Authors Note:
Chapters will be bigger now, looking to include more detail and story. Hope you like it.
Chapter 6: Tragic Recollection
Floor 22 – Coral 7th December 2024
Tranquility.
It had felt like such a long time since Kirito had been in their log cabin near the lake, yet it had only been a couple of months.
He stood by the window looking out over the beautiful landscape and enjoying its peaceful embrace. It gave him such a feeling of calm, seeping into every part of him like the air he breathed. He let out a long, relaxing sigh and was suddenly shocked as a pair of slender arms hooked under his own and hugged him tightly from behind.
Asuna had been awake for just under a week, and already they were preparing to leave their peaceful retreat to go back to the front lines. The KoB had been swift in finding out about her revival and had sent a message not so much demanding her presence, but more begging and pleading it. She had managed to secure a couple of days rest with Kirito, but now was the time to move on and take back control of this death game.
He had been holding back his aching questions about Nobuo, and Asuna had not said anything about it. Even the slightest mention about his adventures with him left her distant and quiet. However, he had to know. He remembered her own words:
If you got married, and noticed a side of your partner that you hadn't known before, what would you think?
He had remembered thinking it was about the situation with Grimlock and the Golden Apple guild, but this untold aspect of her past lead him to suspect otherwise. This would be the only time he had to ask her...
"A-Asuna..." He said, his voice catching in his throat.
"Kirito? What is it?" She asked, releasing her grip and allowing him to turn and face her.
"How... How did you know Nobuo?"
The question lingered in room.
Asuna looked uncomfortable, her eyes on the floor. She turned and walked into the room slowly, as if in deep thought.
"I had put it out of my mind. I thought I was seeing ghosts when I woke up." She said.
"But he and his clan made a great effort to help me rescue you, without him I don't know what I would've done. It was such a surprise to me that you knew him, I just wanted to know."
"Some memories, we keep buried."
Her words hit him like hammer, the same words Nobuo had used in Agil's house.
"It was a long time ago, and I cant quite recall everything. But it was like this..."
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Floor 30 - Monteverde – 16th May 2023
"Kanpai!"
The collective group shouted as one, before clanking their glasses and mugs together in celebration.
It was a happy night, another floor boss defeated and another step taken towards completing the game. Still, Asuna could not find joy in sitting around drinking whilst they could be out training or working on clearing the next floor. She couldn't get on with their boring small talk, and occasional boasting. She was nudged out of her lamenting by a gentle elbow from Godfree who was sitting next to her.
"Come on Asuna, you'll get a reputation for being a grump." He whispered.
"Hmph! Why should I care about that!" She said aloud.
"About what?" Kuradeel asked from across the large table.
"Nothing!" Said Asuna, truly fed up with this silly ordeal.
They were in a small tavern on the 30th floor where the clearing guilds had gathered to celebrate clearing the 31st floor. The place was full of different guilds, a couple she didn't recognise, but there were some ASL members and a couple of DDA dotted around along with other KoB members. She sat at a large rectangular table with Godfree and Kuradeel and several other members of the KoB, who all seemed to be enjoying themselves.
"I wonder if our illustrious leader will be attending." Said Kuradeel, taking a sip from his dainty glass.
"I think he prefers to just organise the party and be the absent hero people talk about." Godfree added, and they went on another rally of inane small talk.
Asuna sighed internally. She had been ordered to attend the event as second in command of the guild and felt like a trophy being shown off in some attempt at boosting moral. Like the prospect of freedom wasn't enough incentive?
Minutes felt like hours, and she couldn't handle any more of Kuradeel's dull attempts at talking to her, leering at her. She pushed back her chair and rose from the table.
"Leaving already?" Kuradeel asked.
"Heathcliff will be disappointed if the second in command left the celebration early." Godfree added.
"Then he will be disappointed. I'm going to get a room and see you in the morning." She said and spun from the table, her KoB uniform swirling round her emphasising her irritation.
She strode to the bar past watching players as always, it's like they had never seen a girl before. It was bordering on... creepy. The bar tender was an NPC and approached her with a wide smile and a warm greeting.
"Good evening miss, how can I help you?" He asked.
"I would like a room for the night please." She replied.
"I apologise miss, there are an awful lot of players staying here tonight and we're full up. There will most likely be room at the next village over." He said.
Shit.
