Black Cats Revival
Chapter 2: Trauma
"Kirito!" Sachi and Ducker yelled in unison.
They were back-to-back near the doorway, fighting off one at a time and occasionally killing a few. They were wearing down just as quickly as they were being outnumbered, which was very, very bad.
I have to save them! But the only way I can think of is—no, I can't! But…
"Arigatou, Sayonara."
"SCREW IT!" I screamed, concealing my sword in my cloak using the [[Moonlit Illusion Set's]] special ability.
Immediately afterwards, I pulled out two copies of my real weapon—the one I used on the front lines.
The [[Moon Sword]].
I activated a skill that it recently acquired, called [[Skill Stack]], and began rushing at them while it started charging. [[Skill Stack]] is very similar to [[Chain Skill]], but only allows you to use offensive skills connected to each other, and gives a + 15% attack bonus.
I started with [[Twister 360]], a spinning attack with 75% increased damage and controlled movement. This destroyed about one eighth of the mobs in my way.
"RAAAGH!"
Continuing with a [[Tornado 720]], a longer version with slightly decreased damage, I cut down another quarter.
A golem scratched my shoulder.
"RUEAAGH!"
I finished the chain with a [[Hurricane 1440]], a skill double the length of the last with slightly decreased damage, at + 25%. I still managed to mow down about seven eighths total of the original mob count in my way.
NO! THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN! I'LL STOP THIS NOW!
Pushing past my limits, I struck down the remaining mobs in my way, only to find myself unable to move afterwards. "DUCKER! Use your throwing picks like I taught you!"
"A-all right!"
As Ducker started to charge his throwing picks with an elemental crystal obtained from a quest, I defended Sachi using whatever parts of my body I could put in the way of the mobs' attacks. My HP dropped slowly, even with my [[Battle Healing]]. I was slowly wearing down physically and mentally, and just before I passed out, I heard Ducker shout, "Ready, GO!"
He threw the picks in all directions from where Sachi and I stood, creating an explosion of blinding electrical sparks that raced throughout the room, destroying all of the [[Crimson Ghost Miners]] and leaving the [[Paralysis]] status effect on the golems.
Then the downside took effect. Ducker took on the status condition as well, his time being twice as long as that of the remaining mobs due to their lightning resistance.
Luckily, that is when my body decided to come back to full functionality.
I sprang into action.
Dash, slash left, dash and slash right, dash, double-left slash, dash, slash up, dash and double-downward slash-
I felt a slash from one of the mannequin golems.
Their paralysis wore off!
Turn around and slash up, dash, double-upward slash, dash, cross-slash, dash, upward V-slash-
There were seven golems left, and one of them began to attack Sachi.
"NO!" I screamed, activating [[Blink Cut]].
Destroying the low-leveled golem with one hit, just like the rest, I looked over to Sachi to examine her injuries. "Sachi, are you okay?"
"I-I'm okay, Kirito," Sachi said shakily.
"Good, I'm going to help Ducker!" I said.
He's probably still under the paralysis! I have to help him before he dies!
Low and behold, Ducker lay on the ground limply, still paralyzed and in the red.
"DUCKER!" I screamed, rushing over and fending off a strike coming his way.
All six of the remaining golems were around us, trapping us in. When they got close enough, I activated another [[Twister 360]], killing the remaining mobs.
As the room returned to its usual green color, I realized what it symbolized. "It's over… that's right! Ducker, take this!"
I forced a potion's contents down his throat, causing him to gag violently before relaxing. "Thanks, man… Wait, where's Sachi?"
"She's over there. C'mon, we have to get her and get out of here. I'll escort you guys back to the meeting point we set up with Keita." I said sadly, knowing I had to leave.
How will I explain this to Keita?
"What happened? Why aren't Sasamaru and Tetsuo with you?" Keita inquired, obviously suspecting that whatever happened had been my fault.
It is my fault, Keita. I knew you would think that, and I know you're right, but it still hurts so much.
"We… found a trap room in the labyrinth on the twenty-seventh floor," I said, crestfallen.
"You what? Why didn't you stop them, Kirito? Why?" Keita received nothing but silence as a reply.
"You BASTARD! Tell me WHY!"
