AZO-Azeroth Online 3

'This is insane.'

That was the only word Kirito could think of to describe the situation being shown to him by the self-appointed «Lich King», Akihiko Kayaba, as he informed them of their fates in a sickeningly calm and collected fashion. The grim truth had been laid out before them, both verbally and visually, as with a wave of his hand, several video screens appeared about the courtyard at Kayaba's direction. Upon each was a different major news-channel from a different country, alerts scrolling across the bottom as grieving family members wept openly, and lifeless bodies were loaded into the backs of stark-white ambulances'.

Or, in the more extreme cases, zipped up in body-bags and lifted into coroners vans.

With the regal disposition of the title he now bore, Kayaba had told them of their fate. That the missing logout button was not a glitch in the system, but in reality, how he had designed the game. There was never meant to be a way to log out of AZO from within, or without by a separate party. Should anyone attempt to remove the NerveGear from their heads, the rig's microwave transceiver would discharge a massive pulse of radiation into their skulls, effectively frying their brains and killing them instantly. Several players in the crowd scoffed at the idea, and more than one thought this was a complete farce. The invisible barrier that had appeared around the perimeter of «Mogu'shan Palace» had served to reinforce Kayaba's point.

The lifeless husks on the video screens did the rest.

And the weight of what was happening to them finally started to sink in.

Despite his warnings, the Lich had told them, friends and family members of several players had attempted to remove the NerveGear. "An unfortunate decision to say the least," he had said so casually, as though negligent homicide on the parts of unsuspecting parents and loved-ones were easily dismissed as acceptable losses in the grand scheme of his design. As a result, the game now had 215 less players than when it began mere hours ago. However, due to the attention and round-the-clock coverage of these deaths by international news-media, Kayaba reassured that it was safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear rig being removed was minimal at best.

"I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game," intoned the Lich sincerely, hands placed atop one another upon the pommel of «Frostmourne» as he spoke. At his side, the figure known as Nobuyuki Sugou seemed genuinely amused at this turn of events, watching the panicked and fearful faces of the players with rapt enjoyment.

"Clear the game?" Klein couldn't believe what he was hearing, something Kirito could sympathize with completely at this point. "So, wait. These psychos trap us in here, name themselves after the two greatest monsters Azeroth has ever produced outside the Old Gods and the Legion, allows two-hundred fifteen people to die, and now he expects us to beat an MMO?!"

"It is important that you remember the following," Sugou interjected from his place beside Kayaba atop the steps of Mogu'shan Palace, eying the frightened players below with sadistic pleasure as he continued his associate's statement. "There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game, unless the following conditions are met: from this day forward, you can be resurrected by a fellow player once over the course of a three-day period. There will be a two-minute window wherein this revival can take place. However, if this time limit expires, or your HP drops to zero for the second time in three-days following a resurrection, your avatar will be deleted from the system permanently, and the NerveGear," a dangerous smile split Sugou's face, "will simultaneously destroy your brain."

A ripple of shocked gasps and cries of disbelief tinged with fear reverberated through the crowd, Kirito among them. Memories of his battles alongside Klein against the creatures on «Azuremyst Isle» came flooding back to him, heart hammering away in his chest and sweat beading on his brow at the realization that he could've easily died then and there. The mental image of himself staggering backwards, oblivious to the fate before him as he exploded into bits of data and polygons...

"There is only one way for a player to escape now." The somber, pleading eyes of every player present locked onto Kayaba's imposing form, the sinister chuckling of Sugou not helping the ominous feeling they all felt in the pit of their stomachs. With a wave of his hand, a large map of Azeroth appeared before the armored Game Master as he laid down the gauntlet. "You must clear the game."

"Again with this crap," growled Klein indignantly, still unable to move out of shock, Kirito in a similar state at his side. "Warcraft wasn't made to be cleared like some console title that has a clear end-game from the get-go, it's an MMORPG! You don't clear it, you just play it and have fun until the next expansion is released, and then the cycle starts all over again!"

