caring. In this virtual, make-believe world, he'd suddenly started caring, because he'd felt more at home here than he had in the real world in a long time.

It wasn't just that he enjoyed life in Aincrad, or that he felt more like Kirito the swordsman than Kazuto Kirigaya the middleschooler. It was that he'd begun looking at this world as real, beyond the obvious consequences of life and death. The sunshine he felt during the day was all computer-generated sensory inputs fed directly to his brain, just like the smells and sounds of the world around him, but to him it blurred the lines between the real and the virtual world. He lived in it, he experienced it, so in this moment, it was real enough.

"Kirito?" his partner's voice was concerned, and she placed a hand on his arm. "Are you all right?"

It was enough to snap him out of his thoughts, and he quickly shoved them away, fighting to calm his racing heartbeat. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about some things."

The look she gave him, just like Asuna, and Argo, told him that she was seeing right through his nonchalant act, but unlike Asuna who would've kept pushing, the dark elf dropped the matter...for now. "So, what do you want to do, then?" he asked, eager to change the subject.

"Boudica will keep on fighting, even if Arthur obtains the grail," she said thoughtfully. "And we do not know if Arthur will release the Iceni, even with the grail in his possession."

"She might also try and take it for herself," Kirito added. After all, that's what I'd do if I wrote this quest. Both sides on parallel quests for the same item, just like the Elf War.

"That's true. Then the grail shall be our bargaining chip." He blinked in surprise at her announcement.

"What?"

Kizmel rose from the bed and he unconsciously followed her. "Both Arthur and Boudica seek the grail for themselves, and neither are willing to compromise. Both are fighting for a cause that they perceive is just, but neither will truly succeed if things continue as they are. If we were to hold the grail, perhaps we could force them both to negotiate. Obtain concessions from Arthur for the Iceni people, and convince Boudica to let go of her desire for vengeance," she concluded.

"That's..." he grasped for the right words for a few moments, blinking rapidly as he tried to figure out exactly what his partner had just suggested. "That's...a really long shot," he finally settled on.

"Perhaps," the dark elf conceded with a smile. "And perhaps a part of this is the idealism and the ideals of the knight within me speaking, but I do not wish to leave this place without having at least tried my best to help all of them."

"Well..." Kirito fell back onto the bed heavily, bouncing back into a sitting position, idly wondering if such a thing was even possible. Quests like these were always linear once they forked, and it was always one or the other. SAO might allow for some leeway in how the quests were accepted and conducted, but could they actually do what she was suggesting? Then again, isn't that exactly what we did with Kizmel and the Elf War? Didn't we do something completely against the way the quest was supposed to go?

That one thought, the fact that his partner was sitting next to him as a result of it, was what gave him the hope that maybe, just maybe, what she'd suggested wasn't such an outlandish idea. "If nothing else, we can pick up the grail, and if negotiations fail, then we figure out who to give it to?"

"If it comes to that." Kizmel paused before turning back towards him. "I understand that this is much to ask, and while you've so far undertaken almost any task, I know that it is your greater goal to reach the Ruby Palace. This," she gestured around herself, "is merely a diversion from that task. I will not ask you to help me with this if you do not wish to, but-"

"Okay, stop." He waved her off brusquely. "No. You don't have to ask. I'm your partner, remember? If this is what you want to do, then we'll do it."

-------------------------------

November 23rd, 2023

"The Kingdom of Camelot thanks you for your aid in these troubled times, Lady Kizmel, Sir Kirito, Lady Argo," Arthur intoned officiously. "May your travels be blessed, and may you return victoriously with news of the grail."

Kizmel inclined her head. "It is our honor to aid the Knights of the Round Table in this noble endeavour."

Galahad stepped forward. "Seek out Merlin the sage; he dwells in the forest to the south. If any know how one might be deemed worthy to find the grail, it is he. But the forest is a dangerous place, home to bandits and many ferocious beasts."

"Merlin?" Argo asked, and the knight turned to look at her.

"Indeed. He is a wise hermit who knows much about our legends and history, and is said to have been alive when Britannia was first lifted from the soil and torn from the ground. But beware," Percival cautioned from the king's other side, "he is not easy to find and does not involve himself in mortal matters. If he does not wish to be found, he will not be, though he is said to have given advice to the greatest kings before our time."

The info-broker hummed in thought. "We will try to prove ourselves worthy of an audience with him, then," she said with a grin. "Right, Kii-bou, Kii-chan?"

"Right," the swordsman agreed, and Kizmel nodded as well.

"I hope you return swiftly bearing news of the grails' whereabouts," Arthur told them wearily. "Merlin once told me of its story, once, when he came to see me when I was but a child and prophesied that I would wield Excalibur to bring peace to Britannia. The grail is guarded by a trial of courage and chivalry, and only those pure of heart and good of spirit may lay eyes on it. It resides on the mystical isle of Avalon, and only when it is truly needed will the island reveal itself to those who seek it, and only those wielding the ancient magic may ever set foot on Avalon."

The king and his retinue drew themselves up straight. "Go forth, Lady Kizmel, Sir Kirito, Lady Argo. Britannia's hopes go with you. I had once hoped that the ideals of the Knights of the Round Table would be enough to allow those purest of heart to find it, but I now realize that it is your arrival we were waiting for. Find the grail, so that these lands may be at peace once more."

The three knights turned away and returned through the mists to Castle Camelot, leaving Kizmel and her two companions standing outside in silence for a moment. Kizmel shared a brief look with Kirito, knowing that Arthur's words had planted the same seed of thought in the swordsman's mind as they had in her own.

Cardinal, too, had spoken of trials. Of wisdom and insight, of sacrifice and understanding. Perhaps this was to be the final step towards whatever ancient mystery awaited them on the quest of Pandora's Box, and there was only one way to find out. How fitting, then, that this should be known to the swordmasters as a human legend, Kizmel thought to herself. They had, after all, encountered the trials set forth on them by the dwarves and elves already, and if they had interpreted the ancient words of guidance correctly, that left only the path of the humans for them to walk upon.

"Wow," Argo whistled lowly, drawing both of their attention to the info-broker. "Merlin and Avalon."

"Don't tell me you didn't see this coming," Kirito commented wryly, before turning to Kizmel. "Well? Should we get going?"

The dark elf nodded as her partner cast the swordmasters' Mystic Scribing charm and produced a translucent, shimmering map in the air between the three of them. Large parts of it were covered in a dark shroud, while others, from Vindoland to the ruins and Camelot were mapped out. Kizmel realized that it was showing the progress of their exploration of the forty-fifth floor, and once more marvelled at the magic of the swordmasters that allowed them such feats.

Argo leaned towards it and jabbed her finger at the map. "South, he said. Well, there is quite a bit we haven't explored yet there, but it shouldn't take us long to cover that much ground."

Kizmel glanced over at her companions, then back at the map, weighing the blonde's words. Camelot was on the western side of the forty-fifth floor, almost directly west from Vindoland, the main human settlement. The ruins they had first encountered Boudica in had been almost due north from that city, and they had cut a wide swath across the floor from east to west in their journey to Camelot. Since they were almost halfway up to the peak of Aincrad, the floors here were also significantly smaller in diameter than the lower floors the elves called home, and so could be easily covered entirely in a few hours' march, barring any unforeseen barriers like cliffs or uncrossable rivers, or enemy encounters.

"Do the legends from your world offer any hints as to where we may find this Merlin?" Kizmel asked with a frown. They would be able to reach the southern forests fairly swiftly, but scouring the forest for the sage's whereabouts, especially if he was hiding himself using ancient charms like the Forest Sinking charm of the elves, would take considerable time. Kizmel knew from her own prior experience that even with the mere remnants of the magic of old, if one had command of charms like those, if Merlin did not wish to be found, then their chances of finding his dwelling were slim at best.

Argo shook her head. "Nah, there's too many variations of the story, and in most, he's a wizard who accompanies Arthur as an advisor throughout most of his life, so if he's not by his side in Camelot, then we'll have to find him the hard way."

"To the southern forests it is, then," the dark elf decided with a glance at both of her companions. The two swordmasters nodded in agreement as they headed away from Castle Camelot.

True to Kizmel's estimation, it did not take them long to pass through the fields and farms that extended around the king's castle, and although there were no actual villages nearby, they passed by isolated homesteads and farmhouses where they could see peasants toiling to grow their crops and tend to their livestock. Many ignored them, but every now and then they would encounter a man-at-arms bearing Arthur's heraldry ensuring that the peace was kept.

The forest Sir Galahad had pointed them towards lay a kilometer and a half to the south of Castle Camelot, and from the looks of it, seemed to stretch across most of the southern quarter of the forty-fifth floor. Most of their march had been peaceful, and the monsters on this floor seemed of the feral type, with the occasional attack by a black wolf or a bear. Kirito had speculated that perhaps the forest might hold more dangerous foes, but so far, any opponent they had faced had been swiftly dispatched by the trio of clearers with little fanfare.

It suited them fine, as they made good time and only had to detour once to avoid another group of swordmasters who were out in the fields hunting the local feral wolves around a farm. They had given them a wide berth, not wanting to draw undue attention to themselves, and twenty minutes after departing from Camelot, the Southland Forest rose up ahead.

Fog hung low over the grass even as the sun strode towards its zenith, and a chill pervaded the air in the clearing at the edge of the treeline. Hundreds of massive tree trunks, some even thicker than the sacred trees she had seen, reached into the sky before them, dense enough that they couldn't see more than twenty meters into the woods. A shiver ran down Kizmel's back as she considered the possibility that her partner may have been corect in his assessment; they knew very little about this floor beyond what folklore and legends the swordmasters had of it, and if there was a place for an ambush or a predator, it would be in there.

Her partner's premonition had been almost prophetic, Kizmel thought to herself as they found themselves in a clearing a few dozen meters into the treeline, occupied by a lone figure. Black burnished armor shimmered in the light filtering through the canopy of leaves above them, and cautious eyes watched from beneath the slits of a great helm that bore a large, feathered plume above. A black surcoat with a griffon emblazoned across the torso covered the breastplate, and a large two-handed sword was stuck point-first into the ground as he leaned on its hilt, the crossguard reaching all the way to his chest.

"Halt!" the black knight called out. "You may not pass deeper into this forest, for it is hallowed ground."

"We are looking for-"

"None shall pass." The knight's cold voice echoed from beneath his helmet.

Kizmel frowned, she did not wish to fight this knight, and she could almost feel the aura of menace and danger that exuded from his black-armored figure. But they had a mission to complete. "We seek Merlin the sage. We have come not to destroy or to do battle, but to merely seek his advice," she tried to convince him again.

"None shall pass," came the repeated answer.

"Look, we've got ta get into that forest, there's someone in there we need ta see," Argo added from the side.

"Then you shall die."

"Is there no way we can convince you to stand aside, Ser Knight?" the dark elf asked, though she held out little hope of a peaceful resolution.

The black figure remained still. "I move for no man."

From behind her, Kizmel could hear Argo whispering to Kirito, almost nonsensically, "Why am I hearing boss music?"

"Come at me one by one or all at once, if you dare, you shall fall all the same," the knight spoke, grasping his blade and yanking it from the ground.

"Want a hand with that one, Kii-bou?" Argo asked, her claws flashing dangerously between her fingers, but Kirito shook his head.

"We got this, Argo. Keep an eye out and watch our backs," the swordsman said, his eyes flickering around the area. "I have a feeling we're not alone here."

"Gotcha," the blonde confirmed, taking a few steps backwards and crouching down to make herself a smaller target while she acted as their sentry.

Kizmel drew her saber and brandished her shield, moving up to stand next to her partner as he pulled his own blade from his back. For a moment she was tempted to try to plead with the knight to stand down one more time, but a brief look and shake of the head from Kirito told her there was likely no negotiating with him. Thinking back on it, the dark elf realized that none of their opponents had really ever given them a chance to negotiate before, and none had ever yielded.

"You're approaching me?" the knight intoned gravelly, hefting his weapon and leveling the point at them.

Wordlessly, Kirito tilted his head and Kizmel nodded in acknowledgement, placing herself in front and holding up her shield defensively. From the corner of her eye she watched as her partner slowly circled around the Black Knight, trying to approach him from the side or his blind spot. She kept her eye on their opponent, watching for the slightest movement that would telegraph his opening strike.

When he moved, it was so sudden from his perfectly still stance that it sent a brief moment of shock and surprise through the dark elf. Kizmel barely managed to bring her shield up in time to absorb the lightning-fast thrust and dissipating the azure glow of the knight's sword skill against her shield. The impact rocked her backwards, but she kept her footing and shifted, prepared to counterattack, when a minute twitch of her opponent's wrists caused her to reflexively leap back out of range of the follow-up attack.

He should not be able to attack that quickly in succession, the dark elf frowned in thought. It was a disturbing ability she had thought only Ilaniya, the acolyte that had served as the forty-first floor's field guardian, had possessed. More impacts rang against her shield, leaving her with no opening to retaliate, but she was beginning to feel a sort of rhythm to the knight's attacks.

He would charge towards her with a thrust, always following up nearly instantaneously with a follow-up strike, before pausing for a heartbeat and striking a third time before withdrawing. It was an odd tactic, one that seemed aimed towards keeping her at bay, rather than defeating her quickly. From the corner of her eye she took note of Kirito watching her battle carefully, trying to find an opening to leap into or a weakness he could exploit while she had the knight's attention.

Kizmel waited patiently for her chance to attack, secure behind her shield. The black knight was fast, but even he was subject to the magical backlash of the sword skills the swordmasters used; and while she suffered a brief freeze herself for blocking his attacks instead of avoiding them completely, it was still short enough that she recovered a heartbeat before the knight could make his retreat.

She swung the reforged Hallowed Redeemer to her side and followed her opponent with a Fell Crescent that crashed into his hastily raised guard. The blade of her saber slid along the longsword's edge with a horrid screech of metal against metal until it came to rest against the quillon of the knight's weapon. Her sword skill discharged its magic with a blast of orange light that forced them apart briefly, and she watched carefully, shield raised defensively, as the magical backlash released her.

The knight straightened, watching her impassively. Behind him, Kirito shot her a questioning look, asking silently if she wanted him to jump in and switch out, but she shook her head curtly. Part of it was her desire to prove herself, to fight on her own and not have to rely on the swordsman to come to her aid, but the larger part of it was her desire to settle this in an honorable duel. Whoever the black knight was, he was guarding something he believed was worth putting his very life on the line for, and that was a sentiment she could not only understand, but also do her best to honor.

Her opponent had to be aware of the enemy at his back, and yet he made no move to turn to face Kirito or shift to take them both on at the same time. Instead, he had chosen to do battle with her as though they were engaged in a duel of honor, as though they were at court settling a dispute rather than in the fields battling for their lives. And while she was not so arrogant as to be certain of her own victory, Kizmel was confident enough that she could at least hold her own and conduct this battle between knights for as long as she was able. Besides, she shared her partner's distinct feeling that they were not alone in this forest, and that something - or someone - was watching them.

The black knight, after all, was blocking their path through this clearing, but it wasn't as though they could not simply move around him. The fact that he was here, in an obvious, easily spotted location, guarding something he did not want them to find, screamed "ambush" to her, and as long as Kirito was not engaged in their fight, he would be able to keep an eye out along with Argo for anyone who would attempt to take advantage of their distraction while they were fighting the black knight.

The swordsman looked at her shrewdly for a moment, somehow managing to discern her reasoning by the brief glance they shared, and nodded. He took a deliberate step back, giving them room to fight and ensuring he had a good field of view not just of their battle, but also their surroundings, yet also remaining near enough that he was within easy reach using his favored charging sword charm.

Knowing that her partner was within reach, watching over her and trusting her to fight this battle on her own unless she called for his aid helped calm her nerves; it had been a long time since she'd engaged in a duel against a fellow knight or an opponent of equal stature, and a frisson of excitement and fear went through her as she hefted her weapons and rushed forward, exchanging blows in a cascade of light as sword skills met one another.

As they traded hits, Kizmel noted her opponent's absolute silence as they fought, something that the dark elf had to admit unnerved her ever so slightly. Every warrior she had ever met, regardless of which side of her saber and shield they had been on, and every creature she had ever battled had made some kind of noise as they fought. Warriors swore and screamed, monsters screeched and howled, and even the most disciplined of knights and even the swordmasters, who felt no physical pain, hollered and yelled as they went into battle.

The absolute silence with which the black knight attacked and the lack of any kind of sound as he took wounds she knew had to be painful even if they were not debilitating, was making her uneasy, and she was beginning to wonder if her opponent, if not a swordmaster, was perhaps something akin to them. Ducking underneat a horizontal swipe that would have taken off her head and shoulders, the dark elf rammed her shield up into the chin of her opponent. He staggered back a half-step, leaving just large enough of an opening for her to rotate her shoulders and bring her saber down from above her right shoulder, its blade trailing blue light.

The simple Vertical usually did not inflict a lot of damage against creatures they fought unless it managed to cut all the way through, something the swordmasters referred to as a "critical hit," a strike to a weak point that herself and Kirito often made use of against smaller foes. In the case of her current opponent, the sword skill made contact with the pauldron of the black knight's left shoulder, leaving a glowing red gash as the thick plates of steel stopped her strike before it could dig into flesh.

Kizmel ducked her head behind her shield, but the dark elf wasn't fast enough to avoid the retaliation as the black knight brought down the longsword's heavy pommel straight down towards her head, and she twisted just enough that it hit the crook of her neck. The blow, aided by the heft of the weapon and its massive pommel, struck her with enough force to throw her off-balance and to the ground. She rolled with the impact, coming up in a crouch and winced as pain shot through her left shoulder when she tried to lift her shield.

This is not good. Kizmel considered reaching for a healing potion, but the black knight gave her no opportunity to as he came charging forward, the tip of his blade glowing a vicious red as he thrust it towards her. Batting the incoming blade aside, the dark elf angled her wrist and brought her own weapon down in a quick angled thrust from above. The tip of her saber found its mark, but without the force of a sword skill behind it, failed to penetrate and merely glanced off on the smooth plating between pauldron and cuirass.

The two duelists came to a halt two steps apart as their momentum carried them forward, their backs turned towards each other and as she turned, Kizmel caught her partner's eyes once more. Kirito was frowning deeply, eyes flickering up at something invisible to anyone but him, likely observing the state of her health and that of her opponent's. She shook her head again when he looked at her in askance, not yet ready to yield and call for aid.

Testing out the mobility she had left in her left arm told her that the pain was slowly lessening. The knight, though his once-pristie armor was crisscrossed with red gashes bearing witness to where her blade had successfully struck him, showed no indication of being hampered by the damage she had managed to inflict. She would regain use of her left arm eventually, and likely soon, though without the protection of her shield she was at a significant disadvantage when it came to reach.

Then perhaps it is time to go on the attack, the dark elf decided grimly. Her opponent was better armored than her and, in lieu of her inability to properly move her shield around for now, better armed, as well; however, their blades had clashed often enough that she felt confident enough to be able to strike it from the air, even empowered by a sword skill. The next time he lifted his sword high into the air above his head, the blade enveloped in a bright orange glow, she didn't hesitate to take her chance.

When he leapt towards her she responded in kind, twisting her body to the side and taking a large step forward, her right foot stomping down hard onto the soil beneath. Hallowed Redeemer leapt down and out from its place high slung above her left shoulder, striking her opponent's blade mid-swing. Kizmel grit her teeth under the force of the impact, feeling her legs wanting to buckle and give under the weight of her opponent's blow.

The light blue glow of her saber flickered ominously as it warred with the heavier attack of the larger weapon, the orange light almost swallowing her own sword skill.

Forcing her body to move despite the immense pressure she tilted her weight into her own attack, letting her saber slide along the other blade until they had broken contact. Both of their weapons resumed their paths without resistance, the greatsword's momentum slowed by a fraction. From her crouch, blade still enveloped in blue light, the dark elf flipped her wrists and let the ancient magic guide her body as it brought her saber into an upward stroke that again clashed with her foe's Avalanche as it bore down upon her.

The strain had not lessened, but neither had her resolve as she forced her blade to continue on through sheer will alone, willing the fading blue glow around Hallowed Redeemer back into existence as it grew fainter. Their blades broke contact again as she spun, saber whirling around her body to rise up in a second upward strike that finally managed to halt the momentum of her opponent's weapon, scant centimeters before it would have struck her shoulder.

Now it was the black knight's sword charm whose strength waned, the orange light dimming slowly while her attack regained its lustre, battering the heavy sword aside as the force of her parry blasted the longer weapon upwards. Her opponent staggered back a half-step, off-balance and completely open as she pirouetted one more time to bring the saber down for the final strike of the four-part sword skill Vertical Square.

The saber's blade sang through the air and struck the black knight's bent left arm, cleaving through his forearm and bicep as easily as though it wasn't protected by mail and vambrace. Yet even in taking this grievous wound her opponent uttered no noise, and the only sound in the clearing for a few moments was the sound of shattering glass as the remains of his left arm separated just below the shoulder and fractured into multi-colored light.

Encumbered now by the weight of his weapon without his left arm to support it, the black knight stumbled back a few steps to regain the distance between them. He adjusted his grip on the weapon, sliding all the way up the hilt until he had grasped it around its crossguard before awkwardly raising it into a defensive position.

"You are wounded," Kizmel stated quietly, curling her left hand into a fist as feeling and motion returned to it, but she made no motion to raise her saber after completing the motion for the sword skill. Still, the fact that her opponent yet stood spoke volumes about his willpower and determination. "There is no need for either of us to perish here. You have been a worthy adversary, and I would be loathe to kill you. Will you not yield?"

The black knight tilted his head, glancing at the stump that was severed just below the shoulder, and Kizmel couldn't help but wince in sympathy. For a swordmaster, a wound like that was merely an inconvenience unless they used a two-handed weapon or a shield. But the swordmasters felt no pain, and aside from the loss of their life force from the blow, they would suffer no ill effects. Their limbs would return relatively quickly - one of the benefits of their temporary, enchanted bodies in this world, Kirito had explained once.

Using the magical healing available to the swordmasters such as their tinctures, potions, and crystals, even Kizmel now had the ability to recover from such a debilitating injury, but unlike the swordmasters, the native inhabitants of Aincrad felt pain, and she could only imagine the agony the black knight must have been in, and the incredible willpower to not utter even a single sound of discomfort when her blade had parted steel and bit into flesh.

Then, for the first time since they'd started crossing blades, he spoke.

"This?" he asked gravelly, his voice just as flat as it had the first time he had spoken. "T'is but a scratch."

"A scratch?" Kizmel asked in disbelief, looking at the angry red glow from the stump. "Your arm is off!"

The knight turned his head back to her. "So it is. I have endured worse."

The dark elf was tempted to call him on the obvious lie until the thought struck her that perhaps he had, in fact, endured worse pains, as his voice did not even tremble despite the pain he must surely be in. She sighed reluctantly, not really wanting to strike the killing blow against her adversary. I may not have a choice, she thought sadly. Her opponent rushed towards her again, forcing her to parry as she slowly gave ground.

The pain of losing his left arm may not have given the black knight pause, but the loss of a limb and the associated strength that came from that limb was obvious as his attacks, which had been blindingly fast before, now came slowly and awkwardly, his stance ever so slightly off-balance as he thrust and swung a blade that was too large and cumbersone to wield one-handed.

Kizmel battered his longsword aside with a Treble Scythe, the trio of spinning slashes knocking the weapon from the knight's weakened grip and sending it spinning across the clearing while carving deep gashes across the breastplate.

"Yield, dammit!" the dark elf swore as the sword skill's backlash released her, striding over to her opponent's weapon and kicking it to the side. "You are badly injured and weaponless! I do not wish to spill your blood today!"

It was one thing for her and Kirito to carve their way through the feral monsters and creatures of Aincrad, and even the demi-humans like goblins and trolls were driven more by instinct than intellect. The few truly sentient foes she had faced had been a handful of corrupted dwarves on the early floors and her own kind - the Forest Elves and the Fallen, as well as the Ancient more recently. But those had been in war, or they had been their sworn enemies; they had been soldiers on the battlefield fighting to protect their homes. There had been no kinship, no negotiating with those foes, not in the same way that she felt a kinship with the human knights of Camelot and even Boudica and her people.

This knight was someone she had no quarrel with, and if he adhered to the same kind of chivalric code as the knights at Arthur's court, then he was someone she could understand and even respect. Having to fight pointlessly over a patch of dirt without good reason struck her more than she had thought it would. Here was someone like her, who had sworn an oath, who abided by a code of honor and conduct, who by all rights she had no business fighting, and yet they were battering at each other with the intent to kill.

"No." The simple reply was accompanied by the knight rushing towards her once more, his right fist glowing red as he approached, and she recognized one of the unarmed attacks Kirito had often used as a last resort.

The fist impacted her shield heavily, but Kizmel refused to give any more ground, resolutely keeping it in place as blow after blow rained down unto its stout wood. She could feel her partner's worried gaze on her, but ignored it in favor of focusing on her adversary, willing him to cease his futile attacks.

Stop. Just stop. There's no need to fight, why won't you stop? Her silent pleas went unheard as he continued to swing at her. Don't make me kill you.

Another punch rattled her shield arm, and she had had enough. Shoving forward with her left, she pushed the attack aside and forced her opponent off his feelt, watching dispassionately as he toppled over backwards and landed heavily on his back. The black knight immediately struggled to get back to his feet, but found the tip of her saber resting against the bottom of his helmet.

"Yield," she ordered. "I will not ask again."

"Stop!" the commanding voice echoed through the clearing, capturing their attention immediately. Kizmel's eyes turned to the figure that had just stepped into the clearing.

Chapter Text

November 23rd, 2023

Boudica strode from the edge of the clearing, a number of her warriors following her as she approached Kizmel and her downed foe, lips curled up in a sneer. "That is enough, Lady Kizmel."

"Queen Boudica," the dark elf replied, stepping back from the black knight and bringing her saber to her side. She did not return it to its sheath, however, as she eyed the ten warriors of the Iceni that had accompanied their queen.

"I was not expecting to find you and your companions here," the redheaded woman said, slowing as she approached and staring almost impassively at Kizmel's handiwork. The black knight slowly, somewhat awkwardly, rose to his feet and his head turned to locate his weapon, but he made no move to retrieve it.

"I am pleased to see you are well, after our last encounter," Kizmel replied, her eyes flickering between the queen and her opponent.

"You have a strange way of showing that." The queen caught the knight's eyes and shook her head. "Considering the harm you have done to my people. First you and yours accompany Arthur, and now I find you here, standing over one of ours, ready to strike the killing blow."

Kizmel shook her head, understanding how the situation must have looked to the other woman, and lowered her shield and saber to her sides. "I did not wish to fight. I will not make excuses and say that your knight gave me no choice, for I could have simply walked away, but I did offer him many chances to surrender and stand aside."

"So you did," Boudica admitted, inclining her head. Both women were surprised when the black knight finally let out a pained groan and collapsed by the queen's side. The redheaded woman caught him before he could hit the ground, and gently lowered him down, a hint of panic in her movements.

The dark elf took a hesitant step forward, reaching for a healing potion from her belt, but Boudica waved her off. The queen gently began to remove the helmet from the knight while looking up at her retinue. "Lady Morgana!" she called loudly.

The warriors parted to let through a woman, and Kizmel's breath hitched in her throat. Pale white, unblemished skin shone amidst the tanned complexions and tattooed skin. Long raven tresses the color of the night fell past her waist in loose curls, and sharp, intelligent, violet eyes peeked out from under long lashes while a long white gown fell almost to the ground. But none of that had captured the dark elf's attention.

It was the long, delicately pointed elfin ears that peeked out from under her hair, and from the sudden intake of breath, Kizmel figured Argo and Kirito both had seen them as well. The woman Boudica had called Morgana seemed to glide across the earth with an ethereal grace as she knelt next to the injured knight and the queen, withdrawing a small flask of shimmering liquid from the folds of her dress.

Boudica had managed to free her champion from the helmet, and the elven woman dripped a few drops of the liquid into the knight's mouth. To Kizmel's surprise, in only a handful of seconds, the missing arm reformed from the ether and the angry gashes across his body mended. I have only seen such healing from the swordmasters' healing crystals; not even their potions work this swiftly, she realized.

"Thank you, Lady Morgana," Boudica said reverently, bowing her head deeply as the three of them stood. The knight, too, bowed and offered his thanks, and when he turned, Kizmel received her second shock.

"Ser Lancelot?" she muttered, eyes wide as she looked at the man she recognized from the previous night's banquet at Camelot. "But-"

He turned towards her, expression impassive. "It is unfortunate that you have uncovered my identity, Lady Kizmel."

"Why are you here?" Argo asked from behind her, giving voice to one of the questions spinning within the dark elf's mind.

