Chapter 9- The Trial of Shadow
April 30th, 2024
Marth was in the town called Umbral on Floor 60. The sky was dark and cloudy, which was normal for this Floor. The Dark Swordsman stood outside of a tavern before entering. Inside, he found a cloaked NPC standing behind a bar.
"What brings a young swordsman like you here, young man?" the NPC asked after noticing the player.
"I heard rumors of a powerful sword that can be found around here. Do you know more about it?"
"Ah, you speak of the Sword of Shadow. Legend states that it was a weapon used by an ancient hero in a time long forgotten. It now slumbers inside the Temple of Twilight, located deep inside the Dark Woods, waiting for a new master to claim it. It is said that one must overcome many challenges before they can claim it as their own. Do you believe that you have the strength to overcome these challenges?"
Marth nodded. "Yes, because I won't be going alone. I have my friends to support me right to the very end."
The NPC smiled. "Good. You are aware of the limits one person can do. Best of luck to you, adventurer. You will need it."
Marth got a notification that he had just accepted the quest called "Trial of Shadow". He left the tavern and headed for the inn where he found Yuuki, Kirito, Asuna and Klein waiting for him by a table.
Klein was wearing a new red robe and black armor that resembled what a samurai would wear as well as his red headband. He also had a new katana. Asuna, on the other hand, was wearing a white overcoat with red trimming, a red skirt, and long white boots with red highlights. Strapped to her waist was her new rapier, Lambent Light.
"Well?" the Fuurinkazan leader asked curiously when he saw the Dark Swordsman approach.
"I got the quest. The NPC didn't give any additional information as we had hoped, but we should be fine."
Yuuki cracked a wild grin. "That's the spirit, Marth! There's no way we can't clear this quest!"
"Don't get cocky, Yuuki," Kirito chided. "A lot of high level players died trying to complete this quest, and we're not the first to attempt it as a party."
Marth nodded in agreement. "He's right. This won't be easy. Still, I'm grateful that all of you came here to help me on such short notice. This means a lot to me."
"Of course," Asuna remarked. "What are friends for? My commanders, Heathcliff and Zelgius, were very understanding. They gave me the time off just so I could come and help you."
Marth remembered that not only was the Knights of the Blood Oath the strongest guild in Sword Art Online, it also had two guild leaders, which was unique among guilds.
"As were my guildmates too," Klein added. "Sure, it sucks that they can't come with us, since parties can only have a max of six members in SAO and only one party can attempt the Trial of Shadow quest at a time, but they understood as well. You can count on me for support, Marth!"
"And there's no way you couldn't get me involved," Yuuki stated to the Dark Swordsman. "So when do we leave?"
"That depends," Marth said, "Are you all ready?" Everyone nodded. "Then we leave now!"
Marth, being the party leader, led the others out of the town and they headed towards a large forest covered in darkness. They encountered a few monsters along the way, but they were easily dealt with. Soon the party arrived at the entrance to the Dark Woods. There were ruins of buildings scattered as well as two large statues made of black stone that resembled knights.
"Here goes nothing," Marth muttered before he took one step towards the woods.
Suddenly the eyes on the statues' glowed red, forcing the players to stop in their tracks. The entrance gate was barred shut.
"What's going on?!" Klein yelped.
"Halt, swordsman," the left statue said. "These woods host a great and terrible power within. Only those who prove themselves worthy shall be capable of wielding it."
"If you seek entry, know that once you enter, it will be nigh impossible to leave until the trial is completed," the right statue continued. "Knowing this, do you still wish to take the trial?"
Marth noticed that he got a notification asking if he wanted to take the "Trial of Shadow". He looked over to his friends, who all nodded. Marth selected the "Yes" button, causing the notification to vanish and the gate to open.
"Go then, young swordsman," the right statue said.
"Prove you are worthy of power," the left statue continued. "Prove you are worthy of the slumbering sword."
The light in the statues' eyes died out.
Klein then sighed in relief. "Phew, I thought those statues were going to attack us. I'm glad they're only here to initiate the quest."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Kirito chided. "Once we pass through the gate, we won't be able to return until the quest is completed. Is everyone ready?" The others nodded. "Then let's get moving."
The party passed through the gate and found themselves in the forest. It was very foggy, which combined with the dark shadows, made it difficult for the players to see. Luckily there were torches lighting the way.
"What are we supposed to do?" Yuuki questioned as she noticed the fog cover the entrance, trapping them within the forest.