Kirito heard Klein's frustrated snarling, but couldn't move to respond. He was too transfixed on the spectacle before him, on the steadfast forms of Kayaba and Sugou as they continued with their ultimatum. 'Klein's right, AZO was meant to be like the original Warcraft in almost every way, save for the inclusion of a new enemy force, cross-faction interaction, and globally linked server networks, say nothing of the VR element. The system was even supposed to automatically release expansions on a set schedule based on an algorithm Kayaba developed specifically for figuring out the specific elements needed to craft and render the proper content for an expansion. The only way for us to clear the game like they're saying is if Kayaba's completely erased it from the system. But how could he have done it without the devs realizing something was up?'

"As with the original Warcraft," Kayaba explained as several red dots appeared across the continents on the map, "time is of the utmost importance. Cardinal, the system that governs the world of AZO- the system that I now control- has one hundred "Campaign Raids" set to release on a timed schedule that updates automatically. You must clear the dungeon and defeat the raid boss at the end to signal the system, and begin the countdown to the next raid's release. The less time taken to complete the Raid, the more time the system shaves off the scheduled length until the next is released."

"There are several other dungeons located throughout the realms of AZO, that can be run as many times as you like and are not as grueling as the major raids," added Sugou, smirking as he saw some of faint flicker of hope on several players faces at the revelation of Kayaba's incentive, which he relished in dashing to pieces as he continued. "However, they do not count towards the game's completion. This applies to Flex Raids as well, as they will only go towards leveling up yourself and your party or raid-group. Like these normal instances, details pertaining to Campaign Raids will appear one week before their scheduled release on the either the «Hero's Call» or «Warchief's Command» Boards in the major cities for each corresponding Faction, and these details will be accessible from your «Quest Log» once you agree to participate."

"However, you do have the option to stay on the sidelines of these Campaigns if you so desire." Kirito turned his attentions back to Kayaba, puzzled by the almost comforting tone he was using right now, and sickened by it at the same time. They were playing "Good Cop, Bad Cop," with Sugou as the malicious one, and Kayaba as the benevolent- if still sadistic and cruel- god of this virtual Azeroth. "After all, those players who do opt to brave the raids will need supplies, such as armor to with which to gird themselves against the terrible creatures we have wrought, healers to care for the wounded, and food to fuel the fires of the war machines of both the Horde and Alliance on your path to freedom. However, this does not leave you exempt from questing. Leveling your «Professions» will still require you to brave the wilds of Azeroth in search of supplies and recipes with which to craft those items needed to keep yourself and your fellow players alive."

"This is...," Kirito struggled to find his voice, the insanity of the impossibly lofty task before him and his fellow gamers weighing on his mind as Kayaba gave them the option of cowering in the towns and villages of his world for the rest of their short lives. "This is insane. We never even got past the first five Raids in the beta, there wasn't enough time for more to be released before it closed!"

"The first five?" Klein eyed his friend hopefully, trying to stay positive, even as the world came crashing down around them. However, Kirito's dismal countenance wasn't really inspiring confidence at the moment. "I mean, that's good, right? They should release the rest relatively quickly if that's the case."

Kirito shook his head dismissively. "I doubt it. I mean, look where we are, look at the log-out button, those newsfeeds they showed us, all of it. They're able to completely ignore the rules of the system they created for his world, or at least bend it's rules enough to accomplish all of this with no effort on their part. If they've been able to do that in such a short amount of time, who knows what else has changed from the beta? The first Raid might not release for a month now, maybe longer!"

"Tch!" Klein clicked his tongue in frustration, head snapping back to glare angrily at the masked face of Kayaba Akihiko, who seemed to grow more and more in tune with his new role as «The Lich King» and god-like ruler of this world with each passing minute. Kirito could hardly blame his friend for his anger. After all, the world he and his mother had held so dearly was being perverted to fit design of the two madmen before them, staring down past their noses at the players who had trusted and idolized them as though they were insects in comparison.