"I am the Black Knight, champion of the Iceni," the knight stated with a strange sort of pride.

"And what about Arthur? The Knights of the Round...?"

Lancelot walked over to his discarded sword and inspected it, before returning it to its sheath. "I am loyal to the kingdom of Camelot," he spat angrily, "but not the empire that Uther Pendragon built upon a foundation of blood and death."

"You're her double-agent," the info-broker concluded with a grim look. "You've been giving her information from Arthur's court, that's how her rebellion has been able to survive this long. And now you're fighting for her, but why? Why give up the advantage of having a spy in Camelot?"

"Because Camelot has become untenable," Lancelot replied unrepentantly. "The injustices committed against not only the Iceni, but also the other tribes under Camelot's heels grow by the day, and Arthur refuses to see, blinded by his goal to unite Britannia to have his peace."

"So you're moonlighting for the rebels so they stand a chance in a fight against Arthur and his troops." Argo stared around at the men who had them surrounded. "So now what?"

"The last time we parted, Lady Kizmel, you and yours accompanied Arthur, and I have to wonder what motives you might have had for siding with our enemies," Boudica said, placing a restraining hand onto Lancelot's arm.

Kizmel inclined her head in acknowledgement. "I know you asked for our aid when we first met. I believed that going with King Arthur would best serve that purpose, if it would allow your people to withdraw peacefully."

"And I thank you for that...in hindsight," the redhead admitted. "But now you are here, searching for Merlin, which can only mean that Arthur has enlisted your help in his quest for the grail."

Beside her, Kizmel knew both swordmasters had tensed up at that. "You know, then, of the grail?" she asked in return, knowing that Lancelot had likely long ago informed her of Arthur's search for the relic.

"I do," Boudica confirmed. "We Iceni, too, have our legends of the grail from our ancestral guardian, Morgana." She tilted her head at the elven woman standing behind her. "It is a relic from the old world, older than even the fey that came with us from the surface to this castle in the sky. It is something so powerful that it should be possessed by no one."

She must have gone seeking their guardian's advice on how to find it, Kizmel realized, her eyes wandering over to the elf amidst the Iceni warriors. "And yet you search for it, as well."

Boudica nodded in response. "If only to prevent Arthur and his knights from using it to bring further calamity upon us all. They would use it to subjugate and strengthen their hold over all Britannia. With it, his knights would march fearless, unafraid of death, and crush any who resisted them." She gestured towards the elf behind her. "You have witnessed the power of a single drop of water blessed by the grail, Lady Kizmel. It can restore even the most grievous wounds and protect from death. Imagine Arthur's armies marching wielding the grail itself."

"And what would you do with it, once the grail was in your possession?" the dark elf asked sharply.

A wry smile husshed across the redhead's lips as she acknowledged the unspoken reproach in Kizmel's statement. "I do not wish to use the grail, or even to possess it, even as a mere symbol, Lady Kizmel. The grail was hidden for a reason, and it was not meant to be found by mortal hands. I wish to find it, that is true...but only so that Arthur may not take possession of it."

"Perhaps we can help each other, then." When Boudica looked at her dubiously, Kizmel continued evenly. "You are right to assume that we are seeking the grail, but it is not because we wish to deliver it to Arthur."

"Then why are you after it, if not in service of the usurper king?"

Kizmel opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated, her eyes wandering from the queen to Lancelot, before finally settling on Morgana, who was looking at her with undisguised curiosity. "Because it will only lead to further strife as long as it can be sought as a symbol of power. Regardless of who possesses it, it will not stop the conflict between your people."

"You wish to use it as a lure," the shrewd queen deduced correctly. "Arthur sees it as a way to bring him victory, while we see it as a tool he wishes to use that he must not obtain. By denying him the grail, you force him to consider the repercussions of a prolonged war with us, and by holding the grail yourselves, you force us to negotiate with him, lest you turn it over to him."

Kizmel merely inclined her head in acceptance of the conclusion, and Boudica straightened.

"You wish to use the grail as a bargaining chip, to dangle it in front of us and Arthur and his knights like bait to an animal and see if we come running," the queen continued, looking at her thoughtfully. "But it matters little. The grail's resting place is not of this world, and none but those worthy shall find it. It is guarded and protected by magic far more ancient than Aincrad, and its guardian is the fiercest warrior to ever live. It is out of my reach, and even out of Arthur's reach - and, I hope, far from yours, as well. Regardless of your intentions, Lady Kizmel, and I do think that you truly believe you can bring peace to this land if only you could find the grail, there can be no peace as long as Arthur lives and I draw breath."

"Is there no way to change your mind? For your people's sake?" Kizmel asked as the other woman walked past her.

Boudica paused, tilting her head to the side. "I understand your desire to make peace, Lady Kizmel, and it is an admirable trait. I wish there was, but Arthur and I...there is too much blood shed between us for any kind of peace."

"Even if we find the grail?"

"Even if you find the grail," the redhead confirmed. "I will not seek to discourage you from your search, it is a peril you have to face on your own if you choose to, and know that I do not wish you ill, but I do not expect to see you return alive from that journey. And if you do..."

Boudica shrugged with a wry smile. "If you do, if you prove you are worthy to not only see it, but to take it from its resting place, then who are we mere mortals to object to whatever purpose you wish to use it for. But I pray that you do not find it. Regardless of its power or your intent, such a thing does not belong in this world." She turned halfway, inclining her head towards the elven woman that had accompanied them from the depths of the forest. "You were kind enough to hear my story, and though I think you foolish for it, you have listened to Arthur's as well, and were not swayed by his words. If you are truly intent on finding Merlin, then speak with Morgana. She has been the guardian of the Iceni for generations, and is the last fey left alive in Britannia. It is her wisdom that guides us, and perhaps she will see something in you that I cannot. And if you will not help us, then maybe others will."

The queen and her retinue disappeared into the fields behind them, leaving the trio alone in the clearing with Morgana as Boudica's last, ominous warning hung heavy in the air. Neither side moved for a while, until Kizmel took a tentative step forward. Violet eyes so much like her own watched the dark elf curiously, and Morgana silently extended a hand and motioned for them to follow.

-------------------------------

Morgana led them deeper into the woods, to a small cabin that was erected from the mossy stone and fallen branches of the forest. I'm guessing she's still adhering to the elves' mandate of only using wood that has naturally fallen or died, Kirito thought to himself as he walked behind Kizmel. The pale elf who had guided them through the forest paused as they approached the cabin when the door opened and an elderly man stepped out.

Kirito frowned as he looked him over, the long, grey beard and loose robes he wore gave him the appearance of a typical fantasy mage, down to the glasses sitting on his nose as he peered over them at the small group. If his robes had been white instead of brown, and his beard longer, he may even have resembled one of the wise old wizards of one of the classical sword-and-sorcery adventure novels that had been turned into movies about twenty years ago.

"Have you brought more humans, Morgana?" he asked irritably.

"From the court of Camelot," the elven woman replied evenly, apparently unbothered by the man's testiness. "These are your children, Merlin, come to seek you out in search of the grail. Won't you grant them an audience?"

There was a hint of humor in Morgana's tone, and Kirito's eyes snapped towards the old man. Of course, he realized in dismay, that would be Merlin. He didn't know why he had been expecting a somewhat more elaborate plot before they could meet up the old wizard but he hadn't exactly made the immediate jump from the grumpy-looking old man in what appeared to be a bathrobe to one of the most prominent wizards of lore.

The swordsman's eyes narrowed as he looked closer at Merlin. If Morgana is an elf and she's really that old, then Merlin must be...

"You are an elf as well," his partner said out loud from next to him, looking directly at the old man, more statement than question. "You both are."

"Perceptive," Merlin grumbled caustically. "What gave it away, the pointy ears?"

Seeing that Kizmel was somewhat taken aback by the sheer hostility in the old man's tone, Kirito took a step forward, glancing over at Argo. The blonde gave him a shrug, and he turned back to the two elves. According to the lore we got from Boudica and Arthur, these two have been around for a long time - longer probably than the elves in Aincrad usually live, he thought to himself. Argo, knowing about the relatively short lifespan of the elves in Sword Art Online compared to their usual fantasy counterparts, had speculated that these two, whether they were human or elves, were being kept alive by something, much like the ancient corrupted of the forty-first floor had been kept alive by the Dreypa Talisman.

Knowing now that Morgana at least had access to water blessed by the grail, it didn't take a genius to figure out what exactly that something was.

"We've come in search of the grail," Kirito spoke carefully, trying to match the speech patterns that the knights of Camelot and Boudica had used. The speech recognition in SAO had come a long way since the beta, and the conversational AI had improved a lot as they went up the floors, but there were still a lot of key words that the system looked for when trying to determine how to script a response. Some NPCs still only had basic pre-written responses, since not every single NPC needed to hold a conversation, and most just uttered some form of greeting depending on the time of day.

Quest NPCs usually had a wider range of responses than that; they needed to be able to be able to recognize and reply to a multitude of different variations that players could possibly throw at them, after all it was not like the game usually popped up a system window with pre-set dialogue choices. And then, of course, there was Kizmel.

Kirito still wondered from time to time if she was still part of the system, and the system was using her to expand its own conversational AI. We have come across quite a few NPCs lately that have been a bit more advanced than the ones from the lower floors. Shrugging that thought aside for the moment, he focused back on the task at hand, now that he had Merlin's attention.

"And what do you wish to do with it, human?" the old elf asked, tilting his head curiously while Morgana walked to stand by his side. "Are you looking for it for the same reason all the others are? Power and glory? If so, then you have come to the wrong place."

"We do not seek the grail for ourselves," Kizmel responded, having collected her thoughts, and Kirito was more than happy to let his companion take the lead again. "We wish to obtain the grail so that we may put an end to the war between the Iceni and the Romanii on this floor."

"So Arthur is still warring with Boudica, huh." Merlin snorted in disdain. "And he has still not found it in himself to destroy her."

"Boudica is a resourceful woman," Morgana chided gently.

"Only because she keeps coming to you for advice," Merlin pointed out sourly.

The elven woman shook her head. "I cannot leave our children without guidance. They look to us for aid and advice, how could I deny it to them? They have been our legacy from the very beginning, Merlin. They are our children, over whom we've watched since they were born, since their ancestors were born. How can you simply stand aside and abandon them when they need us the most?"

"Because they are resilient enough now to stand on their own. Don't insult me by claiming you are doing this for their good when you only wish to control them."

Kirito watched the interplay between the two elves with some confusion. "This really isn't the way I remember it," he muttered to himself. Kizmel was looking on with the same measure of uncertainty.

Argo, though, had her forehead wrinkled in concentration and her lips pursed in thought. The swordsman was quite familiar with that expression on the info-broker; it was one she usually wore when trying to figure out a boss's attack pattern or some other valuable piece of intel.

"You're playing both sides," the blonde finally said after the two elves had finished bickering and were glowering at one another. Both of them looked at her, and Merlin's sneer curled into a smirk.

"What makes you say that?" he asked with a sidelong look at Morgana, whose eyes were narrowed. Kirito and Kizmel, too, looked at her sharply.

"You're each affiliated with one group here," Argo said, humming in thought. "Morgana with Boudica and you with Arthur. Each of them have heard about the grail from you, and both sides are fighting each other to the death - and here you are, living together in the forest. From their stories, you've at least been watching over the humans of this floor for a few generations, so why sit back now and watch them self-destruct? You've got a motive behind that, a bigger plan."

"There is hope for your kind yet," Merlin chuckled dryly, his attention wandering back to Kizmel. "And I will say I am honestly surprised. I had not expected to ever see another elf on this floor, since there are no sacred trees to sustain our kind and allow travel here."

"As I had not believed any of our people yet survived outside of our kingdoms on the lower floors," Kizmel replied. "How many of us are there still here?"

Merlin let out a rumbling chuckle tinged with bitterness. "The two of us are all that is left. We were not many to begin with, and time has not been kind to us."

"You're the last..." Kizmel whispered quietly, almost sadly. "You could return with us to the lower floors," she offered, but Merlin shook his head.

"We do not belong anywhere but here, and this is the one thing Morgana and I agree on," the elderly elf said. "We were here when this piece of ground was severed from the earth beneath and carried into the sky, we were here when the humans first began to rebuild their shattered civilizations, and it is here where we will breathe our last."

"That's beyond the life span of any elf," Kizmel muttered at the same time as the implications of the wizard's words hit Kirito. "How are you still alive after all this time, with no sacred trees to sustain you?"

"The grail," Argo answered, as usual a half a step ahead as her eyes narrowed in concentration. "The Sangraal of legend is said to have life-sustaining powers, able to heal any wound and even stop people from dying. If it's as powerful as Arthur and Boudica think it is, then it's possible that it's keeping you alive, as well. Which is why you don't want either of them to find it."

"And what would you do with it if you did manage to find it, hmmm?" Merlin groused with an unreadable expression, turning to Kizmel. "Do you really believe just because you possess such a bauble that you can force Arthur and Boudica to make peace? That the battles they have fought, the blood and tears they have spilled will simply disappear because you've said so? If you truly believe that, then you are a fool."

"And you would have Arthur and Boudica, Camelot and the Iceni, destroy each other, instead?" the dark elf fired back heatedly.

"If that is the path they decide to tread." Merlin's answer, delivered as callous as it was, seemed to enrage not only Kizmel, but Morgana, as well.

"Why do you insist on letting them destroy themselves, Merlin?" the old elf's counterpart asked in exasperation and anger. "After the centuries we spent guiding them to be better, to become more than the savage tribesmen they had devolved into without our help?"

"Because we do not have the right to dictate to them how to live and spend their lives, Morgana. If they wish to do so shedding blood in battle, then who are we to tell them otherwise? What right do we have?"

"The right and duty of ones who know better, Merlin," she chided. "The same duty we had when we first guided them to be more than warring tribes living off the land, when we helped them rebuild their kingdoms."

"And we have done our duty to help, and to help only. Anything further is usurping their right to rule themselves."

Morgana huffed angrily. "You speak as though I wished to set myself up to rule them as their queen, Merlin."

"You may as well, with the way you wish to keep them dependent upon you. If they wish to destroy themselves, then that is a mistake they will have to make on their own. If they survive, they will have their own lessons to learn and their own civilization to rebuild," Merlin replied evenly. "We aided them in the aftermath of the Great Separation because they were unprepared for such an event, as were we. And as much as you wish to claim magnanimity, the truth is that we elves were too few in number, and we needed the humans as much as they needed us, or we would have been hunted by them into extinction."

"And if they destroy themselves, and all of what we have built over the past centuries? Does it all mean so little to you?"

The old elf shook his head and turned around grumpily. "How many times have we argued like this, Morgana? We will never agree on the fate we wish for our children. Boudica and Arthur...theirs is a conflict that will not end with merely this generation. Though perhaps," he paused, casting a glance over his shoulder at Kizmel as his shoulders slowly set with determination even while his face showed the weariness of his age, "perhaps we could use some of that foolish idealism once more. Perhaps we are too old and too set in our ways. Boudica and Arthur are young still, so there may be hope for them. And if not for them, then for those that will follow in their footsteps."

"Merlin, you can't-"

"Are you afraid of death, Morgana, or are you afraid of letting your children grow up without your guidance, without being in control of their destiny?"

"I am afraid that our children will senselessly, needlessly die because of a feud that started because they did not heed our guidance!"

"And that is their decision to make," Merlin replied with a grave finality. "Our time is past, and our duty is done, Morgana. We cling to life out of a misplaced curiosity and desire to see where our children will go, but this is their world now, and their future is theirs to mold and shape as they see fit."

"Our children were fine until you forbade me from helping them, and look at what the Romanii did! Look at what that fool Uther caused!"

"And yet it is not the first war our children have fought amongst themselves, nor will it be the last, Morgana," the old elf responded, turning back to the trio, his eyes focused on Argo. "You are correct, swordmistress. The grail is indeed what is keeping us alive; we found its resting place once, long ago, when we were a dying race. It appeared to us in our time of need, and only once, and we were not allowed to take it from Avalon. The bottle Morgana carries contains water blessed by the grail itself, and its droplets are what sustains us."

He waved between himself and Morgana. "The grail can only be found when it is needed, and only those who bear the magic of the old world may step upon the holy shores of the isle on which it rests. A trial awaits those to seek to find it, and only those who are worthy may lay hands upon it. This is why neither Arthur nor Boudica can ever find the grail, and why none of our children ever will."

"If you have found it once, why haven't you gotten it for them? This entire war could be done if either of you went and got the grail," Kirito found himself asking, drawing Merlin's attention. The elf snorted in disdain.

"Because the way to Avalon only appears when it is needed most, boy. It appeared to us when we had need of it, and has been lost ever since. The grail is not of this world, but resides in a place where the old magic still survives and protects it from those who would seek to use it for ill purposes." He looked over at Morgana and shook his head, expression softening somewhat. "Morgana...our time is almost at an end, the water we obtained from the grail has almost all been spent. Don't you think it is time to leave this world to our children?"

"Not if Boudica can find and bring us the grail," Morgana spat back. "I refuse to believe that none of our children are worthy!"

"Worthiness has nothing to do with reaching Avalon, Morgana. None of our children carry within them the magic of the old world, and after all this time, neither do we any longer. The only ones who have a hope of finding Avalon are the swordmasters, and then they would have to prove themselves worthy, lest they perish."

"That's why Boudica and Arthur need us," Argo deduced, looking at the pair of old elves with slanted eyes. "Why both of them wanted our help with finding something so rare and powerful, despite the fact that we're total strangers. They know. They know that none of their men can find the grail."

"At the very least, they suspect," Merlin confirmed. "We had hoped that you would choose a side and aid either of them, but perhaps, this is a better way. If you can find the grail, and remove it from Avalon, then none of us have the right to object to whatever you wish to do with it, for the guardian has deemed you worthy if you have passed his trial."

Kirito frowned as he looked between the two elder elves. That sounds like another trial for Kizmel's Pandora's Box quest, he thought to himself, the wording striking him as odd. Few other quests in Aincrad specifically mentioned the word "trial." Actually, I don't think any of them do, the swordsman added silently.

What really concerned him, however, was the fact that he didn't think the whole of the "Pandora's Box" quest was scripted or pre-programmed into the game like the larger quest arcs or campaigns like the Elf War or the "Secret Medicine of the Forest" quest and the storylines of the sixth floor that were static missions that weren't procedurally generated by the Cardinal system.

It brought his thoughts back to their first meeting with Cardinal, and his suspicion that she was the system AI's virtual embodiment. The system that operated and maintained Sword Art Online had the agency and ability to generate and create its own quests and lore, and he and Kizmel had been encountering a surprising amount of exposition and depth in Aincrad's backstory over the past few weeks. Ever since the "Pandora's Box" quest had begun the amount of lore that had been practically thrown at them was completely out of the ordinary for how sparse it had been up to that point.

There had been a smattering of backstory over the first twenty-five floors of course, but most of it, he'd realized, had revolved around the elves and that first long campaign arc. Sword Art Online's story seemed to have been left deliberately generic and vague so that the players could fulfill Akihiko Kayaba's parting words from that very first day, to create their own stories as they fought and lived in Aincrad. It almost feels like the game went from an action game to an actual RPG, he thought about the way the game seemed to have shifted directions. The added lore felt...out of place and rushed, and the quests and plot almost felt as though it was being dumped on them in a hurry, with little regard for the previous pacing.

Not on us, the swordsman realized with a start. On Kizmel. All of the lore must be for her benefit, so she can develop as a character, so things make sense to her, because she doesn't have the reference frame of a player. All of this started when we got the Pandora's Box quest, when Kizmel started asking questions about the history of Aincrad and the elves.

It was all speculation, of course, but Kirito couldn't help the thought, now that the seed was planted, that perhaps the game was trying to account for her presence this far up, something that should technically never have happened in the first place. I wonder what the system even makes of her, considering her character wasn't even supposed to last past that first quest on the third floor.

He turned his attention back to the situation at hand. Whatever Cardinal had in mind for them, it seemed like it was being added by the system as they went, and it made him wonder what awaited them at the end of the "Pandora's Box" quest.

"Avalon lies to the north, beyond the mists of the lake," Merlin told them, unheeding of the disapproving glare Morgana was sending him. "The grail resides behind the mist, and if you can pass and reach its shore beware the guardian. He wields the magic of the old world, and should he find you wanting, you will not leave the isle alive."

"Merlin-"

The old elf turned to his companion at her interruption. "What would you have me do, Morgana? The grail remains lost to us, and to our children. Even if I shared your desire to live at any cost, I could not simply magick the grail into my hands. Our own magic has long since faded, and these swordmasters who have come seeking it are the only ones who can find Avalon's shores. If they fail the trial of the guardian, then they will perish. If they succeed, then the guardian will have deemed them worthy, and whichever boon the grail deigns to give them, we have no right to deny them."

-------------------------------

The trip to the lake in the northern quarter of the floor took little more time than their journey from Camelot to the forest in the south had. So by the time the two swordmasters and one dark elven knight found themselves at the sandy shore of the northern lake, the sun was still high in the sky, although it was beginning its downward descent. Pebbles crunched underneath their boots as they made their way along the sand, and a large wall of fog rose a hundred meters away from shore. The lake spanned almost the entire northern quarter of the floor, though the large walled barrier that surrounded each of Aincrad's floors was hidden behind the mist that surrounded the lake.

It reminded Kizmel of the mists that hid Castle Camelot and the elven encampments on the lower floors, a charm older than Aincrad, and one of the only remnants of the once-powerful magic said to have been wielded by those from the old world, before the Great Separation. It brought to mind to her Merlin's warning that the isle of Avalon upon which the grail resided was not of this world, making her wonder what he had meant by that. Did he mean that Avalon was part of the old world, and that they would be somehow transported to whatever surface world they had once come from? Or did he mean it came from another world entirely like the swordmasters?

The longer her journey with Kirito went on, the more questions arose, not just about the swordmasters and their origin, but now also about their own history, of how Aincrad had come to be and the past of her own people in the old world. And though she was slowly beginning to piece the fragments of knowledge together along the way, the dark elf couldn't shake the feeling of...wrongness that seemed to accompany each answer, as though she was attempting to piece together a puzzle whose parts didn't entirely want to fit together neatly.

The air had turned chilly as they approached the edge of the water, colder than was usual even for this time of the year, and Kizmel could see her breath in front of her. The temperature wasn't uncomfortable, but the sudden change had been noticeable and she found that she had unconsciously pulled her cloak tighter around herself. The two swordmasters by her side, too, seemed to have taken note as Kirito pulled the collar of his coat up and Argo rubbed her hands together. Snow began slowly falling across the lake as they stood at the very edge of the water.

"There is the lake, and the wall of mist," Kizmel found herself saying as she looked outward, as though trying to pierce through the veil of fog with her eyes, even knowing that it was likely futile. Avalon, if Merlin was to be believed, lay within, out of reach of any but those wielding ancient magic. A sidelong glance at her two companions told her that they both had similar thoughts.

"Well...how do we get over there? I don't see a boat, and I don't think swimming's a good idea," Kirito asked, casting his own searching look across the water, eyes glowing green with the search charm the swordmasters possessed. "And not all of us can run on water, Argo. I don't think you should go alone."

"Nyehehehe, you know me too well, Kii-bou," the blonde replied easily, her head tilted to one side in thought. "But I don't really see how we have much of a choice. Maybe there's a village or something somewhere on the shore, and we can grab a boat from there?"

"That would be too easy," Kirito said, and Kizmel found herself agreeing with him, though as it turned out, Argo was correct, and there was a motley collection of rough huts and houses on the shore that likely served as a fishing post for the residents of the nearby lands during the spring and summer months. Now, in the cold of winter, it was abandoned, with all of the nets folded and stored and the rowboats pulled onto the shore.

The three of them pulled one of the smaller boats into the water and climbed into it with little preamble, before Kirito began rowing them out and away from the beach. Her partner struggled with the oars for a few minutes until he remembered how to operate them properly, and soon they were rapidly approaching the mist that rose over the center of the lake, slowing down only as they came close enough that it had firmed up to an almost solid, opaque wall of white fog.

The water underneath them had turned dark and murky, and the entire lake was pervaded by an eerie silence that only grew the further they travelled on the water, until only the sound of their breathing remained. Cold seemed to emanate from the depths of the lake itself, and Kizmel suppressed a shudder when a sudden chill struck her. Kirito brought the boat to a halt, arresting their drift with practiced ease from his time spent helming the Tilnel on the fourth floor.

The gateway to Avalon, Kizmel mused as the three of them stared at the barrier ahead of them. Even if Merlin had not told them what it was, it could be nothing else in the way it exuded otherworldliness. The mists ahead of them, close enough for her to reach out and touch, seemed like a solid, physical barrier that denied entry, and she felt herself wondering what was behind the curtain. Do we dare enter? Do we dare face whatever lies beyond? If Merlin is to be believed, then only the swordmasters may pass, and only if the grail is needed. She glanced at her partner, who merely returned her look and shrugged.

"I may not be able to accompany you, Kirito, Argo," she finally said quietly. "If only those wielding the ancient magic may enter, then it is likely that I will not be able to set foot on Avalon with you, if it indeed reveals itself to us."

She could tell that the swordsman had had the same thought by the way his eyes narrowed and the line of his shoulders tensed, but he said nothing - there was nothing he could say, after all. She was a native of Aincrad just like Arthur and Boudica and all of their knights. If none of them had been able to set foot on Avalon, then what chance did she have? The swordmasters, at least, had a chance, much like Merlin and Morgana who were relics of a bygone time, remnants of the old world, carried up as Aincrad was formed.

"We'll see," he simply replied. "Ready?"

Kizmel nodded and looked over at Argo, whose face had taken on a more serious expression after they had left Castle Camelot just that morning. The dark elf knew that her blonde friend had originally looked at this quest as a fun diversion, something that captivated her because it reflected a swordmaster legend she had enjoyed as a child, much like the stories in Lyusula's libraries had fascinated a young Kizmel. In the span of the last few hours though, their enjoyable diversion had suddenly taken a turn for something far more ominous, something that diverged significantly from the legends the swordmasters knew.

The info-broker seemed to have taken it in stride, and seamlessly switched from the fun-loving girl who had excitedly explored every nook and cranny of Camelot to the kind of razor focus and attention that Kizmel had often seen among warriors and that the swordmasters, regardless of their origin, had had to learn in order to survive. Argo noticed her gaze and, for a moment, the intense expression on the Rat's face melted away into a wide grin that disappeared with a wink before Kizmel could adequately respond.

"Take us in, Cap'n," Argo said cheerily, and the swordsman obeyed momentarily, lifting the oars to propel them forward with one swift pull. With a determined nod, he dipped the oars into the water and pulled on them. The boat jerked into motion, sliding through the water, and all three of them held their breath as they slipped into the fog.

Kizmel braced herself for...something, she wasn't sure exactly what she was expecting. Something akin to a physical barrier perhaps, denying them entry, or a feeling of vertigo as she was transported away and back to shore for not possessing whatever it was that granted the ability to find the mystical island of Avalon. When the boat began to slow, Kirito once more lifted the oars and pushed them forward, and they picked up speed again. A strange, prickling sensation covered her skin for a handful of seconds, and Kizmel found herself wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the feeling.

Again Kirito rowed, and again the boat pushed onwards, deeper into the fog until the swirling mists closed behind them, swallowing their little boat whole, until Kizmel could no longer see the shore. The dark elf shared a look with the other two occupants of their little ship when, after a seeming eternity, its forward momentum ground to an abrupt halt with the sharp crunch of sand under wood.

The swordsman pulled the oars into the boat before standing up a little awkwardly to step over the edge and onto the sand; for a moment Kizmel wondered if they hadn't gotten turned around and ended up back on shore. But as she and Argo followed him, a few moments after they had disembarked, the fog around them parted and allowed the sun to shine through, lifting the cold, clammy feeling that had pervaded the entire lake.

As the mists dissipated under the warmth of the sun, the dark elf noticed that the wall of fog remained a few meters out from the edge of the island. And it was an island they now found themselves on, one that was not in the lake on the forty-fifth floor of Aincrad. Kizmel knew this, because stretched out ahead of her she could see an island that spanned almost a kilometer from end to end, and was likely as deep as it was wide, something that never would have fit into the lake on the forty-fifth floor.

A large mountain rose in the distance, hidden behind the mists and clouds, unobstructed by the ever-present ceiling that was the next floor up, and she could see a large stone structure looming ahead, one that would have been clearly visible from the edge of the lake as it rose well clear of the tree line, higher and taller than anything in Aincrad save the spires of the Ruby Palace. The tall, wiry spire twisting towards the sky was carved from the same white marble that the city of Ur and the dwarven stronghold on the thirty-eighth floor had been, and she felt her breath catch at the sight of it rising high into the air, past the clouds overhead.