The Dark Swordsman examined the area and said, "My guess… follow the torches. They're probably here to show us the general direction to go in."
"I agree," Kirito said. "Stay on your guard, everyone. I'm getting a bad vibe from this place. It's almost like something could pop up out of nowhere."
The Lightning Flash flinched in fear. "Don't say that, Kirito! You know how much I hate things like that!"
Kirito gave a smug smirk. "Sorry, couldn't resist."
The group followed the path of torches, with Marth in the lead. The ominous fog made it difficult for them to see anything that was a few feet from them, not even the Darkness Duo could see passed it even with their maxed out «Searching» skill. Both Asuna and Yuuki shuddered when they examined the trees more closely. Some of them had spooky faces carved into them. The whole woods was eerily quiet, which unnerved the players.
"This place is creepy," Yuuki voiced. "And there's nothing to fight here too."
Marth, on the other hand, simply shrugged. "Eh, I've seen worse," he passed off.
"Why am I not surprised?" Asuna deadpanned.
Soon the group reached the last torch, but there were no landmarks in sight.
"Great," Klein cursed. "Now what?"
Kirito examined their surroundings before saying, "I think that if we go the wrong way, we'll spawn back at the entrance and we'll have to do this all over again. Since there aren't any more torches, there must be another pathway we have to take."
Marth stared at the trees and noticed something odd. "Hey guys," the Dark Swordsman said. "Some of these trees have star carvings on them instead of faces. Maybe we have to follow those to reach the end."
"Only one way to find out," Kirito replied.
The party followed the trees with stars. Soon the fog cleared up and they found themselves standing before a large ruined temple, which was made of the same material as the statues.
"So this is the Temple of Twilight," Klein commented. "I thought they said this quest would be hard, but we got here with no problem. We didn't even encounter any monsters here."
"Don't pat yourself on the back yet, Klein," Asuna lightly scolded. "The quest said that it has multiple trials. We just completed the first one by arriving here." She narrowed her eyes at the temple. "I've got a bad feeling that things are going to get much more difficult once we go inside."
Yuuki looked ecstatic. "This'll be awesome! Let's go!" The Absolute Sword started to sprint to the temple, only to be stopped when Marth grabbed her by the collar. "Ow! What was that for?!" Yuuki then noticed the stern look on Marth's face.
"I know you're excited, but you can't just run into an unknown area headfirst. And you shouldn't get ahead of the group. We need to stick together. Is that clear?"
Yuuki lowered her head in shame. "Crystal. I'm sorry." The swordswoman then gasped as Marth patted her head before walking past her.
"It's alright," the Dark Swordsman remarked, unaware of the blush on Yuuki's face. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited too. C'mon, we should get moving."
The other party members just stared at the duo in awe, though Kirito had the hint of a tiny smirk on his face. They all then entered the Temple of Twilight, the doors sealing behind them. Torches on the walls then ignited with purple flames, illuminating the corridor. They proceeded down the corridor and soon found a branched hallway.
"Which way should we go?" Asuna asked curiously. "They both look the same."
Suddenly a loud rumble could be heard from the right hall, which grew louder and louder.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Klein muttered nervously.
As if on cue, a large boulder soon appeared, rolling down the right hall.
"Runaway boulder!?" Kirito shouted in fear.
The party hurried down the left hallway, only to be chased by another boulder.
"Seriously!" the samurai exclaimed. "We're not even downhill! How is this thing still chasing us?!"
"Because we're in a video game, Klein," Marth chided. "It doesn't follow the same physics from the real world. Just focus on running!"
"I HATE THIS GAME!?" Klein shouted in outrage.
They soon came across a room with a door, prompting the players to run inside and subsequently close the door. A loud crash could be heard from the other side, which was most likely just the boulder colliding with the wall. The party then let out a sigh in relief.
"Thank goodness we're okay," Asuna said as she tried to catch her breath. "I think my life flashed before my eyes."
Yuuki giggled in amusement. "That was great! Can we do it again?"
Klein slouched in exasperation. "Please tell me you're kidding," the samurai begged. "I'll take fighting monsters any day over running away from giant boulders."
Kirito noticed a peculiar mural on the wall and approached it to examine it. "Hey guys," he called out after a moment. "Take a look at this."
The others went over to the Black Swordsman and saw the mural, which showed a small group of people fighting against a black demonic creature. In front of the group was a lone swordsman wielding a pair of swords, with one being black and the other gold.
