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You were created to do my bidding...nothing more, nothing less. You are my creation and you will do as I say...follow my orders to the letter, Tormentor, and you will be free of me...forever.
Tormentor let out an exhausted breath and slid down the cool stone wall of the alleyway. Possessing the body of this little girl had been much more difficult than he’d first anticipated. At first glance, she appeared to be weak, but her spirit was absolutely massive. Stronger than any Tormentor had dealt with before. Even now, he could feel her soul writhing about inside of his chest, trying her damnedest to break free of his control.
Let...me...GO! Silica’s high-pitched voice reverberated through Tormentor’s skull as she fought against him.
Tormentor growled under his breath and once again sent a piece of his soul to detain and control the little nuisance. He attacked her astral soul image with his tendrils, ensuring to go for her belly button, toes and underarms. He didn’t want to hurt the little pest, but if she persisted with her obnoxious defiance, then she would leave Tormentor with no choice but to destroy her. Why couldn’t she be quiet and cooperative like the last host?
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Silica’s tormented laughter echoed inside his head as the tendrils tickled and tortured her. STOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOP! NAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAH! N-NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO! KIRITOOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOOO! HEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEELP!
Tormentor shook his head. “Kirito, Kirito, Kirito--is that all you can say? All you ever talk about is Kirito. What makes you think that he will come for you? If I have learned anything from studying you humans...it is that you are all selfish, despicable creatures who would sooner sell one another out, than allow themselves to experience any sort of judgement.”
SCREW YOOOOHOHOHOHOOOOU! EEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! NOT THE TOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOES! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!
He let out a tired breath and glared out at the bustling street just outside the mouth of the alley. None of the humans out there even bothered to notice the little girl sitting alone in the alley. They didn’t care about her, they were all too preoccupied with their own selfish desires. Tormentor wanted nothing more than to leave this world behind...but there was only one way that would happen…
KIRITOOOOOHOHOOOOO! Silica screeched. SAVE MEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEE! NAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOT THERE! NOT THERE! NOT THEHEHEHEHEEEEEERE! AYAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! STOP IT! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!
He grit his teeth and clenched his newly obtained tiny fists in irritation. “This isn’t going according to the plan at all…”
Tormentor had been created for one purpose, and one purpose only; to serve. He was the servant of a cruel player who had forged his viral code in order to take vengeance on a certain betraying woman who had left him for another man. Tormentor’s main objective was to track her down and eliminate her...whenever he had accomplished that goal, he had returned to his master with high hopes of freedom. At last he would be able to roam free, without the restrictions of a virus…
Or at least that had been the plan…
Whenever Tormentor’s master had learned of the fate that had befallen his beloved Minska...he hadn’t been able to handle it. Before Tormentor could stop him, his master hurled himself over the edge of Aincrad and fallen to his ultimate death into the cloudy abyss that awaited below.
The coward had abandoned Tormentor to the fate he now lived. He had cursed Tormentor to forever jump from body to body, possessing only females. Such was the fate of his viral code. The cycle would continue over and over again until someone managed to rise up and strike him down. Tormentor had been made exponentially powerful, in order to eliminate his master’s target with ease. He had the skills of all the best players loaded into his code, and thus he could never be defeated.
Eventually, he would run out of energy again, however, and revert back to his crystalline state, where he would then hibernate until another foolish player came along to unleash him once again. This time had to be the last time, though...this would be his very last venture into this world. Never again would he be awakened. If Tormentor couldn’t be free...then he would rather be dead.
One last time, he would fight in this world…
Suddenly something brushed against Tormentor’s leg, drawing him out of his thoughts. He looked down and was surprised to find a little blue dragon nuzzling against his leg. She looked up at Tormentor with wise, red eyes that were filled with worry and strife.
Give her back to me…
Tormentor jumped as the tiny voice reverberated through his subconscious, cancelling Silica’s laughter completely. He looked around for the source of the unknown voice, but no one else was within earshot. In wonder, he looked back at the dragon. “Did you just...speak?”
The dragon let out a huff of air. Do not make me repeat myself...return Silica to me, Virus...or you will regret it.
Tormentor couldn’t help but smile at that. A pet protecting her master. The little dragon was shaking all over with terror at challenging him, but Tormentor felt certain that this little dragon would fight to her death in order to save her master. That was something Tormentor could sympathize with...there was a time when he would have done the same for Daznil...however…
“Once I am finished with her, you can have the body of your little master back.” He reached down and picked the little dragon up by her tiny wings and brought her, kicking and shrieking, up to his face so that he could look her in the eye. “Be still!” The dragon fell still immediately, though she wasn’t happy about it. “Good. Now, listen to me very closely, pet...I have a special mission I would like for you to carry out for me.”

