A/N: Heeeyooo, Celestial Sky Dragon here bringing you another chapter of the Violet Assassin.
Yes, after the last chapter we must continue Akira's tale as he traversed the floors of Aincrad. What happened to him on the 50th Floor was the first of many things that occurred during his time there. Not everyone was going to make it and he knew that, but he always had a sliver of hope that he could get his friends out alive. Sadly sacrifices have to be made in order to reach the top, something that drives Akira into his state of depression. He like Kirito spends time level grinding. So he might seem a bit over powered, but I don't really care about that right now.
As for this new chapter, we will be stepping into the first chapter delving into Sword Art Online's first Grand Quest. I say first because I might add in one later on, but for now there's only one. If you can point out the references for this entire arc, you shall recieve a cookie, but not just any cookie, the grandest most delicious cookie in the universe. There are going to be references to other games and series all throughout this story, so do enjoy them.
Also, I have made a decision, since I like Abridged Kayaba better than regular Kayaba, that's the person I'm going to be writing in this story. He's going to be serious as Heathcliff to not raise any suspicions, but once he is unmasked he will be going all out. I did this because I feel that this version of him has way more character than the original one, and he's much more derserving of everythign that's going on. So yes, Abridged Kayaba will be in my story. Idk if Akira will become a proxy for Abridged Kirito, but he's quickly heading in that direction. I'll try not to get them all mixed up.
Well, I hope you like this new chapter...tell me what you all think...see ya.
Sword Art Online
The Violet Assassin
Chapter 14
Grand Quest
Akira and his friends walked through the city of Alne. It had been around twenty minutes since they had logged in. Sakuya and Alicia had been waiting for them at the base of the tree. After some pleasantries and some light teasing, the party of five set off to search for Udyr. However, they weren't having any luck whatsoever. So after a few minutes, they decided to head up to Yggdrasil City. The magic elevator had taken some time, but it had finally left them at the entrance of the new capital.
Much like the lower city, Yggdrasil City was heavily populated, by both NPC and Players alike. It was also were some of the more prominent player establishments were, including Agil's Shop and Lisbeth's Smithy. Akira walked around, humming to himself.
"You know, I haven't fully explored this place. I mean, other than Agil and Lisbeth's places, I haven't felt the need to walk around." he admitted.
"Jeez, you really don't know how to take advantage of a place. Yggdrasil City is the second biggest city in all of Alfheim. It may not beat the Town of Beginnings in size, but it does in beauty. I actually own a house here." Sapphira said, a proud look on her face.
"Oh, can we go see? I wanna jump on your bed!"
"No Rue, we can't we're on a quest." Sakuya snapped, causing the girl to deflate.
"Hey, what if we all split up? We can search for the quest NPC much easier that way. I know my way around so I can guide Akira." Rain said.
"That's just an excuse to be alone with him." Sapphira snapped.
"Hey, that isn't fair! I wanna go with Akira."
"Nope, It's my turn to spend time with him."
"Uh guys, he's gone." Rain said, pointing to the spot where the Imp had been a second ago. They looked around, not spotting him anywhere.
"Man, his sneaking skills are really good." Sapphira said.
"Come on, let's go see if we can find him." Sakuya said, earning nods from the others. The four girls started walking toward the center of town, only for Rain to have her arm grabbed. She was pulled into a nearby alleyway, a chuckle filling her ears.
"Finally, I didn't want to be caught in that war."
"Akira, you scared the hell out of me!" Rain said, slapping his arm.
"Sorry, I just hate when they all fight for my attention. I'm not sure if Sakuya likes me or not, it's hard to tell with her. I'm sure Alicia likes me, and Sapphira...hell she's had a crush on me for the longest time. I'm just not interested in them that way." he admitted, leaning against the wall.
"Oh, then who are you interested in?" Rain asked curiously, crossing her arms.
"I'm not telling, that's a trade secret." he said, giving her a wink. She huffed, walking past him.
"Whatever, let's go search for that NPC already."
"Um okay...I guess I can continue my story as we search...but you know I want to hear about you too sometime. What did you do in SAO?" he asked.
"Oh...I just stayed in the Town of Beginnings. I didn't really do much of anything, other than farm money. When I had saved up enough, I moved to Taft to avoid the ALS. That's it really." she said with a shrug.
"I uh...didn't know you did that...for all two years?"
