Floor 2, Western Great Mountain
December 8th, 2020
SCHING!
With the by now familiar sound of a mob shattering into its constituent polygons as it died, a sound not unlike that of glass shattering, resounding across the landscape, KazmaO tiredly savored his latest victory over the Minos Scavenger minotaur mob that infested this mountain zone.
'Damn! I hope that's the last of damn things!' KazmaO thought sullenly to himself as he sorted through his latest winnings.'Individually they aren't much trouble, but there sure are a lot of the things here! Way more than Argo's intel suggests… Perhaps she was right to be worried. I wonder how she got past all of them, since she said she's lower level than me… Probably something to do with that high AGI build of hers, maybe she just skirted around them or something…'
Even as that thought passed through his mind KazmaO had his doubts. The terrain of the zone he was in made it all but impossible in most cases to skirt around the mobs. With the only passable area in the zone consisting of a winding and often narrow path that snaked up the side of the mountain, there was rarely if ever enough room to do any skirting what with the mountain face on one side and a drop over the side of the mountain and its accompanying fall to a certain death on the other. He'd tried a couple of times where the path was wider out of a sense of curiosity and desire to avoid fighting the same mob for the umpteenth time, but to no avail.
'Theoretically Argo might have been able to do it, if she had a high enough AGI to help negotiate the rougher terrain and with a decent level in the sneaking skill… Or she was just lucky.' KazmaO tried to reassure himself. 'Yeah! She have to have been lucky! There's no way she's THAT much better at me and at a lower level! … Even if she is an AGI build… Right!?... Oh! Who am I kidding, that's probably exactly how she did it… Looks I still have lots of work to do to become king again.'
Finished with both his distracting thoughts and the mundane task of sorting through the spoils of his latest victory, he made to move forward, only to find his mind wandering once again. Ironically this time his mind was drawn to the very mundane task that his previous line of thinking had served as a distraction from. 'Well, at least the drops from these Scavengers are pretty decent. Mainly trash, but that's easy cash once I find a vendor. The odd gem of an item is what makes grinding them worth it though. Not that doing so was my intention in coming here, but it's a good unexpected bonus. The Scavengers certainly live up to their lore as being collectors of fallen gear, though walking treasure chest might be a better descriptor.'
Just then he tensed as he approached a turn on the path. 'Great! Another turn, another perfect spot for an ambush! Well, here goes nothing…'
"Huh?" A bewildered KazmaO muttered out loud as he rounded the corner cautiously only to find nothing awaiting him. 'That's strange. Nothing's waiting to ambush me? There's been something around the last dozen corners. What's so special about his one?'
Still cautious KazmaO advanced slowly, paying special attention to his surroundings still expecting an ambush of some kind. 'Nothing? Odd. Pleasant, but odd.'
Just then he saw the path ahead abruptly end at what appeared at a narrow set of steps carved into the mountain. The steps were cut in such a way that on either side was nothing but sheer rock. 'Ok… If somewhere up that staircase isn't the perfect place for an ambush then I don't know what is. The last corner must be just to give a sense of false security. … Or I'm just paranoid, but if this damn path has taught me anything is that a healthy sense of paranoia about ambushes is a good thing especially in this Death Game.'
With that sobering thought, KazmaO begun climbing the narrow stairs even more cautiously than before. For what seemed a nervous eternity, but was really a couple minutes KazmaO ascended the stairs only to reach the top and the plateau in a crater beyond.
'Phew! No ambush!' A pleasantly surprised KazmaO thought to himself as he begun to take in just what lay before him.
'A plateau inside of a crater, check. A hut next to a small pond, check. A big boulder behind it with someone likely hitting it, check. Said someone matching Argo's description of her friend via that PM she sent me on my way up here?...Seriously! She should have told me this when she sent me off in the first place, though I guess the fact that she didn't is just proof of how worried she was then. Now then... Black hair, check; pale skin, check; black theme for his gear, check. Yeah! That's him.' Kazma sighed in relief. 'It's good to see her friend is alright.'
Luxuriating in his relief for a moment, or more honestly just catching his breath and letting the paranoid tension fade away, KazmaO stood where he was admiring his surrounds. 'This place sure is green, a far cry from the rest of this arid zone. Hell, it's loads better than the rest of the Floor!'
Having regained his composure, KazmaO began walking towards the figure that was presumably Argo's friend. "Hey! Kirito, right?' KazmaO called out in both greeting and as a final confirmation of the other's identity.
Startled somewhat by the unexpected presence of another, the other figure turned sharply to face KazmaO to glare at him for his interruption.
(X)
Kirito turned towards the one who had interrupted him, the newcomer, eyes narrowed. He was justifiably irritated by the new arrival's presence: First, he had interrupted his rhythm in striking the rock needed for the quest. Second, only other Betas knew of the Martial Art quest, so the fact that someone had showed up meant the he might have just lost an edge.
But his gaze softened as he inspected the player before him. Feminine stature and voice, though his tone and carriage indicated he was male. Black hair that covered some of his right eye, along with olive skin. A bit younger than he was…
"IS there something on my face?" The newcomer asked curiously, interrupting Kirito in the middle of his examination.
"No, not really. How did you get here?" Asked Kirito as he focused back on the rock, no longer paying attention to the newcomer. He recognized him alright. It was the same player who broke down at Launch Day, and the same one who was looking in on the raid meeting back in Tolbana. Could he be stalking him or something? Was he another Copper?
"A friend of yours sent me to check up on you. Know the name of Argo-san?" He asked. The black haired boy perked up and turned his head.
"You know of The Rat?"
"Yep. Met her back on Floor 1." He had a hand on his sword hilt as he shifted the weight on his legs. "She got in touch with me a short while ago whilst I was taking a break from questing here on Floor 2 and sent me to you."
"Why?"
"Are we really playing twenty questions? She is concerned for you."
"Noted." Kirito turned back to the rock and began to pound it once more. The boy made a sound of surprise, apparently taken aback and offended by his casual dismissal.
