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Chapter Text

June 5, 2022 – Malfoy Manor

Lucius Malfoy fumed silently as he appeared inside Malfoy manor, his cloak still swirling from the twist-step of apparition. Not only had his efforts he had begun to discredit the headmaster been scuttled, but the entire series of events had ended up drawing the man’s attention to him. That the Potter brat had demonstrated some basic cunning in depriving him of a servant was salt in the wound. Such a thing would never had occurred if he had been less distracted.

Still, not everything had gone badly. He had confirmation that the diary the Dark Lord had entrusted him with was far more dangerous than it seemed, and that it had been disposed of. Had the events played out as planned and Weasley been discredited, it would have been a happy bonus. Still, better it had not succeeded. Given what some of the headmaster’s statements implied, he had a fair idea of what the diary had actually been, which was concerning in and of itself. There were some magics and rituals which even practitioners of the Dark Arts did not do, and even considered taboo.

Either way, that was a matter for the future. Now he had to find another way to keep Albus Dumbledore distracted, and perhaps a means of removing Potter from the picture for a time.

Several hours later, he thought he might have found a method. Several of his agents had fingers in muggle pies, and their reports frequently included information they thought might become relevant. Apparently, the Japanese muggles had developed some kind of illusory world generator that could fool all the senses simultaneously. He didn’t understand all the jargon included, but the gist was clear to him, provided that the information was correct. He made a note to get more information, and to remind that contact, again, to make sure that technical terms were accompanied by a definition.

He didn’t share Arthur Weasley’s fascination with muggles and their technology, but that did not mean that he was ignorant of developments in the muggle world. His father, Abraxas, had warned him that muggles can come up with surprises, and he used the example of the global conflict which had lasted from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s to make that clear; a lesson made especially effective since the magical world had been fighting its own war at the time. The number of witches and wizards killed by “mere” muggle weapons had been frightening enough. The devastation of Japan’s magical community by the muggle “newks” was oil on the fire.

Many of those hundreds of thousands of deaths could have been avoided had the wizards and witches merely maintained an awareness of the muggle world and thus stayed out of the way of muggle armies doing their best to destroy each other. As it stood, mainland Europe’s magical population, only numbering a few million at the time, had taken nearly half a century to recover.

Since then, he made sure to keep abreast of developments, mostly political and economic, within the muggle world. Some developments may indicate opportunities, after all, and at the very least, he kept informed. Knowledge and information were a power of their own to be used, after all.

And this latest bit of information presented an opportunity for him to distract one thorn in his side, while removing a potential future thorn for the time being. He would have to wait for more information.

It would be two weeks before more information came from his contact, and he had to give the man who sent it to him credit, he was thorough. This technology, called the Nerve Gear, created an artificial reality for whomever was using it and had just finished being developed. It was being released for limited testing in Japan before going public later in the year, and that was evidently a highly anticipated event.

Apparently, the technology was also the main thing to be used in a game which multiple people would be able to play together regardless of where they were. The fact that it would render the user completely unaware of anything going on outside of it held intriguing possibilities. He glanced over the information again and noted that the date all of this was to go public was to be late in October, with the game itself going live either at the end of October, or early in November.

Plenty of time for him to arrange things.

July 15, 2022 – Malfoy Manor

“Thank you for coming so promptly,” Lucius said to his guest, gesturing for the man to sit down at an available chair. He poured himself some brandy and glanced at the man, who waved off the unspoken offer.

“An opportunity for my family to repay a debt owed, Lord Malfoy, is not an opportunity lightly ignored.” The man replied with an American drawl as he sat down. “The Wainwrights owed the Malfoys for generations, so an opportunity to repay it is well appreciated. I hope you don’t mind if I retain my anonymity, it’s best if you don’t know my precise identity.”

Lucius nodded. The Wainwrights were well known internationally on both sides of the law, and while dealing with them was not illegal per se, there was a certain attention paid to those who retained their services. “A debt of this magnitude is not lightly called in, but I needed someone both discrete and familiar with the Masquerade on an international level, conditions your family fulfills nicely.”

The man smiled. “Something that involves both worlds,” he commented. “Interesting, considering how isolated the British magical community is from our perspective.” His gaze sharpened. “Why don’t you explain what exactly it is you require?”

Lucius nodded and decided that it was time to get to the point. He handed a neatly bound stack of parchment to the man. “I need someone to disappear and be kept occupied for an indeterminate amount of time.” He replied. “Doing so will… well the whys and wherefores aren’t really relevant.”

His guest looked at him, one eyebrow raised. “Got a name?”

“Harry Potter.”

The man’s other eyebrow joined its brother at his hairline. “The Boy-Who-Lived? He’s still a minor, Lord Malfoy, so I do hope you want him kept alive, or whatever deal you struck is out of the question.”

“I am well aware of your family’s stance regarding children and anything which is designed to cause them intentional harm, Mr. Wainwright,” Lucius replied smoothly. “I just want the boy out of the country and preferably on the other side of the world. The information in that stack of parchment I provided to you may explain some more.”

The man nodded and then began to look over the parchment sheets. Lucius patiently waited, sipping his drink. After a few minutes, the man put the sheets down.

“So,” Mr. Wainwright said. “You want us to kidnap a boy who is not yet thirteen, take him to Japan, and basically distract him with this technology and the expected game to be released with it? And have all of this prior to the release?” Lucius nodded. Mr. Wainwright returned his eyes to the parchment before clicking his tongue. “Doable, if complex. How above board do you want this to be done?”

“As above board as practicable, Mr. Wainwright,” he replied. “I want this operation successful, and having it fail due to a minor being missed in the shuffle is unacceptable.”

Mr. Wainwright nodded. “Is there any more information you have, then, on Mr. Potter? His location and any security?”

Lucius smiled, knowing that they wouldn’t be asking for more information if they weren’t going to take the job. “Indeed I do, Mr. Wainwright.”

July 30, 2022 – Little Whinging, Surrey

Richard Wainwright gazed calmly at his unconscious target while the rest of his team quickly checked the area and sanitized any signs of their presence. He had to admit, for a boy who had only just turned thirteen, he had put up one hell of a fight. Richard had figured on this being a relatively easy swoop, but if they’d had just a little more trouble going through the wards, this could have ended very differently. A single mistake would have had Dumbledore and the Ministry on them in minutes, and the boy might have slipped through their fingers.

Still, he thought. Dumbledore was a bit too clever for his own good here. Relying solely on blood wards and probably a sentrywas foolish, especially if someone was willing to take their time to prepare. Making the arrangements to spirit the boy out of England would have taken some time regardless, so he had used that time to work out how to bypass the wards and get the rest of the boy’s family out of the way for their little snatch and grab. The fewer potential witnesses, the better.

Still, aside from the boy putting up more of a fight than expected, things had gone well so far; he wouldn’t be satisfied that things were well on their way until they started moving and put some distance from their current location, though. “Carlisle, we done?” He asked a member of his team.

“Just finished, boss,” A woman responded.

“Good, then let’s go. I want to be out of Surrey and on our boat waiting in Ramsgate yesterday.”

The rest of his team nodded and quickly reached for their portkeys, Carlisle taking a brief second to pin one on their target, Harry Potter. Thirty seconds later, they were gone, and less than an hour later, their boat was already crossing the Channel, well on its way to the French coastline. They disembarked the boat in southern Normandy a few hours later, before taking a series of portkeys to Marseille, where they began to split up.

Albus Dumbledore would know within an hour of their leaving England that Harry was missing. He would follow their movements to France before the first false trail was laid in Marseille. It would take two days for the initial bout of false trails to be realized, but by then, half a dozen more had been laid and Harry was no longer in Europe.

By the time Harry was found in Japan, several months later, it would be impossible to return him to England.

Chapter Text

November 6, 2022 – Setagaya Ward, Tokyo

Harry woke up when one of his captors knocked on his door. Glancing at the clock, he noted that it was about eight in the morning as he got up from the futon that he had slept in. Slowly stretching he walked over to the dresser where he kept his glasses and put them on before getting his clothes for the day out and gathered them. He had a few minutes before one of his captors came in and escorted him to bathe and then eat. It was a routine he had been doing for the last several weeks, after arriving in Japan, but being escorted by one of his captors had been the case since the first day. While they had allowed him the illusion of privacy for things such as bathing and sleeping, he knew full well that they were discretely watching him even then.

It didn’t take him long to realize that trying to escape, especially since they kept possession of his wand, was a waste of his time and effort. They even sparingly used magic and potions to keep him in line during their travels, entering the various countries legitimately and with proper documentation. He could legitimately answer that in the space of a couple of months, he had “seen” nine different countries on three continents due to the route they took, and did so legally, aside from the fact that he had been an unwilling companion to the group he traveled with. His passport had the stamps to prove it, though he wondered how they had managed to get a legitimate one for him in a short period of time, and had gotten a relatively current picture of him to have on it.

He could have sworn he saw the Weasley family at one point when they stopped in Egypt, but his captors quickly had him moving on and he was soon on his way further east before he could confirm it, or do anything else if it had been them he saw.

Another knock sounded. “You decent in there, kid?” A woman’s voice asked.

“And if I wasn’t, Ms. Carlisle?” He called back.

The woman opened the door and walked in. “Then I would be getting a show,” she replied, amused. “Not that you have much to show right now. Anyway, time to clean up.”

Harry blushed and placed his clothes into a basket with his bathing supplies. “I’m only thirteen.” He told her. “Isn’t that a bit young for you?”

His only reply was a chuckle as the woman gestured for him to go ahead of her. Walking out of the room, he immediately headed to the bathroom to take care of his morning business.

An hour later he sat at the low table, a kotatsu if he remembered correctly, in the dining room and looked at the food available. It was simple, with miso soup, a fried egg on rice, and those fermented beans which he would rather not eat, with milk to wash it all down with. He also saw a couple of apples available. All in all, not much different from the usual fare he had been eating over the last few weeks.

Sighing, he began to eat, taking his time in the, admittedly pointless, hope of disrupting whatever schedule they may have lined up for him today. Given that they had been spending weeks shoving the Japanese language into his skull with magic, alongside getting him up to speed on muggle computers and that Nerve Gear device, and hammering into his skull the “official” story of why he was in Japan, he was expecting more of the same.

Ms. Carlisle, seeming to read his mind gave him an amused smile. “Take your time, kid,” she told him. “There’s not much for us to do today.”

Harry paused his eating and looked at her curiously. “Would it be too much to think you’re finally letting me go, or at least giving me my wand back?” He asked her.

She snorted. “We’re not doing that,” she replied cheerfully. “Today we double check the calibrations on your Nerve Gear and get you into SAO the second it goes live.”

Harry blushed at the word “calibrations”. They had insisted on doing so rather thoroughly the first time, and Ms. Carlisle loved teasing him about that, saying that he was going to make some girl happy in the future. He then realized what she said afterward. “So that is today?”

“Indeed it is, Mr. Potter,” can a man’s voice from the door.

Harry turned to the man who had led the group that captured him and gave him a half-heartedly sullen look. “And a good morning to you, Mr. Wainwright.” He said sourly.

Mr. Wainwright simply nodded to him, “Good morning as well, Mr. Potter.” He replied as if Harry's tone didn't negate the pleasantry. It was a routine the two of them had since two weeks after his abduction. Harry would give him a sullen greeting, and the man would respond as if nothing was amiss, keeping a polite and professional façade on at all times.

After the meal ended, Harry piled his dishes together and took them to the kitchen. Placing them in the sink to be washed later, he turned and headed back to the dining room. Sitting down at the kotatsu, he watched as Ms. Carlisle poured some tea for everyone and placed a cup in front of him.

“Now, Mr. Potter,” Mr. Wainwight said. “As Ms. Carlisle told you, Sword Art Online goes live today this afternoon. We will be double checking the calibrations, running some diagnostics, and then you will be spending the rest of the day in Sword Art Online. We will have you logout at around seven for dinner, and you will be allowed to either go back into the game, do something else, or go to bed as you see fit. Are there any questions?”

Harry shook his head. “No,” he replied. “Given that you’ve been getting me ready for this for the last few weeks, I might as well see what it’s all about.” He frowned. “Still, you all went through a lot of trouble, just to get me here, and all for this.”

Richard gave a thin smile. “Our client wanted us to, and I will admit, I am curious about all of this as well.”

Harry snorted. “I find it odd that your client even pays attention to the muggle world, let alone keeps up with technology developments.”

“You would be surprised, Mr. Potter, at how many in the magical world do pay attention to developments in the muggle world, including developments in technology.” Mr. Wainwright answered easily. “Those developments may sometimes lead to opportunities.” He smiled again. “Also, I have no doubt that you are interested as well.”

Harry nodded, grudgingly acknowledging the truth of that. It all still seemed like a complicated effort to get him out of the way, and keep him too busy to try and return to back to Britain. At the same time, it would be a break from the tedium of having to learn not only the language, but also how to use the technology.

Magic may have helped with the former, even if it had given him enough headaches to go through Madam Pomfrey’s entire supply of headache potions. It had gotten him to the point where he could speak the language fittingly for his age, if not quite read it as well. He was fine with hiragana and katakana, but kanji was giving him trouble.

However, magic did nothing for the latter, mostly because even his captors had only a limited knowledge of the technology. They knew what computers and the internet were, and how to use them to a degree, Ms. Carlisle more than Mr. Wainwright. However, being magical themselves, they didn’t make much use of muggle technologies unless necessary, mostly because they had perfectly usable alternatives that they were accustomed to using. Given that the Nerve Gear was new technology, they were also learning alongside him.

Still, he was going to be in this Sword Art Online this afternoon, and after everything he went through, it had better be worth it. He just hoped there wasn’t a catch involved that would cock up everything.

That would just be his luck.

Aincrad, 1st Floor, Town of Beginnings

Harry opened his eyes and looked at what would be his surroundings for the foreseeable future, or at least the next few hours after his avatar finished materializing. “Whoa,” he said. “This is supposed to be a game?” He looked around in amazement and saw people of all ages, though most seemed to average in their late teens to early twenties, and a surprising number of girls. Given what little he knew of gaming, he was fairly sure that more than a fair number of them were guys. Why they would play a game that simulated reality as the opposite gender, he could guess, but he had no inclination to stir that cauldron when he could customize his appearance.

He had gone with a look that was reasonably close to his own appearance, same hair and eye color, but little taller, a bit more muscular, but still close to his own appearance. It also meant that he wouldn’t have trouble adjusting. The little bit of prior experience from calibrating the Nerve Gear and using some of the included software, made him realize that the closer to what you really were, at least in body type and size, the easier things were.

He took another look at his surroundings and decided to look around the town. He had no idea what he should do at this point, aside learning how to play the game, but a little exploring around the town wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. This way he would know where things are.

He brought up the menu, the required hand position and gesture having been clearly explained in the manual that he had been forced to read, and browsed through it. He brought up his status menu, inventory, and even the map several times so that he would remember how to do so later. After playing with the menu for a few more minutes, he dismissed it and walked off into the town.

It was about an hour later when he bumped into someone, or to be more accurate she bumped into him. One second he was looking around, and the next, he was on the ground. Outside of feeling something, it wasn’t painful, so he could chalk up pain as thankfully not being a part of the game. It still knocked the breath out of him.

He looked at who bumped into him and noticed it was a girl who was looking a little dazed, as if she didn’t expect to run into someone in the literal sense. He took a look at her, noticing her features, or at least the features she decided to have in the game. She had decided on an avatar which was slightly shorter than he would be in the real world, with moderately long blonde hair tied up in twin tails, and violet eyes. Add in the white shirt, brown skirt, simple armor over it and what looked like a dagger, it was rather cute.

“Sorry about that,” he said apologetically. “I wasn’t paying attention.” He stood up and held his hand out to her to help her up.

She blinked and then reddened in embarrassment before allowing him to help her back to her feet. “Oh, umm, it’s nothing, really.” She replied shyly.

“Still, my apologies, Miss-”

“Kei- Silica,” she replied, correcting herself from probably telling him her real name. “My name is Silica.”

He smiled. “Well then, Miss Silica, call me Hadrian, or if you want, Harry.” He had picked a name which his own could be used as a diminutive for, deciding that having to remember a completely different name with no relation to his own would be more trouble than it was worth. That and he could probably convince them to use ‘Harry’, without letting on that it was his actual name.

“Ok, Hadrian.” She shuffled slightly. “Um, can I ask what you were doing?”

Harry shrugged. “I was simply looking around the town, deciding to see where everything was before I went outside and fought a few monsters.” He put his hand on the plain sword his avatar had. “I figured I would learn how to use this.”

“Oh,” she replied. “Well, can I come with you around the town, at least? It’s bigger than I thought.” She fidgeted a little. “The idea of fighting the monsters looks a little scary, though.”

He chuckled a little at the idea of being scared fighting the monsters, though he could understand her point. He had seen, and in some cases fought, some of the things that exist in the real world, and going up against those things had been scary. He would know, given how much terror he had felt when being confronted by acromantulas, or fighting a basilisk. Everything here might not be real, but there was a difference between seeing something charging on a screen, and seeing it actually charge you.

It may be a virtual world, but the first few times would probably come as a bit of a surprise to people, as they would be seeing these things up close and personal.

Silica’s cheeks puffed out in irritation. “It’s not funny!” She said as she stomped her foot.

Harry simply smiled. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I wasn’t laughing at you.” He turned and looked back at her. Why not? He thought to himself. “So, want to look around town for a bit?” He asked her.

Silica smiled and nodded.

The two of them would spend an enjoyable few hours exploring the Town of Beginnings, from the Black Iron Palace that was in the center of the town, to a few of the markets, where they browsed the wares. Harry began to think that calling it a town was a bit misleading; it was closer in size to that of a small city. The shops definitely reflected that in the variety of goods available, which ranged from the inexpensive to the moderately expensive. While some of the equipment available looked intriguing, the prices were outside of what he could reliably afford and still have enough col, the currency of SAO, for other things, like potions and such. Given that they were given a starting allowance of 2500 col, and the cheapest weapon or armor piece that would be noticeably better than what they started with cost around 2400 col, he decided that it was better to hold off for now.

Harry had insisted on getting a few more health potions when they stopped at a stand selling them for less than the price at some of the other shops, though. When Silica asked him why, he simply replied, “Well, I did say I was going to head outside the town. If you’re not, you don’t need to, but still get a few just in case. Besides, these are the same potions we could get at another store, but are being sold cheaper here.” He showed that they were being sold for 90 col, rather than the 120 col some of the other shops were selling them for. Looking around, he saw a stall selling some food. “Anyway, want to get a snack?”

Silica blinked. “They sell food here?” Harry pointed out the stall he noticed to her. “Okay.”

They both walked over to the stall and browsed what was for sale. Apparently it sold various breads for a relatively low cost, the most expensive item on the menu was 50 col. Harry perused the available breads before requesting a dark bread and tea to with which to wash it down, while Silica went with a sweet bread and juice.

Biting into the bread, he mused the flavor. If he were to compare it, it tasted similar to rye bread, if not quite the same. The tea he had to wash it down was slightly more bitter than any English tea, but wasn’t quite like some of the Japanese teas he had been drinking for the last few weeks. If he were to sum up the tastes, he would say that they were close, but not quite the same, as if something was missing. It seemed that the virtual world couldn’t fully duplicate the sensations of reality.

“Oh!” Silica exclaimed, her food untouched, though he noticed that she had finished her drink. “It’s almost time for me to log off and get ready for dinner.” She gave Harry an apologetic look. “Sorry, but I have to go, and I still have homework to finish.”

Harry looked at the time and saw that it read 17:22, which surprised him a little. “Huh, I’ve been on for about four hours myself.” He said. “I know I have a couple more hours before I have to log off, but now would be as good a time as any for me as well.” He smiled at her. “Want to call it a day?”

She nodded, if a bit reluctantly. “Yeah, I guess we should.” She was about to open her menu to log out when she had an idea. “Wait, maybe we can add each other to our Friends List.”

Harry quirked an eyebrow. “Friends List?”

Silica nodded. “Yeah!” She exclaimed. “I read up on it while I was waiting for the game to go live. It allows players to remain in contact and know if others that they know are online and where they are.”

Harry blinked. He hadn’t thought of that. He didn’t know how much longer he would be in Japan before Dumbledore finally tracked him down, but he was going to be spending a lot of time in the game for the foreseeable future. Having someone to play the game with, even if it was only a few times, would be nice.

He smiled. “Sure,” he replied. He opened his menu and realized that he didn’t exactly remember what to do. “Um, how do we do this?” He asked with some embarrassment. “I don’t think I looked up how when I was reading up on the game. Or found it when I was playing with the menu earlier.”

Silica giggled and then went through the process, explaining what she was doing. Before long, Harry saw a message saying that she wanted to add him as a friend. Pressing the button that would acknowledge it, he then browsed his menu and noticed that she had already been added to his list. He looked back at her and noticed that she had a confused expression on her face as she looked at her menu.

“Silica?” He asked.

She looked at him. “Um, Hadrian, can you check and see if you have a Logoff button?”

Confused, he went back to his menu and browsed through it. “That can’t be right.” He said simply, looking back at her as he suddenly had a foreboding feeling.

The Logoff button was missing.

He absently heard the bell chime the half-hour before they were both engulfed in light.

Aincrad, 1st Floor – Plaza in front of the Black Iron Palace

Harry blinked to clear the spots in his eyes as the effects of the forced teleport dissipated and looked around. He could see dozens, if not hundreds of other players looking around in confusion. His eyes widened as he quickly looked for Silica, who had been near him when they were teleported. Spotting her, he quickly walked over to her.

“Silica, are you alright?” He asked.

She turned and looked at him and sighed in relief. “Hadrian, what’s happening?” She asked nervously.

He frowned. “I don’t know,” he replied. “One second we were in a market on the north side, and now we’re here.” He could already see some players already beginning to get nervous. Grabbing Silica’s hand, he made his way to the edge of the crowd and started making his way around the edges to the back of it. He was tempted to use one of the exits to leave, but he noticed a couple of people get stopped by some barrier as they tried to do the same, keeping them in the plaza.

He let go of Silica’s hand after they were behind the majority of the crowd. He noticed a man with apparently black hair and eyes look like he had calmed his companion, a man with pink hair of all things, down. He decided to take a chance and approached the two of them, Silica closely following him. “Any idea what is going on?” He asked the man with black hair.

The man shook his head in the negative and was about to reply when a sound came from above. Looking up they saw a hexagon with the words “System Announcement” on it, before the shape multiplied and took up the entire sky, staining it red. “I think we’re about to find out.” The man said simply.

When he saw the sky apparently start bleeding and the “blood” converge on one place to take the form of a figure in a red cloak, Harry felt a pit form in his stomach. He also felt Silica brush up against him and a quick glance down to her showed that her nervousness was beginning to morph into actual fear. He put a hand on her shoulder and hoped that it would calm her as the figure spoke.

“Attention players,” the figure said. “I am Akihiko Kayaba and I welcome you to my world.”

“His world?” Harry asked to himself absently as he remembered just who it was who was responsible for the development of the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online.

“You all may have noticed that the option to log out is no longer in your menu.” The figure continued. “This is not a bug or defect. I repeat, this is not a bug or defect. This is an intended feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out of Sword Art Online, and you cannot be logged out, either.

“If someone tries to remove or shut down the Nerve Gear, it will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and ending your life. I had sent this warning out and, unfortunately, the friends and families of several players have ignored it.” Several screens popped up out of nowhere, all of them seeming to be showing various news feeds. “Due to this, two hundred and thirteen players are now gone from Aincrad, and from the real world.”

Two hundred and thirteen people are dead? Harry thought in shock. No way.

“As you can see, news organizations all around Japan and the world are reporting this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the Nerve Gear being removed is now minimal. Before you worry about your bodies, your families, friends, and the government if necessary, have been notified. They have two weeks to make arrangements for your care, and during that time, the window for being disconnected has been extended to facilitate that.

“I hope that you will relax and attempt to clear the game, but I want you all to remember this: there is no longer a way to revive players. If your HP drops to zero, you die in both the game, and the real world. There is only one way to escape, beat the game. You are all currently on the first floor of Aincrad. If you defeat the boss on a floor, you can advance to the next floor. Reach the one hundredth floor and defeat the final boss, and you will clear the game. Finally, I have added a little present to your inventories. Please, take a look.”

Harry opened his menu, almost as if his body was doing so automatically, and found the item. “A mirror?” He asked. Absently, he pressed the name and brought it out. Looking into it, he saw not the face of his avatar, but his own. He was briefly blinded as his body was engulfed in light. Blinking the spots out, again, he looked around and saw that everyone in his vicinity had changed in appearance, as he probably did..

“Hadrian?” He heard Silica ask.

He looked and saw a girl with brown hair and reddish-brown eyes, wearing the same clothing and armor that Silica had. “Silica, is that you?” She nodded.

He heard more than a few exclamations of surprise, many of them along the lines of “You aren’t a girl?!” He snorted in amusement at that, finding a bit of grim humor in the situation.

“What’s going on?” Silica asked.

The black haired man, now a boy not much older than Harry, looked at them and then turned his gaze back towards Kayaba.

“I think he’s about to tell us.” He said.

“All of you are probably asking this question right now,” Kayaba said. “Why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, the developer of the Nerve Gear and creator of Sword Art Online do this? I will tell you.

“I created all of this so that I may have a world I created to call my own; a world, which I can intervene in. With the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online, I have accomplished that. As I said earlier, if you want to leave, you must beat the game.” Kayaba’s figure began to dissipate into smoke. “This concludes the tutorial of Sword Art Online. I wish you all luck in your endeavors. Farewell.” Kayaba’s figure finished dissipating and the red sky returned to the blue it had been before all of this.

“No,” Silica whispered, a panicked tone entering her voice. “This, this can’t be happening.”

Harry quickly grabbed her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Silica, let’s go,” he said as he quickly and guided her out of the plaza as he began to see people react. One or two kept hunting through their menus, looking for an option no longer there. Some were talking amongst themselves, several reassuring each other this was in fact some kind of joke. One or two were doing what he was trying to do... act.

Because even now, some were accepting the situation. And while many began to take action, most were giving in to something more primal: panic. He had seen fear spread like a wildfire in a crowd before, and he doubted that panic was any different.

The two of them kept going until they reached an alley. Harry noted that they weren’t the only two there, the black haired boy and the man from before were there as well. Since they looked like they were discussing something, he left them to it and directed his attention to Silica.

“Silica,” he said gently. “Silica, look at me.” He quickly realized that she wasn’t paying attention, simply muttering to herself that the situation they were in couldn’t be happening. He tried to get her attention a couple more times before she registered that he was trying to get her attention. Her eyes were still full of fear when she looked at him, but her panic was beginning to fade.

“Hadrian, are we really trapped here?” She asked. “Is everything he said, true? If we die here, we die for real?”

Harry considered telling her that Kayaba was lying, that the man was simply playing a horrible joke on them all. He didn’t even know if what the man was telling was the truth, after all. However, he also didn’t know that he wasn’t.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “He could have been, and it sounds possible.” He knew that those were not the words Silica wanted to hear, but he also wouldn’t lie to her. He didn’t know enough about how the technology worked, but it sounded possible, given his admittedly limited knowledge.

Silica closed her eyes and ran to him, burying her face into his chest. “I want to be back in Nerima,” she said as she started to cry. “I want my mom and dad. I want this to just be a nightmare. I want to go home.”

Harry looked down awkwardly as he realized that he now had a crying girl in his arms. He didn’t know what to do and looked around frantically to see if someone had some idea of what he should do. Damn it, I wish Hermione was here. He thought. She would know what to do. There wasn’t anyone else around, save for…

“Hey, you two, you okay?” A man’s voice asked.

He turned his head and looked at the man who asked the question. From the look, it was the guy who had pink, if now brown, hair. He didn’t see the other person. He shrugged and looked down at the still crying Silica. “What do you think?” He asked sarcastically.

The man winced. “Ah, yeah, sorry about that.” He said apologetically.

Harry shrugged. “It’s not your fault.” He looked past the man. “Where’s your friend?”

“He went ahead,” The man replied. “He’s a beta tester and knows what to do.” He grinned. “He taught me a few things until all of this happened. He offered to take me with him, but my friends are probably back at the plaza.”

Harry nodded. “You just can’t leave them behind.”

The man nodded. “Damn straight.”

“Good. I would ask if I could join you; I need to learn how to fight. But I think she needs someone to look after her.” He looked back down at Silica. “She’s not taking it well.”

The man nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. What’ll you do?”

Harry shrugged. “Find a place to stay for now, I guess.” He replied. “It’s getting late anyway.” He opened his menu and pulled up the map. “Let’s see,” he said as he looked at it. “If I remember right, this picture of a bed means a place to sleep.” He looked at where he and Silica were. “If we’re right here, then the nearest place is three blocks east and a block north. It even serves food, it seems.” He closed his map and looked back at the man. “I think I may have found a place, so I’m taking her there.”

The man smiled approvingly. “Good idea,” he said. “I’m going to go pick up my friends. Where was the place you found? Probably won’t hurt to have a place to crash for a few days.

Harry told him.

“Thanks. By the way, I’m Klein, what about you?”

“Hadrian, but call me Harry if you want to.”

Real World – Setagaya Ward, Tokyo

Richard Wainwright slowly drank his tea and looked at his plans for the next week as Ms. Carlisle monitored Harry. While the job of kidnapping the boy and taking him to Japan didn’t sit entirely well with him, his family had been contracted for it. Granted, they weren’t above doing so, usually when they were hired to remove someone from somewhere and place them into “protective custody”, or to blackmail someone for that matter, but they’ve done so for far more sinister reasons in the past, if not in generations.

They had stopped doing so after they had ended a brutal criminal war that had wiped out three magical clans and had reduced the other two, including the Wainwrights, to only a handful of members a couple of centuries ago. Since then, they had turned their efforts into keeping the magical underworld under some form of order, or as ordered as it ever got, while straddling the fine line between being legitimate and criminal themselves. They had also defined their stance on going after children: they won’t cause them any intentional harm.

Even unintentional harm, especially if it was fatal, would result in the one responsible being severely disciplined unless it could be conclusively proven that the unintended harm was outside of their control. He had seen one such incident and the man responsible for it would never walk again. They made no distinction on whether you were a family member, or simply a member of the organization in that regard.

If it hadn’t been for the family owing the Malfoy family a debt of honor, something they took very seriously, he wouldn’t have even considered taking the job. There were too many ways that things could have gone south and gotten the boy injured. Admittedly, the challenge of doing so, given that they had a short timeframe, and having to do it without Albus Dumbledore noticing, was one he enjoyed.

As it was, if Dumbledore tracked them down, they wouldn’t put up a fight, and simply hand the boy over. They knew the man’s reputation, and they knew that he could back it up in a fight. It wouldn’t stop him from telling the man, at length, just what mistakes he made with the boy’s security, however.

Fighting Albus Dumbledore was a losing proposition in any case. There were a few in the family that could do so with a fair chance at winning, but Richard knew full well that, while capable in his own right, he wasn’t one of them.

He absently turned the television on and watched as an urgent news broadcast interrupted some program. It took him a second to realize what it was about before his face paled. He was about to rush to where Ms. Carlisle and Harry were when the announcer laid out the next bombshell.

“I repeat,” The man on the TV said. “Do not try and remove the Nerve Gear from someone. We have gotten word that approximately two hundred people have died due to that. If you know someone who has a Nerve Gear and they are using it to play Sword Art Online, contact the authorities or the nearest hospital so that the person can be transported.”

He stood up as the message was repeated and made his way to the room where Harry was being kept. Ms. Carlisle. He noticed that she had a news feed up on a computer as she looked back to him, her face as pale as his.

“I see you already know,” he said simply. “Good. Look after him for now, I have a few calls to make before we get him to a hospital.” He felt the wards he had set to detect anyone magical who got close enough trigger. “And it seems that we have a visitor as well.” He sighed. “Of course.” He said resignedly.

“As if I needed this shit right now.” He muttered as he headed to the entrance.

Outside

Albus Dumbledore felt the wards trigger as he crossed them and nodded. Those who had Harry were not fools, and the presence of the subtle perimeter wards reaffirmed this. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had determined which group was behind Harry’s disappearance, he would have been worried about the warning.

It had taken Albus three months to track where Harry had been taken, and another month before he had the time, and went through the appropriate channels, to address this matter himself. He did not trust the Ministry to not make a cockup of this, especially with Cornelius Fudge as Minister and his suspicions of Lucius Malfoy’s involvement in this.

Cornelius was a competent, if easily pliable and manipulated, administrator. At least when there wasn’t a crisis of some sort; his current handling of Sirius Black’s escape from Azkaban being a prime example of how lacking his crisis management skills were. The man’s reaction to Albus notifying him that Harry had disappeared, though he was apparently fine, had not helped matters. Cornelius had panicked and was more than willing to lay the blame on Black for this. However, given that periodic, and verified sightings of Sirius Black continued, that was unlikely. Furthermore, the methods of the kidnappers had been too professional and too neat.

Lucius had the resources to hire such a group, and after the Chamber of Secrets incident, a reason to do so. However, Lucius being Lucius, there was no evidence to back it up.

It was two weeks after the incident, when his enquiries to some muggleborns and squibs who had entered the muggle civil service that he made on a hunch, had borne fruit. A Wainwright had been in England at the time and had apparently pushed the paperwork for Harry to be issued a passport through with unusual rapidity. The man had also left England the same day that Harry disappeared.

A possible oversight on the Wainwright’s part, but an understandable one. The Ministry of Magic wasn’t known for interacting and cooperating with the muggle government more than the bare minimum required by law. Then again, the Wainwright may have just not considered erasing those traces worth the bother, given that muggle records were increasingly not physical ones.

It was all moot, anyway. He was in Tokyo, and approaching where Harry was. He had forgone his usual robes for a simple suit, and some quick charms to make his beard seem smaller and more neatly trimmed in order to not stand out too much.

As he approached where Harry was, he saw a door open and a man simply wait at the threshold. There was a slightly wary and resigned look in the man’s posture, but there weren’t any tells that the man was going to cause trouble. As he approached the open entrance, the man looked at him and nodded.

“Professor Dumbledore, please come on in.” The man said.

Albus shook his head. “Can I at least have the name of the man inviting me in?” He asked pleasantly.

“Wainwright.” The man said simply.

Albus nodded and walked in as the man stepped aside. He kept his senses alert as the man shut the door, instincts that had served him well over his life letting him know where the man was and that he was not making any threatening moves.

He didn’t expect the man to. If the man intended, or even expected, a fight, he wouldn’t have given the invitation to enter. The Wainwrights observed and respected many old traditions, and one was to not initiate a fight when inviting someone in without cause.

“Professor,” Mr. Wainwright said. “I know why you are here, and sincerely wish you had gotten here this morning.”

Albus raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

The man sighed. “Our plans were to hand Mr. Potter over if you, or one of your representatives approached. However, a complication has arisen.”

“What kind of complication?” Albus asked.

“The kind that is outside of everyone’s control, and it means that we can’t hand him over to you.”

Albus fought down an urge to pull out his wand. “You had better explain to me why you can’t, Mr. Wainwright.” He told the man coldly.

“That is my intent, Professor Dumbledore,” the man replied. He then proceeded to explain the current situation, about the Nerve Gear, Sword Art Online, and what the creator of both had done, and that approximately two hundred people had died when those around them had tried to remove the Nerve Gear.

As the man explained, Albus began to feel his age as he realized the situation. Mr. Wainwright was correct in that, had he arrived a few hours earlier at the latest, this wouldn’t have happened. However, his busy schedule, the necessity of making sure he entered Japan legally and properly, and the time difference between Scotland and Japan, had made that impractical.

“Professor Dumbledore,” the man said. “Do you want me to take you to see him? We haven’t transferred him to a hospital yet, something I was going to do after I made a few other calls.”

“Please,” Albus replied, wanting to confirm things with his own eyes.

“Very well.” Mr. Wainwright led him to the room where Harry was. Albus noticed a woman sitting at a desk and working on some muggle device, a laptop computer if he recalled correctly.

“Boss,” she said, turning to him. “I think I got something. Also, who’s the old guy?”

Mr. Wainwright smiled. “Ms. Carlisle, allow me to introduce Professor Albus Dumbledore. He apparently decided to handle Mr. Potter’s retrieval on his own.”

Mr. Carlisle winced at that. “You tell him the situation?”

“Indeed, Ms. Carlisle.” Albus said with a calm he did not entirely feel. He looked down on Harry and saw the muggle device on his head. Mr. Wainwright was telling the truth in that regard at least, not that he expected the man to lie. “You said something?” He asked.

Ms. Carlisle brightened. “Oh yeah,” she said excitedly. “We can’t get him out, but I had a hunch and linked the laptop with an Ethernet cord. Since the hardware is still new, there isn’t really any built-in way to record what goes on it, so they set it up so that you can do so from a computer.” She showed them. “At least we can see what’s going on. It doesn’t seem to be coming from his eyes, but from an offset point over his shoulder.”

Albus looked at the screen, seeing what Harry was seeing as if he was looking over his shoulder. It wasn’t much, just Harry pulling out a chair for a girl to sit down on right now, but it was something. “How remarkable,” he said.

Ms. Carlisle nodded. “I was going to check and see if we could move the point of view around to get a better look at things next.”

Mr. Wainwright smiled. “Excellent work, Ms. Carlisle. Do so, and make sure you document it. When we notify the authorities, we should let them know about this. I don’t know how long it will be until Kayaba closes that option off, but until, or if, he does a means exists for those of us on the outside to see what is going on.” He considered something. “Do we have audio?”

Ms. Carlisle nodded. “I have it turned down for now, but yeah. I’ll turn it back up in a bit so we can hear what he’s saying.”

Mr. Wainwright nodded. “Excellent.” He looked at Albus. “Feel free to stay here Professor, but I have to make a few calls. The first one is to the family patriarch so that I can explain the situation.” He sighed. “I am going to catch Hell for this.”

Albus’ smile was cold. “I hope you don’t mind if I’m not sympathetic to your plight.” Given what he knew of the current patriarch of the Wainwright family, “catching Hell” is an understatement, but he wasn’t so crass as to mention that.

Mr. Wainwright snorted. “I don’t expect you to be,” he replied as he exited the room.

Albus turned his attention back to the screen, showing what Harry was doing. From what he could see, the girl had been crying and Harry was working to reassure her. As Ms. Carlisle turned the audio back on, he realized that he couldn’t understand what Harry was saying, though it was rather obvious what language he was using.

“How did you teach him Japanese so quickly?” He asked curiously.

“We did so using magic,” Ms. Carlisle replied. “It gives you one hell of a headache, but it allows you to get competent at the language in a couple of weeks.”

“Ah, I think I know the method,” Albus said. If it was what he thought it was, then having a headache from it was a mild reaction. Most would be laid out for the rest of the day, but Harry had proven himself resilient in the past.

“Huh, he’s deciding to find a place to hole up for a few days, rather than rush out.” Ms. Carlisle noted. “Not a bad idea.” She chuckled. “He also offering to the girl, Silica by what he’s calling her, to pay for her room for the night. He seems to be holding it together fairly well, all things considered.”

Albus smiled. “Harry tends to put the wellbeing of others before himself, and he’s shown calm in the face of a crisis before.” He said. He watched as the point of view moved around a bit. “So, you can move it around, I see.” He said as he turned to the woman.

Ms. Carlisle nodded. “Yeah,” she replied as she noted down what she did. She looked at Albus. “Want to keep watching for now?”

Albus looked at the screen and then back to Ms. Carlisle. “I might as well, at least until the arrangements are made for Harry’s care.” His eyes hardened. “I will want to be there, so I know where he will be cared for. I will also have his wand and personal effects remanded to my care, as well.” His tone brooked no argument, and Ms. Carlisle wasn’t inclined to dispute it anyway.

She wasn’t stupid.

Chapter Text

November 13, 2022 – Aincrad 1st Floor – Town of Beginnings

Keiko woke up as the morning light entered the room of the inn that had been her current residence for the last week. She looked at the increasingly familiar ceiling blankly for a few seconds before she closed her eyes and sighed as, once again, she realized she was still in Aincrad. She was not thirteen year old Keiko Ayano here; she was Silica.

She glanced to the upper corner of her HUD and noticed the time and was actually surprised that it was only seven, given that she tended to sleep in if given the chance. Hadrian was right, she thought. You do feel better if you actually go out and do something.

She had spent the first five days and nights since being trapped in Aincrad not really doing much of anything; just remaining holed up in her room, or wandering around the town feeling sorry for herself. At least until Hadrian tracked her down each evening to take her back to the inn when he got back into the town after a few hours of fighting monsters, or mobs to use the slang term that was already becoming used, in the fields. Two days ago, he asked her if she would like to accompany him out into the fields, given that he could tell that she hadn’t been sleeping well.

“I think a chance to take it out on the mobs will do you some good.” He smiled. “I’ll be with you if you want to go out and try. I will protect you.”

He had been right about that. After teaching her how the sword skills worked, she would then spend the next four hours taking her anger and frustrations over her situation out on the boars and wolves that had littered the field he took her to. Outside of his intervening a few times, mostly when she had gotten an extra monster’s attention, he let her do it herself. Before she knew it, she had received a level up notification and found herself five hundred col richer. She also felt considerably better than she had that morning.

That night, after a hot meal she had insisted on paying for, she found herself sleeping more deeply than she had previously. She had also decided to accompany him in his forays outside the town again. A part of her was ashamed that she had done nothing for those five days, but Hadrian hadn’t said anything about it until the previous night, and that was only because he made his offer.

After using a water basin to wash her face and wake herself up some more, she opened her menu and equipped her gear. Taking a look around her room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten something, by habit if nothing else, she opened her door and walked out. It was time to get something to eat and find out what ideas her companion had for the day.

Harry looked up from his meal of porridge as Silica sat down at the table he occupied in the small restaurant that the inn had. “You’re up early,” he remarked as he watched her look over the menu.

“I woke up and didn’t feel like going back to sleep,” she replied as she made her order. She looked at what he was eating. “How can you eat that?”

He shrugged. “It’s not much, but I’ve had worse.” He replied. He took another bite and grimaced. “I just wish there was something to add to it, like honey or sugar, though. Plain porridge is just bland. Still, food is food.”

Silica nodded, accepting his reason. She looked at what the NPC waitress placed down in front of her and sighed to herself. Simple black bread, a little bit of fruit, and some weak tea to wash it down with. Not much better than Hadrian’s choice, to be honest, but the inn’s selection was rather limited, though cheap, in the mornings. Not that the afternoon and evening choices were any superior, given that the inn was cheap and they usually hit the stalls in the markets for an evening meal.

More the kind of food someone would eat when they simply wanted something quick and cheap.

“What’s the plan for today?” She asked after taking a few bites of the bread.

Harry pulled up the floor map. “I was thinking of heading to an area to the west, or heading to the next town. Heading west and hunting mobs will give us more experience and col, but I’ve heard of some quests in the next town which can help us with our gear.” He looked at her. “What do you think?”

Silica gave both options some thought as she drank her tea. “Well, I can use some more experience and get my level up a little more.” She admitted.

Harry nodded. “True, and hunting the mobs will get us the col to buy better gear anyway. Not to mention finding a better place to stay.” He smiled. “I’ve heard of a place near the West Gate that has some very good food and even offers baths.”

Silica felt herself perk up at that bit of knowledge. The possibility of a warm bath sounded real good right at that moment, provided that what he had heard was true. “You sure about that?” She asked hopefully.

Harry shrugged. “It won’t hurt to check, and it’s in the same direction anyway.”

Silica grabbed Harry and started to drag him out of the inn. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

“Silica, hey leggo!” Harry protested.

“But Hadrian, a bath!” Silica cheered.

He heard the laughter of several patrons as Silica manhandled him out of the inn. At the same time, a part of him was glad that she had found something to be happy about. It beat the depression she had been exhibiting beforehand. Of course, the opportunity to enact some violence on mobs yesterday probably helped as well.

Also, a chance to relax in a warm bath did sound pretty good, all things considered.

After confirming the rumors about the inn, and making a reservation that set Harry back three hundred col for the only room with a bath left available, they made their way to the western parts of the floor.

Three hours of wandering and fighting later, they stopped for a break, and Harry took the time and looked over the drops. Given that the average level of the monsters was slightly higher than his, he figured that another two hours or so would net the two of them another level increase. They were also getting more drops and col, possibly as a reward for taking more risks.

“Hey Silica, how are you holding up?” He asked.

Silica looked up from browsing her inventory. “Um, not bad. I still have plenty of potions left.” She then noticed something in her inventory. “Looks like I got a weapon drop called the Hornet’s Sting.” She materialized it and saw that it was a dagger. Idly looking at the stats, it was an improvement over her Iron Dagger, with an increase to her accuracy and damage when attacking from behind. She looked at Harry. “You get anything?”

“Nothing more than the usual you can expect from mobs.” He replied, shrugging. “We can probably find a use for the hides, fangs and stingers later, if only as a source of extra col.” He materialized some bread from his inventory. “Well, it looks like a good time for lunch.” He said as he handed her a piece of bread.

Silica materialized a couple of water skins and handed one to Harry as she accepted the bread. They ate in companionable silence for a bit when Silica wondered something. Ever since that first day, Harry had constantly wandered out of the Town of Beginnings and fought mobs. In fact, he probably would have done so on the first day, but he decided to stay with her.

“Hadrian, how do you do it?” She asked.

Harry gave her a confused look. “How do I do what?” He asked.

“How do you keep yourself from being scared?”

“It’s not like I’m not scared.” He replied. “I’m scared every time I step outside the town.” He sighed. “Silica, I am scared, but I won’t let that stop me.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“If I do nothing, Kayaba wins, it’s as simple as that.” He replied. “Someone may clear the game and get us all out, but if I don’t do something, if I don’t try, then he still wins.”

“I see.” She replied quietly. “You’re braver than I am.”

Harry chuckled. “You’re out here, fighting mobs, I think that’s brave, don’t you?” He remarked. He looked at the time in his HUD. “Well, why don’t you equip that new knife of yours and we go back to killing mobs? I think we should gain another level soon, and we can then head back to town for dinner and that bath.”

They returned to town about four hours later, both having gained a level, and Harry getting his own dropped piece of gear in the form of a shield called a Carapace Shield. While he hadn’t decided to equip it, he was happy with it. Walking into the inn, Harry remembered something.

“Oh, bloody hell.” He said in English.

“What?” Silica asked.

“We only reserved one room.” He replied with some embarrassment. “I’m going to see if there’s another room available.” He walked over to the counter and talked with the NPC innkeeper before walking back.

“Is there another room?” Silica asked.

Harry shook his head. “Nope. I did find out that paying three hundred col reserved the room for a week, though.”

Silica blinked at realizing that he had gotten a room for a week. She was a little disappointed that there weren’t any other available rooms, though. “I’ll go back to the other inn, then.” She offered.

Harry held a hand up to stop her. “No, I will. You can have this.” He handed her the room key

“But you paid for it.” Silica objected, trying to hand it back.

“It’s no bother, we made more col than I spent.” Harry countered, refusing to take the key.

“Can we at least take a look at the room first?” She asked, giving him a frustrated look. “It might have a something, like a couch. At least take a chance and enjoy the bath you paid for.”

Harry was about to refuse when he caught the look in her eyes. He had seen Hermione give him and Ron a similar look when she was restraining the urge to hex them for something. “We’ll check it out.” He conceded.

“Good.” Silica walked off, heading up the stairs to the room. Following her, Harry hoped there was a second bed or at least a couch.

Fortunately, it had a couch, which Harry immediately offered to take. Noticing how Silica was giving the bathroom an almost eager look, he told her to go ahead and take a bath, while he headed back downstairs to give her some privacy.

That and he was interested in seeing if the food and drink choices were actually better than the other inn’s.

November 30, 2022 – Aincrad 1st Floor, Tolbana

Harry idly flipped through the most recent version of the guidebook for the floor that had been made freely available to the players while he waited for Silica to finish her shopping. Given that she was in a lingerie shop, he had wisely not accompanied her, though he did wonder why she went in there. Oh well, it wasn’t his business. They had decided to take a break from hunting mobs, doing quests, and exploring the labyrinth for the day and simply relax, anyway. If she wanted to spend her time shopping, he wouldn’t stop her.

Especially after how rough the last couple of days in the labyrinth had been for them. Despite Harry being level ten, and Silica having reached level nine, the labyrinth had proven to be more challenging than expected compared to anywhere else on the floor. Admittedly, it was more due to the size of the place, rather than the mobs, but they wandered in far enough that they ran out of health potions trying to get back out the previous day.

It wasn’t hard after that, to think that they should take a day off. Silica had been very much for that idea when he told her last night. Having to dodge mobs, carefully make their way between the few safe areas that were mapped, and outright running away, while an exhilarating experience, was hardly fun. In fact, it was downright terrifying.

“Hey, kid, long time no see!” He heard a familiar voice call out. Turning towards where it came from, he saw the familiar faces of Klein and his friends.

“Hey Klein,” Harry replied. “How’re you all doing?”

Klein grinned. “We’re doing great.” He said cheerfully. “Just got into town and were about to grab something to eat before hitting the labyrinth. What about you?”

Harry shrugged. “Decided to take the day off,” he replied. “Hit the labyrinth yesterday.”

“Any tips?” Klein asked.

Harry nodded. “Bring plenty of potions, and once you run low, head back.” Harry replied honestly. “The mobs aren’t much tougher than out here, but the labyrinth is big and you don’t want to run out of them on your way out.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Made things a bit exciting, that, but being in the red and not close to the entrance isn’t my idea of fun.”

Klein winced.

Harry nodded. “Anyway, you got the most current map data?” He asked. “If you don’t I can send you a copy of mine.”

Klein nodded. “Yeah, I got it. By the way, kid, what happened with that girl you were with?”

“Ah, she went shopping for some clothes.” Harry replied.

Klein raised an eyebrow. “And you’re not with her?”

Harry shot Klein a look. “Not those kinds of clothes, Klein.” He said with some embarrassment.

Klein was about to say something else, when Issin, one of his friends spoke up. “Hey, wait a second.” He said. “I heard a rumor a while ago that a pair of kids were staying in the same room at an inn in the Town of Beginnings.” He then looked at Harry. “I heard that one of them had green eyes and a scar on his forehead.”

“Oh yeah, I think you’re right Isshin.” Klein said and then looked at Harry. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” He asked with a grin.

When I find out who started that rumor, we’re going to have a talk, Harry thought with some annoyance. “First Klein, my names Hadrian, or Harry if you like.” He said with some asperity. “Second, I seem to recall hearing a rumor myself. Something about some girls chasing this thuggish guy wearing a red bandanna out of the Town of Beginnings while threatening to stab him somewhere painful.” He smirked. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that , would you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, kid.” Klein said with false sincerity.

“Of course you don’t. Just as I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Harry said with equally false sincerity.

The two of them then shared a grin. “Still, nice to see you’re doing fine, kid.” Klein said.

“Same to you Klein.” Harry said. He then saw a message notification on his HUD. “Just a sec, Silica just sent me a message.” He opened it and quickly read it. “Well, she’s done with her shopping and is waiting for me back at the inn. Take care, you guys.” He looked back at them. “And if calling me by my name is that hard, just call me Harry!”

“I already know someone called Harry.” Klein replied, pointing at his friend, Harry One. “Besides, you’re a kid, so ‘kid’ will do.”

Harry nodded and turned back, a small smile on his face. To be honest, he wasn’t all that bothered being called a kid and addressed as such by Klein. The guy was friendly and took the time to teach him how to use the system to fight.

“Heh, he’s travelling with a girl and stayed in the same room with her for a week.” Klein chuckled as he watched Harry walk away. “Makes me little jealous.”

“Hey boss, shouldn’t we get something to eat?” Issin asked.

Klein nodded, getting back to business. “Yeah, let’s go. First, Dynamm, Harry One, go stock up on potions. Dale, find Kunimittz and bring him back here. Once we eat, we’re hitting the labyrinth for a couple of hours.”

“Right, boss.” They all acknowledged and split up.

“So,” Issin remarked. “Jealous of the kid, huh?”

“Shut up, Issin.”

December 5, 2022 – Aincrad 2nd Floor, Urbus

Harry and Silica quickly cleared the teleport gate as the light faded, having taken the advice to move away from it quickly once the teleport finished. While no one would get hurt if they didn’t, it would be embarrassing to have people crash into you. And given how busy the teleport gate was, and was likely to continue to be, there was a high likelihood of that happening to anyone who stood still for more than a moment after the teleport.

With the first floor boss having been defeated the previous day and the opening of the Second Floor of Aincrad, players were very eager to move on. Harry agreed with that sentiment, even if his reason for rushing to the gate before even eating breakfast was for a slightly different reason.

He wanted to get away from the angry rumors about the Beater, Kirito that were starting to be spread around. The rumors of how he let the raid leader, Diabel, die during the boss fight. Of how he took advantage of his knowledge from the beta to steal the Last Attack Bonus. Of how the Beater then bragged about his knowledge to the rest of the raid. He wanted to get away from that.

While he didn’t doubt that there was a grain of truth to the rumors, if you squinted real hard, there had to be more to the story. Especially since he had heard some rumors to the contrary as well. He knew about Kirito from Klein, and how he had helped the man learn the basics on the first day.

Klein had not been pleased, to put it mildly, to hear those rumors. In fact, Dynamm and Dale had to physically restrain him in order to keep him from assaulting one loudmouth who had been particularly vocal about it.

Harry could recognize when someone was being set up to be the scapegoat. He’d almost had it happen to him during his Second Year in Hogwarts, when he inadvertently revealed that he was a Parselmouth, after all. If it hadn’t been for Fred and George taking the incident and running with it like they did, things could have gotten ugly.

That, and he remembered some of the rumors which had been spread about beta testers before this. Those rumors had dried up in favor of this, which made Harry think that it had been deliberate. On Kirito’s part, someone else’s, or both, he didn’t know, but the previous statements and rumors about the beta testers had quickly stopped now that the attention and anger could be directed to a single person.

“Well Silica, we’re on the Second Floor,” He said, turning to his companion. “Want to look around town and see if the shops have anything?” His stomach growled. “Or, we could find a place to eat, first.” He added.

Silica giggled. “Well, if you hadn’t been in such a hurry, we could have eaten first.” She said with some amusement.

Harry shrugged and looked around. “Yeah, I know. So, let’s find some food.” He said as he walked into the town.

Silica followed him and looked around at the town itself. It didn’t look too different from what she saw on the First Floor, but she did feel a little excitement. The First Floor had been cleared, and people were beginning to think that it was possible to clear the game.

Of course, she thought. We’ve only cleared the first floor. We don’t know how long it will take from here. Still, the excitement amongst the players was infectious, and she didn’t put up any protests about heading up here.

“Hey Hadrian after we eat and look through the shops, what’s the plan?” She asked him.

Harry stopped and thought for a moment. “I was thinking of hitting the fields near the town.” He told her. “Not for long, just a quick check on what the mobs are like right outside, since the guidebook doesn’t have anything on the floor.”

“They’re about the same level as around Tolbana,” a female voice said from behind, startling the both of them.

Both Harry and Silica turned to the source of the voice and saw the speaker right behind them. She was wearing a cloak that was left open in the front, showing the brown tunic and pants underneath. With her dirty blone hair, golden eyes, and the whisker marks on her cheek, it was a person both of them had met a few times. Argo, also known as The Rat, a player who was quickly setting herself up as a reputable information broker.

Harry sighed. “You always sneak up on people?” He asked.

Argo grinned. “So, you want some information on the floor?” She asked cheerfully.

“Well, I’m wondering if you have any updates to the guidebook.” Harry replied. “You know, general stuff so I can get a basic idea of what to expect.”

Argo shook her head. “Give me a couple of days, I’ll be releasing an update for it. I want to make sure of some things, first.”

Harry nodded, not surprised by her response. “Alright then.” He was about to turn and walk away when he realized that he had an opportunity to confirm something. “Oh, by the way, can you confirm something for me?”

“Depends on what you want confirmed.” Argo replied.

“It’s about those rumors going around.” He said. “About Kirito. How true are they?”

Argo looked around and then back at Harry and Silica. “And what makes you think I know anything about that?” She asked.

She knows something, Harry thought. “You strike me as the type who likes to get to the bottom of such things, especially after that rumor about that secret log out spot.” He raised an eyebrow.

Argo sighed. “Not here,” she told him. She then gestured that they should follow her. She led them to an alley with no other players around and, after a quick look to make sure no one was following, turned back to Harry. “Before I confirm anything, five thousand col.”

“Five thousand?!” Silica exclaimed in shock. “Your usual rate is a thousand.” She protested.

Harry was surprised at her asking price. If she was charging more than her usual rates for a rumor, then it must be serious. He opened his menu and set up the trade. Before he entered the amount he gave Argo a level look. “It’s fine, Silica,” He told her. “It just means that this information is serious.” He entered the five thousand col and approved the trade.

Argo shook her head and accepted the money. “I should have asked for more,” she said drily. “Well, you wouldn’t be paying if you didn’t suspect something was off about it. Still, the rumors are true, from a certain point of view.”

“And which point of view would that be?” Harry asked sharply. “From the point of view of needing someone to blame? From the point of view of turning someone into a scapegoat??” His voice had lowered to a growl by that point.

Argo blinked in surprise as Silica looked at him in shock.

“I thought so.” Harry sighed. “Did he allow this?”

Argo nodded. “Yeah, he did. He knew that everyone would need someone to blame if someone died in the boss fight because the information provided in the guidebook about it was wrong.”

“The information from the beta, you mean?” Harry asked. “Why? You had that warning on the cover that things might have changed from the beta.” He materialized his guidebook and pointed out the warning. “I also sent you information on things I noticed that were different, and saw the updates on the next version.”

“It’s not that people were unaware of that fact,” Argo pointed out. “But there was already a lot of bad feelings regarding beta testers, and well…”

“Someone would figure out that he was a beta tester, and blame him anyway.” Harry concluded.

Argo nodded.

“It doesn’t matter where you are, some things never change,” Harry sighed. “All right, thanks for clearing that up for me, Argo.”

“No problem.” She replied as she turned to walk away. “Oh, and if you want a decent place to get some food, try the March Hare.” She said over her shoulder.

Silica looked at Harry and saw his pensive expression. “Hadrian, why did you ask her about those rumors?” She asked.

Harry shrugged. “Just wanted to confirm a few things.” He replied.

“But why?”

He sighed. “I’ve had something like that happen to me about a year ago. Being blamed for something, in my case, there were some incidents that put some of my classmates in the hospital. It got cleared up, eventually, but it made things bad for me until it was.”

“Oh. Sorry to bring it up then.” She apologized. She then realized something. “You want to go to that place she recommended to us?” She asked, changing the subject.

Harry’s stomach growled, causing Silica to giggle. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” He replied.

Chapter Text

December 21, 2022 – Aincrad 4th Floor, Rovia

Both Silica and Harry looked around at the town they had just taken the teleport gate to. Having heard about the third floor being cleared and the teleport gate now allowing for travel to the next floor, both of them had immediately queued at the teleport gate, grabbing a snack to eat from one of the NPC stalls for the inevitable wait.

The town itself, from what they could see from the Teleport Plaza, was partially submerged, with the main streets acting as canals, dividing the town into four quarters. It also meant that it would require a boat to navigate the town. Seeing as there was a line at the dock, it was apparent that the city had its own services available for use, though the line was moving at a relatively decent pace.

One of the conveniences of a virtual world, I guess . Harry thought to himself. Within about ten minutes, they were climbing onto one of the boats, or gondolas as the NPCs were calling them, and were asked by the NPC gondolier where they wanted to go.

“Where are the inns located?” Harry asked.

“The inns would be in the south-western district, sir,” he replied. “Is that where you wish to be taken?”

Both Harry and Silica nodded. “Yes, please.” He replied.

“Very well then, sir, madam.”

While they were being transported, Harry enquired about the town’s layout and where everything was.

The gondolier proved to be a goldmine of basic information on where everything in the Rovia was. Simply put, Rovia’s was divided into four districts, with their functions based on whether they were on the eastern side of town, or the western side. The residential nature of the western districts, with the NPCs living in the north, and the southern part being dedicated to the transient player population. On the east side, the southern district housed the businesses, while the northern district was dedicated to sightseeing, parks, and even had an outdoor theater. All in all, Rovia had a number of amenities for players to enjoy if they so wanted to do so.

“Hadrian, since it’s the afternoon, what’s the plan?” Silica asked once they disembarked their gondola.

“We’ll ask around town for information on quests, and see what’s available,” Harry replied. “I’m thinking we’ll do maybe one quest before taking the rest of the day off, or we can just take it easy and start out tomorrow morning.” He stretched. “Even with extra players around, clearing out mobs and grinding levels, hitting the labyrinth took longer than expected.”

“It’s not like we helped with the floor boss, Hadrian.” Silica pointed out.

“True,” Harry acknowledged. “But we still went in behind them, as did a bunch of others.” He looked at the various inns, pubs, and restaurants. “It made going through the labyrinth a little easier, and we still got enough drops, or found enough treasure for that matter, to upgrade our gear.” He grinned.. “Why, we’re actually starting to look like we’re wearing armor, not to mention looking like serious adventurers.”

Silica looked down at her new armor and admitted that he was right. True, in terms of appearance, what both of them were wearing was not significantly different from their starting gear. However, rather than the armor pieces looking as a badly put together and fitted afterthought over clothing, it was starting to look like it belonged on them.

It made both of them look less like kids playing with their parent’s old armor, and more like adventurers. Harry had even started making use of his shield, and found that it was handy on more than one occasion.

“Hey Silica,” She heard Harry say. “I found a place.”

“Does it have a bath?” She asked, hopefully.

Harry chuckled. “You and your baths,” he said with amusement. He pointed at the inn and the bathhouse next to it. “If it doesn’t, you can still take a bath next door.”

Silica nodded. While not the same, whether it was a private bath, or not was immaterial. Bathing was a luxury she enjoyed at every opportunity, and she knew full well that Harry was the same way, even if he didn’t make any issue about having to go without one. Then again, he was male.

“Well then,” she said. “Shall we?”

Harry nodded and they walked in together. The inn didn’t have any baths, and only one available room, fortunately with two beds. They could work with that.

A couple of hours later, the two of them were at a nearby restaurant and browsing the menu. Unsurprisingly, given that the town was water themed, many of the dishes were oriented around fish. From stews, to platters, to meals that can go for several courses, they had their choice of seafood dishes. The drinks, however, can be summarized simply enough. Small beer and a wine that was liberally cut with water comprised the low alcohol selection. Beer and spirits made up the rest. There wasn’t any non-alcoholic selection this time.

“Why are so many drinks alcoholic?” Silica asked.

“It’s because the developers for this game did their research.” Came a familiar voice.

Both of them turned and saw Argo, along with a boy and girl they didn’t know, though they knew of them. Kirito and Asuna had been making names for themselves, after all.

“What do you mean, Argo?” Harry asked.

Argo grinned. “I won’t even charge you for this,” she said. “Basically, it’s a nod to historical realism. Since the levels so far aren’t based on the modern era, which means that things like clean water are not common.”

“Ah, the whole don’t drink the water thing then.” Harry said.

“You got it.” Argo then turned to her companions. “By the way, Kii-bou, Aa-chan, these are the two I told you about.”

Kirito blinked. “Wait, these are the two who were the ones who corrected that information in your guides for the third floor, and the two who scouted the field boss?” He asked. He looked at them. “They’re kids.” He pointed out.

“You’re one to talk, Kii-bou.” Argo pointed out. “You’re not much older than them.” She turned back to Harry and Silica. “Surprised you’re both here, Harry’s usually chomping at the bit to hit the fields.”

Harry blinked, and then cast a narrow eyed glance at his nearly managing not to giggle quest partner.

“We just got here a couple hours ago, and wanted to rest up from exploring the labyrinth.” Silica replied, mastering herself. “That and we wanted to take some time to gather information. Well, after a bath and getting something to eat.”

Harry looked at Argo. “So, got anything?” He asked. “Any useful quests or areas we might want to check out?”

Argo nodded. “I have a list of quests for the floor that I’ve confirmed.”

“Usual rate then, Argo?” Silica asked.

“You got it.”

Both Harry and Silica opened their menus and offered to trade the money to Argo, who blinked in surprise. “Well, this is new.” She said, accepting the trades. “Usually it’s Harry taking the lead in this.”

Harry gestured to Silica to take the lead. She nodded to him and looked at Argo. “We figured we can check the quests and see which ones take us to the same general area.” She said. “It will allow us to cover more ground, while not being too far apart.”

Kirito nodded. “Makes sense. Each of you can do different quests, map out the area you’re in in more detail, and still be able to back each other up if necessary. It also means that if you two find something that might need more people, you can send someone back to get help.” He looked at the two of them. “Whose idea was this?”

Harry gestured to Silica. “It was her idea.” He replied. “When we stumbled on the field boss for the Third Floor,  we didn’t have the area mapped out that well, so making our way back, as well as finding the best path took longer than it should have.”

Asuna blinked at that revelation. “So you two scouted the field boss simply because you stumbled on it?” She asked incredulously. The idea that they ended up finding it and scouting it out by accident seemed like something that Kirito would do. Well, Kirito would probably try to fight it as well, but the similarity was there.

Both Harry and Silica shrugged. “We weren’t looking for it, if that’s what you want to know.” Silica added. “We were looking for something else that was part of a quest.”

Harry chuckled. “Yeah, and of course, we find what we were looking for, right at the Field Boss’ feet.”

Silica shot Harry a mock glare. “And then Hadrian decides to do something idiotic and try and sneak up and grab the item.”

“Hey! I managed to grab it.” Harry protested.

“You got the boss’ attention as well.” Silica countered. “We spent the next hour playing hide-and-seek with the thing until we could actually get out of the area. It then took us two hours, to find another route back.”

“It gave us plenty of information on what it did, not to mention the map data we gathered.” Harry said defensively. “On the plus side, it meant that the clearers had plenty of information to work off of.” He added cheerfully.

Asuna looked at Harry, then she looked at Kirito. “There are two of them. Oh, Gods, there are two of them.” She grumbled. She then looked at Silica. “Silica, right?” Silica nodded. “So, you have to deal with an idiotically brave partner as well?”

“Hey! I’m not that bad.” Harry and Kirito both protested at the same time.

The two young men blinked at each other. Asuna shot both of them a look, quelling any further protests. “Silica, why don’t you and I get together later and talk.” She offered. “I bet you already have some stories you can share. And I bet you want to talk to someone who’s female.” She saw Argo about to interject. “You don’t count, Argo, but I guess you can be there as well.”

Argo grinned and then looked at Kirito and Harry, a gleam in her eyes.

Harry sighed. “How much to keep that quiet Argo?” He asked.

Argo’s grin widened, causing a pit to form in Harry’s stomach.

Looks like he was going to be heading out to do a quest tonight, if only to make back some of the col he was about to spend in order to keep The Rat quiet.

December 22, 2022 – Aincrad 4th Floor, Rovia

It was nearly one o’clock in the morning when Harry and Silica tiredly got off the gondola they took from the South-East District and made their way to the inn they had reserved their room at. The quest they took, one wanting them to cull the bear population in the Bear Forest, had ended up taking longer, and being tougher, than expected. Not because of the mobs themselves, but because the two of them had to spend time carefully avoiding, and eventually fighting, a giant bear called the Magnatherium.

They took one look at it and decided that fighting that thing, at least with only the two of them, was a bad idea. Well, Silica decided that, and Harry took her lead with regards to that. If she didn’t want to fight something, he wasn’t going to complain. He considered her caution to be half the reason they haven’t yet bitten off more than they can chew.

Also, giant bear. Even Harry knew that was bad news.

As it stood, the two of them would have continued avoiding it, had they not come across it again, and saw that Kirito and Asuna were fighting it. Harry stopped Silica and the two of them took the time to observe the mob’s attack patterns, such as its charges and flame breath, when they weren’t gaping at Kirito and Asuna.

While it was likely that those two could handle the fight, Harry wasn’t one to not help when he was in a position to do so. After telling Silica to stay back and watch to mob to look for weaknesses, he jumped in right in time to block a swipe from the bear with his shield.

“What’re you doing?!” Kirito called out.

“Thought you guys would like a little help,” Harry replied. He took a quick glance at Kirito’s health and tossed him a potion. “Drink this and heal up, I’ll distract it.” Kirito nodded and got behind a tree. Harry turned his attention back to the bear just in time to jump to the side as the bear charged.

Good thing Hermione’s not here, he thought. She’d be hexing me, lecturing me, or both for this.

While Harry played matador with the giant bear, Kirito worked his way around as the health potion did its work and found himself next to Asuna, who had moved to stand next to Silica.

“What is he doing?” Asuna asked her.

“Being a reckless idiot,” Silica growled. “He told me to watch the mob, look for weaknesses-” She spied the mob rearing back. “Hadrian, fire breath!” She watched as Harry ran under the bear, taking the chance to land a few opportunistic strikes on its legs. She scowled. “If he doesn’t get killed by that thing, I’m going to have a talk with him.” She turned her attention back to Asuna and Kirito. “Anyway, he told me to keep an eye on it and see if I can spot a weakness and then proceeded to jump right in.”

“So, he keeps you out of the fight?” Kirito asked.

Silica shrugged. “Well, if I see a chance to attack…”

“You will,” Asuna finished, knowing full well how such a tactic worked.

Silica nodded and spotted the bear with its back to a fallen tree. “On that thought, wait a second.” She darted towards the tree and used it and its branches to get some height. Activating a sword skill, she struck several times at the bear’s hindquarters and also got its tail, causing it to roar in pain. She noticed that the last hit, the one on its tail, caused the most damage.

“That’s it!” She called out, as she darted away from the bear, keeping something between it and her. “Kirito, Asuna! Its tail is a weak spot!” She called.

“Got it!” Both shouted as they reentered the fight.

“Hadrian!” Asuna called out. “Get it to charge into a tree so it will be stunned!”

“On it!” Harry replied.

Before long, the impromptu party of four got into a rhythm, lead the bear’s charges into a tree, attack it, dodge its fire breath, rinse, repeat. They continued like that for twenty minutes when the mob was finally killed when Asuna used Harry’s shield as a springboard to gain the height needed to land several devastating hits on the Magnatherium’s tail.

Harry pulled a potion out of his inventory and drank it as he saw Silica walk up to him, an unreadable look on her face. He looked questioningly at her, a look which quickly turned to a pained one when she smacked him upside the back of his head.

“Silica?!” He shouted in surprise.

“You reckless idiot! ” She shouted at him, her voice a mixture of anger and relief. She then proceeded to tear into him about his reckless behavior and how it could have gotten him killed, how it made her worry, and so on. Harry stared at her bemusedly as she did so for about thirty seconds, before he started to chuckle.

“And what is so funny?” Silica asked angrily.

“It’s not that it’s funny,” Harry explained hastily. “It’s that, right now, you’re reminding me of a friend of mine in the real world. Every time I would do something that she thought was stupid and reckless, she would get on my case about it. Thinking back on it, those thing I did usually were stupid and reckless.” He finished wryly.

“Her?” Silica asked in confusion. “Was she a girlfriend?”

Harry blinked and then shook his head. “No, she was a friend. Almost like a sister, really.” His face fell. “And being reminded of that makes me realize just how much I miss her, and all of my other friends.” He sighed.

“Oh,” Silica said, realizing she might have touched upon a sensitive subject. “I’m sorry.”

Harry reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Silica.” He said. He opened his menu and brought up the quest. “Looks like we’re done, so why don’t we head back to town, turn it in, and get some sleep?”

Silica nodded her acceptance and looked the time on HUD. “It is rather late, isn’t it?”

Harry checked the time and blinked. “It’s half an hour to midnight? Wow, it is a bit late.” He then yawned. “Maybe more than a bit.” He amended.

Silica giggled in response to that before she yawned as well.

“Well, let’s turn in the quest and get back to the inn.” Harry said. He turned back to tell Kirito and Asuna that he and Silica were heading back, only to see that they’ve already left.

As such, by the time exhausted pair made it to their shared room, they were more concerned with getting some sleep. A minor issue like having the privacy to change into something more comfortable to sleep in was of significantly less concern. So was making sure they were on separate beds for that matter.

About six hours later, Harry woke up to the unfamiliar sensation of something warm and heavier than expected being draped over his right side. He blearily looked over to see what it was and stiffened when he realized that it was Silica; wearing a shirt that wasn’t quite long enough, nestled into his side and using his shoulder as a pillow. He could also feel her small breasts pressing into his side, which was already causing a reaction he was desperately trying to suppress.

Oh hell, Harry thought as he tried to extricate himself without waking her up. I thought things like this only happened in those anime shows Ms. Carlisle watched! He froze when Silica shifted, sleepily mumbling something he couldn’t make out.

Ok Harry, just stay calm, move slowly and … she’s waking up. Harry began to fervently hope that his situation would not end like it did in anime as he saw Silica open her eyes. Blearily blinking her eyes, she blankly looked at him and he noticed the moment that she realized she was in bed with him, and her state of undress.

They didn't agree to jump out of bed at the same time, but Harry was kind of glad it worked out that way. They spent a moment smoothing out clothing and pointedly not looking at each other-- especially after he noticed that she had a full-body blush, which caused him to blush and rapidly face away from her.

It was going to be an awkward morning for them. Harry almost would have preferred the anime violence. Almost.

Aincrad 4th Floor, Fields Outside Rovia

Harry looked at his map as he checked what he already had explored to see if there was any paths already leading to the quest he decided to do on his own. He absently noticed Silica’s location, a short distance away and nodded. Both of them had compared the quest information provided by Argo and had decided on two which were along the shoreline of the bay that comprised a third of the floor. Outside of remaining in a party so they could keep an eye on the other’s status, they split up to tackle their quests.

Far enough apart to do their respective quests solo, but not so far apart that one couldn’t rush in and support the other if need be. At level fourteen, Harry was more than capable of handling the mobs in the area on his own, so he wasn’t overly concerned about himself. Especially since it was a simple kill quest, requiring him to kill some two dozen crabs which were infesting the shoreline.

No, he was more than able to take care of himself. At the same time, he kept periodically checking to make sure that Silica was alright. This was her first time going solo, even if he was close enough to rush in and back her up if need be. Still, from everything he could tell, she seemed to be doing fine.

He checked again-- just to be sure-- before closing the map to get on with things.

##

Silica sheathed her dagger as the last mob shattered and quickly checked the results window that came up; decent experience, decent col, and a couple of items she can use to enhance her weapon being the earned results.

While Hadrian had taken a simple kill quest, she had decided on one that had her searching the area for feathered dragon nests. Apparently, the very same local mobs in the area were beginning to encroach on their nesting grounds. So, while Harry killed crabs, she was tasked with checking to make sure that the nests were safe, and if need be, kill any mobs threatening them.

Not much different from what Hadrian was doing, when she thought about it. The only difference was that if there were no mobs threatening the nests, she didn’t need to fight. Also, she wanted a chance to see them up close, if possible, given that she had seen several flying around over the bay, or sunning themselves on rocks just past the harbor.

When she had told Harry that, he simply gave her an amused look, shrugged, and told her to be careful.

After clearing mobs from five abandoned nests over the next hour, she was beginning to think that her hoping to see one up close were going to be dashed as she carefully made her way to the final nest that was marked on her map. Even so, she had taken the quest, and she was going to see it through.

As she approached the nest, she heard a frantic sound that was a mix between a chirp and a screech coming from its direction. She picked up her pace and drew her dagger as she moved, keeping an eye out for any mobs.

As she approached the nest, she growled as she saw a group of five mobs surrounding a juvenile feathered dragon which was grabbed every time it tried to take flight and thrown to the ground.

Her next growl nearly a roar, Silica activated a sword skill as she approached. By the time the mobs registered her presence, three of them had already been taken out, and the fourth mob would quickly be joining its companions. The fifth mob had just enough time to position itself to attack when its final companion had been killed and Silica charged through the dissipating polygons. It fared no better than its companions.

Silica checked her surroundings to make sure no more mobs were approaching and sheathed her dagger before looking at the nest. A chirp had her look down and she saw the young feathered dragon looking at her curiously. She squatted down to take a closer look at it, keeping her movements slow and careful so as not to startle or frighten it.

The small dragon was the size of a housecat, blue feathers covering it from snout to hind quarters, with two long feathers taking the place of where a tail would be on most animals. Giving it a quick look over, Silica saw that it had no obvious injuries, though the blue of its feathers was marred by dirt in places.

Apparently satisfied with looking her over, the dragon started looking around the nest, clawing at the dirt as if it was looking for something. Acting on a hunch, Silica opened her menu and took out a bag of peanuts she had purchased a few days ago to have as a snack while out in the fields. She opened the bag and reached in for a handful of them, the sound attracting the feathered dragon’s attention. She slowly put her now full hand forward, allowing it to inspect the peanuts in her hand.

It looked at the peanuts being offered to it and took a cautious sniff. After apparently finding nothing wrong with the offered food, it took one peanut and ate it. As soon as it finished, and apparently finding the peanut satisfactory, the little creature began to eagerly eat the offered peanuts out of Silica’s hand. Once it finished all of them, it looked at Silica, its surprisingly expressive red eyes giving Silica the impression of a pet looking at its owner and desiring more treats.

Giggling, Silica reached into the bag and pulled out another handful and offered them. She would spend several minutes feeding the feathered dragon when a window popped up in front of her, asking her if she wanted to tame it. Curious, she pressed the button that would confirm it, and to her surprise, she got a notification saying she had just tamed a Feathered Dragon. She was then given a request to give it a name.

She thought for a moment, wondering what she would name a dragon when she looked at it and saw that it was still eagerly eating the peanuts she provided. Well, it likes peanuts, so why not Pina? Shrugging, she entered the name on the available console and acknowledged it.

It would take several hours before it dawned on her that she had given Pina the same name as her cat in the real world, if for completely different reasons.

She checked her quest log and saw that she had finished the quest. Sending a quick message to Harry that she was done, she made her way to the place they had decided to meet back up at. At the same time, she looked at Pina, the feathered dragon taking wing and flying around her and wondered just what he would think of this development.

Aincrad 4th Floor, Dock Outside of Rovia’s South Gate

Harry browsed through his menu, checking his skill progression as he waited for Silica to arrive-- akin to playing with a yo-yo or casting Lumos and Nox in an idle cycle. It was good to know where you were, and what you had, but you could spend hours opening, browsing, and closing the menu before you realized it.

From the looks of things, he was getting close to earning new sword skills, and being able to get some new supplementary skills, so it wouldn’t hurt to look through the guide to plan what supplementary skills he would take. Furthermore, he was close to reaching level fifteen. That opened up a new skill slot, so he had to plan that out as well.

“Hadrian!” he heard Silica call. He looked up, smiled to greet her-- and then a shadow flickered over her. His hand on his sword on instinct, he blinked as the shadow passed again. Looking up, he cocked his head in puzzlement  as he saw something flying around her. It wasn't giving off that 'mob vibe'.

The form made another pass , before it descended, settling on his quest partner's shoulders. Outside of a small stagger, her only reaction was to reach up and scratch it  before approaching him. As she got closer, he was able to identify what it was: a feathered dragon.

“Silica... why is that with you?” He asked.

Silica looked at him and smiled. “This is Pina, I tamed her during that quest I took.”

Harry looked at Silica, then at Pina, and then back at Silica. “You tamed her.”

"Yes."

"On a quest that was at least partly a sightseeing jaunt."

"Yes."

“One which didn’t have the possibility of taming a beast listed or even suggested.”

Silica nodded and smiled.

He shook his head, then shrugged it off and turned his attention to Silica. “Well, why don’t we go into town and turn these quests in?” He asked. “We can go over how our quests went and discuss what we will do tomorrow.”

Silica looked at the time displayed in her HUD and nodded. “It’s also late in the afternoon and is almost time for us to get dinner.” She thought for a second. “I wonder if Pina will eat more than just the peanuts I fed her.”

Harry shrugged. “She’s a dragon, so I wouldn’t be surprised.” He blinked. “Wait, is Pina female?”

Silica shrugged. “I don’t know, but why not?”

Harry had to give her that. It’s not like he was an expert on dragons anyway. Besides, unless Pina demonstrated otherwise, Silica can say Pina is female if she wants to. For all he knew, she might even be right. Besides, it wasn’t like it was an important issue.

“Well Silica, why don’t we get going?” He asked, gesturing to the dock. “We can find out what Pina eats in town by letting her try various things. We also have to turn in those quests.”

Silica nodded and gave Pina a scratch behind the tufts of feathers that sat where a real world cat would have ears before following him.

December 22, 2022 - GM Administration Area

Akihiko Kayaba looked at the data scrolling across numerous holographic screens. Since SAO started, he had been fine tuning everything, from how sword skills worked, to mob AI, to drop rate algorithms. Not everything was running smoothly from the start, which was to be expected, given that the players who participated in the beta could only find so much in the space of a month.

Add in his need to rebuff attempts to hack into the system to free the players, some of which were fiendishly creative, and he had been kept busy for nearly two months until things fully stabilized enough for him to check on matters which didn’t need his immediate attention.

Or so he thought.

Apparently, some enterprising person had found a way to observe players in game through their Nerve Gears on the first day and notified law enforcement and the families of those trapped in the game on how to do so. He had looked at the method used, and while crude, it worked by making use of the Nerve Gear’s own hardware to record what the user was seeing and hearing, and transmitting it to a computer’s own video player using a compatible format.

It was essentially a glorified playback system, one which had been useful and even necessary during the development of SAO, and one he had simply forgotten about. He queried the Cardinal System, the central AI which handled SAO on how many of the Nerve Gears were now streaming to computers to get an idea of the scale and nodded when the results came back.

Over a thousand Nerve Gears were now being utilized for this. While an issue, he had intended for the outside world to be ignorant of what went on in Aincrad after all, it didn’t affect the game itself. He could cut the feeds, but he also could see the utility of something like this.

“Cardinal,” he said. “Create a virtual space using partitions 0x9422FE62210DA through 0xA1CC0023DD000. Record and store feed information for transmission from IPv6 Address 2ecf:510a:0010::9311.” He brought up a console. “Delete stored feeds using first in, first out rules when partitions reach 80% storage capacity.”

“ACKNOWLEDGED.” Came the female voice the AI had chosen for itself. “QUERY: TRANSMISSION PROTOCOLS TO BE UTILIZED?”

“Use streaming protocols in current use for standard PC architectures and Full Dive technology.”

“ACKNOWLEDGED. QUERY: PRIVACY SETTINGS?”

“Default privacy settings will remain.” Kayaba replied. It would give the players some privacy automatically. If they players wanted more, they would have to figure out how to adjust those settings themselves through the menu’s options.

Simply because he didn’t plan for this, or even desire it, did not mean that he could not make use of it. So far, the audience was limited to whomever had access to the computers connected to the Nerve Gears. With this, he could expand the audience, turning a limited availability thing to something that everyone could see.

He idly wondered if this would replace any popular Reality TV shows for a moment before he turned his attention to other matters.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 - Silica’s Lucky Seven

January 9, 2023 - Aincrad 8th Floor, Frieven

"... ten col says this layout has no good historical basis," Harry offered.

"No bet. Besides, this is one of those 'need to haves' in a fantasy game," Silica countered.

"A village in the trees?"

"Of course. Jeez, Hadrian, don't you know anything about magical worlds?"

Harry opted to keep his own council on that point. The aesthetic for this floor did indeed have everything off the ground-- from the teleport gate plaza, to the various parts of the village, all of the buildings were located in the trees with wooden walkways.

"Shame about the smell," Harry noted.

Silica slowly nodded. "I'll give you that."

Just from where they stood, the smell of brackish water and decaying matter permeated the air in a cloying mixture that made both of them seriously consider going back to the previous floor and waiting until this one was cleared.

“We’re not spending the night here,” Silica said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Not if we can avoid it.”

“Agreed.”

The two of them quickly fell into the familiar routine of looking around the village shops for anything potentially useful and information gathering on the available quests. Despite being spread out due to its topography, the entire exploration went by quickly and neither really found anything that caught their interest.

“Not much for us to really do from here, it seems.” Harry remarked. “We could explore and see what turns up, but...” He gave a dubious look at the walkways and then to the swampland below.

“Yeah, not even going there.” Silica agreed. “Should we just go back down to the previous floor? There were a couple of quests which looked interesting that we didn’t do.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

January 17, 2023 - Aincrad 11th Floor, Taft

Harry sipped his drink as he went about watching the patrons of the inn and listening to a performance being put on by an NPC musician. It had been a long day, and he was taking the opportunity to unwind after his latest misadventure while Silica took a relaxing bath. Having a jaunt through a trapped field dungeon with mobs all too eager to eat a player, while exciting, was something that both ended up wishing happened to someone else by the end.

By the time they got out, they had run out of potions, their supply of valuable and expensive healing crystals were down to their last few, and even Pina was showing signs of exhaustion.

“Well, I’ll be,” a voice came from behind. “It’s been awhile, kid.”

Harry turned and saw a grinning Klein, along with the rest of his guild.

“Hey Klein, I see you made it up here.” Harry replied. He turned to Issin. “So, what’s the betting on how long until he gets slapped or chased out of town by angry women today like, Issin?”

Klein glared at Harry as his guildmates laughed. “It only happened once, and you know that.” He replied sourly.

Harry’s answering smile was unrepentant. He then gestured to the table. “Well, take a seat and get something, first round will be on me.”

“Did I mention you’re cool, kid?”

“It’s Hadrian, Klein, not ‘kid’. Do you want me to start calling you ‘Old Man’?” Came Harry’s response.

“Only if you want me to start treating you like a kid, kid.” Klein and his guild then took their seats at the table. Once they ordered their drinks, Klein turned his attention back to Harry. “So, where’s your little girlfriend? What was her name, Sirico, Silico, Shi-?”

“Her name’s Silica,” Harry interrupted and then pointed to the back of the inn. “And she’s using the bathhouse that this inn has.”

The drinks arrived and everyone took a moment to quench their thirst. “Man, what is the beer made of here?” Klein complained. “I haven’t had something that actually tastes like beer should since all this started.”

Harry shrugged. “Dunno, it’s better than other floors, though. From what I can tell, this almost tastes like real beer should. Real beer, mind you, not that pisswater the Yanks convinced you was beer. Not that I would know.” That last bit was an obvious lie, of course. Smuggling alcohol into the common rooms and dorms was an unofficial Hogwarts tradition and he had the opportunity to try beer and firewhiskey more than once due to his being on the house quidditch team. The beer was okay, but he didn’t care for the taste of firewhiskey.

“Sure you don’t, kid. Sure you don’t.” Came the jokingly sarcastic response from Klein’s guildmate, Dynamm.

Harry gave him a two-fingered salute in response to that. “I don’t know and I’m sticking with that story. Any rumors to the contrary are baseless lies.” He told the others.

Everyone at the table chuckled at that and went back to their drinks. “By the way, kid, how have things been going since we last saw you?” Klein asked. “It has been awhile.”

Silica arrived at the table twenty minutes later to find Harry sharing it with a number of other men, most of them laughing about something. She pulled Pina from her shoulder to hold the feathered dragon and keep her from flying over to investigate, or beg for treats from Harry.

“And then,” Harry said. “When I turned around to talk with them, Kirito and Asuna up and and disappeared on us.” He shook his head. “I found out that they decided to just head back and let Silica and I have some privacy the next day.”

Klein grinned. “Privacy, eh? You weren’t doing anything naughty out there, did you?”

Silica mastered the blush that crept up on her face and walked to the table and stopped right behind Klein, gesturing to those friends of his to keep quiet while a blushing Harry sputtered some protests. “And tell me, what do you mean by that?” She asked.

“Ah, trying to evade the- wait, did your voice just change?” Klein asked.

“Uh, boss…” Issin tried to get Klein’s attention.

“What, Issin?”

Issin pointed behind Klein as Silica shifted Pina so that she was at the same level of where she assumed his face would be. Klein turned in time to find himself face to snout of a confused Pina. The feathered dragon turned back to the girl and chirped.

“Um, what?” He asked.

Silica let Pina go and the feathered dragon flew over to Harry, who had already brought out a bag of peanuts. She looked at Klein and raised an eyebrow. “You were saying something about Hadrian and I doing something naughty in the woods, I believe.” She said.

“Um, uh, you see…” Klein trailed off.

Harry watched in amusement as Silica, who was perhaps a hundred and fifty centimeters tall and had to weigh 40 kilograms with her armor on, at most, stared Klein down and made him shift uncomfortably. Where did she learn that? He wondered as he absently fed Pina some peanuts and gave her a scratch behind the head.

“Well?” Silica was starting to play it up. “Just what did you mean by that statement?”

Klein took a quick look behind him, hoping for some backup, only to see his guildmates and Harry pointedly turn their attention elsewhere, mostly on the feathered dragon that was happily soaking up their attention. Traitors, he thought sourly.

Turning his attention back to the girl, he gulped and gave in. “I was just teasing the kid, ya know?” Her expression didn’t change. “I didn’t mean anything by it!” He added hastily.

“Ok Silica,” Harry said, trying not to laugh. “You had your fun, now why don’t you sit down and order something before we find out if it’s possible for someone to soil himself here.”

Klein protested Harry’s insinuation that he was intimidated by Silica as her expression changed from that of an irritated female to a cheerful one. “Okay, Hadrian.” She replied and walked over to a seat next to Harry. “So Hadrian, you seem to know them. Who are they?”

“These are Klein and his friends, Silica.” Harry said. “Guys, this is Silica, the girl I’ve partnered with.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Klein looked at her. “So, you’re Silica, huh?” He asked and then smiled. “Nice to meet you. So, how’s travelling with him been?”

Silica smiled. “It’s been fun, even if he tends to rush in.” She shot Harry a playful glare. “It’s my job to make sure he doesn’t get hurt, too much. I’ve given up on keeping him out of trouble.”

“Hey!” Harry protested.

“Seriously,” she continued. “Some of the situations I’ve seen him get into.”

Harry gave an annoyed huff. “And who, pray tell, is the one who makes sure we have a full complement of healing items before we head out?” He countered. “And what do you mean by giving up at keeping me out of trouble? You’re right there with me.”

Silica raised an eyebrow in response. “Who’s the one who makes sure we don’t end up using all of them before we have to turn back?” She replied. “And it’s less I’m right there with you, and more I’m right there trying to drag you out of it.”

Harry opened his mouth to deliver a rebuttal, and then thought better of it. She had a point and he raised his mug acknowledging it.

Klein looked at the two, amused. If he hadn’t known better, he would have assumed that they had known each other for longer than the two months and change they have. It was certainly interesting to see.

“Hey Klein,” Harry said, changing the subject. “What’re you guys doing tomorrow, by the way?”

Klein looked at Harry. “Nothing much, kid.” He replied. “Was planning on hitting that field dungeon I’ve heard about from people, the Dark Forest. Figured we might find the Floor’s field boss there, since it borders where the labyrinth.”

Harry and Silica winced. “Uh yeah, you guys might want to listen then.” Harry replied. He opened his menu and brought up the map, scrolling to the field dungeon he magnified the image. Klein’s and his friends looked at it and then back to Harry.

“Wait, you guys have been there?” Dale asked. “That place was only discovered this morning.”

“We know,” Silica replied. “We’re the ones who discovered it, along with some guys from the ALS.” The ALS, or Aincrad Liberation Squad, one of the larger clearing guilds, had been given the credit since they were the ones who went back and reported the information. Harry and Silica had instead opted to go into the field dungeon and begin mapping it and taking note of any particular dangers.

They certainly accomplished the latter, given all the traps they found, accidentally triggered, and barely avoided. Add in mobs who were the usual two or three levels more powerful than outside the dungeon and it ended up being an interesting experience, to put it mildly.

Harry proceeded to tell Klein and his friends about the field dungeon, where traps had been found, what kind they were, and what he and Silica had learned about the mobs. While the two of them hadn’t mapped it all out, they had still managed to explore a fair bit of it when they decided to head back to town.

“So, are any of the traps dangerous, as in potentially lethal?” Klein asked.

Harry shook his head. “Not if you take proper precautions.” He replied. “The only ones we found that can kill you are the ones that poison you. Still, some of the other effects are not ones you want to be under when you run into a group of mobs.” He grimaced. “Poison can be outlasted if your health is high enough, and countered with healing potions or an antidote crystal; paralysis and blindness are different matters entirely. Fortunately, Silica and I didn’t run into many that caused those, and thankfully we didn’t find any that cause bleeding.”