"Last, but certainly not least," Sugou said with a grandoise wave of his hand to call up his menu, tapping an unseen button before it disappeared with a cheery pinging sound, in sharp contrast to the dark mood that filled the courtyard, "I've placed a little present in the item storage of every remaining player gathered here. Do not worry," he added mockingly, taking note of some further confused faces in the crowd, "regardless of the original slot-size of your bags, the item will have appeared in a temporary additional slot, leaving the previously collected items untouched. After all," a sinister smile played at the corners of the new Illidan's mouth, "we wouldn't want you losing anything important, now would we?"

"Please," urged Kayaba with a patient, fatherly tone as he inclined his head approvingly, "have a look."

Warily, Kirito, Klein, and the players gathered opened their bags and retrieved the object in question, breathing a sigh of relief upon finding the items they had gathered before the teleport weren't lost or replaced by it. After all, if quests were going to be the only thing keeping them alive, and giving them any chance of getting out of this nightmare, they couldn't afford to lose anything. More than a few players stared at Sugou's "present" in befuddlement, wondering just what sick game the winged psycho was playing at now. It was a cracked mirror, whose description read:

«Twisted Looking-Glass»

Before any of them could give voice to their confusion, several players were engulfed in fiery pillars of blue light, and then several more, and several more, continuing until the entire courtyard was swallowed in a flash of blue radiance. Frantic cries of panic echoed through the valley, only to fade with the light as the world came back into focus for the players, still frightened from the ordeal they had just been subjected to, and were still being subjected too.

And again, for a third time that day, the world had changed.

Kirito felt... Odd, to say the least. Like something was incredibly off with his perception of the world. Not in the sense of his presence in AZO, but in his view of it. Everything seemed taller now, as opposed to a few seconds ago when he was the same height as he perceived an adult Kirito would be at the age of twenty. Now, it was as if things had returned to the normal way he viewed them. The way he saw things on a daily basis.

His eyes widened as it finally dawned on him.

"It's just how things look IRL."

A quick look in the mirror confirmed his suspicious, despite its fractured surface. His formerly heroic avatar had been forcibly transformed to resemble his real-world appearance! But...

"Kirito?" He heard a concerned Klein ask at his side, turning to see a very human face staring back at him, instead of a furry worgen muzzle. "You okay, buddy?" The young man looked to be in his early twenties with a head of spiky red hair, a scruffy beard, lithe build, and brown eyes. What tipped him off that this was his friend, however, was the signature red headband cinched tightly across his forehead, and the sword sheathed at his hip.

"Klein?" Kirito looked at his friend in disbelief, finally putting a face to the furred image he'd known before. "You look... A lot less hairy now."

"And you look so... Young?" A flash of understanding finally registering in the redhead's eyes, he gave himself a quick glance to see what now looked like and gaped in shock, patting himself down to make sure it was really him. "Wha-?! How the-?!"

"The scan," the black-haired teen realized, things starting to click in his head. "The same transceivers in the NerveGear rigs those bastards are using to keep us all hostage in here can get a comprehensive scan of our faces, and then digitally render it here in AZO with whatever program those mirrors were encoded with. But, how does it know our height and body-types?"

"That calibration thing it had us do before we logged in for the first time!" Klein added, patting his arms to emphasize. "It had you touch your body all over, remember? That must be how it-"

"-Got our physical data!" finished Kirito, their thoughts lining up as he looked his hands over, marveling at how detailed their avatars' alterations had been... As much as he could, in light of the enormity of what was happening to them

All around the two, similar reactions were being had by the altered players. Cries of panic, disgust, surprise, and incredulity. Glancing about, Kirito saw that those players of more exotic races now bore certain cosmetic additions to their real-world avatars, to identify them with their original characters. Night Elves and Blood Elves bore pointed ears and matching pigmentations; Forsaken looked like zombified versions of their true selves; Trolls sported tusks, pointed ears, and an painter's palette worth skin colors; Worgen had been forced into their human forms; Orcs possessed enlarged canines on their lower jaws that jutted gruesomely over their upper lips; cute furry ears sat atop the heads of Pandaren players, who now had dark circles around their eyes; Goblin players possessed pointed ears, warty noses, and green skin; and Tauren bore digitigrade furry legs with cloven hooves, bovine tails, and horns. Only the Human, Dwarf, and Gnome players retained their normalcy.

