The large, rectangular and curved scutum shield glistened in the artificial daylight that pulsed down upon Martin and I. Martin was smiling gleefully as he stared lovingly at his new shield. The twenty Flawless Oak Branches had been handed over to the quest giver, who had been in the form of a grizzled mountain man. He had lived upon the tallest hill of the first floor, which was not exceptionally high, perhaps a hundred meters at the highest point.
The beaten track we had followed to reach the house had been littered with decomposing leaves and dried mud. It had been a pleasant hour walk to reach the house, with clouds lazily passing above us, providing temporary cover from the blistering heat of the sun. Colourful jaybirds happily chattered around us, taking cover from the heat in the sparse forest that surrounded the bush path.
We had observed the occasional wild animal, but they were just as keen to avoid us as we were to avoid them. Perhaps in the moonlight it might have been a different story, but in the daylight, they were as timid around humans as real animals were.
Martin warned me of the powerful bear that occupied the forest. It had been the first part of his quest, he had explained, in which he was asked by the shield maker on the top of the hill to save his grand daughter from the "Giant Brown Bear". Martin had located several bears, but none of them had the grand daughter with them. It had quickly become apparent to Martin that he would have to track a bear to its lair in order to save the grand daughter, and he had taken the "Tracking" skill.
Martin had explained the experience to me in worried tones. The "Giant Brown Bear" that occupied the lair had been fearsome and Martin had barely escaped with his life. He had been unable to kill the bear, but had instead distracted it long enough due to Martin's ridiculous defence stats to allow the little girl to escape the cave.
The grizzled old grand father had been ecstatic to see the little girl again, and had promised Martin that he would make him a shield worthy of legionnaires if he retrieved the materials for him. The materials had involved the twenty Flawless Oak Branches, and when we had returned to the old man, he had happily crafted the shield for Martin. All the while the little girl bombarded us with sweet cakes that tasted absolutely delicious, but resulted in a raging thirst.
Because I could see the little girl in the house, and the old man would not offer me a quest to save his grand daughter, I realized that this was a one-off quest, and that the shield that Martin had acquired would not only be incredibly powerful, probably the best shield anyone could obtain on the first floor, it was also one of a kind. What a rare item Martin had in his possession.
Despite being in a party with Martin, only Martin had gained experience for the quest, as it was a solo quest, not a party quest. The EXP he had received had vaulted him up two levels simultaneously! He was now level six, meaning he was stronger than me. The Spaniard had felt guilty however, and had offered me his old shield, telling me I could keep it, sell it, or bash him over the head with it, whatever I preferred.
I decided to restrain myself from the more violent option, and instead thanked him for the shield. I was not disappointed or felt that I had wasted my time by partying with Martin over the past two days. Through our teamwork we had both gained an exceptional amount of experience and col. I still couldn't consider Martin my friend, but I was definitely closer to him than I was to anyone else in this death game.
Except for Rhythm and Becka, but I wasn't allowed to see them anymore.
I had not received any messages from either of them over the past five days, and although I was not worried about them, as I trusted Rhythm with my life, I was curious as to how they were doing. I hoped Becka wasn't struggling over Daniel's death still. God knows his death still haunts me, and I didn't wish that burden on anyone else. It was my guilt, and mine alone to carry.
"I guess this is where we part amigo." We were standing at a crossroads. One path was directed towards "Starting City", which was a hazy blur in the horizon. With a higher perception skill I assumed I would one day be able to see the city clearly from a distance of one kilometre away.
"I guess it is, Spaniard." There were two paths, one of them lead to the town of Aricana, and the other held an unknown destination. As I would need to find stronger enemies to train against, I would be taking the unknown path. Martin on the other hand would be returning to the "Starting City" in order to meet up with some friends of his.
"Thanks for everything amigo, I couldn't have done this without you. I just wish I could pay you back somehow, other than with that cheap shield."
"Hey, this is my shield now. Call it cheap once more and I'll bash you over the head with it."
He grinned. "If that's what you say amigo, I don't doubt you." He hesitated before continuing. "You sure you'll be alright by yourself?" He had been awoken last night to my screams as the nightmares had dominated my sleep. I had brushed off any concern he had for me. This was my responsibility to carry; I wasn't allowed the comfort of being able to share my sins.