Klein sighed in relief at the last bit. Paralysis and blindness were potentially deadly in a fight, but manageable with a party so long as enough people didn’t get affected. Both could be waited out and didn’t stack. Bleeding on the other hand, could quickly become deadly. While they imposed a DoT that was thankfully brief, the bleeding was different from poison in the fact that the the DoT stacked, meaning that the damage done increased, as well as resetting the counter, each extra time it was applied while it was active.

Enough stacks of bleeding, and no amount of potions used can heal enough of the damage done fast enough, forcing the player to use the far more expensive healing crystals. Considering that a “cheap” healing crystal which could flash heal half of a player’s health cost about fifty thousand col at a shop, most players only had one or two at best, and most gained those crystals from chests.

Klein looked at Harry and Silica. “You know,” he said. “Since you two have been there before, you could come with us. We get a couple of people who’ve been there and know the area, and you guys get some backup.”

Harry looked at Silica and the two seemed to have a silent conversation. Silica nodded to him, and Harry turned his attention back to Klein and his group. “We accept.” He looked at Klein’s group. “How do you want to do this?” He asked. “With eight people, we can’t all be in one group.”

Klein grinned. “Why don’t we discuss it over some drinks?”

“You’re buying this round, I bought the last one.”

January 18, 2023 - Aincrad 11th Floor, Dark Forest (Field Dungeon)

“Well, that was stupid of us. Awesome, but stupid.”

Harry gave Klein a weary look as he sank to the ground, the pixels of the Field Boss they ended up having to fight fading away. He glanced at his health and winced when he saw just how low it was.

“I mean, it wasn’t our intention to fight the field boss, just scout it out and all, but who would have known that the entire clearing was trapped to keep those who entered from leaving?” Klein continued. “Man, that was a dick move on Kayaba’s part.”

“Klein…” Harry said, trying to get the man’s attention.

“But still, we took down a field boss with only eight players, is that awesome or what? Still, that was a big ass snake.”

“Klein...”

“And you killing it the way you did? Talk about trying to take the damn thing with you! Good that you survived. How’s your arm by the way?”

Harry gave up and swatted Klein upside the head with his shield, since his sword arm still had the game’s version of a hole going through it. He hoped the blow would reboot the man’s brain, and considering the last twenty minutes of terror and fighting for their lives, he could understand why the man was a little out of it. Also, judging from the man’s pained swearing, the blow worked.

It wasn’t because he was stunned or shocked, or not much at any rate. It was the fact that eight people stumbled on the field boss, triggered a trap that kept them from leaving, and ended up killing it without anyone dying.

All of them had their health in the red, or at least they did when the fight ended. Mind, only Harry and Klein were still in that dangerous zone, and they were on the way to recovering back to yellow like most of the others. It was to be expected; the two of them had basically hit the Field Boss, a giant snake named Braccis Coluber, with everything they had to finish it off. The boss enthusiastically tried to return the favor.

Harry took exception to that, especially when the snake tried to take a bite out of Silica. His rebuttal to the serpent’s attempt at turning her into lunch was to shove his sword through the things mouth and into it’s brain. The irony of having another massive snake bite through his arm while he killed it at the same time was not lost on him. The fact that he knew what the snake’s name meant added an element of embarrassment to the incident, though.

“Silica, you alright?” He asked. When he received no response, he looked over to her.

She was staring at where the boss had been, eyes wide and blank with shock. He noticed Pina on her shoulder, the feathered dragon rubbing her head on Silica’s cheek, but the girl was unresponsive. Harry wearily got to his feet and walked over to her. When he was in front of her, he got down onto his knees and looked her in the eyes.

“Silica,” he said, placing his hands on her arms to get her attention. “Look at me. I’m all right and the snake is dead, see?”

“H-hadrian?” Silica asked hesitatingly. Harry noticed her eyes focus on him and he smiled. He knew that once she collected herself, she was going to tear into him, and with good reason. For now, though, she needed the reassurance. As it was, he expected the pending explosion to happen soon, and judging from the way he felt her body tense, it would be happening any… His musings on when Silica would collect herself came to an abrupt halt as she pulled one of her arms out of his grip and punched him hard enough in the jaw to send him sprawling.

“You, you, you reckless, stupid, empty-headed, idiot !” She shouted at him. “Do you even realize how close you came to being killed?!” She grabbed him and hauled him back up. “Where do you keep your brain, in your ass? Because it’s not being kept in your head!” She then began to rant at him, at length.

Harry wisely kept his mouth shut. He knew that anything he said could easily make the situation worse. He looked at Klein and his friends and saw that all of them were very pointedly not looking at them, meaning he would get no help from that front, the traitors.

Wait, what was that last thing she said? Oh, she did not just cast aspersions on his manhood and sexual preferences. Harry began to respond to her rant with choice words of his own, and the two of them began to hurl insults at each other. They did so for a few minutes until a sharp whistle interrupted them.

“Hey, you two, save the the lover’s quarrel and the foreplay for the bedroom!” Klein shouted.

Both of them blinked and looked at Klein. They looked at each other again and nodded. They knew how to respond to this.

“Did he just say that?” Silica asked.

“You mean the part of us saving it for the bedroom, or the hint that we would be doing something else after this?” Harry asked in response.

“Yes.”

“I think he did.” Harry looked at Klein. “Standard response number one, Silica.”

“Gotcha.”

Harry gave Klein a two-fingered salute while Silica flipped him off.

Klein merely grinned at the gestures.

“Um, are we interrupting something?” A voice asked.

Everyone turned their attention to the new voice and saw a crowd of people at the edge of the field. At the front of the group stood the leaders of the ALS and the DDA guilds, Kibaou and Lind, as well as the familiar faces of Asuna and Kirito over to one side. Judging from the size of the group, they had formed a raid to take on the field boss, the one that Harry, Silica, and Klein’s group just killed.

“Here for the field boss?” Harry asked.

Lind nodded. “Yes, you know where it is?”

Klein snorted. “We know where it was.” He replied. “We could have used all of you guys about twenty minutes ago.” He shook his head. “Since you weren’t, we ended up having to fight and kill it. Just the eight of us.”

The entire group of new arrivals looked surprised, and more than a bit doubtful, at Klein’s claim. Understandable really, considering that taking down a field boss usually required at least twenty players.

“You mean eight people killed it?” Lind asked.

Klein nodded. “Yeah,” he replied. “We were hoping to scout it out when we found it. The entire clearing was trapped to keep us from leaving, so we ended up having to fight it.”

Lind just gave them a look. “And none of you thought to use a teleport crystal to get out?” He had a bit of satisfaction as the eight of them blinked and gave reactions from facepalms to rueful and slightly hysterical laughs. Several of them were swearing under their breath. The looks some were giving his own partner's rather creative mutterings made Harry smirk even as Lind dressed them down. It took a bit to get Silica going, but when she did…

“Didn’t think of that, did you?” Lind said when they quieted down.

Harry shrugged. “In our defense, we were a bit busy trying to stay alive for the obvious to sink in” He opened his inventory menu and made some changes. “I’m having one of those crystals on the quick access menu from now on.” He looked at Silica, who did the same with her menu. “Just in case there’s a next time.”

Silica shot him a look. “There better not be,” she told him. “One of that thing’s fangs went right through your arm.” She looked at the arm in question, noting that the wound was almost healed.

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Harry protested. “Hadrian’s method of giant snake slaying; stab a sword through the roof of it’s mouth. It’s a tried, tested, and proven method.” In a quieter voice he muttered in English. “At least this one wasn’t a damn basilisk this time.”

“What was that last bit? I didn’t hear you.”

“Nothing Silica, nothing at all.”

“Tried, tested and proven?” Kibaou asked incredulously. “What idiot would try such a method?”

“Kirito.” Asuna immediately said.

“Harry.” Silica, Klein, Issin and the rest of Klein’s guild said.

“Hey!” Both of them protested. Before they could say anything else, Asuna and Silica shot them both a look, silencing them. The fact that they were both clearly fingering their weapons had nothing at all to do with it. Nothing at all.

“Both of them are whipped, aren’t they?” Kunimitz asked.

“Yup,” Klein replied as the two of them glared at both him and Kunimitz, while the rest of the players present laughed. “Anyway, unless there’s another field boss between here and the labyrinth,” he pointed at the entrance. “Which is right there, by the way, it’s been taken care of.

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, I think we should head back to Taft. I don’t know about Harry, Silica and the rest of the guys, but I’m gonna have what passes for beer in these parts, try to get drunk, and then take a nap, and pretend I didn’t nearly get killed.” He chuckled. “Heh, a hot and relaxing bath seems in order as well.”

Those who were with him mumbled their agreement to that. The group of eight walked out of the clearing, making their way back to the village. It might only be just past noon, but to them, it had already been a tiring day.

Kibaou nudged Lind. “Hey, Lind, you think they actually pulled it off?” He asked.

Lind looked at the field, and then back to the group that was leaving. “It would seem so.” He shook himself and addressed the rest of the raid. “Anyway, the labyrinth is open. We all came here to fight a field boss, but someone beat us to it. Those who want to go in and start mapping, do so. Everyone else, you can go back to whatever you wanted to do.”

He looked back in the direction that group left and considered something. Those eight bear some watching . He thought. It takes skill to take on a field boss with only eight people.

“Schivata,” he said. “Head back to the village and see if The Rat is in the area.” He opened a trade window and sent his subordinate some col. “This should be enough for us to get some information on those eight.”

“Thinking of recruiting them, boss?” Schivata asked, accepting the trade.

“Perhaps,” came the reply. He shrugged. “If they’re as good as it seems, it wouldn’t hurt to at least present them the offer.”

Schivata nodded. “Those kids seem familiar, though.”

Lind knew what Schivata meant. There weren’t too many of the younger players on the front lines, and he seemed to recall that there was a particularly young pair that was often seen on the same floor as the clearers, exploring and questing. “They might be the ones who scouted the field bosses on the third, seventh and ninth floors.” He said. “Anyway, you have your orders, Schivata. Get some info on them.”

“Understood, boss.”

Aincrad 11th Floor, Taft

The group walked into the village from the Dark Forest and made their way to the inn. Klein’s idea of having a drink, or several, taking a bath, and then getting some sleep, if not necessarily in that order, had merit.

Harry already knew that Silica was going to want to take a bath first, given that bathing was her preferred method of relaxing. Also, given the looks she was shooting him, he probably should consider doing so as well. He could tell that she wasn’t done giving him a piece of her mind about what he did, just as he knew that a lot of that anger was from the very real fear that he could have been killed. In some ways, she was like Hermione, such as how she reacted to worrying about him, but was more expressive of the inevitable anger born of it.

He briefly wondered how she and Ron were holding up before focusing back to the present. It didn’t do to think about the real world here; that was something that players quickly realized. The real world was out there, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Better to not think about it and focus on what you could do.

As it was, the two of them were likely to have a talk . Silica didn’t like how Harry was more than willing to risk himself, and he usually took pains to not do anything too dangerous. But as she told Klein and the others the previous night, he had a tendency to find trouble, or for trouble to find him. It was an accusation he would admit had a grain of truth.

He gave Silica a look and saw that she was starting to show the exhaustion that came when the high of surviving something that dangerous wears off. He had a good idea that the others were feeling the same way, even if they weren’t showing it. He was beginning to feel it, now that they were in a safe zone, or at least as safe as it ever got in Aincrad. The perception of safety meant that they were allowed to relax from the constant and necessary wariness.

Hermione had once described it as "ego depletion”, the brain carefully doling out the endorphins needed in a panic and then switching to being stingy when it was time to recover. He just knew it left him tired.

Still, it looked like the bath, or any other form of relaxation for that matter, would have to wait.

“Guys,” he said. “I’ll have to pass on the drinks for now. I don’t know about you, but Silica’s about to crash, and to be honest, so am I.” He looked at them. “Honestly, I think you guys should take a nap as well.”

Klein looked at Harry. “Eh, I’m fine, though if the guys want to crash, that’s fine.” He grinned. “Fewer drinks for me to buy.”

Harry looked at Issin. “A hundred col on him crashing after the first drink.” He said.

Issin grinned as Klein sputtered in protest at Harry’s insinuation. “You seem to think that will happen.” He said. “Also, bet accepted.”

They reached the inn and Harry made his way to the stairs that led to the rooms in order to take that nap, Silica following after him. When he reached the room he had taken, he felt a hand on his arm and turned to give Silica a quizzical look.

“Why?” She asked. “Why did you put yourself in danger like that? You could have died.”

“Because,” he said. “It could have killed you if I didn’t, and I won’t let that happen.” He looked at her expression. “It’s not your fault, Silica. It was a trap and we all walked into it.”

“If I had been stronger…”

“You’re stronger than you think, Silica.” He interrupted. “We were all caught off guard, trapped, and we fought a field boss. You did your fair share, so don’t sell yourself short.

“Yes, it could have gone better, but it could have gone worse, and there’s no point in dwelling on what might have happened. We will learn from this, we will take precautions, and we do what we can ensure it never happens again.” He paused to gather his thoughts.

“I would not have even survived this long if it wasn’t for you.” He told her. “After today, I think a break is in order, so why don’t we take tomorrow off?.”

“A break?” Silica asked. “A break sounds good.”

“Well anyway,” Harry added. “I’m gonna take a short nap.” He turned, opened the door to his room, and walked in.

“Hadrian,” Silica said.

Pausing, Harry turned back.

“I’ll see you at dinner.” She then turned and walked to her room.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, but he had the feeling that, sooner or later, they were going to have a long conversation about things.

Chapter Text

Discalimer: Hey all, JG here again to welcome you to the dungeon I’m crawling through while making sure my beta doesn’t get eaten by a mob. Well, unless he happened to fall asleep in a mob’s nest again, then he’s on his own.

(hears a distant scream of panic)

Don’t worry folks, he’s fine.

…

I think.

Chapter 5 - Prelude to a Wake-up Call.

January 28, 2023 - Aincrad, 15th Floor, Labyrinth

Harry walked beside Silica as the two of them followed the raid towards the room that the floor boss was in. This would be the first floor boss fight they were brought in on, and that was only due to the fact that they had proven themselves on field bosses. Their success with the Fuurinkazan guild against the one on the eleventh floor had boosted their reputation and others wanted to see if they really were skilled, or just lucky.

Harry was more than willing to attribute their success in that fight to luck, but he knew full well that luck only went so far. As it was, they had spent many days fighting mobs and, grinding if he remembered the term right, in order to get to a point where they were strong enough to better their chances of surviving.

It hadn’t required much of a change from their usual habits. A heavier focus towards killing mobs, but that mostly meant that they focused on kill quests, and doing more in one day, than their usual mix. As it was, the two of them had been above the curve for those on the front lines to begin with, and this put them far enough past it to be more than safe against regular mobs.

Even so, the inclusion of him and Silica in fighting the floor boss was not universally accepted. Not due to any lack of skill on their part, but due to their age. Several clearers had expressed their discomfort with allowing them in the group and it had taken some fast talking on the part of several people who had seen them in action, as well as proving themselves on several field bosses, to get the skeptics to grudgingly accept their presence.

Working out where to put the two of them had taken some thinking, until Asuna had volunteered herself and Kirito. The two unaffiliated players often worked on their own, so adding Harry and Silica wouldn’t disrupt the existing groups with having to incorporate two relative unknowns. At the same time, she knew that the two of them worked well together, her periodic encounters with them in the field, as well as updates from Argo, had told her that much. Since she and Kirito often worked as their own team, Lind and Kibaou were willing to let her.

The one ALS member who commented on Asuna playing babysitter in a fight quickly regretted those words after she sent him flying out of the bar they were using to run the planning session.

Harry’s musing on it all ended when they arrived at the door that led to the boss’ room.

“All right then,” the raid leader, Lind, said. “We’re here. Remember the plan we developed.” There were several comments to that, many of them jokingly impolite.

“I wonder, how often do things go as planned,” Harry quietly asked Kirito, who shrugged.

“Rarely,” he quietly replied. “It’s more to get everyone on the same page before the fight anyway. No one really expects it to last for very long.” He snorted. “Beats not having one at all, though.”

Harry groaned. “If that’s supposed to reassure me, it isn’t.” He replied.

Kirito shrugged in response to that. “Just keep alert, watch the boss’ patterns, and you and Silica will be fine.” He smiled. “You two are certainly strong enough for this.”

Harry’s retort was silenced by the sounds of the door to the boss room opening. Positioning himself next to Silica, they followed the raid into the boss room. Glancing out the corner of his eye, he could see Silica’s nervousness, but watched as the time for the coming battle came closer and her expression and posture firmed. He turned his attention forward and watched as the boss revealed itself.

The battle to clear the fifteenth floor of Aincrad had begun.

##

Silica jumped back as she dodged an attack by the boss, switching out with Harry as he quickly dashed in and used the opportunity to land several strikes with his weapon, finishing with a Slant, leaving a large “wound” in the boss’ flank. She watched as he readied her shield for the boss’ retaliatory strike and readied herself to either switch out with him, or grab a healing crystal to patch him up.

They had been fighting the boss for ten minutes so far and had gotten it down to almost half health. So far, things had been going fairly smoothly, with tanks and shield bearers switching out with DPS in a staggered line to keep the attention of the boss, a giant minotaur named Tiberius, Bovis Rex Imperator.

The wide, sweeping attacks it used with a chain were easy enough to deal with. If you had a shield, use the shield to deflect the chain, if you didn’t, jump back and avoid the attack. So far, the tactic was working.

She watched as Pina dove in around the Boss’ head and harassed it before darting out its reach and back to her. She would have to start holding Pina back from doing so, as the boss was beginning to react faster to Pina’s actions and she didn’t want to risk losing her.

“Silica, switch!” Harry called as the boss finished its attack run and she darted in, using the sword skill Fading Edge to strike the boss several times in the leg. She darted back to her partner and watched as he pulled out a healing crystal and used it to top his health off. A shield boosted defense significantly, but unless the block was absolutely perfect, some damage always bled through.

She heard Lind order their group back and they were replaced by a fresh set to keep the boss’ attention and allow those who had been doing so some time to recover.

“Too bad Klein’s not here,” Harry said when she got next to him. “He’d be loving this.”

Silica snorted. “Too bad for him, Hadrian.” She said. She turned her attention to the fight and spied Kirito and Asuna seamlessly working as a team. The two pairs had gotten separated early in the fight when an early series of attacks had scattered the groups across the boss room and ruined whatever plan had been in place. Not that it slowed down the clearers any, they simply adjusted to the change and went back to work on killing the boss.

Regardless of the personalities involved, the frequent arguments, and the competition between various guilds, the clearers were becoming a disciplined fighting force.

Silica watched the boss’ health drop into the red and most of the fighters quickly back away. Experience with field bosses meant that the boss’ attack patterns were about to change, and no one wanted to be caught flat footed. As the boss dropped the chains, it balled a fist and hit one player who had been too slow with a punishing blow, sending the player flying into a cluster of other players.

After that, the battle devolved into a frantic series of darting attacks, desperate dodging and constant movement as any and all sense of order was lost. Fortunately, the boss could only attack in one direction, and the players quickly unleashed as many powerful attacks on it as they could before the boss’ attention turned to them.

Within three more minutes, the boss’s avatar shattered and they saw the message congratulating them for defeating it. She looked over the drops she obtained and and saw that she had received a new piece of armor she would try on later, a sword, some crafting and enhancement materials, and a large amount of col.

She made a note to herself to see if her companion had a use for the sword. Further musings were halted as she heard an argument break out between some players of the ALS and the DDA. Catching Harry’s eye, she gestured to the stairway that led to the next floor and he nodded.

They weren’t members of, or affiliated with, either guild, so they saw no point in watching the drama unfold. The offers they had received to join either guild had been politely, but firmly, turned down a week ago when they made it clear that they wanted to stay out of the faction-based arguments.

February 18, 2023 - Aincrad 22nd Floor, Coral

Harry stretched as he looked over the town from his vantage point from his room in the inn. This floor was unusual in the fact that much of it was a giant safe zone, with a rustic village serving as the main town, but with smaller villages and even several cabins spread across the region giving the floor the air of a rural retreat, a place for players to rest and relax.

The few mobs outside of the large safe zone were not very strong, and information from those exploring the dungeon indicated that it was almost ridiculously easy. Harry had taken one look at the floor and decided to use the time on it to relax, something he hadn’t really allowed himself to do since everything started back in November.

The floor seemed to be designed with that in mind, and Harry was willing to take the opportunity. He had already stated that his intention to sit out the next floor boss fight, and he knew that Silica definitely wanted a few days off, herself.

He couldn’t blame her, and if he were honest with himself, he needed time to just sit back and relax, just as much as she did. That, and he was getting tired of Lind’s constant attempts to get them to pick a side and join a guild. Well, not Lind per se , but some of the smaller guild leaders who were aligned with Lind, as well as a few DDA members, always made time to quietly encourage them to choose.

Kibaou had simply accepted their refusal and left them alone, just telling them that the offer would remain open for the time being if they changed their minds. He was more focused on clearing the game and maintaining the momentum they had.

There was a part of the entire thing that made Harry wonder if it was also being driven by his and Silica’s continued association with Kirito and Asuna. While Kibaou was largely ambivalent towards those two, it was no secret that Lind disliked them both, though his dislike towards Asuna was mostly due to her association with Kirito.

Harry turned his thoughts away from that matter when he heard a knock on the door.

“Hadrian,” Silica’s voice called from the other side. “It’s me. Can I come in?”

Harry walked over to the door and opened it. He beckoned Silica into the room and watched her take a seat at one of the available chairs. Keeping with the idea of them being on break, she had forgone her armor, instead settling for a simple light brown skirt, white blouse, dark brown tights, and functional, if fashionable, boots.

Harry’s clothing was of a similar style of what was worn under his armor. Instead of leather, his pants were a dark brown cloth that was similar to, but more comfortable than, canvas, and a white linen shirt. He decided to keep wearing the boots he favored in the field due to their comfort.

Harry walked over to another chair and took a seat facing her. “You know,” he said. “If someone saw us, they might get ideas.”

Silica raised an eyebrow, not rising to the bait. “They’re welcome to them, Hadrian.” She opened her menu and browsed the inventory for a brief moment. “Want something to drink?” She asked.

Harry smiled. “I think I’m the one who should be offering drinks, Silica.” He said with some amusement.

She shrugged. “I know what you prefer and carry, and frankly, it’s not to my taste.” She found what she was looking for and selected it. A bottle materialized and she placed it on the table.

“And what is that?”

“Something I found that actually isn’t beer, wine, or spirits.” She shrugged. “Some of the patrons downstairs say it’s pretty good, if different.”

Harry nodded and then materialized a couple of cups from his inventory. “Well then, I should provide the cups and pour the drinks, at least.” He placed them on a nearby table and indicated that she should hand the bottle over. After he poured the drink into the cups, he handed one to Silica.

“So, how is it?” Harry asked as she took a sip.

Silica looked at the cup and back to him. “It’s not bad, different, but not bad. I can’t place the taste, though.”

Curious, Harry took a sip from his cup. His eyes widened as he immediately recognized the taste. No way, he thought before taking another sip. “I know this taste.” He said.

Silica gave him a curious look.

He smiled. “It’s pumpkin, or as close as it can be here.” He took another sip from the cup and put it down. “Anyway, I don’t think you came by here just to share some drinks.”

Silica finished her drink and looked at Harry. “I’m beginning to get worried.”

Harry blinked. “You’re getting worried?” He asked. “About what?”

Silica’s brow furrowed in thought, as if she was trying to figure out how she would say what it was that was worrying her. Shaking her head, she stood reached for the bottle and poured herself another drink. “I can’t really explain it,” she said as she put the bottle down. “It’s just this feeling I have, that something’s about to happen. I mean, we’ve been clearing a floor every few days, and there hasn’t been any real problems, but still, something’s bothering me.”

Harry considered her words carefully. “You mean the fact that things seem to be easy, don’t you?” He asked.

Silica nodded and Harry’s expression became pensive. “Yeah, now that you mention it, it’s been bothering me as well.” And it had been, now that he thought about it. For the last ten floors, they hadn’t been in any particular danger. Some of that is the simple caution that became habit for any player who actually wanted to survive for any length of time, but it was as if the dangers had levelled off to some degree, rather than the gradual increase that had been the norm for the first fifteen or so floors.

“Silica,” he said. “You know more about games than I do, so I have to ask. Is it possible that things are the way they are because things are about to get a lot harder?”

Silica nodded. “In a game, you usually have a point where things do level off for a bit early on. It’s shortly before the game stops…” Her eyes widened. “Hadrian, we’re on the twenty second floor right now, which means we’re almost a quarter of the way through. If this is moving along like a video game does, that would be the floor.”

“For what?” He asked.

“For SAO to stop taking it easy on us.” She replied.

##

That evening, both of them had arranged to meet with a few players, namely Argo, Kirito, Asuna and Klein. They would at least hear them out and not outright dismiss what they were thinking. Or so he hoped.

Now that everyone was gathered together, he waited for everyone’s orders to be set down and decided to get started.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I called for this meeting, so I will get to the point,” He said. “Silica and I were discussing a few things earlier today when she made an observation that was worrying.”

“What observation would be worrying? We seem to be doing great so far.” Klein said. “I would say things have been rather easy.”

“And that’s what’s worrying.” Harry countered. “Silica pointed something out to me, something that had been bothering me, though I didn’t know it at the time. Outside of the normal dangers which we are all used to dealing with, things haven’t gotten noticeably more difficult for the last few floors. Add in that we’re only a few floors from what can be considered a major marker towards completion, the twenty-fifth floor. Now, what would be the place for SAO to stop taking it easy on us?”

“You’re right,” Kirito said. “We’re hitting a milestone soon, which means that if SAO is following any game logic, that would be where things start getting difficult.”

“Difficult?” Asuna asked. “What do you mean?”

“He means that if there’s any floor which is going to serve as a wake-up call, it would be the twenty-fifth floor.” Argo replied and then scowled. “ Damn it , I should have thought about that. Despite our situation, SAO has still followed the logic of game progression to some degree.” At Asuna’s confused look she continued. “Games, even MMOs, gradually increase in difficulty, meaning that as we progress, the dangers and difficulty remain a challenge. The fact that it hasn’t recently would be a warning to any savvy player that thinks about it, that things are about to get a lot harder.”

“Not necessarily,” Klein countered. “It just means that players had better be on the ball when it happens, or things will go badly for them. In most games, it would serve as a warning to not get overconfident. And, oh, oh shit .”

Kirito scowled. “And we have been simply glad about it, not thinking of what might be coming. Damn. ” He looked at Harry. “How did you two realize this?” He asked.

Harry pointed at Silica Silica who gave a wry smile. “Well, you know how we decided to sit out the floor boss?” She asked. When everyone nodded, she continued. “Well, it was more we decided to take a few days and relax. You know, no going out, no risking our lives, things like that. We took the chance to rest.” She paused and took a sip from her drink. “It gave us time to think.”

Argo nodded. “And because you had that time to think, you noticed that things weren’t adding up.” She snorted. “Everyone else has been concerned about clearing the game, and we missed this because we were too focused on that goal. Still, even with this in mind, there is are some questions?” She looked at Harry and Silica

“What if you are wrong about this?” She asked them. “Also, if you are right, how do we get people to listen?”

Harry shrugged. “If we’re wrong, then we are wrong.” He said simply. “It’s better to be warned about something that might happen and prepare for it, than to not be warned and it happen.” He then looked at Argo. “As for getting people to listen, I don’t know. You have any ideas?”

Argo sighed. “Outside of just putting the word out and hoping for the best? Not really.” She looked at all of them. “There are a few quests I can recommend for you guys that should help with the prep work, and I will keep an eye out for any which look promising.” She looked at them all. “The best thing you guys can do is to top off your recovery items, get as well geared as you practicably can, and grind levels.”

Harry and the others nodded, realizing that she was right on that. There were things they could do to maximize their chances of survival, outside of simply waiting the entire thing out. The latter didn’t sit well with them for various reasons, however.

February 24, 2023 - Aincrad 24th Floor, Floor Boss Room

Harry relaxed his guard when the boss shattered in defeat, taking the moment to relax as he observed the players who had participated. He didn’t know, or even care, who got the last attack bonus, and was just glad that another battle had happened without incident.

In the week since he and Silica had their meeting with Kirito and the others, they had hashed out rough plan after rough plan for preparation for the possibility of the coming floor to be significantly more dangerous than others were expecting. Outside of some furious grinding, and checking, modifying, and selecting skills that might or might not be needed, there wasn’t much they could otherwise do. They all made sure that their gear was as good as they could make it, they made sure that their inventories had items for as many situations they could think of, and they puzzled over the possible ways things could go.

They did agree that Argo should put the word out that some players had noticed something and were worried that some video game cliches might be played straight. Namely, the inevitable difficulty spike. While it wasn’t outright acknowledged, there was a noticed increase in players double checking their builds, their gear, and topping off their inventories. They hadn’t outright dismissed the possibility, though the fact that nearly a week had passed meant that any sense of urgency was already fading.

He was glad he had gone out on that one quest on the twenty-third floor that Argo recommended a few days ago, though. That particular item, while having no combat use, could come in handy, given what it is used for.

He looked at Silica and gestured toward the stairs which would lead to the next floor, where Kirito and Asuna were already waiting. She nodded and followed him to the pair and they looked at each other.

“Well, this is it.” Kirito said. “Let’s hope we’re wrong.”

The four of them shared a grim nod and walked up the stairs.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 6 - Aincrad’s Boot Meets the Player’s Arses

February 24, 2023 - Aincrad 25th Floor

Harry took one look at the terrain as they finished their climb up the stairs that led to the twenty-fifth floor of Aincrad, and was not reassured by what he saw. The narrow canyons and rough ground did not make for a comforting sight. Just from their current location, he could see half a dozen places where mobs could ambush them.

“Well,” he heard Silica say. “This is giving me a bad feeling.” She looked at Harry. “So, which path do we take?” She asked.

That was a good question. From their position, they could make out three paths which likely headed in the same direction as where the floor’s central town, and by extension the teleport plaza, would likely be.

The conversation went on, but Harry only had half a mind on it. He was browsing his inventory.

“Found it!” He selected an item and held up a small sphere. “Don’t know if this will work, but it’s worth a shot.”

Kirito looked it over and his eyes widened. “Wait, you found a Mapping Sphere?” He asked in surprise. “Where did you get that?”

“Quest reward,” Harry said. “Got it two floors ago on a quest Argo found and recommended to me.” He snorted. “She was pretty jealous when she found out what I got.” He fiddled with it for a couple of seconds and got it to work. “All right, this thing won’t map the entire floor, but we have a choice of using it to extend our mapping range to about a hundred meters out for the next hour, or we can get a map of the local area in one shot.” He looked at them. “Any preferences?”

Asuna and Kirito looked at each other for a second and then back to Harry. “I would personally prefer the extended mapping range, but we don’t know how dangerous the mobs are, it might take us longer than an hour to get to the town.” Asuna said.

Kirito nodded. “True, but the town can be more than a kilometer out, as well.” He frowned. “It’s a choice where either one would be useful.” He looked at Harry. “It’s up to you.”

Harry looked at Silica, who shrugged. “Kirito has a point, Hadrian, either choice is a good one.”

Harry gave them all a flat look and then shrugged. “One kilometer out it is, then.” He activated the item and made his selection. “I’d rather know what we’re getting into, and know the general area.” He watched as his map updated. “The entire area’s like a maze here.” He sent everyone the map data.

Kirito looked it over and nodded. “From what I can see, it looks like the western path leads to the town.” He said, pointing to the indicator that was used to hint at a settlement. He then looked at everyone else. “Shall we?”

Harry nodded and readied his equipment. “Let’s take it carefully, this place is giving me a bad feeling.”

When they reached the town, Stahlhold, a little over an hour later, all four of them were twitchy and nervously looking at everything in their surroundings, keeping an eye out for traps and mob ambushes. They had been ambushed over a dozen times by mobs which were far stronger than normal, and had barely avoided eight pit traps which caused a player to fall into a poisoned pit, three spike traps which caused bleeding, and one rockfall trap that they barely managed to sprint past.

All of them had noted these things in their maps, and then compiled them together to make immediately and freely public as Silica went to activate the teleport gate.

Setting up a public release of information in Aincrad was surprisingly easy, at least if it was for the floor. A player only had to copy the information to a message and post it on the floor’s bulletin, which was located right next to the teleport gate and set whether it would go to players automatically, or if they had to manually select it from the bulletin. There was even an option to set it to broadcast the information to players.

Harry had set it to automatically update a player’s map data and mob list as soon as they arrived on the floor while Asuna set up the broadcast. Now, it was up to the other players to decide what to do with the information.

"Let's hope they take it seriously," Kirito murmured as Asuna and Harry finished their work.

"It's out of our hands," Harry admitted with a shrug. He looked at Silica and raised an eyebrow. It was bitter, but satisfied.

“Can I get a Moshi Moshi?” Silica asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Harry said, blinking at her. His... experience of Japanese still let some turns of phrase go over his head.

"I'm hoping someone picked-- it's how we greet a caller--"

Harry gave her a confused look. “I get that bit, I know what a phone is but...?”

“It’s because I called it,” she explained carefully. "Really? I think the saying is from English."

Harry’s confused look remained while Kirito and Asuna snorted.

“It means she was right about how this floor would be more dangerous.” Kirito explained. They all saw the comprehension dawn on Harry’s face and watched as he gave a rather bitter chuckle.

“Let’s hope someone did, or they’re going to have a rather nasty surprise when they get here.” Harry said. “Oh, and Silica, it may come from the English language, but I haven’t heard that in England. Thus, it’s not King’s English, but probably American English. Well, I think it is…”

“Is there a difference?” Asuna asked with an innocence that just reeked of falsehood.

Harry put his face into the palm of his hand and muttered something in English while the others laughed.

February 26, 2023 - Aincrad 25th Floor, Stahlhold

Silica sat down at the pub’s table wearily, with Pina briefly taking wind to land on the table. She looked over at her partner who appeared to be just as tired as she was, given the almost blank look he was giving the menu in front of him. She could sympathize, given how how draining the constant wariness needed to survive the floor was.

The casualties piling up on this floor alone just made it worse.

The last two days had brutally demonstrated to them both just how right she had been, and just how many front liners had not taken the warning as seriously as they should have. For every five players who went out on the first day, one or two not coming back was depressingly common. What made it worse was that all of the deaths they had heard of were from things that could have been avoided if they had been careful from the start.

Most of the players who had walked back into town, or had used expensive teleport crystals to flee dangerous situations, had shell-shocked looks on their faces. The realization that this floor was not like the others had not been a pleasant one for them.

Harry selected something on the menu and closed it, finishing his order. She wagered the choice was made just to get it done. He absently took a bag of peanuts out of his inventory and handed a few to Pina, who happily ate the offered snack. He absently gave the feathered dragon a scratch just behind the ear tufts and turned his attention to his partner.

Silica shook her head at his actions and smiled. “You spoil her, Hadrian, you know that?” She said.

Harry gave her a small, if tired, smile. “And you don’t?” He asked. He put the peanuts away, to Pina’s annoyed protests and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

Harry shrugged. “A few things.” He replied. “You were right that this floor is where SAO stopped taking it easy on us, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.” He shook his head. “I expected things to be more difficult, more dangerous, and so on. I didn’t expect the floor to be one giant death trap.”

He then scowled. “But what really gets me is how too many others simply didn’t listen to our warnings. I thought that they had been, but as soon as the floor opened, they didn’t gather information and simply rushed out.”

Silica nodded and looked around the pub. There were quite a few players present, many of them with grim looks on their faces. “Seems it’s sunk in, though.” She observed.

Harry nodded. “I’ll grant you that, but the cost for people to realize this was too high.” The NPC waitress arrived and put a bottle on the table with two goblets, a platter of meats and cheeses, and a loaf of dark bread. Harry thanked her and the NPC bowed and walked away.

Pouring himself a drink, Harry looked at Silica, his expression questioning. Silica nodded and he filled up the other goblet. Handing it to her, he glanced down at the table and saw Pina looking at the plate with the meat and cheese hungrily. “We better eat before Pina decides to do it for us.” He said.

Silica looked at the feathered dragon and huffed with amusement. “You’re right.” She said. She took some of the meat and cheese from the platter and put it on her plate. “Well, let’s eat.”

Neither of them felt particularly hungry, the last few days having not done their appetites any favors, but they ate the ordered food until they felt that they had eaten enough. By the time they finished, about half of the food had been eaten.

Harry looked at the unfinished platter and shrugged, pushing his plate away. Silica put some more meat on hers and placed it in front of Pina, the feathered dragon happily obliging in eating the offered food.

“So,” Harry said. “Tomorrow, I was thinking on basing us in Feldin, the town closest to where the labyrinth is for the rest of the time we’re on this floor.”

“Any reason?” Silica asked.

Harry shrugged. “The ALS and DDA are pushing ahead, but something about how the two guilds have been interacting is bothering me. Well, more like how Kibaou and Lind are interacting with each other, or not interacting with each other as it were.”

Silica raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

Harry frowned. “We know that the two of them don’t get along. Kibaou wants to get everyone out of this game as quickly as possible. He’s a bit of a glory hound, but he means well. Lind, on the other hand....”

Silica nodded. It was a concern. For all of his faults, Kibaou meant well and was more willing to work with and help unaffiliated players. He was rash and a bit on the reckless side, but many players felt that he was preferable to Lind, who acted like an elitist gamer at the best of times.

Lind also knew what to say and do in order to provoke Kibaou, and she had her suspicions that Lind was soon likely to attempt that here with the intention of discrediting Kibaou. However, such a thing was likely to get people killed. Both of them were of the thought that Lind probably didn’t even consider that an issue, or simply didn’t care. Not necessarily malicious, but that would be cold comfort to those hurt or killed in the process. Silica was given to wonder if he didn't get the idea that death here was real , or if he just couldn't accept how severe the consequence of his actions were.

“Let’s not think of that right now, I don’t want to get indigestion.” Silica said. Not that we can really get indigestion here, she thought.

Harry nodded and changed the subject.

February 27, 2023 - Aincrad 25th Floor - Path to Feldin

Harry swatted the mob’s attack away with his shield and followed up with the Sword Skill, Slant, killing the mob and damaging its partner in the process. He quickly shifted his footing to block the follow-on attack and saw Silica sprint behind the mob and use a sword skill to stab it three times in the back, a Tri Pierce, if he remembered.

The moment the mob’s attention shifted to Silica, Harry set his shield and used it as a ram as he dashed into the mob. He must have hit it fairly hard, as he saw the mob, some sort of bipedal mountain lion, stagger and lose its footing. He didn’t waste any time as he used the opportunity to stab the thing three times in rapid succession.

“Silica, switch!” He called as he leapt back.

Silica darted in, her dagger, already glowing with a sword skill. Stabbing the mob twice, it died and shattered. Harry was about to say something when a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

“Silica, move!” He shouted as he readied his shield. He saw Silica jump out of the way of the mob’s ambush and charged in to grab its attention. It didn’t take them long to kill the mob and he took a quick look around their immediate area. Not seeing any immediate threats, he sheathed his sword and looked at Silica.

“Want to get to the town before more of their friends show up?” He asked.

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Silica said. She then noticed something and grinned. “Awesome! I levelled up!”

Harry grinned. “Nice, that makes you level thirty-six now, doesn’t it?”

She nodded cheerfully and quickly brought up the window to see the changes to her stats and do some allocations. Thirty seconds later, she closed the window and looked at him. “Well, let’s get to Feldin.”

Harry nodded and the two continued on their way to the town.

By the time they reached Feldin an hour later, they had fought off ten more ambushes by those bipedal cat mobs and avoided six pit traps. Compared to their experiences when they first came to the floor, it was almost easy in a way, not that they would tell other players that. Of course, it could simply be that they had gotten used to the nature of the floor.

Harry noticed a familiar figure off in an alley and pointed the person out to Silica.

“I see her, definitely Argo.” She replied. “I’ll head to the inn and get a room, two if the availability and price is good. Go ahead and get some info from her.”

Harry nodded and carefully headed to the alley.

“Thought you two would be here sooner,” she said as he approached.

Harry shrugged. “We decided to play it carefully, and the quests around Stahlhold were good and a challenge.” He replied. “This floor is definitely living up to what we were concerned about.”

“You two seem to be doing fine,” Argo replied. At Harry’s look she grinned. “I kept track of you two. Kii-bou and Aa-chan can take care of themselves, but they’re doing fine right now in case you’re wondering.”

Harry snorted. “I would expect no less from those two.” he said with a smile. “Have you seen them in action? They’re on a whole different level. Anyway, you wouldn’t have been so obvious that Silica and I could spot you if you didn’t have something to say. So, how much will it cost?”

Harry's smile fell rather quickly as rather than the expected grin, Argo gave him a serious look. “It’s free of charge this time.” She said. She pulled him deeper into the alley. “Good, we’re out of sight, now.”

“That serious?” Harry asked.

Argo nodded. “In a way, it is.” She frowned. “I just found out that one of the brokers in my network’s been compromised, and he’s been spreading some dodgy information.”

Harry blinked. “Wait, compromised?” he asked. “And what do you mean by dodgy information?”

“I mean that, that asshat Lind managed to bribe or blackmail one of my informants into spreading information that, while not outright false, is missing some key bits, and he was knowingly passing it as accurate information.” Argo replied with a slight growl to her voice.

Harry winced. While incomplete information wasn’t as bad as false information, it was still bad information. “Well, damn, that’s not good.” He looked at Argo. “You confirmed it?” He asked.

Argo’s nodded. “Yeah,” she replied. “His conscience couldn’t take it and he came clean to me after a while. Not before he spread some of that info, but he did come clean to me.”

Harry frowned. “Who else have you told?” he asked.

Argo sighed. “You’re the first one I could actually get directly,” she replied. “Others I would tell aren’t around, and I just found this out less than twenty minutes ago. I already sent them messages, but I don’t know if they read them.”

Harry scowled. “Not good, not good at all. What was the bad information, and who was- wait, don't tell me.”

"Didn't think I'd have to," Argo told him and Harry’s scowl deepened.

“Damn it, Lind.” he growled. “What part of death is real don’t you get?” He began to pace in the limited space of the alley. “I know that he and Kibaou don’t get along and only work together in boss battles because they have to, but this is intentionally trying to get him killed.”

“I don’t think Lind sees it that way,” Argo drawled.

“Doesn’t change the fact that it is what the result is likely to be.” Harry replied sharply. “Even if Kibaou survives this, others probably won’t. Damn it. At least tell me that Kibaou hasn’t headed off on this info yet.”

“I could, but that would be a lie. He left about forty minutes ago with about forty or so players. They were given information on the boss, but that information is incomplete about the boss’ attack patterns and the fact that it spawns adds at various intervals.”

“Shit.” He began to move out of the alley. “Argo, keep messaging Kirito and the others, let them know what has been happening. Hopefully I can catch up to him in time.”

“And if you can’t?” she asked.

“Then we try our damnedest to make sure a raid doesn't become a massacre,” Harry snapped back. He needed to catch up to Silica and hope enough players were nearby so that they could get enough people together for a rescue if that was necessary. He made to leave the alley when Argo called after him.

“Don’t get killed, Harry.” She said.

Harry turned back and smiled grimly. “I don’t intend to.” He replied as he walked out of the alley.

Fortunately, it took him only ten minutes to gather enough players to make for a raid sufficient to simply bowl over any opposition they might run into and gather them at the edge of town. Argo’s reputation was so solid, many players had rallied to the cause of rescue on their own. Harry just started rounding up groups of players. He sent Silica to a nearby shop to max out on recovery items, and saw several others heading that way as well.

Good, chances were they would need such, and better to have recovery items and not need them anyway.

He spied Kirito and Asuna coming from different directions and waved them over. “You got Argo’s message?” he asked them.

“I made my way here as fast as I could when I got it.” Kirito said. Asuna nodded in confirmation that she did the same.

“Good,” Harry said. “We’ve got just about enough people to pull Kibaou’s arse out of the situation he’s about to land himself in if we get there in time, I’ll explain the situation once we get everyone together.” He sent out a party request to both of them and they accepted.

He looked around and saw that everyone else had grouped up and gestured for the group leaders to come to him. He was reassured by some familiar faces, especially with Klein showing up.

“Ok, here’s the situation.” He said. “You all got the message from Argo that Kibaou’s about to bite off more than he can chew and he’s taking forty others into the same situation?” At their nods he continued. “From what I’ve been told by her, he’s being set up. The one who gave him the info that sent him out towards the boss room had been bribed or blackmailed into giving him unreliable information.” He looked at them all. “Three guesses as to who’s actually behind this, and the first two don’t count.”

“Are you sure that it was-” One of the party leaders began to ask.

“Argo confirmed it,” Harry interrupted. “When it comes to information, she doesn’t lie. If she's hoodwinked, she tells you. If she isn't sure, she either doesn't sell it or makes sure you know it.”

The party leader nodded, accepting that. Argo’s integrity was well as well known as her prices were.

“Well, shit.” Klein said. “What is he playing at?”

Harry shrugged. “I have an idea, but that is for later, Klein.” He looked around. “We need to get to the dungeon quickly and to the boss room.”

“Kid,” another party leader said, Grimlock, if he recalled. “Kibaou has an hour on us, the chances we have in catching up in time-”

“I got something that should help.” Klein interrupted. “I was saving it for a rainy day, but now is as good a time as any.” He opened his menu and selected something from his inventory. The second it materialized, everyone’s eyes widened.

“No way.” Someone said.

“Is that?” Can a question from another.

“A Corridor Crystal.” Kirito answered for everyone. “How’d you get one?” he asked.

Klein grinned. “Lucky as hell drop two weeks ago.”

Harry’s gave a grim smile. “Well, that means that this just became doable. First few rounds are on me if we survive this, Klein.” He again looked at everyone. “Now, we need to come up with a plan.”

Aincrad 25th Floor - Labyrinth

Harry watched as everyone had walked through the shimmer that was the effect of a corridor crystal a fair distance from the entrance to the boss room. A quick glance to it showed that it was open and he could clearly hear the sounds of fighting, the screams of players, and the roars of the boss inside it.

“Damn,” he heard Kirito mutter. “We didn’t get here soon enough to stop this.”

Harry nodded. “It was a long shot anyway,” he said resignedly. He looked at the assembled players. “All right, teams one through eight, we’re going in. Teams nine and ten, get healing items ready and stay near the entrance. Our job here is to get Kibaou and his raid out of here, killing the boss is secondary.” He gave a grim smile. “Of course, we all know how plans and boss fights go together.”

There was a smattering of harsh laughter from that last sentence. Oh yes, they knew just how well plans went when dealing with a boss mob.

“Party leaders, you know what to do.” Harry said and turned towards the boss room. “Let’s go!”

The next thirty minutes would be remembered as one of the most chaotic boss fights the players would have for a long time, but the initial planning, the added preparation of many players over the previous week or so, and the quick arrival had prevented a massacre.

Still, dealing with a giant with two heads, as well as the additional mobs which came in at regular intervals, while trying to drag out, cajole, or simply throw to back, Kibaou’s group, was far from what anyone would call fun. Exciting and thrilling? Yes. Fun? Not a chance.

They couldn’t save everyone, and even the raid that came to the rescue would suffer a few casualties. However, they had not only managed to save the majority of Kibaou’s raid, but a lucky observation by one of the teams ordered to stay back for support had noted the boss’ weaknesses, had allowed them to kill the boss in the process and clear the floor.

Two moments stood out to many; many would insist they happened at the same time, but only the server timecodes could tell that tale.

Many recalled a mad charge by Silica and Kirito, the Black Swordsman covering the Dragon Princess and her companion as the feathered serpent became an angel of mercy, dropping healing items on teams caught out of their depth.

Silica was remembered, her dagger in one hand, healing items ready to be tossed to her peanut loving familiar in the other. Kirito's sword and vicious strikes making the boss' add-in mobs shatter.

Others would recount the Lightning Flash and the Young Knight slowly closing in on the boss mob's core weakness. In fact, this was often the first event survivors of SAO would point to when someone got on a 'Kirito did the real work' rant.

Harridan cleared the way for Asuna's Sword Arts with sword and shield, until it was Harry directing the team covering the backs of the assault force from the add-ins while Asuna led that assualt, showing all the speed and grace that earned her her title, down to co-ordinating the three pronged strike from herself, Kibaou, and Klein that shattered the giant.

When later, some tried to suggest to Klein it was some kind of moment of glory for him, he'd shake his head. The consummate gamer-bro grew sober.

"It was a moment that reminded us that we survived Aincrad," he'd say.

##

Harry looked wearily at the message congratulating them for killing the boss. Despite the victory, despite managing to pull off the rescue, he felt no elation, just relief. Relief at still being alive on what would have likely been a fool’s errand. Relief that most of those who went with him survived. Relief that they had been in time to save who they could.

As it was, twelve of Kibaou’s raid had been killed, and their own raid had lost five, making seventeen dead. Seventeen people died because of one player’s desire. Seventeen players died because another player had been manipulated.

He looked at the missing icons representing players that died:

Grimlock, who died pushing his wife out of the way of an attack. Stabbed the mob that got him and took it with him.

Turam, he recalled the short but stout man covering his party and taking several fatal hits from the boss. They'd shared a drink in Stahlhold a few nights ago...

AndyHill, who charged a group of add-ins when his group was caught flat footed, taking them all with him, screaming his defiance the entire time.

TheShepherd, got blindsided by the boss when she was engaging add-ins. Didn’t stop her from striking back and leaving her sword stuck in it, though, or using her thrown off body to slam an add-in into a wall.

HeronGull, who had exulted in the freedom from her MS that virtual reality had given her. She had screamed at the add-ins to come get her, and damned if the AI hadn't aggroed her instead of the injured players Silica was trying to deliver aid to. She died smiling.

“Hadrian,” he heard Silica say from nearby. “We’ve got some company.”

He turned and faced the entrance to the room, having a good idea of who was arriving. He was being proven right as a familiar figure walked into the room with a fair number of others behind him.

“Of course he would show up.” Harry said. He looked at Silica. “Well, let’s get to the others.”

##

Lind blinked at the sight of so many players in the boss room, surprised that so many had reached here, especially since he knew that Kibaou hadn’t had this many with him when he left Feldin. For a brief moment, he wondered if Kibaou had picked them up along the way before dismissing it. He saw several who had been in Feldin when he, himself, had left, so that couldn’t be it.

But still, how did they get here before him?

He banished the thought and looked around. He could see the message congratulating players for killing the boss. That is a problem, he thought. If they killed the boss even with the info I had spread around, then they are better players than I thought.

He spied several players gathered around and saw a familiar pair walk toward that group. From the looks the two were being given, it seems that one of them was in charge of this raid. Good, kids were easy to deal with in his mind.

He completely missed the dark looks many players were giving him, as well as the carefully blank ones the remaining had. Those with him, however, did not.

“Boss,” Schivata said. “I think we should leave.”

He looked at Schivata and saw the nervous look on his second in command’s face. He looked around the room and saw what the others did. Oh, he thought. Something’s got them in a mood. Is it because I was late to the party, as it were?

“Not yet, Schivata.” he replied. “Not yet. Let’s see what all of this is about.”

He gestured for the rest of his group to stay behind and the two of them walked to the cluster of players he had spied earlier. As he passed many other players, he heard some dark muttering, but ignored it.

In his eyes, it wasn’t like he did anything wrong. If others disagreed with him, they didn’t matter anyway.

Unfortunately for him, others would have some rather pointed things to say to him about that.

Aincrad, GM Administration Area

Akihiko Kayaba had received the notice of the floor’s completion and had taken his leave from the guild he had begun building to take a look at things, as well as look at the playback data. The twenty-fifth floor had been intended to be a challenge, but the difficulty of the floor, and the resulting casualties had been higher than he had intended.

Not so significantly higher that the casualties had been decimating to those who had taken the initial initiative to clear Aincrad, but high enough that the resulting shock would likely have a negative impact on the players. Still, the effect could have been worse, and he remembered the notice that went out a little over a week ago, meaning some players had at least predicted it.

Now he watched the aftermath of the battle, with the battle’s playback in a second window, and noted that one of the guild leaders amongst that group was being confronted by a number of angry players. Ah Lind, he thought. So much potential, but you are so willfully blind, as well.

He watched as one female player walked up to him slapped him hard enough to send him sprawling.

“--husband died because of you, you son of a bitch!” The woman shouted at him. He glanced at the information stream and saw her name: Griselda.

Well, things looked to be getting interesting.

Aincrad, 25th Floor - Boss Room

Asuna quickly moved over to Griselda and put a hand on her arm as the woman began reaching for her sword. She could understand Griselda’s very justifiable anger, but she needed to head this off quickly, or things would get violent.

“Griselda,” Asuna said. “Enough.”

“But-”

“Enough,” Asuna said more firmly. “As satisfying as stabbing him would be, it won’t change anything.” She gave Lind a cold look. “I suggest you take the hint and leave, Lind.”

Lind glared at both of them. “It’s not my fault you all came here and some of you died.” he said harshly. “None of you had to come here, so don’t pin any of the blame on me.”

“And yet,” Harry interjected as he stepped toward them. “We wouldn’t have even thought to come here and do a rescue in the first place, if you hadn’t somehow gotten one of Argo’s informants to spread bad information.”

Lind turned to glare at him.

Harry simply looked at him coldly. “You really shouldn’t have used someone in Argo’s network for this, Lind. She found out, and she made sure to pass the information on." He leaned in. "And sadly, I've dealt with your type in real life. I've seen what happens when your sort of person is allowed to get away with this, this bullshit . Now that I know what you'll sink to, now that Argo knows, now that everyone here knows, everyone will know. And do you know what that means, Lind?"

"I'm one of the best--" Lind began cooly.

"It means from now on, painted on you, will be a huge sign," Harry said with a cold, satisfied smile. "It will say, 'I nearly caused SAO's second biggest massacre because I'm a jealous wanker.' And it's going to dog you, and every fool that sides with you. All because you decided to treat this as a game.”

“It’s not like your hands are clean, either.” Lind protested.

“No,” Harry admitted calmly. “They’re not. Of all the people who followed me, five of them are dead, and I take responsibility for that. And that is the main difference between us, I take responsibility.” He turned away from Lind and began walking away. “I’m done here.”

Harry’s walk stopped when everyone heard a bitter laugh. They all turned their attention to the source of the laughter and saw Kibaou, who had been silent since the boss was defeated, step forward.

“You know,” he said. “It says a lot about us adults when a kid is more of an adult than we are.” He looked at Harry. “I was being a damn glory hound, and look what it got me. Twelve of my guild members killed, five others killed in getting us out of this, and for what purpose? So I could have the glory of clearing a floor?” He laughed bitterly again. “I played right into Lind’s hands with this one.”

He looked at everyone present. “I’m going to need some time from the front lines after this, so I think I’ll go to the lower floors and talk to those players who are following after us. Maybe I can teach them not to make the same mistakes I did.”

Harry gave a grim smile. “Maybe they won’t have to learn the same lessons we did the hard way.” He nodded to Kibaou. “Still, that’s for later. I’m heading up to the next floor to activate the teleport gate.” He looked around and noticed someone was missing. “Well, if Kirito hasn’t already done so.”

A number of players laughed and began leaving the boss room. Lind and his group were left behind

Schivata looked at their guild master. Lind's face went from blank, to an attempt at the calculating mein he sometimes had to what looked to be stunned (but the boss was never stunned) to a scowl.

A scowl that was directed at the retreating back of Hadrian.

Oh hell, Schivata thought. Because  while he'd never voice the observation to Lind, he knew someone had replaced Kibaou at the top of Lind's 'obstacle' list.

The boss wasn't going to forget this.

This... this might have just been putting out fires with gasoline , Schivata thought to himself. And that thought made all thoughts of what was to come lose a lot of the glory he'd felt when he'd joined Lind.

Because Lind was back to calculating, now. And while his guild leader was thinking, he was thinking darkly.

This is going to be a fucking firestorm when it all goes up.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online - Views From the Outside World

November 6, 2022 - Nerima, Ayano Residence

It was night as Tetsuhiko Ayano held his wife, Sumire, and watched the paramedics load his daughter Keiko, into an ambulance to take her to a local hospital to wait until she could be transferred to an appropriate facility for longer term care. What had been intended for his daughter to have some fun with and to make more friends, she had a gift for that apparently, had turned into a nightmare for his family.

As it was, he currently had no knowledge of what she was dealing with in there. The word on how to access the Nerve Gear from a computer had reached them shortly before the ambulance arrived, robbing him and his wife of any chance at seeing how their daughter was doing.

Surprisingly simple, but he was a professional chemist with a PhD. in Chemistry, not an IT person. He could use a computer, he needed to for his work, but that was about it. Still, his family could take advantage of that when Keiko was finally in a proper facility. And then he could find out how she was doing, and hopefully reassure himself.

There were too many unknowns, but he was certain of one thing. If anyone willingly hurt his daughter and survived SAO, that person better hope that he didn’t find out who he or she was, or that person would find out why not all the scars on his hands were from handling mistakes with volatile chemicals.

And then, the rest of the family would get involved. His in-laws alone would want their own pound of flesh, and they could get frighteningly creative in what they could do to a human body. They wouldn’t kill the person, but the person would certainly wish otherwise.

As he watched the ambulance drive off, he looked at his distraught wife and gently guided her back into the house. Sitting her down, he watched as her distress faded, to be replaced by a cold fury. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.

“Hello, father,” she said as soon as the call connected. “Something’s happened, and I need to tell you.” She then explained the situation. “Also, if you can get a hold of Aunt Nabiki- oh, you’re thinking the same thing. Yes, we’ll be there. Bye.”

She looked at Tetsuhiko. “They want us at the Saotome-Tendo Dojo as soon as possible, dear.” She said.

Tetsuhiko nodded. “Then let’s go.” he replied.

November 10, 2022 - Wainwright Compound, Unknown Location

Richard kept his nervousness under control as he waited to be called into the conference room to face his fate. He had been summoned back here to explain himself and he had provided all the relevant information, hiding nothing, and offering no excuses.

A minor had been put into danger because of his own actions, which was something the family had forbid long enough ago to be part of their culture. While it was occasionally unavoidable, it took circumstances completely out of their control and unforeseeable to be forgivable.

He could hope that such would apply in this case. He liked living and being in one piece, but would accept any punishment given. Being the patriarch’s grandson would not help him, but his accepting full responsibility for everything should deflect things from his team, at least.

He saw the door open and one of the family’s enforcers walked out and beckoned him in. It was time for him to face the music.

A few minutes after the door closed, his screams of pain were heard.

##

He groaned as he did a quick mental check of himself. He felt pain, which meant he was still alive. All his limbs seemed to be there, since he could feel them, which also meant that he wasn’t one of those unfortunates who had been beaten or cursed into paralysis. That was good, though damn it all, what was done to him had hurt .

“Richard, stand as soon as you are able to,” he heard the voice of the family patriarch.

Richard complied to the best of his ability. As soon as able to basically meant do it immediately unless you were too injured to do so, which he wasn’t. He quickly stifled any further groans as he got to his feet. It would not do to show weakness right now.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the man who had headed the Wainwright family for the last six decades, taking care to not make any sudden movements and aggravate any injuries he had. Meeting the eyes of the man, who was close to a hundred years old, he saw the cold and emotionless gaze of the family patriarch and mentally braced himself.

“While the situation was unforeseen,” the patriarch said in his cold voice. “You could have delayed things and prevented it. However, you have taken responsibility, and that responsibility will remain with you. So long as they boy lives while he is trapped within this Sword Art Online, further discipline with be stayed. Should he die, however....” He didn’t need to finish that sentence, the consequences were clear to Richard.

“I understand, Patriarch,” Richard said calmly.

“Good,” the man said. “You will return to Japan and take responsibility for the boy’s physical security and safety. We cannot do anything about what happens in Sword Art Online, but we can ensure that his body remains safe and protected. You will also do what you can to investigate things and see if there is a practicable and safe way to extract him, and perhaps the rest trapped in it.”

Richard nodded his understanding.

“Get yourself to our infirmary and get your injuries treated then. You are expected to be in Japan in no more than two days.” The man’s eyes softened softened, slightly. “It’s a bad situation for you Richard, but not a hopeless one. Hopefully this boy is as you assessed him to be.”

Richard smiled wryly. “He strikes me as a survivor, Patriarch.” he replied. “While I doubt he will remain safe in SAO, I do think he will be able to handle what comes.”

“Pray that he does, Richard. Pray that he does.”

November 15, 2022 - Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore’s Office

Albus wearily sat back into his chair and tiredly rubbed his eyes. The last week had been a busy one for him. He had found Harry, only to find that he was too late to bring his student back. Add in that he had to get as much information about Harry’s current situation, his expected long-term care, and everything else, it was a wonder that he even found any time to sleep. As it was, he had just returned from the Ministry after explaining to Cornelius, again , that bringing Harry back to England was impossible at this time.

How that fool became Minister is beyond me, he thought sourly. Oh yes, it was because there was no one better who would take the job. He’s competent as an administrator, true, but that’s about all he’s competent at.

Surprisingly, Lucius had helped in calming the Minister down, which was telling in its own way. Of course, all he, himself, had to do was mention that Harry was under the Wainwright Family’s protection in that regard, and it quieted a lot of the uproar.

It also meant that many who would mean Harry harm would stay their hands, which was a not unwanted benefit. Very few were willing to provoke that family, and with good reason. They might not be as vicious as they had been in the past, but they were still one of the most powerful criminal families in the magical world. Their veneer of legitimacy didn’t change that.

Of course, Lucius being helpful in that regard served to keep any backlash from spilling onto him. Also, if his suspicions were correct, it would also serve to keep the Wainwrights from coming after him . He had no proof, and the Wainwrights certainly weren’t telling, but that was a moot point now.

The Wainwrights had taken responsibility for Harry’s protection and care, and they would not let anyone interfere with that.

He also needed to explain things to Harry’s friends as soon as possible. They were already probably aware of Harry’s situation, or would be soon when the Daily Prophet was delivered in the morning, but he needed to explain things to them. And that didn’t count how Remus Lupin, his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, was likely to react. Hopefully he wouldn’t react with anger to this.

An angry werewolf, even one who was not at risk of transforming, was not someone anyone wanted to have directing that anger at them. Remus might be mild mannered by nature, but he had seen him physically rip a Death Eater’s arm off and beat him to death with it the last time that man was angry.

Hopefully, the man’s anger would be directed elsewhere.

He also needed to ensure that Harry couldn’t be unwittingly and unwillingly roped into something else magically. That meant making sure that everything with his signature, anything with magical traces that haven’t decayed, and even anything with his blood on it was either preferably destroyed, or put under lock and key. Gringotts would serve for the latter, and for the former, he could take care of.

Fortunately, any magical traces on Harry’s schoolwork would have decayed by now, but best to be safe.

November 16, 2022 - Malfoy Manor

Lucius stepped out of the fireplace that had been set aside for floo communication and travel and made his way directly to his office. Keeping the Minister from doing something foolish and against Albus Dumbledore’s wishes and advice was a rare thing for him, but there were times when that did happen. Rare times, but he was smart and experienced enough to be alert to when those times came so he could act accordingly.

His father had made sure he knew politics, and made sure that he knew when to back down from an ideological stance, or at least back down from openly espousing it. The Malfoys had not become a prominent family by being stupid. Knowing when to agree with one’s opponents, or at least not outright oppose them, was just as important as one’s ideological beliefs, so long as those beliefs didn’t blind you.

The latter was a lesson he learned the hard way when it took him calling in nearly every favor owed to his family, along with judicious and almost ruinous bribery, to stay out of prison twelve years ago. Having spent years serving a madman beforehand only served to make that lesson stay with him. For the most part.

As it stood, keeping Cornelius from doing something foolish with regard to Potter would be fairly simple, especially since Dumbledore warned that the Wainwrights were involved. Most of those who would have used this as an opportunity to kill or harm Potter would not do so now. The Wainwrights were feared for a reason, and if their taking responsibility for Potter’s well-being didn’t serve as a deterrent for some fools, then they deserved what the Wainwrights would do to them.

Of course, there was no shortage of fools in the Ministry. One particular one, Delores Umbridge, had recently risen to being a Senior Undersecretary to the Office of the Minister of Magic, and was showing signs of letting that position go to her head. While a thoroughly unpleasant woman, she had been a useful ally at times, but she was soon likely to become a liability. She had a tendency of not considering that the consequences of her actions could come back and bite her like an angry dragon, high position in the Ministry or not. She also didn’t take into consideration just how many people despised her, if she was even aware of it for that matter.

He reached into his desk and pulled out a lockbox. Tapping it with his wand in a specific pattern, he opened it. His grandfather had paid good money for this particular item, which required the person keyed to it to be of sound mind, sound magic, and not under any control, to open it. Otherwise its contents would be destroyed.

He reached in and pulled out a bound stack of parchment. It was time for him to do some research on some people and see how he could influence them to not act in a way he didn’t want them to. Or at least find out any information he could use against them to have them removed from the equation.

November 26, 2022 - Hogwarts, Great Hall

Hermione gave the post-owl some sausage from her plate as she took the parcel it had delivered. Her family had found a muggle-born who lived not too far a distance from her home and had made an arrangement with her to make use of her post-owl to maintain correspondence with Hogwarts. While her parents didn’t often make use of it, it had been convenient for this purpose.

She needed to get as much information on Sword Art Online, the Nerve Gear, and everything involved with it as she practicably could. She had written to her parents last week, explaining the situation with Harry as far as the Headmaster and the Prophet would explain, and asked them to find out what they could.

She was honestly surprised that they had responded so quickly, given how busy their schedules were.

Opening, the parcel, she saw several printouts and on top of them, a letter. She picked the letter up first, and read it.

Hermione,

While it is good to hear from you this early in the school year, I wish it was under better circumstances. I hope your friend, Harry, makes it out of this okay. Your father and I have done some research on this Sword Art Online, the incident that has arisen from it, and we have sent what we could. Many of the articles were in Japanese, as there aren’t many sources from outside Japan, and we had to sort through a number of them, run them through an online translation program, and make our best guess.

We have included printouts of those articles, both the ones written in English, the ones we had translated from Japanese, and the original Japanese articles. We included the Japanese articles in the case someone with the same special talents as you can provide a better translation, as translations run through a translation program are, at best, only good at providing a general outline. You will understand when you read them.

Still, your father and I would like to hear from you more often, so please, write back.

Love,

Mum

She sighed at that last sentence, but could understand where her mother was coming from. She had initially written her parents every week when she had arrived in Hogwarts until the excitement of being in a school for magic had died down. Since then, outside of her returning home for break, her parents were lucky to get any correspondence from her on a monthly basis. Less so now, with her class load, which her parents would not be happy about if they realized just how she was making it.

Her parents were logical people, and her means of meeting her class load was illogical, and foolish if she were to be honest, even by the standards of wizards and witches. She was wondering if the reason she was allowed to even attempt something like this was for Professor McGonagall to make a point to her.

She put that out of her mind and reached into the parcel and pulled out a sheet of paper, a printout of a news article. It was time to do some research.

“What you looking at, Hermione?” Ron asked as he sat down at the table.

“I asked my parents to find out what they could in the muggle world about what happened to Harry.” She replied. “Since it’s a muggle device, they would have a better chance.”

Ron nodded, but she could see that he really didn’t understand. He looked at the parcel and into it and saw the papers. He shot her a questioning look, and she nodded. He reached in and picked up one of the sheets.

He looked at it in confusion for a moment and put it down. “If that was written in English, it was written worse than my essays.” He said.

Hermione picked it up and looked it over. She had to admit, he was right on that. “It must have been one of the ones my parents ran through a translation program.” she said. “Muggles have ways to translate things from other languages without having to go through the painstaking process themselves, but well….”

“Doesn’t do too much of a good job of it, got you.” Ron finished.

“Depends on the one used.” Hermione told him. “My parents probably used a free one, so the quality is more suspect.” She looked at it more closely. “Hmm, I can get the general idea of what it says, though.” She reached into the parcel and pulled out several more sheets of paper. She gave them a quick look and handed one to Ron.

“This one seems to have actually been written in proper English,” she said. “Take a look for me.”

Ron did. He read it over and put it down. “Still don’t get most of it, but that was easier to read.” he said with a shrug. “Seems like Harry’s stuck in some kind of illusion or something. How did the muggles manage that?”

Hermione thought over what he said. The first bit was close enough, really. Not fully true, but she could see how someone unfamiliar with the muggle world could reach that conclusion. As for the second bit…

“I don’t know.” She admitted to Ron’s surprise.

December 4, 2022 - Nakano General Hospital, Suginami, Tokyo

Selene Carlisle looked at the screen which was showing Harry’s activities in SAO while keeping a general eye out on her surroundings. Since Richard had returned to Japan, they had begun a process of maintaining both a discrete level of security around Harry Potter, and having one person in his room whenever practicable.

Frankly, having Harry in such a public hospital was not ideal, but by the time they could have made arrangements, any guarantee that they could get Harry to a more secure place that they could ward more thoroughly had past and it became too risky to chance. So, they made do with the situation. The wards were weaker and set mostly to alert them, anything more specifically designed for protection would have been noticed by the hospital staff.

At the same time, Harry’s adventures had become the talk of the detail, all of whom were both interested and exasperated by them. Interested in the fact that the boy rose to the occasion and didn’t get paralyzed by the situation. Exasperated by the fact that he wasn’t staying in a safe area, his comments about not doing something meaning that Kayaba won, aside.

Oh, he didn’t take too many risks, but even then, one didn’t have to take many risks for the dangers to be apparent, as his experiences a few days ago had proven. That had been nerve wracking for them, watching him and Silica carefully make their way out of a dungeon without healing items, and the number of close calls they had.

Nothing too serious, but they all thought that he was cutting things finely at times.

She would admit, occasional recklessness aside, he had a fairly good head on his shoulders. He knew when he stepped in it deep, and he got a lot more cautious the second it happened. He also seemed to learn from those incidents.

Now if only the kid wouldn’t keep going out and risking his life on a near daily basis.

“And how is Mr. Potter doing today, Ms. Carlisle?” Came the voice from her team leader, Richard.

She turned and faced him. “About the same, as always, boss.” She replied. “Wake up, get a meal, plan what to do that day, and then head out.” She shrugged. “He’s avoiding the labyrinth right now, apparently a group went in to take out the floor boss, so he and Silica are staying out of their way, apparently.”

Richard nodded and turned to the screen. “I see you have the audio muted,” he observed. “It’s no matter, I can imagine that their listening to their usual chatter on a daily basis can get boring and mundane after a while.”

Selene shrugged. “It does at times, but to be honest, they aren’t all that chatty when out in the field, either. Oh, that reminds me, Dr. Ono came by and asked me if I could do up a similar setup as to what we have for a patient here, her grand-niece apparently.”

Richard looked at her curiously.

“Well,” Selene began. “It seems we now have a real world name for Silica, Keiko Ayano, and she’s here in the same hospital, not too far from this room, actually.” She looked at him. “I’ve been able to head them off from coming in here for the most part, Harry’s privacy and all, but they’re starting to ask some pointed questions.”

Richard nodded, and he had an idea of the type of questions. The detail he assigned was aware of what the girl was doing, so long as she was in Harry’s vicinity, and she seems to have become a regular companion. Her family was right in asking those questions, and given what even a cursory investigation of her found, it would probably be wise to accommodate them.

“I see no problem with that, Ms. Carlisle.” He told her. “They will have to provide the materials to do so themselves, however.” He gave her a curious look. “I thought you made public the method to do so, though.”

She shrugged. “I did, but apparently, our setup seems to work better. It might simply be due to our hardware, though. We paid good money to have higher-end materials and did custom jobs.”

“So it’s an issue of having the right stuff then, good to know.” A voice interjected, startling them.

Richard quietly swore and turned to face the owner of the voice. He sensed his team member begin subtly moving herself in a position to protect their principal and took a look at the owner of the voice.

The person they saw was a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties to early forties, though the way he carried himself was like an older man. With him, was Dr. Ono, who was already pinching the bridge of her nose with exasperation.

“Ranma,” the doctor said. “You could have waited for me to get their attention and not startle them.”

Oh hell, Richard thought, knowing exactly who this was.

Ranma ignored Dr. Ono’s comment and looked at Richard. He glanced briefly to where Richard had his wand hidden and his eyes tightened. “Funny that someone who uses magic would be out in the open like this.” he said and then shrugged. “No matter.” he saw the screen showing Harry and Silica fighting a mob. “Do you mind if I take a look?”

Richard simply nodded, and Ranma walked over. The man nodded approvingly at Ms. Carlisle as she positioned herself in a way that would allow her to protect Harry. He looked at the screen as they fought and quickly dispatched a small group of mobs.

He nodded. “The boy needs to work on his footing a bit,” he observed. “But not bad. I also taught Keiko to be more aware of her surroundings than that.” He shrugged. “Ah well, they’ll learn.”

He turned his attention back to Richard and carefully moved away from the screen and Harry.

“Now, you said something about putting together the same setup so I and my family can see how my granddaughter is doing?” He smirked. “I doubt you appreciate our constantly bothering you like this, especially since it interferes with you guarding your charge.”

Richard nodded. “We can,” he replied. “But you will have to provide the equipment. It’s all custom-built, though none of the parts are overly expensive on their own, but all together it doesn’t come cheap.”

Ranma nodded. “Fair enough. We can meet and go over the list of what is needed later.”

December 23, 2022 - Kawagoe, Kirigaya Residence

Midori Kirigaya carefully typed in the IP address she had found out about yesterday. She wasn’t surprised in the least that many had been observing the known, and inferred IP addresses used by the SAO servers, so the second streaming of what was going on inside went live, people were already leaping on it. Unsurprisingly, it was the same IP address that was to be streaming the launch live from within until Kayaba had cut the feeds.

From what she had learned over the day, a simple web page had been been created with the screen names and pictures of all the players listed in order. With close to eight thousand names to go through, not knowing the player’s character name would make things difficult. She did wonder about one thing, though.

She wondered why Kayaba had reversed his apparent decision to cut off the outside world now, over a month later. Was it because someone had figured out how to interface computers with the Nerve Gear to look in on the player wearing it? Did Kayaba discover it and decide to run with it? She didn’t know, and honestly didn’t care.

Whatever reason Akihiko Kayaba had, it allowed her to see how her son, Kazuto, was doing. As the page finished loading, she got down to the business of finding out how her son was doing.

December 26, 2022 - Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore’s Office

Albus took off his spectacles and pinched the bridge of his nose as he put down the last of the paperwork he had to do for the coming term at Hogwarts, at least for the moment. It was times like these that his other roles in magical society were largely ceremonial, though they came with their fair share of paperwork as well.

He wouldn’t be able to balance his duties otherwise.

He looked at the package that had been delivered to him earlier in the morning. Despite his curiosity of what it contained, he had held off opening it and examining its contents save for an instinctive check for traps or curses. He had enemies, and they occasionally tried to take their enmity out on him, though most were wise enough to not do so in a manner that would threaten Hogwarts or its students. Not after the example he made of the last who tried.

So, after the check, he put it aside in order to finish the paperwork on his desk before Minerva decided to act out on her periodic threat of tying him to his seat in front of the desk with his own beard.

Now that he was done, he summoned the parcel and set it gently on his desk. Doing another quick scan with his wand and eyes to make sure it was indeed safe, he opened it. Inside it was some strange device, definitely influenced by a muggle design, though the specific one eluded him, and a folded piece of parchment sealed with the Wainwright Crest.

Interesting.

Putting his spectacles on, he took out and broke the seal on the parchment. The parchment became a small stack and he took off the top one and began to read it.

Headmaster Dumbledore,

I do hope this finds you in good health during this Christmas season.

The situation with Mr. Potter is a complex one right now. I do not fully understand all of the details, but the means this Akihiko Kayaba is keeping everyone trapped within Sword Art Online is apparently a work of genius. While we have not found any practicable way to extract Mr. Potter from the situation he is currently in. From what I have been told, it is doubtful we will any time soon. We can at least assure you of his continued good health in this Sword Art Online, despite his continued venturing out of the parts of it that are safe, much to the exasperation of Richard and his team.

You can be assured that Richard himself has taken full responsibility for this, and has been disciplined in this matter. Further discipline has been stayed so long as Mr. Potter remains in good health, and alive, for that matter.

So far, those who have been working on facilitating their own escape from within have been doing so by its own rules. While we have no assurances that Akihiko Kayaba will keep his word to the players, we also have no reason to currently believe he won’t.

As it currently stands, by the sending of the message and the contents of the package we sent you, they have made it to the third floor of one hundred, which may have changed by this time. Mr. Potter has been active in doing so, but not to the point where he is engaging what is called a Floor Boss, and instead has contented himself with exploration of his new environment and its dangers along with his companion, a Miss Keiko Ayano, or Silica as she is known in Sword Art Online. I have included the reports on Mr. Potter’s activities for your perusal.

Now, to the next point of this message.

The team tasked with protecting Mr. Potter has found a way to place recordings of Mr. Potter’s actions on a small disk, which can store those recordings for some time. At the same time, we have an item which is still not widely distributed which functions much like a pensive, but is designed for interaction with muggle media devices to show what is recorded. This is a fairly new development by magical world standards, only having been developed within the last five to ten years, but will serve for this purpose.

Instructions on how to properly set it up and operate it have been included.

Regards,

Aloysius Wainwright

Albus put the letter down and considered what this meant. It was rare for the Wainwright family patriarch to engage in correspondence at any time, but for him to do so in a manner like this was about as close to a personal apology as he could reasonably expect. It was also an olive branch, in a way.

They were under no obligation to provide him any more information than saying that Harry is well, after all, though they would notify him if Mr. Potter’s situation took a turn for the worse. So this much was welcome.

While he was interested in the device and watching Harry’s actions, he would settle for reading the provided report instead for now. He would work with the device later, or ask one of his students to help with it. Perhaps Ms. Granger or another muggleborn would like a little project...

Albus shook his head to clear those thoughts from his mind and concentrated on the report the Wainwrights provided for him.

December 28, 2022 - Forest Hill, Granger Residence

Hermione sat at the computer and read the news article in front of her, stunned by what she saw. Apparently, there was a way for someone to see what was going on in SAO. While the web page’s interface for it was still a work in progress, someone apparently linked the usernames of the person with a picture, so that they could use visual recognition.

Useful, that, though she would have to probably search through a lot of names and pictures before she found Harry. Still, she knew Harry well enough that he likely wasn’t overly original with his username, and probably either picked his real one, a variant, or one which it could be a diminutive of.

And of course, the article did not give the URL, IP address, or a link to the site. She quickly opened a search engine and typed in a query, looking for any more leads. A few minutes later, she finally found it.

2ecf:510a:0010::9311 , she thought as she wrote it down. Good. She took a look at the time and reluctantly closed the web applications and logged off the computer. Her parents had been very understanding of her need to search for any information on Sword Art Online, but she was home for only a short time before she had to return to Hogwarts.

As much as she wanted to continue and learn more, she would spend time with them. She would bring up that she had a solid lead, and politely ask to use this opportunity, but she wouldn’t press the issue. Yet.

She still had the rest of the break, after all.

January 7, 2023 - Hogwarts, Unused Room

Albus led Hermione and a couple of her fellow students into the room. He could feel their curiosity about where he was leading them and why, though he made assurances that they were not in trouble. Quite the opposite, really. He didn’t tell them anything else, as he wanted it to be a surprise to them.

He saw them looking curiously at the object placed, the same device he received from the Wainwrights. He had read the information on the device, as well as the quite detailed and simple instructions to set it up. While he used the opportunity to review Harry’s activities, he was once again amazed at what muggle technology could do. Creating an artificial and illusory world that people could interact with, have their own stories in, and meet with people. It was amazing, and something he could see potential in.

He wouldn’t be surprised if even Lucius Malfoy saw potential in it, if only as a means of furthering his family’s already considerable wealth.

Being able to watch what Harry was doing, even if it was well after the fact, was reassuring to him. It let him know that Harry was not only simply alive, but that he was living his life. He could understand the exasperation of those guarding him, but Harry was not one to sit back and do nothing, no matter how much someone wanted him to do just that and remain safe. It was something that impressed and distressed Albus so much about Harry.

He had that sense of responsibility to his fellow man that made him Tom's almost total opposite. Harry who took the Philosopher's Stone's safety as his own cause when Albus was pulled away from his own vigil. Harry who went into the Chamber of Secrets to face Tom's shade.

Harry Potter didn't run from the evils of the world, out of simple instinctive knowledge that doing so would just make someone else their prey.

Godric would certainly have loved to teach the boy. So would have the other Founders, Harry exhibited traits all of them would have enjoyed nurturing, but he would have thrived under Godric. He could picture him in his hooded battle garb training Harry with the sword the boy had wielded on instinct--

“Headmaster,” Hermione interrupted his thoughts. “What is that?”

Albus turned and smiled at her and the other students. “An excellent question Ms. Granger.” He turned to the device the question was about. “This item is something that allows us to use and interact with muggle media. It was developed around five to ten years ago, but adoption in our markets has been slow."

Hermione nodded and looked at it. She turned to one of her fellow students, Justin Finch-Fletchley. “Justin? What do you think?”

The boy looked at it, to Albus, and back to Hermione. “I can see that there would be a market for it amongst muggleborns and some halfbloods, Hermione. They would have some use for it, but most halfbloods and purebloods probably don’t. Also, it probably costs enough to be prohibitive.”

Albus smiled at Mr. Finch-Fletchley’s concise summary. The Hufflepuff was among his house’s top students for his year. He didn’t investigate too deeply, but the boy’s surname definitely hinted at an aristocratic ancestry, and he recalled the boy mention that he was headed for Eton until the opportunity to attend Hogwarts came about.

Hermione nodded. “So, slow adoption due to lack of need and a likely inherent conservatism, understandable.” She said. She then turned her attention back to Albus. “This is interesting, Headmaster, but why did you bring us here? I can see how many of us would be interested, but it’s not like we brought any movies with us to watch, if this thing supported the media they were on.”

Albus nodded. “It was more to get the thoughts of some students on this. And before you ask, Ms. Granger, this was given to me by the same people who have been watching over Mr. Potter.” The fact that she hadn’t immediately asked how Harry was doing was curious. “They found a way to record what he was seeing though the Nerve Gear on the same day that the events with Sword Art Online began. The specific details of how they did elude me, I’m sorry to say, but I did see it in action when I had been in Japan to hopefully retrieve him.”

Hermione nodded. “How much did they record?” She asked.

“Not all of it, Ms. Granger, but enough to take several days of someone’s time.” He replied as he moved over to a desk and opened a small box. Pulling out something he then walked over to the device. Giving it a few taps with his wand. “Would you like to see some of it?” He asked.

All the present students nodded.

As Albus began the playback, Hermione considered the possibilities. She would need a detailed look at that item’s capabilities, and find out what it is called, but she could see the potential of this. And if it could connect to the internet somehow…

She would talk with the Headmaster after this.

January 18, 2023 - Setagaya, Yuuki Residence

Kyouko Yuuki saved her file and closed it as she tiredly rubbed her eyes. Ever since the Sword Art Online incident had begun, she, her husband, and her son had thrown themselves into their work. All to distract them from what had happened to Asuna. All to make them forget, if only for a short while, their worry.

It didn’t help. It didn’t help at all.

She considered accessing the site so she could see what Asuna was doing and dismissed the idea. As much as she wanted to see her daughter walking around and apparently healthy, rather than confined to a hospital bed, she could not stand being forced to sit by passively and watch. She could not just sit by passively and watch as her daughter risked her life.

She could not bear having to sit by passively and watch her daughter live in some elaborate, if dangerously real, illusion.

It was so different from what she knew of her daughter. The Asuna from before this incident was a wallflower who let everyone decide things for her. She was studious, got good grades, and did what she was told, but had few, if any, friends. Associates? Yes. Classmates she was on good terms with? Yes. Friends? She could not recall a single name of anyone who Asuna would refer to as a friend.

It was also telling that Asuna was livelier in SAO, than she was in the real world. Cut off from her family and any support, and what did she do? Did she freeze and wallow in some self-pity, like anyone else like her would have?

She did not. While it was possible that she did so earlier, by the time people could observe what was going on in SAO, she had been actively involved in working to escape it. She was becoming confident, livelier, more assertive…

She was becoming everything she hadn’t been before SAO, and Kyouko didn’t know what to think of that. It wasn’t a bad development, but even so, her daughter was changing. So no, she didn’t know what to think of it.

February 27, 2023 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital

Richard Wainwright looked at the screen, bemused. While nothing Harry did really surprised him by this point, the boy still managed to impress him. To see him manage to organize a rescue operation and hash out a plan with several other players in so little time was impressive. That one of his associates just happened to have an item that would allow them to get there almost as soon as they moved out bordered on divine providence.

Previous preparations for the floor they were on or not, that kind of good fortune was rare.

And how Mr. Potter had torn into that one guild leader…

“He manages to cut right to the chase of things, doesn’t he, boss?” Selene asked.

“That he does Ms. Carlisle.” he replied. “Mr. Potter said quite a lot in a rather concise manner.”

He saw that altercation and began thinking. His charge had managed, in one move, to show how one major guild leader was acting and how the man was willing to commit murder by proxy to see his goals through. This was a revelation that was not at all surprising to Richard. He knew how people could be without the restraining influences of society holding them back.

He also knew how some people, when called out on their actions, tended to react.

“There is a possibility that this will cause problems for Mr. Potter in the future.” He surmised.

“Boss?” Selene asked, confused.

“Lind strikes me as the type to not take this lying down, Ms. Carlisle.” Richard explained. “Mr. Potter had just ruined a major plan of his, called him out for it, and humiliated him in front of his peers. He’ll wait and salvage his wounded pride here, but it will also allow this to fester. While he is no threat to our charge right now, that may change in the future.” He frowned. “Unfortunately, we are not in any position to do anything about it right now and will have to let this play out for the time being.”

“Do you think Harry will be in any real danger?”

Richard’s frown deepened. “Possibly.”

Selene turned thoughtful. "Boss, I can look into how old Lind is in real life and,” she paused. “I might be able to locate where he is being kept."

Richard knew exactly what she was suggesting, and what it would mean.

Harry Potter was his principal now.

"Do it. I want to know if disconnecting Lind is within our options." He told her. If it wasn’t, then they would have to trust that Mr. Potter could handle it.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

February 28, 2023 - Aincrad 26th Floor, Mistleberg

Silica grumbled sleepily as she burrowed further into the covers of her bed and clutched tighter to what she was hugging to herself. From the size, firmness, and feel, it wasn’t Pina, but it was nice. Whatever she was hugging was warm and the sounds of slow, deep breathing was making her want to…

Wait a minute.

The events of the previous night were coming back to her. The confrontation between Hadrian and Lind after the boss fight, their going up to the next floor and their making it to the floor’s central town. After checking into an inn, Klein had called on them, proceeded to drag them both to a tavern and then engaged in a valiant (if futile) attempt to drink Harry into bankruptcy.

Harry was the frugal one of the pair, after all. One thing he was rarely, if ever, short on, was col.

After that, others started filtering in, including Asuna dragging along a protesting Kirito. Before long, a party started and everyone was celebrating not only clearing another floor, but the fact that they were still alive, a quarter of the way through Aincrad.

The drinks flowed. Large quantities of food were consumed. Everyone present had a good time. By the time the party finished, it was getting close to two in the morning and everyone went tiredly to their beds.

Didn’t Hadrian get us separate rooms? Silica asked herself. I’m sure he did, but Klein did drag us both off to that tavern pretty quick.

She cracked open an eye and craned her neck to look around. She stopped when her gaze met a familiar green pair of eyes. She sighed in bemusement as she heard her bedmate give a wry chuckle.

“Well,” Harry said dryly. “This is unexpected.”

“I’m blaming Klein for this one.” She replied.

“Agreed.”

"He's useful that way."

Harry paused as he sat up. He looked down at his bare chest. He lifted the covers a bit and glanced under them. Sighing in relief, he let them drop. “Well, since I find it hard to defend him on this point, then yes, he’s handy for that.”

Silica blushed a little. He wasn’t exactly muscular or defined, but there was a leanness there that she would admit was attractive. She wasn’t worried about being any more undressed than usual when she slept, herself. She had learned to wear at least a shirt to bed after a few times answering the door in her underwear back in November.

Those had been some awkward moments, though Harry was a perfect gentleman and simply glanced a little above and behind her when he noticed.  He did take the time to, ahem, notice, which... she found slightly flattering. But he kept to noticing and didn't leer. Or stare for that matter. And luckily, she didn't take after some in her family who had a certain sensitivity to such things.

Luckily for Harry, that is.

She watched as he opened his inventory and materialized a shirt. Putting it on, his eyes glanced to where the time was tracked on a player’s HUD and groaned.

“It’s too bloody early.” he said with a yawn.

Silica sat up and rubbed her eyes. She noticed that Harry took a glance at her and then looked away, with a slight blush on his cheeks. Curious, she looked down and didn’t notice anything amiss. She was wearing a shirt, though it was hanging off one shoulder, but she didn’t think that should have gotten a reaction from him.

Boys , she thought. I’ll never understand them.

##

Harry looked up from his breakfast when a shadow crossed the table to see Asuna looking down on him. Waving her to sit down, she took a seat next to Silica, who was enjoying some of the local fruit, along with some bread. Pina looked up curiously from where she was sunning herself on the table and went back to it when Asuna simply ignored the feathered dragon.

Harry took another bite and swallowed before turning his attention to her. “So, what brings you over here?” He asked.

“Well, Hadrian, I was wondering if you and Silica had anything planned for today.” Asuna replied.

Harry shrugged. “Aside from some information gathering and maybe a quest or two, I was thinking on taking it easy. Why?”

“A number of guild leaders, party leaders, and independents are planning to get together and discuss what to do from here.” Asuna replied. “After the last floor, it’s clear that we need a plan.”

Harry frowned. “It’s not a bad idea, but why are you telling me this?” He asked.

“You and Silica are invited.” Asuna replied, as if it should have been obvious.

Harry shrugged. “All right then, when and where is it?”

“In about an hour and it will be at the Shining Blade Inn.”

“We’ll be there, then.” Harry told her. “What about you, or Kirito for that matter?”

Asuna sighed. “I’ll be there, but Kirito headed out at first light.” She replied. “I sent him a message; since he didn’t reply, I don’t know if he read it.”

“Sounds like him,” Harry said dryly. Silica snorted at his comment.

“I have a feeling he got it.” She said. “Whether he comes or not is a toss-up, though.”

Asuna frowned. While she couldn’t claim to know Kirito well, she knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t comfortable around crowds. His heading up to this floor to activate the teleport gate while the confrontation with Lind was as much an excuse to get away from people as it was to open up a new floor.

Even at the party she dragged him to last night, he had left as soon as it was polite to. Not before Klein roped him into having a few drinks at Harry’s expense, though. Still, he was one of the first to leave.

It was galling for her to admit it, but for all they had worked together she didn’t know Kirito very well.

Part of it was the unspoken agreement among players to not talk about their lives before being trapped in SAO. Another part of it was the fact that Kirito didn’t seem comfortable talking about himself, even with the fairly oblique manner that the Japanese had turned into an art form taken into consideration.

Then again, given his awkwardness around people when he wasn’t being all business in a fight, and especially around females, it was understandable. She briefly wondered if he was a Hikkimori, but dismissed the idea. He was asocial, but not to the point of completely avoiding contact with people and shutting himself away from the world as far as she knew.

She shook her head to clear out those considerations and turned her attention back to Harry. “Well then, I’ll see you there.” She said as she stood up.

##

Forty-five minutes later, Harry arrived at the Shining Blade Inn with Silica in tow. The two of them noticed Kirito off to the side and made their way to him.

“So, you got Asuna’s message then,” Harry said.

Kirito nodded. “Yeah, I got it and made my way back to town. I was a fair distance away, so I only just got here.”

“And your lack of response?” Silica asked.

Kirito shrugged.

Silica sighed in response, shaking her head.

“Keep doing that and she’ll be on the warpath after you, Kirito,” Harry said with a chuckle.

“You guys know about the rumors that were spread about me, right?” Kirito asked.

“Know about them, and know enough about them to know they’re full of it.” Harry replied. At Kirito’s look Harry shrugged. “You think you’re the only one here who’s had to deal with crap like that?” He gave Kirito a penetrating look. “Look, it’s not my place, but you should try to be more social with people. I'm saying this as someone that can sulk his way out of any conversation.”

Silica smirked. "Only if I let you."

