Sword Art Online: Red Team
Through the haze of my vision I saw them fan out around me, weapons in hand, grinning like jackals behind their masks. I know that my body isn't real but the blood pounding behind my eyes and in my ears feels that way. I was numb, and while I could see the sword in my hand I could hardly feel it. The faint sound of breaking glass reaches me and on the ground, Kyle's body burst into cloud of silver shards. For a brief moment, a glittering haze remains where he'd fallen, the sunlight catching off the mirage. Then he is gone, just like the other four. The last name in my party roster fades and my own is all that remains. On the road, there are no bodies, no blood. That should have made it better, but it didn't. I could hardly summon a reaction, my grief overwhelmed by fear. I stumbled back a step, the point of my sword still aimed at them.
"Don't worry miss, we're not savages. Hand over your Cor and items and we'll let you go. You have my word." The leader's voice slithered out from behind his cowl into the air.
"I don't believe you." I tried to summon anger, a desire for revenge, but all I could think was that I was going to die here on this road alone, and my voice was hardly more than a whisper. There were five of them in front of me, the same number as my party, but we'd been cut down in moments. Despite my best efforts I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I took another step back. The sun was still shining brilliantly above and the light danced along the edges of my sword.
"I'm offering you the same deal I offered your team. They, quite rudely, decided to decline my generosity and attack us. Had they accepted my terms, they would still be here." The leader held his arms at either side in a way I'm sure he thought was inviting. His men continued to circle around me.
"Fuck you. Fuck you." I said, a sob caught in my throat. My grip was so weak that when I stumbled again, my sword fell from my hand onto the dirt road.
"A fighter, it seems. Though not a very good one, though." The jackals all started laughing as I recovered my blade. "Tell you what, I admire your courage. You want to avenge your friends? Fight me, then. I'll call my men off." He raised a hand and the men at his flanks obediently sheathed their swords as he drew his, a blood-red longsword which rasped out of its scabbard. I took another step back and found myself pressed against the trunk of a large tree.
"What's the matter? Did your friends mean so little?"
I couldn't help but flinch at those words. I wanted to charge him but my own sword was far too short and I knew I would have been cut down if I tried. Behind the masked men there was only the empty road. Nothing to show where my party fell. I had only joined them a few days ago but they'd been good people. They'd tried to help me, and I couldn't even force myself to die bravely for them. Maybe I deserved this. I closed my eyes for a moment and focused my breathing. When I opened them, my sight was clearer and I could feel the grip of my sword, rough against my palm.
"I know you're going to kill me. Just do it already." My voice is dull and lifeless, yet calm. Good, maybe I can die with a little dignity. Maybe that's enough. Better than nothing. The leader grinned widely as he walked toward me, dragging the tip of his sword against the road. I managed to stand my ground. The tree at my back helped. He stopped five feet before me, the tip of his sword still caressing the earth.
"Well now, feisty and astute. A shame you didn't have a better party, miss. You might have made it far. At least you don't have to worry about the pain. You won't feel a thing, even if I wanted you to." He drew back his sword arm and I squeezed my eyes shut.
"You know, it's funny, I assumed the dreaded 'Red Sword' would be up to greater things than murdering defenseless young women for their money. Granted, I didn't know much about you, I just assumed someone with your nickname must have been a man of some… stature. Apparently not." The voice drifted down from above, and for a second nobody moved. I managed to look up just as a gray-black blur descended from the branches above, landing neatly in front of me. For several more seconds, the world seemed frozen, shock plainly written on the face of the man called the Red Sword.
After he'd landed, I took in the sight of man who'd jumped from the tree. He stood with his back faced to me. He was tall, taller than even the man he'd called the Red Sword, and armed with a vicious looking knife which he spun around in his fingers carelessly. When the blade finally fell still, he turned to me, then began pacing a small circle. His hair was a pale, reddish gold, and despite his height his face was smooth, almost boyish looking save for the sharp angle of his jaw. It was ridiculous, given that I was about to die, but his look distracted me for a moment. So calm, totally unruffled. Unruffled or not though, he hardly looked intimidating, clad in light armor and wielding nothing but a knife. If he makes a move, I'll have to back him up.
"Now, I hate all player killers equally. But the ones who revel in the suffering and fear? Those ones I hate just a little bit more equally than the rest." His voice was mild, though there was something in his smile which unnerved me.