"What is this?" Yuuki questioned, having lost her enthusiasm.
"I don't know," Marth admitted. "I've never seen anything like this before. Wish there was some text to tell us the backstory of it."
Suddenly the torches' flames changed to green.
"Now what's happening?!" Klein said.
Multiple Lizardmen and golems then spawned into the room, prompting the players to draw their weapons. The Lizardmen wore chainmail armor and were wielding one-edged swords and small metal shields. The monsters had the players surrounded.
"What was that about not encountering any monsters here, Klein?" Yuuki said teasingly, causing the samurai to groan.
"Let's not point fingers at each other and focus on the fight at hand," Kirito chided.
"Be careful, guys," Marth warned. "These things are really high-leveled. Hit 'em hard and fast."
"Got it," everyone said.
The Dark Swordsman charged at a Lizardman and struck its shield with «Vertical», knocking the shield away. "Yuuki, Switch!" The Absolute Sword rushed towards the Lizardman and stabbed it in the chest with «Vorpal Strike», which was a single thrust with her sword, killing it.
Meanwhile Kirito charged at a golem. The golem swung its arm at the Black Swordsman in an attempt to force the player back, but Kirito rolled out of the way and activated «Horizontal Arc», his sword glowing blue in the process. He began by swinging Elucidator horizontally to the right, cutting through the golem's waist, before flipping his wrists and finishing the skill by swinging his sword in the opposite direction.
"Asuna, Switch!" Kirito exclaimed.
The Lightning Flash lived up to her name as she moved like a blur towards the golem, using Star Splash to stab the golem five times in the chest at high speed. Klein then finished it off with a Sword Skill.
Marth and Yuuki then worked in tandem to defeat another golem. Yuuki used «Slant» to deflect its attack, allowing Marth to strike it with «Horizontal Square». He began by performing a horizontal swing to the left, which was followed by a horizontal swing to the right. The golem attempted to punch the Dark Swordsman, but the Sword Skill had Marth's body spin clockwise, evading the attack while also getting the swordsman at the monster's left flank. Marth then performed the third horizontal strike to the right before finishing the skill with a forehand strike from the right. The golem groaned as a square of light briefly expanded from it before shattering into polygons.
"I told you we make a good team," Yuuki stated, causing Marth to chuckle.
After fifteen minutes, the players managed to kill all the monsters. On the other side of the room, a new door opened, revealing a new pathway. Everyone looked exhausted from the fight.
"*Pant* Did we *Pant* get 'em all?" Klein said in-between breaths.
"Looks *Pant* like it," Asuna replied. "Let's rest for a bit before moving on."
No one argued and sat down to catch their breath. After a brief rest, the party proceeded down the new hallway and went through many different rooms before arriving in a courtyard with a gate on the other side. The courtyard had an old fountain with no water in the center and what appeared to be a garden. By the gate were two statues that looked identical to the statues from before. When the party approached them, the eyes in the statues turned red.
"You have done well to make it this far, swordsman," said the right statue. "But one final test remains."
"The Blade of Shadow must choose if you are worthy to wield its power," the left statue continued. "If it deems you so, then you may claim the Lunara as your own. However, if the Lunara does not find you worthy, then you will lose your life."
"Wait, what?!" the players shouted in disbelief.
"May the shadows favor you, young swordsman," the left statue said. The light in the statues' eyes went out.
A brief silence enveloped the party.
"Maybe this wasn't a good idea to do this quest after all," Klein said finally. "This 'final test' might be the reason no one has been able to complete it."
"But we can't quit after making it this far," Marth replied. "Besides, we can't leave until the quest is completed or we fail, so we don't really have a choice in the matter."
The Dark Swordsman approached the gate, which groaned as it slowly opened by itself, revealing a small courtyard with a black sword in a stone pedestal. The party passed through the gate and entered the new courtyard. Marth approached the Lunara and examined it closely. The sword was ornate in design and was completely black and had a wing-shaped cross-guard that faced the pommel. An onyx gem was embedded in the center of the guard which seemed to shine in the light.
"Here goes nothing," Marth thought before grabbing the Lunara's pommel with both hands and attempted to pull it out. However, as soon as his fingers made contact with the handle, he cried out in pain as it felt like electricity was shooting throughout his body before he was sent sprawling on the ground by an unknown force. The Lunara was then surrounded by a dark, menacing aura.