"I'll be fine, you damn Spaniard, just get out of here"
"If that is your wish amigo," and with a fancy flourish of his hand, and a colourful laugh, he began to walk away. A sudden thought struck me. Perhaps there was a way he could help me.
"Hey Martin"
"Si?"
I sent him a friend request, while continuing the conversation. "In three days I'm venturing on a particular quest, which I know next to nothing about. It would be great to have some back up, if you didn't mind."
He grinned, a glint in his eye, as he accepted the friend request. Curly black ringlets of hair brushed past his face as the wind gusted past us.
"It would be my honour, amigo"
For once, I didn't bother to correct him about the name. I was just relieved I had a partner I could rely upon for my upcoming quest.
I ran through the gates of starting city two days later trying to find cover before the inevitable storm struck. The sunny weather that had dominated the game had quickly taken a turn for the worse today. When I had woken from an uncomfortable sleep, having been interrupted by nightmares yet again, dark gloomy clouds had hung above, drowning out all sunlight, and casting a miserable gloom across the usually vivid plain lands.
I had initially ignored the weather and had gone out hunting "Grizzled Wolves", trying to increase my level once more before I would begin Chris's quest. Although I had discovered two more towns, I had yet to discover any enemies stronger then these wolves, which were at level three, one level stronger than regular wolves. I had not wanted to go and fight the "Living Tree Oaks" without a partner, as they were difficult enemies to fight without a tank like Martin.
So I had focused my attention on the "Grizzled Wolves", and had ever so slowly gained a single level over the course of two days. Preferring to be at least one level stronger, I had gone out preparing to fight from sunup to sundown, but the weather had other plans. By midday, thunder and lightning could be heard, and it was throwing the wolves into panic and rage, causing their attacking patterns to become erratic and dangerous.
Listening to the words of advice that flowed out of the part of my brain that was usually ignored, I had given up, and decided to retreat to the "Starting City", a two-hour distance away. The whole time I had been chased by the storm, as if it was targeting me, and the two short breaks I had taken to restore my stamina had resulted in me being drenched with rain.
I had to admit that the SAO system did an incredible job impersonating wet clothes. Even the mud was unfortunately realistic, squelching under my boots with each step and caking them with oozing brown goo, which I was certain would be impossible to clean off once dry.
Starting City was unnaturally empty, the storm scaring off all of the players and NPC's indoors, and those players that couldn't afford to stay indoors were miserably huddled inside restaurants and shops.
"A cloak, that's what I need!" I said talking to myself as the idea struck me. "A really awesome looking cloak… hmm what colour, and should it have a design…" The seeping feeling in my shoulders reminded me that the storm had caught up with me, and I burst into the nearest building, hoping it wasn't too crowded.
Several hours later, dusk was falling, it was still storming, and I was still stuck in the small restaurant that was over-populated by players. I was definitely the object of interest within the shop, as it appeared none of the individuals had even left "Starting City" yet, choosing to live in the safety of the stonewalls. When you compared the rags and thin, meek Beginner's Blade's of the players to my meter and a half broadsword, and my mismatched leather armour and comfortable clothes, I was definitely the freak in the gathering.
To make things worse, my 6'4 height was naturally intimidating, with the next tallest male being just 6 foot, while some of the smallest players came below my shoulders. I was getting claustrophobic from being in the small room with so many players and from the unwanted attention I had been gathering, so deciding that I would rather face the storm than the stares, I pushed the wooden doors of the restaurant open, allowing strong gusts of wind to whip through the restaurant. Several players shrieked in shock, while others glared angrily at me, as if I had purposefully let the wind in.
Not knowing where to go, I stomped off in a random direction, the rain pouring down relentlessly and unforgiving. I ended up walking into the large, open, and currently deserted Central Plaza, the place where everything had begun. I noticed that it wasn't identical to the last time I had seen it. There was a large stone in the middle, with a large black, metal plaque covering the surface.
I walked up to it, curious as to who had placed it here, and what it was. The colour left my face when I realized. It was a grave.
