Her heart skipped a beat when the boy finally made his way out, mostly because she'd anticipated his arrival so much. She had cut off mid-sentence and was staring dumbly at the boy as he made his orders, feeling a wave of embarrassed heat run over her body when he said her name but didn't so much as glance in her direction.

Alright, Flynn, you really have to do what you said you would. Leave. Him. Alone. He wanted you to go, and now he's ignoring you. What else did you expect?

Clenching her teeth as she disappeared inside, she raised her hand and vaguely suggested to everyone. "You heard the man, who's coming with me?" Her voice was a bit louder than usual. Her hand dropped to her side roughly, and her eyes twitched back to the door the babyfaced, wolf-owning, antisocial, hard-shelled, and sweet-loving boy had entered. Then, she directed her attention back to the group with a hard expression and did not look back.

"Flynn, why do you like me so much?"

Rose was positioned in front of the pink-headed girl, both of their legs crossed. They sat in Rose's room on her bed, facing each other. Rose was absentmindedly picking at the bed sheet while Flynn read over the summary of a new video game they'd bought earlier in the day. It was supposed to be brutal and violent, Rose's favorite.

"What do you mean?" She questioned dumbly, freezing as she stared up at her friend like a deer in the headlights.

Rose shrugged as if unsure, but continued on in a voice that said the opposite, "Like, you're always by my side. You're always talking to me. You never want to be without me, and you never let us get in fights. It's not like I mind, I mean, we're best friends and I love you, but why? Nobody's ever been that clingy with me. ...Except Noboru."

Despite her uneasy feelings, Flynn's face stretched into a smile at the mention of the awkward boy that had used to have a massive crush on Rose. "Noboru was rather clingy and annoying."

Rose laughed softly before her face turned serious. "But really, why?"

Flynn shifted a little uneasily, beginning to pick at the wrapping of the video game. "You're the first person I've ever really cared about. I've kind of been alone my whole life, whether it was because people thought I was weird or different because of my shyness or cancer or whatever it was-"

"It's your shyness."

"-But you actually like me. You pay attention to me. And you're just... really cool. And I guess I just really appreciate that. And now that I've found a friend it's kind of the best feeling ever." She was blushing hard, avoiding eye contact with rose.

After a few moments of silence, Flynn hesitantly looked up at her friend's face in fear of what she'd see. To her surprise, Rose was smiling radiantly, cheeks flushed an attractive pink.

"Oh, Flynn!" She said, launching forward unexpectedly and enveloping Flynn in a tight hug. They both fell back on the bed, sinking into the soft mattress and laughing together. "You're really my best friend! I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Rose." Flynn whispered, staring into nothing in the game that had taken her best friend.

Burai sighed, wandering the streets of Floor 71 as he looked at the party lists in his inbox. The team choices were solid, and as for which one would be protecting Flynn, it was up to her to decide, but still, he couldn't help but be worried. The labyrinth into which they were headed was one of unknown and unimaginable dangers. He had no experience leading parties after the game had turned into a battle to survive, so this, as his first test in a real combat situation where people's lives rested on him, weighed heavily on his conscience. He'd have much rather just gone in alone and faced the risks himself.

Still, he supposed he couldn't exactly fault Caben on his choice of plans. The atmosphere of this place had completely changed, with people bustling and wandering out anxiously as they all made their way in a sort of half-hopeful cascade towards the park that had been chosen as the Stardust Brigade's meeting point. The Wolf himself was no exception, making his way there as well to meet his squad. If they succeeded here, it might be what was needed to turn the tide of despair and get the clearing guilds back in the fight to beat Sword Art Online. Even so, though, this event clashed entirely with the boy's cynical ideology. The reason these people were so afraid was because they had lives to go back to, or because they had other things and people important to them trapped within this world. They didn't want to die and lose all that, and so they cowered. Those who had things to lose could never truly fight without restraint on the front lines, nor did Burai think that they should be made to.

Stepping out into the open park, the boy wandered amidst the assembled tables where food was already sitting prepared. A large crowd of people was already milling about, waiting for some address to open the gathering. Burai glanced over to a large podium that stood empty, and to the guild master who stood beside it.

"Oi, Caben, we should hurry up and get started, before the food expires," The White Wolf said gruffly.

"Indeed. In that case, will you join me?" The leader smiled coolly. "They should hear our intentions from the one leading this force, after all."

"Tch. I should have figured you'd want me to make a speech," He muttered. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

With those words, the two figures - the Guild Master of the Stardust Brigade, the knight Caben, and the Assault Commander, the legendary White Wolf Burai - surmounted to the stage that had been prepared for them. In an instant, the crowd grew silent, turning to face the newly arisen speakers to see what the fuss was all about, hoping that this gathering signaled some great new venture that might turn the tide and defeat the seemingly unbeatable dungeon that stood between them and their escape.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Began Caben solemnly. "As you know, we've lost many good people in the past week, with traps claiming the lives of some, and monsters slaying others. There are many who have given up, calling this the second coming of Floor 1. The Knights of the Blood Oath are silent, resupplying and training their forces while leaving the smaller clearing guilds to establish a foothold within the dungeon. This place is unlike any floor we've yet faced, and many people have already paid the price. But we cannot give in. The longer we wait, the more people die within this game. And so, as those who have already tried to beat this dungeon no longer have the manpower to continue, the Stardust Brigade will do its best to take on the burden in their stead. Today, we've gathered our best players to open a path into the heart of the dungeon, to discover resting places, and perhaps to even locate the boss chamber. This expedition will be headed by our guild's Assault Commander, Burai, who will explain the details of the operation."

Seeing his cue, it was now the boy who spoke up, folding his arms confidently as he stepped forward.

"The plan is simple. With so many traps in the dungeon, the most reasonable method of getting through it is to use a system of networked teleport crystals, to be distributed amongst the clearing guilds. It's expensive, it's annoying, and each gate we create will only have one use, but hopefully, one use is all we'll need. Essentially, my Raid's objective is to find as many rest rooms and safe zones as we can, and bind Teleport Crystals to those locations. Once that's done, the main force of the Clearing Guilds can come in and explore as usual, each guild taking the area around a given Teleport Destination and exploring it. Through this method, we can rapidly map out the entirety of the dungeon, and, with any luck, locate the door to the boss room while minimizing our own risks."

The boy stopped, looking out at the crowd. True, he'd said his piece, but he didn't feel like he'd said enough. Up until now, he'd stuck the script, making things clear without ever really expressing himself. But he wasn't satisfied with just that. He wanted to show everyone assembled, even those who hated him, that the player base of SAO was far from defeated.

"I know a lot of you aren't too fond of me," He continued, his face set in a mask of grim, steely resolve. "Actually, I can see a load of people out there I've dueled with before. Still, even if we piss each other off to no end, I think everybody can agree when I say that we all have a common stake in clearing this dungeon. You guys have lost guild members, comrades, friends..." He stopped for a moment, his gaze turning icy cold. "Family, even. I can understand that, and so I can respect your decision to stop fighting. We players, even if we sometimes don't want to admit it... we're all one group. A pack of wolves, so to speak, fighting to achieve the same goals. But since we share our victories, we also share our defeats. If somebody dies, he's not the only one who suffers. His friends and comrades all feel that same pain tenfold. They get hurt, they give up. But still, somebody has to fight for those who no longer can. That's where we come in. As members of the Clearing Guilds, it's our job to run ahead of the pack, to face the threats nobody else can... and to kick their asses, grind them up, and crush them into dust!" Clenching his fist, he swung his gauntleted hand downward to punctuate this sentence. "That's why we're here today. For the sake of those who had died, we'll turn our grief into resolve and keep on fighting. We're going to show you what a few lone wolves can do if you get them good and mad! We're going... to WIN!" He roared.

"But those whose duty it is to fight aren't the only ones with a stake in clearing this game. Everybody, fighters and passive players alike, all have the same goal in mind. We all want to win this damned death game that's killed so many people, and go back to our lives in the real world." He searched the crowd, trying to find the by-now familiar face of the innocent baker girl he'd been sent to fetch. "Today, we have a special guest who has provided the necessary food for this party, and who has volunteered to support us inside of the dungeon as a backup mapper and inventory for the Raid. I'd like to introduce Flynn Casanova. Oi, Flynn, if you're here, could you step up onto stage?" He was running out of things to say, so he decided he'd leave things to her and Caben when it came to wrapping things up. Calling out, he searched for her, hoping she would answer. After how he'd treated her last night, he could understand if she didn't respond at all.

She had listened intently, finding herself getting lost in his speech. She agreed with every word he said, and found a flurry of courage and power bubbling up inside of her as he continued on. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light, filled with adoration and respect for the boy up front. As he spoke of those who had left, Rose crossed her mind, and she regarded her with a sense of despair and sadness, though was quickly snapped out of the depressing thoughts as his inspirational speech kept on.