"Marth!?" Yuuki shouted in worry as she ran to the Dark Swordsman. "Are you okay?"
The swordsman slowly rose to his feet and slowly said, "I-I'm fine."
"Finally," said a deep voice. "After all these years… I am finally free!"
The players looked around the area but found no one else here.
"Who said that?!" Asuna shouted. "Show yourself!"
"As you wish," the voice said.
The aura around the Lunara intensified before revealing a man with pale skin and black armor. His eyes were a crimson red and his hair was a dark black. He had a large sword strapped to his waist.
Klein slightly trembled in fear. "Wh-what in Aincrad is that?"
"I am Jarrod, the Demon King," said the man. He turned his head towards Marth and his eyes flashed with anger. "You! I will make you pay for trapping me in that sword. Prepare to die, human scum!"
The Dark Swordsman raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"
"Don't feign ignorance. Once you're dead, your friends will be next. I think the girl in purple will be the first."
The others gasped in shock.
Marth gritted his teeth in rage. "I won't let you lay a finger on Yuuki?!" he shouted. "You're going down, creep!"
Jarrod looked unfazed by the threat. "You haven't changed at all, boy." He drew his sword. "You talk tough but let's see if your skills haven't dulled over the years."
"Bring it on!" Yuuki declared.
The players quickly drew their weapons as the gate closed, preventing their escape. Jarrod was then identified as Demon King Jarrod and had three HP bars.
"Looks like he's the final boss of this dungeon," Kirito said as he gripped his Elucidator tightly.
"Watch yourselves, everyone," Asuna said in warning. "This won't be easy."
Jarrod's sword glowed red as he charged at the players, his weapon raised. The party quickly separated to avoid the attack, causing the Demon King to strike the ground instead. The impact created a powerful shockwave that sent the players recoiling back even further.
The players, however, quickly recovered and charged at the boss. Jarrod attempted to swing his sword at the Black Swordsman, but Marth blocked it with Horizontal, allowing Kirito to strike the boss with «Vertical Arc», his sword glowing blue in the process. Kirito began the skill with a diagonal slash from top-left to bottom-middle. Then, as his sword approached the floor, Kirito quickly readjusted his wrist and finished the skill with another diagonal slash from bottom-middle to top-right. The Sword Skill sent Jarrod recoiling into the air while also removing a quarter of his HP.
"Yuuki, with me!" Asuna ordered as she charged at the boss.
"Okay!" the Absolute Sword replied.
The blade of Asuna's Lambent Light glowed a bright green as she activated «Quadruple Pain». She performed four thrusts with her rapier, striking the Demon King in the chest. Due to «Quadruple Pain»'s bonus effect, Jarrod was temporarily immobilized.
"Yuuki, Switch!" the Lightning Flash exclaimed as a purple blur ran past her.
The Absolute Sword's sword glowed purple as she activated «Sharp Nail». She began with a diagonal slash from the bottom-right to top left, slicing through Jarrod's chest, and followed by a horizontal slash from left to right, hitting the same area, before finishing the skill with another diagonal slash from top-right to bottom-left.
"You're up, Klein!" Yuuki shouted at the samurai as Jarrod's first HP bar reduced to zero.
The samurai nodded. "Leave it to me!"
Jarrod howled in rage as he brought his sword down on the samurai, who blocked it with his katana. However, the impact reduced Klein's HP by a quarter and he pinned beneath the large blade.
"A little help here!" Klein shouted.
"Hang on, Klein!" Kirito called out as he ran to the samurai's aid. The Black Swordsman quickly activated «Vorpal Strike» as he charged at the boss, stabbing Jarrod in the right side, sending the boss recoiling back as a result.
"Thanks," Klein said in relief.
"No prob."
Right when the players managed to reduce Jarrod's third HP bar to halfway, he shouted, "Enough!" Jarrod slammed his sword into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked the party off their feet. "I grow tired of this! I will finish you all now!"
Jarrod's body then morphed into a ten-foot-tall demon with his sword changing to match his size.
"Die!" Jarrod's sword began to glow an eerie purple-black. He then swung his sword at Marth, sending a purple beam at the swordsman. Luckily Marth rolled out of the way in time and was barely managed to dodge it. The beam ended up colliding with a wall and briefly covered most of the field in a cloud of dust.
"He's tough," Marth thought as he checked him and his friends' HP bars, which were all half of their maximum. "If any of us gets hit by that attack, it's over. What can I do?"
