AN: Um... Hi?
I would drone on about my excuses on not updating (holidays, away with family, etc.) but I think you'd rather I just give you the chapter.
So, I'm just going to go straight to the chapter.
Sorry for not updating for so long.
Responding to my reviewers:
jorrdy12: "LOL, Kains comment of 'Comrades? What are we in? Communist Russia?' was hilarious, nice chap, and merry christmas to you too!"
A: Glad you liked that joke. I'm glad you like that chapter!
Articatskill: ""'Um...Kirito? Are you crying?' Asuna asked, weirded out by my silent thinking." (The Tale of a Zekken and the Beater, Chapter 10) Wouldn't be surprised if he was, XD. The way I see it you shouldn't end this story at floor 75 unless you have something special planned out. You would need to develop the plot a lot more in order to do that, or else this would just end up like the anime missing a lot of potential. Poor, poor Klein. Doesn't know what he's been doing wrong. Lonely man. Give him a good pairing would ya? It'll be nice to have him more involved. (Psst, gotta have those teases?) And onto the question if you should write about the IRL part of this story you could if you want to, I've always liked fics where families could see what they're doing ;). Overall this chapter stays close to canon, but good work so far. Looking forward to your next update, MeRrY ChRiStMaS!"
A: Ok, thanks for your opinion. I'll most likely construct a story arc to go from floor 75 to 100 anyway. As for Klein... I might make a pairing for him but I'm afraid I'd be bringing way too many OC Characters. Maybe I'll pair him with Ilda or something. The IRL part of the stories would be more of a minor 'update-overview of the game status' sort of thing, nothing major but a refreshing change of setting. It's good to know that you enjoyed that chapter.
InfiniteAJ: "I feel like I'm honestly being teased with this fic. But that's a good thing. I'm really enjoying this so far. It's hard to find good Yuurito fics out there, and this is probably the best I've read so far. I love the 'slow burn' relationship between Kirito/Yuuki, it makes it all the more exciting when they finally get together. Excited how you write that too, hope it won't be too much like the anime, which felt really forced. Also, I think you should go past floor 75, and also show more of the outside world and the families. It's a nice refresher. Honestly surprised no one else has really done this, I know I would if I ever wrote SAO."
A: Well, at least I'm doing something right. Is Yuurito the actual shipping name? I always thought of it as Kiruki or something like that. I'm glad you like the 'slow burn' relationship but me being me, I'll probably chuck a few obstacles and things in between to make it more...agonising. I sort of have a plan on how I would write the actual 'get together' moment so I hope I don't disappoint when I do get that chapter out. As for going past floor 75, I've counted your vote. The IRL part as I said earlier in another response won't be a central focus, more of just an outside view of what's happening during the game.
RedBurningDragon: "So if Kirito ever has a voice in his head about how he likes Yuuki could it be Agil. Good old Restaurant best restaurant in all of SAO great lol"
A: Yup, exactly what I was planning. I feel like I'm making too many abridged references... Need to cut back on those.
galocasta: "First of all, the way you articulate the story it's interesting, it's better than many stories that I've read so far. But I would suggested that you improvved your dialogues please, many of them are hard to tell or read. Try to think about dialgoue as something that can be said, read not once, but many times and aloud, that way you would know when a dialogue it's fluid and organic.
Other thing you can try to improve it's to put in the situation of the characters to see what they would really say in that moment, for example in the first paragraphs of this chapter (I know you say it's not your best, but I used it as example) you put: "Yukki! No, this can't be happening. Yukki!", for the situation maybe it would be better to put that just screams "Yukki!" and add more detalis about how he feels in that moment.
Finally, there are sometimes that the characters talk so formally, try to make it more organic and direct. Hope it's helpful to you, anything just send me a message."
A: Thank you so much for your feedback! It's really, really helpful! I'll be sure to take into account your suggestions for future chapters. I cannot tell you how glad I am for you giving me this review. This means that I can write even better! I'll try to make the dialogue more casual though sometimes the actual script for the anime makes it sound a bit formal.
jord477: "Oooohhhhh I can't WAIT for the next chapter! I LOVE this fanfic! Good luck and update soon! Sorry, didn't mean any pressure! By the way, are you gonna do a chapter or scene where Yuuki and Asuna confront each other about their feelings for Kirito? I kinda can imagine the two having a duel over who loves him more."
A: Yay, another person loves my fanfic! :) I'll take your suggestion and see what I can do. No promises though.
HaiWulffEx: "This was totally your worst chapter...jkjk. So this was basically a setup chapter/episode in the LN/anime, and it sort of feels the same here, though not in a bad way. One of the other comments saying how they feel inorganic is sort of right, and I felt as if they weren't clicking with each other as if they were actual friends, if that makes any sense? Either way, writing wise it was great, but I personally prefer setting some more time to describe the scenes they're in, or having their thoughts in the area (though tbf, we all sort of know how they look like, but descriptors are still welcome). Anyways, to answer the question about Fate, tbh, idk. It may just be that I'm too addicted to FGO rn, haha."
A: Noooooo... Oh you were just kidding? Phew. With the inorganic and not-acting-as-friends problem, thanks for raising it with me, I'll do my best to correct that in future chapters and in rewrites (If I get to that). With your preference to description, I'm on the same boat but sometimes I feel like I'm too wordy and just go on and on with the description. But I'll try to describe more.
AnimeLord737: "Another impressive chapter! I'm sure it was a struggle to get it out for Christmas, so thanks for doing that. I really like your narrative voice; it's quite humorous and sarcastic while still being clever. In response to your question, I think continuing the story until floor 100 would be a good distinguisher between this story and the anime (it always bugged me that the anime stopped at floor 75, it seemed anticlimactic). Anyway, another quality chapter as usual! :)"
A: Thanks! It sort of was a struggle but not a lot since I planned to release the chapter the day after Christmas anyway. I'm glad you like my narrative voice too! Thanks for the answer, I'll count it in with the votes.
justTHATguyOVERthere: "I actually really liked this story. Though your author's notes aren't as funny as you seem to think they are."
A: Thanks! Good to know you like my story. As for my ANs well, at least you like my story. My AN is pretty much just me speaking my mind so its ok if I think they're funny but you don't think it. Everybody's got a different sense of humour anyway.