It took her a moment to get her bearings when he called for her, and hearing his voice she'd come to admire speaking her name made it all the more difficult. She was lingering almost in the back, mostly surrounded by people much taller than her so she'd gotten hidden. After he'd spoken her name a few people turned to stare at her, and it was a few moments before she awkwardly raised her hand. "Um, here I am."

She made her way through the crowd, apologizing under her breath when she stumbled into a few people on the way. She stepped up on the stage, having a hard time, and blushed when she scrambled up only to realize she'd missed that there were steps on the side. Of course.

Standing up quickly and brushing her dress off, she moved to stand by the boy who stood a few inches taller than her.

"Um, hello," She said to the group, and to the white-haired boy. She'd never been good at public speaking. A familiar voice echoed through her head.

"You just gotta do it, girly!" Rose said happily, linking her arm with Flynn's as they walked through the hallway. Flynn's next period was when she'd have to give a speech on economics that she'd been dreading since it was assigned. "Flynn, you're gorgeous and amazing, you just have to summon up all that courage I know is stored away in your heart!"

Face flickering to one of newfound confidence, she took a sidestep so she was more centered on the stage. She looked out among all the guild members who had been fighting while she'd given up. Shame washed over her. How many's lives had been lost that she could have saved? And how many of these faces would be lost today?

"I'm just a baker," She began, eyes flickering between faces of the crowd. "And I haven't contributed much. I don't really deserve as much recognition as I have, I think. You guys are the heroes." A small smile came over her face. "Those of you who fight on tirelessly to protect the rest of the players of this cruel game... I look up to you all so much. I'm weak. I gave up a while ago due to my losses. But you..." Her eyes flickered over to Burai a moment, and she kept them on him while her gaze softened to let him know she was also speaking to him before she looked forward again and continued on, "You don't give up. And to those of you who may think you're weak, you are the strongest people I know. You all have iron hearts, and I commend you for it infinitely. If this game didn't have people like you who continued on despite all the hardships they'd been faced with, none of us would be where we are. You're all special. It's an absolute honor and pleasure to be joining you all today. Thank you for having me." Her eyes went down, to Burai, and then forward again. "Just... thank you."

Burai smirked, satisfied as the crowd began to cheer and applaud. Although they'd remained painfully silent during his harsh address, it seemed that Flynn's appearance had been enough to give them the courage the Stardust Brigade had so desired to instill within them. Now, however, the real challenge would begin, and they'd have to practice the things they had preached.

"Within the hour, we'll be marching into the dungeon, for better or for worse. We've prepared food and drinks, and a bonfire to memorialize our losses. Throw your sorrows to the flames, and drink and eat your fill. Tonight, we strike back!" Concluding his address, Burai stepped back into line, giving a somewhat uncharacteristically subdued nod of approval to the girl next to him.

"You heard him," Said Caben, smiling coolly at the apparent success of his plan. "We set out in an hour, so those of you in the Raid group, prepare yourselves. Everyone else, we'd be honored if you would attend our memorial service to those we've lost, and our dedication of future triumphs to their cause."

And just like that, the crowd dispersed throughout the park, mingling with the Raiders as they meandered amongst the tables, eating and drinking their fill. Flynn's food was a huge hit, with many people coming back for seconds, thirds, and even fourths - Burai included, although he did not draw as much attention to it as he might otherwise have. He still wasn't sure how to face Flynn, fearing he would grow attached to her - or worse, that she would grow attached to him - but liking her too much to simply push her away outright. She didn't deserve to be rejected. Not after what she'd lost. Even so, he couldn't...

He sighed, tucking down another sweet bun, and tossing a second to Kurogane where the wolf sat perched beside him on the bench. It seemed he wasn't the only one avoiding people, if the empty radius of about ten feet between him and everyone else in the park was any indication. As usual, he was the outcast of the group, but he supposed he didn't mind. There wasn't any point in connecting to other people. Not when he'd already made up his mind to end his days along with the virtual world of Sword Art Online.

But that wasn't the only reason he was avoiding others. He wanted some peace and quiet to think of strategies - backup plans to fall back on in case the worst should happen. The reality of his situation as leader was beginning to fully dawn on him, and the fact that other people might die for his mistakes becoming all too clear to see. He didn't want this, but he had no choice but to accept his role, and to do everything in his power to keep people from dying. He couldn't protect them. But, at the very least, he could face the dangers of the front in their place. With any luck, the formation would hold, and nobody would have to get hurt, or risk anything.

Well, nobody except him, but the boy had long since stopped viewing his life as something that mattered.

Butterflies arose in her stomach at the applaud and at Burai's nod. She found herself growing overly emotional, considering how shy and reserved she'd been years ago. If only you could see me now, Rose... She excused herself for a little time alone, wandering a fair distance away from the crowd and concealing herself behind a large tree. A cool breeze ruffled her hair as she withdrew the photograph once again. She clutched it to her chest, right where her heart was, and let her head hang down for a moment before she lifted her nose to the sky. A larger breeze sent her hair dancing across her face as well as her skirt blowing to the side, and a smile of confidence stretched her lips.

"I've come a long way, Rosie. I'm not the same girl who used to choke up and nearly start crying every time someone spoke to me." Her face turned a bit more solemn. "I'm not the same girl who lost all her hair in the hospital. I'm stronger now. My body may not be, for all I know I could be in critical condition, but..." She blinked hard and stared deep into the clouds as if she could see Rose nestled among the clouds. "My spirit is definitely as strong as it's ever been."

She slid down, sitting with a plop and her knees tight at her chest. She kept the photograph at her chest, though she didn't look at it, finding comfort in it simply being so close to her. She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds of the nature around her, even if they were fake. She heard the soft ruffling of leaves against the wind and the faint hum of the guild's excited voices. The fresh fragrance of grass soothed her, as well as the feeling of the sun against her face. She took a moment to appreciate that these things had been programmed, and also that pain hadn't.

For the first time since Rose died, she felt peace.

The day turned to night, and at last, when all the food was gone, and the fires had gone dim, the mood of solemn, yet hopeful celebration, both memorializing the lives that had been lost and ensuring their deaths had not been in vain began to change, turning to grim anticipation, and the Raiding party assembled in the center of the park. Burai himself rose, Kurogane following faithfully by his side.

"Alright, everyone. Everybody's roles are already decided, so there's just two things left to deal with. Firstly, as your commander, there are some rules I'm going to be enforcing. Rule number 1: Don't split the party." He raised a finger, counting up his decrees as he made them. "Rule number 2: Don't split the party. I CANNOT possibly emphasize this enough," He repeated, glaring at the group grimly to ensure his meaning was understood. "Rule number 3: To whichever group Flynn chooses to guard her: you are not to go any distance further away from her than can be closed by a single skill. She's lower level than you guys, and doesn't have nearly as much armor, so while she'll draw less threat, she'll also only take a hit or two to kill. Which brings me to rule number 4: Don't any of you dare die. If you die, I'll never forgive any of you. We can't afford to have casualties. Not when we're trying to raise morale." Trying to pass off his concern for their well being as simple pragmatism, he thus moved on to the next matter.

"Finally, we're also going to need to have Flynn choose the group that's going to guard her. Any preferences?" He asked, handing the group lists to her, glancing away as he did so to hide the awkward look on his face.

The lists were fairly simple. Each party was constructed according to Burai's earlier instructions. The only thing that might jump out at her was that one group had all three of the men who had ended up talking to her the previous afternoon. The first was Realdin, a towering lancer clad in the heaviest possible armor and wielding a spear and huge shield nearly his own size. He'd been the one to recognize her from her shop, and in addition, served the role of the party's tank. The other two - Schwarz, a lightly-armored, short young man with scruffy brown hair and a custom-made Estoc that was practically his own height, and Melgrim, a somewhat scrawny, gentle looking fellow with the appearance of a salaryman and a long two-handed sword - were two of the group's damage dealers, with the final spot of that sort being taken up by a short young lady with short-cropped dark hair, ominous black leather armor studded with spikes and adorned with steel skull iconography, and a gigantic battleaxe propped up by her side. She would have looked terribly gloomy, between her all-black ensemble and pale skin, were it not for the manic grin adorning her face, and the fact that she was currently walking on her hands. Her username was evidently Reize, as the only other listed name was another one Flynn might be familiar with - Vizer, that of the tall, lean sentry who had harassed Burai on the earlier day, and who was evidently commanding that party. Still, considering that the trio of Realdin, Schwarz, and Melgrim were all waving at her, beckoning her to come join them, she might have felt guilty about choosing the other party over their invitation.

(Great job, me. When in doubt, make more NPCs. -.-' This ALWAYS ends well.)

She took the list with big, curious eyes, hardly glancing over the names before she noticed the waving group. With a small bashful smile she pointed at the group on the list to Burai, much like she used to do when ordering at a restaurant and she was too scared to speak her order. "Them."

