Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online, I just own a book on the study of wolves.
Grassy hills and stone ruins dominated much of the landscape of the 28th Floor. Gravel roads connected the only two towns, as well as some of the smaller villages on this floor. The artificial sun had already begun to set, inviting packs of «Blood Wolves» to rise from their afternoon naps.
Shuji Takumi, also known as Viator, walked at a slow pace, frequently glancing at the map in his hands. He had no idea where he was. Ruins of destroyed camps and houses surrounded him, with the occasional pile of stones impeding his path. Everything looked pretty much the same to him. His eyes began to twitch rapidly.
"Do you even know how to read the damn map?" his female companion asked in a loud and condescending voice. It was a voice that he'd gotten used to - they had grown up together - but it would still tick him off at times.
"Be quiet Konata, I'm trying to concentrate." he said, looking at his map again. Two green dots lay in the middle of the map, with grey blocks of different sizes representing the many broken buildings in the ruins of a small town they were in.
"Oh come on," she whined, snatching the map out his hands. "Aren't there arrows pointing to the place, just like any other MMO?"
Shuji sighed, not bothering to take the map back. Yes, in a normal MMO there would be a system that would point players in the direction of your set destination. However, in SAO the system will only point to places that you have visited before or as Kayaba described it, places that were discovered.
"We would at least know where we're going, if we had stayed on the road." Shuji criticized, tapping the knife that was strapped to his left thigh unconsciously. He rolled his eyes. "But no, we had to take a shortcut through the ruins."
Konata ignored his remark, to which he sighed as they turned around the corner of a moss-covered stable. Their destination was «Jorhurst», a village on the outskirts of the labyrinth, currently known to many as the front line. It was supposed to be only an hour trek east from the previous town, but an obvious poor choice of routes led to them being lost.
His eyes felled onto Konata's back as she shifted to the front of him. Her relatively long hair was kept in a ponytail, and she wore a small breastplate made from lizards' skin over an apple green tunic that reached past her upper thighs. The steel gauntlets she had on were the reward of a monster slaying quest from the 26th Floor. A pair of red dyed leather boots that he had bought for her seventeenth birthday completed her battle attire.
He would have gotten her a better gift, if their situation were any different.
He scowled when he found his attention back to himself, again noticing the player-made sabre on his right hip that constantly pestered him as he walked. He had half a mind to keep it in his inventory, but of course that would leave him vulnerable to attacks. And his wrought iron hauberk wasn't going to be the one to save him in that situation. That would fall to Konata, and Shuji doubted that Konata's bow would be sufficient protection for the both of them.
However, he disliked the iron hauberk that he had equipped. It protected him very well, as did all the metal plates that some players donned, but the hauberk slowed him down more often than not. He'd much preferred the mobility that his simple green pants made from superior leather and his pair of boar hide boots provided.
"Neh Shuji," Konata's gentler tone broke him out of his thoughts.
Her neck twisted slightly to face him, revealing the side of her pretty face. Shuji saw that her eyes were focused entirely on him.
"What if the front line isn't meant for us?"
Wrinkles of surprise appeared on his forehead as he arched his eyebrows.
"Why are you asking this now?"
They had worked hard in order to level up. Countless hours were spent on grinding. In fact, she would even grind by herself after she thought he'd fallen asleep. If it wasn't all for making it to the front line, then what was it for?
"Forget it." Her usual ungentle tone returned, and she looked ahead again. She pushed a strand of caramel hair out of her face before changing the subject. "You know, I can't wait till I meet Asuna the Flash; she's a role model to all women."
Shuji glared at her with a suspecting eye before sighing out loud, deciding to let the matter rest.
"If we can even find the place first…" he reiterated. He silently cursed the fact that only the largest town of each floor had a «Teleport Gate».
They turned around another corner; the remains of a granary this time.
"There's the end of the ruins!" Konata shouted, prompting Shuji's face to light up.
He saw her index finger pointing to a semi-standing gateway. The gate was no longer there, but its rock pillars still stood... sort of.
"About damn time-"
A loud howl interrupted him before he can continue the complaint.
Realization dawned upon Shuji as he recognized the vicious sound. "Shit, Blood Wolves!" he pulled himself and Konata behind a nearby stone pillar.
He stuck his head out slightly to scout ahead. A pack of five red furred wolves lay ahead, patrolling nearby. They were evenly spaced out; covering much of the land. Above their heads, red cursors indicated they were already hostile and will attack anything on sight.
