Okay, first I want to apologize for the long wait. As I've said on my profile, I've got inspiration issues. As in, too much ideas to work on. My Ground Fire bunny was stomping around like it owned the place (in case you haven't seen it yet, go check it out, first two chapters are up), and some other bunnies are growing up way too fast, and because Megumi was being difficult my Assassin bunny ended up a little neglected. At least it isn't as bad as my poor Devil's bunny. That particular hiatus is approaching the four-months mark by now, poor thing.

Though I've got to mention how happy I am with you guys. By now this story has almost 80 reviews, over 250 favs, and more than 300 followers. And that for just the first three chapters! I get giddy every time I see those numbers. You guys are awesome! I only hope I can keep meeting your expectations. Having this many people following my story is kind of nerve wracking, but in a good way. Most of the time.

Thank you and enjoy!

It was dark outside. Very dark, the lanterns that had lightened the paths during the evening having been extinguished sometime during the early hours, and the forest canopy too dense to let any of the very first morning light seep through.

06:00.

An hour before they had to leave. In Aincrad, plenty of time. Argo descended the stairs, hoping a certain redhead was an early riser like her. There was something she wanted to know and as a information broker it just wouldn't do to have others listen in on that info.

She grimaced, knowing that what she wanted to ask could be a very touchy subject. She hoped Battousai was as relaxed a person as he appeared to be. If not, well... It was unfortunate Gévaudan wasn't classed as an «Area» and thus would allow fights between players. She had stepped on people's toes before. It hadn't been appreciated, to put it mildly.

Nervously she fingered her claws before opening the door that separated the stairs from the rest of the ground floor. It took only one cursory glance to spot him, his bright red hair standing out like a beacon in a room dominated by browns and greens. He appeared to be typing something.

Argo frowned. Whom would he be messaging at a time like this? Her background search hadn't revealed anything incriminating, but then again, it hadn't revealed much of anything at all. Battousai was a very elusive player.

She shook her head. She hadn't gotten this far by jumping to conclusions. But being on guard never hurt.

Plastering a cheerful expression on her face she dropped in the chair next to him. "Good morning!"

She received a serene smile in return. "Good morning, Miss Argo. Did you sleep well?"

"Eh, well enough. One of your friends in trouble?" Argo asked with a nod towards where Battousai's hands hovered as if placed upon an invisible keyboard. Which was exactly the case, really.

"Oh, no. I just like to keep track of things for myself. Every world should have its written history."

She arched an eyebrow. "Hobby of ya?"

Another smile. "My major, actually."

The other eyebrow rose as well. History student. Huh. Not exactly what you'd expect from someone that good with a sword. Though she supposed that went for a lot of them.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bring that up," Argo said, genuinely apologetic. No one wanted to be reminded of what they might never return to.

Battousai shook his head. "That is alright. You didn't know."

Curiosity got the better of her. "Can I read it?"

Battousai gave her an amused look. "Fishing for free information this early in the morning, Miss Argo?"

She grinned at him. "Always. But I can pay you if you want."

He hummed. "And what would you offer me?"

Naturally, that question was the opening shot for a few minutes serious haggling. Battousai was getting better at it too. It seemed she had involuntarily given him some lessons on the way here. Now that was just unfair.

Argo hadn't forgotten what she came to ask, but opportunities existed to be taken. And a historical record of Aincrad sounded interesting.

"Hey Battousai," she asked nonchalantly while having him scroll through his notes as she couldn't manipulate his screen, even if it was now visible to her. She had expected more of a diary-like document, but instead he had dozens of dates and observations on the mentality of the people around him, with a personal note thrown in here and there. He hadn't bothered to describe important fights, just jotted down when and where they were fought, how long they lasted, number of casualties and, if he could find them, names. Maybe she should start something like this too. It might become important when they finally managed to get out of the game. "Care to clarify something for me?"

Battousai blinked at her. "Is something unclear, Miss Argo?"

"Nah, it's about something else." She eyed him, careful to keep her vigilance concealed. "I couldn't help but notice yesterday that you recover awfully fast."

It was over in the blink of an eye, but for a moment he looked taken aback. He gave her a rueful smile. "Ah, you noticed then."

She smirked. "It's in the job description."

He chuckled. "I guess you're right." Then his face became more solemn. "Unfortunately, the faster recoveries were an one-time reward. As far as I know there is no way to duplicate the effects."