RedAce16: "Awesome job! I love the story! Although I think that Yuuki and Kirito should split up occasionally. Kinda like the anime Asuna and Kirito did, like seeing each other at boss battles and stuff. But not permanently together. Does that make sense? Like it could just be your OC (whose name I can't remember how to spell) has 2 jobs from Kirito and Yuuki to do, that's kinda what I mean. And I think it might be better if Kirito meets Lisbeth without Yuuki. Well actually Idk cuz it would be externally funny to see a pissed off Yuuki for Lisbeth's feelings. Anyways keep up the amazing work! I can't wait for you next chapter!"
A: Thanks! I also agree that Yuuki and Kirito should split up. And I like your idea for how they split up too although I plan to put in some fights, quest splitting and other fun things like that as well. And for your information, I plan to have Yuuki accompany Kirito and Lizbeth for that whole self-imposed quest. So yeah!
That's all the reviews I have. 10 reviews on one chapter! NEW RECORD!
Ahem... anyway, onwards to the chapter!
~Floor 55, Wanderer's Desert Town, 10:00am Game Time~
Yuuki's POV
"You ready?"
"Yeah, you?"
"Sis, I was born ready. I'm gonna show you why my Guandao is so much better than your lil' sickle."
"I'll let you know that this 'lil' sickle' is almost as tall as you!"
Itu huffed indignantly as Ilda held her scythe upright to measure its height against Itu. The scythe was just short of clearing Itu's head; by about a centimetre or so.
"Since when did size matter?" Itu countered innocently.
"Well, you're the one who implied it."
"Can both of you stop? We're about to attack a field boss and you two are arguing on whose glorified hitting stick is better." Kirito chided, appearing next to me.
"Glorified hitting stick?" the siblings snarled in unison.
"Yup. Yours," Kirito said pointing to Itu, "is just a glorified spear, which in turn is pretty much a glorified stabbing stick, while your sister's," Kirito continued, pointing towards Ilda but more specifically her scythe, "is just a very weird spear with its spearhead sticking from the side of one end. Which again, is just a glorified hitting stick." Kirito finished explaining, seemingly proud of his explanation. I facepalmed and prepared for the maelstrom of tirades that would be the aftermath of insulting the siblings' weapons. I waited for said maelstrom. It never came. The siblings were struggling to form any words, resorting to glaring and menacingly holding their weapons. Kirito looked at them with a passing glance, seemingly not affected by any of their vicious glares.
A loud roar suddenly sounded from the distance, signalling the beginning of the raid. Kirito drew his sword as did I while the siblings readied their weapons, all traces of their previous bickering gone. We all ducked behind a sandstone wall near the edge of the town, preparing ourselves for the moment when the vanguard scouts would lure Sheeptaur into the village. From there, all tank groups would engage the boss monster, drawing immediate aggro before the DPS groups, which included us, charged. After the whole 'murder in the safe zone' fiasco, Asuna had called for another boss meeting where she admitted that there were some faults with her original plan and thus proposed a better one. While we would still lure it into the village to stop it going absolutely mental on us, we would surround it and overcome it with sheer numbers. Since Sheeptaur would aggro at whatever was nearest to it, if multiple players were near it at once, the AI should be confused on which player to target, essentially 'soft-locking' or 'glitch-locking' it.
Another roar shook the ground beneath us. I took a quick peek at the other DPS groups who were hiding inside sandstone buildings, on top of giant palm trees and inside haystacks. The tank groups stood on guard with their shields raised as they slowly began to gather near the centre of the village, where our assault would take place in. The village centre was nothing special, just a crossroad where four distinct, sand-baked brick roads met, intersecting each other. These four roads were the main streets of the small village, where the daily, scripted activity of NPC merchants would occur, activities such as running side-street stalls, selling rare and common items. The buildings which neatly lined the roads were positioned behind the stalls, all with open-able doors to access hidden and sometimes useless NPCs. All in all, it was a typical desert village with perfect vantage and ambush positions.
In the distance, I heard heavy yet quick footsteps nearing the southern end of the town.
"Get ready, the boss is here." I whispered, ducking behind the sandstone wall once more. Kirito nodded in acknowledgement while Ilda and Itu simply tightened their grip on their weapons and tensed up, ready to spring into action. The heavy footsteps gradually neared before stopping. A loud battle cry rang through the air, followed by the sound of armoured players streaming towards the boss. Kirito immediately jumped up, vaulting over the small sandstone wall, charging at Sheeptaur. The rest of us followed, drawing out our own weapons and activating our skills. A sea of colours surrounded Sheeptaur as numerous players swarmed the boss, striking viciously. I could barely hear anything other than the din of grunts, shouts and battle cries, all of which were entirely unnecessary in my opinion.
I actually felt sorry for the Minotaur; had it actually been sentient, as it was tossed around, battered from side to side as each blow knocked it backwards. Apart from that, we could clearly tell that the AI in charge of Sheeptaur was severely confused, looking back and forth between players, its axe poised to strike but never actually moving anywhere, since its aggro kept switching from player to player. I joined the fray, my sword slashing left and right, cleaving great gashes into Sheeptaur. I alternated between two of my strongest hitting skills, gracefully weaving a tapestry of wounds onto the "PG-ed Minotaur".
In my peripheral vision, I saw Ilda and Itu with their unique weapons, jabbing, slashing and slicing at the boss while narrowly avoiding hitting other players who were attacking the boss. Kirito fought right beside me, hacking and slashing like a demon, his Elucidator constantly shifting colours as he exhausted his entire list of skills on the monster. When Sheeptaur got down to its final healthbar (it had four to begin with), it held out its axe, rotating it so that the blade of the axe was sideways. I had a sinking feeling that this boss raid wasn't going to be casualty free. Sheeptaur bleated vehemently, (because anything is possible in Aincrad apparently…) before spinning around, battering all the player surrounding it with its axe. No one had enough time to react to such an unforeseen counterattack, resulting in everyone who was attacking Sheeptaur to be sent flying as the axe smashed into each and every one of our bodies.