He moved his black bangs out of his eyes.
"Can we take them?" he heard Konata whisper.
Shuji bit his lower lip.
Wolf-type mobs have the ability to inflict the «Bleed» effect with their bites, which causes HP loss over time. The duration and damage done depended on the severity of the bite.
It would have been preferable that the numbers were fewer. Both of them lack the necessary AOE skills needed fight groups of enemies at the same time, since Konata and he specialized mainly in isolation kills. But that's not to say that they haven't got their fair shares of multiple hostiles before.
Five should still be within their capabilities…
He glanced at Konata for a moment. Her right hand was already grasping the compound bow that slung from her back. He took another look at the wolves, his hand unconsciously falling to his sabre.
The rough texture of the hilt pricked against the fingers of his left hand. His eyes locked on the mobs, which shifted among themselves as if they could sense someone was spying on them. He could hear their faint grunts and scratches. A drop of simulated sweat rolled down his cheek as he chewed his lower lip.
The grip on his weapon slackened.
No.
"Fighting won't be necessary," he told himself. Their goal was Johurst.
Shuji shook his head.
"No, Konata," he finally responded. "We will go around them."
A mixture of disappointment and relief flashed across her face. "Tch. You're always too cautious, Shuji." She said this, but nevertheless complied with what he told her.
His gaze broke off the beasts as they slowly retreated behind a piece of a stone hut, which probably once housed a town's guard. He let Konata lead the way to the right because she had the better sense of direction.
The sounds of growls and sniffs became louder causing the both of them to halt. They paused for a moment…
More growls.
It was apparent that the blood wolves were only a score of meters away from them, getting closer with each passing second.
Shuji clenched his fist. He contemplated actually going to fight them. At this distance, their skills in «Stealth» were ineffective against wolf-type mobs due to being outweighed by their higher PER-
"Run Shuji!"
A sense of uncertainty washed over him. "Wait Konata!" He reached out in a vain attempt to stop her, but she had already darted ahead.
"Damn it!" he cursed as he sprinted after her.
A long howl from behind him reached his ears. He ran harder.
Konata's incredibly high «AGI» was always a sight to behold; she was already several meters ahead after his short moment of hesitation.
Shuji quickly glanced over his shoulder; the pack was already on their tails. He prayed that his own «AGI» and the lightness of his armor would prevail today as it did many times before.
They broke into a wide meadow expanse, leaving the broken ruins well behind.
He could hear the grunts becoming softer as he suspected the distance between them widened.
However, Konata stopped.
"What are you doing?" Shuji shouted, catching up to her.
She held her right arm out causing him to come to a stop too.
He took a step back.
An oversized blood wolf barred their escape. Its fur was a darker shade of red than the others. Four bone spikes protrude from its back. The alpha wolf let out a menacing growl, its two tails swaying in a delicate dance. The tag «Blood Wolf Leader» hovered over its head.
Shuji heard Konata gulp. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the other wolves had caught up to them and surrounded them in an organized circle. They barked at each other, almost as if asking who should have the first bite.
Escape was no longer an option.
"Konata, you know what to do." he said under his breath, but audible enough for her to hear it.
She barely inclined her head.
"On my signal."
She nodded again.
Tension filled the air. The next few seconds went by agonizingly slow. Shuji could have sworn that a new day had already passed. Yet still, neither side made a move.
Shuji eyed the blood wolf leader, his left hand stealthily reaching for the hilt of his weapon.
A drop of simulated saliva dripped out of the wolf's mouth, splashing the green pasture.
"NOW!" He roared.
Konata drew her bow and nocked an arrow, her arrow glowing green, just as Shuji ripped his sabre out of its scabbard and struck the wolf to his right. The wolf bent double in pain and Shuji doubled the pain with a slash. Konata's arrow finished the job.
The rest of the pack was in motion, except for its leader who stood in its place.
A second wolf lunged forward at Konata. She gripped her bow with both hands and swung it at the head. The back of the bow collided heavily against the skull, sending the wolf hurdling a few meters.
But Konata didn't stop there. She nocked an arrow, pulling the the string back until her grip could not be held. The arrow tore through the air, burying itself in the wolf's neck. Her great precision awarded her a spray of polygons from the wolf.
"That hit from the bow must have done a high damage." Shuji thought. He bashed the head of a wolf with the pommel of his sabre. In response, the wolf backed off.
