(Mortifer)
August 2023, 28th Floor Wolf Plains
Of all people, I let Paradox catch me off guard. I'm not trying to belittle her, but her stealth skills are even lower than Rizer's. How could I let her sneak up on me like that? That one mistake costed me my mask as well as my identity. The chances of them believing me to be somebody else is slim to none, especially for Violet who is probably wanting to believe that I'm alive and well.
Nonetheless, I still needed to focus on training. Ever since the day we visited the Island, we've trained non-stop. It was only a few months ago when I was level forty-eight. I'm now level sixty-seven, and quite possibly the highest leveled person in the game, except for maybe one certain player.
Right now, Cloud and I are currently in the Wolf Plains, killing as many wolves as possible before moving onto a different field. I finished off the Blood Wolf I was fighting and my One-Handed Sword finally leveled up. Seven-hundred-fifty out of one thousand. I am a quarter way till I finally Complete the skill.
"Congrats on the achievement. How are your other skills doing?" Cloud asked me as he finished off his current foe.
"I don't know. Let me check."
I opened up my menu and accessed my Skills panel. One-Handed Sword at seven-hundred. Martial Arts is at five-hundred, halfway to six. Battle Healing at a solid six hundred. My Parry is even higher than my One-Handed Sword, all the way up to nine hundred. However, I have two skills that are even higher than that. Both my Acrobatics and Sprint were Complete.
I don't exactly remember when I completed those skills since they were so easy to complete. Sprint was easily maxed out since I used my speed bug and ran from Panareze to the Edge of the World in one go. I would collapse right away from exhaustion. By the time I wake up almost an hour later, Cloud would be there to help me up.
I continued to look at my other skills and noticed something strange. My Hiding, Straining, and Searching skills were all maxed out. I was flustered since I haven't used them in such a long time, nor bothered improving them by doing the stealth quests. The last time I checked, they were barely past five hundred. What the hell happened?
That's when I noticed something odd. At the very bottom of the Skills menu, I would usually find my Crafting skill there. I always placed it at my last Skill Slot since I find it useless. But now, instead of seeing Crafting, I saw something else. A Skill Slot with a black, opaque rectangle instead of the usual grey, translucent one. It had a sword wrapped in black tendrils as its symbol. The name of the skill, is Darkness Blade.
"Cloud… Have you seen this before?" I asked him, pointing at the odd skill.
"Darkness Blade?" Cloud mused, "I've never heard of it nor seen it. Being a combat NPC, I am equipped with all combat-related skills in the game, even if I only use a handful of them. If it isn't a combat skill, then it must be a supportive skill. No wait…"
"Something wrong?" I asked him.
"Select the skill and read its description for a second." He told me. I did what I was told and he observed my screen, "Yes, this icon right here tells me that it is a combat skill. Since it is something I've never seen before, then it must mean that the Darkness Blade is an Extra Skill. More specifically, a Unique Skill."
A Unique Skill? For me? I find it absurd that me of all people would get one. It is extremely rare to get a Unique Skill since only one player can obtain that type of skill. That one player must meet the requirements for such a skill and they will be awarded. The only Unique Skill I knew about before this one, is something called the Holy Sword.
The person who has earned the Holy Sword is a man called Heathcliff. He happens to be the leader of the strongest guild in the game, the Knights of the Blood Oath. The skill is rumored to give him maximum STR and VIT, giving him the highest offense and defense of any player in the game. It is quite possible the most overpowered skill you can ever think of. And yet here I am, with a newly discovered Unique Skill. I looked at my skill and began reading the description of its abilities.
"In the timeth at which hour nay lighteth shouldst toucheth thy soul, thou shalt beest given the power of the dark to destroyeth thine enemies… Did they really have to write this in Shakespeare?" I complained to Cloud.
"What is Shakespeare?" he asked me back. What am I doing… Of course NPCs don't know what Shakespeare is…
"When thou hath reached the limits to thy corse, thee will be consumed by the darkness and eradicate all enemies. Blood shalt staineth thy eyes and thy mind shall not knoweth the difference between cousin or foe…"
"What weird language is this written in?" Cloud asked.
