..:Aɪɴᴄʀᴀᴅ Nᴇxᴜs:.. [Cʏᴘʜᴇʀxᴋ2 & Iʀᴏɴɪᴄ]

[Ironic]

“Has it really been three whole years?” Yuuki Asuna spoke under her breath as she read the patch notes on the ALfheim website. Her heart raced deep inside of her chest, a lump forming in her throat that couldn’t be subsided no matter how many times she tried to harshly swallow down on the knot. Images of the world she lived in for quite some time flooded her mind, mixed emotions pouring at the seams of the wound she tried to stitch shut. Sword Art Online had impacted her life more than she had ever thought when she logged onto the game for the first and only time. It was dubbed gaming of the future, allowing an individual to truly step inside of the virtual world of online gaming. The fun-filled atmosphere of SAO quickly turned into a nightmare from hell when it was revealed that if you die in the game it also terminates you in real life. You could not log off until all levels were completed, leaving hundreds of player’s sent to the hospital to be put on life support due to not being able to be “alive” in the outside world.

Asuna’s hazel eyes glided over the text hurriedly, reading furthermore of the updates that was installing onto ALO.

‘Due to popular request and it being the 3 year anniversary of SAO, the team here at ALO has allowed the avatars from SAO to be used at the player’s leisure. Unfortunately the levels and skills could not be transferred and results in the player to be starting off at level 1. Items will be able to transfer over and will be stored into the player’s inventory until their level is appropriate for use.’

Who would want to refashion the horrendous event that happened three years ago? It haunted many families, still causing numerous to suffer daily from their loved ones dying in that dreadful game. Asuna would be lying if she said that she didn’t miss SAO to some extent, but the memories pained her too much. Kirito was the one who helped her keep her sanity during that rough time as well as Yui, but now she has neither of them. Kirito and Asuna had an unpleasant break up due to unknown reasons, causing little Yui to deem it being her fault and committed virtual suicide. These turn of events happened four months ago, causing Asuna to stray away from logging onto her virtual life.

“Maybe this’ll be a good opportunity to make new and better memories with my SAO character and start from scratch. ALO is safe after all, it won’t happen again.” The long, orange-brownish chestnut haired beauty quietly tried to encourage herself to venture off into the depths of SAO again, but she was reluctant. As ALO installed the patchwork and addons, an hour until finished, she took this time to rest in bed and ponder about her decision. Would it be worth the flashbacks, emotions and pain? “The world of ALO is different than SAO. You will just be playing as a new character is all, right?” Asuna told herself in thought, nodding in agreement. This was the final factor that caused her to push through with the decision.

It was going to be strange to play ALO again after four months but nonetheless fun. ‘Update completed.’ NerveGear chirped in a friendly voice. Asuna stared at the glowing screen that read ‘Complete’, almost wanting to chicken out once the feeling of surreal finally caught up to her. She shook her head to shake off the skeptical thoughts and grabbed the headpiece reluctantly before forcedly capping it atop of her head. She laid back and let out a long breath of air before the gaming device roared with wind from the fans kicking on, causing her consciousness to drift off into another reality.

The white loading screen burst to life, the words ‘ALfheim Online’ spewed across before the login screen soon replaced it. Logging online, a notification popped up and read,

‘Welcome, Asuna! The new update would like to know if a previous character can transfer over. Please click on Yes or No.’

‘Yes.’

Everything faded to black before gradually fading into the character section, allowing Asuna to select the character of her choosing. Right there in front of her was her SAO avatar, spinning around to get a 360 degree view. It was just like how she left it off, her Knights of the Blood uniform still intact with her rapier made by Lisbeth. Luckily for Asuna those items did not require a level but the rapier was based off of skill. She would have to learn it fast in order to be as talented as before. Erika, her Sylph avatar rotated around right beside the other avatar.


Choosing her SAO avatar, the screen faded once more until it reappeared into the starting level for noobies. She blinked a few times before realizing what she had done. Outstretching her hands she would stare at them, moving them around as if she had never had hands before. Her irises moved to glance at her torso and legs, noting the uniform she religiously wore before. Her rapier was neatly fastened on her side belt, the material shining in the sunlight as she moved slightly.

‘Attention!!! Those who are interested in the boss raid please meet us in the city plaza on the first floor! The meeting will start in ten minutes!’

Asuna noted the notification sent by a user who she didn’t catch the name of but granted to head out and quickly raise her sword skills. If she got the last hit on the boss it was increase 20 points automatically, an opportunity she couldn’t dismiss. She was already close to the city and didn’t rush to get to the meeting, taking the time to adjust to her new avatar. How she missed little Yui fluttering alongside her, this avatar making her yearn for her more. It was hard to hold back the tears just thinking about her death but Yui wouldn’t want her to be sad, so she forced herself to put on the best poker face she could muster.

As she stepped foot into the city she noticed there were many SAO players that wanted to relive their old days, more than what she had expected. The heel of her boots snapped on top of the cement underneath her feet, her hips swaying with each step she took. Many players’ casted awkward looks her way, knowing who she was and how powerful of a girl she was in SAO. Some waved, some nodded in approval and some just stared in her direction. This would had been a great time to wear a hooded cape but it was too late now. All she could do was keep her eyes straight ahead as she entered into the plaza and find a decent spot where she could hear the raid leader give directions.

