Limitless

Chapter 3:

A/N: I think I mentioned this before, but this story is based solely off the events of the anime and Progressive 1 - mainly because I haven't had access to any of the others in the Progressive series, hehe. I'm sorry if this makes it confusing or seem redundant in any way. Hopefully it will seem less and less like a re-telling of the novels as the story goes on; I intend to veer very much off canon. Thank you!

On a side note... Relevant P1 stuff: Lind is the guy who first suggests that Kirito knew Illfang's attack patterns/accuses Argo (through her strategy guide) of withholding information. Oh - and before the first boss battle, Kirito lets Asuna over to his room to use his bath, and Argo ends up walking in on her. cx

Argo waded through the crowd of players, furious whispers and voices echoing throughout the large hall of the boss room. Her feet were silent against the floor as she scanned the stone walls, watching the way the torch flames burned a flickering, ominous blue.

The Rat recalled this day in the beta-test, when she first met Kii-bou - panting heavily, sword held against the ground as cheers of victory filled the chamber. The flames were the same, then - still burned blue, illuminating dark stone - but not everything had been, it seemed.

"What are we going to do? Now that Diavel is..."

Diavel.

Had Argo been in human skin, she might have shivered; but as it were, her breathing only hitched slightly - such was the pattern of the system. The Rat preferred it.

"Is - is it true? Did that player really-?"

Argo had anticipated many things to follow the first boss fight, but this... Well, it wasn't one of them.

"How dare that bastard, after all Diavel did for us!"

The anxiety was so thick she could taste it; the fear metallic on her tongue.

"Oh, Kii-bou..." Argo murmured under her breath, the vitriolous words echoing around her, only magnifying the confusion. It would turn to wild speculation, before long. "Only you would get yourself in a mess like this, wouldn't you?"

Both doors - the one to the first floor and the gate to the next - had swung open moments after Illfang had fallen, and Argo had been the first on the scene, to catch Kirito's bluff just before he stalked away... and just before the room erupted into chaos.

"What are we standing here for? That bastard is going to steal all the rare items before any of us!"

Kii-bou's speech had been laughable - to Argo, anyway. It was too easy to see the way his voice shook, even so slightly, at the end - Kii-bou was good, but not that good. But to these players; lost, terrified, desperate for something to blame...

"Are you crazy? That guy's freakin' inhuman - I'm not running into him up there!"

...it made all the difference.

"Yeah, I wouldn't run after him if you paid me-"

A few other players filed in behind Argo, whose cloak was wisely drawn over her brow as she slunk through the hall; the raid members didn't seem to notice - too caught up in their own ramblings.

"But, wait - that girl went after he did, didn't she?"

Argo stilled, tilting her head. She hadn't realized anyone followed him.

"Oh, yeah - that chick with the cloak! I couldn't believe how fast she was-"

"Yeah, but - shit, is she all right? She never came back-"

Argo's eyebrows rose. So Kii-bou's pretty companion went after him, hmm?

She was musing over the possibilities when a large shoulder suddenly brushed past her - the player's STR must have been advanced, because the Rat was actually jolted to the side, feeling her arm ache and her cloak slip down her neck.

How rude. Argo narrowed her eyes, gripping her sleeves - the man was tall, with shoulder-length blue hair, and never looked back.

There was a gasp beside her.

"Hey, isn't that-?"

A young man to her left was staring at her with wide eyes, and Argo realized with a start that he was fixated on her face - her whiskers -

"It is! It's the Rat!"

The whispers quieted around her, and Argo just let out a sharp breath. Her hands - half-way to her neck, to throw her hood back over herself - fell to her sides as she felt numerous eyes lock on her. She shifted closer to the wall.

Dammit. This is not a good time. If only her «hiding skill» weren't still so damn low...

"You - it's you who gave everyone that guide, isn't it?"

It was the rude blue-haired man. Argo looked the brute dead in the eyes, recognition dawning on her: it was the raid party's lieutenant and Diavel's second, the scimitar-wielder Lind.

"I distributed it, yes." Argo's tone was even, in spite of the dozen gazes narrowed to her. She took a shallow breath. "And before you ask - that information was as accurate as it could have been."