"Mhmm...pretty boring right?" she asked. He narrowed his eyes, somehow not believing her.
She had a sparkle in her eye, one that screamed at him. It told him of her love of the VR world. He doubted she actually stayed in Taft for the remainder of the game. She heard of his exploits, sometimes adding in her own versions of what he said. She must have been to the higher floors at some point. But for now he gave her the benefit of the doubt.
"Sorry, I know my story isn't nearly as interesting as yours...that's one of the reasons why I want to know more about you." she admitted.
"Fair enough...I guess I can start with my bout of crippling depression after reaching Floor 51."
xxx
(December 15th 2023: Location Myujen Floor 49: 9:03PM)
Akira sighed as he walked through the snow covered town. Ever since the boss fight on the 50th Floor, he hadn't spoken to anyone. He had just lost his will to live. Sapphira had been constantly messaging him, but he just didn't reply back. Once he reached the 51st Floor, he disbanded his guild, saying he didn't want to loose anyone else, before leaving Mishe. He just wanted to be alone, so he took several quests that had been unfulfilled on the 49th Floor and started power leveling. He had easily reached level 74 in the two weeks he had left the lower floors.
Now he just felt content from walking around in the cold. Vendors were selling Hot Chocolate and other holiday goods, players and NPCs were coming to the plaza to watch the lights on the Christmas tree. It was a bustling city, one of the most populated on the 49th Floor.
He sat down at an empty bench, not bothering to brush the snow away from it at all. He looked up at the Christmas tree, an expressionless look on his face. He exhaled, a small cloud of mist escaping through his lips.
"Hey asshole, I've been looking for you."
He blinked once, glaring at the source of the voice. It was Hayato...Sasha's cousin. Ever since she had died, he had been harassing him almost daily. He had grown so used to it that it didn't even bother him anymore. The man knew he stood no chance against Akira, so all he did was verbally abuse him. He blinked once, glancing away from him.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, you look like someone ripped your soul outta you! It's actually kinda satisfying." he said.
"Did you come here for something? Or just to insult me?" he asked, his voice was soft, free of emotion.
"I came here for my daily cut...after all you owe me for letting my cousin die. Heh, some husband you turned out to be." he said. Akira grit his teeth and stood up, grabbing a hold of the man's jacket.
"Ah ah ah, attack me and you get an orange cursor."
"That's in the field asshole. Here in town, I can beat the hell out of you endlessly without any penalties. You think you can use your cousins name to get shit from me?" Akira said, gritting his teeth in anger.
"Well of course I can, after all you made a promise. A promise you couldn't keep, so I have to collect some money. After all I have to make it out of here so I can tell her family. My aunt and uncle need to know just how this horrible event happened." he said, pursing his lips a bit.
"You are a real piece of shit you know that?" Akira growled, letting the man go. He spun on his heel, walking away from him.
"Hey, what about my money?"
"Why don't you go out there and fucking earn it you asshole. I'm not gonna bust my ass making money for you. So you can go fuck yourself, or you can try and kill me...either way you lose in the end." he said, walking toward the teleporter. Hayato watched the teenager disappear, anger written on his face.
Akira sighed with relief as he found himself on the 31st Floor. The main settlement was known as Aquaria. It was the floor of endless rain. Apparently there's an event where you can change the weather, but no one bothered to figure out how it was done. Akira didn't particularly care either, he relished in the rain, almost as much as he loved the darkness Mishe provided him. He walked off the teleporter, a frown on his face. He pulled his hood over his head, walking down the empty streets.
Over the course of his power leveling, he had acquired a brand new set of gear from Ashley. She had heard what happened and had insisted he get some new stuff free of charge. No matter how much she told him not to pay, he did so anyway. His new cloak was a deep shade of violet, with golden trimming around the edges. It was a half cloak, which only reached to about his back. He had a shoulder guard on his left shoulder, with a violet cape attached to it, which reached down to his waist, the inside being a vibrant red color. Around his waist, he had a waist coat, which was a vibrant purple color, and had more golden thread, along with an Eagle on it. It covered his brown leather pants, along with his black boots.