 

[Cypherxk2]

He was tapping away at his laptop, putting the finishing touches on the secret boss for floor 34 in Aincrad Nexus, the newest addition to Alfhiem Online for the next six months. It was technically a rehash of Sword Art Online that was more difficult than the original as the dungeons had been mirrored and the bosses had been randomly selected from the cleared floors. Being his brainchild and having learned just about everything about Aincrad from Kayaba Akihiko and playing SAO himself, It took him three years to really get the addition working and off the ground. Of course, having the people who operated the servers for Alfhiem Online help fund him and alleviate his workload really helped.

He stood up and stretched, his skeleton popping along the joints as he realized he'd been sitting too long. His gaze landed in a mirror, showing him a reflection of himself that looked exhausted. Maybe he should rest some but he was eager to get into ALO to field test the final product of his three year labor. It wasn't like it wouldn't be there tomorrow. His eagerness to witness his work made him reckless.

He lay out on his bed as he put his custom headpiece on. It was designed for three days of use without recharging. He kept it plugged up as he didn't have the rechargeable battery in it. In all fairness, it was going to be it's first official run in any game. He'd done a lot of test runs but none that were more than a few minutes. His eye closed as it came to life.

Finding himself at a white screen, he skimmed the text after logging in.


‘Welcome, Caliban! The new update would like to know if a previous character can transfer over. Please click on Yes or No.'

He'd selected yes before he'd completely read the text. The character select screen came up next, showing two avatars. The first one was his Alfhiem Online Avatar, an Imp with a katana on his back. The second was his Sword Art Online avatar, just as he remembered it. It had a katana on it's back as well but he had trained to be able to use multiple types of weapons as needed. He noticed there were two unique skills listed in it's skill list on top of the coveted Duel Blades skill the player Kirito had. He even saw the avatar had the Elucidator and Dark Repulsor in it's inventory, though the Dark Repulsor was labeled broken. He chose that avatar and was temporarily disoriented by the sudden swirl of color that surrounded him.

He found himself in the town of beginnings, getting over his disorientation quickly as he noted that it looked exactly as it had before. Perfect, it looked good so far, no hiccups whatsoever. He moved around a bit, noting that his responsiveness was a bit sluggish but getting better as his headpiece synchronized itself to the game. Reaching back, his right hand closed around the hilt of the katana on his back. It felt like it had finally reunited with a long lost friend.

‘Attention!!! Those who are interested in the boss raid please meet us in the city plaza on the first floor! The meeting will start in ten minutes!'

He was there within seven minutes of reading the notification. A lot of the players he recognized but didn't know. Most just ignored him as they went about their business. As he walked through the crowd of easily 300 players, he accidentally butted shoulders with a player he recognized from the boss fight with the Skull Reaper three years ago, mostly because of her outfit. He was surprised to see her here, but not unhappy about it. A notification popped up saying he was needed in the center of the plaza.

"Sorry for running into you, Good luck in the raid!!" He called after her before walking onto the raised platform beside another player in a similar outfit to the player he ran into.

 

[Ironic]

Asuna couldn’t help herself but to gaze off into the distance, waist deep in thought wondering if she had chosen the right decision in rejoining her virtual life. The world that encompassed her felt like a drug, the faux sunrays and gentle breeze were very intoxicating. Freedom was truly felt online, perhaps that is why she wondered back into her virtual path.

She hadn’t noticed the crowd around her growing until a rough nudge to the shoulder swept her away from her thoughts. Turning around to the direction of the commotion she noted a player whose appearances weren’t familiar yet they were at the same time. This was, however, SAO before the images of those who played behind the screen was displayed for everyone’s eyes to see. Asuna picked an image that resembled her perfectly in appearance which is why it wasn’t much of a change when they had switched it up in SAO.

A slight smile seeped through her lips before responding, “Hey, you too!” He looked to be in a hurry until she noticed he was making his way up to the platform to speak of the announcement of the raid. She couldn’t help but now wonder about him. How exactly did these people even know the raid information if the game just sparked minutes ago? For most players they had to have scoped the raid out themselves and failed before knowing what to do and how to handle the boss.

With arms crossing over her bosoms she would pay close attention to what the group standing above her had to say. Perhaps they would spill some details.

 

[Cypherxk2]

He unceremoniously found himself shoved in front of the crowd on the platform. Whirling, he almost decked the player behind him before he restrained himself. His face was fuming as he turned back around and faced the crowd again. He wasn't the public speaking type, he'd sooner let his actions speak for him. This wasn't the end of the world though. All he had to do was keep himself in check.

"Good Afternoon, Everyone. Name's Caliban if you want to know. I'm sure you all are rearing to go beat the boss so I'll keep this brief. Welcome to Aincrad Nexus, home of the remastered version of Sword Art Online. Those of you who played the original will find your inventory has everything you have at the completion of SAO. The rest of you with be starting from scratch unfortunately, sorry guys.

So, enough with the gibber-jabber. The boss is called Illfang, The Kobold Lord. He has 6 life bars and operates in much the same way as he did in in the standard version but his AI algorithm is more unpredictable and harder to counter. He starts out with six minions and gains nine more by the time he is down to one bar. Don't let your guard down as he will be more likely to change his tactics on the fly. He'll be difficult to to beat but not impossible.