Harry nodded. “Exactly.” He then blinked. “Wait a minute.”

Kirito chuckled. They’re like a married couple sometimes, he thought with amusement. Hm, I wonder if Argo has a betting pool on them? What am I thinking? The question is can I get in before she closes the pool to keep the betting sane?

Harry looked at Kirito and then back to Silica. “I think Argo’s going to be taking another bet.” he said with some amusement.

“What would that bring it up to?” Silica asked with a giggle. They both knew there was a bet involving them, though Argo was being coy about the specifics.

Harry shrugged. “Don’t know. Every time I ask she just gets that look on her face and starts cackling.”

"Oh, good. Cackling means it's still open," Kirito said drily.

Harry blinked. "My god. He just-- did he just quip ?"

Silica rolled her eyes. "He does do that, Hadrian."

Kirito shook his head and looked around the room. “Looks like everyone is here and… oh.”

Harry looked where Kirito was and snickered. Asuna was giving Kirito one of her irritated looks that meant he had better get over there before she dragged him over by his collar. Or foot. Or really whatever body part she got  her hands on first. “Well, we better get on over. Especially you, Kirito. Surprised Asuna hasn't put a leash given how you wander off.” Hmm, that might make for an amusing gift. He thought.

“Screw you, Hadrian.”

##

Everyone sat at various tables and looked at the person who called the meeting. It was Griselda, the wife of the late leader of the Golden Apple guild, Grimlock. She looked at who was present and nodded to herself.

“Good, now that everyone’s here, we can get started.” she said. “After the last floor, it’s become clear that we can’t simply keep going like we were. I don’t know what the figures are, but we lost far too many people over the last few days, my husband included.” She paused and took a deep breath to gather her thoughts and push the emotions that she was trying to contain back. A few seconds later she gathered herself.

“While losing even one person is a blow, as we all know what dying here means for our bodies in the real world, we’re all realistic enough to know that the dangers mean that when we walk out of the safety of the towns, we might never return.”

Everyone grimly nodded at that statement. It was a harsh truth about being in SAO, but they were all realistic to not deny it. Everyone knew that going out of the towns meant risking his or her life and that the next fight, an unexpected trap, or simple bad luck, could put a permanent end to them.

“So,” Griselda continued. “We need to discuss what will go on from here on out.” She looked around. “Any comments?”

Harry looked around and seeing no one taking the initiative, stood up. He walked to where Griselda was and nodded to her. Turning around, he took a deep breath and got started.

“Unless you ignored the warnings passed out over Argo’s network, everyone here was warned about the last floor being a place where SAO would likely stop taking it easy on us. Before you all say anything, it was taking it easy on us before then. The last floor showed us just how nasty this place can be. In other words, we were lucky.

“One thing I noticed, is that a lot of people just rushed out on the first day, even those who should have known better. We all know how that turned out for them. One in five on average didn’t survive that first day on the floor. One in five! Like Griselda said, we don’t have the actual figures, and unless Argo’s not here and in the shadows like she probably is…” He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to face it. “Never mind, she’s here.”

Argo walked out from where she had been listening in with a sour expression on her face. “Just ruin my fun like that, Harry.“ She grumbled.

Harry smirked. “You’re getting predictable, Argo.” He replied before becoming serious again. “Now, how bad were the casualties for the last floor?” He asked.

“They were bad, Harry.” She replied. “If you count the rescue op, there were close to two hundred more names crossed off the Monument of the Living, half of them on the first day.”

Everyone sucked in a breath at that number. They all knew that the casualties were high, but they didn’t expect it to be that many.

“Two hundred…” One said.

“Half on the first day…” Another added.

“No fucking way…”

Harry slammed his palm onto the table to head off any panic or sense of helplessness. Once he got everyone’s attention, he fixed them all with a stare.

“We survived it,” he told them. “We know its dangers, we can pass, and have passed, that information on. Or we should have.” he said. “The next ones going through there won’t have the same problems, as they will know the dangers, and how to hopefully manage them.” He took another breath. “Now, we need to discuss how we will move forward from this. Does anyone have any suggestions?”

He saw Kirito and Asuna have a brief, if quiet, discussion before Kirito was pushed forward.

“What suggestions do you have, Kirito?” He asked.

Kirito shot Asuna a look and took a deep breath. “Well, it dawned on me that we should probably determine what would be a recommended minimum level for a floor.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “How much of one?” He asked curiously.

Kirito shrugged. “I would say around ten levels higher than the floor number for those doing questing and fighting mobs, just to be safe. For those who want to face bosses or are going solo, it should probably be higher.” Kirito then went back to where he had been standing.

Harry nodded to Griselda and went to sit next to Silica.

Griselda gave Harry a searching look and shrugged. “All right then, noted.” She said. “Any more suggestions?”

The others in the inn started talking among themselves for a bit before Klein stood up. “We shouldn’t focus on clearing the floors as fast as possible.” He said. “It worked fine until now, but as the last floor showed us, that’s getting too risky. Also, I don’t know about you all, but we’ve been pushing pretty hard, so everyone should take a few days, at least, and rest.” He grinned. “I know I will.”

“That’s because you know I’m buying your drinks for a couple more days, Klein.” Harry shot out.

Nearly everyone present laughed and Griselda shook her head in amusement. “Ok, take some time to rest, and slow down a bit.” She said. “The drunken debauchery is optional. Now, any more suggestions?”

At that point, just about everyone present had some ideas. It would take them until well into the afternoon before they had a general idea. Further conversations among smaller groups over the next several days would refine that to several recommendations that would be passed around all the clearers and then down to lower floors.

March 5, 2023 - Aincrad 24th Floor, Panareze

Harry walked around the main town of the floor, looking through various stalls set up by players. While there were some player merchants in Mistleberg, most tended to be a couple of floors down from the top floor.

Not that he blamed them. Most of the merchants weren’t dedicated fighters, preferring instead to support players by offering goods and services. They could fight, he had seen many of the merchants at various times on the top floors doing just that, but that was more to keep their levels current and gather merchandise, than any active effort towards clearing on their part.

As it was, advancement on the twenty-sixth floor had slowed to a crawl as the players took Klein’s advice to take some time off and relax. While not everyone was happy with that, even the most eager to continue had realized he had a point. Furthermore, with the casualties, many had decided to go to a lower floor for where it was safer for the time being.

The added wariness and need to get their levels up that survivors of the twenty-fifth floor had was playing a role as well. After all, if they were the ones to come up with those guidelines, they would also have to follow them.

So, he and Silica had taken the opportunity to gather information on some quests on a few of the previous floors, do a few, and otherwise take it easy for a few days. Well, Silica was able to take it easy if she wanted to, Harry had to make back the money Klein drank away. While he didn’t manage to drink away all of Harry’s col, he made a good effort at it and cost Harry more than he spent in the previous month.

While you couldn’t get drunk in SAO, as far as they knew at least, the game did keep track of how much a player had and did stop him or her from consuming more once it determined that enough was consumed. Well, except for Klein, apparently. That man seemed to have some in-game trait which gave him a hollow leg with a hole in it. If he could do that in the real world, his liver would be trying to kill him in his sleep, he would drink Hagrid under the table, or both. He thought with some amused exasperation.

Harry shook that thought out of his head and continued his browsing. He needed to find a replacement for his shield, which had served him well to this point, but was reaching its limit on how far it would go for him. Regular maintenance and enhancement kept it in good condition, but it was hitting the point of diminishing returns. That and the twenty-fifth floor’s mobs had managed to wear down its durability faster than he liked.

About twenty minutes later, he found himself browsing the wares of a shop being run by a large black man by the name of Agil. He blinked when he saw the man, the lack of any foreign accent in his Japanese, had initially made him think that the man was an NPC at first. After that, his curiosity had drawn him to the stall.

“Aren’t you a bit young to be up here?” He asked.

Harry shrugged. “Old enough to have gotten into SAO without lying about my age.” He replied. “Besides, it’s not like I’m the only kid on the front lines. Kirito and Asuna, for example.”

Agil chuckled. “Or that one pair I’ve heard about. What were their names, Hadrian and Silica? They have to be the youngest pair.”

Harry grinned. “Don’t know if we are the youngest, but I wouldn’t be surprised.” He gave an amused bow when the man expressed surprise. “Hadrian, at your service, my good sir.”

Agil blinked. “You know, I think I was expecting someone a little taller.”

"And more muscles?" Harry shot back.

"No, not the way I've heard you fight. Just taller."

"Always taller," Harry sighed, but he smiled. “Well then, what wares do you have in your fine shop?”

Agil pointed to what he had out, which was a fair amount, now that Harry got a good look. More than many shopkeepers, at least. “Take a look, something might catch your eye.”

Harry looked around and his eyes boggled at the prices. While nothing was out of his means to afford, he had seen some of what was there being sold for much less col than Agil was asking.

“What the hell?” He asked. “I saw this same dagger being sold for less ten stalls down.” He shot Agil a look. “I’m not one of those idiots who thinks expensive means good.”

Agil shot him a look back, then turned thoughtful. "You likely could get it for less. Ask yourself this, though-- where is the col going?"

Harry frowned thoughtfully at him.

"Say you're back on floor 13 behind us," Agil said, licking his lips. "Some... jerk just took your gear and your col because he's treating this like a game ."

Harry scowled at that. “Much like that tit, Lind.” He said.

"What if someone from up where the drops are better came down, saw the hand you'd been dealt, and gave you col for a few nights, maybe a shield someone thinks they'd worn out but a smith could fix up a bit, a new sword, and some of Argo's info? Wouldn't that help just a bit?" Agil met his eyes. "We've got an orphanage on the first floor, Hadrian. Kids that were going to play with Mom and Dad or an older brother or sister or who just can't handle it. And that needs col. The game's economy won't be ignored. It has to come from somewhere. You think Argo's gouging you for fun? There's a PC smith two floors down I could send your shield to and do exactly what I said with it. Yes, some of it goes it my pocket. I have to survive too. But..." He shrugged.

Agil's voice had dropped in the manner of a man who knew a whisper just attracted attention.

Harry sighed. “Yeah, I see your point.” He replied. He looked at a shield that Agil had for sale. “Huh, haven’t seen something like that around. Do you mind if I checked the stats on that?”

Agil smiled. “Go ahead.”

Harry did so and compared them to his old shield. While he lost some of the bonuses to strength, it was one of those shields which traded it for agility and dexterity, which fit his fighting style better. “Not bad, not bad at all.” He looked at the price and winced.

“I don’t just trade in col,” Agil said helpfully.

Harry considered that. He still had a fair amount of dropped gear in his inventory that he hadn’t sold or traded off yet and smiled. “Well then, why don’t we discuss the particulars?”

Agil grinned. “Yes, why don’t we?”

The two would then spend a good ten minutes haggling the price, negotiating what items to trade in, and finalizing the deal before reaching an agreement. Harry wasn’t under any illusions that he got the better of Agil, but he did negotiate the total value of col and excess gear down a fair bit, so he was happy enough with the result.

He did make a note to check with Argo on what Agil claimed and implied, though. The phrase ‘Trust, but verify,’ had been drilled into him by hard experience, both in SAO and the real world.

“By the way, you mentioned a blacksmith a couple of floors down?” Harry asked. “How good is he?”

“She, actually.” Agil corrected. “She’s not bad. Not the best blacksmith in the game, but she does a good job with what she can do. Asuna brought her to my attention.”

Harry nodded. “She’s good enough, then.” Asuna had an eye for such things. He didn’t enquire about it, but he knew that she liked high quality goods and could tell the difference between quality goods and those that were merely expensive. That said more about her background than she probably realized.

Oh well, it wasn’t any of his business.

“So, where is this blacksmith, anyway?” He asked.

“She set up shop in Coral, using one of the blacksmith shops that can be rented.” Agil replied.

Harry nodded. “I’ll make sure to check it out some time.”

March 9, 2023 - Aincrad 26th Floor, Fulsa Plain

Klein sheathed his katana as the mob shattered and nodded in satisfaction. The last several weeks since he got the ability to use a katana had been mixed with some questing, leveling and training in it to get up to par with wielding one, as it handled completely differently from the more generic curved blades he had favored at the start.

Many would think it a waste of time. Why bother learning a new weapon at this point, when the ones used from the start of the game sufficed?

He would ignore such statements. He had always wanted to be a samurai, and while it would only be here in SAO, he had a chance. When he told Kirito that, the boy only shook his head in amusement and then proceeded to teach him what he knew about handling and wielding a katana.

Besides, with everyone taking it slow right now, this was the perfect time to build his proficiency with it.

Dale walked up to him and gave a look around the field. “Looks like you’re almost there, boss.”

Klein nodded. “Almost, but not quite,” he agreed. “Anywhere else but on the front lines, it would be good enough.” He smiled grimly. “Here though, good enough isn’t going to cut it. This floor’s not as bad as the last one, but it can be bad enough.”

Dale nodded. His guild leader was right in that regard. Just because it wasn’t as bad as the previous floor did not mean it was any safer, and many players were still under the recommended ten levels higher than the floor number. From what he had gathered from Klein’s talks with Argo and others, that wouldn’t change for at least another week.

Still, that meant that a fair number of players were taking the opportunity to work on other things. They had seen the kid and Silica use the teleport gate to go and meet with a blacksmith in Coral, Asuna was coordinating with some of the smaller guilds to look at what they would all need to replace gear that was getting obsolete, and the Fuurinkazan guild was taking the opportunity to farm mobs while leveling up some of their less used skills.

Still, it did not change the fact that many players were only going through the motions, rather than put in a serious effort at this time. The casualties had taken their toll on the morale of the clearers, but it was the fallout from Lind’s stunt which had hit everyone the hardest.

The Aincrad Liberation Squad, or ALS, had basically pulled back from the front lines as Kibaou kept his word to move to a lower floor and teach players on them. A few members remained on the top floor, or nearby floors, but the ALS’ presence had become a shadow of what it was. However, the guild largely remained intact and the members who stayed in the front lines were more determined than ever to clear the game.

The Divine Dragons Alliance, or DDA, on the other hand, was shedding members after what was effectively an attempt at murder by proxy. While it retained a core of members, some of whom no one would trust to be able to jump and breathe at the same time, there were a few who actually had functioning brains.

Schivata was one, and many had a feeling that he only remained to hopefully restrain Lind from doing something else he would regret. Many had the belief that Lind, once he got his feet back under him, might start trying to go after Harry, the kid, not his guild mate. Hopefully not in a manner that would result in someone getting killed.

If that happened, it would be a shitstorm, especially since Dale had seen the clear anger on the kid’s face when Lind had arrived. Oh, he had schooled it, but the way he slapped down Lind with only a few choice sentences was interesting to watch. Harry had not once raised his voice while he verbally eviscerated Lind with a few sentences.

It was less the words, than the meaning behind them. He had accused Lind of not giving a damn about the consequences, feeling that so long as he came out on top, he should be able to get away with it.

Dale’s musings stopped when Klein sighed.

“Boss?” He asked.

“It’s nothing.” Klein replied. “Why don’t we go find the rest of the guys and head back to town? They should be done with what they are doing. I also want to see what the latest bulletins from Argo say.” He snorted. “Man, it must suck to be Lind right now with how she’s tearing him apart.”

8th Floor, Frieven

Lind balled up the copy of the latest bulletin from Argo and threw it across the room. That bitch! He thought angrily as he watched it shatter. Since the twenty-fifth floor, he had taken refuge in Frieven, using the fact that the floor was unpopular with the players.

The bare accommodations, the environment, and the ever present smell from being some kind of swamp, all served to ensure that players kept their time here to a minimum. If they even spent any time on the floor at all. It allowed him to lie low, but even after ten days, Argo was continuing her campaign against him.

While nothing she said was false, the careful use of words, the insinuations she gave, all of it served to damage his reputation. A small part of him admired how she was managing it, but she could only do so for so long.

It had seemed a simple plan at the time. Find the info, change it just enough, and bribe or blackmail an info broker to spread the bad info in a way that Kibaou would immediately buy. When he went out, gather a group of your own men, and rush in to save him, using more reliable information to do so. If the boss was killed in the process, so much the better. The DDA would cement itself as one of the primary clearing guilds, and Kibaou would have been discredited.

No one was supposed to die.

But that little shit overreacted and created a rescue group, trying to be a hero. Lind thought darkly. He grabs players, manages to get in without anyone else seeing them, and throws the entire plan out of whack. I’m responsible for seventeen deaths, you little brat? No, it was your getting involved which got those people killed, not me. Oh, the boy accepted responsibility for the five deaths within his own raid, he would give him that. But the boy dared to accuse him, Lind, of being responsible for the rest.

However, Lind had the entire thing planned carefully, but that plan failed due to someone else getting involved. When the new group charged in, his raid had arrived just in time to see it, and Lind held his people back so as to wait and see. Furthermore, having more people in a boss room at that time would have simply meant everyone getting in each other’s way and making a chaotic situation worse.

Still, this couldn’t last forever, and when it died down…

March 13, 2023 - Aincrad 26th Floor, Mistleberg

Heathcliff’s arrival on the floor had been largely unnoticed by the players on the floor, which suited him fine. While he had been working on recruiting members of the guild he had been forming, The Knights of the Blood, or KoB, the guild was still small and had not made a name for itself.

The recruiting was going fairly well, if slowly, due to his relatively high standards. He wanted players who were skilled, or showed promise, and ran them through their paces. They also had to be strong enough to be able to handle the front lines, which narrowed down the potential pool of candidates significantly, especially after the clearers agreed on a minimum standard level for safety reasons.

This was a standard he approved of, if for different reasons than the players. He wanted them to get stronger, to get better, their safety was not really a concern of his. Not that he would voice or even imply it.

Either way, he had left his guild behind in Stahlhold to gain some experience with the increased difficulty which would become the norm from here on out. Experienced gamers would know that the twenty-fifth floor was a wake-up call, and it was telling them that the easy part was done.

They would have to be more alert and careful from here on out, as while the pressure might let up at times, the difficulty and danger wouldn’t. The twenty-fifth floor would be a good place to gain the experience with the dangers, especially since the clearers had provided as much information as they could about it.

Still, he came up here for a reason, rather than leading his small guild through the twenty-fifth floor. There were four people he was interested in scouting out and, if possible, recruiting. Each of them had reputations as being skilled fighters in their own right, and two of them had shown some leadership ability.

After asking a few questions, he made his way to the Shining Blade Inn. He could meet one of them right now.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 8 - The Climb Resumes

March 13, 2023 - Aincrad 26th Floor, Mistleberg

Harry and Silica walked off the teleport platform and made their way toward the Shining Blade Inn. Asuna had sent them a message about two hours ago requesting that they come by, someone wanted to talk with them. As they had been running an errand (more like farming mats for Lisbeth, the blacksmith Agil recommended a few days ago) Harry sent a reply that they would be there as soon as they were done.

Still, the errand was a good use of their time, given that they had opportunity to knock out a couple of quests along the way. Nothing major, but multitasking has its benefits. Like getting themselves a bit over Kirito's suggested level limit for the floor. After The Twenty-Fifth (almost every player knew by now what that meant), Harry was determined to be even better prepared, if not over prepared.

As it stood, Harry had reached level thirty-eight a few days ago, and Silica should reach it soon. Like many of the clearers, they had been taking things easy, which slowed their leveling rate a fair bit, but had the advantage of giving them an opportunity to mix and match some less utilized skills, or find some new ones.

Skills like the Martial Arts Skill, which could be found on the second floor. That had been a frustrating three days for Harry, trying to shatter a boulder with only his hands. Having the painted on whiskers which couldn’t be removed until the quest which rewarded the skill was completed just added insult to injury.

More galling for him, Silica had taken to that skill like a cat to a ball of yarn and had pulled it off within an hour. She had then spent the remaining time practicing the skill and coaching Harry on a few things, such as stance and a few other things to turn a punch into a sword skill. Eventually, he got it and completed the quest that rewarded the skill.

He would admit to himself that Silica did look cute with those whiskers that had been painted on during that quest. He once imagined her having cat ears and a tail, wearing a pink and white yukata, to complete the look during those three days and his brain temporarily shorted out from the image it provided. Bad Brain, bad! Harry thought, trying to drive the images that those recollections put in his mind. Especially the variant that-- Bad Brain! he chided again. He gave a surreptitious look for a barrel of water in case he had to dunk his head into one, just in case.

In the end, he decided that it didn’t really fit his fighting style, though he kept it in mind anyway. The idea of punching a mob’s head off had some appeal, after all. Silica had decided to practice and train with it more, to supplement her dagger skills, which made some sense to him.

Harry shook his head and drove those recollections out of his mind and looked at Silica. “Well, what do you think she asked us here for?” He asked.

Silica shrugged. “I don’t know,” she replied. “She sent us both the message, and it only said someone wanted to talk with us. I guess we’ll just have to find out.”

Harry nodded and saw that they were in front of the inn. “True, and we’re here.” He opened the door. “After you, my lady.” He said.

Silica giggled. “Why thank you, my good sir.” She replied as she walked in.

##

Asuna looked up from the local wine she was drinking and saw the two of them as they walked in. She indicated to Heathcliff that they had arrived and he turned to look at them as she waved the two over. As they got closer, she noticed that the two had changed their gear styles.

Harry had switched from a breastplate to a dark green brigandine cuirass with brass rivets, and reinforced leather pants, with his usual preference for heavy and sturdy boots. Silica favored a red vest, which from its stiffness probably had iron or steel plates sewn into it, over a linen shirt and a reinforced leather skirt, her dark brown stockings providing some cover for her legs, along with lighter, but still sturdy, boots.

The armor was clearly top tier for the area, and she suppressed a wince at how much it likely cost them, especially since she knew that Harry, at least, tended towards being frugal. On the other hand, considering the general quality of the gear, she wouldn’t be surprised if he considered it a good investment that would last a while.

Harry looked at her and nodded, gesturing that they would be over by the table shortly. He made a quick stop at the bar and ordered something. The bartender handed him a couple of bottles, Silica picked up a couple of cups. The two of them made their way to the table and Asuna indicated that they should take a seat.

As soon as they took their seats, Asuna shot Harry a mildly irritated look. “So, what took you two so long?” She asked. “If I knew it would take you two hours, I would have set a time for us to meet.”

Harry shrugged. “We were running an errand for a blacksmith who needed some more mats.” He replied as he poured a drink for himself and Silica. He looked at Asuna and Heathcliff and the two waved them off. “It took a little longer than expected to gather them for her.” He looked at Heathcliff. “Is this the person who wanted to meet us?”

Asuna nodded.

“Hadrian, at your service.” Harry said. “So, what can Silica and I do for you?”

Heathcliff nodded to the two of them. “First, let me introduce myself.” He said. “I am Heathcliff, leader of the Knights of Blood. I have been looking for promising players to recruit and I have heard of you two.”

Harry and Silica nodded. “I take it you want to recruit us both, then.” Silica said as she took a sip from her drink. She absently called a bag of peanuts from her inventory and began to feed Pina some.

Heathcliff nodded. “Indeed. The two of you have built quite the reputation for a pair so young, especially you, young man.”

“And what kind of reputation would that be?” Harry asked. “I’ve heard a few things, even a few rumors that are ridiculous.”

Heathcliff nodded. While he had a lot more knowledge about things than any other player, he still played the part of gathering information. Some of the observations made by The Rat and others were quite interesting, and sometimes amusing. “It has more to do with your leadership potential.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Leadership potential?” He asked with a note of incredulity. “I’m no leader.”

“Those who participated in the previous boss fight seem to think otherwise, young man.” Heathcliff replied. “After all, you gathered a raid together and worked out a plan rather quickly. It is very likely that everything would have gone quite differently had you not been there.”

Harry nodded, his face still holding an appearance of polite interest. And it was an appearance, Asuna knew. She could tell from his posture and a slight tightening around his eyes that something was making him wary. She could also tell that Silica noticed as well, even though she gave no indication outside of a slight shifting of her posture.

To more easily reach for her dagger, she thought. I wonder if they even realize just how well attuned they are to each other. She quickly turned her attention back to the conversation going on between Harry and Heathcliff.

“That may be so, Heathcliff,” Harry said. “But I think others would have managed well enough without me there. All I did was gather the groups that were already forming so that we all could put together a plan.”

“But still, the speed with which you did…”

Harry raised a hand, interrupting him. “Even then, it wasn’t just me.” He said. “Klein had a corridor crystal, which allowed us to move with the speed we needed, all of the group leaders were in on putting together a plan, and so on. Me? Again, I just gathered people together so we could actually do it, rather than spend time arguing over it.” He shrugged. “Speed? That haste is probably why five of our people got killed, and half of Kibaou’s twelve got killed. As it was, we got lucky.”

He gave Heathcliff a careful look as he sipped his drink. “Also, your guild is an unknown up here. Oh, I don’t doubt that if I asked Argo for info, she would have plenty of information to share, but that only goes so far. I trust her to give me good information, but I also like to form my own opinion on things. And any front line player worth his or her salt would do the same.

“And I can see what you intend.” he continued. “Everyone is basically going through the motions, but not making much in the way of progress. You’re seeking to change that. Your intent is to look for solid front line players and clearers to form a core of a group to take the lead.”

Heathcliff nodded, not disputing Harry’s supposition. At the same time, he could already tell that Harry had made up his mind on this, so it was best to get it out now, rather than they all waste their time. “And your consideration?” He asked.

Harry sighed. “I can’t speak for Silica, or anyone else you’re looking at recruiting here, but for now, I must decline your offer.”

“I see,” Heathcliff replied. “I apologize for wasting your time then, though I do thank you for at least hearing me out.” He looked at Silica who simply shook her head, her own polite refusal of the offer apparent.

Harry shook his head. “It was no waste of time.” He replied. “It’s better to take care of something like this now, rather than later. Once your guild builds some reputation amongst the clearers, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those who declined your offer reconsider.”

Heathcliff looked at the three of them, nodded and stood up. “Well then, I must get back to my guild then. It was a pleasure talking to you.” He nodded to all three of them and walked out of the inn.

Harry let out a breath and all the tension in his body left it, which got Silica to relax as well. He reached over to a bottle, poured himself another drink, and quickly gulped it down, much to Asuna’s surprise.

“That,” Harry said. “Was tense.”

Asuna blinked. “What do you mean?” She asked. “I could tell that something about him made you wary, but he seemed pleasant enough.”

“I don’t really know.” Harry replied. “Something about him tripped my instincts, as if what we were seeing wasn’t what was actually there. It was,” he frowned in thought. “It was like he was wearing a mask.” He shook his head and shrugged. “That’s about the best I can come up with.”

Asuna nodded in understanding. She wasn’t overly perceptive about such things, but having someone like him come out of nowhere like that made her wary as well. She hadn’t outright declined his offer, but she hadn’t accepted it, either. She had sent both Harry and Silica the message so she could see how they reacted, the two of them being more perceptive than they realized about people.

That the two of them were wary as well had killed any idea that she would accept the offer, at least for now. Oh, she didn’t doubt that Heathcliff’s pitch about how she could do well in such a guild had a lot of truth to it, he wouldn’t have taken the time to try and recruit her otherwise. Also, the idea of having a guild to back her was definitely a pleasant one. However, despite her own confidence in her skills, Kirito’s words from the aftermath of the first floor boss fight came back to her.

She would have to find a group of people she could trust first, rather than accept the first offer. Heathcliff might earn that trust down the line, but right now he, and his guild by extension, were too much of an unknown for her to have any trust in at this point.

March 21, 2023 - Aincrad 26th Floor, Labyrinth

Silica walked beside Harry as they marched towards the boss room with a raid that had been gathered together by the Knights of Blood. The last week had been relatively busy, with the two of them going out and scouting various areas of the floor and looking for the field boss, which had been almost laughably easy for the over prepared group that they gathered for the purpose of killing it.

Since then, everyone had made cautious progress through the labyrinth, noting the types of mobs, their attack patterns, and the various traps set throughout the dungeon. By the time they found the floor boss, most players had passed the minimum level recommendation at the very least, with the clearers a level or two past that on average. She had reached level thirty-nine yesterday herself, so she knew she was above the curve to some degree.

She glanced over to Harry, who had that relaxed alertness that an experienced player developed if he wanted to avoid exhausting himself from the tension of being outside a safe area. Any casual observer would think that he was simply walking with the group, but they would miss the alertness in his eyes as they constantly scanned their surroundings, or that his left hand kept the arming sword at his hip loose in its sheath and ready to draw at a moment’s notice.

Then again, her own right hand never strayed far from the dagger at her hip, and her eyes were scanning the environment as well. Even in a large group, they kept to hard learned habits which had kept them both alive since they had been trapped here. She felt Pina shift restlessly on her shoulder and she calmly reached up and reassured the feathered dragon, who would rather be flying.

A few minutes more of marching and they reached the door to the floor boss. She briefly relaxed and looked around. Harry’s posture had lost the alertness as everyone made their last minute preparations, now that they had arrived. She saw Kirito and Asuna walk over, the two having partied with them, but having taken positions on the flanks of the raid during the march over.

“Well,” Harry said. “This is it. We’re finally clearing the floor. Not that I minded the break, mind you, but it almost feels good to get back to this.”

The group of four, as well as nearby players, all shared a dry chuckle at that. The three weeks that everyone had spent since the last floor boss had been needed for everyone, but the point remained. It was good to get back to what they had all set out to do all those months ago.

She saw Kirito gesture towards the front of the group and everyone turned their attention there. She noticed Heathcliff give everyone a calm look and nodded.

“Everyone,” he said. “Since the last floor, we have been hesitant, and understandably so. What we endured there left its mark on everyone, lost comrades, harsh experiences, and a sense of fear. However, we will not let this death trap beat us. We will move on. And with this next battle, we shall tell Kayaba that he will not win!”

A scattered cheer broke out amongst some players, the less experienced ones, but Silica and the rest only had a grimly determined look on their faces. The more experienced clearers had little reason to cheer before a boss fight and would instead take this moment to focus on what was to come.

Heathcliff then turned around and pushed on the doors to the boss room to open them. As soon as they finished opening, the entire raid readied their gear and marched in.

##

Heathcliff watched the boss shatter and looked around as the players relaxed, more than a few taking a knee or simply sitting down as the adrenaline from the battle began to fade. He had to admit, he was mildly impressed by how well each of the groups worked together to take down the boss with no casualties.

Even those from the guild he had formed had performed admirably, quickly getting into their assigned roles, supporting each other and other players, with the other players returning the favor. There was a clear difference in experience there, the veteran clearers showing a far greater adaptability and flexibility in how they fought, rather than the somewhat set piece movements of his guild, but that was expected.

Veteran clearers expected things to go wrong and were alert for things not going to plan. The weeks spent not truly focusing on clearing seemingly not dulling that instinct one iota. It also gave him an opportunity to see how many of them actually fought from the perspective of battle.

It was… refreshingly different. It was one thing to watch from on high, but seeing it with his own eyes showed nuances and details that such a view couldn’t provide.

Nuances such as how Kirito could anticipate the boss’ attacks and have his longsword in place to parry them almost before the boss even began its own attacks, or how Asuna’s speed allowed her to dodge attacks and counter with precise thrusts of her rapier.

Details such as Hadrian’s ability to use his shield unconventionally to either deflect, rather than simply block, attacks, or use as an improvised weapon to knock the boss out of position. Or Silica’s acrobatic movements to attack the boss inside its reach and her creative use of her pet to deliver healing items to players in need, or have it otherwise harassing the boss. And that only revolved around those four players, there were dozens of other details and nuances there.

And then there was the pulse pounding thrill of being in battle himself. There was a distinct difference in facing a boss monster, a greater sense of immediacy and danger which he found exhilarating, despite his advantages.

It was nice in a way, and it gave him a sense of connection to the players he had trapped in this game.

He spotted Hadrian look bemusedly at a second window while several players congratulated him for obtaining the Last Attack Bonus and sending joking comments toward Kirito for his failing to steal it this time. Giving a small smile, he walked over to give his own congratulations.

March 27, 2023 - Aincrad 22nd Floor, Coral

“Welcome to Lisbeth’s Blacksmith Shop! How can I help you?” The cheerful voice of the shop’s owner called out as Harry and Silica walked in, sans armor. Pina flew around a bit before landing on a window sill and watching everything.

The shop itself wasn’t large. It had a small area for customers, a counter, and the workshop could be seen right behind it. Rather typical of a rented shop for a craftsman who wanted an actual workshop, rather than using a field variant in a stall. It was more expensive than setting up shop in a market, but Coral had some good rates in comparison to many other nearby floors.

Buying a place for a shop on the other hand, was a different story.

“Just coming by repairs, Lisbeth, nothing major.” Harry said as he approached the counter and then blinked. “Um, did you change your appearance?” He asked as Silica giggled.

Lisbeth smiled as she twirled. “You like it?”

Harry gave her a curious look. “Well, it is distinctive.” He said and shook his head. “Decided on a change?”

Lisbeth sighed. “It was Asuna’s idea, okay?” She said. “She said the still blacksmithing uniform I used to wear didn’t suit me, so she recommended this, as well as dyeing my hair. And wouldn’t she be right? I doubled my business because of this.”

Silica nodded. “It’s the youthful look,” she said. “In your older uniform, you looked like a girl playing in her father’s uniform. This, well it suits you.” She indicated the puff-sleeved dress Lisbeth was now wearing, as well as the pink hair. “I wouldn’t want to wear regular armor over it, though.”

Harry snorted. “I think it’s more that it tells the guys that yes, this is a girl they’re looking at.” He shook his head. “Go figure.”

Silica shot Harry a look. “And what does that make me?” She asked archly, her hand on her dagger’s hilt.

“Dangerous,” Harry replied, shooting a wary look at her hand. “I’ve seen how you deal with unwanted advances, Silica.”

“Oh?” Lisbeth asked, curious.

Harry grinned. “Well, there was that one time she threw one idiot out of a tavern through the window. What was his name? You know, that fat one that just reeked of, what was that word again? Otaki, otako, ah! Otaku! You know, that one?”

“Oh, him .” Silica growled. “I don’t even want to think of that one. He was a creep. I haven’t seen him for a few weeks though.” She saw Harry shiftily look to the side. “What did you do, Hadrian?”

“Me?” Harry asked, innocently. “Nothing.”

Silica raised an eyebrow. “Nothing, you say?” she asked sweetly, which put Harry on guard.

“Well, I might have tracked him down a bit later and had a few words with him outside of town.” Harry hedged and then got a slightly panicked look as Silica’s arch look turned into a glare. “Nothing bad! It wasn’t like I threatened to cut pieces of his body off and feed them to Pina or anything.”

“You didn’t? That’s a relief.”

Harry huffed. “Of course not!” He protested “I don’t want to make Pina sick. I simply had a few words with him. I might have had my sword at his throat, though, or at least I think it was his throat. It was kind of hard to tell with how many chins he had.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I needed to make a point about how he was treating a lady, and how he should treat one. You can ask Klein, he was there.”

Silica took her hand off her weapon and walked over to Harry. He gave her a wary look, which turned pained as she slapped him upside the head.

“I can take care of myself, Hadrian.” She said simply.

Harry rubbed his head. “Well yeah, but some of those guys can’t seem to take a hint.” He then muttered something that sounded like he was going to string the next bunch that try and make Silica a mascot up by their codpieces from a church steeple.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Nothing, Silica, nothing at all.”

Lisbeth laughed. “You two are like a married couple, you know that?” She asked with some amusement. Her amusement grew as she saw the two of them blush at her comment. Getting control of it she then looked at them. “Now, you said you both had some gear that needs repairs?”

Taking the opportunity the change of subject presented them, both of them nodded and brought out their gear. Lisbeth’s eyes boggled at the damage done to it as she saw several rents and tears in their armor, and how Harry’s shield was actually bent as if a mob tried to wrap it around his arm.

“What the hell did you two tangle with?!” She asked incredulously.

“A field boss.” Harry replied. “We managed to find it, or it find us, don’t really know.” He shuddered. “Not going to forget that thing any time soon.”

“We decided the rest of the clearers could have fun with that one when we escaped it, got back and told them about it.” Silica added. “It seemed a bit mad at us for escaping.”

Harry nodded. “Just a bit. It might have been due to how you-” He stopped as Silica elbowed him in the stomach.

“We’re not talking about that, Hadrian.” She said firmly. “Or do you want me to mention how you-” Harry quickly put his hand over her mouth.

“Now, now, Silica. If I can’t tell, you can’t.” Harry said and removed his hand before she decided to bite it.

Lisbeth looked at the two of them, amused. Like a married couple indeed. She thought. I wonder if Argo still has that betting pool open. “There’s a bit of a story there,” she said. “Well, why don’t you two tell me what you’re willing to while I get to fixing this up?” She gave the damaged armor an impressed look. “I didn’t think gear could get this damaged without shattering from losing all its durability, let alone a shield get bent like that. A hit like that would have shattered the bones in your arm, at the least, in the real world. Wait, did something bite a piece of it off?!” She saw Harry look to off to the side embarrassed. She shook her head. “Well, it survived whatever it was that caused this, so it must be good armor.”

Harry smiled. “It cost us a pretty col, but it was worth it, that’s for sure.” Silica simply nodded in agreement with that statement.

About an hour later, Lisbeth finished repairing their gear and the two re-equipped it with some relief. The armor was expensive, after all and they weren’t looking forward to having to replace it this soon after getting it. As they walked out, they saw several players heading to the shop, looking like they got into a fight with an angry bear crossed with a wood chipper, and had probably teleported straight to Coral.

“Field boss?” Harry asked as he passed them.

“Field boss.” One of the players replied.

“You guys at least kill it?”

The players nodded.

“Any casualties?”

“Just our gear.”

Harry nodded waved them on their way.

“Welcome to Lisbeth’s Smi- What the hell happened to you guys?!” Came the call from the blacksmith shop.

Harry and Silica looked at each other and laughed, despite themselves. That field boss would likely become something of a legend amongst clearers. Well, that and its distinctive call of eeya yip yip yip!

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 9 - Waking Up the Scrubs

April 2, 2023 - Aincrad 27th Floor, Ronbaru

Harry gazed at the lights of the hundreds of residences which made up the cavern town, simply enjoying the serene beauty of the sight. Unlike other towns which had a teleport plaza, Ronbaru was notably lacking in shops, having a few which carried nothing special, instead having several inns and hostels, giving the town the appearance of a place for a player to stop for the night and little else.

Then again, the quality of the accommodations were nothing to sneeze at, especially when combined with excellent food and drink. Outside of a few meat dishes which had a smell and taste resembling pork, something he had very little inclination to eat since the end of his first year at Hogwarts, he had nothing to complain about.

He was simply taking in the sights as he waited for Silica to finish changing and come out of the inn, and the peaceful atmosphere was certainly something he could appreciate.

“Well, you seem relaxed.” Silica said from behind him. “Also, I like the look.”

Harry turned around and looked at Silica as she walked up to him. She had on a simple white peasant blouse and long green skirt. She had also let her hair down from its usual twin tails and was wearing it loose. Harry had settled on wearing a simple light brown tunic that was belted at the waist and black pants which were tucked into a pair of light leather boots.

Both of them still had their weapons belted at their waists from long habit.

A flicker of movement indicated that Pina was lazily flying around them, occasionally perching on an eave or windowsill.

“And you look lovely as well,” Harry replied.

Silica smiled at him in response before coming beside him. “So, want to check out that place Asuna recommended?” She asked.

Harry looked around at the sights. “Why don’t we walk around a bit before heading there?” He asked, offering his hand.

Silica gave a small blush and a shy smile before taking it.

##

Silica found herself enjoying the walk around Ronbaru. The apparent lack of shops and many businesses might make the town less desirable for front line fighters at a first glance, but it also provided a relaxed atmosphere that was similar to, but distinct from, Coral’s. She could see why Harry seemed to like it here.

She would also admit that the cavern town had its own beauty, with the interplay of oil lamps, candles, and the internally illuminated crystals that players were calling crystalights providing an ambience of a town at night. They stuck to the main thoroughfares, handily avoiding the maze like alleys and branches, just simply walking. If she didn’t know any better, she might have been convinced that they were on a date.

They stopped in the central plaza where the teleport gate was located to listen to an NPC bard play a few songs. Most of them were fairly standard fare, but a few were actually fairly catchy and she found herself clapping at the end of the performance. She saw Harry open his menu and materialize a few col coins to give to the bard and and decided to do so herself.

She had gotten into the habit of doing simple courtesies like that with NPCs based on how Harry interacted with them. Both of them knew that the NPCs weren’t real, but really, simple courtesy wasn’t that hard to demonstrate. At the same time, it did end up having some small benefits. Their service at various places had improved slightly, their rooms at inns they stayed at for more than a few days smelled fresher and the sheets were softer, the bath’s water was just a little warmer and more relaxing...

Little things that actually made living in Aincrad more bearable, and all of it due to simple courtesy.

She looked at Harry who gave her a questioning look.

“Why don’t we head to that place Asuna recommended?” She asked.

His stomach growled, which caused her to giggle. Harry gave a sheepish nod and he took her hand in his.

The two of them walked on to get a meal and continue their night.

##

Argo stepped out of the shadows after they left and grinned. She had come to the floor to meet with some contacts and spied the two of them taking a stroll afterward. She was surprised to see them fully out of armor like that, though she would admit, they had picked some nice choices in their clothing. Nothing formal, but it wasn’t the type of clothing that would be worn with or under armor.

Well, well. She thought with some amusement. Looks like our little knight is taking his princess out on a date if they’re dressed like that, and Silica should let her hair down like that more often. She would admit that the two of them looked nice, not to mention cute together like that. Well, I should give them their privacy, but I wouldn’t be me if I did. So, let BIg Sister Argo follow you two and see what you do.

She slipped back into the shadows and discretely followed them. She watched as they walked to a restaurant and entered it. She considered looking through a window, she was good at doing those things without being noticed, when she saw the two led to one of the tables on a veranda.

Good, it saved her the trouble, since she could watch them from the shadows where she was. She settled down to watch, a small smile on her face.

Those two are good for each other, she thought. And they look cute together.

April 9, 2023 - Aincrad 11th Floor, Taft

Silica watched the inn’s patrons as she waited for Harry to arrive. He had gotten dragged off by Argo for something when they entered the town, so she had decided to wait at the inn they would be staying at. She did a quick check of his status and saw that he was fine and was actually on his way back to Taft.

She wondered what Argo had needed him for, and then shrugged. She’d just ask him when he got back. Knowing Argo, it could be anything from some interesting information, to something important. Or, she could have done all of that just to make it look that way, it was hard to tell with her.

We might want to do it somewhere more private though, She thought. If it’s serious, Harry won’t want anyone listening in. And... I’m beginning to think of him as Harry, rather than Hadrian.

She pushed that thought out of her mind and gave Pina a scratch between the wings and listened to the contented sounds as her pet ate a small dish of meats that she ordered and had placed on the table. While Pina seemed to positively love peanuts, the feathered dragon would basically eat anything, and being a dragon, that meant a definite preference for meat.

She brought up the inn’s menu and looked at the various drinks available. Taft’s inns had a fairly decent selection of wines and ciders, and a few palatable non-alcoholic beverages as well, to choose from. She settled on one of the sweet ciders and waved down an NPC waitress to place her order.

A few minutes later she sipped her drink as she checked on where Harry was and noticed that he was in town, meaning he should be by shortly. She heard a cheer coming from a nearby table and shook her head in amusement as she saw a bunch of teens who couldn’t be much older than her raise their cups in a toast. She was about to turn her attention back to her drink when she spied someone she did not expect to see sitting with them.

What’s Kirito doing there? She thought to herself as Harry arrived. And how did I either miss him arriving, or not notice him when I did?

##

Kirito really didn’t know what to do as the party he helped toasted him him. Frankly, it was only because he was in the area and saw that they were in trouble that he even did so. A few minutes earlier or later, and he wouldn’t have been around. He only culled some of the mobs to take the pressure off of them so that they could regroup. Once they had, they were able to handle the rest of the mobs fairly easily.

It wasn’t as if he had taken out an entire army of mobs and saved their lives. He simply helped a little.

“Man,” one of the members said. “If it wasn’t for you, those mobs would have had us for lunch!”

Kirito shrugged. “I was in the area.” he said. “You guys looked like you could use a little help, so I helped.” It was as simple as that in his mind.

“Still,” another said, the apparent leader if he recalled. “Thanks for that. By the way, I’m Keita. The others are Tetsuo, Sasamaru, Ducker, and Sachi. We’re all in the same guild, The Moonlit Black Cats.” He said as he indicated the rest of his party.

“It was no problem,” Kirito replied with a smile. “I’m Kirito.”

Keita nodded with a smile. “Well, thanks again, Kirito.” He then seemed to think of something. “Um, this might be a little rude, but can I ask you where your level is around, or what floor you’re normally on? The way you handled those mobs was… impressive and rapid, to say the least.”

Kirito blinked at the question and scrambled mentally for an answer. He thought about hedging  things, maybe underselling his level a little bit, but that option was quickly snatched from him.

“He’s a front line clearer, probably the strongest there is.” A girl’s voice said.

Kirito looked past the party and saw Harry and Silica walking up. The rest of the guild turned and saw the pair.

“What are a pair of kids doing here?” Came the question from one of them. Ducker, if Kirito remembered Keita’s introductions right.

"Helping with the clearing," Kirito found himself saying; and when he wondered why, the reason surprised him. In fact, it was how novel the reason was that surprised him.

He considered the two young frontliners friends, or at least friendly.

“Well, less helping with the clearing, at for least today, and more taking a little time to work on some of our less used skills,” Harry replied. “That and farming up some fairly rare mats.”

Keita blinked. “Wait, you two are clearers, and so is Kirito?” He asked with some surprise.

Harry nodded. “I’m Hadrian, and my adorably deadly companion is Silica.” Silica elbowed him in the gut with that one, to which he merely grunted.

"He sometimes forgets the deadly part even as he mentions it," Kirito noted with a smirk.

"He's quipping again," Harry stage whispered to Silica.

"I did warn you," she murmured back.

Harry shrugged. “Anyway, I’m actually surprised Kirito. You’re being social, and Asuna didn’t force you into it? Progress.”

Kirito dignified Harry’s comment with the only appropriate reply and flipped him off. Harry only  grinned in response while Silica simply gave a sigh of amused exasperation.

“Ignore him, he thinks he’s being clever and witty.” She said to the others.

"I'm not?" Harry gasped. "Why didn't you warn me?"

“"It warns others about you," Kirito said, before taking a drink.

The lower level players didn't seem to know where to look, or want to believe their eyes. They all had this image of clearers in their minds, Kirito guessed.They probably thought that clearers were supposed to be serious, grim, and focused. Not cracking jokes at each other’s expense, spotting lame one liners to kill a bad mood, or just generally using humor like they did.

There were clearers like that, but most had long since starting using humor, sometimes grim humor appropriate for walking up to the gallows, but still humor, as a coping mechanism. With them constantly risking their lives and knowing full well that their next trip out of a safe zone could be their last, they needed something to help them remain sane.

“Are… are clearers always like this?” Keita asked himself.

Harry chuckled. “Not all of us, just most.” He said drily. His expression turned serious. “So, our comments to each other aside, what’s the occasion?”

Sasamaru gathered himself. “Oh, Kirito saved us from becoming monster food when we were in the Dark Forest.”

Harry looked at Kirito, who nodded. “Where in the forest?” he asked curiously.

“Near the tower,” Tetsuo said. “We could see it, but we were ambushed by a lot of mobs.”

“It was where you, Silica and Klein’s group took on the field boss.” Kirito said helpfully.

Silica winced. “You mean where this idiot,” she pointed to Harry. “Decided that stabbing a giant snake’s brain through its mouth was a good idea.”

“Hey!” Harry protested.

“One of it’s fangs went clear through your arm.” Silica told him.

“I got better.”

“That’s not the point, Harry.”

Kirito and Harry blinked.

“I thought only Argo called you Harry, Hadrian.” Kirito said.

Harry shrugged. “Eh, I’ve told people they can call me Harry more than a few times. Besides, Argo doesn’t do formal, and Harry is used informally for quite a few names.” He looked at Silica. “I’m surprised that it took five months before you did, Silica.”

Silica tried to cover the blush that bloomed on her face and nudged Harry. "The Japanese don’t become familiar so easily."

Kirito shook his head. “You two might want to stop before you two end up convincing another group that you’re a married couple.” He shot out, amused.

The two of them blushed and Harry gave him a two finger salute.

Kirito smirked. Point to me, he thought.

“Anyway, you were saying you all got ambushed?” Harry asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

Keita blinked and gathered himself. “Yeah. We tried to get away, but we were blocked from leaving.”\

“Yup, that’s the place all right.” Silica said drily. “And let me guess, you didn’t have a Teleport Crystal.”

Keita nodded.

“Word of advice: Each of you should always have at least one.” Harry said. Before Keita could protest he held up his hand. “I know they’re expensive, but those things have saved both Silica’s and my own life several times when we bit off more than we could chew ever since they became available.”

“Well, there was that one trapped room in the twenty-seventh floor labyrinth where it didn’t work.” Silica added.

Harry nodded, wincing. “Looking back, the entire thing should have screamed ‘trap’ to me. Hidden room, treasure chest, no mobs in the immediate area? That should have been a warning right there.” He admitted. “Good thing we still keep potions on hand. When the room sealed and it filled with mobs, crystals didn’t work until we killed them all. And I mean all crystals, not just teleport crystals.”

Kirito looked at Harry sharply. “You mean there’s a trap that blocks crystal use?”

Harry nodded. “I spread the word out on it, it happened a couple of days ago.”

Kirito nodded. “That explains why I haven’t heard of it then.” He said. “I’ve been down here farming some mats and some stuff to sell to Agil. Still, that’s bad news if there are more traps like that.”

Harry shrugged. “So far, that’s the only case, but better for people to know about a new kind of trap, just in case. Still, I don’t think it’s going to be a common one.”

Sachi decided to speak up. “Um, what makes you think that?” She asked.

Harry looked at everyone present. “Because it wouldn’t be fair, at least this early.” He explained. “Say what you want about Kayaba, but SAO has been fair for the most part. Most things can be handled if you’re prepared and careful, even when you don’t know what to expect. It’s those occasions where the game isn’t being fair that you have to watch out for. It’s one of the reasons why it’s now recommended that you should be at least around ten levels higher than the floor number.”

“I wondered about that,” Ducker said. “That came down shortly after the twenty-fifth floor was cleared, right? Was it really as bad as the rumors say it was?”

“It depends on what the rumors say,” Silica admitted. “But it was bad.”

“How bad was it?” Tetsuo asked.

Harry looked at everyone and sighed. “That’s where SAO stops taking easy on players, and believe me, it’s taking it easy on you down here.” He said simply. “Before then, you could get by fairly easily if you were careful, but there?”

He gave a bitter laugh. “On the Twenty-Fifth, you have to know what you’re doing. If you thought the Dark Forest was bad with traps, well it is, but those traps aren’t lethal, just annoying. On the Twenty-Fifth, we ran into a dozen lethal traps just getting to Stahlhold to activate the teleport gate. And that doesn’t even count the number of ambushes.”

“You know, I still haven’t gotten that Moshi Moshi,” Silica mused.

Harry snorted as everyone but Kirito looked confused.

“Moshi Moshi?” Keita asked, confused. “What?”

“She figured out that the Twenty-Fifth was going to be bad before we got there,” Kirito explained. “The previous few floors were, looking back on it, rather underwhelming, which any experienced gamers would normally take as a warning sign. In other words, she called it.”

“But since everyone was so focused on clearing, they didn’t think about that, just counted their lucky stars that things were looking like they were getting easier.” Harry added. “Big mistake.”

“Yeah, I’ll say.” Ducker said. “I heard that about two hundred people died on that floor.”

“Well, that’s true, Argo confirmed it.” Silica said. “Well, this is getting depressing, anyone have an idea of a change of subject?”

Keita got a thoughtful look on his face. “You know, we could probably get some tips and maybe learn a few tricks from you guys.” He said.

Harry looked at Kirito, and then back to Keita. “You mean some training, right?” He asked.

Keita nodded.

Harry looked thoughtful. “Well, outside of our usual, I don’t see a problem with it.” He looked at Silica and Kirito. “What do you two think?”

Silica shrugged. “I don’t see a problem.”

Kirito had a thoughtful look on his face. “What about floor bosses, not to mention keeping our levels current?”

“Hmm, good point.” Harry acknowledged. “I don’t mind sitting out the occasional floor boss, it’s not like Silica and I do all of them anyway. Though, considering the progress on Floor Twenty-seven, they’ll probably find the boss room and scout the boss in the next few days. I was planning on being a part of that one, but it’s no loss to me if I’m not.” Silica nodded in affirmation.

“As for levels, I know you like to do solo work, but Silica and I, while not averse to it, prefer not to do so. Not after the Twenty-Fifth at any rate. Frankly, I’m surprised that Asuna hasn’t put a leash on you about that yet.”

“I sent her a message,” Silica said helpfully. “She’s been wondering where you’ve been for the last few days.” She got a thoughtful look on her face and turned to Harry. “You know, having her along for this might help. What do you think?”

Harry nodded. “You know, she just might. God knows she needs a break from the front lines, and it means we can alternate out. We’d have to work out the details, if that’s the case. Well, we can sort that out after we know what we have to work with.” He looked at Keita. “Now, I have a few questions for you. Silica, Kirito, feel free to chime in as well.”

Keita blinked as Harry looked at him. Did they seriously work that out so quickly, and who is this Asuna they mentioned? He thought. “Oh, um, right.” He said. “Go ahead.”

Harry nodded. “What are the specialties of each of you? Weapons, basic skill layout, things like that?”

Keita took a breath. “Well, Tetsuo is our tank, while the rest of us deal damage. I was thinking of getting Sachi to pick up a shield to help him,” he caught Harry’s look. “Um, what?”

“Nothing, continue.”

“Well, outside of Ducker also being our specialist in finding and disarming traps, that’s about it in terms of specializing.”

“Yeah, I still need some practice with that,” Ducker said sheepishly.

“Well, we have a handy dungeon nearby to help with that.” Silica replied drily. “There are a few pointers we can give about spotting them as well.”

“And that’s all?” Kirito asked.

Harry shook his head. “Not everyone’s like you, Kirito. It took Silica and I weeks of research before we had an idea of how we wanted to develop.” He looked at the Moonlit Black Cats members. “What about skill layouts? And if you need to change them, do you have Crystal Bottles of Kales’Oh so you don’t lose progression on your other skills in case you need to change them?”

“Crystal Bottles of what now?” Sasamaru asked.

Harry sighed. This is going to take a while. He thought with a mental sigh. I also hope that Silica doesn’t ask me what Argo dragged me off for. I don’t want to let slip that The Rat had decided to give me The Talk.

April 14, 2023 - Aincrad 15th Floor, Fairwind Plateau

They had picked this spot to train some of the Moonlit Black Cats members because it had very few mobs and was relatively isolated, being near Aincrad’s edge. Getting here was a bit of a different story, but that was actually part of the point. The mobs were fairly weak for the floor, something the lower level players could handle, while also allowing them to see a distinct difference when they got done.

Asuna looked at the pair of Moonlit Black Cats members she was training with a neutral expression as she evaluated what she had seen. Harry was right when he said that this group had probably survived as far as they did more through luck than skill. Oh, they weren’t bad, but the simple fact was that they weren’t at the point where they should have been. The front lines would have eaten these kids alive, she thought.

She saw Harry off to the side showing Tetsuo some tricks to use with a shield, with Sachi watching as well. He showed how the shield’s position and angle affected how it blocked and deflected attacks, and how important things like stance and footwork were. Harry didn’t have the build for a tank, his smaller and lighter frame worked against him, but he at least knew the basics and regularly practiced them. They formed the core of his own style of fighting, after all.

Sachi would probably benefit from his instruction even more than Tetsuo, as she had nothing to unlearn, unlike most shield users. Harry’s style was counterintuitive to those who thought in game mechanics. Well, she would benefit once she got past the fact that she seemed to be scared of just about everything, not that it was necessarily a bad thing.

Of all of them, she’s probably the only one who really understands how dangerous it is outside the safe zones. Asuna mused to herself. Get her past the fear and give her some self-confidence, and she will do well. Ah, well, Hadrian should be good for that. And Silica as well, now that I think about it. Well, provided she’s suitable for that style.

As for her, she was working with Sasamaru and Keita on spear skills. She had picked up a spear to use as an alternate weapon and needed practice with it anyway. Keita was doing well, but a spear didn’t seem appropriate for Sasamaru. She would have to think on that, and talk with Kirito about it.

“Ok, good work with that, you two.” She told them. “Keita, you’re doing fine as is, but you need to work a bit on your footwork, there were several times I could have knocked you off balance with a simple push. Sasamaru, remember that sword skills activate only when the weapon is in the proper position, so study up on what those positions are and practice them.”

Kirito and Silica had dragged Ducker off to the Dark Forest field dungeon on the eleventh floor to work his trap detection and disarming. I wish them luck with that, She thought before turning her attention back to Keita and Sasamaru.

Aincrad 11th Floor, Dark Forest

“So, you see what I mean by the tells for traps now?” Silica asked Ducker. “Even without the trap detection skill, a lot of traps can be spotted by simply looking around and spotting something that seems out of place. It doesn’t work for all of them, true, but it works for a lot more than people think.”

Ducker nodded. “I see what you mean. But if you can spot where a trap is most of the time without it, why have Trap Detection then.?”

“Trap Detection allows you to identify the kind of trap,” Kirito said. “Not having the trap detection means that you need to trigger the trap to know what it is. Given that traps are getting progressively more lethal as you go up in floors, I think you can understand why that’s a bad idea.”

“That, and you eventually develop an instinct for things.” Silica added. “Well, if you’re alert and not tired.”

Kirito snorted. “I take it that’s why Hadrian and you didn’t spot that one trap?”

Silica shrugged. “Maybe. Looking back, it was obvious, which annoys him by the way. Secret room, off to the side of a hall with no mobs, a treasure chest, and the fact that we looked into the room later after it reset and saw that the walls weren’t right.”

Kirito nodded. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”

Ducker chuckled nervously. “You guys make it seem as if by that point everything is trying to kill you up there.” He said. “You guys are making me nervous with talk like that.”

Both Silica and Kirito looked at each other and then to Ducker.

“Good.” Both said.

April 17, 2023 - Aincrad 8th Floor, Frieven

Lind watched as Schivata walked in. It had been over a month since he had been disgraced on the twenty-fifth floor, and been forced to lay low in order to let the furor die down. Argo had stopped her character assassination campaign weeks ago, but he knew that it would take time before he could undo the damage.

Until then, he would have to be circumspect. While he would love nothing more than to wring her neck, she wasn’t the primary obstacle in his path.

“What have you found out about that boy’s movements, Schivata?” He asked.

“He’s been spending more time on lower floors, boss.” His second replied. “Looks like he and the girl have found a group of mid-level players that they have decided to train.”

“And this group?” Lind asked.

“They’re a small guild, called the Moonlit Black Cats. There are only five members, and it seems that they were probably friends, or at least acquaintances, in the real world.”

Lind considered that information and considered how he might be able to use it. Hadrian had a solid reputation now, and any attempt at using rumor against them would likely reach Argo. But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t use others against him.

“Oh, and boss,” Schivata interrupted his thoughts. “It also looks like they got the Beater and Asuna in on it as well.”

Lind nodded. “Thank you for the information, Schivata.” He said. “Keep an eye out for anything else. I have to think things over.”

Schivata recognized the dismissal and nodded, leaving the room.

##

While Frieven had little to offer, and the floor’s ever present smell made it unpopular with players, he had to admit that the beer was rather good. It didn’t quite make up for the smell, but it seemed to make it more bearable.

Schivata looked into his mug as he considered his guild leader. Lind’s isolation here was not doing him any favors, and it allowed him to stew in his thoughts. Now that the initial uproar died down, he thought Lind would get back to working towards clearing, or at least working to repair his reputation.

Instead, he had members going out and gathering information, keeping tabs on the movements of the one he held responsible, Hadrian. What had been anger was turning into an obsession, as if he was simply biding his time and waiting for the time to strike back at the boy.

What was worrying to him, was if Lind decided to strike back using Silica. Schivata knew that Hadrian was protective of her, and tended to be rather vicious to those who did not take the hint when the girl made it clear that she did not appreciate their advances. Nothing lethal or injurious, but word had spread about how he drove off that one guy, Aaaa.

Not that the fat bastard didn’t have it coming, from what Schivata had heard.

Still, if Lind decided to use the girl against Hadrian, and if he actually hurt her, Schivata had a feeling that the boy wouldn’t rage or go berserk. No, if Lind did that, the boy struck him as the type who would simply draw his sword and butcher him. No words, no yelling, no threats; just simply going about it. And he wouldn’t use a proxy, like using a mob to do an MPK. No, the boy was the type that if it came down to having someone killed, he would do it himself. Perhaps to take on the burden of guilt, perhaps not.

Schivata sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 10 - In Between Storms

May 7, 2023 - Aincrad 11th Floor, Taft

Harry gave a tired and annoyed groan as the morning light hit his eyes, waking him up. He blearily opened his eyes and took a quick moment to get his bearings. Silica was on the other bed in the room, instead of sharing a room with Sachi, and Pina was using his chest as a bed, again. The time in his HUD might as well have said it was too early in the morning, as usual.

The only reason Silica was sharing the room was due to the two of them heading out to hit a unique quest on the twenty-sixth floor that could only be done at night, and was available for a short time. By the time they got back, it was one in the morning, and Silica opted to simply room with him, rather than potentially wake Sachi up.

Fortunately, Harry had gotten the room when they got dinner and it had two beds. While Harry wasn’t averse to sleeping on the couch, if available, he preferred sleeping on a bed. And there were also the times when there was only one room available, with only a bed. If they were lucky, it was large enough for two people. If not, then they still shared as Silica flatly refused to let him to sleep on the floor, and he refused to have her sleep on the floor, or in a chair for that matter.

Harry gave up on arguing that matter after the fifth time. It all worked out, especially as they agreed on some ground rules.

She wouldn’t complain about how he kicked her in his sleep, took up too much of the bed, took more than his fair share of the covers, or snored. And he wouldn’t complain about her kicking him in her sleep, taking up too much of the bed, taking more than her fair share of the covers, and he certainly didn’t complain about her making those adorably cute sounds which were most certainly not snores.

Also, blame Klein if they woke up cuddling, holding each other, or spooning. He was handy for that, and they both agreed that he was a bad influence on them. It didn’t help his case that he made it a habit to stay in the same inn as them when they were on the front lines and have his guild members take up any extra rooms. If Harry didn’t think the idea completely absurd, even for Klein, he would swear that the man was trying to set him and Silica up into a relationship.

Though he would admit, waking up cuddled next to her was nice.

Ok, better stop right there, he thought. Otherwise I will start musing on how my hands seem to fit on her hips or waist just perfectly, or how her-- Damn it, Klein! And for good measure, damn it Argo! He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head as he gently picked Pina up off of him and sat up. Giving the feathered dragon a gentle scratch, he placed her on his pillow and got off the bed. The little dragon opened an eye, gave a contented sound that was almost like a cross between a purr and a chirp, and quickly settled back to sleep.

Glancing at the time in his HUD again and taking a glance at the still sleeping Silica, he decided to forego taking the opportunity for a quick wash. While it was possible for Silica to simply sleep until he woke her up, it was better not to chance it. Knowing his luck, she would wake up and decide on taking a bath while he was still washing up. Or if he was especially unlucky, she would walk in right as he was getting out of the bath.

That would be likely be rather awkward, and while it wouldn’t surprise him if it happened eventually, he would like to put it off for as long as possible.

He briefly mused on whether he should wake her up or not before deciding otherwise. They had gotten back late the previous night, and it was only his long habit of being an early riser which caused him to be awake, however much he wanted otherwise. They also didn’t have anything particular planned for the day, so he might as well let her have her lie in.

He opened the menu, equipped his armor and, sparing a glance at her, walked out of the room. As he walked down the hall, he idly wondered what he would have for breakfast that morning.

Silica joined him about half an hour later as he was finishing up his meal. Briefly looking over the inn’s menu, she waved over a waitress and placed her order. Pina landed on the table, chirping what could be interpreted as a greeting to him. Well, it was either that, or the dragon was begging for food off his plate again.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Silica asked.

Harry shrugged. “Keita and the others are doing fine, and if I remember correctly, it’s Kirito and Asuna’s turn to handle training for the next few days, so I guess we’ll head up to floor twenty-eight and work on helping with clearing it, if that is the case.” He said. “They’re in the labyrinth, and unless they did the boss fight yesterday, or are doing it today, I think we can get in on it. Our levels are still high enough. Otherwise, just explore the labyrinth and do some quests, I guess.”

Silica nodded. While neither she, nor Harry were over leveled like Kirito and Asuna were, it only meant that they were still in their mid forties, not getting close to level fifty. “And what if it’s not their turn, or Kirito and Asuna don’t arrive until later this afternoon?”

“Then we just relax for now,” he replied. “We’ve been running Keita and his guild pretty hard recently, so they can use a break. Hell, Kirito and Asuna can use a break. They’re not fooling us about going out at night to keep progress with leveling.”

Silica snorted. “Agreed. But then, we aren’t fooling them, either.”

Harry nodded at that. He and Silica did go out to grind some experience, but they limited their time out to only a couple of hours before heading back most of the time, which was the main reason the level disparity between the two pairs had increased slightly. The quest they did last night was an exception, considering that they got back after midnight.

The waitress arrived with Silica’s meal and Harry let her get to eating while he ordered another drink, which arrived a minute later. The two of them engaged in some idle talk as they waited, either for Keita and his guild to wake up and get a meal, or for Kirito and Asuna to arrive, whichever happened first.

The Moonlit Black Cats came down about twenty minutes later and sat at a nearby table to order their meals. Harry gave them a simple wave of acknowledgment as he finished his drink. There’s no way Sachi missed our absence last night. He thought.

For all of her fears and confidence issues, understandable ones, she was sharp. That she took to his training her in his style of shield usage quickly indicated as much. Oh there were differences. She used her shield as a tool to direct the enemy the way she wanted in battle and to defending herself well. She may lack the more reckless and aggressive mindset that allowed him to use it offensively, but she had adapted his style to fit her.

He noticed that Keita finished his order and was looking at him. Turning his attention him, Harry decided to explain what the general plan was, once he got confirmation from Kirito and Asuna about their plans.

##

Kirito and Asuna walked into the inn and saw Harry and Silica were waiting for them. Harry was idly exploring his menu options. Silica was just sitting there and idly stroking Pina, with a bored look on her face until she saw them. She gave them both an irritated look as she waved them over.

“What took you?” she asked as they approached. “We were expecting you both about an hour ago.”

“This idiot slept in,” Asuna replied with a gesture to Kirito. “Also, they found the boss room last night and are planning to scout it with a possibility of clearing the boss today.”

Harry looked at them both. “I take it you two intend to be there?”

Asuna and Kirito nodded. “We were thinking about asking you two to join in, if you’re up for it.” Kirito said.

Harry nodded. “I’ll let Keita know.” He replied. “We’ve all been running them pretty hard, so a day or two off won’t hurt them. If we knock the boss out today, you two should take a break as well, you two look like you can use some down time.” He saw both of them about to protest and put his hand up. “I know, I know, same here with myself and Silica. We’ve all been balancing training the Moonlit Black Cats and keeping our levels up, but you two have been taking it further than we have. When was the last time you two got a full night’s sleep?”

Kirito nodded. “Point. Taking a day off wouldn’t be a bad idea.” He admitted.

Silica gave a mock gasp. “Kirito’s actually agreeing on taking a break?”

Harry made an exaggerated look outside. “It doesn’t seem as if the world’s ending.”

“Are you feeling okay, Kirito?” Silica asked with concern, or it would be if she wasn’t obviously trying not to grin.

Asuna chuckled. “They know you too well, Kirito.”

Kirito gave them all a flat look. “Very funny.” He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Aincrad 28th Floor, Boss Room

They all watched as the boss shattered into polygons after its defeat and all the players relaxed, some sinking to the ground in exhaustion. The boss, Sevaran the Solemn, had a much higher defense than usual, though little else. It still took them the better part of an hour and a half to kill it, even with several overpowered players.

Still, all in all, it was a fairly routine fight by their experiences. There were no special attacks or pattern changes, and there no major attacks to be especially on guard for. Just a high defense and a lot of health.

Harry really hoped that it didn’t mean that the next one would be problematic. “So, the boss is down, and the floor’s cleared. Anyone else want to drink to that?”

“Who’s buying the first round?” He heard Klein call out.

“You are,” Kirito replied. “Thanks for offering, Klein.”

Many of the players present laughed as Klein protested, cheerfully ribbing him for walking right into that one, and even Heathcliff cracked a small smile. Klein’s protests were more for form’s sake anyway.

“Well, we can do it on the next floor, or we can do it somewhere else.” Silica said calmly. “I’m for doing it in Mistleberg or Panareze, myself.” Many of the other female players present nodded and emphasized their agreement by shooting looks at several male players who quickly agreed. That they were either in a relationship with one of the ladies, or were regular companions of them was not missed by anyone.

Harry glanced at Kirito who was glancing at him. They both then glanced at Asuna and Silica who were giving them looks that hinted that they should voice their own agreement as well if they knew what was good for them. “Panareze sounds good, don’t you think so, Kirito?” Harry asked.

“It does.” Kirito agreed.

“Right, we’ll meet in Panareze for it.” Harry called out. He glanced at the time in his HUD and nodded. “It’ll be an hour from now.”

“Man, all you guys are whipped.” One of the other players called out, only to take a startled step back when everyone looked at him.

Klein chuckled. “They might be, but consider this.” He said, placing a hand on the player’s shoulder. “Most of those guys have a girlfriend, or significant other here. The others have friends who are girls, who just happen to be here. So tell me, what do they have that the rest of us don’t?”

The player thought about it and realized at what Klein was hinting at. “Oh,” he said.

Klein patted the player on the shoulder and walked off. “Exactly.” He said cheerfully. “Well then, let’s go activate the Teleport Gate and get on with it. First round’s on me!”

The rest of the players cheered at that.

Aincrad 24th Floor, Panareze

The party was in full swing when the Moonlit Black Cats arrived, having been invited by Harry and Silica when Klein-- and there was a name most players had heard by now, Keita reflected-- expressed interest in meeting them. The second they opened the door, they had to duck as a patron was sent flying out of it into the wall of a shop across the street.

“Hey, you guys okay there?” Came a familiar voice.

“We’re fine!” Keita called out. “What was that?”

Harry walked to the entrance and grinned. “Some idiot decided to get fresh and grabby with Asuna and she sent him flying.” He shook his head. “You would think they’d learn, but some seem to need more percussive correction than others.” He looked at the dazed player. “Huh, she sent him flying for about fifteen meters, a new record. Well, come on in, there’s someone who wants to meet you.”

Kieta and the others followed him in and stopped briefly as they saw a large number of players drinking, engaging in gambling, and generally living it up. “What’s the occasion?” Tetsuo asked.

“Cleared the twenty-eighth floor, we’ve survived for six months, take your pick.” Harry said with a shrug. “It’s not like we really need much of an excuse, really.”

“Work hard, party hard?” Ducker asked.

“Pretty much. Anyway, come on in and let me introduce you guys to Klein.”

Harry guided them through the crowd easily, occasionally glaring down some of the more exuberant players when they hit on Sachi, which was amusing in a way, considering that he was only about one hundred and sixty centimeters tall. Then again, Keita reflected, the height thing never stopped one of the Young Knight's disappointed glares from curbing their excesses and stupidities in training.

Within a minute, Harry led them through the crowd to a semi-private area where Kirito and a few others were sitting around a table. Harry walked up to the table and got the attention of a man wearing a bandanna. From what Keita could tell, the man looked a bit on the roguish side, with his slightly unshaven face and wild hair held back by a bandanna.

It had to be Klein, the clearer sometimes simply nicknamed "Bro". That such a notable in their little community wanted to meet them was a bit intimidating.

“Klein,” Harry said, confirming Keita’s guess. “You wanted to know who Silica, Asuna, Kirito and I decided to provide training to, so let me introduce you to the Moonlit Black Cats. This is Keita, the guild leader, and with him is Tetsuo, Sasamaru, Ducker and Sachi. Guys, this is Klein, leader of the Fuurinkazan guild.”

“Yo, nice to meet you all.” Klein said. “Take a seat.”

As Keita and his guild members took the offered seats, Klein finished his drink and gestured to an NPC to get him another one. Harry, noticing that, shook his head in exasperation.

“Klein, having another beer won’t affect you any more than they already do, which is not at all,” he said, with the air of an oft repeated refrain. “Well, at least until you find a drink that will get someone drunk, which knowing you, will happen eventually.”

Klein snorted. “And what about you?” He asked. “You know which places serve the best beer on fifteen floors.”

“Yeah, the places which serve something that actually tastes like beer, not that horse piss you call lager or pale ale, though pail ale could be appropriate given its taste.”

"I take it, that it was from the horse or the cow, Hadrian?" Asuna asked.

"Mixed, for maximum insult to men and women of taste," Harry said, saluting the laughter this earned. “Also, good picking up on that, Asuna. Usually it’s one of Klein’s guys who does, but it seems that they’re busy gambling their col away somewhere, or hustling some guys for their col.”

Keita blinked. “Um, what?”

Silica patted him on the shoulder. “Ignore them, this is an argument they tend to have.” She said. “Harry’s from England, so he has his opinions on what makes a proper beer, being English and the fact that he’s apparently a connoisseur.”

Harry shot Silica a glare. “Hey, it’s kind of a tradition at my school to smuggle alcohol into the dorms. I was on one of the sports teams, so I’ve had beer and whiskey shoved down my throat every time we won a game.” He protested. “The beer was fine, but the whiskey? Not my thing.”

"Scotch?" Klein prompted.

"As our... dorm mother advised us when she caught us with it... after tossing out the 'rotten shite' we once brought in and giving us a 'properly aged bottle'," Harry said with a smirk, "'I catch you getting drunk on scotch without enjoying it properly, I will expel you from this dorm regardless of what the headmaster says.'"

"... she sounds awesome and scary," Keita said, blinking. Which made Harry a bit more awesome and scary, but he didn't say that bit out loud..

"... yeah, that's McGonagall," Harry admitted. “She had the mindset that if you were going to break the rules, do it properly, and if, or I should say when, you get caught, take your punishment without complaint. Just don’t embarrass her or do something particularly stupid.”

“That’s only fair.” Kirito said.

“It is. In other words, we go big, carry around a pair of solid brass ones, balls or breasts depending on your gender, or we go home. Doesn’t mean we can’t be sneaky though. My school’s biggest pranksters are in that dorm and they simply own up to their pranks after the fact, considering they only get caught about a third of the time.” Harry recalled with a smile. “Those two do know where the line is and don’t cross it. They also take their lumps when their targets get even with them. I still remember when the girls on the team dragged them off and then pulled them into the dining hall in ball gowns, makeup, the whole works and set it up so that they would have to be like that all day.”

Everyone laughed at that. "What team is this?" Keita asked, then winced. "Or is asking prying, sorry!"

Harry waved the lower leveled player off. "I brought it up. You just have to accept my 'I'd rather not say' when I answer with it. Which is my answer, sorry."

Keita nodded slightly. "Faru coppa."

Harry winced. "Ouch. English by Japanese rules."

Asuna nodded. "Always painful." At his glance, she smirked. "I'd rather not say."

Harry raised his cup and saluted her. There was a story there, and Keita reminded himself it wasn't his place to pry.

“Well, all that aside, let’s get to the purpose of this meeting.” Klein said after the waitress brought his drink over. “I wanted to meet you guys, because anyone who can get Mister Broody over there to socialize is worth knowing.”

“Screw you, Klein.” Kirito grumbled.

“You’ll have to buy me dinner and take me out on a date first, Kirito.” Klein shot back.

"You come cheap," Asuna followed smoothly.

"But we knew that about him," Silica and Harry added, then clinked their cups.

Klein clutched his heart in mock pain. “Ouch, I’m hurt guys, seriously.”

"Oh, sorry, I tend to forget how sensitive you are," Harry said.

"No, you don't, you take relentless advantage of it," Silica corrected. Pina chirped in apparent agreement.

"Sh, don't tip him off."

Klein gave his fellow clearers a flat look. “I hate you all.” He grumbled.

“No you don’t,” The four of them said.

"We've bought you too much alcohol," Kirito said. "Skipped dinner, so don't you get the wrong idea."

“If he did, Argo would be selling tickets.” Silica quipped.

"Do we get a cut of the proceeds?" Harry wondered.

"... can we catch her as she tries to disappear with them?" Asuna countered.

"Right, so avoid," Harry said, raising his cup with a grin and taking a swig.

“Aww, Harry, I’m shocked you all would think so little of me,” a voice came from right behind the Young Knight. Keita barely managed to keep himself and Sachi from falling off their seats at the sudden appearance. His other guild mates weren’t so lucky.

Harry’s swallow went down a little awkwardly. "When am I," he gasped, "going to learn not to speak of a devil I don't need to appear?"

Silica patted Harry on the shoulder. “Probably when you learn not to think her name as well,” she said. “So, sometime between never and the end of time?” She looked at Keita and his guild as the majority managed to get back to their seats. “Well, the Rat’s not in the walls any more,” she said cheerfully. “Guys, this is Argo, information broker, writer of the Weekly Argo, and keeper of bets. Argo, the Moonlit Black Cats.”

“Heya!” Argo said cheerfully. “So, you’re the guys that Kii-bou, Aa-chan, Harry, and Silica have been training. Nice to meetcha.”

Keita looked at the young woman, finding himself once again having to revise his perceptions about someone. He had heard about Argo, a.k.a. The Rat, Aincrad’s primary information broker, of course, but he didn’t think that it would be a young woman with blonde hair and golden eyes. The eyes threw him off, but he figured it was probably the use of one of those cosmetic change items. Another thing, he firmly reminded himself, not to pry about.

“So, you’re the famous information broker?” Tetsuo asked.

“More like infamous, if you ask me,” Harry snarked. “What are you here for Argo?”

Argo shrugged. “Heard those kids you were training came up here and figured I would see them.” She replied. “Also, I need to borrow Silica for a bit.”

“Oh?”

“Remember that talk we had last month?” She asked with a smirk and a pat on Harry's shoulder. When Harry blushed, she smirked. “It’s Silica’s turn.”

Silica blinked. “You mean that conversation he wouldn’t say anything about?” She asked. “I’ve been wondering about it, but if he didn’t want to talk about it, I wouldn’t pry.”

“Well, you’re about to find out!” Argo said cheerfully. She shot Klein a look and nodded.

Harry saw the look and muttered something in English which had Asuna looking scandalized, amused, back to scandalized, and then back to amused.

“Do I want to know what he just said?” Argo asked.

Asuna smirked. “I think I’ll keep this one to myself,” she said. “At least until I can confirm some suspicions of mine.” She leaned over and whispered something into Argo’s ear. Argo grinned and nodded and then said something too low for Harry to make out. Asuna’s amusement increased. “I should have known you would play matchmaker like that.” She said.

Harry sighed and shook his head. He glanced at Silica, who had a look of dawning realization on her face as well. “And that confirms it.” he said. “The Rat’s playing matchmaker.” He looked at Kirito, and smirked slightly. “Pay up, Kirito.”

Kirito grumbled and transferred the col to him.

“Well, if Argo wants to talk with Silica, I might as well take some time to fetch some more drinks.” He got up and looked around. “You all might as well get them spun up on the bets, I get to tell them about the ones involving you guys, though.”

“Heh, sure thing kid.” Klein said.

Keita watched as Harry stood up and walked to the bar in some confusion and looked back toward everyone else. “Bets?” He asked with some confusion. “And what was going on? I’m kind of new to this, but it seems as if a lot of conversations happened.”

Kirito chuckled. “Yeah, sorry about that, Keita. We tend to just do that when you get us all together.”

Sasamaru shook his head, looked at Keita, and back to everyone else. “It’s like you all have multiple conversations, and well, how do you all keep up with that?”

“I followed it, I think.” Sachi said.

Everyone looked at her and she flushed. “I have three sisters, six aunts, and a lot of female cousins.” She explained. “We have a joke in our family that you get three of us together, you have nine conversations.”

“That… just about sums up this group, really.” Asuna admitted. “We’re just so used to each other than we have no problem following it all, I guess.”

May 8, 2023 - Aincrad 24th Floor, Panareze

Harry gave a contented sigh as he relaxed in the warm water of the bath. As he had thought the previous night, Klein and Argo had managed to finagle them into the same room, with two beds, thankfully, and it was a nice one. The beds were soft, the sheets were very fine cotton, and the bath was luxurious. There was room for three or four people in the tub!

He didn’t want to think about how much this room cost, but so long as it wasn’t absurdly expensive, he might see about getting this room again, or look for other such accommodations. Not often, but every now and then would be nice.

He took a brief look at the time display and reluctantly began to get out of the bath when he heard a startled squeak that made him pause.

Oh no, he thought. Oh no, no, no, no, no. That isn’t Silica I just heard. She didn’t just come in, and I didn’t hear her. She did not just get an eyeful. She- oh, who am I kidding. He looked up to see Silica standing at the door, naked as the day she was born, and sporting a full body blush. He noticed that she was looking downward, eyes wide, and by the angle of her gaze...

He glanced to the side, saw a towel and grabbed it. Wrapping it around his waist, he finished getting out of the tub and tried to affect an unbothered look. A look that was spoiled by his own full body blush. Whether from being so exposed, seeing her in a similar state, or both, was hard to tell.

“Um, the bath’s yours.” He said and began to walk out, he grabbed another towel and handed it to her. “Take your time and enjoy it.”

Silica met his eyes as he passed her and nodded. “I thought you had already gone to get something to eat,” she said blankly as she wrapped the towel around herself.

Harry shrugged. “The bath’s good and I might have lost track of the time.” He replied. “As I said, take your time and enjoy it. By the way, where’s Pina.”

“Sunning herself by the window, last time I checked.” Her tone was still fairly blank, and he was a bit worried that the shock and surprise had gotten to her, but now was not an appropriate time to deal with it.

Harry nodded and walked out. After he left, he opened his menu and equipped his clothing and armor, and then let out a breath. “That went surprisingly well,” he mused. He then heard a shriek coming from the bathroom and chuckled. “And it looks like she recovered from the shock. Well, she saw me full on, and I saw her and hm…” The image of Silica standing just inside like that and ready for a bath was a rather nice one.

Also, the idea of seeing her in that state getting out of a tub, water streaming down her petite form, her hair framing her face and clinging to skin that was reddened from the warmth and… He would blame both Klein and Argo for this incident and the thoughts that were going through his head.

Though he did like what he saw. And it did offer some nice variations on the witch's robe image he was not going to remember right now.

##

Silica sank into the water after washing herself, her face still red from what she saw. Well, from seeing Harry naked and him seeing her in the same state. She had seen his torso bare, he liked to sleep without a shirt on, after all, so she knew about the hints of athleticism in him. Looking a bit lower, though…

She fought down her blush’s attempts at getting brighter and considered filling a bucket with cold water and dousing herself a time or three in order to cool off. Her mind was already somewhat scrambled from her discussion with Argo last night, and she didn’t need more distracting imagery in her head.

Such as how the water streamed down his body as he rose up out of the tub unaware of her presence, or the way it threw his musculature into better definition, or…

Ah, bad thoughts, bad thoughts! She thought frantically. I am not thinking about how attractive I find him. I am not thinking about how the idea of him holding me in that state is a nice one. I am not thinking about…

##

Neither of them would be able to look the other in the eye for the rest of the day. Not without blushing and hastily looking away. It would be a week before their dreams would behave and go back to normal, or as normal as dreams could be in Aincrad.

That and getting separate rooms.

On a positive note, they wouldn’t be awakened by nightmares for a while. The NPCs responsible for cleaning might have taken issue with the results of that abeyance, though.

May 19, 2023 - Aincrad 20th Floor, Sunshine Forest

Keita relaxed and brought his spear to a resting, but guarded, position as the mob shattered, ending the encounter. He looked at his guild mates who were scanning the area for more mobs before they relaxed a bit. He glanced to the side where both Harry and Kirito had watched them handle the encounter, and noticed that they both had approving looks on their faces. He had been given a choice of group quests to do with his guild, with Harry and Kirito supervising and ready to jump in if something went wrong. However, they would be doing it without any assistance outside of that.

“Consider it a test of how much you’ve progressed,” Harry had told them. “While you’re not ready for a run through the Twenty-Fifth yet, you guys will be there soon enough.”

So, here they were, going through a field dungeon on a couple of quests that came well recommended in terms of risk versus reward. Dangerous enough to test them, but not so much that Harry and Kirito would have to intervene unless things went badly wrong. An intervention no one hoped was necessary, as it meant that things had gone out of control.

Harry refused to assure them that he and Kirito would be able to save them if that happened. He told them that giving those reassurances might make everyone feel better, but he wasn’t so arrogant as to believe that he could intervene in time, which would put a lie to those reassurances.

Still they were done with the quest and were now heading back. Things had gotten hairy on occasion, but his guild was shaping up nicely, especially Sachi, who had gained some much needed confidence in her own abilities. While he was aware that she probably still had doubts, she was more willing to speak up, offer her own input, and act as a restraining influence on the rest of them.

Given what Harry, Silica, Kirito and Asuna had told them all of their own adventures, that was probably a good thing. Especially after he had talked with Klein and got grilled on his guild’s training efforts. The man nodded approvingly at several parts and added his own input based on the fact that he was running a guild.

He had also asked why he was so eager to get to the front lines. Harry and the others could certainly teach them the skills necessary, and guide them in getting the appropriate experience, he had assured him of that. At the same time, he made it clear just how dangerous the front lines were.

He had also asked Keita if he was willing to risk not only his own life, but the life of his friends, because one bad call, and it might not be his life that’s ended.

“Kid,” Klein told him. “I lose more sleep than I like to think about over the possibility that I might get my friends killed, don’t think otherwise. I’m confident in their abilities, and in my own, but I’m a realist. I can make a bad call, and if one of them dies, it’s my responsibility, plain and simple. I’m the one in charge.” He looked Keita in the eyes. “If this were a normal game, you’d learn after a bit, but this isn’t a normal game. There are no second chances here, and if you die, you stay dead.

“I would also recommend talking to Kibaou, the ‘Clearer Who Retreated’ I think he’s sometimes called now, about that. If anyone knows just how costly a mistake can be, it’s him. In fact, once they think you guys are at a good point, they’ll probably bring you to see him. He’s based in Coral, on the twenty-second floor right now, and is using it as a staging area to train up and comers for the Twenty-Fifth, as well as provide an object lesson in himself.”

“What object lesson would that be?” He had asked the man.

Klein shook his head. “You’ll find out soon enough, and I won’t spoil it.”

It had given him something to think about, and he really didn’t know what to think. He would approach Harry and the others about it later to get their input, that was for sure.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter Eleven - Clouds in the Sky

May 27, 2023 - Aincrad 19th Floor, Ralberg

It’s days like this which remind me why I sometimes don’t know whether to curse my luck, or praise it. Harry dryly thought to himself as he looked at his current situation. Let’s see, we all gathered together, Klein shows up, a party starts, which was fun, and naturally Silica and I end up in the same bed. He cracked an eye open and confirmed that it was Silica he was holding on to, and he noticed that she was beginning to stir. He also felt someone stirring from behind him and furrowed his brow. Wait, if Silica’s the one I’m holding onto, who’s the one with their back pressing to mine?

He heard a quiet, masculine groan from behind. He recognized that groan, and a quieter, feminine one made his eyes widen. Oh shit. Damn it Kl- no wait, this isn’t like Klein.

Someone, and he had an idea who was responsible, had set this up. Not just him and Silica in the same bed, but the joker thought it would be funny to add Kirito and Asuna to it as well. He noticed Silica open her eyes and quickly pressed a finger to her lips. He saw her give him a confused look, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t woken up in the same bed before, despite their recent attempts to keep it from happening.

That bath incident, which they both agreed didn’t happen, made it a bit, just a bit, awkward. At least they were, thankfully, clothed.

He watched as Silica shifted and untangled herself from him and look over his form. She then looked back down to him, back to the other two occupants, and back to him. She shook her head in resignation and got off the bed. Harry did so as well and gave himself some distance from it.

“Blame Klein?” Silica murmured.

Harry snorted. “Hell no, this has Argo written all over it.” He murmured back. “We might want to be off to the side though, it looks like Asuna’s waking up.”

“Fifty col says that Asuna sends him into the wall.”

“No bet, and is Kirito snuggling into her?”

“Looks like it.”

“Wonder if she will send him flying with enough force to break it.”

“Immortal Object, Harry.”

“Which one, Kirito, or the wall?”

Harry quickly pulled Silica off to the side and the two of them watched as Asuna mumbled sleepily and cracked an eye open.

Both Harry and Silica covered their ears as the morning calm was pierced by a scream, followed by a crash as a flying body hit the wall.

“Owwww, damn Asuna, that’s loud!” Harry complained.

Asuna looked at him and Silica, off to the side and glared. “And what do you two have to do with this?” She asked reaching for a rapier that was, thankfully, not there.

Harry held his hands up. “Hey, we just woke up, and in this room as well.” He looked at the sprawled and dazed form of Kirito. “Glad we did.” He then winced and shook his head. “Wow, that was loud enough to actually hurt and make my ears ring.”

“Sorry,” Asuna said apologetically. She then looked around the room. “Wait, you said you two woke up in this room? There’s only one bed.” She observed, calming down.

“Trust me, we know.” Silica said. “At least it was a comfortable one.”

“But-”

“Asuna, we usually blame Klein when something like this happens,” Harry interrupted. “In this case, however, I’m blaming Argo.”

“Something like this would be just like her.” Asuna agreed. “But, she wasn’t there.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Asuna, it’s Argo.”

“He’s got a point,” Silica said.

They all heard a groan from where Kirito was sent flying and looked over to see him slowly pick himself up. “Ugh, what happened?” He asked, still a bit dazed.

Harry looked at Silica and Asuna then shrugged. “You two go downstairs and I will explain.” He offered. I hope this doesn’t lead to a new rumor. He thought. Who knew players were such a bunch of gossips?

June 3, 2023 - Aincrad, 8th Floor, Frieven

Lind sat back and mulled over Schivata’s latest report. Hadrian and his associates were continuing their training of the Moonlit Black Cats, and the mid level guild had been making good progress. At the same time, those who had been training them had still found time to get involved in clearing and fighting floor bosses.

While concerning, due to how it indicated that their skills and strength hadn’t stagnated, it wasn’t a significant cause for concern in his mind. No group could maintain the rate they had previously been gaining levels with such commitments, which meant that their progression had to have slowed. Either way, Kirito, Asuna, and Silica were of no concern to him. So long as they didn’t get in the way, he would leave them alone.

His main interest was Hadrian. The boy might not realize it, but many players seemed to rally behind him and look to him, or at least those around him, for guidance. He should have seen it sooner, but Kibaou had occupied his attention, and he’d needed to discredit him. While it was something of a success, Kibaou no longer participated in the front lines for now, but the entire thing had distracted him from other potential rivals.

Kirito? That one was suitably marginalized for the time being. His trapping him into not starting a guild and declaring himself a solo player worked to keep him from building a support base, and he didn’t really demonstrate much in the way of leadership. Asuna? Like any proper player would listen to a gaming newbie like her. And he didn’t need to worry about Silica; she was little more than a brat tagging along and riding on Hadrian’s coattails.

It was Hadrian that was a threat to his position. It was him who he needed to get out of the way if he was to rebuild his guild and he had plans to do so. Now, he only needed to find an opportunity, or make one.

It wasn’t as if Aincrad lacked for those, but he needed to plan this carefully. He wouldn’t regret it if something... unfortunate… happened to Hadrian, but if there was any indication he had been involved, he would need an ironclad alibi, which was easier said than done, given Argo’s information network.

Still, with the progress of the group that Hadrian had been working with, it would only be a matter of a few weeks, at most, before they reached the Twenty-Fifth floor, which presented more than a few opportunities.

##

Schivata gave a pensive frown as he walked out of the room Lind was staying at. There had been a change he noticed when he gave his report, and he didn’t think Lind even noticed. The report that the progress of Hadrian’s little project was proceeding nicely and was to reach the Twenty-Fifth…

Oh.

He gave a look back to the room and considered trying to either divine Lind’s intentions, if he even knew them, or talking him out of it. He doubted it would do any good however, he had seen Lind’s bearing change, and it was too similar to how it got when he was about to commit to something.