"What the Hell?!"

"Son of a-! You're not a girl!"

"And you're not seventeen!"

"What did you do to us?!"

"Kazuto?"

Kirito felt every vein in his body freeze over at the sound of the voice to his left, breath hitching in his chest. Every fiber of his being screamed at him not to look, that it was an impossibility for this to even be happening right now, that he was hallucinating out of sheer fright at what was going on. A dread the likes of which he had never felt before dug its claws into his heart and would not let go. It couldn't be, it just couldn't be...

And yet, as he went against everything he felt in that moment and turned his head in the direction of the voice that had called his name, his heart sank. For what could not be, in fact was.

"Suguha?"

Kirito could not begin to fathom what had possessed his adopted sister to choose a Darkspear Troll as her avatar in AZO, his mind still reeling from the revelation that she was even here at all. The last time he had seen her, she was headed off to kendo club for practice as usual, nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever. And yet, here she was! Suguha, the kendo star, who had once told him she wouldn't so much as touch a video-game, even if he got on his knees and begged her to, was playing a VMMORPG.

And now she was stuck in this... This "Death Game," just like him..

Every brotherly instinct within him was screaming in aggravated worry for him to do something, anything! Yet, he continued to stare at his cousin- whom he had almost dismissively referred to as his "kid sister" mere moments ago- as though she were a ghost.

"Kazuto!" Suguha leapt to his side and wrapped her arms around his, seeking some comfort in her adopted sibling as she looked up at him with pleading eyes, demanding some kind of answer for all this chaos. "What's going on? Is what he's saying true?! Are we really stuck here?!"

"Suguha?" Kirito finally managed to squeak out, disentangling his arm from her grasp to place his hands on her shoulders to steady his cousin. Her whole body was shaking, and hot, salty tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. "What are you doing here? I thought you went to practice, how are you in AZO?"

The kendo champion sniffled, fighting back her urge to cry so that she didn't appear weak in front of her adopted-brother. "I-I-I was," she began with a stammer, trying to control herself and gather her thoughts, "I-I mean, I did. And we finished a little early, so Haruka-chan and I decided to go and hang out at her place before going home." A weak smile came to her at the memory. "She said she won a contest, and that the prize as a set of NerveGear and a copy of AZO for her and her family, and since they weren't interested that I could play with her because she thought I might like it if I gave it a chance and tried it with her, and I said "Ok," because she was my friend, then we were fighting these monsters and she got hit, she told me not to waste a potion 'cause she would just respawn at the «Graveyard» and then there was this light and... And..." Finally running out of steam, Suguha stared up at her brother, sobbing in sporadic hiccups as the tears began to flow freely. "Is it true? Is what he said-?!"

Kirito pulled his sister into a tight hug and held her to his chest as she sobbed, burying her head against him. He and Klein looked at one another grimly, both knowing the severity of what the younger girl had witnessed. Clenching his fists tightly against Suguha's back as he held her close, Kirito glared daggers at the two monsters on the terrace. Matabei Haruka had been Suguha's friend since grade school, she'd lived just down the block from them and even though Kirito had only met her whenever Suguha was around, he knew her well-enough to call her a friend. They grew up together, went to kendo club together, everything.

And Sugu' had just watched her die.

Her best friend in the whole world was gone.

And it was all their fault.

"Bastards," Kirito growled furiously, wanting nothing more than to slaughter them with everything he had in him. Klein's restraining hand on her shoulder, and the look in his eyes, held him in place. He knew just as well as the veteran worgen that they were no match for Kayaba and Sugou at their level, and there was nothing they could do about it now. Blood boiling, he could do nothing but hold his adopted-sister and glare at them as they continued to deliver their ultimatum.

