Day 129 Floor 23 (Slayer and Mia's House)
Slayer sat on the edge of his bed and considered the events of the past four weeks. He had invited Mia, a young teenage girl, to join his party and live with him in his house, but after that initial meeting things had quickly turned awkward. He had been a loner for so long that he had no idea how to interact with another human being on a daily basis. He tried to remember what he was like before he had lost his sister, but that seemed like another lifetime ago. Finally, after much debating, he decided that if they were to coexist happily and form any kind of bond they would have to learn of each other's past.
He paced his room for a few moments and finally decided that he should un-equip the shirt he had on so that she could see the many scars that marred his torso. It was as good a place to start as any and he decided that as the older of the two that he should go first. He called her into his room and at the sight of the many scars that comprised his upper body nearly made her faint. After her initial shock subsided he led her to a chair set in the corner of his room and sat himself across from her. Then, he began to tell of his plan and his past.
"We've been together four weeks and we hardly know each other. I think now would be a good time for us to remedy that. I'm going to tell you about my past and myself so that we can begin to understand each other and hopefully build a strong bond. Feel free to ask any questions you might have. Now bear with me because my tale is not a happy one.
"I was once very happy and I held faith in the good of humanity. That changed when my sweet sister was taken hostage and killed by a pair of bank robbers. I turned bitter and outwardly hostile towards the whole world. The only thing that might have matched my sorrow was the pure rage I felt at the unfairness of the world. My sister was kind and gentle, the bank robbers cold and cruel, yet they walked away from the encounter, not only alive, but rich.
"After I pieced myself back together, all I felt was anger and emptiness. I began to seek out fights wherever I could. At first I fought in the ring, but it did nothing for me so I soon left it to fight in the streets. It was on the streets that I was first called Slayer, and I took a liking to the name. The many scars that intertwine on my body are the results of those vicious fights.
"I suppose I just wanted to die, but the sweet embrace of death always seemed to elude me. There were close calls, but I always seemed to pull through. People joked that I was simply too mean to die. It was a truly miserable existence, but then again, I was a truly miserable person. It was after one of my few remaining friends found me bleeding out on his doorstep and saved me that I got into gaming because my friend wanted me to try it as an alternative to fighting.
"I decided the first game I would get was SAO because it looked as though it would offer the most realistic experience and therefore it might actually help. I practiced in some simulators before the game's release, but it was just like fighting in the ring and I felt nothing. You know what? I was actually happy when the announcement came that this was all real now. I thought maybe I might finally die and be at peace."
He glanced over at Mia to see how she was doing and he found a multitude of emotions displayed throughout her features. There was sadness and sympathy, but there was also anger. Before he had time to question it she burst forth and slapped him. He looked down into her eyes in shock and waited for an explanation.
"You're such an idiot! Can't you see your sister wouldn't want you to do this to yourself! You tarnish her memory by letting yourself act like this! Fight in memory of her or against the injustice of the world, but don't fight because you have some death wish!" Mia screamed in obvious anger.
Slayer smiled fondly at his companion. She was so much like his sister in so many ways. He felt like a fool for acting the way he had for the past few years. He was amazed at how perfectly she had seemed to understand him and his inner turmoil from such a brief discussion. She made the whole thing seem obvious.
"You're right. I've been a total dumbass this entire time. Anyways, do you have any questions now that you've had your little outburst?"
"Just three. What was your sister like?"
"You remind me a lot of her. She was so full of life and compassion. To me, she was the sun that brightened the world with her presence. What is your next question?"
"What of your parents? You never mentioned them."
"They were out of the picture for a few years before any of that happened. My dad got drunk one night and was killed in a car crash, and after that my mom fell into a deep depression and she never fully recovered. I managed to fool the inspectors that everything was fine so they wouldn't take my sister and me to child welfare. When I turned eighteen I moved out and took my sister with me. So what's your last question?"
"Oh. You mentioned you got the name Slayer while fighting on the street. Why was that?"
"I got it because I killed two people while fighting. I'm not proud of it and for a long time the memory haunted me until I reminded myself that they would have killed me, and possibly others in the future. The only reason I didn't go to jail was because it was declared self-defense. Now tell me about you. What was life like for Mia?"
"For me? I'm almost ashamed to speak of my life after hearing of yours. I lived a relatively normal life with my parents and big brother. I was never really one to take risks or to fight. However, I sometimes liked to play videogames and pretend like I was a brave adventurer who led an exciting life. Ironically, now that I have that life all I want to do is have things return to normal."
Slayer thought of how hard a transition it must have been for her. He walked over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. After a moment she looked up and met his gaze.
"We will make it out of here," Slayer stated with conviction. "We'll stick together and continue to grow stronger until the game is beat and this nightmare is no more."
She considered those words and the person who had said them. She felt that she actually believed not only in what he was saying, but the very man himself. He had laid his soul bare before her eyes so that she could understand how he had become the man she saw before her. She stood and hugged her newfound friend, and after a few awkward moments he returned her embrace.
"How about we get back to work? The sooner we grow stronger the sooner we can escape this hellhole," Slayer said. Together, they left the house and began their quest to grow stronger so that they might escape their ordeal.
Day 129 Floor 20
"Remind me why we're down here again," said a somewhat exasperated Mia.
"It's simple, I'm not taking you anywhere until I know the full extent of your abilities," explained Slayer as he leaned against a tree.