When he got to that point, Lind wouldn’t change his mind. He had to get the information to Argo, if only as a possibility. If what he was afraid would happen, happened, then she would have passed the information on, and hopefully things would be prevented from escalating.

June 4, 2023 - Aincrad 22nd Floor, Coral

“Welcome to Coral,” Harry said to the Moonlit Black Cats as the light from the teleport faded. “Forests, lakes, quiet places for rest and relaxation, and arguably the calmest floor seen so far in Aincrad.” He looked around. “You can also find nice cabins to buy if you have the col, but I would think twice about that.”

“Why’s that?” Sachi asked.

“I think the cheapest runs about five million col.” Harry replied. “Without furnishings.”

Keita winced at the price. “Ouch, and that’s for a small one, right?”

Harry shrugged. “I’ve heard they’re pretty roomy, actually. I can afford it, but I can use the col for better things, like armor, weapons, and items to stay alive with, you know, the essentials.”

Silica snorted. “Essentials, he says.” She commented. “More like he doesn’t spend money unless he has to, the miser.”

Harry shrugged unapologetically. “I’m not that bad, and it’s why we haven’t gone broke yet, Silica. Not to mention being able to afford the armor we have.”

Keita snorted. And I bet he doesn’t even realize that keeping her happy falls under ‘essentials’, he thought dryly. “I’ve noticed you guys have had that armor for a while now,” he said. “Isn’t it getting close to the time to replace it?”

Harry was about to say something when he got a thoughtful expression on his face. “Perhaps,” he admitted. “We can go up to a higher floor and farm mobs for better gear, or get one from a player shop, but the fact is, this stuff was the best you could find for the weight class at the time. Well, for us anyway.”

Keita nodded. “In other words, the stats of the armor were more effective for you.” He said.

Harry nodded. “Exactly.” He looked around. “Well, we’re here to see Kibaou, so let’s go. If Argo’s info is right, he should still be in town.”

##

Kibaou put his drink down as he saw who entered the tavern he usually operated out of. Even with training those headed upward, he found that starting and ending at a place that served food and drink tended to make those involved happier and more willing to listen. Well, he hoped they were listening and not simply humoring him.

Anyway, he was curious what would bring two clearers down here, though it looked like they were with a group of lower level players. Interesting, he thought. Looks like they decided to teach some low level players themselves.Still, wonder what got Hadrian and Silica to do that. He wondered how that happened before shrugging it off. It really wasn’t any of his business.

He looked at the two in front of the group and saw them look at him and give him a questioning look. He nodded and waved the group over.

“Didn’t expect to see you down here, unless it was heading to Lisbeth’s shop for repairs or doing one of her little mat runs.” He said as the group sat down. “And you got a group of lower level players with you. Decided to take a break from the front lines?”

Harry shrugged. “Not quite,” he replied. “Ran into them in one Taft’s inns doing toasts with Kirito a couple of months ago. We got to talking and they asked for some tips and tricks.” He grinned. “Well, they needed a little bit more than a few tips and tricks, so we got Asuna involved and started teaching them a few things.”

Keita snorted. “More like you four revamped how we did things.” He said wryly and then looked at Kibaou. “He’s underselling it. Over the last two months or so, they’ve shown us everything we’ve been doing wrong, and how to do those things right. They alternated out in pairs, but each of them has different things they could teach us.”

The rest of the lower level players nodded.

Kibaou considered that. It would explain how the higher level players could keep their levels up, and it was a good idea. Most of those who decided to join him in training others were receiving diminishing returns now, so he would have to consider using that option. On the other hand, his group had become positive experts on the Twenty-Fifth.

“Hm, good idea with alternating out. You guys do it every few days?”

Harry nodded. “We also give them a day off to rest if all four of us are handling a floor boss. We haven’t take too much time off as it is, but being on the lower floors and all…”

Kibaou nodded.

“Anyway, Klein recommended that you talk with them, and I think you can address anything we may have missed in training them.” Harry said.

Kibaou blinked. “Why do you think you missed something?” He asked.

Harry frowned. “Because neither myself nor Silica, let alone Kirito and Asuna, know everything. We’ve been focusing more on getting their skills up to par, and teaching them little things that help, but getting a second opinion might do some good.” He explained. “There may have been some group tactics worked on, but the four of us work better as pairs. You have more experience in some things that we don’t, and I think you have an important lesson or two to impart.”

Silica stood up. “Well, if that’s going to be the case, I’m going to head to Lisbeth’s Shop and hand over some mats. I got some good drops on floor thirty and want to see what she can make.” She said.

Harry nodded to her and she walked off. His eyes flicked to the side, or more like the corner of his HUD, and noticed a message. “Huh, it looks like Argo wants to talk with me as well.” He said. He looked at Keita and his guild mates. “You guys good with listening to him for a bit?”

Keita nodded.

“Good, I better handle this, before she gets any ideas.” With that said, Harry stood up, nodded to Kibaou, and left the tavern.

Kibaou looked at the Moonlit Black Cats. “Well, you might want to order a drink, while I talk.” He said.

##

“You all may have heard what I am called, at least by those who don’t know better. ‘The Clearer Who Retreated’ and all that. It’s bullshit, but that’s how it is.” He stopped and took a sip from his cup. “After my stupidity getting so many of my men killed, stepping back from the front lines only made sense.

“Admittedly, I was set up, and I walked right into it. Looking back, I should have seen it for what it was, but that’s hindsight for you. Still, even without that, the Twenty-Fifth was a brutal experience which pushed us to our limit. With the strong mobs, the traps, the ambushes, the first day killed one in five on average, mostly from those who didn’t listen to the warnings, but even those who did suffered high casualties.

“You may have heard about how Hadrian and Silica realized what we were walking into on that floor. I don’t know how they saw it coming. Maybe it was because they know how games work, maybe it was simply them taking a break and suddenly having the time to think about it. I don’t know, but the fact is, they got a few players that they knew and talked it over. I do know that Klein and The Rat passed the info on, but that’s it.”

“Why didn’t they?” Keita asked.

Kibaou snorted. “They didn’t have the reputation then that they do now.” He said. “Everyone still saw them as kids playing at being adventurers, even though they had proven their skill on boss fights. You hear about the eleventh floor field boss?”

“We heard that Hadrian had his arm bitten through by it, but that he killed it.” Ducker said.

Kibaou barked a laugh. “Well, he, Silica and Klein’s guild, were the only ones to fight it. Eight people, taking on a field boss, and they won. It may have nearly killed them, but they won. That’s what got everyone’s attention. We knew about them before that, a pair of kids on the front line does get noticed, especially since they were the youngest ones there, but outside of that, no one really knew how good they were.

“Well, to make a long story short, they took on their first floor boss on the fifteenth floor and have been regulars since. Not every boss fight, but enough that everyone who was working on clearing knew who they were. Even so, everyone still saw them as kids, and they knew it, so they let Klein and Argo pass the info on.”

“What about Kirito and Asuna?” Sachi asked.

“No one would have listened to them, if for different reasons.” Kibaou explained. “It took me a bit of digging, but Lind had started some nasty rumors on them, not that they cared. In a fight, everyone wanted them there, but otherwise they did their own thing”

“What?!” Keita explained. “Why would he do that?”

“Because he saw them as a threat.” Kibaou said. “It’s as simple as that. He had been working on isolating Kirito since the first floor, when that whole Beater fiasco started.” He chucked bitterly. “Heh, he played us well there. With Diabel dead, and Kirito having outed himself as a beta tester to get us to listen before the boss killed us because some of the info had changed, we weren’t thinking right. We called him a Beater and he gave us this whole speech basically saying that he accepts the term.”

“Wait, Kirito’s a Beater?” Keita asked in surprise.

Kibaou shook his head. “No, which is why I feel stupid about it now. I ran into a few actual Beaters since then, I should tell you about Morte and his ilk some time. He only accepted the title to keep us from going on a witch hunt for other beta testers. We weren’t exactly being rational at the time." He snorted. "One thing I've learned here, no one who's functioning and human is fully rational. But we were hard on the emotional, mob mentality side at that moment.

“Anyway, rather than take him as someone to hate, I looked at him as someone to surpass, to prove I was better than. Lind, on the other hand, saw a convenient scapegoat and someone to use for his own ends. He trapped him into not starting a guild and declaring himself a solo player, not that Asuna was going to have that.

“She would track him down, pull him out of hiding, and basically force him to work with at least her.” He chuckled. “Someone once joked that despite what she was wearing, she was the one wearing the pants in that relationship and they should change their outfits to reflect that.” He watched and waited as his audience laughed. “Still, it would take a few months, but by the time we reached the Twenty-Fifth, most of that died down, with only Lind really keeping it alive.

“Well, either way, that’s neither here, nor there. Lind also saw me as a threat, as I would clash with him quite a bit. Mostly arguments, but apparently he was beginning to take it far more personally than he should have. He saw himself as top dog and anyone not under his command was either a threat, a rival, or not worth considering.

“So, anyway, he somehow managed to compromise one of Argo’s informants and got him to spread bad info. Nothing false, but there were key bits of information that were left out. Lind, by that time, had gotten to know me well enough to know how to manipulate things. So, that info was given to me, and I bought it. Should have known better, but the guy was someone who had been reliable in the past.

“And naturally, I saw an opportunity to get one on Lind, and to get some serious credit and glory for myself, not to mention being a hero, and leapt right on it. To make a long story short, I gathered a raid of my guild members, and we went to the boss. The end result was twelve of my own men killed, and five from the raid that Hadrian gathered to get us out of it. We killed the boss, but losing nearly twenty percent of our numbers made it a bit hollow.

“So there you have it. My mistake, my sin. It could have all been avoided, and I knew better even back then. I allowed myself to be a glory hound, to be reckless, and it got better people than I am killed. I may have been baited into it, but I still made a bad call, and I have to take responsibility for that.” Kibaou stopped talking and looked at his audience, but he focused on the guild leader, Keita.

Keita’s expressions was interesting. There was shock that someone would tell them about a costly mistake so matter-of-factly. The fact that it got so many people killed. And all of it due to one man’s recklessness and pride, and another’s disregard for what his machinations could do. The kid also looked like he didn’t know whether to look at him with pity, disgust, or something else.

The disgust he could understand, even accept. His actions got a lot of people killed while he survived, after all. The pity, on the other hand, he wanted nothing of. He would accept responsibility for what he did, and it would haunt him,

but he didn’t need something like pity being directed toward him.

“Well,” he said to them. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Otherwise, why don’t we talk about what you guys have learned from those four?”

##

Harry walked into a nearby tavern that was a little out of the way and looked around. He didn’t outright see Argo, but that was no surprise. She was either using her ability to hide, or hadn’t arrived yet. He shrugged and took a seat at a table in a corner and made an order while he waited. He doubted it would be long.

As his drink was set down, he gave a discrete look around and took the cup in hand and made to take a sip.

“I see you made it here pretty quick, Harry.” Argo said from right behind him.

Harry barely kept his drink from spilling all over himself and sighed. “Do you always have to do this Argo?”

“Yes, I do need to do that.” Argo said as she walked around him and sat down with a grin.

“I heard there are some plant monsters with tentacle limbs, why don’t you go startle them in an attempt to get friendly?”

Argo made a show of thinking about it and shrugged shrugged it off. “Nah, my hands are good enough for that.”

Harry stopped and gave her a look. “There’s no need to be vulgar, Argo.” He said. “What you do in your alone time is up to you, including attempts at flying solo. And before you say it, yes, I walked into that one when I brought up the bloody tentacles.”

“Not that you’re one to talk, I bet.” Argo said with a chuckle as Harry grumbled imprecations in English. Shortly her expression grew serious. “Anyway, joking aside, I called you here because it seems that Lind is up to something.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Lind plotting, count me surprised.” He replied dryly.

Argo gave him a level look. “Considering that my info indicates that he’s plotting against you, you might want to take this a bit more seriously.” She said.

Harry blinked. “Why would he be plotting against me?” He asked.

“I can’t confirm that he’s plotting against you, specifically, but my sources have told me that he’s been taking an unhealthy interest in you.” Argo corrected. “It’s not completely reliable info, but it’s enough that I thought you might like to know.”

Harry nodded. She was right. Even if it was nothing, it’s better to be warned and not need the warning, than not be warned and surprised. Even so…

“That still doesn’t answer my question.” Harry said. “Why would he be plotting against me?”

“You verbally slapped him down pretty hard on the Twenty-Fifth.” Argo responded. “He might have taken that personally.”

“True,” Harry admitted. “Now, why would he focus on me, considering how you treated him in the Weekly Argo?”

“Well, it might be because you called him out on his bullshit publically and in front of a lot of people,” Argo said. “The fact that you did so, and from what I heard, managed to distill how much of piece of shit he was in such a concise manner might have had an effect.” She smirked. “You also told him things would boil down, including how I would do my best to ruin him. I would have done it anyway, but the fact that you called it might have persuaded him that you were either complicit in it, or knew what I was going to do.”

Harry sighed. “And why we are finding out about this now?” He asked.

Argo shrugged. “He actually did a fairly good job at laying low, I still don’t know with complete certainty where exactly he is, only that he’s somewhere on the eighth floor. His people also didn’t go about getting information by asking people directly. If anything, they simply listened in on conversations, maybe buying a drink or two.”

“And even though alcohol doesn’t affect us, you buy a guy a drink and he gets a lot friendlier.” Harry said. “In other words, they did it the old fashioned way and slipped your notice.”

Argo nodded.

Harry considered that. It was actually pretty clever, for how basic it was. While he wasn’t an expert on information gathering, he knew that you could hear a lot of interesting things if you just listened, and people often didn’t pay attention to who was listening. That went double if they were drinking or someone was being friendly. Listening and buying someone a drink or two was about as basic as it got, but those methods were very effective.

“Still,” he continued. “How do you know he’s focusing on me?”

She sighed. “Someone in the DDA passed the info on indirectly, to my network.” She replied. “I have my suspicions who it was, but apparently, Lind’s become obsessed and it’s making people in that guild uncomfortable.” She gave Harry a look. “I can’t confirm how reliable it is, but given its nature...”

Harry nodded. “It’s serious enough that it’s better to be warned.” He frowned thoughtfully. “I wonder who would have passed it on, though.”

“Probably Schivata,” she replied. “He’s always been the sensible one, even if he is loyal to Lind. At the same time, if this is as serious as my info indicates, he might have passed it on to do some damage control, or at least keeping the situation from getting worse, if things go down.”

Harry considered that. “If he’s loyal, then why send out the warning?”

Argo frowned. “I don’t know, and that’s what scares me. I’ll keep digging to find out as much as I can, even if it means hanging Schivata from the Edge and threatening to have him walk home.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Harry said in response to her statement. “Accidents might happen, but accidentally having someone “walk home?” He shook his head. “Well, it’s a better euphemism for an assisted suicide than some I’ve heard.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

June 19, 2023 - Aincrad 25th Floor, Stahlhold

“I never thought I would come back to this place,” Silica said as she looked around. “Are you sure this is necessary, Harry?”

Harry nodded. “Argo was able to confirm the information after she gave me that warning. Lind’s up to something, and it involves me.”

“So why are we here?” She asked.

“I’m here because Lind is likely waiting, or will be in a couple of days.” Harry said as he looked around and noticed several people taking notice of him, people he recognized. Looks like Lind will find out soon enough. “I don’t want Keita and the others to get caught up in this.” He then glanced at her. “And I really wish you hadn’t insisted on coming with me into this.”

Silica shot him a look. “We already talked about this Harry,” she said. “We are a team, and we have each other’s backs. Especially when you know that you might be walking into a trap.” She gave him a smirk. “And you, with how many times you’ve managed to step in it, need someone at your back.”

He sighed and conceded the point. After the fight they had about this last night, where she had responded to his arguments quite vocally and at length, he had been forced to simply accept that she wouldn’t be left behind. He could have tried to sneak out, but despite her tendency to sleep in whenever possible, and was usually the last one to wake up even when she wasn’t, she could be a surprisingly light sleeper when she wanted to be.

Or she could just use him as a giant, breathing, body pillow or teddy bear, in which case he wouldn’t be able to get out of bed without waking her up anyway. He had a feeling that if he had any intent of doing so the previous night, and gave any indication of it, she would have done just that.

And he had a bad poker face, if the number of times Klein and his friends managed to win whatever col he brought to the table on their occasional card games were any indication. Then again, he cleared them out whenever the dice were brought out.

So, he had to accept that she wouldn’t allow him to do this alone. Given his experiences in things coming to a head, it was comforting that he would have some backup this time. Hopefully this wouldn’t turn out as badly for anyone as those had.

He could only hope.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 12 - Stormfall

June 20, 2023 - Aincrad 8th Floor, Frieven

Lind looked at the men he had gathered for this meeting and looked each one in the eye. He had gathered those he considered the most trustworthy in the guild for this, his plan to put Hadrian in his place. He didn’t have Schivata involved with this, as he knew that while the man was loyal, he had limits and he certainly wouldn’t approve of this.

The boy had decided to go ahead to the twenty-fifth floor for the apparent reason of scouting out places to take that guild he had been training according to some overheard conversations. That he had Silica with him lent credence to that possibility. If so, that would work out just fine, as it not only meant fewer people that would get in the way, but also fewer things that could go wrong. For his plan, at least.

It may have meant that several of the possible plans he had come up with were no longer useful, but he wouldn’t complain. The boy was now being watched, and he didn’t seem to be aware of it at all.

Perfect.

He cut his musings off and once again looked at those he gathered. “Well men, it seems as if our target is on the twenty-fifth floor.” He said. “All of you have experience with that floor, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous for you. The boy, Hadrian discredited us there, and it is somehow fitting that it will be on that floor that we deal with him.”

“Deal with him?” One of them asked. “Boss, by deal with him, do you mean…”

Lind shook his head. “No, we’re not going to kill him. Merely humiliate him, and make him realize that he isn’t as good as he thinks he is.”

“So, what’s the plan then?” Another asked.

“Our people have confirmed that he and his little tagalong are scouting the floor to set up something of an... exam… for a guild of lower level players that he decided to, heh, train.” His tone made it clear what he thought of that. “They have confirmed that he intends to be on the path to Feldin this afternoon to scout it, and that’s where we will find him, as the Rosan Gorge, where he’s at right now, would take too long for us to get to, and is crawling with mobs waiting to ambush anyone.” He brought up a map of the floor. “Now, we have several places where we could do this, so let’s go over them…”

Aincrad, Floor 25 - Rosan Gorge

“So, you think it will be today?” Silica asked Harry as she looked around, keeping an eye out for mob ambushes.

Harry nodded. “I do,” he replied. “He would want to get this over with, and we haven’t been subtle about what our plans were for the day so that his people could overhear us. He can be patient, but this is too good an opportunity for him.”

“Ah, giving him a blatant opportunity then.” She said. “I don’t think I need to tell you how risky that is, Harry.”

Harry shrugged. “Better to do what we can to make it on our terms, and keep as many people out of the crossfire as we can.” he said. “We’ve seen how little Lind thinks of the potential negative consequences of things. He might not intend them, but…” He trailed off.

Silica sighed and nodded. “Just because he doesn’t intend them doesn’t mean that they can’t happen.” She finished. “That applies to us as well, you know.”

Harry had to admit she was right about that, which was why he was uncomfortable with having her along, despite the fact that having someone he trusted implicitly to watch his back was comforting. However, all of his experiences before being trapped in SAO made him very aware of how things could go wrong, and badly so.

Of course, in those cases, he had tools he could use that he could not here. He might be a complete novice at magic, but some of those spells would have been very useful, provided he had a wand. He shook that thought out of his head and put it back where he shoved the rest of the things about the real world he could do nothing about. His wand was stuck in the real world, and it’s not like he could count on himself accidentally using magic, so his sword, shield, and wits would have to suffice.

No point thinking of what you don’t have and can’t do when you are in no place to do something about it. Better to concentrate on what you do have and can do.

“Any idea where it will be?” Silica asked, interrupting his train of thought.

“Here would have been a good place, if risky, so probably on the way to Feldin.” He opened his map. “There are a few places good for such, and it would give him more time to set up.”

Silica nodded. “And if it’s not there, or doesn’t happen today?”

Harry shrugged. “Then he’s more patient than I’m giving him credit for.” He saw Silica’s expression. “Yes, I know he can be patient, but he also takes opportunities that present themselves. And I'm giving him one, Silica. He’s been stewing on this for months now, and hasn’t been doing anything else, so…”

##

Harry's words felt so true, when Silica considered they felt like a familiar bento box filled by her mother. She nodded. “Makes sense. Choosing our battleground..."

Then she realized why they felt so familiar, and she chuckled. It was a bit bitter and sad, but at the same time, the realization just felt right.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You're just... reminding me of..." She trailed off.

He smiled, and she gladly took the understanding it offered before things got awkward.

Again.

Neither of them were comfortable with mentioning the real world, but they were not unique in that, so it was a mutual understanding in that regard.

For all that they didn’t know about the other, they understood each other rather well.

No wonder people sometimes think we’re a married couple, Silica thought. Well, joke about it, at least. She giggled.

Harry gave her a confused look, and her giggles almost became laughter. “I’ll explain later.” she said. “Now, let’s just head back to Stahlhold and get something to eat. If you’re right, we have someone to meet on the way to Feldin.”

Aincrad, Floor 25 - Path to Feldin

They had been on the path to Feldin for the better part of an hour already and Lind had not yet shown himself. While there were numerous good spots that they had passed, Harry wasn’t surprised. Despite the relatively short straight line distance, the terrain and regular mob ambushes could easily cause the trip to take hours with all the mob ambushes and being on the lookout for traps. It was a good way to stretch the relatively short distances on each floor, and make what would otherwise be a trip of maybe an hour take longer.

As it was, they were nearing the halfway point, which held another good location for Lind to spring whatever surprise he wanted to, and of all the locations, it was probably the best.

He wouldn’t bet his life on it. However, from experience he did know that sometimes locations just lent themselves to such things…

He spied a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision and nodded.

“Harry.” Silica said quietly.

“I know.” He responded just as quietly. “Three of them, and that’s not counting the four that decided to follow us from town. You get a good look?”

Silica slowly shook her head. “No, but it’s not mobs, so… DDA?”

“Probably.” Harry replied with a nod and a smirk at odds with his words. “We’re getting close to..." at her nod and puzzled look, he went on. "...so I expect them to close in.”

What he was doing seemed to sink in, as she gave him a look many a long suffering member of a guild or partnership gave another. Looked rather like one of Asuna's, actually. “I wonder if they even realize that we spotted them.”

“Let’s assume they have.” Harry said with a shrug, smiling as if they were having a happy little chat. She smiled back and slapped his shoulder and he gave his 'oh no, I've annoyed Silica' look. “We’ll know soon enough, so be ready.” He said quietly as he leaned in close.

They both heard a quiet snort and covered up any instinctive flinch with Harry dodging a swat. No one could cover a startle as well as they thought; a bit of wisdom Argo had let slip once.

“Hey!” he said in a louder voice. “I was only removing something that was on your face.”

Silica shot him a look. “Like that?” She asked archly. “What was it? Food?”

Harry nodded. “Of course. We did stop for lunch at that one place that you liked. It was in no way a silly confused look of cuteness I was trying to clear up."

She gasped. "I've told you a thousand times--"

"'I don't do kawaii,' so you've said," he shot back. “What’s with that anyway?”

Silica shrugged. “Family tradition.” She replied.

"Oh, so you skip right to adorable-- no knives! We agreed! No blades!"

Her hand lowered from her dagger as she sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you’re right.” She then reached over and swatted him upside the head. “We didn’t say anything about me swatting you though.”

"...Curse my lack of foresight. The adorable ones always swat. OUCH! Pax! Ow! Truce! Eep! No aiming that low! White flag!" Harry darted away, only for Silica to chase after him.

A couple of minutes later, they stopped and looked around. “Looks like we lost the tails for a bit.” Silica said.

“And look, the spot is over there.” Harry replied dryly. “So, should we continue to ham it up like a Benny Hill skit, or just walk in without a care in the world?”

“Who?”

Harry blinked and shook his head. “I’ll explain later.” He began to move forward. “So, shall we?”

Silica nodded and matched his pace.

##

Lind watched as the two walked into the open area he had chosen for this. Look at those two kids, he thought. Not a care in the world. He watched as they made it to the center of it, or a close approximation of it before the two of them stopped and looked around. He saw them both seem to let out a sigh and was shocked when Hadrian looked straight at his position.

“So Lind,” the boy said conversationally. “You going to stay there, or are you going to 'come out and play?’”

Silica gasped. "Warriors, right?"

"Hey, you got one," Hadrian replied, and the two high fived as if the boy hadn't just noted Lind's cunning trap like it was--

Luck. Just luck. It had to be luck.

Lind quickly pushed his surprise down and walked from where he had been concealing himself with a confident smirk. “You’re sharper than I gave you credit for, Hadrian.” He said.

The boy shrugged. “It wasn’t hard to figure out, considering that you didn’t come and meet us in the Rosan Gorge.” he replied.

Silica nodded. “Or the Valren Canyon."

"Or the Soldien Pass."

"I was thinking The Rockfall would have been nice..."

"No, too out of the way for him."

"Point."

Lind looked at the two and felt his teeth grind as they often had when thinking of the boy. “Are you two done?” He asked.

Hadrian looked at him. “Oh no, it’s Lind, and he has us surrounded.” He said dully. “Gasp, what shall we do, Silica?”

“He has ten others with him, we are outnumbered, Hadrian.” Silica observed. “Well he would, if they were any good.” She looked around. “Where’s Schivata? He’s worth three of any of these.” She gave a sharp whistle and Pina came flying down and landed in her arms. Giving the flying dragon a gentle scratch, she looked to where Lind’s other men were, unconcerned.

Lind’s teeth ground even more as he glared at the two of them.

Hadrian noticed that and smirked. “You really underestimate Argo, Lind.” He said casually. “We knew you were plotting something weeks ago. We just needed to figure out where you would carry out such a plan.” He gave a look around. “And wouldn’t it be fitting for this to happen on this floor? The same floor I called you out on after we fought the floor boss? After you set Kibaou on that fool’s errand which got twelve of his people killed? You remember that, right?”

"That wasn't--" Lind began, but Hadrian interrupted him.

"Fuck," the word was like a knife. "You really-- you're acting like I'm not taking this seriously, but you're the one that acts like you can just ignore the fact people die here!" Hadrian’s expression changed and grew harder.

“That wasn’t a part of your plan?” He asked. “It doesn’t fucking matter. People died there. I only said twelve, because those were in Kibaou’s group. You count the five from the raid that I gathered, that’s seventeen.”

“And they would still be alive if you hadn’t interfered.” Lind said cooly.

Hadrian nodded. “And I accept my responsibility in their deaths, if only because I got them together. And that is the thing, I accept my responsibility. But what about you, Lind?

“You knew the information was wrong, you knew that wrong information gets people killed, you were there when you all fought the First Floor boss, so you saw that first hand, and that was no one else’s fault but Kayaba’s, because he changed things there. But that is neither here, nor there. What is all of this about Lind?”

Lind gave him a hard look. “What is this about? This is about how you humiliated me in front of my guild and a hundred other players. This is about how you made it so that I can’t have the glory that’s rightfully mine. This is about how you, you little shit, ruined everything!”

Hadrian snorted. “I ruined everything?” He asked incredulously. “Me?” He barked a harsh laugh. “You honestly think I--” He laughed again. “Oh, this is just great. You not only don’t consider the consequences, but you--” His laughter faded and he shook his head.

“You find it funny?” Lind asked angrily.

“Not really,” the boy admitted. “It’s just that I find it so pathetic, I can’t help but laugh.”

“What?” Lind growled out. “Pathetic? You think--” He angrily reached for his sword before stopping himself. He smirked. “Oh, well played Hadrian, well played indeed.” He said. “You’re trying to get me angry so that I don’t think clearly. So I don’t consider the consequences.”

“You mean you were?” Hadrian asked in sarcastic surprise. “That’s a nice change.”

Lind gritted his teeth and fought his anger down again. He wouldn’t fall into that trap, but it gave him an idea which caused him to smirk. “You know, I had this entire thing worked out. I would humiliate you and make you give a public apology for what you did. I would make you too embarrassed to show your face in public. But now, I will settle things differently.” He opened his menu and went through the options. He found what he wanted and selected it.

He watched as Hadrian saw a window appear in front of him. The boy gave it a confused look for a second before his eyes widened.

“A duel?” He asked. “Are you really sure you want to go through with this?”

“Oh, afraid of a little duel?” Lind asked mockingly.

“More like afraid I’ll hurt more than your feelings this time,” Hadrian countered. He looked at the request and shook his head. “Half health? You must like taking risks more than I thought, Lind.” He looked back at him. “Again, are you sure of this?”

Lind nodded sharply, and he sighed.

“I see, and you won’t stop if I don’t, calling me a coward and other things.” Hadrian shook his head. “I could care less about that, but you also have your original plan, and that could go just as wrong as this. Very well then.”

##

Harry turned to Silica, who was giving him a worried look. “Silica, step back and keep an eye out.” He told her.

“Wait, you’re not serious about this, are you?” She asked.

Harry shook his head. “He is, and we don’t know what he intended in the first place.” He looked around. “See those rocks there? Near that canyon wall?” She nodded. “Head there and have your back to it, so someone can’t just come up behind you. I don’t trust Lind, but I doubt he would try and take you hostage. Some of his men though…”

Silica nodded. “I don’t like this, Harry.” She said quietly. She then continued in a louder voice. “After this, we’re going to have a talk, Hadrian.” She then said something to Pina and the feathered dragon flew off.

Harry nodded, and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Yes, a talk.” He replied. “After this, I think it would be time for one.” As Silica walked to the spot he indicated, he took one more look at the duel request and sighed. “This is going to go wrong, I just know it.” He muttered.

He looked back to Lind and pressed the button accepting the request. He saw the timer appear with their names on either side, drew his sword from the sheath, readied his shield, and got into the stance he preferred. It might take a minute for the countdown to finish, but he kept his attention on Lind, who had readied himself as well.

He saw no need for any pre-fight banter or trash talking. If SAO had still been just a game, he would have been more than happy to engage in such, but not in this situation. The countdown continued its inexorable march to zero, and he tensed his legs as soon as the countdown reached ten.

As soon as it reached zero, and the chime to start sounded, he pushed off with his legs and closed the distance between them. He noticed Lind had decided for a high slash that, if it were a real sword, would open him up from shoulder to hip.

Rather than block it with his shield, he quickly changed his direction of movement and sidestepped the slash. Rather than counter with his own blade, he darted forward and slammed Lind’s body with his shield, disrupting the older player’s balance. His arming sword quickly flicked out and scored a red line across Lind’s thigh and he stepped back.

He had gotten the first strike in, and while the attack was a weak one, it still caused a small, but noticeable reduction in Lind’s health.

##

Lind bit back an urge to growl as Hadrian once again used his shield as an improvised weapon in an attempt to knock him off balance. Even when that failed, the boy used his momentum to change position, never stopping and simply stepping back and parrying his attempt at a counter.

Damn, but the boy was fast, and the rumors about how he fought were true as well. Rather than simply use his shield to block with, he had found his attacks batted away, been swatted with the shield, and more. And all of that was when the boy didn’t use his smaller frame to his advantage and simply maneuver out of the way, or get inside his guard.

As the duel continued its pattern of attack, block, step, counter, avoid Hadrian’s counter if possible, and so on, he noticed one thing.

The boy hadn’t used a sword skill once during the entire fight. In fact, none of his attacks had been the type to do any serious damage anyway. It was as if he wasn’t taking this seriously at all, and yet, if things continued like this, the boy would simply win through attrition.

He watched in confusion as the boy simply leapt back and stood there.

“This is pointless, Lind.” Hadrian said, not getting out of a guarded stance. “We’ve been going at this for five minutes and you haven’t landed any good hits on me. While I have already whittled your health down to the point that it won’t take me long to get you to half...”

“What are you going on about?” Lind demanded.

“Look at your health, Lind.” The boy countered.

Lind glanced up and his eyes widened. That couldn’t be right, it just couldn’t. None of the boy’s attacks were that powerful, and yet he had managed to get his health down to just over sixty percent!

What? Just how did he--

“You must be wondering how, considering how my attacks have been so weak, aren’t you, Lind?” The boy asked.

Lind looked back at him and flinched from the cold look in the boy’s eyes.

“I’ve been on the front lines and getting stronger, it’s that simple.” The boy replied conversationally. “Even with training a guild of lower levelled players, that doesn’t change the fact that in the last four months, I’ve been out and working on clearing SAO. My level is approaching fifty now.”

Lind’s eyes bugged out. He was almost level fifty? The boy had gotten that strong?

“How?” He asked. The recommended level was only ten levels higher, not close to twenty!

Harry sighed and lowered his sword. “How?” He asked. “It’s not like I’ve been resting on my laurels here Lind. I go out, I fight mobs, kill them, do quests, and gather experience that way. Gather enough, and you gain a level. It might take longer for me now, I’m a little too powerful for the floors I grind on, but you still gain some experience. Instead of it taking a few days, it takes a week or so to gain a level right now, and most of the time, I need to take on a field or floor boss to let it go that quickly.

“And I am not unique in that regard, Lind. Every player who fights a floor boss regularly averages about fifteen levels higher than the floor number right now.”

Lind took a step back in shock and Hadrian shook his head.

“But you? You’re still the same level as you were back then, aren’t you?” He sheathed his sword. “As I said, this is pointless.”

“Let go of me!” They both heard Silica call out. They turned their attention to where Silica had gone.

“Oh do shut up, you little bitch,” a man’s voice said harshly and they heard the sound of flesh being hit. “I was hoping to see some blood, but it’s been disappointing, really. Ah well, they’re too far to help you, I have you paralyzed, so I might as well have some… fun.” The owner of the voice was wearing a sack over his head with holes cut out for his eyes, hiding his features. He was accompanied by a man who hid his face’s features with a skull mask with red eyes who held a thin bladed sword in his right hand.

Both of their cursors were orange.

“Head’s up,” the other man said. “It looks like you got their attention.”

“Aw, and I was hoping to have some fun, XaXa. After that Rain bitch escaped, we’ve had to lay low for the last few days.” The man complained. “Her friend though, heh, oh her screams were exquisite as I played with her. Oh well, I can find some other whore to play with later.” He raised his dagger in preparation to strike, only to scream in shock as it was removed from his shoulder by Hadrian, the crack of displaced air filling a void sounding from where he had been standing.

That shocked scream was all he had the time for before Hadrian removed his head from his shoulders, and the last thing that would go through Johnny Black’s mind was how the boy’s eyes seemed to have an eldritch green glow from within.

##

Harry didn’t think about how it should have been impossible to cover the distance to where Silica was. He didn’t think when his sword left its sheath. And he didn’t think when he removed the player’s arm, or head for that matter, and kicked the corpse away from Silica. He simply acted.

Someone had attacked Silica, and was making a move to kill her. He then shot a cold look to the man’s companion, this… XaXa, who was staring in shock at how fast he had moved, and how he had killed his companion so quickly.

The sound of a body shattering forced them all into moving. Harry pulled an antidote crystal from his belt and dropped it into Silica’s hand as parried a strike from her other attacker. He kicked the player away and hovered defensively over Silica as she used the crystal to break the paralysis.

The sound of several more bodies shattering got his attention and he noticed several more of the masked players come out of hiding, all of them having the orange cursors which indicated a criminal player. Lind was frozen in place from shock, whether from Harry’s suddenly violent rescue of Silica, or the probability that several of his guild members had been murdered, or that someone was moving to attack him. Well, the latter he could do something about, at least.

“Lind, move!” he called out, forcing him out of his stupor. He would give the older player credit, he dodged the attack and came to them.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

Harry shook his head. “I take it these aren’t friends of yours?”

“I don’t even know who they are.” Lind replied.

“Ah, then this wasn’t a part of your plan then. Good to know.” He looked at him. “Might want to heal up, though, and our duel will have to wait.” He looked back to the group of orange players. “We have other things to worry about. Silica, you think you can teleport out?”

“Not before they close in.” She replied, her mind getting ready for battle.

“Then have my back.”

“Always, Harry. Just as you will have mine.”

They barely had time to set themselves before they were fighting for their lives and the area was filled with the sounds of clashing weapons, swearing, and screaming.

##

Klein swore as he killed another mob that had gotten in the way of his group. He had called on his guildmates as soon as he had heard Lind was on the move so that he could back Harry up if necessary. Argo had made sure to inform more than just Harry about what Lind was up to, just in case, and the second she had word on Lind’s movements, she had notified those she had told.

And a good thing she had, Klein thought. His group had run into a wounded DDA member ten minutes ago who had told him of how they had been ambushed by PKers. The description given had made Klein’s blood run cold.

Masked players who made a sport of killing other players, amongst other things.

He had heard of them, though he doubted that Harry and Silica had, so they didn’t know just how much danger they were in, considering that the word about them had only come out recently, and only because one player had been lucky enough to escape them.

He had Issin teleport with the wounded player to Stahlhold and send word out. Since then, he, Dynamm, Dale, Harry One, and Kunimittz had been making their way to where they were likely confronting Lind.

He only hoped he made it in time.

##

Silica dodged another attack as she stabbed out with her dagger as her attacker overextended. Moving with her attack, she kicked out and sent him into one of his companions, throwing them into a tangle of limbs.

She noticed Harry dispatch another attacker with brutal efficiency, and slam his shield into another, throwing him off balance and keeping him from attacking Lind from behind. She should be shocked, and probably would be after all of this, but this was a side of Harry she had never seen.

This Harry reacted to the threat to her life quickly and lethally. His approach to someone trying to kill him was to do unto them before they did unto him. And his fighting? Horribly beautiful in its efficiency.

Every movement flowed into another, or was to prepare for a sword skill, and he didn’t strike to disable, unless you counted severed limbs disabling strikes. No, all of them were designed to take his opponent down, and make it so that they were in no condition to fight. Some of them survived, some didn’t, but he was not hesitating.

And I can’t hesitate either, she thought as she dodged a strike from another attacker.

##

Kirito heard the clashing of weapons and forced himself to move faster as they neared where the information Argo supplied said Lind would most likely be confronting Harry. He had caught up to Klein several minutes ago and easily joined up with the man’s party as they were all here for the same purpose. Or at least, he thought so until Klein filled him in on what he had found out shortly before.

The information that PKers were in the area was worrisome, especially since they were apparently headed to the same place.

Not good, not good at all.

Though from the sounds of fighting, they weren’t having an easy time of it.

He reached up and grabbed the hilt of his longsword as they got into sight of where the fighting was. He stopped in surprise as he saw over a dozen orange cursors surrounding three green ones. While he couldn’t get a clear look at who was fighting, he assumed that two of them belonged to Harry and Silica. Who the third one was, he didn’t know, but it was probably someone from the DDA, if not Lind himself.

He watched as one of the PKers shattered and quickly saw Harry move to the next attacker and blinked in shock.

“Holy shit,” he heard Klein say in shock. “The kid’s not playing around.”

Kirito shook his shock off and nodded. “Well, someone is trying to kill him. I don’t think he can afford to.” His expression darkened. “Still, I don’t like those odds and they need backup.” He looked at Klein.

Klein nodded. “I am getting drunk tonight, somehow. I will find something that can do that, just you wait.”

“Only if I don’t first,” Kirito responded. He drew his sword and readied himself. “Well, let’s go.” He said grimly.

Klein drew his katana, as the rest of his guildmates drew their weapons.

“Now!” Kirito ordered.

The six players charged in.

##

The first indication Lind had that things had shifted in favor of him and his unexpected allies was seeing one of the PKers get cut in half. Since that same player had managed to get to his side and was about to hit him before he could guard, he wasn’t complaining. It also gave him breathing room and he eagerly took the opportunity to assess what was going on.

It seems that a group of players had heard the commotion and decided to jump in, and were now routing their attackers. He spared a glance to the one who had come to his assistance and blinked. He recognized the heavyset player who had saved his life, even if he couldn’t recall his name.

He looked around and realized that all of the players were ones he recognized.

He briefly thought that the boy had arranged this before dismissing it. For all of his issues with the boy, it was unlike him, and it led credence to the idea that Argo found it out. If she knew what he was planning, she probably knew what Hadrian was up to and simply called in some marks to ensure things didn’t get out of hand.

For all that it meant that she was interfering, the fact that her interference saved his life made him want to kiss her, rather than wring her neck. The thought of that made him snort.

“What’s so funny?” Hadrian asked him as he sent an attacker sprawling with a well-executed shield bash.

“I have a feeling that our help is courtesy of Argo,” Lind replied. “Instead of wringing her neck for interfering, I think I will kiss her for it instead.”

Harry snorted. “Just let me get an image crystal so I can take a picture of the expression on her face.” He dodged an attack and removed his attacker’s arm at the elbow. Grabbing the attacker, he threw him into another pair and sent them sprawling. “It will be worth the laugh, and might offset the nightmares I’m going to have about this day for the next few weeks.”

Lind took a look around. “Looks like the rest are retreating,” he observed.

He saw Hadrian turn his head to take a look at Silica. “Silica, behind you!” He shouted.

Lind turned and watched as a warned Silica dodged an attack and lashed out with her dagger, the familiar glow of a sword skill activating. She then attacked, stabbing the PKer three times, and he saw her eyes widen in horror as the player slumped and shattered.

##

PoH observed from his vantage point as those he had talked into becoming killers were routed with a neutral expression on his face. He had intended for this to be an opportunity for those he had gathered to make an impact, and while they did, it was not in a manner he had intended.

Instead of them slaughtering a guild leader and his companions, he had lost several recruits, including some who would have proven useful for him.

Oh well, they could be replaced.

He had lured them in with rhetoric about making SAO a world for the strong, and they had bought into it. He was sure there would be others who listened to his words, never realizing that he was doing this so that they could kill others, or die trying, for his own amusement.

He had to give those three credit, though. Even when caught by surprise, they had managed quite well before reinforcements arrived. True, the girl had been sticking to disabling, at least until that last bit, but they had managed to hold off their attackers.

The reinforcements had turned it into a rout, but he could not have predicted that, not that he would have cared.

If those he called under his banner died, so be it. Their deaths were amusing to him either way.

Still, this did mean that he would have to hold off on going public with his group in a big way for now. Of the twenty-five he had brought, nine of them had died, which meant he would need to recruit more.

Either way, they would return and all the players of SAO would learn to fear the name he had chosen for his group.

Laughing Coffin.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 13: Innocence Lost

June 20, 2023 - Aincrad 25th Floor, Path to Feldin

Harry looked at his surroundings one last time before he tiredly sheathed his sword. A glance at his HUD had shown that the amount of time, since he first confronted Lind, to finishing a pitched battle with a number of criminal players out to kill him had taken less than thirty minutes. Funny, with how tired he felt, it seemed like it should have taken hours.

He saw a flicker of movement from above and saw Pina circling over everyone now that the fighting had ceased. A part of him was glad for that, as he had lost track of the feathered dragon since the start of this latest… unpleasantness was the most polite way he could think of it. That she was okay was reassuring, especially since he doubted that Silica would be able to handle losing her on top of what had already happened.

And speaking of Silica…

He turned his attention back to his companion, who had lowered her dagger, but was staring blankly at where the player she killed had shattered. He saw her hand relax and the sound of the dagger hitting the ground sounded louder than it probably was. “What, what have I...” She started to say, but couldn’t finish saying it. “I, I didn’t mean… Why?” She sank to her knees as the reality of what had happened started to sink in.

Harry gave a sad sigh as he slowly walked to her. He knew what she was feeling, he had a similar reaction two years ago. She was trying to process the fact that she had killed another human being, and it was clashing with the values and respect for life that had been instilled in her, which was making it difficult for her to process.

He knew full well how that felt, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

Stopping just shy of her, he slowly kneeled down and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the touch, but didn’t shy away. “Silica,” he said softly.

She slowly looked up. “H-harry?” She asked.

He gave her a sad smile. “You don’t need to hold it in.” He told her. “Just let it out.” He let out a grunt as she basically threw herself at him and buried her face into his chest. He slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders to steady her as her body was wracked by sobs. He felt a weight land on his shoulder, along with a confused chirp, as Pina came to inspect what was going on. The feathered dragon seemed to sense Silica’s distress and worked her way to Silica and began to nuzzle the girl, giving soft chirps and coos.

Harry used his free arm to softly rub her back, but he didn’t say anything. What could he say? That it would be all right? That would be a lie and he knew it. She would have to live with this for the rest of her life. The impact of it would fade given time, he knew, but what had happened could not be undone. No matter how hard they tried.

And a part of him raged at the loss of her innocence, it raged at the dimming of one of the few true bright spots he had found in being trapped here. It raged at him, for his own failure in protecting it, at protecting her. And as quickly as it came, and as hotly as it burned, it left. What followed was a certainty backed by cold fury.

He will find who was responsible for this, be it Kayaba, or whomever had sent those psychopaths, and there will be hell to pay.

##

Klein had quickly gotten everyone else to give the two some space. It was not something they should all be an audience for, and to be honest, he was surprised that Harry was able to keep it together. Or perhaps not.

The boy had always struck him as an adult in a kid’s body, despite how he sometimes acted. It was as if he had been through things someone twice his age would have had a hard time dealing with. And now this…

Looking back, he could see it. The kid had kept his head when everyone else, even Kirito in his own way, was panicking as they all found out that they were trapped here, as if this wasn’t the first crisis he had been in. How the kid had easily adapted to the rules of Aincrad, as if it wasn’t the first time he had to adapt to something completely different. Of how he was a natural in combat, as if he’s had to fight for his life beforehand…

What had the kid been through before ending up here?

He looked to the side and saw Dale staring at his hands in a sort of shocked horror and remembered that his friend and guild mate had killed one of those guys. He would have to help him through that.

If they could actually get drunk, he would have started with buying enough booze to float a boat on and get shitfaced with him, but for now, he would simply be there for his friend. A few drinks or ten would not be a bad idea though. He noticed the rest of his guildmates coming over as well, all of them closing in to help.

What a fucked up day it had been.

##

Lind’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking as the events of the last half hour sunk in. Everything had gone wrong, though he couldn’t blame anyone for it. How could he? It wasn’t as if having PKers come out of the woodwork like that and attack him, his guild, and even Hadrian and Silica like that was something you could anticipate.

Suddenly fighting for his life, and watching as the kid had torn through those killers like a rampaging oni also put the earlier duel into perspective.

He really had no chance there, it was clear now. Oh, he had gotten some hits in, but none of them solid or clean hits. The boy had been dominating the fight, controlling it, letting him vent his anger and frustration out, but always in control of it. When he had said that it was pointless, he was right. And it hadn’t just been the duel that had been pointless, the entire confrontation had been pointless.

Lind had allowed his own pride to blind him.

And seeing how the boy reacted when Silica had been threatened, it also put Schivata’s reservations into a whole new light. His second in command had obviously seen something in that boy, something that had made him wary.

But that wasn’t why his hands were shaking. He had been forced to face people who wanted to kill him, who had killed his guild members. He had been forced to kill, and by his actions in battle, he knew of two who had died at his hands.

And that didn’t even take into account the guild members who had died. Killed by those who had tried to kill him. And while he wouldn’t say they were friends, those guild members had trusted him to get them out of this alive, and had stayed with him through the fallout of what had happened when his plan to discredit Kibaou had gone wrong. They had stuck with him and he failed them.

And once he could get his hands to stop shaking, he would talk with Hadrian, actually talk, and then he would return to Frieven and figure out where to go from there.

##

Kirito ran a hand through his hair as the post-combat rush faded in an attempt to keep at least one of his hands from shaking. That had been too close, and two people he considered friends had to fight for their lives.

That he, Klein, and the rest had arrived in time to rout the attackers and get them to flee was good. That they had to do so violently, and in some cases lethally, was going to give him nightmares.

A part of him had thought he had been prepared for this possibility. Some players had tried to kill him before, either directly or indirectly, so the possibility was there that circumstances might force him to, no matter how much he tried to avoid it. And so, he had thought he had at least prepared himself a little bit for this.

How wrong he had been.

It had happened so quickly, that he didn’t even have time to register that the strike he was giving was a lethal one when he cut through one of the attacking players from hip to shoulder, and he didn’t have time to stop in shock before he was blocking another strike and taking another attacker’s arm off.

He had reacted on instinct, and it wasn’t until after the fighting had ended that he even processed what he had done.

That he had taken someone’s life.

A part of him had begun to enjoy SAO to a degree, to see the bright spots and enjoy the good times that could be found here. But now…

But now it was tainted with what had happened today.

##

Silica slowly got her sobs under control as Pina’s nuzzling and Harry’s gentle embrace served to steady her. She looked up into his eyes and saw a sad understanding in them, and it didn’t require any hard leaps of logic to know why.

He knew. He knew what she was feeling. The feeling of horror at what she had done. He knew, because he had been there. And some things she had seen in him finally made sense.

How the more dangerous fights were confronted with the cooler mien of a veteran. His cold fury towards Lind a few months ago and earlier today. His wariness around certain people because some part of him saw through the public mask they wore.

It also explained why he reacted so violently when that one PKer made a move to kill her.

And she now understood why he dodged questions about his past for the most part, and why he didn’t ask anyone else any questions about theirs. It wasn’t just one of SAO’s unwritten rules, it wasn’t because he was a naturally private person.

It was because he didn’t like talking about it because no one would really understand what he had been through, and they had left their scars on him.

He gently let her go and stood up before helping her to her feet. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and walked towards where the others were. She reached up to take Pina off of her shoulder, clutching the feathered dragon to her chest, and followed him.

She wasn’t fine, far from it. The last vestiges of any childhood innocence left since being trapped here were gone.

Regardless of what her age was, her childhood ended this day.

##

“How’s he holding up?” Harry asked Klein as soon as he came alongside him.

“Dale?” Klein asked. “Well enough, I guess. What about you and Silica?”

Harry shrugged. “Well enough, I guess.” He replied. “I’ll be having nightmares about this, and that’s if I even manage to sleep for the next couple of days. As for Silica…” He looked back and saw her making her way to him, her expression clearly showing that she was trying to hold it together. “She’s managing for now. It’s not going to last, but hopefully we can get somewhere with some privacy before that.”

Klein gave him a curious look but Harry didn’t bother to explain. He only approached his other guild members and gave Dale’s shoulder a squeeze. He looked back at Klein. “Just be there for him, Klein.”

“He’s my friend, I’ll be there for him.”

Harry nodded and walked towards Kirito, who was looking at the surrounding area without really seeing anything, his mind clearly preoccupied. He turned towards Harry as the sounds of his footfalls broke through whatever was going through his mind.

“How’s Silica doing?” He asked.

“She’s gotten herself together for now.” Harry replied.

Kirito nodded and turned his attention back to the surrounding area. “This has been a fucked up day.” He said simply.

“Yeah, it has.” Harry replied.

“Does it get any easier?” A voice asked.

Harry and Kirito turned and saw Lind walking up to them.

“Why do you ask?” Harry asked.

Lind looked at him. “You said something while we were fighting those… bastards… off,” he replied. “Something about needing something to laugh about to offset the nightmares you were going to have.”

“You mean when you said that instead of wanting to strangle Argo for interfering, you were going to kiss her instead?” Harry asked.

Lind gave an embarrassed flush. “Well, if she didn’t, I don’t think we would have gotten backup, but yes.” He said. “Still, your reply was as if you were speaking from experience.”

Harry sighed. “If you mean dealing with fucked up days like the one we’ve already had… it hasn’t gotten any easier for me, and I hope it never does.”

Lind nodded and closed his eyes. “I see.” He opened his eyes and looked Harry in the eyes. “I don’t think I’ll ever like you, but after this… well, it’s pointless to hold a grudge over what happened. I let my pride get in the way, and people died, so… I need to apologize.”

Harry nodded. “You do,” he replied. “But not to me.”

Lind nodded, and turned to walk off.

“Lind,” Harry said. “Take care.”

Lind turned back and nodded, before walking off.

Harry watched him go and nodded to himself. Lind was right, the two of them would probably never like each other, the older player reminded him too much of people like Dudley and Draco. But after this, he was willing to simply let it go and move on.

He doubted the other two would have.

He turned his attention back to everyone else and looked at them. Silica was still holding it together, though the way she was clutching Pina like a lifeline indicated that he really needed to get her somewhere private so she could have a proper breakdown. Klein and his guild mates were still next to Dale, who was starting to gather himself, and he knew that they would be there for him.

As for Kirito…

He looked at Kirito, who looked as if the events that had happened were starting to hit him in full.

If he was ever important enough for a biography, part of him figured that Dumbledore's talk with him after Quirrell would be summed up as a pat on the shoulder and an enigmatic chat foreshadowing of the future. He and the Headmaster had talked about a great deal more than that children's book picture, of course-- of how the world they both wished it was, was a much better place than the world they had, about how in dealing with the world before them sometimes they had to do things that felt like a betrayal to that dream...

He admitted not fully understanding certain things-- and if Albus Dumbledore could admit that, then Harry could accept how confused the ending of his first year still made him feel sometimes.

But it had started, indeed, with simple comfort, one human treating another like a human. It had grounded him so they could talk about the rest. That included why he was left with the Dursleys, to be raised in a loveless environment because it was safer than the available alternatives at the time, of how things came to be the way they were. Oh, he knew that he wasn’t told everything; the Headmaster had admitted that there were things he couldn’t, or wouldn’t talk about yet. Some of them, he needed to tell him other things first. And to tell him those things...

But Dumbledore had assured him-- the nightmares, the doubt, the oddly conflicted feelings about his living family-- it was all human. A good sign.

And it had started with simple comfort and contact.

He reached out and gave Kirito’s shoulder a squeeze. He was reassured when Kirito acknowledged it with a nod.

“If any of you need to talk, I’ll be there to listen,” he said. “Still, let’s get out of here and find somewhere else to be.” He looked around. “I’ve had enough of this fucking floor.”

Everyone could agree with that sentiment.

Aincrad, Floor 24, Panareze

Asuna found herself impatiently waiting for word from Kirito on how things went. Argo had sent word on Lind’s movements, and his probable location hours ago, and Kirito had left to go back Hadrian and Silica up. They had argued over who would go and who would stay, as they couldn’t discount that Lind wouldn’t use the Moonlit Black Cats against them, but it seems that concern was unfounded.

So now, she was waiting near the teleport gate, on the off chance that Kirito had already met up with them and they simply decided to come straight here, rather than let her know with a message. It would be just like Kirito…

Her attention was grabbed by the light of someone teleporting in and she noticed Kirito, Hadrian and Silica, accompanied by Klein and his guild step off the platform. She walked up to them, mostly to give Kirito a piece of her mind, when she saw the subdued expressions on their faces, and she knew what that meant.

Something had gone wrong.

It was like a different part of her came forward, a different set of tools. She knew she could be the cool tactician, and the raging... yes, Hadrian's word fit in the English sense, bitch. She could be a bitch.

Neither were needed now. Well, some cool tact maybe--

Even that was pushed aside when Kirito's eyes met hers.

"What... was it that bad?"

"Not Lind," Hadrian said, and Asuna was caught again by how old his eyes could look, in a way no cosmetic option allowed. "Some PKers got involved."

Asuna’s hand flew to her mouth in shock. “PKers? You ran into some… is everyone alright?”

"We had to... defend ourselves," Kirito finally managed, his speech broken and not as.... composed as he usually was. The cool facade most saw was gone. "We had to-- Dale was-- and I-- Asuna, I've killed now. I can't-- I've killed. For real."

She saw Hadrian reach out and give Kirito’s shoulder a squeeze. “If it was easy, I wouldn't be able to be your friend, Kirito." He gave Asuna a look. “Let’s get inside, this is not the appropriate place for this discussion.”

Asuna could only nod.

The others in the tavern seemed to pick up on their mood and gave them room. Meeting Keita's eyes, Asuna shook her head once. Keita nodded, understanding that what was about to be discussed was going to be private, and ushered his guild outside. He had spent enough time around all four of them to begin picking up the tells.

Whatever it was they were going to talk about, it didn’t involve his guild, and judging by the expressions on everyone else’s face, it was something serious. She was glad that he picked up on it.

She watched as everyone quietly took a seat. She absently noted Argo’s presence in the shadows, but before she could move over and shoo her out, Hadrian looked at The Rat.

“You might as well sit down, Argo.” He said. “Some shit happened, and you might as well learn now. I trust you enough to know what's... off market.”

Argo stepped out in the open and gave him a serious look. “That bad, Harry?” She asked.

He nodded. “That bad.”

She nodded, opened her inventory and materialized something that Asuna had never seen before. “This’ll ensure we have privacy, something I accidentally made a couple of weeks ago.” She said. “You guys want a drink or something to eat, order it now.”

Everyone did so, and Asuna’s eyes boggled at the fact that everyone in the group had ordered the most potent drinks on the menu, and in large quantities. They might not be able to get drunk, but it was clear they were certainly going to try.

Given what she had already heard, she was probably going to want to do the same thing.

When their ordered arrived, Argo tapped the object and everything beyond their table became muted.

“Huh, nice.” Hadrian remarked. “And you made it accidentally? Didn’t take you for a craftswoman.”

“I’m a girl of many talents.”

He nodded and then sighed.

“Well Argo,” he said. “You were right on the money about Lind planning something. We ran into him on the path that’s between Stahlhold and Feldin. We talked, argued, and I baited him with a few choice remarks. He didn’t buy into it, but it got him to change his plans from… whatever he was planning.” He took a deep pull from one of the cups in front of him.

“Anyway, he decided to duel me, half health rules, and we danced around for five minutes before I told him he was wasting his, and my time.” He sighed. “And then, things started going to hell.” He looked at Silica and then to everyone else. “A couple of PKs got the drop on Silica, had her paralyzed and at their mercy. One of them was complaining about wanting to see someone die, and made some statement about not having had any fun since another player named Rain, you might want to find her, escaped. Considering what he said about what he did to her friend I can guess what his idea of fun was. He made to kill Silica, and… well, let’s just say he didn’t have time to do anything before I removed his head.”

As he talked, Asuna noticed that as his voice got colder, his eyes seemed to gain a glow from within, reflecting the fury that the memory seemed to give him before it calmed down. She wondered if it was some trick of the light, and the words he said finally registered and her thoughts briefly shut down from the shock.

Hadrian had killed someone to save Silica. The polite, somewhat friendly boy with an occasionally biting wit, had killed someone.

The implications of what the one he killed had a penchant for doing though…

I can’t really blame him, she thought. I don’t like it, hate it actually, but I can’t blame him. And what does that say about how I’ve changed? And that was an interesting personal question she would have to ask herself later, not now.

She noticed Argo had an equally shocked expression on her face, which didn’t surprise her. What did surprise her is how it hardened as she brought up a list and started scrolling through it. She stopped at a point and selected it. A few pictures, more like drawings, materialized and she held them up.

“Any of these look familiar?” She asked.

Hadrian took a look at them and pointed at two. “Those two,” he said. “I recognize those two. Not quite what they actually look like, but the sack with holes on the one on the left, and that mask on the right... that’s them.”

“Fuck.” Argo swore. “I was afraid of that.” She put the other pictures away and left them out. “Johnny Black and Red-eyed XaXa.” She said, pointing at both. “I only heard about them recently, but they’re nasty pieces of work. Which one did you kill?”

“Johnny Black.” Harry replied.

“Good.”

Harry and the others blinked.

“Your guess about his definition of fun isn’t far off.” Argo said. “He apparently has, well had, a thing for torture and rape, and gender doesn’t matter. The one player, Rain? Her friend wasn’t his only known victim. It actually explained a few deaths I found out about. Don’t know about XaXa, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s much better. What about XaXa?”

Harry shrugged. “Don’t know, he made to attack, I blocked it, and kicked him away. Things got confusing after that as their friends came out of hiding. Whoever Lind had with him there...” He shook his head.

“You sure they weren’t brought there by him?”

“He was too surprised for it to be anything else, Argo.” Harry said. “He’s still alive, and killed two of them that I know of.” He grew thoughtful. “I killed three others, and…” He trailed off, looked at Silica and the others, and then shook his head. “Anyway, Klein and the others got there, and forced them to retreat.”

Argo nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself. She then looked at the rest of the group, saw the expressions of the faces of Dale, Kirito and Silica and winced. “Well,” she said. “It sounds like you had a fucked up day.”

Harry gave a bitter snort. “That’s putting it mildly.” He replied and then took another drink.

“How-- how are you holding yourself together?” Asuna asked.

Harry sighed and put his cup down. “About as well as can be expected, really.” He said. “Which is to say, barely.” He looked at Asuna. “And I see that expression on your face. Don’t.”

Asuna blinked. “What?” She asked in confusion.

“Don’t give me pity. I don’t need it, and I don’t want it.” He said harshly.

“That’s not--” She started when he held up a hand.

“That’s not what you intended.” He said. “I know that Asuna, but I’ve had to deal with shit like this before, and I recognize pity when I see it. The last thing I need, that any of us need, is that. Trust me.” He rubbed his face and then looked at his empty cup. “And fuck, there’s another nightmare added to the fucking list.”

It was that which told her just how off balance he actually was. When he said he was barely holding himself together, he was telling the truth. She looked at Silica, and realized why he was trying to hold himself together.

“Oh shit.” She breathed out. “Silica, she had to...”

Harry nodded as he reached over and gave the girl who had been his companion for so long a squeeze on the shoulder. He then looked at everyone and sighed.

“Well, if you’ve been paying attention, and Kirito was there when Lind figured it out, so I might as well tell you.” He took a deep breath. “Today… it was not the first time I’ve killed someone. Self-defense, defense of others, it doesn’t really matter why, but it was about two years ago.”

And so he told them about Quirrell, and how he had to kill another human being. He edited out the magic, coming up with a mundane explanation for it, but he told them. He told them about the man’s connection to Voldemort, who he just called a criminal that had murdered his parents. He told them about how the man had acted in a way which was threatening the lives of his fellow students. He told them about how he found himself alone with the man when he revealed his true colors, and the altercation that followed.

He told them about how the man died, how he could remember the man’s screams, and the smell of burning flesh.

He then told them how his school’s headmaster had helped him through the worst of it. He told them of the nightmares, the doubts, the feelings that he had betrayed something, and how they affected him over the next several months. He told them how even with it all fading, it never went away.

They all noticed the tears. While he told his story, his voice never broke, but tears flowed down his face. They watched as he wept silently.

As he wept for the life taken that day, and the lives taken this day.

For the childhood, what had passed for it, that had ended and could never be gotten back.

##

It was later that night, or early morning, when he felt Silica jolt from what had been a restless sleep. While they had often tried to sleep in separate rooms when possible, separate beds when not, they had not done so this night. Not because of any change in their feelings, nor because of things moving forward in a different way.

No, it was because, right now, both needed something, someone to hold on to.

Not that Harry slept. He hadn’t expected to, and had given up any hope of it hours ago. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the accusing eyes of those he killed. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard the screams of a man burning to death. No, he hadn’t expected to get any sleep this night, but the contact with Silica kept the worst of it at bay.

And he hoped it did the same for her, even if her sleep had been restless.

It would not be an easy time, for any of them, but they would get through this. Eventually, the horror they experienced would fade, though not go away. He knew this.

Even if it didn’t make him feel any better about it.

He heard Silica give a sad sigh, and felt her sit up.

“I know you’re awake, Harry.” She said, not needing to look at him.

Harry shifted himself and sat up as well. “I couldn’t sleep, not that I expected to.” He replied.

“If it’s always like this, I understand.” She said. “I wish I didn’t, but…”

“Yeah, I know.”

The two of them sat there for several minutes before Silica shifted her position so she could look him in the eye.

“I realized something about earlier.” She said. “Something that doesn’t make any sense. When you saved me, you were too far away to close the distance like you did, but you did anyway.” She took a breath. “There’s only one way I can think of that could pull something like that off, if we were in the real world at least. And if it was that, I can understand why you haven’t mentioned it, if you even thought about it since all of this started.”

Harry blinked in confusion. “And what would that be?” He asked.

She leaned in until her mouth was next to his ear, the rest of her body pressing in uncomfortably, but not unpleasantly, close. What she quietly said shocked him.

“Magic.”

Aincrad, GM Administration Area

Kayaba reviewed the data that Cardinal had flagged for him. Something had happened that the system couldn’t make sense of, something completely outside expectations.

He pulled up the recording of the incident and watched through it in its entirety again. From how Hadrian had confronted Lind, to when Red-eyed XaXa and Johnny Black had Silica at their mercy. He needed the context of everything that had happened there.

He watched as Johnny Black raised his dagger to stab Silica and was stopped. He paused the recording and reviewed the data again, paying attention to what happened in that specific time frame.

It seemed as if between one instant and the next, the player known as Hadrian was in one place, and was in another, taking Johnny Black’s arm off, followed by his head. He checked to see if there was an unknown glitch, which was certainly possible, in the area around that incident or involving the players, and found no instance of one.

So how had he moved from one place to another in an instant?

He didn’t know how the boy had done it. Was it an exploit? Was it a glitch that he couldn’t find? Was it something else? He didn’t know.

What he did know, was that it was something new, and therefore interesting.

He made a note to keep an eye on the boy. He was turning out to be just as interesting as another player.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 14 - Time Away, Time to Rest

June 21, 2023 - Aincrad 24th Floor, Panareze

Harry didn’t even try and hide his exhaustion as he sat down at the table. He had not expected to get any sleep the previous night, and he hadn’t, though not entirely because of the incident the previous day. No, it had been because of the boiling over cauldron that Silica had decided to drop into his lap after she had woken up from a nightmare, or maybe just the memory of the incident. Either would have worked, and the latter almost certainly would have been similar enough to the former as to not make a difference.

Of all the things he could have possibly expected of her, her knowing of the existence of magic, and telling him of it, was low on the list. He had tried to play it off, but his surprise had been too genuine when she had theorized that he had used magic to get to her, and she had pounced on that like a cat. Add in the fact that she had pressed her own body to his, his own exhaustion, and his brain shut down before he could rally. It made it easier for her to worm the truth out of him, and get him to admit he knew what she was talking about.

She was a clever little bitch in doing that, he thought with some admiration. I mentally thought of her as pure Hufflepuff, but damn it if she didn’t show a bit of Slytherin there. And damn the fact that being a teenager carried over so thoroughly here.

She had told him about how she knew about magic, thankfully. About how her grandfather and great-grandfather had been exposed to a very… unique… curse, as well as the artifacts, the potions, and just general chaos that would not have been out of place in Hogwarts when the Weasley Twins decided to liven the place up.

Well, maybe a bit out of place, if the stories were to be believed. But if even half of those stories were true, Fred and George would have fit right in there.

Now that he knew that she had been aware of magic, he felt a little guilty about keeping it a secret, though she didn’t raise an issue over it. She knew about the secrecy involved, and it was the fact that her own family was somewhat involved that she knew. Well, that and she was from the Nerima ward.

Apparently some strange things happened there.

Anyway, after that little reveal, neither of them were going to be able to sleep, or go back to sleep in Silica’s case, restless as it would be. So they talked.

They talked about the previous day, now that the immediate shock had lessened. They talked about how unfair the world could be and how they wished it wasn’t. They talked about many things until the morning light arrived, and at some point, they found themselves leaning into each other, their hands gently clasped together.

It didn’t go any further than that, but they both took the comfort that the physical contact gave.

Silica eventually drifted off to sleep, far more restful than previously, and he gently laid her down before putting on some proper clothing and coming down for a quick meal. He doubted that Silica’s restful state would last, and he would go back and check on her within an hour.

But first, he wanted to check how the others were doing. He was fairly sure that Klein would be able to help Dale, and the rest of the Fuurinkazan guild would be there as well. Asuna had agreed to be there for Kirito.

Even then, he doubted that any of them had a restful night.

##

Asuna did not get that much sleep over the course of the night, and it showed. Her normally elegant appearance was disheveled, her clothes were rumpled, and there were clear signs that she was tired. Not that she regretted the missed sleep. Kirito needed her, he needed someone to be a rock he could cling to while his emotions churned like a stormy sea, he needed the reassurance that things would get better. He needed someone to be there for him.

It had been heartbreaking to see someone who was normally so composed in public, if socially awkward in private, just crack like that. To see that the calm indifference and dry attitude he presented to everyone else break down in the face of what had happened. To see that even the strongest of them had things that could potentially break them.

She would have done what she could to help him anyway, even if Harry hadn’t asked her to. She wouldn’t have known how to approach it, and would have to learn, but she would have done it. Fortunately, Harry had told her that all she needed was to be there for him. To talk with him, to hold him if he needed it, and simply be present so that he knows that he is not alone.

It wouldn’t make things immediately get better. Doing that would require magic, and magic simply didn’t exist. Even if it did, she doubted that it would be able to, anyway.

So no, there wasn’t a magic wand she could simply wave and ease Kirito’s pain, but simply being there, holding him when he cried, and putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him when his nightmares woke her up.

She could, and did, do that. The second she spied Hadrian, picking at the food in front of him, she could tell that he did so with Silica, and that was while dealing with demons of his own. She wondered if the only reason he was holding himself together was because someone needed him. He might have been there before, but that didn’t mean that it was any easier or less traumatic for him.

Actually, she might want to talk with him about that. If he’s keeping it in for Silica’s sake, it can’t be healthy for him mentally in the long run. And in Aincrad, that could be every bit as deadly as the mobs.

None of them are fit to be on the front lines right now, she thought. They need some time away from it all. With that in mind, she walked over to his table and sat down.

“Morning Asuna,” Harry said with a yawn. “How’s Kirito?”

“He was asleep when I left the room,” she replied tiredly. “I came down here to get some tea and I saw you sitting here. You look like shit, by the way. Did you get any sleep?”

Harry raised an eyebrow at Asuna’s language. “Never thought I would hear you swear, and no, I didn’t.” He shrugged. “Didn’t expect to anyway. I’ll crash later, but for now, I’m down here because lying in a bed doesn’t have much appeal right now.”

“How is she?”

“Silica? Hopefully she’s still sleeping.” He yawned. “It was a rough night, and well…” He trailed off.

Asuna nodded in understanding. She gathered herself and looked at him. “I think you three should take some time away from the front lines. I would say you should retire from it, but I know you and Kirito would go stir crazy, and where you go, Silica’s not far behind you.” She shook her head. “I would try to talk Silica out of it, but…”

“She’s stronger than you think, Asuna.” Harry replied. “Stronger than I am in some ways.” He looked at the food in front of him and sighed. “I agree that we could use some time away from it all, though. What about you? Going back to the front lines once you know we’re settled?”

Asuna shook her head. “No,” she said. “I’ll go with you three.”

June 23, 2023 - Aincrad 22nd Floor, Coral

“So,” Harry said, looking at the moderate sized house, fingering the keys in his hand. “This is where we’ll stay for the time being. Not a bad place from the look of it.”

He had looked for a place to stay, somewhere more private than an inn. A quick look at the Weekly Argo, Aincrad’s newspaper, had pointed him in this direction, so he decided to check it out and see if it was available to rent. A couple of hours later, he had returned to the main town, a set of keys in his hands, and had taken everyone with him.

“Do I want to know how much you paid for this place?” Asuna asked.

Harry shrugged. “I didn’t buy it, just rented it.” He replied. “Buying it would have cost me… more than I like to think about. Renting it for a few weeks though only cost a hundred thousand col, and we’ve all sunk more than that on things before.”

Asuna and Kirito nodded.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Silica said quietly.

Harry looked at her. She had been quiet and subdued for the last few days, but he could understand. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“We all need this.” He said simply. “Anyway, the place is furnished and has five rooms, let’s go and pick ours out.”

The group of four then entered.

July 3, 2023

Silica groggily opened her eyes as the morning light hit them and considered just burrowing deeper into the covers. After two weeks, she had finally had a night without nightmares, though those were having less impact when they did happen, and wanted to savor that fact by getting more sleep.

Especially since she was warm, comfortable, and could clearly hear Harry’s steady breathing, showing he was still asleep. Well, probably, possibly… maybe? Whatever. She was comfortable, her pillow was firm and warm, and she…

Her pillow shifted a bit and she felt a hand rest on her hip.

“Silica,” she heard Harry say. “I know you’re awake. Time to get out of bed.”

“D’nwnna.” She mumbled.

The hand moved towards her waist.

“T’ckl m’ n’ll stb’oo” She mumbled firmly. “L’t m’ s’lp.”

She heard and felt Harry’s chuckle as his hand stopped moving.

She knew he would do it again in a few minutes. It had become a familiar routine over the last two weeks. She would try to stay asleep, using Harry as a pillow, and he would try to wake her up. She would respond to his attempts with threats of violence, and he would-

“And here I thought I was supposed to do the penetrating.” Harry mused, the smirk clear in his voice.

And he would come up with something that was blatant innuendo.

Damn it, Harry! She thought as her mind registered what he said, and the images it provided made her face heat up. She moved her head from his chest to shoot him a glare, but there wasn’t any heat behind it. They both knew this game, and they had done this song and dance before.

She shifted herself a little and then sat up. Giving herself a stretch, she looked down at him. He simply looked up and met her eyes, the green orbs showing his slight amusement. She huffed and gave him a light shove with her hip. Harry took the cue and gave a squawk as he fell off the bed, making it seem as if her shove had been forceful, rather than the light one it was.

Their usual morning routine for waking up done with, the two then busied themselves with getting ready for the day.

##

Asuna and Kirito heard the thump of a body, Harry’s by the sound of it, hitting the floor and shook their heads in exasperation. Looks like Harry and Silica didn’t sleep in separate rooms again, though they weren’t in any place to complain about it.

They were sharing the same room as well, though they at least slept in separate beds. How those two could share a bed when anyone with eyes could see how they saw each other was beyond them, but it was also completely in character for them. Only those two could make something between two people who were clearly attracted to each other seem so innocent.

No one in the rented house mentioned that. Even as the nightmares lessened and Silica and Kirito weren’t needing someone to be there constantly for them, they had all fallen into a habit. And if Harry and Silica slept better when the other was in physical contact, or Asuna and Kirito were more relaxed when the other was present, it was just one of those things they accepted.

July 12, 2023

Asuna looked at the recipe again and nodded. She had taken up cooking as one of her skills, and the downtime was giving her a lot of opportunity to practice. She still wasn’t as good as she wanted to be, but then she could probably max it out and not necessarily be satisfied.

It wasn’t as if cooking in SAO was like cooking in the real world. In SAO, all you needed to do was get the ingredients, do some quick preparation of them with specific tools and a menu interface, and then put them in the appropriate receptacle to cook, be it a pot, on a stove, or in the oven. It was also a lot faster.

It seemed like cheating to her. Still, she accepted the way it was as it was, and was determined to master the skill.

That and she missed actual Japanese food, or at least the flavors. She figured that as she got better in the skill, the recipes would become available, or she would experiment until she could duplicate them.

So she took it up. The others seemed to appreciate it, and they all agreed that food prepared by a player just seemed to taste better.

That and Kirito decided to take up fishing, sometimes dragging Harry out there so the two could have some guy time, and they needed to do something with what he brought in. They could feed the fish to Pina, and often did, but why waste a perfectly edible fish?

It also helped to center her. She hadn’t realized it until a week ago, but she had been changing, had already changed. The months of going out and fighting on a nearly daily basis had taken their own toll on her. She didn’t have the shock of killing someone to deal with, but she had taken a look at herself in the process of helping Kirito and the others.

What she saw showed that she had changed in a way that would have made her unrecognizable in the mirror before this all started. The face might have been the same, but the expression and eyes told a very different story.

Where she had been poised, the perfect corporate daughter, she now didn’t bother hiding her feelings. Where she had been unsure, she was now determined. Where she had been soft, she had hardened. Where she had done what others wanted of her without complaint, she now spoke up and voiced her own opinion.

She could be a calm tactician, a raging bitch, and one who joked with the rest of them, all at the same time, or as the situation called for it. Somewhere, somehow, she had stopped being merely Asuna Yuuki, a corporate daughter expected to get high grades, follow her parent’s direction, and marry well. She had become simply Asuna.

She told Harry as much during their own conversations. He told her that their experiences here would change them, and simply going back to their previous lives wouldn’t be easy, if it was even possible. They had all changed too much.

She had to accept that, even if she didn’t know if it was a good thing, or a bad thing.

July 19, 2023

Harry stretched as he looked over the lake. Things had been peaceful for the last several weeks and he had enjoyed the opportunity to relax. Silica was laying on the grass next to him, with her eyes closed and absently petting a curled up Pina on her chest. She was still awake, he knew, but it wouldn’t surprise him if it changed to her napping right there.

The nightmares which had bothered Silica and Kirito had largely subsided after two weeks. The two of them still had them every now and then, but they had lost their intensity and the restless nights could almost be considered a thing of the past.

Harry knew better, but the worst of it was over.

His mind went to something else after that thought, towards his magic and that fact that he might or might not have used it when Silica was in danger. If that was the case, then it opened up some possibilities, provided he could control it. He didn’t have a wand, and what he did sounded like accidental magic.

And that was if it was magic. There were perfectly good explanations which were just as, if not more, likely to have been the cause of him teleporting that distance. Like a glitch, or Kayaba deciding that those PKers needed to be cut down to size, to a lot of other things really.

Still, if it was magic, then he would need to see if he could control it. He didn’t have a wand, but he did have a sword, and SAO was a world of swords. Perhaps if he were to do it within SAO’s rules…

“What are you thinking about?” Silica’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Harry looked down to Silica, who now had her eyes open.

“Just wondering if what I did last month was that one thing we discussed.” He replied.

“Why?” She asked. “Even if it was, it’s not like you have the tools to do anything with it. Not properly at least. I know that much about it, at least.”

Harry smiled. “True, but I do have a sword. That might suffice.”

Silica carefully clutched Pina and sat up, placing the feathered dragon into her lap. She gave him a curious look. “But how?” She asked.

Harry shrugged. “No idea.” He admitted. “Anyway, it might work, it might not. I won’t know until I actually try.”

“And if you fail?”

“Then I lose nothing but the time I wasted on it.” He shrugged again. “I’m not going to try it in a combat situation.” He stood up. “Well, might as well try.” He looked at her. “Want to see if I pull this off?”

Silica considered it and shrugged. She nudged Pina to wake her up and then stood. “Why not?”

In the end, Harry didn’t manage to accomplish any magic. He did feel something a few times, but every time he focused on it, or what brought it out, it slipped away.

July 27, 2023

Kirito sat on the pier at the edge of the lake and cast the line with a well-practiced motion. As they had settled into the house, he considered what he would do with his free time, knowing that he needed something to keep him occupied. He could practice with his sword, shaking the rust off of the kendo training he had abandoned a few years ago, but that thought had been less than appealing in the initial aftermath.

It had taken him a week before he was willing to touch his longsword with anything but reluctance, and two more before he could draw it for more than simply cleaning and maintaining it.

He had been tempted to simply throw it away, destroy it, or sell it. It was the sword he killed a man with, after all, and the thought of keeping it had been… uncomfortable. Even now, he was uncomfortable with it, but at the same time, a part of him refused to simply dispose of it. When he mentioned it to Harry, during their occasional talks, the boy nodded in understanding.

He materialized his own sword from his inventory and simply held it. He then looked at Kirito and asked him if his own weapon felt heavier. It was a surprising question to Kirito, who didn’t think of it that way, and was thinking of it more along the lines that the weapon had been used to kill.

When he told Harry that, he simply shrugged and said people feel things differently. For him, the act made the sword feel heavier in his hands, as if the burden of what he did with it was translated to the weapon, making the effort to simply hold it just that much greater.

“That is my albatross, Kirito, my burden to bear for what I have done.” He said. “Much like how my hands sometimes smell like ash and burnt pork to me.”

It certainly gave him something to consider. What did the sword feel like when he held it? It would be a week before he found an answer, and it didn’t really surprise him.

The sword felt like regret.

A tug on the fishing rod brought him out of his musings and he gave it a quick pull, making sure to not jerk it too hard, to bring the fish in. He checked the time in his HUD and noted that it was about time for him to head back to the house.

Weighty thoughts on his mind or not, Asuna’s cooking had reached the point that he wouldn’t miss it if at all possible.

August 1, 2023

It was the start of a new month, and they all realized that they were getting restless and bored with staying in one place. While the time in that rented house was needed for them, all four of them admitted that they missed heading out. They missed the excitement, the danger, and simply missed working to get everyone out of SAO.

“Well,” Asuna said. “It was nice staying here, but I don’t think we’d be happy remaining here for much longer.” She gave a wry smile. “We’re all too used to going out and doing something, so I think we should head out tomorrow and ease back into the swing of things.”

Harry nodded, knowing what she meant. “It’ll knock the rust off, at least.” He said. He then idly noticed the date and blinked. “Huh, I didn’t realize that my birthday was yesterday.” He said.

Asuna blinked. “It was?” She asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Harry shrugged. “It’s not that important to me.” He replied. “So I’m fourteen now.”

Silica looked at him. “We could have done something though.” She said. “Or even a small gift.”

“And being with friends and spending time with them is enough of one for me.” He said simply. “And all four of us did exactly that.”

“But-” She was silenced when he put a finger over her lips, a small smile on his face.

Asuna gave a pensive frown, and she noticed that Kirito did as well. They wouldn’t pry, but it was clear that Harry’s life before SAO wasn’t what anyone would call good. His comment on his birthday not being important to him personally, and that he considered being with them enough of a gift also said a great deal that he probably didn’t intend to.

“Don’t worry about it.” He told them. “I didn’t bring it up, and it’s past now.” He looked around. “Still, that does bring up a small point. When are your birthdays, if you don’t mind me asking.”

They told him and he nodded. He brought up his menu and made a note of the dates to remind him.

Asuna looked at Kirito and Silica as Harry was busy with that and all three of them nodded. They would have to make it up as they went, but they would at least do something for him. When Harry was done he looked at them and got a wary look on his face.

“Should I be worried?” He asked. “You all have this look on your faces as if you’re plotting.”

Silica moved next to Harry and grabbed his arm, while Asuna grabbed his other arm.

“Plotting?” Silica asked. “Us?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Asuna added.

Kirito put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “We’re all your friends, Harry.” He told him. “Allow us to do something for your birthday, even if it’s a day late.”

Harry gave all three of them a flat look and sighed. “Well, if you must.” He said with apparent resignation, though the smile on his face belied the tone. It wasn’t as if the idea bothered him after all.

He was with friends and that was all that mattered to him.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Interlude II - More Perspectives from the Outside World

March 3, 2023 - Hogwarts, Astronomy Tower

Fred and George were busy with preparing a prank when a quick glance at the map showed them something odd. Odd as in unexpected, not as in unusual, though that could apply as well to this situation. Having been attending Hogwarts for five years, they had seen their fair share of strange things, some of which they had been responsible for.

Still, it wasn’t every day when someone who was supposed to be dead showed up on the map. It could have been a ghost, but they had never seen one show up once since they had… liberated it from Filch’s office.

Definitely odd, and something that needed investigating.

“Gentlemen,” a voice sounded from behind them. “What would you two happen to be doing out here?”

Fred bit back a curse and turned to see an amused Professor Lupin, as George tried to surreptitiously hide the map. From the man’s continued amusement, they weren’t fooling him.

“Professor, what brings you here?” Fred asked, not showing any sign that he felt as if he had gotten caught at anything.

Remus smiled, as it brought back memories of a happier time for him. “Oh, I was just taking a stroll and noticed you two here.” He said amicably. “I was just checking that you weren’t solemnly being up to no good. If you were, I pray that you didn’t leave anything that would prevent the mischief from being managed.” He gave them a severe look. “As a professor, I cannot condone it, and it would be a shame if I had to discipline such bright young lads.

Fred’s eyes widened a fraction as the phrases parsed in his head and he realized what it meant. Professor Lupin was a Marauder, and judging by some of the things noted over the course of the year, he had a good idea which one.

Which meant…

He stole a glance to George, who nodded and pulled out the map.

“Professor, I think you might want to take a look at this.” George said seriously.

It meant the exposure of what had been an effective tool for their pranks, but they really had no need of it anymore. At the same time, something was odd, and the last couple of years had demonstrated that “odd” could easily mean “bad.”

They nearly lost their sister last year, and their little brother had been endangered the year before that.

There was a time for pranks, and a time to be serious.

This was the latter.

March 6, 2023 - Hogwarts, Unused Classroom

Sirius Black did not expect to find anything when he entered the classroom in order to avoid another patrol by the professors. He should have picked a later time to enter Hogwarts proper, but his nose had caught the scent of his prey, Wormtail, he would no longer think of that traitor as Peter, and his own impatience had forced him to try and track it down.

He wasn’t surprised that he had failed, the rat animagus; despite all his faults, was good at avoiding people when he did not want to be seen or found. It wouldn’t surprise him if his target had managed to lay false trails, considering that the two of them had been doing this for months.

Still, he knew that this classroom was unused and that it had plenty of places to hide in the shadows, since he had used it before. Not in the last few weeks, though. So he was surprised to find something new here, which alarmed him.

Something new meant that this classroom had been used recently, and may be in more regular use now. Something new meant that he was more likely to be found, as one of the places he had used to avoid being seen was now useless to him.

Something new also meant that he had something to investigate.

It might help him find Wormtail, it might not, but it wouldn’t hurt to see what it was.

And that is how he found himself looking over the instructions for a strange device, carefully reading them. He might be the type who would otherwise simply jump right in, but a dozen years in Azkaban had shown him the price of simply rushing ahead.

And besides, he had been stalking Wormtail for months and he would continue doing so until that traitor was dead. But for now, he had a device to play with and see what it was doing here.

Roughly ten minutes later, he stared transfixed at what he was seeing, and who was being shown.

Harry…

So that’s what those articles in the Daily Prophet meant. He didn’t understand the mechanics of it, but there was a good side to these circumstances, despite the likely dangers of them.

Harry wasn’t here while a traitor was being hunted down. He wasn’t here where Wormtail could use him.

And was that a girl he was with?

Yes, yes it was.

James would be proud, he thought with a sad smile.

He continued to watch, not really paying attention to anything else until a quiet noise got his attention. It was then that a couple of familiar smells reached his nose. He let out a sigh and turned around to meet the gazes of Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin.

“It’s been a long time, Professor, Remus.” He said, holding his hands out to his side.

“Indeed it has, Sirius.” Albus replied. “I wish this were under better circumstances.”

Sirius nodded. “I just want to know something.” He said. “Is Harry okay?”

“About as well as his situation allows.” Albus said.

Sirius gave a relieved sigh. “Good. Now, let’s get this over with.” He said with the tone of voice of a man walking to the gallows, and resigned to his fate.

##

Peter was cornered, and he knew it. There was no place to hide in the room he had been subtly herded to, and he hadn’t realized it until he was already there and the door was slammed shut and sealed. He frantically considered any options that came to him, and dismissed every one of them from his mind as the reality began to sink in.

He had been found out.

March 9, 2023 - Ministry of Magic, Minister’s Office

Lucius watched as Cornelius paced around the luxurious office and looked at the report that he had been handed by the man. It was a foolish tendency of the man, but useful at times. There was nothing in it that he didn’t already know from his contacts, but there were often little details that could be picked up.

So,Black is innocent, he thought to himself. He wasn’t surprised by that revelation, Sirius Black and James Potter had been like brothers, so for him to betray his friend like that was severely out of character. Not impossible, betrayals had happened between people closer than those two were after all, but unlikely.

The surprises came from the revelation that Peter Pettigrew had a Dark Mark, and that Black had been thrown in prison and left there without a trial. The former was understandable. Peter Pettigrew was known to be a coward, and no one but the Dark Lord knew who all the Death Eaters were. Still, it was surprising that he had been willing to go through with it.

Lucius knew all too well what was required to get a Dark Mark. Oh, not that there was one set ritual to get one-- despite the short sightedness the Dark Lord's sociopathic tendencies saddled him with, the man had been a masterful manipulator. For some, he had required an investment that was just too high; others were given license to work out their own madness. Both the elder Nott and Bella had killed for theirs. Theo Snr. had been racked with guilt-- he had the same superiority streak most in the Pure-Blood, Old Ways crowd had, that didn't automatically give him a head for murder. Bella had taken it as her new master asking to be shown her value-- and given how the Dark Lord had reacted to what she did to that family, and how she had reacted to his praise... that had almost made Lucius sicker than the act itself.

As for his own Mark? Being convinced to act counter to all his father had taught him, and made to bow to the Dark Lord in front of his peers in their Lord's graces... well, after the fact, the Malfoy training made clear what had happened. If he, a Malfoy, had decided the Dark Lord was worth bowing to, despite his family's ways... he must be loyal. Make someone do something as a choice, and let their own mind sort out how it justifies binding themselves to your side.

In Pettigrew's case? The man’s fear of the Dark Lord must have been great indeed, for him to go through with it. That, or-- yes, Peter had been the coward of Potter's group. Perhaps a demonstration of how only the Dark Lord could keep him safe? And once that weak link was seized, and the rumors that the werewolves were all too controllable by the Dark Lord (when really, only one or two small packs and the Child Turner had flocked to him), and Pettigrew had delivered himself to the Dark Lord.

That Black had been in prison for twelve years during the aftermath of Pettigrew’s treachery without a trial didn’t bother him, but it did set a bad precedent. One that could potentially be used against him if some of his indiscretions ever came to light. That revelation did have some use, though.

Bartemius Crouch was done for, and good riddance.

“This is a disaster, Lucius!” Cornelius railed. “If this gets out, the public will riot and blame me for all of this.”

And then there was Cornelius to deal with. Lucius bit down a sigh with long practice and began to formulate how he could steer the man in a direction he wanted him to go. While some aspects of the situation were not immediately desirable, Black would most likely go free due to this, the benefits outweighed that.

He didn’t like Black, and wouldn’t shed a tear if the man up and died after lingering for days, but trying to stop this and go back to what Cornelius wanted could explode in his face. It would also reduce the likelihood of what happened to Black from happening to him, or anyone else in his family.

March 13, 2023 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital

Sumire Ayano had replaced the water in the vase which held the flowers that had been brought in by family members and friends to liven up the otherwise sterile room where her daughter was being kept. It had been five months, five long and heartbreaking months since her little Keiko had been taken from her and trapped in that Death Game.

It was hard for her to watch what Keiko was doing, either via the web site that had been set up to get a look in, or on the screen of the computer that those, who were apparently the bodyguards to the boy she was accompanying in SAO, had helped her family set up. It was hard for her to see her kind and gentle daughter go out and fight for her life.

And yet, she was proud of her daughter. She was proud that Keiko had made a good friend who accompanied her, and who was so protective of her. Tetsuhiko might mutter darkly about what he would do to the boy, Harry Potter, if he made any moves that were less than innocent toward her, but that was a father’s prerogative.

Oh, the boy didn’t shy from danger, and Keiko was in the thick of it with him, but Sumire knew that it was in her blood. Gentle and kind her daughter might be, but she had Saotome and Tendo blood running through her veins, and they never shied from a fight or challenge. Keiko might not have it as bad as her mother, let alone her grandparents, but it was there.

It just needed to be brought out.

She placed the full vase of flowers down on the bedside table and took a seat next to her daughter’s hospital bed. She looked down on the peaceful face, and could almost think that Keiko was simply sleeping. It was right in a physical sense, but one glance to the computer screen put a lie to the illusion.

Though what she was seeing right now was certainly peaceful enough.

She watched as her daughter and companion sat down at a table with an unknown player and, well now, that was a familiar face. The girl was younger, so it couldn’t be who the face reminded her of, but she certainly resembled her senior, friend, and mentor from University. In a loose sense, true, but those were the eyes and cheekbones of Kyouko Tachibana, well Kyouko Yuuki now.

Small world, Sumire thought as she watched the conversation. I had heard that Kyouko had a daughter, but… It was a shame that the two moved along different paths, Kyouko was ambitious and had gotten married to an up and coming businessman shortly before getting her PhD and settling down as a professor, while Sumire had returned to Nerima and later married a scientist, but such was life. Still, she should get in contact with her. It would be nice to talk to her old friend after all these years.

She pushed that to the back of her mind and turned her attention back to the conversation.

As the conversation went on, her eyes narrowed. Something wasn’t right. She noticed Harry’s wariness and how her daughter picked up on it, and she focused on the man that it involved. There was nothing wrong on the surface, but something seemed… off about the man. She watched as Harry politely, but firmly, rebuffed the offer that was presented, and watched as the man left.