"Aw, now that's a pity," Argo groaned, careful not to let the full extend of her disappointment show. It might make him make him hostile after her having questioned a special ability. People were so secretive when it came to unusual rewards. Especially among the high level players envy ran rampant like an out of control plague, which wasn't a good combination with rare stuff. More hair-trigger than the fictional avalanche. It made her job needlessly difficult.

Argo was glad she hadn't misjudged Battousai. And quite pleased he hadn't charged for the info, that was pretty decent of him. It was very frustrating to pay – no matter how small the actual cost – and get something incredibly vague, or worse, a here you got some spectacularly useless info, thanks for the money. She hated that kind of people. Though she had gotten fairly good at recognizing them.

"Ah, well, nothing for it, I suppose." She gave him a sidewards glance. "So what are the requirements of a proper historical document?"

Battousai had a really nice smile, she mused as he dove into a long spiel about dates and locations and all the different characteristics of written history. Argo carefully hid a triumphant grin. Nyah-hah, you slipped up Battousai. He'd forgotten to charge for his little seminar. Now they were even.

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The sunlight hadn't strengthened enough yet to dispel the gloomy shadows when they set out, which suited Kenshin's mood just fine. There was a reason no one talked about the real world in Aincrad. It hurt too much.

It had been an accident of course, and Argo had apologized, so he really shouldn't be making a big deal out of it, but talking to her had reminded him of talking to an othergirl, less mischievous but just as interested in what he had to say and just as amused at his enthusiasm. Which was really a case of the pot calling the kettle black, in his humble opinion. Though if he said that out loud he'd just get whacked with a shinai. Nicely, of course.

He hoped she wasn't taking the situation too hard. It was a bit difficult to predict with her.

Shaking his head to dislodge the gloomy thoughts he forced himself to focus on his surroundings. He had offered taking head to explore, as his way of traveling spared him the effort of finding his way through the more swampy areas and allowed him to remain out of reach of the earth-bound mobs. The others had readily agreed, promising to keep an eye on him on their maps so they could come to his aid in a heartbeat should he need it. It was a little odd to realize exactly how reassuring the availability of reliable backup was.

The swamp was a weird place. Big trees with grey bark and lots of mosses, half of the time with their roots deeply embedded in slick mud, if not outright submerged. The remains of their predecessors laid haphazardly in the water and on the islands of vegetation that were scattered around without any particular order. Insects buzzed, and from time to time he caught the telltale rings on the water surface that betrayed the presence of fish, or at least swimming organisms. But those weren't the weird things. The weird things were the inexplicable bubbles in some areas, the oily sheen on the water, and, most of all, the nigh invisible, pale blue-and-yellow fires that danced above the reeking pools.

Swamp gas, if his memory of old biology lessons was not mistaken. Though he believed in the real world it almost never appeared in big enough quantities to produce lasting flames.

No wonder this place is called the Blue Fire Forest.

Which was worse news than suspected at first glance. Having gained some familiarity with Kayaba's way of thinking when it came to the Floors, Kenshin would bet the entire contents of his inventory that those flames could cause damage. And the whole place was full of them. One moment of inattention and you were toast. Or toasted, at least. To top it all off they were near invisible in the daylight. He could only hope they'd stand out a bit more during the night. But even if they did... talk about dangerous terrain.

Of course, if this was a normal game it would make this merely a very challenging area.

Something splashed in the distance. Warily Kenshin approached the source, picking a thick branch hanging some thirteen feet or more above the dark pool the sound had originated from. Something sleek and black moved beneath the murky surface, big and silent and with a predatory grace that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. I don't think I want to be down there.

A barely there ripple parted the smooth surface and for a single second two big greenish yellow eyes peered up at him from beneath a red cursor. Then they were gone and the water stilled once more.

Kenshin frowned, he was having a bad feeling about that monster. Best to leave and message the others to give them a heads up.

Something splashed beneath him and reflexes were the only thing that saved him from being knocked out of the tree by what looked like a ball of water. He yelped, dodging by a hair and flailing his arms to stay standing on the mossy branch. Heart racing, he whipped around, wide eyes drilling into the pool in shock, his unease increasing tenfold.

What the-?

The yellow eyes were back again, narrowed and displeased. Just as suddenly they were gone as the creature distanced itself from the surface, a glimpse of a short dorsal fin flashing through the water.