*          *          *

“She’s waking up!”
Kirito vaulted out of his chair, sending the wooden seat flying backwards onto the ground. He ran into the back room where Liz had been resting for the past hour and pushed past Agil and Klein who were standing just inside the doorway and rushed to the bed, where Liz lay barely conscious. Immediately he took her hand and shook it vigorously.
“Liz!” he exclaimed, more relieved than anything else. “Say something!”
A strong hand on his shoulder pulled Kirito back. “Calm down, bud. Give ‘er a minute to gather her chickens.” Kirito nodded and Klein released his grip to step up beside him. With a confident smile he slapped Kirito across the back lightly. “She’s gonna be okay, man. Don’t worry so much. We’re in a safe-zone, after all. She can’t die here, no matter what.”
That was true...but still…
At last, Liz opened her eyes just enough to let everyone know that she was still alive. She looked around for a moment, dazed and confused until finally her eyes came to rest on Kirito and a tired smile crossed her cute features. “Hey, there...what’s goin’ on?”
Kirito felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his chest. “Liz...thank God…”
Klein walked over to the bed and sat down beside Liz, letting out a relieved breath as he did so. “You had us worried sick there for a while, Little Miss Lisbeth. Me and Kirito thought you were a goner for sure!” He grinned over at the large form of Agil as he ducked into the room to see her. “And I was pretty sure Agil was about to break down in tears!”
Liz raised an eyebrow at him curiously. “Aww, is that true, Aggy?”
Agil smiled warmly and shrugged. “Well, it ain’t everyday that one a my friends is laid up half-dead in a safe-zone, ya know? I was a bit worried, yeah, but I knew ya’d pull through. Too tough to be beat by somethin’ like that thing…” His expression darkened at the mention of Tormentor, and he immediately turned his attention back to Kirito. “Speakin’ of...got any ideas where it might have run to?”
Kirito shook his head, irritated with his own uselessness. “No idea...thankfully Asuna’s not gonna be back in the city for another day or two...and I don’t think he has any plans of leaving anyway. He seemed to be singularly focused on the women of this city...but why?”
“Because of...you…” Kirito looked back at Liz in surprise. Liz’s expression was fierce and serious, and her magenta eyes shined with worry. “Tormentor...he’s after you, Kirito...he wants to…” She tried to sit up, but she immediately winced in pain.
“Take it easy.” Kirito gently pushed Liz back down onto the pillow. “Take a minute to gather yourself.”
Liz shook her head and forced herself up on her elbows. “No! Kirito...you have to hear this…” She took a deep breath. “While I was...possessed by Tormentor...I learned his real plans...he-”
Without warning, a streak of blue suddenly shot across the room through the nearby open window. Kirito dodged as the unidentified, blue projectile zipped back his head. Immediately, he whirled around, hand on the hilt of his sword, prepared to fight whatever beast dared to invade Liz’s shop…
The streak zoomed around the room for a moment, bouncing off of the walls, and knocking various scraps of metal, half-finished swords, and daggers of different sizes and dimensions off of the shelves as it did so. Kirito growled in frustration as the speedy little creature flew past his head again, just missing his right ear. What the hell was it? He’d never seen anything--other than himself--move that fast.
At last, the blue streak began to slow down until it became nearly visible to the naked eye. Kirito glared at the creature for a long moment, trying to categorize its species and judge the threat it posed to them, but it was still moving too fast for him to get a proper bead on it. Instinctively, he moved to stand in front of Liz, his blade held over her protectively. Whatever this thing was, he wasn’t about to let it harm his friend. Just what was this thing?
As if on cue, the blue beast streaked straight at Kirito, aiming to thwack him right between the eyes. Kirito raised his sword, prepared to lop the creature in two, but just before he brought the razor-sharp blade down, the creature stopped in mid-air and hovered in place, allowing Kirito to get his first real look at it.
The little blue dragon panted heavily, its beady red eyes full of exhaustion. For a moment, it remained hovering, then without warning, it suddenly let out a gasp of exhaustion and fell right out of the air. Kirito moved swiftly, holding his hand out to catch the dragon and lay it down on Liz’s bed gently. It was no threat to them.
“Hey...isn’t that…” Klein leaned down and examined the dragon. “...Pina?”
Kirito nodded and sheathed his sword. “Sure is.”
Liz’s eyes grew wide with terror. “If Pina’s here, then...what happened to Silica?!”
“That thing’s still got ahold of her,” Agil explained. “Apparently it just used you to get to her, then once it didn’t need ya anymore, it took over Silica and ran off with ‘er. Nobody’s seen ‘er since.”
“No…” Tears brimmed in Liz’s eyes. “Why...why would he do that? What’d Silica ever do to him?!”
Kirito stroked Pina’s feathered head and gently lifted it up off of the blankets with his forefinger, trying to coax the little dragon awake again. Right now, she was his only lead to Silica.
Pina flinched and slowly opened her little red eyes and gazed up at Kirito wisely. The second she saw him, she let out a little screech and flapped her wings frantically, attempting to fly, but she was still far too weak. Gently, Kirito picked her up from the bed and placed the dragon on his shoulder, allowing her to rest there. However, Pina wasn’t satisfied with riding shotgun, so she immediately climbed up onto his head and splayed out there, her warm belly pressing into his scalp. Kirito blinked in surprise at how comfortable it actually was to have a dragon on his head...maybe Silica wasn’t so weird after all.
Silica is in danger…
Kirito jumped and looked around. “Who said that?”
The others exchanged strange looks, obviously thinking Kirito had lost his mind.
“Nobody said anything, dude,” Klein answered, very confused.
There is not much time...you must hurry…
“There it is again!” Kirito exclaimed, turning a full circle and eyeing everyone in the room suspiciously. “Which one a you guys is screwin’ with me?”
“I think the stress is startin’ to get to ‘em…” Agil whispered to Klein.
“Seriously,” Klein agreed. “Nobody said anything, Kirito. What’s your deal, man?”
“Someone said that Silica was in danger and that we gotta hurry up and go find her. So which one of you was it?” he demanded, losing his patience with this charade. “We don’t have time for games, guys!”
Before anyone could answer him, Pina slid down his forehead and gazed right into his eyes. I said it, Sir Kirito. Shall I guide you to Silica? There is not much time…
Kirito stared at Pina in astonishment. “You can talk?!”
Pina cocked her head to the side curiously. You live within a virtual world where everything you see is fake, and yet it is real...and a talking dragon shocks you? You humans are such simple creatures.
Damn. Kirito had never imagined Pina as being such a smartass. She had always seemed so cute...apparently he had a lot to learn about judging someone’s a character. Even if that someone was a dragon.
“You know where Silica is?” he asked, getting to the point.
I do… Pina looked out the window of the shop that she had just crashed through. She is that way. I will guide you...but the creature possessing her demands that you come alone...he wishes to face you in combat.
Kirito growled low in his throat. “Fine…if it’s a fight he wants...it’s a fight he’ll get…” He turned back to the others, who were looking at him like he was an escaped mental patient. “You guys stay here and protect Liz, okay?”
“Where are you goin’?” Klein inquired.
“To save my friend…”

*          *          *

It’s great to be back!” Asuna smiled and looked around the Town of Beginnings at all the Players who had built happy lives in SAO and managed to move on from the horror that had become their existence here. In a way, Asuna felt almost nostalgic being back here. She had gotten back from her expedition with the KTB early and had wanted to surprise Kirito, but she had been the one who was surprised to find that Kirito was here…Kirito rarely ever came back here. What could have drawn him to this place?
No doubt he’s gotten himself into something again… She sighed to herself. “What am I gonna do with that idiot?” She pulled up her mini-map and searched for Kirito, having a hunch at where he might be. No doubt he was in Agil’s shop or Lisbeth’s forge. That was the good thing about Kirito--he was pretty predictable whenever you got to know him. At last she found the bumbling idiot. He was on the move and heading towards the center of town. “Where are you going?” she asked herself and moved the map a little so that she could see what was in that direction. Maybe a sale on black coats? It was at that moment that Asuna saw it… “What the…?”
Silica’s icon faded in and out of view and her HP kept draining more and more by the second, going from a sickly shade of green to a mustard yellow. Not good. A black substance covered the icon, making Silica’s smiling chibi face nearly indistinguishable, but Asuna knew that icon by heart...something was wrong with Silica. She was in danger and Kirito was going to save her...just what had happened while she’d been gone?
Without another second of hesitation, Asuna ran for the center of the city, cutting through the back alleyways to catch up with Kirito. He would be able to fill her in further whenever she reached him. Whatever was happening to Silica, Asuna knew that it couldn’t be good. How could something be harming her in a safe-zone, though? That was against all the rules of SAO. Unless she was in a duel, there was no way that Silica could be taking any damage...just what the hell was happening to her?
Asuna kept an eye on her map as she weaved through the city, dodging people, animals and various other obstacles. She was gaining on Kirito now, he was only a few meters ahead of her. Soon, she would catch up to him. Out of the corner of her, she saw that Silica’s HP was still going down, much faster now than before. It wouldn’t be long before it was completely gone! She looked back at Kirito’s icon. At the speed he was going, there was no way he would make it in time…
Reluctantly, she veered off of the path that would lead her to Kirito and instead took another back alleyway that would take her to Silica much faster than Kirito. She would just have to hold off the enemy until Kirito arrived...no problem...right.
As she drew nearer to Silica’s location, however, the beast-tamer’s icon suddenly moved. Asuna stopped and looked back at the icon, had that just been a trick of the light? A moment later, the icon moved again...nope. Silica was moving...towards Asuna. She was only a few meters ahead of Asuna now...just in the next alley. What was she doing in there?
A moment later, Asuna’s question was answered as Silica came stumbling out of the alleyway, her head hung low and her body slouched. She looked up at Asuna, her ruby red eyes devoid of all life.
“Asu...na…” Silica panted, barely able to stand, she tried to take another step towards Asuna, but her legs finally gave out from under her and she fell forward.
Asuna sprinted to her friend and caught her just before she hit the ground. “Silica!” she exclaimed worriedly. “Silica what’s wrong?!”
Silica’s body was cold to the touch, as if she were a corpse. She gazed up at Asuna blankly, her eyes unseeing. “Asu...na…” She reached her hand up shakily towards Asuna’s face.
Asuna took her hand gently. “What is it, Silica? I’m here.”
Silica swallowed hard. “R-R…”
“What?”
“R-R...un…”
Silica’s warning came a millisecond too late. The second the word left her lips, an explosion of pure black energy engulfed Asuna completely, wrapping around her body and solidifying to hold her in place like enormous tendrils. Asuna screamed and struggled, but it was no use. She was trapped.
Silence, girl… hissed an evil voice that reverberated through Asuna’s subconscious. Comply quietly...this will be over soon. Yours will be the last body I possess…
Asuna’s boots were ripped from her feet and before she could even think about fighting back, tiny little tendrils suddenly squeezed their way between her toes, raking up and down their sensitive skin and scratching against her bare soles.
“AHAAA!” Asuna screeched in shock. It had been years since someone had last tickled her...it was a shock to her system like someone had put a taser against her. “AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOOOOOHOHOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOP! NAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! NOT MY FEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEET! STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEASE!”
Quite the ticklish specimen...good...you will be easy to control…
The tendrils moved up Asuna’s legs, teasing her sensitive skin until she thought she might go insane.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEELP! NEEAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SOMEBODEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEE!” Asuna squealed and laughed like a schoolgirl.
Nothing had ever tortured her like this before. The closest she had ever come to being tortured like this was when she was little and her father had tickled her senseless all the time, but even that couldn’t compare to this. This was hell. Absolute hell.
“NAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! STOOOOOOP!” She begged the evil goop as the tendrils reached her stomach and slipped underneath her protective clothing, sending her into practical insanity . “PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEASE! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! N-NOT THEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEERE! EEEAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!”
I see...you are the swordsman’s lover, are you? You will do nicely for drawing him out…
The swordsman? Asuna’s heart skipped a beat. “NOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOO! KIRITOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOO! AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!”
At last the goop engulfed Asuna’s head and everything went dark…