Which meant it was incorrect, regardless - something that twisted at Argo's chest - but that was beside her point.

Lind visibly straightened, sharpening. "But it wasn't-!"

"And for that, I apologize," she replied coolly.

More furious whispers.

"That's all you have to say?" Lind asked accusingly after a moment; a few people echoed him.

Perhaps the last bit was wrong, it's true. But how many of you would have made it this far without my guide, hmm?

Humans were such forgetful creatures.

As the scimitar-user spoke, a spiky-haired man caught her eye - roughly shouldering his way through the players - and Argo's dark orbs narrowed. Kibaou came up beside Lind, boots stomping to the center - forcing Argo further against the wall. She tensed.

Though never antagonistic toward her before, there was caution flinty in Kibaou's eyes now. ...Sore about Anneal Blade, are you?

The crowd seemed to gather around them, keeping their distance.

"The strategy guide described the stats from the beta-test," Argo announced, rather boldly. She had nothing to hide. "As far as I'm aware, none of that itself was incorrect."

Lind's eyes seemed to blaze. Really, where else did you think that info was from? I can't read the future.

"Whoa, guys - Lind-man - it's not the lady's fault," a rugged young player cut in, waving his arms placatingly and... defending her? "Nobody knew what would happen."

Her defender's hair was a strewn rust-red, contrasting sharply with the hulking, dark-skinned man that came from behind him. The two stepped just before Argo, between the lithe girl and the rest of the players in the hall - as if leveling the field. Argo blinked, surprised.

The dark-skinned man's brows were furrowed as he spoke, deeply and evenly. "Klein is right. What happened to Diavel was a tragedy, but we must think about this clearly."

"Yeah. And come on, what would this lady gain from cheating us?" Klein reasoned, laughing weakly. Argo looked to him. "She sells this stuff, right? Information? And she wasn't even here!"

Lind's face twisted as he suggested, "Maybe the bitch's in on it, too. She and the Beater."

"For what?" Klein replied, looking like he might roll his eyes. His look of disdain was almost impressive. "Lemme guess - the «last attack» bonus?"

"She's defending him because she's a filthy tester like him! Trying to make us think-!"

"-that, what? That her word is shit? You're not making sense, man-"

"Shut it, you bastard-" Lind growled, but even Kibaou seemed to realize the player's senselessness.

"That's enough, Lind!" Kibaou barked. His piercing gaze turned from them to the crowd, raising his weapon above his head. "The Rat is one of us - Diavel vouched for her himself! And you heard what she said - that info was from a tester - from a Beater!"

There was a chorus of agreement, but instead of relief, all Argo felt was a sharp twist in her chest, the feeling of the situation spinning out of her control.

"I deal in information - its integrity is my responsibility," Argo interjected, raising her voice in a last-ditch effort, knowing that IRL, her palms would be clammy; her heart rate unsteady. "No matter what my sources are, this is my mistake-"

Her words felt like they were drowned out in the rising clamor, but then a raid-member yelled-

"How could it be, when that Beater is hoarding all the knowledge to his filthy self?"

Her words fell nonetheless on deaf ears, as the volume in the room increased.

"Yeah, and the bastard even had the gall to admit to it!"

"I heard him, too!"

It quickly devolved from there. The mass of players - now some from the outside, as well - spewed curses about 'the Beater' - and Argo found herself in the midst of it, feeling eerily cold.

The word would spread quickly, like wildfire, and Argo knew better than anyone else how impossible it would be to stop it.

Kirito lingered by the southern edge of Urbus, leaning against the city's rusted steel gates. The taste of a low-level potion felt sticky and bland in his mouth, like old saliva, but the nearest tavern was half-way across town, and Kirito's avatar ached.

It had been a long day.

The orange sun steadily inched its way down the sky, casting long shadows across the dusty town streets. With a sigh, Kirito pulled «the Coat of Midnight» further around himself, eyes scanning the main road for any sign of a crimson-red cloak.

Where was she?

"I told her to meet me in half-an-hour..." he muttered, checking the time on his screen. 6:24 PM. It didn't take that much time to get supplies, did it? "Wait... She didn't get lost, did she?"