This time Kenshin saw the water coming, spat like a bullet out of a narrow snout. He ducked underneath it and drew his blade. The mob dived again, making Kenshin scowl in frustrated resolve. How on earth did one go about killing a sneaky sniper of a monster?

The next water bullet was parried with a flash of silver. Kenshin was glad to note that it seemed the creature spat ordinary water, instead of something more dangerous. Though the power behind it was ridiculous, making him almost lose his balance upon impact.

Gone again.

Thinking fast, Kenshin figured out a strategy. He only hoped he wouldn't come to regret it. The next time the creature surfaced he was ready, plunging down with all the speed «Acrobatics» could give him.

The mob was fast, diving away and already halfway turned when Kenshin broke the surface, stabbing his blade deeply into the part of the body behind the dorsal fin. The mob trashed, tearing itself free from steel, escaping with a slash of its tail and more than two-thirds of its HP intact.

Damn it!

Kenshin jumped back, the water dragging at his clothes and weighing him down, the slight toxicity nibbling on his health every second he was in. Adrenaline rushed through him, almost making his hands shake in its intensity. He reigned it in with practiced ease. Too much nerves could kill you here. Plus, if he stayed in more than half a minute he knew he would receive the «Numb» status effect. Kenshin really didn't need a «Numb».

Okay, so that didn't work…

Just one feet from semi-solid ground he gave a startled shout, glad he had gotten so good at avoiding blows as having his head taken off by a violent sphere of water was not on his list of acceptable deaths. Still, in the corner of his eye he could see his health drop almost one-fifth from the graze, making his heart skip a beat from the resulting flash of terror. He quickly squashed the feeling, more determined than ever not to get hit again. With as much as he'd focused on Agility, his Vitality was at detrimental levels, something he had unfortunately no way of fixing without losing his edge against Kayaba's creations.

And he'd dare bet he was mere seconds away from receiving «Numb» from the water. With franticness that approached panic, he got out as fast as he could. Nothing like death snapping at your heels to give your feet wings.

Back on shore he didn't waste time getting higher up again. At least from above he could look past the reflection of the water. This time he didn't sit still, rushing across the web of branches above the pool, forcing the mob to surface again and again to try to take aim. With some difficulty he fished a potion out of his Inventory, a quick gulp from the purple liquid bringing his health back to its proper levels. Stuffing the half-empty bottle in the folds of his clothes he scanned his surroundings.

New plan, new plan... Ah. Yes, that might work...

A fallen tree laid half submerged in the water. Ever moving, Kenshin lured the monster till it was next to it. The moment it was in the right position Kenshin dove for the wooden foothold, mindful of the slippery coating of algae on the trunk, and slashed his blade through the water.

A flare of crimson was his reward.

Having a working strategy really made a big difference for your chances, Kenshin mused sardonically. He jumped across one of the narrow channels feeding the pool, already in midair when he spotted the ghostly, barely-there blue.

Ack, forgot the fires-!

The moment his feet touched the ground he jumped away again, peering at his health bar where the flames had nibbled a few points from. I hate being right…

Well, he'd learned his lesson. For the rest of the battle he was very careful to avoid the innocent-looking flames. Luckily for him the mob didn't learn its lesson and kept falling for the lure, allowing Kenshin to chip off its health bit by bit without having to take to the water again. Kenshin grimaced at himself. That had been the worst plan he'd had in quite some time.

When landing the final blow Kenshin finally managed to focus long enough for the System to show him the name of the mob. «Sniper Fish». How fitting. Then it shattered, returning peace and quiet to the pool.

In the sudden silence Kenshin scanned the entire area with «Search», hoping to find one of the ingredients for Megumi's poison, recognizable by a yellow line around the cursor and something to do with poison in the name. This would be a good spot for one. His eyes fell on the web of small floating plants in one corner of the pool, the entire spongy mass topped with little yellow flowers on thin stalks. «Toxic Bladderwort». One of the ingredients, yes, but so common in the area they hadn't bothered picking it yet, especially because it had to be added to the brew shortly after picking. The recipe was incredibly vague.

No, one of the things he was really looking for was a «Venomous Water Willow», from which they needed eight leafs. But none of the trees he'd seen even resembled a willow.

Kenshin sighed. Out of the ten ingredients only three were known by name, and of course those were the ones they couldn't find. Typically Kayaba.