Asuna gasped and sat bolt upright in shock. What...just happened?
She gazed around at her surroundings, trying to get her bearings. She appeared to be in some kind of...dark void. Everything around her was solid black, an endless void of nothingness surrounded her entirely. Asuna looked back and forth, her claustrophobia acting up terribly. Where was this place? How had she come to be here? The last thing Asuna could remember was returning from her trip to the outskirts of Floor 70 with TKB...had something happened to them while they were there? Was this...the end? Had she died?
Do not fret… a familiar raspy voice suddenly echoed throughout the endless expanse. You are alive and well. Your mind and I have merely become one...you will soon be released...as soon as the swordsman comes to face me...once I am defeated, I will release you.
Asuna glared up in the direction of the voice. “And if I decide to fight back? What will you do then?”
Without warning, black tendrils suddenly sprang up from the floor and wrapped all around her, binding her against the cold floor. A second later, smaller tendrils began teasing her delicate soles and ribs simultaneously, drawing a ticklish schoolgirl squeal out of her.
“NYAAAH! NOOOHOHOHOHOHO! NOT AGAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAIN! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!” She squealed and struggled, but to no avail. The tendrils were like steel cables. “STOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOOOP! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEASE!”
Will you resist me?
“NOOOOOHOHOOHOHOHOHOOOOOO! NEEEAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! JUST STOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOP!” Asuna shrieked as the tiny tendrils squeezed between her delicate little toes.
Very well…
The tendrils released Asuna and seeped back into the floor, leaving her lying helplessly on the ground, staring up at the darkness above, trying to catch her breath. Now it was all starting to come back to her...how she’d wound up in this less-than-ideal situation. She remembered rushing to Silica’s aid, her capture by this thing and the awful ticklish torture he’d subjected her to...for once, Asuna felt like the enemy wasn’t worth fighting. This thing knew her greatest weakness and at any point in time, it could exploit it and render her powerless...there was nothing she could do…
With an annoyed sigh, she allowed herself to relax. “What do you want with Kirito?”
For a moment, the voice remained silent, but at last it answered her. He is a means to an end...if anyone is able to do it...it will be him. And if not...he will die...and he will die by the blade of his beloved woman. That is the only fate that awaits a foolish man who wishes to put his hopes into a woman…
“You’ll never beat him,” Asuna cooed, barely reacting to the news.
Let us hope not...I would like to die.
Asuna shook her head. “Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, why don’t you try and fight for something good? You know there’s countless evil players in SAO, too. You could try and focus on them, rather than on innocent people. Maybe someday you’ll find a way to purify your code, and you can become an actual AI.”
No...I can never be anything more...than a virus…
Asuna sat up. “Not with that attitude. You gotta be a bit more positive. Trust me...if anyone knows what it feels like to wish they were dead...it’s me. I was on the verge of just throwing myself into the abyss and letting it swallow me...” She placed a hand on her chest as she remembered that day. “That was when...I met Kirito...he told me that if I ever got the chance to join a guild, that I should take the offer. I took his advice...and now look at me, I’m stronger than ever and-”
SILENCE!
The tendrils suddenly came back, wrapping around Asuna’s ankles and assaulting her sensitive soles once again.
Asuna squealed in shock and was immediately plunged back into a fit of laughter. “NOOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOOO! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! STOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOP! NEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEE! KIRITOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEELP!”
Kirito...Kirito...Kirito...all of the hosts I have possessed have screamed for Kirito...hearing his name makes me sick. Why do you all show that man such loyalty? It all goes against what I have learned from your species…
Asuna jerked at the tendrils, attempting to break herself free. “NAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! STOP IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIIIIIT! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEASE!”
You have such faith in your Kirito? Forsake his name...and I will cease this torment. Prove to me that you are human...betray the man you love for your own personal gain...and this torture will stop.
“N-NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NEVER! NEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEE!” Asuna struggled harder. She would never give up on Kirito. He would save her. She felt sure of that...he would get her out of this awful situation. He always came to save her. “KIRITOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOO!”