She was a little shy about joining such a welcoming group, and in a strange way she almost would have preferred being in one that would have just ignored her. She wasn't really used to having people trying to get to know her, which was really difficult for her. Her meeting with Rose was kind of similar.

Oh god.

She was supposed to pick a lab partner. This never went well. Either she ended up doing all the work and gave them both a perfect grade, which for them was undeserving, or she ended up with someone who bullied her the entire time. Her eyes moved quickly around the classroom, her hands beginning to shake, when they landed on a girl who was waving to her. She had gorgeous brown hair and blasting green eyes.

She didn't really know the girl. She saw her in the halls sometimes among large groups of people. She always seemed to be smiling and laughing, and from what she could remember she'd never really had a conversation with her. She timidly scurried over to her after making sure it was indeed herself that the girl had been waving to.

She sat down in the chair, not looking at the brunette, cheeks a deep pink. She nearly fell out of her chair when the girl smacked her head down right in her field of vision. "Hiya! You're Fallon Kurigata, right?"

I go by Flynn. "Yeah."

"I'm Rose! It's nice to meet ya! I already took the liberty of dividing up the work. We'll both be creating two mixtures and gathering our own supplies. We can record together."

Flynn sat up, looking at the girl with wide eyes.

There was something special about her.

Burai nodded, and swiftly moved on. "Vizer's party will deal with guarding Flynn, then. Bear in mind, you're protecting the most important part of the plan, so I'm counting on you guys to act accordingly." He seemed to be in a bit of a sour mood about her choice, however, as a momentary glare exchanged between him and the party leader showed. The look in his eyes seemed to be saying "If you let anything happen to her, I'll give you the same fate," but if that was his intention, he never spoke to confirm it.

"And, since a lot of you have asked about loot distribution, here's how it's going to work. I assume all of you know what Jankenpon is, don't you? Yeah. That's how we're doing things. There, problem solved. In any case, with all that said, I think we're just about done here. We've dallied long enough. Now it's time to go in there, and kick some ass." Raising a large blue crystal in his hand, he crushed it, releasing a large storm of light that shaped itself into a portal directly in front of them.

"This Teleport Crystal will put us past the traps in the entrance hall, so we won't have to worry about falling into a mini-bossfight like Seventh Star did. From there on out, however, it's all on us, so no slip ups. Set up your parties, and then let's head in." With that, he opened a menu, his hand hovering over the Party Invitation key as he remembered the last time he'd been in a party with someone. Shaking his head against the tragic memory, he resolved that he'd fight to the best of his ability to ensure that the same misfortunes weren't repeated again. Then, selecting Flynn's name, he sent the Party Request.

She had already been warmly welcomed by her new group, and Reize was being the warmest of all. She was standing rightside up again, though with one of her legs lifted up like a yoga pose. She was talking about how she wouldn't let anything lay a hand on Flynn, to which the others quickly agreed with.

She froze at the party request. The last time she'd seen that menu was... Her face hardened. No distractions. She accepted the request, the new name flickering into her field of vision. She took in a deep breath.

Nodding grimly to himself as the name flashed into view in the corner of his line of sight, Burai couldn't help but feel that it was wrong having someone else's identity filling the space where Ouka had once walked. Nevertheless, he'd accept this, even if it felt like betraying his sister's memory. It was just an alliance of convenience, nothing more, he told himself. He wouldn't have to involve himself, or protect anyone. He just had to scout the road ahead of them, manage the dangers of the dungeon, and keep his charges from ever risking their lives needlessly. He would take on all of the challenges and all of the danger, like he always did.

"Alright, then. If everyone's ready, there's no more time to waste. We set out now." Turning, the young knight laid a hand on the familiar weight of the sword that had always hung by his side, drawing the long weapon forth from its sheath and propping its flat against his shoulder. "Come on, Kuro," He called, beckoning the wolf to his right hand as he stepped forth and entered the portal, disappearing in a flash of light.

"You heard him," Hissed Vizer irritably, following his rival in an instant.

"Aye-aye, sir!" Declared the energetic berserker, Reize, performing an over the top salute as she stomped down on the blade of her enormous axe, somehow mustering the force to literally launch the titanic weapon into the air, where she caught it effortlessly and slung it over her back before marching in a comically over-the-top fashion into the gate.

"Alright. Stick close, everybody. Although, if anything attacks us on the other side, be ready to scatter so I can tank the hits and give you a chance to flank them." Giving these marching orders, Realdin turned to Flynn. "You especially," He added. "Remember, don't be hesitant to get behind my shield if the enemy starts attacking our group. We don't want you caught in the crossfire, above all."

"Don't worry so much," Said Schawrz, grinning as he swept forth his narrow-bladed thrusting sword from its sheath, miming a few practice swings to get the feel of its balance. "We'll cover you, princess!" Grinning in amusement at his own nickname for her, her turned for the portal, and, giving a similarly overdramatic pose to the berserker who had gone before him, bellowed out orders in a parody of their leaders. "Let the Stardust Brigade's Royal Guard advance! They can take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!"

"What they mean to say," Added Melgrim helpfully, translating for his friends' excessive mannerisms. "Is that they're pleased to make your acquaintance, and will be glad to help."

"Come on, everyone," Said Realdin, beckoning as he moved into the portal. "If the others get attacked in there and we're late to help, we'll never hear the end of it."

.....

Burai glanced around him. The area was dark compared to the outside, causing his eyes to take a moment to adjust to the half-light, but still, for an underground dungeon, it was actually rather well lit. Torches hung on the walls at regular intervals, illuminating a long, narrow corridor ahead of him, periodically interspersed by old, empty cells locked off by bars, occasionally populated by long-deceased skeletons, but not much else. A message appeared across his HUD, displaying the name of the area: Blackraven Castle. So it was supposed to be a literal castle dungeon, huh?

Kurogane gave a low growl by his side. The corridor ahead of him was fairly long, allowing him to see the source of this defensive reaction: Two lightly armored undead advancing rapidly towards him. As they came into targeting range, two health bars appeared next to each one.

"Two bars, huh? Must be elite class..." He muttered, raising his sword. "Einjerhar, is it? I see. You'd think a genius like Kayaba Akihiko would have known better than to put warriors from Norse mythology in a blatantly medieval castle. Well, then, might as well do a little testing and see what they've got!" Raising his own blade, he lunged forward as the monsters drew their own weapons - large battleaxes - and attacked.

Darting to the side as an axe cut through where he'd just been, he placed both hands on the hilt of his sword, triggering the rare skill he'd learned from a quest: Style Change. This ability wasn't a full fledged Unique skill, which provided moves accessible only to the user, but nevertheless, its effects, though mundane, were certainly worth the trouble he'd gone through to get them. It allowed him to swap between Two-Handed Sword and One-Handed Sword skills instantly, without ever opening the menu.

Giving a loud snarl, Kurogane lunged in close, latching on to the warrior's leg and biting into the back of its knee. The Einjerhar tripped, stumbling forward and falling to one knee as the force of its own swing, coupled with the Crippled Condition the wolf had just inflicted, forced it down. Its neck was wide open for a critical hit. Raising his blade over his head, Burai once more closed in, using a single hit, high-powered Sword Skill: Guillotine. Carving through the enemy's neck and back in a flash, he chained a second skill, dropping into a crouch and spinning to activate its counterpart: Reverse Guillotine, carving back upward and slashing the enemy in half vertically. To his surprise, his foe gave a cry of defeat and exploded instantly in a flash of blue pixels.

"High HP but no defense, huh?" He asked with a smirk, turning to face the second Einjerhar as it roared wordlessly, the force of its shout alone enough to send him skidding backward. Sweeping its axe towards the overbalanced knight, the monster counterattacked. "A knockback to keep me from dodging, then a high-damage skill? Not bad!" Burai roared, raising his sword to block. A resounding crash echoed down the corridor as the boy was once again sent skidding backward, his health points depleting noticeably even though he'd perfectly defended himself. "Go figure. Their strength is insane," He groaned, catching his breath as the monster roared again, closing to try the same tactic. The Knight leaped to the side as the invisible shockwave of the Einjerhar's shout passed him by. "That won't work twice!" He cried, switching back to a one-handed style. Ducking underneath the cut of the enemy's axe, he lunged back upward, his sword glowing a brilliant shade of silver as he triggered a five-hit sword combo: Dancing Hellwind. Opening with an upwards slash from right to left, he carved a gleaming gash across the enemy's torso, interrupting its attack and sending it staggering from the initial hit. Flicking his oversized sword backhanded, he brought it down in a direct vertical blow to the enemy's head, before spinning around to carve horizontally across its waist. The Einjerhar screamed as, twisting into a second upward strike, he mirrored his first cut across the opposite side of its body, before finally taking both hands on his sword, and, giving a triumphant bellow, severing its head in a single strike. The Einjerhar's howls echoed up and down the hall as it shattered into light, disappearing into nothingness.