My body was once more tossed like a rag doll onto the nearest structure, which so happened to be one of the street-side stalls. I felt my back erupt in pain as I suddenly found myself lying on the ground, the burning hot sand pressing against my back while my head was haphazardly resting on one of the poles which supported the tarp on top of the stall. I looked up to find a charging Sheeptaur with demon-red eyes, charging at me with its axe in tow. I scrambled onto my feet, my hands reaching for my sword. That's when I hit problem number one. My sword had been knocked out of my hand when Sheeptaur saw fit to go all Ninjitzu on all of us. Problem number two was that I had an aggro-ed Sheeptaur, hellbent on attacking me for some reason unknown to me. Sadly, my sword was lying on the ground just a few metres away from me, so tantalisingly close. But I knew I wouldn't be able to reach my sword in time. So instead, I steadied myself, ready to evade any incoming attack. I ducked instinctively, feeling wind rush past my head from Sheeptaur's strike. I rolled underneath its legs, ignoring the pain it caused as the rough sand and stones which made up the road dug into my back. I recovered from my roll and stood up, immediately charging at the monster's back while it was delivering devastating blows against the stall. Honestly, what did the poor stall do to it anyway? My hands lit up, an orange, electric-like substance formed an outer layer surrounding my fist as I went to punch Sheeptaur.
Unlike what I thought before, using a martial arts skill against a boss monster wasn't too bad of an idea, except for the fact that it was a FREAKING boss monster! My punch made no noticeable difference to its healthbar nor its actual body. All it did was push it forward so that it facepalmed with the street-side stall. I guess it should've been face-stalled? Or face-slammed? Anyway, taking this minute opportunity, I ran to my sword, fumbling with the hilt. By then, Itu, Ilda and Kirito jumped into the fray, attacking Sheeptaur with new ferocity. Itu decided that Sheeptaur didn't need to use its legs, rapidly jabbing at its legs while his sister concluded that Sheeptaur would've been better if it was neutered and well… dealt with that area. Kirito on the other hand parried all of Sheeptaur's attacks, allowing Itu and Ilda to attack undisturbed.
Holding out my sword, I ran at the boss monster, helping Kirito parry Sheeptaur's attack. We worked in perfect harmony, one of us parrying its attack while the other attacked and vice-versa. Soon, Sheeptaur was slain by the consistent and powerful attacks of Ilda and Itu. As the body of Sheeptaur dissipated into pixels, I saw the siblings high-fiving each other, clearly proud of their part in felling the sort-of mythological beast. I glanced upwards towards a corner of my vision where my healthbar was located. Upon reaching it, I was relieved to see that I was still in the green zone, safe from the death's grasp.
"You're either extremely brave or extremely dumb to have initiated a fist fight with Sheeptaur." Kirito said, walking towards me, his sword already sheathed on his back. "Or both." Kirito added cheekily.
"I think brave was the word you were looking for." I coolly responded. Kirito simply shrugged.
"Did you get any items?"
"No… not really. You?"
"I think this might be something you want." Kirito promptly opened his menu, tapping on a few displays until a message popped up in front of me.
[Player] Kirito wishes to trade with you.
He is offering:
1 x [Armour] Woollen Boots
In return for:
Null
Do you accept?
[Yes] [No]
"Woollen Boots? What are those for?" I asked, confused at the seemingly useless piece of equipment being offered to me.
"Well, according to the game, it's a luxury item that not only looks fashionable, but also boosts strength by about..." Kirito looks at his display. "70 points. Wow, that's a really valuable item huh?"
"I hope you're not implying that I'm weak." I said with mock anger.
"N-No, it's just that I thought you might want a boost to your strength stat so that you could wield Absolute Obsidian better." Kirito explained. "Plus, a little bit of strength wouldn't hurt, especially when it comes to punching boss monsters." he added teasingly.
"Please explain to me how woollen boots do anything to boost strength." I demanded, completely perplexed.
"Don't ask me, it's game logic. Everything goes in virtual reality. Or games. Are you gonna to take them or not?"
"Sure, why not?" I said confirming the trade request. Suddenly, a pair of boots appeared in my menu. I tapped on the item name before clicking equip. My feet suddenly felt lighter. I looked down to see if the game glitched and just unequipped my normal shoes. Instead, what I saw were purple boots with its exterior being covered by a felt-like texture. The interior was made up of soft fluffy wool which made it comfortable to wear.
"Wow. They look really nice. It suits you." Kirito said, staring at my new boots.
"Thanks. These are really comfortable." I said as I busied myself in feeling how comfortable my new article of clothing was. I was about to speak when Itu and Ilda walked towards us, seemingly continuing their weapons argument, as if it had never been interrupted.
"So, you got a what?" Ilda asked, casually twirling her scythe with her left hand like a badass.
"Sis!" Itu whined, dragging out the word. "I told you a thousand times over! I got a key which apparently unlocks a door, somewhere on this level."
"Can I see the item?"
"I would except that it won't allow me to equip it, hold it or trade it. For trading, there simply is no option. It's just…non-existent. As for equipping it or holding it, I just get a cryptic message instead." Itu answered, shuddering at the thought of the cryptic message.
"What does the message say?" Ilda curiously asked, momentarily stopping her scythe twirling.
"The time for all to be revealed is nigh, to the secret place where sacred trees roost high, a door to be found for six of you, choose well or face death's cruel, cruel brew. But for now, what lies in the shadows shall remain there." Itu recited, ending the last verse with a shiver. The 'cryptic message' sent chills up my spine. The four of us stood in silence, processing the creepy message and what it could mean.
"Well, at least you guys aren't fighting over who's stick is better." Kirito said, breaking the silence with attempted light-hearted humour.
"Sticks?!" The siblings simultaneously yelled, twirling their 'sticks' menacingly at Kirito.
"Um, I meant awesome weapons." Kirito quickly clarified. But Ilda and Itu didn't buy Kirito's clarification. Instead they moved towards Kirito.
"We've got a bone to pick with you. Let's see if our weapons really are sticks." Itu said threateningly. Kirito gulped before turning towards me.
"Yuuki, help me out?" Kirito squeaked, eying the insulted stick wielders.
"Ok. I suggest you run." I cheerily said. Kirito attempted to puppy-eyes me but sadly it was ineffective.
"Not very helpful Yuuki." Kirito deadpanned, slowly backing away.
"Well, at least I told you to run." I sang mockingly. Itu and Ilda decided to jump Kirito while he was talking to me, catching him by surprise. Fortunately for Kirito, he was able to jump away in time, avoiding the none-business ends of both weapons.