That's good. Now the younger player can go back to Argo or PM her to tell that he's fine, whilst he can get on with trying to crack this stupid rock. Better the boy left then get attached to him anyway.
"If you think I'm gonna leave it's not happening." The boy sat at the edge of the crater, and Kirito looked up.
"Let me guess, you want in on this quest do you?"
"Totally. Argo-san filled me in, this quest gives you the Extra Skill Martial Arts. I practice Shorinji Kenpo." Kirito remained focused on the stone, not giving a peep of interest his way.
"It's Shaolin Kung-Fu you know!" The newcomer said in a raised voice.
"Not. Interested." Kirito gritted his teeth as he kept punching the rock. Right. Left. Right. Left. He heard an audible growl, then he saw a Party Invite window pop up in front of him, making him stop.
The guy was starting to get on his nerves a bit. He turned towards the boy, glaring.
"Wanna take a bet?" Asked the boy, named KazmaO according to the Party Invite window.
"What kind of bet?" Kirito asked in suspicion.
"I bet I can do this quest faster than you. You're showing sloppy technique and not managing your energy right, so I think I can get an edge in this quest over you."
Oh now he'd done it. Kirito had a lot of pride in his skill as a gamer, especially in SAO stemming from the extensive experience he'd developed as a Beta Tester. Yet a non-beta like this...crybaby twerp claims he can do better?! The practicing Kung-Fu bit was probably fake anyway.
"Really now? What are the stakes and why should I take you up on it, noob?"
"Personal smug satisfaction." Smirked KazmaO. "Or are you chicken?" Kirito didn't like the smirk the kid was wearing, as if he had been in situations like this before. Still, his pride as a gamer won't allow a noobie to call him out as a 'chicken'. Kirito chuckled darkly and closed his eyes, wiping sweat off of his face with a towel as he accepted the Party Invite.
KazmaO Level 19
He's six levels lower than his own, Kirito smirked. "You'll be eating crow by the time this is done. You need to accept the quest from the old man NPC in the hut. Once you do, come back." KazmaO nodded and jogged into the hut by the pond, and returned a minute later to the crater this time with the a set of whisker marks drawn on his face that signaled his participation in the quest.
"The quest requires you to de-equip your weapon and strike the rock with your fists. Once the rock breaks, you complete the quest and earn the skill." Kirito condescendingly repeated the instructions for the quest as he walked off and sat at the edge of the crater, drinking some water to stave off fatigue.
"Got it." KazmaO replied confidently as he approached the rock that had spawned when he had accepted the quest and if Kirito's own experience was anything to go by had a quest cursor hovering over it in the noob's vision to indicate it was his. Once he stood before his rock the other player...closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Kirito rested his head on his palm and his dark eyes saw KazmaO become as still as a statue...and then struck the rock with a palm strike. A very fast one too! He let out a cry of sorts, like a "Kyai!" and there was no immediately apparent change in the rock itself…
But Kirito could tell, this player was experienced at this sort of thing. 'Could he really have been telling the truth?' A martial artist playing video games? He leaned forward, now intrigued at how this kid would do.
KazmaO then got back into position, and then struck again with his left hand. He did so again and again, and the process continued. Breathe, Kyai cry, strike, reset, repeat.. all the way till sundown! Kirito was stunned. The rock was really worn out! Not to the breaking point but it was still pretty ragged and worn!
What this KazmaO kid has done in three hours Kirito had taken over a day. Incredible!
KazmaO looked back, his one visible eye exuding an air of confidence. "I'm gonna eat and take a nap." KazmaO walked towards him, patting Kirito on the shoulder as he passed. "You're up Princess." He smirked laid down on the grass a few paces behind him.
The Beater of SAO blushed with anger, gritting his teeth. "I'm not gonna lose! Ya hear! Demon King Kaz!" KazmaO just lazily waved back.
"Neither am I. And It's just KazmaO. No Demon stuff. It's annoying." He sat down and got out some food from his inventory, a Gyro Sandwich of all things, and began to eat.
Kirito breathed out of his nose and went back to his own rock. "When in Rome…" He murmured, trying to copy KazmaO's method… he took a deep breath and focused… before in a sudden burst of motion he launched a strike!
He continued to pound at the rock over and over, but he soon realized he wasn't getting anywhere. At least his earlier constant striking had yielded some progress despite the painful grind, but despite duplicating KazmaO's technique his progress was, if it was possible, even slower than before. Yet when KazmaO did it he could see the effects! Why can't he emulate it!?
Could it be that he doesn't have the right technique or something? He turned back, seeing KazmaO lounging in the grass and eating his sandwich. Noticing Kirito's gaze had fallen upon him, the younger player proceeded to tap his wrist like a clock.
"You're racing against the clock Kirito-san. I recommend you emulate a jackhammer with both arms rather than emulate me if I were you. At the rate I was going, I'd be done in several hours."
"Screw you!" Kirito shouted back only to hear KazmaO's responding chuckle which only spurred him on.
"I'm not gonna lose! You hear me!" Kirito retorted in defiance.
(X)
By the time the sun began to set, both young men were panting as they struck their respective rocks within the crater. Kirito has made some progress, his rock getting worn out and it's originally smooth surface losing its lustre with slight cracks appearing throughout, but frustration was written all over his face as he looked over at the other quest-taker.
KazmaO's progress was unbelievable. His rock was just as worn out as his, and KazmaO had taken a one hour nap after his meal earlier before starting up again, whereas Kirito had been going at it non-stop. It was evident, this KazmaO guy was no stranger to martial arts.
Kirito wiped sweat off of his brow, noting the red patches on his knuckles. The quest prevented them from sustaining damage to the hands when they hit the quest rocks as long as they have the whisker marks, but the problem was that it was a grind, mentally and physically. Kirito knew of how tiring grinding could be, from his experiences playing MMOs before SAO, but this took it to a whole new level.