In that same instant, the others began to appear behind him. Burai turned to face them, planting his sword.

"Alright, guys," He said. "It looks like the enemies here are high on Strength and Hitpoints, but have very little speed and defense. They chain stuns and powerful hits, so damage dealers need to stay back until the tanks have successfully blocked their strikes. Then, switch in and kill them as quickly as you can. They're Elite-class, so there shouldn't be too many spawns in each group. If we kite carefully, it won't be much trouble. Just bear in mind that the halls in here are pretty narrow, so whatever you do, don't get surrounded. I'll go on ahead and look for traps. You guys, move up a short distance behind me. Flynn, keep me updated if anything happens. Got all that?"

She stayed in the core of the group, surrounded on all sides by her guardians. She listened to Burai's orders through many bodies carefully. "Got it," She murmured through party chat. She moved at the same pace as them, keenly aware that she would be exceptional among the fighters but instead she was cowering. It was sad, really.

This was so much different from being in a party with just Rose. Everything seemed so well-organized and strategized. With their duo, they'd always gone into things head-first without a plan.

Maybe that's why she'd lost her.

"Fallon, get my back!"

A storm was hitting them hard on floor 53. Well, a storm was always on floor 53, but it never made it any less annoying. Tiny awkward Flynn and voluptuous Rose were battling a kraken-like monster. It was reared up, letting out a booming roar before striking down on Rose. She counter-attacked, sword slicing into one of the large tentacles as Flynn ran into play, water and mud spraying everywhere in her wake.

A large chunk of HP went down. Rose was the power of their group while Flynn was speed and defense. Skidding into Rose's place as they switched, Rose readied her power attack while Flynn began slashing at it, hitting the weakest points as it was confused. Right before it reared up for another hit Flynn and Rose switched, and Rose went in for the kill.

Skyrocketing into the air, her sword lit up a bright blue. Rays went out in all directions from the tip of her sword, shining like a brilliant star before she moved forward like lightning and sliced cuts in all directions on the creature. Due to the angles of the cuts, the body glowed like a blue sun with rays in all directions. The massive body exploded into millions of shards.

This was Rose's Unique skill: The North Star. An extremely deadly power attack, best for kills, but takes 15 seconds to charge and Rose loses a lot of energy, reasoning for it being an end attack. She fell to the ground, per usual after such a move, panting.

Flynn walked up beside her friend, kneeling beside her and pointing at the menu that had come up, silently conveying her joy in the loot they had won together. They were both drenched, water pouring down their faces and hair flat to their head. Rose, of course, looked magnificent while Flynn looked like a wet cat.

"By the way, Rose, call me Flynn."

Remembering this battle sent a wave of energy through her. She and Rose were unstoppable! They could defeat any monster, and they were never afraid. They made the perfect team!

...They used to, anyway. Flynn's heart dropped as if she'd lost her friend a second time. She almost forgot where she was for a second before snapping to reality. "Right, Burai, you better damn well tell me if anything bad starts happening to you. This team can't afford to lose a leader."

Burai raised an eyebrow, although whether that was because of Flynn's sudden warning or because of something else wasn't entirely clear, even to him. Sure, it was strange to hear Flynn, of all people, speaking so bluntly and forcefully, but on top of that, he'd never really thought about his own death as being a loss for anyone else. Sure, he was a good fighter and decent enough at keeping things in order... but did they really need him? Flynn was probably just being optimistic.

"I plan on it," He said regardless, turning towards the hallway once again. "Alright, then. Now that that's out of the way, we advance." He set off down the hallway, moving ahead of the group and stopping at intervals to consult Kurogane and see if he could detect any traps.

"The hell we can't afford to lose him," Muttered Vizer, seeming annoyed. "Right, whatever would we do without our fearless leader telling us to go straight when we're standing in a one-way hallway." He sighed. "Whatever. Let's just follow him so that if he gets himself killed we can at least use him as a distraction."

"That's cold, man," Schwarz said, whistling.

"Yeah, well in case you hadn't noticed, our fearless leader is kind of lacking in brains," Vizer shot back. "If he's too stupid not to run into a horde of enemies on his own because he wants all the loot and glory, then that's not my problem."

"Er, wait, didn't Burai say we would be dividing up the loot based on rock paper scissors?" Asked Melgrim pointedly. "What good would charging on ahead do him, in that case?"

"Don't ask me," Replied Vizer. "I don't know how that lunatic's head works."

.....

Burai sighed, dusting himself off and picking himself up off the ground. Having the walls suddenly dispense spears and try to kill you was hardly a pleasant experience, but at least Kuro had managed to warn him before it happened. If the others had walked into that trap, they'd probably have been short at least one party member by now. Opening his party chat window, he called Flynn. "Spear trap up ahead. It resets after it's been triggered, so although it popped on me, it'll still target you guys as well. When you reach the area just past the next cell, watch out for pressure plates on the floor. There are several. Looks like you can slip along the left side of the corridor without triggering anything, though, if you just hug the walls." His message delivered, he closed the window, glancing up ahead. It looked like the path went two different ways there. If he knew his game design, one was probably a trap, and the other contained the real path onward. How they'd tell, though, he had no idea.

Flynn nodded dutifully at this message even though he couldn't see it. She spoke loudly so the others could hear, her tone the same she used when she was being tactful.

"Alright, guys, spear trap ahead. It's gonna reset and there are pressure plates, but hug the left wall and we should be okay." She was vaguely aware of the fact Rose's sword was in her inventory, waiting for her to withdraw it and swing it at a foe.

In some ways, she missed the thrill of battle. The unknowing of what was to come, and the adrenaline rush from performing the killing blow on an attacker. But the best part of it all had been Rose, and with that puzzle piece missing she knew the bigger picture could never be fully complete.

She looked around her at the strong warriors moving forth. Some must have had bigger losses than her, and they were dealing with it in a much better way... She was angry at herself for that. She was able to pinpoint her angst into battle for a while, but grew tired in every which way.

So what was she now? She was a baker, sure, but that's not who she really was deep inside. That didn't begin to describe all she'd experienced. So really, she was nothing at all, for she had lost herself long ago.

The group did as they were told - some of them more willingly than others. Vizer grunted out something that sounded like "You heard her," and headed over to the far left side, seeming quite irritated with the team's arrangements. Reize came jauntily strolling afterward, humming a tune, and the other three swiftly followed. "Any sign of more enemies, princess?" Schwarz asked, grinning. "I just got this sword - kinda wanna test it out, y'know?"

.....

Burai watched both doors anxiously, waiting until the others came into sight. "Alright, everybody," He said. "It looks like the path splits in two here. If past experience serves me well, which it usually does, I'd guess that only one of these corridors leads onwards, while the other will probably spit us out in some trap-filled death pit or something. And, since Kuro's nose can only tell me so much, the only way to find out is to go in. As usual, I'll take the lead and keep an eye out for any trouble. I want you guys following ten paces behind me. That way, you should be far enough back as not to get caught in anything I might trigger accidentally, but close enough to engage any large groups of monsters that might be drawn to us. Keep in close formation, with a DPS player from each group bringing up the rear to warn us if anything closes in behind us." His intentions made clear, he turned to the doors, picked one at random, and pointed towards it.

"We'll start on the left side," He said. "With any luck, we won't have to come back to check the right."

"Okay, seriously?" Asked Vizer, seeming fed up. "We're just picking at random and strolling in? We have no idea what could be in there. If you just charge right into some death trap-"

"Then I'll be the only one who dies. Problem with that?" Burai interrupted, his eyes narrowing as he spoke coldly.

"Fine by me," Vizer replied, his voice equally cold. "Just so we're clear."

"None yet, but we have a hell of a lot of medieval dungeon to get through." She watched Burai in fascination, looking up to his leadership skills. She frowned a bit at his comment about death. He sure as hell wouldn't be as long as she was here.

The anticipation of what lay ahead was filling her body with anxiety. Her leg were slightly wobbly, and before long she was shaking like a leaf. It was most likely PTSD from her past experience, for this was the first time since Rose she was being faced with the possibility of seeing someone perish in front of her. She tried to stiffen her muscles to stop the incessant shaking, but it only caused a large ripple to go through her body before it began again.

"Alright, then. If that's settled, let's get moving," The White Wolf said with a sigh, turning back towards the passage, shouldering his heavy sword, and moving on. The rest of the raid group formed up closely, following at a short distance. The hallway ahead was oddly devoid of... well, anything really. Even the traps that had been so ubiquitous in the prior segments of the dungeon were nowhere to be seen, let alone monsters. Aside from the few Einjerhar they'd encountered, there had been very few mobs in this part of the dungeon, which was very unusual. Burai narrowed his eyes, wondering if there was something important here, like a quest item they'd need to advance, or a rest area. It would make sense to have slightly less danger in an area meant to be a staging point. That was just simple game logic. On the other hand, though, it made him feel like he was walking right into a...

