Bounty Arc Part 3: Revolution
What's done can't be undone- William Shakespeare
3 weeks have passed since the attack on the trial. Heathcliff asked everyone to stay at the Knights of the Blood Oath headquarters. They have sent messengers to try and negotiate a treaty to stop the killings but none have returned. In the meantime everyone else was waiting. I did anything I could to keep busy read, practice my short sword skill to a decent level and went into town and purchased a Greek sword called a xiphos. I was in the dining hall with the others, Kirito was talking to Asuna, while Klein was sleeping on Fumiko's lap.
"Have we heard from any of the messenger's yet?" I ask Asuna
"No it seems like they were killed" She replies with a heavy head
"Good lord we're never going to find them if we just sit on our ass all day" I said and it was true I was getting paranoid I honestly just want this all to be over
"Well we can't do that unless we know where they are Shantotto" Fumiko says. After a couple of minutes Heathcliff comes through
"Everyone may I have your attention" Heathcliff says and we all look at him
"They killed the last messenger. I think we can all agree this is the final straw yes?" Everyone in the room shouted angrily and Heathcliff raised his hand to silence us. "We move out now. On the tables up here you'll find some steel cuffs we have provided. This is not a vengeful killing spree understand? These are people too and their punishment has already been decided. They will spend the rest of the game in the jail. We will meet on level 15 in an hours' time and from there travel to the Crystalline castle in Yolvan. Dismissed."
That's where they were then eh? Level 15 was a relatively normal level. It was medieval in appearance with castles and such scattered about. The only abnormal part was the Crystalline Castle, the interior made completely of crystal with no exact floor just floating crystal platforms. It seems like an odd place for the Laughing Coffin to hide but I suppose that makes it a good hiding spot. The hour given to us was spent in town buying health potions and upgrading armor then arriving at the castle right on time.
Kirito walks up to me
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he says
"What do you mean?" I reply
"There could be the chance that you may have to kill someone" he deadpans
"No that's not going to happen we have the cuffs-"
"If someone you know is about to be killed would you kill the killer?" Kirito asks and I pause. I wouldn't want anyone to die but if I do kill somebody they die in the real world
"No it's not going to come that Kirito" I say
"Just be prepared" and he walks out of the room. But then I wonder would I kill someone if it was called for. I think about until a stranger yells at me to come on. As we walk through the Teleport Gate to level 15 I try to catch up to Fumiko
"So why such a low level for their guild?" I ask
"Well people are supposed to come back to Yolvan for a radiant quest that is difficult even for people higher than ourselves. You're supposed to fight a witch who took control of the castle and been there ever since. The player is then supposed to travel to Yolvan and go to the castle. It's supposed to challenge players give them pretense of being easy but when in reality it's difficult" Fumiko replies
"Well how do we know they haven't complete it yet"
"Because it's a random draw. Remember the Blackened Hall only couple of people received that quest and if they found the key to the door then they won't bother with the quest."
"Hey guys were here" Klein says and we arrive at the gates. Asuna and couple of blood oath members come up to the front of the crowd.
"Everyone Commander Heathcliff could not be here at the siege as he had other business to attend to" People yells from all sides. Why would Heathcliff the plan he made not go through with it
"So then it's ok if we lose our leaders then?" A Dragon Alliance member yells. Asuna was going to say something but I was done talking
"EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!" I yell everyone stares at me in amusement seeing that I was a docile person
"Now we know damn well that if Heathcliff could lead he would but would you really want to lose him. He would be targeted from every directions and it we all would have to protect him. So let's all stop being p******* and get this shit done"
Everyone had silenced and now stared at me in shock. Asuna coughed to get everyone's attention again. "Anyone who doesn't want to participate doesn't have to continue on."
me in shock. Asuna coughed to get everyone's attention again. "Anyone who doesn't want to participate doesn't have to continue on."
The group mumbled only a bit more but nobody moved from their spots. "I think I can speak for everyone in agreeing to go on," Schmitt, the Divine Dragon Alliance defense coordinator said.
Many guilds shouted in agreement and Asuna nodded. She pushed open the doors to the castle and moved in, everyone else following. People had already drawn their weapons as we all moved through the castle cautiously. I was a bit more relaxed with my bow resting upon my back and looked around the enchanting castle. "So why crystal?" I asked.
"There's a quest where a princess is trapped in the crystal deep in the castle. An evil wizard coated the castle in crystal and guards her. In order to save him you have to beat him to get the reward. Unfortunately the quest is very difficult even at our levels. I doubt the Laughing Coffin have completed it. It's designed to be one of those quests that draw the high ranking players back to the earlier levels," She replies.