Around his waist, he had a metal plate which severed his his armor. The metal piece itself was made of tempered steel, having some etched markings on it, along with a Phoenix in the center, an homage to his fallen wife. Over his arms he had metal arm guards, made of the same tempered steel as his chest plate. He was wearing a pair of leather gloves, which were brown on the bottom and black on the top. Behind his back, was his new dagger. It was one that Lisbeth had made called Crest of the Condor. It had been made out of the purest ores he could find on the 50th Floor dungeon. She was also another person who insisted he didn't pay, but instead he just gave her some extra ore he wouldn't be using. She had been the last person he had spoken too.
As he walked through the city however, he felt a sense of dread in his mind. He didn't know why but a dark cloud hung over the city. It was always raining, which deterred people from ever coming to it, but that didn't mean shady people didn't show up every once and a while. He ducked into an alleyway and quickly climbed one of the buildings, jumping into the roof.
He moved quietly, not wanting to attract attention to himself. He reached the end of the building and jumped onto the next one, making sure not to slip. As he walked however he noticed a hooded person looking around. They ducked into a building, which turned out to be a pub. Akira hissed quietly to himself.
"If I go in there, I'll definitely get noticed...maybe I can sneak in."
He jumped down from the building, hiding behind some barrels. A few low leveled players walked by, chatting amiably amidst the rain. They didn't even notice him. Having maxed out his hiding skill, it made him practically invisible to anyone and everyone around him. He wouldn't appear on the map unless he made a mistake, like step on a twig or speak. It was definitely a useful skill. He quickly dashed across the street, jumping onto the window of the pub. He held his hand against the glass and slowly slid the window up, surprised that it was open. He quickly climbed inside.
He found himself on the second floor. He noticed that it was actually a mezzanine, and that the bar doubled as an inn. He crept toward the railing, carefully looking over it. There were only five cursors visible, meaning they were the only players in the bar, and everyone else was an NPC.
"Maybe I should get closer." he thought. He glanced up, noticing some rafters above him. He smirked to himself and quickly stood up, jumping onto the nearest one. He pulled himself up with ease, shimming along the rafters until he was directly above the players.
"Okay, so we agree this is the place?" one man said.
"Yes, that item is worth quite a lot. If we can get it away from my wife, I'll be able to sell it. Do you have the money?" another player asked. He had a hood on so Akira couldn't see his face.
"Of course we have the money. We wouldn't be risking ourselves like this would we?" the third man said, earning a nod from the second.
"Alright...so now we need to get the item. My guild is split on selling it, three of us voted to keep it, but my wife voted to sell it. I don't know exactly when she's going too, but she's thinking about heading to that bastard Agil to appraise it."
"We can't let her do that can we? You are married to her right?" the fourth man asked.
"Of course, why is that?"
"You idiot, when two players marry, the get shared inventory space. We found that out when that kid lost his girl on the 50th Floor two weeks ago. Man you should have seen him crying, dumb ass."
Akira grit his teeth in anger. He wanted nothing more than to see that bastard suffer in the darkest pits of hell. But he kept his cool, knowing his spot would be compromised.
"Ah yes, I completely forgot about this...wait...are you suggesting I..murder my wife?" the man asked.
"You want the money right? No item no money...I'm sure you'll make the right call." the first said.
"But I can't, I love her."
"Listen man, there's no evidence that if you die in here, you'll die IRL. So maybe by killing her here, you'll set her free over there. Think about it, would you rather her suffer in here, or live out there?" the third man asked.
"That idiot, the Nerve Gear was designed with Microwaves, as soon as she dies her brain is going to be turned into a Hot Pocket." Akira screamed in his mind. The man however sighed, standing up from his seat.
"Alright, I'll take care of it. I'll make it so that one of our friends, takes the heat...but I don't want to go orange." he said.
"Don't worry about it. After a few hours, your cursor will turn green again, just wait in some low level dungeon on the first floor until the time comes. Or for an added fee, we could get someone else to do it."
"No, I can handle it...you've done enough...I'll have the item for you before Christmas Eve. She should be busy planning our next raid, so I can just pull her away for a date and finish her off." the man said.
"Pleasure doing business with you...it's people like you that'll make the name Laughing Coffin big in this game." the last man said. He had remained silent for the most part. He was also wearing a black cloak as opposed to the others who were wearing brown cloaks. Akira narrowed his eyes.
"Laughing Coffin? Is that a guild name? I don't remember there ever being a guild like that." he thought to himself. He decided he had heard enough and carefully snuck out of the bar. Once outside, he decided to trail behind the other man, who was walking straight to the Teleporter. However he disappeared as soon as he stepped on it, ending Akira's trail.