With a loud clang, a series of portcullises locked in the hallway behind the party, sealing them inside just as Burai himself emerged into a wide open room, like a vast arena. As the Raiders began to cry out in surprise and fear, swiftly closing around Flynn in a defensive wall, Einjerhar began pouring into the area from several entrances, beginning to close in on the main entrance though which Burai had inadvertently led them.

"Trap..." He muttered, finishing his thought far too late. Bracing himself, he leveled his sword, glancing back only long enough to bark out a few quick orders to his comrades. "Group B, stand back in the entrance and guard Flynn! So long as you keep inside the corridor, they can only reach you a few at a time! Tanks, take the front and draw aggro, then switch with DPS for quick kills! Group A, wedge formation around me. We'll strike out at each group as they attack and thin the herd, then retreat back behind B-Group's shield wall to use our crystals and-"

A red aura filled the room as the hearts of all the experienced players therein filled with dread. A No-Crystal area, one of the most deadly traps in all of Sword Art Online.

"...Heal. Damnit, why do I even open my mouth?" Burai hissed. "Alright, new plan. Everybody stick in the door. I'll try to pull apart the enemy groups and lead them back one by one. You guys just camp and kill them all."

"You dumbass! That's your master plan?! You're gonna get us all killed! We have plenty of space, we should keep moving and take them out as we go!" Protested Vizer.

"Are you crazy?! You'd draw every mob in the whole room to us running around like that!" Nevertheless, the sentinel had evidently had enough, and was already barking out orders for his own party to keep skirting around the edges of the room. Torn as to what to do, Flynn's guard hesitated, unsure of whose orders to follow. On the one hand, Burai was an experienced player, but he had very little knowledge when it came to party combat by comparison to their own leader. All of them knew that, and so at last, reluctantly, they assented, following him as he began to rush out along the side of the room, dragging Flynn along in their wake.

"You idiots!" Burai screamed in rage. "Alright, A Group, come on! If we don't thin out the mobs, Vizer's going to draw the attention of everything in the whole room!" Once again, however, he was ignored, the first party simply ignoring him as they hastily retreated into the back corner, seeing their formation broken and not wanting to risk themselves following Burai. "Damnit! Kurogane, come on, we're going!" He cried, desperate now, as he turned to face the oncoming horde. Unless somebody did something about the quite vast group of enemies assembled at the heart of the room, Vizer's reckless advance into the arena would aggro more enemies than even the experienced squad could handle. While they thought they'd be able to evade them using the wide open area of the arena, those Einjerhar were no pushovers. With their high mobility and repeated stun skills, they'd be able to overwhelm the less mobile members of the group. Burai could already see how it would end. Realdin would be the first to go, his heavy armor and weaponry keeping him from avoiding being knocked back. He'd be cornered, surrounded, and torn to pieces. Reize and Schwarz would go next, trying to cut their way to help their partner only to draw the attention of the whole horde. They'd find themselves facing the same fate, surrounded on all sides by enemies and unable to exercise the mobility they so relied on. They would die in seconds. Vizer, seeing his troops fall, would retreat back to the door and hide behind Party A, leading all of the Einjerhar with him to attack them. Even with the advantage of positioning, without being able to heal, their tanks would be unable to withstand the assault. And once they fell, the others would find themselves cornered. If that happened, Flynn would definitely be killed.

It was all so plain to see. In a single instant, he could already witness every last second of the massacre that would follow. He could already see in his mind's eye as everyone who was depending on him disappeared into blue pixels, and vanished from the world. They were all going to die.

No.

No!



"DAMN IT ALL!" He cried, bracing himself against the ground and hurling himself forward with enough force to shake the very room they stood in. The Einjerhar massing at the center of the room, already turning their gaze towards the small party trying to snake its way around them, stopped in their tracks, several groups turning to face the incoming streak of silver as Burai gave a keening, wild howl of rage, slamming into them from behind. A one-handed Thrust skill impaled one through the chest, before chaining into an unarmed Roundhouse Kick skill, sending the victim flying into its comrades, bowling several over. Activating Style Switch, he let loose a flurry of three crushing two-handed blows, carving through two more Einjerhar with ease. But this was a small victory. There were at least two dozen, maybe more, left over - and most, if not all of them were now focused entirely on him.

Nevertheless, he couldn't stop. He had to keep attacking, to keep cutting through their assembled numbers before they could recuperate. If they ever got the chance to mount a counterattack, he would die. So, he had to keep on striking them down as fast as they stood up, and kill as many of them as he could before they could overwhelm either him or the second party - because if any single member of the Raid fell, the others would die soon after.

"I'll kill you..." He snarled, a murderous fire burning in his eyes as he took his sword with both hands at his side and launched forward, whirling to the side as a recovering Einjerhar frantically attempted a counterattack, carving downward with its giant axe only to find its hands severed at the wrists by a vicious upward blow. Spinning around, Burai chained on a second skill, this time a one-handed horizontal cut, decapitating the wounded enemy with ease. With a shriek, another Einjerhar came leaping at him from the right, only to find itself snatched by the face with tremendous strength, dragged off its feet by the prodigious boy, and quickly bisected by an upward blow.

The Wolf smirked, almost forgetting for a moment to be afraid. He was somewhat overleveled for this area, allowing him to carve through the mobs within it with ease. That was right... So long as he had his sword in his hands and his enemies before him, there was nothing he couldn't kill!

"I'LL KILL EVERY-" He batted aside an incoming axe with his armored hand, ignoring the flash of red that spurted from his wrist and the corresponding depletion of his health bar. "LAST!" He howled, leaping into the air and crushing the entire head of his enemy with a mighty blow of his sword. "ONE OF YOU!" He finished, landing in a crouch and sweeping his blade in a wide circle around him, slashing across the legs of the enemies he'd landed amidst and sending them staggering backward, several falling to the ground only to have their throats torn out by Kurogane, who had now also leaped into the fray to defend his master.

"DISAPPEAR!" Screamed the White Wolf, his voice hoarse and face wild with fury as he rose, deflecting the incoming strike of a recovering enemy, then grabbing it by the wrist with his free hand and hurling it past him, slamming it into one of its wounded allies. "JUST... DISAPPEAR!" He shrieked, reducing both to a splatter of crimson pixels with another wild stroke of his sword.

"I think..." Murmured Realdin, watching in combined awe and horror. "I think he's finally lost his mind."

"I think we're the ones who've gone crazy," Chimed in Reize. "All those mobs were about to go after us. He was right the whole time. If he hadn't jumped in, then..."

"But how long can he keep this up?" Schwarz asked skeptically. "I mean, sure, he's killing them right and left, but more just keep coming. He's almost completely surrounded."

"If we don't do something..." Melgrim said quietly. "He's going to get himself killed."

"That's his problem..." Hissed Vizer. "If we move in now, all of us die."

"And if we don't, he will!" Reize shouted back desperately. Time was running out. Soon, Burai would be completely surrounded, and then, for all his strength, it would be all over.

(Don't have Flynn jump in just yet. I have a little bit of a plan for how this is gonna go. Suffice to say, Flynn will get her chance to shine. :3)

Flynn watched in complete and utter horror. The world around her was spinning and the voices she heard were muffled. All she was focused on was Burai and the battle he was currently in. She had stopped shaking, instead completely paralyzed. How would she ever forgive herself if he died due to her refusal to jump in and help?

She staggered back, eyes wide, bumping into one of the Raiders accidentally but being too out of it to acknowledge it. She was hugging her arms to her chest tightly, as if physically holding herself together. He... was going... to die...