"Get back here!" Ilda started to chase Kirito, with Itu actively trying to cut off Kirito. They ran all over the town, Kirito running like a madman whilst begging Ilda and Itu to forgive him. The rest of the raid boss party watched on in amusement, cheering on Ilda and Itu as they started to catch up to Kirito. Kirito attempted to run behind me, only to be tackled by Itu.
"Ok, Ok! I give up. It was wrong for me to call your epic weapons, sticks." Kirito conceded, struggling to break out of Itu's tackle. Ilda caught up with him and began to poke Kirito with the butt of her scythe, causing Kirito to squirm.
"Stop, stop!" Kirito pleaded, rolling around as Itu joined in with their make-shift torture session. I giggled at the sight of Kirito squirming and pleading, watching as the blue-haired girl and green-haired boy mercilessly punish Kirito for apparent blasphemy.
"What on earth is going on?" Asuna demanded. Itu and Ilda stopped momentarily, allowing Kirito to roll away.
"Well Kirito kinda insulted their weapons by calling them sticks which really pissed them off. So they decided to take matters into their own hands." I explained.
"Oh. I see. Carry on then." Asuna nonchalantly said.
"What?!" Kirito said, completely surprised by Asuna's reaction. Itu and Ilda spun around immediately, finding Kirito in the motions of escaping. "Oh crap."
After a few more minutes of Kirito getting chased, tackled and poked, Itu and Ilda relented, letting Kirito go free. The raven-haired swordsman glared at me with some traces of playfulness before turning to face Asuna who was addressing the entire raid group from the top of a building.
"Well done everybody! Despite that unexpected attack by Sheeptaur, we have managed to achieve a casualty free victory! We haven't achieved such a victory since Floor 20. Now, we shall proceed to the labyrinth of this floor! Onwards!" Asuna said with an inspiring tone. Asuna leaped from the building onto the ground in front of them, heading towards the southern side of the town. The raid group cheered before marching, following Asuna. I turned around, following the back of the group with Kirito and the siblings. Kirito walked in step with me.
"Why did you leave me in their wrath?" Kirito complained, rubbing multiple locations where the angered siblings had assaulted him with the non-lethal ends of their weapons, which had dealt minuscule damage that still hurt.
"Well, you sorta deserve it." I answered, patting Kirito on the shoulder. Kirito and I walked in silence for the rest of the trip. As we walked, I looked around at the scenery which slowly turned from a lifeless desert into a valley with hills of varying sizes on either side. The valley was filled with lush green grass and tall vibrant trees which grew on top of the hills. In the middle of the valley was a dull stone tower reaching past the skyline, ascending into the heavens onto the next floor. Intricate golden double doors guarded the dull tower. It was decorated with two images of a silver tree, one on each side stood. The embossed silver trees, of which bronze apples were imprinted to be hanging from their branches decorated the door, with an overlapping apple serving as a lock with a keyhole.
"That's strange, generally labyrinth tower entrances don't have doors with locks on them." Asuna mused, holding her hand up to stop the marching raid party. The raid party stopped walking, joking around and talking to each other as they stopped. Asuna dramatically pushed the doors open only to find that it didn't budge. A loud droning sound emitted from within the doors causing everyone to draw their weapons. Kirito and I drew our weapons in sync, holding them in front of us, bracing for any sort of attack. The ground started to shake violently, stirring unease within the raid group. I looked around, observing our surroundings. The environment around us did not change at all, no sudden spawns, no colour scheme change in the actual valley, nothing. Looking back towards the doors I readied my blade. The previously colourless keyhole suddenly glowed red before a gust of wind blew everyone backwards. Kirito and I dug our blades into the ground, anchoring ourselves into the ground. Others stumbled backwards, taken by surprise.
"What the hell? What was that?" Ilda questioned, leaning on her scythe.
"I have no idea. It just seems like Asuna can't open the door." Kirito responded, walking towards a confused Asuna. Tapping her on the shoulder with his finger, Kirito sheathed his sword and waited for a response. Asuna looked over her shoulder to find Kirito and started to have a heated discussion with him. I walked towards them, hoping to listen in. Ilda and Itu followed, their weapons poised in a casual but guarded position.
"Well, I don't know! All it said was 'defeat Sheeptaur and obtain the quest key'. What's that supposed to mean?" Asuna said clearly annoyed.
"Hey, I've got a key." Itu said, stepping right into the conversation.
"Perhaps the key opens the doors?" I suggested, motioning for Itu to try my suggestion. Itu opened his menu with the swipe of his finger, scrolling through its interface until he found the key. Tapping the object, he tried to equip it only to have the same cryptic message pop up instead.
"Nope, I can't use it. It's still giving me that stupid prophecy-style message." Itu complained.
"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Asuna said, frustrated by this setback. She threw her hands in the air in annoyance. "Wait what prophecy mes-" Behind her, a knight from the Blood Oath approached, interrupting her.
"Vice-Commander Asuna!" he called out before whispering something into her ear.
"…Really? Ok…Thanks. I'll dismiss the rest of the party." Asuna said to the knight before turning towards us. "It seems like the key did something. One of my guild members has just informed me that the door has a new decoration…an inscription along with a list of six names." Asuna informed, gesturing for us to follow her to the door. As we approached the door, I looked straight at the inscription, only to find Itu's cryptic message. The message itself was scrawled in neat cursive along the surface of the embossed trees. Below the inscription, a numbered list with six names. Itu, Ilda, Yuuki, Kirito, Asuna and Hiyoto. "Strange…Why would our names be below the inscription. Unless the system is assigning us to this…quest-thing."
"What the?" Asuna's face morphed into one of interest, her eyes scanning through the inscription.
"I think it's a quest of some sort. Maybe at the end of this quest we'll be able to unlock the door." Itu theorised.
"The time for all to be revealed is nigh,
Go to the secret place where sacred trees roost high,
A door to be found for six of you,
Choose well or face death's cruel, cruel brew."
Ilda read the message out aloud. When Ilda had said the words 'sacred trees', the trees embossed on the doors glowed green, as if signifying that we needed to find those trees.
"It's a quest. Probably a prerequisite before entering the Labyrinth. And the six names underneath this…riddle probably is the system's recommendation of people. Meaning that the five of us, including Hiyoto should try and clear this quest, whatever it is." Kirito suggested, his eyes still fixated at the glowing trees.
"To be honest, these trees look similar to the Golden Apple Tree from Greek Myths. And it just so happens that the Golden Apple Tree was sacred, a wedding gift for Hera I think." I noted.