"Shit, I wasn't close enough to hear what floor he was going too." he muttered to himself.
He glanced up at the rumbling clouds, a frown on his face. He wondered why he had gained a sudden interest in this thing. Over the last two weeks he had spent leveling up those special skills, his hiding, sneaking and listening skills had been maxed out. It gave him a lot of perks too, being able to detect any monster or player within a floor, as long as he had seen them once. He sighed, glancing over his shoulder. He dashed toward the teleporter, having heard footsteps behind him.
"Teleport: Grand Pulse!" he exclaimed, disappearing in a flash.
He sighed, having appeared on the 41st Floor. The entire floor had been a place known only as Grand Pulse. It was another floor that didn't have a main settlement, thus it was cleared two days after it was reached. The entire area was swarming with wildlife, most of it hostile. There was also an optional super boss called Long Gui, that was seen walking around the entire place. It was so big, that it nearly reached the bottom of the next floor. As soon as people saw it, they ran away from it, not wanting to even attempt a fight with it.
Stepping off the teleporter, he decided to take the main path away from the middle of the field. He knew that if he kept walking he would reach the lost city of Paddra, an abandoned ruin. It was a bit cold on Grand Pulse however. He remembered the first time they had entered that floor, it had been blazing hot. But now that it was winter, most of the floors had changed to reflect the season. He reached the edge of the ruins, taking a seat at one of the large pieces of stone from the ruined city.
"Laughing Coffin, a mysterious guild with shady players. And that hooded fellow, planing his wife's murder. God that bastard pisses me off, how could he just kill the woman he loves?" he cried angrily.
Sword Art Online was many things, but the two most important things that stood above everything was life and survival. Once could classify them as the same thing, but Akira of course valued both of those things. He couldn't survive in SAO if he didn't live, and in order to live one had to push forward. Love was a great thing, so it made living and survival all the better. So the fact that one man was planning to kill the woman he loved, it really sickened him. Sadly, he didn't know who they were so tracking them down wasn't an option.
"Damn it, what exactly do I do...I can't just trail those Coffin guys. One or two I might be able to handle, but a group is beyond the question. Plus their all green, so if I attack them, I'll go orange." he muttered.
He lost himself in thought wondering what he could do. There wasn't exactly anything he could do in his position. He just couldn't do anything.
He sighed in defeat and stood up, heading back toward the teleporter. He felt useless, not having scored a single clue on who that man's wife was or when she was going to be killed. Without knowing those two things, following up on it would be useless. He stepped onto the teleporter, uttering the words to take him back to Myujen. Once there, he walked himself back toward his bench and sat down, facing the Christmas tree.
"Well, you don't look very merry. What are you doing here Violet Assassin?"
Akira glanced over his shoulder, seeing a familiar catty grin. He smiled a bit, happy to see a familiar face. It was of course his information broker, Argo also known as The Rat in Aincrad's underground. She was still wearing her golden cloak, so he didn't know what type of armor she was wearing. He did see the shine of her claws.
"Me, I'm just enjoying the sights." he said.
"With that face? You'll probably scare off all of the children waiting for Santa. Are you...doing alright?" she asked.
"Hell no, every day is a struggle. I'm still not over Sasha, I miss her every day. It doesn't help that it's only been two weeks. I promised to get her outta here Argo, and I failed...it should have been me not her." he said.
"Now don't say that. Think about her for a second, do you actually think she wants you to die? She's most likely praying that you make it out of here. Wanting to die, it isn't going to solve anything. The one responsible is Kayaba after all." she said firmly.
"Yeah but...how can I just move on? I love her." he said, glaring at the auburn haired girl. She took a deep breath, leaning against the bench.
"You just do...I haven't been in love before...but if I was, I would want my partner to go on. I wouldn't want to be the cause of his or her demise. We've all lost someone Akira, but we moved on."
"You're right Argo. It's just so fucking hard, I thought she was the one. I made her a promise, and now her dick head cousin won't stop pissing me off." he said, crossing his arms.
"Well, you could beat him in a duel, teach him not to mess with you." Argo suggested.
"Absolutely not. Remember what happened last time?"
"Okay, last time was an accident, this time it will be on purpose. That guy is seriously messing up my Information Gathering. He figured out how to mess with the Listening and Hiding Skills, making my job that much harder." she said.