The enemy was everywhere. Twisting to the side, Burai barely avoided being struck head on by the heavy stroke of an axe, only to find himself caught by the shockwave of one of the Einjerhar's roars, sending him skidding backward, right into the path of another attack. A surge of scarlet light filled the air as an axe tore across his back, sending his health bar spiraling downward to the halfway point. Frantically struggling to keep his balance, he plunged his sword backward through the body of the enemy who had attacked him, then ripped it forth in a display of brute strength, slashing using a backhanded sword skill to deflect the dashing assault of three more Einjerhar. As they stumbled, Kurogane leaped upon one of them, plunging his claws into its eyes while Burai leaped upon another one, locking his sword with the haft of its axe. Bringing up a knee to strike it in the gut, he then swung his head wildly forward, headbutting it without even using a sword skill. Yet, despite this, the force alone of his wild assault was enough to knock the enemy flat on its back. He raised his sword over his head, a disturbing laugh escaping his wickedly grinning lips as he plunged it into the Einjerhar's body again and again, sending a shower of crimson light erupting into the air from each and every wound. The last remaining Einjerhar of the first group, regaining its footing, came rushing at him from behind, emitting another shocking roar as it did so. The boy was knocked backward, losing his grip on his sword, which remained stuck firmly in the corpse into which he'd been stabbing it. Placing a hand on the ground to steady himself, Burai skidded to a stop, looking up just in time to see his foe raising its axe to crush him. He sneered, launching himself into a handspring sideways, evading the first strike and rising to his feet. The Einjerhar, undeterred, spun around, dealing a wild horizontal chop meant to bisect him. Twisting sideways, he spun away from the attack, then lunged inward, grabbing his enemy by the wrists and forcefully twisting the axe from within them, a simulated crack resounding through the air as the Einjerhar's "bones" - or what virtual equivalents it had - snapped from the strain, leaving his hands paralyzed as Burai snatched the axe and broke its body into pieces with a single swing, hurling the weapon as he did so to embed it firmly in the head of one of the incoming members of the next group. Taking up his sword once again with shaky hands, he drew back his head, throwing open his arms as a mirthless, maniacal smirk broke out across his lips. Unexpectedly, he laughed, his twisted, perhaps even psychotic cackling resounding through the arena as, at last, all remaining enemies in the arena focused solely on him. Surrounded at last, he raised his weapon, the wolf at his back snarling with anticipation as they stood at the center of a vast circle of foes, preparing for one last stand.

...And then, in the next instant, the circle was broken as, matching his laughter with an equally maniacal peal of her own, Reize entered the fray, scattering at least five enemies with a single sweep of her enormous axe. She, like him, could best have been described as a berserker in fighting style. However, unlike the Knight, who favored a balanced stat built equally focused on speed, power, and defense, Reize had poured all of her stats into strength, so as to deal as much raw damage as possible. Even though she was at least 10 levels lower than Burai, she thus had even more power than he did lying behind her every blow.

"Enjoying yourself, Burai?" She called, smirking as an Einjerhar opened its mouth to immobilize her with one of its screams, only to find itself silenced by the needle-like blade of an Estoc piercing clean through its windpipe as Schwarz landed behind it. Struggling on the blade that had pierced it, the Einjerhar tried to break free, only to have its insides splattered as an enormous lance ran it clean through, and a second two-handed sword severed its head. Realdin and Melgrim advanced through the opening, positioning themselves beside Burai as Schwarz and Reize followed suit.

"Everyone, advance and protect the commander!" Realdin called out, assuming command of the terrified and disorganized expedition. "A Group, move to protect Flynn! Vizer, get your head out of your ass and do something!"

"Everyone..." Burai murmured, his eyes widening in surprise. The fools. They'd come jumping in to save him even when it meant drawing the wrath of the remaining Einjerhar? Didn't they know that they might get killed? He couldn't protect them alone. He'd just proven that. And yet, they were risking themselves for him? Unacceptable... he'd just have to fight harder! "Everyone, begin falling back towards the entrance!" He yelled, giving his orders. "Flynn, join up with Squad A to avoid being targeted! These enemies behave aggressively, rushing whenever they can. We'll lure a few at a time, and cut them down as they come while backing up to avoid being overrun, then counterattack when we get the chance!" Stepping back, he withdrew a basic healing potion - an item which healed much more slowly than a crystal, but would also be unrestricted by the No-Crystal Area - from his inventory, and downed it in one gulp, trying to recover his HP as quickly as possible so that he could help with the counteroffensive. Too scared to risk being isolated and killed, Vizer swiftly retreated back to the safety of his allies, who began backing through the opening created by the attack of the second party. The first group, seeing that the others had rallied and were holding their own, reluctantly advanced, swiftly surrounding Flynn in a defensive formation while those who had been supposed to guard her remained at the front with Burai. The Einjerhar, for their part, massed themselves around the group, swiftly beginning to lunge forward and attack. Yet, for all their ferocity, they were beaten back by each player they struck out at, Realdin beating back the blows of two axemen and impaling one with his spear while Melgrim cut down the remaining assailant in a few swift, powerful blows. Reize smashed through a line of charging enemies, and Schwarz darted forward in the wake of her mighty blow, striking another at least a dozen times in the blink of an eye before flipping backwards and landing amidst their group once again. As this second group of Einjerhar vanished into light, a third charged forward, and the party retreated once again, repeating their earlier tactics. And yet... something was different this time. A shape caught Burai's eye amidst the massed enemy forces. A head taller than its comrades, it was clad from head to toe in jet black armor, and wielded an enormous sword of a matching hue. Trying to target it, he at last succeeded... and gaped as eight health bars displayed, accompanied by the name of what was most certainly a boss-class monster: Siegfried.

How? How was a boss here? This wasn't the Floor Boss chamber, and usually, apart from a few exceptions, that was the only boss monster in a dungeon. Then, it hit him. Seventh Star had been wiped out by a trap which included a miniboss, because they'd fallen into the chamber through a breaking floor and hadn't been able to escape. Looking up, Burai saw to his horror that there most certainly was an open hole in the ceiling, so far above him. This was the trap that the other clearing guild had unwittingly dropped into. This boss had killed an entire clan. He opened his mouth to cry out a warning, but already, it was too late. The Boss stepped forward, sweeping its sword upward and slamming it into Realdin's shield. The force alone, even though he'd blocked it, sent him flying backward several feet. Rushing to cover him, Melgrim cried out a warning as he tried to strike at the enemy, only to have his blade turned away and a single, vicious cut dealt across his back, sending him, too, rolling across the ground, where he at last lay prone, unmoving. His health depleted nearly to the red zone. Schwarz and Reize, seeing the new arrival, darted to each side of it, hastily trying to finish off its remaining guards, only to be knocked into it by the last Einjerhar's shout, and struck backward, slammed into the far wall of the arena. Vizer, cutting down the last Einjerhar in the next instant, only realized then that he was alone on the front line. He turned to run... only to be impaled through the torso in a single, fluid motion as the towering boss moved like lightning, stabbing him once, then withdrawing its sword with an almost casual air.

Vizer's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to cry out... then exploded in a flash of light, shattering into countless pixels as his HP bar reached zero. Wounded during the fight with the Einjerhar, he hadn't had enough remaining life points to withstand such a powerful, direct attack, and had been killed instantly.

In an instant, seeing all their allies either incapacitated or killed within seconds, Squad A began to turn and flee to the edges of the arena, leaving only Burai standing between the boss and Flynn. Realizing this, he began to backpedal, raising his blade as he prepared to fight. "Flynn! Get away!" He cried out, turning his head back for just a split second. That lack of attention proved his undoing as, in an instant, Siegfried closed the distance, sliding across the surface of the ground and dealing a wild uppercut that slammed into Burai's own Stardust Fang, a flash of black and white colliding as the boy gave a cry of surprise, trying to stand his ground but ultimately staggering backward. His eyes widened as he eyed his health bar, which plummeted down, down, down, and stopped just an inch short of totally empty. "This is what happens even when I block him?!" He wondered, eyes wide with what might have been fear. "Tch... No wonder this monster could take down an entire guild... I won't accept this... I won't let you live to kill anyone else!" He growled, clutching his own weapon tightly. "Kuro! Guard Flynn at all costs! Group B: retreat and use potions to regenerate. Group A, just go cower in a corner or something for all I care! I'll keep this thing occupied by myself if I have to!" Lunging forward, his cloak billowing out around him as he leaped at the black knight, he swept up his blade, aiming a mighty blow for the boss' head. Siegfried planted itself firmly, raising its blade to parry the incoming stroke, turning it up and away. Undeterred, Burai twisted his blade back around, spinning to the side to strike again from the opposite angle. But the boss merely raised an armored gauntlet, jet black energy surrounding its hand as it used a guard skill, batting aside the incoming stroke and breaking Burai's momentum completely, sending him stumbling back. The Black Knight lunged, bringing down its enormous blade in a wild, one-handed stroke, forcing Burai to roll to the side, then handspring backward as it swept its blade back upward, sweeping it towards him as though swatting a fly. Skidding backward, he found himself up against the wall of the arena. Siegfried, seeing its target cornered, once more lunged, sliding forward and aiming a precise yet vicious thrust for Burai's heart. Rebounding off the wall, the small form of the white knight flipped clear over the head of his dark adversary, engaging one of his best skills as he did so. Meteor Blitz was a one-handed counterattack, meant to be used from the air to avoid a strike, then deal a large amount of damage while one's adversary was open. Righting himself midair, he brought his blade down, slashing across the boss' back before landing and dealing a precise horizontal cut as he rose, spinning this all the way around and twirling his blade to slash upward twice more from both left and right, then drawing back and stabbing his sword clean through his target. Siegfried stumbled forward from the force of the attack, catching itself on the wall and flinging itself about as Burai drew back, forcing the boy to throw himself backward to avoid being decapitated by a wild sweep of the boss' huge blade. Trying to catch his balance, however, Burai faltered for a moment, only to find his enemy having closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye with speed that belied its large form. He opened his mouth to cry out, only to be silenced by a vicious punch straight to the jaw that was dealt with enough force to pick him up from the ground and send him flying backward, rolling for several feet across the ground before he finally managed to plant his sword in the earthen floor, abruptly halting his momentum and allowing him to pull himself weakly up into a crouch. His health bar had almost entirely emptied, and he realized to his horror that it wouldn't last him another hit, even if he tried blocking. If the boss managed to get even one more blow so much as close to him... he'd die. And if he fell, then Flynn would be in danger.

