Limitless
Chapter 2:
"speech"
thoughts/sounds
"past speech"/'recalled speech'
[messages/requests]
Diavel's death was a hurricane of sparkling fragments, beautiful and captivating in a way that stopped Asuna's heart in her chest. It was so quick; so simple - the SFX ring of metal on plating, a discordant trill and then... a shining flurry of dust, and he was gone.
"Diavel!"
Asuna had never seen death before, but she knew it had to be more than that - that was a mockery of death, a morbid cartoon of it that stunned them solely by its implications.
Her blood ran cold. The exhilaration of battle had invigorated her - the smoothness of their fight giving her confidence - but it all vanished in an instant. Because that was all it took, now, didn't it? An instant - a shattering of shining sparks - and a life was gone... just like that.
No time to react. No time for goodbyes. No time for grief.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, God..."
Asuna's arms had kept moving, her feet dancing across the floor but in her mind everything was frozen and crystal clear - I am going to die here, she thought.
"Diavel... No..."
Kneeling over Diavel's place of death was Asuna's partner - the enigmatic solo-player she'd been fighting beside for what felt like hours.
She knew nothing about him; it was true. But even later - when the others hurled accusations his way, furious and damning - Asuna knew, in that moment, she couldn't have mistaken the expression on the young man's face - couldn't have missed how her panic and anguish were reflected in his glassy eyes.
"T-They're swarming!"
Whish.
Steel flashed in front of her, missing Asuna's shoulder by inches, and suddenly she was turning away and parrying a fatal blow of her own. It was only seconds before the Kobold sentinel was finished with her, distracted by a player in the distance, but by the time Asuna could turn around, the grief in him was gone.
The swordsman had risen, eyes cast down but with «Anneal Blade» held ready at his side. Cool determination had settled across his features, until all that was left was a firm set to his lips. It wasn't a look of defeat - a look of someone fighting to delay the inevitable.
"Everyone, take ten steps back towards the exit! As long as the boss isn't surrounded, it won't use its ranged attacks!"
From then on, everything felt like a blur.
There were words exchanged briefly, in the calm, but Asuna only recalled how her cloak was grasping for her wrists and ankles as she ran, before it wasn't anymore.
Illfang had loomed over the swordsman - all hulking muscle and fangs - its nodachi raised to strike but he met it smoothly, blocking its blow in a hiss of steel against steel.
She remembered feeling frozen in time, as she watched him effortlessly press the offensive, attacking and then deftly stepping out of its path until the enormous beast came stumbling forwards. A purple glow enveloped his glimmering black blade - drawing her gaze - but then his eyes were on hers, and suddenly Asuna's world was in motion again.
"All right! Asuna - switch!"
Her rapier felt cold and grounding in her palm, the motions of «Linear» flowing seamlessly with the swordsman's as he rushed the vulnerable boss and switched.
It was then that Asuna realized that she was mistaken, in thinking that she saw herself reflected in his dark eyes. The swordsman was determined and fierce in every movement - in every breath - but not like Asuna was.
"Oh, no! It's coming back!"
No, she realized, watching his strikes grow harsher and faster as he enraged the beast, drawing it away from the rest of the players - the swordsman did not fight like he had nothing left to lose.
He fought like everything in the world was riding on his shoulders, and bent the rest to his will in blinding flashes of violet light.
It stirred something to life in Asuna's chest.
She had entered that chamber knowing that her efforts were futile; fought until her fingers were numb and she collapsed from exhaustion knowing that in the end, it would amount to nothing. But when the swordsman - when Kirito - stalked out of the floor, victory draped black and shimmering across his back, Asuna ran after him thinking that maybe, just maybe... It could all be worth it.
He had given her hope.
"Wait!"
To be honest, Asuna wasn't quite sure why she stopped him - why she insisted - only... No matter what she did, her mind couldn't help but return to Diavel, the fragments of his life scattering in all directions...
"If you go on by yourself, anything can happen..."
Anything - and one breath; one step; one moment. That's all it took.
"Thanks for the concern... but I know what I'm doing. See you at the next boss raid?"
Death came so quickly and so insignificantly, but Kirito didn't seem concerned, and Asuna wasn't sure why she was, and then -
"Why wait until then?"
And really, why not?
"You said it yourself. There are limits to what a solo-player can do."
It seemed so reasonable when she said it, and yet, Asuna began to think as she climbed the stairs, leaving the impossible solo-player behind her...
Maybe she didn't exactly think it through.
"I told you - I'm fine," she ground out, shooting Kirito a sharp look. The swordsman behind her seemed to shrink back, but that only made Asuna feel worse. Heat still lingered on her cheeks.
Ugh, let it go, Asuna... you're making a fool of yourself... Her fists clenched. He doesn't want your help.
She stalked up the iridescent steps - slabs of filmy, purplish light that somehow managed to not to collapse beneath her - face flushed. He can go and get himself killed if he wants... Idiot -
"Wait!"
The word echoed throughout the luminous hall and Asuna started, foot stumbling on the edge of the step. "Wait, what?"
"Look, you can't..." Kirito's words were tense, almost pleading - but when Asuna looked over her shoulder, amber eyes boring into his, the boy's words trailed off into silence.
What is his problem?
"If this is about going back again, I'm not going to hear it."