Asuna bit her lip in frustration, she would have to go out of town, alone, at night. Kuradeel would most likely offer to escort her and she knew all to well how awkward that would be.
"Hey 'Flash'," The voice came from a guy in light plate armour, basic and low quality. He slid down the bar like he was on wheels and came to a stop next to her. She could see a couple of his friends following up behind him. "You can always share my room." He said in a highly suggestive tone.
His was so despicable and full of himself that she was so tempted to just draw her rapier and stick it through his face. He looked her up and down with his sickening gaze and winked at her.
"What do think? Although I do have one proviso... You have to loose the uniform." His friends erupted in jeering and wolf calls.
"You little-" Asuna was cut off by a figure stepping between them.
He was tall and carried a spear on his back. Silver armour pointed him out as a member of the DDA.
Great, now they're fighting over me!
"Is there a problem here?" Said the tall man.
"No I was just talking to 'Flash' here." Said the weasel.
"Enough talking, take it back to the other end of the bar. I wouldn't like to see what your guild leader would think about you harassing the second in command of the Knights of the Blood."
The little man noted the threat and gave one last lustful glance at Asuna, blowing her a disgusting kiss and prowling back to his friends.
"I must apologise." The tall man had spun round and bowed before she could even see his face.
"I could've handled him myself, what is a DDA member doing getting involved?" She snapped, still seething from being hit on by that poor excuse for a player.
"It is that I am apologising for." He said as he rose.
She was about to let loose her rage on him when she was struck by his piercing eyes. One sky blue sapphire resting next to a gleaming emerald. He was smiling politely, a smile that seemed be coming from within him showing how happy he was. It was almost unnerving.
"Wh-What?" Asuna asked.
"I understand that you would've easily handled those guys, however I think this celebration would've gone a bit crazy had you started force feeding your sword." He replied.
Can he read minds?!
He was right though. She already knew it would be talked about and if she had really let the guy have it there would have been problems. She shook her head.
"Then thank you... I guess." She said.
"No worries." He said.
They stood there for a moment as if looking for something to say.
"I'm Nobuo." He said. Finally.
"Asuna." She replied.
"It's nice to meet you." His smile was hypnotising, and contagious. She couldn't help but smile back.
"And you, but what is a DDA member doing getting involved like that? We're rivals you know."
"Yeah, but I don't really care about that rubbish, I thought it was the good thing to do. I just joined the DDA because it seemed right to be on the front lines. Not really got much love for the politics of it. " He said.
"Me neither." She replied. "I would've rather done something else than attend this celebration."
The pair of them talked for a while, and Nobuo provided a lot more stimulating conversation than any of her guild members. He was even open about his life outside the game, he was seventeen and had been a video game tester since he was fourteen. However, there seemed to be a deeper aspect of his outside life that only showed on his face. A feeling of fear and resentment at the outside world that rested in those colourful eyes. He didn't pry into her life, nor did he really seem to be hitting on her. It was a pleasant conversation, albeit with some awkward silences.
"I have a request." Said Nobuo, after another moment of silence.
"Oh no. If you're asking me to marry you please don't. I've had to turn down enough already." She said rolling her eyes.
"What?! No! Nothing like that." He said blushing.
"A date then?" She asked.
"Not exactly."
"Then what?"
"Do you wanna go for a walk?" He asked.
So simple...
"A walk?"
"Yeah, this party isn't exactly stimulating and you said yourself you'd rather do something else. I know a good training route on this floor, we could go have some real fun."
He had the look of a child asking her to skip class and go play. And it sounded like a brilliant plan.
"But how do we get out, my guild mates will be curious if they see me leave. Especially with you."
Nobuo craned his neck to look around the tavern as if he had spotted something. Asuna looked round to see if she could see it when he grabbed her hand and whipped her round the bar and out a secluded back door without anyone seeing. They were now outside in a little courtyard behind the tavern with a path that lead out into the main square of town, and into the world beyond. Nobuo gave her a moment to adjust to the outside and the speed at which he had whisked her away.
"Come on Asuna, I heard you were fast?" He said with a smirk.
"Faster than you!" She said, pushing past him and running down the road out of town with a laugh.
She didn't quite know what she was doing, but intrigue lead the way and she could only follow.
They partied up together and made their way out of town under the stars. Monteverde was a wild forest floor, with many tropical plants and deep jungles. The path Nobuo took was a well hidden one off the main road and the monsters they encountered were a decent level to train against. The first they came across were some tribal goblins armed with spears and daggers, alone they weren't so tough but they came at them in droves.