From here it looked too narrow to be an actual tower she noted idly, although the sheer scale of the place could easily mean that it was wider than it appeared. A marker, the dark elf realized as they approached the path that wound itself around the hill ahead of them and up towards the castle on top of the mountain. Not one for ships or sailing vessels, but one to clearly mark this place as one of importance. She hesitantly took a step forward, feeling the light warm her body and melt away the chill of their journey across the water.

"Avalon..." Argo whispered, taking a tentative step forward, and Kizmel's breath caught as the last of the mists parted ahead of them, revealing a landscape that could only be called fantastical.

Willow and elm trees lined the shore as it rose up to a steep mountain ahead, atop which sat the heaven-piercing spire. Surrounding its base were high walls of the same gleaming white marble, and an elaborate aqueduct disappeared into the distance. A waterfall rushed down from the cliff upon which the main keep sat, crashing down into a small stream that wound its way into the distance to their right. Sitting along the path that led towards the castle ahead was a domed gazebo, nestled into the treeline beside colorful bushes whose lush green color contrasted with the burnished red of the autumn-coloured leaves of the trees. Her eyes wandered across the silhouette of the citadel that stood in the distance, its domed roof and proud columns, to settle against the unearthly sight that lay beyond.

If Kizmel had doubted Merlin's words that the isle of Avalon lay in another world, then what lay before her dispelled any such thoughts, for rising up behind the castle in the mist was not the familiar sight of Aincrad's horizon, nor the towering wall that enclosed each floor.

What lay behind the castle was as breathtaking a sunset as the dark elven knight had ever seen. The sun's golden light cast its rays across the island from behind, highlighting the edges of the castle's roof in liquid gold while above it no longer dwelled the grey surface of the next floor up. Instead, the sky stretched out to infinite blackness, stars twinkling across the entire hemisphere. A colourful, multi-hued nebula shone above the keep, and far beyond Kizmel spied a curved slice of light as it slowly rose above the horizon.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," Argo muttered under her breath, earning the blonde a strange look from Kirito.

Kizmel ignored both of her companions as she stumbled forward at the sight of something she was certain no other native of Aincrad had ever seen before - and even her companions, with all the other worlds they must have seen with the incredible magic of their home, seemed awestruck at the vista before them. The terrible silence that had enveloped them and seemed so unnatural as they crossed the lake had disappeared without her even noticing, replaced by the soft chirping of birds and the hum of the wind and the splash of water as it rushed down the mountain from its spring.

There was nothing to guide them, and yet she felt herself drawn to the castle ahead as it sat in perpetual twilight, caught here, among the mists, in between worlds. The pendant around her neck pulsed encouragingly, and Kizmel started up the path to the castle, barely even noticing as Kirito and Argo hurried to follow her.

The climb up the path brought to light yet more wonders that she had never seen before, from trees she had never seen and yet instinctively knew were far older than any on Aincrad, to the sheer beauty and majesty of the castle that lay ahead. This was not a place built to be fortified and defended, this was a place built to exude peace and tranquility. It was no fortress they were approaching, but a home.

Paradise, Kizmel thought, if there is such a thing, surely it must be something like this. The dusky elf felt peace wash over her the likes of which she hadn't felt in years. Since last I sat upon father's lap as a child, listening to his tales, since I was truly happy last.

There were no animals in sight, though they could hear the faint sounds of wildlife in the distance, but no foe stepped out to meet them, no guardian presented itself, and soon they felt comfortable enough to lower their guard somewhat as they crested the top of the hill. No defensive wall greeted them here, just a lush field that lay between them and the main keep that rose up atop the almost sheer cliff.

I wonder what manner of being resides here. Was there truly only the lone guardian of the grail that inhabited this island? The keep, sitting on the very top of the mountain, was smaller than even many garrisons and camps, and seemed like an odd resting place for a relic so powerful.

Or perhaps it is that it requires no protection, no garrison at all, she realized. After all, if none could ever find the island to set foot upon it, what need did it have for soldiers? Steps were immaculately carved from the cliff face, winding their way up towards the top of the mountain, and despite the sheer height of it, Kizmel felt neither terror nor fear as she looked down to the ground far beneath, only serenity.

Once they reached the very top of the stairs, the two swordmasters and one dark elf found themselves standing in a grand courtyard that framed a long path that led towards the keep and the spire. Statues of knights towered above them, twice the size of a regular man, cut from a darker stone and standing on a pedestal of white marble, they stood at attention, hands clasped atop the pommels of their swords as they were driven point-first into the ground, much like the Black Knight had greeted them. They flanked the sides of the path, as though beckoning them onwards in a procession of those that had come before them.

It reminded Kizmel of the statue of the unknown man that had served as a monument to the Sleepless Watch on the forty-first floor, and she wondered if these knights, too, had dedicated their lives to death and beyond to guarding something they had valued above their eternal peace.

Twelve of them lined the path, six on either side, and the symbolism was not lost on the dark elf. Twelve knights who guard the path to the grail. Twelve knights whom Arthur has gathered around himself, around the Round Table. Perhaps Arthur had taken upon himself more than simply the myth of the grail, in the hopes that by following in the spirit of its guardians, it would reveal itself to him.

Massive columns a meter and a half in diameter rose between the statues, atop which burned eternal flames, and as they slowly, almost reverently made their way through the courtyard, she couldn't help but wonder if her companions might not recognize some of these knights of old, whose names were carved into the pedestal of each statue. Rinaldo, Oliver, Ogier, the dark elf read silently as she passed by. Malagigi, Ferumbras, Astolpho.

And then she came across a name she did recognize. Orlando. Had the leader of the Legend Braves named himself after this knight of old? Kizmel knew that all of the Legend Braves bore names of past heroes and legends of the swordmasters, and as she paused for a moment to look upon the statue of the knight whose name the swordmaster carried, she once again wondered how this world and theirs fit together. They shared legends and tales of valor, and yet they were as different as night and day, according to Kirito, such that the children of his world came to theirs to explore and do battle of their own free will and without fear of death.

At least until the sorcerer Kayaba trapped them here, she told herself grimly. His reckoning would come, they were nearly halfway to the pinnacle of Aincrad, and soon he would face justice for what he had done to the swordmasters.

-------------------------------

The entrance to the keep reminded him of the Citadel of Ur, with the way the smooth walls rose up to peak in grand arches that bid entry with no doors to bar their path. Kirito couldn't help but think that this looked less like a place to be lived in, like most castles, and more like...a giant church or shrine, almost like the Hachimangu shrine in his home ward. And like the Citadel on the forty-first floor, the ceiling inside the keep was large and vaulted, with a vast empty space taking up the center of the great hall that rose thirty or so meters in height.

It kind of reminds me of that tower we found in the dwarven ruins, back on the thirty-eighth floor, the swordsman noted idly, remembering when they had first gotten started on this strange quest that seemed to have no log entry and come out of nowhere. It was strange enough that there was no official quest giver, although other games had had plenty of instances where objects or items or even just proximity had been quest triggers, but the involvement of Cardinal and the fact that Kizmel, an NPC, had received a system notification to accept the quest had been the strangest parts of the last few months.

He couldn't shake the suspicion that it was something that was uniquely tailored to his dark elven companion for some reason, especially since Argo had informed him - for a price, of course - that no one else had been able to activate the teleport circle they had found back on the thirty-eighth floor, even knowing the inscription.

Unlike the tower they had found there, which had been in a run-down state of disrepair from time and battle, this one was larger, grander, and intact, though wherever he looked, Kirito could see the similarities in style between the two prior locations of Kizmel's trials. The fact that this place looked so similar in material and architecture, coupled with the repeated hints the NPCs had dropped of a trial of worthiness, had him excited even while parts of his mind were on high alert with the possibility that this quest was far more than it had initially let on. Like the last one was supposed to be a short patrol mission and turned into...well...he shook his head in amusement. There wasn't really anything announcing the trials, we just walked in. So maybe this really is the third one.

The center of the hall was taken up by a large, circular indent that had been filled in by rubble in the ruins, and been where the elder tree had stood in Ur. Here, in Avalon, a large, three-sided obelisk occupied that space ringed by a series of large flagstones in a circle around it, an arrangement that immediately piqued his interest as the three of them moved to take a closer look.

There were no pictograms carved into this obelisk like there had been on the ones in the boss room of the thirty-seventh floor, the ones that had started it all. Instead, each of the three sides was home to ancient lettering carved into the smooth black stone. Kirito vaguely recognized one side as similar to the writing the elves used, while another held English lettering that, with his limited knowledge, he wasn't quite able to completely decipher.

A sharp intake of air from his side told him that Kizmel had realized the same thing, and he was willing to bet the third side held some kind of dwarven writing. His partner slowly reached out to the obelisk to run her hands across the ancient elven script, tracing the carvings in the black, shimmering obelisk that contrasted starkly with the near flawless white of the rest of the building.

"The knight is born and ready to begin and accomplish this task for the good of the land and its people. Now is the time of the quest of the Sangreal," Argo read the English fluidly before either Kirito or Kizmel could tell her not to do so out loud. He immediately reached out towards both women and tried to grab a hold of them, but only managed to reach Kizmel in time. As his hand closed around the dark elf's upper arm, the flagstones around them began to light up, light spearing up from their surface in azure hues before coalescing underneath them and sweeping them off their feet when a roiling wave of bright, blue-white light burst upwards. His other hand reached for the blonde, but the light swept over them and threw them into nothingness before his fingers brushed her hand.

Like the last time, the fall was not a very long one, and, knowing that it was coming, both swordsman and dark elf landed on their feet in a crouch next to each other instead of on top of one another. Argo was nowhere to be seen, and Kirito suppressed the panic rising within him by glancing up into the corner of his vision to look at the party menu, letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding when he saw the info-broker's lifebar there, glowing a healthy blue with not a pixel missing.

The next three seconds were spent scanning the area round them for threats, and, finding none, both he and Kizmel relaxed somewhat. At his partner's questioning look, he answered. "Argo's fine. She's, uhh, hang on..."

He pinched the index finger and thumb of his right hand together and swiped them through the air vertically, bringing up the system menu. Navigating to the map function he flipped it to visible, but frowned when only a blank window came up. That's strange, there should be a map here. Even instances have maps. Even the dungeons have maps.

Merlin's words echoed through his mind as he reloaded the map, hoping it was just a system glitch. "The grail is not of this world," he said. And that wall of fog outside, just like an instance wall. But there are other instances in Aincrad, and they all had maps, unless... Kirito's jaw dropped momentarily.

Unless he meant it literally. "Not of this world," as in, not in the same world as Aincrad itself. A self-containced instance, maybe? Maybe there's no map, because the system never generated one for this place. He quickly changed gears, swapping between menus as he closed the map and brought up the messaging function, typing out a brief message to Argo and held his breath as he hit "send."

While he waited with bated breath for an answer, he joined his partner in taking stock of their situation. The chamber they found themselves in reminded him distinctly of the one they had been teleported into from the dwarven castle, and it was clad in the same polished white stone as the buildings above. At least he thought they were underground, considering their lack of windows and general space for a place like this, but the teleport circle really could have deposited them anywhere. Just like the dwarven stronghold, there was only a singular path leading forward, lit by crystal lamps that cast an inviting glow.

A little ping redirected his attention back to the menu, and he briefly scanned over Argo's reply, relieved that they were still in the same instance and thus able to send and receive messages in real time. Not a whole lot of time had passed, and from the length of her reply, he figured she wasn't fighting anything. Probably trying to figure out where she is, just like we are.

He shot off another quick message in return, before looking back at Kizmel. "Argo said she's in a chamber similar to this one, with only one path out of it. Otherwise, we have no idea where we are in relation to each other," he informed his partner.

"Then the only way to reunite with her is to make our way out of this place," she replied, and Kirito nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah," he admitted, a little sourly at the fact that he'd failed to grab hold of the info-broker in time.

The dark elf leaned in, forehead centimeters from his. "Kirito," she said quietly, "Argo frequently heads into such situations on her own. She can take care of herself, have some faith."

In his partner's dark eyes he saw reflected the same worry for their friend that he felt, and sighed. "Yeah, you're right, we're not really in a position to help her while we're down here, ourselves."

"Then let us proceed swiftly, for the sooner we leave this place, the sooner we can find Argo, and help her." Kizmel chuckled briefly. "Though I suspect that she will likely be waiting for us at the end, wondering why we took so long."

The thought cheered Kirito up somewhat, considering that was exactly what the self-styled Rat would do, and the pair slowly began making their way through the lone hallway that led from the room. Wary of traps and puzzles that had lined the path the last time they had been in such a place, Kirito kept an eye out for anything that might give them a hint as to where they were, or what they were supposed to do.

Both of them had been prepared for many things, considering how many puzzle rooms there had been in the dwarven stronghold, but when the corridor opened up to a large hall whose floor turned from polished marble to a colorful mosaic mural, Kirito found himself caught between relief and disappointment. Looking down at the colorful flooring he saw images of knights in armor fighting battles against mythical beasts, some of which they had encountered during their travels through Aincrad, while the others left him wondering if this was a warning of encounters yet to come. There were dragons and a two-headed giant wielding a massive kanabo that brought back terrifying memories of death and screams and whirling steel on the twenty-fifth floor.

All the way in the back of the hall a stairway rose up, reminiscent of those in the boss rooms, which only further reinforced the feeling of dread in his gut that they were about to walk into a boss fight. And just like the boss rooms, it looked to be the only way out, other than the way they had come in, and it seemed that whatever they were looking for was going to be up those stairs. His eyes wandered across the room and he came to an abrupt halt, Kizmel stopping at his side.

Ahead of them, in the center of the hall, knelt a lone figure bearing a large crimson cross emblazoned across the back of its white cloak. As though sensing their approach, or merely hearing their footsteps, the figure rose slowly, reaching for the blade that lay on the ground. Kirito's right hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his own sword over his shoulder as the figure turned to face them.

"He who seeks the grail must prove that he is worthy," rasped an ancient voice, and Kirito could now see that it belonged to a knight clad in chainmail from head to knee. The cloak that covered his shoulders and the hood that shrouded his features was held closed by a golden chain at the throat, while the surcoat that covered the armor was frayed and worn. An embroidered shield and scarlet cross stood out against the off-white fabric, and beneath his feet Kirito could see a mosaic seal that mirrored the crest that adorned the knight's chest.

"Who are you?" the swordsman asked carefully, sword loosely held in his hand.

"I am the guardian of the grail, the greatest relic of the ancient races. All those who wish to lay eyes upon it and receive its blessings must pass the trial to prove their worth."

"What is the trial?" Kizmel hefted her shield and saber, eyes wary as she asked.

The knight lifted his long, two-handed blade and took a stance, tip pointed towards them. "Best me in battle, and prove that you are worthy of finding that which you seek."

"That's a pretty definitive answer," Kirito muttered to his partner, head tilted thoughtfull at yet another mention of a trial. "You think this maybe is part of your quest?"

The dark elf shrugged almost imperceptively, eyes never leaving the knight. "It is possible," she admitted.

"If it is, at least it looks simpler than the last two. No puzzles, and no deep philosophical mysteries to solve."

Kizmel nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I never would have thought the day would come that I prefer a battle to the death, but at least this is a straightforward thing."

Yeah, after all of the mysterious talk about worthiness and consequences, I think I've had about enough of heavy quests for a while, the swordsman thought to himself. His partner caught his eye and inclined her head in the direction of the knight.

"Shall we go, my friend?"

"Let's."

Kizmel took a long step forward brandishing her shield, while he slowly began circling around. "Guardian!" she called loudly, "We have come to challenge you to prove ourselves worthy to find the grail and bring peace to Britannia!"

Once she closed to within five meters of the knight his eyes flashed amber underneath the hood and chainmail coif, and his rumbling voice echoed through the chamber once more. "Many years have I waited for worthy souls to come challenge me. Many have fallen by my blade, unworthy of the power once wielded by our forebears. Others have bested me, and been denied the grail still. What makes you think you will be different?"

Kizmel sent a brief look his way, and he gave a curt nod in response, letting her choose when to initiate the battle. "We will," the dark elf responded firmly. "Guardian knight of the grail, for the sake of the people of Britannia, there can be no other choice. We will succeed. We will prove our worth to find the grail."

Following his partner's words, the system triggered the acceptance of the challenge, and the HUD immediately lit up the cursor above the NPC in a dark red colour, identifying him as [The Fisher King] while three life bars popped into view next to his name.

The knight - the Fisher King - lifted his blade to salute them before dashing forward with frightening speed. Kizmel had lifted her shield in preparation, bracing herself for the incoming attack, and the impact still rattled her body as the Fisher King's full weight and the power of his sword skill slammed into the dark elf's defenses. Still, even though her HP bar ticked down slightly, his partner had come out of that exchange the better of the two and the recovery from her successful block was faster than the post-skill delay of their enemy.

She bounded backwards, eyeing him carefully and likely taking the measure of his strength and speed while Kirito himself swung wide and around the fighting pair. It was a tactic they had often used against single opponents, where one would draw the aggro and allow the other to strike from the side or behind. It made switching out somewhat more tricky as it was less predictable when the mob would switch targets and didn't really allow for recovery time, but it also meant they could both attack at the same time, or trade in and out quickly to confuse the monster's AI. The only way to counter their tactic was for the mob to use an AoE, which was usually telegraphed and easily avoided if a player knew what to look for, and those tended to have fairly lengthy recovery times and cooldowns.

The guardian of the grail seemed to have decided that he wanted to fight Kizmel, his blade glowing green as he executed a powerful overhead swing. Cascade, Kirito's mind supplied a name for the two-handed sword skill even as his partner took the heavy blow on her shield before responding in kind, saber lashing out trailing blue light.

The Slant struck home against the Fisher King's shoulder, but despite her considerable power it was only a low-level attack skill and the guardian's armor halted the blow after only a shallow bite. Both of their weapons rebounded, and Kirito flew into the opening that Kizmel had created for him, closing the gap between them with a Sonic Leap. His own sword traced a green arc through the air as it carved a shallow red line across the Fisher King's back before it rebounded, too.

Their enemy staggered forward momentarily under their combined assault, but recovered quickly and swung his two-handed blade around himself in a wide swing that forced them both backwards. The brief exchange had Kirito frowning at the damage they had dealt to what he had assumed should have been a boss. Between his and Kizmel's attacks, they had drained about an eighth of the first life bar of the grail knight, and while he was fast, the swordsman's gut told him that something wasn't quite right. He hits hard enough to be a boss, but he's not tanking it like a boss. What's the deal?

It could be that the quest just wasn't supposed to be that difficult to begin with, but the cursor color was very much at odds with how relatively easy the fight was turning out to be even as he avoided the Fisher King's attacks for the next minute, trying to find an attack pattern while Kizmel held his attention. His partner's health was gradually ticking down even through her considerable defenses, but it wasn't fast enough to overly concern him...yet. There has to be something more to this fight, this is too easy, he thought to himself with a frown as they danced around the flashing steel of three swords.

The Fisher King came at them again, forcing the pair to scatter hastily as the knight struck towards them. Kizmel was forced to dodge backwards from the attack, and Kirito braced himself against the sheer pressure from the strikes as they produced nearly solid walls of displaced air each time the knight swung even without a sword skill, forcing them to put some distance between themselves and their target. The swordsman grimaced when he watched his health drain a few percent from the impact as he awkwardly tried to block the pressure wave with his sword, feeling like he was like trying to stop a wave of water with a stick.

On the other side of the room Kizmel had jumped back to gain some breathing space and down a healing potion, so Kirito took the few seconds it bought them to take stock of their situation. The Fisher King had switched tactics after a few minutes when the first of his three health bars had drained down, and adapted surprisingly well to their tag-teaming tactics. He was effectively keeping them at bay with the wide, sweeping strikes he was making, the force of which impossibly reached beyond the tip of his blade with each swing of the red-glowing blade, effectively putting up a nearly impenetrable area around himself by continuously using Cyclone.

Kind of like the Vorpal Strike, the swordsman realized. The powerful one-handed thrust he'd used against PoH had quickly become one of his favored skills because it reached an extra blade's length beyond the tip of his sword. It was possible it was a skill mod, or a unique skill like the Holy Sword that Heathcliff used. But it's still a sword skill, he told himself, and there's a second or two when he's vulnerable. We can't get stuck in with him, but we can hit and run him. Kite him around a bit.

Looking past the Fisher King at his partner, Kirito lifted his sword and crouched low, hovering just centimeters out of alignment of the activation motion for a Rage Spike. The dark elf caught his meaning and similarly slung back her own weapon in preparation. Waiting for the right moment, he gave her a curt nod, that one instant of communication all they needed between the two of them. Kizmel lowered her stance, leveling her blade low and to her right, and the next time the knight slowed to a halt from his spinning attack, she took a pair of quick steps forwards before snapping her saber up and into place to let the system take control of her body.

Kizmel's saber lit up with orange fire as the system assist propelled her through the air faster than she could have cleared the four meters on her own, and the upwards slash of her Fell Crescent caught their enemy clean from hip to shoulder, trailing a thin red line across his armored form. The dark elf sailed past, the force of the impact sending her target stumbling back a step. Kirito dropped his sword into alignment and let the system pull him along, his blade piercing through the knight's shoulder, the pale blue glow of the Rage Spike dissipating moments after hitting its target. Swordsman and elf slid in opposite directions as their momentum carried them apart and the moment their post-motion delay was up, they backed away again.

This can work, Kirito told himself. He's gonna have to keep us at range, and if he keeps using sword skills to do it, he'll be vulnerable for a second or two. It's just a two-handed sword, no matter what mods he's got on it. I can predict it. I can!

It was an ability that had served him well throughout the year he had spent in Aincrad, even from that first disastrous fight against Ilfang in the beginning. And after over a full year of fighting almost every imaginable creature in Aincrad up to this point, both Kirito and Kizmel had become even more familiar with the various abilities and sword skills, along with their associated tells. Being able to identify and judge the range and power of an enemy's attack had saved his life on more than a few occasions, and after Morte's failed duel-PK attempt on the third floor, Kirito had gone out of his way to find mobs that had weapons and skills he was unfamiliar with to match them up against Argo's information.

They repeated the pattern of waiting for the right moment to strike after a Cyclone before leaping in with a Fell Crescent or Rage Spike - skills that weren't especially powerful, but had a short delay and allowed them to recover before the knight did - and slowly chipped away at the second HP bar. Progress was slow, but steady, and Kirito allowed himself a breath of relief. At this rate, they'd be-

"Kizmel, watch out!"

The Fisher King had come to a halt, his stance ever so slightly different, and the red glow around his blade hadn't vanished. Kirito wrenched his sword away from the activation motion, aborting the sword skill before the system had a chance to recognize it, but his partner had passed that point a heartbeat before she heard his warning.

The Fell Crescent pulled her forward, and he could tell she had spotted the danger by the way the dark elf had twisted and lowered her body as much as the system would allow her without aborting the sword skill and locking her down for the duration of its cooldown. Hallowed Redeemer struck the two-handed sword at an oblique angle, sending a heavy shock through Kizmel's body as the larger weapon overpowered hers and battered it aside. The two combatants spun around one another, briefly stopping back to back, before the Fisher King completed his spin, striking the dark elf across the back from shoulder to waist. It was a perfectly executed two-handed sword attack and counter, Tempest.

The swordsman's eyes frantically jumped to the party menu in the top left corner of his vision, his heart leaping into his throat as he saw his partner's life bar instantly drop from three-quarters to just under half. The armor she wore must have blunted some of the impact, but not nearly enough, and the force of the attack sent her sprawling forward onto the cold stone floor.

She landed hard with a grunt of pain and Kirito wasted no time in rushing forward; he modified his own activation motion, reaching the Fisher King just a fraction of a second after htheir opponent entered his post-motion delay. The rushed Vertical Arc trailed two angrily glowing red lines across the ancient knight's back. Both of them recovered at the same time, and the black-clad swordsman found himself having to parry a flurry of regular attacks. In his peripheral vision he saw Kizmel slowly pushing herself up, saber clutched tightly, grimacing in pain as she downed another healing potion.

"I'm all right," she called over, slowly getting to her feet as the potion took effect, taking her HP gauge from a deep yellow back to the edge of being a healthy blue. She took a second to let it wear off before charging in from behind the Fisher King, taking advantage of his attention being elsewhere. A flicker of light as her blade speared through the air alerted Kirito to her intentions, and he hastily side-stepped a vicious overhead swing.

The Snake Bite he launched in return was only partially successful, the initial horizontal swing turning away the Fisher King's attack by the most minute of margins before the return stroke left a thin red line across the knight's torso. It hadn't done a whole lot of damage, but it had done enough to hold his aggro

Hallowed Redeemer pierced clean through the chainmail of the Fisher King's torso, Kizmel's forward momentum only halted when the saber, driven by her weight behind it, had buried itself almost to the hilt through their enemy. The dark elf hurriedly ripped her weapon free of its victim before backing away. Kirito took a step backwards, sword raised defensively in front of him as he eyed their foe, wondering what was going to come next. The second health bar was down by almost a third, Kizmel's Linear having done the majority of that damage, and the swordsman was wary of any more changes in tactics.

They spent the next few minutes exchanging a flurry of blows, circling around each other while the boss alternated between using his modified Cyclone to keep them at bay and using unpowered swings in order to close the distance with one or the other of them. Now that they knew he was able to, the pair had also managed to spot the knight attempting to bait them into a counterattack by disguising Tempest using its similarity to Cyclone. The fighting style reminded Kirito entirely too much of the elite Forsaken they had fought a couple of floors ago, who hadn't used any sword skills at all, which had made them incredibly dangerous opponents. Only this one's mixing in sword skills, too.

In between the frantic slashing, parrying, and dodging, the swordsman wondered how long they could keep this up. Kizmel, despite her more protective armor and her shield, was taking a significant amount of bleedthrough damage even while blocking, and even his own reflexes were sometimes not fast enough to get him entirely out of the way. Twice he failed to parry a sword skill with one of his own, and each time he'd watched as his health was knocked down by almost a quarter. It also didn't help that it was difficult to judge distance with the way invisible blades seemed to stretch out from their opponent's sword that he couldn't see and keep track of, and while not nearly as dangerous as the actual edge, it was slowly chipping away at their health without ever directly coming into contact with them.

In response, they had resorted to more traditional tactics of switching out and alternating who held the aggro to allow for time to recover their health. He winced at the impact as he slapped aside another Avalanche with a Slant, the force of the skill rattling his virtual bones and taking a nick from his HP bar. Behind the Fisher King his partner was taking advantage of the opportunity and carved into his back with a Treble Scythe. A flicker of the ancient knight's eyes told Kirito that their enemy was about to switch targets.

The swordsman recovered first and begun the motion for a Flash Blow, his left hand glowing with the Martial Arts skill, but it wasn't enough to divert the NPC from his attack as he swung around. Kizmel was too close for him to effectively use the blade of his sword, and he ended up battering her across the face with the quillons, instead. The dark elf had barely come out of her own post-skill delay when the crossguard caught her square on the cheek, sending her spinning away with the hit.

Thankfully it had been a regular attack and hadn't done too much damage; she sprung back to her feet almost immediately after hitting the ground and leapt back into the fray without hesitation. The Fisher King was varying up his attacks more now, chaining sword skills and regular attacks, managing to somehow string them together in an improbable and nearly impossible manner.

And yet, they weren't anything extraordinary, unlike the modified Cyclone he had used earlier. Slowly, as the battle continued, they adjusted. Bloodied and weary, they persevered through the impossibility of the Fisher King launching a spinning Avalanche in mid-air that battered away Kirito's Sonic Leap with ease and sent the swordsman flying into a wall, health creeping precariously close to the red. In retaliation, Kizmel came flying in with an Oblique, triangle-jumping off the corner of the hall in a move reminiscent of an action movie. The dark elf kicked off one of the walls, her thrust angled downward as she descended on the knight with her full weight behind it, sending them both crashing to the ground heavily.

Fifteen minutes into the boss fight, Kirito was wondering if his partner wasn't regretting her earlier assessment of preferring a battle to the death. I think I'd rather have the puzzles right now, he thought to himself, ducking away from a Cascade. Kizmel came in like a shooting star from the side, sliding to a halt after executing a Streak. The thrust had pierced clean through the ancient knight's thigh, and the NPC let out a rumbling chuckle.

"Good, good! Rarely have I faced ones as determined as you! Now...allow me to show you the power wielded by your ancestors!"

Before either of them could react the knight leapt backwards, his right hand lifting off the hilt of his sword to point straight at Kirito. A brief glow was all the warning he had as the swordsman threw himself into a desperate tumble sideways, a bright, spear-like blast of light lancing through the air and into the space he had just occupied.