"I believe you've caught me at a disadvantage. You are evidently familiar with me, though I can't say I've ever seen you before. Who are - ?" The golden haired boy cut him off.
"Ah, so you're one of those 'gentleman thieves', huh? Not going to lie, I really like seeing how long it takes before your type drops the act. Usually right before their HP drops to half."
Fuck. I felt an absurd urge to laugh. Here I was, moments from death, and just as it seemed possible that I might escape, it became apparent that my would-be rescuer was totally insane. Even with both of us, we'd stand no chance. Maybe I couldn't save my team, but the least I could do is keep this idiot from getting killed.
"Get out of here, this isn't your problem. They're too strong for us!" the boy turned his head to look at me, and one of the masked men chose that moment to charge, blade angled low. I opened my mouth to warn him, but he was already turning, nimbly sidestepping as his knife flashed. The masked man fell to the ground with a groan before shattering. It was over in no more than two seconds. The boy turned back to me, our eyes meeting for the first time and I froze. He spoke directly to me.
"What an intolerably rude henchman. Thank you for the concern, ma'am, but it isn't necessary. The way this works is that I step in, monologue for as long as I deem necessary, and then kill them one by one. But based on how things have gone so far, it's almost as though they haven't read the script." He sighed in good natured annoyance. My jaw fell open. A moment later, two of the others tried to charge, darting to either side, their blades poised to cut the boy in half at the middle. Before the swords could bite him, he'd leapt into the air, sinking his boot into the face of one man and his dagger into the eye of another. Both shattered upon hitting the ground. I felt as though I were watching all of it from a distance. None of this could be happening.
"One by one. Come on, guys, you make me think you're not even trying."
"Hah. You're a funny one, but I think that's our cue to leave." The Red Sword laughed hollowly, sheathing his sword.
"Is it? It was my impression that you and the rest of your men were about die here and now. Stay awhile. You're jumping the gun a bit." The humor was gone from the boy's voice and his tone cut the air like a scalpel. He sank into a crouch, his muscles coiled as the two remaining outlaws shrank away. Before either side could move, a bright light shone to my right, and a man and woman stepped through the portal.
"Lucius. That's enough." Said a huge man in heavy red plate, armed with a round shield and a long spear. Though his face was mostly obscured by a helmet, the hints of a short beard poked through the lower half of his visor. He strode forward and I was reminded of watching tigers pace in the zoo as a child. The woman at his left was not much smaller than he was, though she wore no helmet. She would have been fairly pretty if not for her size and the sternness in her face; she scowled and said nothing. My eyes strayed to her hand, where she hefted a heavy Warhammer with ease. Lucius turned to face them, his boyishly handsome face twisted with supressed fury, his eyes snakelike. My stomach went cold.
"Oh, come on, I wasn't going to kill him."
"Yes you were." The woman growled.
Lucius half snarled for a second, fingers tightening on his knife. Then the storm passed and he shrugged apologetically, laughing. "Ok, yes I was. But I didn't, so it all worked out. He's all yours, Anthony, I even got him warmed up for you."
"Thank you." The big man, Anthony, stepped forward and leveled his lance at the remaining brigands.
"Drop your weapons. You're coming with us." The tip of his spear prodded the air a few inches in front of the Red Sword's chest. Their blades fell to the ground at once, and Anthony stepped forward to restrain the leader. I felt a hand brush my shoulder and I jerked away, before seeing it was the woman who'd approached me.
"It's ok, you're safe now. What's your name?"
"Emelia…"
"That's a beautiful name. I'm Julia, and the other two are Lucius and Anthony. I know you must be in shock, but if you could tell us what happened that would help a lot. Were you travelling with anyone before you were attacked?"
Oh God. I felt as though I had been snapped back into my body, and a wave of exhaustion fell over me. My party. My friends. Now that the fear had melted away everything was real again. My head started to spin but I fought against the nausea and spoke.
"I was travelling with four friends… but they…" I took a deep breath and the woman just nodded.
"I'm sorry. There was nothing you could have done." Her voice was soft, and when I look to her face even the harshness of her expression had lessened.
I could have tried to avenge them. I could have died with them. I dropped my head between my knees, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. I felt the warmth of her arm as it wrapped around my shoulders and before I could stop myself, I started to cry.