She made a note of his name, and then listened to the conversation that followed. Her estimation of young Mister Potter went up as she listened. He had spotted it, not just some sense of something wrong, but had accurately noticed that there was something deceptive about the man.

She made a note of the man’s name and resolved to give it to her aunt, Nabiki. Perhaps she could dig something up about him.

March 26, 2023 - Hogwarts, Headmaster’s Office

Albus watched as Sirius impatiently paced around his office as they both waited for the students he summoned to arrive. It had been nearly three weeks since Pettigrew had been caught, two weeks since the man had confessed to his crimes and been sent to Azkaban with special manacles to keep him from transforming into a rat and making the accommodations… somewhat bearable.

He sighed as Sirius continued his pacing and was tempted to shove a shot of firewhiskey down the man’s throat to get him to relax a little, but considering he was still recovering, that would be unwise. Poppy could be vindictive when medical orders were ignored, after all.

“Just sit down, Sirius.” He said a little waspishly. “I sent the request for them ten minutes ago, and it will take them another ten before they arrive, at the least.”

Sirius stopped pacing and looked at him. He then walked over to an available seat and sat down with a slight sulk.

“I hate the waiting.” He grumbled.

Albus shrugged in response. Sirius had always been the impatient one amongst the group of four friends from his school days, something that made it easier to catch them in the act. On the other hand, it was those times he was being patient that one had to watch out for.

However, hotheaded, reckless and impatient as he was, it was when he was being calm and patient that anyone who knew him took as a warning sign. It meant that Sirius Black the prankster, wasn’t present. It meant that Sirius Black, the scion of the House of Black, was at the forefront.

That Sirius could be patient, cold, and calculating. That Sirius was the one who had fooled Severus Snape into walking into a trap that would have put him at the mercy of a transformed Remus. That Sirius was the one who had managed to escape Azkaban, avoid pursuit, and make his way to Hogwarts for the sole purpose of killing the man who betrayed him and his friends.

So while Albus found Sirius’ impatience somewhat irritating, if understandable, he also found it somewhat reassuring. Still, better to find a way to distract him before the man’s impatience forced him back out of that chair. He looked at a small stack of parchment and had an idea.

It would keep Sirius seated, and it would at least give the man some information about Harry while they waited for Miss Granger and Mister Weasley to arrive. He would show him some of the more pertinent events from the viewer that the Wainwrights provided later, especially since the latest bundle had arrived and he wanted to go over them again to make his recommendations for viewing to Miss Granger’s group.

His initial viewing of the events in that had proven quite interesting. Harry was certainly shaping up into a fine young man. And while it was too early to tell, he might find that special someone in young Miss Ayano.

And considering one particular event, he wanted to be present during their viewing, so that he could provide guidance to his students. At the same time, he should get Severus to watch it as well. Mr. Potter’s remarks there were not just related to his time with the Dursleys, after all.

April 2, 2023 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital

Selene took a glance at the time and saw that she would have to leave within the next hour or so, and turn the responsibility for Harry over to the night security team. A shame in a way, as Harry seemed to be going on a date with Silica, though she doubted he saw it that way.

It was something that she admitted that she wanted to watch, especially since the two of them were so cute together.

Ah well. She did make a note on this and set the system to record the events though. She could always watch it later. And she wouldn’t be surprised if the betting amongst the team became more furious after this.

She felt the ward at the entrance to the hospital room ping, it having been put in place after Grandmaster Saotome had surprised all of them with his arrival, and turned to see Richard walk in.

“Evening boss,” she said to the man.

“Good evening, Ms. Carlisle,” he replied. “And how is Mr. Potter doing?”

“He’s doing good.” She replied. “He and Silica did a fairly light day today and were finished with their activities on the twenty-seventh floor by 1500. They are staying in Ronbaru, the main town on the floor for the rest of the afternoon and are currently seeing the sights and planning on dinner later.” She indicated the computer monitor. “Feel free to take a look.”

“Perhaps later, Ms. Carlisle, I can tell from here that you have it being recorded.” Richard replied easily. “Though it seems as if Mr. Potter and Ms. Ayano are doing fine. Anyway, did you manage to get that information I asked for? On this… Lind?”

Selene nodded. “His real name’s Minato Tamiguchi, sixteen years old, currently staying at Yokohama General Hospital’s SAO Victim’s Ward. Nothing turned up about any behavioral problems, no criminal history, nothing that would indicate that he had any predisposition to such. It’s possible they were missed, but our principal, Mr. Potter, probably hit the nail on the head.”

Richard raised an eyebrow. “You mean when he accused him of treating their situation as a game?”

“Exactly, boss.” Selene replied.

“From what you’ve gathered, and I am aware that this will be the Cliff’s Notes version, what can you surmise of his reasons?” He asked.

“With regards to Lind, his treating it as just a game was probably a defense mechanism to shield himself from the reality of the situation. He used the fact that SAO was marketed as a game, and shaped his actions around it, which is understandable, if inconvenient for us.”

“Do you perceive his previous actions as outright malicious?”

“No boss. From everything I can gather, and a few observations using the connection that Kayaba opened, probably in response to the method I made available, I don’t believe his actions were out of malice. Willful blindness to the consequences are more likely.”

Richard listened to the information and sighed. “Too young to act against, unfortunately. We will keep an eye on him, but it will come down to Mr. Potter.”

Selene nodded. “If it’s any consolation, Harry is likely to be more than he can handle.”

“We can only hope, Ms. Carlisle. We can only hope.”

April 8, 2023 - Akihabara, Tokyo

Kyouko sat down at the available chair in the cafe and looked at the woman on the other side of the table. A woman in her late-fifties, wearing a business suit and her hair slightly streaked with grey, was sipping a cup of tea with a calm control that bespoke years of practice. A woman she had met a few times during her University years, and someone whom her husband had a healthy professional respect for.

Nabiki Tendo, a corporate shark who had risen in the male dominated business world through her wits, ruthlessness, and ability find completely legal ways to eliminate all of her competition. A woman who seemed to know every dark secret in Japan’s business world and used that knowledge to terrifying effect. And also a woman whose professional integrity was above reproach.

Corporate shark she may be. A woman who knew things others would want buried as well. But at the same time, she only brought those aspects out as a last resort. You dealt with her honestly, and she would deal with you honestly.

The woman finished her tea and set the cup down. She met Kyouko’s gaze and nodded to herself.

“I’m glad that you were able to take the time out of your busy schedule to come out and meet me, Professor Yuuki.” She said.

Kyouko nodded. “It was no trouble, Miss Tendo.” She replied with ease. She had married into wealth, and had learned quickly how to, as the Americans would say, walk the walk. “I still remember when Sumire introduced me to you back when she was my kohai in university.”

Nabiki chuckled. “Ah yes,” She replied. “You were so shocked to meet with a rising star in the business world, a woman no less, that you didn’t know how to act. I knew that you would do well, and you’ve proven me right. A good and successful marriage and a successful academic career. Not what I would have done with your talents, but we’re different people.”

Kyouko nodded at the compliment, despite its dry delivery. It was true, after all. Still…

“I am curious, Miss Tendo.” She asked. “Why did you contact me?”

“My niece, Sumire, noticed a player that had features reminiscent of yours when she was watching her own daughter’s progress in SAO.” Nabiki said. “A girl by the name of Asuna. She had approached me about another matter, but I decided to look into it as well.”

Kyouko’s eyes widened. While it was no secret that her daughter was trapped in SAO, it was kept quiet, if only to avoid listening to the false sympathies of many in Japan’s upper class. But to hear that someone made the connection and… wait a moment.

“When you say Sumire, you do mean Sumire Saotome, correct?” She asked to get some confirmation.

“She got married about fifteen years ago, so it’s Ayano now,” Nabiki replied. “Apparently Keiko, her daughter and my grand-niece, regularly associates with your daughter, Asuna, in SAO.” She gave her a searching look. “As much as I would rather she had remained where it is relatively safe, it seems that my grand-niece inherited my family’s tendency to face trouble head on, rather than stay out of its way.”

“And you’re fine with that?” Kyouko asked.

Nabiki shrugged. “Fine? I wouldn’t say that I’m fine with her decision there, but I am in no position to stop her.” She admitted.

Kyouko nodded in understanding. “Still, this isn’t the real reason you requested to meet me, isn’t it?”

Nabiki smiled. “Indeed it isn’t.” She replied. Her gaze sharpened. “I’ve been keeping track of what I can, both inside SAO and outside here. I know that your husband’s company, RECT, has taken responsibility for maintaining the SAO servers. At the same time, I’ve also kept an eye on who is involved with it, as well as creating up and coming products.”

“Shouldn’t you take this up with my husband, Miss Tendo?” Kyouko asked.

Nabiki smirked. “I have, and he’s told me that he will take it under advisement, but I do think you should know.”

“Know what?”

“Know that the project lead for both, Noboyuki Sugou, was a colleague, well more of a rival, of Kayaba’s. And that despite being cleared in the subsequent investigations, he shouldn’t be trusted. It’s nothing concrete, for now at least, but I have met him before, as I was interviewing him for a position in my own company. It fell through, obviously, but it allowed me to get a feel for him.”

Kyouko raised an eyebrow. “That’s all?” She asked. “I would have thought you would have learned his deepest and darkest secrets by now. You do have that reputation.”

Nabiki chuckled. “Things like this take time. I am keeping an eye on every one of Kayaba’s former colleagues, particularly those who were part of the Shigemura lab at Touto University alongside him.”

Kyouko’s eyes narrowed at that. Things started making some sense now, though the woman’s motives could still be questioned. “This is interesting, but how do I know that you’re not simply using this to undermine my husband’s company? You did compete with him to gain the contract to maintain the SAO servers, after all.”

Nabiki nodded. “Fair point. Still, it isn’t the first contract I’ve been beaten at in getting, and it won’t be the last. There’s no reason for me to take offense at that. Besides, Shouzou is a good man, and I have confidence in him to run, or at least direct those running, such a contract. It’s more just letting you know, just in case my feeling on Sugou proves accurate.”

Kyouko found that she could accept that. She knew Nabiki’s reputation, both the good and the bad parts of it.

April 15, 2023 - Hogwarts, Viewing Room

Hermione placed the disk into the tray and watched as The Viewer, as they had all agreed to simply call it, began to work automatically. They had received a new shipment of disks a couple of days ago from Harry’s watchers in Japan, and she was interested in seeing what he had managed to get himself into this time.

They were still close to two months behind, timeline wise, but they were slowly catching up due to the Headmaster’s own efforts in highlighting some of the more interesting bits. They often made her heart leap into her throat, but they showed that Harry, at least as far as the latest timestamp showed, was alive, well, and doing what he could to get out.

Whoever was sending the bundles of disks was thorough, and the Headmaster himself said that they only covered a fraction of Harry’s activities. While those who were compiling these preferred to go for the interesting material, they also covered Harry’s day-to-day activities.

And thinking on the day-to-day, she had finally gotten what McGonagall had subtly been trying to hint since the beginning of the year, and backed off from her chosen course load. Divination was easy for her to drop, Trelawney was either as fraudulent as they came, or the skill required an inherent gift that she didn’t have, and she doubted Trelawney had as well. She hadn’t wanted to drop any others, but looking at her schedule, and then this, she had reluctantly chosen to drop Care of Magical creatures.

Unlike with Divination, she had personally gone to Hagrid and explained her reasoning. He had accepted it, especially since he was apparently aware that the class was not her type. He did direct her to several books she could read in her free time if she was still interested in studying it. The inherent dangers of the class had also not appealed to her, though she had been one of those to work with the newly appointed professor and others to stop Draco’s foolishness from causing more trouble.

It had been rather satisfying to derail what he had been attempting. They did so by providing hard to refute evidence, from multiple sources, that the only one responsible for his rather minor injuries, was he, himself and his ignoring the explicit safety instructions. It ended up costing Slytherin a hundred points and Draco being censured. Twice. He'd been disciplined for the incident with Buckbeak itself, and also for escalating it beyond a matter that should really have remained at school.

Several Slytherins who had found themselves as part of the group looking very smug about something had clued in the rest that something had happened. While they didn’t give any details, Slytherin kept things private, they mentioned that Draco’s antics had cost him. And there was a muttering that when his father had heard of it in full, he had not been pleased with his son's handling of the matter.

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as she began the task of comparing the progress notes she and her small group had compiled, the Headmaster’s recommendations, and what they were looking at now.

Despite being what were probably just the highlights of Harry’s activities, the sheer amount of data meant that what had been collected so far could keep someone busy all day, every day, for weeks. And more kept coming in.

After doing the comparisons, she pulled up the menu, very similar to a Blu-Ray player’s chapter selection options, and looked to those in the room with her.

“All right, we’re soon to reach the end of February, and the Headmaster has briefed us on the events on the twenty-seventh.” She said. “We’re now at the point in our progress to watch it, so if anyone has any reservations, let me know now.”

Justin raised his hand and Hermione acknowledged him with a nod. “Not a reservation per se, Hermione,” he said. “But we were told that people died during the events of this day. I think we need to consider this less entertainment, and more fact finding than we would normally, considering that there is a high likelihood that we will see that.”

“You are quite correct, Mr. Finch-Fletchley,” came the Headmaster’s voice from the room’s entrance. All of the students in the group turned to see him enter into the room, followed by the Heads of Houses and Sirius Black. “The events of that particular day are quite serious. I have brought the Heads of Houses, as well as Mr. Black, with me to watch this as well.”

Hermione considered that and nodded. While Professor Snape’s presence was an unwanted addition, the small handful of Slytherins in the group warranted him here in an official capacity. Their addition to it, at the Headmaster’s polite request, more oblique order, was accepted reluctantly, but their presence had proven useful.

After all, those from some of the more traditionally aligned families had basically confirmed what Justin had surmised when they first saw the device. That their interest continued was also promising.

After all, the traditionalists held a lot of clout right now, and that was unlikely to change any time soon. If they could get the more neutrally aligned traditionalists to have a favorable impression, it would be helpful.

She stole a glance to those from Slytherin House: Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini and Tracey Davis were regulars and most certainly not a part of Malfoy’s clique, but Marcus Flint was a surprise. Flint was considered a part of Malfoy’s clique, at least until he disabused them of that notion.

“He’s on the Quidditch team, and you know why.” He told them. “He’s at least competent enough on a broom to not be an embarrassment, at least, so he’s not all talk, and that’s all I’ll say in the matter.”

Others from Slytherin came and went as they felt like it, and were not insulted to not be considered a part of the main group. They were curious, and left once they had been satisfied. And that could be considered just as true for the rest of the houses. Curiosity brought them in, and they went on their own business once it was satisfied, no more, no less.

It was a shame that Ronald didn’t stay with the group, but he did pop in on occasion to see what was going on. There were a lot of things about what they were doing that weren’t his thing, and he knew it. He had backed off to avoid getting in the way, though he did ask for updates.

“Well then, Miss Granger,” The Headmaster said. “Would you like to begin?”

Hermione nodded. “Of course, Headmaster.” She replied and turned to The Viewer, and they really needed to come up with something better than that informal name, and brought out her wand.

“We’re starting the viewing of Harry’s activities on the twenty-seventh of February, two thousand twenty-three.” She said as she began the playback. “For those who may not be informed, we are watching the actions of Harry James Potter, under the alias of Hadrian, as he travels through the virtual environment of Aincrad. Please hold your questions until after the events are viewed.”

##

When the recording finished, several of the students also took careful glances back to the professors to gauge their reactions. Hermione noted that Professor Snape looked like he wanted to say something fairly acidic about Harry, but sharp looks from the Headmaster, the rest of the staff, and Mr. Black stilled his tongue.

Professor McGonagall kept her face fairly neutral, but the Gryffindors could see the pride in her eyes at Harry’s actions. Professors Flitwick and Sprout also kept their expressions neutral, but both also seemed to have a favorable impression of what had happened.

Harry had taken charge, and while he certainly listened to people, he had lead fifty people in a successful operation. They couldn’t save everyone, and they lost five of their own in the process, but it had accomplished the mission. The fact that they saw people die was a little shocking, less because of the knowledge, but the fact that watching people die was different than knowing intellectually.

It also highlighted the dangers Harry regularly courted, and how he was risking his life on an almost daily basis. It showed them that anyone could die there, and that death could come suddenly. It also showed how so many people were willing to risk it, to get not only themselves, but others, out of their prison.

Hermione took a breath and turned her attention back to her fellow students. “That concludes the events recorded for the twenty-seventh of February, two thousand twenty-three. Now, everyone, what is your analysis?”

That broke the assembled students out of their silence and they all began discussing the events. None of them noticed when the adults left.

May 7, 2023 - Nerima, Saotome-Tendo Residence

Ranma sat down at the dinner table and looked at his wife of thirty-seven years as she finished placing the cooked meal on it. Off to the side, he saw Sumire, his eldest with her husband talking quietly about something, probably Keiko’s adventures in SAO.

While he would like to have the rest of the family present, his son and heir was busy with a training trip to China to not only improve his skills, but to reaffirm his family’s alliances there. His other son was busy running the Nekohanten under the watchful eye of his "nee-san" Shampoo (the actual relationship was more complex than it should have been, but that's what Ko called his biological mother). His youngest, Ayane, was busy with her residency at Yokohama General Hospital and wasn’t available. Tales of how they had restrained her from trying to transfer/defect to Nakano General had become a local legend already, and was growing with every retelling.

Theirs was a close knit family, all extensions due to his father's insanity included.

Nerima's Happy Crossdressing Clan had been by earlier, with Ukyo and Konatsu bringing enough food to... well, he supposed in a normal family it'd last a while. With his and his daughter's appetites, it was a nice addition.

They'd gotten past not eating at least.

Ukyo, Konatsu, and their youngest daughter had been dressed unisexually. Everyone in the ward knew that meant it was not the time for playful joking about ambiguous genders.

Not everyone knew the details of this SAO thing, but they knew Keiko was in it. The respect being given was a far cry from their madcap youth.

The doorbell sounded and he rose, waving Akane to remain seated. She wasn't her older sister, but she could run herself ragged to avoid things in her own way. So could Nabiki.

Ranma blinked when he opened the door.

"I came straight here when I heard," Ryoga said simply.

None of their usual, now joking vows to defeat the other/avoid the fight. No mention of the fact that 'straight here' had likely required a stopover in Mandipor or some other, more exotic place-- like, say, Toronto, or that one time he ended up on a different planet.

They wouldn’t have believed that, had he not had the aliens drop him off at their front door, along with souvenirs and pictures. That Gordon fellow (who insisted they could call him 'Alf’) and his wife Rhonda seemed nice enough, though. They spoke some weird Americanisms at times, but this was Nerima, and they just smiled, nodded, and rolled with it. The only place that got anywhere nearly as much weird shit was Minato. Oh, and that one town near that shrine in Okayama.

His friend Ryoga inclined his head slightly and took him in. "You look less like a corpse than I expected, Saotome."

Ranma smirked back. "I've had a few months to process it," he shot back.

"Just tearing her out of there...?"

"Really isn't an option, or we'd have done it." Ranma stood to one side. "I think seeing her P-oyajii would do Sumire good, though."

Ryoga placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Sounds about right."

The two said nothing else on the way to the kitchen.

For Ryoga, getting there as soon as he had said it all.

May 9, 2023 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital

The laughter coming out of the room that Harry Potter was being cared for in brought Kasumi over, curious to see what was going on. As soon as she entered, she saw Selene, the woman who regularly watched over him during the day, she wasn’t going to be so crass as to call her his bodyguard, chortling at the screen of the computer monitor.

She saw Harry standing just outside a door, wearing nothing but a towel and every inch of his exposed skin was flushed. She heard a muted shriek from the speakers and it was relatively clear what had happened.

Either he had walked in on Keiko while she was taking a bath, or she walked in on him as he was leaving. Given what she knew about Keiko’s habits, especially when she was still groggy from waking up, the boy would have gotten an eye full if it was the latter.

“So, did he walk in on my grandniece, or was it the other way around?” She asked conversationally, startling the other woman. She kept her expression polite, rather than the smirk she wanted to give, easily. She had a lot of practice, even before she entered the medical field.

Selene gathered herself and turned back to the screen. She smothered another chortle at Harry’s attempts to just move on as if nothing happened were shown. “The latter,” she replied. “I saw him enter the bathroom forty-five minutes or so ago, and she was still asleep, we don’t see what goes on in bathrooms, or if they’re too undressed, even with these systems.”

“So they slept in the same bed again?” Kasumi asked.

Selene nodded. “Only those two could possibly keep it that innocent when they are so clearly attracted to each other.” She replied, amused. “Even more, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re aware of it.” Her expression became slightly serious. “But I doubt Harry will make any move in that regard.”

“He is a teenage boy,” The nurse countered.

“True, but it doesn’t fit his character.” Selene replied. “I know him well enough to know that he sees Silica as a friend, and he values that too much to risk it. Keiko might have to make the first move in that regard.”

Kasumi nodded. “And she won’t rush it, either.” She admitted. “I wouldn’t call her traditional in any sense, not with our family, but she knows better than that.”

Selene gave her a curious look.

Kasumi smiled. “She’s heard the stories of her grandparent’s generation.” She replied as if that explained everything.

She noted Selene’s answering nod was more for the sake of politeness, rather than understanding. That didn’t bother her, considering that most of the meaning was something you had to have to proper context for, and for all that they could use magic, young Mr. Potter’s bodyguards didn’t have that. They were fairly normal, though.

Well, normal for someone who grew up with the insanity of Nerima, at any rate.

May 21, 2023 - Kawagoe, Kirigaya Residence

Midori watched as her daughter, Suguha went up to her room, the bag containing the purchases they made earlier in her hands. To think that her daughter, who had about as much interest in computers as your average athlete normally, admitted her own curiosity about what all the hype was, both for when the Nerve Gear and SAO had been released, but also when RECT had advertised the AmuSphere and Alfheim Online. That she wanted to see what Kazuto saw in all of that was left unsaid, but understood. Suguha might be less tech inclined, but she was still Midori’s daughter.

It was understandable, considering that Kazuto was trapped in SAO, though he was making the best of his situation, from everything they saw. Dangerous, yes, but he had adapted to it, and to everyone’s surprise, had actually begun socializing with others. Or was it others forcing him to socialize?

Midori didn’t know, but considering the banter between him and several players he regularly associated with, she was betting on the latter being what started it. She was particularly interested in how he seemed to be in regular contact with a girl, and that pair of younger players, who were a constant source of teasing were also amusing to watch.

She shrugged it off and took her own bag up. She had an AmuSphere for herself, mostly so she could watch Kazuto in action. The streamed recordings were compatible with Full Dive systems, after all. She hoped she could get a better viewpoint of what was going on this way.

She would find out later tonight, after dinner. She idly wondered if Suguha would do so as well, or experiment with Alfheim Online first, and shrugged.

She would have gotten an extra one for her husband, Minetaka, but he had thrown himself into his work and was out of the country right now. She knew that he was troubled by Kazuto’s situation, even if he couldn’t really voice it. Too many things had been said, too many harsh words that cannot be taken back were exchanged, between them for them to mend the rift they had between them easily. Children don’t take well to finding out they were adopted, even when told by their parents, and Kazuto found out from the National Registry.

Kazuto had considered what he had been told a lie, and Minetaka thought he was being ungrateful. Both were right, and they both knew that. It didn’t stop the emotions from affecting how they thought of the matter, though. They had been calmly, even coldly, polite to each other since, but they had neither forgiven, nor forgotten what was said.

She shook her head free of that thought. The boys in her life were, for all their intelligence, stubborn idiots when they got an idea into their heads. But then, they wouldn’t be the people they were if they weren’t like that.

Still, she was pleased that her adopted son was opening up to others and making friends. She knew her late sister, Aoi, Kazuto’s mother, would have approved of that. Perhaps, after he got out of SAO, he would finally reconnect with his family.

June 4, 2023 - Setagaya, Wainwright Safehouse

“Report, Ms. Carlisle.” Richard ordered calmly the second she stepped into the room that doubled as his office.

Selene nodded. “Argo has found out that Lind is up to something, and she has passed the information to Harry.” She told him. “He has taken it under advisement, and Argo has promised to look deeper, up to tracking down members of Lind’s guild and using more… forceful techniques.”

Richard blinked. “Forceful?” He asked.

“It’s about as polite a way to describe “holding someone off the edge of Aincrad and threatening to have the walk home,” that I can come up with.” She replied with a shrug. “Harry called it accidentally participating in an assisted suicide if something went wrong.”

Richard nodded. “Interesting.” He said.

“Boss?” Selene asked with a little confusion.

“How concerned was he over Miss Argo’s words?” He asked.

Selene frowned. “He didn’t sound overly concerned, but that’s probably because they didn’t have anything more concrete.” She said. “I know he’s taking it seriously, but he’s aware that without more information, the only thing he can do is be a little more careful than normal.”

Richard became thoughtful. “We will need to notify Grandmaster Saotome and the rest of Miss Ayano’s family.” He said. “This development may end up affecting her, and I am fairly certain that they will want to be there.” He looked at her. “Until this ends, we are doubling our watch on Mr. Potter.”

“Understood, Boss.”

“By the way, Ms. Carlisle,” Richard added. “Do you have any ideas as to where or when Lind will act?”

Selene frowned. “Nothing concrete, but if I were to make a guess, he would do it on the twenty-fifth floor if possible.” She replied. “That’s where Harry called him out and the whole mess with him started. About two weeks or so is my best guess.”

Richard nodded. “Then we best get to work.” He said. “The option of terminating Lind is still off the table. I notified the Patriarch and he did not grant any exemption in this matter, not that I expected him to. It’s all up to Mr. Potter.” He shook his head. “Still, we must be ready to run damage control.”

June 15, 2023 - Kyoto, Undisclosed Location

She looked down on the girl lying on the futon, her expression sad. For seven months, nothing had changed, and there was nothing she could do about it. She peered off to the side to the device that had been hooked up to it so she could see what the girl did, a favor given for a likely favor to repay at a later date.

She had an idea what they would likely want. The Wainwrights had a magical youth under their charge who was in the same situation, so the future favor would likely be to aid his recovery. Or it might be something else, but nothing she wouldn’t be unwilling to do. They rarely asked anything of her, but her knowledge and ability with healing magic was exceeded by few.

A small favor given, for a small favor in return.

And as she looked down on her youngest daughter, her tails were limp and her ears drooped as she cursed the name of Akihiko Kayaba. He was the architect of this, and when she found him, he would feel her wrath.

For Sachiko Yasaka, the last remaining Kyuubi no Kitsune alive for at least the next century, nothing else would suffice. The man had made her daughter, Mizore, a prisoner in his mockery of a world.

And while her mother silently watched her daughter and raged at a man who was still out of her reach, Mizore Yasaka, known in Sword Art Online as Argo, continued her journey.

June 20, 2023 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital

Ranma sat down next to his granddaughter’s hospital bed and took her thin hand in his. Despite the best attempts by hospital staff and medical technology they could only slow the muscular atrophy, not prevent it. He could ask his brother-in-law, Tofu to do something about it, but that would likely have to wait until SAO was cleared. It would raise too many questions.

As it was, she only looked like she had been confined to a bed and in a coma for a month, not the nearly eight it had been. Her inherited resilience, along with the slight electric currents running into her muscles, keeping the worst at bay. Most other patients were farther gone, but it was still slowed considerably.

He shook his head free of those thoughts and turned his attention to the monitor of the computer that was networked to her Nerve Gear.

Sumire and Tetsuhiko would be here later, if possible, but they had commitments they couldn’t simply get out of, so he volunteered to be here. Akane was just outside the room talking with Kasumi, the two sisters using the opportunity to share family news and exchange information on Keiko’s activities. He had simply gone in and began his vigil, knowing that if anything important happened, Kasumi would have already informed the family, or would tell his wife.

Even so, he was here for a reason, outside of a grandfather checking in on his granddaughter.

Those who were body guarding that boy, Harry, had notified them that some things in the background were coming to a head and there was a possibility that Keiko could get swept up in them. It had taken them a bit to give them all of the context, but it simply boiled down to some kid having his ego bruised and wanting some payback.

They were monitoring the situation, but they notified him and his family as a courtesy, and the fact that if things went wrong, it would be better for them to be present, rather than get a clinical notification from one of the doctors on staff.

They had assured him and his family that they doubted that it would get to that point, but they didn’t outright dismiss the possibility. He had noted their professionalism, and understood the courtesy, as much as he didn’t appreciate it in some ways.

He didn’t want to know that his granddaughter was knowingly walking into a situation that could easily spiral out of control. He didn’t want to know that if things went terribly wrong, her life would be tragically cut short. He didn’t want to know that some family traits bred all too true for a kind, friendly, and gentle girl. He was already unhappy with how SAO was turning her into someone who would have fit in all too well with his generation.

He was absolutely and coldly furious that he couldn’t do anything about it.

And at the same time, he was proud of her. Proud of the fact that she was rising to the occasion. Proud of the fact that she was facing her situation head on.

He was both worried for her and proud of her, and if something happened to her, he would personally track down whomever was responsible.

He began to watch the monitor, watching what Keiko was doing. Worried, proud, furious at his inability to do anything more than this he might be, but he would watch this through to the end.

##

“They’re approaching the next area that Harry has pegged as one of the ones where Lind might either meet with them, or ambush them.” Selene said in a voice that radiated forced calm. “It seems as if they’ve noticed some watchers and… what are they doing?”

Richard looked at the monitor and snorted. “It seems as if they’re putting on a show for their watchers.” He commented idly. “Their interactions with each other are well known, as well as Miss Ayano’s occasional… what was that word you once used Ms. Carlisle? Ah, tsundere. Ms. Ayano’s occasional actions in line with a tsundere from an anime with regard to Mr. Potter are well known. And what does she mean about her family not doing kawaii? What does… ah, never mind.”

Selene nodded and watched, snorting at their antics. “They’re playing it up now.” She said drily. “And oh, look, she’s now chasing him.” She shook her head in amused exasperation.

“Pay attention, Ms. Carlisle,” Richard said firmly. “It seems as if they have arrived.” He focused on the screen in front of them both.

“Did he just quote Warriors?” Selene asked and then watched as Silica and he high-fived. “I guess he did.” She shook her head. “And now they’re… oh,” she barely restrained a laugh. “They’re acting as if he’s unimportant, and...ouch, nice burn, Silica.”

Richard nodded and continued watching.

##

“That guy is rather full of himself, isn’t he?” Akane asked as Lind finished listing what he blamed Harry for.

“Almost as bad as Kuno,” Ranma replied. “Not quite as bad, and smarter to boot. He’s not rising to the bait, which Kuno would have.”

“Point.” Akane admitted. She watched as Lind challenged Harry to a duel. “He does seem to like playing with fire, though.”

“Some people need to get burned a few times more than others.” Ranma replied. “Keiko’s not happy about it, though.”

“Can you blame her?”

“Not one bit, and it looks like it’s starting.”

The two of them watched as the duel commenced. For experienced martial artists who had been in as many fights as they had, it was rather underwhelming. It was clear to them that Harry was holding back and in complete control of the fight. It wasn’t that Lind was bad, they had seen how more than a few other players, high level ones at that, were lacking, but the difference in level and simple ability was readily apparent to them.

Despite how dangerous and how real it was, SAO was still a video game, and video games were unfair like that. Even so, it wouldn’t have mattered. Harry wasn’t a master swordsman by any stretch, but he wielded his sword like an extension of his body, his movements were more natural, and far smoother.

Lind had left several openings Harry could have used to end the fight, openings that they knew that the boy saw, and ignored. Instead, the boy made light attacks which whittled down Lind’s health.

And then, things began to go wrong.

##

“What the hell?” Selene asked in shock. “Where did they come from?”

Richard’s gaze sharpened as he thought about it. “It may be that the ones they saw following them at a distance might have been them.” He replied. “And that one, the one with the knife making those threatening moves toward Ms. Ayano…”

“He’s going to…” Selene stopped as the view simply shifted as Harry acted. “Whoa! That was… holy shit!”

“Two strikes, one to disarm, and the other to behead.” Richard said clinically. “And how he got there… it can’t be…”

“Boss, our wards just pinged.” Selene said. “Someone used magic, and… oh, oh.”

“Indeed Ms. Carlisle.” Richard replied calmly. “Indeed.”

##

“Remind me never to piss that kid off, dear.” Ranma said with a calm he did not feel as both he and Akane were shocked by Harry seemingly teleporting and killing the player who was making a move to kill Keiko. “Also, I think we can now accept that he cares for Keiko, probably more than he thinks.” He added with a note of grim approval in his voice.

“Right,” his wife replied weakly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone act with that much cold fury, or so lethally.”

“I have, or I would have if I had a mirror to look in back then.” Ranma replied. He noticed his wife’s curious look and smiled sadly. “Phoenix Mountain,” he clarified as if that said it all.

Akane nodded, a look of sad understanding in her eyes. She turned her attention back to the monitor, and began to push down her emotions. “And more of them are now coming out of hiding.” She said with a false calm.

Ranma nodded. “And Keiko’s moving to back him up.” He replied just as much false calm.

To anyone who knew them, that calm was a warning. It meant that they were now past anger and fury, and were a hair’s breadth from a killing rage.

##

“Ms. Carlisle, this is being recorded, correct?” Richard asked as he watched.

“Yes, Boss,” she replied, not turning her attention from the screen.

“When this is done, we will need to make a copy of this, just in case.” He said.

“Right.” She replied. “Damage control?” She asked.

Richard nodded. “If necessary.” He replied. “After all of this is done, we’re moving our scheduled delivery up, and I will deliver this personally to Albus Dumbledore.”

##

The two groups watched the ensuing battle. They watched as three people fought for their lives against superior odds and held their own. Even so, the battle was not going in their favor. The near misses were getting more frequent, and shallow wounds appeared on them as they began to tire.

However, even though the battle was not going in their favor, they held their own long enough for backup to arrive. It was only six people, but they hit the attackers like a sledgehammer. The numbers were still in the attacker’s favor, but the sudden attack from the flank changed the tide of the battle. It was a matter of a few short minutes to route them.

All for one. They all watched as Harry screamed a warning in time for Keiko to dodge the attack from behind. And they watched as instincts honed in the death game kicked in and her lethal counterattack hit.

Richard and Selene saw the look of shocked horror on the girl’s face as she realized what she did. They watched as a girl’s innocence ended, even as Harry moved to comfort her.

Akane had her hand over her mouth in shock. Ranma simply looked on sadly, understanding exactly what happened. He looked at his wife and saw the tears in her eyes. He pulled her into an embrace and simply held her as she cried.

Cried for what her granddaughter had to do to stay alive.

As his wife cried in his arms, he continued to watch, nodding in approval at Harry doing the same for Keiko. He saw the sad understanding in the boy- no, the young man’s eyes. He saw him look off into space and that sad understanding turn, briefly into a cold fury that was directed at himself, and then that fury harden into resolve. And he saw how Harry’s expression softened when he looked back down to Keiko, how the young man didn’t offer words, but just a simple and comforting presence.

He had no idea what they boy had been through, or had done in the past, but he didn’t need to. He could recognize a warrior when he saw one, and he was grimly approving of the young man. He could see it, and he wouldn’t be surprised if everyone else in the family would the second he pointed it out.

Other players joked that those two were like a married couple, but Ranma could tell that they were wrong. They weren’t like a married couple, they were one. The absence of a wedding or a ring didn’t change that fact, and he idly wondered when those two would realize it.

But that was for later. For now, he comforted his wife, and made a mental note to talk with Harry’s bodyguards. He wanted to know the kind of person that he was.

Hogwarts, Great Hall

The man’s entrance into the Great Hall as the students were having breakfast caused a minor stir, but nothing major. While visitors were relatively rare, they weren’t unheard of. That the man walked straight to the Staff Table and conversed with the Headmaster was worthy of mild curiosity, but nothing else. The Headmaster had many duties, after all.

Hermione, though, paid attention to it. While she couldn’t hear the words being spoken, she could see the Headmaster’s expression change to one of cold politeness, to one that held both sadness and regret. She noticed that the man handed the Headmaster a small parcel, which the older man easily stashed in his robes, and walk out of the Great Hall.

She then watched as Albus Dumbledore stood up and waved his wand to send out sparks, grabbing the attention of the students.

“Students,” he began. “As you are all aware, Mr. Harry Potter has not been with us this year, but in Japan. You are also aware that he is to remain there for the foreseeable future, due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control.

“Since November of last year, Mr. Potter has been trapped in something called Sword Art Online, the creation of a genius madman by the name of Akihiko Kayaba. He will continue to be so until someone manages to clear it and free everyone. Even after that, Mr. Potter is unlikely to return here immediately. He will need time to recover from his ordeal, as well as get himself back to an acceptable standard academically. But that is something to worry about at a later date. Today, I have received news that while he is fine, he just underwent an ordeal which highlights the dangers he is in, and that not all of the dangers he faces are the work of one man.

“Earlier this day, by Japan’s time, he and his companion, Keiko Ayano, were attacked by others trapped there. They were attacked by people intending to cause harm, even kill, and were forced to defend themselves.”

Hermione’s breath caught in her throat. Defend himself? From people who were trying to kill him?

“For those students that have been involved in the project that has been viewing Mr. Potter’s activities and compiling them, we will be having one last viewing of those events in an hour’s time. Given the serious nature of them, and what happened, participation is strictly voluntary, and must be cleared by your Head of House.”

Hermione considered that. The fact that their presence had to be cleared by the Head of House indicated the worst. But Harry was still alive, so what…? A cold weight settled in her stomach as what was being implied sank in.

She would talk to Professor McGonagall and seek permission. She might regret it later, but she had to know. She looked at Ron and saw him nod in understanding. He might not be a part of the project, but he knew what was being left unsaid, and understood why those who would watch would need the approval of the Head of House.

He had seen Harry walk toward the Chamber of Secrets to rescue Ginny. He had seen Harry come out holding a bloody sword, a healed wound on his arm, the Headmaster’s phoenix companion, and his sister, still alive.

He knew that Harry could be deadly.

##

Albus sat down in his chair with a weary sigh, feeling every one of his one hundred and forty-three years. It had been against his best judgment, but enough of those in the project were muggleborns that they would have found out anyway. It was better to show them the full facts, rather than whatever they could find on their own.

Minerva and Pomona had protested, they were being asked to use their best judgment to give permission to their students to watch people fight to the death, after all. That didn’t sit with them well, and he fully agreed, but he had remained firm in his decision.

Miss Granger had spent many patient minutes explaining the internet to him and how it could be used to find almost anything. She also explained that the information can be painted in whatever light the person who put it there wanted to, and they often didn’t bother with things like validating their facts, or even care if what they were putting there were even true.

So he was aware that even keeping this from the students would only delay their finding out. He had explained it, and Miss Granger’s presence meant that she had probably reiterated it to Minerva, and likely more thoroughly.

At least this way, they would see what happened from Harry’s perspective, and he and the Heads of House were present in case any of them needed someone to talk to. It also allowed him to run any potential damage control, and to reiterate the gravity of what they had seen.

He would have to do the same at the Ministry, but that could wait for now.

As it was, Harry had been forced to kill, and he couldn’t be there to help him through it. He had not hidden the gravity of what had been done to Quirrell, had not told Harry to not blame himself, and instead helped him through it.

His door remained open, even during the events of last year, as Harry understood the difference between Albus Dumbledore, a man with more burdens than anyone would want, and Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even with the disciplinary actions taken due to his foolishness at the start of the year, Harry had not been afraid to approach him when he needed advice, or just someone to talk to. Someone who understood his turmoil.

And he now saw that Harry was going to do the same for at least two people, his constant companion Silica, and the friend he made in Kirito. He would do the same for them. He wouldn’t accuse, wouldn’t blame, and wouldn’t hide the gravity of what happened. But he would be there for them. He would be there to talk, to provide a shoulder to cry on, someone to yell at, and so on.

So, while this latest incident made him feel his age, he couldn’t help but feel a small bit of pride for his wayward student.

And part of him, Albus the Leader in War, the Planner, mused and made note: one could be another's equal and their opposite. For years, he had been doing his best to prepare Harry should another wayward student truly come back.

Now? For the first time he wondered if Tom had any idea what he'd unleashed when he'd indulged the prophecy.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 15 - Those That Chase Dragons

September 30, 2023 - Aincrad 35th Floor, Mishe

Harry shook his head as he watched Kirito pace up and down the hall and wondered what others would think if they saw him right now. Kirito, who wore calm and indifference like a comfortable coat, was nervous.

It would be funny, if it wasn't so irritating.

"Kirito, quit pacing like that," he said with more than a little exasperation.

Kirito stopped and looked at him. "They're taking too long." He replied.

"They're girls," Harry said with a shrug. "I'm pretty sure they're supposed to. Or, at least that's what I've been told whenever some of the guys at my school were waiting for their girlfriends so they could take them on a date."

"A date?!" Kirito squeaked.

Harry blinked. "Did- did you just squeak?" He asked incredulously and then shook his head. "Calm down, it's not a date. We're all just getting together, going out for a meal, and wishing Asuna a 'Happy Birthday.'"

Kirito sighed in relief and Harry bit back a snort and idly wondered if Silica was dealing with the same thing.

##

Silica restrained another sigh as Asuna frantically went through her inventory to look for an outfit that was just right. She wondered what all the fuss was, since she had little challenge picking out an outfit for herself.

Then again, she had experience from her occasional outings with Harry, which certainly weren't dates. They repeated that fact often enough, she wondered if others thought they were in denial.

Of course they think that we are, she thought with some amusement. Even Harry and I joke about it.

"What about this-"

"Fine, just like the other three times you showed me it," Silica interrupted Asuna's question. She didn't bother trying to remind her friend it was just a little get together for the older girl's birthday. It failed the first two times, and she was now tempted to simply tie Asuna down and stuff her into something to get it over with. While the stuffing part wasn't really needed, SAO allowed it. Probably the designers figuring it would be therapeutic for the stuffer in situations like this.

I wonder if my family's speed changing techniques would work here, she idly thought.

##

It took about another thirty minutes for Silica to get Asuna to settle on something and they finally left the room. They saw Harry, who was staring at Kirito in a way that made it look like he was contemplating getting either a rope to tie him down with, or a club to beat him unconscious. When he spied them, he sighed in relief. After giving Kirito a nudge to get his attention, he walked over to Silica.

"How badly was she panicking?" He asked quietly, giving her a quick look. Nothing outlandish, the simple combination of a peasant blouse and long skirt she tended to prefer when they occasionally went out lent itself well to a fairly casual evening.

"Probably as bad as Kirito, if the looks you were shooting him are anything to go by." She replied.

Harry snorted. "And we're the calm ones here." He replied drily.

Silica shrugged and looked over. "And now those two are... hey, you two!" She called out. "You want us to give you some privacy?"

Harry looked back at them and snorted. Kirito and Asuna were blushing furiously, and he could fill in the blanks. "So, were they dancing around each other like a pair of love-struck kids again?"

Kirito shot Harry an irritated look. "And you two aren't dancing around anything?" He asked. "Despite your denial about your dates, the only thing separating you two from a married couple is an actual wedding and the rings, or are you two going for a... what was it again?"

"I think you mean a common law marriage, Kirito." Asuna added. She then gave the two of them a speculative look. "That would actually make sense." She mused. "They share a room often enough, and occasionally a bed for that matter. So, anything you two want to tell us?"

Harry and Silica both flushed and raised their hands in surrender.

"Point to us." Kirito said smugly and they all shared a laugh.

"Ok, now that we're done teasing each other," Harry said with a sigh. "We have a reservation at the Wandering Pony to keep."

##

The Wandering Pony was packed, and from what they heard, it was like this most nights. The restaurant and attached tavern was popular with all the players who had made Mishe their base of operations, and even players passing through had heard of the establishment. The place's food was highly varied and everyone would admit that about half of the dishes almost tasted like they had come from the real world. Even those which didn't, had unique flavors that ranged across the whole flavor spectrum.

Due to that, as well as its high variety of drinks, the place was packed to the rafters and had a line going out the door. And that's on a slow night. On a busy night, it wasn't unheard of for the line to go to the teleport plaza.

It was for that reason that Harry had secured a reservation, actually ensuring that a table would be free for them. The time it would take for an order to be made wouldn't be much shorter than if they had walked in, the NPC staff was very efficient at what it did, but they wouldn't have to potentially wait for an hour or more to get in.

"Do you have a reservation?" The NPC manning the podium near the entrance asked. And it was in the pleasant, welcoming tone of someone who wanted your business and wanted you to enjoy giving them your col.

"Yes, a reservation for Hadrian, party of four." Harry replied, holding out a slip of paper confirming it.

The NPC checked the paper Harry handed him and consulted a list before nodded. "Very well, sir." He said. "If you and your companions will follow me, I will escort you to your table."

The four of them followed the NPC to an empty table that was off to the side of the main area, giving it a semi-private atmosphere. Harry and Kirito both moved to pull out chairs for Asuna and Silica and then took their seats after their companions were seated. As soon as they were seated, a waitress walked up and handed them menus, actual physical menus, rather than the interface for ordering they had long since gotten used to.

That was certainly new, and they all briefly marveled at the novelty of it before opening them and browsing through.

"Are there any drinks that you can recommend?" Harry asked.

The waitress looked to him and nodded. "Yes sir, the Bacchus' Wine has proven to be very popular amongst adventurers like yourself." She said. "If you prefer beer, our establishment makes its own and it is popular as well. For spirits, the Lost Fruit Rum, distilled from fruits found in the nearby Forest of Wandering is preferred by many. If you wish for something else, we also have a nice selection of teas and ciders."

Harry looked at his companions who all browsed their menus and found a drink that they wanted. Asuna and Silica chose the Bacchus' Wine, while Kirito and Harry settled on the beer. As the waitress left to get their drinks, the four then looked over the menus.

"I can see why this place is so popular," Harry said. "It's almost like being in the real world."

Asuna nodded. "The maitre'd and waitress were more expressive," she added, still looking through her menu. "Almost acting like you would see from the staff at a moderately high class restaurant. If the food is as good as we've heard…"

Kirito chimed in. "At least the dress code is more relaxed," he said. "Can you imagine me in a suit?"

Silica snorted. "I don't know Kirito, I think you and Harry would look good in suits," she chimed in and shot both Harry and Kirito speculative looks.

"In that case, you and Asuna would each have to wear an appropriate dress." Harry said and considered that idea. "Maybe we can do something like that for Christmas..." He paused as he saw all three of his companions blush at that. "Was it something I said?"

Asuna shook off her blush. "It's easy to forget that there's a lot you don't know about Japan, Hadrian." She said. "Since Christmas and the New Year are so close together, Christmas isn't treated the same way. You do have the gift giving, but it's a much more about spreading happiness, rather than religious observances and spending time with family. It's also got a romantic connotation, so a lot of couples go out on dates for Christmas Eve. Think of it as how Valentine's Day is celebrated in the West. The New Year is celebrated more like how you're probably familiar to Christmas being celebrated."

Harry considered that, flushed, and then shook it off. "Huh, I didn't know that." He then went back to browsing his menu.

The waitress arrived with their drinks and they placed their orders. The waitress took their menus and bowed before leaving.

Harry cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "While we wait for our food, I propose a toast." He said. "A toast to Asuna, wishing her a happy sixteenth birthday, and to her continued good health for the next year. So, without further ado… To Asuna." He raised his flagon and took a drink, with Kirito and Silica following suit. Asuna flushed in mild embarrassment before raising her glass and taking a sip of her wine.

Asuna's eyes widened in appreciation at the wine's taste. "I can see why this wine is popular," she said approvingly. "It's very good. And served in an actual wine glass, rather than the cups we've gotten used to." Silica nodded in appreciation as well.

Harry took a long pull from his beer and nodded. "The beer is very good as well." He said. "It tastes almost like the beer a local pub near my school brewed on site." He gave a small smile. "I remember some of my dorm mates who had permission to leave the school grounds one weekend purchased a keg and brought it in."

Kirito snorted. "Smuggled in accordance with your school's traditions no doubt."

Harry nodded. "It's an important tradition." He replied with a grin. "You know it was, because my Head of House once chided our best for using the route she did as a student twice."

"I still don't know whether I should say your school was cool, an asylum, or some part of Nerima that got transplanted to where it is now, given some of your stories." Silica said with some amusement.

"Well," Harry said. "To decide whether any such comparisons apply, the answer would have to be… yes."

All of them shared a laugh. They continued to make small talk until their food arrived and then began to dine in earnest.

##

It was on the way back that Kirito noticed that something was up with Asuna and Silica. Both of their faces were slightly flushed and it seemed as if their eyes were also slightly unfocused. Despite that, they were still steady on their feet, but…

"Silica?!" Harry said in shock. "Hey! Watch the hands!" The girl was now hanging off of him in a way that certainly didn't mesh with her nearly fourteen years of age. And judging by what Kirito was seeing, she was getting… grabby, affectionate, overly amorous, or a combination of all three. "Guys, I could use a little help here."

"Mmmm, no wonder we keep saying they're a married couple." Asuna murmured. She gave a sad sigh. "If only I could be that lucky." She said morosely.

Kirito blinked and looked at Asuna, who was giving Harry and Silica a wistful, and slightly sad look. "What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

Asuna looked at him. "Well, I just… I just wish I could have someone like the two of them have with each other." She replied slightly hoarsely. "I mean, those two… they're so perfect for each other. What are the chances I could find something like that? My parents- ah damn it all."

Kirito glanced back and saw Harry trying to pry Silica off of him, with no success. He watched as Silica whispered something into the boy's ear and his face immediately turned red. Harry's attempts to pry Silica off of him redoubled, with about as much success as the previous ones.

Turning back to Asuna, he carefully ignored Harry and Silica, glad that there weren't any players around them at that moment. Argo's going to have a field day with this when she finds out, he thought idly before focusing his attention back on Asuna.

Asuna sighed and shook her head. "I'm not no-normally like this…" She trailed off for a bit and got thoughtful.

"What do you mean, Asuna?" Kirito asked.

"All this…" She replied, waving her hand in the air as if it meant something. "Seeing Harry and Silica together, knowing that with my family I can't have that… damn it. Corporate daughter? Wealth? It's a cage, a fucking gilded cage." Her words came out as a snarl. "Being rich, having it all? Bah! More like having to meet everyone's expectations. Do this, do that, don't do these things, all because it is expected of you. You have an image to maintain after all." She all but growled.

"Asuna, I'm sure that your family-" Kirito began before Asuna cut him off.

"I know they care." She said. "I know that they love me. It's just, again, being up there? It's all about the image you present. It's not about the person. It's all about a damn lie that you show the public."

"Umm, guys?" Harry called out. "Can you help me a bit he- Silica?" He finished with a squeak. "Outside the belt!"

"You two, you two have each other, so cute together, so perfect." Asuna grumbled. "Do you even know what you have?!"

"Kirito, what's gotten into her?" Harry asked. "Damn it, Silica! Stop that!"

"Mm, but Harry…" Silica trailed off as her hands continued their wandering.

Kirito coughed. "I think they're drunk." He said.

"What." Harry said flatly. "Drunk? But you can't get… oh bloody hell." Those last words were in English, but the sentiment was clear.

Kirito gave him a questioning look.

"Bacchus' Wine." Harry said. "Bacchus, as in the Roman God of Wine. Of course it would be able to get players drunk." He absently grabbed one of Silica's wandering hands and moved it in the opposite direction it had been moving. "So, this is what they're like when drunk."

Kirito raised an eyebrow.

"Just look after Asuna." Harry said. "Sit somewhere private, talk to her, and let her get it out of her system until the effects wear off." He gave a sigh of relief when Silica seemed to give up with the wandering hands, only to stiffen when she climbed up his back enough to make her head level with his. The fact that she nipped his ear might have had something to do with it.

Kirito looked at Asuna, who was watching the two with a somewhat melancholy look that was somehow tinged with amusement, and nodded to himself. "And you?" He asked with some amusement.

Harry gave Kirito a flat look. "I'm taking her to the inn, filling a bucket from the bath with cold water, and dousing her with it." He replied. "It should hopefully cool her off a lit- urk!"

"A bath sounds great!" Silica cheered, grabbing Harry by the collar. "I'll wash your back, and you'll wash mine!" She then looked at Kirito and Asuna, nodded to them, and proceeded to drag Harry off by the collar of his shirt.

"Hey Silica, leggo!" Harry protested.

Kirito chuckled at the sight and turned to Asuna, who was staring in the direction they went somewhat wistfully. "So, Asuna, want to go somewhere and talk?" He asked.

Asuna looked at him, her eyes still somewhat unfocused, but slightly clearer, and nodded.

"Well then, I think I saw a place that's not too far from here that's private that we can go to." He said as he offered his arm. "Shall we?"

Asuna gave a small smile, linked her arm with his, and followed him.

##

Silica was mortified about it the next morning, while Asuna was simply embarrassed, much to the amusement of Harry and Kirito. They wouldn't say anything. There was no teasing or even the most joking of blackmail; they'd grown too close not to see when such privileges should not be pressed.

This became doubly true after Klein got the boys drunk a week later, during Kirito's birthday.

Both of them vowed vengeance against him for that, especially since Argo got pictures of the two of them bare chested and dancing in front of a flustered Asuna and Silica. They also resolved to never touch Bacchus' Wine, or any drinks known to intoxicate a player again without a very good reason.

Of course, being in Aincrad, it would only be a matter of time before they were given one.

October 14, 2023 - Aincrad 43rd Floor, Glorin

It had taken her two months to track down the four. Two long, frustrating months since the word had spread that they had crawled out of wherever they had sequestered themselves in the aftermath of a pitched battle with PKers.

It would have probably been easier had they simply returned to their old habits of working heavily toward clearing SAO, rather than their wandering around the upper floors killing mobs and aggressively working on increasing their own levels and getting stronger. They still were there for boss fights, to the point where their presence was starting to be considered a key component, rather than a helpful addition.

Add in that she needed to get her level sufficiently high enough to be able to navigate the upper floors with some pretense of safety, and it certainly took time.

"Rain, are you sure that they're here?" Her companion, Lux, asked. "I understand you want to meet them, a lot of players who lost someone to those bastards do, but you're actually trying to track them down. It's drawing attention."

Rain sighed as her companion raised that point again. Not that she could blame her, really. Despite seeing her own friend killed in front of her before she had been able to escape from the same PKers, Lux was more interested in simply laying low. Then again, she had reason to want to, she was one of the few players who was not a PK, or Red Player as the term was starting to be, who had seen the leader of that group.

"Lux," she said. "Argo's information said they were here. If not in the town, then they would arrive back in town later."

"How do you know that they would arrive later?" Her companion asked.

"Because Argo told us that someone was looking for us, and we set this up." A boy's voice said from behind them.

Both Rain and Lux stiffened and warily turned around to see two players looking at them expressionlessly. Considering their youth in comparison to the majority of players, it was likely Hadrian and Silica, rather than Kirito and Asuna. The presence of a feathered dragon certainly increased the likelihood that the girl was at least Silica.

"Are you Hadrian and Silica?" Rain asked carefully.

The boy shrugged. "We might be, who wants to know?" He asked, still keeping his expression neutral.

Rain stepped forward. "My name's Rain," she said, introducing herself. "My friend here is Lux."

The boy nodded. "And your reason for trying to find us?" He asked.

Rain shot him a flat look. "And how do I know that you're who we're looking for?" She asked. "You could be any otrod'ye up here for all we know."

"What was that?" The girl asked.

Lux sighed and put a hand on Rain's shoulder. "Rain, calm down." She looked at the pair. "Don't mind the Russian she sometimes uses, she tends to do that when she starts getting frustrated or annoyed." She put her finger on her chin. "And when she wants to curse some idiot out."

"Lux!" Rain protested.

Lux gave her a flat look. "It's true, Rain, don't deny it." She shook her head as Rain huffed and pouted. "And people wonder which of us is the older one."

The boy snorted and turned to the side. "Silica, find Argo." He said. "Get her here to confirm this and- never mind." He looked to the side. "Come on out, Argo." He called.

"How do you- never mind." Argo grumbled. "Always ruining my fun, Harry."

"We know you, Argo." Silica said with a giggle. "You've snuck up on us too often, I'm beginning to think you're stalking us."

Argo shrugged. "Stalking, sneaking, spying, gathering info, getting blackmail on you guys…."

"Same difference, right," Harry sighed. "Is this...?"

"Yup," Argo replied cheerfully. "These are the two who were looking for you guys." She peered at Harry. "Though, you were the one who pointed me in Rain's direction, Harry."

Harry got a confused look on his face. "I did?" He asked.

Argo nodded. "She was the one who escaped Johnny Black that you heard of from him before you… cut him off." She replied.

Harry winced. "Ah yes, him." He growled, his eyes hardening and seeming to glow.

Rain and Lux backed up a step and Argo's look sharpened at that. Silica put a hand on Harry's shoulder and his posture relaxed. "Sorry." He said. "That incident still tends to get my blood to boil. I'm not proud of what I did, but I don't regret it." He then looked at Rain and Lux. "So, why are you two so interested in meeting us?"

Rain took a breath and looked directly at him. "I want to thank you." She said. "Because of you, that… that sukin syn won't hurt anyone else."

Harry took a step back, and Rain was rather stunned. Between the blush, the momentary wince, and then the... humble? No, not humble. The restrained smile he gave them, the young man did not seem to revel in his deed. "I was... protecting someone. Given a chance, I'd... rather not kill."

Rain nodded, accepting that. She knew that killing was not something to take pride in, but she didn't have the same… disgust towards those who were forced by circumstances in doing so that most Japanese people did. To be disgusted with people in that situation was wrong to her in many ways.

It wasn't praiseworthy, but it didn't warrant the condemnation it often received. Then again, she had been born in Russia and spent much of her childhood there. Her mother has tried to explain some things, but she hadn't been immersed in Japanese culture until about six years ago.

She understood the Japanese viewpoint, but it wasn't internalized with her way it would have been had she been raised in Japan since birth.

Still, she looked at Hadrian and saw someone who, while not proud of what he did, and sincerely wishing he hadn't been forced to do it, was also not ashamed of it. He did it to protect someone, so it was justified in his eyes. And she could tell that if the same situation popped up again, he would do it again.

For her, knowing that there were people who would do what was necessary to protect people, it was reassuring. It also made it easier to her to make a simple request of him.

She wanted to join him and his group. They were strong enough to protect Lux, who had seen the leader of those red players and was justifiably afraid of them tracking her down and permanently silencing her. And she knew the type of people that those red players were.

They would be back, and they would track down and kill anyone who had seen them and lived to tell the tale. And that included Hadrian and his group. And when that happened, she would be there, and she would be ready.

She would not run when that happened, not again.

##

Asuna didn't know what to make of the two girls who were with Harry and Silica when the group walked into the inn. A quick glance at Kirito showed that he was just as confused, though it quickly changed to a neutral expression. They had heard that there was a pair looking into everyone, trying to find them, but they expected Harry and Silica to talk with them and send them on their way.

They both saw Argo enter in as well, and the fact that she didn't immediately move to the shadows was indicative that the conversation would be serious. Or at least interesting. Well, they would find out soon enough.

"Hadrian, Silica, who are your two new friends?" Asuna asked.

Harry gestured for the other two girls to take a seat before he and Silica took theirs. Once they were seated, Harry looked at both Kirito and Asuna and sighed. "Kirito, Asuna, this is Rain and Lux," He said gesturing to them. "They're interested in joining up with us. I figured that you two would want to hear the why for that as well and we can decide as a group."

She nodded looked at the two. One, Rain if she was right, was rather tall, with light brown hair and eyes, and a developed but relatively athletic figure. The other, Lux, was shorter, with pale hair, grey eyes, and who was rather well endowed.

Rain was keeping whatever nerves she felt under control, keeping her expression firm and determined, while Lux looked like someone who was scared of her own shadow.

Asuna shook the thoughts her observations were making out of her head and gave them both a level look. "So these are the two that have been trying to track us down," she observed. "And you said they wanted to join us, Hadrian?"

Harry nodded.

"They do know that we're not a guild, right?" Kirito asked idly. "It's not like we represent anything to join."

Argo snorted from her spot off to the side. "I don't think it's about that, Kii-bou." She said drily. "Rain was one of those who escaped Johnny Black and Red-eyed XaXa, in fact, Harry pointed her out to me after you little incident with him." She then pointed to Lux. "In this one's case, she's one of three I know of who's seen the leader of those red players, the same guy who was probably the one who set them on Harry, Silica and Lind."

"Speaking of Lind," Harry said. "That reminds me. He sent me a rather amusing picture a few months ago. Really helped with the nightmares after that incident. Anything you'd like to tell us, Argo?"

Argo's face turned crimson and she glared at Harry. "You were the one who put him up to that, weren't you?" She asked.

Harry smirked. "I may have given him the idea," he replied. "And no, we're not distributing it."

Argo sighed in relief and brought herself back to the task at hand. "Anyway," she said, shooting another look at Harry. "I think it's for other reasons that they want to join up with you two. Well, Rain wants to at any rate. I think Lux is just along for the ride, though given that she's actually seen the bastard in charge of those guys..."

Rain looked around and leaned in. "She'll be a target." She said simply. "So will I, if only because I escaped and XaXa is still at large. And so will you all." She took a breath. "I can't say it with certainty, but I know their type."

Harry quietly swore in English. "Damn it, she's right." He said. "Those bastards haven't been seen since that incident, but that might be due to them laying low, and I have no doubt that Argo knows who most of them are by now." He looked at Argo, who nodded. "And unless they ran into something that killed them, they're only keeping a low profile." He then turned his gaze to Rain and Lux. "So, you two want to join us for protection then?"

Rain looked at Lux and then back to Harry. "For her, yes." She replied and then took a breath. "For me, it's more the strength in numbers being with you would provide. I was able to esca- no, I ran when they came after me and my friend. I got away, but…" She closed her eyes. "I can still hear her screams as that, that ublyudok, had his fun." Her eyes hardened. "Since the other one will come after me anyway…"

Harry nodded. "Forgiveness." He said simply. "That's your motive. With a large helping of revenge thrown in for your friend, but you want forgiveness and think that being with us will help you. You ran and lived, while your friend didn't make it. You want forgiveness for that." He shook his head. "No, you want to be able to forgive yourself."

Rain looked at him in shock. Harry returned her look with a sad one. "I know the feeling. My parents were murdered, my mother right in front of me." He said. "I was only a year old, but I remember some of it, and now knowing what it actually was…" He didn't finish the sentence, he didn't need to. He then shrugged. "It's irrational, I know. It's not like I could have done anything there, but that feeling is still there.

"You want forgiveness for escaping, while your friend didn't. I won't trivialize it, or dismiss it, but had you stayed, you would have gone through the same thing. You would have been tortured for their sick amusement, or worse before they killed you." He didn't mention what the worse was, but everyone knew what he meant. Johnny Black's reputation was circulated, which convinced many that killing him was well justified. "Prioritizing one's own self-preservation isn't cowardice, it's simply human. You wanted to survive, and you did.

"That you want protection isn't cowardice, either. That you want revenge is understandable. Unfortunate, but understandable. But they all come down to the first reason in the end.

"You want forgiveness. The dead can't grant it, so you want to be able to forgive yourself."

Rain met his eyes levelly for a minute and then lowered her gaze.

"Um, can I offer my input on this?" Lux asked. At Harry's nod, she decided to continue. "I kind of figured that there was a revenge motive with her, but the forgiveness bit is new. She's been working so hard to get stronger and level up that she's taken some fairly crazy risks." She then shot her companion an exasperated look. "And I've been dragged along for the ride enough times that I had to get stronger just to keep up."

Asuna looked at Rain with a raised eyebrow and watched as the older girl had the grace to look embarrassed. She then glanced at Harry and Kirito then back to Rain before sighing. "And now there are three reckless idiots." She said.

"Hey!" Harry and Kirito protested, while Rain looked confused.

Asuna shot the two boys a sharp look and smiled at Lux. "So, does she charge in without a care in the world, somehow always coming out alive, if not unscathed?" She asked.

Lux nodded while Kirito looked ready to protest before simply raising his hand acknowledging that Asuna had a point.

"Despite all that," Asuna continued. "Does she need someone at her back who often questions what they're doing and making sure that someone has the sanity to be cautious?"

Silica giggled and shot Harry an amused look. Harry simply shrugged, not even bothering to make a token effort at protesting what Asuna said.

Lux just nodded again at Asuna's statement and Rain was now shooting her a hurt look.

Asuna seemed to think on it for a moment and nodded. "That settles it then." She looked at Kirito and Harry. "You two will start taking Rain out and evaluating her abilities. See where she's weak and shore those areas up. Also, teach her how to moderate her recklessness, or at least use it constructively. She's too much like you two and needs the benefit of your experience." She then looked at Silica. "Silica, you and I will take Lux and get her up to speed."

Rain blinked in confusion and looked over at Lux, who was just as confused. She then looked back at the group. "What just happened?" She asked.

Silica looked at the amused Harry and Kirito and back to the two girls. "Welcome to the group," she said with a smile. "At least for now. You two might eventually decide to go your own way later."

##

As Harry made to get up and work with Kirito on a plan for Rain, Argo caught his eye and indicated that she wanted to talk with him. He shot Silica a look, who nodded and went back to talking with Lux and Rain.

"Hadrian?" Kirito asked.

"Argo wants to talk with me, Kirito." He said. "And judging by her look, she wants it to be private."

Kirito raised an eyebrow. "Should I sit on Silica and give you time to run?" He asked.

Harry snorted. "I doubt Argo's going to come on to me." He said drily. "Might use this as an opportunity to embarrass me for giving Lind the idea of kissing her and sending us a picture, but this is Argo we're talking about."

"Point."

"Besides," Harry added with a smirk. "If she's going to come on to anyone, it would be you, and she would offer to share with Asuna."

Kirito sputtered and Harry walked off with a chuckle.

He followed Argo to an alleyway and saw her bring out what he was privately thinking of as a Privacy Field Generator. That and if he called it a Somebody Else's Problem field, he had a suspicion that many a Douglas Adams fan would use his spine as a cricket bat. Him being in SAO and thus it not getting out to the outside world be damned.

Bless Professor Flitwick and the Hogwarts Reading Club for filling out his club electives. Besides the wonderful books, it gave him a way to dodge Oliver's occasionally maniac training and pull Hermione away from her text books.

Here's hoping I get to do that again, Harry reflected.

"So Argo," he began as soon as the field activated and the background noise muted. "What's this about?"

Argo gave him a searching look and then reached over to brush his hair to the side, showing his scar. She chuckled a bit and shook her head.

Harry gave her suspicious look and then considered why she would do something like that. The only thing he could think of would be that she figured it out.

"So, you figured it out." He said simply. "That I can use magic."

Argo nodded. "And I think I figured out who you really are" She replied. "But perhaps I should properly introduce myself."

Her posture changed, and she looked at Harry directly. "My real name is Mizore Yasaka, final year student at Mahou Tokoro School of Magic in Kyoto. It is a pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter."

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 16 - A Distant Thunder

October 14, 2023 - Aincrad 43rd Floor, Glorin

Harry looked at Argo and sighed. “You’re the second person to figure out that I can use magic,” he replied drily, absently rubbing at his forehead. “But I didn’t expect someone to know what my real name is. I should be surprised, but I’m not.”

Argo raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” She asked.

Harry snorted. “Argo, it’s you.” He replied dryly. “If anyone would have, you would have been at the top of the list due to your ability to get information and figure things out.”

She smirked. “Nice to know my skills are being acknowledged.” She replied smugly. “Still, someone figured out you could use magic before me?”

Harry nodded. “Silica figured it out the same day the incident happened.” He said. “And before you ask, as far as I know, neither she, nor anyone in her family is actually capable of magic, but apparently her grandfather has a rather unique curse, so she’s grown up around it.” He shrugged. “And apparently, her being from Nerima seems to mean that a lot of rules tend to get bent with regard to some things.”

“Wait a second,” Argo said sharply. “A grandfather with a rather unique curse, and she’s from the Nerima ward?” At Harry’s nod she shook with suppressed mirth. “No wonder she knows.” She said with a chuckle. “I think I know who her grandfather might be.” At Harry’s curious look, she shook her head. “I’ll need to confirm it, first.”

Harry nodded and then considered something. “Hey, is it possible to send a message out of one of these fields?” He asked.

Argo took a moment to think of it and shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I never tried, but it’s probably best if I take it down though.”

“Then if you would do so, I’ll shoot a message off to Silica so she can join us.” Harry said.

##

Silica stepped into the alley and heard the background noise immediately fade as she watched Argo fiddle with the item in her hands. She shot Harry a curious look and he waved her over to where he was leaning against a wall.

“What’s this about?” She asked as she got next to him.

“Argo figured it out.” He replied.

Silica raised an eyebrow. “What did she figure out?”

“What am I supposed to be capable of, have been trying and failing to make work, and am not supposed to talk about?” Harry asked drily.

Silica’s eyes widened. “Oh, that.”

“Yes, that.”

“Alright, done.” Argo said. “Took a bit, but if we’re lucky, not even Kayaba will be able to spy on us now, and he’s the GM.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at that and looked at Silica. “Did she just-”

Silica sighed. “She did.”

Argo blinked and then facepalmed. “Oh come on, what’s the chance of him just looking in on us at this moment?” She asked.

“With you tempting fate like that?” Harry asked. “I would say somewhere between one hundred percent and guaranteed.”

“Well, in for a yen and all that.” Argo said cheerfully and then looked at Silica. “So, Harry here told me you already knew about magic before you figured out he is a wizard. So, I have one question, since he gave me some context about how you already knew. Are you related to Ranma Saotome?”

Silica blinked. “He’s my grandfather,” she replied. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Let’s just say I’ve heard stories about him, and half of Japan’s magical community wets the bed in fear of attracting his ire. Heck, quite a few outside Japan, too.” Argo replied. “Anyway, since you already know about magic, I am curious how you figured out that Harry here is capable of it.”

Aincrad GM Administration Area

Kayaba mused on the creativity and adaptability of players as he watched the conversation happening between the three with some interest. While it would be amusing to prove the famous information broker wrong about not being overheard through a message, breaking through that privacy field had been a non-trivial task. Given the nature of the conversation though, he understood their desire for privacy and secrecy.

Magic was real, and he had two people who were capable of it in SAO that he now knew of.

It was illogical. Everything he knew said that it was impossible, but the evidence was there if he looked. The incident with those red players was only the most overt example, there were numerous subtle ones that were obvious in hindsight once he looked at past data for irregularities.

He considered that and laughed. This, this was one of those things he was looking for. Someone who was capable of exceeding the limitations placed on him or her by the system. The method may have been one he never would have considered, but it didn’t change anything. Hadrian had managed, if only briefly and rarely, to surpass the system.

And he wasn’t the only one. There were other players who were beginning to do so, and each were accomplishing it in unique ways. He opened a menu and brought out the developer’s logs, looking for specific items of interest.

It may still be too early for these things yet, but he now had potential candidates for unique skills. He would have to compare the requirements he established with specific bits of data for each player, and even look at some ideas that were tested during development, but it was best to start the preparations for such now.

He had one that was conceptualized and tested during development that would fit Hadrian very well. He would have to set up something in the Testing Facility, or as the development team called it, the Hollow Area, to validate the concept to make sure, but oh yes, it would fit the boy very well indeed.

As for another, Kirito was a shoe in for the Dual Blades skill. The boy’s reaction speed and coordination bordered on the superhuman, and it was clear that he was one of the very few who could actually detect the minute changes in bandwidth from the actions of the system.

Most remarkable, and if anything, just as interesting to him as Hadrian.

“Cardinal,” he ordered. “Bring up the development and requirement logs for the Unique Skills, Mystic Blade, Dual Blades, and Shrouded Scout. Flag the following players:

“Player Hadrian, ID 7856, to be flagged as a candidate for the Unique Skill, Mystic Blade. Player Kirito, ID 0829, to be flagged as a candidate for the Unique Skill, Dual Blades. Player Argo, ID 0774, to be flagged as a candidate for the Unique Skill, Shrouded Scout.”

“ACKNOWLEDGED.” Cardinal replied.

He then looked back to the conversation between Argo, Harry and Silica and watched as it wrapped up. Even with this new knowledge, it didn’t change anything, but it was interesting and he looked forward to seeing what would come of it.

October 18, 2023 - Aincrad 40th Floor, Maar

Lisbeth yawned as she walked down the square which doubled as Maar’s open air marketplace, heading to where she had set up a stall for her blacksmithing business. While business had been good in Coral, and having a proper workshop for her to work with had been nice, business had slowed down considerably once the front lines had advanced far enough that even the mid-level players had started operating above the twenty-fifth floor on average.

A shame, really, considering she had almost saved up enough to make her rented shop a permanent arrangement, but that’s how things happen. Then again, it would probably be wise to save the col she had made and wait to set up on a higher floor. Perhaps one of the floors near the halfway point would have something…

“Hey, Liz!” A shouted voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned and saw several familiar players walking from the teleport plaza and grinned.

“Asuna, Silica!” She called out. “Also, I see Hadrian and Kirito are with you as well. What brings you guys here?”

Asuna gestured over her shoulder to two other players who were trailing the group. “We picked them up a few days ago when they asked to work with us for a bit.” She replied. “They’re pretty good, but there are some things that can use a little refining, so we’re getting them kitted out first.”

“Oh?” She asked. She took a closer look at the two and nodded. “So, taking them shopping here then?”

Asuna nodded. “This place is where most of the Merchant’s Alliance has relocated, after all.” She said, referring to the network of merchants and crafters who were a part of SAO’s bustling player economy.

“Ah,” Lisbeth replied. “Well, if you guys don’t mind waiting, give me a few minutes to get my stuff ready and I’ll open up my stall.” She then walked over to the unoccupied stall she had reserved for herself and began the process for opening it. “That reminds me, outside of getting some new gear for your new companions, you guys need anything repaired?”

“It wouldn’t hurt, Liz.” Harry said, rubbing at his forehead. Almost like the small scar was bothering him, but that was silly.

“It’s not looking as bad as it did after you guys faced that one mob, is it?” She asked, not even looking up.

“No, it’s not looking like it went through a woodchipper, my shield doesn’t have a piece bitten off, and so on.” He replied. “It only happened that one time anyway.”

“Had to ask, kid.” Lisbeth replied. “I still can’t figure out how your gear got that shredded and didn’t have its durability go to nothing.”

Harry shrugged.

“Wait, when was this?” Asuna asked.

Harry looked at her. “Field boss on the twenty-seventh floor.” He told her. “We scouted it, had a run-in, and decided that everyone else can play with it while we went and got our stuff repaired.”

“Ah, I heard about that fight.” Asuna replied.

“Heard about it? I was there.” Kirito said and then shuddered. “Not going to forget that fight. That thing’s call of-”

“Kirito, if you finish that sentence, I will stab you.” Silica interrupted.

“Seconded.” Harry added. “Good thing I was wearing brown pants then,” he muttered in English, which Silica snorted at. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear, which caused her to flush and elbow him in the stomach.

“Motion carries then.” Asuna finished and then looked at Kirito with a raised eyebrow. He raised his hands in surrender while Rain and Lux looked on bemusedly. Seeing those four interact with each other was certainly different. Entertaining at times, though.

“All right, finished.” Lisbeth said and then turned her attention back to everyone. “So, you need to get weapons for those two?”

Asuna nodded and gestured for Rain and Lux to come forward. “Liz, this is Rain and Lux. Rain, Lux, this is Lisbeth, a blacksmith friend of ours who handles a lot of our repair needs and occasionally making weapons or us.”

“Only because you guys get the most out of your weapons, enhancing them long past the point where most players would replace said weapons.” Lisbeth commented.

“What can we say, when we get gear that works well for us, we tend to keep using it.” Kirito said.

“It also doesn’t hurt that we spend enough time fighting mobs that we can usually replace our gear given time, no offense to you, Liz.” Harry added. “Still, it might not hurt to see what Liz can come up with before we start talking to Agil and a few of the other merchants.”

“Nice to know I’m appreciated.” Lisbeth said drily. “And none taken.” She then looked at Rain and Lux. “All right then. I make just about anything designed for the ancient art of killing things before they kill you. So, what’ll it be?”

Rain stepped forward. “I tend to prefer a bastard sword,” she said. “I’ve been using a spatha recently, but I definitely prefer something with a little more reach than that.” She patted the sword at her waist. “This would work better if I used a shield, but I never really got the hang of doing so.” She gave a wry smile. “I prefer to be mobile.”

Lisbeth gave Rain a look over. “You’re taller than average, and are slightly stockier, so that would work. You don’t have the build to really make the best use of two-handed weapons, so a bastard sword is a good compromise.”

Rain nodded and Lisbeth looked toward Lux.

Noticing that attention was on her, Lux fidgeted a little before taking a breath. “I’ve been using a schiavona for the last few floors, and I find it suits me,” she said. “So I guess that broadswords are my main type.”

Lisbeth nodded to herself. “So, a bastard sword for Rain, and a broadsword for Lux.” She said. “And how about the rest of you?”

Harry, Asuna and Kirito all indicated that they were currently fine with their weapons. Silica did walk forward and browsed over Lisbeth’s selection of blades suitable for dagger skills, which included short swords. She took a close look at one blade and then looked at Lisbeth.

“Mind if I check this one?” She asked.

Lisbeth looked at the blade and picked it up. “A xiphos, interesting choice.” She said. “This one turned out smaller than average when I made it, being forty-five centimeters long, rather than sixty. With your size, it should be a good fit.” She handed it over and watched as Silica checked its stats before backing away. Harry pulled Rain and Lux off to the side while Kirito and Asuna carefully backed off and they all watched as she gave it a few test thrusts and swings. She then finished with a sword skill and nodded.

“Short swords aren’t my usual preference, but this is fairly good and works well with dagger oriented sword skills.” She said approvingly before looking at Lisbeth. “How much for it, or will you take a mix of mats and col?”

“Let’s get the other two kitted out before you start haggling with Liz, Silica.” Harry said. “Not to mention getting our gear repaired.”

Silica nodded and handed the xiphos back to Lisbeth.

After she put the weapon back, she turned to Rain and Lux. “Well, look at what I have, and if nothing catches your fancy, I can probably make it, provided you have the mats.” She said.

October 27, 2023 - Aincrad 45th Floor, Volor Caves (Field Dungeon)

Rain sidestepped the attack from the mob, some kind of orc, and countered with a slash before backstepping from it before it could lash out. Hadrian immediately moved in and deflected the mob’s follow on attack with his shield and used the momentum to set himself into position to hit it with one of the most basic one-handed sword skills out there, Horizontal, to finish it off. If she hadn’t seen him pull off several high-level sword skills over the last couple of weeks, she easily would have thought that those basic sword skills were the only ones he knew.

But then, he was proving that the basics are every bit as deadly as the more advanced skills. Or as he put it, basics kill.

She took a look around where the fight took place before she relaxed her guard and lowered her sword. “Looks like it’s clear.” She said.

Hadrian nodded. “Looks like it,” he replied. “Surprised you decided to come along with me on a simple fetch quest.”

She shrugged. “I need the practice, and Lux went with Silica on her quest.” She replied.

“True.” He admitted. “Well, if our information is right, what we need should be in the next cavern.”

As the two of them walked down the passage, Rain considered her partner for this quest. For someone so young, he carried himself like a seasoned fighter, but without the swagger she sometimes saw amongst higher level players. It wasn’t even humility on his part, just a quiet self-confidence in himself. It was a far cry from what she had expected, to say the least.

At the same time, she saw the look in his eyes when she went with him and Kirito to a field dungeon a few days after she had met them. There was an alertness in him, an anticipation of the upcoming battles, and a certain glint of eagerness in his eyes. It was like night and day, considering how he was before they had gone there.

It was puzzling, but she chalked it down to him probably being an adrenaline junkie in real life, and it carrying over. The feeling of fear when in combat, the thrill of surviving, all of it could be addictive, and she would admit that. A part of her was drawn to that thrill, after all.

As they continued to walk down the passage, she idly wondered how Lux and Silica were doing. They had taken a quest in the same cave complex, if in a different area, after all.

##

Lux wondered what she had been thinking, accompanying a front-line fighter on a simple quest on the current top floor. While the mobs weren’t too tough, the safety margin for being on a floor was there for a reason, and she barely met that requirement.

“Relax,” her companion, Silica said. “You’re strong enough for this, and we made sure your equipment was current. This is as much to give us an opportunity to get used to our gear, as it is for experience and a quest reward.” She stopped and looked at her.

“Aren’t I holding you back?” She asked.

Silica shrugged. “Not really,” the girl replied. “You need some refinement, but you know the basics of handling a sword, and your level is good enough to be up here.” She then shrugged. “The level recommendation is just that, a recommendation. I know of two groups of players who do scouting and mapping that have a lower average level than that recommended one, and they do fine. And if you’re worried about your skill, I wouldn’t have you with me here if I didn’t think you were good enough.”

Lux could accept that and was about to ask another question when the sound of movement to her right reached her ears. She drew her weapon and turned to face where it came from. She felt, more than saw, Silica take position at her side as a group of patrolling mobs came in sight.

Lux felt her stomach drop at the size of the group. Ten mobs, three of them orcs, and the rest were smaller kobolds. She heard Silica quietly curse and saw her shoot off a quick private message before she opened up her map and looked at it. She looked at the advancing patrol, nodded, and dismissed the map.

“Lux, remember that chamber we were in a couple of minutes ago?” she asked. “We’ll back off to there.”

The two of them carefully backed away, not drawing the patrol’s attention until they had backed about fifteen meters. The two then quickly turned and made their way back to the indicated chamber.

Silica opened up her menu and looked at a received message before nodding.

“That was from Hadrian, he got my message and said to wait here if practicable.” She said. “He and Rain finished their bit and are making their way here. With two more, if we run into that patrol again, we should be able to-” She saw several mobs respawn in the chamber. “And we’ll finish this later, let’s go.”

Lux turned her attention to the mobs that just respawned and nodded. “Six of them, only kobolds, thankfully.” She said. “But we will have an orc or two after we take them out.”

Silica nodded. “Well, let’s get to it, then.” She said.

They readied their weapons and attacked the kobolds.

Aincrad, 45th Floor, Falstead

Harry stretched as the group of four walked back into the town. Backing Silica and Lux up was not a problem for him, he knew full well that a large patrol of mobs would have been problematic, at best, for two players. And that was if it was himself and Silica. They might be over levelled, but against enough mobs, their level advantage meant little. At least on the higher floors.

Kirito and Asuna might be a different story, Harry knew. He also knew that both of them were simply better in a fight that he and Silica were. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that there were those who were simply better than him. At the same time, even those two had come to admit liking having someone to back them up.

The trip to that objective drove home that calling for backup and waiting for it was a wise decision on Silica’s part. Five to one odds, while manageable by skilled players, were still not ideal odds, and the fight could easily take long enough for the mobs to respawn.

He and Silica both had that happen to them enough times, and handling such encounters usually ended with them breaking contact and pulling back. Sometimes, they would take it on after they recovered and rested, knowing what to expect had its advantages after all. Sometimes they waited until their levels were a little higher, using the advantage that levels provided. And sometimes, they went back to town and got some backup. Besides, a delay of a couple of hours was well worth it if it meant everyone coming back alive and unharmed.

There was no disgrace in knowing that you needed help and asking for it. While many on the front lines were somewhat elitist, few refused helping someone if they were available to do so. After all, it might be them needing help later down the line, and someone with a reputation for refusing to aid someone who needed it quickly found that there were few willing to help them in turn.

Some might bring up quality over quantity and be countered by the old saw of quantity having a quality all its own.

If he'd been able, Harry would have referred them to McGonagall and Flitwick.

Between wars, duels gone to brawls, and just day to day life in the armed society that was Wizarding Britain, the animagus and part-goblin had told many a tale on weekends in common rooms and the Great Hall about how quickly the quality of quantity built up. "The Wisdom of Crowds applies to battle as well," Flintwick had once said after explaining how he and a goblin relative had routed a large war-band from a contentious clan. "Luckily and sadly, so does the stupidity."

Staying alive in SAO might require skill, but it also required trust in your fellow players and the ability to trust the wisdom of the groups you made. Someone who couldn’t be trusted to help others, couldn’t be trusted period, and few were good enough to go solo for long. And few groups that couldn’t build trust and communication between members lasted long.

Trust was a key factor in staying alive, and most players valued living, after all.

October 31, 2023 - Aincrad 40th Floor, Maar

Silica looked around the various stalls set up for what could only be an improvised festival put together by the players. Somehow, someone who had been to America had remembered that this date, called Halloween in the West, was somewhat celebrated and passed the information on, which lead to a chain of players, adventurers, and merchants working together to set this up.

Frankly, she thought it was more an excuse for them to set up a week of parties to celebrate surviving a year in SAO, and people decided to run with it. That merchants and crafters would stand to make a killing in getting the more adventurous players to part with their col from all of this was a given.

Several tailors, including one named Ashley, who had made a name for herself as someone who did quality work, had made clothing and accessories for specifically for this day, though the clothing would likely see use after this.

As it is, people are using this as an opportunity to make idiots of themselves, she thought with some amusement as she observed several colorful players making poses that were reminiscent of the sentai genre. That they were making idiots of themselves was a given, especially considering that their flushed faces indicated that they were slightly drunk, but they were having fun, and several players were having just as much fun taking pictures of them with image crystals.

She glanced to her side and saw Harry looking around and remembered the shopping trip that they had all done the previous day. Asuna had dragged everyone to a small shop where the tailor Ashley had set up a temporary business, where the woman took one look at what they were all wearing before taking each of them aside and finding a look that was suitable for them.

The end result was on the expensive side, as it all was chosen for fashion rather than practicality, but the tailor knew how to mix armor and clothing and make it look good. The long blue silverthread coat was held closed by a truesteel breastplate, covering a form-fitting cropped top. The short black skirt with a golden edging was complemented by black stockings and calf-length boots and a finely done sword belt that had a floral motif completed the look.

It created a look that was certainly fashionable, but a quick look at the stats showed just how protective it was. Any complaints that Harry would have had, he was more focused on practicality after all, were silenced by that revelation. Not that he would have made much of a fuss about it, if his appreciative looks at her new look were any indication.

She then noticed him rub at his scar, as if it was bothering him. He had been doing so with increasing frequency over the last couple of weeks, and she was wondering why.

##

Harry’s scar was beginning to bother him more and more often, and he was beginning to find it rather irritating. Giving it another irate rub, he wondered what was causing it, given that it hadn’t bothered him in over a year, not since the last time he was in the presence of...

He took a surreptitious look around and didn’t notice anyone paying him and Silica any attention, so it couldn’t be that. Voldemort was a shade stuck in the real world, probably haunting some dark forest in Albania, not in SAO.

He didn’t dismiss the possibility that it was Voldemort though, even if he was sure that the man wasn’t here in SAO. For all he knew, it could mean that something had caused him anger, considering some of his experiences with the scar and Voldemort’s effect on it.

If that was the case, then he hoped that whatever caused it was a result of misfortune. It would serve the misbegotten son of a whore right.

“Harry, are you okay?” He heard Silica ask.

He looked at her and saw her looking at him with some concern and realized that she must have noticed that his scar had been bothering him.

Of course she had, he thought. And unlike everyone else, she knows me well enough for me to not be able to pass it off as a nervous habit.

“It’s been bothering me for the last few days,” he said simply. “I think I know why, but it’s one of those things that I’m not really comfortable with talking about.”

Silica considered that and nodded. “One of those things related to...?”

Harry nodded. “It is.”

Silica sighed but apparently decided to drop the matter. “If it continues to be a problem, you know you can talk to me.” She simply said.

Harry gave a small smile. “I know,” he replied.

Unknown Location (which was co-incidentally old Gaunt property)

Tom, who only really raged at others calling him that, though he'd rather be a Thomas...

Tom was enraged that the boy (thinking the name would give it power, the way the taboo gave his nom du plume a particular power) was out of his reach.

Months of planning to get the boy in his grasp and to get himself a new body, or at least a means of eliminating any possible threat the boy posed, and it all went to hell due to several factors, the chief one being that Harry Potter wasn’t on the British Isles.

And in his mind, months was an eternity. Worse, he'd lost one of the best at helping him curb his impatience. Barty... one of the few people Tom let close enough to almost like, with a flare for the dramatic he could appreciate.

That scheme with the cup-- out of the old stories, the ones in Hogwarts’ library he'd loved. And unlike others, he was honest with himself-- he knew that like everyone else, he wanted the freedom and power of being the bad guy. He just fessed up and owned it.

And all that planning, chuckling with Barty, and wishing Peter was there... Pettigrew was a coward, but he knew it and was honest about it. He had that self honesty which made him more trustworthy than Malfoy.

He had been gearing up for a fun year of manipulation. And bloody Lucius Malfoy had made his own plans and mucked it all up.

Tom forced himself to calm. He'd keep Lucy out of the loop on purpose, and the risk had bit him.

Still, the boy was out of the way, which meant that any possible threat he posed was gone for the time being. He could deal with that. It had been half of the genius of Barty's idea of entering him into the Tri-Wizard tournament. If he still could enter the boy, he would at least force him into being a competitor, albeit one that was unable to compete. Forcing the boy to lose his magic would have been a satisfactory alternative result.

No, the problem was that Albus Dumbledore had put security measures in place, measures that he told nobody about. This meant that his servant, perhaps friend if he were honest with himself, who had impersonated Alastor Moody, the very man in charge of security, was caught with contemptuous ease. This also meant that Dumbledore and several others now knew that he was back in England and trying to obtain a new body. Fortunately, his servant would be unable to tell them his exact location. Barty had insisted on that, and now Tom saw the wisdom in full.

Now he was stuck, without his right or left hand and not wanting to try the true loyalty of his pureblood figurehead and former spokesman, Malfoy. Bella was still in jail, though her... mindset made her a distant third to Peter and Barty.

Damn that old man! Damn the boy! Damn the world for losing the plot when he was gone!

Tom gave in and let himself fume a bit.

##

If it wasn’t for Silica’s weight holding his right side down, he would have shot up from the bed, hissing in pain as his scar flared. He idly wondered when she moved from the other bed before dismissing the thought. They only used two beds more as a formality anyway, given that while their relationship was nothing official, neither of them would deny that there was a relationship.

Not anymore, or amongst themselves, at least.

Still, the scar’s flaring in pain was indicative that Tom had been up to something, something that made him feel strongly, and it seemed as if whatever it was, it failed.

Good.

It didn’t explain why his scar reacted like that, especially when he was on the other side of the world, and stuck in SAO, but Professor Dumbledore had indicated that his scar’s reactions during his first year may have indicated that the two were connected in some way.

How? The elderly man admitted that he had some suspicions, but no proof. And Dumbledore had told him up front that while some were more likely than others, until he could confirm it, he would keep those suspicions to himself for the time being.

Harry had, albeit reluctantly, accepted that.

He heard Silica give a tired mumble as she began transitioning from sleep to being groggily awake. His eyes went to the upper corner of his HUD and checked the time, giving an annoyed sigh as it registered as three o’clock in the morning.

“H’ry?” Silica mumbled.

He looked over and saw her eyes crack open, the low light of Aincrad’s night allowing him to see just well enough to notice that. Not quite realistic, but he wasn’t complaining about that break from reality. Still, while the scar flaring in pain woke him up, it had, thankfully, already faded.

He moved his left arm and gave her head a gentle pat. “Scar just acted up Silica, nothing to worry about.” He said. “Just go back to sleep.”

“Mmm’k.” She mumbled and proceeded to shift herself more closely to his body. He felt it relax and listened as her breathing slowed from her groggy state to sleep and gave a small smile.

Somehow, part of him doubted his aunt and uncle ever had anything like this. Or if they did, those days were long past, which was a pity in a way. If they had it and kept it, they might have been better people than they were.

Idly, as Silica's warmth and his own tiredness helped sleep reclaim him, he heard a crack. A distant rumble of thunder, so far away the lightning was not evident from where they were on the floor. He fell asleep smiling.

He liked storms. As long as he wasn't in the middle of one, at least.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 17 - Take it Easy and Breathe

November 15, 2023 - Aincrad 46th Floor, Ant Hill (Field Dungeon)

Harry glanced at the time and sheathed his sword, gesturing to everyone else that it was time to leave. The field dungeon, or at least the part they were in, was small, crawling with mobs that could hit hard, though not take a hit, and they provided a lot of experience for their level. Not an insane amount, but the fact that they provided nearly double the experience they otherwise should, made this field dungeon highly popular with players.