Magic? He thought, heart racing as he eyed the scorched impact site. The grail knight looked up at them, his second life bar depleted as the last remaining bar glowed an angry red, eyes flashing amber. A translucent, shimmering, ethereal shield flickered into existence as Kizmel tried to take a swing at him from behind, halting her saber early. Some of the damage still bled through, but it was a fraction of what it had been before.

Great, another shield like the one on Vandria? How is this even- Kirito's thoughts cut off abruptly at a chilling realization. The grail. If it's like the elder tree and the talisman...After their battle against Vandria on the forty-first floor, they had speculated about the existence of magic on Aincrad, and while Kizmel didn't have the reference frame to think of it as a game mechanic or programmed restrictions, she was aware that this world she inhabited had its own, sometimes strange and illogical, rules. Rules that she had begun to question quite some time ago, and the answers to which were inching ever closer to Kirito having to admit that they were arbitrary decisions made by the creator of this world.

His dark elven partner had suggested that perhaps powerful relics such as the elder tree and the Dreypa Talisman had acted as batteries of a sort, storing and bestowing some of their magical power, in a manner similar to the way the sacred trees of the dark and forest elves retained some of their magic. All of that had been an in-universe explanation naturally, but Kirito couldn't quite exclude it since there was no strict game mechanic forbidding it that he was aware of. He simply had no argument to claim otherwise without bringing up the fact that SAO was a game created by Kayaba, with rules written by the man. Though why only they had come into contact with NPCs capable of casting magic was something they were both still wondering. The swordsman had the fleeting thought that perhaps it was tied to the Pandora's Box quest, something else that was unique to the duo.

The only other thought that crossed his mind was that perhaps the Cardinal system had decided that, if the lore being continually written as he and Kizmel came across it had outpaced the system mechanics, it had decided to adapt by using artifacts to grant magical powers or, in the case of Avalon, shift the arena to someplace that was not subject to the traditional rules of SAO.

The Fisher King clenched his fist in his direction, and Kirito suddenly found his entire body frozen as a debuff icon blinked to life on his HUD. "Held," the swordsman read as the two-second timer ticked down and their enemy rounded on Kizmel, firing another bolt of light at the dark elf, who just barely managed to duck behind her shield. The blast left a blackened, smoking scorch mark on the wood, and Kirito felt his body being released.

His Vertical Square slammed into the same barrier that Kizmel's attack had, the first two slashes doing little damage, but on the third the shield shattered into colorful fragments of light. The final overhead swing that Kirito had put his entire body into as he descended from on high struck true and home, and he watched in satisfaction as the Fisher King's HP bar decreased noticeably.

He didn't have long to celebrate the fact that it didn't seem to be an all-protective barrier like the one around Vandria, as a blue circle with a crosshair appeared underneath his feet and in several other places nearby. Jumping back just in time to avoid the pillar of fire that sprang up in the place he'd just vacated, he looked over at Kizmel. All thoughts of how this was possible fled his mind, replaced by a whirlwind of strategies and tactics they could possibly use, and one particular thought rose to the fore.

...this sucks. This really, really sucks.

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Kizmel hadn't thought that she would ever have the chance to encounter magic - true magic, the kind of power said to have been wielded by the ancient elves and even human mages from before the Great Separation, not the handful of charms or even the sword skills that had been left behind. And within the course of a month, she had seen for herself this mystical power that had thrust the ancient elves to the pinnacle of their influence in the distant past. High Priestess Vandria and her acolytes had been one thing, surprising her with their impressive, if limited, arsenal of spells, but the knight and soldier in her had immediately recognized the potential implications of such power.

She had thought that perhaps that had been the extent of it. After all, how likely was she to ever run into something like this again when Aincrad had been completely cut off from the world below, and the only remnant of its magic was thought to be left in the sacred trees? Vandria had made sense in that context, drawing her strength and channeling her magic through the elder tree, and even then it had been limited. There were tales of great warrior-mages of the past who had wielded the power of storms and fire, after all.

The grail knight, however, seemed to draw his strength from another place entirely, and it made the dark elf wonder if Avalon resided in Aincrad at all. Where Vandria and her acolytes had cast spells that had power akin to a mid-tier sword skill in strength, the guardian of the grail they were facing had managed to produce beams and spells that were powerful enough to sweep them off their feet, and her shield bore the signs of being near its limit, having cracked and smouldering holes in several places where she had hurriedly deflected spells that she had been unable to evade.

Kizmel didn't have to be able to see the state her weapons and armor in the way the swordmasters could using Mystic Scribing to know that they were nearing their breaking point. She could feel it with the long experience and familiarity that came from using her weapons and knowing them almost as well as she did her companion.

But finally, after almost a half hour of desperate fighting, their opponent toppled over. Kizmel almost collapsed to the floor in exhaustion herself, held upright only by sheer willpower. They had taken everything he had thrown at them, unexpected sword skills, his speed, his sheer power, and the magic he wielded, and survived. A part of the dark elf wanted to let out a nearly hysterical laugh of relief, but she composed herself, face flush with the exhilaration of victory and survival as her racing mind began to slow to something more normal.

The guardian, however, unlike their other foes, had not shattered into light upon leaving this world. Instead, he lay heavily against the wall, body crisscrossed by red lines, and she winced in sympathy at the amount of pain he was sure to be in. Despite it all, though, the grail knight was smiling, eyes staring at something only he could see.

"Truly marvelous," he whispered, and she knelt next to him, jamming her saber into the floor to keep herself upright when her knees buckled tiredly. The ancient knight turned to her, his mail coif and hood having fallen away, revealing to her shock that the guardian was a very ancient man, his eyes wise and gentle with none of the viciousness that he had done battle with. Long white hair cascaded over his shoulders, and a white beard covered his chin. He reminded her of her father somewhat, an aging knight still doing his duty when he should have been enjoying his well-earned rest.

He took in a deep, shuddering breath as his eyes turned towards her. "You do not disappoint, Knight of Lyusula. To set foot on Avalon, you have proven that you wield a spark of the magic of your ancestors," he whispered, hand reaching out to gently touch her breastbone. "To find me, you have proven that you were willing to sacrifice your future in service of others, and that you are willing to let go of your past. But do you have the strength to face what lies ahead, without the things that define who you are?"

The dark elf looked down at their defeated enemy, who, having said his part, merely looked over at the stairs leading up. "The grail lies beyond. Whichever blessing it wishes to bestow upon you...is for it to decide," he whispered before falling silent, his eyes closing in peace. He wasn't dead, Kizmel knew from the slow rise and fall of his chest, but his time among the living was short.

Part of herself hated that she had aided in shortening it even further.

"We needn't have fought," Kizmel muttered, whether to herself or to their fallen enemy, a man who looked as though he had been as noble a knight as any in the service of Lyusula, and whom under any other circumstances, she might have been honored to have known.

"Kizmel." Kirito's voice returned her attention to the present and the matter at hand. The swordsman looked as battered as she felt, though she was certain that she didn't cut a particularly dashing figure right now, either. The black coat on his shoulders was ripped and torn, bearing signs of scorching where flames had licked at it and a particularly large hole where one of the guardian's spells had clipped her companion and pierced right through his abdomen. She shook the memory of the heart-stopping seconds where she had wondered if he was still alive from her mind and cautiously stood.

"Are we...to proceed?" she asked quietly. A shrug was her only answer as the pair leaned on each other and slowly made their way up the stairs. A healing potion had done much to mend the physical pain of the battle for her, and Kirito, like all swordmasters, felt no pain, but they were both mentally fatigued and ready to see the end of this day.

The stairs seemed almost insurmountable as they began their ascend, and her tired mind jolted back to wakefulness when Kirito gently shook her awake. She looked around to find that he had supported her weight as her legs moved without conscious thought to ascend the stairs, until they now found themselves in a domed chamber, at the very top of the spire that they had seen from the ground. How the space below had fit into it, she didn't know, perhaps some ancient magic was at work, and her mind could process little else but the breathtaking view for a few moments.

From the ground, when she had first set foot upon Avalon's shores, Kizmel had been stunned by the otherworldly beauty of the isle, where it had truly seemed as though there was no place like it in Aincrad. She had thought then that perhaps Avalon truly was another world. Looking out the glass dome that enveloped the small room, she knew they must be far above the clouds as amber light glowed from below, reflected off the clouds as the sun sank beneath the horizon. Stars dotted the midnight-blue sky, and a colourful curtain of light hung off in the distance. There was no ground in sight, as though the tip of the spire was so high above the surface of the land that they might as well be flying.

But what caught her attention most was the unobstructed view of the bright, gleaming slice she could see emerging over the horizon. A crescent that glowed blue, and green, and white, a precious orb of unimaginable scale as it slowly came into view. Even Kirito seemed awestruck by the sight, the swordsman's attention riveted on what lay before them. The sight of the glittering, glimmering orb that just hung before her among the vast emptiness of the starry sky had her feeling lightheaded, and the dark elf almost felt as though she was flying, with all other sensations fading away.

And somehow, Kizmel knew. "Another world," the dark elf whispered when the sphere rose into the sky before them, too far to reach and yet close enough that she could see the clouds that drifted across its surface and the land that bisected the great oceans as it slowly, majestically, spun. Is that our world? The world from which Aincrad was torn, our home?

"Yeah," her partner answered in the same low tone. A brief moment of envy struck her as she remembered that he had claimed to have seen many worlds, though judging by the look of awe on his face, this was a sight that was extraordinary even for him. Perhaps one day, I will get to see this world that lies before us, she told herself. This world, and Kirito's, and many others.

Tearing her eyes away from the starlit vista above them with some reluctance, she looked around the small room they found themselves in. The floor was simple, having returned to the polished white marble that everything else of significance seemed to have been built from, and in the middle stood a small fountain with water bubbling into a basin. Next to it was a short pedestal upon which rested a simple clay cup.

The grail? She took a hesitant step forward, inexorably drawn by the presence of the deceptively simple object. She had expected an artifact of power, an amulet akin to the Dreypa Talisman, or a stone bearing great magic power. To be honest, I have no idea what I was expecting, she admitted to herself. But she knew that it wasn't this.

She took a careful step forward and hesitantly reached out. Her parched throat was calling out to her to take a drink from the fountain . Reaching out a hand, she cupped some of the water that sprang from the fountain's delicately carved figurine. It tasted clean and pure, and she felt herself invigorated as her fatigue melted away and the aches that came from a long day of battle faded.

A low whistle from her partner caused her to look at him, and after a moment of staring at something with his head cocked to the side in thought, Kirito slowly reached forward to take a drink from the fountain's water, as well. His eyes widened in surprise, and he let out an amazed chuckle, before reaching over to inspect the simple cup that stood next to the fountain's basin.

"Is it the grail?" she asked, not entirely sure what to make of the simple cup sitting there, something so mundane that it might be found in a simple home back in Lyusula, or in a tavern anywhere in Aincrad. It was hard to fathom that this was supposed to be the powerful relic so many had spent their lives coveting and searching for, that this was the thing that could spell doom or bring peace to Britannia.

Kirito's hands flicked through the air as he cast his mystic charm to inspect it. Before long he looked up with a smile and nodded. "Yeah, that's it." He seemed somewhat unsure of how to proceed from there, but Kizmel's mind latched onto something else.

"Kirito...the water here, like the water Morgana used to heal Ser Lancelot. Do you think it will heal the grail knight?"

The swordsman's brow furrowed for a moment, before shrugging. "I...think so? I don't know, I'm sorry, this isn't something I know a whole lot about."

It was a chance she was willing to take. The dark elf took hold of the cup and dipped it into the basin, filling it with water. Whatever their expectations had been of fanfare or traps never materialized as she rushed down the stairs, given new energy by the healing magic the water possessed and the thought of being able to save even just one life that did not need to perish. Kirito was a mere step behind her as she made it back into the chamber where they had battled the guardian, and to her relief he was still there, eyes closed, but chest slowly rising and falling as he was slumped in the corner.

She slid to a stop next to the knight's still form and tilted his head, putting the cup to his lips, only pausing when she felt her partner's hand on her shoulder. She glanced over and met his eyes. They were questioning instead of judging, and he merely seemed to ask if this was really what she wished to do.

The dark elf nodded. She was a Royal Guard of Lyusula, but before that she was a Pagoda Knight, and she remembered well the code of conduct and honor that had been taught to her from an early age. Too many times during their war with their own kin had she been forced to put down her foes because they had refused to yield and surrender, and Kizmel felt herself longing for the lofty ideals she had treasured as a child, ideals of honor and chivalry and compassion. For the dreams of a child, dreams that a knight was supposed to stand up for the weak and defend the oppressed and bring to justice those who had broken the law. She tipped the cup, letting the water flow into the knight's mouth, and held her breath. For a moment, she was afraid that, just like the young soldier in the devastated camp in the desert, she would be unable to save this knight.

It took only a few heartbeats for the wounds on his body to fade and for him to open his eyes, and she sat back, eyeing him carefully. Just because she might have wished for them to no longer be enemies didn't mean she was foolish enough to assume that he wasn't, without evidence to the contrary. However, the knight made no hurried motion as he looked at her curiously, before slowly pushing himself off the ground. With a wave of his hand, the cup appeared in his grasp, and he rolled it around with a small, weary smile.

"I knew you would come," he finally rasped, voice old and tired, and yet holding the same strength and steel as it had when they had first challenged him. "I am the guardian of the grail, the last of three brothers who swore an oath to find the grail and to guard it, before the land was torn asunder."

"That was a millennia ago," Kizmel whispered. The guardian nodded in agreement.

"A long time to wait...I am afraid my strength has left me, and only the grail sustains my life now." The ancient knight looked at her with a gentle smile before his gaze wandered to Kirito. "And yet here we are, child of Sehanine and Corellon. And your companion...you are strangely dressed...for a knight."

Kirito cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm not...I'm no knight," the swordsman finally said.

The guardian tilted his head thoughtfully, eyes never leaving Kirito's form. "It is as you say. However, you may find that what lies within often is more important than what is laid upon you by others."

"Guardian of the grail, will you allow us to leave with it?" Kizmel asked, looking at the cup he now held.

"I was chosen as its guardian because I was the bravest and most worthy. The honor was mine until another came to challenge me to single combat." He reached out and placed the grail in the dark elf's hand, gently closing her other on top of it. "I pass it to you who vanquished me."

There was nothing weak about him when we fought, Kizmel mused idly, looking down at their clasped hands. "What is your name?" she finally asked. "What will happen to you now?"

"The search for the grail has been a tale as old as time itself," the knight began, and she found her attention riveted as much as it had when her tutors and librarians in Lyusula had told her stories as a child. "You have proven yourself worthy, not just of the grail, but of what lies beyond."

"What do you mean?"

The guardian smiled, his age suddenly fading as his features regained youth and vigor, the light that had burned in his eyes flaring to brilliance as he took a step back, and a glowing halo appearing around his form. His armor mended until it gleamed with the splendor of having just emerged from the forge, and he stood tall before them.

"There is no such thing as a true tale. Truth has many faces and the truth is like the old road to Avalon; it depends on your own will, and your own thoughts, whither the road will take you, and whether, at the end, you arrive at this holy isle of eternity."

His gaze wandered to Kirito before returning to her. "But this is the truth that you have found for yourself, in yielding to compassion and mercy for a defeated foe, in having the wisdom to know yourself truly, and to seek great power for selfless reasons. The quest for the grail is not in pursuit of a lofty idea of worthiness, but the virtues embodied within: compassion, moderation, wisdom, and understanding. You had a choice, the same choice many faced after besting me in combat. You could have simply killed me or left me to die, continuing on your way with your spoils. The grail would have bestowed its blessing on you then, but never allowed you to remove it from its resting place."

He can't mean...Kizmel's heart leapt into her throat as the ancient man nodded at her.

"You, Lady Kizmel, and your companion chose to spend the grail's great power to give life to me, an enemy who had been fighting you with intent to kill mere moments ago, without a second thought, and in doing so, have proven that you are indeed worthy of taking the grail with you. This is my truth, I who was once called Martellus tell you these things. I, who am now just the Fisher King."

He took a step back, his form slowly shimmering as the light surrounding him grew brighter. "The burden and privilege of the grail is now yours, Lady Kizmel, Sir Kirito. Guard it well, and may you find your own truth."

Before she could respond, Martellus, the ancient knight, had taken his last step back, enveloped in a light as bright as the sun, before he vanished, leaving the two of them on their own. She looked over at her partner who had a thoughtful expression on his face, and gently touched his arm.

"Kirito?"

The swordsman looked up, somewhat startled, and shook his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"You have the feeling that there is more to what he said, too." It wasn't so much a question, and Kirito didn't have to answer as a familiar form shimmered into existence not far from where Martellus the Fisher King had vanished into the great beyond.

"And you would not be incorrect," came the soft voice of Cardinal as she approached them. "I had hoped that I would see you here, standing at the end of your journey, this journey."

"Then this is where we are to take the third trial?" the dark elf asked of her.

Cardinal simply smiled and shook her head, brown curls bouncing through the air. "Not to take it, Lady Kizmel, for you have already passed it. Had you not remained on this path, you would not have been able to set foot upon Avalon." The diminutive sage stepped forward and touched Kizmel's chest, where something hung suspended by a thin chain.

The Pendant of Wisdom.

"Is this what allowed me to enter this place?" she breathed, stunned. Is this a fragment of the ancient magic that allowed me passage? Is this what Cardinal had intended from the moment we first met?

"It is," she confirmed with a quick nod. "Your path, from the moment you set foot into the Halls of Wisdom, led to this place, to this moment, Lady Kizmel. The first trial bestowed you with the means to find Avalon's shores. The second granted you the magic to allow you step upon this isle. And now, with the grail in your hand, you have shown that you truly are ready for what lies ahead."

Cardinal raised her hand, and the glowing stone that hung from Kizmel's neck lifted into the air until it settled into the sage's hands. She looked at it fondly as it lay in her palm, before turning the same fond look at the dark elf, a mischievous smile played across her lips as she glanced over at Kirito. "You look disappointed. Were you expecting something else, perhaps? Something more...grand?" she directed at the swordsman.

Kirito shrugged with an awkward smile. "I don't know."

Golden eyes returned to Kizmel, and the dusky elf felt herself briefly enraptured by the swirling golden dust that seemed to drift across the sage's irises. "What does this mean, then, Sage Cardinal?" she asked.

The brunette closed her eyes and her fist over the glowing stone of the pendant for a moment, before opening both. The green stone, which had glowed and pulsed with light, had taken on a shimmering teal color, iridescent and with a multi-hued shimmer.

"Now, you face a choice, Lady Kizmel. You may choose to accept what lies in front of you, to forsake everything that you are and everything you once knew, to walk the path of the swordmasters and find the answers that you seek. It is a difficult, lonely path, and you will walk it alone. Or you may choose to simply take your well-earned reward, the grail, and turn away to leave this place, but know that you will never really know the truth of this world if you do. You must make your choice now, and it can only be made here, in Avalon, where the ancient magic of this place allows for you to become more than what you are now. For once the grail passes across the threshold of this castle, with it will go the magic that creates this place."

Kizmel froze, her eyes flickering over to her partner, trying to process what this meant. She hadn't expected to find the end of the quest that had begun months ago here, so suddenly, and once again the dark elf realized that she didn't really know what she had expected from Cardinal's words the first time they had met. Ancient tomes of magic, perhaps, or relics of great power. Weapons to wield against the foes of this floating castle, a means to defeat the sorcerer Kayaba. But...this? Magic? To...become a swordmaster?

What did that even mean? Was that even possible, for her to simply...become...a swordmaster? Was it a title bestowed upon humans, like the title of knight had been bestowed upon her? She had always believed that the swordmasters were all humans who had been gifted with extraordinary powers because they came from another world. What would it mean for her to become one of them?

Forsake everything that I am and leave behind everything I once knew...the words echoed those spoken by Cardinal in their very first encounter, and now that the choice was upon her, the dark elf realized that the loss she had expected to feel at the choice was strangely absent. There was regret, a hollow emptiness where she intellectually understood that she would never be looked upon the same by her fellow dark elves ever again - that she would no longer be a dark elf, possibly, even, if Cardinal's prior words were anything to go by.

Would she become a human? Or would she be alone, neither dark elf nor human, but something in between, belonging to neither?

Kizmel looked over at her partner. Perhaps he saw the conflict in her eyes, or perhaps he, more than she herself, understood the enormity of what was being asked of her to decide, but Kirito had uncharacteristically taken a step closer and hesitantly laid a hand upon the one she had instinctively reached out for where Cardinal was holding out the pendant.

As though shielding her from the sage, Kirito peered intently at both Cardinal and the item she held, and the other woman made no motion to elude him, merely watching on impassively, determined to let Kizmel make this decision on her own. A little gasp escaped the swordsman as he inspected the glowing pendant, and he turned to look at her.

"What is it, Kirito?"

A shadow flickered across her companion's eyes, dark and hooded, reminding her of the loneliness that had dwelled within him when she had sought him out again at the beginning of their journey. He bit his lip nervously, before swallowing harshly. "If you take this, it's going to change everything, Kizmel," he finally said reluctantly. "The way you see the world, what you are, the way you experience things around you. And some of it...maybe not for the better."

She just stared at him, mind churning as she attempted to process the meaning behind his words when he continued. "I don't...I'm not gonna lie, I don't know how this is possible, but you'd be a swordmaster. Not just be like us, and have the same powers, but you'd become one of us. I don't know if that means you'd be trapped here, too, or if..."

He trailed off abruptly, shaking his head, and she could see the concern etched across features that had become all too easy for her to read over the past six months. "Then what was predicted the very first time we met Cardinal has come to pass," the dark elf responded softly. "Sage Cardinal, what will happen if I choose this path, the path of the swordmaster?"

"The dark elves would denounce you as one of their own," the little sage replied immediately, evenly, as though she'd expected the questions. "You will still be welcome in Lyusula, and acknowledged for your accomplishments, but you would be an outsider. You would become a swordmaster. Not a human, but a swordmaster, with everything that entails. More than what you are, more than any other being native to Aincrad. You would be bound not by the rules of the mortals of this world, but by the rules the swordmasters live - and die - by." Golden eyes wandered to Kirito, who once again swallowed heavily as the swordsman seemed to understand the full weight of those words.

She knew the swordmasters didn't fully accept her, not the way Kirito, Argo, and Asuna did. That likely wouldn't change, but she had always held up the dream any soldier did, of coming home once the battles were fought and retiring to be at peace surrounded by her family. Accepting whatever gift Cardinal offered to bestow upon her would mean the loss of that dream. She would be forever alone, belonging to neither the elves nor the humans. With that warred the lure of finally seeing the world as Kirito and Asuna did, of understanding the deeper meaning behind...everything that she had been questioning ever since first meeting these two humans who had taken it upon themselves to become her friends, her family.

"You're not alone," her partner said, somehow understanding the conflict within her. "Doesn't matter what you choose, Asuna, Argo, Agil...Klein, and Sachi, they'll still be there. I'll still be here."

It hadn't been what she had been expecting, but perhaps, on some level, it had been what she had wished for. From her desire to learn the ways and skills of the swordmasters to wanting to unravel the mystery of their arrival upon this floating castle from their own world, to her self-imposed mission to aid them in returning home and bringing the sorcerer Kayaba to justice for what he had done to them. And she realized that her partner was right. She wasn't alone. Not now, and not until the swordmasters returned home. And perhaps...

Perhaps, if what Cardinal says is true, and I truly would become one of them, perhaps I can leave with them. Wander across worlds and see others. See sights I could never have imagined. It certainly wasn't as terrible a fate as she could have imagined. A part of her longed for Kirito to show her his own world, and others he had seen so that she could find a place where she belonged, more than simply being just another knight.

She offered a small smile at her companion before reaching out and deftly taking hold of the stone in Cardinal's hand. It was a decision, she realized, she had made long ago without even realizing it. It had been made the moment she had chosen to ask her queen for leave to aid the swordmasters, it had been made the moment she had considered her place with Kirito and Asuna home more than her dwelling in Lyusula. It had been made the moment she had decided that she had wanted to learn more about Aincrad, the world they inhabited, and how things had come to pass.

A shimmering purple page unfurled itself before her as she touched the stone, and the arcane lettering the swordmasters used for their Mystic Scribing charm appeared, accompanied by a query in the common tongue.

[System Login ID: Kizmel]

[Activate? Y/N]

She hesitantly reached out to touch the confirmation. The moment the mystic page received her command, the world around her shifted and realigned, and the dark elf briefly closed her eyes against the moment of vertigo that threatened to overwhelm her as reality rewrote itself with a lurch that made her stomach turn.

When she opened her eyes again, Cardinal was gone and Kirito was in front of her, looked at her in concern. "Kizmel? You all right?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but realized that the swordsman wasn't the only thing she was seeing. Floating in her view were...arcane symbols, colored bars, and as her eyes focused on her partner, a green diamond shape appeared above his head, along with a long bar that wound itself around the diamond in a semi-circle. It was blue in color, and she could tell it was partially empty. Various symbols blinked underneath the bar.

Glancing up into the top left corner of her view revealed a similar bar with her name written above it. Floating below it was a second, smaller bar matching the one she had seen float over the swordsman's head, bearing his name. Two sets of numbers were scrawled underneath each bar. Her body, too, had gone through changes she realized, as she no longer felt the weight of her armor and weapons, pain and physical exhaustion having faded completely, leaving her feeling strangely numb.

"Kiri...to?" she whispered uncertainly, wobbling slightly as the grail, which she still held, fell from her hand to clatter to the ground. She looked down at her hands, feeling somehow unfamiliar with her own body and the way it moved and felt. The ring that had once symbolized her service and devotion to the kingdom of Lyusula was gone, and she briefly felt a surge of shame that she hadn't even realized its loss.

The swordsman rushed to her side and gently took hold of her arm, and she realized that even that sensation felt different, more muted and dulled from what she was used to, as he gently guided her to sit down. She could feel the arm wrapped around her shoulders, could tell it was there, but there was no sensation of pressure. The vertigo faded quickly enough, and she looked down, slowly curling her fingers as she felt the strange sensation in her limbs that was just the smallest bit different from what she had been used to.

Is this what it is like for the swordmasters? Everything is...muted and dulled? Some of her senses had sharpened; her vision, she noted, was far better than it had any right to be, and as she looked at her partner's face, it came into sudden focus with a clarity and sharpness that she had never experienced while everything else blurred out of focus. In contrast, whatever prevented the swordmasters from feeling physical pain and fatigue had dulled her sense of touch, and she wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. There was a strange sensation of loss, though she couldn't exactly say for what, as though she had lost something she hadn't even been aware of having. And yet, at the same time, she felt...free.

"You all right?" the swordsman repeated as he crouched next to her.

"...I think so." Kizmel slowly, almost shakily stood as she got used to the changes.

Kirito kept his hand hovering near her elbow, and she was grateful that he was giving her to space she needed to explore the changes to her body - her very being, if Cardinal was to be believed - on her own, and yet remaining close enough to offer help if she needed it. "It feels...strange," she concluded after a few moments. "Different, and yet...not."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he agreed with a chuckle. "The first time I logged in-" he cut off abruptly, before correcting himself, "the first time I woke up in a body like this, it took some getting used to, too."

"Then this is not how your...other bodies feel, in your world?"

Kirito shook his head. "It's a bit different. You know we don't feel pain and we don't get tired, physically, at least. Our eyesight's way better here, but everything else...smells, tastes, touch, it feels a little bit wrong until you get used to it. Not quite as...real, I guess."

This was supposed to be like a waking dream for the swordmasters, the dark elf remembered, their spirits bound in these temporary bodies to inhabit while they explored another world. Perhaps the spell that created their bodies here is what endowed them with their magic and strength, but could not fully replicate all of their senses. If that was the case, then she truly had become like them, except that her spirit hadn't been brought here from another world.

"Hey, Kizmel?" her partner asked, drawing her attention away from her own thoughts. "Try this," he said, pinching the thumb and index finger of his right hand together and drawing a vertical line with them in the air. It was a motion she had seen him make many times, and she knew intimately what it was. It was the motion to cast Mystic Scribing.

Hesitantly, she raised her hand into the air, placing her fingers together like he had showed her, and swiped it down, mimicking the motion. For a moment she expected nothing at all to happen, but then, as though to drive home the fact that she was now more, as Cardinal had said, a shimmering, glowing page appeared in the air in front of her. Symbols and arcane writing scrawled before her eyes along with images and pictographs she had no hope of understanding - yet. She reached out to touch one of the floating symbols, and it caused a new page to appear next to it, with more arcane script, although there was some writing in the common language, as well.