"We should rest…" KazmaO said as he shook his hand and slumped down on the ground near the rock. "You especially."
Kirito glared at the dark-skinned boy. "Why's that? So you can break this-" He struck the rock again. "Behind my back?"
"No, because I know that this is really tiring on you. I know you're not experienced in physical activity IRL based on your technique and-"
"I practise kendo!" Kirito defended himself. It was a half-truth. He used to practise Kendo, but he does know the rigors of physical activity damnit!
"Noted. And that has nothing to do with this type of martial arts. All I am saying is, why make a big deal out of it? I mean, sure I kinda trolled you earlier."
'You're trolling me now. You're ahead of me and you were only on this for several hours!'
"But can't we at least take this in good fun? I mean, there's no need to blaze through this…" KazmaO then put up a hand. "Unless you're a frontliner and you need this skill, then by all means."
Kirito stopped his assault on the rock and placed his hands on his knees. Screw it, KazmaO was right, as much as he hates to admit it. He DOES need a break.
"Yes...I am a frontliner, and...maybe you have a point." The pale boy admittedly as he begun walking off to find a place to rest only to collapse face first onto the dirt.
"Too...tired…" He groaned. Then he felt himself be pulled up and be braced around his arm. He looked over, seeing KazmaO attempting to carry him. "You're…"
"I'll take you over to that shady patch over there, then you're on your own regarding food and water. I take it you're well stocked on provisions?" He asked as he walked slowly and uphill.
"Of course I am…" Grunted Kirito as he looked away. Damnit, feeling this helpless sucked. Does this kid expect him to be grateful and pay him back a favor? Get real. Not after wounding his pride as gamer, the only real pride his lonely RL left him with, in such a fashion. Ever since he dropped Kendo and Sugu took up his responsibilities, he'd became a shut in he will admit. But gaming was his escape. His pride. His joy. And yet this kid has the gall to ruin that and rub it in his face. He looked away. "I'm not a newbie who only buys weapons and armor, I stay out a lot."
"Then what are ya," KazmaO asked as he neared their destination, and set the exhausted swordsman down on a rock for him to sit. "A Beta Tester or something?"
'Crap'. Kirito paled, not having the fortitude to mask his slight reaction. "N-No, I, ummm…"
"If you are it's not a big deal." KazmaO replied as he sat down and leaned against a rock, opening his menu and eating yet another Gyro sandwich. "It's not like you're a bad guy. Sure you can be a spazz I will admit, but not an outright bad guy."
Kirito would have lashed out but he didn't want to waste the energy, opting for sighing and opening his menu for a sandwich and beginning to munch on it. He ate in silence, as did KazmaO. The two boys exchanged glances, Kirito's more heated than those of KazmaO, but both looked away without striking up any further conversation.
'Fuck it...might as well start a conversation.' Kirito thought to himself after the silence had stretched on uncomfortably. "So...you wouldn't mind if I really WAS a Beta Tester, hypothetically speaking?" He asked.
"Nope. I wouldn't care. I'm friends with Argo and she's a Beta Tester. Why are you asking this?" KazmaO answered looking back with one eye. "What's the deal with asking me if you are one?"
"Well, I...just wanted to get your thoughts on them. I mean, you hear the news about that Beater guy right? He's a Beta Tester after all." Kirito mentioned. He was alluding to himself, but he wanted to get a feel of what this guy is like without admitting as such.
"One guy doing something doesn't paint a bad picture for the rest of his group. I mean, from what you're telling me, it sounds like you are one." KazmaO gave him his full attention. "Right?"
Kirito sighed. "Yeah…"
"Well, you won't get any grief from me. I know everyone is aiming to clear the game, and you Betas are our best shot thanks to your experience and knowledge of the game. If some people are butthurt over how much better you are than they are then they can go kick rocks." KazmaO munched on his Gyro. "Besides, it's not like they can kill you in-game. That would label them as murderers."
"I see…" Kirito was a bit relieved to hear that. It didn't sound like this kid was discriminatory and in Kibaou's camp. He was an annoying brat but he was okay. He was still a brat though!
"So…" The tan skinned boy said as he finished sandwich and lied down on his back, looking up at the pink and orange sky. "What's your story?"
"Come again?"
"Like, what did ya do IRL and stuff. I mean, you asked me all those questions. Might as pass the time with conversation and stuff." The younger boy mentioned with arms behind his head. He turned his head, looking Kirito square in the eye.
"This is a game you know. Giving off IRL info isn't really a formality in MMOs." Kirito finished his meal and stretched.
"And this is no ordinary game. We don't exactly have any Respawn Save Points or extra lives."
Okay, he does have a point there.
"Fine. What the hell." Kirito shrugged as he relaxed against the rock. Besides, it's not like he and this KazmaO kid will ever meet again. "So, you go to high school or Junior high?"
"Was finishing my last year of Junior High before I got trapped. You?"
"Was starting High School."
With that the two young players began sharing bits of their life stories with each other. Kirito was noticeably more reticent in that regard though. Whilst KazmaO went into great detail about his family, both immediate and extended, Kirito was far more tight lipped offering little more than the basics. KazmaO didn't mind though as he both respected Kirito's privacy and was avoiding certain things too like the circumstances in his immediate family that led him to being trapped in SAO in the first place. Besides, Kirito made up for his unwillingness to talk about his home life by regaling him with his exploits as a gamer, including here and there bits of info about the SAO Beta that he felt might be useful in the future. This sharing between the two boys stretched well into the night and left them both pleased with the small sense of camaraderie it had engendered between them as they lay down for bed that night.
(X)
The next morning
Kirito roared as he gave one last strike to the battered rock, and in an instant, the rock finally cracked down the middle!
He heard the familiar ping of his Quest objective being completed, but was too exhausted to care at the moment and instead fell back onto the ground panting, feeling grimy and dirty from a combination of sweat, dust, and dirt. The black haired boy grinned from ear to ear as he took oxygen into his virtual lungs.