Shaking his head, Kenshin returned to the trees. He didn't want to be here when the creature respawned. A couple of minutes later the filthy water disappeared from his clothes, leaving them immaculate once more. One good thing about Sword Art Online: you didn't need to change clothes after getting dunked. Frankly, most dirt didn't even stick, making people look fresh and clean even after hours of grinding. It was one of the few things Kenshin could still appreciate.

Spotting a good thick branch Kenshin took the opportunity to send his warning to the others and mark the best path on the map in bright blue, tagging the pool with a dot of blazing red. As they were a temporary party all data collected during the quest was shared among the members, which made scouting a lot easier. Plus, that way he didn't need to rejoin the group every five minutes to point out the right path. His little run-in with the Sniper Fish had lead him to a relatively dry path that seemed to be partly man-made but abandoned. He had taken the time to test it and though the wood was slippery and rotting, it was still sturdy enough to carry people and seemed to lead in the direction of their goal.

Kenshin shook some of his hair out of his face, reorienting himself in the labyrinth of vegetation that surrounded him, pausing one moment to enjoy the cool, humid air as an unexpected breeze removed the stench of decay from the air for a few precious seconds. He hoped the others had managed to find one of the ingredients during the time he had been away.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Steel flashed, reflecting fire and flames as it cleaved through near incorporeal opponents. Blue Fire Mosquitoes, Megumi thought with disgust, where on earth did he get the idea? The name suited the creatures. They were literally made out of fire.

Before her a swirl of dancing black took care of the brunt of the burning bugs, while behind her the Rat's claws tore at any mob gunning for her back.

They're all so good…

Megumi herself preferred fighting long range any day. Whenever she fought close range for more than a few minutes she always got too stressed for comfort, and sloppiness was a one-way road to death. One day, Megumi was sure, the stress would cause her to make a fatal mistake. And she didn't want to die, she still had too much to live for. Too many things and precious ones left behind in the real world she couldn't abandon.

I still need to tell everyone how sorry I am…

In a way, getting trapped in SAO had been a blessing. Her life had been nose-diving towards a terrible conclusion, and the few months before getting trapped here she had been dreading the day she could no longer outrun her fate.

At least here I have a chance. A chance to finish everything, to put an end to her peril without dragging her friends and family down with her.

After the small scuffle she wiped her hair out of her face and peered at the health bars beneath hers to see if anyone was in need of healing. Not that she really expected it, she had seen them fight yesterday and knew the Mosquitoes shouldn't have posed much trouble after they'd all adjusted to the creatures' above-average speed. Personally she hated flying mobs, they managed to catch her off guard way too often. Though they were a bit better than actual ambush mobs. Those she downright detested.

She once more took note of Battousai's health bar. Only the barest of damage even when traveling alone through this forest. How did he do it?

Dodging. As soon as this quest was over Megumi swore she would spend more time on that.

Though the other solo was very impressive too. Less mobile than Battousai, but she had never seen anyone deal that much damage in one hit without being a tank. Kirito seemed awfully young to be facing life-or-death situations, though luckily not as young as some others she had seen in Starting City. Megumi could deal with her own situation, but seeing children in-game always managed to fill her with grief. So many without adults to look after them, lost and abandoned as very, very few were willing to spare the time to aid them. Survival of the fittest was a terrible rule, but a true one nonetheless. Many felt they didn't have the resources to spare to aid those considered dead weight, and hate it as she might, Megumi could relate. It was difficult enough to survive without someone that helpless depending on you.

Megumi carefully concealed her thoughts when Kirito glanced in their direction. Wordlessly she followed when he took head once more.

Kirito's choice of blade was a bit of a puzzle. She had always heard one-handed swords like his were supposed to be wielded in combination with a shield. It was a curious deviation from the standard, though she couldn't really care when it was so obviously working for him. To each his own. Kirito was an excellent fighter despite his age and though it shamed her she was glad he was here. Players like him and Battousai reminded people they still had a chance to win their freedom.

Still, he really looked like a child. He must have been so scared when this whole mess started. Megumi wasn't too proud to admit she had been. All she had wanted was to escape reality for a while, to lose herself in the simple world of a game.

A bitter smile twisted her lips. Well, lose herself she did.

Megumi shivered in remembrance of that first day. Right after the announcement she had been too shocked to leave the plaza before it descended into pandemonium. Screams, mass hysteria, a crowd pressing from all sides in a single-minded fit of terrified outrage- It had been pure, undiluted chaos.