"So you want me to assassinate him? I'm sorry but I don't do that."
"We don't have to assassinate him, all we gotta do is send him to jail. I got some information about him, he's apparently extorting people and taking their money. I don't know about you, but extortion is a crime, sadly one that isn't recognized by the system." she said.
"Hmm...if we can somehow get him out in public, the KoB would have to do something about it, but how would we do that?" he muttered.
"I'll get back to you on that. However we will have to most likely use you as bait, he blames you for his cousins death. Has he taken money from you before?" she asked.
"Three Million Col, thankfully I was able to replace all of that money easily, but it still a pain in the ass to farm in this game." he said, a tone of annoyance in his voice.
"Tell me about it...anyway I need to head off. Try not to do anything stupid alright, and if you got information to share, you know how to get a hold of me." she said, tugging on her hood.
"Hey wait...do you have information on a guild named Laughing Coffin?" he asked, causing the girl to stop.
"Where did you hear that name?"
"So you know about them?" he asked, causing her to turn around. She looked around for a few seconds, before fully facing him.
"Yes, I know about them. They are the lowest of the low, and have remained inactive for awhile, but now that the fiftieth floor was beaten, I think they're going public. They're a guild of player killers. One of the leaders has killed at least one hundred people, on his own. You don't want to get involved with them." she said firmly.
"A PK guild...but that means...that one guy...he's gonna kill his wife with their help!" he cried.
"Who? Do you have the name? Maybe we can get help from the DDA and the KoB!" Argo said.
"No, I didn't get any information on any of them. All I know is that one guy his going to kill his wife because she's getting a rare item appraised. They mentioned Agil, so I'm assuming she's going there." he said.
"Shit, without that information there's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to warn Agil, that way he can let that woman know she's getting offed." Argo said, opening her message box.
"I feel so useless. I maxed out these skills and they haven't even served me any purpose. Now, another person is going to die because I can't do shit!" he said.
"Now now, you gave me enough information so it isn't a baseless rumor. The KoB and Agil will get all of this and they'll be able to open an investigation. I know that's not reassuring but...it's something." she said.
"I guess...I'll let you go...I'm sure you got stuff to do. Don't worry I won't be doing anything stupid, and thanks for the extra information." he said.
"Bye Akira, stay outta trouble." she replied, giving him a wave. He disappeared into the crowd, quickly disappearing from her line of sight.
Akira shut the door to the inn he had been renting. He walked over to his bed, taking a seat on it. He had to admit, the rooms on the 49th Floor were some of the fanciest he had been in. Compared to the rooms on the 1st Floor, he could envision the one he was in as a mansion.
He sighed, laying back down on his bed. He wasn't going anywhere, most likely for awhile. The sole fact that he knew someone was going to get murdered had really shaken him up. Honestly, today was the most emotion he had shown in two weeks. He glanced at the ceiling, closing his eyes.
"Maybe Argo is right...I should just move on. I'm sure Sasha would want me to keep going. But it's so damn hard too...I can't just forget everything we did together." he muttered sadly.
He remembered the first time he had taken her to Floria on the 47th Floor. He used the excuse of wanting to see the flowers, but had already found out about the special event that took place there. If a married couple walked into a certain flower patch, it would trigger a horde of glowing butterflies that would surround the two lovers. Butterflies were seen as a sign of life and prosperity, and blue butterflies were simply beautiful. Sasha had fallen even more in love with him, they had been happy. But then the 50th Floor boss ended it all. He grit his teeth, slamming his fist against the bed frame, a violet "Immortal Object" Icon appeared above it.
"Damn it Kayaba, you son of a bitch! Where the hell are you hiding? I know you're watching all of us you fuck! Come on, face me like a man!" he shouted in anger. He heard a loud beep, his eyes drifting to his message icon. It was blinking, but instead of it being orange, it was blinking blue. He had never seen anything like that before. He sat up, his hand reaching for the icon.
"Heh, this is probably a glitch. The SAO servers weren't designed to hold Ten Thousand of us for this long period of time. Won't be long until all of us die here." he muttered dryly.
He was tempted to just delete the message, but he also got mildly curious. A blue blinking message icon was enough to draw anyone's attention. He sighed and tapped the icon, he had nothing to lose.
The message opened up, the words staring at him. They were written in a bright blue font, something that he had never seen before.