There will be multiple raid parties due to the large number of players. The parties of each raid group will be selected via a shuffle. You'll get a notification with a number, letter, and the names of your party members shortly. That said, We'll be fighting the boss on a time limit. Should the time run out, the raid party fighting the boss will be teleported back here so the next group can have their turn. That about covers it for the briefing. You all have three hours to prepare before coming back here. Good luck, everyone."

Having finished his monologue, he got his raid group notification almost immediately followed by an attached quest he couldn't check at the moment. He was in raid group A, party F. The party was him, a player named Asuna, and two other players that he didn't pay much attention to. Three white arrows with green outlines, the one inticating the player named Asuna being a lighter shade of green, appeared in his field of vision as he hopped off the platform. He walked to the one that was indicating the closest player, the one named Asuna.

"Didn't I bump into you earlier? Seems like we're partners for now. If you have any questions about recent update, don't hesitate to ask me." He said as he held his hand out to her.

 

[Ironic]

The announcement was brief yet detailed at the same time. The mysterious player by the name of Caliban sure did know a lot about Aincrad Nexus. Perhaps he had helped develop it? That was the only reasonable explanation she could muster at the time. She couldn’t believe that they even replicated the same first level boss! It was unique nonetheless. So, since Illfang acquires nine more minions as his health declines, that means for each bar lost he will gain either a minion or two up until the final bar. It’s going to be difficult but they can do it. After the meeting had disbanded Asuna received a notification in regards to which raid she would be stationed.

‘You have been placed in Raid Group A, Party F.’

Asuna was a bit confused about what the letters meant. Since the raid group was A did that mean they were the first to venture off into the boss raid or the 6th because of the party F? Pulling up the screen that would show her who her teammates would be, she noted the following usernames: “Caliban, xXProtectorXx, and Trystal. Who would have known that the player she had randomly bumped into would turn out to be in her group? At least it was someone she sort of/kind of knew and it didn’t make her feel as alone. Plus, he knew a lot about the raid boss so that would bring much help to the team!

Caliban caught Asuna’s attention as he made his way towards her and she started to smile in a friendly response. His hand welcomingly outstretched for her own and she didn’t hesitate to grip it, shaking it firmly a few times.

“Yeah, we did bump into each other, isn’t that funny? Either way I am happy to have you on my team. It’s a pleasure!” Her smile was as pleasant as a beautiful summers day, her rosy lips glistening as the sun shimmered against it. “Well, since you offered, I am a bit confused if we are first for the boss raid or 6th? I do not understand the letters.” After she finished her inquire two new players joined into the group, xXProtectorXx and Trystal.

“Sorry for keeping you guys waiting!” Trystal grinned as she waved to everyone. “Feel free to just call me Trystal and I would like to be the tank if that’s okay. I know I may look small but I pack a punch!”

“Speaking of taboo…” xXProtectorXx chimed in, his face almost hidden by his cloak, “I am a male healer, which I know is unheard. I look forward to being the ones defeating the boss with you guys. Oh, and you can call me Jasper. My username is from my younger days, crazy what three years can do, huh?”

“It’s nice to meet the both of you. I’m Asuna, real life and out.” Asuna responded, shaking everyone’s hand firmly to complete their introductions. “Since we have three hours to spare do you want to start gaining skill levels and the likes? It’ll be a good idea if we did since we’re starting from scratch.” Asuna suggested to the group.

 

[Cypherxk2]

"We're part of the first raid party as the 6th subparty. It's confusing I know but you'll catch on. Forgot to mention, the update includes bow and arrows and crossbows into SAO's combat formula. That way anyone who takes a supportive role can attack from range if they want to. Might be a good idea for you, Jasper. Trystal, we'll need to work your defense up so you can use a ghost buckler. It's the best shield for this early in the update. I know a place, bit over leveled but we can do it if we work together. Gotta get Jasp a ranged weapon first though, don't want his fanny in the fire if he doesn't need to be."

A quick stop to store some starting equipment in his bank struck him as odd as he saw he had almost 3.4 billion in Col stored. That shouldn't have been possible as money wasn't transferred over with the characters. Something wasn't right but he withdrew 400 million col as a test. It wasn't a joke, he literally had that money in his inventory and bank. Putting it out of his mind for now, he decided to work on it when he logged off.

Col in tow, he bought everyone in the party new weapons and equipment at the market place. He went to blacksmithing station and checked the price for having Kirito's..... No, his Dark Repulsor fixed. Steep, but he had enough money on him to fix it. He needed a key item from the locked quest he had though. Frustrated, he checked the Elucidator and found he could equip it due to a evolutionary level trait attached to it. The Dark Repulsor had the same trait as well. Okay, he swapped his katana for the Elucidator for now, hoping he wouldn't have to use it as it was way above what he should be able to use right now.

Walking back to his party, he saw they had two hours to burn. He touched an amulet around his neck which started glowing. They'd go to the dungeon/city he'd designed, Colbalt Ravine. They wouldn't go too far into it but the Diamond Wyverns would level them up in a hurry. Very strong, but very much glass cannons as they could not take a sustained beating. He took Trystal and Asuna's hand as Jasper did the same.

"Teleport, Colbalt Ravine." He said, before they were surrounded by a swirling blue light.