"So, you mean we have to find the Golden Apple Tree somewhere on this floor? Asuna had picked up on what I was suggesting. "That would explain why the tree glowed when Ilda read the part about a sacred tree."
"First we need Hiyoto. If the game itself is suggesting that we take Hiyoto, I'd rather not go otherwise. Perhaps this is a super hard quest. I'll try and contact him. Asuna, perhaps you should explain the situation to the rest of the raid party since you are the leader of this operation." Kirito suggested. Asuna gave a curt nod. "Everyone else, we probably should head back to town to stock up on items. We'll meet up at the town square in about an hour. Ok?" Kirito continued, looking around for any objections. None were found. Our little group meeting broke off as Asuna went to inform the raid party about the change of plans while Kirito stepped aside to message Hiyoto. Ilda and Itu decided to head back to town and buy supplies.
Kirito's POV
Honestly, I wasn't expecting the system to recommend six players to complete this prerequisite quest. It sort of undermines the whole 'choose wisely or face death's cruel, cruel brew'. I walked aside and started a voice-link with Hiyoto. A voice-link was pretty much an in-game messaging system except for the fact that it enabled voice messages and calls. I waited patiently for Hiyoto to answer, scanning the tops of the valley, trying to find where the golden apple tree might be. The sudden sound of blades clashing quickly drew my attention.
"Hey Kirito! Nice of you to call me but I'm kinda busy right now." Hiyoto greeted. I heard the distinct sound of a blade slicing through the air. A grunt and what sounded like a kick followed.
"Sorry about that. I'm currently with Heathcliff dealing with some Laughing Coffin members." Hiyoto explained. I could hear shouting in the distance as well as cursing, presumably from the red players. "So, why are you calling me?" Hiyoto asked.
"Well, we're currently at the gates of the Labyrinth tower of Floor 56. We only just found out that the gates are locked with a prerequisite quest. It's supposedly really tough and the system has recommended you as one of the six that will complete this quest." I informed quickly, knowing that Hiyoto was probably engaging Laughing Coffin members as he listened, meaning that he doesn't have time for details.
"I see. Who else is going?" Hiyoto asked. I heard the sound of a weapon skill being activated. What followed by the sound of a blade entering an entity's body. A muffled strangled cry sounded. "Got you. Now I just need the rope Heathcliff." I heard Heathcliff reply.
"Here you go."
The sound of rope binding on wrists was clearly projected through my end of the voice-link, causing me to wince slightly at the force used.
"Ok, that's the last of them." I heard Hiyoto say to Heathcliff. So, what you're saying is that you need me to come back to Floor 56 to help the clearing effort. Right?" Hiyoto asked, returning his focus on our voice-link.
"Pretty much."
"Is Asuna going with you on this quest?" Hiyoto asked in an eager manner.
"Yeah. Why?"
"N-Nothing. Just wanted to know. Who else is going?" Hiyoto replied casually, contrasting his previously eager speaking manner.
"Yuuki, Ilda, Itu and I."
"I see. So where do you want to meet?"
"Floor 56's town square one hour from now. Is that ok?"
"That should be fine. Heathcliff and I are almost done anyway. I gotta admit, his guild members are very good at catching red-players."
"Sweet. See you there!"
"Same to you!" With that, Hiyoto disconnected our voice-link. Closing my menu with a flick of my hand, I walked back to where Asuna and Yuuki who were apparently waiting for me.
"What took you so long?" Asuna asked as she tapped her foot on the ground impatiently.
"I just voice-linked with Hiyoto. He was in the middle of dealing with some LC members. He also specifically asked if you were on the quest. Strange huh? Anyway, he'll be meeting us in the town square in the next hour." Yuuki looked amused while Asuna simply nodded in acceptance of my explanation. "How about you two? How did the raid party react?"
"They were sort of glad to be dismissed. I mean they were certainly unnerved by the riddle on the doors. But we had no objections. In fact, they were deathly quiet." Yuuki said, resting her hands on her sword, which she had stuck into the ground in an upright position.
"Anyway, now I need to contact Heathcliff and let him know about this new development. I'll meet you guys at the town square." Asuna excused herself before walking away.
"So…A quest huh? How tough do you think its going to be?" I asked Yuuki. The purple-haired girl just shrugged before withdrawing her sword from the ground and sheathing it.
"I have no idea. Better prepare for the worst though."
"Do we have any items we need to stock up on?" This time, Yuuki nodded.
"We need more potions and crystals. I'm out of status crystals. You?"
"No, I've still got all of my crystals and potions."
"That's because you keep using mine!"
"Well technically its ours since we're sharing them."
"Still, you could always use some from your stockpile." I sighed in defeat.
"Fine."
"Good! Now let's get back to town and buy more items. If we don't go now, we'll be late for our meetup." Yuuki cheerfully said, grabbing my hand and literally dragging me towards town. That completely caught me off guard.
"Yuuki! Let go of my hand!" I feebly demanded. Yuuki ignored me, continuing to drag me whilst gripping my hand tightly. "Yuuki." I whined, dragging out the vowels. Yuuki stopped and turned towards me still gripping my hand. Her eyes were twinkling mischievously, and an impish grin was on her face. She looked absolutely stunning in my opinion.
"What?" she asked in mock confusion.
"Could you…let go of my hand?" I asked weakly.
"Why? We're gonna be late if we walk at your pace." Yuuki said.
"Fine. I'll race you to town. First one there has to pay for the items we buy. Deal?" I offered.
"You're gonna lose." Yuuki sang teasingly.
"Do you accept or not?"
"Deal." Yuuki confirmed, an amused smile on her face.
"Three, two, one." I counted down, bolting down the road when I reached one.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Yuuki playfully complained before laughing, taking off after me.
~.:.~
"I win!" Yuuki pumped her arm in the air. "Now, let's go shopping for items." Yuuki said before dashing off to the nearby street stalls.
"Wait up Yuuki!" I yelled after her, following her through the busy street.
After ten minutes, Yuuki finally finished buying everything she needed. I obviously paid for the items, sighing as my Col balance dropped from six-digits to five digits.
"Thanks Kirito." Yuuki said sweetly.
"Come on, we have to go to the town square. We only have ten minutes left and I'd rather we weren't late." I urged, grabbing Yuuki's hand, leading her through the crowded streets towards the town square where there were less people.