*          *          *

Turn here, Silica is just down this alleyway!
Kirito swerved around the corner and sprinted into the alley, but there was no sign of Silica anywhere. He stopped and looked around, confused.
“Where is she?!” he exclaimed.
Pina vaulted off of his head and flew deeper into the alley. She screeched back at him as she reached the other side. This way! Hurry!
Kirito sprinted after the dragon and slid out of the other side of of the alley into the street opposite the one he had just come. The second he emerged, he found their target. Silica was lying on her back in the middle of the sidewalk, her eyes closed...she looked like a corpse. Kirito knew that she was alive, however, as her body was still here. She wasn’t in very good shape, though…
Pina curled up on Silica’s chest and blew a healing spell onto her master, but Silica remained perfectly still. Kirito ground his teeth and glared around, trying to find Tormentor’s whereabouts. It was obvious that he had abandoned Silica’s body...so where was he? Had he possessed another player and run off somewhere?
Suddenly Pina’s head shot up and her ears stood on end. WATCH OUT!
Kirito instinctively drew his sword and whirled around to catch the blade of his attacker. The second their swords met, Kirito slashed his own back towards the attacker, forcing them to withdraw.
“Big mistake, buddy…” It was at that moment that Kirito saw his attacker’s face...and his heart froze. “No…”
Asuna grinned evilly, her eyes flashing black. “Is there a problem?”
“Asuna…” he said, unable to believe his eyes. “How…? You weren’t supposed to come back yet!”
Asuna shook her head. “Have you already forgotten? I am the one in control of this body...your woman sends her regards, however. You should hear her...screaming your name as I torture her. I gave her the option of complete surrender...but she refused. She will not renounce your name, Kirito...she is loyal to you, that much is true...but I wonder...can same be said...of you?”
Before Kirito could even blink, Tormentor attacked, using Asuna’s rapier to strike him again and again, not giving him a second to fight back, not that he would have anyway. Kirito would never raise a hand against Asuna...never. He would rather die than hurt her.
Tormentor struck him again and again, and Kirito blocked him again and again, neither one letting up. Tormentor would never be able to kill Kirito in a safe-zone...but that wasn’t the problem. The longer Kirito drew this battle out, the longer Asuna would be tortured. He had to find a way to force Tormentor out of Asuna’s body before he could destroy the monster forever...but how? If only he could find a way to fight the virus one-on-one without him possessing the body of an innocent…
“Kirito!” Silica’s voice suddenly drew his attention. He looked over his shoulder to find the beast-tamer propping herself up on one elbow, barely conscious. “Go for the necklace, Kirito! That’s where he’s hiding! Destroy it!”
Kirito nodded and jumped backwards, moving far enough back to give himself time to strategize. Tormentor didn’t advance on him, no doubt he had worn himself out with that onslaught. He had put in far too much effort before the battle had even begun. That would be his downfall.
Around Asuna’s neck, Kirito saw the familiar black crystal that he had gotten from the Dragon King...that was where Tormentor’s code was stored...he just had to get close enough to destroy it and this would all be over…
Not wasting another second, Kirito launched into attack mode again, but this time he forced himself to see Tormentor, not Asuna. He wasn’t fighting his beloved Asuna, he was fighting Tormentor, and if he held back in a fight like this, Asuna would probably throttle him anyway. Tormentor went on the defensive as Kirito attacked him over and over again, forcing him to block and waste more of his energy, all the while getting close enough to make a grab for the crystal.
Tormentor picked up on his plan and quickly moved to protect the crystal with Asuna’s hand. If Kirito wanted it, then he would have to cut Asuna’s hand off for it. Her hand would regenerate, sure...but Kirito knew first-hand--literally--how much that hurt, so there was no way he was about to do that...there had to be another way to force Asuna to release the crystal so that Kirito could get to it.
“You have no choice but destroy her along with me!” Tormentor grinned evilly. “It is the only option you have! Otherwise you will never succeed!”
He’s right… Kirito cursed his own stupidity for allowing this to happen. He should have warned Asuna not to come back here until he had neutralized the situation...what an idiot he’d been. Now because of him, Asuna was suffering tortures that he couldn’t even imagine. It should have been him...Kirito should have been the one in there being tortured...all of this was his fault.
Suddenly an idea sparked through his subconscious… “That’s it!”
Kirito sheathed his sword immediately and took a step back from Tormentor. The virus narrowed his eyes at Kirito. “What is the meaning of this? Have you given up?”
Kirito nodded and sat down cross-legged on the ground. “Yep. You’re too strong...I can’t beat you…”
Tormentor actually looked disheartened by that. He walked over to Kirito and leaned forward, looking him directly in the eye, allowing the necklace to dangle down in front of him. “You cannot be serious…”
Kirito grinned and grabbed ahold of the necklace. “Nope.”
Tormentor’s eyes grew wide as a flash of black exploded across the entire area, engulfing Kirito completely. A second later, the same black goop swallowed him whole, sending him spiraling into a void of black.
Kirito looked around in surprise at the endless black expanse. “My kinda place.”
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! Out of the void, a giant black sword slashed through the darkness, narrowly missing Kirito.
“Evened the playing field a little!” Kirito flipped up into the air and landed on the blade of the sword. Whatever was on the other end of it, Kirito felt certain it was his target. Tormentor had hurt too many of his friends to be allowed to live. This was the end of the virus...for good.
Kirito ran the length of the black until his feet touched something soft that felt strangely like a hand. Immediately, Kirito slashed across down, slicing through the enormous hand and wrenching it from the rest of the body. There was an enormous cry of pain and Kirito knew then and there that this was Tormentor’s true form.
From across the void, another hand reached for him, but Kirito dodged it with ease and attacked that hand too, however, he let this one stay attached. He would need a way up to the rest of the body...namely the head. He stabbed his Elucidator into the soft, goop-like flesh of the hand and launched himself upwards as far as he could go before stabbing into the flesh again, pull vaulting himself further and further along the enormous body until at last he reached what appeared to be the shoulder of the beast.
A pair of glowing red eyes glowered at Kirito from high above. How can one human be so powerful?
Kirito drew Dark Repulser. “I have things that I have to protect. People I love, and would die for...and you hurt a lot of them today...that’s an unforgivable sin. One you’re going to pay for!” He slashed both swords against Tormentor’s neck, cutting open the virus’s glowing red code. Once it was exposed, Kirito leaped inside of the gash and slashed his way upwards, destroying everything inside of the head...Tormentor had brought this upon himself, but Kirito couldn’t help but feel a bit of remorse as he destroyed the viral code. The creature had never wanted this. It wasn’t Tormentor’s fault that he had been created this way...but Kirito knew that by killing him, he was setting the virus free...forever.
With one last slash of the main code, Tormentor let out a hollow shriek and his entire body imploded into blood-red code, sending Kirito flying backwards into the darkness. He twirled through the air and quickly readjusted himself in mid-air so that he landed on his feet in the middle of the void…it was over.
Kirito… Tormentor’s raspy voice suddenly echoed through the void once again. The name of the man who destroyed me...I see now...why the women are so...loyal to you...the power you wield...the strength at your command… You will go on to destroy this heinous game...will you not?
Kirito sheathed his swords. “I’m gonna try my hardest, yes.”
Tormentor chuckled as light slowly began to fill the void once again. I look forward...to the day when you conquer this world…
With that, the void crumbled and broke apart around him. Kirito smiled to himself. “Goodbye, Tormentor…”

*          *          *

Kirito!”
Kirito opened his eyes groggily and winced as the bright sunlight blinded him. “What...happened?”
Asuna hugged him tightly. “You were being reckless again! You idiot!”
All it once it came flooding back to him...the fight….Tormentor… He looked down at his hand, where little pieces of broken, black crystal rested, the last remnants of the virus. Kirito clenched his fist and returned Asuna’s hug.
“I’m glad you’re safe…” he whispered in her ear.
“Idiot...you gotta stop doing that…”
He smiled and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Ahem…” Kirito looked up to find Silica standing over them, Pina resting atop her head as always. “Umm...if you guys are done gushing over each other...I think we should go tell everyone else what happened.”
Kirito nodded in agreement. “You’re right...let’s go.”
Prying Asuna off of him was a challenge as always, but once he was finally free, they all walked back together.
As the girls recounted their stories of what had happened whenever they had been possessed, Kirito couldn’t help but think back to Tormentor’s final words: I look forward to the day...when you conquer this world…
He looked down at his hand that still contained the crystal fragments. Do I really have what it takes to conquer this world? He looked up at the girls as they laughed about some joke he hadn’t heard and he smiled. As long as they’re by my side...I’ll always give it my all...until we can all see our world again…

THE END...