As she looked on in awe and confusion, a new page appeared accompanied by a brief fanfare, and this one she could read.

[Pandora's Box: Complete. Congratulations!]

When she looked up, she could see a grin on Kirito's face, and knew that he had seen it, too, right before the dark elf laughed brightly and engulfed her partner in a hug.

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"Took y'all long enough," Argo said as she stood at the foot of the stairs that led out of the great spire and onto the rooftop of Avalon's keep. They had emerged to find the blonde info-broker waiting for them there, a wide grin on her face, and idly tossing a glowing stone up into the air. Her grin widened when she looked up above Kizmel's head.

Now that the dark elf knew what the swordmasters saw, she finally understood why they kept looking above her head, or above the head of others. Kirito had taken the time it had taken for them to make their way downstairs to explain the very basics of the Mystic Scribing charm: what everything she was seeing meant, what to do and what to steer clear of in the "menus". And though she didn't fully understand all of the strange things that perpetually were now visible to her yet, she could at least make sense of most of them.

"Congrats, Kii-chan! I'm guessing yer one of us, now?"

Kizmel smiled and returned the brief hug. "As much as is possible, I suppose," she replied, before looking over at the item the info-broker had been toying with. "I am glad to see you well, Argo. And I assume that you were successful in your own mission?"

"Yep!" the blonde grinned as she showed off the golden glowing gemstone she had been toying with. It looked like a yellow citrine, a fairly common stone, but it harbored a glow of golden light within, not unlike the Pendant of Wisdom once had, before Cardinal had turned the trinket into the item that had turned her into a swordmaster. Thinking of the little sage had Kizmel wonder if they would ever see her again; there was something about Cardinal that told Kizmel she knew far more about this world they lived in than she let on.

Using her new ability to cast Mystic Scribing at will and the brief lesson Kirito had given her on the way back down on how to use the most basic of the charms - which, after Cardinal's disappearance and Kizmel's transformation, had magically opened up - the dark elf pulled up what her friend had called a "system window," a magic page that would inform her about the most basic of an item's properties. There were many other things he'd promised to show her, but here, now, wasn't the time for that.

Smiling slightly at the surprise on Argo's face as she deftly cast the charm and looked over the lettering she could read - ignoring the arcane script - the dark elf prodded at the stone in surprise. "The Philosopher's Stone?" she asked, as she read the description that the charm provided for her. "Once per day, fully restore all health lost and purge all negative status effects. Can be used to create a restoration potion instead, using the daily charge."

She didn't fully understand the full meaning of the words, but she knew enough to know that Argo held a potent item, though its use was limited. "A fitting trophy for your quest." she remarked, instead.

Argo grinned and nodded. "I thought about coming back in after you guys - what'd you run into, anyway? I was done in a half hour."

As they slowly found their way through the main building to return to the ground floor, Kizmel and Kirito both took turns explaining their encounter with the grail knight and briefly mentioned their encounter with Cardinal. The blonde nodded in thought as she listened.

"It was just puzzles for me," she said after they had finished, "no fighting, nothing, though I think this isn't nearly as valuable a prize as the one you got. The holy grail. The Sangraal. I can't even believe it."

"I hope it will be enough to prevent further strife between Boudica and Arthur," Kizmel responded, thinking about the cup that now rested within her own magical storage, what Kirito had called her "inventory."

Argo hummed noncommittally. "And on top of that, ya finally became a swordmaster," she added with a grin. "I guess we know what that Pandora's Box quest is about, now. That entire chain of quests, for this." The blonde must have spied the concerned look on Kirito's face because she waved him off.

"Don't worry about it, Kii-bou. I doubt anyone but Kii-chan will be able to even get it to work, and I don't know of any other NPC who'd even be capable of it. People generally don't buy info on quests they can't do."

Kizmel watched with some amusement as her partner let out a sigh of relief; they had, after some time, informed both Asuna and Argo about their encounter with Cardinal under Ur's Citadel, and knowing that the elder tree had not allowed anyone else passage had put a lot of their concerns to rest. Argo in particular had followed up for them and kept an eye on anyone attempting to follow in their footsteps - for a price, of course - but so far no one else had reported encountering the mysterious Pandora's Box quest. At least now they had an idea of what it had led to, and its lack of material reward.

"And, well..." Argo grinned mischievously. "Since the reward for your quest was just Kizmel becoming a swordmaster, I don't really see any reason to include Pandora's Box in any of my guides for farming for experience or loot. Consider it a welcome gift to the swordmasters, Kii-chan."

"Thank you, Argo," the dark elf responded with a smile.

"And just wait till A-chan sees you, she's gonna be over the moon! I can't wait ta see her face." Grinning, Argo spun around as they passed through the great arch that marked the entry to the castle, and looked up at the great spire rising from its center.

Kizmel turned to take a last look as well, when the ground began rumbling. The two women looked at each other, before glancing at Kirito. "Is...it supposed to do that?" the blonde asked.

"No..." the swordsman replied slowly, trailing off as he, too, looked at the keep while trying to maintain its balance. The ground was beginning to shake more fiercely, and with a sound akin to thunder and striking lightning, cracks began to form on the walls of the castle, running up viciously like scars and wounds.

The words Cardinal had spoken suddenly echoed in Kizmel's mind. "For once the grail passes across the threshold of this castle, with it will go the magic that creates this place," she said, the dark elf remembered, and her blood ran cold as the meaning of the words hit her. "We must hurry," she urged her companions, "this place will cease to exist shortly."

Both swordmasters looked on in alarm and surprise, but neither argued as they broke out into a run as the once pristine castle behind them slowly collapsed and fell. Once they had reached a safe distance the three of them paused and turned, only to find the majestic castle and spire gone, leaving behind only the withered, broken shards of a ruin.

"That was...unexpected," Argo commented, heaving out a sigh and looking on in despair at the destruction that had been wrought.

Kizmel was about to agree when the ruins pulsed with an unearthly glow once more, a wave of bright blue light rushing towards them and crashing over them. Her skin tingled, and the sensation of weightlessness momentarily took hold of her before reality set in again before she found herself sprawled on the ground, fingers digging into wet sand as she pushed herself back to her feet. The first thing she noticed was that it was growing dark; they had first arrived at the shore just after mid-day, and though the days grew shorter in winter, she found it hard to believe that they had spent so many hours in Avalon.

Yet the evidence did not lie, as both the setting sun and the clock that now hung always present in her vision as part of the swordmasters' sight confirmed that it was nearing evening. Looking out across the lake's horizon, she realized that the mists that had hidden Avalon were gone, revealing only shimmering, crimson water and the massive wall at the perimeter of Aincrad behind it. Beside her, the two swordmasters were gathering their bearings as well, and the three of them pushed to their feet.

Armored boots crunched on pebbles and sand nearby, causing them to whirl around, hands reaching for their weapons, only to still as they caught sight of the lone figure approaching them.

"Ser Galahad?"

The knight sped up as he recognized them, and as he drew closer, Kizmel realized that something was wrong. The gleaming armor he had worn just that morning when they had departed Camelot was battered and bearing the marks of intense combat, and his face looked haunted and weary. What worried her more was the fact that above his head, she could see a colored bar that was mostly empty and glowing a deep red. A "health bar," Kirito had explained, it showed the general level of a person or monster's life energy. Once depleted, they would perish with no hope of recovery.

"Lady Kizmel," he whispered in return once he was within reach, and she could tell he was barely managing to stay upright on his feet. "And your companions. You yet live. I am glad."

She reached for him, hand already digging for a healing potion. "Drink this. Rest, for a moment." Galahad downed the thick liquid before closing his eyes and shuddering. The potion seemed to be working, as the life bar pulsed once before beginning to fill until it was a light shade of yellow.

"Thank you, Lady Kizmel," the knight uttered quietly.

She shrugged off the thanks, before producing the grail. "Our mission was successful, Ser Galahad. We obtained the grail. Perhaps now-"

The armored knight shook his head, and for the first time the dark elf noticed what he had been clutching to himself. An ornate sword of exquisite craftsmanship was grasped in both hands, gauntleted fingers closing tight over the exposed blade that was chipped, unheeding of the pain such an action must cause. "I wish you had been but an hour sooner, milady," he finally whispered. "But now, it is too late."

"What happened?" the dark elf asked as a sense of dread overwhelmed her, and her voice almost refused to emerge from her throat. The knight's response would cause her to freeze on the spot, chilled to the bone.

"Camelot has fallen."

Her blood ran cold, and she could hear both Argo and Kirito next to her gasp. "How did this happen? How is this possible?" she asked, unwilling to believe that a fortress as formidable as Camelot and defended by a force as powerful as Arthur and his knights had fallen in the span of a few short hours. A sudden thought took hold. "What of Arthur? And the rest of the Knights of the Round?"

Galahad sighed and shook his head before speaking again. "The Knights of the Round Table are no more. Only Percival and I are left. Our king...fell battling Boudica in single combat." He tilted his head, seemingly anticipating the question that was on her mind. "Boudica perished as well, both of them mortally wounding the other while their armies annihilated themselves all around."

"Then...the grail..." she stared down at the item they had fought so hard to procure. It was hard to believe that while they had been battling the grail guardian, Camelot had been under siege. That while they had acquired the grail, men and women had battled fiercely to the death, and that while she had completed her transformation into a swordmaster, Arthur and Boudica had been locked into mortal combat.

"Keep it, milady," Galahad said, too weary to project anything more than apathy. "The legend of the grail has caused more harm than good. The search for it has driven good men mad, and caused bloodshed when those seeking its power coveted it for themselves. And at times...I thought that Arthur had become so obsessed with it to restore prosperity to Britannia that he forgot to be the ruler he should have been. No, the grail was never meant for mortal hands, and perhaps it is safer in your keeping, where it will forever remain out of our reach, so that we may put an end to its legend."

"Are you certain?" she asked hesitantly. "It could do much good. It could be the symbol for unity that Arthur had believed it would be."

The knight shook his head once more and brandished the sword he held. "Just like Excalibur. I can see it now, nobles, those that are left, the cowards that refused to fight or fled the field, returning to claim it for themselves."

"He who wields the sword shall rule the lands," Argo supplied, and Galahad nodded at her.

"You know of its legend, too, then."

"Some," the blonde said evasively. "You really think it'll be that bad?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," he acknowledged, "and yet, I am here to fulfill my king's last command, to return Excalibur from whence it came, to the Lady of the Lake of Spirits, for her to return it when it is needed again."

"Just like Avalon," Kizmel whispered, remembering Merlin's words. The mystical isle that had been the resting place of the grail, hidden until those worthy and those in need of it came to find it.

Galahad inclined his head to her, before taking a last look at the sword Excalibur. With a mighty heave, the knight sent it spinning across the silvery surface of the water, into the darkness, and Kizmel held her breath, waiting to hear the splash of it being lost in the depths of the lake.

But as she followed the spinning silver disc that the sword had become in the distance, it seemed to strike an invisible wall, and for a brief second what lay before them was not the walls of the forty-fifth floor of Aincrad and the empty lake, but the rising hills and sweeping mountain of Avalon, with its keep and spire rising into the night sky. Light rippled across the lake, and the vision lasted for a mere heartbeat before disappearing, along with Excalibur.

-------------------------------

The night was filled with the crackling sounds of funeral pyres as they blazed in the night, casting their orange flames high into the air. Funerals had lost most of their meaning since the Great Separation, and the ceremonies had shifted to be ones of remembrance, to honor the fallen and their memory. It had become customary for warriors to try and bring back the trinkets and weapons of their fallen comrades so the families left behind had at least something left to remember them by. The elves had their own traditions, and so it didn't surprise Kizmel that the humans did, as well.

After all, Kirito hadn't seemed surprised at all when he had come to find her at the place she had marked out as her sister's grave in the dark elven camp on the third floor, where she had interred Tilnel's most prized personal belongings along with those of her husband after their deaths. Perhaps the swordmasters, too, had rites that were similar in that other world of theirs.

The three swordmasters had returned with Galahad to Camelot and helped the two knights handle the aftermath of the battle. Camelot had fallen, but it had not fallen easily, and Boudica and her men had paid as heavy a price for their victory as the defenders of the castle had. If it can even be called a victory, Kizmel thought bitterly at the memory of just how many weapons they had gathered up in order to lay them to rest. During their slow trek back to the castle, a weary Galahad had explain how, after their departure that morning, Boudica had arrived in force, aided by other swordmasters, to assail the castle and prevent Arthur from obtaining the grail.

It must have been after we encountered her in the forest to the south, Kizmel realized darkly. I wonder if Ser Lancelot was aware of her intentions, and whose side he fought upon. The warrior queen must have realized that they truly had a chance to find the grail and bring it back from Avalon, and acted to prevent them from handing it to Arthur.

She was also concerned about the knight's mention of the three swordmasters that had aided Boudica in her attempt to storm the castle, and without whose strength the attack would have otherwise been doomed to failure. The queen's last words to them came back to her, a haunting warning they had ignored in their haste and occupation with finding the grail, though it did not surprise her that other swordmasters would choose a side. They were hardly the only ones on this floor, after all.

The Iceni had come charging from the woods, crashing against the fortifications like men and women possessed in an attack that would have been suicidal in any other circumstance, led by Boudica and her swordmaster allies. Swordmasters who, Galahad had told them tiredly, had taken the lives of Bedivere and Kay, though they had held them off long enough for Percival and the other knights to wound them badly enough to force a retreat. Boudica had then taken to the field like a fury possessed wielding power the likes of which the knights had never seen before.

The enraged queen had only been matched by Arthur wielding the legendary sword Excalibur, and as both their armies fought and died around them, the two had engaged in a deadly duel whose outcome would have decided the future of Britannia. Camelot had burned around them as the walls were breached and overrun, and the Knights of the Round had retreated into the keep itself, fighting to the last to keep the Iceni from pushing further than the courtyard while Arthur and Boudica battled to the death.

Those two...in another life, perhaps they could have been brother and sister. Around them, Iceni and Romanii alike were gathered as the pyres were set alight, feuds and grudges and lust for battle forgotten in the aftermath. Only a handful of warriors had remained on either side, and neither seemed eager to resume the battle; the death of their leaders had quelled any desire to fight, at least for now. The acrid smell of smoke filled the air, along with the aroma of the wood as it burned, the pyres reaching high into the air as the survivors honored their dead in a traditions whose origins likely dated as far back as the creation of the floating castle.

It wasn't just the loss of their king and queen that the remaining warriors mourned, but the loss of hope, and the loss of their dreams for the future that Arthur and Boudica represented. No one present could hope to replace them, and doubt and fear filled the minds and hearts of many as they now faced the unknown.

"Sometimes you can't save everyone," Argo told her quietly as the blonde moved to stand next to Kizmel. The dark elf had sequestered herself to perch on top of the battlements, alternating between looking down at the pyres in the courtyard and muttering prayers for the fallen to looking out into the darkness of night and the wilderness of the forty-fifth floor, as though the answers to her questions could be found there.

"Sometimes you can't save anyone, no matter how hard you try, if they don't want to be helped," the blonde continued quietly, and Kizmel wondered if the words were solely meant for her, or if Argo was trying to convince herself of something, as well. "Sometimes, the only thing you can do is sit by and watch it all play out, and help them pick up the pieces afterwards."

"I know this, and yet it never gets easier. Seeing destruction and death, and knowing that we were so close to bringing an end to it all..."

"We tried," Argo said, staring down at the flickering fires. "That's all we can do. But look at it this way, maybe some good can come from this. This feud between Boudica and Arthur...it was only ever gonna end one of two ways. There was too much bad blood between them for it to go any other way, I think. Now...they have a chance to rebuild."

The dark elf smiled briefly at the thought, glanced at her friend from the corner of her eyes. "You seem rather involved in the affairs of this floor, Argo." It was not something the blonde usually had the time or inclination for, but something had seemed different about her on this floor.

"What can I say? You have a way of getting people invested in what you do, Kii-chan," Argo replied noncommittally. "And...maybe I was hoping to relive a tale I heard as a child. Knights in shining armor, gallantry and chivalry, it was a dream I had as a kid, once."

"...I'm sorry." When the info-merchant turned to look at her questioningly, Kizmel elaborated. "That things ended this way. I wish that there had been a better ending to it all. We will have to continue our mission to clear the floors, and in two days we have hardly made any progress on exploring this floor."

Argo turned to her with a smile that was equal parts fondness and sadness. "Don't be. It was a grand adventure, and despite everything, we do have something to celebrate when we get back to Vindoland." The blonde looked at her shrewdly. "There's more to it though, isn't there?"

Kizmel hesitated before answering. "Kirito tries to shelter me from it, and he's always been honest when I have asked him, but I have not spoken to him about this yet. I cannot help but feel that wherever we go, things go awry. It is not simply this, but other events, where I have gotten the impression that he was expecting things to happen a certain way, and yet, they haven't. And other times where the rest of the swordmasters, even Asuna, have noted that what we have encountered is far from ordinary, and others have failed in following in our footsteps."

"It is strange that you and Kii-bou tend to run into the weirdest situations," Argo agreed with a wry smile. "But I wouldn't go so far as saying things are going awry, Kii-chan. Yeah, things don't go as you expect them to, but they usually work out. And you and Kii-bou have a knack for coming out on top. To be honest, you're both getting stronger so fast it's almost scary sometimes."

"I feel almost...as though perhaps something - or someone - has been meddling with our journey." The thought that a powerful entity, perhaps even the sorcerer Kayaba himself, had taken an interest in her and had singled her out for some reason sent a chill down her spine. That perhaps the entirety of their journey together had been fabricated for reasons she couldn't fathom was a frightening thought.

"It does seem like things have been nudged and tweaked to fall in line just for you two," Argo hummed in thought. "And if anyone could do it, it'd be Kayaba."

"Argo..." Kizmel paused, thinking of whether she truly wanted to ask this question of the blonde. She already knew Kirito's answer, but now that she was one of them, what did others think of her? "Am I real? Is what is happening to us real, or is it all a product of the sorcerer's magic, his will?"

The blonde huffed out a long sigh. "If you want to get philosophical, I'm gonna have ta start charging ya by the hour, Kii-chan," she finally said, only half in jest. "But if ya want my take on it? Even if Kayaba nudged things here and there, what you went through was still real to you. In the end, who we are really is only defined by what we perceive ourselves to be."

Her gaze wandered across the courtyard to spy Kirito leaning quietly against the far wall in the shadows. "I know you're real to him. And to me, and to A-chan. But what's real to you? Only you can answer that."

Chapter Text

November 24th, 2023

The trip back to Vindoland was fairly somber and quiet, and for the first time Kirito felt somewhat uneasy with the silence as they traveled. It wasn't a long trip from Camelot back to the main town of the forty-fifth floor, but it made him almost wish for a monster pack to attack them, just so there was something to do other than walk in silence for at least a few minutes. It wasn't even an uncomfortable silence, and he had the feeling that Kizmel just had a lot to take in, but he still felt awkward, like he should be doing or saying something to help his partner.

He just couldn't figure out what.

In a way, it's like Asuna all over again, he thought to himself as he watched the dark elf stride ahead. Only worse. Asuna at least knew this was a video game, and even if she never played anything but a mobile game before, she at least had some idea of the concepts behind it. Kizmel has...no idea what any of this means, or how this works. Over the past few months they had talked maybe a handful of times about questions Kizmel had asked about how the players saw the world around them, and he had tried his best to explain things like hit points and levels to her in a way that she could relate to, but he could tell it wasn't quite enough.

And now she had been thrown head-first into SAO, probably with a full UI that he himself had spent at least an hour customizing and altering settings for so that he had exactly the information he wanted and not a bit more. Video games could be overwhelming on their own, and VR games even more so, with all of the UI elements persistently within view no matter where you looked.

I wonder what Kizmel's seeing right now...

"Stop being such a wuss, Kii-bou." The words came accompanied by a slap between his shoulder blades that he wasn't entirely prepared for and sent him stumbling a few steps forward, right into Kizmel's back as the dark elven knight slowed her steps. He turned his head just enough to see the smirk and the wink on the blonde's face before his vision was blocked by a curtain of lilac hair.

"Uh..." the black-clad swordsman mumbled into his partner's cloak as he realized his hands had grabbed onto her upper arms to steady himself as he rapidly backed up a step. "Sorry, Kizmel," he muttered, feeling his face flush.

"Kirito," she acknowledged with a small smile that told him she knew exactly what had happened. "You should take better care where you step, my friend."

"Uh...yeah, I guess so," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head as they both came to a stop. He looked at her for a moment in the early morning light, seeing the faraway look in the dark elf's usually focused gaze. "Hey, Kizmel? You all right?"

His partner shook herself for a moment, before her eyes focused back on him. "Yes, I think I am. This is just..." she waved her hand around uncertainly, "much to take in."

"Yeah, I can imagine," he muttered under his breath.

She still heard him. "I would think so," she commented with a chuckle. "Do you ever get used to it? That you see these other worlds in such a manner? That it feels so...different?"

"Eventually," he shrugged, a little surprised that she hadn't brought it up earlier, before remembering that they hadn't exactly had a lot of downtime the previous day.

"It's strange," his partner said as they resumed their pace, comfortably side by side this time, now that the ice had been broken. "In some regards, it feels like my senses are sharper, more distinct. I can see better than I ever have, and hear better than I ever imagined if I try. And your magical storage is a wonderful thing in itself."

She smiled as she idly brought up her menu and swapped outfits briefly, causing him to grin at her antics as she flipped through multiple items in rapid succession, obviously enjoying the freedom of the inventory system. He hadn't had a lot of time to show her much about how the menus worked, but out in the fields wasn't exactly the best place for it. It was another reason they were heading back; a couple of nights at an inn with the privacy of the room would be the best place for him to walk her through as much of the system as he could without anyone else watching.

Kirito couldn't quite help the brief glance in Argo's direction; he knew the info-broker wouldn't deliberately sell any information to cause harm, but everything she knew was for sale, for a price. And Kizmel's stats and skills, like his own, were something that he didn't want her selling, at any price. As Argo herself said often enough, what she didn't know, she couldn't sell.

Kizmel finally settled back on her usual set of armor and cloak, before stopping abruptly. He was about to open his mouth to ask her what was going on when her hand went to the hilt of her saber. A moment later, he heard it, too. A low growl came from the treeline nearby, and he turned, reaching up for his own sword. Argo slid into place between them with ease, brandishing her claws as the three of them formed a small circle.

Squinting into the murky, foggy depths of the treeline, he could barely make out a half-dozen sets of glowing red eyes before the UI sprang to life all around them. The HUD lit up, the label above each reading [Dire Wolf] along with a light red cursor and their HP gauges. The six wolves quickly surrounded them, growling angrily as the two in front leapt to attack.

Kizmel sprang up to meet one of them at the same time as Kirito brought his sword up to clash with the other's claws in a shower of sparks. They weren't too dangerous, at least not to him and Kizmel, and even Argo, who was a few levels lower than them, shouldn't have too much trouble, but there were six of them, which meant they couldn't afford to go for heavy-hitting sword skills.

"Argo!" he called out, tilting his head towards the wolf and its companion that had decided to try and make him their lunch. His blade glowed purple as he lashed out with a Snake Bite that took the front paws off of one of the wolves. Before the other could take advantage of his post-skill delay, the blonde slid in like a whirlwind, her claws glowing green with a sword skill he had only seen executed once before. The Helical spun her around as she slashed upwards and outwards with each claw, the trailing light tracing a short double-helix into the air that carved into both wolves.

The wounded one shattered into colorful light while the other howled in pain and growled at the now-stationary blonde as she landed in a crouch. A Slant from Kirito's sword finished it off, and they turned to where Kizmel had been holding off three of the remaining four wolves. The last one had broken off and raced towards them, only to find itself intercepted by a claw and blade striking with an Acute Vault and Rage Spike from above and below, immediately depleting its HP to zero.

The dark elf, meanwhile, was holding off three of them at once, hunkering behind her shield and lashing out occasionally with her own saber without sword skills. Kirito could see his partner's eyes drifting this way and that as she deliberately took her time and he slowed down a bit, knowing she was glancing at parts of the UI that she could now see, likely gauging how hard her regular attacks hit and how much damage she was taking. His suspicion was confirmed when she deliberately left herself open to an attack he knew she could have blocked in her sleep, nodding to herself after glancing into a corner that all players always kept within their peripheral.

Kizmel's HP decreased only marginally, and she nodded in satisfaction. A brief tilt of her head acknowledged his arrival in her peripheral vision, and in response, the dark elf ceased her stout defense and launched into a Treble Scythe that scattered her three foes, striking true and hard at the center wolf and killing it outright. Kirito and Argo jumped into the opening without hesitation, and the last two shattered into azure pixels with little effort.

He swished his sword from side to side in a motion that had been ingrained in him from his days practicing kendo, before returning it to its scabbard, and glanced over at his party menu. Kizmel was the only one who had taken any damage, and even then it had only been about ten percent of her total health. The dark elf stood there for a moment, her head tilted in thought as she stared at the saber in her hand. She gave it a few practice swings before sheathing it and slinging her shield back over her shoulder.

"Something wrong?" Argo asked as her own claws slipped onto the back of her hands and out of the way.

The dark elf shook her head. "Not at all. I was just...surprised. It is...strange, to not feel pain upon being struck. I imagine that it is easy to miss being hit in the heat of battle."

"Yeah," the blonde agreed somberly. "Takes a while until ya get the hang of keeping an eye on yer health. We lost a lot of people early on because they didn't feel when they took damage."

Kirito winced at the memory of the early, deadly days. He had the advantage of having been a beta tester, so he'd gotten used to recognizing the sensation of being hit - it was something akin to being hit with a very fluffy pillow for the most part to simulate the blunt force, while a prickling sensation was reserved for cuts and stabs. But he'd spent hours upon hours fighting and dying and respawning in the beta getting used to it. Pain was there to let the body know it was in danger, after all, and in its absence, people got reckless and careless.

"However," Kizmel added thoughtfully, looking at the arm where she had taken three deep, parallel gashes that glowed an angry red, but would fade soon - faster, if she decided to use a health potion - "being able to fight on without worry of a debilitating injury or pain is quite a boon."

Argo nodded sagely, before grinning. "Yeah, it is. Just be careful when yer low on health, Kii-chan. A stubbed toe could be the end of ya."

A brief smile tugged at his partner's lips, but he could tell she had taken the warning to heart - it was, after all, not entirely unwarranted. A player with a single hitpoint was still alive, and even with all the warnings blaring on the UI, could in theory just go to bed, wake up in the morning, and trip and fall, taking a single point of health damage and die.

"I will take care to maintain my...health...at an adequate level, but thank you for the warning, Argo," she said, and Kirito noticed her idly looking at the hilt of his weapon that poked over his shoulder.

"Hm?" he grunted out curiously as her hands opened and closed a few times.

"It is nothing," she replied, though he could hear the curiosity in her voice. "I was just surprised at how light my weapons felt. I suppose that this is the physical strength of the swordmasters."

"I suppose," Kirito said, exchanging a brief glance with the blonde as he realized that this was the first time his partner had fought after her...whatever the system had done to grant her player-status. "I guess. I mean, depending on the strength stat, I guess our strength is kind of superhuman."

"That's right," Argo added with a cackle. "I betcha Kii-bou here could carry you in full armor and go sprinting off, Kii-chan."

That got an elegantly arched eyebrow from his partner in response as she looked at him, and Kirito ducked his head behind his collar and glanced to the side. "It's possible," he mumbled in response.

"I suppose that explains why the swordmasters are capable of such amazing feats," Kizmel said with a faraway look in her eyes. "But I never imagined that it would be to this extent."

"Just don't go and try ta bench press any obelisks, and you should be fine," the blonde snickered. "But if ya ever wanted to pick up Kii-bou, throw him over ya shoulder and elope, that's certainly an option."

The swordsman in question sputtered helplessly at the insinuation, while his partner merely smiled.

"That would-" the dark elf began her usual reply to the blonde's teasing, before abruptly cutting off and tilting her head.

"No longer require her majesty's permission," Argo supplemented helpfully with a mischievous grin as Kizmel slowly turned to look at Kirito through lilac bangs, a matching smile spreading on her lips.

For some reason he felt the sudden urge to start running, though from what exactly, he wasn't quite sure. Well, I'm sure Kizmel won't do anything too outrageous, he admitted to himself; despite her teasing, his dark elven partner had never really done so maliciously. No, he was more afraid of Argo being around to witness anything Kizmel might do, and more importantly, his reaction to it.

The last thing he needed was for her to have even more dirt on him than she already did.

With an awkward cough, he tried to bring the conversation back on track. "Anyway, how fast and how strong exactly you are depends on your stats - your strength and your agility. That also generally determines what weapons you can use. Your saber is technically classed as a one-handed curved sword, so it's similar to my one-handed sword, both of which are strength-types."