"Hero from the realm of light...you have been wronged by those around you. Trapped in a world of someone elses making, and face death on a daily basis. Those who want the power to right was is wrong shall indeed receive the blessing of the Saint. Embark on a Grand Quest to discover the hidden mystery of the Temple of Algade."
He just stared at the message, unblinking. Did he just receive a message inviting him to go on a Grand Quest? Did SAO even have Grand Quests? He was just beyond confused. He reread the message, finally noticing the button options at the bottom.
"Accept Quest Yes/No?" he muttered.
He looked at the box, thinking it over. He didn't have anything to lose, and it was a Grand Quest. However, he didn't know exactly who else had gotten the request. If he was to assume a few others who were on par with his level got the same message, then that meant they would be taking it as well. A Grand Quest in any other game usually meant he would get several things out of it. New armor, new weapons and most of all, a massive amount of experience. If he could solo it, then it would be a boon for him. He nodded to himself, hitting accept. A loud jingle echoed through the room, his entire body glowing blue. He looked at the back of his hand, seeing a glowing mark on it.
"What is this?" he muttered.
The mark looked sort of familiar, almost like a flower. Currently the only thing he could discern from it was the stem, along with what looked like a flower pod. If he were to haphazard a guess, he had until the flower bloomed to complete the quest. Another window popped up, forcing him to look away from his hand.
"An Event List, so this truly is a Grand Quest, what does it say here?" he muttered to himself.
"The Algade Temple isn't accessible to just anyone. If you truly are the hero of light, then you must bring the sacred key to a woman named Gentiana on the outskirts of Laguna."
"Sacred key...no..it can't be." he muttered, quickly opening his menu. He went to his inventory and looked through his items. The golden key he had found in Panereze had only been labeled as Mysterious Key. However, when he looked at it again, he saw it was named, The Sacred Key of the Temple. He materialized it, staring at the golden trinket.
"Who would have thought, this key was actually an event item. And I was going to sell you to Argo. But now, I'll be able to get all of these sweet bonuses and items. Then I'll grow immensely strong, and when I do, I'll make it to the 100th Floor and take down the final boss." he said, clasping his hand on the key.
"Tomorrow, I'll get started on this quest." he said, a grin on his face.
Xxx
"A Grand Quest? SAO had one of those?" Rain asked curiously.
"Indeed it did. I wasn't sure if anyone else had the message, but I guess I got it by chance. I didn't think that key held any value, but I knew keeping it was a great idea." he admitted. He glanced around, a frown on his face. They still hadn't found Udyr. He was beginning to wonder if this quest was even worth it.
"You know, now that you mention it, I don't remember there ever being anything of interest in the game. Sure there were some special event bosses, but if there was a Grand Quest, don't you think they would have announced it?" Rain asked curiously.
"Maybe, or Kayaba just wanted certain people to get a crack at it. After all, Kirito got Dual Blades because he had the fastest reaction time in the game. For me, this Grand Quest was a way to get what made me unique."
"Wait...oh I get it, this is about that Unique Skill you had, like the one Heathcliff had." she said, face lighting up a bit.
"Yup, this is exactly how I unlocked that skill. But I would rather you know the whole story behind it."
"Yeah, especially since this is something I don't know about." she said, giving him a smile. Akira flushed a bit, glancing away from her.
"The hell is coming over me? Every time she smiles, my heart starts racing, and my face feels hot. Maybe the game is getting buggy." He thought to himself.
"Uh um...I'll just...skip ahead a bit." he said.
"Sure, I don't mind." she said.
"Well, the day after the 49th Floor was assaulted by a snow storm, so I got stuck at the inn for a bit. Though thankfully I had food items in my storage. That was something that really pissed me off, a freaking snow storm in a game, as if I didn't deal with enough of that shit in the real world." he said, earning a giggle from the redheaded girl.
Xxx
(December 17th 2023: Location: Laguna Floor 40: 10:03AM)
Laguna was one of the prettiest places in Aincrad. Being the main settlement of the 40th Floor, it boasted large crystal clear lakes, much like the 22nd Floor. Only the ones in Laguna had large islands in the center, all of them being settlements. The entire floor was actually one large lake, with small islands dotting the entirety of the floor, connected with wooden bridges. Farther along was an entire field of large trees, which had also been claimed to make large spacious treehouses. Further along the Southern Edge of the main settlement, was a river that would lead you down to a forest. The dungeon was filled with critters of all shapes and sizes, along with some other dungeons and labyrinth like paths. Safely navigating them was a challenge in and of itself. But the clearing team was able to manage. The labyrinth was at the end of one of these paths, and filled to the brim with elven enemies and some plant type monsters. Akira didn't remember much of the boss, only that it a large Tree like creature, reminiscent of the 4th Floor boss.