Description

You were created to do my bidding...nothing more, nothing less. You are my creation and you will do as I say...follow my orders to the letter, Tormentor, and you will be free of me...forever.
Tormentor let out an exhausted breath and slid down the cool stone wall of the alleyway. Possessing the body of this little girl had been much more difficult than he’d first anticipated. At first glance, she appeared to be weak, but her spirit was absolutely massive. Stronger than any Tormentor had dealt with before. Even now, he could feel her soul writhing about inside of his chest, trying her damnedest to break free of his control.
Let...me...GO! Silica’s high-pitched voice reverberated through Tormentor’s skull as she fought against him.
Tormentor growled under his breath and once again sent a piece of his soul to detain and control the little nuisance. He attacked her astral soul image with his tendrils, ensuring to go for her belly button, toes and underarms. He didn’t want to hurt the little pest, but if she persisted with her obnoxious defiance, then she would leave Tormentor with no choice but to destroy her. Why couldn’t she be quiet and cooperative like the last host?
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Silica’s tormented laughter echoed inside his head as the tendrils tickled and tortured her. STOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOP! NAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAH! N-NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO! KIRITOOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOOO! HEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEELP!
Tormentor shook his head. “Kirito, Kirito, Kirito--is that all you can say? All you ever talk about is Kirito. What makes you think that he will come for you? If I have learned anything from studying you humans...it is that you are all selfish, despicable creatures who would sooner sell one another out, than allow themselves to experience any sort of judgement.”
SCREW YOOOOHOHOHOHOOOOU! EEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! NOT THE TOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOES! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!
He let out a tired breath and glared out at the bustling street just outside the mouth of the alley. None of the humans out there even bothered to notice the little girl sitting alone in the alley. They didn’t care about her, they were all too preoccupied with their own selfish desires. Tormentor wanted nothing more than to leave this world behind...but there was only one way that would happen…
KIRITOOOOOHOHOOOOO! Silica screeched. SAVE MEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEE! NAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOT THERE! NOT THERE! NOT THEHEHEHEHEEEEEERE! AYAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! STOP IT! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!
He grit his teeth and clenched his newly obtained tiny fists in irritation. “This isn’t going according to the plan at all…”
Tormentor had been created for one purpose, and one purpose only; to serve. He was the servant of a cruel player who had forged his viral code in order to take vengeance on a certain betraying woman who had left him for another man. Tormentor’s main objective was to track her down and eliminate her...whenever he had accomplished that goal, he had returned to his master with high hopes of freedom. At last he would be able to roam free, without the restrictions of a virus…
Or at least that had been the plan…
Whenever Tormentor’s master had learned of the fate that had befallen his beloved Minska...he hadn’t been able to handle it. Before Tormentor could stop him, his master hurled himself over the edge of Aincrad and fallen to his ultimate death into the cloudy abyss that awaited below.
The coward had abandoned Tormentor to the fate he now lived. He had cursed Tormentor to forever jump from body to body, possessing only females. Such was the fate of his viral code. The cycle would continue over and over again until someone managed to rise up and strike him down. Tormentor had been made exponentially powerful, in order to eliminate his master’s target with ease. He had the skills of all the best players loaded into his code, and thus he could never be defeated.
Eventually, he would run out of energy again, however, and revert back to his crystalline state, where he would then hibernate until another foolish player came along to unleash him once again. This time had to be the last time, though...this would be his very last venture into this world. Never again would he be awakened. If Tormentor couldn’t be free...then he would rather be dead.
One last time, he would fight in this world…
Suddenly something brushed against Tormentor’s leg, drawing him out of his thoughts. He looked down and was surprised to find a little blue dragon nuzzling against his leg. She looked up at Tormentor with wise, red eyes that were filled with worry and strife.
Give her back to me…
Tormentor jumped as the tiny voice reverberated through his subconscious, cancelling Silica’s laughter completely. He looked around for the source of the unknown voice, but no one else was within earshot. In wonder, he looked back at the dragon. “Did you just...speak?”
The dragon let out a huff of air. Do not make me repeat myself...return Silica to me, Virus...or you will regret it.
Tormentor couldn’t help but smile at that. A pet protecting her master. The little dragon was shaking all over with terror at challenging him, but Tormentor felt certain that this little dragon would fight to her death in order to save her master. That was something Tormentor could sympathize with...there was a time when he would have done the same for Daznil...however…
“Once I am finished with her, you can have the body of your little master back.” He reached down and picked the little dragon up by her tiny wings and brought her, kicking and shrieking, up to his face so that he could look her in the eye. “Be still!” The dragon fell still immediately, though she wasn’t happy about it. “Good. Now, listen to me very closely, pet...I have a special mission I would like for you to carry out for me.”