 

[Ironic]

As the group of four went about to the local shops everyone looked around for new items and miscellaneous items, but Asuna was content with just her own equipment, kindly turning down Caliban’s generous offer to purchase something. She did, however, get her rapier mended and it was as good as new. Her apparel was also decent and didn’t require anything new. Trystal received the Ghost Buckler shield and Jasper obtained a decent crossbow and arrows as well as a quiver to fasten the arrows into. Everything was looking promising, it was exciting to say the least.

Once everything had been repaired and purchased it was time to head out into Colbalt Ravine. There would be a quick dungeon they could go through that would give them some levels, increasing skills as well as obtaining Col and treasures. Their hands intertwined in one another’s, Asuna’s gripping onto Caliban’s and Trystal’s. The airstream around them picked up speed, her elegant tresses flying upwards as her eyes shield shut for a moment’s time as a swirling blue light enveloped them.

A dissimilar warm aura enchanted her, opening her eyes to understand they had teleported over into Colbalt Ravine. They were in a nearby field close to the city, plenty of animals to slain if they wanted to gain a few skills. “Are you wanting to do a dungeon? We can get maybe 5 levels in one go and increase our skills while getting Col and treasures. They only take 30 minutes at the most. Deal?” Using her index finger and middle finger Asuna would swipe downwards into the air to pull up her screen, selecting the Dungeon option and pressed the button to offer her group if they would like to join. Picking her desired role she would tap on the DPS checkmark.

Trystal picked the shielded icon for tank and Jasper tapped on the cross for healer. All they were waiting on was Caliban to choose his own role.

 

[Cypherxk2]

As the group of four went about to the local shops everyone looked around for new items and miscellaneous items, but Asuna was content with just her own equipment, kindly turning down Caliban’s generous offer to purchase something. She did, however, get her rapier mended and it was as good as new. Her apparel was also decent and didn’t require anything new. Trystal received the Ghost Buckler shield and Jasper obtained a decent crossbow and arrows as well as a quiver to fasten the arrows into. Everything was looking promising, it was exciting to say the least.

Once everything had been repaired and purchased it was time to head out into Colbalt Ravine. There would be a quick dungeon they could go through that would give them some levels, increasing skills as well as obtaining Col and treasures. Their hands intertwined in one another’s, Asuna’s gripping onto Caliban’s and Trystal’s. The airstream around them picked up speed, her elegant tresses flying upwards as her eyes shield shut for a moment’s time as a swirling blue light enveloped them.

A dissimilar warm aura enchanted her, opening her eyes to understand they had teleported over into Colbalt Ravine. They were in a nearby field close to the city, plenty of animals to slain if they wanted to gain a few skills. “Are you wanting to do a dungeon? We can get maybe 5 levels in one go and increase our skills while getting Col and treasures. They only take 30 minutes at the most. Deal?” Using her index finger and middle finger Asuna would swipe downwards into the air to pull up her screen, selecting the Dungeon option and pressed the button to offer her group if they would like to join. Picking her desired role she would tap on the DPS checkmark.

Trystal picked the shielded icon for tank and Jasper tapped on the cross for healer. All they were waiting on was Caliban to choose his own role.

Caliban, knowing the dungeon like the back of his hand, chose the scout role. The option to support the other members of the party as a sub-role, so he opted to back up Asuna. He wasn't really one to tank an enemy's attacks, typically he just dodged or parried. It was rare for him to place front line defender. Just wasn't his style.

Leading them along, it didn't take long for them to encounter a Diamond Wyvern. After a quick brief on them, he got close enough to agro it. Didn't take long for it to rush him with a claw swipe. Drawing the Elucidator, a sword Asuna would instantly recognize, he easily parried the Wyverns attacks despite being underleveled ten to one. He hadn't played ALO much, but his swordsmanship hadn't faltered at all. The startling thing was how similar his fighting style was to Kirito's, though his ready stance was more vertical than Kirito's stance. Twisting as he avoided a critical hit, the Elucidator's blade erupted in a purple glow.

'~Caliban- Mimicry Sword skill- Mother's Rosario~'

Suddenly, he struck the Wyvern with an 11-hit combo he had witnessed a while back and had replicated from memory. The Wyvern let out a death screech as it burst into blue pixels. Sighing, he spun the Elucidator around his body in a tight florish as he said, "Figures, what a pain...." before he sheathed it. His level shot from 1 to 9 in one go, assisted by a triple experience point bonus. Turning to Asuna and the others, he shrugged nonchalantly.

"That was a Diamond Wyvern, strong as hell but it more or less has no defense. Most dangerous in packs. More or less a glass cannon." He said, realizing he had just pulled his usual lone wolf tactic of jumping into a fight without considering his party members, "Crap..... Sorry about that guys."

 

[Ironic]

Asuna didn’t pay much attention to Caliban’s sword until they were in the dungeon. Her eyes widened in disbelief and she couldn’t understand how he had obtained such an important piece from Kirito. He even mimicked him in his movements and it caused her heart to drop as memories flooded inside of her mind.

“Asuna, watch out!” Trystal hollered at her just as the Diamond Wyvern slashed his claw towards her. She was too preoccupied with staring at Caliban’s similarities that she wasn’t aware of her surroundings. Just as she turned around to face the beast that was attacking her its claw sliced against her chest and caused her to be tossed backwards from the force. Glowing red lacerations showed where she had been stricken, her health that was once 100 now declined to 73.