Nobuo took the brunt of their attacks, deflecting them with his spear and allowing Asuna to pick them off with lightning fast thrusts from her sword. Asuna felt comfortable fighting with him, he was adaptive to the situation and moved fluidly around her making dispatching enemies seem like child's play. They finished off another wave of goblins and carried on down the road, Nobuo was enjoying himself, breathing in the air and gazing at the scenery.
"You fight well." She commented.
"Thank you, I find it quite natural with the spear. I practice Shotokan Karate in the real world, the Bo staff is one of my favourite weapons. Using the spear skills was pretty transferable. But you, you're something else." He replied.
"Me?"
"I don't think I could ever move that fast." He said turning and bowing to her. "I bow to the superior."
"Stop jerking around." She said, swatting him lightly with her sword and laughing at him.
They carried on further down the road, and it was quiet. Nobuo kept looking around, expecting to see monsters some where.
"It's never normally this quiet." He said.
It was at that moment a giant roar came from the trees to their left and a large monster, the size of a Rhino but with two mighty tusks coming from its mouth came flying out onto the road. It's skin was a tough leathery shell and it had a thick mane of black hair running down its back. It roared and charged them both. Asuna took the lead leaping over it and striking it multiple times with her rapier, it stayed on its path charging at Nobuo. He waited till the last moment before swirling out of its attack, flicking out his spear and it punched through the beasts side, he then followed up with a series of powerful attacks with blurring speed. Asuna was impressed, until the spear was parried by one of the tusks and Nobuo took an attack to the chest knocking him back. She leapt in and cut across the beasts face, her sword scathing it's eyes. It swung out to her and missed by narrow mark and Nobuo recovered to block the beasts follow up attack.
It's strength was immense, and they had to move swiftly to avoid its brutal tusks. Asuna powered up a big rapier skill and struck out at its flank, but it bucked round and deflected her attack. One of its great tusk's began swinging round to strike her.
"Switch!" Cried Nobuo and he stepped in taking the blow on his armour and was thrown down.
Asuna continued her attack against the creature as Nobuo recovered again. It seemed to be getting even angrier as it's health depleted and the pair attacked together sensing victory and each of them stabbed in, striking it on opposite sides. With a giant roar and a shatter of light, it was dead.
"That was a new one!" Shouted Nobuo breathing heavily, his hands on his knees.
"I thought you said you've done this route before!" Asuna shouted.
"I have, but the game can change what spawns where sometimes, I guess you can never know." He said with a laugh.
Nobuo's health was low, near the end of yellow after having taken most of the damage for Asuna. She wasn't too good herself, with hers well into the yellow as well. Nobuo was clearly quite tired now, and neither of them had expected it to get that tough. Then her heart skipped, she didn't have any health potions on her! She had been so impulsive that she had thrown caution to the wind, and that was a dangerous mistake.
"I shouldn't of left on this walk, how are we going to make it back!?" She shouted.
"Worried about health?" Asked Nobuo as he stood up and hooked his spear into the holster on his back.
"Yes why aren't you? We're out in the middle of no where, no supplies and powerful monsters on the road, how are we supposed to get back?"
"Just a little further ahead, you'll see." He said with a smile and casually walked off down the road, as if he were in the safest place in the world.
Asuna grit her teeth in annoyance, but followed him. What choice did she have?
Nobuo lead them a short way down the road and came to drooping collection of vines, he pushed them apart to reveal another hidden path. She peered down it suspiciously but Nobuo took her gently by the hand and lead the way. It went through a tunnel of trees and foliage, the twinkling lights of the stars and the moon poking through the top gave barely enough light to see. Eventually they came out onto a wooden platform, a bridge.
Asuna looked around and found herself at the edge of small lake, hidden in the forest and surrounded by tall trees. It was a perfect circle and the sky was glorious above them. She received a notification that they were in a safe zone and she breathed a short sigh of relief. Nobuo continued to lead her along the bridge to a small island at the centre of the lake and gazed up at the stars. It was a breath taking little sanctuary, so far out in the wilderness it felt like nothing in the universe could find her.
"What is this place?" She asked.
"You'll see." He replied.
The moon was hanging at the centre of the sky now, midnight.