*          *          *

“She’s waking up!”
Kirito vaulted out of his chair, sending the wooden seat flying backwards onto the ground. He ran into the back room where Liz had been resting for the past hour and pushed past Agil and Klein who were standing just inside the doorway and rushed to the bed, where Liz lay barely conscious. Immediately he took her hand and shook it vigorously.
“Liz!” he exclaimed, more relieved than anything else. “Say something!”
A strong hand on his shoulder pulled Kirito back. “Calm down, bud. Give ‘er a minute to gather her chickens.” Kirito nodded and Klein released his grip to step up beside him. With a confident smile he slapped Kirito across the back lightly. “She’s gonna be okay, man. Don’t worry so much. We’re in a safe-zone, after all. She can’t die here, no matter what.”
That was true...but still…
At last, Liz opened her eyes just enough to let everyone know that she was still alive. She looked around for a moment, dazed and confused until finally her eyes came to rest on Kirito and a tired smile crossed her cute features. “Hey, there...what’s goin’ on?”
Kirito felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his chest. “Liz...thank God…”
Klein walked over to the bed and sat down beside Liz, letting out a relieved breath as he did so. “You had us worried sick there for a while, Little Miss Lisbeth. Me and Kirito thought you were a goner for sure!” He grinned over at the large form of Agil as he ducked into the room to see her. “And I was pretty sure Agil was about to break down in tears!”
Liz raised an eyebrow at him curiously. “Aww, is that true, Aggy?”
Agil smiled warmly and shrugged. “Well, it ain’t everyday that one a my friends is laid up half-dead in a safe-zone, ya know? I was a bit worried, yeah, but I knew ya’d pull through. Too tough to be beat by somethin’ like that thing…” His expression darkened at the mention of Tormentor, and he immediately turned his attention back to Kirito. “Speakin’ of...got any ideas where it might have run to?”
Kirito shook his head, irritated with his own uselessness. “No idea...thankfully Asuna’s not gonna be back in the city for another day or two...and I don’t think he has any plans of leaving anyway. He seemed to be singularly focused on the women of this city...but why?”
“Because of...you…” Kirito looked back at Liz in surprise. Liz’s expression was fierce and serious, and her magenta eyes shined with worry. “Tormentor...he’s after you, Kirito...he wants to…” She tried to sit up, but she immediately winced in pain.
“Take it easy.” Kirito gently pushed Liz back down onto the pillow. “Take a minute to gather yourself.”
Liz shook her head and forced herself up on her elbows. “No! Kirito...you have to hear this…” She took a deep breath. “While I was...possessed by Tormentor...I learned his real plans...he-”
Without warning, a streak of blue suddenly shot across the room through the nearby open window. Kirito dodged as the unidentified, blue projectile zipped back his head. Immediately, he whirled around, hand on the hilt of his sword, prepared to fight whatever beast dared to invade Liz’s shop…
The streak zoomed around the room for a moment, bouncing off of the walls, and knocking various scraps of metal, half-finished swords, and daggers of different sizes and dimensions off of the shelves as it did so. Kirito growled in frustration as the speedy little creature flew past his head again, just missing his right ear. What the hell was it? He’d never seen anything--other than himself--move that fast.
At last, the blue streak began to slow down until it became nearly visible to the naked eye. Kirito glared at the creature for a long moment, trying to categorize its species and judge the threat it posed to them, but it was still moving too fast for him to get a proper bead on it. Instinctively, he moved to stand in front of Liz, his blade held over her protectively. Whatever this thing was, he wasn’t about to let it harm his friend. Just what was this thing?
As if on cue, the blue beast streaked straight at Kirito, aiming to thwack him right between the eyes. Kirito raised his sword, prepared to lop the creature in two, but just before he brought the razor-sharp blade down, the creature stopped in mid-air and hovered in place, allowing Kirito to get his first real look at it.
The little blue dragon panted heavily, its beady red eyes full of exhaustion. For a moment, it remained hovering, then without warning, it suddenly let out a gasp of exhaustion and fell right out of the air. Kirito moved swiftly, holding his hand out to catch the dragon and lay it down on Liz’s bed gently. It was no threat to them.
“Hey...isn’t that…” Klein leaned down and examined the dragon. “...Pina?”
Kirito nodded and sheathed his sword. “Sure is.”
Liz’s eyes grew wide with terror. “If Pina’s here, then...what happened to Silica?!”
“That thing’s still got ahold of her,” Agil explained. “Apparently it just used you to get to her, then once it didn’t need ya anymore, it took over Silica and ran off with ‘er. Nobody’s seen ‘er since.”
“No…” Tears brimmed in Liz’s eyes. “Why...why would he do that? What’d Silica ever do to him?!”
Kirito stroked Pina’s feathered head and gently lifted it up off of the blankets with his forefinger, trying to coax the little dragon awake again. Right now, she was his only lead to Silica.
Pina flinched and slowly opened her little red eyes and gazed up at Kirito wisely. The second she saw him, she let out a little screech and flapped her wings frantically, attempting to fly, but she was still far too weak. Gently, Kirito picked her up from the bed and placed the dragon on his shoulder, allowing her to rest there. However, Pina wasn’t satisfied with riding shotgun, so she immediately climbed up onto his head and splayed out there, her warm belly pressing into his scalp. Kirito blinked in surprise at how comfortable it actually was to have a dragon on his head...maybe Silica wasn’t so weird after all.
Silica is in danger…
Kirito jumped and looked around. “Who said that?”
The others exchanged strange looks, obviously thinking Kirito had lost his mind.
“Nobody said anything, dude,” Klein answered, very confused.
There is not much time...you must hurry…
“There it is again!” Kirito exclaimed, turning a full circle and eyeing everyone in the room suspiciously. “Which one a you guys is screwin’ with me?”
“I think the stress is startin’ to get to ‘em…” Agil whispered to Klein.
“Seriously,” Klein agreed. “Nobody said anything, Kirito. What’s your deal, man?”
“Someone said that Silica was in danger and that we gotta hurry up and go find her. So which one of you was it?” he demanded, losing his patience with this charade. “We don’t have time for games, guys!”
Before anyone could answer him, Pina slid down his forehead and gazed right into his eyes. I said it, Sir Kirito. Shall I guide you to Silica? There is not much time…
Kirito stared at Pina in astonishment. “You can talk?!”
Pina cocked her head to the side curiously. You live within a virtual world where everything you see is fake, and yet it is real...and a talking dragon shocks you? You humans are such simple creatures.
Damn. Kirito had never imagined Pina as being such a smartass. She had always seemed so cute...apparently he had a lot to learn about judging someone’s a character. Even if that someone was a dragon.
“You know where Silica is?” he asked, getting to the point.
I do… Pina looked out the window of the shop that she had just crashed through. She is that way. I will guide you...but the creature possessing her demands that you come alone...he wishes to face you in combat.
Kirito growled low in his throat. “Fine…if it’s a fight he wants...it’s a fight he’ll get…” He turned back to the others, who were looking at him like he was an escaped mental patient. “You guys stay here and protect Liz, okay?”
“Where are you goin’?” Klein inquired.
“To save my friend…”

*          *          *

It’s great to be back!” Asuna smiled and looked around the Town of Beginnings at all the Players who had built happy lives in SAO and managed to move on from the horror that had become their existence here. In a way, Asuna felt almost nostalgic being back here. She had gotten back from her expedition with the KTB early and had wanted to surprise Kirito, but she had been the one who was surprised to find that Kirito was here…Kirito rarely ever came back here. What could have drawn him to this place?
No doubt he’s gotten himself into something again… She sighed to herself. “What am I gonna do with that idiot?” She pulled up her mini-map and searched for Kirito, having a hunch at where he might be. No doubt he was in Agil’s shop or Lisbeth’s forge. That was the good thing about Kirito--he was pretty predictable whenever you got to know him. At last she found the bumbling idiot. He was on the move and heading towards the center of town. “Where are you going?” she asked herself and moved the map a little so that she could see what was in that direction. Maybe a sale on black coats? It was at that moment that Asuna saw it… “What the…?”
Silica’s icon faded in and out of view and her HP kept draining more and more by the second, going from a sickly shade of green to a mustard yellow. Not good. A black substance covered the icon, making Silica’s smiling chibi face nearly indistinguishable, but Asuna knew that icon by heart...something was wrong with Silica. She was in danger and Kirito was going to save her...just what had happened while she’d been gone?
Without another second of hesitation, Asuna ran for the center of the city, cutting through the back alleyways to catch up with Kirito. He would be able to fill her in further whenever she reached him. Whatever was happening to Silica, Asuna knew that it couldn’t be good. How could something be harming her in a safe-zone, though? That was against all the rules of SAO. Unless she was in a duel, there was no way that Silica could be taking any damage...just what the hell was happening to her?
Asuna kept an eye on her map as she weaved through the city, dodging people, animals and various other obstacles. She was gaining on Kirito now, he was only a few meters ahead of her. Soon, she would catch up to him. Out of the corner of her, she saw that Silica’s HP was still going down, much faster now than before. It wouldn’t be long before it was completely gone! She looked back at Kirito’s icon. At the speed he was going, there was no way he would make it in time…
Reluctantly, she veered off of the path that would lead her to Kirito and instead took another back alleyway that would take her to Silica much faster than Kirito. She would just have to hold off the enemy until Kirito arrived...no problem...right.
As she drew nearer to Silica’s location, however, the beast-tamer’s icon suddenly moved. Asuna stopped and looked back at the icon, had that just been a trick of the light? A moment later, the icon moved again...nope. Silica was moving...towards Asuna. She was only a few meters ahead of Asuna now...just in the next alley. What was she doing in there?
A moment later, Asuna’s question was answered as Silica came stumbling out of the alleyway, her head hung low and her body slouched. She looked up at Asuna, her ruby red eyes devoid of all life.
“Asu...na…” Silica panted, barely able to stand, she tried to take another step towards Asuna, but her legs finally gave out from under her and she fell forward.
Asuna sprinted to her friend and caught her just before she hit the ground. “Silica!” she exclaimed worriedly. “Silica what’s wrong?!”
Silica’s body was cold to the touch, as if she were a corpse. She gazed up at Asuna blankly, her eyes unseeing. “Asu...na…” She reached her hand up shakily towards Asuna’s face.
Asuna took her hand gently. “What is it, Silica? I’m here.”
Silica swallowed hard. “R-R…”
“What?”
“R-R...un…”
Silica’s warning came a millisecond too late. The second the word left her lips, an explosion of pure black energy engulfed Asuna completely, wrapping around her body and solidifying to hold her in place like enormous tendrils. Asuna screamed and struggled, but it was no use. She was trapped.
Silence, girl… hissed an evil voice that reverberated through Asuna’s subconscious. Comply quietly...this will be over soon. Yours will be the last body I possess…
Asuna’s boots were ripped from her feet and before she could even think about fighting back, tiny little tendrils suddenly squeezed their way between her toes, raking up and down their sensitive skin and scratching against her bare soles.
“AHAAA!” Asuna screeched in shock. It had been years since someone had last tickled her...it was a shock to her system like someone had put a taser against her. “AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOOOOOHOHOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOP! NAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! NOT MY FEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEET! STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEASE!”
Quite the ticklish specimen...good...you will be easy to control…
The tendrils moved up Asuna’s legs, teasing her sensitive skin until she thought she might go insane.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEELP! NEEAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SOMEBODEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEE!” Asuna squealed and laughed like a schoolgirl.
Nothing had ever tortured her like this before. The closest she had ever come to being tortured like this was when she was little and her father had tickled her senseless all the time, but even that couldn’t compare to this. This was hell. Absolute hell.
“NAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! STOOOOOOP!” She begged the evil goop as the tendrils reached her stomach and slipped underneath her protective clothing, sending her into practical insanity . “PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEASE! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! N-NOT THEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEERE! EEEAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!”
I see...you are the swordsman’s lover, are you? You will do nicely for drawing him out…
The swordsman? Asuna’s heart skipped a beat. “NOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOO! KIRITOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOO! AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!”
At last the goop engulfed Asuna’s head and everything went dark…