It was only thanks to the System registering Starting City as an «Area» that on one had died in the panic and riots that followed.

Megumi had gotten herself lost trying to escape it all and had finally found refuge in one of the outer districts the masses had not reached yet. The days afterwards it was as if the entire city was shrouded in a veil of grief and mourning, depression and despair hanging in the streets like toxic smoke. The Monument of Life had been more of a Monument of Suicides with the number of names getting scratched out every hour. Megumi could understand perfectly well why so many Beta Testers had fled the area. No one with a bit of fighting spirit left would wish to remain in a city that was more like a morgue with that kind of atmosphere hanging thick like black storm clouds.

Still, Megumi couldn't really bring herself to hate Kayaba. Life in SAO was so much more straightforward than real life, beautiful in its simplicity and design. For all its faults her life was better than before, and wasn't that just sad? Kayaba had given her time and a chance to fight without dragging down friends and family. She could never forgive him for the lives his game had claimed but she could forgive him for how he had changed hers.

A glance to the side showed Argo keeping a tight eye on her screen, monitoring the map with a single-minded intensity. A little while ago Battousai had almost given them a collective heart attack as his health had taken a sudden dive, but when no more serious damage followed they had opted against rushing after him. His message afterwards clarified matters, and Megumi hoped they wouldn't run into a Sniper Fish themselves. Anything that could hit Battousai when he was traveling over tree branches and alert for trouble was something she really didn't want to tangle with.

Activating «Search» once more Megumi scanned the forest and pools for the ingredients of the poison. Honestly, talk about troublesome.

A flash of yellow out in the water caught her eye. A... frog? Salamander? What it was didn't really matter. What mattered was the narrow, yellow border around the yellow cursor of the creature, signaling that it was both inactive and its death was required for the quest.

Not her fault that she sounded just a tad smug when she called out to the others. "Found one!"

Kirito and Argo eagerly joined her.

"Er... Not to be a party pooper, but how are we going to catch that one?"

They shared a look.

"My reach isn't big enough," Kirito confessed. "My Throwing Skill isn't that high yet."

"Hmm, neither is mine," Argo agreed with a childish pout, tapping her bottom lip in thought.

Megumi sighed and reached for one of her small, uncoated darts. She didn't like having to throw her darts were she couldn't retrieve them. "Let me have a try."

Argo patted her shoulder. "And if you don't hit we'll just call Battousai. With his jumping around he should be able to get close enough to draw that thing's attention."

Megumi smiled and aimed.

The dart left a trail of green light in its wake. Megumi pursed her lips. Hmm, not as true as she would have liked, but a hit was a hit.

Argo sniggered. "Well, you've drawn its attention all right."

The mob was indeed hissing and spitting, to the point of actually frothing at the mouth, its cursor switching from inactive yellow to dangerous red. It wasn't as frightening as the rage she'd seen in previous monsters, but it was enough to put her on edge.

Then it moved.

Black suddenly blocked Megumi's vision, startling her greatly. Kirito grunted as he parried the insane lunge from the beast.

Taking a step back to give the black swordsman more room Megumi pressed her hand against her chest and tightened her grip on her dagger, trying to get her racing heart back under control. Frog alright, even Battousai never jumped like that!

But now was not the time to be astonished. The monster was pressing them, though not as hard as it might have others. Who had been able to foresee that adding Battousai to the team would give them such an advantage? At least after having watching him fight they weren't too caught off guard by the erratic leaps from the monster.

Steel flashed and sung, and they had to be careful not to hit one another in their attempts to kill the thing.

«Poison Dart Frog». One throwing pick later Megumi decided she hated it. The poison she'd managed to hit the beast with was having no effect whatsoever. Which not only meant she had wasted a valuable tool, but also revealed a very worrying immunity to her highest level paralytic.

"Man, what a bothersome opponent," Argo huffed next to her. "I'm so gonna charge for this."

Megumi scoffed. "Can't we discuss that later?" Megumi asked through clenched teeth, trying to keep the mob from knocking her over into the swamp.

Argo snickered as she raked the claws on her right hand across the creature's thigh when it charged again. "Don't worry, the extra costs will be put on the buyer's tab. Is only fair."

And froze, choking.

The thud with which the younger girl hit the ground echoed chillingly through Megumi's heart, freezing it for one breathless second.