"That's enough, Keita. He saved us! Can't you show your gratitude for keeping at least a few of us alive?" Ducker defended.
Why, Ducker. Why are you defending me?
"Your right, Keita. It is my fault. I knew about that kind of trap. I was… I was a beta tester."
They all gasped in shock.
"You… you bastard! You had no right to be with us!" Keita was livid.
I heard sniffles coming from Sachi's direction. When I turned around, I found tears streaming down her cheeks. Seconds later, she broke into sobs and fell to the ground, shaking.
"See what you did?! Sachi is crying because of YOU, you b—"
"SHUT UP, KEITA! She isn't crying because of him, she's crying because of YOU! You were screaming your head off. Kirito didn't even try to defend himself! He never yelled back! He just sat there and took it like a man! He admitted to doing the wrong thing, and you just kept bashing on him!"
"B-but he deceived us…" Keita said quietly, astonished at the usually happy-go-lucky Ducker's rage.
Please, just stop, Ducker…
"He SAVED us! You can't even consider that he's a nice person, can you?"
"Stop… you guys are making her cry harder. She's gone through something that no one should ever have to go through, and the fact that her few remaining friends are fighting is only making it worse. You're right, Keita. It's my fault. Only the strongest of testers got to the floors high enough to experience the first of those traps. I wasn't just a beater. I'm the [[Black Beater]]."
I walked over to Sachi, tears building up in my eyes. "Please… Please forgive me, Sachi." My voice broke.
"It's not you. I just can't believe that—" She broke into another fit of sobs.
"If you guys care about him so much, then you obviously don't care about any of the rest of us! If you still want to be friends with him, then I WON'T be a part of it!" he turned around, walking towards the edge of the bridge.
No!
"Keita, don't! Please! I'll leave, just don't—"
Too late. By the time I got to the edge of the bridge, he had already jumped off, committing suicide in the worst way imaginable—he did it in front of Sachi.
My breath hitched. I found it impossible to breathe.
My arrogance caused two people to die in battle, and one person to commit suicide. WHY?! Why did I put aside my obviously correct instincts to be with them?! The only ones left are a traumatized girl and a boy who wouldn't be able to stand without a leader telling him to!
"It's not your fault, Kirito… we all screwed up. It was my idea to go to that labyrinth, not yours," Ducker said sadly.
"WHY?! Why are you trying to defend me? Why are you trying to comfort me? *Sniff* I just don't get it! Why are you showing pity for me?" I yelled hysterically.
"It's not pity. It's me admitting I was in the wrong. Even if I were trying to comfort you, it wouldn't be out of pity. It would be because we're guild mates, and because you're my friend."
My breath caught. What? How can he say that with a straight face?
"I have to leave. I could get you guys killed as well one day," I said sadly.
Ducker's fist connected with my face.
"BAKA! Can't you see that Sachi can't handle that? She's already gone through the pain of losing three of us, and you going would force her into committing suicide! And besides, she… she values you more than anyone else." Ducker seemed miserable.
"Huh?"
"You heard me."
"Please, Kirito, don't go!"
Sachi…
"All right… I'll stay. But what are we going to do? Our guild disbanded when Keita… You know…"
"Well then, we'll just make a new one!" Ducker said enthusiastically. "What will we call it though? I can't think of anything…" Ducker said, trailing off at the end.
"I myself am not willing to let the Black Cats fall, so how about… [[Black Cats Revival]]?" I said, finally looking up to face Ducker.
"Sounds good! What do you think, Sachi?" He received merely a nod from the fragile girl.
"Then it's unanimous! We are the [[Black Cats Revival]]! We'll be the ones to clear this game, no matter what!"
Sachi had been sleeping in my room ever since we got back to the inn at [[Taft]]. I didn't mind. If anything, it helped me think.
Ducker and Sachi have changed. They're no longer the hyperactive boy and the nice, innocent girl. Now Ducker is a serious player, focused on actually clearing the game instead of just having a good time. Ducker's becoming more independent now that there are only three of us, like he's afraid that if I die, there will be no one to protect Sachi. I bet that he wants to prepare to be the one to protect her in case I'm not around. Sachi barely even resembles her former self, so it's understandable. She's so weak and fragile. Well, I won't ever leave them alone to die. I will protect Sachi, and train Ducker to be one of the best.