Asuna gasped and sat bolt upright in shock. What...just happened?
She gazed around at her surroundings, trying to get her bearings. She appeared to be in some kind of...dark void. Everything around her was solid black, an endless void of nothingness surrounded her entirely. Asuna looked back and forth, her claustrophobia acting up terribly. Where was this place? How had she come to be here? The last thing Asuna could remember was returning from her trip to the outskirts of Floor 70 with TKB...had something happened to them while they were there? Was this...the end? Had she died?
Do not fret… a familiar raspy voice suddenly echoed throughout the endless expanse. You are alive and well. Your mind and I have merely become one...you will soon be released...as soon as the swordsman comes to face me...once I am defeated, I will release you.
Asuna glared up in the direction of the voice. “And if I decide to fight back? What will you do then?”
Without warning, black tendrils suddenly sprang up from the floor and wrapped all around her, binding her against the cold floor. A second later, smaller tendrils began teasing her delicate soles and ribs simultaneously, drawing a ticklish schoolgirl squeal out of her.
“NYAAAH! NOOOHOHOHOHOHO! NOT AGAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAIN! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!” She squealed and struggled, but to no avail. The tendrils were like steel cables. “STOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOOOP! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEASE!”
Will you resist me?
“NOOOOOHOHOOHOHOHOHOOOOOO! NEEEAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! JUST STOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOP!” Asuna shrieked as the tiny tendrils squeezed between her delicate little toes.
Very well…
The tendrils released Asuna and seeped back into the floor, leaving her lying helplessly on the ground, staring up at the darkness above, trying to catch her breath. Now it was all starting to come back to her...how she’d wound up in this less-than-ideal situation. She remembered rushing to Silica’s aid, her capture by this thing and the awful ticklish torture he’d subjected her to...for once, Asuna felt like the enemy wasn’t worth fighting. This thing knew her greatest weakness and at any point in time, it could exploit it and render her powerless...there was nothing she could do…
With an annoyed sigh, she allowed herself to relax. “What do you want with Kirito?”
For a moment, the voice remained silent, but at last it answered her. He is a means to an end...if anyone is able to do it...it will be him. And if not...he will die...and he will die by the blade of his beloved woman. That is the only fate that awaits a foolish man who wishes to put his hopes into a woman…
“You’ll never beat him,” Asuna cooed, barely reacting to the news.
Let us hope not...I would like to die.
Asuna shook her head. “Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, why don’t you try and fight for something good? You know there’s countless evil players in SAO, too. You could try and focus on them, rather than on innocent people. Maybe someday you’ll find a way to purify your code, and you can become an actual AI.”
No...I can never be anything more...than a virus…
Asuna sat up. “Not with that attitude. You gotta be a bit more positive. Trust me...if anyone knows what it feels like to wish they were dead...it’s me. I was on the verge of just throwing myself into the abyss and letting it swallow me...” She placed a hand on her chest as she remembered that day. “That was when...I met Kirito...he told me that if I ever got the chance to join a guild, that I should take the offer. I took his advice...and now look at me, I’m stronger than ever and-”
SILENCE!
The tendrils suddenly came back, wrapping around Asuna’s ankles and assaulting her sensitive soles once again.
Asuna squealed in shock and was immediately plunged back into a fit of laughter. “NOOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOOO! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! STOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOP! NEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEE! KIRITOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEELP!”
Kirito...Kirito...Kirito...all of the hosts I have possessed have screamed for Kirito...hearing his name makes me sick. Why do you all show that man such loyalty? It all goes against what I have learned from your species…
Asuna jerked at the tendrils, attempting to break herself free. “NAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! STOP IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIIIIIT! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEASE!”
You have such faith in your Kirito? Forsake his name...and I will cease this torment. Prove to me that you are human...betray the man you love for your own personal gain...and this torture will stop.
“N-NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NEVER! NEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEE!” Asuna struggled harder. She would never give up on Kirito. He would save her. She felt sure of that...he would get her out of this awful situation. He always came to save her. “KIRITOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOO!”