“You have to be more careful, Asuna!” Jasper nagged at her before casting a healing spell over her that healed her wounds and increased her heath to 89. Luckily Caliban finished off the beast just before Asuna got back onto her feet. The new update must’ve bend original sword skills a bit and would allow others to try it, hence Caliban being able to use Mother’s Rosario. It was unique to see it used with someone else and she was glad she could see it.

“Sorry guys… Something caught me off guard.” Trying her best to turn her gaze away from him her eyes were now focused on the remaining dungeon.

“It’s okay, don’t sweat it.” Trystal said as she smiled happily. “Don’t make it a habit though.” She joked as they perused forward. They walked for a second before webbing was hanging from the walls and it was easy to tell that the next would be an arachnid. Just as she predicted, in red, the name Nephilia Regina was stationed inside of her web, body facing them as she began to hiss. Nephila Regina has bulging body with round, glowing, red eyes, eight legs the size of tree trunks and a dull purple exoskeleton with silver patterns.

Throwing her axe, Trystal agro’d the boss and caused it to target her. Luckily her axe would always fly back to her, similar to a boomerang. With her shield ready in her hand, she charged at the beast, having another swing at the creature. Nephilia used her front legs to jab at Trystal but she dodged the blows and attacked on its underside where the flesh wasn’t protected by an exoskeleton. It wailed out in pain before emitting a sticky spray from its rear, casting it at Trystal’s feet, immobilizing her.

“Jasper, un-stun her while I distract the boss!” Asuna shouted before jumping in the air to use her 5 hit combo, Starry Tear, aiming for the face. She managed to hit her with all five hits, knocking her health down to 64.

 

[Cypherxk2]

'~Caliban- Spell Magister fusion Skill- Raiser's Divide~'

Caliban, making the snap decision to assist Asuna, drew the Elucidator off his back and followed Asuna's attack with one of his own. He held it in a reverse grip as he swung the sword five times, launching five purple shockwaves of magic at the boss. The boss was hit by all five waves, throwing it into the wall. Nodding as the arachnid's health half itself due to wall rush damage, he started running as the boss end up on it's back. It was kinda comical seeing it kicking it's legs in the air as he got close.

"Asuna, Switch!!" He yelled, opting to use an old SAO battle tactic as he dashed by her.

He jumped, turning sideways as he used the sword skill Horizontal Square in a vertical position. It didn't do much, just hacked off 4 hp but it didn't matter, every little bit counted. Landing and running to jump to the ground, the boss righted itself and rushed him while he was still in the air. His recklessness had left him vulnerable as he was just landing when it rammed him in the back, sending him skidding along the ground for a few seconds. His life gauge flashed bright red as it was decreased to a quarter by the blow, and he had been poisoned by the damn boss. He knew he'd been hit with a critical sneak attack.

"Ugh.... Fuck that hurt." He groaned to himself as he drank an antidote, then yelled to the others, "Don't get hit by it's pincers!! They're poisonous!!!"

If he saw the life gauge for the boss right, it was at 28 now.

 

[Ironic]

The glimpse of Caliban entered into her vision as she noticed he was attacking right beside her, making the arachnid’s health plummet down at a decent score, but not good enough to get the job done. His words echoed in her ear, dashing out of the way as Caliban took care of business as they switched. Everything was running smoothly until he wasn’t careful of his footing as well as the spiders when Nephilia rammed into his backside. The bright green life gauge that showed a lively green now flickered a deep red.

“Caliban!” Asuna shouted as her eyes widened by how low he had got in health. The adrenaline was rushing through her veins, her heart increasing and her palms sweaty. She dashed to him has Trystal took on the boss. She didn’t do much damage at all since she was tank but it would spare them some time. Asuna ran to him and placed a hand on his back as he gulped the antidote that would rid of the poison. “Please, be careful.” She muttered shakily as she thought of him dying. It wasn’t permanent but the thoughts from SAO still pultruded her mind.

Jasper was low on mana, using more than he should have while healing Asuna earlier. His health now shining yellow but still in the danger zone. “Sorry buddy, that’s as good as I can get you for now.” He shrugged, doing all he could until his mana regenerated at a staggeringly low speed.

Trystal couldn’t keep up on the fight by herself, being flung against the cave wall as sparks flew from her metal torso plate skidded with the sharpened rock. “It’s going into a frenzy as a last resort!” Trystal spoke through clenched teeth as Nephilia made its way to Caliban and Asuna. She sprung to her feet and settled into a fighting stance, her rapier tilted and glowing red to attack. One of its legs tried to stomp on her but she had dodged. Just as the tip of her weapon almost touched its underside she was off guard when another leg slammed her out of the way. She slid on the floor on her side, dust and debris fuming upwards as her skidding halted.

She winced in pain as she grabbed her arm. Damn it… She had to be quicker on her feet. She really did lose her spunk from not playing in four months. The spider’s main focus was on Caliban, just feet in front of him. It’s mouth was salivating venom, the purple goo dripping and making a puddle on the rocky ground as all of its eyes stared at its target.