There was a sound that came slowly up from the water, like a flowing gust of wind. One by one the Lilly's that rested on the surface of the water began to glow brightly, hundreds of different and vibrant colours flared up all around her. It felt warm. She then noticed her health bar was going up and she realised what this place was.
"A healing spring." She declared.
"Yes." Nobuo replied. "It activates every so often, it's a great place to find on the road. And beautiful."
He was looking at her now, the light from the flowers casted shadows across his face and emphasised his ever so colourful eyes. She couldn't understand what she was feeling, a difficult struggle between the boundaries of caution and temptation.
"I feel I must apologise again." He said suddenly.
"Why?" She asked.
"I promised an innocent walk, but it has turned into a date... sort of." He said with another soulful smile.
She smiled back.
"That's ok, I thought you were being a bit careless earlier. But you proved me wrong."
"Sorry to have worried you. I hope this has been more productive than the party."
"It has, thank you." She giggled. "You're a strange guy Nobuo, but I like you."
He smiled again, this time it made heart quicken. She then realised they were still holding hands, and she blushed slightly. He leaned in slowly. She didn't back away, her heart racing now. She raised her head to look him in the eye and their lips met softly. She felt exhilarated and light headed, the thoughts of fear and death were so far away for one short, blissful moment. Then they returned. The urge to escape this game, the need to be free from having to fight for survival every single day and loosing so much of her life in the real world. She broke from the kiss suddenly, her senses coming back and regaining her composure. There was another gentle gust from the lake, and the colours died away.
"I'm sorry. That was a bit forward." Said Nobuo, feeling embarrassed.
"It's not that. I forgot where I was for a moment." She replied.
"What do you mean?"
"This world, nothings real. But that felt so..." She stuttered a moment her heart still racing in her chest "I remembered why I was fighting and why I have to be free of here. I just can't lose sight of that... not now."
Nobuo nodded in understanding, however looking slightly saddened by her reply.
"Thank you then. For sharing that moment with me." He said squeezing her hand.
She blushed again with a smile.
"How about this then," He said flicking open his menu and sending her a request. "Friends."
"Friends." She replied and accepted his request.
Nobuo lead her from the centre of the lake and they returned to the road and he then escorted her to the next village where there was a tavern that she could get a room in for the night. He thanked her again before taking off back to the party. She watched him walk away down the road, holding on even as he went out of view. Hoping he would look back...
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Floor 22 – Coral 7th December 2024
"So you two..." Kirito said.
"Nobuo and I saw each other for a few months. Every time it got harder to meet." Asuna replied.
They were sitting in their living room, opposite each other on separate sofa's. Asuna's eyes gazed at the short table in between them, lost in memory.
"Why did it get harder?" Kirito asked.
"Guild politics. As the more floors were cleared and the DDA grew in power, they began to become more competitive, secretive and greedy about farming and levelling. Nobuo hated all of that stuff and risked a lot to come and see me. I never knew why he didn't just leave them."
"Ichiro told me what the DDA do to people who leave, it doesn't sound appealing. It's tragic that they were trapped for so long."
"I didn't know how bad it was for him, I thought he may have been exaggerating. It was in August when something happened... He came to see me, but he wasn't the same..."
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Floor 39 Former KoB Headquarters - 18th August 2023
Asuna was waiting behind the guilds main training yard, a small square for basic training and party exorcises. Nobuo had sounded strange in his message and she was slightly anxious in anticipation.
Their meetings had been few, but each one had been like a window into the real world. Nobuo lived like he was where he belonged, happy as if he were free from fear. It was comforting. Every time he left she always watched him go to see if he would turn back, and every time he held her hand her heart would race like she was being carried up by the wind in flight.
She found she was smiling to herself when she heard someone approaching from the forest behind, she spun round hand on the hilt of her rapier. Nobuo was jogging along a small trail through the woods towards her and she relaxed, he looked exhausted like he had sprinted here.
"What's the rush? Is something chasing you?" She said with a laugh.
Nobuo's expression didn't change, it was as if he hadn't heard her say anything. He looked around nervously before taking her hand a leading her back down the trail a little to be out of sight.
"Nobuo whats wrong?" Asked Asuna, feeling the tension coming from Nobuo with his every breath.
"Asuna." He took both her hands and held them to his chest. "Something's happened... It doesn't matter what, but I'm stuck and I can only see one way out."
"What are you talking about? You're freaking me out." She said.