*          *          *

Turn here, Silica is just down this alleyway!
Kirito swerved around the corner and sprinted into the alley, but there was no sign of Silica anywhere. He stopped and looked around, confused.
“Where is she?!” he exclaimed.
Pina vaulted off of his head and flew deeper into the alley. She screeched back at him as she reached the other side. This way! Hurry!
Kirito sprinted after the dragon and slid out of the other side of of the alley into the street opposite the one he had just come. The second he emerged, he found their target. Silica was lying on her back in the middle of the sidewalk, her eyes closed...she looked like a corpse. Kirito knew that she was alive, however, as her body was still here. She wasn’t in very good shape, though…
Pina curled up on Silica’s chest and blew a healing spell onto her master, but Silica remained perfectly still. Kirito ground his teeth and glared around, trying to find Tormentor’s whereabouts. It was obvious that he had abandoned Silica’s body...so where was he? Had he possessed another player and run off somewhere?
Suddenly Pina’s head shot up and her ears stood on end. WATCH OUT!
Kirito instinctively drew his sword and whirled around to catch the blade of his attacker. The second their swords met, Kirito slashed his own back towards the attacker, forcing them to withdraw.
“Big mistake, buddy…” It was at that moment that Kirito saw his attacker’s face...and his heart froze. “No…”
Asuna grinned evilly, her eyes flashing black. “Is there a problem?”
“Asuna…” he said, unable to believe his eyes. “How…? You weren’t supposed to come back yet!”
Asuna shook her head. “Have you already forgotten? I am the one in control of this body...your woman sends her regards, however. You should hear her...screaming your name as I torture her. I gave her the option of complete surrender...but she refused. She will not renounce your name, Kirito...she is loyal to you, that much is true...but I wonder...can same be said...of you?”
Before Kirito could even blink, Tormentor attacked, using Asuna’s rapier to strike him again and again, not giving him a second to fight back, not that he would have anyway. Kirito would never raise a hand against Asuna...never. He would rather die than hurt her.
Tormentor struck him again and again, and Kirito blocked him again and again, neither one letting up. Tormentor would never be able to kill Kirito in a safe-zone...but that wasn’t the problem. The longer Kirito drew this battle out, the longer Asuna would be tortured. He had to find a way to force Tormentor out of Asuna’s body before he could destroy the monster forever...but how? If only he could find a way to fight the virus one-on-one without him possessing the body of an innocent…
“Kirito!” Silica’s voice suddenly drew his attention. He looked over his shoulder to find the beast-tamer propping herself up on one elbow, barely conscious. “Go for the necklace, Kirito! That’s where he’s hiding! Destroy it!”
Kirito nodded and jumped backwards, moving far enough back to give himself time to strategize. Tormentor didn’t advance on him, no doubt he had worn himself out with that onslaught. He had put in far too much effort before the battle had even begun. That would be his downfall.
Around Asuna’s neck, Kirito saw the familiar black crystal that he had gotten from the Dragon King...that was where Tormentor’s code was stored...he just had to get close enough to destroy it and this would all be over…
Not wasting another second, Kirito launched into attack mode again, but this time he forced himself to see Tormentor, not Asuna. He wasn’t fighting his beloved Asuna, he was fighting Tormentor, and if he held back in a fight like this, Asuna would probably throttle him anyway. Tormentor went on the defensive as Kirito attacked him over and over again, forcing him to block and waste more of his energy, all the while getting close enough to make a grab for the crystal.
Tormentor picked up on his plan and quickly moved to protect the crystal with Asuna’s hand. If Kirito wanted it, then he would have to cut Asuna’s hand off for it. Her hand would regenerate, sure...but Kirito knew first-hand--literally--how much that hurt, so there was no way he was about to do that...there had to be another way to force Asuna to release the crystal so that Kirito could get to it.
“You have no choice but destroy her along with me!” Tormentor grinned evilly. “It is the only option you have! Otherwise you will never succeed!”
He’s right… Kirito cursed his own stupidity for allowing this to happen. He should have warned Asuna not to come back here until he had neutralized the situation...what an idiot he’d been. Now because of him, Asuna was suffering tortures that he couldn’t even imagine. It should have been him...Kirito should have been the one in there being tortured...all of this was his fault.
Suddenly an idea sparked through his subconscious… “That’s it!”
Kirito sheathed his sword immediately and took a step back from Tormentor. The virus narrowed his eyes at Kirito. “What is the meaning of this? Have you given up?”
Kirito nodded and sat down cross-legged on the ground. “Yep. You’re too strong...I can’t beat you…”
Tormentor actually looked disheartened by that. He walked over to Kirito and leaned forward, looking him directly in the eye, allowing the necklace to dangle down in front of him. “You cannot be serious…”
Kirito grinned and grabbed ahold of the necklace. “Nope.”
Tormentor’s eyes grew wide as a flash of black exploded across the entire area, engulfing Kirito completely. A second later, the same black goop swallowed him whole, sending him spiraling into a void of black.
Kirito looked around in surprise at the endless black expanse. “My kinda place.”
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! Out of the void, a giant black sword slashed through the darkness, narrowly missing Kirito.
“Evened the playing field a little!” Kirito flipped up into the air and landed on the blade of the sword. Whatever was on the other end of it, Kirito felt certain it was his target. Tormentor had hurt too many of his friends to be allowed to live. This was the end of the virus...for good.
Kirito ran the length of the black until his feet touched something soft that felt strangely like a hand. Immediately, Kirito slashed across down, slicing through the enormous hand and wrenching it from the rest of the body. There was an enormous cry of pain and Kirito knew then and there that this was Tormentor’s true form.
From across the void, another hand reached for him, but Kirito dodged it with ease and attacked that hand too, however, he let this one stay attached. He would need a way up to the rest of the body...namely the head. He stabbed his Elucidator into the soft, goop-like flesh of the hand and launched himself upwards as far as he could go before stabbing into the flesh again, pull vaulting himself further and further along the enormous body until at last he reached what appeared to be the shoulder of the beast.
A pair of glowing red eyes glowered at Kirito from high above. How can one human be so powerful?
Kirito drew Dark Repulser. “I have things that I have to protect. People I love, and would die for...and you hurt a lot of them today...that’s an unforgivable sin. One you’re going to pay for!” He slashed both swords against Tormentor’s neck, cutting open the virus’s glowing red code. Once it was exposed, Kirito leaped inside of the gash and slashed his way upwards, destroying everything inside of the head...Tormentor had brought this upon himself, but Kirito couldn’t help but feel a bit of remorse as he destroyed the viral code. The creature had never wanted this. It wasn’t Tormentor’s fault that he had been created this way...but Kirito knew that by killing him, he was setting the virus free...forever.
With one last slash of the main code, Tormentor let out a hollow shriek and his entire body imploded into blood-red code, sending Kirito flying backwards into the darkness. He twirled through the air and quickly readjusted himself in mid-air so that he landed on his feet in the middle of the void…it was over.
Kirito… Tormentor’s raspy voice suddenly echoed through the void once again. The name of the man who destroyed me...I see now...why the women are so...loyal to you...the power you wield...the strength at your command… You will go on to destroy this heinous game...will you not?
Kirito sheathed his swords. “I’m gonna try my hardest, yes.”
Tormentor chuckled as light slowly began to fill the void once again. I look forward...to the day when you conquer this world…
With that, the void crumbled and broke apart around him. Kirito smiled to himself. “Goodbye, Tormentor…”

*          *          *

Kirito!”
Kirito opened his eyes groggily and winced as the bright sunlight blinded him. “What...happened?”
Asuna hugged him tightly. “You were being reckless again! You idiot!”
All it once it came flooding back to him...the fight….Tormentor… He looked down at his hand, where little pieces of broken, black crystal rested, the last remnants of the virus. Kirito clenched his fist and returned Asuna’s hug.
“I’m glad you’re safe…” he whispered in her ear.
“Idiot...you gotta stop doing that…”
He smiled and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Ahem…” Kirito looked up to find Silica standing over them, Pina resting atop her head as always. “Umm...if you guys are done gushing over each other...I think we should go tell everyone else what happened.”
Kirito nodded in agreement. “You’re right...let’s go.”
Prying Asuna off of him was a challenge as always, but once he was finally free, they all walked back together.
As the girls recounted their stories of what had happened whenever they had been possessed, Kirito couldn’t help but think back to Tormentor’s final words: I look forward to the day...when you conquer this world…
He looked down at his hand that still contained the crystal fragments. Do I really have what it takes to conquer this world? He looked up at the girls as they laughed about some joke he hadn’t heard and he smiled. As long as they’re by my side...I’ll always give it my all...until we can all see our world again…

THE END...