"You done too huh?" Said a familiar voice as Kirito turned his head and his eyes widened. KazmaO was standing arms crossed over him with a smirk.
"When…did…you…get…done?" Asked Kirito in pants as he squinted at the other player with one eye, the other closed to avoid the intense glare of the sun in the sky-ceiling.
"About…an hour ago. Been lounging around ever since. You were so caught up in hitting your own rock you never even noticed. Gotta give you props. You were striking that thing like it owed you money." The dark skinned boy extended a hand, and Kirito couldn't help but chuckle as he accepted it, rising up. Even with all of his effort and energy in striking the rock, KazmaO got his quest done faster and with breaks in between too. Kirito hadn't made time for such luxuries, yet for some reason the swordsman didn't mind that KazmaO had finished before him. A far cry from how he would have felt if it had happened yesterday. Over the course of the intervening day, he had come to realize KazmaO was…a decent guy. He's still something of a brat, what with that smirk on his face, but he can be added to those 'people worth giving a damn about' on Kirito's list.
"Thanks…let's go turn in and then we can head down the mountain to town together if your game?" Kirito managed to gain his footing and wiped some sweat off of his brow.
"Yeah sure. I need to head back and see if I can quest with my friends down there." KazmaO replied.
So he has friends. Kirito felt happy for him, at least he didn't go through this death game alone. The two managed to catch their breaths and went to the old man to turn in the quest. Yet, the strange thing is they did not get a quest completed window…
"Think this is bugged?" Asked KazmaO as he turned towards the black haired boy.
"No, maybe there's another phase to the quest. The old man says we can go down the mountain and leave, so maybe it's at the mountain's foot?"
"I guess...we can try that or else I'm calling-"
"No GM. Death game. Remember?"
"Oh." KazmaO blinked. "Whelp."
'There's that noob I've been looking for' Kirito thought to himself smugly. The duo left the hut and began to walk the path down the mountain.
"So, you think you can make it in this game on your own?" Asked the brown skinned boy. "My friends seem like really good guys. I'm sure they can accept ya."
"Nah, it's fine. I can manage on my own as a solo player." Kirito answered. "Besides, I don't want you and your friends to get a bad rep for hanging around a guy like me."
"You're a Beta Tester, not the son of Satan. Jeez, whatever's got you Betas spooked is ridiculous, I mean, one guy's opinion doesn't define everyone elses'."
'Except in this game, where deaths mean you literally die. That makes people scared and thus lose their common sense. They become scared sheep; easy to be herded and manipulated.' Kirito thought bitterly. "Still, I wouldn't want-"
"WAIT!" Boomed a voice that made the two jump and look down the path, distracting them from their conversation.
Before them was an elderly man with a well trimmed beard, prominent sideburns and a long pig's tail, likely an NPC, dressed in a purple kung fu suit with a white sash.
"Well, looks like the second phase of the quest just started up." Kirito surmised warily.
"Looks like it." KazmaO agreed.
"You novices of my old master think that with your meager skills you have finished your training and can now leave the mountain?" Boomed the NPC martial artist.
"Urgh! Can't we just skip this whole monologue and just get to the inevitable fight?" KazmaO whined. "Maybe if we attack him!?"
"Better not risk it." Kirito replied caution lacing his every word. "Don't know what extras that could trigger."
"You are mere insects still. I, the mighty Invincible East, will once more prove my superiority over my old master and his other disciples by crushing you like the bugs you are! Prepare yourselves!" With that two HP bars appeared above the newly identified Boss's head even as he shifted into a fighting stance.
"Well it triggered just now!" KazmaO exclaimed as he reached for his blade and drew it. Kirito did the same as the Boss leapt towards Kirito with a flying spin kick. The black haired boy wisely ducked under the strike, only to be hit by a backhand, sending him sprawling.
"Be careful!" Yelled Kirito as he rolled out of the way of another kick. He saw KazmaO charge in with his One Handed Curved Sword and did a spinning lunge Sword Skill, striking the boss in the back. He saw one-fifth of the Boss's first HP bar disappear. A critical hit!
He saw KazmaO step away from the Boss's retaliatory twirling backhand and he charged back into the fight, dodging through the boss's strikes and counterattacking with whatever slashes he could get in. His assault managed to lower the boss' first HP bar down to 50%, but whilst he had been reasonably successful in attacking and evading the Boss KazmaO was barely able to avoid the Boss's high speed attacks his teeth clenched all the while.
Kirito was impressed as he disengaged for a moment to reassess the situation. The way this kid moved, he probably really is a Martial Artist as he claimed to be! His evasion rate was a lot better than his own! He may have scored some hits but that was at the expense of taking some hits of his own, the kid on the other hand was evading almost everything the Boss threw at him. He found it odd for a moment that the Boss was so fixated on KazmaO when he was the one dealing the bulk of the damage but shaking his head slightly to clear his mind of such distracting thoughts, Kirito re-entered the fray. He grabbed his Anneal Blade and charged, his sword glowing blue as he struck the boss in its exposed back only to receive a spinning kick that sent him tumbling again in recompense.
"Damnit!" He cursed as he got back onto his feet and noticed his HP at around the three-quarter mark. He saw KazmaO's HP bar…
It was at half! The Boss's AI must be prioritizing the elimination of the weaker opponent first! Damn Kayaba! To use a attack pattern like that in a Death Game!
"KazmaO! Switch!" He yelled, charging in. KazmaO got the message and leapt back as Kirito closed in, using the brunt of his sword to take a fist. The force sent vibrations through his arms, but Kirito knew what was coming and had braced himself accordingly following up with a fall to the ground to avoid the Boss's own follow up spinning side-chop.
Quickly shifting back on the offensive, Kirito's sword glowed blue as he prepared another Sword Skill and struck at the enemy with a deadly combo. The first hit was a horizontal swing from left to right, followed by another horizontal swing from right to left. Finishing off his combo Kirito spun his body in a full circle and unleashed a third horizontal strike from right to left. The Invincible East let out a cry as his first HP bar shattered into polygons. Kirito however did not let up, yelling as he swung his sword right and up. However even though the boss was stunned Kirito's attack failed to connect as it was blocked by a 2D sky-blue rhombus that suddenly flashed into existence to shield the boss before it scattered as quickly as it came.