"So if I did not meet this requirement..."

"You couldn't equip the weapon." He could see her frown in thought as she tried to process the difference of being able to just pick up a weapon and using it, to having to go through the inventory system for it to be properly equipped and used. It was possible for a player to just pick up or be handed a weapon - though it meant ownership wasn't registered - but it didn't mean they could fight with it.

"Claws, daggers, and rapiers are all considered agility-types," Argo added. "But it all depends on your stats. To be fair, most weapons in Aincrad tend to be strength-types, and there's various other things that your strength and agility affect other than just speed and physical strength."

Kizmel tilted her head thoughtfully. "So I will not be able to simply use any weapon I come across, and I will have to choose them carefully."

"Right. If you don't have the required stats for a weapon, it'll feel too heavy to properly swing around."

Swiping her right hand through the air to bring up her menu, Kizmel swiped through the menus until she found what she had been looking for. "The...attributes on the...character page?" she asked hesitantly, reading off the page. They hadn't really had the time to go over even the basics yet, but he'd shown her how to navigate through, and thankfully most of the entries were in Japanese.

"Yeah," Kirito confirmed. "If you hold up a weapon and tap it with your right index finger, it'll bring up a...mystic page that'll tell you a bit about the weapon itself and what stats you need to have in order to be able to use it."

"May I see your sword?"

The question took him by surprise, but he obliged happily enough, wondering what his partner was trying to figure out. Kizmel lifted the sword in the way he had instructed her, before tapping it lightly and looking curiously at the info-page for the one-handed sword that had been a quest reward from a few floors below. She deftly closed the window before flipping the sword around and giving it a tentative test swing through the air.

"You're right," she said after a few moments. "It feels exactly the same as my saber."

That told Kirito two things: it was possible she had kept her ability to use multiple weapon types, though it made him wonder what kinds of skills and skill levels the system had decided to assign to her; and she had the strength required to properly use his sword. His one-handed sword and her saber - technically classified as a one-handed curved sword by the system - were similar enough in level, with the only difference being that his had a higher strength requirement, while sabers generally had a slightly higher agility requirement, and so it gave him an idea of what her stats looked like.

Asuna's rapier was another matter entirely, and from the last time he'd looked at them, they required significantly higher agility than strength, which pretty much excluded him from using a level-appropriate one even if he trained the skill - and likely Kizmel, as well. Now that they could take a look, he could admit to himself a certain amount of curiosity, but he stopped himself from asking. Already he could see Argo's eyes narrowing thoughtfully, and hurried to take his sword back before the blonde could ask any questions or make any inconvenient deductions.

"Here, try this one, Kii-chan," Argo said, materializing a dagger from her inventory and passing it to the dark elf. Kizmel took it from her and gave it a couple of test swings. Kirito didn't have to see the frown on his partner's face to tell that she could feel the difference, and sent a sharp look at the info-broker.

She may not know exactly what Kizmel's stats were, but she knew the stat requirements for that dagger, which meant she could at least make an estimated guess of where the elf's stats lay. Catching his half-glare, the blonde grinned and winked, before giving a minute shake of the head. "Ya know I don't sell unverified information, Kii-bou."

"It seems...odd," the dark elf added after a moment longer, "that despite all of your strength, a simple number would prevent you from using a weapon that weighs the same or even less." She returned the dagger to Argo.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense," the shorter woman agreed, "but it's the rules we were given."

Kizmel sighed. "This is...unexpected, and I am sure I will have to remind myself to ensure I have the...appropriate attributes for my weapons and armor from here on out. Although..." she trailed off quietly. "Although this strength and speed allows me to wield them more effectively without sword skills, should the need arise."

Kirito sobered for a moment, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Yeah," he managed, before turning the subject to something more pleasant. "But hey, look on the bright side. Now you can keep an eye on my health like you always said you wanted to."

"That is indeed a perk," she agreed with a laugh, lilac hair swirling around her head. "And I can see the benefit of being able to directly assess our foes' state of health. It will definitely aid in gauging when their attack patterns may change when we face a guardian."

"That reminds me," he said, "we're about to get back to town. I remember the first time I logged in - I mean, I woke up in this body - and had all of the mystic...scribblings all over the place. It's probably the same for you, and it's gonna be worse in town, where everyone's gonna have a cursor and you're going to be seeing HP bars and menu windows everywhere."

The dark elf frowned at his warning, glancing over their heads and probably trying to imagine the same things she saw there now overlaid over the usual sight in a busy market square. "That will be...distracting," she finally said, eyebrows furrowed.

"Why don'tcha walk Kii-chan through some of the menu settings to turn down the UI while we walk?" Argo suggested with a grin on her face. "I'll keep an eye out to make sure we don't get jumped," she winked at them before strolling ahead a few paces, whistling a merry tune.

I'm sure she'll have me pay for that later, Kirito thought, but he was also grateful that she understood his desire to keep their stats private, if they slipped up and flipped to a window that showed something they didn't want made public. Is it me, or is Argo mellowing out? Nah, it's probably because she's got a soft spot for Kizmel.

At his partner's questioning look, he nodded. "Yeah, there's a few things I can show you that'll help. There's a menu where you can set a limit to what's shown to you - it'll never fully go away, but at least you can have it not show you everything."

He brought up his own menu, careful to navigate to the main settings screen before making it visible, and flipped it to show her. She copied his motions, turning her own window visible, and as they made their way back to town, Argo leading the way, spent the next hour huddled together with his partner going through the various menu settings trying to tone down how much of the UI was visible to her.

-------------------------------

Entering Vindoland was a new experience for Kizmel; she had walked through the gates of many human settlements by the side of her partner or even alone, but this was the first time she did so as a swordmaster equal to the swordsman and fencer she had fought beside. Kirito had spent quite a while trying to explain to her what the various lines in the mystic pages he called the "settings menu" controlled, and as a result she had fiddled with many of them to try and find a place that was comfortable for her without being overwhelming.

There was still an incredible amount of information being shown to her that she could not look away from and would not disappear unless she closed her eyes, but at least now it had been reduced somewhat to only what was necessary. She had decided to copy her partner's commands and watched as the amount of cursors and sigils and scripts drastically decreased, though he had advised her that over the next few days she needed to tinker with it some more to find what was comfortable for her.

The first thing she noticed as they approached the walled town and its fortified gate was a large banner appearing in the sky before her, green arcane script hanging in the air. When she asked about it, the swordsman explained that it spelled out "safe zone" in the arcane script of the mystic charms, and that it denoted the border of a protected and unprotected area. So this is where crimes are strictly prohibited and protected against, she thought, remembering back to a discussion they had had about the magic charm that kept the swordmasters from harm inside the human settlements.

Back then she had wondered if she was covered under such protection, and Kirito had seemed doubtful - her partner had worried that she might be attacked, although the fact that they usually spent little time in busy towns and that they were significantly more powerful than those around them had kept anything from happening. Now that I am covered by the same magical protections in town, perhaps Kirito will rest a little easier. It wasn't a perfect protection by any means, as there had been criminals who had found ways around those magical protections by making use of the duelling charm, but it gave the swordmasters some semblance of peace of mind as they rested.

Truthfully, she hadn't really thought much of it, knowing that unless it was a swordmaster as skilled as PoH or XaXa, there was little they had to fear from any single foe that might try to rob them in the fields; after all, there were only a handful of swordmasters that were as strong as them. And with every level they advanced, with every bit of strength they gained, they came a little closer to being safer for the next time they encountered PoH and his cohorts.

For Kizmel that was almost a certainty, given the killer's fascination with her partner - whether it be genuine, twisted interest, or merely revenge for his foiled plans, she didn't know. But something told her that their paths - and swords - would cross again before the swordmasters escaped this floating castle.

The next thing she noticed as they walked past the gates and guards into town were the myriad of cursors that suddenly sprung up all around her; Kirito had warned her and they had adjusted the charm that showed her the state of those around her as much as they could, but she had in no way been prepared for the sight of a cursor over literally every single being in the town. Yellows and greens mixed together as the human natives and swordmasters mingled, while the town guards were a deep crimson. There was simply so much to take in; on top of the cursors were the life bars that appeared every time her eyes so much as drifted across a person. Arcane scripts and mystic pages appeared everywhere, and new symbols appeared under her own in the top left corner of her sight.

That is something else that will take getting used to, she mused silently, trying to keep her eyes focused on her partner as he led them through the marketplace. It was the best she could do, as everywhere she looked sigils and symbols vied for her attention, distracting her from where she was going. The dusky elf barely had the presence of mind to bid Argo a brief farewell as the info-broker took her leave with a knowing smile and a pat on her back.

"You'll get used ta it eventually, I'm sure Kii-bou's gonna take good care of ya," the Rat said with a mischievous grin.

Kizmel nodded in agreement through the headache that was slowly building. "He has so far," she concurred briefly, watching their friend hurry off into a side street before turning back to the swordsman by her side.

He was looking at her with some worry before glancing to the side, and Kizmel realized that while the cursors of others were now visible to her, hers had always been visible to them. And, if Kirito was to be believed, even though her body seemed to have not undergone any major changes from becoming a swordmaster, something else about her had. Her own cursor had shifted from a dark red to green according to her partner, and it was now on full display to all those around her.

Many simply ignored it as they went about their way, too busy with their tasks to pay them much notice, but as Kirito tugged her into the small alley across from the one Argo had taken, she could hear whispers and mutters drifting through the air. Her elven hearing, better than a human's and only improved by her becoming a swordmaster, picked up some of it as a couple of swordmasters pointed the change out to others; Kizmel was aware that she stood out amongst them. Every single person who bore the green cursor of a swordmaster was a human; and not simply a human, but a human from Kirito's world.

She was not only not a human, but a native of Aincrad, and she was well-known enough on the front lines by now, after months of fighting with the clearing group, that people started to recognize her. It was something that was bound to come out sooner or later, but it was also not something she felt she wanted to rush, especially since she herself wasn't entirely sure what her new place in this world was. People would be curious, of course, but would they also be hostile? After all, she was not one of them, even though now she was.

People would ask questions she didn't have answers for, at least not yet, and the extra attention was not something she felt completely comfortable with.

"Come on," Kirito managed to pull her from her thoughts as he pulled her along, away from the more crowded streets. He pulled her towards an inn that lay on the outskirts of the town, pausing only to pay for a room, before leading her upstairs.

"Okay," he huffed out after closing the door behind them and making sure it was secure. "Crap. I should've thought of that," he muttered as he turned back to look at her.

For a second, they remained like that, silently looking at each other until his face grew red as he realized what they must have looked like in his mad rush to get her somewhere private, and Kizmel elegantly hid a smile behind her hand. "Uh..." the swordsman stuttered, pressing himself against the closed door. "It's not what it looks like!"

Kizmel resisted the urge to tease him, knowing that, like her, he had other things on his mind. Instead, she settled down on one of the beds, patting the space next to her in invitation. She deliberately turned her attention away from him and cast Mystic Scribing, searching through the various glyphs and scripts until she found the one she was looking for. A single swipe of her hand banished the armor and cloak she had been wearing, leaving her in her tunic and slacks. She stretched out and leaned against the wall before returning her attention to her partner, who had ignored her invitation and instead shuffled a chair next to the bed, sitting astride it with his arms crossed over its backrest.

"So, uh...I think I owe you an apology," Kirito began slowly, causing her to arch an eyebrow in curiosity. With a tilt of her head, she bade him to continue, and he ran a hand through his unruly black hair nervously. "I didn't think about what this would mean for you. Aside from the obvious, I mean."

"You mean the attention from the other swordmasters, and the questions they will undoubtedly have."

He nodded sharply. "Yeah. Uh...I don't know about you, but I'm not really looking forward to trying to answer questions I don't have an answer to."

"Nor do I," she admitted easily. "I imagine there will be plenty of gossip about my...transformation."

Kirito winced at that, and Kizmel had to remind herself that her partner was, more often than not, uncomfortable in larger gatherings and around people he didn't know very well. "Yeah. Not looking forward to that one," he agreed. "On the bright side, I don't think anyone is going to be overly hostile."

"You do not think they will resent me?"

"Why would they?" the swordsman shrugged. "You've been fighting with us since the twenty-fifth floor - earlier, even, if we could the lower floors, so technically since the fourth, really. The entire clearing group knows about you, and most of the people on the upper floors do, too. Hell, I think most everyone in Aincrad knows about you by know, gossip travels quickly."

That was something that the dusky elf didn't find hard to imagine - gossip, in every culture it seemed, traveled swiftly. "You don't think the clearers will take issue with me becoming one of you?"

"You're practically already one of us," he commented idly, toying with the hem of his coat absently. "I mean, you've literally been part of the clearing group and been in more boss fights than most others. If they're going to have an issue with you now, they were going to have one anyway. I think it's more that people are going to be curious. They might even be a bit jealous, about how exactly it happened."

"And that is exactly what we do not have an answer to." Kizmel hummed in acknowledgement of her partner's concerns. "Then again, does it really matter? I understand wishing to understand, but as far as I know, I am the only Aincrad native to fight alongside you. How this change to me came about is not particularly relevant to your overall quest to conquer this castle and escape this world. There is no power to be had, no hidden magic to be found."

Kirito still didn't seem entirely convinced, but shrugged in lieu of having an appropriate counter, and she could see his brows furrow in thought as he tried to find the right words. "I suppose. I guess I'm just worried that they'll dig deeper into the magic that made you a swordmaster in the hopes that it'll help us learn something about the magic that holds us here," he finally said.

"I am more than willing to aid in that discovery, then. It is something I, too, would like to know more about." Kizmel smiled at the surprise on his face. "Did you think I did not wish to know more about what I have become, and how such a thing is possible?"

"Oh."

"And if the only concern they have is that I am fit to do battle at your side against the Pillar Guardians," the dark elf added with a smile that showed just a little too much of her teeth, "then I invite them to take my place and prove themselves stronger than I." Her expression morphed into a more genial one as she thought of his other worries, though. "Still, I do not particularly like to engage in gossip, and perhaps you are right that it would be best to avoid causing too much of it for the time being."

Her companion chuckled weakly, before sighing and nodding his head. "Right. And besides, can you imagine the looks on the clearing group's faces when we walk into the next meeting?"

"We should at least inform Asuna, I think she deserves to know that we were at last successful in our quest," she chided gently, a fond smile crossing her lips at the thought of the brunette fencer who she regarded as her sister in all but blood.

"Right, right. But for now, uh...I figured maybe we should spend some time having you get used to being a player first. You know, make sure you're comfortable fighting..." he trailed off awkwardly, ducking his head.

She thought about it for a moment, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. A lot had changed for her, including apparently her very being, but at the same time, many things had remained the same. She still fought with Kirito to free the swordmasters, she still wished to learn about this world and his, and she still wished to explore Aincrad with her friends. None of that had changed; if anything, her becoming a swordmaster, a "player" like the other humans, was a boon to those goals.

But I do believe he is correct, it would be good to take some time and get used to these changes, she admitted to herself. The knight in her, who had been trained and drilled to be diligent and thorough, certainly agreed with the assessment that her combat abilities had sufficiently changed that she would feel much better having some practice first. Their earlier skirmish with the wolves had shown her the benefits of being a swordmaster - the lack of pain and the increased strength and speed, but there were downsides to it, as well. Those she would rather experience in a controlled encounter where she knew they had a wide safety margin, rather than in a desperate battle to the death so she could test the limits of her new abilities.

"Agreed," she finally said. "And I admit, even though I was expecting it, being here with so many others is...distracting."

"It is a bit much the first time," he agreed amiably. "There's a few more things we can tweak, but you're gonna have to get used to seeing a lot of stuff, I'm afraid. Some of it is really helpful, though."

That was true - especially since he'd informed her that she could now tell criminals at a glance, and knowing how wounded others were with a simple look was incredibly helpful. It also extended towards her foes in battle, and allowed her to more easily keep track of enemies she had identified even when it was dark or they were somewhat obscured, and it was always good to know what state her opponents were in.

"We could...get some supplies and head out into the fields for a couple of days," her companion suggested hesitantly. "I know I promised we'd stay around town a couple of nights so I could show you a few things about the menus, but..."

"You can do so when we make camp for the night out in the fields," Kizmel replied gently, laying a hand atop his. "If you are worried about others spying on us even while resting in a safe zone, we could share a tent."

He flushed red upon her suggestion, and she smiled in satisfaction as he glanced towards the door. "Yeah, uh, we could...do that. If you're okay with that, I can run out and get some supplies, and we can head out later tonight."

"There's no need to rush, Kirito. I will have to get used to these crowds sooner or later, and I don't mind heading out to help you in gathering supplies." She tilted her head with a wry smile. "Besides, the clearing group will find out about this soon enough. Argo knows, so I doubt it will remain a secret for long."

"If you're sure..."

Kizmel patted the mattress next to her again. "Come, sit with me. I have questions about Mystic Scribing, and we have the room for now. We can always leave town later, when the streets are less crowded."

This time, he did settle in next to her, and with a smile and wonderment that she doubted she would lose for a long while to come, she cast Mystic Scribing and made the charm visible to her partner as he began explaining more about the way it functioned and what she could do with it.

-------------------------------

November 26th, 2023

The fire crackled merrily as Kizmel absently stoked it with a branch, despite knowing that she didn't need to. A simple swipe of her hand and a mere touch could cast the charm that would allow her to feed the fire with the branches from her mystic inventory while letting her know exactly how long it would remain lit for. But right now that was none of her concern. Instead, the sole focus of Kizmel, former Royal Guard of Lyusula, former Pagoda Knight, was on the mystic page that shimmered in the air before her displaying in detail what the swordmasters called her "character sheet."

Kirito had explained that it contained the most vital of information on her state as a swordmaster, and had impressed upon her the need to guard the information that lay within carefully. It wasn't anything new to her - after all, to a warrior, knowledge was power - but to the swordmasters it was something they lived and likely died by, should the wrong person get a hold of one's weakness.

Like PoH, she noted silently, pushing aside the memory of their encounter with the PKer as she once more read over the arcane script in front of her. After leaving Vindoland on the same day they had returned from Camelot, the duo had spent the next two days camping out in the fields pushing the boundaries of the explored areas the swordmasters knew about. They had early on located the labyrinth leading to the Pillar of Heaven, but steered clear of it in order to explore more of the forty-fifth floor, using the time to acclimatize her to fighting as one of the swordmasters.

The adjustment, at least in battle, had taken less time that she had thought it would; after all, not much at all seemed to have changed in terms of her battle ability, and she had quickly gotten used to the distinct sensations of being struck by an opponent. Even the arcane symbols and glyphs, the "interface," had become much less intrusive to her over time, and glancing at the party charm in the corner of her view had become almost second nature to her. Large crowds would still be an issue, at least at first, but for now, she had grown accustomed to the information provided to her by the swordmasters' sight.

She still found it somewhat difficult to wrap her mind around the concepts that the swordmasters - the players, she reminded herself silently - used to perceive and describe the world around them, but much of it also made more sense to her now. The way the swordmasters looked at the state of their enemy's health to gauge when it would change its attack patterns, or the way they gauged their own strength against those of the monsters around them had been baffling to her before, but now, looking at her own attributes as one of them, she was beginning to understand.

Kirito had explained as much as he could of the various charms and menus that she now had at her fingertips, though even he acknowledged that there were many nuances and facets to them that even he did not fully grasp or had delved into. It was something he had grudgingly referred her to Argo to for a guide if she wanted to study it deeper, but for now she knew enough to feel somewhat more comfortable.

Her partner had also admitted only a passing knowledge of the arcane script, the language which titled many of the charms - menus, she corrected herself silently, trying to get used to the way the swordmasters referred to things - available to her now. He had passed on what he knew, though it had been easier for her to memorize which line of script did which, rather than for him to teach her the lettering and how to read it.

"Level sixty-three," Kizmel muttered to herself, head tilted thoughtfully as she contemplated what the numbers arrayed before her meant. "That is almost twice the acceptable minimum safety margin, is it not?"

Kirito looked up from where he had been preparing their dinner and gave a brief nod. "Yeah. We've managed to keep a good ways ahead, but the further we go up, the harder it's going to be to keep up that lead."

Tucking a strand of lilac hair behind her ear, she touched a few glyphs on the mystic page - system window, she corrected again - and finalized the process of leveling up by increasing her strength attribute. The way swordmasters gained strength still baffled her to some extent, and while the concept of "experience" was not foreign to her, the way the swordmasters had quantified it, was. It made sense that it would increase by battling enemies, and that it would grow slower by training alone. It also made sense that it would increase faster by battling more difficult foes, rather than easy ones - but there were also other ways of furthering her progress to the next "level," which were somewhat counterintuitive to her.

After all, why would running errands for the townspeople and fulfilling their requests grant improvements to her combat prowess? Kirito had shrugged and simply said that those had been the rules they were given, though his familiarity with the system had led her to ask if it had been like this in other worlds he had visited. The answer had been surprising to her, though on some level it also hadn't been entirely unexpected.

The world the swordmasters hailed from was one she could barely envision, where forays into other worlds were as easy as visiting another town was to her. It made sense that whatever the sorcerer Kayaba had promised with the adventure to Aincrad, he had clearly promoted it as something akin to those visits, something the swordmasters already understood and were comfortable with.

"Why is that?" she asked curiously, pulling herself away from her thoughts. "Our progress has been steady, and if I understand correctly, we simply must continue battling progressively more powerful enemies as we become more powerful, ourselves."

"Well..." Kirito paused for a moment as he pulled the rabbit he was grilling out of the fire to check its cooking progress. Placing it back into the fire, he turned back to her. "Ideally, if you want to be efficient in leveling up, you'd be fighting things close to your own level. Maybe some a little bit stronger, but there's a tradeoff there."

"Because those would be more dangerous and potentially take longer to dispatch, thereby eliminating any benefits to their reward," she suggested.

"Right."

Kizmel hummed in thought, knowing that her partner was giving her the time to come to her own conclusions before speaking up. "We are so far above the current strength of our opponents that the rewards will be slim at best, and our lead cannot be indefinitely maintained or extended as long as the creatures we fight are significantly weaker than we are. We cannot indefinitely maintain or extend the difference in level between ourselves and the creatures we are fighting."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it, and with each level, we need progressively more experience to level up further," Kirito agreed, once again pulling the rabbit out of the fire. The smell of burnt meat hit her nostrils, and the swordsman grimaced as he waved the blackened and charred piece of meat on a stick around in the air in an attempt to cool it down. "Well, that's burnt to a crisp," he admitted mournfully.

The dark elf carefully tucked her head into the crook of her elbow to hide her smile. They had been trying to stretch their supplies and Kirito had suggested trying to hunt for their food, though, by his own admittance, the results of which were likely to be lacking considering he did not possess the Cooking skill. The first time it had happened, Kizmel had chuckled and offered to try her hand at it, certain that something as simple as grilling a piece of meat over an open flame was an easy task, one she had done a hundred times prior during her campaigns against the Forest Elves and the Fallen.

Only, she had quickly found out, that the limitations of the swordmasters when it came to skills were, in fact, as restrictive as Kirito had painted them when she had first asked about them months ago. Kizmel had found that she had no control over what the meat did once in the flame, no indication as to its progress, and it had simply looked like a raw piece of meat on a stick until she had removed it from the fire, at which point it had unceremoniously burst into flame.

Still, neither of them had been willing to give up one of their precious few skill slots for the Cooking skill, and so they had made do with rations and whatever they could forage that didn't require thorough preparation, as the rations that they had bought before leaving Vindoland were rapidly expiring - something else Kizmel had learned about the swordmasters. Their food and rations tended to not last as long, even the preserved and dried foodstuffs. It went against everything she knew, and Kirito hadn't had a good explanation for it, either, so they had resolved to return to town after lunch to resupply.

"How do the swordmasters measure strength?" she asked after watching the meat her partner had burnt shatter into ethereal light, signalling its destruction. "I understand that attributes govern your physical strength and speed, and you explained that there are derivative...stats...that affect the damage I take and deal. But should not a sufficiently skilled swordsman be able to theoretically defeat a much stronger foe of a higher level?"

The glint in his eyes told her he'd understood the meaning of her words. They had been almost toyed with by PoH and his cohorts; the ones called Morte and Joe had been almost insignificant compared to their leader and XaXa, but those two had been terrifyingly skilled with their weapons, and many of the most dangerous foes they had faced since had not used sword skills, either.

"To a point," the swordsman replied haltingly, stopping what he was doing and sitting down to think about his answer. "If you're good enough, it can make up for some difference in levels. If your reflexes are naturally faster, then even with a lower level or agility stat, you can make up for a difference in speed. But at some point, it starts getting really difficult."

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, depending on the level difference, the mismatch in speed and strength is just too much to overcome," he started. "And then all of the hidden stats - vitality, how much health you have, and the skills you have, add to that. At some point you just can't beat someone because you don't do enough damage to them, or they're just faster than you and you can't hit them. But that would require a pretty big level advantage. Maybe fifteen, twenty levels or so."

"Is this why you suggested the Battle Healing skill?" she asked thoughtfully. The night before leaving Vindoland, making use of the privacy of their rented inn room, Kirito had asked her if she had any questions about the skills she had been given when becoming a swordmaster. Unlike the swordmasters, who had been able to choose which skills they wished to pursue from the very first level, Kizmel hadn't been given that option, and so he had been wondering if she was all right with the now limited selection of skills at her disposal.

The dark elf had merely smiled and made the character sheet visible to her partner, an action that by now had become second nature; after all, it was much easier for him to teach her if he could actually see what she was looking at and point out things directly, though he had deliberately turned away each time she had summoned a page that held any information about her strength and abilities. When he had looked baffled, she had simply told him that they were partners and she had no secrets, nor fear that he would divulge her secrets. After all, he hadn't hesitated in showing her his own pages in order to demonstrate how to manipulate the charm.

Of the nine skills slots she had had available, seven had been filled out by the magic that had turned her into a swordmaster. Among those that had been granted to her at high proficiency had been First Aid, Light Metal Armor, Shield, Parry, Hiding, and Listening. Kizmel had been pleasantly surprised to find that they had matched up with her prior talents very well, and Kirito had explained that were she ever to find herself dissatisfied with any one skill, she could easily replace it with another. The downside to that would be that she would lose all proficiency in whichever skill she chose to replace if she decided to pick it up again. As she found no reason to complain about the skills she had been given, and her proficiencies were all ranked close to what Kirito had told her constituted mastery for the swordmasters, that had left only two open skill slots.

Her partner had immediately suggested the Meditation and Battle Healing skills, both of which had been of great use to him in the past, and she could see their utility. Being able to recover health in battle, without the need for a potion or healing crystal, was extremely valuable. Likewise, Meditation and its more advanced counterpart Awakening allowed her to purge any negative status effects up to and including paralysis, and she had quickly chosen them and had begun the process of increasing her proficiency with them. It would have been quite useful to have during the battle with the Feral Warder Chief, she mused, remembering the panic at having been stunned and not in control of her body for those precious few seconds.

"Yeah," Kirito nodded in response, pausing to withdraw two sandwiches from his inventory and handing one to her. "If you can heal back whatever damage is being dealt to you, you're pretty much invincible in a fight. It's why we players fight so hard to stay ahead, because it gets incredibly difficult to level when too many others are around."

-------------------------------

Kirito waited in the alley behind the tavern, coat pulled around himself as he stood leaning against the wall trying to blend into the shadows - which, admittedly, was a difficult task in the early afternoon. Still, at least there was little foot traffic, as few players had reason to come out back, and not even the NPCs who worked in the tavern came out often.

"If yer tryin' ta be inconspicuous, yer failing miserably at it, Kii-bou," Argo's voice came from beside him, causing the swordsman to start as the info-merchant slipped from the shadows. "Kii-chan inside?"

"Yeah. Asuna wanted to meet too, said she had some free time, I guess." Kirito looked down at the shorter blonde. "What did you want to talk about? Kizmel said to meet you out here."

"Aside from wanting ta catch up on the latest gossip about you two?" the blonde's grin faded swiftly. "I did some digging about the Avalon campaign, and I think you need ta know this, Kii-bou."

That sent alarm bells ringing in his mind as he automatically pulled up the menu to materialize some currency. "How much?"

"Five hundred Cor. And that's a pretty steep discount, but this info is something you'll want to know about before I forward it to the guild leaders."

The guild leaders? That meant it was something serious, especially when she had looked into it on her own after parting with him and Kizmel two days ago upon their return. He entered the number into his inventory menu and held out the coin it produced. "What is it?"

"So...you know how the whole Avalon quest ended?" she leaned in close, dropping her voice. "Didn't you find it weird how Boudica attacked Camelot and how she and Arthur killed each other?"