"It's English, more specifically Old English." I told him, "Basically, it just said that whenever my soul isn't touched by light, I get the power of the darkness. When I'm reaching the limits of my body, I will be consumed by the darkness and will kill everyone. I will also not be able to tell the difference between friend or foe."
"Well then… That sounds unpleasant…" Cloud muttered, "At least the rest is in a language I understand."
I began reading the bonuses that the skill gave me and soon started regretting my statement that Holy Sword is overpowered. The Darkness Blade is truly the real definition of overpowered.
"Hiding, Straining, and Searching are maxed out. STR attribute raised by one hundred. DEX attribute raised by fifty. PER attribute raised by two hundred." Cloud read from the small screen.
"Explains why those three skills were Completed. So my strength is raised up by a hundred. My dexterity is increased by fifty, and finally my perception decided to take steroids and got raised by two hundred. No wonder why everything seemed so much easier for the past few days." I mused.
"You also get something called the Cloak of Darkness. It says that you can hide from everything for one minute. You can only do this once a day though." Cloud added in. He then pointed at a different bonus, "This one here is called the Yami no Saji, or Surge of Darkness. This seems to be the thing they were referring to in the description. The one about your health dropping low and losing control."
"I'm not too fond of that one. What happens if I make a mistake and drop into the red zone? Will it trigger and cause me to go on a rampage? Furthermore, can the game even do that to me? Make me lose control?"
"I have no information of such complex stuff." Cloud stated. He then pointed to one final bonus "This one is called The End. There is a lock next to it, meaning you must be a certain level before you are able to do anything with it."
"I seriously hope it's nothing related to me dying… I don't plan on dying anytime soon."
"We will figure it out eventually. Let's finish training, you are almost ready to face this dungeon." Cloud declared.
I closed my menu and the two of us started walking to our next location. Even though I just said that I won't be dying anytime soon, something told me that when I do figure out what The End is, I will be facing my fate. I just hope that it isn't a bad one.
A few weeks later
The hearth of the fire was littered with pieces of charcoal which eventually fades away after sometime if not picked up. The fire continued to burn brightly for sometime before needing to refuel it with more wood. From time to time, an ocean breeze would blow into the cave, blowing the fire out. It forced Cloud to make a makeshift barrier so he wouldn't have to struggle in relighting it.
Because I had obtained an abundant amount of wolf hide from the wolves in the Wolf Plains, I created a sleeping bag for the both of us. I managed to regain my Crafting skill which thankfully kept its stats. It disappeared on me when I discovered Darkness Blade, making me worry since I had spent so much time and effort on that skill.
Using the excess firewood, I had created an old game I used to play as a child. It was known as Reversi when it first came out, but it turned into Othello when it was introduced and marketed in Japan. The simple rules allowed Cloud to be able to play the game almost immediately.
Usually NPCs can't learn how to do things and rely on information they already have and rely on that. Cloud however proves me wrong everytime. Of the twenty times we have played, he's won eight of them. Right now however, I've put Cloud in a tough spot. He then leaned back and flipped his disc to me.
"Ah, I give up. You win this round." Cloud said as he lied down on his sleeping bag.
"I'm surprised you managed to learn the game so quickly, though I may have just been rusty. I haven't played the game in more than seven years anyway." I admitted.
"Hey Mortifer. Go and take the day off tomorrow. Go visit your friends"
"Seriously?" I asked him, completely flustered, "What's with the sudden break?"
"This will be the last time you will see them for a long time." Cloud started, "As you already know, the dungeon we are entering is very difficult, so caution is a must when inside it. There are four different levels in the dungeon, each getting increasingly harder. Each floor has a boss room, which takes a week or more to get to. We will be in that dungeon for more than a month depending on the floor's geography and bosses."
"The dungeon is that long?" I exclaimed, "How is it that this dungeon hasn't been found by anybody?"
"It is located underground behind a camouflaged rock. At first sight, it looks like a hill. Once you get closer however, you can see the hole which the rock is covering. We can worry about that later. For now, you must rest. Please take the day off tomorrow and visit your friends. I assure you that you are going to need
"Will you be coming with me?" I asked him. He shook his head no in response.