If she had... Well, this was going to be a long couple of weeks. Urbus wasn't even that large of a city.

Kirito slumped against the gate, hearing it creak under his weight. He would give her time - the two of them had traveled the several miles to Urbus more quickly than he anticipated, so a few minutes wasn't much. And all things considered, if Asuna wanted to take a break... Well, he certainly wasn't going to discourage her.

The girl had seemed rather drawn when they'd split up to re-stock. Throughout the journey there, as well. It was... disconcerting. Part of Kirito had expected Asuna to be more talkative, consider her outspokenness on the stairs, but ever since then, the girl had fallen strangely silent.

They avoided all monsters on the road, but... perhaps even the sight of them was what sobered her. Perhaps it was exhaustion.

She didn't... faint again, did she? The thought crossed his mind, and abruptly Kirito straightened. No - she had seemed mildly fatigued earlier, but...

Kirito was scrolling open his menu to message the girl when his inbox suddenly chimed. Maybe it was Asuna. Finally-

[Looks like I gave you a hard time, Kii-bou. If you want, I'll give you one info for free, k?]

"Argo?" he murmured aloud, a bit surprised. Giving information out... for free?

Argo was as detached as they got, when it came to these matters. For her to feel like this... The anti-Beaters must have been forming mobs back there.

[It was that bad, huh?]

There was a pause, then another ding of a message. [Yeah. I would have gotten to you sooner, but... I got caught up in a little drama.]

Drama? Kirito frowned. His fingers hovered over the keys for a moment. [You okay?]

Kirito had tried to make himself the sole target of their anger, and the swordsman thought he'd succeeded... Though looking back, Kirito could hardly remember what he said at all - could only remember the panic and the cold, gripping sense of purpose, left in Diavel's wake.

[You're worried? How cute.] Ugh. Kirito rubbed the back of his head. As cold as she was, sometimes Argo could be... [But please. As if those brutes could even touch me. You should worry about yourself - they're out for blood.]

[So I heard.]

Almost before he realized it, Kirito eyes were darting around him, as if a murderous raid-member could be stalking him right then - though the sandy street end was empty. For now, that is.

Where was Asuna?

Ding.

[By the way, rumor has it you have a stalker. Brown hair. Red cloak. 'Fast like lightning.'] Kirito rolled his eyes, about to give a droll reply when - [And 'super cute', among other things... But I'm sure you don't need any adolescent male descriptions.]

The swordsman coughed a bit, flushing. He could just see Argo's face. Backing up, he re-typed - [That better not count as my freebie.]

[Nope... Since I'm asking for «verification», of course. You know I don't trust rumors.]

Kirito sighed, deeply. [You have to get into everyone's business, don't you?]

[I'm very nosy like that. Sooo... did she follow you?]

To «verify» the truth of something meant that Argo intended to sell it, and the thought of saying anything that the the raid party might hear made his skin crawl. And yet, Kirito realized, the way Argo was asking spoke volumes - "Did she follow you?"

In Argo-speak... What do you want me to say to them?

[I don't know where she is.] He decided - though at the moment, it was technically true... [We were a party during the boss raid. That's it.]

[Got it.] Argo accepted easily - though what she truly surmised about the matter, Kirito wasn't certain. [Can you «verify» you saw her alive on the second floor, at least? She never came back, so your fan-club down here are wondering if you pushed their idol down the stairs. Maybe ate her.]

Kirito rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest, Argo."

When Kirito chose not to deign that with a response, his menu beeped.

[50 Col has been sent to you from Argo. Will you accept?]

Kirito wanted to laugh - everyone would know he hadn't murdered Asuna soon enough, anyway - but he recognized the payment for what it was, and Kirito felt his chest sink. Argo... There's no need to apologize.

Not for the mess of the last few hours, not for her Strategy Guide, that had been taken so horribly wrong... There was no need for apologies.

But Argo wouldn't accept that. And, well, in her place... neither would he.

[You buy gossip now?]

It was only fifty Col. He could probably buy a meal for two with that. Even when she's apologizing for ruining someone's life, she's cheap.

[You don't gossip, Kii-bou... and you know me. Whatever people are willing to pay for.]

Kirito let out a deep sigh, then clicked [Yes].