Then professionalism overcame heart-stopping fear, kicking it aside in favor of doing something.

"Kirito, hold it off! Don't let it touch you!"

Kirito, who had started to turn at the sound of Argo's collapse, refocused on the beast with a tight, "roger!", worry evident in his voice.

Megumi didn't have time to reassure him. One quick look at Argo's health bar revealed the problem.

Antidote, antidote, where's the damn antidote? Frantically scrolling through her Inventory she searched for her strongest antidotes to lift the array of Status Effects that now decorated the girl's bar. «Paralysis», «Poison», «Blindness», and the little skull symbol that indicated a severe Damage Over Time. Already Argo's health was plummeting. Seriously, what was up with this thing? Had Kayaba never heard of overkill?

There! Grabbing hold of the handful of bottles that appeared before her, Megumi knelt next to their downed party member.

"M-Megumi? Is that you?" Argo inquired with a faint trace of hysteria coloring her voice. The girl was doing an admirable job suppressing the sheer panic she had to feel right now, being utterly unable to defend herself against the mob she could still hear rushing around. At least Argo didn't suffer from «Deafness» as well. Missing two senses was bad enough; three would be unbearable.

Damn it, she's just a kid! Lying on the ground without the boisterous confidence Megumi had gotten to expect from the information broker, the truth was never clearer.

Curse you, Kayaba...

"Drink this," Megumi ordered, pressing the poison antidote to trembling lips. Right now she needed to be strong for the girl. Megumi couldn't let her notice how bad her own hands wanted to shake. Argo's health was declining so fast...

Casting a quick look at the battle while Argo emptied the bottle with greedy gulps Megumi was relieved to see that Kirito was holding his own. Never had she been more thankful they were all solo players. Defending them put the teen at a disadvantage, but the beast hadn't managed to overpower the black-clad swordsman yet, and from its health was less than a third left. Kirito would win hands down if he could avoid touching the thing.

The moment the bottle was empty she replaced it with one of her best healing potions to combat the effect of the Damage Over Time. Three more seconds until the antidote lifted the Poison Effect. Once that was gone the Damage Over Time would end as well.

Bit less than half her health bar left. She's going to make it.

"Don't worry," Megumi told to the quivering girl, "You'll be alright. The worst is over." She got a shaky laugh when she pushed the next bottle in the row to the girl's lips.

"Tell me that when the fight is over as well, 'kay?" Argo murmured before gulping that one down too.

At that moment the sound of shattering filled the air. A glance over her shoulder revealed black and red standing side by side. So Battousai had noticed their peril and had come rushing. Megumi let her shoulders sag with relief, the presence of the two front liners reassuring like a warm hand on her shoulder when she stumbled, knowing the person supporting her wouldn't let her fall.

"Will Miss Argo be alright?"

Looking into worried violet Megumi offered a small smile, taking care to include the younger male behind the redhead as well. "She'll be fine."

"'She' is right here, quit talking as if I'm not," Argo said sitting up, her attempt at a little quip ruined by the small tremor in her voice. She rubbed her fingers, probably still feeling the lingering effects of the Paralysis. "Okay people, thanks for the save; lets not do that again. I think it's best if everyone wears gloves from now on. If Kayaba stayed true to reality then that thing got me through skin-to-skin contact. Does everybody have gloves?"

Everyone nodded and immediately went about equipping them.

Shaking off the last remnants of the Effects Argo got a steely glint in her eyes. "Aright, if I ever get my hands on that bastard-programmer I'm killing him. For now, I'll settle for slaying a beast. Everyone still with me?"

At the varying expressions of agreement Argo gave a grimly resolute smile. One couldn't be a clearer in SAO without the ability to bounce back from things like this. That went doubly for solos. And they were all damn good solos.

"Let's do this, people!"

So yeah, Philmaester (you've got my gratitude) mentioned that the gravitas of the entire situation in SAO wasn't really getting conveyed and managed to convince me to attempt to improve that. So I made this chapter a bit more dark than I'd originally intended. SAO got some serious health hazards. Plus people complained about the incomplete fighting scenes. I'm certainly not planning to write full once the whole time, but now you've got an idea what those fights are like. Was it any good? Improvement or just making things worse?

Please be so kind to leave a review. I'm still very much learning what works and what doesn't, so your opinion is more than welcome.

Until next time!