"I will be resting here in the cave as well." Cloud replied. He then stood up and prepared his bed. He got inside his sleeping bag and lied back down, "I'll be going to sleep now. You should too…"
It didn't take long before I began hearing his snores. The NPC was fast asleep in a matter of seconds, which I envied greatly. I observed the fire for a little bit when I heard rocks falling from outside. I stood up and walked out of the cave. I scanned the area but saw nothing. Was it just my imagination? Quite possibly…
I walked back inside and lied down on my own sleeping bag. I stared at the rocky ceiling for a long time before drowsiness hit my eyes. I then closed my eyes and rolled up into a fetal position to maintain my warmth. I then fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The next morning, the Island
I woke up fairly early in the morning in order to watch over my friends for as long as possible. I had left the Edge of the World when it was still dark out. By the time I got to the Island however it's close to sunrise. I then decided to hide myself on top of the same tree Cloud and I hid in when we first started. It has grown much bigger since the last time we were here and so have the trees in the grove.
At the moment, Violet is the only one I can see right now. Paradox and Rizer must still be sleeping, or they are just inside and out of my sight. Regardless, Violet is doing the same thing she was doing when I visited her almost two months ago. She just sat on the front porch, holding my mask in her hands. She kept looking at the bridge, hoping to see me walking there. I honestly wish I could show myself to her, but I can't show myself to her just yet. Not until I finish this quest with Cloud.
I continued to look around the Island and scanned the tree grove. The man-made river is done. The grave that sat on the base of the biggest tree is now gone, probably since they don't think I am dead anymore. There is also a new cobblestone path which was bordered with small white flowers. The path connected the bridge, the house, the forge, and part of the tree grove. Even with all these new beautiful additions, the Island remained in a gloomy state. I continued to stare at the tree grove when I heard the sound of a door opening.
I looked over to see Rizer and Paradox walk out, still drowsy from their sleep. The two of them noticed Violet who continued to stare at the bridge. For a while, the two just stared at her before Rizer decided to break the awkward silence.
"Hey Violet, have you eaten already?" he asked her.
"No… I didn't feel like eating…" she responded.
"Even if it only satisfies our hunger in-game and not real life, you should at least eat something. Here, I'll cook for us." Rizer proposed, making Violet laugh.
"No, you're right. I should at least eat something. Don't worry about the meal either. I'll go inside now and prepare it…"
Violet stood up, still holding my mask, and entered the house. Rizer and Paradox followed her inside and the door closed behind them. Through the window, I could see them sitting themselves on the couch while Violet headed to the kitchen to prepare their meal.
A cool wind breezed past my face, pushing the branches ever so slightly. The sky turned into a scarlet red as the sun finally appeared in the horizon. The flowers of the tree opened its petals as the suns rays shone down upon it. I have never noticed these flowers before. Probably because the last time I was up here, it was already daytime so these flowers were already blooming. At least now I get to experience these flowers blooming in the dawn.
(Violet)
Many hours later, Sunset
It's been one month since I saw the phantom of a person I deeply care about. Almost four months since the time I thought I had lost him. Rizer and Paradox have been searching everywhere for Mortifer. They've spent a quarter of our total money just buying information about any that could help.
The only thing we got however is that there have been two people who have been travelling all around Aincrad, taking all of the farming spots that even the Front Lines monopolize. They have become a problem since many players in the Front Lines aren't getting any stronger with all of the monsters being from them.
Furthermore, the description of the two players accurately fit what I remembered them to be. A man with spiky blonde hair and a giant sword, as well as his partner who wears a cloak and hood and runs at mach speed. They couldn't get anymore solid information since the witnesses would say that they would disappear into thin air, like ghosts. They would never teleport away or else they would usually see a flash of light. Not one person has figured out their location either.
As I continued listening to the sound of Rizer polishing our weapons, I saw someone walking in the distance on the bridge. Seeing her long brown hair flowing in the wind and the basket of flowers she held in her arms, I knew it was Paradox. She went to Panareze to buy flowers from different places in Aincrad. She always carries a Teleport Crystal so she won't be captured like last time. She goes to buy flowers once every two weeks but this time, there was someone with her.
The person wore a hood and cloak so I couldn't see them just yet. The person was cloaked and wore a hood. At first I thought it was Mortifer but I then noticed that the person was too small to be him, as they stood the same height as Paradox. I stood up and started walking towards them. Rizer noticed me do this and followed.