So popular, in fact, that it was apparent that Kayaba had put a system in place to limit how much it could be used. There were four paths, one per party that entered, and the parties could only be in the dungeon for one hour before they had to leave. They could do so willingly, and get a fair amount of col and moderately valuable loot, or they could be forcibly teleported out and get nothing. After that, they had to wait six hours before they could enter again.

Even then, it could only be accessed twice per day at a maximum, and that was if the party in question was lucky, given how many tried to do at least one run in there per day. It was usually every day and a half, and would probably be that way for some time yet.

“Well, that’s enough of being here for today.” Kirito said as they left. “With the labyrinth open, we should probably head there tomorrow and help with the mapping and exploration.”

“That’s not a bad idea, Kirito.” Harry replied and looked at the others. “What do you all think?”

Asuna and Silica nodded, but they knew that Harry was asking Rain and Lux.

Rain shrugged. “I got no problem with it, it’s not like we’re going to be taking on the floor boss.” She said.

“If it’s no bother, I am willing to go with you all.” Lux said.

Harry restrained a sigh at Lux’s statement. They really needed to work on her confidence issues. For all that she was the weakest of them, that didn’t mean that she was weak. Quite the contrary, considering that she had been able to keep up with them.

She might lack Rain’s enthusiasm and drive, but she was determined to get stronger as well. Having a group of red players after you tended to make you prioritize things. It also said a lot about her situation that she thought being out on the front lines was safer.

Then again, despite the name, safe zones weren’t completely safe. Harry knew that there were ways to bypass the no damage restriction, a few duels gone wrong had made that abundantly clear. And those were duels where both were fully capable of acting. He could only imagine what would happen if someone figured out how to initiate a duel without the other person’s consent.

Silica walked up, Pina perched on her shoulder. “What’s on your mind?” She asked, breaking Harry out of his train of thought.

“Just had a thought of something I might need to bring up with Argo,” he replied. “It might not be anything important, but it just might.” He saw Silica’s inquisitive look. “Not here.”

She nodded and the group of six left Ant Hill to head back to town.

Aincrad 46th Floor, Sillendra

Keita was beginning to wonder if Hadrian and the others had decided to use a teleport crystal to a different floor when he spied the four players who had spent more than two months training up his guild enter the town. To his surprise, he saw two others with them.

Did they pick up two people to train? He thought to himself. Or have things gotten difficult enough for them to recruit two solo players. Shrugging and deciding it wasn’t his business, he stepped forward to greet them.

“Hey guys!” He called. “It’s been awhile.”

The group stopped and looked at him with some surprise before Hadrian grinned and walked forward. “Keita!” He exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder. “It has been awhile. What brings you up here, and how’s your guild doing?”

Keita smiled. “They’re doing fine, Hadrian,” he replied. “We all just decided to come up here and touch base with you guys since we haven’t seen you all for months.”

Harry nodded, still smiling. He turned back to the group he was with and saw Silica and Asuna give Rain and Lux a gentle push forward. “That’s good to know,” he said. “Anyway, let me introduce these two. Keita, this is Rain and Lux, they’ve joined up with us for the time being. Rain, Lux, this is Keita, guild leader of the Moonlit Black Cats. We worked with them for a bit back in April and May and parted ways in June.”

Rain and Lux gave their greetings and gave him a curious look while Keita shook his head. “Worked with us, he says.” He commented wrily. “What he isn’t saying is that he, Kirito, Asuna and Silica trained us up for preparation to tackle the challenges of the twenty-fifth floor and higher. They would have guided us through there, but after what happened in June... I can understand why they are rather soured to that floor.”

“And let’s not go any further on that subject,” Asuna said firmly. She then looked at Keita. “So you and the others decided to come up here for a visit?”

Keita nodded.

“Well then, where is everyone?” She asked.

Keita gestured to a nearby inn. “They’re already inside.” He replied. “You guys up for joining us for dinner?”

“Eh, what the hell,” Harry said. “I’ve been wondering how you all have been doing anyway. You can only get so much from Argo.”

##

Silica smiled as they all entered the inn, the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats having taken a table that was clearly visible from the entrance. It had been months since she had seen them, their groups having gone separate ways since the incident in June.

They had understood, even without Harry going into detail about the events. The very brief explanation about things having gone horribly wrong had said enough for them, though she wouldn’t be surprised if they got more details from Argo later.

Even so, she knew that Harry and Kirito had kept track of their progress, and that Harry had on occasion sent them little bits of info on some lucrative quests or areas for grinding experience, col and mats.

Still, it was nice to have a chance to meet up with them again.

As she took her seat at the table, Harry waiting until she was seated before taking his own seat right next to her, she looked across it and smiled at Sachi, who returned the smile and nodded. She let go of Pina, and the feathered dragon took wing and landed on the table right in front of her. She saw that Rain and Lux were still standing, looking a bit lost until she waved them over. She stood up and got everyone’s attention.

“Everyone, we all know each other, save for these two,” she said, gesturing to Rain and Lux. “This is Rain and Lux, two players who joined up with us last month. They have their reasons, and if they don’t feel like bringing them up, just let it be. Rain, Lux, this is the Moonlit Black Cats guild. You two have already been introduced to Keita, so I’ll introduce you to the others.

“Right across from me is Sachi, the only girl in the group and someone I personally trained in my fighting style. Next to her is Tetsuo, their primary tank, and going down from there is Ducker, a knife user and Sasamaru, who preferred spears when we last saw each other.”

“I still use spears, though mostly partisans and halberds now,” Sasamaru said. “We found that I work best with weapons designed more for defensive roles.”

Silica nodded. “So you tend to work on defending the group’s flank, or keeping mobs at a distance when Tetsuo needs to break off?”

Sasamaru nodded. “Sometimes.” He replied. “Most of the time, I’m pinning a mob down that Tetsuo couldn’t get aggro on while Sachi, Ducker, or Keita kill it. Or pinning it for Tetsuo to get aggro.”

“Really?” Harry asked. “Interesting. I can see how that could work, but it can be risky.”

Sasamaru snorted. “It can be, so I also have this.” He pulled out a large knife. “A grosse messer works well as an OS weapon.”

“OS weapon?” Lux asked.

Harry snorted. “Officially, OS stands for Off Spec. Basically a weapon you carry as a secondary in case the one you normally use might not be appropriate.” He explained. “Asuna uses a spear as an OS. An OS weapon can also mean it’s your ‘Oh Shit’ weapon. As in, ‘Oh shit, the mob’s right on top of me and I need to stab it before it eats me.’” He turned his attention to Sachi. “What about you, Sachi? Still using a one-handed weapon and shield, or did you go back to using a spear?”

“A bit of both,” she said. “It depends on what we do for the day, but I’m often using a mace and shield, so I’ve kept in practice.”

Harry nodded.

“So, you’re also a tank?” Lux asked.

Sachi shook her head. “No, I’m not. Keita initially wanted to make me one, but I don’t use heavy armor and I’m not built for it.”

“I’ve been wondering about that,” Rain said. “I’ve heard Hadrian and the others talk about that, but I don’t understand what it means. Isn’t it all determined by stats?”

Silica shook her head. “Not entirely, Rain.” She said. “Stats do matter, but the fact is, that your body’s build does determine what weapons and roles work best for you. Tanks tend towards being bigger and stockier, as the extra mass helps them absorb blows better when properly armored. Harry could try it, but he’s too wiry to make a good tank, not to mention that heavy armor would restrict his movement.”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “That and the fact that a good solid hit like what a tank would take would knock me on my arse due to Sir Isaac Newton.”

Lux gave him a confused look.

“He means that Newton’s First Law of Motion still applies.” Asuna explained. “When a mob hits you, you end up moving from the hit. Depending on the amount of force and your ability to counter or absorb it, you either move a little, get knocked flat, or in a couple of cases I’ve seen, get sent flying. His style is all about redirecting that force, or using it to help him position himself, not taking it and being an immovable wall. It’s still better to not be hit, though.”

A look of understanding dawned on their faces after Asuna’s explanation.

One of the easiest things to forget about being in SAO, is that the developers aimed for as much realism as reasonable. Things like how using a weapon was based on research on the actual weapons, or that the laws of physics more or less applied. Things were muddied when combined with the fact that players were capable of things that would otherwise be outside of human capability. They were stronger, faster, and more durable than what any human would be capable of in the real world.

Well, any human not trained to a basic standard in martial arts, Silica thought. Basic by Nerima standards, at least. And she had met that basic standard. Being the granddaughter of a martial arts grandmaster meant that she did receive that kind of training. None of the more advanced techniques, she would have to choose pursuing mastery for that, but she had a firm grounding in the basics of her family style.

She turned away from those thoughts, and focused on the group. She heard Harry make a comment about treating this like a reality in its own right and turned her attention to him. “Harry, what do you mean by treating this place as its own reality?” She asked.

Harry blinked as everyone turned their attention to him. “Well,” he started before clearing his throat. “It’s like this. While we know this isn’t the real world, this place has rules of its own which are consistent. I don’t know much about games, but the fact is, treating this place as its own reality is probably safer than treating it as the game everyone thought it would be.” He gestured at the table, with its food, drink, and Pina eating food off of Ducker’s plate.

“Hey!” Ducker shouted. “Quit eating my food, you overgrown feather duster!” He gave the feathered dragon a firm poke and shove towards Silica. Everyone shared a laugh at that, Pina’s habits were well known to them all, including her penchant for going after food if people weren’t paying attention to it.

“Well, aside from Pina stealing food off of someone else’s plate, and at least it’s not mine this time, we need food and drink to generally survive. I don’t know how long you can go without eating or drinking before it affects you here, and I am not interested in trying, but we all feel hunger and thirst, so we eat and drink. We sleep when we are tired, and we still have many of the responses we would otherwise have in the real world.”

“But there are differences, Hadrian.” Asuna said. “Food doesn’t taste the same, though given that most of these are Western inspired, you would know better about how close they come. We also don’t feel things the same way, and smell is sometimes off. There were a lot of things we had to adjust to because they were different.”

“And let me ask you, Asuna, how often do you really notice it unless you stop and think about it?” Harry asked. “The fact is, we’ve adapted to this place, to its rules.”

“He’s right,” Keita said. “We all have. I still remember you all talking to us during that time you trained us, and how you hammered it in that we shouldn’t treat this place as a game, despite how it operates. Once we did, we started doing much better, as we started using our other senses more often. I don’t know if you guys noticed, but because of how vision works here, you tend to rely much more on your ears and even sense of smell, now that I think of it.”

Rain nodded. “That makes sense, now that you mention it.” She said. “There’s also the fact that they can’t program in just how much our bodies take in and filter out.” At Harry’s confused look she clarified. “I was thinking of studying to become a doctor, so I did some research. The fact is, the real world sends our bodies signals at a phenomenal rate, and our bodies filter most of that out as a matter of course.”

Kirito blinked and then swore. “Damn, when we get out, our senses are going to be adapted to this place, not the real world. Our bodies are still there, so the mechanisms are in place, but our ability to process and filter all of that information is stuck here. We’ll be hypersensitive until we readjust.”

Harry winced. “Oh, ouch. That’ll make the first few days out fairly rough when we get out.” He replied. He then signalled over a waitress. “Well, outside of all of that, why don’t we order some more drinks and continue talking. I want to know how all of you have been doing, and we will share some of our stories from the front lines.”

Everyone nodded and they large group spent a few hours playing catch up. At the same time, Silica noticed that Rain and Lux looked a bit lost at times, until Asuna dragged Lux into a conversation with Sachi, while Kirito got Rain involved in a debate with Keita and Tetsuo about something. Before long, it was as if the two had been a part of the group for a while.

She smiled at that. They had all wondered about how to make those two feel like they were a part of the group. This would make for a good start for them, giving them an opportunity to share their own stories, and to finally integrate in.

November 19, 2023 - Aincrad 47th Floor, Floria

“You know, I didn’t expect to run into a floor that was a giant garden,” Harry said as they walked back into the town. “Also, the mobs on this floor? Not cool.”

“It’s not like they’re that powerful,” Kirito commented.

Harry shrugged. “True, but I don’t think the ladies really appreciate the nature of the mobs,” He said, looking back to see the girls looking more than a little irate.

“Perverted mobs,” Asuna grumbled.

Rain was muttering darkly under her breath in Russian. Harry couldn’t understand what she said, but he assumed that whatever it was, was fairly vile and promising some painful retribution on them.

Those two ended up getting rather well acquainted with land anemones, which seemed to be hell bent on wrapping them up in ways that were rather… intimate. On the other hand, Lux and Silica ended up giving everyone a free show when they all stumbled on a bunch of gerberas. Who knew that the roots of those things were prehensile?

“I’m finding some way to set my blade on fire, and then I’m going hunting,” Silica growled. “Force me to flash everyone will they?” Lux nodded in agreement, her face still flushed in embarrassment.

Harry blinked at Silica’s comments and resolved to stay out of her reach until she calmed down, or at least put her weapon out of immediate reach. She could get a bit stabby when she was angry. He then looked at Kirito. “Good thing it’s afternoon,” he said. “Want to just break for the rest of the day, grab a meal, let the ladies take a bath, and relax? Also, I can do with a bath as well.” He grimaced. “You don’t want to know how bad those flytraps smell from the inside.”

Kirito snorted. “Well, I wasn’t the one who the plant was trying to swallow.” He said drily. “And that only served to irritate you, considering you cut yourself right out of it. Besides, it could have been worse. They could have dissolved armor and clothes.”

Harry winced. “Yeah, that would have ruined anyone’s day.” He admitted. “At the same time, imagine if it was you.” He smirked. “Asuna would have certainly gotten a view. Whether it was a good one or not, though...”

“Hadrian!” Asuna shouted, an embarrassed blush on her face.

Kirito flushed and glared at Harry. “And what if it happened to you? I can imagine Silica’s reaction, though she would probably be disappointed from what she saw.”

“Not at all,” Silica chimed in. “He has nothing to be ashamed of, not even in that regard.”

Kirito blinked and then looked at Silica, as was everyone else but Harry, who was facepalming. “What?” He asked.

Silica realized what she said and flushed.

“Oh?” Asuna asked with a grin, looking at Harry. Rain and Lux nodded, giving both Harry and Silica some speculative looks.

“You know how we often share a room, right?” Harry asked and then shrugged. “Some of them have baths, and it’s happened a couple of times.” His face got a slight flush with that admission.

Rain decided to interject at that point. “You know, I’ve been curious about something,” she said. “Just what is the relationship between you two?” At their confused looks she decided to clarify. “You two, well, you two are close, closer than simply being friends. It’s almost as if the jokes I heard about you two being a married couple have a bit of truth to them.”

“Rain, we usually don’t-” Asuna started before Harry interrupted her.

“Don’t worry, Asuna.” He said and then looked at Rain. “She’s only asking what has been on a lot of people’s minds for months, anyway. The best way to sum our relationship up is that it’s complicated. We’ve been through too much together for it to be something as simple as friendship.”

“And Rain, any more than that is private.” Silica added.

Rain nodded. “I understand.” She replied. She had only been curious and really hadn’t been fishing for details.

Harry looked around and spotted an inn. “Well, anyway, we’re near the inn.” He said. “Let’s go in, get some rooms, bathe, eat, rest and relax. Now that we know what kind of mobs to generally expect, we can do better with our exploration tomorrow.”

“You’re taking a bath first, Harry.” Silica said. “That flytrap didn’t do your smell any favors.”

##

Silica flopped down on one of the beds in the room she and Harry had taken for the night. The inn didn’t have any baths in the rooms, but it did have an attached bathhouse, and Harry had already walked down to it. She hadn’t been kidding about how the flytrap mob that had tried to swallow him made him a bit on the ripe side.

They had all agreed to take a bit of time before gathering back together for dinner and planning out what they would do tomorrow. That meant that Harry was taking a bath, and she was tempted to either take some time to groom Pina, an activity the feathered dragon certainly enjoyed if the coos given off when she did were any indication, or take a nap.

Before she could decide on such, she heard a knock at the door.

“Silica? Hadrian? It’s me, Rain.” she heard.

She got off the bed, walked over and opened the door. “What is it?” She asked.

Rain gave a glance inside and saw that it was only Silica in the room. “I take it Hadrian’s taking a bath?” She asked.

Silica nodded.

“Ah, um, I can come back later if you want.” She said.

Silica sighed. “I take it Asuna took you aside and gave you an earful about that question you asked and you came to apologize.” She said. “Don’t worry too much about it. As Harry said, you just asked what’s probably on a lot of people’s minds.”

“Still-”

“As I said,” Silica interrupted. “Don’t worry about it. The two of us are aware that people find it odd that the two of us basically live together without being in a formal relationship.” She shrugged. “It’s complicated, just take my word on it.”

Rain nodded. “I wasn’t fishing for information, just curious.” She said.

“You and half the front line,” Silica said drily.

November 22, 2023 - Aincrad 43rd Floor, Glorin

“When that floor gets cleared, I’m not going back there unless I have to,” Silica said grumpily. “What is it with those damn plants?”

Harry shrugged as he took a drink of his beer. “Don’t ask me.” He said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the devs was a pervert, though. Still, it’s not all bad, you did get something that might come in handy if something ever happened to Pina.”

Silica nodded. “True, but it would be best if nothing happened to her in the first place.” She said, reaching up and giving the feathered dragon a gentle scratch.

“Better to have it and not need it, though.”

Silica nodded at her partner’s words. Both of them had lived by that maxim since SAO started, though the reality of things often meant that they usually needed the items they had, and more.

Not that it was a concern for them for the rest of the day. They had worked out taking the afternoon off with the rest, and were planning to make the most of it for what everyone jokingly called one of their “not dates.”

No one believed it, least of all the two of them, but it was something of an inside joke amongst the group and their friends by this point. The specific details of their relationship was known only to the two of them, but everyone who knew them well, knew that there was a relationship.

November 25, 2023 - Aincrad GM Administration Area

Kayaba looked at the results which had come from the Hollow Area and nodded. Dual Blades and Shrouded Scout were working as designed, but the results from the Mystic Blade testing were still mixed. Apparently, the normal testing avatars weren’t flexible enough in their processes to make the best use of the skill, and he was loathe to create an avatar that had more processes and flexibility.

Not after he had to personally put down one which had almost managed to threaten everything he was doing by trying to replace all the player data with the data for actual hollow avatars. While he might not really care what happened to the players, the end result would have killed the nearly seven thousand players still alive. He would admit that he could be considered a number of things: madman, monster, and cruel. He was not, however, wasteful. That many players dying like that would have been a needless waste.

If the players were going to die, then they would die due to their own actions, not the actions of something that had been created for a limited purpose. Anyway, he had refrained from allowing Hollow Avatars with that degree of flexibility since, and he had no intention of allowing another one. He would not let some program with delusions of being an AI interfere.

He already had two AIs that were trying to break out of where he had them contained in order to interact with players as it is. Given how one of them had actually been working to create a player avatar for herself, he figured it was only a matter of time. In the case of one, there was little risk. MHCP001-Yui, had the build and temperament of a child. From what he had gathered from the data, it, or she as it identified itself as female, was more interested in companionship, fitting with some respects to her original design. MHCP002-Strea, another AI that identified itself as female, was proving to be a handful on the other hand. Much like Yui, Strea wanted to be around the players, but her personality seems to have begun shifting itself to a desire to have fun, though she would probably help the players.

He had no issue with that, admittedly. If either of them managed to break free, so be it. He had programmed in something to revoke their admin privileges and keep them from talking about exactly what they were if they managed to. Outside of extenuating or extreme circumstances, at least.

It would be a moot point if such came to pass, after all.

He glanced at the data one more time and nodded. The testing results for Mystic Blade may have been mixed, but they did demonstrate that the unique skill would work as designed. The results for the remaining ones were also satisfactory.

All that was left was to wait for the appropriate time.

Unknown Location

Tom flicked his wand and the page of the tome he was reading was carefully turned. Without a servant handy, things had become much more difficult for him, but he hadn’t become a dark lord by being unwilling to do something because of the difficulty. He might only be able to use a fraction of his magic right now, any more could disrupt the homunculus body he inhabited, but it was sufficient for the task at hand.

That being ensuring that his body continued to be sustained, and doing research for anything he could use in his current situation. Potter might have escaped what had been planned for him, but that didn’t mean that he would remain out of his reach. Bringing the boy to him might be out of his ability right now, but there was nothing saying he couldn’t go there.

He wasn’t afraid to do things himself, after all. It just required the right means.

And from what he was currently reading, he may have just the means to do so, though it would take a little bit of time. Unfortunate and irritating, but he knew the value of patience and would make sure that everything was in place first. He had ignored that once before, and it had cost him.

Still, as he continued to read, he could barely restrain his eagerness to do this.

Aincrad, 43rd Floor, Glorin

The pain shooting from his scar caused him to wake up with a hiss as it flared painfully and then faded. It had been almost a month since the last time, so he wondered what Tom was up to this time. Over two years between events, and now twice in less than a month.

Damn it, the bastard’s plotting something, he thought. And knowing him, he’s looking for a way to get to me.

That worried him a bit. Magic was capable of a lot of things, often limited only by the imagination of the person using it. There were a few hard limitations, true, but the primary limitation was on what the caster could believe was possible and having the power to make that belief a reality.

From what he had heard, Tom certainly had that. Whether he could do something with the two of them effectively in different worlds was a different matter, but Harry wasn’t going to discount that possibility.

Think it highly unlikely? Yes. Completely discount it? No.

At least I didn’t almost wake Silica up this time, he thought as his body relaxed and he went back to sleep. He didn’t notice his partner in the other bed looking at him with an eye cracked open as she watched with a slight frown.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 18 - A Slow December

November 29, 2023 - Aincrad 48th Floor, Lindarth

“Okay, after that boss fight, I need a drink.” Harry said matter of factly. “That boss was just wrong.”

“Agreed, on both counts.” Silica chimed in with a shudder.

The rest of their companions agreed wholeheartedly with that comment. They had all gotten out of that fight unscathed, but fighting a mass of tentacles and what it did to that one group of unfortunate players was the stuff of nightmares. None of them would look at plants the same way again, and Harry resolved to stay well away from magical plants. He had personal experience with one that was reminiscent of that mob.

Though Devil’s Snare would just strangle you, not what happened during that boss fight.

“What kind of mudok came up with, with that thing anyway?” Rain asked, still looking a little green, even after an hour.

“The kind that really needs to get a girlfriend,” Kirito said with some disgust. “After seeing that? No, just… no.”

“As if any girl would go for someone who designed that.” Asuna grumbled. “That thing made me feel dirty just looking at it.”

“Do you think those players are going to be okay?” Lux asked.

Harry stopped and looked at her. “After what happened to them?” He asked incredulously. “I heard someone say that he’s taking them down to Mishe and pouring a cask of Lost Fruit Rum down their throats to help them forget it. I don’t think we’ll be seeing them on the front lines any time soon, though, if at all.”

“Sounds like something Klein would do.” Asuna commented. “But he wasn’t there. Rather odd of him.”

“Heard he was helping some mid-level players out.” Kirito said. “It’s very possible that he couldn’t make it.”

Harry shrugged at that. It would have been nice to have him there, he was one of the few players outside of those with him that he unequivocally trusted with his life, after all. However, his presence, or lack of it, didn’t change the fact that the boss, for all of its... peculiarities, was actually fairly easy to kill.

When he realized that, he stopped and started vehemently swearing in English.

“Whoa,” Rain said a minute later, impressed. “That’s some creative swearing.”

Silica walked over to the still swearing Harry and smacked him upside the head. “That’s enough Harry.” She said.

“Thank you Silica,” Asuna said.

Silica shrugged. “He was starting to repeat himself,” she replied. “Now, what got you to start going on like that?” She asked him.

Harry rubbed his head. “Just realized that the boss was rather easy,” he said.

“Isn’t that good?” Lux asked.

Harry turned to her. “Normally, I would say yes, but we’re getting close to the halfway point.” He said. “But the fact that it was fairly easy reminded me of something. Remember the last time things got like this? When we were a few floors shy of the Twenty-Fifth?”

Silica, Asuna, and Kirito thought about that for a moment, pales and then started swearing.

Harry nodded. “I knew you would get it.” He said drily. He turned his attention to Lux, who was looking at the four of them with some confusion. “You spent some time of the twenty-fifth floor, right?”

Lux nodded.

“And you remember how much harder it was, correct?”

Lux nodded again.

“And how much easier the few floors before it were?”

Lux continued to nod, paused, and then her face paled.

Rain seemed to think about and reached the same conclusion. “Yob tvoyu mat.” She said. “Are you serious?”

Harry nodded. “Yes.” He said. “Even if the reason for things being easy, for a given definition of ‘easy’, is different this time around.”

“Well, we’re not going to get anywhere here,” Asuna said. “Let’s head to town, activate the teleport gate, and talk about this over a meal.”

“Seconded.” Kirito said.

“Thirded.” Lux said as her stomach growled. They all looked at her and she blushed.

“Well, motion carries then,” Harry said. “Let’s get some lunch.”

##

Asuna finished her wine and looked around the table.

Her companions were all finished, or finishing, their meals, with both Harry and Silica chatting while Pina was happily eating some meats that both had provided her from their own plates. Harry absently reached over and gave Pina a gentle scratch between the wings as Silica said something and made a couple of gestures. From the look on his face, Asuna could tell that he was slightly amused by whatever Silica was saying.

Those two had long since settled into their relationship, which was more akin to a husband and wife, marital status notwithstanding, rather than a pair of young teens feeling things out. She sometimes wondered how it had gotten that way, considering how different the two of them were.

Silica was open and friendly, the events in June hadn’t stopped that, even if they did dim that aspect of her. At the same time, that open and friendly nature hid an iron will and a personality that was not above using manipulative tactics to accomplish her objectives if that was what was necessary. That iron will was necessary, from what Asuna could tell, in order to keep Harry in line.

Harry, she would continue to call him Hadrian in conversation, on the other hand, was a jaded and very private person. He was politely friendly, had a biting wit, and it was clear that he was the type who was normally slow to trust and get close to people. However, it was clear from what he has said in the past, along with what he hasn’t said, that his life had forced him to grow up far too quickly. Asuna firmly suspected that abuse was responsible.

And yet, despite their contrasts, both complimented each other well.

Kirito was sitting back and sipping his drink, giving the look of someone who was indifferent to it all. Of course, everyone present knew that it was an act, particularly Asuna. She hadn’t helped him deal with the trauma of killing someone without getting to know what made him tick.

In many respects, his prior aloof demeanor and armor of composure was a defense mechanism to hide just how uncertain and vulnerable he was. It had worked for a time, but the shock to his system that the incident in June had showed just how brittle it was.

Rain and Lux were still eating, both of them taking their time with their food. Even after six weeks, Asuna was still forming an opinion on them.

She could tell that Rain had a massive guilt complex about having run from the red players responsible for the murder of her friend. That same complex had made her reckless and driven, though Harry and Kirito had begun to focus and redirect that, keeping it from going down a self-destructive route.

Harry, more so than Kirito. He often taken her aside and talked with her. The exact nature of those conversations were private, but he understood her motivations better than anyone present. He later admitted that he was basically doing the same thing a man who he looked up to as a mentor had done for him.

Lux’s generally timid demeanor, both in battle and amongst them belied the fact that she was extremely deadly with her broadsword and could gauge a situation extremely well. True, she had confidence issues, but at the same time, those same issues made her overly cautious. In Aincrad, being cautious was a good thing, but not to the point where it paralyzed your ability to make decisions. Fortunately, Asuna knew how to handle someone like that. Training Sachi paid off in that respect, though Sachi didn’t have a very real fear of being hunted by red players to contend with.

She had gotten better about it, but Asuna figured that the girl would remain cautious and somewhat afraid. Considering that any player who wants to go out and actually survive needs caution and a healthy amount of fear, she wouldn’t complain. She already had enough trouble keeping Kirito and Rain in check when a fight starts.

Asuna broke off from her musings as she noticed that Rain and Lux were apparently done with their meal. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

“All right,” she said. “Hadrian noticed something that I think all of us hope isn’t going to be the case, but it still needs to be said. The last boss was relatively easy, despite the way that fight went. So, Hadrian, you suspect that the fiftieth floor is going to be a problem?”

He nodded. “I don’t know if it will be like the Twenty-Fifth, and give us a massive difficulty spike as a whole, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the boss of that floor is significantly stronger that what we’re used to. Part of why things have been easy can be explained by the fact that we’re over leveled by a significant margin, and it might not be enough.” He looked at Rain and Lux. “Yes, even you two. You’re now three or four levels past the recommended minimum.”

“And what does that have to do with it?” Rain asked.

“It means that the two of you are now higher than the average for most of the front lines,” Kirito said with a shrug. “You’re more around the average for the Assault Team, and the boss fight proved that you both can hold your own as well.”

“When you consider that the two of you got to that point in around six weeks, that’s not bad at all.” Harry complimented.

“But what makes you think that the boss would be significantly stronger?” Lux asked.

“It has to do with the logic of SAO,” Kirito said. “For all that we’ve advised treating SAO like its own reality and not as a game, it’s still a game. A deadly one, and one where even those consequences which aren’t deadly, are still very real, but a game nonetheless.”

Asuna nodded. “It’s the paradoxical reality of being here,” she added. “You need to accept this as its own reality, but at the same time, you need to accept that it isn’t reality as well, despite the real consequences of things here.”

Rain and Lux gave her a slightly confused look.

“There’s a word in English which sums it up,” Harry said. “Doublethink. It’s the ability to believe two things that are complete opposites, are true at the same time.” He shrugged at their looks. “I’ve read 1984, and Orwell had a gift for using simple words to sum up complex concepts.”

“A rather apt summation, Hadrian,” Asuna said. “Let’s just hope that other things from that book don’t apply as well.”

December 4, 2023 - Aincrad 46th Floor, Ant Hill (Field Dungeon)

Lux looked at her companions as they all headed toward the entrance, their time in the field dungeon almost up. Even after close to seven weeks working with them, she really couldn’t say she knew them all that well. Well, outside of Rain, but the two of them had been working together, sometimes reluctantly on her own part, for months.

Not unexpected, really. She had gotten to know them, but there were a lot of things that had welded them together as a cohesive group over the course of almost a year. Those things, those experiences, were things she and Rain had not been a part of.

That wasn’t to say that they were unfriendly, far from it. If anything, the four made an effort to make their two new companions feel welcome. They included the two of them in conversations, asking for their own input on various things. When it came to planning, their own opinions were sought out and given serious consideration.

It was nice, even though there was a distance that Hadrian, Silica and Kirito had from others, even Asuna. There were times when the three of them would become quiet, or they would show signs that they had not slept well, and it didn’t take a genius to know why.

The three of them had killed, and that fact haunted them. It seemed to happen to Hadrian less often, and Lux wondered why. Was there some secret he had, or was his personality just better able to reconcile it? She didn’t know, and she wasn’t inclined to ask.

Not that he’d likely talk about it.

“Is there something on your mind, Lux?” Came a question from him.

She shook her head clear of her thoughts and looked at him. “Nothing important,” she replied. “I was just musing on some things.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” He asked.

“Just musing on you all.” She said with a shrug.

“Nothing bad, I hope.” He said with a little amusement.

“Not at all, Hadrian.”

“Well, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.” He said. “We’ve already established which subjects we’d rather not talk about because they are either uncomfortable, or just private.”

“And it’s more fun to speculate on some of the private ones, anyway.” Lux said.

Harry snorted and Silica walked up.

“I couldn’t help but overhear,” she elbowed Harry when he snorted again. “But you said something about it being more fun to speculate on some private subjects.”

Lux grinned. “Well, yes.” She replied. “The speculation on you and Hadrian can be fun, especially with the rumors of you two floating about. The more scandalous the rumor, the better.”

“Oh, which rumor do you find the most entertaining?” Silica asked. “I found the one that speculated that he and I were in a sordid S&M relationship to be amusing.”

“Well to be honest, it was more that they had you as the dominant one that amused you,” Harry said.

Silica raised an eyebrow. “Well, that and the image of you that rumor brought to mind.” She replied. She gave him a speculative look. “Or it might be the image of you licking my boots and being submissive to me.”

Lux thought about it for a second and her face heated up. The idea of Silica dressed as a whip holding bondage queen and Hadrian wearing tight pants and a harness at her feet and… Ah! Bad brain, bad! Once she got control of it, she shot them an irritated look and huffed. “SAO has been a bad influence on you two.” She said.

Harry and Silica both cheerfully nodded. “Yup.” They both said.

“By default, we blame Klein.” Harry added.

“He’s useful that way.” Silica chimed in.

December 7, 2023 - Aincrad, 48th Floor, Lindarth

“So, do you know why we got dragged here?” Kirito asked.

Harry shrugged. “They’re plotting something,” he said.

“You’re not worried?”

“Nope.”

The two of them were off to the side, looking out of place in the clothing shop. Ashley, a tailor who was well known for the quality of her goods, had set up shop in the town, and judging from the building, it looked to be a permanent arrangement. The girls had quickly gone to the woman and began a quiet, if animated, discussion with the tailor, and from the amused looks she was shooting them, Kirito already had an idea of what they were planning.

Not good, and from what he saw of Harry, the boy had figured it out as well. He seemed rather unconcerned about it, which likely meant that he had a response to it already planned out.

“Calm down Kirito,” Harry said. “The worst that will happen is that we’ll be embarrassed. Besides, Christmas is coming and you know the girls will want us to take them out.”

“And?” He asked.

“And now is a good time to look for a proper suit.” Harry replied. He looked back towards the girls and sighed. “At least this way, we can pick our own.” He said.

“And the fact that they’re likely to-”

Harry shrugged. “As I said, the worst that will happen is that we’ll probably be embarrassed.” He said. “And that’s if they decide to pull that prank.”

##

“All right, the two of you can open your eyes now.” Ashley said.

Harry opened his eyes and saw his reflection in the mirror. As Kirito had feared, and he had resigned himself to, the two of them had been dressed in drag. He took the reflected image in, noticing how the green dress hugged his body to the hips before it seemed to flare out slightly from the waist, and went down to the knees, though it might go lower if it wasn’t for the petticoat. It came with matching shoes and dark stockings that had been applied so deftly that he wondered how it had been managed without him noticing. His hair, while still untamed, had been lengthened and styled in a way to make it wavy, instead of a bird’s nest, and he spied the hints of makeup on his face.

All in all, not bad. He shot a look at Silica, who was looking at him with amusement and smirked.

“If you’re expecting us to go out like this, you need to be properly attired, my good sir.” He said. “A Lady should never go without a proper escort.”

“You’re taking this all too well, Harry.” Kirito grumbled.

Harry turned and saw what Kirito had been put in and snorted in amusement. The black color scheme had been kept, but where Harry’s garb had been designed to hug his body, Kirito’s was designed to flare out, and all that lace… the look fit him.

The sour look on his face, with his hair lengthened and the makeup made it seem almost as if he was pouting. Judging from the fact that Asuna was trying to restrain her laughter, that was intentional.

“Well, Miss Kirito,” Harry said. “I have to say that Ashley does good work. The lace accents are wondrously done, and the coordination of the colors is excellent. The mix of white and black fits you nicely, and the headdress adds a nice compliment.”

“Harry.” Kirito said. “Shut up.”

“Well, we have to go soon, so-” Rain began before Kirito’s shout interrupted her.

“What?!” Kirito shouted.

Harry looked at them, then at Ashley. “This is unacceptable.” He said primly. “Two ladies going without a proper escort? Asuna and Silica aren’t properly attired yet. Furthermore, if Rain and Lux expect to be proper chaperones for this outing, they need to be in the proper garb as well. Now, Miss Ashley, do you have anything in mind?”

Ashley looked at the girls and by her amused look to Harry, she knew exactly what he was implying. “Indeed I do, ‘Miss’ Harry. In fact, ‘Sir’ Silica insisted that I be prepared for this.”

“Excellent.” Harry replied and gave a nod to Silica.

“Wait now,” Asuna began. “We weren’t planning on heading out of here. This was all meant as a joke.”

Harry looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, but ‘Sir’ Asuna, you must understand something.” He said. “If ‘Miss’ Kirito and I are going to be like this, then you and ‘Sir’ Silica should be properly clothed as well.”

##

“I can’t believe you just ran with it like that.” Kirito said to Harry later while the two were in a tavern, waiting for the girls to finish their shopping. Too bad it hadn’t ended quickly enough to avoid pictures being taken.

His friend shrugged. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen that prank pulled, even if it was the first time it was pulled on me, and the best thing you can do is roll with it.” He replied as he took a sip of his beer.

“That’s not the point, and you know it.” Kirito grumbled.

“Look on the bright side, Kirito.” Harry said. “We got to see Silica and Asuna in very form hugging clothes that left little to the imagination, not that I need to imagine with Silica. Ashley made the four of us look good like that.”

And she had, even Kirito had to admit that. While being in drag was embarrassing, it was confined to their group, kept private, and Harry had turned it around on the girls and forcing them to be dressed like gentlemen from eighteenth century Europe. With how clothing was cut and tailored in that period, it really did leave little to the imagination.

Kirito raised his mug. “That’s true.” He replied. The two clinked their mugs together and went back to drinking. “Still glad it wasn’t in public,” he said later. “I would never have lived that down.”

“Lived what down?” Asked a familiar voice.

Harry turned and grinned. “Klein!” He exclaimed. “It’s been awhile.” He looked past the older player and saw the rest of his guild. “So, has he gotten slapped or chased out of a town recently?” He asked them.

“Hey!” Klein protested as his companions laughed. “It was only that one time!”

“And we will never let you forget it.” Harry said. “Anyway, why don’t you guys take a seat? I’ll buy the first round, and we can catch up.”

December 13, 2023 - Aincrad 48th Floor, Lindarth

Lisbeth put her book down with a sigh when she heard the door to her newly established shop open. It was something she did when she was bored and not inclined to work at her forge, which didn’t happen often, but it did happen on occasion. Surprisingly, Aincrad had its own NPC publishers who printed out pulp novels by the wagonload.

They were cheap. They were trashy. And they were entertaining. The most popular series was the Tugger Nutts series by NPC author Antoine Graffitto, and while the books were written in English, it was at a simple enough level for most players to be able to read it.

Still, she had a feeling that there was a joke in the title, but she didn’t have enough knowledge of English to figure out if there was a play on words involved. She looked up and saw some familiar faces. She knew that one of them was a native speaker of English, and another of them was fluent in it, so perhaps they would know.

“Hey guys, it’s been awhile.” She called out as Asuna and the others entered. “You guys in for repairs, new weapons, browsing, or a combination of all three?”

Harry looked at her. “Liz, you know us well enough to know the answer to that.” He said drily.

“Well, it’s been a slow morning anyway,” she said. “I was catching up on my reading. There’s a series of books that have turned out to be popular. Despite being in English, they’re pretty good.”

“Oh?” Harry asked. “What’re the books called?”

“They’re called the Tugger Nutts series.” She replied.

Harry blinked. “Really? Huh.”

“Yup, though I do think there’s a joke or something in the titles. I mean, it would make sense, given that Aincrad’s devs thought they were being funny, but book titles like Tugger Nutts and the Big Finish, Tugger Nutts and the Midnight Snatch, or Tugger Nutts Gets in Deep, and… are you okay, Hadrian?”

Harry’s face was red. “Yes,” he choked out. “I’m fine.”

Lisbeth realized that her suspicions were correct then. Given that it was Aincrad, and the apparent sense of humor some of the devs had, not to mention the players themselves, it was probably ribald. Still, in for a col, in for a thousand. “Well, there was also the one called Tugger Nutts Wrestles the One-eyed Champ, also called, for some strange reason, Tugger Nutts and the Pearly Orchid on the lower floors. I never could get an explanation why.”

Harry couldn’t restrain himself and fell to the floor and started laughing. Everyone present stared at him with some confusion, and Asuna, who was fluent in English, was obviously thinking about what other meanings could be involved.

Silica looked down and nudged Harry with her foot. “Harry, can you calm down for a moment and explain it to those of us who aren’t native speakers of English, or reasonably fluent in it?” She asked and then looked at Asuna, who shrugged. “Okay, all of us, since we don’t get the joke?”

Harry calmed himself and looked at her. He slowly got to his feet, leaned in, and whispered into her ear. The expressions on her face went from amused, to embarrassed, to scandalized, and then to a combination of the three in short order.

“Um, excuse me,” She said and then walked outside. Before the door closed, they heard her break out into peals of laughter.

He looked at the rest, who were giving him expectant looks and sighed. “Okay, all of those titles? Well, they’re all plays on words. I’m only partially surprised that Asuna doesn’t get it, but I bet she was being taught to speak English properly.” He looked at her for a bit. “Hmm, might want to do a few conversations in English with you, even if you probably learned from a Yank...”

“Harry, back to the point,” Kirito said.

Harry nodded. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Anyway, those plays on words are basically plays on sexual acts and masturbation. And that’s not when they’re talking about certain body parts.”

Asuna gave a slight hum. “You know, that makes sense. I mean they could be taken that way, from what you said, but they’re probably intended to be innocuous.” She said. “I mean, a one-eyed champ could just be a champion wrestler with one eye, not what… ever…” She then realized just what Harry meant and looked at him, a slight flush on her face. “You, Hadrian, have a dirty mind.”

Harry shrugged, completely unrepentant. “Just imagine what they meant by pearly orchid.” He said.

“Hadrian!”

December 21, 2023 - Aincrad 49th Floor, Myujen

Silica gave a content sigh as she allowed herself to relax in the hot water of the bath. They had all been busy for the last few days, often returning to town late at night. While it wasn’t overly unusual in and of itself, the fact that they left early and were often out of town until nearly midnight meant that taking advantage of some luxuries were put on hold.

Taking a proper bath and relaxing in one was one of those, much to her disappointment. Then again, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t gone days or even weeks without bathing before. Not every inn had a bath in the rooms, or a bathhouse for that matter. Even with the towns, it could be a toss of a col on whether that luxury was available, though there was usually at least one bathhouse in each town.

Still, bathing was a luxury she took advantage of at every opportunity, especially when they were private baths in the rooms like this one. Asuna and the rest of the girls understood, and Harry would just get fondly amused when the first thing she did when practicable was take a bath. Well, maybe she’d get a meal, it really depended on how hungry she was.

Harry tends to find places like this, she thought with a smile. He has, ever since the first floor.

She appreciated that, she really did. She knew that he didn’t have to go for the extra expense, it was often cheaper to take a room and then go to the town’s bathhouse, after all. But if the town had an inn that had baths in the rooms or an attached bathhouse, he would find one and arrange lodgings.

Which begged the question on his frugality earlier on. At least until May, he was incredibly frugal, prioritizing his purchases and spending to the essentials: gear, items, food and lodging. Anything else was secondary, and she’d had to drag him clothes shopping on more than one occasion just to give him some variety in outfits.

She remembered someone joke once, that for Harry, keeping her happy fell under essential expenses. At the time, she really didn’t get what was meant by that, but now she understood it, and found it amusing. After all the jokes and rumors about the two, which ranged from amusing to absurd, they had both just settled on being amused and exasperated by them. It always seemed as if the players on the front lines didn’t have anything better to do than gossip like a bunch of old women.

Besides, she thought. Simple luxuries should not be unappreciated. Good food, good drink, a nice bath, and a comfortable place to sleep? He could do worse, and he does take me out on those ‘not dates’ every now and then, and he acts like a gentleman on them.

She knew that their relationship was complicated. They were too close to be simple friends, too comfortable in their casual intimacy, and they were both very aware of their attraction to each other. Neither of them would claim to be lovers, as they were in no hurry to go that far. They were comfortable with what they had, and that was fine with her.

That might change in the future, but that was then. There was no need to rush it.

##

Harry took a sip of his beer as he watched both Rain and Klein try to drink each other under the table. Aside from their rocky introduction, caused by Klein’s antics whenever he met a new girl, the two had hit it off quite well. Then again, Klein was one of the few men in Aincrad who could get slapped one moment by a female player, and then be sitting there and telling funny stories of his misadventures, with the girls laughing at them.

It must be due to him just being that friendly on a normal basis, Harry thought. Hell, even Heathcliff likes him, and getting even a pretense of emotion from him is harder than getting a compliment from Snape.

Then again, the entire Fuurinkazan guild as a whole was like that. They might not have any luck in picking up the ladies or getting girlfriends, but each of them were actually on friendly terms with many of the female persuasion. Then again, they understood that no meant no, which was something many male players tended to forget on a regular basis.

Well, not with Asuna and Silica, but those two had proven more than willing to enact violence on anyone who decided to get fresh or grabby. The occasional repeat offender had Kirito and him taking said player aside and had a nice and friendly discussion with him about his behavior. At sword point.

They tended to get the message after that.

A twinge from his scar then brought his mind to something else. Ever since October, it had begun to bother him periodically. He knew that Tom, the so-called Lord Voldemort, was up to something, but for him to feel it from half a world away was disconcerting.

He wouldn’t claim to understand it, but he had a feeling that the connection was active due to Tom planning something involving him. Something that got the man to think strongly enough, as he hadn’t even noticed anything until October. Whatever had been planned back then had obviously failed. The scar’s activity had given him some insight, if only towards the man’s emotional state.

That had been fury back then, but now…

Now he was sensing anticipation.

What are you planning, Tom? He thought.

December 23, 2023 - Hogwarts, Headmaster’s Office

Albus sat back and pensively though about the last six months. Ever since June, he had been busy, either with damage control, or with the handling of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. While the Wainwrights had continued with providing the recordings of Harry’s activities, he had little time to peruse them, trusting Miss Granger to keep summarizing the activities.

Still, the damage control aspect had been successful, mostly because he was able to explain that they didn’t know if Harry had used magic, and even if he did, it was unlikely that those present would have recognized it. He had also pointed out that the circumstances were exceptional in their own right, and self-defense and defense of others in a situation of clear and present danger were well known exceptions to the rule.

That had quieted things, and he then had to ensure that they didn’t classify him as being a danger to others. Dolores Umbridge had been particularly insistent on that at first, but had fallen afoul of a scandal involving possession of Blood Quills and documents of all of her blackmail sources. The rest had died down after that.

Tragic, really, and he made sure to send Lucius a nice Christmas card for that maneuver. The entire thing had been brilliantly executed, and more in line with the more subtle and pragmatic maneuvering he had normally demonstrated until a couple of years previously.

And then, Tom had made a move, countered only because he had the foresight to ensure that Harry couldn’t be roped into any contracts, and Alastor had the paranoia to ensure that he wasn’t informed of all the security measures in place. It resulted in his agent, Barty Crouch Jr. being captured, but the man had apparently read from the same book Alastor had and bragged about his intentionally not knowing where Tom was specifically.

Still, it wasn’t a complete loss. Tom had lost a valuable servant, and had been set back months, at the least, due to the failure of his plan.

And yet, Albus still felt that it was only a setback for his former student, and that he hadn’t been idle since.

Just what are you planning now, Tom? He thought, pensively before turning his attention away from that line of thought. No matter how much he wished otherwise, he was in no position to do anything about it right now.

Unknown Location

Tom looked over his preparations with satisfaction. It had taken him weeks of research and preparation for the ritual he found, and it would be over a week still before he could use it. The instructions had been extremely specific that it could only be done when the New Year began.

Still, it was coming close. While it wouldn’t give him his body, it would put him in the perfect place to kill Harry Potter. The prophecy said he would have the power to defeat him? He would prove it wrong and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is the greatest Dark Lord to walk the Earth.

Besides, there were plenty of ways for him to get a body. He had everything else for the ritual he had intended already on hand, and setting it up later would be of no consequence.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 19 - A Carol of Swords

December 24, 2023 - Aincrad 48th Floor, Lindarth

“So, you made the preparations?” Kirito asked as Harry walked up to him.

Harry looked over and nodded. “Made them last week when I was shopping for gifts. Silica and I have a reservation at the Wandering Pony in Mishe for tomorrow evening at 19:00.” He tossed Kirito a card. “Also, made a similar arrangement for you and Asuna there as well, same time.”

Kirito caught the card. “Thanks, Harry.” He said and looked over the card. The information for the reservation panned out and he put it in his inventory. “You know what Rain and Lux are doing tomorrow night?” He asked.

Harry shrugged. “Heard they’re going to go with Klein and the Fuurinkazan, along with a few other ladies to a party being held here in Myujen.”

Kirito considered that and nodded to himself. That a party was going to go on wasn’t a surprise. It was Christmas, and while it wasn’t as important amongst the Japanese as it was amongst other cultures, it was still celebrated. Then again, it was an excuse for a party.

“You going to go to the party after you and Silica finish your date?” He asked.

Harry shrugged. “It’s not guaranteed, but probably. Silica likes to be social and if she goes, I’m going as well.”

Kirito snorted. “You mean she’ll drag you to it.” He replied drily.

“It’ll be willing this time,” Harry said. “Besides, I’ll be getting Klein to foot at least part of the bill on the drinks then.”

“And then he’ll get you to pay for his drinks.” Kirito said with a chuckle.

“Nah, we’ll just make it a part of some bets on a dice game. I win, he buys; he wins, I buy.” Harry said with a smirk. “Especially since he will likely be just drunk enough to think it’s a good idea.”

Kirito laughed at that. Harry’s luck with dice was well known, to the point where most players of the front line knew better than to play a game with him. It didn’t matter whose dice they were, Harry tended to at least break even at worst. And that’s when he was playing against a player who was using loaded dice.

They’d caught more than a few cheaters that way, though no one knew how someone could get loaded dice in game. Kirito suspected some back alley merchants, the “honestly reputable” kind.

The two then settled into a companionable silence as they waited for the girls to finish their shopping at Ashley’s. They had bought their suits a few days ago, so they were prepared, but the girls had ordered their clothes for Christmas back when they pulled their prank on the two of them, but with Ashley’s booming business, the tailor had only just finished the orders a couple of days ago.

Add in that they probably had to pick up other things as well, and the two had decided to wait outside, just in case the girls tried to pull another prank on them. At least that was their official reason. The real reason was that the girls wanted to try them on, just in case, and didn’t want the boys to see the outfits.

Neither Kirito, nor Harry had a problem with that. They would see the finished result tomorrow, and they found that they were quite capable of waiting.

Aincrad 49th Floor, Myujen

“You know, Silica, it surprises me that you’re planning on going out wearing that dress.” Asuna said idly as she sat back in the furo of the bathhouse they were using.

“Well, why not?” Silica asked. “I already don’t need to grab his attention, I already have it, but this makes me look a little more mature.” Asuna heard the girl grumble something under her breath and turned to look at her friend.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Asuna asked.

“I was just grumbling about the fact that I’m more or less stuck like this.” Silica replied. “I’m fourteen, and I still look more like I did when I was thirteen than I should. I have grown a bit, and filled out some, but not much. Of course, there’s a plus side to this.”

Asuna blinked. “And what would that be?”

Silica smirked. “Not having to explain to those who don’t know better why I weigh around fifty kilos while being only a hundred and fifty centimeters tall with a dancer’s build. I’m actually lighter here in SAO than I was IRL.” She shrugged. “Of course, I don’t have the muscle tone here I did outside.”

Asuna looked at Silica, surprised. “How did you manage that? I’m fifty-five kilos at one hundred and sixty-eight centimeters tall. You’re a lot smaller than I am, but your mass to height ratio is higher? With that build?”

Silica shrugged. “Comes with the territory amongst the ladies on my mom’s side of the family.” She said as she sat back. “We tend towards petite, athletic builds, and high muscle density. The martial arts tradition also helps.” She glared down at her chest. “Unfortunately, it also means that getting a guy’s attention can take some work. Unlike most ladies, we can’t just thrust out our chests and make them drooling idiots.”

“It would help to have them,” Rain said idly. “But then, it’s not your tits that Hadrian looks at. Why don’t you stand up a bit?” She asked.

Silica did, not even minding that she was naked. She was amongst friends, so it wasn’t like it would be a problem.

Rain moved closer and looked Silica over. “Hmm, you’re right about it being a dancer’s build. Well, from what you’ve been saying, a martial artist’s build. You have small breasts, but they’re there, a small waist, nice hips, nice butt, and good legs.” She observed. “If we weren’t stuck here, you would fill out nicely as you got older. You also don’t look thirteen. More like some of those gymnasts I was going to high school with.” She then grinned. “Besides, as I said, it’s not your tits he looks at.”

Silica shrugged and then sat back down into the water. Rain was right about that. Harry tended to pay more attention to her hips, rear and legs, though he did pay attention to her body as a whole. Also, when they slept in the same bed, one of his hands always seemed to find its way to her hips he would pull her closer when he was asleep. She would admit, it was nice.

Didn’t stop either of them from being embarrassed at each other when one walked in on the other in the bath, though Harry had long since gotten his reaction under control. On the other hand, his seeing her half-dressed, her hair mussed from sleeping, and such tended to get his attention more anyway.

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.” Asuna said, interrupting Silica’s train of thought.

“Silica did bring it up, Asuna.” Rain said. “Besides, how long has it been since any of us engaged in girl talk?” She then looked at Silica and then grinned. “So, on that line, you and Hadrian basically live together and have had some ‘accidental’ bath encounters? Details!”

Silica blushed. “Rain!” She shouted in protest.

Silica caught Asuna looking at Lux, who was rolling her eyes. Asuna shook her head, a bemused smile on the normally composed girl's face.

But that was Rain. She would start the girl talk with something like that. No matter. Asuna would rein things in.

After all, she knew once Silica rallied and started bringing up embarrassing matters on the rest of them, her longer association with Asuna meant that she had a lot of ammunition she could use. Silica was counting on it.

##

Harry blinked when Rain gave him a speculative look upon exiting the bath house, looked back at Silica, and gave her a thumbs up. He gave her a confused look, only to see her blush in embarrassment. He considered asking what it was all about and then thought better of it.

He had a feeling that girl talk was involved, and he’d suffered through that once after Fred and George had cheerfully tossed him naked into the girl’s shower room after a Quidditch game. Fortunately, the girls knew who was at fault. Unfortunately, they took the opportunity to embarrass the hell out of him, between their cheerful cooing over how cute he was, washing him, their own girl talk, and upping the ante on that by explaining what they were actually talking about.

True, they were going to an extreme when they did that. He seriously doubted that girls regularly talked about their monthlies in such lurid and disgusting detail, if at all, but it was enough. He would have tried to escape, but those girls easily managed to keep him corralled. They weren’t chasers for nothing, and they were used to doing so with things travelling much faster than he could run.

That had made him wonder why his thoughts had turned towards the real world more often recently. Not thinking or talking about the real world had quickly turned into a part of the culture of the players. A player was fully allowed to freely talk about the real world if he or she wanted to, but it was a touchy subject at the best of times.

Also, not thinking or talking about the real world served as a defense mechanism for them all. By not thinking about it, it allowed them to at least put aside the fact that they really were risking their lives for what may very well be a false hope. That in doing so would give them a chance for something that Kayaba had promised, but was in no way guaranteed to honor, their freedom. Regardless of what he had claimed that day, over a year ago. The man might have had no reason to lie, but he also had no reason to tell them the truth.

And I’m just going to stop there, he thought. That line of thought was not conducive to maintaining a more or less positive mindset, or at least one that was somewhat hopeful.

He turned his attention to Silica and noticed that her hair was still down. He mentally shrugged it off, not bothering to point it out. It wasn’t the first time she had decided to wear it loose after a bath, and it wouldn’t be the last.

That he found it more attractive than her habitual twintails, had nothing to do with it. He actually wondered why she still did her hair that way, given that they did make her look cute, and she had claimed that she didn’t do cute. Then again, that might have been the reason why right there.

Her going for something that was cute and childish kept all but the worst from trying to hit on her, and she knew that he saw past that.

“Hey you all.” He heard Argo’s voice pop up from right behind him. “I got some info you all might like to hear.

Harry felt his body tense and then relax. Looking back, he could see Argo’s disappointed expression and smirked.

“Argo, you really need to change your routine a bit,” he said. “Anyway, you got something?”

Aincrad 35th Floor, Forest of Wandering

“I still think we’re wasting our time on this.” Asuna said as they made their way to the location specified by Argo. “I know that Argo believes that there is some truth to the rumor, but…”

Rain looked at her, easily keeping pace with the rest of the group. “It’s probably not exactly as advertised…” She went quiet and pensive.

Asuna silence was not that of impatience, or resignation. For someone she'd known for such a short time, Asuna was giving her the same room her partner did.

It was a running theme in this party. Or was it group? Or team? Terminology got muddled with players like this. Silica wanted to train up her Martial Arts skills, even though she only just used them as a supplemental to her typical approach in game? The others took turns sparing with her. Harry decided that he didn't like the way a wannabe frontliner was treating one of the lower level players? Chances are at least two of them would be backing him up when he 'had a word' with the idiot. Kirito got wind of something shiny, or at least interesting? They all went along with him on a crazy misadventure.

Rain wanted to chase down a forlorn hope that likely wasn't what it said on the tin?

They all understood why Rain wanted, needed, to do this. This wasn’t like those moments in a badly done shonen anime where she had to restate her motives and personality for the three hundredth time. Even though Lux and Rain had only briefly been part of what she'd heard referred to as "Kirito's Group", "The Flash's Guild", "Oh God Run It's Them", and other nicknames. The kind of nicknames that proliferated when a group doesn't have an official one.

Not that they gave a single damn about the nicknames outside of amusement and exasperation whenever those names were bandied about within earshot.

When Argo gave them the damned rumor they were chasing, she had scanned the others after mastering themselves.

Every look back screamed skepticism. Every look back told her they knew she'd chase the damned rumor despite that. And every gaze that met hers said they were with her.

So here they were, chasing a rumor.

The rumor that an item capable of reviving someone was out there. A time sensitive prize, and probably one that was a onetime only thing. One you could only get once.

Asuna had been most articulate in her doubts, but Rain could tell everyone else had their own reservations. Even so, Rain remembered what Harry had said when he made it clear that if she was going to do this, she wasn’t doing it alone.

“It’s probably not true, at least not the way people are assuming,” he said. “But something like this wouldn’t have even Argo thinking it is valid without a reason. And Rain, I understand why you need to do this, but you’re not doing it alone.” He then smirked. “You’re a part of the team, after all.”

And that settled the issue. They would all accompany Rain on a fool’s errand, not because they even believed that the rumor was true, but because she was a member of the team. It was that simple, and it made her feel... connected to something grand and wonderful.

As they continued moving, they saw the fir tree that was specified in the rumor, and Rain had to restrain a giddy giggle. Not for the fir tree, no. But for a sudden thought, a remembrance of stories of a town somewhere in Russia full of fools who shared such wisdom in their actions.

The wisdom of fools it is, Rain decided.

##

Rain had been a little surprised to find Everybody's Bro and his guild the Fuurinkazan had shown up. She could see Lux was too, but none of the others were. Another reminder. Being taken in by Kirito and Asuna's odd little family didn't just mean getting Silica and Hadrian, getting the Beta Tester turned trusted frontliner and the Flash. It meant their friends were disposed to be yours, because their judgements were trusted.

The only thing Asuna wondered, and it was an idle wonder by her polite tone and diction, was how'd Klein had known to show up.

Rain had jokingly called Asuna 'Oujou-sama' once, on account of her manners. The stricken look the obviously more 'high bred' girl had given her was enough to tell her not to do that ever again, even before Silica had had a word, an actual word, about it with her.

The look had been enough.

Harry satisfied Asuna's curiosity easily, the second they turned up on the floor, he'd informed the "Bro" they were there and why, and the rest naturally came along with him. The Fuurinkazan not back up those two love birds their leader loved to tease? Had the Knight and that Lind fellow suddenly become the best of friends? Madness.

That'd been how Klein himself had put it, to Harry and Silica’s rude gestures. Then he'd grown serious. "Back up, in there fighting, running interference, you name it, we’ll do it, Harry." He said simply.

Harry was like that, Rain had come to know. People who tried to befriend his reputation could find him cold, aloof, and a bit of a Kirito Jr. To those that got in, that gave earnest friendship, what they found inspired such loyalty, she'd no doubt Klein would have gone the Twenty-Fifth again to back Harry up.

Harry would do the same, and that was why he inspired loyalty. The Englishman of Aincrad instinctively knew that loyalty was a two-way street.

That nickname was only teasingly said to get a rise out of him.

As to how he caught up to them so quickly, Kirito gave a quick lesson that explained that. There were ways to track people down, especially when they were on your Friends List. And of course, anyone in Klein's guild without Harry and his posse on theirs would be getting looks of disbelief and annoyance. For all that he acted the idiot at times, Klein was one of the more skilled players on the front line, and the guild he led was distinctive in the fact that even after a year, it had not yet lost a single member. Of course he'd make it a point to know where its members and allies, not to mention its annoyances and antagonists, were when he could.

Rain had initially thought Klein's guild was just him and the five members he'd brought with him, which would explain their survival rate. But over time, she'd found it was almost impossible to turn over a rock in Aincrad without finding one of them. Hell, that small guild the Moonlit Black Cats ,a.k.a “Kirito and Asuna's kids”, to the former’s bemusement and the latter's amusement, worked closely with the guild’s mid-level members.

Even as a virtual reality game, even as a death game, SAO was as much a social construct as it was a thing on ones, zeroes, and game mechanics.

“You caught up pretty quick, Klein.” Harry said, and the statement snapped Rain out of her reflections in time for her to catch "Kurama and Simone" trade smirks.

Each insisted the other was the shades wearing manliest man EVAR, the GWAR of the two, of course.

“I was already on the floor,” Klein replied with a shrug. “I had to talk some of the middies out of doing this, especially since I saw some of the shadier groups hovering around.”

Kirito raised an eyebrow. “Shadier groups?” He asked.

Klein nodded. “Yeah.” He said. “There are a couple of guilds who aren’t above using nastier methods to get what they want, either through threats, harassment, or even attacking other parties. There are even a couple of red guilds who have clean players working with them. Lind and the DDA keep them in check for the most part, but they can’t be everywhere."

Kirito had caught her eye at that and smirked at her eye roll. She'd only met this Lind after what Harry and the others typically referred to as 'that thing in June’.

By the time she had really become aware of the DDA beyond the rumor mill, it had evolved into a sort of militia or police force. Lind had whipped his guild into shape for action on the mid-levels, with the recommended additional grinding, of course. Now the DDA patrolled those floors.

While not always appreciated, much like the men and women that served justice in the real world; while Lind had to be a hard case about his own people not abusing their self-appointed role, much as in the real world, it was clear that their presence had kept criminal activity down to a reasonable level.

Their own occasional run-ins with the man were marked by both him and Harry being polite, carefully so, to each other. The others took Harry's lead in this, knowing the history between the two. They might not be at each other’s throats, but anyone with eyes could tell that they didn’t like each other.

"Sounds productive," Harry allowed. "Are we still seeing that slow uptick in Reds?"

Reds. Red Players. Player Killers. Rain wanted to spit at the term. So she did.

"Much as I know it will displease your refined fellows," Klein said wryly and indeed with honest regret, "Yes. There's a guy in town you can talk to about that. Actually, he was looking for you, Harry.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I don't think you know him, but he was calling you Harry," Klein related. "One of those folks I've seen around, but haven't placed a name to."

"Standard Argo check first then," Silica decided, and Harry nodded his agreement.

This time, Rain shared an eye roll with Klein.

“Yes, yes, we're such an old married couple," Harry mock groused. "You and yours want to join us on this, Klein?”

Klein grinned. “Why not?” He replied. “Who’s in charge of you guys?”

Harry smirked and pointed to Rain, and Rain knew she was blushing.

She had tried to defer to Kirito or Silica, or anyone else really, but Harry had stopped that.

"Your mission.” He said. “You're in charge."

And so here she was approving Klein's request for him and his to join her party. Silica had somehow caught the quotes she'd been using the first few times she'd said it and had relentlessly squashed that.

Rain took a look at the time. “It’s almost midnight, so we need to get in place.” she said. “Let’s go.”

##

"Why Father Christmas, though?" Harry groused behind her.

"Yeah, what did Santa do to the gaming industry?" Klein agreed. "Why are all the holiday mobs based on him and his crew? Why not... what is it called... the Crampy!"

"Krampus," Harry corrected. "Or a copyright safe Grinch parody!"

"Yeah! Hell, gaming could do with some Seuss!" Klein said. Apparently that got him some looks, because he was now explaining how his mother had become a fan of the good rhyming Doctor.

Rain wasn't really paying attention to their byplay, though.

She stared at the item that appeared for her, the very item she had come to get, and frowned. What had been implied by the rumor was true, but not in the way everyone assumed from it. Then again, they all had their doubts, even her. But, she still needed to do this, if only for the slightest chance that it might have been more than a fool’s errand.

They had taken on the event boss, Nicholas the Renegade. With their levels, it was unsurprisingly not difficult. If any of them had been doing it solo, it might have been different, or at least taken some time. As it was, it took them about twenty minutes to cut the boss’s health down.

Just because it was on the thirty-fifth floor didn’t mean that its’ health pool was small. If anything, being an event boss made it slightly overpowered.

Still, they killed it, and they had all arranged for her to land the last blow on the assumption that it would be a drop for the player who killed it. She now looked at the item in her hand, The Divine Stone of the Returning Soul, and placed her finger over it. She saw a text box appear, explaining what it could do.

It could revive a player, provided that it was done within ten seconds of the player’s death.

She gave a bitter chuckle at that revelation. It was true, but not in the way anyone assumed was meant by the rumor. It was more than what she honestly expected, though. She had done this, knowing it was a fool’s errand, but she had hoped that it wasn’t.

And even though the result wasn’t what she hoped for, an item that could bring her friend back from the dead, it was still more than what she expected. After all, with this, she could save someone else from dying if it came down to it.

At the same time, holding the item in her hand served as a painful reminder. She wanted to throw it away, to get rid of that reminder of her cowardice.

And yet, she wouldn’t do that. For one thing, it would be needless waste. For another, if she couldn’t bear to keep possession of it, she could simply hand it to one of the others. She glanced up and saw them giving her curious looks and waved them over.

Mishe, later the same night.

"I only agreed to this because Argo said enough cautiously good things about you," Harry told the man before him bluntly.

The stranger looked to be about Kirito or maybe Rain's age, but could easily be a couple of years older. He was just a touch taller than Harry, but seemed fit.

The same kind of hard life lived fit as Harry himself... and something else. Something refining it.

The auburn haired man bowed-- not a proper Japanese bow, but a Westerner ceding a point. "Understandable. It took me months to decide to approach you after all." The broadsword at his hip, shield on his non-dominant arm, and his general armor marked him as a tank, but there was a sense of something else to him.

"You're an American," Silica said flatly.

"I am," the man agreed with a sigh. "I visited my godmother just so I could say I was in Japan for the release."

"And you wanted to meet me because...?" Harry prompted.

"Because I recognized you, Mr. Potter," the man said bluntly, and instantly raised his hands as Harry's hand moved to his sword. He knew Silica was ready as well. "Peace. I'm not related to a Death Eater, or some sort of fanboy. Though, I am bound by certain... statutes."

"She knows," Harry said. "Her family technically is under it, but is of a more... edge case nature rather than being users you could say."

"Oh? Curse or-- never mind, it's none of my business," the man stopped himself. "Forgive me, growing up as I did... secrets are craved, and trying to find them out is second nature."

Harry’s eyes narrowed. “Wainwright?” He asked.

The man blinked. "You know about the Wainwrights?” He asked. “I mean, no but-- wait a damn minute. Are they why the Boy-With-Too-Many-Hyphens is in SAO? Well, if Mom's figured that out..."

"And your mother is...?" Silica pressed. "And are we secure?"

"I felt his field when I walked up," Harry noted. "It’s stronger than Argo's. I'm getting better at that in here."

The man sighed. "Magicals in America are under the Department of Magic and the Arcane.” He said. “We're like most of the magical nations. Like most magical communities, we’re largely autonomous, but if we fuck it up too badly, the Mundanes do have means to hold us accountable."

"I'm with you," Harry said, relaxing but keeping his hand on his sword.

"My mother heads up our intelligence wing-- like what your Unspeakables do when they’re not probing the deep mysteries of magic. It's called Aladdin--"

"Your mother's Eden Blake?" Silica asked suddenly, and Harry blinked.

"Yes," the man allowed, eyeing her carefully.

Silica shook her head. "She's dealt with my grandfather and a couple of family friends," she said. "One of those friends is an out of towner called Gordon. Or--"

"Alf to his Earth friends," the man said, eyes going wide. "Fuck. You're a Saotome. Oh, totems and gods, you’re a Saotome. If your grandpa hasn't torn down Argus Corp, whoever took over after this started, or put a fire under the collective asses of the Diet over this yet…”

Silica nodded. “Then his hands are tied, for now at least.” She admitted. “He’s also not that influential, despite what some think. Now, my great aunt Nabiki, on the other hand...”

"Wait, wait, wait, Earth friends?” Harry asked. “You know an alien, Silica?"

"Don't worry about it," Silica advised offhandedly. "So, I'm a Saotome, and he’s part of Magical America's first family of spooks." She looked at Harry. “Haven’t heard of you before I met you, though.”

“Someone aware of the magical world who doesn’t know who I am? Awesome!” Harry said, smirking. "I'm just a guy on vacation."

"Damn, I was going to use that one," the man said. "I'm... my name is August Blake. And if Koya, or whatever that fucks name is got through my field he's at least... re-assessing the situation a bit." Blake chuckled. "And that's not even why I reached out to you."

“Doubt he will change things, though.” Harry said. “He’s gone this far, and passed the point of no return.” He got a thoughtful expression on his face. “He said we had to clear this place and… well, we know who will be at the top now.”

"Why did you want to meet Harry, Mr. Blake?" Silica asked.

Blake sighed. "Because I want to get out of here, where my girlfriend Ami is waiting. Because I want to see the kid she's already had by now."

"Little young for fatherhood," Harry noted dryly.

"The life I've lived, I had the chance and we took it together," Blake said, and Harry saw something in Blake's face he recognized from the mirror in the morning. Life hadn’t been kind to the man.

"And you think I can help you with that?" Harry asked. “No offense, but I’m just one person. I don’t care what the stories say, I’m not that special, powerful, or anything really."

"Yeah, but we're similar in one important way," Blake said. "Mr. Potter, have you found yourself bending SAO's rules in a way that made you think you might be... tapping our gift?" A look of wary hope came to the American's face. "And if you have, I'll do anything to get back to my Ami, sir, that won't stain me so much she won't see me..."

Harry considered that for a moment. “As things stand, I can’t do anything more to get anyone out of here than what I’ve already been doing, working to clear this damn game.” He said. “I don’t have the knowledge, let alone the control, to even try anything else. I get-”

"Flashes. Moments when the game lets you do things you shouldn't," Gus said, nodding. "Nothing like I can do with my focus in the real world..."

"And nothing I can call on demand," Harry agreed.

Blake nodded. “Not what I wanted to hear,” he admitted. “But it was a long shot anyway. Better to ask and be disappointed, though.”

Harry nodded. “Better to do something, hoping for the best, than nothing.” He agreed. “Listen, I’ll add you to my list of contacts. It’s not as good as a Friend’s List, but it means we can get in contact with each other if we find out something. As it is, just work on staying alive for now, and maybe you should work with some of the mid-level guilds or players if that’s your thing. Or, you could work with Argo. "

"I already do," the American said with a smirk. "She’s always looking for people who can keep their eyes and ears open. And gathering intelligence? I was born for that. I've been keeping tabs on a certain class of player. Red. I doubt that now is a good time, but we should meet up some time after the New Year.”

December 25, 2023 - Aincrad 49th Floor, Myujen

Silica tried to burrow into the covers and hoped that the morning sun would do them all a favor and either get turned off for a few more hours, or go bother someone else. She was feeling even less like a morning person than normal as it was, knowing that they were taking the day off because it was Christmas, and wanted to keep sleeping.

And if Harry decided to do his normal morning antics to wake her up, she wasn’t going to be held responsible for the consequences. Though from the grumbling coming from the body she was using as a combination of pillow and teddy bear, he wasn’t happy about it, either.

“Couldn’t they at least make it so the curtains can actually block out the damn sun?” She heard him grumble as he stirred. “Silica, I’m going to need to move, so can you shift a little?”

“D’nwnna.” She mumbled into his chest.

“Same, but that damn light is getting into my eyes.”

“D’nwnna!” She mumbled more insistently. “‘M w’rm ‘n c’mfy. ‘Wnna slp.”

She heard him sigh in exasperated amusement. “Well, I guess we can stay like this for a bit longer.” He said.

Silica mumbled appreciatively at that comment, only to be shortly interrupted by a knock on the door. Growling, she reached out and put her hand on Harry’s chest, stopping him from rising to answer it. Her eyes cracked open, glared at him, and she got off the bed.

Muttering imprecations under her breath about morning people, their constant need to share it, and her general irritation with them, she stomped over to the door and opened it to see Asuna with her hand raised to knock again.

“What?” She growled out to the older girl.

Asuna blinked. She looked over Silica’s shoulder to see Harry bemusedly staring at her from the room’s only bed, and back to an irate Silica.

“Um, did I come at a bad time?” She asked.

Silica only glared.

“Asuna,” Harry chimed in. “It’s too bloody early for this right now, and she’s not a morning person at the best of times. What do you think?”

“Oh.” She looked at the still glaring Silica, who looked to be reaching for a dagger that wasn’t there, and raised her hands in surrender and carefully backed away. “I’ll… come back in a couple of hours then.” She said. “I’ll make sure they know not to bother you two.”

Silica nodded, and firmly closed the door. She then made her way back to the bed, crawled under the covers, and made herself comfortable, her back to Harry in order to keep the sun out of her eyes. She glanced back and noticed that Harry was looking at her with some amusement.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing, Silica.” He said. “Nothing at all.”

“Mmmm.” She murmured as she felt Harry wrap an arm around her and went back to sleep.

##

Harry joined Asuna and the others an hour later, taking a seat at the table and waving over a server. After giving his order, he turned his attention to the rest of the group.

“Asuna,” he said. “I’d apologize for Silica’s behavior, but she’s been a bit more irritable in the mornings recently. And to be honest, for once, I’m just glad it wasn’t directed at me.”

Asuna blinked. “What do you mean?” She asked. “I know she’s not a morning person, but she looked ready to stab me, or rip my head off.”

“If you want my opinion, which I’m giving anyway, it’s probably because we’ve all been so busy for the last couple of months.” He said and then shrugged. “Early mornings, late nights, and not a lot of downtime. She still has trouble sleeping unless she’s had a couple of hours to relax and decompress after we get back.”

“The fact that she likes to use you as a teddy bear probably helps with that.” Kirito replied drily.

“It helps us both with the nightmares.” Harry simply replied. He then looked between Kirito and Asuna. “You two might want to try it,” he said with a grin.

Asuna and Kirito both blushed and glared at Harry, while he, Rain and Lux laughed.

Despite his amusement with teasing Kirito and Asuna about their growing relationship, Harry knew that the two of them had a relationship that was developing in a healthier way than the one between him and Silica did. The relationship that he and Silica had wasn’t unhealthy, far from it. It was clear, however, that it could easily have become unhealthy with the way the two would occasionally use each other as crutches to keep themselves sane. Given their experiences since they were all trapped in SAO, though, it was understandable.

He shook that line of thinking out of his mind and looked at everyone. “Well, Silica was able to get a little more sleep, and she’s happier for it.” He said. “She’s taking a quick bath right now, so she should be down shortly. So, what’s the plan for today?”

Kirito shrugged. “Well, its Christmas, and we’re taking the day off.” He said. “Outside of some things going on this evening, I don’t think we have anything planned.”

Harry nodded and spied Silica making her way towards them. “Well, Silica’s done,” he said. “Quicker than usual, but I guess she wants to get started. She’ll probably insist on a longer bath later, since we’re going out tonight.”

“Oh?” Lux asked. “Sounds like you’re planning on taking her out on a date.”

“I am” He said, to everyone’s shock.

“Wait, you’re going on a date?” Asuna asked.

“I think I said that.”

“With Silica?”

“It’s tonight at the Wandering Pony in Mishe. Your point?”

Harry watched in amusement as both Asuna and Kirito tried to reconcile the fact that he was calling it a date, rather than his usual, and habitual, denials. Rain and Lux looked a bit startled for a moment before their expressions turned to amused.

“Well, if there’s any day that he would admit to going on a date, it would be today.” Rain said simply.

Lux nodded. “Yes, it makes sense that he would.” She chimed in. “Or he’s just finally gotten past the denial phase.”

Silica finally reached the table and looked at Kirito and Asuna with some confusion. “What’s up with them?” She asked.

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know.” He said. “I only admitted that I’m taking you out on a date tonight.”

Silica nodded and then paused. “Wait, you’re admitting that it’s a date?” She asked. At Harry’s nod she took a look out the nearest window. “I don’t see any signs that the world’s ending.” She said.

“Very funny, Silica,” Harry replied sarcastically.

“I try.” She replied smugly, causing Harry to snort in response.

The rest of the group laughed at the byplay while both Harry and Silica grinned.

“Thank you, thank you, I take my payments in beer, food, and snacks for Pina so she doesn’t steal from my plate.” Harry said, standing in order to take a bow. “My lovely and dangerous assistant takes hers in wine, baths, and snacks for Pina. Seriously, that flying feather duster has a black hole for a stomach.”

Silica lightly smacked him in the arm. “Pina’s not that bad, Harry.” She said.

“You’re just saying that because she doesn’t steal from your plate.” Kirito said, causing everyone to laugh.

“Anyway,” Harry said. “It’s Christmas, and I bear gifts. And no, none of them came from that Greek chap, Odysseus. I sent those to that tit, Agamemnon.” He opened up a menu and made several selections. Various wrapped packages appeared in front of him and he began to sort them.

“Greek chap? Odysseus?” Silica asked in confusion. “Harry, what are you-”

Rain snorted. “He was basically referring to a classical piece of Western literature, The Iliad, if I recall correctly.” She said. “I read it when I was in school back in Russia before my parents divorced and my mother returned to Japan, bringing me with her. It’s the source of a Western saying, “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”

“Actually, that was from the Aeneid, not The Iliad.” Harry countered. “A later work, written by the Roman poet, Virgil.” He looked over the packages and nodded. He started to hand them out to everyone. “Anyway, let’s not talk literature. I have presents to give out.”

He then handed the wrapped parcels to everyone at the table. Once he finished, he looked at everyone. “Well, what are you waiting for?” He asked.

They all looked at each other and then back to him, before Silica shook her head.

“Well, looks like I’ll start it off then,” she said before opening hers. As soon as she did, she pulled out a silver bracelet that had rings for each finger linked by several fine chains. She considered it for a moment before checking its stats and nodded. She equipped it and gave Harry a small smile.

“It’s beautiful and practical,” she said. “Somehow, that’s just like you.”

Harry gave her a slightly embarrassed look and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I did look around and asked some people for advice on appropriate gifts.” He admitted. “Why don’t you all open them? It’s Christmas!”

As they did, Harry sat back and watched as they all made pleased sounds at receiving the gifts. He had focused on gifts that were practical, and for the girls, looked nice as well. He doubted that Kirito really cared about the looks, so long as they weren’t too outlandish.

Asuna found herself holding a nice bangle that was designed to increase the accuracy of her attacks. Rain appreciated the fine leather gloves with the silverthread embroidery that also improved the stability of her grip on her sword, making the damage more consistent. Lux found herself the proud recipient of a new embroidered jacket that could fit over her armor and provided improved resistances.

As for Kirito, Harry got him practical heavy boots that helped with his defense and footing.

Black, of course.

All of them were practical, and all of them were fitting to the recipient.

Harry did make a mental note to thank Argo for the gift ideas, and Agil for having most of them for a reasonable cost. Those that Agil didn’t have, he knew who did have them and were willing to sell or trade for them.

He saw the expressions on their faces, their delight in receiving gifts, and their embarrassment in having not done the same. He didn’t expect them to, nor did he require it.

After all, it didn’t matter to him if they did or did not have gifts for this day, Christmas was more of a Western thing, so if they didn’t, he wasn’t offended in the least. Then again, he only had two Christmas holidays where he got anything of worth, and none of those things came from family. At least not directly; and his father's cloak had more been the Headmaster returning what was his. None of the actual gifts he had been given were expensive either, but the price never mattered.

It was the thought and feeling behind them that did.

And the gifts he gave were of the same vein. Practical, as was appropriate for SAO, but also given with the intent of ensuring that his companions had as much chance to survive as possible.

Aincrad, 35th Floor, Mishe

Unsurprisingly, the Wandering Pony, or at least the tavern portion of it, was packed to the rafters with people. The actual restaurant portion was less crowded, but that was only because people could only enter it with reservations for the night. Reservations which had been made with incredible alacrity by just about every attached male player as soon as word had gone out. Harry had been there for the general brawl that had happened right in front of the establishment, noticing it as soon as he had walked out, having secured the reservations for himself and Kirito.

It paid to have Argo as a friend, even if she enjoyed trying to embarrass the hell out of him.

Still, he had secured those reservations, and he was now escorting Silica there for a nice dinner to start the night off with. Turning his attention to her, he considered the headaches that came from putting a stop to that brawl and getting it into some sense of order worth it.

Silica had taken advantage of Ashley’s services, and it showed. The tailor knew her work, or was it his? Harry would admit that he had a hard time telling. No matter. Ashley knew how to make and tailor clothes specifically to fit the personality wearing them.

And fit Silica, it did. She was wearing a long sleeved blue dress that hugged her body in all the right ways, while not being so form fitting as to restrict her movement. The silverthread embroidery highlighted her breasts and hips in a way that drew his eye to them without being blatant, the dress flared out from her hips, and managed to be long enough for the hem to almost touch the floor. If he were to bet anything, the only reason it didn’t was due to the heeled boots she wore. Add in that her hair had been pulled into a bun, light makeup, and the simple change to her bearing, and it made her look quite a bit more mature than her fourteen years of age would indicate.

His own attempt at formal was a dark green waistcoat over a white linen shirt, black pants, matching shoes, and having a crimson cravat and cummerbund for a splash of brighter color. His hair also had been “tamed” by getting done in a way that made it look deliberate, rather than the bird’s nest it usually looked like.

“Welcome to the Wandering Pony, do you have a reservation?” The maître d’ said as soon as they entered. The NPC hadn’t changed one bit since they were last there, Harry noted with some amusement. His polite interest in their presence, and his desire for them to spend their col at the establishment if they had a reservation was still on his face.

“Yes,” Harry replied. “A reservation for two, under the name, Hadrian.” He handed the card, showing his reservation.

The maître d’ took the card and looked it over before placing it to the side. “Thank you, sir.” He replied. “This way, please.”

As the two of them were led to their table, the two of them politely ignored the looks and quiet comments that followed as they passed. Once they arrived and were seated at their table, both took the provided menus and began to browse them before making their orders.

Silica took a sip of her wine after it arrived and took a casual look around. “I’m beginning to think we might be a bit overdressed for this,” she said idly. “Also, I didn’t think you would actually drink any wine, either.”

Harry shrugged in response and took a sip of his own. “Well, it’s not like beer would really be appropriate for this, not tonight at least.” He said. “Also, the fact that we decided to dress nicely is a bad thing… why?”

“It’s not a bad thing, just an observation.” Silica replied. “Still, you knew to get a reservation for this night, and you’re calling this an actual date.”

Harry chuckled. “Thank Argo for that, she let me know so I could get here soon enough to do so.” He said. “I got the reservation when I was shopping for gifts while Kirito ran interference for you all. As for admitting that it’s a date, you really think that denying that this was a date would hold water this time?”

Silica nodded. “You have a point there,” she admitted, taking another sip. “So, anything you want to talk about?” She asked.

“How about anything not related to being stuck here?” Harry asked. “Something light, at least.”

Silica smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 20 - Guests, Invited and Otherwise

December 30, 2023 - Unknown Location

Tom finished inscribing the last of the runes required on the border of the ritual circle, cursing the difficulty in using the homunculus body he had decided on when Barty found him. While it had been sufficient for the plans he had months ago, the preparations he was now doing required far more fine control than the body he was using was really suited for.

Still, he had persevered and had finished the painstaking process after several hours. Even then, he would be spending the next several hours evenly filling each etching with the special fluid required by the ritual. A fluid that had been harder to make than he had expected, as it was extremely difficult to acquire the blood of an innocent, an infant girl to be precise, not to mention making an emulsion that could be mixed with acromantula venom and hemlock without ruining its own properties. The former was easily handled by Nagini surreptitiously acquiring the infant for him from the nearby town, and he was fortunate that he had the emulsion and other ingredients hidden away in one of the caches he had nearby. It was ensuring that the mixture was correct, heated to the proper temperature, and maintained that way until it was used that was the hard part.

Unfortunately, he was required by the specifics of the ritual to do so, as once the preparations were started, they could not be stopped until completed. As it was, he was doing this faster than most who would attempt it would. They would usually do this over the course of a week, the meditations, chants, and other aspects which he had dismissed as unimportant as mandating extra time he didn’t need to waste. Instead, he was attempting to have this finished in less than two days.

Aincrad 50th Floor, Algade

The city of Algade was the largest settlement seen in Aincrad since the Town of Beginnings. A kilometer long and half a kilometer wide, its streets were a warren of alleys, dead ends, and confusing passages that could quickly cause a player to get lost. And yet, despite that, players knew that if they took a few different turns, or backtracked a bit, they would always find themselves on the city’s main boulevard, or back at the teleport plaza.

Still didn’t make the city any less confusing to navigate, though.

Harry cursed Argo as he looked around, checking his surroundings for the location Argo wanted him to meet her at. He had followed her directions to this part of the city, but its layout was a nightmare to navigate, and likely would be until he got familiar enough with it.

He would have turned and consulted Silica, but she was with Asuna, Rain, and Lux, and Kirito got snagged by Klein early on and dragged off. Knowing Klein, they would probably spend a few hours outside the city before Klein decided to make an attempt at hitting every bar, tavern and seedy dive in the city, dragging Kirito along with him.

And so, he was looking for Argo, which could be difficult enough as it is, in this maze of alleys that seemed to be designed to be her own habitat.

He spared a glance behind him and saw a familiar figure staying to the shadows. He would call it predictable, which it was, to a point. She was still able to sneak up on him when he wasn’t paying attention, however.

He was just used to her enough to be able to control his reactions. It also helped that he was getting sensitive enough to the system that he was beginning to be able to tell when something was directing its attention towards him. Not as well as Kirito, but then most players really couldn’t measure up to him when it came to something to do with the game.

Interacting with other players? He had Kirito beat, most players had him beat, in that respect. A social butterfly, Kirito certainly was not. Doing anything related to the game? Harry could count on one hand, with fingers left over, the number of players he knew of who might, might, be better at it.

He heard a quiet chuckle in a familiar voice coming from behind and sighed. “Argo,” he said. “If you’re going to sneak up on me, you might want to save the laughs for after you do.”

“So that’s how you notice me, Harry?” Argo asked teasingly.

“Well, you weren’t really trying this time.” Harry admitted. “The other times? Well, I keep saying that you’ve been getting predictable for a reason.”

He heard a man’s chuckle. “He has you there, boss.” The man said.

“Mr. Blake, nice to know you’re here as well.” Harry said, looking to the side where he barely noticed a slouched figure waiting. “So, Argo, what’s with calling me all the way out here, rather than your usual habit of simply sneaking up on me at the inn while I’m eating?”

Argo shrugged and then made her way to a nearby alley. Harry quietly followed her and noticed the privacy barrier that was in place. From its feel, it was one of Argo’s. He could almost sense something unique from it, as if a fingerprint, but that was it. He knew better than to focus on it, as if he did, it would simply slip away.

He saw Argo give him a confused look and he realized he stopped. He shrugged it off and continued into the alley. “Sorry about that, just felt that privacy barrier you had up.” He said. “It was yours, right Argo?”

Argo nodded. “Gus here said that you noticed his, and could tell that it was different from mine,” she said, pointing at the man. “Interesting, but not why I called you here.”

“And why did you?” Harry asked. “I know that Mr. Blake wanted to talk a few things out, but he decided to wait a bit.”

The man nodded. “I would have as well, but it’s also the reason why I’m talking to you about it now.” He said. “I told you how I was keeping an eye on the red players, discretely mind you, but after we talked, the ones I was really paying attention to seem to have vanished.”

“I take it’s not because they did us all a favor and turned themselves in,” Harry noted. “Or got themselves killed for that matter.”

“I checked the Monument when they dropped off the map,” Argo said. “They’re still alive, and a few checks at the Black Iron Palace showed that none of the ones we are really worried about got captured recently.” She gave him a careful look. “Harry, the ones we’ve been trying to keep an eye out for, and an eye on when we could track them down… they’re the ones who attacked you and Silica back in June.”

Harry’s eyes hardened when he heard that. “You have my attention.” He said.

August Blake straightened himself. “First, call me ‘Gus’, that’s the player name I picked.” He said. “Now, the fact that they’re hiding isn’t unusual, they have been laying low since June, after their little confrontation with you.”

Harry nodded. “Not surprising, whatever they were planning, myself, Silica, Lind, Kirito and Klein’s main group ruined it.”

Gus nodded. “That nine of them died, seven of them between you, Lind, and Silica also hit them pretty hard.” He said. “While we don’t have an exact number in that group, let alone back then, you three killed close to a third of those who were there. I can’t say with any certainty, but it looks like around twenty-five of them went against you.”

“Had Klein, his group, and Kirito not shown up, we wouldn’t have lasted much longer, you know.” Harry said.

“True,” Gus admitted. “Not because of any lack of ability on the part of you three, but simply because of their numbers. Still, the three of you would have probably taken half of them with you.”

Harry considered that for a moment and then shrugged it off. That they would have handled themselves in such a case didn’t eliminate the fact that they would have still died had backup not arrived.

Aincrad 48th Floor, Lindarth

Lisbeth calmly held the blade against the grindstone, allowing the water powered instrument to do its work, moving the blade carefully and slowly to ensure that the edge was evenly sharpened. Months of experience in doing things both using the system and in doing them manually had shown her which methods worked best, and to be honest, some things were simply better with a more personal touch.

She withdrew the blade and examined it before giving a satisfied nod. She then reached for an oiled cloth and wiped the blade down before looking up and handing it over. “There you go, Asuna,” she said. “Everything’s fixed up, the blade’s been sharpened, and it’s good to go until you need to bring it back in.” She then gave a slight smirk. “So, should I schedule for you and everyone else to be back here in three or four days?”

Asuna huffed as she took the rapier and, after a quick examination, sheathed it. “We’re not that bad, Liz.” She said.

“We kind of are, Asuna,” Silica said from the side where she was watching with Rain and Lux. “Well, Harry and Kirito are, and Rain’s almost as bad.”

“Hey!” Rain protested while Lux giggled.

“Well, at least I make any things for you guys with durability in mind, given the abuse you put your shit though.” Lisbeth said. “And it only took Harry and Kirito breaking only one of my swords each to do it.”

“They did that?” Lux asked.

Silica nodded. “They did,” she replied. “They weren’t doing it to be mean, but to prove a point. It doesn’t matter what the stats on your gear are if it can’t take the abuse. I’ve seen Harry pass on gear that had significant stat increases because of it.”

“And he was right to do so,” Asuna added. “While we all have extra weapons it takes time to get them out and equipped, and the middle of a fight is the worst time for that. If it’s your armor that breaks, you might as well get your teleport crystals out, get back to town, and call it a day.”

Lux nodded. Most players who spent a lot of time outside the safe zones have had something break on them due to the durability wearing out, often at the most inconvenient time. She also knew that Harry and the others had a rule of never going out if their equipment durability is below half, and to always have it at max durability before a boss fight.

“Almost got killed on the twentieth floor because I didn’t pay attention to the durability, a newbie mistake, really.” Harry told them when they went to fight the one on the forty-seventh floor. “Now I make sure it’s always at full before a boss fight.”

Lisbeth smirked at that. “Most of my customers aren’t members of the Assault Team, so they tend to be a little less selective.” She admitted with a shrug. “Anyway, the repairs are done, so anything else?”

Everyone shook their heads and she then grinned.

“Well then, if you all have nothing else to do, what’s up with all of you?”

Asuna looked at Silica with a smirk. “Well, you will be glad to know that Hadrian and Silica finally went on a date, without them denying it was one.” She said.

Lisbeth blinked. “Wait, you mean that they actually called it a date?” She asked and then grinned. “So, they’re finally admitting that there’s something there then?”

“They haven’t denied that there was something there for months, Liz,” Asuna said. “They just don’t bring it up.”

Lisbeth looked at Silica, who was giving Asuna an exasperated look. “So, you two are boyfriend and girlfriend now?” She asked.