There was no response - only a pained, conflicted look. His eyes shimmered in the dim lighting.
Asuna waited all of two seconds before she huffed. She just turned away, cloak uncomfortably warm against her skin, and hastened her pace, grumbling to herself, "Whatever. Not like I really wanted to party with you, anyway..."
Asuna worked just fine by herself. In fact, things were better that way. Weren't they?
The nights Asuna spent in that Labyrinth flashed before her eyes, huddled against cold stone pillars. Her body wasn't real - nothing in the maze was real - but her fingers still felt numb; her skin cold; her heart hollow, as the darkness seemed to swallow her whole.
She swallowed, shaking her head, when -
"Eh-?"
- a menu suddenly popped open before her, stopping Asuna in her tracks.
The girl blinked. Once. Twice.
[Kirito has invited you to join their party.]
Click, click.
"I'll give you until the end of the second floor," the solo-player decided, voice ringing loudly throughout the dark floor - ringing in Asuna's ears.
What?
"W-What?"
"The lower levels of an MMORPG are always trickier, when you're competing for items and XP - you take more chances. But after the second floor, we should have a good gap in level from the others. It'll be safer."
Asuna blinked again.
"Let's just party until then, all right?"
When Asuna still didn't respond, taken aback, Kirito tilted his head, considering her. He seemed much more sure of himself as he came up just behind Asuna, adding, "If you think you can keep up, of course."
"'Keep up'-?" she managed, blistering. "Of course I can -"
"Then let's go." Kirito peered over the edge of the stairs, down into the blackness below. "The second floor will be crawling with players soon."
With that, the swordsman side-stepped a flustered Asuna - ignoring the way her eyes bore into him, disbelieving - overtaking her on the stairs.
"'Let's go'? Just like that?"
When Asuna didn't follow him for a few moments, Kirito sent her a glance. "Do you not want to?"
"Yes! I mean... I mean no..." Asuna's shoulders ached as she brushed hair from her face, shaking her head. The invitation lingered above her, making her head hurt. "I thought you didn't want to."
'No offense to you, but I work better on my own.'
"I didn't." A moment of silence, a deep breath, then - "I changed my mind."
They were simple words, but when Kirito said them, there was weight behind them; a weariness.
"What does that even mean...?"
The swordsman's chest expanded in a sigh. "Look, I-"
BANG!
A loud slam from below cut them off, abruptly, and both of them startled. Asuna cloak got caught around her knee as she recoiled, nearly having her «tumble» -
- when a hand grasped her firmly by the wrist, steadying her. Asuna's blood felt like it was rushing through her veins as gripped onto it, pulling herself from the dark, open edge onto steady ground.
"T-Thanks," Asuna murmured shakily, heels a bit unsteady. She was never arguing on stairs again.
Kirito nodded, briefly, expression unreadable.
Suddenly, voices flooded into the hall.
Immediately, they jerked apart, Asuna scrambled to look down. Kirito was just behind her.
They were quite a ways up now, peering down through what seemed like miles of darkness, but even from there, one could see light flowing through from the ground floor - the boss room gate slammed open. No figures seemed to be coming through, but the sound traveled much more clearly, now. It wouldn't be long.
Kirito muttered to himself - what almost seemed like cursing, though it was too faint for Asuna to hear - but she definitely caught when he finished - "I knew this wasn't a good idea -"
Asuna's gaze sharpened, "Whoa - you're not backing out now, are you?"
Kirito seemed far away when he shook his head and then turned, looking up to the ceiling. It was impossible to tell how far they had to go, from here, but after all they'd climbed, it couldn't have been far. Could it?
The clamor from below rose in volume - the shouts and yells audible to her ears. They were faint and echoed, but it would take a fool not to recognize the vehemence in them - the anger.
Asuna remembered it clearly in their eyes; recalled how quick their desperation drove them to fix it upon on the tense, distant boy beside her - the player who showed her more kindness than anyone else in this messed-up world.
'Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you let Diavel die?! You knew the technique the boss was gonna use. You could've told us! Then Diavel would've stood a chance... He wouldn't have to die!'
'Yeah! He knew the boss's attack patterns! He knew, but he kept it from us!'
'You're a goddamn cheater, that's what you are!'
She didn't know him at all; it was true. She couldn't understand him.
But Asuna saw him then, standing just ahead, saying nothing but waiting for her in spite of the tension in his form - the way Kirito seemed to want to be anywhere else.
'Trust me - you'll be better of finding someone else.'
"You're an idiot," she decided.
Kirito started, distracted. "What?"
She felt the lingering heat on his wrist, where their skin touched. It tingled. Asuna rubbed it briefly, taking a deep breath. "You're an idiot... but I'm coming with you."
A/N: Special thanks to SomethingFunny794, TheSoloPlayer, (my special Guest reader), Darth Eevee, Delta Marauder, TheUniqueFangirl and everyone who fav/followed! To be honest, I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in another story like this, but thanks to you guys I have my answer. c:
Sorry for the short chapter - this is all really set-up - but I wanted something from Asuna's half of this before everything gets moving. c: If all goes well (and if people want to see more), the next chapter should be up soon.
Er, and I'm sorry if the past-dialogue is confusing... I'm not really sure if it works well... But it's not something I'll use very often, so hopefully it was okay this once?
Please review and tell me what you think! Even something short is always motivating.