The two of us waited at the end of the bridge for Paradox and the cloaked person, who walked at a painfully slow pace. When they finally got to us, the person raised their hood to reveal a familiar face. The cat-like markings on her cheek gave it away completely. It was Argo, the Rat.
"Argo? What are you doing here?" I asked her, "If it's something to do with the Front Lines or The Army then I am going to have to decline. Even if we wanted to participate in a boss fight, we are not equipped to do so."
"Relax, I'm not here for that kind of stuff. In fact, I'm here to help you." Argo responded with a smile.
"Help us with what exactly?" I asked her.
"Help you find Mortifer."
A few minutes later
We were now inside the house, sitting on the couch. Argo sat on the sofa opposite to the one I was sitting on. Paradox was in the kitchen making herself a snack while Rizer simply leaned on the wall, keeping his eye on Argo. Argo took an apple from the fruit basket placed on top of the table between us and bit into.
"I'm fully aware that you guys already know the basic stuff." Argo spoke as she munched on the apple loudly, "Two players have been monopolizing all of the farming spots all over Aincrad, even the ones on the lower floors. Nobody can ever get a closer look since the two players would just disappear like ghosts. Most people believe it to be rumors but the Front Lines are getting devastated from the lack of monsters. That's why I decided to go look for these people."
"What did you find then?" Rizer asked her impatiently.
"I found a hidden cave somewhere. I walked inside and noticed two sleeping bags as well as a fire that still had charcoal beneath it. I was curious so I waited all day on a nearby mountain cliff to see if anybody would go in there. That's when I saw two people hike up the side of the mountain and enter the cave. Both of them fit the description of the rumored ghosts. I managed to get close enough to their cave to hear their conversations. I forgot most of what they said, but I do remember the names they addressed each other with."
At that moment, I stood straight up and slammed my hands on the table, making Paradox and Rizer jump in shock. The fruit basket got launched upwards and landed softly on Argo's lap, who took a banana and began to peel it.
"The names they used… What were their names?!" I quickly asked her.
"I heard Cloud and Mortifer. From what I recall, Mortifer is that friend of yours, right?" she asked me.
I ignored her question as I was too focused on the names she just uttered. Mortifer is alive, and Argo knows where he is! With this, I can go search for him and bring him back to the Island.
"Well, when I did hear the name Mortifer, I came looking for you guys. I ran into Paradox on my way here. She's a new member or something?" Argo asked me another question.
"Yes she's new. Now tell us, when did this happen?" Rizer demanded.
"It was only yesterday when I found that cave." Argo stated as she continued eating the banana, "In fact, that Cloud guy told Mortifer that he should visit you guys tomorrow, which is today. Because you know, he told him that yesterday. You get what I mean!"
"Argo, where is this cave that you found? Please tell me!" I pleaded. Instead of giving me an answer, she instead reached her hand out.
"I have given you guys too much information for free already. Since I know that the location of this cave is important to you, I am now charging you guys for it."
My ecstasy faded almost immediately. Although it is a bit cruel to suddenly charge us for information, it is how things work for an information-dealer. And I am fully aware that information about things is costly here in SAO, especially farming spots. Although we spent so much time farming, we have blown all of that money on house renovations. Ever since Mortifer left, we haven't kept up with our usual schedule and so we are running dry on Cor.
"How much?" I asked her nervously.
"Hmm… How about one-hundred-thousand Cor?" Argo proposed with a grin.
Paradox, who was in the kitchen, soundedly dropped a plate after hearing the money Argo wanted. Rizer punched the wall a bit too hard and created a dent in it that has to be fixed. He then sat down by the dining table and buried his head in his arms. I simply stood there, with my mouth wide open.
"We don't have that kind of money right now…" Rizer mumbled from across the room, "We already spent our money on other leads and base renovations."
"Oh, well that's too bad." Argo replied, pulling out a Teleport Crystal, "Unless you can pay me that sum, I can't give you the location. You're just going to have to find it yourself or get enough money to pay me later on."
Right before she spoke the words to teleport out of our base, a brilliant yellow flash came from outside, followed by a loud boom. Everyone jumped from the loudness of it. The fruit basket on Argo's lap flew off and spilled all of its contents around the living room.