Silica shrugged, not saying anything.

“More like married in all but name,” Rain said.

“Yup,” Lux added.

“Don’t deny it, Silica,” Asuna said. “The two of you basically live together.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Silica replied drily. “It wouldn’t matter what Harry and I say on the matter anyway. With all the rumors, the players gossiping like old women, and so on, no one would believe us if we denied it. That reminds me, did Argo close the betting pool?”

“She closed it a while ago, doesn’t matter, I still got time before my bet becomes a moot point,” Asuna said. “And no, Silica, I’m not revealing what it is, you know the rules.”

Silica nodded. “Wasn’t going to ask.” She said. “Besides, both Harry and I figured it was a bet on if and when we get married anyway. Argo confirmed that was one of the bets out there, even if it might not be the one you’re talking about.” She then grinned. “Then again, considering some of the things I’ve heard, if you did bet on the other ones… naughty, naughty.”

Asuna blinked and then flushed, and Lisbeth grinned. “Oh ho,” she said. “So Asuna’s not so innocent?”

Rain laughed. “Innocent?” She asked. “Asuna? She might be prim and proper in how she acts, but trust me, she can be as dirty minded as the rest of us.”

“Rain!” Asuna protested.

“She has a point, Asuna.” Lux commented. “You just hide it well. Then again, I don’t think anyone can beat Rain in that department.”

“Idti sosat’ khuy.” Rain said to Lux.

“I think you will first, with how often you go drinking with Klein.” She replied. “I wonder if I should start a betting pool with Argo on how long it takes for that to happen?”

“Khuy tebe!”

“Buy me dinner first, Rain.”

Rain was about to say something else, but paused and raised her hand, giving the point to Lux.

“Wait, she understands what Rain is saying?” Lisbeth asked.

Silica shrugged. “She has been working with her since before they joined us.” She replied. “Besides, it’s not hard to figure out what that last bit meant.”

Lisbeth considered that and nodded. “Makes sense,” she acknowledged “So, what else is going on? Got any plans for the New Year?”

“We didn’t schedule anything, so unless Hadrian or Kirito did, I don’t think we have any.” Asuna admitted. “We came by to not only get our gear repaired, but to see if you’re willing to come with us. You know, make it a girl’s day out?”

Lisbeth shook her head. “Sorry, but I can’t.” She said. “I got my shop to run and I have some customers who are scheduled to come by today.”

“Ah, I see.” Asuna replied, slightly disappointed, but understanding.

“It didn’t hurt to ask, Asuna, and it was something of a spur of the moment thing for us.” Lux said.

“Well,” Lisbeth said. “If you guys don’t have anything planned for then, I know of a New Year’s party that’s being held that you all might be interested in. It’s on the thirty-ninth floor and is being hosted by the Knights of Blood.”

“Them?” Silica asked. “That’s surprising.”

“What do you mean?” Rain asked.

“Heathcliff doesn’t strike me as the type to organize and throw a party.” Silica said.

“It’s an open invite, so I figured I’d let you guys know.” Lisbeth said.

“We’ll keep it in mind, though we’ll have to convince Harry if we decide to go.” Silica replied. “He doesn’t really trust Heathcliff. He hasn’t since he met him back on the twenty-sixth floor.”

Everyone but Asuna blinked in surprise. Asuna only nodded.

“I was there when he tried to recruit them, well us when you get down to it, but it was when he was giving his sales pitch specifically to them,” she said. “Hadrian politely refused to join his guild, and during the meeting...” She looked to Silica as she trailed off.

“Something about him put Harry on his guard,” Silica agreed. “I don’t know what it was, and I don’t think Harry really knows, but something about that man just didn’t sit right with him. Since then, both Harry and I noticed that there is something off about him.”

“What would that be?” Rain asked.

“His lack of empathy, for one.” Silica said. “I think the only reason we noticed it is because we’ve been to most of the floor boss battles. He isn’t there for all of them, but he’s there for enough, and you can tell that there’s a disconnect. It’s like he simply doesn’t think like the rest of us.”

“At least he’s working toward getting people out,” Asuna said.

“True,” Silica admitted. “Well, either way, we’ll see if he’s up to it. Just because he doesn’t fully trust the man, doesn’t mean that he isn’t willing to work with him.”

Aincrad, 39th Floor - Knights of Blood Headquarters

Heathcliff idly considered how the game was progressing as he looked over reports sent from the various sub leaders of the guild. As things stood, everything was working fine, or as fine as the situation could be. He still needed someone who could take over as an effective second-in-command, but no players really stood out.

Or rather, the only ones who did were not in the guild.

Of them, Asuna would have been his first choice. The girl was a solid front line fighter, and he knew from watching the dynamics of the group she worked with that she was a tactical planner. She made plans based on the information available, whether they came from NPCs, her own observations, or Argo’s network, but she rarely went out without one. At the same time, she had demonstrated an ability to change plans on the fly in light of new information, or changing circumstances. Most importantly, when she gave an order, people listened, regardless of whether she was the one in charge or not.

It was regrettable that she had declined his offer.

Hadrian, who was likely the reason why Asuna had declined his offer, would have been his second choice. The boy was a solid fighter and had demonstrated leadership qualities. While he didn’t have Asuna’s knack to plan, he was someone who quite simply could take charge of a situation and get a lot of players to work together. His organizing a rescue raid on the twenty-fifth floor demonstrated that, and his ability to handle surprises and crises were demonstrated during other boss battles.

At the same time, he knew that the boy was wary around him. He had noticed it when he gave his offer, there was a guardedness around the boy that his companion, Silica, easily picked up on. It made him wonder if he saw something. Was it that the boy saw past his public mask?

He didn’t know, but it also meant that their interactions had an element of tension to them.

The only other one he would have considered was Klein, and he was busy running his own guild. And running it very effectively as well, considering that it was currently the only sizeable guild that had not lost a single person since SAO started. That said a lot about the man’s ability, despite how his usual antics made him seem like a jovial fool most of the time.

Still, he would make do with what he had.

“Sir,” came a voice. Heathcliff looked up and saw the guild’s head of finance, Daizen.

“You have the reports of the expenditures for that New Year’s party that is being organized?” He asked.

Daizen nodded. “Right here, sir.” He said as he sent the report.

Heathcliff pulled it up and looked it over. He had given the organizers a generous budget, but made it clear that he would need to see a report on the expenses. This was for the simple reason that it made sure that those involved knew that he would not only know what was being spent and on what, but that they would have to justify them as well.

Not that funding was of any concern for the guild. Daizen made sure that their coffers were well funded, after all. Still, it was one of those things that was necessary, and the expense report was more simply another means for Daizen to track every col that entered or left the guild’s coffers.

He had chosen the right man for that job.

He closed the report and looked at Daizen. “Everything seems to be going fine, Daizen.” He said.

Daizen nodded. “Anything specific you have questions about?” He asked.

Heathcliff shook his head. “Not at this time, no.” He told the man. “Dismissed.”

As soon as Daizen left, he secured the door and pulled up the reports on specific players. While not as comprehensive in terms of the information he could access as a GM, these reports had the benefit of being based on observations of other players.

For all that the data could provide him, it was impersonal, based only on numbers and combat statistics. It was lacking that human touch, that necessary insight.

The reports collected from what players have seen may have lacked the raw data, but were rich in insight. Insight which allowed him to determine if his original judgments on them that had been based on raw data, logic, and his own observations had been correct.

He was a logical being, he knew that. Things like emotions, feelings, and instinct were only known and understood at an intellectual level for him. He could put on a mask that allowed him to function amongst people, but he knew full well what he was.

A sociopath, albeit an unusually high functioning one.

He could look at the psychological data and see the signs, but it was his own studies on how the human brain worked and how it affected the mind that proved it to him. How could they not, as he had those studies done in order to ensure that the Nerve Gear interfaced properly with the wearers?

It didn’t bother him. If anything, it made what he had intended easier. After all, for his goals, for his dream to be realized, he would have to be willing to sacrifice everything.

Including himself.

December 31, 2023 - Aincrad 50th Floor, Algade

“The Knights of Blood are hosting a New Year’s party?” Harry asked.

Silica nodded. “It’s supposed to be tonight on the thirty-ninth floor.” She replied. “It’s an open invite, so we were wondering if you were interested in going.”

“You do know what I think of Heathcliff, Silica,” he said. “That hasn’t changed, though I will admit I might be wrong, but…” He gave a shrug.

Silica nodded. “But you might not.” She finished. “It hasn’t stopped you from working with him, though.”

Harry gave another shrug. “So long as he’s working to clear the game, I can work with him. Regardless of whether I can fully trust him or not, but you do have to admit that something’s off about him.”

Silica knew what he meant by that. “To be fair, I don’t think it was his idea, but the idea of some of his guild members.” She said.

“Probably Godfree,” Harry said with a nod. “It sounds like something he would do, and I wouldn’t put it past Heathcliff to go with it. Just because he’s not the type to organize or throw a party, doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t be against it if some of his subordinates thought it was a good idea.”

Silica snorted. “More like he probably didn’t care, so long as they planned it properly and gave regular reports about it.” She said with a scoff. “How many times have we heard Godfree complain about the paperwork?”

Harry chuckled. “Often enough.” He replied. “Ah well, it wouldn’t hurt to go and show ourselves. How formal is it?”

Silica shrugged. “As far as I know, it’s not that formal, so I guess a lot of players are going in their gear.”

Harry nodded. “I’ll send a message to Argo to make sure,” he then smirked. “How would you like to make an entrance?”

“Oh?”

“If we’re going, we’re going to do this right.” Harry’s smirk widened. “If we can go in our gear, we polish it up, make it look good, and so on.”

Silica grinned. “I’ll work with Asuna, Rain, and Lux on a few things,” she said. “After all, if we’re going to make an entrance, we need to make sure we look good doing so.”

Harry nodded.

Aincrad 39th Floor - Knights of Blood Headquarters

The party had been going on for half an hour when they arrived. The members of the Knights of Blood who were waiting at the entrance to the hall that had been rented gave them all a brief stare before getting their bearings back. Even then, the surprise on their faces was apparent. Not just due to who had arrived, but toward what they were wearing.

Harry was wearing his armor, all the metal polished to a reflective shine. Under it, he was wearing a padded green tunic, with gold embroidery around the collar and wrists. The buff leather cuisses and polished boots completed the look. His sword was at his waist, the plain sheath replaced with a more ornate laminated wooden sheath that was edged in polished brass. His typically mussed hair seemed to sweep down over the scar most knew not to ask about, almost like a beak. At odds with this were the thick-fingered gloves he favored. Later the Daily Argo's Fashion section would liken them to a great cat's paws, but the rivets at the knuckles showed their purpose as an additional means of attack. Rather like sheathed claws, easy to forget about.

Silica was next to him, wearing a polished breastplate that was seemingly part of the blue overcoat she wore. The coat was embroidered with a vine motif, with golden ivy seemingly wrapping itself around her. The black skirt and matching stockings had a gold trim, highlighting the color scheme, and her feet were in black boots. She had her dagger belted at her waist, the belt was of a dark leather and held closed with a polished bronze buckle. Her companion, Pina was laying across her shoulders, looking around at everything. But the feathered dragon did not take flight, and in fact made no indication she might. The serpentine companion barely reacted to coos and exclamations from the crowd, and only her curious head movements made clear she was more than heraldry.

Rain’s armor was a burnished red breastplate with silver edging. Under it, she wore a white shirt, black skirt with silver trim. Her legs were clad in crimson stockings the color of blood, and her feet were clad in low-heeled boots. Her sword was strapped across her back with a brown leather belt that was closed with a steel buckle. Her brown hair was tightly braided, in a complex pattern and fastened at the end with a silver ring.

Lux followed, wearing a steel breastplate under an open jacket that was dyed a purple so dark, it was almost black. Along its edges, was a golden embroidery with a floral motif, displaying lilies, roses, and orchids. Under it, she wore a lighter purple shirt which was tucked into a black, form hugging pants that left little to the imagination, which were tucked into polished, calf length boots. Her schiavona type broadsword was belted at her waist, the brass basket hilt polished so it gleamed.

Kirito, as was his habit, wore black. His long black coat was edged in silverthread with his sword was sheathed across his back in a black scabbard, the belt being black with a silver trim and a steel fastener. His dark pants were pressed and carefully tucked into polished boots. His garb was the most austere of the group, the most basic, but somehow it stood out above more elaborate garb, or even those with similarly simple garb.

Asuna was at Kirito’s side, garbed with a similar simplicity. While his was austere, hers was elegant. Her breastplate was on the finest truesteel and was worn over a white tunic. It was edged in silverthread, the finely stitched embroidery woven into the form of blades, all pointing inward. Her skirt was a simple white, with matching stockings and boots without the embroidery. Over all that, she wore a white coat that was edged in silver, a crimson clasp at the neck adding a splash of color to it. Her rapier was belted at her waist, fastened with a polished steel buckle.

The simplicity of the latter two and how they brought up the rear belied the fact that they were the strongest members of the group whose various nicknames were now being murmured through the crowd. Though of course, they were not the deadliest in the minds of others. Harry seemed unbothered by the wide berth some gave him due to his reputation, and his fellows seemed to simply take advantage of how easily this let them pass through the crowd.

The Six had arrived. Call them Harry's or Asuna's group, the Beaters, their known monikers, what have you. Everyone knew they were there. And more over, that four of SAO’s most well-known players and their two newest associates (protégés? friends? the jury was still out) had arrived.

##

“Man, you guys know how to make an entrance,” Klein said to them as they made their way over to him. Unsurprisingly, he had a tankard full of beer in his hand.

He hoped his friends realized his admiration was real, they had managed to enter the party and own it. If it wasn’t an open invite, it would have been the most awesome way to crash the party. No verbal statements, no coming in loudly, just sheer presence. Their gears' look certainly helped, but he could tell when they were making a statement.

The question was, to who? Kirito alone made it unlikely the answer was "all and sundry." On the other hand, something like this had either Asuna or Harry written all over it. He was leaning more towards Harry, the slight smirk on the boy’s face was very indicative that he was behind this.

That still begged the question of who they were making a statement to, however. Ah well, it wasn’t his business.

“Well, if you want to do it,” Harry started.

“Go big,” Silica added.

“Or go home,” Asuna chimed in.

“And carry a giant pair of brass ones while you’re at it.” Kirito finished.

"We... haven't been around long enough to add to that," Lux added.

"I might have had something!" Rain protested.

Harry snorted. “It was my idea, and the others know what was an unofficial motto in my dorm at my school,” He said.

“I thought it was about smuggling the alcohol in.” Silica said.

“No, that was the tradition,” Asuna corrected. “He told us about that, mostly because he was complaining about the beer at the time.”

“Something about it being filtered through a horse or cow for maximum offense to those with taste, if I remember correctly,” Kirito said. “Or at least, most of the beer was that way.”

“It’s not my fault that most of you Japanese have been corrupted by the Yanks when it comes to beer.” Harry protested.

“Must have been some cheap beer then,” Rain commented. When everyone looked at her, she shrugged. “I may have been to a few parties which had alcohol. Don’t quote me on that, though.”

Lux snorted. “And how many people did you drink under the table at them?” She asked.

Rain shrugged. “Not my fault those college boys couldn’t hold their liquor.” She said.

“So says the Russo-Japanese girl who was practically nursed on vodka,” Lux countered.

“Nursed on vodka?” Rain asked. “Like hell I was. Though I was probably baptized in it.”

"I've learned so much about other cultures since I was trapped in here," Silica deadpanned. “And what I’ve learned is about them is not inspiring.”

“And Silica wins via verbal jiu-jitsu,” Klein said drily.

"Thus proving our culture is best," Asuna noted brightly.

Harry and Rain responded with rude gestures. Harry's used two fingers, Rain used one.

"What do those...?" Kirito began, making as if puzzled.

"It's English and American for 'I concede your point,’" Klein explained.

"Ah, quaint," Kirito said.

"At least get us drinks," Harry pleaded.

“Considering what they have, you sure about that?” Klein asked. “I’m pretty sure all of the available drinks can get you drunk.”

“Only if we drink too much,” Harry said. “And if you start trying to get me or Silica drunk, I will tie you over a log with your arse bare in front of a gerbera.”

“Now that’s just mean,” Lux said. “The poor mob didn’t do anything to deserve that.”

Klein winced and raised his mug, giving her the point to everyone’s laughter.

“And Lux is joining in on the quips,” Harry said and wiped away an imaginary tear. “They grow up so fast.”

“Except you,” Rain quipped.

“That was too easy, Rain.” Kirito said. “No points.”

Rain simply shrugged in response, completely unashamed at her comment.

The group continued to make small talk throughout their time at the party until all of them decided to take their leave. The party might still be going on, but they all planned on heading out in the morning and wanted to at least have the pretense of being well rested.

Unknown Location

He was getting impatient with the waiting for the right time, but he knew that completing the ritual at the wrong time could be disastrous. As it was, he was taking a risk, as while the ritual needed to be done when the old year transitioned to the new, it was written at a time when people didn’t have a concept that specific times could be different depending on where in the world the target was.

It might bring the Potter boy to him, helpless as a newborn babe, and thus and easy victim. It might bring him to the Potter boy, which would be the same. Or, it might do something completely unpredictable.

He had already invested the time and research into it, and the hours, painstakingly long hours, of preparation meant that he was committed to this course of action. He had done what he could to speed the process up, cutting out all extraneous aspects, but some things were very specific, and the timing was one of them.

He had come this far, reached so deeply into the dark arts, that he wouldn’t be stopped by a damned technicality.

In a short time, it won’t matter either way, he thought as he looked over his preparations. Even if it doesn’t go to plan, I am immortal.

Using a quick tempus charm to check the time, he then realized that it was time to get started. He carefully moved his homunculus body to the center of the circle and began to chant. As the time approached the exact moment, his sibilant voice raised in pitch, pushing through the memorized chant as the air seemed to vibrate.

And then, as his chant reached a crescendo, it stopped. The ritual circle flared and the next thing Tom Riddle felt was pain as his homunculus body was disintegrated and his soul was carried to where his target was.

Unnoticed by him, Nagini spasmed and withered as the fragment of his soul embedded into the snake was ripped out. Elsewhere, around England, numerous objects smoldered, shattered, or melted for apparently no reason. Had they been in public places, the few possible observers sensitive enough to magic to notice, would have noted hearing a strange scream, or witnessing a discolored cloud, but little else. Fewer still, would have reasoned the significance.

In a hospital in Japan, however, those who were observing Harry Potter certainly noticed, and many of them were knowledgeable enough to suspect the why.

January 1, 2024 - Aincrad 50th Floor, Drauen Keep Ruins (Field Dungeon)

Harry rubbed his scar irritably as he and Rain looked across the courtyard for any hidden mobs as Silica consulted the map. They had taken a quest that brought them here to this field dungeon as a means of getting back into the swing of things. The rest of their group had split off to other parts of the sizeable keep on their own quests, so everyone was close enough to aid each other if it became necessary.

Of course, being a field dungeon so close to the town, the mobs weren’t a problem, but it never hurt to have backup just in case. It was when you thought things were easy and safe that you suddenly found yourself having to take on a small army of mobs, after all. And in a place like this, which was crawling with undead, that could easily happen.

Heh, wonder how Asuna’s taking that, he thought to himself. She didn’t like undead mobs one bit, and while most of them were skeletons, zombies and such, others were of the less tangible kind. Those kinds of mobs, she really did not like fighting.

They were here to retrieve a chalice from the keep’s chapel, or so the quest required. Given that the apparent chapel was on the other side of an apparently empty courtyard, the entire thing just screamed trap to his instincts, and so he was carefully scanning to see if he could spot it.

He heard Silica close the map and felt her touch on his arm.

“It’s on the other side of the courtyard,” Silica confirmed.

He nodded. “Let’s be careful,” he said. “This place looks like the perfect place for a quest related event mob.”

Silica looked at the courtyard “So, be ready for a fight after we get out?” She asked.

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Rain added.

The three of them cautiously made their way across the courtyard and to the chapel without incident, the quiet of the courtyard serving as an eerie warning of what was to come. If they weren’t sure that something was going to happen on their way out, they were more or less certain of it now.

“Let’s get in, get what we came for, and top our health off.” Harry said quietly.

Silica and Rain nodded and the three of them entered the chapel. The moment they crossed the threshold, Harry’s scar flared painfully, causing him to scream. As both Rain and Silica turned to see what was wrong, they didn’t notice as a dark figure began to materialize. What they did notice, was the strangely dark smoke coming from between the fingers of the hand clutching the scar.

Harry, however, didn’t even need to see the dark figure that was materializing to understand what the pain signified. Not that the pain stopped him from looking up, or his eyes instinctively moving to the forming figure.

“Tom,” he growled out. “Of all the- why would it be you who found a way in?”

Silica and Rain blinked at what he said, especially since it was in English, and were about to ask him what was going on when they noticed something in his eyes as he opened them and stared at the other end of the chapel.

Fear, but at the same time, they could see something else in his eyes: hatred.

For at the other end of the chapel, he saw it, him, forming right in front of their quest objective. Had they seen it, and had the context of what it meant, both Silica and Rain would fully understand just why he was afraid.

Crimson eyes locked with green ones, and a sibilant voice cut through the silence that had descended.

“It has been some time since we last met, Harry Potter.” The figure said as the mouth the words came from twisted into a sneer. “A shame that it will be the last.”

Tom Riddle, better known back in England as Lord Voldemort was in SAO.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 21 - Of Magic and Swords

January 1, 2024 - Aincrad GM Administration Area

Kayaba had arrived within seconds of Cardinal alerting him to the foreign intrusion, and he was actually thankful for the fact that his guild threw that party last night. He might not be one for them, but at this moment, he was glad he had allowed it.

It made it easier to come here when his guild was still busy sleeping off the results of a party that went on well into the morning, after all. He could come here without having to find a reason to break off from them as Heathcliff.

Still, a part of him cursed, as the intrusion meant that his security and firewalls weren't as good as he had hoped for. He knew full well that any security measure could be defeated with enough time, determination, patience, and resources, but he had been confident that what he had put in place would stand up to what could have been thrown at it.

An 8192-bit asymmetric encryption algorithm that was unique to each Nerve Gear, changed the keys in real time, and was part of the hardware, was something that would give even the best systems fits. Well, unless someone got lucky, which he could not rule out.

"Cardinal, report," he ordered.

"FOREIGN PRESENCE IS OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN," Cardinal replied. "INITIAL ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT IT MAY BE FROM THE UNCATEGORIZED FACTOR KNOWN AS 'MAGIC'."

"I see," he said, as he brought up the feed to see what was going on. Unsurprisingly, Hadrian was at the center of this incident, though by seeing the expression on the boy's face, this unexpected intrusion was not appreciated.

He considered the irony of the fact that the two of them would be in agreement about something for a moment before dismissing it. Whoever or whatever the source of the intrusion was, it was obvious that it was something that young Hadrian had a history with, and it wasn't a pleasant one.

The mix of fear and hatred on the boy's face was rather obvious.

"Cardinal, what is the designation of this foreign presence?" He asked.

"CURRENT DESIGNATION IS UNKNOWN," The AI replied. "STILL ANALYZING."

"Continue doing so," he ordered.

Aincrad 50th Floor, Drauen Keep Ruins (Field Dungeon)

Harry looked at the figure in shock, the pain from his scar slowly fading. His mind processing exactly what his eyes were seeing while he got the storm of emotions running through his mind under control.

Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort had somehow arrived in SAO.

He noticed that Silica and Rain had turned their attention to the man after he spoke. He could tell from Rain's posture that she was confused, but Silica's…

Hers was alert. She knew about magic, so she knew to be very, very wary. He didn't know how much she knew, but he assumed that it wasn't much. Considering that her awareness of it was due to being related to someone who apparently had a particularly powerful curse on him.

"What… what the hell is going on?" He heard Rain ask. "Just who is this guy?"

"Tom Riddle," Harry said. "Someone who shouldn't be here."

Tom's eyes flared with anger. "Do not call me that, boy," he hissed at him in anger. "Call me Lord Voldemort! I have gone beyond that- how did you learn that name? Was it Dumbledore?"

Harry didn't bother replying, still looking at him. He saw Silica and Rain out of his peripheral vision, and gave a gesture to both to get behind him. He saw Voldemort reach into his robe, and felt some grim satisfaction as he got a confused look on his face.

"Missing something Tom?" Harry asked in a tone of voice that was almost mocking. "I don't know how you got here, but however you did, it seems as if not everything came with you."

"No matter, I don't need a wand to kill a boy like you." Tom hissed out. "You will be helpless before my might, Harry. A wand? A simple tool that makes it easier, but it is not a requirement."

"I don't think that will help you very much here, Tom."

Tom growled and then shot Harry a glare. "I told you... don't call me that name!"

Before any of them could react, Harry, Rain and Silica were sent flying out the open doors of the chapel by a wave of force. Silica managed to flip herself and land on her feet, while Harry and Rain were sent sprawling.

"Harry," Silica said idly. "I think you made him mad."

"Noted," Harry grunted as he got to his feet. He kept his eyes on the entrance of the chapel. "Silica, you're not going to like this, but I need you to do something. Take Rain, and get far enough away to be out of the line of fire, use a teleport crystal and find Argo."

"Like hell I will," She said in a tone of voice that brooked no argument. "We're a team, Harry."

"Silica… ah fuck it." Harry said. "You wouldn't even if I begged you to. Just… stay off to the side on this, this is something I have to do."

"Do you know what Grandma said to Grandpa the last time he said that to her?" Silica growled back. She looked to Rain. "Rain, get somewhere out of the line of sight and teleport to Algade," she commanded. "One of Argo's people should be at a place called the Golden Way. If it's an American named Gus, tell him we have a problem, and if he asks, just say it deals with certain statutes or just say Voldiwhatsit's name. He'll know what it means."

"Oh, just mentioning Voldemort will get his attention," Harry assured. He then pulled the two of them down as a crimson bolt came out of the entrance to the chapel. "If you're gonna go, do it now."

Rain looked at the two of them and hesitated. She quickly opened her menu and found something, she sent something to Silica. "Just in case," she said as she took a teleport crystal out of the inventory and dashed out of the line of sight of the chapel.

Harry gave Silica a look and the girl shrugged. "She's worried," she replied, looking at what she was given. "She handed me that."

Harry nodded, knowing what Silica was referring to, the Divine Stone of Returning Souls. Given the kind of threat he was facing, having something like that might actually be necessary. Unlike Silica, he knew what they were facing, which was why he had tried, if not very hard, to get her to withdraw.

He already knew she would refuse, but he still had to give her the option.

If he were to be honest with himself, he would have done so as well if it wasn't for the fact that he knew that giving Tom any time to adapt to SAO was a bad idea. For all the man's arrogance, something he had easily seen during the instance with the Philosopher's Stone, and a perception that was reinforced in the Chamber of Secrets, the man was a genius. If anyone would find a way to make magic work reliably here, it would be him.

And considering that they had all just been tossed out and had to dodge something, he already was.

This is going to be one of those days, he thought as he prepared to fight for his life.

Aincrad GM Administration Area

"ANALYSIS COMPLETE," Cardinal said. "FOREIGN PRESENCE, GIVEN THE SELF-DESIGNATED TITLE OF 'VOLDEMORT', HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS A MAGICAL FOREIGN ENTITY. READINGS ON POWERS ARE INCONCLUSIVE, BUT ENTITY STATUS SHOWS COMPLETE PHYSICAL PRESENCE IN AINCRAD"

Kayaba nodded, still watching the screen. He would not pretend to understand magic, it was too different from what he knew. Kayaba was a man of science, a person of logic, and magic was by definition illogical by conventional explanation. However, that didn't mean that magic was without rules.

Observing this "Voldemort" on the code level, it occurred to him, would be like testing a daisy on the atomic level to explain why it was yellow. The molecular level might give some ideas, but it was only by comparing and combining the evolutionary and chemical perspectives that one could understand the how and why. Despite the risk to Hadrian and his world, to learn from this event he would have to observe.

He blinked, and reviewed his thoughts. Hmm. I cannot seem to avoid factoring in what happens to Hadrian concerning this matter. How odd.

He shook his head to clear that odd thought out of his mind. It didn't matter. This "Voldemort" had broken into SAO, something he couldn't allow. At the same time, he had no desire to interfere in the fight that he could see was beginning. He could tell that this was something that Hadrian had to do.

That did not mean that he would do nothing about this.

"Cardinal," he said. "Activate Unique Skill, Mystic Blade and attach it to player Player Account ID 7856, Hadrian. Have it equipped and useable, max level. Upon conclusion of the current encounter, provided that player Hadrian survives and the account remains active, reset the skill to starting level. During the encounter, it will be the only skill he can use."

"ACKNOWLEDGED, DO YOU WISH TO AUGMENT PLAYER ACCOUNT ID 6287, SILICA AT THIS TIME AS WELL?" Cardinal asked. "THERE IS A-"

"Significant chance she will be involved, yes," Kayaba confirmed. "For duration of the fight, render Player Account ID 6287, Silica unable to interact with both Hadrian and this "Voldemort" and designate her as an immortal object. Further instruction, designate the Foreign Entity known as Voldemort as an Event Boss, and merge his form with the Fallen King. Designation: Vol de Mort, The Fallen Lord." And then, a thought occurred to him. "And designate all data we gain from this event 'Anomaly 1.' Voldemort, 'Anomaly Focus 1.' Upon completion of encounter… ensure that Voldemort is deleted from the system. There's no indication this is not possible?"

"NOT AT THIS TIME."

"Good." He said, firmly. "This is my world, and I chose who is allowed here." He then looked at the screen. "Initiate."

"ACKNOWLEDGED."

"Let us see what you do, Hadrian." He said. Hmm, perhaps a little flare for the dramatic might be appropriate here, he thought as he saw the changes be made in the system.

Aincrad 50th Floor, Drauen Keep Ruins

Tom noticed it as soon as it happened, that something had observed him and had found him worthy. He felt the rush of power, the feeling of his body changing to properly hold it. And while he felt pain as his body changed, the pain was immaterial. He was a Dark Lord, pain was a familiar thing to him due to the price Dark Magic could exact. A price he more than willingly paid.

And so he felt his body change, the breaking and elongating of bones, the withering of his flesh, the immolation of his eyes, the fusing of an armor of the darkest, blackest iron. He felt it all. And through it, he heard something.

"THOU HAST BEEN JUDGED WORTHY OF THIS POWER."

He saw Harry look at him in shock, and what he saw as fear.

"Yes… look upon me, Harry Potter," he said, his voice having grown deeper and more resonant. "This is power, this is the form it takes. This… is the right I take by virtue of my own might. Your fear… I can taste it, feel it. I will revel in your pain, suffering, despair, and hopelessness."

##

Harry had barely noticed Tom's transformation, as he saw his menus open up without his input and all of his skills be disabled. At the same time, he saw something forcibly enter itself into his useable skills and activate.

He already knew who was responsible for this, and it didn't surprise him. Not one bit.

Kayaba had noticed, and from the looks of things, he had noticed more than just Tom's coming by for a visit.

"Just don't think this earns you any house points, mate," he murmured, taking in the skill name: Mystic Blade. He would have to tell Argo about this, as he knew, just knew, why it was called that name.

Kayaba knew. He knew about magic, and Harry would tell the information broker he blamed her for this.

He heard Silica yelp in surprise and saw her basically pulled to the side by an unseen force. He wondered what it was, but he saw something, briefly, as it happened. A simple hexagonal window popping up, much like the occasional system messages that appeared to players. And what he saw, relieved him.

IMMORTAL OBJECT: ENABLED.

"Ok," he said to himself. "Now I owe you a beer, if you ever show up in game."

He then heard something from Tom's direction, and his eyes widened a bit as he looked up and saw Tom change. Well now, he thought. That's new.

Where there had been a vaguely snakelike humanoid form, there now stood a three meter tall skeletal, armored, thing. Its burning eyes were the same red as Tom's, and it was looking right at him.

He heard Tom's bombastic proclamation and bit back a laugh. The bastard didn't realize it, he didn't realize it.

Time to correct some assumptions.

"No, that's not your power," he said. "That's Kayaba giving you that form, making you a part of the system itself."

"What?" Voldemort asked, his new form's voice more like a growl than a sibilant hiss now.

Harry smirked. "He noticed you entering, and seeing as how he managed to change your form… well, I don't know if you believe in gods or not, but you just got noticed by this world's demiurge."

Voldemort actually paused and blinked. "I thought you were in Gryffindor, who in Merlin's name-"

"Book club," Harry shot back. "What? Like you're pure Slytherin."

"I am his heir!" the Dark Lord roared. "I have delved further into the Dark Arts than anyone! Salazar would have been in awe at my accomplishments!"

Harry shook his head. "I rather doubt that," he said. "I think he would be rather disappointed."

"I have achieved immortality, he has not! I cannot die, he is long dead!" Tom roared back.

"Maybe in your own little world," Harry said, drawing his sword. "But not in this one. So then, let's finish this."

Algade

Rain sprinted from the teleport gate as soon as the light from the teleport faded. She had been given clear instructions, and while being forced to leave chafed at her, she knew the accepted reason there.

Whatever was about to happen was not something she was ready for.

As much as it galled her to admit, they were right on that. That Hadrian had wanted both herself and Silica to withdraw also indicated that he didn't like their chances in that fight. That Silica flat out refused was unsurprising, she and Hadrian were a matched set.

Where one was, the other would be there as well, or was always nearby.

Before she knew it, Rain found herself sprinting into the Golden Way- and in fact right into the man she was looking for. Well, the one she was told to look for if Argo wasn't available.

"Whoa there," the man said, his American accent clear. "Where's the fire."

"You Gus?" She asked.

The man nodded.

"I just got sent here by Harry and Silica," she said. "Something about this being related to certain statues... no... look, Harry gave me a name… Voldi- Voldo- Voldisomething."

"Voldemort?" Gus asked. At Rain's nod, he started swearing at length in English, and a couple of other languages.

"Merde! Oh fucking hell. Him?!" Gus exclaimed. He spun, looking around the inn, and spotted who he was looking for. "Argo!"

The information broker stopped her gadflying at the bar and met the American's gaze.

"Flight from death! Here!"

Argo's face paled and looked at Rain, who had a look of confusion on her face. "This is out of my expertise, Gus," she said. "But… FUCK! You got this?"

Gus nodded and turned back to Rain. "Where?" He asked. "Is it mapped?"

Rain opened her map. "Field dungeon, Drauen Keep Ruins," she said. "I got the map data right here, as we had to map the area out ourselves." She looked at him. "What's going on?" she asked. "We were about to get a quest objective when Harry screamed in pain and this… weird mudok showed up."

Gus gave her a level gaze. "The best I can say is... a terrorist of sorts," he said. "One that... one that feels he has a reason to be going after Hadrian."

"And what would that be?" She asked sharply.

Gus' gaze didn't waver. "Hadrian survived him. He's a terrorist, and the last attack he led, Hadrian was the only survivor," he said. "Considering that he was trying to kill everyone there…"

"And that's…"

Gus nodded. "The man is an arrogant shit," he said. "When he attacks someone, those he wanted to die, they died. Until that attack, at least."

And that put a few things into perspective for Rain. How Harry could act when someone was threatening his life or the life of one of his friends. He had to learn how, if only to survive.

"Well, then why are we standing here like a bunch of spleten starukhami" she said. "We need to-"

"You need to stay here," Gus said, firmly, like he was giving an order to a soldier and expected it to be followed.

"But you're going? Why?"

The American smirked in the irritating manner of their action heroes. "Because my job before all this shit was dealing with assholes like him," he said. "And I can do more than simply swear at him in Russian. Dosvidanya seychas."

And then he turned and ran out, Rain's fervent cursing following him.

Drauen Keep Ruins

Harry dodged another attack from what Tom had become, and felt a bit of grim humor at Kayaba's own feelings of this. Vol de Mort, the Fallen Lord indeed. Let it not be said that the man didn't have a flair for the dramatic.

And giving him something like Mystic Blade… well, it was a badly mixed potion for him. While the intent behind it was clear, he was used to his other skills, more familiar with them. They were tried and tested by over a year of combat, so he knew their strengths, weaknesses, and how to use them to his advantage.

Not so with this one, though if he survived this and Kayaba let him keep it, he would certainly put it through its paces and train it. The primary advantage he could see right now was that, somehow, Kayaba had managed to develop something that worked with his magic, guiding it to work within SAO's rules.

Useful, that, but there had to be more. He saw a crimson wave come towards him and slashed his sword, cancelling the wave out as the two met.

The main problem, was that he had no idea what else to do. Yes, his magic now worked, but there had to be more. Skill usually had something that a player could research to learn the basics of how to use them, after all. Then again, he was a bit busy.

"Damn it, why couldn't this thing just set my sword on fire?" He growled out before blinking in shock as his sword did just that. He then looked at Tom, then back to his sword. He then smiled ferally as he realized that he now had something to work with beyond what he had been doing so far.

##

Silica had struggled against what was holding her in place before realizing that whatever caused it would not allow her to move. Harry was fighting for his life, and something, someone, was keeping her from backing him up, leaving her with no option but to watch.

And she hated it with every fiber of her being.

Harry had been there for her since the first day of SAO. He had kept his head and avoided panicking while thousands of other players lost their collective head, and he then set about doing something about their situation.

She had accompanied him because she had nothing better to do, having realized that moping around and feeling helpless would accomplish nothing. It also helped that he hadn't left her behind, always coming back during that first week, and staying with her since. Perhaps it was his protective nature, perhaps it was because she was a face he knew amongst a sea of unfamiliar faces, but he was always there.

And then, he brought her with him, opening her up to the realization that she wasn't helpless here. That she could do something, that she could fight against this world they were trapped in.

It hadn't taken her long to realize that he was out fighting in order to keep his own inner demons quiet. He didn't want to think about his issues, and so found something else to do, and in SAO, that had initially meant fighting. It would be months before he couldn't run from them anymore, months before she saw the troubled boy underneath the confident exterior.

She saw the boy troubled by his experiences. She saw the boy who valued friends so much because he had so few. She saw the pain of someone who had blood on his hands, a stain that could not be washed off.

Someone who did not take pride in the stain, but would do the deed again for a cause he found just.

She saw someone who feared losing it all, and who would fight, even kill, to protect it.

Despite that, she also saw the caring boy, who would help someone who needed it. Someone who had a strong sense of honor and decency, even as his life stripped him of any illusions of innocence. Someone who had a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong, who knew that rules are sometimes best served broken. Someone who knew that courage was acting even when you wanted to simply run away.

She had seen the scared boy.

She had seen the protector.

She had seen the regretful, but unhesitant, killer.

She had seen the man he was growing into.

And she loved every part of him.

Then she saw his sword catch flame, and his slow smile of growing confidence. She suddenly knew what her grandmother saw when her grandfather was doing a kata or battling a challenger that pushed him.

And part of her roared that she'd be a fool not to make him hers. And to make herself his.

After she gave him a piece of her mind for this latest exercise in reckless idiocy. Or she would take a page out of her grandmother's book and cast that very powerful spell for correcting men when they're being idiots: FIST.

##

Tom bit back a growl. The boy simply refused to lie down and die.

Every attack he cast forth, the boy had a defense; blocking, cutting them apart, or even dodging. Every attack the boy gave was with the clear intent to kill, as impossible as that was. It was taking longer than he liked, but that would make his inevitable victory all the sweeter, he knew.

And yet, he found himself exhilarated as well. No one had fought back so hard, had given him such a fight, since the last time he fought Albus Dumbledore. It was the sense of someone rising to the challenge, but this was so much better.

Albus Dumbledore's reputation was well deserved. The man had more than a century to refine his craft when they last fought, and it showed. So, those battles were always satisfying, even when he, himself, was the one forced to withdraw.

And now, he was facing another such opponent. Not as skilled, not as powerful, but one who knew what he was doing. One, who was in his element. And while he didn't have his wand, he was now glad for it. Having it would have ended the fight before it really began.

He then noticed the boy's sword ignite into flame, and his smile became as feral as the boy's. The boy not only had plenty of fight left in him, but was beginning to actually use his magic.

"This is how it should be, Potter." he said. "A true battle, committing everything, using everything. It is a pity that you have to die."

"The only one dying today," Harry said coldly. "Is you."

Tom laughed. "I told you, boy, I'm immortal," he replied. "But if you are so intent on trying…" His eyes flashed. "SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO, OR DIE WHERE YOU STAND!" He shouted, his voice reverberating throughout the courtyard.

##

Gus swore as he killed another mob. The mob itself wasn't anything his skill and level couldn't handle. He cursed the delays the encounters, or avoiding them for that matter, were causing. He avoided fights where he could, at least those where avoiding wouldn't cause any significant delay. Otherwise, he attacked quickly, using the strongest attacks he could that didn't give him a recovery lag.

He was glad that the field dungeon was basically right outside the gates of the town, or the delay arriving would have been worse. Even so, he had been delayed several minutes already, and he knew full well that the battle could already be over. Especially with who decided to show up.

Voldemort.

That madman had managed to terrify the entire UK's magical population, and had managed to be feared enough to make the rest of Europe reluctant to involve itself. The man might not be the worst of a bad lot, but he was one that even in the States, they were wary of.

It didn't help that they had their own problems to deal with at the time, with a death cult dedicated to Aztec death god Xolotl trying to bring their god to the world, and the less said about the various doomsday cults that had turned up as 2012 neared, the better.

"There's always trouble somewhere, son!" his step father's voice reminded him. "Deal with the problem in front of you!"

What a fun trip to Toronto that had been.

Then, he heard it. A voice roaring so loud he'd be shocked if they hadn't heard it back in town.

A challenge, to attack or die.

The real shocker was the roar in answer as he arrived at the hall that led to the courtyard.

##

"AS YOU WISH!" Harry roared back as he charged in, the flames on his sword seeming to glow brighter as he accepted the challenge.

The clash between them had no grace to it, no technique. Just a power fueled by the determination of two individuals now fully committed to killing the other. Harry could feel the magic as it began to affect the environment, and even saw everything in the courtyard that was firmly set into the ground be pushed away from the force of their clash.

There was a moment the forces felt equal. Like neither would break the other, the meeting of an unstoppable force with an immovable object. But it was one or the other, not both. One would give.

Harry grunted in effort as his attack was stopped, planting his feet more firmly into the ground. He knew that the moment would decide everything, and he was determined to not be the one to falter. He knew that Tom was the same, just as determined. And he had a solution to that.

He remembered one of Flitwick's lectures.

"Magic and science alike tell us there is no such thing as immovable or unstoppable. There is only deadlock, and whether one or the other side can break it. Of course," the half goblin chuckled, "I've always been fond of introducing a third force."

He had used his shield for defense, weathering Tom's attacks so far, but that wasn't what he always used it for. Too many players made the mistake of assuming a shield was only for defense, and he couldn't blame them for it. That was what the first users of it meant for one to be. However, anyone who studied history, or studied how people fought with them, knew full well that a shield was also a weapon in its own right.

The Greeks used a shield wall to stop charges from disorganized infantry and then used the leverage they provided to push the attack back. The Romans refined it even further, adding a quick jab right before the attack hit to disrupt the attacker's momentum. The Medieval Knights often used their shields, depending on type, in an attempt to brain opponents, or break limbs, or simply beat them to death with them. A shield could warp armor a sword could not pierce, unbalance an opponent, or itself be a movement aid in combat, after all.

In short, a third force.

The hand of Harry's shield arm let go of the hilt of his sword, knowing that his grip would hold only for a moment.

A moment was all that he needed.

A lightning fast movement of his arm had it out of shield's straps, and the edge in a firm grip. He then threw the shield, right at Voldemort. The impact was weak, he hadn't set himself up properly for it, but it distracted the Dark Lord.

A distraction Harry then used to remove one of Tom's legs at the knee. Three meters tall he might be, but Harry was long used to fighting such opponents. The minotaurs, trolls, and whatnot that SAO was full of had given him ample practice with dealing with such, and they all had one major weakness.

A well placed strike at the legs would force them to the ground.

He followed that up with removing Tom's arms, the attacks flowing into each other. It was quick, it was efficient, and left him with one last thing to do. He reversed the grip on his sword and looked into Tom's eyes.

"I am immortal, I cannot die," was the defiant response.

"Let's test that," Harry coldly replied as he stabbed the burning sword down into where the heart would be. "Burn, you son of a bitch."

He watched as Voldemort screamed as the flames burned him. He watched as the avatar faded, leaving a screaming shade pinned to the ground. He watched as the flames then began to consume it.

He saw the confusion as the flames started to burn it. He saw the horrified realization as to what it meant. He understood that Tom had honestly believed that he was immortal, but as he told him…

Not in this world.

And so he watched. He listened to the screams of a man damned by his own arrogance. He did so until it was finished, all that remained being a fading scream that was soon silenced by a shattering sound.

He then walked over and picked up his sword and shield. He thought of something to say, and then thought better of it. There was no point to it.

He heard the sound of feet rushing up behind him and turned just in time to receive Silica's fist to his jaw. He found himself laid out on the ground, and his attempt to get back to his feet was stopped by Silica diving down and basically pinning him.

"You... you... you..." she stammered.

He didn't try and start the banter for once. Instead, he just wrapped his arms around her.

"He's gone. Finally," he said. "He's gone."

And then she slowly hugged him back.

He thought he vaguely heard that Blake chap in the background, and he didn't fucking care.

It was done.

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

Chapter 22 - A Phoenix Forged of Steel

January 1, 2024 - Aincrad 50th Floor, Drauen Keep Ruins (Field Dungeon)

Gus looked at the embracing pair and then at the spot where the… thing that was apparently Voldemort had been. Where what had been Voldemort had shattered like... well, a boss.

He then looked back and focused on young Mr. Potter again, wondering just what had gone on. The boy had done something to set his sword on fire, and that something had managed to apparently kill the so-called Dark Lord.

And that was if, if it was Voldemort.

Well, he had two witnesses to it all that he could question.

He walked up to the two and waited for them to notice him, and waited some more.

Jesus, those two are in their own little world right now, he thought. He gave a polite cough to get their attention, and smiled as the two started and separated themselves with blushes on their faces.

“If you two are done, I would like to know just what the hell that was,” he said.

Harry looked at him. “Did Rain find you in Algade?” He asked.

Gus nodded.

“Then yes, that was Voldemort, or as I learned, Tom Marvolo Riddle: Dark Lord, terrorist, murderer of my parents, and all now, not even ash on the wind,” Harry said.

“But… how?” Gus asked.

Harry shrugged. “How did he get here?” He asked. “No clue, and probably not something we could do anyway. As for why he looked like a skeleton drunk on Re’em blood, we can thank Kayaba for that.” He then rubbed his jaw a bit. “And damn, Silica, was that really necessary?”

Silica gave him a level look. “Yes.” She said levelly. “You keep doing things that a reckless and stupidly noble. Just… don’t keep doing things like that, please.”

“Any promises I make on that would be a lie,” he said just as levelly, though he was smirking. “You know me well enough to know that.”

Silica growled and she then gave a resigned sigh. “Yeah, it wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.” She admitted.

Gus cleared his throat. “Work on this later, you two.” he said sharply before turning his attention to Harry. “You mean to tell me that Kayaba was responsible for turning him into that?”

Harry nodded.

“That... that means that Kaya- ah fuck it, that bastard, knows, doesn’t it?” He asked.

“Probably,” Harry acknowledged. “And I’m not surprised, really. You shouldn’t be, either.”

Gus looked at him and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right,” he admitted with a sigh. “We did think it was possible that he was watching. Anyway, what was with your sword being on fire? Was that a drop you got or something?”

“Or something,” Harry said. At Gus’ look, he shook his head. “As I said, Kayaba was paying attention. He decided to give me a new skill to play with, but the bloody pillock also decided that it was the only one I could use in that fight.”

Gus blinked and then winced. “Only one? Bad time for something like that.”

Harry nodded. “You’re telling me.” He agreed. “I was lucky to get the sword on fire, and lucky to figure out well… something, at least. My magic seemed to work a bit better, I guess. Maybe because I had something that allowed it to work within SAO’s rules.”

Gus considered that and nodded. It made sense to him.

“So, what is it called?” Silica asked.

“Mystic Blade.”

Aincrad GM Administration Area

Kayaba looked at the replay of the fight, watching it and also looking at the data that came from it. He was unsurprised that Hadrian won, the boy had long since proven himself capable. And yet, he was also disappointed in how it went. There was no climactic element to it, no struggle. It was Hadrian merely using the tools he had on hand to win, showing the pragmatism in a fight that was his hallmark.

And that… Voldemort. He was also disappointed. He had honestly expected more, considering how bombastic he was. And considering things like the biometrics, both real and digital, that he had received from Hadrian. The boy had been terrified when the man had suddenly appeared like that. At least until he had gotten his fear under control.

Ah well, so be it. While the fight wasn’t what he had anticipated, he still got a lot of interesting data from it. Nothing groundbreaking, but he now knew what to look for. He had no doubts that Hadrian and the few known magic users would be able to provide him much more data.

He may have expected more from it all, but it was done and over with. He could live with what he got.

At the same time, he recalled a comment or two that Hadrian made in the fight. Something about it not earning him any house points, which was probably for the skill. Or it could be the one about how he owed him a beer. Since it was after the safeguards to protect Silica were enabled, if only for the fight, that was probably it.

He might actually collect on that.

He idly looked over the data and sent a command to Cardinal to modify what would be streamed out in order to keep some secrets. There was some delay between recording and transmission, if only because to allow him to control what went out. Those who saw from the direct connection to the Nerve Gears were a different story. They had an unfiltered look in real time due to it. Well, as unfiltered as allowed by the personal privacy settings.

He was under no obligation to keep the various secrets he’s learned, but he decided to anyway. Perhaps it was simply out of some sense of fair play on his part. After all, letting those secrets get out without the player’s knowledge wouldn’t be sporting of him.

Besides, with regards to some, like magic, he had a feeling that the government already knew. He expected that, really. That, and the hints of the lengths that some would go to protect that secret, or punish those who let it out, even unintentionally…

And Hadrian... interested him. Not just as a sort of lab rat, though that was surely part of it. Magic was an interesting phenomenon, he wanted to investigate it. And... he respected the boy. He respected all those who ventured out, really. They had not been paralyzed by their fear, and had taken a look around the world he created.

They might eventually stop and settle down, but they at least made an attempt. And he respected them for it.

And more importantly to him, much like Kirito and a select few others, the boy... challenged him, challenged the system. And wasn't that part of the point? The boy was indeed interesting, one among several, true, but interesting. He didn’t want the outside world taking that away.

If the boy was going to die, he would die because something in SAO killed him, not because of someone in the real world trying to remove him from it. This was his world, his creation, and he dictated the rules of it. There was only one way out of SAO, and Hadrian, no matter how interesting, would have to get out by clearing the game.

A part of him idly recalled how Hadrian had referred to him, not as SAO’s god, but as its Demiurge. A quick query showed him what was meant by that, and he smiled. A builder, a maintainer, a... false god. How apt, how very apt indeed.

Algade, Golden Way Inn

“You know,” Harry said idly as he sat at a table with Argo, Silica, Rain and Gus. “Now that I think about it, I’m a bit disappointed. About that fight. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but it was Voldemort for fuck’s sake.”

Gus nodded. “I only saw the end of the fight, so I can’t say much, but given that I got there pretty quickly, it really didn’t take you long, did it?”

Harry shook his head. “It wasn’t like what I know of him, and I’ve had to fight him twice since that day back in 2010.” He said. “It’s like… I don’t know. It was far easier than what I’ve dealt with whenever he was involved in the past was.”

Argo chuckled. “Ah, I see what you’re saying,” She said. “You know his reputation, and you’ve run into him before, so you’re now asking yourself ‘that was it?’”

Harry nodded.

“I’ve heard of some stories my grandfather told me,” she said. “About some of the challenges he faced. Some were as epic as his reputation said they were, but he admitted that some of them were rather underwhelming. Sometimes, it was because he fought them in situations that weren’t ideal for them. Others was the simple fact that for all that their reputations was built up, they failed to live up to it.”

Rain just looked at Silica and then shrugged. “I really don’t have much to say here.” She admitted. “There are some things I’m missing from this, I know that, but I don’t think you guys are going to talk about them.”

Harry shook his head. “There are a few, but they’re the kinds of things we can’t talk about.” He said.

“Anyway, you have to keep in mind,” Gus said, getting the conversation back on track. “You had an advantage in the fact that you’ve been here for over a year. You’ve adapted to this place and know its rules. He wasn’t adapted, and didn’t know the rules.”

Harry had to acknowledge Gus’ point. “And it wasn’t like I was going to give him a chance to do so on either count.” He said. “And you know what? I’m fine with that.”

Gus smiled. “Best to see it that way.” He admitted. “Take your victories, no matter how they come. Sometimes, you get lucky and get an easy one, or at least one that was simple to get.

“I’ll drink to that,” Harry replied. “And on that note, I might as well buy everyone else a drink.” He stood up and walked out of the privacy field that Argo tended to put up out of habit whenever she was talking business, or just keeping secrets in general. “May I have your attention?” He called out. “Next round’s on me!”

The other patrons cheered at that.

“You know,” Argo said as Harry handed her a drink. “The hard part has yet to come.”

Harry gave her a curious look. “And what would that be?”

Argo smirked as she looked past him. “Explaining what happened to Asuna.”

Harry winced. “I was hoping I could put it off.” He said. “I mean, I know she’ll find out and all, but-” he saw their expressions. “She’s right behind me, isn’t she?” He asked, a note of resignation entering his voice.

“And what precisely would you be hoping to put off explaining, Hadrian?” Came Asuna’s cold and calmly questioning voice from behind him.

##

Asuna stared at Harry as he explained what had happened to his group earlier that day. He had asked Argo to strengthen the privacy field, but to remain in case he needed her or Gus to add in their own input.

That had been her first warning. Whatever he did, he wanted it kept reasonably private.

The second warning had been his own nervousness as he tried to think up something to say. The boy normally worked well under pressure, able to roll with the situation. But there were times when he realized he had stepped in it. That he needed to talk his way out of it, and was at a loss as to how he would.

But, he did explain what had happened, and Asuna was busy trying to process it.

“So, let me get this straight,” she said with an apparent calm she didn’t feel. “Someone from your past hacked into the system for the purpose of killing you, and you didn’t think to simply get the hell out of there?”

Harry winced at the emphasis she put on the last statement, but nodded.

“You irresponsible, idiotic, reckless… what were you thinking?”

“Well, outside of the burning hatred for the son of a bitch who murdered my parents,” Harry said, a slight edge of ice in his voice. “It was ‘Damn it, this bastard again?’”

“Wait, what?” Asuna asked. “Again? How many…?”

“Three times, Asuna. That bastard has tried to kill me three fucking times before this.” Harry said. “The first time, my parents were killed. I told you what happened the second time, though the bastard got driven off by someone else. And he tried again a year later. I ended up having to kill someone in self-defense a second fucking time because of that. My friend’s sister was nearly killed in the crossfire because of that.” His eyes and voice got colder as he spoke.

“And then, he comes after me for round four,” Harry said. “And this time… I dealt with him… permanently. I’m not someone who would be proud of killing a man, but him? There was a certain… satisfaction felt. And with it over, that... that… never to be sufficiently damned son of a whore, will never hurt or kill anyone, ever again.”

There was a shocked silence from the others, well… from Kirito, Rain, and Lux at least. Asuna knew that she was shocked by Harry’s admission. Silica just sat next to him quietly, her hand gently resting on his.

“Miss,” Argo’s companion, Gus, said. “The man came after him and got killed because of it? He was bad news in a way you really don’t want to know about. That guy was sick and twisted on a whole different level. He might not have been the worst out there, but he was bad enough. I… worked in the security services, and… knowing about and dealing with fuckers like him was a part of the job. That’s why I went to back the kid up the second I heard, and… oh fuck, I should have thought about this.” He then turned to Harry. “I should have brought this up earlier, but people have thought him dead before. Are you sure he’s dead?”

Harry absently rubbed his scar. “I don’t know why or how, but yeah… I’m sure.” He replied. “It’s over.”

Gus’ eyes looked at Harry’s scar briefly, and he nodded. “Yeah, I can see what you mean.” He said. “I’ll trust that you’re correct, but…”

Harry nodded. “Trust, but verify once we get out of here.” He said. “Not a bad idea.”

There was something unsaid there, something that Argo and Silica apparently got from their looks of understanding. For the life of her, Asuna couldn’t figure out what, but she knew that there were secrets, and then there were secrets. Her father did enough work on the government side of things for her to know that. If she didn’t know what was being left unsaid… she would have to live with that.

“There’s one thing that bothers me about this, outside of everything else,” Kirito said. “There’s no way Kayaba didn’t notice.”

Harry chuckled, a bitter edge to it. “Oh, he noticed.” He said. “He turned the man’s avatar into some kind of… event boss I guess you can say. And then the pillock decided to disable all of my skills, and give me something to use.” He opened his menu and pulled up his list of skills. “Here it is,” He said as he made a copy of the list and sent it around.

Asuna looked at it, and then looked around. “And this is…?”

“As far as I can tell, a Unique Skill.” Harry said. “And the fact that it came from Kayaba, well I think you can see what that means.”

Argo nodded. “Yeah, it does,” she said. “It means that Kayaba noticed you. And if Unique Skills are gifted by him then…”

Asuna made the connection. “Then Heathcliff’s own was given by Kayaba as well.” She looked at Argo. “You think he made the connection?”

Argo shrugged. “Maybe.” She said. “He’s sharp enough, at least. Though if he did, he’s keeping it quiet.” She looked at Harry. “I’ll keep this off the market for now, but you know people will figure out you have one despite that.”

Harry shrugged. “It’s not like I’ll be able to not use it forever,” he admitted. “If I tried, Kayaba would probably force a situation that would require me to use it. To give the bastard credit, he’s fair, so he’ll probably wait before that happens. See if I actually do anything with it first.”

“And see if you’ll out yourself,” Asuna said.

Harry just gave another shrug.

##

“It’s strange,” Harry said from where he stood, gazing out the window at Algade’s nightlife.

Silica blinked as she looked at him from the chair she was sitting in. “What do you mean?” She asked as she absently brushed Pina, the feathered dragon’s coos showing her appreciation.

“Ever since I was one, that man’s actions dictated my life.”

She understood. “You said he was the one who killed your parents.”

Harry nodded and then turned to look at her. “Yeah, he was.” He replied. “Because of him, I don’t have any memories of them. Because of him, I never got to know them. And because of him, I had to live with relatives who, at best, resented my presence.”

Silica nodded. “We suspected that your home life was bad, but-”

“It wasn’t as bad as you feared,” Harry interrupted. “Trust me, it could have been worse. I knew kids who had it worse.” He closed his eyes as he remembered something unpleasant, and decided to continue.

“The man who left me with them, my school’s headmaster… he was apologetic about it, as he knew I would grow up in a… less than ideal environment. But he was stuck with bad choices all around. At least with them, he could protect me from other threats that would have killed me at the first opportunity, so it was the lesser evil. I resent him for that, but I also understand why he made that choice.

“So, I grew up in a loveless environment, being raised, if you can call it that, by an aunt and uncle who hated magic. It didn’t fit with their views of what was normal, and they certainly didn’t like that. My cousin Dudley, their son, was spoiled rotten and given everything he wanted, while I was given the bare minimum, having to earn even the tiniest scrap more. He could do no wrong, while nothing I did was ever right. You know, things like that.” He gave a bitter laugh.

“I don’t hate him, you know. Resent him? Oh, I do, but I can’t bring it in me to hate him. He never knew any better, and they made sure he never learned. I can only hope that someone comes around and teaches him what he should have learned before it’s too late for him.

“I don’t even hate my aunt and uncle Instead, I pity them. I pity that they’re so wrapped up in what they think is normal that they can’t see the world for what it is. A beautiful and terrible place where wonders abound, and anything’s possible. And now that Vol- no, Tom, has been dealt with, I will be shut of them eventually. And then, I will simply leave it all behind, never looking back. They’re not worth it.” He sighed.

“It says something that I was related to them, but they weren’t… family.” He said. “I can wish all I want for it to be different, but…”

“Harry,” Silica said sadly.

Harry gave her a sad smile and shrugged. It was as if he was saying, “Well, what can you do?”

She carefully placed Pina on the armrest of her chair, stood up, and walked over to him. “Perhaps here…” She started and then paused. Taking a deep breath she looked at him in the eye. “Perhaps, at least for now, for our time here… you can have a family. A real family.” She said softly.

Harry blinked. “Silica, what are you…?” He words were stilled as she put a finger over his lips.

“Keiko,” she said. “My name, is Keiko Ayano.” She then grabbed a hold of his shirt, and pulled herself up to kiss him.

She broke the kiss and gave a small smile at his befuddled look. Her smile widened as it cleared and what she said and did finally worked its way through his mind and his higher thought processes rebooted themselves.

She watched him look at her and then smile. “Well, it’s a pleasure to finally be introduced to you, Miss Ayano,” he said. “As you know, I’m Harry Potter, wizard, Boy-Who-Lived, and very glad my name’s not in the phone book.”

She smiled. “And it’s a pleasure for me as well, Mr. Potter.” She then blinked a bit in confusion. “Also, what’s a phone book?”

Her confusion deepened as Harry just burst out laughing. She shut him up by pulling him over to the bed and using his falling on it to kiss him again.

I can always ask him in the morning, she thought as she absently reached over and turned off the crystalight lamp that illuminated the room.

##

Harry idly wondered how his life could be the way it is as he lay in the bed, listening to Silica- no, in private like this, Keiko’s, rhythmic breathing. On one hand, his luck would have him face monsters, the certainty of death, and the occasional dark wizard out for his blood. On the other hand, it had allowed him to see new and wonderful things alongside those dangers, obtain friends he valued, and… possibly more than that.

And, the fact that something that had haunted his past was over and done with was reassuring. It meant that he was no longer under Tom’s shadow, and that his life would no longer be dictated by that.

Oh, there was a possibility that Tom wasn’t as dead as he personally thought. Personally, he thought that unlikely. Whatever means that was used to get here, it meant that Tom was here, not in the real world. And as he told the man.

Immortal? Not in this world.

And as he began to drift off to sleep, lulled by Keiko’s warmth and the sounds of her breathing, he gave a soft smile.

Things were looking up.

January 7, 2024 - Algade

“I’ve been thinking,” Harry said to the group as they all sat down for a meal.

“I hope you didn’t hurt yourself too much,” Rain said.

Harry snorted. “Cute, Rain,” he replied sarcastically. “Real cute.”

“Besides, we didn’t smell anything burning,” Lux chimed in.

Harry shot her a glare. “Can I get to the point?” He asked.

“You may,” Asuna said.

Harry gave an aggrieved sigh. “Okay, I walked into that,” he said. “Anyway, I’ve been thinking on some things. We’ve been a group for some time, and despite it all, it looks like our current working relationships will continue. So, here’s the thing.” He looked at all of them. “We know things are getting harder, and will continue to do so.”

“Get on with it, Harry.” Kirito said. “This is nothing new to us.”

Harry shot him a look. “Well then, to cut to the chase, I think we should formalize our group.” He said.

Kirito blinked. “Formalize?” He asked. “You mean…?”

Harry nodded.

Asuna gave a hum as she thought about it, and nodded. “It makes sense,” she admitted. “While it’s not exactly necessary, there are support perks to being in a guild, even one that’s only us. Besides, it’s only a matter of time before the many of main guilds up here start getting… insistent on us joining one if we don’t make our own, or join one of the existing ones.”

“For you all, maybe,” Kirito said. “But me? Well…”

Harry cut him off. “If they’re still going on about that bullshit, they aren’t worth our time or attention.” He said. “Not that many of them do, and half the time they include us in that.”

“Though, to be honest, the connotations of that title have changed,” Asuna said. “At least when it applies to you, or us.”

Kirito nodded, accepting that.

“There’s also another good reason, at least from my perspective,” Silica added. “Considering what Harry got on the first, you know that the Knights of Blood are going to be sniffing around the moment they find out, or even suspect it. There’s no way Heathcliff would let that kind of opportunity go.”

And that was the truth. Outside of their group, Argo, and Gus, no one knew that there was someone with a Unique Skill outside of Heathcliff. And they all knew that was a particular point of pride for that guild. The second someone else becomes known to have one, they would become very insistent on said player signing up with them, any guild would really, but the Knights of Blood especially.

After all, if another guild had someone who possessed a Unique Skill, then it was as special as some members of that guild tended to think it was. Some of them were damn arrogant about that fact.

If said player was already in a guild, then they might encourage the person to change guilds, but otherwise not be able to do anything else. Poaching from another guild was heavily looked down upon.

“But, what about Rain and I?” Lux asked. “I mean, you four I can understand, but the two of us… well, we’re nothing special.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Kirito said drily. “You two have stuck with us for this long, and are keeping up with us. Others have noticed that.”

“And word on the street indicates that you two will probably be earning titles soon,” Asuna added.

Both Rain and Lux got surprised looks on their faces, and Harry could understand why.

Titles, monikers, things that other players used that could only refer to one player… those things were not handed out lightly. They were always descriptive of the person, be it their accomplishments, a distinctive feature, something. But having such made you stand out amongst the other players. And it could be in a good way, a bad way, or sometimes both.

And now, Rain and Lux may find themselves added to that exclusive group.

Silica pointed at Rain. “I’ve already heard that some players are beginning to refer to you as Blood Rain,” she said. “Considering what you wore at that party, and the fact that red does seem to be your color, it fits.” She then pointed at Lux. “Yours, from the word on the street, seems to be settling in with referring to you as The Dusk Maiden.”

Harry nodded. “And that’s only the start,” he said. “It’s not guaranteed that they will stick, but the fact that some players are starting to refer to you by such names means that you’re really starting to stand out as players.” He then smiled. “Welcome to the club. The hours are long, the pay’s shit, the complimentary drinks taste like piss, and the food was used to poison the mobs.”

“Since it wasn’t Asuna cooking the food, it was only fit for the mobs,” Kirito said.

“Besides, we just give the drinks to Klein, he can’t tell the difference,” Asuna added.

“As for the pay, that’s why we work long hours killing mobs, we earn more that way.” Silica finished.

They all shared a laugh at that.

“Well, what do you all think?” Harry asked after it died down.

Aincrad 1st Floor, Black Iron Palace

“You called me here, Thinker?” Argo asked as she walked into the office of the man who headed the SAO Support Network, or SSN. She noticed that his second in command, and rumored wife, Yulier, was standing off to the side.

The man looked up at the information broker and made a gesture for her to sit down.

Argo did so and carefully looked at the two. Anyone who looked at Thinker would not think that he didn’t fit what many people thought of when they heard the term guild leader. Thin, lanky, and looking more like a salaryman, he just didn’t fit the ideal. His easygoing manner also didn’t help his case, but he wasn’t the first leader she met who was easygoing. Yulier, with her severe appearance, silver hair that indicated some Youkai heritage to Argo if it was natural, and icy blue eyes, gave off the opposite vibe. When looking at the two, those who didn’t know better often thought that she was the one in charge.

It was intentional, Argo knew. Thinker was the one who had started arranging the distribution of supplies to those who remained in the Town of Beginnings, and networking with players to ensure that a steady stream of them continued. Yulier, while similarly capable, was the one who ensured that Thinker’s instructions were followed, and also worked with Kibaou to keep the peace on the lower floors.

By looking so different, and by looking as if their opposite was the one who should be doing the other’s job, they managed to keep others off balance. That had been important early on, but was less so now. Even so, the SSN was responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of the over thirty-five hundred players who populated the lower floors, and they did so admirably.

Those thoughts went through her mind quickly and she refocused her attention on the two in front of her.

“So, what happened?” She asked.

“Over the last week, we’ve had over sixty names crossed out on the Monument of Life,” Thinker said. “All of the means of death were consistent with PKs.”

“Sixty in one week?” Argo asked in shock. “And by PKs? That’s… oh hell.” She looked at Thinker. “I think I might have an idea of what group was responsible.”

“We know who it is,” Yulier said. “Lind, of the DDA had managed to foil one of their attacks and was able to rescue a couple of players in the party that was attacked. I’ve never seen him that angry.”

“If it’s who I think it is, you would understand why he was angry.” Argo said. “He, Harry, and Silica tangled with them back in June.” She then gave a cold smile. “And that group came off the worse for wear from that, but not before they killed almost a dozen of his men before the… Grand Finale, I guess you can call it.”

Thinker nodded. He had heard about that confrontation, and the end result of it. Over twenty players attacking three, and having nine of their number killed while the three they attacked survived tended to make its rounds. Oh, he knew that two of the deaths were due to the backup arriving, but the rumors tended to leave that out.

“Anyway, we got a name for the group,” he said. “One of their own said it as they withdrew from Lind’s group.”

“And what is this group calling itself?” She asked, leaning forward.

Aincrad 3rd Floor, Zumfut

“Well, it’s been awhile since we’ve been down here.” Kirito said to the group as the teleport finished.

“It has, indeed.” Harry said as he looked around. “And man, this place is just… quiet.”

Kirito understood what Harry meant as he also took a look around, but he was not surprised. Outside of a relative handful of floors, the rest were fairly lacking in terms of population.

“Well, we’re not here to sightsee anyway,” Asuna said. “Let’s go and do the quest we need to do.”

They all nodded and headed to the large tree that was the mayor’s office and central administration building for the town.

##

“Okay, we’ve so far ended up dealing with kobolds, heavily armed kobolds, armored kobolds, naked kobolds, and… more kobolds.” Rain said tiredly. “How many did we end up fighting? I lost count after the first sixty or so.”

“I think it scaled up because we’re so high level,” Kirito said. “Nothing I got from other sources said it was like this.”

Harry gave them both a dry look. “And the second I got my sword to catch fire, you all started using me to create kobold bonfires.” He said. “And Pina thought that some would make a nice snack as well, meaning we have a sick dragon on our hands now.”

The feathered dragon, hearing her name, gave a sound that almost sounded like a groan. Given that her stomach was distended and she was limp in Silica’s arms, it was clear that what she ate didn’t agree with her. Silica, for all that she doted on the feathered dragon, was giving her a notably unsympathetic look.

Asuna just shook her head tiredly. “Well, we got what we needed,” she said. “Let’s just head back to town, turn in this quest, and get on with the rest.”

They all saw several kobolds appear as if out of nowhere and shared a sigh as they readied their weapons. Harry fully agreed with the sentiment behind it all.

They might be easy to kill, but the sheer numbers were getting tiresome to deal with.

##

Asuna almost slammed down what they were required to get as a part of the quest, shooting the quest giver, and guild registrar, a heated look. The party had a heated debate as they returned to town, debating over things like the guild’s name and who would be the one officially in charge.

The NPC looked the item over and nodded. “Everything seems to be in order,” he said. He then pulled out a long sheet of parchment… the Guild Charter. “Who amongst you will lead this guild?” He asked, his speech becoming far, far, more formal. “The one who will, step forward, declare yourself, and sign your name on the charter.”

Asuna pointed to herself. “I, Asuna, will lead the guild,” She said formally, knowing that in this stage of the formation process, the formality had to be observed. She took the offered quill, and carefully signed her name.

“Who do you have to stand as witnesses for your guild, signing its charter?” The registrar then asked. “You only need four, but more is acceptable.”

She looked back at her five companions as she remembered the conversation they had on their way back.

“Me?!” she asked in shock. “You want me to be the one in charge?”

Harry nodded. “Well, at least the one who is officially the leader,” he said. “I think we all have our areas where one of us can take the helm.”

She gave him a level look and then nodded. “I can see that, but why me being the public face?”

Silica snorted. “Because Kirito and Harry hate the spotlight, half the front lines still thinks of me as a mascot character, and neither Rain, nor Lux have the reputation yet to do so,” she said drily. “Also, I’ve seen members of even the Knights of Blood jump when you said ‘jump’ before.”

“She’s got a point, Asuna.” Kirito chimed in.

Asuna sighed, knowing that they had a point. She then looked at Rain and Lux. “And what about you two?”

Rain shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to be in charge anyway,” she said. “Just point me at the mobs.”

Lux just simply nodded. “They do have a point.”

“All right then, fine.” Asuna grumbled. “Anyway, Hadrian, since this was your idea, you get to pick the name.”

Harry smiled. “I have an idea.”

“My companions will stand witness,” Asuna intoned formally. As the registrar looked at them, each of them stepped forward and gave their names and signed the document that the registrar indicated. Most of them gave a bemused look at the quill they were to sign with, and had to carefully write with the unfamiliar instrument. She noticed that Harry gave the quill he was presented an almost nostalgic look before he gave his signature with a flourish.

“The witnesses have presented themselves and signed the charter,” the registrar intoned. “Do you have a name for the guild to use, so that its deeds may be recorded in the annals of history? Or, has one who stood witness come up with one, to carry its standard throughout Aincrad?”

Asuna nodded. “One who currently stands as witness has discussed it with me, and he will be the one to name the guild, carrying its standard.” She indicated Harry to step forward.

Harry stepped forward and looked at the registrar. “I, Hadrian, will name the guild, to carry its standard throughout Aincrad.” He said.

“Then name the guild,” the registrar said. “Give the guild its name, its title, and write it on the charter. Once done, speak the guild’s name, so that it may be heard in the spoken word.”

Harry nodded and then took the quill. He carefully wrote down the guild’s name and handed the quill back to the registrar. He then seemed to notice something cross his HUD before he took a breath.

“I, Hadrian, have given name to this guild. This guild will be known throughout Aincrad by its’ name:

“Steel Phoenix.”

Chapter Text

Mystic Knight Online

June 21, 2023 - England, Aboard the Hogwarts Express

Hermione looked out the window pensively, not seeing the scenery pass her by as the train continued on its path back to King’s Cross Station. What she had watched yesterday had been an unpleasant shock to her system, to everyone’s systems really.

They had thought it to be more along the lines of a simple confrontation and argument, perhaps some punches thrown. Instead, they watched as Harry dueled Lind in a manner that showed that he could have ended it right then and there, but didn’t. It was as if he wasn’t taking it seriously. No, as if he was taking it only as seriously as necessary to avoid killing Lind.

No, it was what happened afterward when Harry decided that the fight was over that bothered her. Harry had been so focused on the confrontation in front of him that he, and by extension them, had missed two players ambushing Silica. When Silica called out, everyone noticed what was going on.

The moment one of them made a move to attack Silica again, the lethal intent behind the move apparent to all of them, Harry acted.

One moment, he was too far away to get to her in time, the next, he was separating the attacking player’s arm and head from his body. The sheer suddenness of it, the fact that Harry had so quickly and coldly killed someone… everyone watching was stunned into silence.

The following fight, as the associates of that player came out of hiding, was as confusing as it was violent. They all came after him, Silica, and Lind with lethal intent, and Harry responded in kind. There was none of the Harry that they had seen present then, only someone who moved and fought with grim and lethal determination.

Every strike delivered was delivered with one singular purpose. To do unto those attacking him before they did unto him or those with them. He had killed three more people in the fight, and the number of attackers he sent flying, their bodies going in one direction, an arm or leg going another… well, she lost track of the number.

It wouldn’t have surprised her if some had simply healed up with an item and jumped back into the fight, only to have the same happen to them again, and again, and again.

That… that was not the Harry Potter she, any of them really, knew. That wasn’t the shy boy she had befriended, the one who disliked his fame. That wasn’t the somewhat indifferent student who only did enough to pass his classes, was crazy about flying and Quidditch, and seemed to have a reckless disregard for his own safety that made him so stereotypically a Gryffindor. In other words, the Harry who disappeared, the one who they watched in SAO.

Until yesterday.

The Harry she saw in that recording, the one who fought with such cold and deadly fury, was as different from the Harry she knew as there could be, while still being the same person. As if he was able to turn that aspect on or off. Or, perhaps, he always had that, but had kept it firmly in check.

And as soon as the fighting ended and he saw that they were relatively safe, he then saw to everyone else, making sure that they were all right, helping Silica gather herself after she had an emotional breakdown, and somehow resolving things with Lind, who had survived all that, afterward.

But she could tell now, he was changing. And she didn’t know what to make of it. It also puzzled her that Ron was completely unsurprised when she talked with him about it.

“You didn’t see him coming out of the Chamber with more of his own blood on him than would be good, and holding the sword he used to kill a basilisk with,” he simply told her. “Even still, you should have realized that once the wands are drawn and the spells are cast, he doesn’t back down or hesitate, he fights back. We know that the whole incident with the Stone gave him nightmares for months, and while he never went into detail, it’s not hard to see why. Not now at least.”

And while that put some things into perspective, it didn’t help her reconcile the two images she now had of the same boy.

Hogwarts, Snape’s Quarters

Severus looked into the glass of firewhiskey in front of him pensively as he considered what he had watched the previous day. His opinions on Harry Potter were well known amongst the students and faculty, but the boy’s actions in that viewing were completely unlike any expectations.

It wasn’t like the events in March, where the boy had gathered a group and led them on a rescue mission with only the loosest of plans. That was so typically Gryffindor, and the fact that it got five people killed, on top of the twelve they failed to save, that he considered it just like the boy.

Always acting without considering the consequences.

It was unfair of him, he knew that. He knew that he was layering his perceptions and hatred of James Potter onto the boy, forcing the sins of the father onto the son. But it was what allowed him to ignore the part of the boy that always pained him to see. The part of the boy that made it clear that he wasn’t only the son of James Potter, but also of Lily Evans.

But what he saw yesterday, it wasn’t James Potter he saw in the boy. James Potter was always one for bluster, for showmanship. The man had been able to fight, but there was always that tendency to show off in his actions.

There was none of that in Harry Potter’s actions that day. Not when he faced that one player who had issues with him, and certainly not when things became deadly. And the second he saw that there were those trying to kill him or those he cared about, any vestiges of James Potter left the boy.

And there was little of Lily there as well. Lily could be dangerous when she was feeling protective, even deadly if need be, as several of his peers amongst the Death Eaters learned. But going straight for the kill, attacking with the intent to maim, that wasn’t her. It wasn’t her he saw in the boy at that time.

It was his grandfather, Harold Evans he saw in the boy. The former SAS commando who had served in Ireland facing off against the Provisional IRA, and other parts of the world as well before settling down to marry. The man who had beaten Tobias Snape, Severus’ own father, within an inch of his life the second he learned of the man’s abuse of his wife and son before taking the man to the police.

The man who killed three of the five Death Eaters who had been sent to kill him and his wife to send a message to the newly married Lily Potter. The man who did so using whatever he could reach, be it a knife, a piece of furniture, or simply breaking his attacker’s neck.

It was seeing Harry kill four people and hack off limbs in battle that showed that. It was the cool efficiency of his movements, the sheer, ruthless pragmatism of it all. And it made him realize that under that exterior, there was a dragon that slept lightly.

He drank down the glass of firewhiskey and continued to think about what he saw.

June 22, 2023 - Kawagoe, Kirigaya Residence

Suguha lay on her bed pensively, trying to think. She had heard of the events a couple of days ago, even watched them before the data was deleted from the system, and was still trying to come to terms with what her brother did. Most of the events she could understand, even approve of, but at the same time, there was one particular detail that she had a hard time with.

Kazuto had killed. It was so unlike him that she didn’t want to believe it.

And yet, she could not deny what he had done in defense of another. That was bad enough, but the fact that the one he had gone out to back up had killed several of his attackers on his own, rather than having been attacked himself, that seemed to make it worse. That Hadrian, the one that Kazuto had gone to back up was also more able to deal with things was also shocking.

But still, her brother had killed.

It had been sudden, an attack was countered by apparent instinct, only for the blow to be a lethal one. She didn’t even know if it had even registered on him at the time, but it was clear that it had after the fight was done with.

Kazuto, she though. What is that place doing to you?

She didn’t know what to think about it, or even feel about it. Should she feel sad for her brother for what he just went through? Should she hate him for what he did? Should she hate those who he went to back up? She really didn’t know.

And she hated the fact that she could do nothing about it.

June 23, 2023 - Greengrass Manor

Daphne Greengrass kept a polite expression on her face as she looked at the Malfoy Family patriarch, who had requested her presence. The absence of Draco indicated that it wasn’t for something as archaic or outdated as an arranged marriage, as their two families were not inclined to form any alliances with each other, so she could only think of one reason.

He was fishing for information on Harry Potter. For what purpose, she didn’t know. And to be honest, it wasn’t of any concern of hers. It was a harsh truth, but that was how things were. She told Granger that if asked about what she saw, she would speak it honestly, hiding nothing.

The muggleborn disagreed with that outlook, but the girl was ignorant of many aspects of the magical world’s culture and family politics. Especially the parts which weren’t written down, as the families were expected to teach their children.

“Lord Malfoy,” she said politely.

“Miss Greengrass,” Lucius replied, nodding to her. “I have no doubt that you are already aware why I am here.”

She looked to her father, who was in the room, and saw the slightly apologetic look on his face and nodded. “You’re here for information on Harry Potter,” she said calmly. “Specifically with regard the events that happened three days ago.”

“Indeed,” Lucius said with a nod. “Not the specific details, the Headmaster is allowing those of us on the Board of Governors to see the recording later today before it goes to the Ministry. What I want, is your impression on things.”

Daphne nodded politely. “Then, I will begin by saying that he had acted in self-defense, and in the defense of another,” she said. “There is the possibility that he used magic, apparition to be precise, but from what I’ve seen from the recordings, the witnesses will probably think that it was because of something else. The more specific terms are bugs and exploits, each meaning that some part of the game weren’t working quite as intended by whomever made it, or that something wasn’t thought of.”

Lucius nodded. “And you think that any muggles who witnessed it would think so?”

Daphne nodded. “Yes.” She replied. “There is a possibility that his companion, Silica, might realize differently. I don’t know why, but there are a few hints that she might know. Another would be the player Argo, who operates as an information broker.”

“Oh?”

“Silica, real name: Keiko Ayano.” Daphne’s father said. “She is the granddaughter of a Living National Treasure, Ranma Saotome, grandmaster of a fairly esoteric combat style, and one who is under a Jusenkyo curse.” When Lucius looked at him, he shrugged. “I have a few business contacts in Japan, and there are a few things my family provides to the Shiba Clan in particular, so I sent a request for any information that they were willing to part with.”

“And this Argo?” Lucius asked.

“The only information I have is that her real name is Mizore Yasaka, and that she is a student at Mahoutokoro.” The man said. “A little extra digging got me politely, but firmly, told to drop the matter by members of the Japanese Magical Consulate. Whoever she is, she’s fairly high in their society.”

Lucius frowned. “Yasaka,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ve heard that family name somewhere before. No matter” He turned his attention back to Daphne. “How about your perceptions of Mr. Potter’s mindset, Miss Greengrass?”

Daphne gave a thoughtful hum before speaking. “He only used lethal force because of the circumstances,” she said. “During the immediate aftermath, it was clear that he was not happy about having done so, but he was also remarkably composed as well. Given that his companion had a brief emotional breakdown in response to people trying to kill her, and the fact that she killed one of her attackers, it was probably for her sake.”

Lucius gave a nod. “My thanks for your giving me your impressions, Miss Greengrass,” he said. He then nodded to her and her father. “Now, if you don’t mind, I must take my leave. Good day.”

Malfoy Manor

Lucius sat in his study and thought about the impressions Miss Greengrass gave, as well as what he saw from the recording.

Even with Miss Greengrass’ words going through his mind, he found himself surprised at how quickly the boy had gone from the typical Gryffindor who simply charged in, heedless of the consequences, to a cold and efficient soldier. It had given him the impression of a veteran Auror from the time when the Dark Lord had the magical community terrorized of him. Someone who set about a grim business, and got it done.

It was very different from the public perception of the Boy-Who-Lived. The public perception would have him as some saintly figure who would never use lethal force, and yet still carry the day. Idealistic foolery, but most wizards and witches were used to having a ready means of defending themselves non-lethally.

That perception also meant that to the masses, their heroes were saints, whose hands would never be stained by blood. Who could walk onto the battlefield and win, despite that. How? Who cares?! That’s a Hero for you. He’s a Knight in Shining Armor!

Lucius was not so idealistic. He knew that knights were warriors, their stock and trade was violence and killing. If it wasn’t necessary, then they didn’t. The boy’s handling of that one player showed that. But the second it did… He would walk onto that battlefield with shining armor, and walk off it with his sword and armor stained crimson.

He would have to make sure that the boy, no… the young man, remained in Japan as long as practicable. The young man who returned from that ordeal, provided he survived, would be very different from the boy who began it. As different as the reality of the boy was different from the stories.

He would also have to start plans for divesting himself of any connections to certain people in the Ministry. This would provide them too much of an opportunity to pass up.

June 24, 2023, London, Ministry of Magic

Albus bit back a sigh as he listened to the protests of those in the Wizengamot chamber. He knew that making this public would put the kneazle in the henhouse, but he also knew that it needed to be done. There was no way that they could have kept what had happened under wraps.

And it wasn’t as if Hogwarts’ having a means to watch Harry’s activities, if well after the fact, was a secret. The students who were involved in watching it, providing their perspectives, their analysis… they would have told their families, regardless of what he tried to do.

The only reason the Ministry had stayed out of it... he had Lucius to thank for that small mercy. The man clearly didn’t want suspicions of his involvement to evolve into certainty, and that was a possibility, despite Harry having remained quiet on the matter of magic and how he ended up in his situation.

Albus had already offered his own explanations, not only of what happened, but how those inside would likely see it. That had quieted some of the uproar. Even those who often disagreed with him on many things still took his word seriously and under consideration. If he said that those who saw what Harry did would rationalize it away, then he was probably right.

Not guaranteed, but probably.

That was enough for many, but there were still many who were claiming that the boy should be brought back to England and damn the consequences and risk to the boy’s life, so that he could face justice for violating the Statute of Secrecy. Unsurprisingly to him, many of them were those who had supported Tom, openly or not. Others, such as Dolores Umbridge, saw Harry as a potential threat to their positions, or to whomever they owed their loyalty to.

Of course, some of them were simply odious people at their core, who didn’t care about the consequences.

What did surprise him, though it shouldn’t, was how Lucius was firmly against bringing the boy from Japan, and he had offered a rather apt argument.

Harry was under the protection of the Wainwrights, and while they wouldn’t be able to fight the Ministry and win, they would still do plenty of damage regardless. Better to simply wait and see, rather than stirring that particular cauldron. Also, there was the possibility of it drawing the attention of others, which could hurt their international standing, already on shaky ground, even further.

And so he watched, his part done with, as the Wizengamot argued, shouted, and basically went through the motions of doing something about this. Everything that needed to be said and done, any decisions that needed to be made, they had all been taken care of behind closed doors anyway.

And he noticed Lucius pass something to someone amongst the more neutral traditionalists, one who wasn’t in the man’s political camp, and wondered what was about to happen. He watched as Richard Greengrass looked at what he was passed, some sheets of parchment it seemed, and then shoot a look to Lucius before rising.

He waited for the chamber to quiet down, and looked at everything.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot,” he said. “I perhaps should have brought this up beforehand, but I thought the matter of what Mr. Potter did would have been properly resolved by now, and in a manner appropriate for this chamber. However, some things have come to my attention…”

He then told a tale of some things that came to light while he was doing a routine check of some Ministry files. Merely for the sake of keeping an eye on what is going on, when he found some irregularities. Misplaced files, misallocation of funds, actions which had not been sanctioned through the proper channels… and all pointing to the actions of the Minister’s Senior Undersecretary.

And, as the Wizengamot exploded, Albus sat back and enjoyed the show.

Oh, well played Lucius, he thought. Your father would be pleased by such a maneuver.

Dolores had been an occasional ally of the man, but it was clear she had become a liability to him. Furthermore, she was a toxic influence on Cornelius, and despite no direct connection to him, this was probably something he had planned on months ago.

Albus also did not doubt that everything would be as had been revealed in a subsequent investigation. Lucius either had his facts straight, or had carefully planted them with help. He wouldn’t have even needed to bribe, blackmail, or threaten anyone for it. If he had made it known what he was doing, more than half the Ministry would have been at his door and eagerly volunteering for this.

Dolores was that hated by the rank and file.

June 30, 2023 - Setagaya, Wainwright Safehouse

Richard looked over the reports of how their efforts to run any damage control in response to his principal’s actions were going. Unsurprisingly, many in the public were understanding of what happened. Surprisingly, they were not being condemnatory about it, or at least not openly. What they might think in the privacy of their own minds could be, and probably was, very different from what they were expressing in public.

He could accept that. He knew that the Japanese didn’t take well to the idea of anyone outside of law enforcement or the military, and only in the performance of their duties, using lethal force at the best of times. At least, the law abiding sectors of Japan’s population didn’t. The less law abiding sectors could be a different story.

He picked up one report that contained information that they were able to dig up on one of those killed that day. Johnny Black, or as he was known in the real world, Atsushi Kanamoto.

Name: Atsushi Kanamoto

Age: 19

Occupation: Career Criminal

Family: None

Status: Deceased, killed by Harry Potter

Mr. Kanamoto has a criminal record dating back to his early teens, having been suspected several times for burglary, theft, assault, robbery, and three murders before SAO. However, he was always able to cover his tracks well enough to divert suspicion to others, frequently his own associates. Despite his apparent career as a criminal he is not affiliated with any Yakuza organizations, though they knew of him. At the same time, he was always careful to not attract too much attention from them, and regularly backed off of whatever he was doing if any Yakuza made any noises about his operations.

His actions in SAO show a similar, if more violent bent. Information recovered from the streamed data showed that he regularly engaged in murder, torture, and rape, simply because he could. His associate, Red-eyed XaXa showed a similarly sadistic bent, but with a more demonstrated self-control.

Even were he still alive, he would not be recruitable. His criminal history and his actions in SAO imply extreme sociopathic behaviors, behaviors which SAO may have exacerbated as he no longer had to even maintain a pretense of civilized behavior.

There were similar files on some of the involved players, but the information was based more on what they could get through more legal means. He had thanked Miss Tendo for her own assistance in this, as her own grandniece had been dragged into the mess, so she had an interest in helping with the damage control. At the same time, he made a mental note to not get on her bad side.

She might not be Eden Blake, the head of Aladdin, the Department of Magic and the Arcane’s intelligence and special operations department, but that woman had an amazing ability to ferret out information. That the Wainwright’s own Yakuza contacts had warned him not to make an enemy of her only reinforced that.

"Mr. Wainwright."

"Think of the devil, and her hand appears," Richard sighed.

The man before him removed his shades, dark piercing eyes meeting his own.

"Mr. Wainwright, my stepson is in SAO, and there is a chance that he will make contact with your charge. When that happens it’ll open up a whole other can of worms." The man said.

Richard groaned. "I expected you and your wife to take interest in this anyway, Mr. Kaz." He said. “Though I will admit, I was hoping for it to happen later, if at all.”

Luke Kaz grinned at him, and the man's dark skin made the pearly white teeth stand out all the more in the dimly lit room. "You don't know the half of it. Ms. Ayano may be the granddaughter of the Living National Treasure, Ranma Saotome, but there is one other who will now be noticing that Mr. Potter is in there, my son’s godmother to be precise. Care to guess who she is?"

"A notable in Japan's magical community, is she?" Richard sighed.

"Karou Shiba."

Richard froze, meeting the grinning man's gaze. "The head of the Emperor's own demon hunters?" He asked. At Mr. Kaz’s grinning nod, he put his face into his hands. “And there’s the other shoe dropping that I’ve been worrying about since this whole debacle started. And you're telling me his death will more than likely bring not one, not two, but at the least three magical governments down on us?”

"I know this won't help, but Lady Karou's mother was a rather dear friend of the Potters via Mr. Potter’s grandparents, who funded some of the rune work that helps protect Tokyo from the supernatural.” Mr. Kaz said with no small amount of malicious glee. “And Lady Karou kept in contact with them, as well as James and Lily. Especially with Lily, who met her when she and James married. The two apparently hit it off due to Lily’s interests.”

At this point, Richard just let out a moan of surrender and laid his head on his desk for a bit. “I should have never taken this job.” He muttered.

“You should have done your research before taking the job, Mr. Wainwright.” Came the unsympathetic reply. “I won’t ask who hired you, you are sticklers about protecting the confidentiality of your clients, and I can respect that. But this entire thing was not up to your usual level. Not as… thorough, so to speak.”

Shiba Compound, Unplottable Location - Tokyo

Ami Blake, nee Anderson, suppressed the urge to thank the black clad servant who refreshed her tea. They apparently took it as a rebuke, as Karou's adopted son Takeru explained.