"I won't let you hurt them..." He murmured, forcing himself to his feet as he gasped for the wind that had been knocked out of him by the giant's last attack. "I won't let you hurt them!" He repeated again, the same fire as before burning in his eyes. "I won't let anyone else die!" He roared, leveling his sword for one last counterattack. But even before he made his move, it was clear what the outcome of this fight would be. The knight, tired, on his last legs, and standing alone, would eventually be whittled down and dispatched with the same ease as his party members. In fact, even though he'd landed a full combo of hits on the enemy, it still had seven health bars left. He wasn't even close to winning. Yet, even though it was obvious he'd die, the White Wolf never gave up, standing his ground with a determination and fearlessness that was unparalleled amongst the other Raiders. But perhaps it might better have been likened to insanity. He knew nobody would save him. He knew he would die. And yet still he fought, and for what? What purpose would his death serve? It was as though he had no self-preservation instinct whatsoever.

"At this point, the outcome's pretty much settled, huh...?" He murmured, assuming nobody could hear him. He'd forgotten that as a member of his party, Flynn could hear every word he said, could grasp the despair in his voice as he spoke to loved ones long gone to him. "I guess I'll be joining you soon... Sorry it's taken me so long. But I'm finally... coming home."

Bracing himself against the ground, he leveled his sword with one hand as Siegfried gave a battle cry, charging at him from across the arena. "Come on..." He snarled, a twisted, mirthless grin appearing on his face, almost managing to conceal the faint traces of liquid that trailed from his eyes as he turned to face his adversary for the last time. "Come at me, you bastard!" He hissed. "I'll give you a few more scars to remember me by!"

The Black Knight swung.

The White Wolf lunged.

The two shapes blurred past one another, their blades glinting in the torchlight.

Then, an explosion of crimson pixels erupted from the shoulder of the boss, and another one of its HP bars dropped to zero. But the boy, exhausted by the battle, could not follow up on this small victory, stumbling momentarily as he tried to balance himself, gasping for breath. In an instant, the boss turned about, enraged, and charged once again, its sword raised to skewer Burai in an instant.

The outcome was obvious to see.

Burai was going to die.

Flynn was watching in complete and utter terror. He was going to die in front of her like Vizer. Like Rose. Her eyes widened.

The dungeon was illuminated by fiery golden sunlight. The grass was a deep green, and trees and flowers littered the area. Instead of looking like a park the appearance of the place was more magical than anything. It was beautiful, really, and Flynn really enjoyed it. Still, it was the boss room.

The boss was Rekka, Raging Fire, a minotaur based on brute strength. It was floor 63, and the team thought it was going to be a piece of cake.

It's four health bars was lowered to two and they were both nearly full health. Rose was particularly confident in this battle. After landing a critical horizontal strike, she retreated back. "Flynn, I think I can take it out with North Star."

Flynn evaded an attack. "That's too dangerous, Rosie. Just stick to the usual."

"I can do it!" She argued. She began charging her attack, beams of energy racing down her sword. "I want you to realize how strong I am..." She murmured, more to herself than anyone.

This had gained her attention, and she turned to the side. "Rose, no-!" Using her depleted focus, the beast had raised its weapon and brought it down upon Flynn, who went skidding into a large boulder. She looked up, dazed, her health depleted significantly. This thing was slow and easy to kill, but it definitely dealt some damage.

Then she saw the shining of the North Star attack. She sliced her cuts into the beast. An explosion of light followed, and Rose fell back on her knees, panting as she stared at the creature, momentarily believing she had ended it.

There was still a full bar of health left. Flynn quickly withdrew a health potion, bringing her back to full health, before running over to protect her vulnerable friend. But she was too weak, Flynn was too late. The beast brought its axe down with a mighty force, depleting Rose of all her health.

"Fallon, whatever you do, keep fighting. I love you." The voice was rushed, and incredibly weak, before she exploded in a thousand pixels.

A minute later and the beast was dead, brutally slaughtered in a fit of Flynn's rage. She hardly acknowledged her new Rare skill, or the items gained, before she was at the place where her friend had died.

Sunlight filtered in through the sky, like a beam sent from Rose. Flowers covered the expanse of land where she had fallen, mainly white lilies and..
Roses.

"Call me Flynn," She had whispered, before she'd lost it completely.

The beast had raised its axe.

She remembered Rose vanishing into pixels.

She could picture Burai.

Her sword was out in an instant, glimmering fire amongst the candle light. She ran forward just in time to intercept the beast of its attack. She blocked with her sword, and unlike the others, she did not move from her placement and her health did not deplete. Due to all her years of playing defense for Rose, combined with her strength, agility, and mere high level, it did nothing to her. With a powerful outward push, it was clear she had been sent into a fury like when Rose died. The monster itself couldn't handle Flynn's strength, and was sent skidding backwards a few feet. At this opportunity, almost immediately, she ran forward with her weapon ready, raising it and doing a series of slashes against its torso. With no time to react in her speed of slashing, its health was already going down.

She pulled back, rage filling her up to her very core mixed with the intense need to protect Burai. The monster had almost four health bars left.

She hardly noticed the light charging up the blade of her sword, a bright red light. When she did, it was spinning, and she could feel that it was an attack She just had to...

Follow through with!

Unique Skill Learned: Fire of Fury

The beam of light exploded out the end of her sword, racing towards the foe like a bullet. It shot him in the chest, causing him to fall back. His health depleted almost immediately to half a bar.

Using this advantage, she raced forward and raised her sword, bringing it down to sink it into his skull. His whole body jerked, causing her to fly off, sword still in hand, though because of her cat-like reflexes she landed on her feet in time to watch the monster explode into blue pixels.

The boy stumbled forward, slumping to his knees in anticipation of the blow to come. However, that fatal strike never came, the release of death disappearing in an instant as, in a flash of light, a small shape blurred into view. At first, he'd thought the rapidly moving form was Schwarz, the fastest member of the Stardust Brigade, parrying the incoming attack to protect the white haired knight. However, looking back to see what had happened, he was surprised to see two things. Firstly, that the final blow was already being struck... and secondly, that it was Flynn, the very person he'd planned on sacrificing himself to protect, who had saved him. His eyes widened as he realized that Caben had meant exactly what he'd said, and that his suspicions had been correct all along. Flynn was most certainly a veteran player, and at least a semi-active one at that, to be highly leveled enough to defeat a boss-class monster in just a couple strikes.

"Flynn..." Gasped Realdin, staggering to his feet. "You're..." He didn't seem to believe it - that the meek, kind baker he'd recognized was actually an even greater warrior than himself.

"-a total badass!" Finished Reize, leaping to her feet and surprising the small girl with an excited hug. "You just saved all our lives!" She squealed, glomping the unknown hero.

"No. Not all of them," Said Schwarz grimly.

"Although the cause of Vizer's death was his own recklessness," Melgrim said quietly. "That doesn't change the fact that we lost another clearing player today."

"If we'd known you could hold your own, we could have afforded to be a little more spread out. As it was, that boss mowed us all down before we had a chance to counterattack," Schwarz observed. "No offense, of course. I'm not blaming you for our failure, or anything."

"In any case," Said Burai gravely. "There's no sense in looking back on what's already happened and regretting things we can't change. Vizer knew what could happen if we were careless, and yet he disregarded orders and spread our numbers dangerously thin. He accepted the possibility of his own death. What came after was his responsibility."

"Whoo," Whistled Schwarz casually. "That's cold, man."

"I prefer to think of it as being realistic," Burai retorted. "In any case, today, we've avenged Seventh Star. If I had to guess, this room is a one-time trap. Now that we've cleared it, we have the perfect staging area for future expeditions. We've completed our stated goal, so there's no sense going further and risking losing anyone else now that we're all exhausted. Bind your crystals to this room, and then somebody use a return crystal. We're done here."

Turning away, Burai wandered over to where the boss, Siegfried, had met its end, reaching down amidst the dust of its shattered body and withdrawing an item. In an instant, the monster's giant sword appeared in his hand, and he smirked approvingly. Holding up the blade Nothung, he turned once more to face his party.

"This is the sign of our victory. It'll make a fine memorial to those who died here. Any objections?" He asked, looking around to see if anyone would try to claim the unneeded item - the only two-handed sword wielder in the room was Melgrim, who already had a custom-made legendary-class weapon of his own - to find the party silent. "None? Good. In that case, let's head back."