"Someone must've been spying on us…" Rizer whispered quietly.
We all went outside and unsheathed our weapons. We went down the steps and noticed a crater that ruined the cobblestone path Paradox had spent forever making. She ran over to the crater and observed the damage. The cobblestone crumbled to dust which then turned into pixels and disappeared.
"That took me some time to get all the way from the 17th Floor too…" Paradox moped.
"Sorry about that." A voice came from the house. We all turned around to see who was eavesdropping on us, but we saw nothing. However, the voice that spoke just now sounded so close and familiar.
"Show yourself!" Argo yelled.
"I am showing myself to you guys right now." The voice spoke, but this time it came from a different place.
We turned towards the origin of the sound and looked upon a hooded figure standing by the bridge. He wore a cloak that waved in the wind and a hood that covered his face. He held something in his hand which he raised up for everyone to see.
"Thank you for the mask!" he thanked us.
My eyes grew wide and I reached for my belt, which is the last place I had put Mortifer's mask. My hand touched nothing but air as the mask was now gone. But when did he take it? He couldn't have gone next to me and taken it, or else all of us would've seen him move.
"This mask is very precious to me. Someone I care about made it for me. Here is my payment to you for returning my mask!" the man shouted.
He threw a fairly large draw-string bag with one hand over to us. It landed with a thud and spilled its contents due to it containing more than it could handle. Hundreds of pieces of gold Cor spilled onto the ground, making all of us widen our eyes in disbelief. There is at least five-hundred-thousand Cor in that bag! I quickly ran over to the bag and began picking up coins to pay Argo for information. I gave her what she wanted and she smiled greedily.
I looked back to the hooded man who was busy putting on his mask. He looked at me for quite a bit before he started to slowly walk away. His body then started to get into the position of a sprint but I stopped him with a very loud shout.
"Hey, wait! Can you at least give me your name?!"
The man stopped moving and turned his head around. Nobody talked or moved a muscle for a good minute. The silhouette of the man started shaking, and that's when I noticed he was actually laughing.
"My name?" he laughed out, "Even if I didn't tell you my name Violet, you would still want to believe that I am him."
The man ran away in lightning speed. His afterimage could still be seen on the bridge even though he was already in the forest. All my doubts have been cleared with his response to my question. He said that because he wanted me to find him, and I swear on my life that I will. No matter what the cost is.
"Rizer, Paradox. Get your things ready. We're leaving the Island sunrise tomorrow." I told them. I then turned to Argo who was still admiring the money I had given her. I grabbed her collar and pulled her to me, "I payed you the money, and I expect you to hold up your end of the deal. If you lied to me about knowing where he is staying, then you best be prepared to for a death sentence."
(Mortifer)
September 1st 2023
"Hey, Mortifer wake up." Cloud whispered as he shook me awake, "Get ready, we're leaving."
"Where are we going?" I yawned.
"We're going to the dungeon that we have been training for. It's time." He said. I was stunned by his words.
"N-Now? Why so sudden? You really think I am ready?" I asked him.
"Well after we discovered your Darkness Blade skill, I thought that you won't need to train to the point I want you to be at." Cloud explained, "The fact that the Darkness Blade gives you more power in darkness means that the geography of the cave would prove to be very useful to you. And although we haven't really gotten the chance to test it out, that Yami no Saji skill of yours could prove to be quite useful if you find yourself in a hot spot."
"My Cloak of Darkness could be useful too." I added in, "I tested my Cloak of Darkness for the first time yesterday on my friends. I stood a meter away from them but they didn't even notice me. I made noises too to see if it only affects sight, but it seems it affects sound as well."
"Then it would prove to be more than enough to deal with blind enemies that rely on sound. However, you can only use once a day." Cloud pointed out. I sighed as he pointed out a sad disadvantage about the ability. That's when I noticed something crucial.
"If I was given the Darkness Blade because of the evil inside of my heart, then won't that mean I will lose it once I finish this quest?" I asked him. Cloud thought about it but shrugged his shoulders.
"I have never had a Unique Skill, and because it is a Unique Skill, it can't be removed like other skills. Once you meet the requirements needed for an Extra Skill or Unique Skill, you basically keep it forever."