"My squad has been assigned a mission, it's been properly authorised by my commanding officer. I can't get out of it."
"But that's your job isn't it?" She said, as if it wasn't obvious to Nobuo.
"This is different Asuna, if I go I wont come back. I think they mean for us to die!"
"Don't be ridiculous, why would they want to do that?" She asked, taking her hands back from him, feeling quite worried.
"I've stood up to them more than once about how we've been treated, threatened leaving and exposing them for what they are. They say they will change but I can hear tyranny in their voices, something feels horribly wrong about it. I have to leave."
"Finally, I thought you should leave them."
"No Asuna, I want to get away from the front, I don't want to get out of this game anymore."
Asuna looked shocked and confused, he had talked about his ideology of this world and never expressed an real interest in getting out. She never took it too seriously, until now.
"You want to stay here? Where death is around every corner, where you have to fight every single day to survive?" She cried out.
"This world has offered me everything I want, something I could never have on the outside."
"What? The random possibility of death at any moment?!" She shouted.
"Freedom." He said, stern and confident. He held her gaze with his powerful eyes, his mind set. "Asuna, I don't have any chance of a life like this in the outside world. It's so hard to even try to explain, but I don't want to live any where else. And since I met you, it's only been more clear to me. You're all I want more than ever and if I fight to clear this game, if I survive and get into the next world, we will never be together."
"Nobuo..." She didn't know what to say to him, it was all so sudden.
"I wanted to ask... I wanted you to come with me." He said, is confidence shaking as he put himself out there.
"You know I cant Nobuo, I wont stop the fight now. I don't want to stay here any longer than I have too!" She said.
"Please Asuna... I don't want to be without you."
"You're talking nonsense! Go on your mission, you'll come back and it will all be ok." She said.
"No! It wont! I will die Asuna, I have to leave and hide and live my own life here. This is how it has to be."
"Why?!"
"Because I love you!" He shouted, his emotions rising to the surface.
Asuna was speechless. He had lost his soulful smile, he was open to her and she could see how broken he was inside. Was it really this serious? How could she know? His outside life seemed to be a shroud of mystery, one that was dark and full of nightmares, but one question still lingered within her... Did she love him?
"Nobuo... I cant." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Nobuo was speechless now, the pain evident on his face.
"But..." He tried to find the words.
"I wont leave the front Nobuo, I cant go with you." She said.
It couldn't be this way, she would not risk her freedom on this. She had to try and get him to see that, so that maybe he could see reason. If they wanted to be together in the real world enough, then they would be.
"Did it mean anything to you?" He asked.
She didn't know what to say, of course it did. She had felt happy when they were together, their friendship had made this world bearable for her. But if she was going to try and make him see reason. If she was going to make him think clearly without this untempered emotion...
"No..." She said, tears in her eyes.
Nobuo was silent, his head bowed and his eyes hidden in shadow. He flicked open his menu, deleted her from his friends and walked off back down the trail through the forest.
Asuna felt awful, but it had to be this way. He had seemed so determined about staying in the game and she didn't share this feeling. He had put all his emotions out their and even though she cared for him, she couldn't let him throw freedom away. She kept telling herself, its better this way. But she kept watching him walk away. Hoping that he might turn around, one last time.
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Floor 22 – Coral 7th December 2024
Kirito looked down at the table, he had moved round to sit next to Asuna as she told her story. Sensing the sadness that came from remembering the event. She rested her head on his shoulder, quiet in tragic recollection. He had no idea this was a part of her past.
"The next day I was visited by a member of the DDA who had known about Nobuo's visits to me and my guild. He told me they had not come back, they were all missing from the guilds list. He said they were dead." She said, the breath catching in her throat. "I felt like it was all my fault. I had driven him away, hoping that if our relationship hadn't mattered so much then he would come to his senses. He had been telling the truth about the guild meaning for them to die and I didn't believe him."
"It wasn't your fault Asuna, you didn't know about the situation in the guild." Kirito said comforting her.
"It was horrible, I couldn't face being in this game any more. I had to get out whatever the cost, this world felt so fake and twisted. Its was then I started focusing so hard on clearing the front lines, we pushed all the way to try and complete the game."
"Is that why you didn't care about the NPC's? That time before the field boss?" Kirito asked.