"By now," Kayaba spoke, the crowd going silent at his words, "You're probably wondering, "Why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Azeroth Online and NerveGear, and Nobuyuki Sugou, a well-respected employee of Blizzard Entertainment, do this?"" Murmurs of speculation and confirmation at their confusion rippled through the crowd as Kayaba addressed them, pulling «Frostmourne» free of the stone terrace to level it at the players menacingly. "Ultimately, my goal was to recreate the world of Azeroth, a world that I could intervene in. To control the fate of a world of my design, and as you can see," he gestured to the world around him with his opposing hand, all the smugness of a king in his voice as he proclaimed, "I have achieved my goal."

"Kayaba!" Kirito snarled, fists tightening.

"This marks the end of the tutorial," proclaimed Sugou haughtily, wings flaring out to their full length as he rose into the air with arms spread wide, like an angel of death carried on the winds of war, "And the official launch of Azeroth Online."

"Players!" shouted Kayaba commandingly, all of their focus now on him as his eyes burned brighter and his hands began to glow with a brilliant blue light. "I wish you the best of luck."

With that proclamation, the reborn Lich thrust his blade skyward, a pulsating beam of pale light streaking into the clouds like a signal to all of the world that he had returned to ravage it anew. In the courtyard below, Kirito, Klein, Suguha, and the gathered players could only look on awestruck at the spectacle as it unfolded. The dark clouds overhead began to curl and spiral around the beam that pierced the heavens, crackles of thunder and flashes of lightning echoing overhead. And then, the entire valley shook with a tremendous roar that forced the players to cover their ears, their cries of pain drowned out by the booming cacophony that split the very air.

"My God," Klein breathed in astonishment, Kirito following his gaze to gape dumbfounded at the source of the roar.

The creature that landed was a dragon, that much was certain. But it was unlike any he had seen before, and it towered far above the palace, even on all-fours! Half-dead, the beast looked as though it were rotting away, bones visible to the world, barely held together by the grisly strips of flesh and stringy bits of sinew that remained. And what the aged organic components failed to do, the unnatural magicks of the «Lich King» sustained. Ghostly blue power oozed across ancient bone and muscle, looking out at the world through hollowed-out sockets as the monster's new eyes. With another, ear-piercing scream, the dragon spread its wings wide to shade the valley, the last bits of light from the distance peeking through the holes torn in its leathery webbing.

"«Sindragosa»," marveled the red-haired worgen, frozen to the spot in fear. "The Frost Queen of Northrend."

And upon her back, stood Akihiko Kayaba. The new «Lich King» of Azeroth Online.

With a great heave of the dragon's wings, Sindragosa and her new master rocketed into the air, soaring high above the player's heads as they cowered beneath her talons. Swooping high over the mountains at the entrance to the Vale, the once proud Blue Dragonflight hovered for a moment over the valley's peaks, allowing the player's one last look at their jailer before he disappeared into the encroaching night. Gone from their presence, Kayaba's barrier faded into nothingness with a shudder that passed through Kirito's body like a winter's chill.

Everyone stood stock-still in dead silence, attempting to process everything they had just been told. The seconds crawled by, until they felt like hours. In the great courtyard of «Mogu'shan Palace», you could have heard a pin drop.

Amid the petrified players, Kirito and Klein knew full well what had happened to them. And though they were livid at the thought of imprisonment, they knew nothing good would come of simply standing around and doing nothing. Chaos was sure to erupt at any second, all these people needed was the right catalyst to break the silence and send them into a frenzy. They had to get out of there, and fast.

"We gotta move," Kirito and Klein declared simultaneously, surprising one another- and Suguha- for a fraction a of a second before taking action.

Calling upon Kirito's advice from earlier, Klein activated his «Two Forms» racial ability, before turning on his heel and bolting for the main entrance to the courtyard, Kirito hot on his non-existent tail with Suguha in tow. Suppressing the howl growing in his throat with the pain of the transformation, Klein felt his skin become alight with a burning sensation as fur erupted from his skin and his nails elongated and sharpened into claws. Face lengthening and contorting into a snout, he nearly stumbled as his legs bent and became digitgrade like a dog's. Unlike the muscled form he had before, Kayaba and Sugou's augmentation of their avatars rendered the veteran player's worgen form with a build similar to his real-world body, shaving several inches of his height until it too mirrored his true self.