I nodded my head in agreement, yet I was still worried. Yes, I want to rid my heart from darkness and these Voices, but I also don't want to give up this skill of mine, even if this Yami no Saji will prove troublesome if I accidentally drop into the red zone.
"Alright. Let's go to the dungeon then." I told Cloud.
The man snuffed out the fire with one swing of his sword. The air pressure extinguished the flame, leaving behind small embers that couldn't fully ignite. We rolled up our sleeping bags and placed them at our regular sleeping places. Cloud motioned for me to follow him and I did so reluctantly.
(Violet)
A few hours later
"Ugh, how much more do we have to climb?" Paradox exclaimed, "This mountain is killing me!"
She and Rizer were both crawling on the ground, completely exhausted from hiking up the steep mountain. Rizer, who had been carrying all of our equipment voluntarily, is just about ready to pass out from exhaustion.
"We're here!" Argo beamed. She ran up the path and disappeared out of our sights. I followed her up and had my breath taken away at the view.
We were standing on a cliff side, overlooking the ocean which fell into the abyss below. The cliff towered almost one hundred meters above the ocean. Jagged rocks jutted out from the ocean right below at the base of the cliff. The ocean breeze felt pleasant and relaxing, but it was still fairly cold for summer weather.
Behind us was the cave, which Argo had already entered. Rizer and Paradox finally made it up the mountain and collapsed to the ground. I giggled at them before walking into the cave. The first thing I saw was Argo kneeling on the ground in front of me. I observed her expression, which held disbelief and so I looked at the rest of the cave in front of me.
Two sleeping bags located on opposite sides of the room were neatly rolled into a bundle. A small pile of burnt wood and charcoal lied in between the two bags. Except for the sleeping bags and the firewood, there was no sign of anybody ever going into this cave. Rizer and Paradox walked in and also noticed the rather empty cave.
"T-They must probably be farming right now. Y-Yeah!" Argo stuttered, "I mean, that's why the rumors have spread about them, because they were farming, you know?"
Argo was scared that I was going to kill her. To be honest, I probably would've if she didn't give me a good reason as to why the cave is currently empty. It is true that Mortifer and Cloud have been out taking all of the possible farming places. God knows when they will return to this place.
"We'll wait here for three days. If nobody shows up by the time limit, then a certain info-dealer is going to take a beating from me…"
(Mortifer)
Just as how Cloud explained it to be, the dungeon was underground. The entrance was so perfectly concealed behind a huge boulder that I doubt I would've found it without Cloud's help. This dungeon isn't too far from the cave either, but it is very well-hidden. The giant boulder blocking the entrance took us about an hour to move, as it was too big to simply destroy using Embracer or a Sword Skill utilizing Cloud's sword.
Upon entering the now open cave, I was greeted by the most putrid stench I've ever smelled. I ran back out of the cave and took a deep whiff of the fresh air. I almost puked just now, which is rare since my sense of smell is pretty bad compared to my other senses. It smells a whole bunch of animals walked in there and died, leaving behind rotting corpses.
"Yes, I'm sorry for not mentioning the odor of the cave. It will only be for the entrance, so do not fear." Cloud stated, relieving me a bit, "As for what is ahead of us, the cave will split into two directions, leading to two different sections of the dungeon. As I explained before, there are four different floors with bosses at the end. Each boss is different and is based on the challenger's personality"
I shuddered at the thought of the bosses I will be facing. Will it be something that puts my aggressive attack style at a disadvantage, or something completely different. I looked at Cloud and examined his body for a bit. Obviously things that would counter Cloud are ranged and area-of-effect attacks since you can't easily dodge or block those.
"To enter the boss room, both players will have to be in front of the door. We will know when both of us have reached the place when our doors glow a slight blue. And in order to go to the next floor, the both of us must defeat our designated boss. If one of us fails, the other will be teleported back out the dungeon. We won't be able to directly communicate with each other until we reunite at the fourth level of this dungeon."
Alone for almost a month. Furthermore, I will most likely be trapped in the darkest and most dangerous cave I've ever entered in both the digital world and the real one. The sad thing is, I'm pretty sure Violet will be visiting me today since I gave her enough money to pay Argo for information. Nonetheless, I can't turn back now.