 

[Cypherxk2]

Caliban, rolling as the arachnid attacked, jumped and used his mimicry skill again. His sword glowed purple as he hit the boss with Asuna's Starry Tear sword skill, putting it in the red zone. He landed on the arachnid's back and stabbed it in a few off it's eyes. Being deafened by it's screeches of pain, he hopped of it as it rammed into a wall, effectively blinded. He settled into a ready stance as he rolled back onto his feet.

Jasper, firing a crossbow bolt into the air, was surprised when hundreds rained down on the boss. Wondering what had happened, he loaded his crossbow again and watched as the arachnid was shown to be stunned. He cast a healing spell on Caliban again, noticing the attack had given him 25% of the damage back as mana. He immediately liked that skill, deciding to use it more often. Caliban's health was now was yellowish-green, something that could be lived with.

"We do this together." Caliban said, a wraith-like orange flame erupting around the Elucidator's blade as he stood next to Asuna, "Ready to finish this, Flash?"

 

[Ironic]

Asuna nodded at Caliban’s statement, readying her rapier as she stood side-by-side with him. The adrenaline rush was unreal yet nerve-wracking all at once, making it a memorable moment for her later down the road. A rush she hasn’t felt in a while.

“Ready? Let’s go!” And just like the nickname he had given her she would dash like a lightning bolt in thin air, her rapier glowing red as she bellowed in strength, pointing it directly towards her enemy. The tip of her weapon dove straight into the head of the spider, forcefully making it sink down until the base now hit its head. The health bar immediately decreased to 0, the arachnid gurgling for a brief moment before dissolving into what appeared to be digital glass shards.

Her feet landed on the ground, her chest rising and falling as she panted heavily after the adrenalin was beginning to ware off. Sweat beaded her forehead and her legs were wobbly. Since she received the last hit her rapier skill now increased 20, also 10 from previous attacks and was now standing at 30/1000.

“Good job guys!” Trystal cheered as she jumped up and down in delight, a message popping up notifying the group that due to completing the level they would gain five levels and a bag full of unique treasures.

“We couldn’t have done it without the help of everyone.” Asuna spoke harshly as she tried to catch her breath. Her fingers glided over her screen to unbag her goodies and to her surprise she received 1,000 Col and Prancing Boots that provides a slight jumping boost and diminishes the sound of footsteps.

 

[Cypherxk2]

"Whoa, Asuna, chill. No need to get snap-happy." Caliban said, hand resting on her shoulder as the Elucidator changed from black to white in his hand, "She's just glad we beat a boss. Which opens up the Colbalt Fortress for us now."

He could see something was bothering her but he wasn't going to get into it. She had her reasons, he wouldn't pry into them. He unequipped the Elucidator as he walked toward the stone obelisk that appeared opposite of the room entrance. Touching it, he and the party were teleported to the fortress' market center. Definitely looks good, he outdid himself.

"Welcome to the Colbalt Fortress, Avalon." He said as he looked at Asuna, Jasper and Trystal, "Hub center for Aincrad Nexus and shortcut highway for all floors as we clear them. We technically aren't supposed to be here yet but we have a buffer to work with now."

 

[Ironic]

“I just get carried away is all.” Asuna had to chuckle at her misfortune but she did shiver once Caliban touched her shoulder. She wasn’t too comfortable with him right now after finding too many similarities with him and Kirito. If she had enough courage to she would ask him about it, or hopefully something would come along and explain it out to her.

The group teleported to Colbalt Fortress, finally opening up once the boss had been defeated. “Will we get in trouble if we are in here?” Trystal asked as her body whipped around to look at the scenery.

“I mean, if it got unlocked and we were able to teleport I am sure it is okay. Just because we’re not supposed to be here doesn’t make it wrong. Plus, I think we’re the first to enter. Think of a positive.” Asuna casted a warm smile to the others as she glanced around herself.

“How much more time do we have until the raid?” Jasper asked as he scratched the back of his forehead, obviously somewhat nervous of the anticipated fight.

“We have around forty-five minutes until we dive in. Do you both mind if you venture off for a minute while I talk to Caliban about the game? It’s something private, I hope you don’t mind.” Asuna was hoping that her choice of words didn’t trigger any negative feelings with the group, but Jasper and Trystal nodded in agreement and went the opposite way. Asuna pivoted her heel to stand before Caliban, her hands already shaking and her heart pounding.

She took a deep breath before mustering the courage to talk about it. “So, Caliban. I have to talk to you about your Elucidator. I am more than sure you know the Beater, Kirito, from SAO. He was dubbed a solo player for a long time and was the only person to dual two swords. How did you get his, especially his fighting style?” There was so much confusion in her heart that she didn't even know how to put it out into words. She was hoping to obtain the truth once and for all.

 

[Cypherxk2]

"I found in my inventory when we were shopping in the town of beginnings. I have the Dark Repulsor too, but it's broken." He said, crossing his arms as he looked at her coolly, "As for his fighting style, I met him about 4 months ago and helped him get through something. He taught his style to me as thanks. The differences between him and I, if you take time to notice, are that I'm a more aggressive attacker than he is and my stance is higher and tighter vertically.

He blinked, giving her time to absorb what he told her. Frankly, he didn't like it anymore than she did. The Elucidator that Kirito had had been a staple from him as a player. It was pretty much synonymous with him.
Having it was like a taboo he'd have to deal with.