"Nothing mattered apart from saving lives and being free, everything in this game was expendable to me. I never gave myself a moment to feel, it felt like if I did then it would happen all over again. Why do you think I was so angry when I had fallen asleep that day? Why I had to make it even and not get involved with you like that?" She said, as if confessing to these hidden feelings that she had kept locked away.
Kirito remembered all the times before they had become friends, watching over her whilst she slept. The meal in the tavern afterwards, all the things she had spoken to him about during that time. He sighed.
"I had found it a bit extreme at the time. But what about all those things you said at the lake, that it was all meant to be?" Kirito said feeling confused, like everything had been re-written anew.
"I meant everything I said to you Kirito." She said sitting up and looking him in the eye. "Do you remember after we apprehended Grimlock. Do you remember seeing Griselda?"
Kirito gasped at the memory, having thought he may have been hallucinating at the time. He nodded in reply.
"It was after I saw her, I knew that feeling these things was better than locking it away. If I was ever going to feel joy again, I had to be prepared to feel sorrow."
Kirito wrapped his arms around her and held her close, it seemed that all the memories of the past were tinged with sadness now. He had to make it up. They had to be free.
"Did they tell you how they survived?" She asked suddenly.
"No, I didn't ask Ichiro at the time. It seemed like it was a hard memory for him."
"When I saw Nobuo again... I don't know what to feel anymore."
"I guess we just have to carry on." Kirito replied.
They sat together in peace, trying to hold back the memories of the past and think to the happy possibilities of the future...
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Floor 41 - Aoraki, Hidden Dungeon - 18th August 2023
"It's a trap!" Shouted Ichiro as the door slammed shut behind them.
The lights were dim and the pressure in the room was suffocating. Nobuo didn't care, when he compared it to the darkness in his heart. This place was aglow.
Another gate opened and from within came a deep, dark growl. The party formed up, Ichiro took the front with his tower shield and huge longsword. To his left stood Flax, another shield bearer, but much shorter when next to Ichiro. Behind them stood the damage dealers, Java was a young ginger kid in light armour and his agile scimitar and buckler. Then there was Kysumu a tall man with long brown hair tied back in a pony tail and with a powerful two handed katana.
Nobuo stood off to the side, alone.
The beast came out of its hold, a monstrous twenty foot tall abomination that seemed to fill the large hall. It was like a centaur, the lower half of its body was that of a powerful and muscular horse. But its torso was like a cross between a man and bull, horns stuck out of its head, and gripped in its fat and taloned hands was a bloody and bulging mace. It's health appeared and it's name: Moloch the Sinner.
"What the fuck is this! They didn't say there would be a boss!" Shouted Flax.
"What level is it? We're not equipped for this!" Added Java.
"Too late now. Here it comes!" Shouted Ichiro.
It released a horrific noise from its disfigured maw and charged forwards.
"Move!" Shouted Ichiro.
The group jumped back, but Flax didn't stand a chance. He froze like a rabbit in the middle of the road and let out a half scream that was swiftly cut off as the mace crushed him into a million shining polygons. The group were shocked at the loss of their comrade, Kysumu lead a desperate attack to avenge him cutting in to the beasts legs, narrowly avoiding it's sweeping talons.
Nobuo still stood there.
Ichiro took an attack on his shield and carved into the beast with his sword, Java backed him up with fast and agile strikes trying their best to wear it down. It kick out it's legs and threw Ichiro and Java back against the wall, Kysumu charged it from behind and did serious damage whilst it was distracted. Ichiro crawled to his feet and dragged up Java with him, before running over to Nobuo.
"What's wrong with you! Fight!" He said shoving him desperately with his shield.
"Just let it kill me." Said Nobuo.
Java ran in to back up Kysumu and their pair struggled to fight against its brute strength and insane aggression. It feigned an attack with it's mace before swiping out with its free hand, Kysumu parried the talons which then went on to impale Java through the back. He screamed in terror as he was lifted off the ground and smashed repeatedly into the wall before he finally shattered into light.
"NOBUO!" Ichiro screamed in his face.
"Just let it kill me! Just let it kill me!" Nobuo screamed back before charging into the monster.
He attacked with frenzied speed, screaming bloody murder against the monsters feral roars. Kysumu and Ichiro followed his lead, hoping to defeat it. Praying to make it out alive.