"Hey Kirito! Over here!" Someone called out. I looked around, Yuuki reciprocating my actions. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my arm to find Yuuki pulling on my arm, pointing towards three faraway figures standing on the other side of the town square, waving their arms at us. It was Itu, Asuna and Ilda. Itu was laughing, pointing at us. I was puzzled at what he was pointing at before it hit me. I was holding Yuuki's hand. In public. My face heated up slightly and I quickly let go of her hand in embarrassment. A look of disappointment flashed across Yuuki's face before it disappeared, replaced with a façade of cheerfulness.
As we headed towards where Itu, Asuna and Ilda were waiting for us, a figure snuck behind us and tapped both of our shoulders at once. Yuuki continued to walk while I turned around. There was no one behind me. Confused, I turned back around only to feel another light tap on my shoulder. I turned once more to meet the same result. I continued to head to my destination when I realised that Asuna, Ilda, Itu and even Yuuki were stifling laughs. I thought nothing of it until I was tapped on the shoulder for the third time. I spun around, reaching out to swat the perpetrator that kept tapping me. While my eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary, my left arm came into contact with something solid which according to my eyes was thin air. I heard an 'oof' sound before a stark-white haired boy suddenly materialised into existence, stumbling slightly towards my left.
"Hi." the white-haired boy with two jagged daggers strapped to his side greeted innocently, straightening his cloak a wolfish grin on his face.
"You could've just said hi you know?" I grumbled.
"But what fun would that be?" I glared at Hiyoto.
"Well, now that we've got everyone here, we should probably discuss how we're going to find this…sacred tree." Asuna said, interrupting our staring contest.
"I think what the riddle meant is that the Golden Apple Tree – I'm just going to call it GAT – is on either side of the valley since the riddle said the 'sacred trees roost high'" Itu suggested, quoting a part of the riddle.
"Good thinking Itu. We'll start there and see if we can find it." Ilda praised her little brother, patting his head affectionately. With that, the six of us started to go once more to the valley that housed the Labyrinth tower and the sacred tree.
~.:.~
"Where is it? We've searched both sides of the valley and seen nothing!" Yuuki was on the verge of pulling her hair in frustration.
"Well it's gotta be somewhere. Maybe its not in this valley? Like another location?" Asuna suggested.
"There is literally no other mountain, hill or anything of the likes on this floor. And if you're suggesting that we go searching through all the floor from one to fifty-five then I'll say we're doomed to fail." Yuuki ranted, her face scrunched up in annoyance. For the past two hours, we'd been walking around the valley, looking for any clue of where the GAT was. The closest thing we found was a seemingly random clearing within the extremely thick and dense forest which populated the valley tops.
"I'm sure it's on this floor. Somewhere. What time is it Hiyoto?"
"It's currently two minutes till sun…set…" Hiyoto trailed off, deep in thought.
"What's wrong Hiyoto?" Asuna asked, moving to Hiyoto.
"Guys, entertain me for a bit. In Greek myths, the tree was in the Garden of the Hesperides, right?" All of us nodded in confirmation. While none of us knew the Greek myths particularly well, we knew the basics. For me, the always fascinated me, reading the tales of heroes and gods, mythical beasts fighting in a fantasy world which never would be reality.
"And the Hesperides were sisters, daughters of Atlas the titan and nymphs themselves. They guarded the garden, right?" Hiyoto continued, getting more worked up by his idea. Again, the five of us nodded, not seeing where Hiyoto was going with this.
"But from these myths, there was a hidden part that not many people know of. The Hesperides were known as the nymphs of sunset. Meaning that their garden was unable to be accessed until sunset since it wouldn't appear." Hiyoto explained. Asuna opened her mouth with a silent 'ah'.
"You mean that the garden would only appear and allow entrance during sunset. Then it would disappear?" Asuna asked, trying to gauge whether her theory was correct. Hiyoto gave an enthusiastic nod.
"That means that it'll appear" Asuna checked the time by opening her menu, "now." As if on cue, the sun set and a wide beam of golden light shone directly towards a particular spot near where we were. The same place where the random clearing in the middle of the forest was.
"Over there!" I pointed towards the wide ray of golden sunlight which was shining like a beacon, directing us to the garden. We ran as a group, following the sunlight until we finally reached the garden. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Where endless copies of trees were supposed to be, numerous beds of flowers took their place, adding colour to the mindless shades of green. In the middle, a giant tree stood stoically, golden apples hanging lusciously from its branches. A small hill stood in the background and on top of that hill, a small obsidian black door stood proudly, a silver keyhole shinning brightly. "There's the door!" I exclaimed, pointing at the door.
"Good job Hiyoto!" Itu and I patted his back. Ilda started to walk into the garden when a small breeze suddenly picked up. Four strands of golden light shot out from the giant tree heading towards us. It landed on the grass in front of us, transforming into four young, barefooted girls dressed in Greek chitons. The chitons were pure white except for a strip of gold lining the hem. One of them stepped forwards, closing the abysmal gap between us and them.
"Intruders. Leave now or face our wrath." she warned spitefully.
"Look, we just want to –" Yuuki started only to be interrupted by the Hesperides standing in front of us.
"Very well thieves, you have chosen your fate. Sisters, let us defend our garden from those who wish to steal the golden apples! Let us wake Ladon!" The lead girl turned to her sisters. They started to call out Ladon's name in unison. A fifth strand of light violently shot out of the tree, except that this strand was obsidian black. The strand of light slammed violently in front of the tree, erupting into shadows that slowly melded into a terrifying form. A dragon with many, many heads, as big as the tree itself. The shadows solidified to reveal the true horror which was Ladon. A dragon with silver scales as big as saucers stood tall and proud, all one hundred of its heads roaring in unison. Each head had two curved horns which were neon blue at the tip and jet black for the rest. The head itself housed a pair of venomous green eyes, a nose and a giant jaw filled with what seemed like thousands of sharp white teeth. Ladon breathed streams of fire into the air before staring us down, as if waiting for us to approach it. I glanced back at my friends to find all of them wearing two expressions. One of absolute fear and one of awe. My eyes swept around the garden. There was nowhere for cover and no clear path to run past Ladon. As my eyes traced back to Ladon, my eyes widened as I looked at its healthbar. Each of its hundred heads had two healthbars above them. Above the healthbar, a name tag. Ladon, Guardian of the Golden Apples. Level 67.