Hand clasped firmly around his sister's shoulders, Kirito winched at the sound of a young girl screaming behind them.

It was quickly drowned out by the ensuing discord. Terrified players all around them were shouting and panicking, demanding they be set free, screaming that this couldn't be happening, but their pleas and cries of anguish fell on deaf ears.

As they broke free of the crowd and hurried down the steps, Kirito could barely make out Klein's menu as he hastily pulled it up, scrolling desperately through it until he found the "Guild Chat" tab he had attempted to call up before this madness had started. Thanks to his friend's newly shortened form, the younger gamer was able to make out the message Klein had typed before it was sent off and the screen closed:

"gleader: All Fangs to «The Golden Lantern», ASAP!"

"«The Golden Lantern»?" Kirito asked aloud, Suguha mirroring his confusion.

"Yeah, it's the main inn at the «Shrine of Seven Stars»," explained Klein as they ran, one hand on his sword as his ears swiveled this way and that, pricked up in search of any sign of trouble. "We need to regroup with the guys there if we want to stand any chance of getting a head start on leveling up, much less staying alive right now."

"Staying alive?" Suguha's voice was full of worry at that, her body still tense when Kirito squeezed her shoulder to help remind her she wasn't alone.

Klein nodded darkly, looking over his shoulder for a fraction of a second at the two before returning his eyes to the road. "Like I told Kirito earlier, this is one of the highest level zones from the original WoW, way beyond any of our abilities at this time. If we don't get to a neutral zone, and fast, we're going to be in serious trouble. The creatures around here are a higher level than the ones in the starting areas like «Northshire Valley» or «Shadowglen». If we don't get out of here now-!" (1)

An ominous shrieking sound cut off the ginger worgen, bringing him skidding to a halt as he held up a hand for Kirito and Suguha to hold their positions, eyeing the forests warily. From the darkness of the trees, several ape-like creatures dropped into the path in front of them, cutting off their escape as others fell to prevent a retreat. They were hunched over, swaying back and forth as they circled the players, their beady little eyes glittering eerily in the light of the setting sun. Though they appeared primitive, the monkeys were wielding a wide array of weaponry, most-likely stolen from passing travelers and players, the latter thought sending a chill up the trio's spines upon remembering Kayaba's words.

"«Hozen»," Klein grumbled, drawing his sword as the monkeys hooted and whooped at them goadingly. Following their friend's lead, Kirito and Suguha readied their own weapons, with Suguha surprising her brother by producing a simple bō-staff.

"It just felt... Kinda natural, I guess," explained the Troll Monk in response to her adopted sibling's perplexed expression.

Kirito simply nodded at that, returning his gaze to the gathered Hozen around them, deciding to save his questions about his newly sister's choice of class for later. Damn it, there were too many of them. And if what Klein had said about their being unprepared for this zone was right, there was no way they were getting out of this alive if they dug in their heels and fought. His sister's heart-wrenching cries still ringing in his ears, Kirito stepped in front of the trio. "Klein, listen to me. Take Suguha and head to the inn, I'll hold them off."

"What?!"

"Kazuto!"

"Don't fight me on this, Sugu'!" he snapped, his expression softening at his sister's recoil from him. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright? I promised Mom, remember? Besides," he glared down his blade at the bouncing monkeys surrounding them, "This is what a big-brother is supposed to do."

With a wordless battle-cry, Kirito activated his «Charge» and shot forward like a rocket, bringing his sword down on the closest Hozen with all the strength he could muster. He smiled in success as the blow it home and slashed the creature across the chest and sent it reeling backwards as the others charged forward to aid their dazed comrade. The monkeys were coordinated, he would give them that. They would dart in, take a swipe at him, then duck out of the way when he swung in response. For all the blows he was landing, he barely made a dent in their HP, while even the faintest scratch felt like they were killing him by degrees.

'It's just like he said,' thought the black-haired Warrior as he weakly blocked another slash from a Hozen's sword. 'We're no match for them, not just yet!'