"You insolent brats!" He yelled, grabbing his sash and twirling it high. "Now you have incurred my wrath!" Using the sash like a whip he swung it towards Kirito, striking him across the back causing him to yelp. He saw his HP dwindle to half from the one strike.
"Switch!" It was KazmaO coming in with his sword hung low as he sprinted. Kirito leapt back, already in the process of opening his menu for a potion. The Invincible East gave a sudden spinning kick, but KazmaO ducked and retaliated with a horizontal upwards slash before being forced to leap into the air to avoid the sash-whip. Coming down from his evasive leap KazmaO gripped his glowing red sword in both hands as he yelled.
His powerful gravity assisted slash struck true and the tremendous force behind the blow sent the Boss flying. Kirito recognized the Sword Skill: Sonic Leap. The same one he used against Ilfang.
Despite this impressive display KazmaO however did not let up, instead using his sword to parry any sash strikes he closed with the still airborne Boss once again. His focus, agility and the speed of his footwork: They blended together into something that was almost mesmerizing. It reminded him of Asuna during the Ilfang fight in a way. Kirito smiled as he reentered the fight, his sword glowing blue as he used Rage Spike, getting the boss just as he landed and sending him sprawling on the ground, only three-quarters of his final HP bar left.
"He's mine!" Yelled KazmaO as he leapt in the air, his own sword glowing green now. But the Invincible East saw it coming and dodged the downward strike and kicked upwards, nailing KazmaO in the gut and sending him into the air. KazmaO cried out as the Boss grinned, his sash glowing purple with a Sword Skill.
'Oh no you're not!' Kirito thought as he came down with a downward strike, striking the sash and cutting it in two before it disintegrated into polygons!
"A weapon like that has to have limitations. For such long reach, I bet it's durability must be criminally low!" Kirito yelled, deducing the weakness of the Boss's unorthodox weapon. The Invincible East snarled and came charging towards him, his fist glowing purple! The Boss decked Kirito in the face, sending him crashing into a rock.
"You'll pay for that!" The boss declared, both of his hands glowing yellow as he surged forward to pummel Kirito once again even as the latter was still only just regaining his feet from the previous exchange.
Kirito jumped to the side to avoid the first strike, and fortuitously this brought him out of range of the hay-maker that followed as well. Thanking his luck the Beater realized that evasion alone would not save him from the fierce barrage of punches headed his way and thus raised his blade, using the flat to block, only to have one of the powerful punches send him off his feet and onto the ground once again.
'Getting really tired of getting punched on my ass!' He growled as he got back onto his feet ready to return the favor to the annoying Boss but before he could do much of anything he saw KazmaO jump in with a lunging jab that the East avoided and followed up with a knee to KazmaO's face sending him into the air once more before a quick kick finished off his counterattack and sent the younger player sprawling. KazmaO though was undaunted and got back up, shook his head and charged back into the fray immediately.
Kirito regained his bearings and charged back in as well. The fight would go a lot better if it was two on one rather than one on one in short increments. He leveled his glowing green Anneal Blade as he gave a strong lunge, but the East managed to side-step. But doing so left the Boss open to a strike to the arm from KazmaO, making him snarl and give the younger boy a backhand. KazmaO managed to back-step and avoid being sent sprawling again, but failed to escape unscathed as the blow managed to knock him off balance and more importantly send his sword flying out of his hands!
"KazmaO!" Kirito yelled.
Capitalizing on KazmaO's weakness, the East's fists glowed purple and he lunged towards the disarmed boy. KazmaO's eyes widened as he regained his balance and spotted the advancing Boss …
In spite of his obvious shock, KazmaO responded well as he ducked the opening blow, and raised his arms to block another hit. Kirito saw a bit of a dip in KazmaO's HP but nowhere near as much if it was a direct hit. He was using martial arts to defend himself!
"Shaolin Kung-fu!"
KazmaO reared a fist back and yelled, giving the East a palm-strike to the face. Despite no loss in HP, the Boss was staggered! "Now!" He yelled.
Heeding KazmaO's prompt, Kirito roared as he gripped his sword with both hands and utilized an overhead shoulder-to-hip slash, getting the East in the front as KazmaO stepped aside. The East's HP dipped past into red as he groaned, mouth wide.
This left his guard undefended and allowed KazmaO to come in with a spinning round house kick, yelling like an animal as he struck, that sent the East staggering to the ground. Kirito followed this up by leaping up and with a yell drove his sword through the East's heart.
Under this merciless final exchange the Boss's remaining HP bar shattered.
The Invincible East coughed as he looked up and uttered his final words. "Well...I suppose I was wrong...the Master was wise in choosing you lot." He turned towards the two exhausted boys. "Live long...and prosper. Do not live by the way of the sword, but by your fists…" He clenched his hand into a fist, and brought it to his chest in a salute of sorts.
With this final gesture complete his body glowed and shattered into polygons.
Congratulations! Quest: The Way of the Fist! Cleared!
You have earned the following:
Extra Skill: Martial Arts
Fist Weapon: Far East Caestus
Exhausted the two boys collapsed onto the ground, falling on their bottoms and panting. Kirito looked up at his HP bar. Just around half. He looked at KazmaO's and saw it was somewhere between half and one-third of its maximum capacity.
"Hey…" KazmaO breathed. "You think...this boss fight was a gimmick?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" The black haired swordsman turned his head towards the dark skinned boy.
"When we were fighting with our blades, he seemed to be incredibly strong, like we could barely dent it's HP...yet when I was disarmed and fought hand-to-hand, I was able to stun him. Something about the quest perhaps?"