"Well...yeah, a bit, but wasn't that how the legend goes?"

"Fifty Cor." When he grudgingly handed over another coin, Argo continued. "It is, but at the same time, it isn't. Ya see, in the legend, Arthur dies in battle against Morgana's chosen champion, his nephew Mordred, during the final battle between their armies. But he defeats Mordred and lives just long enough to pass on his kingdom to the survivors and tell Galahad to throw Excalibur into the lake."

"Okay."

"But if it's supposed ta be a repeatable quest, it can't go that far. There's no Mordred. I don't think Arthur or Boudica were supposed to die, Kii-bou. Think about it, if the quest-giver dies, there's no more quest."

Kirito froze as a sudden thought struck him. Cylon wasn't supposed to die, but he was killed anyway, which broke the quest for everyone who came after us. He didn't just respawn. But then, Kizmel - or the elf that would have been Kizmel, and the Forest Elven counterpart - respawned, so..."Arthur and Boudica didn't respawn?"

"Nope. As far as I can tell, Avalon is gone," the blonde replied quietly. "I don't think the quest was meant to go the way it did when we ran it with Kii-chan."

When does it ever? the swordsman thought to himself with a brief flash of amusement. Indeed, ever since meeting Asuna nothing in Aincrad had really happened the way he had expected things to go, and once Kizmel had joined them, things had gone even further off the rails. But still..."How do you know it wasn't supposed to go like this?"

"Have you looked at the grail, Kii-bou?" Argo asked, surreptitiously pulling him towards a somewhat secluded corner where they were shielded by the buildings around them and stacks of crates. "Really looked at it? Remember what it said when we appraised it?"

Yeah, he remembered. "A holy relic from a time before the Great Separation, the Sangraal has lost most of its powers, but one remains: those who drink from it are protected and strengthened in spirit and stalwart in body," whatever that means. Despite the fact that the item description had said it held only ten charges, his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had tried it once to find an unfamiliar buff icon blinking on his HUD for the next day. It had worried him at first, since it was an unknown icon, but when he checked his character sheet, it had been listed as a buff rather than a debuff, though it hadn't told him what it did.

It wasn't a stat boost or an attack or defense buff, and hadn't been immediately obvious. Since the name had been in English, he hadn't been able to tell what it said. He'd hesitated to ask Argo to translate it for him, knowing that she might make the connection, and the only other person he knew who spoke fluent English was Agil, but they hadn't seen the big merchant since the last boss fight. Not knowing what it did, and anxious about wanting to not waste the remaining nine charges, he'd held off on further experimentation until he knew more about what the item did.

"It's a relic, so what?" he said, instead.

It earned him an exasperated look from the blonde. "Kii-bou, I don't think it's just another quest reward. I think it's a unique item like the Flag of Valor. Think about it. It definitely wasn't a quest like any of the others in this game. The quest didn't go the way it should have, and there weren't any quest markers to be seen anywhere. Was that the same as the other quests you and Kii-chan did together?"

Kirito thought back for a moment, until he realized that Argo was right. There wasn't anything aside from the acceptance notice for the Pandora's Box quest. But other than that, there hasn't ever been any of the regular quest markers for NPCs or quest log entries. Not even when we met Cardinal, or when we went into Ur, except for that one timer for Vandria's awakening. "No," he said quietly.

"That's what I thought," Argo concluded. "What does that tell you, Kii-bou? 'Cuz to me it pretty much screams that's not supposed to happen. We're in uncharted territory, here. You should be careful."

That made his blood run cold at the thought of him having yet another unique item, considering how determined people had been to get the guild flag back then - but at least no one knew what the grail did. "What are you getting at, Argo?"

She grimaced. "Well, we're looking at one of two ways this could've been. If this is a repeatable quest, then others should have been able to run it, like the Elf War, but now they can't, since Boudica and Arthur are dead. Which means the quest got broken or bugged somehow."

"Like the Stachion quest when Cylon died."

"Right," Argo nodded. "Or, option B, it was supposed to be a one-off reward, which usually means a lengthy campaign spanning multiple quests."

"And usually a boss at the end," Kirito added dryly. They'd run into a few of those, but for the most part the rewards had been underwhelming, which was understandable from a balance perspective. Most of the really good loot tended to come from the field and floor bosses.

"Yep. Think about how easily they sent us after the grail - both of them. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"A little, yeah." Kirito frowned as he thought about it. Back then he had thought it was a little weird to not be sent on errands before the big main quest the way he was used to. The only explanation he could come up with was that Kizmel had been with them and had been the one to trigger the quest. Arthur talked to Kizmel, he asked her to get the grail for him, he realized with a start. "You think it's because of Kizmel?"

"Ya don't? I can see you thinking it, Kii-bou. If Kii-chan hadn't been there, the entire banquet would've gone differently. She's a knight, and she's an elf. Two things both sides respected. Who's to say that didn't cause them to skip the fetch-quest stage?" Argo suggested quietly.

He had to admit that she had a point. Kizmel had been the one who had impressed both Boudica and Arthur, Kizmel had been the one addressed with respect by both as a knight and an elf. Maybe Argo's right and there's something to it. And the quest had been entirely too easy. The only one they had really fought was Lancelot as the Black Knight, and even then, Kizmel hadn't had too much trouble with him. How would it have gone if Kizmel hadn't been there?

Kirito tried to imagine it. Boudica likely wouldn't have been as accommodating on their first meeting, maybe even hostile. That's one fight. Then Arthur would have arrived, and that seemed like the point at which the players would've had to pick a side. In hindsight, it did seem like they had skipped over a whole lot of content, not to mention that they had gotten to Avalon and back without breaking a sweat, with only the grail knight as a boss fight. I mean, that one has to count, right? It had freaking magic and everything.

"I don't know what to think, Argo," he finally said. "But that isn't the only thing you've got, right?"

The blonde shook her head curtly. "Nah. If that was all, it wouldn't be too bad. Wouldn't be the first time you two broke a quest."

"So what else is there?" he asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know.

"Remember when Galahad told us that Boudica had players with her when she attacked Camelot?"

Kirito nodded. "I didn't really think about it much, I thought it was just other players running the other side of the questline."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too, but I got the feeling that something was fishy," Argo continued. "So I checked with the survivors from Boudica's camp. Since the quest hasn't reset, they just kinda...carried on. And I asked them about the swordmasters who fought with them."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

"Three guys in ragged hoods, one wearing a poncho using a cleaver, and one guy using an estoc." Argo's expression was hard, and Kirito's breath stopped for a moment of panic. "Breathe, Kii-bou."

It's them. We haven't heard anything about them in months, what are they doing this far up? After the murder of the Moonlit Black Cats the clearing group had gone on full alert and kept an eye out for the PKers, but none had been found. Obviously, they weren't stupid enough to do anything while everyone was on the lookout for them, but even after things had calmed down there had been no sign of PoH and his cohorts.

More importantly, Kirito didn't know if they were still classed as orange players and thus prohibited from entering towns, but he somehow couldn't see them going back to non-criminal life after what had happened. Being an orange player would make leveling and buying supplies and equipment difficult at best, and impossible at worst, and though there had been a rash of orange players and guilds that had begun stealing from other players recently - as had happened with Fuurinkazan - there hadn't been any outright murders.

There's no way they're at the same level as the clearing group, no way they can just walk around on this floor and deal with the monsters here, he thought to himself.

"I have no proof it's them," Argo continued, "but according to the NPCs, it was never Boudica's plan to attack Camelot. Too risky and too many casualties. From what it looks like, whoever's doing the quest was supposed to have a choice of whom to give it to. Probably would've triggered a scripted event or something, causing the other side to attack at that point, I dunno. But it definitely wasn't supposed to go down like that."

A terrible premonition filled Kirito's stomach with dread. "And lemme guess, those three convinced Boudica to attack Arthur so we couldn't deliver the grail to him."

"Right on." Argo huffed and crossed her arms. "Almost as though they wanted to stop anyone from getting the grail and break the quest completely. And it's almost as if they knew they could break the quest."

"That's a lot of ifs, Argo..." Kirito trailed off, knowing that his argument was as valid as it was flimsy when it came to PoH, the mastermind behind so many incidents in SAO. If it had been anyone else, he might have dismissed it as a coincidence, but he'd learned the hard way that where PoH was concerned, there were no coincidences.

"Yeah, but think about the legend of the grail, Kii-bou. Immortality and power. Now, Kayaba probably didn't put something that game-breaking into SAO, but there's a lot of items, especially unique items, that are really powerful. You should know, ya've gotten a lot of them." She sighed and shook her head. "You need ta figure out what that thing does, Kii-bou. Preferably quickly, and not from me."

"I know." The swordsman ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'll see if I can hit up Agil tonight. I need to ask him to translate something from English for me."

"Sounds good. If it is them..." Argo trailed off meaningfully.

"Yeah. I know." Kirito sighed. "We'll have to let the clearing group know. You sure it was them?"

"About as sure as I can be without a picture, from your description of them and the description the NPCs could give me." The blonde tilted her head with a wry smile. "Speaking of NPCs, have you noticed something about them recently?"

"What do you mean?"

Argo shrugged and leaned back. "They used to be simple chat-bots, very strict in their dialogue routines. Used to be you couldn't even interrupt them, or you'd have to listen to them start up all over again. Now you can almost have normal conversations with them. There's still very specific prompts and cues, but it's more...adaptive, than it used to be."

"Oh. That." Kirito sighed. So it wasn't just me, he thought to himself. "You think it's gonna be a problem? Like...a system bug?"

The blonde shook her head. "I have no idea. Game development and coding isn't my thing, but I might know someone who'd be interested in talking to Kii-chan about whatever's going on with her. And with you, since apparently you've been there since the beginning."

Possibilities whirled through his mind at the thought, accompanied by a mild bout of panic at the thought of someone dissecting the dark elf to find out what made her tick. Maybe it's just the system having to adapt to Kizmel being there, he thought to himself in trying to calm down. I don't think many of the dialogue functions were designed with an NPC in mind.

"Maybe," he acknowledged carefully. "The last thing we need is a malfunctioning game on top of a group of PKers."

"Look on the bright side, Galahad said a couple of the knights forced them to retreat injured, so they can't be that high level."

"Or they didn't want to overrun the knights and have Boudica come out victorious and leave the quest able to be completed," he shot back.

"Oh, Kii-bou, if they wanted to do that, they could've just killed Boudica afterwards, just like they killed Cylon," Argo replied, and he nodded in reluctant agreement. At least it was the one bit of good news, but knowing PoH and XaXa...Kirito wasn't about to bet his life on the level gap between them.

Seeing the slightly sour mood on his face, Argo changed the topic quickly. "Well, should we go inside? Kii-chan and A-chan are probably waiting fer us already. No point in giving them more reasons ta gossip about us," she suggested, expression morphing back into her usual carefree look with a cackle.

"W-what?"

"Ya don't wanna find out if Kii-chan is the jealous type, do ya?"

"A-Argo!"

-------------------------------

The tavern was less busy than she had imagined, and Kizmel let out a sigh of relief when she settled into a corner booth while waiting for Asuna to arrive and for Kirito and Argo to join her after conducting their business outside. She was somewhat curious as to what had prompted the info-broker to send her a message - the dark elf smiled at the memory of Argo's message being directed at her, and the delight in sending her own first message in reply - that had asked to meet with Kirito privately outside. The swordsman usually didn't mind discussing his business with the Rat in front of Kizmel, embarrassed as though he might be at times at the blonde's teasing, but this had been Argo asking to speak with her partner in private.

No matter, if it is important, Kirito will let me know. In exchange, the black-clad swordsman had received his own message from Asuna asking if they were free to meet, and Kizmel had been eager to accept the invitation and wait for her brunette friend inside.

Despite her fears, she hadn't felt nearly as overwhelmed as she thought she might be as she made her way to her chosen table and shook off her cloak, using the equipment menu to banish it into her mystic storage. While the myriad of cursors were still distracting, she had gotten used to their presence enough to only give them a brief glance before moving on, and seeing health bars floating above others had become a common sight for her. Finding a particular person in a crowd would still be quite the task, but her attention was no longer pulled a hundred different ways, and now that she understood what the various symbols and glyphs meant, she had an easier time making sense of them quickly and discerning what needed immediate attention.

Kizmel tapped the table in front of her with her index and middle fingers together in the manner Kirito had shown her that would bring up the menus for many interactions between the swordmasters and their environment. She sighed in wonder as the ethereal page shimmered into existence before her, displaying a wondrous, almost solid-looking image of what the kitchen's offerings were. Now that she had become a swordmaster like Kirito - technically, he had said, she could classify herself as a "player," but she had chosen to reserve that title for the swordmasters from Kirito's world who had been trapped here - she quickly found that many of the other Aincrad natives had stopped interacting with her in the way she was used to.

No longer would the merchants and storekeepers barter with her and simply hand over the items she wished to purchase for physical coins - although she had found that some players who operated their business still did so - and instead they preferred to use the menus and the trade charm of the swordmasters to conduct their transactions. She felt something of a loss at the thought, but it was a small price to pay, and to an extent she could understand why they did it that way. It was significantly more secure and less likely to fall victim to robbery and theft, although she was baffled at the fact that even if she tried, none of her fellow Aincrad natives would do business as she had previously.

It felt a little lonely, if she was being honest, as if the people of her world had turned their backs on her.

Banishing those despondent thoughts from her mind, she focused instead on this floor's delicacies, ever eager to continue her sampling of swordmaster cuisine. Selecting a dessert whose name was unfamiliar to her from the menu, she watched quietly as a little window appeared at the edge of her vision showing the deducted total from her stash of Cor, and waited for the waiter to arrive with her order.

"Kizmel-chan!" Asuna's voice cut through the din of patrons as the brunette fencer swept through the door, immediately spotting her distinctive appearance - and, Kizmel had to admit, her somewhat predictable choice of table, selected with her partner's tendency for privacy in mind.

The brunette fencer made her way across the moderately busy tavern floor and slid elegantly into the booth across from her with a wide smile, eyes flickering up to above Kizmel's head in a way that had become familiar to the dark elf. "I'm sorry I didn't get to see you sooner, but congratulations!"

"Thank you, Asuna," the dark elf replied with a small smile, looking over her friend, whom she hadn't seen since the battle against the pillar guardian of the previous floor. It had only been a handful of days, but the intervening time had seemed like a small eternity. The fencer looked somewhat more rested than she had after the battle, and more at ease, the ever-present tension that had taken residence in her body since becoming the vice-commander of the Knights of Blood slightly less pronounced.

"You look well. How are things with the clearing group?" Kizmel commented, curious to know what had occurred since they had been out of touch at Camelot and Avalon.

"Calm, which is good." The fencer paused, taking a moment to order from the menu, before continuing. "Things seem to have settled, and Lind is being surprisingly cooperative. I don't think it's ever been this smooth."

It appears Kirito is not the only one who is surprised at Guildmaster Lind's sudden turnabout, she mused idly. Or maybe not entirely sudden, Kizmel corrected herself, thinking back to what she knew of the man and the conversation she had with her partner about Lind's change of heart a few weeks ago.

"Perhaps he has finally found his stride?" she suggested, nodding her thanks as a waitress arrived with her order, a small, dense pastry stacked in between layers of honey and nuts. "He has always claimed to be the successor to carry on Ser Diavel's legacy, perhaps he has finally grown into it?"

"I think so," Asuna admitted with a wry smile, no doubt remembering her own early interactions with the man. "I'd be lying if I said he hasn't changed. He's...quite the leader now. I can see why the DDA has so many members."

Kizmel could see a hint of something in her former companion's expression, but it was gone before the dark elf could pin it down. Instead, she chose to change the topic and alleviate her own curiosity. "The joint expeditions are going well, then?"

"They are," the brunette confirmed, accepting her own order. "Lind's...really stepped up his game. The DDA is well-organized and all of their party leaders are veterans. I'm almost ashamed to say that we don't have the same kind of party structure in the KoB."

"Give it time. Lind has the benefit of numbers and experience. Remember how disorganized the Dragon Knights were when we first met?" Kizmel chuckled at the memory of a bedraggled and waterlogged Lind and Kibaou, staring on in utter surprise as Viscount Yofilis charged at the pillar guardian of the fourth floor. "The Knights of Blood are young, still, and when your numbers swell, you will find that arranging groups to their strengths becomes much easier."

"I suppose," Asuna acknowledged. "And he's not as...contentious as I thought he would be. Our joint exploration of the labyrinth is really helping the teamwork, and alternating group leadership with him is less...aggravating than I thought it would be."

The dark elf hid a smile as she took a bite of her dessert, savouring the rich flavour of syrup and various kinds of indigenous nuts. Truly, the variety of swordmaster - of human - culture is amazing, she mused. And that the sorcerer Kayaba managed to recreate bodies for them with this much detail...if it hadn't been to lure them into such a deadly trap, I would be amazed at his skill.

"That is good to hear - I think finally having solidified ranks and responsibilities among the clearing group has taken a burden off his shoulders. It seems like it has from yours," she said, delicately dabbing at her lips with a napkin.

"It has," the younger girl nodded emphatically. "As much as I don't want to admit it, having three of us in charge of a raid makes it much easier on me, and Lind isn't as pushy about taking control as I expected. And now that we're more familiar with what the DDA's parties can do, I can almost...not worry about them."

"He does not have to be, now." Kizmel's reply was accompanied by a shrug. "After all, his guild's position within the clearing group is now cemented, and he has nothing more to prove. That was the whole point of the agreement, was it not? To prevent the same mistakes between the Dragon Knights and ALS from being made again."

"Right." Asuna sighed as she took a bite of her own food with a satisfied smile, before looking around the tavern. "But enough about me, how have you been? And where's Kirito-kun? I can't believe he'd just leave you to wander the town alone..."

The brunette blinked for a moment, before realizing what she'd implied. Her eyes opened wide and she waved a hand in panic. "That's not how I meant it! I'm sure you can take care of yourself, it's just-"

Kizmel chuckled and clasped her friend's hand in her own to calm her down. "Kirito is just outside, speaking with Argo. They should not be long, but she wished to speak to him in private, though if it's important I'm sure he will let me know."

"Oh." Asuna deflated with an embarrassed giggle and returned her attention to the pastry on her plate. "So, it sounds like you two had quite the adventure with Argo. I admit, I'm a little jealous I wasn't part of it. And you finished your quest!"

"It has been quite an eventful past few days," Kizmel agreed easily, though considering the pace at which the swordmasters were moving from floor to floor within Aincrad, that was really nothing too extraordinary. Kizmel smiled as she spied a familiar pair entering the tavern. "But it was an...interesting experience."

"You can say that again," Kirito muttered as he slid into the seat next to her, accompanied by Argo as the grinning blonde pulled out the chair next to the fencer.

"Argo, Kirito-kun!" The brunette looked up with a smile. "It's good to see you two."

"You, too, Asuna. You look good," the swordsman replied, echoed by Argo's greeting of "Looking good, A-chan."

"Thank you, Argo," the fencer replied with a smile as the Rat settled in next to her and ordered her own dessert.

"By the way, Kii-chan, here," the blonde said after placing her order on the mystic menu and reaching into her pockets for a narrow booklet and sliding it across the table towards the dark elf.

Kizmel picked it up curiously and somewhat warily. It was not quite as thick as the info-broker's usual floor guides, but still fairly substantial. On the plain cover was a caricature of Argo holding up a thumbs-up and the title of the guide.

"Don't Worry, it's Argo's Guide to Mystic Scribing?" she read with a slightly confused tilt of her head. A guide, then, similar to others that the info-merchant routinely published. She opened it up and casually flicked through the pages, surprised at what she found there.

"It's an adaptation of my guide for new players," the blonde replied with a wide grin. "I figured you could use something like it in case you ever run into something Kii-bou doesn't have the answers to. He knows a lot, but I doubt he's gone really deep into the menus and settings."

Looking down at the pages and the hand-drawn descriptions and translations from the arcane language, Kizmel found herself smiling. "Thank you, Argo. This will be very helpful indeed. How much do I owe you for this?" It wouldn't give her the ability to read or learn the arcane language, but at least she could memorize certain words or phrases to help guide her way through the mystic menus the swordmasters used.

"It's on the house," Argo waved her off. "It didn't take me anything to make it since it was already written, I just had ta change a few things you probably aren't familiar with."

Kizmel nodded understandingly, moving to close the booklet and store it on her person, when the Rat spoke up again with a grin. "By the way, Kii-chan...since you and Kii-bou are rooming together," the dark elf blushed under the abrupt, questioning look that statement elicited from Asuna, "ya might wanna take a look at page seventeen."

Curiosity got the better of her, and while she left her partner to sputter aimlessly to Asuna that it wasn't like that as the fencer wavered between outrage and humour, Kizmel shuffled to page seventeen of the guide. Social codes and protections for interactions between swordmasters and NPCs, she read to herself. And interactions between swordmasters themselves.

Much of it detailed the protection charms that prevented crime in cities that Kizmel was familiar with, but there were two entries that drew her attention Anti-Harassment Code? There truly is a magic that punishes swordmasters for unwanted contact if invoked? She shook her head with a chuckle at the thought. And...

"What's the Ethics Code?" she asked suddenly, trying out the unfamiliar words that had very little explanation in the book itself.

The argument around the table suddenly quieted, and Asuna and Kirito both looked confused, while Argo had a mischievous glint in her eyes that spelled bad tidings ahead. Though at whose expense, Kizmel wondered, knowing that her friend was unlikely to do permanent harm to either of those at the table.

"I...don't know," Kirito said, frowning. "Never heard of it."

"Me neither," Asuna agreed, swiping her hands through the air to bring up her menus.

Argo cackled quietly. "That's because it ain't in the main menus. It's not something you'll find openly advertised or mentioned anywhere. It's hidden under a bunch of sub-menus, probably ta keep it out of reach of easily-scarred kids. I'll tell you two for a price, but Kii-chan gets it as part of the package deal. C'mon girl, come closer."

Despite the odd tingling of foreboding that raced down her spine, the dark elf indulged her curiosity and did as Argo asked, leaning halfway across the table. Argo met her in the middle, leaning in close enough to whisper lowly into her ear so quietly neither of the other two clearers could make it out.

A few seconds later, Kizmel's face flushed bright red, tingeing her dusky skin a dark crimson. "...Argo...!"

The Rat leaned back with a cackle, while Asuna and Kirito both looked on worriedly. "Kizmel, are you all right?" her partner asked, leaning in from the side, and for the first time she found herself flinching away reflexively from his touch, too embarrassed by what Argo had just told her.

"I'm...fine, Kirito," she managed, leaning back and tucking her head into her collar, unconsciously mirroring the swordsman's habit.

"Argo!" Asuna chided gently. "What did you tell poor Kizmel-chan?"

"Five hundred Cor, and I'll tell ya, A-chan. Though I'll warn ya, it's NSFW."

"En-Ess..."

"Oh you poor, innocent soul..." the blonde giggled. "Look, it's nothing harmful. If anything, maybe it'll come in handy sometime in the future, eh, Kii-chan?"

The dark elf in question merely shook her head and burrowed it into her arms on the table. Taking a few moments to regain her composure, she emerged, looking crossly at the info-merchant sitting across from her, though she knew the attempt was not a very strong one judging from the responding grin. "I will...tell you later, Kirito. In private," she insisted, and thankfully Asuna decided to change the subject for her as she put away the guide.

"So! Congratulations again, Kizmel-chan! Tell me all about it, I didn't think there was a way for you to become a swordmaster, and Kirito-kun has, as usual, not told me a thing," a brief flicker of what looked like longing and regret passed across the fencer's eyes, though it was immediately chased away and replaced by a mock-stern look at the swordsman before she turned to smile at Kizmel.

It was Argo who took it upon herself to begin the story, and with a fond look at her partner, Kizmel was content to let the blonde spin the tale of their exploits of the last few days. At least if she's offering, she's not charging us for the tale, the dusky elf thought with some amusement, thankful for the pause so she could get herself back under control.

"So Kii-chan walks out into the middle of King Arthur and Queen Boudica and asks for a cease-fire," the info-merchant explained with a cackle.

Asuna frowned at the mention of those two names. "That's...a little anachronistic."

"Anachristic?" Kirito repeated, brow furrowed in confusion, eliciting a good-natured chuckle from both Argo and Asuna.

"Anachronistic," the fencer corrected him with a fond but exasperated smile. "It means that they don't quite fit into the same time period as we know them."

"Oh, that." Kirito shrugged. "It's not the first time legends or stories got changed or combined somehow."

"I guess." Asuna turned back to Argo. "So, how did it go?"

In response, the Rat pulled out the recording crystal from her mystic inventory and the two girls leaned over it as she excitedly chattered away about the feast they had attended at Castle Camelot, and Asuna let out appreciative gasps at the pictures of the three of them in their formal garb. Kizmel looked on with a fond smile as she tilted her head towards her partner, a light blush on her own cheeks as she remembered how handsome he'd looked that evening.

"I suppose Argo really enjoyed our adventure," she muttered quietly.

The swordsman nodded in response, expression somewhat disbelieving at how freely the usually tight-lipped info-broker shared their tale, laughing and giggling at the memories. The pair listened quietly as Argo concluded her story, stopping to look at them expectantly as she paused her description of how they had arrived at Avalon.

"You two never really told me what happened ta you guys, either," the blonde said with a wolfish grin. "'Fess up, you two! You were alone in there for an hour, I bet it's...saucy."

Kizmel chuckled, while Kirito and Asuna let out identical, scandalized gurgles of surprise and shock, but before the dark elf could answer, her partner's hand flew out to stall her. She paused, watching on as Kirito gave the Rat an evaluating look, before nodding sharply.

"Two thousand Cor."

"Ehehehe, yer learning, Kii-bou," the info-broker cackled good-naturedly. "But this is my arena. Are ya sure you wanna haggle with me?"

The swordsman tilted his chin up defiantly in reply, and with a matching grin, the blonde made her offer. "Fine, then. One thousand."

"Two, and not a single Cor less." Kirito glanced at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and Kizmel chuckled again, before settling back to observe whatever her partner had planned. "I mean, if you think about it, this is the final chapter to the Elf War, really, which you've been selling for five, so it's a steal."

"If it's the last chapter, then two K is a rip, Kii-bou."

"It's a big chapter."

Argo chuckled, clearly amused at her partner's attempt at haggling, and Kizmel was wondering where he was trying to go with this - he'd rarely, if ever, asked for payment from the Rat in exchange for their stories. "You gotta give me more than that, Kii-bou."

"How Kizmel got to be a player isn't enough?" Kirito responded evenly, crossing his arms, corner of his lips upturned as he glanced over at her. "I think it's a fair price. Last offer, or you're not getting it out of me." Her partner was definitely up to something now.

"You know I can always ask Kii-chan here to give me the scoop for less, right?" Argo asked with a victorious smirk as she followed his glance and turned towards Kizmel. "So, how much do you want for the story, Kii-chan? Yer not gonna let Kii-bou here negotiate about your own tale for you, are ya?"

She wasn't entirely sure if she was correctly interpreting her partner's intentions, but she wasn't one to pass up an opportunity for payback. Kizmel turned towards the Rat with an angelic smile, fully leaning into the opening the swordsman had inadvertently given her. "Not at all, Argo. I have to say, I disagree with the price Kirito has placed on the tale of our exploits in Avalon."

"Good, good, how much then?"

She wasn't entirely sure how she kept a straight face in the aftermath as she responded. "Ten thousand Cor."

Argo's shriek of howling laughter could be heard outside the building.

-------------------------------

"What did Argo wish to speak to you about?" Kizmel could tell her question had caught the swordsman by her side off-guard as they walked through the streets of Vindoland in the direction of the market plaza. "I do not wish to pry if it was a private matter, I was simply curious."

"Oh." Kirito sighed and slowed a little. "It's not private. It was...something she wanted to warn me about."

She took in the tension that had stiffened his frame almost instantly, a stark contrast to the relaxed and amused mood they had left the tavern with after Asuna and Argo had both excused themselves to see to their respective duties. Whatever it is that she warned him of, it must be serious.

"What is it?" she asked gently.

"You remember how Galahad mentioned that Boudica had swordmaster allies?" He waited for her nod before continuing. "She thinks it was PoH and his group."

The revelation brought her up short. "She is certain about this?"

"As much as she can be." Kirito shrugged nonchalantly, though she could see that he was trying to hide his own nervousness at the thought that the murderers that had cut down the Black Cats in cold blood were rearing their heads once more.

Perhaps it is fate that we should do battle with them, she thought to herself, remembering PoH's fascination and fixation on Kirito. It seemed almost predestined that her partner would cross paths with the murderer again, as they appeared to have been fated to from the very moment they both entered this world.