"What are you sighing about?"

Kirito jumped a bit, looking over his menu to see an intent-looking Asuna in front of him. Her cloak was still drawn over her shoulders, though she had let her hair fall freely, tangling around her neck.

The girl cocked her head, as if trying to see what he was looking at - though of course she couldn't see his screen. "Are you... messaging someone?"

[A pleasure doing business with you.]

"Just an... old friend. Kind of." Kirito said, unsure of how he would label Argo. A... colleague - slash - information broker? That liked to tease him and called him derogatory nicknames...?

Asuna stared at him oddly as he closed the window, though the swordsman couldn't place her expression.

Kirito looked up, scanning Asuna's health bar - trickling full, indicating she had taken a potion as well. Good. "Are you ready?"

Thankfully, Asuna nodded. Her eyes were serious. "Yeah."

He was about to say more when he was cut off by another ding. [One more thing. If you're willing, give my regards to Miss Rapier, would you? Along with my apologies.]

At the words, Kirito was brought back to that night in the farm house, when he'd let Asuna borrow his bath... and the insinuation in Argo's words became very clear. Kirito flushed.

[I would hate for her to think me rude. =**=]

You're the one who walked in on her - ah, dammit, Argo.

"Are you okay?" the girl in front of him asked, perplexed at the tint to his cheeks. She was staring at him again, eyes narrowed.

"I-I'm fine," he said, shaking his head. Even with the teleport gate opened, this dusty corner of Urbus was still quite deserted - no one had passed through the southern gate - but it was only a matter of time. "We should get going."

"Ok-ay," Asuna agreed, though he saw her still observing him from the corner of her eye. She seemed tired, but in all fairness, she did look a bit better than she had an hour ago. More alert. That was good.

With a nod, Kirito approached the center of the gate, considering the southern area of the second floor through its rusted metal bars.

A golden-lit savanna was wide and sprawling before them; framed at the edge by looming, flat-topped mountains. Beautiful and dangerous.

"I saw a few players in the shops," Asuna shared suddenly, making Kirito start. Her eyes were dark, even as they stared at the surreal area beside him, and the swordsman blinked. "They... thanked me for opening the teleport gate, in the square."

She sounded... almost confused.

"Ah," Kirito said, remembering how his fingers touched the shimmering blue surface - how it activated with that distinctive, brilliant glow. "Once the boss room's door to a new floor opens, there's a few hours' delay until players can teleport from the previous one - unless someone opens the gate early."

As Kirito had done. But of course, as a Beater...

Asuna seemed to understand, pulling her rapier from its hilt with a bit excess force, but she only asked, "Why is there a delay?"

Well... "So players like us can get a head start on rare quests and hunting areas."

Asuna only stared at the floor beyond, so Kirito moved on. "If we leave now, we should be able to get to the cavern area by nightfall. The quest I told you about is on the east side. "

They would have to fight a few monsters on the way, but not many, if Kirito led them right. That way they could activate the quest - securing it for themselves - and then rest for the night. It was a decent way to start a new floor.

"I see," Asuna said after a moment, her shoulders falling. "It really is competitive, isn't it?"

The quests? No -

"To some extent. MMORPG's are designed like that," Kirito confirmed. Her voice was quiet, almost solemn - and Kirito realized that while he had done this a thousand times... Defeated bosses, stocked up on items, gone off on rare quests... it was all so much heavier now. Like something stifling his chest. "But SAO is different. More intense. It's-"

"-not just a game." Asuna finished; her eyes were steely - masking a whirlwind of emotion, Kirito now recognized.

"No... it's really not."

A/N:

KimranReech: Thank you so much! c: I'm glad you enjoyed it... and I really hope I can meet your expectations.

Nobody: I believe I addressed your review in the beginning, but thank you for pointing it out to me - I see it is pretty similar. Just think of this story as anime-verse w/ a P1 beginning. Things will inevitably be different as they go on.

Anonymuse: I accept your challenge. c:

firelord sadisti: Yeah, I thought so. I'll try to fix that... Still, I'm glad you think it's well-written enough to keep reading! c: Thank you.

The Solo Player: Thank you! c: I always really appreciate your encouragement.