"I don't know how or why it got into my inventory so don't ask. I have no answer for it and I'm not too keen on using it either." He continued, his amethyst eyes seeming to see thorough her as he took a step back, "I do know one thing though, I'm not him. I could really care less about clearing this game because I don't have a reason to really go back to the real world."

 

[Ironic]

Asuna listened to everything he had to say, taking it all in as her lips stayed sealed. She was confused, still, though he gave her the answers she did question about. "It still doesn't make sense that you have his belongings. Maybe there is a bug in the system?" It reassured her to know that he acknowledged it as well. Her index finger landed on her chin as she though intently on the matter until he said something that struck a nerve.

"What do you mean you don't want to go back to the real world? Even after suffering through SAO for all them years? You know what it's like. To be left here. No guarantees to your next day. Living like a vegetable in the real world." Her arms flailed upwards as she spoke, redness seeping throughout her skin to show how truly heated this made her.

"You have to have a good explanation on why you don't want to go back. There is so much to live for out there. I just don't see it..." She stepped back as her irises stared at the ground, her hand curling up into a fist as she laid it against her chest.

 

[Cypherxk2]

"It's rather simple really." He replied as he found himself right up against her with his lips by her ears, "I never truly left SAO."

Leaving it at that, he unpacked the loot he got from the boss fight as he walked past her. Due to him having the high DPS output, he got a two handed claymore called "Devil's Cry", 500 Col, and a Wyrmfire Coat. The claymore had a skill tree that was attached to his Spell Magister skill. He equiped it as he noticed it had an evolutionary trait as well. It would become his primary weapon unless he used the Duel Blades skill. The Wyrmfire coat was equiped as well as it increased his defense stat by 5%.

He met with Jasper and Trystal as they poured over new gear that they could buy but not use yet. Trystal got a stronger axe with a homing ability that could be used when thrown. He got a Compound crossbow with a five segment bolt quiver that had normal, fire, explosive, ice, and electric. He actually liked the feel of the crossbow in his hands. However, using it would only be if Jasper couldn't act as a ranged attacker.

"We ready to go?" He asked, seeing as Jasper hadn't upgraded anything and Asuna had caught up.

 

[Ironic]

Her skin crawled as she felt the air through his words grazing up against her ear, her mind not really understanding what he meant by never leaving SAO. She wanted to dig deeper into what he truly was saying but he walked passed her like it was nothing. With eyes squinting as she looked at him she couldn't help but wonder why he acted this way. Later she would pry open his thoughts.

"That dungeon was pretty cool." Trystal noted as she gripped onto her new axe. "I like how it feels in my hands, I'm definitely going to use this baby up!"

"I'm happy to see you all enjoy your new equipment." Asuna was short with her words, having a lot on her mind. Her arms crossed over her chest as she averted her eyes and didn't want to look in their direction.

"Yeah, we're ready to go!" Jasper excitedly replied as he positioned his crossbow in firing action, getting a feel of what it would look like when he did use it.

"Are you okay, Asuna? You haven't really said much ever since the dungeon." Trystal stood beside her as her eyes scanned over her face, trying to pick up what she was feeling based off from her facial expression.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me silly." Asuna tried to brush it off as she mustered the best fake smile she could.

 

[Cypherxk2]

Her skin crawled as she felt the air through his words grazing up against her ear, her mind not really understanding what he meant by never leaving SAO. She wanted to dig deeper into what he truly was saying but he walked passed her like it was nothing. With eyes squinting as she looked at him she couldn't help but wonder why he acted this way. Later she would pry open his thoughts.

"That dungeon was pretty cool." Trystal noted as she gripped onto her new axe. "I like how it feels in my hands, I'm definitely going to use this baby up!"

"I'm happy to see you all enjoy your new equipment." Asuna was short with her words, having a lot on her mind. Her arms crossed over her chest as she averted her eyes and didn't want to look in their direction.

"Yeah, we're ready to go!" Jasper excitedly replied as he positioned his crossbow in firing action, getting a feel of what it would look like when he did use it.

"Are you okay, Asuna? You haven't really said much ever since the dungeon." Trystal stood beside her as her eyes scanned over her face, trying to pick up what she was feeling based off from her facial expression.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me silly." Asuna tried to brush it off as she mustered the best fake smile she could.

"Teleport, Town of Beginnings." Caliban said, soon finding them in the city plaza moments later.

He lay on the grass close to a bench, eyes closed as he waited for the others to arrive. Trystal sat next to him, admiring her new axe. Jasper was on his other side, sighting his crossbow as he continued getting used to it. He didn't mind them being next to him, but he was a lone wolf by nature. Now that the boss raid was close, he felt a detachment from them forming. Same habit he got into when preparing for players dying for good. Only problem was, He actually liked both of them. That came as a shock when he realized it.

"Hey, Caliban, when we beat the raid, I got something I wanna ask you." Jasper said, looking at him, "If that is okay with you, that is."

"Sure thing, just don't die on me while we are in there." He replied, glancing at Jasper with a small grin.

 

[Ironic]

The air picked up around them as they teleported back to where they started. Oddly she felt reassured once she planted her feet in the Town of Beginnings, almost as if nothing could hurt her here. Caliban was acting as if nothing was wrong, casually enjoying the weather. It was very nice outside and she didn't blame them for trying to enjoy it before the stresses of the battle was about to happen.