"And besides, she… she values you more than anyone else."
What did that mean?
"Kirito?" a tiny voice said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, Sachi?" I said gently.
"Can you lay down with me?" the meek girl inquired, exhausted.
I had been sitting on the bed next to her for hours, ready to do anything that she asked, so of course I complied. "Sure."
"Thanks. I-I was having a nightmare," she said, sounding on the verge of tears.
As I got under the covers, I heard soft sniffling sounds coming from the traumatized girl. I felt horrible, knowing that there wasn't much I could do other than what had been done. Gradually, her sniffling died down, and I started to hear the soft breathing of a sleeping angel.
Wait—"angel"? The heck? Where the heck did that come from?
"I'll definitely protect you guys this time. I won't let you die, Sachi." I told her, even though she couldn't hear me.
"Thank you," I heard Sachi say drowsily.
Is she talking to me? Or is she just talking in her sleep?
The next day, while lying in bed, I decided to PM Kamiko to see if she could help me teach Ducker the proper form in Claw and Dagger technique, among other things.
"Hey, Kamiko. I have a favor to ask of you. I have a friend that uses the Claw and Dagger style, and I was wondering if you could help me teach him the proper form. You are the best in that style, after all.
"Also, I hope you could show him the quest locations for some of the elemental crystals, because he can somehow infuse their power into mass amounts of throwing picks, and then throw them for elemental damage.
Thanks,
-Kirito"
I started to get up, only to suddenly notice a pair of arms around me holding me tightly.
"Sachi… I need to get up… I have to help Ducker train so we can both be able to protect you. Come on, please let me get up," I said gently.
"But you won't come back! You'll leave with Ducker, and I'll be all alone! I don't want that…"
Sachi… Her trauma is messing with her ability to think rationally.
"I'll never abandon you, Sachi. I promise, I'll always stay by your side," I said.
What the HECK did I just say?! I can't do that! But… I can't leave her either. Aaah! I just don't know what I should do!
"Hey, Kiri—what did I just walk in on? You guys went that far already?"
"She thinks that if I get up to train you, then we'll both abandon her," I said, my face betraying no emotion.
Inwardly, however, I was blushing like wildfire and my heart was racing. What the heck? Why am I getting so worked up over this?
"Oh, okay, that makes sense. Hey Sachi, why don't you come with us? Don't worry, we'll watch over you. We'll make sure nothing happens to you," Ducker reassured her.
"Yeah, we'll always be there for you. But we need to train to make sure that we'll be able to protect you. Now come on, let's go," I said gently.
When we met up with Kamiko, she immediately rushed up and enveloped me in an unbelievably strong bear hug, her ever-present claws digging into my side and sending a shock wave up my spine.
"Kiri-kun, I heard what happened from Argo! Are you okay?!"
I could feel Ducker's cold glare right after I received the [[Paralysis]] effect from her [[Thunder Claws (Unique)]], making me go limp in her arms.
"Umm, Kamiko? Your claws paralyzed me," I said dryly, struggling against the status condition to form each syllable.
"Oh, sorry, I wasn't thinking," she said, pulling out an antidote crystal. "Cure!"
When my body recovered, I turned around to face a frightened Sachi and a livid Ducker.
"As I was going to say, this is my friend from the beta, Kamiko," I said calmly, inwardly cowering in fear under Ducker's devilish glare.
As soon as I said Kamiko's name, Ducker's face brightened with the force of one hundred desert suns. "You mean [[Kamiko the Black Edge]]?! Whoa, I'm such a huge fan of yours!"
"Don't the normal players like you hate the beta-testers?" Kamiko asked in mild confusion.
"I don't care in the slightest! Remember that Kirito is the most hated of them all, and yet he still risked his own life to save ours."
Ducker…
"Thanks, Ducker. But I still only saved two of you," I uttered, inconsolably sad.
"Doesn't matter. Two is better than none, right?" Ducker said cheerily.
"Well then, let's get to work!" Kamiko exclaimed.
Two hours later, Ducker was extremely exhausted from Kamiko's relentless training.