"Shuji, you take the leader! I can handle it here." Konata shouted as she let loose another arrow.
"Got it." He shouted back.
Konata nocked an arrow, aiming it at the blood wolf leader. "Go then!"
The arrowhead glowed brightly and struck home in the leader's nose. The blood wolf leader howled in pain, its blood spraying profusely. Seeing their leader attacked, the remaining wolves charged at her.
Shuji bolted in, moving straight for the alpha wolf.
He activated a sabre skill, and thrust his blade into the injured nose; a definite critical hit. The alpha wolf howled in pain as it staggered backwards, prompting Shuji to close the distance, and stabbed at the neck. The wolf roared at him before swiping its claws at his abdominal. Shuji's reflex arc kicked in and he jumped back, narrowly evading the attack.
He glanced at Konata's position. A dagger was in place of her bow, but she was still holding well without her bow, dodging nimbly and finding weak spots for her dagger to sink in. A lightning-shaped icon suspended above two of the remaining three wolves' head signifying paralysis, probably caused by the bow skill «Paralysis Shot»; its effect should last for a few more seconds.
Shuji moved in and slashed at the wolf's neck. The alpha wolf barely winced. Only a loud bark was let out in response to his attack as Shuji hopped to its side. It swung a paw at Shuji's head, to which the player ducked under and dug his blade in the wolf's armpit. The wolf felled a step back as it yelped in pain and Shuji didn't hesitate to deliver another sabre skill to its head. The steel blade connected with the nose again, spilling some more polygon-made blood.
The blood wolf suddenly stood up on its hind legs, which caused Shuji to take a step back. He could see its eyes glow with rage before turning jet black. The bone spikes on its back grew in length and size.
It let out a powerful roar that vibrated throughout the air.
An intense surge of pain pounded in Shuji's head. He dropped his sabre as he clasped both ears, a tinge of red spotting his eyes.
"AARGHH!" He screamed.
The roar died down, the pain leaving Shuji just as quickly as it came. But in his brief moment of vulnerability, the blood wolf leader pounced on him.
He barely saw it coming, but Shuji raised his right arm in the nick of time to shield his head from the incoming bite. Every pain receptors in his forearm rocked his brain as the wolf's fangs sunk in deep. The cheap gauntlet did little to stop the penetration.
Shuji tried to pull his arm away, but the wolf was adamant on keeping it. He clubbed the wolf's belly with his free hand. This had no effect. Shuji gritted his teeth as he saw out of the corner of his eye that his health had fallen well into the yellow zone and was decreasing fast, the «Bleed» effect has also taken placed.
At this rate, he was going to die.
He struggled against the body of the wolf as he attempted to reach for his knife that was strapped to left leg. The wolf pressed down on him more as if it knew what he was trying to do. But by the time the wolf restricted his arm it was too late. He had already managed to grab the blade.
A powerful stab to its stomach caused the wolf to release his arm and jump back several meters. Shuji scrambled to his feet and readied his knife.
"Stay back." Those words came out weaker than he intended them to be.
Only a short distance separated the two of them. Both were breathing heavily. Shuji lowered his stance, his left boot brushing his fallen sabre. Blood was dripping out of his right arm; the numbing pain reminding him of what he just went through.
His health was bordering the red zone, and so was his opponent's.
One more strike was what both of them needed.
The wolf had a further reach than he did, and also the greater strength. If it was determined by physique alone, Shuji knew that he was at the disadvantage. However-
His left arm blurred in a flurry to the side of his head as he activated a throwing skill; «Stun Throw». The knife glowed yellow and his body moved on its own. A loud cracking noise resounded as the butt of the knife found its target. The wolf wobbled. For the next two second it will not be able to move.
Immediately Shuji reached down for his sabre and lunged forward.
Two seconds was enough.
Shuji clenched the hilt of his sabre and swung upwards in a vertical arc, hitting the wolf with all his strength along the bottom of its jaw.
The alpha wolf froze for a moment before exploding into a myriad of polygons.
…
Shuji slumped, a smile cracking across his face. "That was close," he said before collapsing to his knees in exhaustion.
The «Bleed» effect had stopped, but it had taken its toll on what little health he had; only a sliver remained. Immense pain hounded his entire being.
"Shuji!"
He turned his head slowly. The remaining wolves had fled and Konata was rushing towards him.
Shuji smiled weakly at her.
"You're carrying me to Johurst."
Any form of critic is welcomed, even flames.
See ya.