"Well, its nice knowing you all. I think we're doomed." Yuuki stated, drawing her sword, preparing herself for the fight of her life.
"This is the only way forward. The only way to progress through this death game. We're going to kill that dragon and clear this quest. But we're only going to do that if we work together. Who's with me?" I said, trying but failing in my opinion to be motivational. I drew my sword and held it up in the air. Yuuki immediately stood by my side, her sword raised in agreement. Slowly, each one of our group drew their weapon and touched their weapon against Yuuki's and my weapons. As the last weapon touched, we all quickly withdrew our weapons, holding them in battle stances familiar to us.
"Hiyoto, you and Asuna take the left side! Kirito and Yuuki, you're going to take the right flank. Itu and I will take that beast head on. Because of its size, I think it will be slow so don't bother blocking, just evade." Ilda commanded before charging straight at Ladon. As we stepped forwards, Ladon roared at our challenge before breathing blasts of fire at us. I immediately jumped diagonally towards the right, avoiding the blast of fire. Yuuki flipped into the air, gracefully landing next to me before charging at Ladon. I looked over to see Asuna strafing left and right, dodging fireballs as thirty of Ladon's heads were diverted in their direction. Hiyoto was nowhere to be seen; I assumed he used his cloaking ability. Itu and Ilda haphazardly weaved though the smaller streams of fire being sent at their direction; ducking, sidestepping and jumping to avoid getting hit.
As we were three metres away from Ladon, thirty-three heads turned towards our directions, rapidly firing fireballs at us. I flicked my sword upwards, activating a sword skill. My sword blazed with a silvery fire as I sliced through the fireballs, causing them to explode before they burnt my face off. Yuuki was doing the same thing, her sword surrounded with an aqua colour as she sliced through the torrent of fireballs. We slowly trudged through the fireballs until we were one metre away from Ladon itself. Asuna had already reached Ladon and was leaping into the air, slashing at nearby heads with her rapier. Hiyoto was still invisible. Itu and Ilda used their weapons to pole vault over the continuous jets of fire being shot at them.
Ladon started to attack more aggressively, extending its many heads, trying to take bites out of us. Two heads lashed out at me from the left and right while a third head started to charge up a stream of fire in the middle. I jumped in the air, twirling mid-air and swung my sword in a curved arc, slashing through the two heads on my left and right while narrowly avoiding the river of fire being poured out at me from below. I landed to the right of the blazing trail of fire, my boots making a crunch sound as it landed on the grass. I glanced at the healthbars of the two dragon heads I had just hit and was pleased to see that they had dropped a fair amount, with the first healthbar being lowered by a third. The two heads growled in anger before roaring ferociously, drawing more dragon heads towards me. Soon, around fifteen heads were facing me, some attempting to bite me, others rapidly firing fire balls at me and the rest set themselves on fire, blue fire blazed violently around them as they attempted to bash the living crap out of me, using their heads as flaming maces. I looked at the hopeless situation I was in, looking towards the others to see how they were doing as I deflected, dodged and blocked incoming attacks.
Yuuki was dealing with eighteen heads to my amazement, slashing at the biting heads, deflecting oncoming fireballs towards the flaming mace heads which in turn were blasted away from her. Raising her purple sword into the air, she jumped, tossing the sword mid-air and catching it with a reverse grip before thrusting down on a nearby head which was not on fire. That particular head screeched in agony before raising itself, trying to shake Yuuki off. Yuuki tightened her grip on her sword, clinging onto the head as its health depleted. As soon as the head she impaled with her sword lost all of its health, she flipped off, landing on another head and doing the same thing. An angry howl made me turn back to my situation where eight of the heads opened their mouths, a small but slowly growing ball of energy forming at their throats. They had started charging for another breath attack. The rest were pelting me with fire balls, trying to distract me from noticing the eight heads preparing to blast me into oblivion. I charged towards the eight heads, expertly twirling my sword from side to side, intercepting cover fire from the seven heads who were situated on my left and right. I leaped up into the air before copying Yuuki and stabbing my sword at the nearest head. The head immediately stopped charging, rearing its head, trying to shake me off as it swung erratically. I kept my grip until I saw the other heads levelling with me, all of the poised to strike at me while I was on their fellow head. Seeing an opportunity, I lifted my sword before jumping on another nearby head, slashing at it then leaping towards another. I continued doing this, slowly chipping away at all of their healthbars. I never stayed long enough on one head for the rest to hit me as they tried to shower me with flames.
Asuna and Hiyoto were close by, dealing with their own share of thirty heads. Asuna ran up Ladon body, stabbing and slashing at anything and everything. Hiyoto would take advantage of this distraction to hack viciously at unsuspecting heads with his two daggers, who were too focused with attack Asuna. Asuna, being the most agile player in the game, adeptly dodged all of the attacks the heads were trying deliver, even when her part of the garden was essentially a bullet hell of fireballs.
Itu and Ilda who were closer still, stood back to back, using their mid-ranged weapons to deal with all the melee heads before they could reach them. Together they were a whirlwind of destruction, their weapons rapidly connecting with the head of Ladon with devastating effect. The few heads that decided to spew long-ranged attacks had limited effect as their attacks would constantly collide with a fellow head rather than the players. Obviously, these attacks did nothing to the heads, but it still shielded the siblings.
My heart was racing, my sword-arm tiring as I killed twelve of the fifteen heads that decided to confront me. As I leapt to another of the head, it jerked away, causing me to fall onto the ground. Face first. I groaned, pain shooting up my face before I decided to roll towards the side as a preemptive just in case the dragon heads decided to attack while I was down. As soon as I rolled, a sudden thud and virtual dirt rained on my face. Apparently, my instinct saved me from being roasted alive. I rolled away once more before getting up on my feet. The last three heads stared me down, hissing and flicking their tongues at me. I glared right back at them as I readied my sword. Holding my sword behind my back in reverse grip, I activated a sword skill. My sword gleamed dull green as I ran straight at the last three heads. My sword sliced straight through one of the heads before I flipped my sword back into a normal grip, slashing another head with that movement. While the heads were turning to face me, I launched into a complex combo of slices, thrusts and grip-reversing, attacking all three heads at once before the AI could react. Soon, all three heads fell to my sword, dissipating into pixels as their health hit zero. I sighed in relief as I allowed my sword-arm to droop, the tip of my Elucidator touching the grass. I looked on to see Yuuki doing the same thing, watching closely at Itu and Ilda who were the only ones left fighting the remaining twelve heads of Ladon. The two were bravely fighting, twirling their weapons like madmen as they attacked like demons. The heads hissed and snapped at them, darting out of way just before either of the siblings could hit them.