He walked past Flynn, glancing back at her as he did so. As the other members of the party stepped into the newly appeared portal one by one, returning to the city they'd only recently departed from, Burai stood his ground, until the room was entirely empty.

"Why did you save me?" He asked quietly. "You could have been hurt or killed, and you know full well that after a display like that, you won't be allowed to just return to your peaceful life. If you ask me... it wasn't worth it." Turning to face her, he repeated his earlier words with an expression of mingled frustration, anger, and guilt. "Those who have something to lose have no place on the front lines. The fact that you ran away is testament to your hesitation. It proves that you've got something you don't want to give up. Whether it's your life on the other side or your life here doesn't matter. The point is... you don't deserve this. You don't have to sacrifice whatever it is that's important to you. Even if it is to save others, giving up a life that still means something is too steep a price to pay. So why? Why did you step in? I was ready to die. I accepted that possibility the moment I took up this sword. Unless you can say the same, then you've only lost your way in the long run, and gained nothing."

She moved a few paces back upon the defeat of the boss, breathing heavily. She almost fell down when Reize attacked her, seeming completely out of it. She didn't audibly respond to anybody's cries of confusion or pleasure, instead just nodding and smiling distantly.

She felt herself growing nervous as Burai approached her, and then sat silently like a child being caught misbehaving.

"I didn't stop fighting to live a peaceful life. I stopped fighting because I... I gave up. I was so exhausted. I was going to just kill myself, but... I guess I just wanted to help people any way I could. So I started cooking for them." She looked away from him, her expression grim as she continued, "I don't want to go back to how I was. I want to fight again. The friend I lost... she wanted me to. And I can't just give up, you know? I need to help."

She took a deep breath. "I want to speak to Caben about a permanent position in the Stardust Brigade."

"Even so... if a person like you were to die, it would still be a loss, to me," Burai murmured quietly. A moment later, realizing how what he'd just said must have sounded, he hastily continued, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I mean... You can still reach out to others, even knowing what it's like here, and what might happen. You can help people in ways that don't involve fighting. And... I'm sure you must have at least somebody waiting for you in the world outside!" Burai seemed surprisingly earnest, as though now he was trying to reassure her rather than dissuade her. Hearing that she'd planned to commit suicide, like he still did, had probably been the turning point. He had nothing left to live for, and thus, his life was as good as forfeit. But her... it wasn't too late to save Flynn. He might not have been able to protect her from dangers external, but the least he could do was protect her from herself!

"You don't have to throw all that away just because you've lost someone important to you," He continued quietly. "It's not too late to turn back! You can still take what you have left, be strong, and move on. You can still try to live for what's waiting for you outside of Aincrad." His voice seemed to be rising in desperation, as though there was something he wanted terribly to say but he couldn't quite bring himself to do so. "You can still smile, and make others smile with you. That's proof you haven't lost everything yet. You don't have to do this to yourself, least of all for the sake of a person who's already left all that behind him." He turned away, at last breathing out in a choked whisper the words he hadn't been able to utter to anyone before. "Don't fight. Don't risk yourself. Don't cross lines you don't have to. Don't... don't die...! You don't have to become like me!" Mustering his courage, he gazed forward with a sort of paradoxical look that was equal parts despair and resolve. "I won't let you become like me!" He repeated himself more forcefully, the mere boy underneath the tough, knightly exterior of the White Wolf showing for a split second as the deadness in his eyes faded away, revealing the broken, scarred, and lonely youth beneath.

It was in that moment that Burai realized why it really was he was so afraid. It was because no matter how hard he tried to detach himself, this time, he simply couldn't. He couldn't run away from the things he'd left unsaid any longer, nor could he hold back the pent up feelings inside him any more. It was a simple, yet terrifying thing that had prompted all this, he realized. Quite simply, just by looking at Flynn, he wanted to protect her, even though he knew what might happen if he invested himself. He wanted to see her smile, hating himself for the tears he'd forced her to shed. He wanted her to escape, to live the happy life she'd deserved. He wanted... he wanted to be by her side, so that he, who had cried and lost everything, might share in the joy that radiated from her smile. Even if he had nothing left, so long as she would keep smiling, it didn't matter what happened. He would fight with his life on the line a thousand times over rather than see that smile disappear, least of all into the cold darkness of death. It was too late for him to ever reclaim the things he'd lost. But, at the very least, if he could help her hold on to what was precious to her, then his life would have had a meaning after all. And thus, he came to realize exactly why he was so scared, so uncertain, and so afraid of interacting with Flynn.

It was because she'd made him feel again.

So long as he had no hope, he could fight without any difficulties, because he knew no matter what he did, the end result would be the same. He was guaranteed to leave the world as empty-handed as he had come into it, to leave nothing undone and nobody to mourn him. His pointless existence would simply vanish, and that would be that.

But if he had something to protect, all that changed. He couldn't die, or else lose the thing he so cared about. Suddenly, every second he drew breath as a second where something precious to him was in danger, where any wrong move could cause him to lose everything again. Suddenly, his very heart was at stake, and after so long of playing the disinterested loner, he didn't know how to handle that. No, perhaps it could better be said that he couldn't handle it at all - and that fact terrified him.

She thought about all the people shed left behind in the real world, her eyes turning to a distant glare as she pictured the faces of those who were probably holding their breath for her to survive and come back every second.

The only faces that came up were her parents. Her mother with long silky strawberry colored hair and a soft face with pale blue eyes, and her father with dark bushy hair and the hazel eyes that she adorned.

She had seen them put on strong exteriors when the cancer had gotten hard, pretending that they weren't being torn apart from the inside out. They'd always put her before them, in every aspect, and sacrificed their own comfort in the process. She'd always felt guilty and simply lacked the courage to confront them about the situation.

So what if they found out she had died, and not from the cancer, but from Aincrad? They would be crushed that she had lost the drive to fight for her life which had had at least a chance at coming through. That after the cancer, which she'd beaten miraculously (somewhat like the monsters in which plaque this damned floating castle) she'd still given up everything and let herself waste away.

As for anyone else, she wouldn't really leave a trace. Sure, her face may appear on the local news as another sad loss due to the mass murderer Akihiko Kayaba. All people might give her was a passing second of remorse, and perhaps her classmates who never took the time to get close to her would attend a memorial or funeral for the girl they'd hardly known.

As for Rose? Flynn knew she was a big loss, a tragedy, even. Along with her parents, the whole school was probably still mourning her loss. After losing someone like Rose, how would Flynn even get her mere second of remembrance?

She wasn't made for the spotlight anyway, though. The fact that she would be hurting anyone, much less her dear sweet parents, was enough for her. She couldn't leave them behind, Burai was right.

"I do a lot of dumb things, Burai. But one of them is not going to be dying." She said firmly.

Well, not on her own accord, anyway. The cancer felt like a knife constantly held to her throat. She never knew when it was going to rip her away from existence.

The way Burai had been so concerned about her raised another issue for her to mentally work through. If she was going to do this, she needed to put on a facade. She had to be strong, even when she was feeling so, so weak. She needed people to believe in her. The aspect of anyone looking up to her was a slightly unwanted and downright terrifying one, but if she was going to be once again on the frontlines she knew she had to take responsibility for her actions.

She couldn't be scared anymore. She couldn't be weak. She had to take what she'd learned from Rose and put it to real use.

"Don't hold your breath on me. Sword Art Online isn't gonna be what takes my life." She restated her conclusion with a slightly more forceful tone, equipping her sword behind her back like how she used to instead of tucked away in her inventory.

Flynn Casanova was really quite different from Fallon Kurigata.

Burai turned away, seeming far from reassured by her statement. Actually, if the look in his eyes was any indication, he seemed... disappointed? Afraid? Angry? It couldn't be said for sure, but something about what Flynn had just said seemed to have upset the youth.

"Nobody plans on dying," Burai said quietly. "Nobody who has anything to live for, anyway. That doesn't change the fact that it still happens. Just remember that fact, and try not to get yourself killed. Maybe you'll live to regret your recklessness that way." Speaking these harsh words, he turned numbly towards the portal, and stepped through without another look back, his gaze firmly resting on the ground as his bangs covered his eyes completely.

He had wanted to ensure she never became like him, but his success was only partial at best. If she was still determined to fight, even knowing what she might lose, then he would have to do everything in his power to ensure that she never had to. That was the only way he could protect her smile.

Eyes narrowing as the boy moved through the portal without another word or glance at her, she followed, holding her head a little higher than before. He was being delusional. She wasn't going to let herself die. How could she do that to her parents? To Rose?...

As she moved through, her gaze turned to the guild members in front of her, and rested on Burai. She watched the way he walked slowly, head down, and it angered her. Why couldn't he just be confident? Why couldn't he be happy?

What a jerk.