Their efforts were great, but the results were little. It was barely at half health and still fighting with all the relentless ferocity of a hurricane. Ichiro blocked another powerful mace strike and Kysumu flew into attack, but went in too far. It pushed over him and he was caught under its stamping hooves, they trampled him several times before he managed to crawl out from under it's flank. Nobuo raced to try and draw its attention but it grabbed Kysumu from the floor and brutally tore his avatar in half, tossing the pieces away before they burst into radiant flickers of light.
"Kysumu!" Cried Ichiro in anger and pain.
He ploughed into the creatures flank, burying his sword deeply into its side and crimson shards flew up from massive wound he caused. The beast thrashed around in anger, tearing the sword from his hand and throwing him back. The mace came round again and his shield took another shuddering attack before breaking into pieces.
Nobuo leapt into the fray cutting and thrusting his spear into the boss's body, it turned it's attention on him swinging wildly with its mace, slashing at him with its claws. Nobuo dodged everything he could, but was caught by the savage talons that cut across his face.
The mace came down again crushing into the ground in front of Nobuo, he avoided it and kept on stabbing, kept on cutting. He whirled around the boss, his spear an arcing thorn of death. He yearned for it to kill him, urged it.
"Come on and kill me! JUST FUCKING KILL ME!" He screamed at it attacking again with renewed rage and passion.
It couldn't touch him, he was fuelled by a black fury, the wrath inside was flowing through his veins driving him into an insane blood lust. Every strike he landed pushed him further, every strike he took made it worse. He hacked and slashed in a savage frenzy throwing out his skills into the fray, it didn't matter if they hit, nothing mattered. Just death.
The mace came round and smacked into his side and threw him out of the way, he crashed into the wall and slumped to the floor almost dead.
There was a roar.
Ichiro came running at the beast with his bare hands smashing into Moloch, again and again his massive hands bore into the boss. Water streaming from his eyes, his mouth. His rage was incomparable. The mace came round towards him and he punched it away using a sword skill with his hands. He launched into a flying spinning kick and knocked one its legs away, it toppled to the ground with a crash.
Ichiro stood by its huge head, his fists clenched so tight he felt like they would explode.
"Enough." He growled.
He grabbed one of its horns in one hand, and with an omnipotent scream he unleashed a hell storm of strikes with his other fist into its face. Fragments of vermillion light flickered up from the mass of wounds with every blow that came down. There was no mercy, and it kicked out its legs and shook desperately to try and get away. Ichiro wouldn't let go, he kept it down, kept on smashing. Rage, fury, pain!
Light.
The worlds 'congratulations' flew up into the air, and Ichiro dropped to his knees breathing frantically trying to regain an idea of where he was. With a great effort he picked himself up and lurched over to Nobuo, who sat practically unconscious on the floor. He tried to pick him up, to help him. But he collapsed beside him, exhausted.
"Why..." He gasped.
"They meant for it to kill us." Said Nobuo. "I-I could've stopped this!"
"No!" Replied Ichiro. "Why do you want to die!" He shouted with huge effort, his voice echoing in the darkness.
Nobuo sighed, staring into the blackness.
"I made the mistake of falling for someone... someone I though felt the same way. I told her what was happening, that I needed to escape. I was hoping she would come with me, I was going to tell you all to get out now and hide." Nobuo said. "But she said no, she didn't believe me when I told her what was happening. Then when I asked her if mean anything... Nothing. I meant nothing!"
"You fucking idiot!' Ichiro said.
"I'm sorry Ichiro." Said Nobuo, his voice a mono tonal drone. "I just wanted it to end."
"You have always told me how this world is such an amazing place to live, how it has offered you so much more than the outside world. Well, I feel the same. My life outside isn't worth living either. You showed me another reason to live and now you want to throw all that away!"
"I guess this world wasn't what I had expected."
"Shut up! What is it with kids and wanting to throw their lives away when love, of all things, goes wrong! You have loved and lost, pick yourself up. You're stronger than this."
"I don't know if I can go on feeling like this."
Ichiro sighed and put his hand on Nobuo's shoulder.
"Trust me, broken hearts mend stronger. I know this to be true. We have the chance to be free now, if they meant for us to die here. We delete all of our ties with the guild and our friends and hide. We live the life in this game we want and make our own rules."
Ichiro clambered back to his feet and held out his hand and Nobuo slowly took it. He dragged him to his feet and put his arm under and around his back to help him walk.
"Nothing lasts forever Nobuo. Life nor love. But its fate, and only fate. That decides how long."
And he dragged him out of the darkness.