"Couldn't you have made a level where the enemies are fluffy clouds and unicorns?" I ask.
"Well there are storm cloud enemies on certain levels, they shoot lightning and hail. And there is a unicorn quest on this level where if you're not careful the unicorn can stab you to death."
"Forget I asked," I mumbled and Fumiko laughed.
We continued on through the many halls of the crystal castle for at least an hour until we got to an open area. The room seemed bottomless and filled with floating crystal platforms. One misstep and you would surely fall to your death. The crystals continuously floated in various directions around the gap, some faster and some slower than others. Once the first platform moved close enough everyone stepped on then moved further and further across the platforms. The first dozen or so moved fairly slowly so we didn't have to worry about anyone falling quite yet. About halfway across the gap there was an especially large platform that every easily fit on and we paused.
Schmitt stepped forward in front of us, the Divine Dragon Brigade leading the attack now it seems. Probably for the best since the whole Heathcliff incident raised some worry and distrust. "We're almost to the Laughing Coffin HQ that was in the report. I'll go over this once more before we attack. They are red players! Once the battle starts, they will think nothing of killing us. So we can't hesitate either. If we do, they'll kill us. But we, in the lead group, have more people and higher levels than they. They may actually surrender without fighting," Schmitt shouted for everyone to hear.
"Are you ready?" Asuna asks me
"Yeah it's just-"As I was talking dozens off Laughing Coffin members came out from above. Fumiko started shooting arrows and her familiar Inferno jumped to get them. It seems that either our mole was not really on our side or he was caught and killed.
"Shantotto use ice on that platform!" Fumiko shouted. I casted a blizzard on the platform on top and they landed unconscious on the platform below us.
I focused back on the other enemies casting spells left and right, running up to them, cuffed them up and sent them to jail. As I was done with one of my attackers I looked over to see a girl was getting attacked by a man twice her size and was losing. There was no way I could get to her in time so I decided to do the most unforgivable sin I would ever in my life.
"AVADA KEDAVRA" I shout and a green bolt of energy comes from my staff and kills the attacker. After that I run to the girl and give her a health crystal I look to see that Johnny Black was destroying Fumiko. She was poisoned I used a wind spell to propel myself over to them and right behind Johnny
"Goodbye Ranger" He says as he was about to deliver the final blow. I charged my staff with a force spell and got his attention
"Hey Johnny!" I yell and he looks at me and I swing my staff like a baseball bat and he hits a wall.
"You ok?" I ask while pulling a health crystal from my inventory but I didn't get the chance to use it. Johnny came back and slashing like a madman at me. I dodge the attacks not letting the blade touch me I while casting thunder spells. As he was about to hit me an arrow flies to hit his arm and another at his leg. He falls to the ground and is paralyzed for the moment I was about to cuff him but then Fumiko yelled
"Behind you Shantotto!" She shouted
I turn around to see PoH with cleaver in hand to attack me. I didn't have enough time to cast spell so I used my staff to block the attack. He wasn't going to let me use spells so I had to play defense.
"DIE CHAINSPELLER" He hits my staff once more and then it breaks in to two halves. I was stunned was this really happening had I lost my only weapon? I look up to see PoH's blade coming down at me but Fumiko shoots an arrow and he falls on another platform. I equip my sword and run towards the platform but Fumiko grabs me
"He's getting away!" I shout clearly pissed off as he jumps from platform to platform
"We've got other problems" She says as four Laughing Coffin members surround us weapons drawn. I draw my sword as well and we fight. I took the close hits while Fumiko shot from afar. We manage to take out to but when it was almost over Klein and his guild comes towards us and saves the day
I look around we lost 10 or more people during the fighting. As I was about to stop I remember what happened only minutes ago. I killed that man. Oh my god I killed him I start to process my emotions I was crying tears falling from eyes onto the ground. I look up to see Fumiko killed someone who was about to backstab Klein. She hysterical and I tried to move but I was frozen with guilt how could I help her? She seen me when I casted the spell we were both killers.
Shantotto," She calls out to me and I look at her. "If you defeat the wizard I was talking about earlier on you may be able to take that staff."
"Thanks and… it wasn't your fault," I replies and they teleport away I realize that I'm the only one here everyone else was one. I see the quest pop
Such Sweet Sorrow will you accept?
I click the accept button and I am given the quest marker. As I walk through the castle I hear a voice in my head
"What is done cannot be undone"
A/N: And so we come to the close in the Bounty Arc. I just wanna say thanks to PhunnyStuff for doing a collab with me it was so much fun. So if you want hit me up if you would love to do a collab with me. Check in next time in to see Shantotto find the staff and cope with killing a man. Remember to read review, favorite, and follow.
-LastNephalem Out