"So why here? Why did you insist on coming down to Floor 20?"
"Because I'm fairly certain of your safety here. We met on Floor 23, that alone shows me you are dedicated and a survivor, but I know nothing of your fighting prowess. If we are to function as a team then I need to know your limits and the very style you implement in battle. Otherwise I'll be so busy worrying about your safety I might slip up and actually have my death wish granted. Considering I'm finally getting a knack for this living thing again, that would be a true shame."
"Then how come I'm not studying you? Shouldn't I learn all there is to know about your limits and play style?"
"What's there to learn? I'm a tank with a nasty penchant for rushing headlong into battle. As for my limits, they change too often to bother learning."
"You're such an idiot," mumbled Mia.
Slayer chuckled as he considered what she said. Perhaps he was underestimating her but he was not willing to take that chance. Here on Floor 20 he could examine her movements without worry. Even if she encountered something she couldn't handle, he was sure that he could.
"Why do you do that?" asked Slayer.
"Do what?"
"Avoid cursing?"
"I believe it to be crude and offensive and I would prefer it if you refrained from using such crash language as well."
"Damn. I'll cut you a deal. I won't cuss at the house, but out in the wilds I can cuss to my heart's content. Deal?"
"Fine. So what now?"
"I guess we should proceed to the next area. I doubt we'll find anymore monsters around here."
As they walked along through the forest Slayer couldn't help but smirk. The fact that his companion was against cussing was so comical considering his vocabulary. That smirk was instantly lost when he received a message. He glanced briefly at it and knew that his time of peace would soon come to an end. This was the nineteenth message he had ignored since meeting Mia, and his associates were not ones who liked to be ignored.
They walked on quietly until they found what they had been looking for. Up ahead they could see two humanoid creatures huddling together in a primitive encampment. After a quick search to make sure there was only the two and there were no others lurking nearby, Mia stepped forward to confront the beasts while Slayer stood back to observe. Slayer remembered these pitiful creatures as being somewhat adept at combat. Though they're primary weapons were mere dirks, they could become a problem in if they outnumbered their enemy.
Mia drew her short sword and made sure she had her shield ready as she stepped fully into the encampment. The creatures sensed her immediately and sprang to their feet as they brandished their crude weapons. Mia readied herself as they slowly approached with their blades at the ready. She quickly decided the quickest and safest way to finish this battle was to incapacitate one enemy long enough to at least severely injure the other opponent. As they finally moved within range, she struck.
She rushed forward and shield bashed one creature right in the face. While it was dazed she zoned in on the other creature. It charged in with a basic thrust, thrust, slash routine that she easily deflected with her shield. She shoved out with her shield arm and then brought her sword to bear. She led with a forward thrust that she abruptly stopped and slashed across the creature's abdomen, easily avoiding the creature's dirk it had placed to intercept her blade.
She began to attack fiercely, sustaining only minor wounds as she cut away at the creature's life. It was down to almost a fifth of its health when she sensed movement out of the corner of her eye. She dodged aside of the thrusting dirk, but she still received a nasty wound on her forearm, dropping her health to two-thirds. She composed herself quickly as her combatants regrouped. She had not planned on the creature being able to reenter the battle so soon.
She tried to shield bash the creature again, but it was having nothing of that. Before her shield had time to connect the creature had already moved aside and she was hard pressed to parry its thrust as she stumbled past. She spun around and regained her footing in time to meet the two monsters as they rushed in, hoping to kill her before she could regain her composure. She decided her best bet was to continue her assault on the weakened creature and then to face the other once she had evened up the fight. She blocked the one creatures dirk and then easily knocked aside that of the weakened ones as it had overcompensated when it had attacked.
She saw her opening and she took it. While the other creature retracted its arm for another strike she drove her blade into the chest of the weakened creature, its blade too far out to block the attack after she had knocked it aside. As it began to glow faintly she turned to regard her remaining opponent, only to see it fragmenting as well. Behind where the creature once stood was Slayer, hoisting his battleaxe to rest on his shoulder.
"What did you do that for?" Mia asked in aggravation.
"I'd seen all I needed to see. There was no point in sitting back any longer."
"I could have handled it."
"I know, and that is why I ended it. You showed yourself to be a capable warrior. Your faltered a little when your initial plan fell apart, but you composed yourself quickly and soon reclaimed your confidence. I know you can handle yourself, though I still want you to train with me for at least a week before we do anything else so that we can smooth out some of the rough spots."
Mia didn't know what to say. She had expected him to be disappointed or frustrated, but instead he was praising her, even if he did hint at training to improve some faults. She stood there and tried to guess what was going on in his head.
"Go on home and rest. You've earned it. I'll catch up to you after I've ran a few errands," said Slayer with a disarming smile.
Mia stopped to consider her companion as she started to activate her teleport crystal. Something seemed a bit off about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it. After a moment's hesitation, she was gone.
"What the fuck do you want you stupid bastard?" Slayer growled out without even turning around.
"You always where very perceptive Söldner," stated a mysterious man as he emerged from the woods behind Slayer.
"And you were always an annoying cunt. Now cut the bullshit, why are you here?" Slayer said as he turned to regard the man.
"You've been ignoring our messages," the man said as he stepped fully into the open, showing plainly the insignia of the Knights of the Blood adorning his armor.
To be continued…..