She never lets up, does she? That's just her. Ever since the boss fight on the twenty-fifth floor, she's been more serious than I've ever seen her.
Almost as serious as… you know what, it doesn't matter.
I sat down next to Sachi, watching her very quietly so I wouldn't disturb her.
"Kirito…?"
"Are you okay, Sachi?"
Sachi smiled sadly. "I'm fine. I have a question, though."
"Sure, go ahead. I'll listen," I reassured her.
"Why did you join our guild?"
Suddenly, it felt as if my lungs were filled with ice, and my vocal cords were frozen in place, unwilling to betray my jumbled thoughts.
"I see…"
"To help."
"What?" Sachi asked in nervous confusion.
"I joined to help you," I uttered, finally finding my voice.
"Just me?" Sachi queried.
What do I say? My heart says yes, but my brain wants me to say no…
After an intense mental battle, I decided to side with my brain.
"Your guild."
"Haha… you were a part of our guild too, Kirito," Sachi said cheerily.
Sachi… thanks.
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks for cheering me up, but you need it more than I do," I said gently.
I moved over and wrapped her in a hug.
Aishiteru, Sachi.
"How sweet! What luck to walk in on something so juicy!"
"Argo. Don't. Ever. Mention. This. To. Anyone. Got it?" I said, inwardly sweating buckets at the thought of this becoming public.
"All right, got it! I gotta go, bye!"
"Oh no you don't. You're going to promise me that you won't tell anyone. Only then can you go, Argo," I said, getting up and grabbing her by her hood.
"O-okay, Ki-bou! Please s-stop looking at me like that Ki-bou; it's r-really freaking me out," Argo stuttered.
"All right, you can go now, Argo," I said, dropping Argo to the ground.
I watched in amusement as she scurried away, almost like an oversized rat.
That girl is crazy. Her nosiness is gonna be the death of her.
"Well then," I said, walking over to Ducker and Kamiko, "How's the training coming along, you guys?"
"It's… exhausting. She's crazy strong!"
"It'll only get worse, Ducker. Trust me, she fights hard." I said, with a smirk.
"What?! It gets even harder?!" Ducker yelled in disbelief.
"You're dealing with the second strongest player from the beta, and one of the strongest players overall. Don't expect to get out of this training without being severely exhausted and injured. Trust me, she can destroy you."
"Well then, I'll just train harder until she can't!" Ducker said with amusing enthusiasm.
"That's the spirit! Now, let's spar again, Ducker!" Kamiko said with a blinding smile.
"Well, I asked for it. Come at me bro!"
"WHAT?!"
"Sorry. Come at me sis!"
As I walked back over to sit next to Sachi, I noticed that she had started to nod off.
"Sachi," I said quietly, sitting down next to her. "Should we go back to the inn?"
"No… I'm all right. But Kirito… could I lay my head down on your lap?" Sachi requested, as timid as a kitten.
"Of course, Sachi." I'll do anything for you.
I wanted to say that last part, but I found myself unable to do so. I just couldn't say it.
The heck's wrong with me? Why can't I just speak my mind? It doesn't make any sense!
I sighed. I guess love doesn't make sense.
A/N:
Well then… what do you guys think? I hope this authors' note won't take up too much space, but I do feel the need to explain something from the last chapter.
A Set is a group of equipment that gives a bonus when equipped together. They're fairly common in video games, and can consist of any number of items. In this fic (and ESR and the other branch), they will consist of:
Cloak (optional depending on set)
Ring (same as cloak)
Boots
Gloves
Armor (same as cloak and ring)
Weapon
Sub-weapon if included in set
(Sets are usually specialized to a specific weapon class, with the exception of Dual Blades, which fall into the one-handed set type. With Dual Blades, you would just use two of the main weapon.)
Kirito's current set, the [[Moonlit Illusion Set]], includes the following:
Moonlit Cloak (upgraded from Cloak of Midnight)
Illusion Ring
Lunar Boots
Nightshade Gloves
No Armor
Moon Sword x 2 (Both are mini-boss drops. There are also store-bought versions, but the drop versions are stronger.)
No sub-weapon
And there you have it. End of explanations.
See Ya!