"Almost done." Yuuki said, popping up right next to me. I nodded, watching as Itu and Ilda slew another head. It screamed in dramatic agony before thrashing on the ground, breaking up into multi-coloured pixels soon after. "We probably should help them." Yuuki added, holding her sword up. "Plus, I'm gonna try a new skill I just recently got. It's called Skyward Sword or something." Yuuki threw her sword like a boomerang, before bending her knees. Her sword, Absolute Obsidian flashed yellow while soaring towards a nearby dragon head, quickly spinning faster until it was just a wheel of deadly energy. Yuuki started to run after the blade before jumping up as the wheel of yellow energy collided with the dragon head. It smashed into the head before ricocheting back the way it came from. Yuuki met its course mid-air and grabbed the sword, miraculously flying straight at the dragon head and delivering a devastating blow at the head. The head disintegrated upon being hit. Yuuki landed on the ground with her sword pointing straight down, embedding the earth with her blade. While Yuuki had executed her awesome skill, Asuna and Hiyoto snuck up behind the other dragon heads and took them down, delivering short but powerful skills. Ladon finally perished as Itu pierced the last dragon head in the eye, lowering its health to zero. The head roared indignantly before glowing a brilliant white along with its body. Shortly afterwards it crumbled into pixels that were blown away in the wind.
"We won!" Hiyoto shouted triumphantly, walking tiredly towards us.
"Yuuki, that skill was awesome! How come I don't have that skill?" I asked.
"It's a high agility requirement skill. Since my agility is higher than yours, I obtained it. But I'm sure you have a strength-unique skill." Yuuki explained.
A message suddenly sprouted in front of us.
Congratulations quest members!
You have defeated the mythical boss monster Ladon, Guardian of the Golden Apples!
Your rewards are:
6 x [Item] Golden Apples (Shared between quest members)
120 000 000 Col (Shared between quest members)
300 000 000 EXP (Shared between quest members)
"How exactly are the rewards shared between us? We're not party members and–" The sound of players levelling up interrupted Asuna's confusion. My level shot up to 77 and my Col balance restored itself to its former glory of six digits.
"What the heck? I don't remember your names and statuses to be on my hub." Ilda said.
"Join the club. Apparently, the game's decided to party us all together with no party leader." Yuuki pointed out.
"Anyone going to check what these golden apples do?" Itu asked, opening his menu wih the flick of his wrist.
"Show off." Ilda muttered. Itu ignored his older sister and navigated adeptly through his menu until he got the description of the golden apples on his menu. After a few seconds of reading, Itu whistled appreciatively.
"Wow, this is like, a SS-Class item. In fact, it's borderline OP." Itu was clearly impressed. Curious to see what kind of item would get Itu to say such a statement, the rest of the group opened their menu and got up the description for the golden apple.
Golden Apple
Type: Consumable, Single-Use
Effects:
When eaten, the user will receive an additional health bar (100% of maximum health), increased defence (30% from current DEF), increased offense (20% from base ATK stat), increased speed (40% from base AGI stat), decreased skill cooldown time (halved cooldown), enhanced dexterity (30% from base DEX stat), cleanse all negative status effect (Overrides any preexisting conditions or effects), recover all health and apply regeneration effect (10% of max health every 10 seconds).
Effects will cease when the additional health bar reaches zero.
"The Golden Apple was known in Greek Myths as the most irresistible object in the entire world. It is said to have caused the Trojan War. It is also said to be able to turn a mortal into an immortal with just one bite, and that the apple would be the most delicious thing in the world. It can only be picked from the Golden Apple Tree, a wedding gift from Gaea to Hera, which is located in the Garden of Hesperides, guarded by a ferocious, hundred headed dragon known as Ladon."
"It doesn't turn us into immortals." Hiyoto pouted in mock disappointment. Asuna smacked the back of his head, earning a whimper from the snow-haired boy and laughter from the rest of us.
"Yup, I agree with Itu. This 'item' if we can even call it that, is literally the most broken item in the whole game. If you're careful enough, you could essentially be immortal after eating the golden apple." I commented, slightly giddy at the thought of possessing such an overpowered item.
"If we're done admiring our new S times infinity class item, we need to go to the door and actually start our quest. I have a feeling that these apples will be more than necessary in this quest. I mean, the pre-quest boss was already tougher than anything we'd face before so who knows how hard the actual quest is." Yuuki said, closing her menu. Itu closed the description on his menu and moved towards the key he had obtained from Sheeptaur. He attempted to equip the item and surprisingly, it materialised in his hand.
The key itself was ornate. Its structure was bronze in colour but the handle of the key itself was red, with small sapphires decorating the rim. The six of us marched up to the door, which was situated on a small hill behind the Golden Apple Tree. On the way, we tried to collect more golden apples, only to find that it no longer was a solid object; our bodies just phased right through it. Slightly dismayed, we continued our trek up to the door where Itu dramatically inserted his key into the keyhole, before turning it clockwise. Golden writing appeared on the door as the door unlocked.
Enter now, heroes of this realm
A curse has been inflicted to the king
To start you must take rebellion's helm
And see that a cure hath started making
A new threat has risen
A new campaign begun
Go forth heroes and fulfil your destiny!
A message popped in front of us.
Beware! Once you enter this quest, there is no returning until the quest is cleared.
Are you sure you have everything you need?
Proceed?
[Yes] [No]
All of us simultaneously tapped yes, knowing that we had already stocked up on all essential and needed items beforehand.
Soon after, the door opened, a white background stood before the doorway. Before any of us could react, we were sucked in. The door slammed behind us as we plummeted downwards towards our quest.
AN: That's part one of this chapter done. For the next few chapters, we're going to what this 'new campaign' and 'new threat' is. Once again, sorry for the long delay between the last and this one, I have no valid excuses for you guys. Please forgive me?
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'd appreciate if you review and give me feedback so that I can improve the quality of my chapters and I'll see you soon for another chapter of The Tale of Zekken and the Beater!
Peace be with you all!
~Herosassin