Progressive Factor

Beater, Leaders, and Promises

Asuna

"Is it...over?" Koharu's voice is the only sound after half a minute passes. In those thirty seconds, Asuna and the other forty-five players stood in silence, unable to comprehend what just happened. Silently she strolls over to Kirito, lowering his arm and staring at him. He faces her with the dumbest look on his face, so she says something to break his trance.

"Nice work."

The "Congratulations" prompt floats in the air, the rewards flash in a prompt in front of each player, and, most noticeable of all, no more monsters come to fight. After a month where one-fifth of the player population has died, a small band of players has opened the path to Floor 2. Slowly cheers reverberate within the chamber, and Asuna's sure that the entirety of the first floor has now heard the news.

The First Floor has been beaten. The First Floor has been beaten. The First Floor has been beaten.

"Congrats," Agil says as he slings his huge ars around Kirito's shoulders. "This win was all on you."

"Nah..."

"Indeed it was." Asuna, Kirito, and the other three around them turn their heads to a standing Diavel. Sighing, he scratches his head and looks at the roaring players behind them. "That was quite the battle. I guess I had no place in it. But I owe my thanks to you, Jaymes. I should have said it so earlier, but consider me being right about you as us being even about that delay."

Jaymes crosses his arms but smiles nonetheless. "Yeah, yeah. I did it on instinct. But the real hero here is Asuna." Surprised to hear a compliment from the warrior in red, Asuna faces him in shock as he continues. "If you hadn't taken charge for that moment, I doubt we would be done fighting now. Got to say, you have the guts to lead."

"What do you mean? If anything, you got them out of their confusion beforehand. You're a good leader too."

Jaymes nods then contacts his upper chest. "Yeah, but I don't have these going for me--OW! Koharu! What, you did well too."

Koharu glares at Jaymes. "That's not why I hit you and you know it. But thank you."

"Hold on just one moment!" The cheers and good attitude die with Kibaou's furious march to Asuna's group, Agil, and Diavel, followed by the other lingering players. His eyes, however, are aimed at Kirito. "Tell me! Explain to me why exactly you lied to us, and to Diavel! If you had just told us 'bout that from the start, Diavel would never have been in danger... None of us would have!"

Surprising Asuna, it is Koharu who speaks first in defense of Kirito. "Kirito was out there fighting to save Diavel with Jaymes, too. How can you take that tone of voice?"

"I'm not talking results here, I'm talking methods! This guy put Diavel in danger and then steps in to take all the glory!"

Asuna grits her teeth as the other players around them speak amongst themselves in favor of Kibaou. How dare they accuse Kirito of something that heinous! True, she doesn't know the guy, but in the three days they've spent together since he rescued her, she's learned that, if anything, he's not something who'd do something to hurt another. "You guys..."

Jaymes steps forward in Kibaou's face. "Let it be known that it was Kirito who proposed something may be different, and you ignored it. You were confident in your simulations, wary of...other things that you wouldn't listen to him."