The Dark Swordsman noticed that he had rolled next to the Lunara, which had darkness seeping out of it. Marth then got an idea and hastily sheathed his sword before once again grasping Lunara's pommel with both hands and attempted to pull it from its pedestal, ignoring the pain he felt as its power flooded into him.
Unfortunately, Jarrod, who was engaged with Kirito and Asuna, noticed what Marth was up to and shouted, "I don't think so!"
The Demon King prepared to send another dark energy blast at the Dark Swordsman, but Klein interrupted him by slashing at his back using a Sword Skill.
"Sorry," Klein said smugly. "Can't let you stop him now, can I?"
"C'mon Marth!" Yuuki encouraged. "Put your back into it!"
Marth let out a howl as he pulled on the black sword. Glimmers of dark light began shining from the pedestal as the sword slowly started to come out. Soon Marth successfully removed the sword from its pedestal and nearly fell backward due to the amount of force he exerted on it. The Dark Swordsman panted in exhaustion as he held the sword in his right hand and examined it. The sword felt perfect in his hand, as if it was made for him in mind, not to mention that it was no longer trying to overwhelm him.
"NO!?" Jarrod shouted in rage before launching another black blast at the Dark Swordsman.
"Marth, watch out!" Yuuki cried out in warning.
Marth quickly turned around and saw the attack coming. He quickly spun to the left and avoided the blast before charging at the boss. Sparks flew in the air as their swords clashed before Marth gained the upper hand and knocked Jarrod's sword away.
"Yuuki, Switch!"
The Absolute Sword acknowledged and charged at the Demon King. Purple flames ignited from her sword as she activated her Unique Skill, «Mother's Rosario», stabbing the boss in the chest at high speed. Yuuki then moved to the side as Marth activated «Vorpal Strike», stabbing Jarrod right in the heart and removing the last of the boss's HP.
"No, not… again," the boss groaned before shattering into blue polygons while the gate reopened.
"Is it… over?" Kirito asked in concern.
"I hope so," Asuna replied before they all collapsed from exhaustion.
"Man, I'm wiped," Klein added.
"Well done," said a new voice, prompting the players to stand up again. A man in a black cloak appeared in front of the pedestal and looked directly at the group. Marth gasped as he realized that it was the same NPC from the bar.
"Who are you?" Yuuki asked.
"I am the Guardian of Darkness," the man said. "It was my charge to watch over the Lunara as it slumbered and contained the evil that is the Demon King until its rightful wielder would appear. I knew that Jarrod would eventually escape from the Sword of Shadow, so I took it upon myself to find the sword's chosen wielder and bring him here."
"You mean the quest was just to find someone to wield a sword?" Klein questioned.
The NPC nodded. "Correct. However, I had to be sure that no one unworthy would lay their hands upon the sacred blade, so I created a series of trials to test their worth." He locked eyes with Marth. "You were able to remove Lunara from its plinth. That in itself has proven that you alone are the one to wield the sword. As you grow in strength, so too does the Lunara. The Trial of Shadow has been completed. Accept these as your reward, heroes."
The players got a notification stating that the quest has been completed, as well as what rare items they had received. Lunara then disappeared from Marth's hand, only for another notification to reveal that it was a bonus item for the Dark Swordsman.
"I can't believe we actually cleared this quest," Marth said in awe.
"Neither do I," Kirito replied before smiling as he placed his right hand on his partner's shoulder. "But hey, at least you got yourself a new weapon, and a powerful one at that."
"Yeah," Marth agreed.
"I will now send you back to Umbral," the NPC continued. "Remember what you have learned here. Farewell, heroes."
A bright light consumed the party before they found themselves in the plaza of Umbral.
"Does anyone else think that quest was a little odd?" Klein asked.
Asuna nodded. "Yeah. It felt different from most other quests in Aincrad. Why is that?"
"Who cares?" Yuuki said cheerfully. "We got some awesome stuff from it, including a legendary weapon for Marth! There's not much else to think about, right Marth?"
The Dark Swordsman shrugged. "I guess, but something still bugging me."
"What is it?" Kirito asked.
"When Jarrod appeared, it felt like I had met him before," Marth explained. "He said that I was the one who sealed him inside the Lunara, but I would've remembered something like that."
Klein shrugged. "That's probably what he was programmed to say. I wouldn't worry too much about it."
The party ended up leaving the debate as is and went their separate ways to fulfill their own obligations.