He may have been five years older than his adoptive mother, but the nineteenth head of the Shiba showed the eighteenth all due deference.

"This sucks," Serena muttered beside her.

Ami turned to her friend-- her first real friend, really, and smiled. "You've said that before."

"It's true," Serena Knecht, affectionately nicknamed 'Bunny' by her friends, and known in some circles within Japan as Tsuki no Serena, replied flatly. Looking at the two of them, one would guess Ami's Japanese, or at least Asian, ancestry immediately, but Serena, as Lita put it, "Jenny Bealed" it. Blond hair, blue eyes, and grew up eating pizza and dango in equal measure in Seattle.

Then again, Serena was further removed from her Japanese ancestry than Ami was, her great-grandmother coming to the Americas as a war bride after the War. An observant person could see it, but Serena’s German-American heritage was very prominent, so many often found it hard to understand how she could claim Japanese ancestry.

The two looked down at the form of August Blake. While not the 'beef cake' (that had been Raye's term) that his older adopted brother Kevin was, August was an incredibly fit and active man. Now, after months in SAO, he looked... diminished.

"Did you hear?" Ami asked, frowning.

"The Boy-Who-Lived thing?" Serena replied, and at her friend's nod sighed. "Never good when they give you the hyphens," The fact that she herself had multiple titles was politely ignored.

"At least your default nickname doesn't have them," Ami noted with a small grin.

"Moon Princess," Serena groused, "make me sound like a magical girl out of an anime, why don't you? I am not a princess, regardless of what Kaguya says.”

“She did adopt you into her clan, naming you her heir,” Ami said.

"It is better than what they call us," a new voice noted drily.

The dark haired woman that entered to join them had a quiet dignity to her. If the corporate daughters of the modern day were given the title "Oujou-sama", Lady Karou Shiba was the classic model they were based on. She looked pleased when they held themselves to respectful nods.

"What do they call you, my lady?" Ami asked.

"You are familiar with Toei's Super Sentai Franchise?" Karou prompted.

"Oh," Serena winced, "they have a nice little portmanteau name for you?"

"We are the Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. Mako's students at the Imperial Academy call her Shinken Pink," Karou noted with a wry smile.

"Shinken..." Serena puzzled. "Oh, so... like a battle ready blade."

"Apparently, they are quite disappointed she doesn't have a transformation," Karou said. Her eyes fell on the young man wearing a Nerve Gear and tied to life support before them. "Of all the ways I saw one of my boys possibly meeting Lily's boy..." She shook her head, and it was so poised and offhand it left no doubt of her upbringing. "I actually rather hope this... game Kayaba set up ends before they meet there."

"Luke mentioned that he planned on having a word with certain people about how Potter ended up in there," Ami said, and had the sudden realization that barring someone else talking, she was staring at the man laid out before them.

"I do hope your father-in-law expresses a measure of our disdain for the situation," Karou said stiffly. "They should have realized at the onset that any number of variables did not make SAO an ideal place to hide anyone, or for anyone to hide. And that's before you take into account that none of these players thought or even know they can be observed in there. Aladdin and Canada's Office of Arcana instantly offered to back up the Ministry of Shugenja once they discovered some of their citizens were here for it. That's just on the magical side; the main governments stepped up too." She snorted. "Though I do hear that Downing Street has been rather... unimpressed with the British Ministry, and the international magical press are going on about 'Fudge's Folly'. Then again, Minister Fudge isn’t leadership material. A competent administrator and bureaucrat? Perhaps, at one time, he was. But he isn’t a leader."

"Are they... that out of touch with what the rest of the world is doing?" Serena asked.

"Not really, no. They are aware of things, a few British friends were the ones who alerted me of the Korean Smartphone Boom a few years ago, after all. Still, those who actually pay serious attention to what’s going on in the mundane world are in the minority." Karou said. "The problem is that in Britain... I think the only other country where the magicals so firmly treat themselves as having a different world is China. To many of the higher ups, being seen as interested in 'muggle' things is seen as distasteful.

“I once talked to their head of Muggle Relations, his official title makes it clear that the Ministry mainly sees his job as keeping magic out of mundane hands. He gets flack for being interested in how electricity, engines, and other modern things work. And this is his job."

Ami winced at that. “They put someone who is ignorant of these things in charge of such an office?” She asked.

"He’s at least trying to learn, which is better than his predecessor from what I head.” Karou noted. “Ami, you're working toward a medical degree and a healer’s certification," she then said with a sigh, "and if you tried to so much as help at their St. Mungo's, you'd likely be stonewalled with those qualifications, depending on the healer or department. World War II was a wakeup call for so many magicals, even them, but they’re more inherently conservative. What they have works well enough, and is sufficient for their needs. So why would they see a need to adopt something new?"

"And yet they had the first female head of a magical government," Ami sighed.

"It was before our times, but Margaret Thatcher was a conservative too," Karou reminded, a hint of rebuke in her voice. “Also, don’t mistake conservatism for the so-called traditional values you hear some mundanes harp about, especially back in the States. Magic tends to be an equalizer in many ways, and no European wizard is foolish enough to think a witch is anything less than capable.” She smirked. “Those who do, tend to get beaten unconscious with their own testicles or their spines used on their skulls like a baseball bat.”

"... yeah, I'm nodding but most of this," Serena waved one hand over her head and whistled. "So basically, they’re twits in a way that means they aren't helping Potter much. And British witches can be hardcore too."

"And I just find it hard to really care about all of that," Ami found herself saying blandly. Her hand settled on her swollen belly. "Gus isn't going to be here when our child comes because some asshole decided he wanted to be a god-king."

Karou took her hand. "Ami. You've seen him. Every step, every battle, every bit of information he gathers is a way to get back to you."

"He shouldn't have to fight to be here," Ami said, a bit bitterly. "His life shouldn't have to stop..."

"When someone's so selfish as to have decided for everyone for their own personal benefit... that's how I know who's evil." Serena caught their looks. "I... did the profound thing again, didn't I?"

They were distracted by the sudden entrance of their friend, Raye Mendez.

“Guys,” she said, her accent stronger than normal. “I got bad news.”

“What’s that?” Serena asked.

“That hijo de puta Cassals,” she began. “He’s still alive… and he’s in SAO.”

July 3, 2023 - Portkey Terminal, Narita International Airport

Sirius tried to shake off the effects of the international portkey and resolved, for the fourth time that day, to take a plane the next time he wanted to go to the other side of the world. Portkeys were fine for shorter distances, but going from one side of the world to the other meant taking several that often pushed the limits of what the person making them, and the person using them, could handle.

Portkeys might be faster than planes, but use enough in quick succession, and even a wizard’s hardier constitution took a beating, even with brief periods to rest and recover. Then again, most wizards and witches weren’t stupid or reckless enough to attempt a trip to the other side of the world by portkey over the course of a day.

On the other hand, Portkey travel can be arranged far more quickly and reliably than muggle air travel, but he really should have thought it through before doing something like this.

Oh well, it got him here, and quickly, so in the end, it didn’t matter.

Only one person mattered right now. He knew he couldn’t take Harry from the hospital he was staying at, but he could at least be there for his godson.

“Lord Black?” A woman asked from nearby with an American accent, causing him to turn and face the owner. He saw that she was dressed as a muggle, wearing jeans, a simple blouse, and carrying a purse.

“Are you Ms. Carlisle?” He asked.

“I’m her,” she said and held out her hand. “Selene Carlisle, at your service, Lord Black.”

Sirius took her hand and shook it. “Please, don’t call me that,” he said. “You can call me Sirius, or if that’s too informal, Mr. Black is fine. Now, before we talk about my coming here, I should probably clear customs, or whatever it is I have to do.”

"I will happily assist with that, Mr. Black!" A cheerful voice piped up.

Another woman emerged from the crowd. Sirius had maybe a decade on her, and she wore a simple yellow dress. Her English "flow" was better than many Japanese could manage, though her accent still made "Mister" closer to "Mis-ta". Something tickled at Sirius' memory, which was always a good feeling, it marked another victory against the Dementors and Crotch- all right, Crouch's mistake. He could just hear Albus’ mild rebuke and correction in his mind for calling Bartemius Crouch, Crotch.

"Kotoha Hana... Hana something.” Sirius said. “You were at Lily and James’ wedding, with... Lady... Shiba! I'm sure that was it. It's hard to forget a woman with a son a good five years older than she is."

"Hanaori, thank you for remembering," the young lady said, blushing in a manner that he distantly remembered thinking was cute back then.

"Hard to forget someone who's such a ready mix of working class honest and potentially deadly," Sirius said with a smirk, which made the blush deepen.

"Only at my Lord and Lady's orders, Mr. Black," Kotoha said with a slightly strained smile. "And only to enemies of the Sun Throne." She turned. "Ms. Carlisle," she continued.

"I've been briefed," the Wainwright-- employee? Sirius was not clear on if she was a member of the family or not, and it'd been years since he'd been in touch with that side of things. She seemed resigned about it. "We thank the Shiba clan for their aid in this matter."

"The Shiba clan is honored to help Mr. Potter's godfather reach him in his current state," Kotoha replied.

Never had so sweet a smile accompanied so sharp and subtle a barb. He looked between the two and could see the tension, but at the same time a sort of resigned acceptance on Selene’s part. Biting the stirring rod and playing out till the snap explodes, as it were.

Suginami, Sirius’ Temporary Apartment

An hour later, he was putting his stuff away in the small flat provided for him to use during his visit. It wasn’t much, a small kitchen, a rather small main room which doubled as his bedroom, and a bathroom that had only a toilet and shower. It was good enough for him, his time in Azkaban meant that his standards were met if the place was clean, dry, and not bone-chillingly cold. Compared to his old cell, the small flat was positively luxurious.

Besides, he didn’t have much with him anyway, a few changes of clothes, some hygiene items, and Harry’s wand, Albus had handed it to him after his name was cleared. It wasn’t as if he needed more space. Besides, he was going to be in Japan for only a couple of weeks right now, so the extra space would have been wasted. It would allow for him to see how Harry was, get a feel for the place, and look for a place for a longer term stay.

The last item was a bit further in the future, as making the arrangements would take time. Though, if the Shiba Clan was getting involved, that might be completed sooner, rather than later. Maybe by early to mid-August, instead of mid to late September.

“Everything satisfactory, Mr. Black?” Selene asked.

Sirius turned and nodded. “It’s fine,” he said. “It’s small, but I’m only going to be here for a couple of weeks anyway.”

“We could have put you up in a hotel,” he heard Kotoha say from off to the side. “It would have been roomier than a six mat apartment.”

He shrugged. “And the closest one is still farther from the hospital than this place is,” he said. “Besides, I take it that the Wainwrights were using this apartment so as to have someone close to Harry.”

Selene nodded. “We have a couple of apartments in the area which some of our members used,” she admitted.

“I hope I didn’t put anyone out by coming here,” Sirius said.

“You didn’t,” Selene said. “We simply hadn’t closed the lease on the place yet.”

Sirius simply nodded, knowing that he would have to get the full story later. He knew about the Wainwrights having taken responsibility for Harry, but the presence of a representative from the Shiba Clan made it clear that might change. The current tension indicated that there were some… issues with that. Not that he was surprised. When the Wainwrights took responsibility for someone’s protection, they didn’t like others butting in. However, the Shibas have been friends of the Potters since the time of Harry’s grandfather, and he didn’t doubt for a moment that they would do everything in their power to ensure that Harry was safe.

Even if it meant getting into a wand measuring contest with the Wainwrights, a contest they were likely to win due to being on their home turf.

“Well, I can finish putting everything away later,” he said. “Now, I want to see Harry.”

July 9, 2023 - Chiyoda, Ministry of Internal Affairs - SAO Taskforce Office

Seijiro Kikuoka looked over the summarized reports that had come in about activities in SAO. He didn’t know why Kayaba had reversed his decision to keep the outside world ignorant of what was going on a month after he originally cut the feeds. Of course, the fact that someone figured out how to look in using the Nerve Gear’s own hardware and an Ethernet connection to a computer on the first day may have had something to do with it.

For the friends and families of those trapped, it was both a blessing and a curse. For him, it was a godsend, as it meant that they could not only see what was going on, but also look in on the details for investigative purposes.

Things such as them finally being able to isolate those who were involved with a number of deaths, murders really, in the game. For all that they were watching events, there were still over seven thousand players in the game, and only a few dozen in his team who made it a full time job of watching those.

Simply put, he needed more people, but he had to make do with what he had for now.

He looked over a particular report, reading the annotations provided by one of his analysts, as well as recommendations from his legal office and nodded to himself.

There were some who were calling for the heads of all participants in that recent incident, even those merely acting in self-defense or the defense of others, with the loudest coming from those who lost someone that day. That several were highly placed individuals, and their family members or friends were the ones doing the attack and had later been tied to several murders and were thus wanting to ensure that their own reputations weren’t the only ones going down in flames didn’t surprise him.

It had the potential to get ugly, true, but there were those who were already working behind the scenes to keep things from getting that far. And that didn’t go into the fact that there were many who were lining up to defend those who were clearly defending themselves and others.

Even that one foreign boy, Harry Potter, had people who were lining up to protect him, and given how influential some of them were, that was interesting.

Add in that he was an associate, even possibly a friend, to the daughter of the RECT CEO, Asuna…

Oh yes, interesting indeed, even if he found a different player trapped in SAO to be more interesting in his eyes: Kirito.

Maybe it was because the boy was Japanese. Maybe it was because he could see something in the boy, even if he couldn’t quite define it. Or maybe it was because the boy had established himself as the most powerful, the best, player in SAO.

He considered it a matter of excellent fortune that two such interesting boys were working together. It made it easier to keep an eye on both without having to divert someone from something else.

August 11, 2023 - Bethesda, MD, Aladdin Headquarters

“And how was your trip to Japan, Luke?” Eden Blake asked as her husband walked into her office. She was a woman of severe lines, with an almost cold, aristocratic face and eyes. The grey robes over the business suit she wore and the black hair tied up into a severe bun enhanced the “ice queen” image that she wore like a cloak while on the job.

Luke Kaz shrugged. “Fine enough,” he said. “Ami sends her regards, and don’t worry. She knows that your duties prevented you from being there for Alice’s birth last month.”

Eden nodded and waved him to sit down. “Give me a few minutes, please,” she requested. “I need to finish going over these reports, and I can give you the proper attention.”

Luke just sat and waited, Eden’s habits when she was on the job were something he had long since gotten used to. On the job, she was coldly professional, not letting anything distract her from her duties.

Off the job, she left the ‘ice queen’ at the office and warmed up considerably. Her harsh and aristocratic features softened, her hair was let down, and she didn’t bother with the cold professionalism.

The latter was the woman he fell in love with, and he was willing to accept that it came with the former. He, himself, was a different man on the job.

In their line of work, wearing a mask, having a separate persona for it... was a necessity. They needed to separate the work from their personal lives, or their work would consume their lives, and destroy them.

Seeing their youngest, Evie, that close to death was only going to happen once.

Eden finished going over the reports and put them into a folder. She picked up her wand and gave the folder a few taps before placing it in her outbox. She then sighed, stretched, and gave her head a shake.

“God, I wish I could retire,” she said. “When my predecessor gave me this job, the asshole didn’t tell me just how much planting my ass in a chair and going over other people’s work was involved, and how little actually overseeing things I would actually be doing.”

Luke chuckled. “The perils of being in charge, dear,” he said.

Eden snorted and then looked at the man she had been married to for ten years. “How are things in Japan?” She asked.

“As I mentioned, they’re fine for now,” Luke said. “Our suspicions that the Wainwrights were involved in Mr. Potter ending up there were right, and you’ll need to have a word with Old Man Aloysius about that. Looking at the entire thing, it was rather sloppy of them.”

Eden nodded. “And he’s probably taken it out on whoever was responsible for that op of theirs already,” she said. “He’s kept to their tradition of not harming children, and he has a very dim view of those who do, even unintentionally.” She then sighed. “If it wasn’t for the fact that they’re needed where they are to keep a pretense of order amongst the criminal element, I think they would have gone fully legitimate a long time ago.”

Luke barked out a laugh. “It would be more certain in its profits for them,” he admitted. “The one in charge of them there, Richard, he was less than surprised when I came by, though he was not happy to find out the Shibas were getting involved.”

Eden smirked. “They failed to research Mr. Potter’s family history then?” She asked.

Luke chuckled. “Oh, they did fail there.” He said gleefully. “The Shibas have been on good terms with the Potters since the boy’s grandfather helped them with warding Tokyo to help with supernatural threats back in the sixties. Had they known that, they probably wouldn’t have accepted the job.”

Eden gave an unsympathetic shrug at that. “Their problem, not ours,” she said. “Anyway, how is August doing in there?”

“He’s doing fine,” Luke said. “If anything, he’s carrying on the family tradition, even if it’s through working under someone else.” He then snorted. “And she’s an interesting one.”

“Oh?” Eden asked.

Luke grinned. “Mizore Yasaka,” he said. “Youngest daughter of The Yokai of Kyoto, who is on the warpath when it comes to Kayaba. Goes by the name of Argo in there. That girl is running her own information network and spy ring in there, and she’s also the one we are betting on figuring out who Mr. Potter is, if she hasn’t already.”

September 1, 2023 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital

Sirius stared at the form lying in the bed. Harry had been trapped in that illusion for almost a year, and that period of inactivity was showing on his body. He had read the reports, learning that the boy was largely underfed, but not malnourished, and everything involved. And if he were to be honest, Harry was beginning to look like he when he escaped Azkaban.

Beginning to, but not quite. The doctors informed him that of all the SAO patients, the boy was one of those in the best condition. His muscles were atrophying, but with the means they were using to minimize it, and his wizard’s constitution, the degradation of his body was considerably slower than the average patient’s.

A small mercy, really, and it only meant that if, no when, Harry got out, his recovery would be that much faster. Physically at any rate. How he would come out of this mentally could be a different story.

Especially since after that brief period of time where he and his friends just stepped back and got some much needed R&R, they have been back on the front lines of SAO, fighting to clear the game.

He once asked Albus why they hadn’t used magic to get Harry out of there. And he still recalled that conversation.

“And what means do you propose we use, Sirius?” Albus asked. “Vanish the headset? A simple charm? Transfiguration? Two hundred people died on the first day because those headsets were forcibly removed from them. We probably could do it, but would it be guaranteed to not harm or kill Harry?

“And who do we test it on?” He then asked. “Harry? Some random muggle who would be killed if it failed? And if it failed, how many times would we need to refine and test it until it worked? How many people would have to die in order for us to do so, and all for the sake of one boy? We have no right to make that decision, Sirius.

“And if we did try something like that, how long would we be able to keep it secret? How many would it take before the Japanese took offense to what we were doing? A thousand? A hundred? Fifty? Wars have been started for less.”

He would admit that the old man had a point, several points. But as he looked at the boy on the bed, knowing that the mind was trapped in an illusory world that was all too real, he wished there was something he could do.

“It’s hard on us as well, Mr. Black,” he heard Harry’s current watcher say. He turned to look at her, Selene Carlisle. One of those who had brought Harry here to Japan, and one of those responsible for his being trapped.

She looked at Harry and gave a sad smile. “We had no way of expecting something like this to happen,” she said. “And it wasn’t as if we were going to make an issue when he was tracked down. Our job, was to bring him here, and distract him with SAO. Instead, we entered him into... that.”

Sirius elected to say nothing, he had received several formal apologies from the members of the Wainwright team, as well as a relatively full disclosure from the team leader.

Relatively full. They would not reveal who hired them for the job, but he didn’t reasonably expect them to. They protected the confidentiality of their clients, and they would not violate that confidentiality. He could respect that, no matter how much it irritated him. If he knew who hired them for this, he would then have a target.

Not that he didn’t have his suspicions already.

He then looked back to the computer screen. “It’s just, he should be worrying about girls, homework, Quidditch, and enjoying learning magic,” he said. “He should be on the Hogwarts Express, reconnecting with his friends, figuring out what will be going on during the school year, and planning pranks. He shouldn’t be having to fight for his life, plan assaults, or wonder if he and his friends will survive another day.”

Selene nodded, but said nothing. What could she say?

September 11, 2023 - Hogwarts, Headmaster’s Office

Albus looked at the map, seeing the locations of everyone present. He had to give credit to James, Remus, and Sirius, mapping the castle like they did and doing the charms work to create something like this was quite the achievement.

And he had to thank the Weasley Twins for loaning him the map. Their discovery of Pettigrew had shown that the map was useful for more than just pranks, and with the Tri-Wizard Tournament coming, he asked if he could borrow it on occasion. Just to ensure that no one who is unauthorized was trying to sneak in.

Or, as he was seeing, had already snuck in.

Albus sighed as he looked at the name that was in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, with a full class, Bartemius Crouch. The fact that the name Alastor Moody was in his quarters, but hadn’t moved from his location for several hours, indicated what had happened.

He had thought Alastor was simply demonstrating his normal paranoia when he had explained why he didn’t want to know all the security details Albus was putting in place. Just as he wasn’t going to tell Albus all that he would put in place.

“With something like this, someone might have the idea of using polyjuice to impersonate one of us,” Alastor said in his habitually growling voice. “With my luck, it’ll be me captured and kept alive only long enough for them to enact whatever plan they have.”

“Surely they would not.” Albus countered. “They would have to get the habits of whoever they were impersonating down quite well, and have to maintain it for some time. There are very few who can do such a thing.”

“Still, better safe, than sorry.” Alastor said. “Better to obliviate me of this conversation as it is. And if something does happen, I will simply say, ‘I told you so.’ After all… CONSTANT VIGILANCE”

Albus tapped the map with his wand. “Mischief Managed,” he said, turning it back into the apparently blank sheet of parchment is masqueraded as. He would have to review his plans for the Goblet’s security and make some changes to his own planned contributions.

Perhaps altering the Age Line to recognize when someone was too old would work. Having it also take a sample of the magical signature and have it compared to the name and a few signatures he has a knowledge of… he mentally shook that line of thought out of his head.

He could just keep it simple and simply keep an eye on the Goblet for the brief time that the names will be allowed to be entered into it. A ward to alert him, a couple of security measures added to keep the target in place, and it would do just as well.

Yes, he thought to himself. Best to keep it simple. A night or two of missed sleep is a small sacrifice for me to make in this case.

October 4, 2023 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital

Tetsuhiko watched the computer screen that was showing what his daughter was doing and watched as his daughter’s companions were wishing her a happy birthday as they sat down for a meal. He and his wife had taken the time for the evening to come by and spend time with Keiko, to wish her a happy birthday themselves, despite the fact that it would be a meaningless gesture.

Meaningless, at least to Keiko, but not to them. And as he stood by his wife as she watched the small party happening in SAO, he gave her friends and companions and brief look.

Kirito and Asuna had apparently fit into the role of older siblings. Kirito the somewhat aloof, but caring big brother; Asuna as the occasionally strict, but equally caring older sister. He approved how she had connected with the two them.

And then there was Hadrian, a boy that he wanted to shake the hand of, forcibly welcome into the family in the Saotome tradition, and strangle in equal measure.

It had been clear early on that the boy was sweet on Keiko. His actions may have been those of a perfect gentleman, but he had been spending too much time around Keiko for Tetsuhiko’s comfort. Especially as anyone with eyes could tell that the two were getting close and comfortable with each other. Far too close and comfortable with each other for his peace of mind.

And that merely irritated him about the boy. Keiko was his daughter, and it was a father’s prerogative to be overprotective. It was what happened in June which made him want to strangle the kid.

True, the boy was fiercely protective of Keiko, and that was proven back then. True, the boy had helped her through the several emotional roller coasters that she went through because of that day. And the boy had many things about him which he approved of.

But he was Keiko’s father, and Hadrian was a boy who was around his daughter.

You better survive this boy, and make sure Keiko does as well, he thought. Because we both need to have a talk.

October 30, 2023 - Hogwarts, Great Hall

Barty quietly walked toward the goblet, or as quietly as Moody’s prosthetic leg would allow. The fake eye whirled in its socket, scanning everything and finding nothing, as he continued on his path.

The plan he had worked out with the Dark Lord had been brilliant, especially as he had learned of the tournament from his now disgraced father. He had enjoyed interrogating him for all the relevant information before the strain of the interrogation killed the man. It was regrettable that it hadn’t taken longer, but he learned what he wanted to know.

It was unfortunate that the Potter brat was stuck in Japan. Trapped in some sort of illusion the muggles had managed to create, and intended to be used as a game of all things. A game for what? He didn’t know or care, but it did add a complication to the Dark Lord’s plans.

No matter, just because the boy was out of reach didn’t mean that they couldn’t use the opportunity this provided. After all, if they could get the boy into the tournament as a competitor, he would be forced to compete. And with him unable to, it would strip the boy of his magic.

He had brought this up, and the Dark Lord had found the possibility worthwhile. Why change the plan, when they could instead carry it out and simply aim for a different result? And even if it didn’t work, it wasn’t like they lost anything from the attempt.

Sweeping the hall with his false eye one last time, he pulled out a scrap of parchment. It had been difficult to get a hold of a copy of the boy’s written signature, and outright impossible to duplicate the magical one, but the Goblet was from a time when things were less… specific in their requirements. It only needed a name, nothing more. A magical signature, or even a drop of blood would have been better, but a name would be enough.

And, as he made to place the scrap into the flames, his movements were halted completely. He blinked with his good eye, and then realized what it meant. Dumbledore had put in measures that Moody didn’t know of.

Clever, old man, he thought. Very clever. Too bad that the one thing you might want, such as the Dark Lord’s location, is something I can’t tell. He then began to laugh. A dry, rasping laugh that held a hint of madness.

Later - Hogwarts, Headmaster’s Office

“Cornelius, what were you thinking?!” Albus roared. “Bringing in a Dementor like that? And for what? To make a gesture at being seen doing something? We had him captured, his wand taken, and Alastor made sure, thoroughly so, that he was in no state to escape."

"Albus---"

"Silence," Albus said, a hint of magic seeping into his voice, "Or I'll just call your old schoolmate. William Gravel, mm? The Slytherin who helped 'discourage' your little test selling scheme? Her Majesty’s own SAS Combat Mage Bodyguard?"

Cornelius, to his credit, went silent.

"It would be easy," Albus said, his voice soft, but without its normal warmth or whimsy. "Her Majesty made an offer to lend his services out. Had Alastor not said “no”... In fact, I think maybe I should have him here. Alastor?"

Moody looked a moment from where he stood between a petrified Crouch and a now mercifully cowed Dementor. Alastor Moody was one of the few Wizards who had that combination of viciousness and inherent good that was able to scare one. “Yes, Albus?”

“Would you be insulted if I decided to take Her Majesty up on her offer?”

"Provided I get to meet the young Sergeant Major again?” Moody asked. “To see if he's still sharp?"

“I’ll be sure to have Poppy on hand in Her Majesty approves,” Albus promised.

“Then no, I would not be insulted at all.”

"Albus," Cornelius began, "Surely we can--"

"And I do believe it may be about time to have words with the Prime Minister about you and how you've handled recent events," Albus said, ignoring the man. “I had to run damage control for all of this when I was in Bern for an ICW meeting earlier this month, Cornelius. And do you want to know what many of those representatives said? No matter, I’ll inform you of what they said.”

If there had been ice in Albus’ voice before, it was now positively arctic.

“They told me, in no uncertain terms, that your… bungling is the politest word any of them used, don’t ask me to translate what the Russian representative said… your bungling has made England a laughingstock. The Japanese and the Americans have done more in this situation than we have, and need I remind you the long memories from the ending of the Second World War that make the two magical governments wary of each other to this day? And they were in agreement on this matter, in agreement Cornelius. And England, where I was born and raised, and worked alongside the numerous others to hold your post with more grace, does nothing while you play your games."

“But Lucius…”

“I've talked to Malfoy on this matter, Cornelius, don't you dare try and play us off each other.” Albus interrupted. “He told me that he advised you to at least make a token gesture in this matter. He also offered to take veritaserum to verify that he was being truthful. You know his family’s stance on that, and yet he offered.”

Cornelius managed something that sounded vaguely like “Tickle on the tum," but was otherwise silent.

Albus stared at the man for a little longer before tiring of his presence. “I think, Cornelius, that you should go back to your office and think very carefully about how you go forward from here on out,” he said. “And take that Dementor with you.”

Seeing the opportunity to escape, Cornelius left the office with alacrity, the Dementor following and giving Alastor Moody what could only be a wary look.

"I say we sic the Wizengamot and the Department Heads on him," Alastor muttered.

"Let him tighten the noose around his neck a bit more, Alastor," Albus advised.

His old friend snorted. "And I'm the scary one."

The two of them shared a chuckle before Albus walked over to his fireplace. It was time to get Amelia, so she could take Barty Crouch Jr. off their hands.

November 24, 2023 - Mie Prefecture, Unknown Location

Sachiko Yasaka glared at the partially decomposed body before her, golden eyes blazing, the fur on her nine tails bristling from her anger, and the hem of her kimono swayed as if in a wind that wasn’t there. Her escorts, humans sent to accompany her by the Shiba clan, gave her a wary glance, but otherwise stayed back. They knew better than to get in the way with an angry Youkai when they didn’t have to.

He was dead. Akihiko Kayaba was dead, and from all indications, via a slit throat. She internally raged as her golden eyes carefully looked over the contents of the cabin, little more than a shack, where they had found him.

Someone had beaten her to it. Someone prevented her from unleashing her righteous wrath on the man responsible for her daughter’s situations. Someone had denied her, her, any satisfaction.

“If you were expecting to meet me in person,” A voice said. “I apologize that I can’t as I’m a bit… indisposed as it were.”

She glared in the direction the voice came from and saw him looking at her from a computer screen. She then glanced back at the body, and then back at the screen.

“I would ask how,” she said carefully and coldly, her anger just under the surface. “But it doesn’t matter, does it? Akihiko Kayaba. You’re no longer a man, but a... 'ghost in the machine' as the philosophers would phrase it.”

The face on the screen nodded. “Indeed,” Akihiko Kayaba said. “The body is dead, but the mind lives on. An attempt, as it were, to see if it was possible. The electrical signals that once used the brain as their medium, now supported by superconducting circuits. If it failed, the mind would have died with the body and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It allows for an… interesting perspective, to say the least. Free from the demands and constraints of the flesh, but limited and constrained in a different way.” He then gave her a look. “And I do have to say, my lady, of all those who I expected to find me in this state, a Kitsune wasn’t one of them. And certainly not one as august as yourself.”

“And what did you expect?” She growled out. “The police? A former lover? The Shinigami?”

Kayaba shook his head. “The former lover was the one who killed me, or at least the body.” He said simply. “I had only just uploaded myself into the system only minutes before she tracked me down. I watched as she stared in shock at what I apparently did, believing me as close to dead as it would be. And I watched, as she finished killing the body, a knife, a simple slitting of the throat.” He gave a shrug. “Perhaps she thought it a mercy, to simply finish what I apparently did to myself. Perhaps not, and she was simply making sure I was dead. It matters not.”

Sachiko stared at him, horrified at the sheer apathy that he was demonstrating. She heard a muttered curse from one of her human escorts, the young man from the Tani, showing that they had similar feelings. But for her, it was in many ways worse.

She was a Youkai, a creature of passion, of desire, of unfettered emotion. Human desires and dreams brought her kind about, their very beliefs permeating the earth and giving birth to her kind; the dark reflection of Japan’s people.

Humans did not like the unpleasant truths Youkai represented, and the two races had been at each other’s throats from the beginning. Things might be more peaceful between the two races now, but it was a fragile one at best, and one maintained by the Imperial Family. Guarded by the Shiba clan and the Underworld Knights on the one side, and the various courts of the Guardian Demons on the other.

As it always was, as it should be, and as it must always be. Let the Westerners, the followers of Abraham and Mohammed have their dualistic conflict between Good and Evil with their dogmatic capitals. Those in the East, would instead seek a balance, a co-existence.

The family that represented Japan’s spiritual heart was the only thing that kept the two races from reigniting their constant conflict. A conflict that neither side would win, or be able to.

For as Youkai were the dark reflection of humanity, needing humans to exist, so did humanity need them in order to truly feel. Their passions, their drive, their ability to change. Feelings and belief brought them about, and it would be the absence of both which would be their end. Neither was above the other. Rather, they were of the same level. Codependent.

She had once been shown a possible world by one of the Seven Sages, long ago, that showed her why Youkai and humans were so dependent on one another. The world she saw, a possibility so remote it might as well not be considered possible. That world without Youkai and only humans was… pathetic. Little emotion... no passion... merely... existing and being deluded into calling it living. A world that was not even worth pity or scorn.

And the one person who could have made that possibility a reality had been shown it by her. The girl’s sheer horror at what she saw before outright rejecting the possibility of that world’s existence said it all. She had rejected it, and the possibility of that world had ended right then and there.

So, to see this… this abomination in a human’s form be so disconnected from it all, it horrified her. It was her complete antithesis. It was unnatural. And not because of where he had put his mind, but because there was no soul from the result, no passion that she could feel. Just an apparently cold logic.

This was a man who had avoided all passion and killed his humanity for it.

One of her escorts gave a cough and she turned her attention to the young woman, Kotoha Hanaori, if she recalled. “Yes, Miss Hanaori?” She asked, using the distraction as an opportunity to regain her composure.

“Lady Yasaka,” the woman, Kotoha, said. “This raises questions that we need answers to.” She looked at Kayaba’s digital avatar with some disgust. “Such as why.”

“It is quite simple,” the avatar said in response to the implied question. “When they finally clear Sword Art Online, and I have full confidence that they will, I will die with it. And what more appropriate way, than to die as it will?”

Sachiko nodded, understanding what he was saying. “And all this?” She asked, gesturing at what was in the cabin.

“Do with it what you will.” Kayaba said. “There is nothing that would help you in any way. I said how those trapped could get out, and that is, and will remain, the only way.”

She nodded and then gestured for her two escorts to wait for her outside. The two of them took one look at her and quickly exited.

She then gathered her power, blue flames appearing in her hands and floating around her. “My daughter, Mizore, is trapped in your little game.” Sachiko Yasaka, Youkai of Kyoto and Kyuubi no Kitsune said coldly. “And while I can’t touch you because of what you’ve done to yourself, I will at least get something from this.”

The avatar nodded and cut the connection.

And with a scream, she unleashed the flames, immolating everything around her. Kayaba’s body, the equipment, the structure itself, all became ash as she unleashed her fury. She would apologize to Lady Shiba and the Emperor later, but the catharsis of being able to do something, even though it was meaningless… it made her feel better.

She tried not to indulge the urge. As with humans, doing so could be addictive, leading you to creating more circumstances for release. But now... now she made a rare exception to her personal rule, and did indulge herself.

January 1, 2024 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital

It was Harry’s sudden scream of pain, a scream that sounded from two places, that made Sirius realize that something had just gone horribly wrong. He looked over to where Harry lay, shocked to the core. He could hear both Selene and Kotoha, who were Harry’s daytime bodyguards, yelp.

Not once had Harry stirred or reacted to anything from the outside world, not as far as he knew. The Nerve Gear completely cut him off, so to speak, so for something like this to happen…

His shock turned to horror as he watched something like smoke seep out from beneath the helmet, but smoke didn’t have such a… malevolence to it. He saw it seep out, and then into the helmet. A quick glance to the screen saw Harry clutching his scar, smoke seeping through the fingers and moving to…

Oh, bloody buggering shite, he thought as he saw what was happening, and what Harry was starting to notice.

“What…?” he heard Kotoha say from off to the side.

“What the hell is that?” Selene asked.

“That, ladies,” Sirius said, a note of horror in his voice. “Is Voldemort.”

“I’m… gonna have to call the boss in for this.” Selene said. “And the Shiba Clan.” She added at Kotoha’s look. “It’s all being recorded, so… whatever happens, we will see how this ends.”

Shiba Compound

"Karou! Takeru!" Ami called out.

The 19th lord of the Shiba entered the room, "Gus is joining Mr. Potter, then?" Takeru asked. He smirked at Ami and Lita's look. "Harry's guards contacted us. His scar... the Nerve Gear absorbed something from it."

"What?" Lita Alexander asked from where she sat before the computer that let them see into SAO. "So that’s-- and there Gus goes, off to help someone face a dark wizard."

Ami smiled in spite of herself, and looked down to the baby in her arms. "Your father. We'll have words with him when he gets back, won’t we Alice?" She looked at Takeru. “And Karou?”

“She’s already headed over there, and will probably be at Nakano General Hospital in a few minutes with Lady Serena,” he said. “And yes, I know she doesn’t like being referred to in that manner by me.”

Lita snorted while Ami merely smiled. Takeru addressing Serena as “Lady” or “Princess”, all due to her being adopted by Kaguya, was his way of teasing her.

Hogwarts

"The elves informed me it was safe now," the Grey Lady said, a sad smile on her face as the elf beside her held up something he'd only known through legend. "That boy, Riddle, tainted my mother's legacy... but it is clean now."

Albus blinked, as one of his many competing hypothesis seemed to be proven, then frowned. "You said it was clean now?" He asked.

"Of all but my mother's enchantments. It is clean of the... presence he hid inside it."

Albus spun toward his fireplace, absently grabbing the entire container of Floo powder as he did so.

"Will this be helping Young Master Harry?" the elf holding the relic asked.

"I'm not sure, Milly," Albus said to the eldest of the surviving Potter elves, who had come to Hogwarts as James had directed in the event of his death. "You'll stay here so you can tell Dobby and the others, I hope?"

"Milly is thanking you, Mister Headmaster, sir," the elf managed. "This is... not being something we was expecting. Stranger than Mistress Lily's ‘Telly Box.’"

"No one was expecting this," Albus murmured. He would have to alert someone. He had no doubt that Harry’s protectors were already noticing something, and if they knew, the Shibas probably did as well. So who should he…?

He stopped and then sighed. Of course, he thought as he placed the Floo powder down. There was no one he needed to immediately contact. He took one look at the relic, Ravenclaw’s Diadem, and then went back to his desk.

Sitting down, he looked at the Grey Lady. “My Lady, could you get Fillius?” he asked. “I do believe he would be delighted to know that such a precious relic has been “found” and safely recovered.”

Malfoy Manor

Lucius stared down at his arm, or to be more precise, where a certain mark had once been. It had started with a flash of blinding pain, like molten glass being poured on the spot where the Dark Mark was, and then… numbness. A lack of feeling, the absence of an old and constant ache which he had resigned himself to having for the rest of his life.

He had screamed from the pain, he would not deny that, and from Narcissa’s concerned look, it had been… rather loud. But when she pulled the sleeve of his robe up, he heard her shocked gasp and looked at it for himself. He had expected to see it charred, withered, or some other unpleasant sight… not clear and unblemished skin where the Dark Mark had once been.

And as the reality of what that signified to him made its way through his mind, he started to laugh.

He was free of that man. He was finally, truly, and completely free of him!

“Lucius?” His wife asked.

“It’s over, Narcissa,” he said and then looked at his unmarked arm. “I’m free of him at last.”

He then sighed. It was not in disappointment, but there was a hint of ruefulness.

With his luck, the boy his son imagined to be his rival was responsible. If that was so, and the boy managed to escape Sword Art Online, he would have to remember to do something nice for him.

Azkaban

"And you say they both started wailing at about the same time?" The Warden asked, frowning at two of his most demented prisoners.

"Yes, sir," the guard reporting said, shaking his head as "Bloody" Bella slammed the wall between Barry Crouch Jr. and herself. "Crotch", for his part, was screaming invectives right back at her. "And then they started arguing over who had failed their Lord more."

The Warden considered it a moment, then shrugged. "Frankly, Jenkins, after what Lestrange did to the Longbottoms and Crotch tried to do to the Potter boy..."

Jenkins nodded. "Let 'em wail."

Hogwarts, Great Hall

Hermione watched as the woman entered the Great Hall, making the students look up from their breakfast. The woman had oriental features, dark brown hair, and wearing some kind of robe that she couldn’t quite remember the name of. And from the clear purpose in her stride, and the small parcel in her hand, she had an idea as to why the woman had arrived. From Ron’s muttered curse, he had come to the same conclusion.

Just what had Harry gotten himself into this time?

She followed the woman’s steady walk to the Head Table with her eyes and waited to see what revelations would come about. The fact that the Headmaster had stood and made his way around and to the front mean that whatever it was, it was important.

##

“Lady Shiba,” Albus said, bowing to her. “To what do I owe this honor?”

Karou Shiba returned the bow. “My apologies for interrupting your meal,” she said. “But it was felt that it would be best that this news be delivered in person.”

Albus’ eyes went to the parcel in her hands. “Harry?” He asked.

Karou nodded. “He is doing well,” she said. “Better than well, if I may say.” She then had a small smile. “But, I think it would be best for you to see what happened for yourself. The news it will impart is… I believe you will find it to be good.”

"... so this is what this feels like," Albus murmured, and that earned him a musical laugh. His reputation on the international scene for being congenially mysterious was well earned. And now, a woman little more than a quarter his age was putting him on the receiving end of it.

He gave her an amused look and nodded before turning his attention to the rest of the Great Hall.

“May I have your attention?” He asked. “It is my honor to welcome to Hogwarts, Lady Karou Shiba, Eighteenth Head of the Shiba Clan of Japan, and one of the chief advisors in magical matters to the Emperor of Japan.” He then turned his attention to the Gryffindor table.

“Miss Granger,” he said. “I am sure you have already ascertained the purpose for her visit. Can you and a few of your fellow students go to the Viewing Room and fetch the Viewer?”

Hermione nodded and stood. “Justin, Daphne, Anthony, will you three accompany me?” She asked, naming a member from each different house to Albus’ delight. At their nods, she nodded to him and sketched a passable, if awkward, bow to Karou before they all left.

“You already have a suspicion then?” Karou asked.

Albus nodded. “Indeed I do,” he said. “Should I advise the younger students to leave?”

“Only if you feel it would be necessary.” She said. “And while we wait, perhaps I should tell you how those who watched things in Japan reacted. The reactions of the family of Miss Ayano were particularly amusing.”

“Oh?”

Karou smiled. “I heard them discussing the practicality of preparing a wedding for her and Mr. Potter to happen the moment they get out,” she said with some amusement. “And that is if they don’t figure out a way to marry the two of them while they’re still in SAO. I distinctly remember them telling Mr. Black, in a joking manner mind you, that it was basically a family tradition.”

“And how did Sirius take it?” Albus asked.

Karou smiled. “He joined in with them on the plotting,” she replied.

##

It had taken Hermione and her associates thirty minutes to gather everything and bring it to the Great Hall. By the time they arrived, she noticed that the first, second and most of the third years had already left, probably at the Headmaster’s request.

The rest of the student body was still present, and clearly curious. She could also tell that the visiting students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were wondering what was going on as well. Headmistress Maxime was calmly talking with Hagrid, probably getting the relevant issue from him. Headmaster Karkaroff was looking somewhat… hopeful about something. So too, was Professor Snape.

“Ah, Miss Granger,” the Headmaster said. “I do hope that you’re not disconcerted by the presence of an audience.”

Hermione shook her head. “It won’t be a problem, sir.”

She directed Justin and Anthony to begin setting up the Viewer, focusing on the task at hand. While the presence of so many was unexpected, she could deal with it. After all, it wasn’t the first time Harry’s misadventures ended up having a larger audience than normal.

Hopefully, this wouldn’t end up like what had happened back in June.

Once the setup was complete, and Justin indicated that everything checked out. Turning to Lady Shiba, she watched as the woman had already anticipated her and already had the parcel opened. Reaching in, the woman pulled out a disk and handed it to her.

“Thank you, Lady Shiba,” she said, bowing awkwardly. The woman returned the bow, smiled and nodded as she stepped back. Hermione walked over to the Viewer, she made another mental note to come up with a proper name for it, inserted the disk, and stepped back. Looking over the Great Hall, she took in a breath.

“We are here to watch the events that Lady Shiba has brought to us related to the activities of Harry Potter in Sword Art Online on this day, the First of January, two thousand and twenty-four.” She said formally, adopting the role that had become habit with regard to these events. “I would please request that you all hold any questions until the end. Thank you.” She then pulled out her wand and touched the rune to begin the playback.

Headmaster’s Office

Albus could still hear the cheering and partying going on from his office, as the knowledge that Voldemort was truly vanquished spread. And as the cheers sounded, soon to spread to the rest of the magical community, he looked out the window and onto the grounds with a small smile. One that was perhaps a bit bittersweet, but a smile nonetheless.

Harry had done it. He had fulfilled the prophecy that had been hanging over his head since Tom had believed that it applied to him. And he did so in a way that no one could have anticipated.

After all, who would believe that “the power he knows not” would not be some power that was intrinsic to Harry, as he, himself, had believed, but instead, but instead a power gifted to him by another?

And the fact that it was completed in a way that no one who knew about it could have anticipated was probably for the best. Things would become downright dull otherwise.

Tom’s safeguards against death, his horcruxes, they failed to save him. They failed because the man had failed to anticipate that whatever means he used to bring himself to Harry would have brought the entirety of him, destroying the magic that made the horcruxes what they were. They failed because immortality was not something that mortals should attain.

He remembered something Nicholas told him when he had requested that Albus destroy the stone.

“The Philosopher’s Stone doesn’t give immortality, but simply undoes the damage that life does to the body. It can extend life, and stave off Death, but it cannot prevent it. And, it’s for the best that it’s so.

Pernelle and I, we’ve seen what happens to those who try to attain immortality, and it never works. No matter what means they use, no matter how successful they think they are... Death... It can only be delayed. Not stopped. And… it is time for my wife and I to stop missing our appointments with It.

We have long been ready for it… so for us.... it’s just finally taking a step. That one, necessary first step. That first step onto the next Great Adventure. When it is your time, young Albus, I will make sure to tell you of what wonders there are to be seen.”

And perhaps, that was all there was to it. Tom’s desire for immortality was doomed to failure from the start.

So he smiled. A smile for the victory of a boy who had won a war that should never been his to fight in the first place. A smile, for the boy would have what he hopes will be a long and prosperous life ahead of him.

Because now, without Tom’s shadow hanging over him like a malevolent cloak, Harry Potter could finally, and truly, live his life.

##

Word spread around Hogwarts quickly, and to the rest of Magical Britain almost as quickly. While the accounts would vary, they all agreed on the basics: Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, had killed Voldemort almost as soon as he came back. How did he come back? Who cares?! Harry Potter set his sword on fire, planted him into the ground with it, and burned him to ash.

And that foreign woman, Lady Shibo- Shibi- whatever… she said that her own people had verified it. They used their own spells, charms, and anything else they had on hand to confirm it. And confirm it they did.

Voldemort was dead, and he wasn’t coming back.

So let the parties get started!

Chapter Text

January 7, 2024 - Aincrad 50th Floor, Algade

After they finished with founding their guild, the six of them had decided to call it a day. Not because anything was particularly difficult or exhausting, but after fighting an army’s worth of kobolds, they’d had enough with fighting mobs for the day.

So once they had gotten back to the fiftieth floor, they had all gone their separate ways, deciding to meet back up at the Golden Way for dinner. For Harry and Silica, they decided to take a walk around Algade, taking the time to explore the small city and see what it really had to offer.

And Harry was impressed by what they had found so far. While there was a clear market district, it was obvious that the city had numerous smaller shops and hidden nooks where a player could find the most surprising things. He remembered Rain once commenting that it was almost like Akihabara in Chiyoda, while Asuna compared it to Ikebukuro in Toshima. He was reminded of Porbello Road from Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which Flitwick had mentioned a few times was just as wonderful for real, and had its own magical side. The things he learned in the Hogwarts Book Club...

Harry remembered the two getting into a heatedly friendly argument about that while he just sat there quietly and looking confused. Silica and Lux watched on with some amusement, both making comparisons to it being a friendly debate between an otaku and someone who was more proper, which was probably more accurate than either Rain or Asuna would want to admit.

He was also hearing some rumors about some place near Algade’s Western Gate that was being called Akiba-SAO, whatever that meant.

But still, Harry found the number of shops in Algade an interesting change of pace from the norm for SAO. True, he was not always able to tell what they were selling from just looking at the shop facades, which turned out rather embarrassing on one occasion. Silica would be teasing him for days about accidentally taking her into that one shop with fairly… risqué wares it had.

He very carefully didn’t make any comment on the fact that she made a note of its location. In fact, he very carefully didn’t think of why she would make note of its location. The idea that she would go back there at a later time to… buy… Bad brain! He thought.

“You’re imagining me in some of those wares, aren’t you?” Silica asked suddenly, and with some amusement. “Ecchi.”

Harry blushed and then got a confused look on his face. “What does the letter ‘H’ have to do with you implying my mind’s in the gutter?”

Silica blinked and then shook her head. “Oh, right,” she said. “You speak Japanese so well, that it’s easy to forget that you don’t always get some colloquial terms. Ecchi is how that letter is pronounced in Japanese, and is the first letter of hentai, when written in romanji. Do the math.”

Harry nodded, knowing what that particular word meant and then blinked. He then shot Silica a look. Two can play that game, he thought. “Well then, yes.” he said leaning in. “I find the idea of you in some of those… outfits... to be rather... interesting. Especially that one number that was in blue.”

Silica blushed. “You are such a boy,” she said in mock irritation, giving a halfhearted swat in his direction. “Your mind’s only on one thing.”

Harry easily dodged the swat and shrugged. “I am,” he replied cheekily. “And that’s a bad thing… how?”

“It’s not.” Silica replied, her blush fading.

“Besides, I have something they don’t” Harry then said cheerfully.

Silica raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Harry leaned in. “I, unlike them, have you at my side.” He said. “A companion, girlfriend, and a reason to be myself. And in the future… who knows?”

Silica blushed again and gave him a small smile.

“Well, let’s continue with braving the greatest danger we have yet to face,” Harry then said. “Walking around Algade.”

The two of them continued their walk, occasionally making small talk, but mostly enjoying each other’s presence when they stopped, hearing a familiar, deep voice coming from a shop.

“But this?” The owner of the deep voice said. “This armor you’re trying to sell me is paper mache. Its stats are okay, but look at the durability! A couple good hits and BAM! You’re done. It would cost more than it’s worth to make it useable as anything other than scrap.”

Harry and Silica looked at each other and then walked over.

“Aw, c’mon Agil! I’m just trying to clear out some of my inventory!” A second voice said. “Why do ‘ya think I’m not trying to get you to take it for more?”

“I still know when crap is being foisted on me for trades and you wanted this for more than it’s worth.” Agil said, his voice booming from the other side of the open door. “I’ll give you a thousand for this piece of crap, as that’s what the mats I would scrap it into would be worth. The rest of the stuff you’re trying to dump on me? Not as bad, but still not worth the asking price. I’ll give you thirty-five thousand for the lot.”

Harry heard the other person grumble and shared an amused look with Silica. They stepped back as the customer left, muttering about merchants who were too damn stingy to be fair.

“Still trying to con players out of earning what they should Agil?” Harry asked cheerfully as he and Silica entered the shop.

“Ah Hadrian, my least favorite customer.” Agil said as he reached out with his fist.

“That only because I’m smart enough to do my homework on what things are actually worth.” Harry said as he bumped his fist with the merchant’s. “You haven’t tried to rip me off, but other merchants have.”

“Yeah, I really shouldn’t have said anything to give you that idea,” Agil said with a laugh. “Now how will the kids at the orphanage get those medical treatments they’ll need?”

“You getting morals for them?” Harry asked.

“Nah, removing their consciences.” Agil replied with a laugh. “Still, if you heard what I was telling that guy, I was serious. The thing he tried to sell me really was like paper mache.”

Harry nodded. “Let me guess, a Middy?” He asked.

“Probably,” came the reply.

Harry shook his head. “You think that by now, they’d know how to tell decent gear from trash.” He said sadly. “But some just can’t seem to learn.”

Silica snorted. “More like they refuse to listen.” She observed. “Half of them think that those of us on the front lines are exaggerating things, trying to keep the competition for getting the good stuff down. The other half just looks at the biggest number and goes, ‘AWESOME!’ without checking to see if it’s actually useful.”

“True,” Harry acknowledged. “Good thing, then, that they tend to listen to Klein and his group.”

Agil chuckled. “Yeah, everyone seems to listen to the Bro.” He said. “So what’s going on with you all? I heard about the entrance you all made at that party, and something about you having to deal with something the day after.”

“Huh, so word spread about that,” Harry murmured.

“No real details,” Agil said. “But when that Rain girl burst into the Golden Way, and that one guy then shouted something at Argo… it was clear that something went down that day. So, what happened?”

Harry shrugged. “Just something from my past catching up to me,” he said. “It’s not something I’m really comfortable talking about.”

Agil nodded and appeared to decide to not press the issue. He then looked at both Harry and Silica and seemed to notice something.

“Wait a second,” he said. “You got a sigil on your armor, some kind of bird holding a sword… you guys finally decided to join a guild?”

Harry smirked. “Nope.”

“So that mark is something else then?”

“Nope.”

“Then…”

“We didn’t decide to join a guild,” Silica interrupted. “Our group decided to create our own.”

Agil paused. “You mean, that you all founded your own guild?” He asked.

Harry nodded. “We did, even got Kirito to sign on,” he said. “Not that Asuna would give him a choice there.”

Agil barked a laugh. “No, I don’t think she would.”

##

“Gus, we have a problem.” Argo said to her associate the second she entered the secure room at the inn they had been using in Algade. Less for a place to stay, she often stayed at different places each day, but as a place to work from. Though admittedly, having a more consistent place to stay, even for a week, was nice. Especially since she often moved around so much as she worked to gather information that she stayed at the nearest place.

It was a mixed bag at times, as she had stayed at veritable hovels at times because of that. The kinds of places where bugs in the bed would have been a certainty if this were the real world. It wasn’t helped by the fact that she was often dressed like a vagrant who wouldn’t have been out of place simply sleeping in some dirty alleyway or abandoned building.

She’d certainly done the latter enough times.

Not from a lack of col, she commanded top prices for her information, after all. But from a simple lack of concern for her image. She had taken the job of an information broker, having dressed the part for the sake of image when all this started. Now, she honestly didn’t care if she looked like a vagrant, she had more important things to worry about than her appearance.

“What is it boss?” Gus asked as he immediately put up a privacy field.

“You know how Thinker wanted to meet me earlier?” She asked. At Gus’ nod, she continued. “Those guys you were keeping an eye on… they’ve been busy.”

“How many…?”

“Sixty in the last week,” Argo said, already knowing what he was asking.

“Sixty…” Gus started and then stopped. “Those bastards managed to keep what they were planning hidden that well? And they… oh fucking hell.”

Argo nodded. “About what I thought when I got told this by Thinker,” She admitted. “However, we do have some good news. Lind stopped an attack by them, and he got a name for the group.” She said.

“What are those bastards...?”

“Laughing Coffin.” Argo said, anticipating what Gus was asking.

Gus then nodded. “Anything else?” He asked. “We have a name, but…”

Argo shook her head. “The only other thing I learned is that they all have a mark somewhere on their bodies,” she said. “A tattoo of some kind so that they would recognize each other. I don’t know how good a description it is, though. Just that it was a coffin with its lid partially off and… some kind of face.” She scowled. “Damn it, I hate working with second or third hand information without verifying it!”

“You do that often enough with the former, boss.” Gus reminded her.

“Shut it, or I’ll find a way to use foxfire on you here.” Argo threatened.

Gus raised his hands in surrender. “Whoa, boss, let’s not get carried away,” he replied placatingly. He then got a thoughtful expression on his face. “Still, it’s better than nothing. Now, we just need to decide what to do from here. Give me a minute to think.”

Argo nodded and waited. She was glad that he was willing to work with her, his experiences came in handy, and not just as someone who could gather information. It was his operational experience as someone who had been involved in black ops. Simply put, this was the kind of thing he knew.

“We’ll need to tell some of the main players, Klein, Heathcliff, Harry and his group, and any others you can think of,” Gus then said. “I doubt Harry’s really interested in a second round with them, but he’s also the type to not take what they’ve been doing lying down. The others… well I can’t speak for them, but they should know, if only so we can get some people on the floors they’re most likely to operate on.” He then looked at her. “Also, we need to look closer to home, just in case they snuck one of their own people, or simply threatened one of yours.”

Argo nodded. “The first bits I can see,” she replied. “But what…? Gus, why do you think they got someone in my network?”

“Because, I’ve seen it happen, and both my mom and step-father have told me stories about the times it’s happened to them.” Gus said. “Better safe than sorry. If our people are clean, no harm done. But if they’re not.... better to know now and deal with it, than when we end up with a knife in the back.”

Argo nodded in acceptance and sighed. “I don’t like it, but you’re right,” she admitted. “I’ll have to make sure my people are clean. At least we have something to look for.”

“And first, you’ll start with me,” Gus said.

Argo blinked. “And why would I… oh, right.” She mentally hit herself for not thinking about it. “I wonder what your girlfriend would think. Or did you guys actually get married?”

“The latter,” Gus replied. “And don’t change the subject. She would understand. She was there once. When we had someone compromised, I mean.” He then looked at her. “Besides, you’ve had it happen once before, remember?”

Argo nodded, scowling at the memory. “Then let’s get this over with.”

She was only mildly surprised when they found two who were members of Laughing Coffin that day, though both had been threatened into joining. She was irritated by it as well. She was irritated because it meant that until she knew that everyone who worked for her, which numbered over a hundred, and she wouldn’t be able to completely trust her sources until everyone had checked out.

January 8, 2024 - Aincrad 50th Floor, Algade

It was clear to Asuna that something changed between Harry and Silica in the last week. Oh, they still acted the same, like the married in all but name couple, best friends, possible boyfriend/girlfriend pair all mixed into one. But still, something had changed.

There was a sense that the personal connections and feelings between them were beginning to become self-reinforcing. It was never anything obvious, but little things that someone who knew them well would pick up.

Like how they sat together just that much more closely. How they became slightly more tactile with each other. Or how when they looked at each other, there was a hint of promise in their eyes that hadn’t been there before. And then there was the obvious fact that their casual intimacy was more apparent in public.

She idly checked their hands for the presence of any rings that hadn’t been there a week ago, or even the day before, for that matter, and found nothing. Not that the absence of evidence would prove anything in that regard.

After all, it would be just like them to decide to get married without telling anyone. Perhaps as a minor bit of petty revenge for the rumors that were spread about them for the last year, and which everyone who knew them had cheerfully participated in spreading.

It would just tickle their sense of humor to do so.

But she had a feeling it wasn’t that. More like… what had been a barrier between them had been torn down and turned what had been a possibility... into a probability. No... a certainty, even if they didn’t know it quite yet.

And, she thought with an internal smile. I’m happy for them for that.

Everyone could see that they had feelings for each other, and had enjoyed teasing the two about it, after all. Oh, they had stopped trying to deny it months ago, but they were private about their feelings for each other. Now, it was less so, a first step in the direction of something that might become more. She thought that it was a good first step for them to take.

She cleared her mind of any musings on the relationship her two youngest friends had. She might have noticed, but that didn’t really make it any of her business.

She then sat down at a table and made an order for breakfast, idly noting that she would have to find a place that would rent out a kitchen for her to use. The eating food at the inns and restaurants was fine and all, but there was something to say about eating what she, herself cooked.

Or, she thought. We could just buy a place once the guild has enough funds. That would be nice as well. And it would be in a way, as all of them would appreciate having a place that they can call home. Even if it was only for their time in SAO.

She would bring it up when she felt the time was right. They had other things to concern themselves with right now.

##

“Now that everyone’s here,” Kirito said, not reacting to Asuna’s look. “We should start discussing plans.”

“You mean outside of making arrangements for you to wake up on time?” Rain snarked at him with a little amusement. “While I’m sure that Asuna makes a wonderful alarm clock, watching her drag you out of your room because you slept in gets old fast.”

“Ease up on him Rain,” Harry said. “We’re all used to Kirito’s tendency to sleep in when we’re not on a set schedule. Occasionally annoyed by it, but used to it.” He then shrugged. “Then again, it means that I usually don’t have to brave the angry mob that is a groggy Silica.”

“You all know I’m not a morning person,” Silica replied with a shrug when she didn’t swat at Harry in response. “Also, Pina, make sure you steal food from his plate.” The feathered dragon chirped an apparent affirmative and Harry scowled at her.

“Try it, you flying feather duster, and I’ll send you to the kitchen to be cooked for tonight’s dinner.” Harry said and then yelped as Silica pulled her dagger out.

“What was that, Harry?” She asked as she began to idly twirl it in her hand.

“Nothing, Silica.” Harry said quickly.

Everyone else shared a chuckle and then made an order for food and drinks.

“So, now that we’re waiting for the food, what should we discuss?” Harry asked Kirito.

Kirito looked at Asuna, only for her to motion that he continue. Nodding, he looked at Harry. “Well first, you should look at training that new skill of yours, see what it can do.” He said. “Did it come at least with an overview of the basics?”

Harry nodded. “It did, and I’ve been reading up on it.” He replied. “Nowhere near as complete as it should be, but it gives a few tidbits.”

“Incomplete?” Asuna asked. “Can you explain what you mean?”

Harry nodded. “You all know how most skills come with information on the basics, as well as hints as to how you can train it?” At their nods, he continued. “This one’s lacking a lot of that. There are hints, even a little bit about it and what it does, but nothing like what we’re used to.” He shrugged. “Personally, I don’t think Kayaba really intended this skill to be used. SAO was marketed as a game without magic, only swords. Apparently that’s a break from the norm. And of course, that’s if he’s the one who made it.”

“You think someone else might have?” Rain asked.

“It’s very possible,” Kirito said. “SAO’s development had over two thousand people working on it for five years, so it’s likely that one of the developers designed the skill. And to be honest, a swordsman using magic isn’t that odd by RPG standards. Not the most common thing, but it’s been used often enough that a gamer wouldn’t bat an eye at the concept.”

Harry nodded. “That makes sense, I guess.”

“There’s one thing I would like to know, though.” Kirito said. “Even if he didn’t intend the skill to be used, why now? And why you?”

Harry shrugged. “No clue,” he said.

Any further talk was put on hold as their meal was brought out. Kirito and the rest shared an amused look as Harry hovered over his plate, shooting a wary looks at Pina.

And while they ate, Kirito gave Harry a speculative glance. He didn’t fully believe him when he said he didn’t know. There was something there, something that Silica seemed to know, but that Harry was unwilling to talk about. A glance to Asuna showed that she picked up on it as well, but she gave him a slight shake of the head.

It might be nothing, or it might be something big. But now wasn’t the time to dig for answers.

##

“Nice to see that I caught you guys before you headed out,” Argo said as she walked in and sat at the table thirty minutes later.

“She didn’t sneak up on us?” Silica asked.

“Must be serious,” Harry said and then looked down at his plate. “Damn it, Pina!” He shouted as Pina made off with a fair sized piece of meat that she happily began eating next to Silica.

Argo shot a mild glare in their direction. “It’s serious guys,” she said.

“How serious?” Asuna asked.

“Harry, remember those guys you had that little argument with back in June?” Argo asked.

Harry scowled. “As much as I’d like to forget them, yes.” He said, his voice tight.

“And remember how I told you I was keeping an eye on them?”

“And they dropped off…” Harry trailed off. “Oh bloody hell. They resurfaced, didn’t they?”

Argo nodded. “Thinker, down in the Town of Beginnings informed me that sixty names were crossed off the Monument of Life over the last week.” She said. “And we have reason to believe that the same group is responsible. In fact, we’re fairly sure that they’re responsible for the majority of those deaths.”

“What.”

Argo then felt a shiver run down her spine as she heard that flat expression. That shiver turned into ice as she saw the rising fury in Harry’s eyes as they began to emit a dim glow. Before she could say anything to get him to calm down, Silica reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

And as if the girl had flipped a switch, the rising fury was ruthlessly suppressed and brought under control.

“What have you found out so far?” Harry asked, the fury suppressed and controlled, but still there.

Argo took a breath, taking the moment it provided to calm the fear that had spiked from seeing Harry’s fury manifest itself. “Not as much as I would like, sadly.” She said. “It’s only the fact that Lind stopped one of their attacks that we know they’re active again. We did get a name for the group, though.”

“And what are they calling themselves?” Harry asked.

“Laughing Coffin.” Argo then proceeded to let them know what she did, little as it was. At the same time, she did give names and what she knew of the appearances of those she knew of, admitting that whoever was in charge had likely done some recruiting since. It was Lux who provided the most surprising bit, and it reminded Argo of the reason why the girl had joined up with this group in the first place.

“Their leader,” the girl said. “I know what he calls himself here. I did see him once before, after all.”

Harry nodded. “You’re right, it was you or Rain who mentioned that when you two joined us.”

Lux nodded. “Before you ask, he’s called PoH.” She said. “He kept his face largely hidden by his cloak, but he had a jagged tattoo on the right side of his face, going from above the eyebrows to just above the chin.” She traced a jagged line on her own face. “I couldn’t tell clearly, but it looked like it was covering something. Maybe a scar.”

“Anything else?” Argo asked, noting it down on a screen she called up.

Lux shook her head.

Aincrad 33rd Floor, Dripping Caves (Field Dungeon)

Lind would admit, he always disliked going through this particular field dungeon. Not because it was underground, or dark, or out of claustrophobia, or anything else that would normally put someone off of being in a cave. His dislike of it was simple.

The damn place was always so damn wet that he wondered how his armor didn’t rust shut just by being there. Still, they had gotten word from a couple of players that some Reds had been spotted. While it was probable that they’d already moved on, he decided to check it out.

More a feeling of his, a gut instinct, than anything else. What he had gotten from the players had reported had indicated that they had almost walked into an ambush. Fortunately, the group had someone who had a fairly high searching skill, so it had been spotted and they withdrew.

Of course, he had another reason besides tracking down a group of Reds and at least driving them off. He had received word of a player, Rosalia, who had a green cursor, clean in other words, but who had been linked to several parties being shaken down by a group of Reds. He had no proof, but the entire thing had him suspecting a setup, rather than a particular player simply being used as a convenient target.

Most of his suspicion was based on the groups that Rosalia partied with and breaking down which ones got hit. It wasn’t every group, or even a set number of parties, but taken as a whole, it showed a pattern. After a period of time since a group she was with being shaken down, which could range from a few days to a couple of weeks, she partied with another group that got shaken down.

The consistent factor, was how each group was a solid, but unimpressive group of mid line players. Not too strong to be dangerous to the attacking Reds, but not too low level to not have anything worthwhile. But it did establish something of a pattern, and if she was in on it, a habit.

And, Lind thought. If she’s in on it, then this habit will be her undoing.

And if he were honest with himself, that tendency to fall into predictable habits was what made most groups like this easier to handle for him and the DDA. If not to capture them, then to disrupt their operations. He still needed proof before he could do anything, but the second he got word of something like this, he started having his people watch.

Eventually, they reached the end of the caves, finding no one. Lind wasn’t overly surprised, but it was worth checking out. Of course, given all the possible routes, and how extensive the caves were, it was easily possible to miss someone. Especially if they were hiding.

He received a private message from the group he had wait outside to observe the entrance, just in case.

Boss,

Rosalia was spotted leaving the caves about five minutes ago, we didn’t see any Reds with her, but it is possible that they’re simply keeping a low profile in some area of the caves we don’t know about. But, it seems your suspicion has some merit.

Schivata.

Lind nodded and closed the message. Turning to his group, he waved them over. “It seems as if my hunch was a little off,” he said. “We’re heading back to town.”

The members of his group nodded, and they all turned back and made their way to the entrance. As they were making their way out, Lind spied something out of the corner of his eye, and carefully didn’t look at it. One of those on the flank also seemed to notice and almost turned before Lind stopped him.

“Not here,” he said quietly. “I saw them, but let’s let them think that they weren’t seen. We need to catch them in the act, first.”

The man nodded and moved on. Lind kept moving, his mind already coming up with plans to put a stop to this. Hopefully, they could do so fast enough to put a stop to whatever her little game was before she did something that would force him to use harsher methods.

January 9, 2024, Aincrad 26th Floor, Unmapped Safe Zone

PoH looked over the gathered members of his band and kept the disgust he felt for the majority of them off his face. They had been lured by his words of making SAO a place for the strong, that even if the deaths were real, Kayaba would be blamed, and that proper society was too weak to do anything but sweep any unpleasant facts under the rug.

For how useful he found them, he was disgusted with the lot of them. There were a few who understood an inkling of his real motives, the pleasure and amusement of seeing Japanese people kill and be killed, but not many.

He turned his attention to one of the few who he was only mildly disgusted with. Simply because he was Japanese, no more. Red-eyed XaXa had a sadism to him that was kept carefully controlled, but that only made him more dangerous. Compared to his late and unlamented partner, Johnny Black, he didn’t lose himself in it, keeping it in check, but allowing himself to indulge in it when an opportunity properly presented itself.

Not bad, for a worthless Japanese, he thought to himself. Even better, he is likely aware of the fact that I would turn on them all the moment it suits me, or when it would amuse me. Oddly, that knowledge made the young man more useful in his eyes, more of an asset.

After all, XaXa seemed to understand the man who led this group. Understood the type of person that PoH was. He understood that the nails that would be needed to hammer this particular coffin shut would be planted by the person who built it. And it only seemed to amuse him, as if he didn’t have a care.

No, it wasn’t that. It was as if XaXa understood that betrayal was simply another part of the game and was prepared for it. And it was that, which made him useful and an asset. Unlike the others, he could think for himself and had walked into this with open eyes. He joined for the opportunity to kill, to take his own anger and hatreds out on the world, and if necessary, he would do so on his own.

PoH made a mental note to not give the younger player an opportunity to betray him. After all, theirs was a partnership of convenience, and both knew the other saw it that way.

XaXa turned his attention to him and walked over. “Boss,” he said calmly. “I just learned that our two informants in Argo’s network haven’t reported in or sent any information in the last couple of days.”

PoH nodded, unsurprised. “I don’t doubt she checked her own people the second she found out we were active,” he said calmly. “She isn’t stupid and she learned from the last time her network was compromised.”

“It does mean that we no longer know what she knows, though.” XaXa said.

PoH shrugged. “It’s of no concern for now, we still have our spies in other groups,” he said. “Despite everything, she isn’t as dangerous as you think. Though… that one person who joined with her, this… Gus. He’s actually dangerous.”

“Boss?” XaXa asked.

PoH chuckled. “It’s nothing,” he said. “Just be wary of him for now. Avoid him, if possible; withdraw, if not. He’ll be dealt with in due time.”

XaXa nodded and walk away.

PoH watched XaXa walk off and mused on Argo’s partner. The two of them had a history in the real world. Oh, they had one, and while he wouldn’t shed a tear if the man was killed by someone or something else... that was something he wanted to do, personally.

Oh yes, he thought savagely. Killing you would be very satisfying indeed… August Blake.

Chapter Text

January 13, 2024 - Aincrad 35th Floor, Mishe

“So, why are we meeting with Lind?” Silica asked Harry as they walked down the town’s main thoroughfare. “You two don’t like each other, and I think that half the people who witness you two meeting expect you two to draw swords.”

Harry shrugged. “Simple, he asked for us specifically,” he replied. “Besides, after that shit in June, we basically got over the issues between us.”

“You mean he got over his issues with you.” Silica noted.

“Same thing, Silica.” Harry countered. “He’s not the type to ask us for help, so it’s either serious, or something that would be better done by us.”

“And why would he ask us, then?” Silica asked. “He has to have others he could make such a request to.”

Harry stopped and looked at her. “Silica, what does he largely do now?” He asked.

“He’s been busy keeping the… oh.”

Harry nodded. “Exactly,” he replied. “Chances are there is a group of Reds who are avoiding him that he wants taken down. He’s too well known down here, so he needs someone else.”

Silica looked at him. “How did you guess this?” She asked.

“Simple, I asked Klein to ask around those in his guild who are Middies.” Harry replied. “Apparently, Lind’s taken interest in a player who’s been… regularly shaken down by the same group of Reds, as were those with them. Too regularly to be a coincidence.”

Silica thought for a second and then nodded. “In other words, there’s a possibility that this player’s in on it.” She concluded with a scowl. “Why would he need us then?”

Harry snorted. “I have an idea,” he replied. At Silica’s questioning look, he shrugged. “He’s probably going to use the fact that while we’re well known, there aren’t many Middies who know what we look like.”

“You mean he plans to use us as bait,” Silica said flatly.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Harry said. “We’ll just have to find out.”

Silica sighed, but accepted that. The two of them continued until they reached a nondescript tavern. Giving the rundown facade a critical look, she turned her attention back to Harry, who was simply shaking his head.

“He’s been watching too many movies,” Harry said with a combination of irritation and amusement. “Well, let’s enter and hear what he needs to tell us.”

This place does look like something out of a bad movie, Silica thought when she got a look inside the second Harry opened the door. “I would have thought he had more taste than this.”

“It does look like it belongs in a hive of scum and villainy, doesn’t it?” Harry asked. “Or it would, if there were actual villains here.” He looked around the surprisingly empty establishment.

Silica snorted. “And even if there were, they probably won’t start anything with Lind sitting over there,” she said, pointing to a table in the corner.

“Hmm, point,” Harry conceded. “On the other hand, it wouldn’t be like that one time Klein started a bar fight between his guild and the Knights of Blood. That was a fun brawl.”

“Asuna was rather pissed at you, Kirito, and Rain for getting involved in that,” Silica pointed out.

“And you were mad because it was over and done with before you, Asuna, and Lux arrived.” Harry countered.

“I see you two are up to your usual banter,” Lind observed drily from his table. “Anyway, I called you two down here for a reason. Come on over and let’s talk.”

The two of them walked over and sat down. “Sorry about that,” Harry apologized. “But honestly, I would have thought you would pick a more tasteful place.”

Lind shrugged. “This place is out of the way and out of sight,” he said. “Besides, at this time of day, things are quiet in here, so we can have some privacy. Something the places I usually frequent wouldn’t have.”

Harry nodded. “Fair point,” he conceded. “So, what’s going on that had you call for Silica and I specifically?” He asked, deciding to not cut right to the chase.

“I’m sure you did your own research before coming down here,” Lind said. “There’s a green player who’s been regularly shaken down by a group of Reds, along with whatever group she’s a part of. If it wasn’t so frequent, I would chalk it up simple bad luck, but… it’s too consistent to simply be bad luck on her part.”

“There’s also the fact that a player regularly getting targeted would take a hint and stay where it’s safe,” Harry added. “How often does it happen?”

“It averages about once every eight or so days, so three or four times a month.” Lind said. “Rosalia, that’s her name by the way, is the linking factor. And frankly, I want it stopped before she does something that would require… harsher measures to be taken.”

“In other words, you want whatever she’s been associated with stopped before it gets someone killed,” Harry said.

Lind nodded.

“And we were called down here because…?”

Lind sighed. “She and her group know my people on sight, and while our presence can disrupt what’s going on, it would tie up men that are frankly going to be needed elsewhere soon enough.”

Harry nodded. “You need us to be bait,” he concluded. “Or to do the capture. I thought as much.”

Lind nodded. “It wasn’t my first choice, but I know you can handle yourselves.” He admitted.

“And I have a proven record of reacting in kind to those using lethal force,” Harry said. “In other words, I’m more suited for this if things get ugly.”

Lind flinched, but again, nodded. The reluctance of that admission was clear, but Harry didn’t think less of him for it.

“We can’t start today, we’ve almost fully explored the labyrinth on the fiftieth floor, which means that the boss fight will be any day now.” Harry said. “Given that I suspect that this particular fight’s going to be nasty, we’re going to be needed there.”

“After that, though, you’ll be able to work on this?”

Harry and Silica nodded.

Lind sighed in relief. “Then it’ll have to do.” He said. “I’ll have my men keep an eye on her and make their presence obvious. It should keep the Reds from doing something for now, at least.”

Aincrad 50th Floor, Algade

Asuna looked at Harry with some surprise. “Wait, you mean that after we clear this floor, you’re going to be helping Lind with something?” She asked. “All of this to track down a group of Reds that are being a particular problem?”

Harry nodded. “He asked for us and explained the situation,” he replied. “I talked to Klein and Argo, before and after the meeting, and what he told us checks out.”

Kirito got a thoughtful expression on his face. “Any reason why he would ask you two?” He asked.

“He needs people who can handle themselves if things get ugly, but aren’t so well known amongst the Middies.” Harry said with a sigh. “And while you’d think that disqualifies us, considering our reputations, you know how those on lower levels don’t really know what we look like. Not as individuals, at any rate.”

“But still, he’s going to be using you as bait.” Asuna countered.

“And he told us this upfront,” Silica interjected. “He wants a couple of players he know can handle themselves against these Reds and their… what’s the word I’m looking for? Ah yes, enabler. These reds and their probable enabler, you know, this Rosalia we’ve mentioned?”

“And let’s be honest here, we know why he asked for us, even if he didn’t say it.” Harry stated. “He was there in June after all.”

“That doesn’t make it better, Hadrian.” Asuna growled out.

"It's tactically sound," Kirito noted, then yelped at Asuna's glare.

"Yes, I am not denying that," Asuna said, and she had to force herself not to do it through clenched teeth. "My point is, up to this point, Hadrian and Lind haven't had the kind of relationship that justifies the favor. If you just let yourself do things for others without properly grounding your motive beforehand, your mind can just fill in the blanks, and that isn't always healthy."

“No, it isn’t,” Harry acknowledged. “But I talked to Klein about this group, and then confirmed it with Argo. This group’s been increasing the violence of their shakedowns. Before, they would threaten, maybe rough some players up. Nothing serious, but enough to convince them to give those bastards what they want.” His eyes then bored into her. “But their shakedowns are getting more violent, and the last couple of times, someone was nearly killed. It’s only a matter of time before they go too far, Asuna. So, how long do you think it will be?"

Asuna bit her lip, and let him press his case. More to reassure herself his head was on as straight as he thought.

“How long before they accidentally-- or hell, intentionally kill a group of players? How long before they cross that line? Red players have a habit of criminal acts. Banditry, assault, and so on. More than a few have done solo kills, that's why Rain and Lux joined up with us outside of being targets for Laughing Coffin."

"They're sticking to shakedowns," Asuna pointed out.

“Shakedowns that are getting more ambitious and rougher," Harry countered. "How long before this group escalates from what they’ve been doing? I’ve seen how bullies tend to escalate their acts if someone doesn’t do something to curb them quickly, Asuna. Lind tries to keep the Reds in check, and he’s done a fair job of it so far. But he knows that his guild can’t be everywhere, and while he would like to nip this quickly, the fact that a clean player is potentially tied to this ties his hands. He knows what’s going on, he has suspicions that it’s being enabled by a player who isn’t a Red, but he doesn’t have proof of it. He runs into those Reds, he’d act, but he can only be in one place at a time.”

Rain sighed, almost a growl. "And if they're smart enough to use this suka, Rosalia, as bait, they're already smart enough to at least try to avoid the well-known peacekeepers.” She said. “Lind and his are the well-known peacekeepers on the mid-levels."

"Damn," Lux said. "If this keeps working for them, they may be able to coerce or intimidate more players into helping them. 'Keep your hands clean, get paid.' Or hold something over someone's head, and you've got a proxy. Someone says no, you may have a first kill to keep them silent.” She looked at Asuna. “Harry's right, Asuna. This needs to stop. One Laughing Coffin’s bad enough, we don’t need another group taking cues from them."

“And to be honest, Lind knows that his men are… unsuited for this kind of thing if things get ugly.” Silica finished.

Asuna didn’t have an answer to that, and she knew that he knew it. “At least, let us back you up in this.” She said after a moment. “You don’t have to do this alone, and with us around, we might avoid it getting ugly.”

Harry nodded, and she could see the relief in his bearing. Willing to use lethal force if it’s necessary he might be, but he would rather not. If their presence would get those Reds to surrender, then he wasn’t going to complain.

That and they had been a team since well before they established their little guild. And they backed each other up.

Asuna saw Harry look at them. “Asuna, all of you, if it gets ugly, just… let me handle it,” he requested and then looked at his hand. “I… don’t want any of you to get blood on your hands. And Kirito, Silica… I don’t want you two to get any more on yours.”

"We will try." And in one of those glorious moments that made her have hope for her oftentimes partner, Kirito laid his hand on Harry's shoulder. "But if it does get ugly, in any manner... you will not shoulder that burden alone."

"We're a team," Lux said, though the talk of the possibility of killing had her a little white. "A guild."

"We’re Steel Phoenix, we back each other up," Rain said firmly. “We take care of our own.”

Harry looked at them and just nodded. That was really the end of the matter for them.

January 14, 2024 - Algade

“Damn it, this thing just bloody refuses to make any sense!” She heard Harry growl out from where he was sitting in a chair. “There’s something there, I know it, but I’m just not seeing it.”

Keiko looked over from her position on the bed, where she was reclining and reading a book, to see him scowling at an open menu window. “Still having problems figuring out what that info on the skill means?” She asked.

Harry closed the window that held the information and sighed. “You can say that, Sil- Keiko,” he replied, correcting himself into using her real name since they were in the privacy of their shared room. She didn't blame him, even thinking of herself that way was a bit hard. Over the last year, she became Silica, a dagger wielding fighter who had a feathered dragon as a pet. Even with all the weirdness in her family, that was a stretch for Keiko Ayano. So like a gamer, she made a persona that fit the world.

She was becoming the mask she wore, and she suspected that it was happening to Harry as well. He was becoming more Hadrian the Young Knight, than Harry Potter the Wizard. Taking it off was shockingly hard, maybe because the mask metaphor could only hide the fact that SAO was actually changing them so much.

Having a place to be Keiko in, a person to be herself with, actually showed her how much of Silica was Keiko. Not all of it, of course. But it also showed her parts that were atrophying, in danger of being lost. As if the line between Silica and Keiko Ayano was beginning to fade. If there ever truly was one.

Being Keiko here let her hold onto it a bit more firmly. It allowed her to use those parts of her so they would not be lost. And she could tell that it was true for Harry as well.

"Walk me through your thoughts, Harry," She instructed.

Harry frowned. “There’s something I’m not seeing here. We know there’s got to be more to it than setting the sword on fire, but whoever designed this was either being intentionally vague, or Kayaba deliberately left some information out. Come to think of it, this sort of feels like-- what did you call when a game is changed while you play it?”

"A patch," Keiko reminded him. "You're saying Kayaba patched this in because of what you are in real life."

"It feels like something our demiurge would do," Harry agreed.

“So what’s giving you problems now?”

Harry got up and walked over to the bed. Keiko raised herself up to give him some room to sit beside her on the edge and he gave thankful mumble as he sat down. Opening his menu, he brought up the information.

“Here,” he said. “This thing says this: And so, where Fire burns with the passion of spirit, so shall the Earth guard with a gentle hand, the Water nurture in its embrace, and the Wind move on currents of will.” He read aloud. “Where fire destroys, Water nurtures. Where Wind moves, the Earth holds still. Where Water flows, Fire rages. Where Earth stills, the Wind blows through the cracks.” He gave an irritated sigh. “See what I mean?” He asked.

Keiko considered what he read out loud and considered why Harry might have trouble with it. It made some sense to her, but why would... Her eyes widened as she remembered something. “Oh, I think I get it,” she said. “It’s talking about how the elements work in opposition to each other and balance each other out. If I remember correctly, games like this with magic systems tended to have magic work that way for balance purposes. So, if it works that way, then Fire and Wind would be offensive in nature, while Earth and Water would be defensive.”

Harry looked at the passage thoughtfully. “That… makes some sense, and I should have- ah who am I kidding, this is the first game I really ever played. Well, I have the fire part down, and it makes sense that it would be focused on attacks. But why would…?” He trailed off and then face palmed. “Oh, bloody hell, of course it would work that way.”

Keiko looked at him curiously.

Harry looked at her. “Earth, holding and defending; Water, nurturing and flowing; Wind, constantly moving.” He said. “The information was right there, but since I don’t have experience with games, I didn’t see it for what it is. Not until you spelled it out like you did, at least.” He then closed the menu, stood up, and started to pace. “It’s about how I need to fight. All of these elements are based around a different way of fighting, ways I’ve used to some degree.”

“What do you mean?”

“Earth would be about pure defense,” Harry said. “It controls the fight by forcing the mobs to beat on a wall. Water and Wind are about movement. Water flows around, taking the path of least resistance but wearing whatever it flows around down. Wind’s all about movement, you always move and strike precisely. As for fire, that’s obvious, it’s directed towards pure offense.” He then chuckled. “They’re all about controlling the fight, the mindset involved.”

“I can see that, Harry, but what do those have to do with the skill?” Keiko asked.

“Maybe nothing, maybe everything,” He replied, shrugging. “Think about it for a second. Earth would be like how a tank fights, taking blows and keeping the mobs in one place. I might not be a tank in that sense, but I can do so in a pinch to take the pressure off someone.”

Keiko’s eyes widened. “And Water… that would be like how you normally fight!” She exclaimed. “You constantly move, flowing around attacks or using your shield to redirect your movement or the attacks.”

“It’s also like how you often fight as you prefer to be in close.” Harry noted. “Wind would be like how Asuna fights. Wind has no form, it doesn’t get hit, but when it hits you, it does so with precision. It would probably rely on speed and counterattacking.”

Keiko nodded. “And Fire… that’s pure Kirito. Hit fast, hit hard, and keep hitting the mob until it dies.” She said. “But even then, none of us fight purely like that. From what you said, you’re more like a hybrid of Earth and Water with how you fight.”

Harry nodded. "Like all those classifications... one of my teachers, Professor McGonagall, once warned us that looking for 'essential types' can make you blind to the blurry boundaries were things meet and change. My friend, Hermione, she had a lot of trouble with that early on. She’s brilliant, and could get things right quickly due to her hard work and study habits, but she was too… straightforward in her logic.”

"You need inductive logic as well as deductive," Keiko said to show she understood. "My grandpa is Mr. Intuition, but it's really that he's an inductive thinker."

“Heh, look at us, two fourteen year olds talking about logic of all things.” Harry said with a snort. “We’re even using the terms for it. If they could see into here, my friends would wonder ‘Who the hell is this guy, and what did he do with Harry Potter?’ It might be due to the fact that I’m using my head for more than a brain case, though one of my professors would debate that I was doing even that.”

"Wait until you come over to the Saotome Dojo for dinner,” Keiko said with a grin. "People are stunned at where our conversations go. And people have questioned whether Grandpa actually uses his brain. But does this clear up the skill?"

"It does give me an idea or two that I’ll need to try out. When we’re done with the floor and helping Lind out, though.”

Keiko glanced at the time in her HUD. “It is getting late, so why don’t we work out the details later?” She asked before yawning even as she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. “We do have a floor boss to kill tomorrow.”

Harry did his own glance and nodded. “Yeah, let’s turn in.” He said. "Rest the brain cases."

She rewarded that one with a snort and a pillow to the side of the head.

January 15, 2024 - Aincrad 50th Floor, Labyrinth (Outside Boss Room)

Kirito watched as the assembled players did their last minute preparations for fighting the floor boss. The boss’ room had been discovered the previous day, and the only reason why a raid team wasn’t assembled immediately to go kill it was because both Harry and Asuna brought up a valid point to the various parties and guilds that made up the the Assault Team. It was better for them to go in well rested and fully prepared for what could very likely be a brutal boss fight, especially since it represented the halfway point of their climb up Aincrad.

The players accepted the reasoning behind that argument. They were not happy about it, but they accepted the reasoning.

He glanced over at his guildmates and saw them already done with their pre-battle checks. Long habit and experience had all but Rain and Lux make sure that everything was taken care of before heading out, and the latter two took cues from their more experienced members. It relegated the pre-battle checks to simply double checking everything.

He saw Heathcliff move to the front of the raid and grab everyone’s attention. Placing his sword into the floor point down, the leader of the Knights of Blood spoke.

“Once we clear this floor, we will be halfway done.” He said. “Halfway to freedom. I have no doubts that this will be a more difficult battle than usual, but we will prevail. We are strong enough. We are good enough. And there is nothing that can stand in the way of our combined might!”

“I see he’s being his usual poetic self,” Harry commented drily.

Kirito gave his friend an amused look as many of the assembled players cheered and then shrugged. “He knows how to give speeches,” he replied. “Also, they’re opening the door.”

Harry nodded and their entire group entered the boss’ room with the rest of the raid, drawing their weapons as they walked.

##

Harry looked at the boss as it began to move. The six armed monstrosity that was named Valmathra, The Awakened, had to be at least six meters tall. The sound of its steps made an echoing crash as it made its way slowly towards the center of the cathedral like room while the assembled players began to get into position to start the fight. He made a note of how many health bars it had and winced as five of them filled up.

“This… is going to suck.” He said succinctly. “Kirito, Rain, with me,” he ordered. “Asuna, Lux, stay back with Silica for now and use the time to observe. Standard attack rotation, if your health approaches half, back away and top off.”

His guildmates called out their acknowledgements as he moved forward, his sword and shield ready.

“Harry,” Kirito said. “It has six arms and six weapons, but I only see two drawn right now.”

“Be ready for it to draw more as we whittle its health down, then.” He called back.

“Teams one and three, get to the sides and attack!” Heathcliff called out to the teams that were largely comprised of members of his guild. “Team two, with me! Hadrian, be ready with your team to attack on my mark! Klein, same!”

“Got it!” Harry and Klein called back.

“Let’s go!” Heathcliff shouted.

The battle to clear the fiftieth floor had begun.

##

Silica darted in and struck with her strongest sword skill before jumping back from the boss’ retaliatory strike. She winced as the hit clipped her hip and forced her to use some quick acrobatics to avoid being sent sprawling. She didn’t bleed off the momentum that would have risked leaving her off balance until five meters later, and considered herself fortunate that it was only a glancing blow. She took a quick glance at her health and winced as the color of the bar was now yellow. The boss’s strikes weren’t overly powerful by floor boss standards, but that only meant that they hit you like a car, instead of a truck, glancing hit or not.

“Harry, switch!” She called as she backed off and pulled out a potion from what she called her quick-grab inventory and quickly chugged it down. She noticed her health climb back into the green, but it was the gradual regeneration that lasted for two minutes after the immediate heal that she wanted from the potion. She had noticed that the boss’ attacks tended to do a minor AOE whenever they hit something, and the regeneration should help offset that on her next attack run.

She took the opportunity to observe the fight. It wasn’t going as well as she had hoped, but not as badly as she or Harry feared it would. However, as the fight progressed, Valmathra drew more weapons, changing its attack patterns to reflect the fact. Add in that more weapons meant more attacks that needed to be dodged or blocked, and it was only a matter of time before a player got hit.

It had four weapons, all swords, out right now, and from the look at its health, it wouldn’t be long until it drew the last two. From the look of them, they were some kind of mace, which made her nervous for some reason.

She didn’t know why, but she felt that if there was a point where things would begin to go wrong, it was when those two weapons got put to use.

##

Asuna narrowly dodged several strikes as her attack had accidentally grabbed the boss’ attention. One of the weaknesses of her style was its reliance on a lot of hits and given SAO’s tendency towards perverse luck, all of her attacks from her current attack run had been critical hits, which had drawn aggro.

She saw an attack coming and dodged out of its way as Harry moved in to intercept it. She heard the resounding crash as the attack impacted with his shield and he was pushed back. His smaller frame often worked against him when dealing with bosses, as the extra momentum meant that more force was added to the blow.

As they had observed months ago, Newton’s Laws were very much in force in SAO, and Harry didn’t have the size, build, or necessary bulk to absorb the extra force like most tanks. He normally compensated for it with firm footwork and careful angling of his shield, which at least allowed him to not get sent sprawling, or as he put it, ‘getting sent arse over teakettle.’ However, his style was more reliant on redirecting attacks or using them to assist with his own positioning, rather than simply taking the attacks like he just did.

She then noticed that Rain and Lux’s health was beginning to get low as they finished their own attack run on one of the boss’ legs. “Rain, Lux, back off and top your health off,” she called. “Hadrian, see if you can redirect one of its attacks into the ground. Kirito, Silica, hit that arm if he does.”

She then noticed the boss’ remaining arms had already moved to the only remaining weapons. “Wait!” She called. “It’s going to its final weapons, get back!”

Her warning was too late as the boss pulled out two giant maces and slammed them into the ground. The shockwave sent every nearby player flying back. From the fact that most of them were looking a bit dazed, either because they had been stunned by being thrown back, or from simple shock that the boss had disrupted everything so quickly.

She really hoped it was the former, as that could be quickly dealt with. If it was the latter, the morale of those players would be affected, which would reduce their own effectiveness in a fight.