Eavesdropping, Asuna listened to Jasper and Caliban's conversation. What did he have to ask him and why did it have to wait until after the battle? So many strange things have been happening lately or it was all in her head. "I need to rest for a moment before I stress myself out." Asuna thought to herself before sitting next to Trystal, soaking in the breeze that caressed her skin.

"Not too bad of a day, even if it's virtual." Trystal commented as she lifted her gaze from her axe to the blue sky. Different shapes of clouds passed by over their heads as the wind took them away, unknown of where their next adventure was. "I wish real life was this cool."

"I think everyone does." She responded as he fixed her eyes on the skies too.

 

[Cypherxk2]

There were a few late comers, but everyone in the first raid group was there when the raid meeting reconvened. As he went about giving each party their role, he felt his body going cold. He wasn't sure why, but he got the same feeling he had before SAO was cleared. Like there would be a reckoning to be had and they would be powerless to stop it. It made his interactions quite brisk and harsher than he meant to be. Things were going to end badly in the raid, he felt it deep within him.

"I know you aren't too fond of me right now. But I want you to stay close to me." He said to Asuna when he pulled her aside to tell her about the feeling he had, "I can't explain it, but I've got a feeling something bad is about to happen. Something that will reopen old wounds. We're gonna have to stick together if we are going to survive it."

He was dead serious, the deadeyed gaze he had when he looked at her said as much. After the initial wave of unease, a surge of excitement hit him. This remained hidden behind a look of concern. He needed to prepare for thing if he was right. Where his feelings were where games were concerned, he usually hated to be right.

Trystal and Jasper noticed his behavior and unanimously decided to stay close to him.

 

[Ironic]

The crowd was expanding rapidly, the clock ticking away as it was almost time to begin the boss raid. You could feel the tension and excitement build up in the room, everyone's voices growing louder as chants and words of encouragement were thrown about. Asuna huddled close by Jasper and Trystal, talking amongst them casually before she felt a hand grip her shoulder to whirl her around. It was Caliban.

She was confused by why he wanted her to stay close to him until he mentioned a bad feeling whirling about in the air. Her skin was riddled with goosebumps at just the thought of the words "reopen old wounds" coming from his mouth.

"If you put it that way then I'm going to call it quits and log out of the game once the boss raid is over." Asuna swiped her screen and clicked on a few buttons before she accessed the log out screen, almost about to tap the green circle to approve of her actions before Trystal gripped her hand to stop her.

"Come on, don't leave, we're all a team, remember?" She looked Asuna in the eyes with a helpless stare, obviously feeling better if they had a full team. "He's just trying to scare us, don't listen to him." She whispered for only her ears to hear, nodding in confirmation as she pulled away. Asuna blinked before sighing, swiping her screen to close it out.

"You better be wrong..." She scolded Caliban as her hands landed on her hips, her eyes looking at the clock to notice only three more minutes until the raid begun.

 

[Cypherxk2]

"I'm right there with you, Asuna." He said, matching her tone but his had clear murderous intent behind it, "However, where bad feelings are concerned, I've rarely ever been wrong in-game."

Frankly, if he was right, he'd be more than happy to kill himself just to get out of it. Yet, his killing instinct was clicked on. It was hoping he was right so he could cut loose. That was the monster that had grown in him, the reason behind what he told Asuna. It was also the reason he was approached by Laughing Coffin years ago. He'd turned them down, and almost killed the leader too before they withdrew.

He shook himself out of his brief remembrance stroll, finding Trystal was holding his hand as well as Asuna's. Jasper was on Asuna's other side as their raid group, 50 players strong, was teleported to the entrance of the dungeon for the floor. He separated from his party, accessing his menu to to send a text message saying he was going solo for a bit. Finding that someone had stepped up to be the leader of the raid group, he disappeared into a corridor and followed it to a switch. He pressed it, then ducked under the wall that opened up for a moment before closing.

"Alright, Caliban." He murmured, adjusting his wyrmfire coat before drawing Devil's Cry off his back as three Saber Bunnies approached his position slowly, "Let's Rock!!"

 

[Ironic]

Looking around, Caliban was nowhere in sight until a notification popped up saying that she had a message waiting. Opening it, she would see that Caliban decided it was best to go solo. "That's funny, didn't he just say that he had a bad feeling and to stay close by?" Asuna grumbled to the others who shrugged in response, not knowing what to do. "If I would have known he would've done that then I should've logged off earlier. Pfft. Whatever. We don't need him." She withdrew her rapier and stood with her group, other raid party members joining in.

"There's a group of Ruin Kobold Sentinel coming our way!" Someone shouted as a trio of the minions charged towards the group. A large portion of its head and body is tightly covered and protected by metal armour, which makes the throat its only weak point. The Sentinel's were armed with huge halberds and maces, carrying the weighted weapon as they stormed their way into the fight. Sentinels aid Illfang the Kobold Lord as minions, adding further struggle for players to defeat the boss when the time came.

"Ready?" Asuna looked back at Jasper and Trystal before they charged at one of the Sentinels, Asuna drawing her rapier straight ahead before hitting it with a three-hit combo. It wasn't enough, though, the minion lifting its mace to plummet down on Asuna. Trystal quickly raised up her shield and skidded in the way, the mace harshly pounding on the chunk of metal. "I owe you one." Asuna muttered to the tank before harshly slitting the minions throat, causing it to disappear.