"Are you sure you want to do this Mortifer?" Cloud suddenly asked me.
I turned around and looked at him, bewildered. What kind of question is that supposed to be? I've been training my butt off to prepare for this dungeon, but now he wants to know if I'm ready for this even though he is the one who said I am ready in the first place.
"Of course I want to do this. I need to do this. Are you suddenly doubting my chances of survival?!" I exclaimed, irritated from his question.
"Once we go our separate ways, the tunnel will collapse behind us. We can go back using Teleport Crystals either, as they are disabled. Other than that, the only other way is for one of us to die. That is the reason why I am asking you this question now. Are you truly ready?"
Cloud said this a very serious, and deadly voice. His last statement told me the reason why he asked me that question. He is an NPC. A non-playable-character who will respawn once they die. On the other hand, I am a player stuck inside Sword Art Online. If I die here, then I will also perish in the real world. Cloud has unlimited lives, while I am stuck with just one. Even so…
"Yes… I am sure that I want to keep going…" I declared.
Cloud's eyes briefly showed pain. The pain of losing someone close to him. A tear began welling up in his eyes but he quickly wiped it away before it would stream down his cheek.
"I'll see you in a month or so then, at the fourth level…" Cloud muttered as he walked to his side of the cave. Before he got too far however, I stopped him.
"Cloud… You have lost people before me, haven't you?" I asked him with a serious tone, "Your eyes just now showed it. The pain of losing a friend or someone close to you to something terrible. But it's more than that, isn't it?"
Cloud slowly turned around. His fists were clenched in anger. His expression gave off fury, yet I could still see sorrow in his eyes.
"You lost someone you loved, didn't you? Was it this Sephiroth who killed her?"
Instead of getting the answer I wanted, Cloud rushed over to me and pinned me down on the ground, putting the tip of his giant sword against my neck. His expression no longer showed anger, but complete despair and sorrow. At that moment, I completely forgot he was an NPC, as his tears looked too real.
"Your face reveals everything Cloud. I'm sorry that you had to go through such pain. I'm sorry that you lost someone close to you. Maybe even more than one person…"
Cloud began bawling and he dropped his sword. I sat up and comforted him. It was like this for a few minutes. During that whole time, I patted his back while he cried in his arms. He went silent for a few more minutes before he finally managed to speak.
"He… Was my idol…" he muttered.
"Who was your idol?" I questioned him as he never said.
"Sephiroth… He is the reason why I became a warrior." Cloud answered, making my mind go blank.
"He was your idol? I thought he was your worst enemy."
"He is, but before all of this happened, I admired him, like many other people who wanted to become warrior. After all, he was regarded as the most famous and experienced soldier at that time. Upon thinking that his mother was an alien, he turned to the dark side. He followed his mother's path in conquering the planet. He destroyed my home village and killed the woman I loved. He still resides inside of me, making me terrible things. I am here so that I can forcible remove him from me. That's why I need you Mortifer…"
His story is intriguing, and very sad. I felt bad for him since my story is not as tragic as his. If I ever get out of this game alive, I swear that I will learn more about Cloud's story since I know he came from something in the real world. An old video game is what I think it was, but I can't really remember.
"Come on, let's go get rid of Sephiroth and end this, once and for all." I encouraged him.
He nodded and picked up his sword. He stood straight up and we walked to opposite sides of the dungeon. I entered the tunnel and so did he. I took about fifteen steps when the dungeon started shaking violently. Behind me, the light coming from outside disappeared as the big boulder rolled itself back into place. My tunnel's entrance then collapsed, making a solid wall that I can not pass.
Even though there is no longer any light, I continued walking forward fearlessly. The tunnel soon began glowing brighter with no real source of light coming from anywhere. When I turned around to look back, I then noticed that the rock wall is still there, but it looked more natural than the one that collapsed. Am I in a new room or something?
I suddenly heard a deep croaking and pulled out my sword. I scanned my dark surroundings and saw numerous glowing red eyes staring right at me. I held my sword firmly in my hands and approached the red eyes which are now giving off a hostile vibe. Using up all the courage and fighting spirit I could muster, I charged straight to the monsters that awaited me.