"What would be their motive for risking exposure at the front lines..." Kizmel trailed off, eyes drifting off as a thought occurred to her. "The grail," she said.

"Yeah, that's what Argo thinks they were after. Either to get for themselves, or to stop anyone from getting it," Kirito confirmed for her. "Either way, we need to figure out what it does, aside from a buff I can't identify. If they've somehow gotten their intel from somewhere..."

"Argo isn't the only information broker," the dark elf agreed. "And she was with us the entire time, rather than gathering information on this floor as she usually does. It is not unreasonable to think another may have beaten her to it."

"Yeah. So, we need to get this thing appraised."

This is why we are on our way to meet with Agil, then. Her eyes wandered to her partner, trying to figure out what he was thinking, since neither of them had been able to figure out exactly what properties the grail bestowed other than the description given to them by the mystic charm of the swordmasters. If PoH and his cohorts are willing to incite a large battle and kill for it, then it must be more than a mere trinket.

"And you're certain Agil will be able to?" she asked carefully.

The swordsman shrugged. "I don't know, but he's got the highest appraisal skill out of anyone I know and trust."

They passed through the teleport gate and arrived on the forty-first floor in a flash of blue light, and Kizmel barely glanced at the ethereal writing that appeared visible only to her which spelled out the name of their destination, one that was very familiar to her. The two swordmasters, one human, one elven, stepped off the raised dais and onto the reddish sand of Alashiya. Kizmel followed her partner as he led the way through the town's meandering streets towards one building in particular.

Agil had set up a temporary shop here, a few floors below the front line; after having expanded his business beyond a mere vendor carpet he ahd finally found the need for a somewhat fixed location for him to store his wares and for customers to find him. Kizmel at first hadn't understood why he had picked the arid wastes of the forty-first floor until she realized that with the aggressive climate of the floor, players wandering out into the desert were more likely to seek out a shop to stock up on the necessary supplies.

"Welcome to Agil's Shop, how can I-" the large man paused as he caught sight of them, a wide grin splitting his face. "Oh, Kirito, Kizmel, it's good to see you. What brings you here today? A new sword? Armor? Trinkets for the lady?" His eyes widened in surprise as he spotted the cursor above her head, and he leaned forward, dropping his voice even though they were alone in the small, cramped room. "Now that's a surprise. Are you...?"

"A swordmaster, like the other players?" Kizmel answered with a smile. "Yes, I am. It happened a few days ago, as an unexpected conclusion of a grand quest."

Agil huffed in amusement. "Sounds like a story I need to pay Argo for. Well, congratulations to you, m'lady," he half-bowed good-naturedly.

"Thank you, Agil," she replied, leaning a little bit closer. "Though I assure you, I can relay that tale better and far cheaper than Argo could."

"Ha, I bet you can!" The merchant laughed and leaned back, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "So, what brings you two here? A celebratory gift?"

"Not exactly..." Kirito trailed off, eyes flickering around nervously. "Can you...lock up for a few minutes?"

Agil caught his meaning immediately and went over to the door, manipulating a mystic page to signify his store was closed, before leading them to the back, past another door which he bolted shut and used another menu to secure, before turning towards them. "That's as locked up as it's gonna get," he said. "No safer place than a merchant's storehouse."

"Right..." Kirito still sounded wary, but he produced the grail from his mystic storage regardless. "I need your help identifying something. And I need you to keep whatever we figure out about it secret."

The dark-skinned man's eyes widened perceptively, and he leaned against the closed door. "How bad?"

"Bad enough Argo said she was better off not knowing."

Agil let out a low whistle. "That's pretty bad. Why?"

The swordsman looked uncertain as to how to reply, so Kizmel took it upon herself to answer in his stead. "There may be PKers who may be after it, should its existence become known."

"PKers, huh?" Agil frowned, running a hand across his bald head with a sigh. "Lemme guess, that lot from a couple floors ago?"

"Probably." Kirito shrugged helplessly. "We don't know for sure, but Argo seems to think it's bad..."

"Then it probably is. All right, give it here, let me take a look." He plucked the simple-looking clay cup from Kirito's hand as the swordsman offered it up, and turned it around. Agil's brow furrowed as he tapped it to inspect its properties by whatever magic the swordmasters' sight used, before letting out a low whistle. "You tried drinking from this?" he finally asked, looking at Kirito.

"Yeah. That's the other thing I wanted to ask you about," the swordsman answered. "What does staru-wardo mean?"

The large man blinked for a moment. "Say again?"

"Staru-wardo?" Kirito repeated haltingly, trying to sound out the unfamiliar word. Frustrated with his inability to properly enunciate it, he opened a window, made it visible, and wrote it out for them to see.

"Oh, stalwart," Agil chuckled. "It means having an outstanding strength of body, mind, or spirit. Why?"

"Because that's what the buff it gave me was called."

Looking down at the cup in his hands, Agil's expression turned serious. "Stalwart, huh? It's appropriate enough. Here, this is what I've got." Expression grim, his hands deftly swiped through the air, making visible to them the glowing pages the swordmasters' sight had produced for his appraising skill.

Kizmel glanced down at the page - window, she corrected herself - and froze. "Drinking from the grail will grant the Stalwart buff for the duration of eight hours. Stalwart: the next blow that would reduce a player's hitpoints to or below zero is negated, leaving the player with one hitpoint. Expires upon absorbing one hit," she read in a hushed whisper, the words a little unfamiliar to her, but she had been around swordmasters long enough to understand their meaning.

Her eyes widened in surprise at the realization that perhaps she was not the only one to have received something of incredible value from Cardinal's trials in Avalon. There had been legends of such relics among the elves, ones that could cheat even death itself, but they had all thought to have been lost even long before the Great Separation, and afterwards there had been no mages to seek mastery over life and death.

"I can see why PKers would be after that trinket," Agil muttered in disbelief. "For us here, that's a life-saver. Literally. That's ten people whose lives could potentially be saved. Well, nine now." There was no accusation or recrimination in the merchant's tone, but he had said enough.

Kirito was staring silently at the window and the item behind it in Agil's hand, as though trying to force it out of existence by sheer force of will alone. After all this time, Kizmel understood her partner enough to know what that he was feeling torn. It is yet another thing that will set him apart from the other swordmasters. They cannot, must not know about the grail or that it is in his possession. Such a thing, limited in use though it is, would bring many swordmasters to his doorstep, coveting the grail for themselves.

But realistically, with only nine uses remaining before its magic was drained, there was no way the grail could be applied in a useful manner to the clearing group. But to them, to Kirito, operating without support as they were, it could be an incredible boon. "Neither the clearing group, nor anyone else, can know about this," she finally said, looking at Agil imploringly.

The burly merchant's grim eyes met hers, and she knew he understood, having been there when Kirito had first borne a similar burden. "Yeah, if this gets out..."

"The whole beater thing starts up again," Kirito finished. "Only a hundred times worse, because this is actually an item that prevents death. People would kill for it."

"Right. And no one's gonna think about the fact that you have to use it before going into combat, because you never know when you're going to take that killing blow. They're gonna see the whole preventing death thing and demand you hand it out like candy on Halloween." Agil sighed and straightened abruptly, placing the grail back into Kirito's hands. "No one's gonna find out from me, you have my word. Just...make sure you watch your back out there. If there's PKers after it, then you're probably the one who's gonna need it most."

The swordsman nodded silently, placing the relic back into his mystic inventory, before looking at her with hooded eyes. "Yeah, I know," he all but croaked.

Kizmel's heart bled at the sight of her friend's eyes that had been so happy with their accomplishments just a few hours ago, now again shadowed by the pain and rage that had surrounded them both like a cloak in the aftermath of the Black Cats' deaths. The possibility of a repeat encounter with PoH, XaXa, and the others of their ilk had always been lurking in the back of their minds, and it drove them to train and become stronger as much as their desire to conquer Aincrad and liberate the swordmasters from this prison.

And if PoH and his group knew about the grail or had any inkling of what it did, then they would become a target. Kirito seemed to have had the same thought as he looked up at her abruptly. "Kizmel, maybe we should-"

"No, Kirito," she shook her head defiantly, cutting him off before he could finish the thought. "I know what you are about to ask, and my answer is no. I stand by your side - or did you think that I would leave you to face them alone when the time came?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the thought of a second bout with the PKers. "Besides, I have a score to settle with the one named XaXa."

He opened his mouth as though to retort, but thought the better of it and simply nodded, instead. "We'll be targets. Everyone around me is going to become a target," he said. "You, Asuna, Argo..."

"And we were targets before," she answered. "If you think we would abandon you now, you are mistaken."

"She's got a point there," Agil added with a chuckle. "We're all in this together, man. And if we've got a crew loose running around tryin' to murder people, that's a problem for all of us. You need our help, you got it."

The swordsman said nothing, but the easing of tension in his body spoke volumes enough.

-------------------------------

November 30th, 2023

"Team One, forward! Pull aggro!" Lind's shout echoed through the Pillar Guardian's chamber. He paced behind the leading group of the DDA's tanks, banner fluttering in the air as he hefted it on high. The blue dragon on the crimson shield unfurled as he planted the flag with both hands. "Buff's up!"

A ripple of light extended from the place where the Flag of Valour was stuck in the ground, sweeping across the chamber. Kizmel could almost imagine the new sigils winking into existence for the Divine Dragons as their swordmasters' sight told them that they had been strengthened by the magic of the guild flag.

"Team A, frontal assault! Team B, flank around, be ready to switch out!" Asuna's voice came from the other side of the room, and the two parties from the KoB moved into position easily. Armored warriors from the DDA stepped forward, interlocking their shields as one and letting out a warcry meant to attract their foe's attention.

It worked, and with a high-pitched shriek of anger, [Mordred, the Bastard Knight] spun to face them, his large, five-meter tall armored figure in black polished plate and mail ambling towards the waiting tanks, sword raised on high to strike. The large weapon crashed into the locked shields, but their defense held. A moment later, Asuna's contingent charged from behind, crashing into the Pillar Guardian of the forty-fifth floor with glowing blades.

The dark elven knight cast a glance over her shoulder where her partner stood ready with four other swordmasters: Agil, Wolfgang, Philia, and Nautilus. He met her eyes and hefted his sword. "All right, Team C, on me! Team D, get ready to jump in!"

The swordsman led his party in a charge towards the Pillar Guardian's flank opposite Asuna and the KoB, and the six swordmasters - five humans and one elf - leapt into battle aggressively, sword skills carving multicolored lines through the air as they struck out. Even as she followed only a half-step behind her partner, Kizmel could feel the eagerness of the second group of swordmasters behind her as they waited for the call to switch out, unfettered by worries about accidentally drawing the guardian's attention. As she waited out the magical backlash from her opening Treble Scythe, her eyes drifted over the party menu, where, below the five names of her own group, were forty-two others in much smaller script.

Six of them were waiting behind here, with Orlando leading Naijian, Lowbacca, Beowulf, Cuchulainn, and Enkidu into battle. Before the battle, Orlando had asked her if she would like to lead their group instead as he insisted she had more experience, but Kizmel had declined. She was Kirito's partner, and as such her place was by his side, watching his back just as he watched hers; and, as she had told Orlando then, since most of the group came from the Legend Braves, it was only right and proper for him to lead his men into battle.

The clearing group had finally settled into a comfortable middle ground for both major guilds after the turmoil of the earlier floors, and with time, the DDA's superior organization had closed the gap with the KoB's superior individual strength. After a few floors of experimenting with different leadership styles, they had finally settled on something upon Kizmel's suggestion that played to the strengths of both guilds.

With the raid groups' leadership split three ways, the dark elf had argued during the strategy meeting that perhaps a similarly three-pronged approach would work best. With Lind leading the Divine Dragons at the formation's center for the assault on the Pillar Guardian, the DDA's guildmaster was free to bring four groups of his best tanks and focus solely on maintaining the guardian's attention while having enough reserves to react quickly to unforeseen circumstances. This left four parties in the raid, split evenly between Asuna and Kirito's leadership.

The KoB, with their better equipment and overall better skills were more suited to be attackers rather than defenders, and it had been much easier to organize them into assault parties than a defensive line, while Kirito's usual rag-tag party of unaffiliated players was reinforced by volunteers from the Legend Braves for this battle. This left both of them with two parties able to switch out and react at a moment's notice without having to worry about the tanks, and would allow them to strike at the guardian from multiple fronts while the DDA held its attention.

To Kizmel's surprise, Lind had been the first one to speak out in support of her suggestion, arguing that it was a reasonable approach and logical use of their resources and skills - and so, with Kirito seconding the notion, the order of battle for the forty-fifth floor had been set.

"Switch out!" Kizmel heard her partner shout over the din of steel meeting steel and the howl of sword skills discharging. She didn't hesitate in leaping back the moment she was released from the aftermath of her attack, watching in satisfaction as Orlando and his men jumped past them, swords and axes alight and held aloft to strike.

Between the unrelenting two-pronged attack from behind and the impenetrable defense of the Divine Dragons from the front, the Pillar Guardian fell with little fanfare and no casualties, shattering into azure motes of light as Kirito struck the final blow, much to the chagrin of the remainder of the clearing group, and Asuna and Kizmel's amusement. The dark elf extended her palm to meet her partner's in their celebratory high-five while Orlando and the rest of his group cheered, before the swordsman turned towards the center of the room with a grimace.

Ah, the downside to leadership, she chuckled silently as she followed his trudging steps to where Asuna and Lind were quietly conversing amidst the cheers of the raid group. No more will you be able to simply slip away unnoticed, my friend. But perhaps that is for the best, for now people will see the burden you are carrying on their behalf.

She followed her partner at an equally sedate pace, relishing their victory as she nodded at some of the faces that had quickly become familiar to her as they fought together. Some smiled or waved back, exuberant in the aftermath of a successful battle.

"Kirito, Kizmel-san," Lind acknowledged with a small smile as he took note of their approach and waved them over. "I trust everything went well on your end?"

"Yeah, no problems. Everyone's accounted for, and I don't think anyone went past yellow," the swordsman reported. "How'd everyone else do?"

"The KoB did fine, Lind's tanks kept aggro the entire time." The fencer turned to look at the dark elf with a smile. "Your plan worked really well, Kizmel-chan."

"It did," Lind concurred. "I commend you on an excellent strategy, Kizmel-san."

She tilted her head in acknowledgement, attempting to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks at the praise behind a curtain of lilac hair. "Thank you, Guildmaster Lind, Asuna. But I merely suggested the idea, the credit for the flawless execution belongs to you and your troops."

"So flawless, actually, that we didn't even have much to do for most of the time," Hafner added as he joined the group. Lind's usually gruff second-in-command looked relaxed and was grinning. "I had guys sitting on the ground playing cards," he grumbled good-naturedly.

"My apologies-" Kizmel started, but the large tank in burnished copper-hued armor waved her off.

"Nah, don't worry about it. It's a good thing, but every now and then everyone wants to get a swing in, too, y'know?" He lifted his visor with a pointed but friendly look at Kirito. "You three gotta give the rest of us a shot at the LA bonus, too."

The swordsman managed a weak grin in response coupled with a shrug. "We're DPS, Haf. That's sort of our job."

Kizmel watched on as Lind and Asuna began discussing distribution of the spoils of their battle with Kirito, though in short order everything had been settled. Lind glanced at her partner with an amused expression.

"I can tell you're out of your element, Kirito," he said. "Go on, go ahead, open up the next floor and activate the teleport gate, if you would. You've more than fulfilled your part for this raid."

"Sure. You good, Asuna?" When the fencer nodded, Kirito turned to look at her. "Ready to go, Kizmel?"

"Absolutely."

"Why don't you go with them, Asuna-kun," a new voice suggested. Heathcliff the Paladin strode towards the group where he had been speaking with Godfree of the KoB's Team A in the aftermath. "I understand that it is somewhat of a tradition that Kirito-kun opens a new floor, and you used to accompany him."

"Yes, but Commander-"

The taciturn guildmaster of the Knights of Blood waved off her command with a simple shake of his head. "Take a rest, Asuna-kun. I have seen how hard you work for the guild and the new recruits - and I know that you drive yourself harder than any of us. Daizen and Godfree are in agreement to share some of the responsibilities you have been carrying from the beginning as the vice-commander, and now that the clearing group is well organized and Kizmel-kun's strategy is well in place, I see no reason why you can't take a day to allow yourself to rest. The Knights of Blood can survive a day or two without their vice-commander, and Godfree will keep the Second Army in line in your absence."

The burly, curly-haired man nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely! You'll get them back full of motivation and energy to train, Asuna-san!"

"Guildmaster Heathcliff has a point, Asuna," the dark elf added, "you have been carrying a heavy burden ever since the twenty-fifth floor. Now that things have settled, you should take the chance to rest and recover a little. A warrior cannot fight at full intensity indefinitely, and a rested mind is a capable mind."

Heathcliff's gaze turned towards Kizmel and his head tilted curiously, an enigmatic smile playing around his lips. "And besides, I understand Kizmel-kun is currently adjusting to an entirely new experience for her. I'm sure she could use a friendly face to lend her a hand."

"O-of course, Commander," the fencer replied hesitantly, glancing over her shoulder at the dark elf and her partner. "I'd be more than happy to help Kizmel-chan in any way. If you're sure that I'm not needed for the day..."

"Absolutely. I need you well-rested for the next phase of our assault on Aincrad." Heathcliff's gaze wandered to the stairwell, and Kizmel got the impression that he was looking past it, towards the top of the floating castle. "Before us lays the next milestone floor, and I would rather everyone be at their best when we reach the forty-ninth floor."

"The DDA is also always at your disposal, should you need anything, Kizmel-san," Lind added, a shrewd look in his eyes as he watched Heathcliff. "Whether it is help or advice, we would be more than happy to be of assistance."

Kizmel inclined her head at the blue-haired man in acknowledgement of the offer. They are still vying for our favour, she realized. Even though Kirito has shown no desire to join either guild, but I suppose this is a game the guildmasters play. Or perhaps, an idealistic part of her thought, she was reading too much into the interaction between the two guild leaders, and they were simply trying to be helpful.

But even as she turned to head up the stairs to the forty-sixth floor with Kirito and Asuna by her side, she couldn't shake the memory of the piercing, almost predatory glint that had briefly flashed across Heathcliff's eyes as the man looked at her like some interesting specimen to examine.

Maybe it's just my imagination, the dark elf consoled herself., shaking the thought off momentarily. There was no reason for the leader of the Knights of Blood to look at her like a laboratory specimen, after all. She returned her focus to the moment, enjoying the fact that for the first time in a long time, since the ninth floor, she was walking alongside her best friends. Asuna is not the only one who is in need of a break.

-------------------------------

December 1st, 2023

Kirito sighed as he slid into the warm water of the open-air bathhouse. The small town of Grindelwald was oddly named, the swordsman had thought when he had first passed through months earlier - though the name had elicited a somewhat surprised response from Asuna and an amused one from Argo at the time. It was located at the northern end of the thirty-first floor, close to the labyrinth tower, and, on their first visit, had only been a brief stop as they pushed onwards further. But Grindelwald was also home to something that had made it noteworthy: a resort with all the amenities a mountain village could offer. Hot springs, saunas, even some limited winter sports had been available, something Kirito suspected had been originally planned to be part of some sort of holiday event.

He'd suggested visiting it to Sachi a long time ago, thinking that the shy girl might enjoy it, since both Asuna and Kizmel seemed to have taken a liking to it. The fencer was a given, considering her love of baths and bathhouses, but the real surprise had been Kizmel, as it had been the first time the dark elf had encountered human winter sports. Skiing and ice-skating had been new to her, and so it had been no big surprise when she'd suggested returning here for some respite.

Not like it isn't well-deserved, he thought to himself as his eyes closed and he imagined the steam rising from the water around him. We've been going at a pretty fast pace for the last six months or so. A week and a half per floor at most...I wonder how long we can keep it up.

Kirito let his mind drift off from concerns about clearing, towards the topic of his partner. Kizmel was no less mysterious to him now than she had been when he'd first encountered her, and her becoming a player only added to the mystery and mystique. I didn't even know that was possible, but then I guess all the system had to do was reclassify her. I mean, the base system is there for all NPCs and mobs, so it wasn't a big move, but...

But why was the big, lingering question. What was there to gain or change from Kizmel being a player instead of an NPC, aside from the obvious benefits to his partner. Kayaba did everything for a reason; the man was a genius in almost everything he did, from game design to VR tech, and it seemed that every part leading up to trapping the initial ten thousand players in SAO had been meticulously planned for.

Unless Kizmel was something he didn't plan for, Kirito concluded. Who thinks that a game NPC suddenly becomes a sentient AI? And all because Asuna decided to help her and throw herself into a fight I thought we couldn't win.

A chuckle rose from his throat at the memory. I was so convinced we couldn't save her. I tried so many times in the beta, and still, Asuna wouldn't have any of it. Full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes. In a way, that had been the fencer's default setting since he'd met her in the labyrinth on the first floor over a year ago now. Everything she did, she committed to fully, without hesitation or second thoughts. The intensity of his erstwhile partner frightened him sometimes, but it was also what had driven him to help and guide her. It was what he had seen from that first Linear, shining like a comet in the darkness, that he had hoped would lead them all out of this death game. It was something he saw in himself sometimes, but packaged along with the leadership qualities and charisma he never had.

It almost seems like she can bend this game to her will at times. The sound of water splashing drew his attention from thoughts of the brunette, and he sighed at the loss of privacy, wondering who else would be coming to the bathhouse at this time of day. I wonder if it's Agil, or Klein, or-

"My, my, that's a thoughtful smile on yer face. Thinking saucy things about Kii-chan just behind the wall?"

Kirito's eyes snapped open immediately at Argo's teasing voice, reflexively pushing himself back until he felt the rough stone of the natural spring against his back. "Argo!" he hissed, zeroing in on the cackling blonde as she sat on the edge of the water, legs splashing around merrily. "What are you doing in here?"

"It's a mixed-bath, Kii-bou," the self-styled Rat retorted, whiskers shifting merrily. "Just 'cause ya decided to take a separate one from A-chan and Kii-chan, doesn't mean it's guys-only."

"I know that, but why aren't you over there, with them?"

Argo slid fully into the water, the splash and steam somewhat hiding her light blue swimsuit. "What, I would almost think you aren't happy ta see me, Kii-bou. I'm hurt!"

In response, Kirito slid down deeper into the water of the pool, until his chin touched the water, hoping it would hide his blush. It wasn't as good a decision as he'd thought it would be, he found out a moment later, when his legs bumped against Argo's, causing the info-broker to giggle and grin mischievously. She slid underwater and emerged next to him, lounging casually against the edge of the spring. "And after I came all this way to deliver your order, too. No reason I can't combine business with pleasure," the blonde practically purred.

"My...order?" Oh. That. "You found something?" he asked, embarrassment forgotten.

"Mhmm." She nodded, teasing grin suddenly gone and replaced with a serious demeanor. "That thing you asked me ta look into? I've got a few leads."

Kirito let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "Okay. How much do I owe you, and what do you have?"

"Twenty-thousand, Kii-bou. Not because I'm milking this for profit, but because I had ta pay off a lot of people ta get this info."

"Okay." Knowing that this was too serious a matter for the Rat to try and make light or profit from it, he opened his menu and opened up a trade window with an offer of thirty thousand Cor.

"I know you're not hard of hearing, Kii-bou."

"Take it as hazard bonus. Just in case." He glanced over at her. "And as payment for another favor. Stay away from them as far as you can."

"Kii-bou-"

"I appreciate you getting me this info, and I know it was dangerous, but I feel bad enough you had to go take this risk. PoH and his group don't mess around, Argo. They enjoy killing, and if you get in their way..." he shrugged helplessly. "I can't guarantee I can protect anyone else if they decide to come after you. I don't even know if I can protect myself."

She stared at him intently, before nodding sharply. "All right, I won't go digging any further on my own. But I know enough, Kii-bou. If anything happens, or anyone comes asking questions..."

"I get it."

"You're not alone in this, ya know?" she asked, tone suddenly gentle. "A-chan would drop everything and come to help you and Kii-chan anytime. I can help, too. I still owe ya one for that save on the fifth floor. And I'm sure there's a bunch of others that'll have your back, if you'll let them."

Kirito sighed as his spine stiffened and his tone hardened. "I know. But the last time others got involved, they got killed. I'm not letting that happen again."

"So you're gonna go after a group of PKers alone? With just Kii-chan for backup?" the blonde asked skeptically.

"If I have to." That, and he didn't know if anyone else, even if they wanted to help, would be ready to actually go through with it and stop PoH and his cohorts...permanently. It was one thing to think of this as some sort of high-stakes PvP match in a game, but the consequences were very real...and very fatal.

Hell, I don't even know if I can go through with it if I had to. No, that wasn't entirely correct, he realized. There was one time he had been ready to end them all, and damn the consequences, and that had been immediately after the Black Cats had been murdered and XaXa had come within a hair's breadth of killing his partner.

Seeing the multitude of emotions flashing across his face, Argo paused, and he was glad for it, because he couldn't really keep up this facade in front of her for very long. Argo could read him too well, and, aside from Asuna and Kizmel, was the one who probably knew him best. She could tell Kirito was terrified of going up against PoH again, of coming face to face with someone who relished killing and exuded the kind of calm terror that the poncho-wearing murderer did, but it was also something Kirito knew he couldn't really leave to anyone else. There was no police to call, and the few adults that were caught in SAO, well...they weren't exactly police, either.

Here, everyone was a gamer, on mostly even footing. There was a part of him, a dark part that had slowly festered and grown since his first confrontation with PoH on the fifth floor, that was equal parts protective towards his friends and equal parts rage at the man. Part of that was also the knowledge that, aside from Heathcliff, Asuna, and perhaps a handful of other select players, no one was a high enough level to be a threat to PoH or XaXa, or anyone else they had gathered around themselves. They fought unlike everything else in Aincrad, and regardless of what he'd told Kizmel about the advantages of being a higher level, they were good enough to make up a massive level gap; to the point that they'd even be a threat to a high-level clearer.

"You're such a guy sometimes, Kii-bou," Argo finally relented with an annoyed huff that had no heat behind it.

He simply shrugged in response, having no answer to that, nor did it seem like she was expecting one. "So, what did you find?"

"I didn't find PoH, if that's what yer asking. They've been keeping a low profile. There's a few MPKs and a couple of close calls that might have been them, but nothing I was able ta confirm." She held up a hand to stave off his interjection. "Lemme finish. I did manage to confirm that they're operating somewhere around the mid-levels. Floor twenty-five to thirty-five. And I've tracked down some suspicious activity you might want ta look into."

"Okay?"

"I don't think PoH is interested in clearing his orange state, and we know at least some of the guys with him can't - that orange cursor is permanent for a PK, remember?" When he nodded, Argo cleared her throat and continued. "And I don't think him or the rest of his group are going to care much, but it means they also can't get into towns to resupply, and we know their core group is all orange."

Kirito frowned. "That means they're getting their food and equipment from elsewhere."

"Bingo," the blonde winked at him, before sobering again. "There's a bunch of other criminal guilds that've sprung up lately. Unavoidable side-effect of civilization, I guess. But anyway, some of them have non-criminal players helping them."

"To go into town and buy things," he nodded in understanding. "But why would anyone actually help orange players?"

Argo shrugged. "Beats me. The thrill of it? Threats? Blackmail? Friendship? Who knows. But the important thing is, I have a couple of leads on people that might be handling their supplies. There's an orange guild run by a girl called Gwen that's been going around stealing rare items, either by KSing or outright theft. Word is they don't make as much profit as they should, and some of their members have been seen in the woods with some suspicious folk."

"Just the one?"

"There's a couple of others, but nothing I can really pin down," Argo said quietly. "Might be individuals running errands for them, but that's the biggest lead I've got for you. I'd keep an eye out around the thirtieth floor, and I'll keep my ears open. If I hear about anything going down, I'll let you know."

Kirito nodded quietly, sinking back down into the warm water in thought. If we can find out who's supplying them, maybe we can find where they're hiding when they hand the supplies over. And then... he shrugged silently. Take them captive? Throw them into prison?

He'd heard rumors that the remnants of the ALS had finally merged with the MMO Today guild on the lower floors in order to provide some kind of stability and peacekeeping among the players who'd chosen to stay behind - and those who'd come back down to prey on them. Gossip said they were setting up the prison underneath Black Iron Palace to keep criminals in until the game could be beaten, so maybe that was an option.

But the same problem remained as the first time they'd openly clashed with PoH and his cohorts. What if they didn't surrender? Short of paralysis poison, there was no real way to immobilize or disarm someone in SAO, which left very little options to capture them alive. Which means that whoever's going after them needs to be ready to kill.

He shuddered at the thought, feeling cold despite the steaming hot water.

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