A soft sensation around his ankle was the only warning Kirito received before he was yanked off his feet by one of the monkeys' tails, slamming into the ground hard and dizzying him considerably. Shaking his head to clear the stars from his vision, the blurry world came back into focus just in time to see one of the Hozen leap at him with its sword raised overhead to strike him with all its primal fury. As it came down, Kirito closed his eyes, ready to meet his fate, praying that Klein had listened to him and taken Suguha away so that she wouldn't have to see this...

CLANG!

Only for the sound of a successful «Parry» to tell him otherwise, as the sight of Suguha standing between him and the bleating ape with her staff at the ready filled his vision. Every muscle in her body was tensed for this fight, and she was panting heavily. A quick look at her HP told him the monkey had landed a glancing blow at best, but even that was enough to wind her at her current level. At her side, Klein barked at the troop in defiance, already in his «Battle Stance».

"What're you doing?! I told you to run, damn it!" Kirito rose shakily to his feet, sword at the ready.

"And I decided, I'm not leaving here without you, moron!" Suguha shot back in annoyance, eyes never leaving her opponents as she chewed out her brother. "Just because you're my brother, doesn't mean you get to throw your life away to keep me safe. In case you've forgotten, I don't need protecting!"

"And in case I didn't tell you earlier, bro," Klein added with a smile, ears back and hackles raised, "The Fellowship doesn't leave guild-mates behind, not even when it looks as hopeless as this!"

"Guild-mates?" Kirito gawked apprehensively. Klein had offered him a place with him and his friends before, but Kirito hadn't accepted it, at least not yet. After all, he was more used to playing solo when it came to games like this, say nothing of his activities IRL. 'But, with Suguha here,' he reasoned begrudgingly, weighing the probability of his being able to keep her alive on his own, 'There's no way I can get us through this on my own like before.' He cursed himself in the back of his mind. 'Damn it! I'm just not strong enough!'

"Here they come!" Klein shouted, the Hozen moving as one to take them down, and the three players readying themselves for the attack. Kirito followed Klein's example and activated his own «Battle Stance», preparing to make a hole with his «Heroic Strike». Suguha was already in her «Stance of the Fierce Tiger», and her kendo training had taken over to keep her in tune with the battle before them. Even if the odds were stacked in their opponents favor at the moment, Kirito felt invigorated by his friends' presence. As the Hozen's blades fell, they moved-

- Only to stop just shy of attacking as a massive figure slammed into the path in front of them, kicking up a cloud of dust that stung the players' eyes. When it had settled, the trio looked up in awe at the Pandaren NPC that stood before them, the Hozen's attacks halted by the bamboo staff he wielded with ease. The wide straw dǒulì on his head bore a large cut on the front that was visible when he turned to regard them with warm eyes and a knowing smile. On either side of the path, seated within two great craters created by their landing, were a pair of huge clay jugs, filled with what was most likely ale, leading to the conclusion only Klein was able to give voice.

"Master Stormstout." A sense of wonder carried with each word from the worgen's muzzle, the Pandaren Brewmaster nodding in confirmation before returning his attentions to the Hozen. A mighty roar echoed through the forest as Chen adopted the «Stance of the Sturdy Ox», hand outstretched towards his foe and staff held tightly against his body.

"It appears I arrived just in the nick of time." The legendary Brewmaster jerked his head in the direction of the Shrine, signaling them to move. "Go, young ones. Leave these flea-ridden beasts to me, they will trouble you no more."

"Thank you, Master." Klein honored the monk with a deep bow, which Kirito and Suguha mimicked before complying with the hero's wishes and continuing onward to their destination.

As they ran for «The Golden Lantern», Kirito caught the sounds of Chen's battle behind them, gritting his teeth in self-resentment and clenching his fists until he thought they might bleed. He had been unable to do anything to protect them, only surviving through his sister's interference and Chen's arrival. It was infuriating to feel this helpless, this weak! Casting a glance at Suguha and Klein beside him, Kirito forced himself to bury that anger for their sake, his face setting into a mask of steely determination.

'No, I can do this. I have to do this. For Sugu'. For Klein. Do you hear me, Kayaba, Sugou?! This world won't beat us!'

'We will survive in this world!'