"It's possible...he did say to follow the 'Way of the Fist' rather than the sword." Kirito noticed the marks on KazmaO's cheek vanish, a sign of completing the quest. "Maybe Kayaba wanted us to follow the story of the player fighting the Invincible East hand to hand somehow. Fist strikes stunned him, yet blade strikes only seemed to make him tougher… A built in resistance to strikes from a weapon, coupled with a weakness to unarmed strikes?"
"Though even then that doesn't explain how tough that boss was…" Kirito muttered to himself as he analyzed the course of the fight. "Even with a gimmick like that a single player wouldn't have been able to take out a Boss that powerful. And this quest is an individual quest… Was this some kinda death trap?"
"Wouldn't put it past Kayaba!" KazmaO added.
"No… That doesn't seem right. Kayaba and this Death Game are a lot of things but fundamentally both are fair. But then how…" Kirito trailed off as he pondered on the mystery.
"Maybe it's another gimmick. Like, I dunno, the Boss's strength somehow takes into account the number of players or something." KazmaO suggested.
"Yes, that works. If the Boss somehow took into account the number of players and their levels then it would make this quest challenging no matter when in the game and what level the players who take it are. That fits for a quest that grants an extra skill I guess and with the flavour of SAO and Kayaba himself." Kirito concluded.
There was silence between the two as the two regained their bearings and sat up, looking out beyond the horizon and to the yellow sky.
Kirito heard KazmaO laughing a bit and turned. "Kayaba's a spazz, doing gimmicks like this."
Kayaba...a spazz? Kirito had a lot of admiration for the man before he began his death game. Since then though many new words had come to mind when describing the man, things like: Monster. Mad genius. Homicidal power tripping psychopath. Yet of the words many described him, this kid called him..a spazz?
Kirito let out a hard laugh, and couldn't contain himself. Before long KazmaO was laughing hard too. Kirito knew why. Laughter was a way of relieving stress, and the two have been wound up ever since this death game began. And Kirito could tell this was the first time the boy has laughed, after all, this is the first time he has had a good a laugh in what seems like ages.
The two regained their breath and chuckled. "Oh you." Kirito wiped his eyes, smiling at the boy. "Well...that fight drained me…"
"Yeah…" KazmaO chuckled a bit more before sighing and stopping. "So, Kirito. Wanna head back to town together? Get some food and drink? I think you'd like my friends."
Kirito sighed as he stopped laughing, and then paused as KazmaO asked him the question. His smile dropped and he looked at the ground. He can handle socializing with one person, maybe two or three. Yet from what KazmaO was saying his friends number a lot more than that. For that he was a kid, the younger player is an approachable guy, and able to handle the issues of others. The kind of person to have a whole host of Kirito knows he isn't ready to be like that, maybe he never will be ready.
He isn't ready to take the risks that making friends carry with it. The risk that that they weren't the type of people he thought they were. What if KazmaO's friends were people like Copper? Or even worse be people who after learning he's a Beta Tester, treat him like Kibaou does? Or even turn on KazmaO too for introducing them?
And even if he did accept the offer and KazmaO's friends proved themselves to be true friends, they would be discriminated against for being friends with him, that murdering Beater. He couldn't subject others to that.
He can't risk that. Not to this aspiring young boy. Not to his friends.
"Look, I really appreciate the invite." Kirito blushed and looked away. "But...I'm not really good with meeting lots of people. I can deal with Raids because that's for a cause, but…"
KazmaO remained silent, staring intently at the black haired boy with one eye. "But?"
"But, I am a Beta Tester. I'd rather not let you-"
"I doubt my friends would mind you being a Beta Tester. In fact, you might get glomped a lot for your looks and/or asked all sorts of questions about the beta. I know Xena-san would. Maybe Jupiter-san and Juno-san…" KazmaO had a hand to his chin.
"No it's not that. I believe you about your friends being good people. It's not about what your friends think of me. It's what others would think of you and your friends if you all befriended me. They may become targets to get at me. It's why I'm trying to keep my friend count on only one hand at the moment."
KazmaO's face fell, looking sad. "Wow...I...I don't really know what to say." He looked back up to the sky, hands around his knees. "Well...when you put it that way, I suppose you have a point. But are you sure?" He turned back towards Kirito. "I mean, being alone like this most of the time...it must suck."
"I was a solo player back in the Beta too. This is nothing new for me. I'll be fine." Kirito stood up and looked down at the dark skinned boy. "I do plan to help everyone get out of this game. I expect you plan to do the same" The younger boy made a sound of agreement even as Kirtio continued. "We have people precious to us waiting in the real world. We just have different approaches to working towards seeing them again." He turned, offering his hand and smiling concluded. "So I'll do what only I can do. And you do what only you can do."
KazmaO was quiet, but nodded, returning the smile as he took the hand was helped up. "Then at least we can go to Urbus together?"
"I know of another town closer to the spire." Kirito opened up his menu and conjured a banana, peeling it. "I was planning to head there from here and see if I can find the entrance to the Floor Boss Dungeon while doing quests there. Oh!" He checked around his inventory and spotted his Far East Caetus, taking a bite of his fruit. "Open your trade menu."
KazmaO had an odd look in his eyes but complied, sending a trade request to Kirito. His eyes went wide in excitement at what he saw..
"For real?" He asked, his voice hopeful.
"Yep. I noticed you fighting the boss very well using your bare fists. So imagine what you can do with a set of Fist Weapons."
KazmaO's mouth was agape for a moment before he beamed. "Thanks a ton! Wait, do you want anything I got perhaps? Need Col or my sword?"
"Nah, it's cool. I don't need any Col and my Anneal Blade is good enough till the next Floor."
"Then why get the Martial Arts extra skill?"
"Completions sake."
KazmaO blinked, but he nodded in understanding. "I get that, I suppose." He accepted the trade, now having two rare items. Smiling, KazmaO de-equiped his sword, the talwar disappearing in a flash, shortly followed with two leather gauntlets with metal nubs where his knuckles lay underneath appearing on his fists in a similar flash of light. He took a moment to admire his new weapons before giving Kirito a thumbs up.