The bodies weren't actually buried here, as when a player died, all the data that composed there body would be shattered and destroyed. Instead, names covered the surface of the black rock. There were hundreds of names, a thousand probably. I walked closer, the rain pounding on my back, so I could read what was said beside the names.
The plaque had a brief description of how each player had died. My insides curled up as I read some of them. "Death by falling, death by boars, death by own blade, death by drowning…" I read each one out loud, as if it would reverse the actions that had taken the lives of players. But of course, it didn't.
I looked around the grave, and noticed that it was littered with flowers. The rain was washing most of them away, but a few vigilantly remained, refusing to abandon their post. I began to worry, wondering if Becka was still alive, or if she'd killed herself, like so many of these deaths suggested. The pouring rain made it difficult read the indented letters, but I convinced myself after several minutes of searching that she was not dead, and indeed alive.
I could also confirm that she was alive by checking her status on my friends list anyway. I had not been thinking properly due to my burst of panic.
I began a more sombre examination for Daniel's name. When I could not find it in the D section, I felt a brief respite of joy. He was still alive.
But a flash of lighting crushed that thought as I remembered his avatar name. "Cig Bock, a joker to the end, huh Daniel?" I muttered mournfully. And indeed I found his avatars name.
-Cig Bock, died August, 1st, 2022: Killed in a duel by Sirius-
Well, I guess the whole world could know now. They just had to search enough and they'd discover my darkest secret, that I'd killed one of my best friends. I held my face up to the dark, foreboding sky. Rain ran down my face, stinging my eyes, but resting pleasantly on my lips. I spoke to the heavens, as if they would bind me to my promise.
"Don't worry Daniel, I promise I'll get Becka out of this game. Not just Becka, I'll save everyone if I have to. I will beat this game. I will become the flicker of hope in this desolate game, and lead everyone to victory. I may not survive, but I will win"
"I will become Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky."
The rain tore at my skin, causing me to gasp in pain. I realized that it wasn't rain, but sharpened shrapnels of metal raining down upon me. I whimpered as I tried to stand up, but found myself in a surging sea. I struggled to stay afloat, but something wrapped around my neck was weighing me down, dragging me into the depths.
They were arms. Cold, clammy, lifeless arms, intertwined around my neck. I tried to tear them off, but as soon as I tried, I began sinking into the depths of the pitch-black ocean. There was no moon in the sky, no stars either, it was pure darkness except for the pale glow the arms seemed to release.
A lantern flickered in the distance, and I screamed as loud as I could, desperate for help. The dead body on my back was weighing me down, dragging me under, and I desperately needed aid. The small rowing boat floated closer to me, unaffected by the surging waves of the ocean, and a hooded figure reached out a hand to help me.
When I grabbed the hand, a searing sensation was felt through my stomach, and as I looked at the hooded figure, I saw sullen, honey brown eyes flashing violently. Wisps of brown hair flayed out in the wind, and Becka glared at me unblinkingly, her mouth open in a smile. She pulled a blade out of my stomach, and laughing queerly, licked the blood off the surface.
I screamed, understanding flooding through me. I screamed louder and louder, hoping another boat would pass by, but it didn't. Instead, a low chuckling began by my right ear. Floundering in the water, I struggled to see who it was, but I knew it could only be one person, Daniel. His slimy hands strangled my throat, cutting into my windpipe, and I lost all ability to scream or breathe. While I struggled against Daniel's attempts to drown me, Becka plunged her sword into me again and again.
The blood never stopped, it kept rushing out of me. The ocean was no longer pitch black, but sickly viscous red. The sky was lit up in blood, and I could see Becka's tear stained face, frozen in a mask of chaos. I gave up, as always eventually happened. Daniel began screaming in ecstasy as I let him drag my body below the viscous red sea, and I begun to drown in my own blood.
No matter how hard I fought, I would always, eventually, give up.
And a nightmare to end it all, how pretty.
Hopefully people aren't getting to annoyed at my slow pace. 9 chapters and we're still on the first floor! At this rate the stories going to be 1000 chapters.
But it won't be, I'm sure we can all agree on that. And lets face it, who in this world would want to read a 1000 chapter book.
...Actually I can think of a few english teachers.
Cheers
-Council