"Thanks so much. Now I can brush up on my Shorinji Kenpo so it doesn't get rusty AND make use of it in combat!" KazmaO opened his menu again and Kirito saw a friend request pop up. "At least accept this though." KazmaO said as he looked into Kirito's eyes pleadingly.
Well, he is trustworthy and kind enough to give me space. Not to mention empathic enough to understand the reasons for my attitude. Kirito mused as he considered the request. Plus Argo trusts him. Ah, what the hell!
"Why not?" Kirito commented as he accepted the request with a deliberately casual air. "Just don't go spreading it around that you know a Beta Tester, alright? It might get you in trouble." The misanthropic boy added as a final warning as he tossed the peel, finishing the banana.
"I know, trust me. My lips are sealed." KazmaO closed his menu and smiled. "Well in any case, hopefully we can party up again in the future." He added as he began walking down the mountain. "Kirito-san. If you need any help, just let me know." He turned back towards the boy. "After all, we are friends now."
And the martial artist began walking down the mountain, Kirito fell silent and just looked at KazmaO retreat towards Urbus. "Friends...huh." He said to himself as he mused on the sense of camaraderie that had built with each other over the past day, and which had manifested in their good teamwork and synergy whilst taking down that boss.
(X)
Grand Taurus Saloon
Urbus
December 11th, 2020
"Alright people calm down, quiet please!" Said a man with umber-brown, wavy hair and brown eyes as he waved at the people to quiet down. He was standing atop of the saloon stage in at the very back of a large bar. At his call, the previously rowdy players in the audience quieted down and took their seats. KazmaO found himself a seat at a circular table with a handful of unknown players, but to his side was Agil, sitting arms crossed.
"Okay. My name is Thinker, and it's a pleasure to meet all of you!" He said, bowing to the array of players. To Thinker's side was a upset looking man with crossed arms.
"That's Kibaou by the way. He was in the last Floor Raid." Agil whispered into his ear. "You sure you want to join the Floor Raid KazmaO? You're the only one from your group to come."
"It's fine. I am confident in myself. Besides, I want to help." KazmaO said resolutely. There was no way he was going to stand by and allow others to carry on without him.
"Fair enough, but just keep close to me alright? I'll invite you to my party." Agil added as he leaned in, to which KazmaO nodded. Better to be grouped with a veteran who knew what he was doing.
KazmaO looked around the room as he tuned out Thinker talking about 'finding the boss room' and 'the strategy.' He noticed players around the room either focused on Thinker and Kibaou, or talking amongst themselves. Not particularly interested in hearing Thinker blather on and with noone nearby to chat with, Agil having by this time turned his complete attention to Thinker, the dark skinned boy let out a yawn as he continued to look around the room.
As he surveyed the room, KazmaO spotted a familiar figure dressed in a black trenchcoat in the shadows at the far back of the room, standing arms crossed and frowning as he focused on Thinker.
"Kirito…?" KazmaO uttered.
"Say somethin'?" Asked Agil, turning to him.
"Just that one of my friends is here." KazmaO replied. Agil looked followed KazmaO's line of sight and upon spotting Kirito his eyebrows rose in clear surprise.
"Oh." Agil remained quiet. "You...know that guy?"
"He's a friend." KazmaO looked at him with a quirked eye. "Why do you ask?"
"Uhhh...nothing. Nothing at all lil'guy."
KazmaO shrugged at his strange reply and turned back to the Raid meeting. Man, he was struggling to stay awake. The past few days had been hectic for him as he went down to Floor 1 to grind some points in his new Fist Weapon Skill in conjunction with his Martial Arts. In the process he'd even managed to get one more level in, bringing him up to Level 20. That should be okay for this Raid right? The average level for the Floor 1 Raid was around...11 or 12. So his level should be around the average for Floor 2.
As he finished with reassuring himself about his readiness for the Raid, he noticed some players standing up and walking to where Kirito was standing. The black haired swordsman took that as his cue to leave the saloon. The players didn't seem satisfied with driving him off though and moved to follow him all whilst fingering their weapons…
"Be right back." KazmaO said standing up and jogging in between the tables of the smoky room and walking out the door, seeing the trio of players standing before Kirito, even circling him!
"You have a lot to answer for you damn Beater." Snarled one, sword and shield raised.
"You've got a lot of nerve coming to the boss meeting after what you did to Diabel!" Growled another, spear in hand.
KazmaO stood behind a wooden pillar, eyes narrowed. What are they talking about? Kirito remained silent, not even going to his weapon.
"Give us that sword and cloak and all of your Col, and maybe we will put in a good word to Kibaou and let bygones be bygones." Said the last, two handed axe hefted over his shoulder and smirking. "And that's a big maybe."
"Go fuck yourselves." Kirito sighed. "Besides, you can't hurt me here anyway."
"Just try us murderer!" The spear wielder yelled as he charged. Shocked by this turn of events, KazmaO gasped and jumped out of his hiding place.
"Cut it out!" He yelled, giving the mini-mob pause and causing Kirito to whip his head around so fast he thought it would break, a wide eyed look plastered onto his face. Exploiting the lull his outburst had caused KazmaO moved between the spear-man and Kirito, his arms spread. "Who do you think you are!"
"Who?" The spear-man said incredulously. "Dude are you stupid? Don't you know who he is?"
"KazmaO. What are you doing here?" Kirito whispered into his ear loudly..
"I'm here for the Raid." KazmaO whispered back, even as he turned towards the spearman. "You're being a complete and absolute spazz you know that, right?"
"Kid are you high or something?" Asked the axeman. "This guy is that Beater from the Floor 1 Raid. He doesn't deserve any sympathy at all!"
KazmaO quirked his eyes. "Is this because of him being a Beta Tester? Are all of you normal casuals still spazzing over the Betas? Or maybe you're just high? No, that can't be it. I doubt Kayaba made DRUGS in this game, though he did make it so you could get drunk. Is that it, are you lot drunk?"
"You're a noob yourself you know." Kirito said highlighting KazmaO's hypocrisy in calling others out. In reply KazmaO looked back at him and deadpanned.
"I'm not a casual and I'm trying to defend you here bro."
"Okay screw this." Snarled the player with the sword and shield. "Let's extort them both. Or…" With this ominous declaration, he readied himself for combat by drawing his sword. A action that prompted his compatriot to grip his axe in both hands.
Unintimated, KazmaO raised his fists, eyes hard and ready to defend himself. However, just as the tension was just about to boil over he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Kirito pushed KazmaO out of the way…
"Yeah, go ahead and try it." Smirked the black haired boy. "I won't recommend it here though."
The swordsman barred his teeth and charged, slashing Kirito in the chest. KazmaO gasped and yelled out his name but didn't see Kirito so much as flinch. Seemingly just as stunned as he felt, the attacker froze.
"What the...why didn't my Sword Skill activate!" The sword yielding would-be extortionist yelled as he regained his senses and backed away in confusion. As he did, KazmaO saw a window pop up in front of Kirito.
"Oh boy. Whatever could this be?" Kirito drawled. "It says, would you like to report this player for harassment? Confirm." He pointed on the blue circle and the player that had just attacked him was suddenly covered in light.
"W-What the! What are you doing to-" And then he vanished, his two comrades backing off in fear.
"What did you do to Rex!" The spearman shouted in trepidation.
"He probably cheated! Had some rare item! Maybe he has magic!"
KazmaO heard Kirito chuckle darkly to himself. "Yeah. No magic tricks here buddy. Just the game's system helping me out. Did you two ever read the manual or the FAQ in your menu?"
"F-FAQ?" The terrified spear user stuttered.
"Yeah. See, when we're not in a Safe Zone, it's everything goes. You can kill me, sodomize me with a spear, chop my limbs off, free game! But, when we're in one, that's when the rules of this world come into effect. The rules that Kayaba made." Kirito smirked as he calmly stood there as the red gash that was on his chest vanished.
"First, when in Safe Zones, no damage can be done to other players, including fall damage, outside of duels ONLY accepted by players. Second, whenever a player does something that is considered harassment to another within a Safe Zone, the victim is given the option to report the harasser which then earns the offender a trip to the Black Iron Palace."
"Black Iron Palace?" KazmaO said to himself. "You mean that giant structure within Starting City?"
"Give the noobie here a prize." Kirito tilted his head and looked at the dark skinned boy with a condescending grin. "Yes. The harasser is sent to the Black Iron Palace and is penalized by the game. I am betting that is his first offense, so he will have a fifty percent EXP deduction penalty, a twenty-five percent stats and parameters penalty, and he will acquire an orange cursor that will mark him as a harasser for a given amount of time. Naturally, the more offenses, the longer the time and greater the deduction." Kirito gave out a bark of a laugh. "I bet even those pathetic Beta Testers didn't even know that!"
Kirito's two remaining opponents were stunned, open mouthed and flabbergasted. KazmaO was wide eyed as well, but this all made sense according to what Kirito told him. Kayaba made this game, despite it being a death game, to be fair. And this only adds to his demented sense of fairness, in that killing people outside of Safe Zones was okay, but assault and harassment within those Zones were looked down upon.
Why does he get the feeling that he really wanted to project some kind of fantasy adventure onto others?
The two still unnamed players were glaring at Kirito hard as they sheathed their weapons. "The system won't protect you forever Beater! You better watch yourself. Sleep with one eye open! We will have revenge for what you did to Argo and Diabel!"
"What did you do to Argo?" KazmaO asked. Argo was Kirito's dear friend, and she sent him to check on him. So why were these two saying as if Kirito was responsible for something bad happening to Argo?
Kirito gave him a glare and turned back to the two players. "Yeah, you go run back to Kibaou and keep stroking that shaft of his like good girls. Tell him I said hi."
"Fuck you." The duo spat as they stormed off back into the saloon, leaving KazmaO and Kirito out on the empty street (NPCs didn't count).
KazmaO remained silent. This side of Kirito...was totally different than the one up on the plateau. Did he have Bipolar Disorder or something?
"Kirito-san…" KazmaO clenched his fists as he looked with one eye dead at the aloof looking swordsman. "Those men...they said you did horrible things to this Diabel person and Argo...what did they mean? I wanna hear it from-"
"Are you still here?" Kirito drawled. "If you wanna do good in the raid, get back in the meeting." He pocketed his hands and began walking off. "You'll need it if you want to stand a ghost of a chance against the boss."
"Answer my question!" KazmaO barked out, walking up and grabbing Kirito by the shoulder and turning him around, his one visible eye staring hard into the other's black ones. Kirito batted his hand aside.
"If you wanna know, ask them yourself. They'll tell you the full story." He turned, his black coat swishing. "What, did you want to come with me or something? Our time on the mountain mean THAT much to you?"
KazmaO was taken back. "No. I-"
"Then buzz off." Kirito began walking away, and KazmaO could do nothing but see him retreat deeper into town, anger building within him.
"Fine asshole!" He stormed back into the saloon, brushing past a chestnut haired girl who was staring at him, standing at the door's entrance. Did she see the episode between them? "Got something on my face?" KazmaO growled. He wasn't in the mood.
"No." The girl curtly replied, looking away and down the street where Kirito was walking. The dark skinned boy returned into the saloon, but he looked back, and the girl hadn't moved. He could have sworn he heard her call out "Kirito…"
Agil saw him approach and KazmaO sat down on his chair with a thud. "Did I...miss somethin'?" He asked.
"No." KazmaO snarled, looking down at his extra Caetus. "Nothing at all."
(X)
So there you have it. My first update since me cancelling CMM. Took me a long while to get this done, but finals are around the corner as are the holidays. Might as well give ya something to read.
Beta'ed by Nameless2210