Due to it being winter, parts of the lake had frozen over, so large chunks of ice could be seen floating everywhere. Thankfully all of the bridges were raised over the water, so the threat of actually falling in was eliminated. Though he had heard of people getting hypothermia in the game, something that came from exploring the snow covered mountains on the 48th Floor.
Akira took a deep breath, the icy air filling his lungs. Most people were too busy tackling the lower floors to be seen wondering around. He did spot a few players among the NPCs, and gave them a wayward hello. News of his guild disbanding had filled all of Aincrad, so the intermediate players had lost a very powerful resource, though he did hear his teammates were still doing their work, even without him. He briefly paused, wondering if he should message any of them.
He shook his head, and continued his walk through the snow covered city. He kept his eyes peeled, searching for the Quest NPC. He had no idea what that Gentiana woman even looked like. As he looked around on the main island, he tried looking for something out of place. When he turned the corner, he saw a bright blue glow and looked at his hand.
"The mark...is glowing?" he muttered.
Holding his hand up, he noticed the flower stem had grown a single petal. He noticed there was a bit of an ice trail in the air, leading to what looked like a pub. He looked around, at some of the other players but they didn't notice a thing. He figured since he had the mark, he was the only one who could see it. Quickly hiding his hand, he walked forward heading toward the bar.
"This is insane. I'm following an ice trail, that only I can see to a bar that I've never set foot in. For all I know, this grand quest could have been designed to kill me. Then again, Kayaba wouldn't get his just desserts if his quest failed. What's your angle big man, I really wanna know."
He walked into the bar, seeing that it was filled with who he assumed were regulars. A quick scan of the patrons revealed no player cursors. He looked up, seeing a young woman at the bar. She looked a few years older, perhaps in her early twenties or so. He closed the door and made his way toward the bar, glancing around at all of the men and women hanging around the pub, talking amiably among friends. He glanced around, taking a seat at one of the empty stools. The young woman looked up, giving him a forced smile.
"Welcome traveler, is there anything I could get you?" she asked.
"Yes, I want to know where I can find a woman called Gentiana." he said.
"Why do you want to find her?" the woman asked, giving him a curious look. He dug a hand into his pocket, retrieving the key, which he placed on the bar.
"I have reason to believe she knows what door this opens." he said. She took a hold of his hand, eyes widening a bit.
"You've got the mark. The Sacred Hero." she said. A few of the patrons looked at her, and she gave them a smile. She grabbed the key, gesturing for him to follow. Once they were in the back room, she closed the door behind them.
"I am Gentiana." she said.
"Ah, by that reaction just now, my suspicions had been confirmed. But what's this about the mark?" he asked, gesturing to his hand.
"Oh right, the mark of the Sacred Hero...I'll explain a bit more, once you tell me your name, traveler." she said.
"I'm Akira, just you're average swordsmen, working to reach the Ruby Palace." he said.
"The Ruby Palace? Heh, as if you have what it takes to take down the tyrant leading Aincrad. 100 floors of absolute hell, that's what this castle is." the woman replied.
"You know Aincrad is a floating castle? You must be some weird NPC." He said, earning a chuckle from the woman.
"NPC, I don't know what those are. But you have come here seeking me, I indeed know where this key goes. It was mine, but on a trip to the lake in Panereze, I ended up dropping it. Thank you so much for bringing it back." she said.
"It wasn't an issue..but what's this about the hero?" he asked.
"The Legend, you mean you've been marked and you don't know about it?" she asked, earning a nod from the boy. She sighed, glancing at the wall.
"I cannot believe this. You've been marked as the Sacred Hero and you don't know what that means?" she asked.
"I don't, can you please explain it?" Akira asked, a bit annoyed at all of the dodge balling the woman was doing.
"Sure, but not here. There are people who would do bad things with this information. Meet me in the plaza in the city of Nautilus and bring the key with you. I'll be there in an hour." she said, handing him the key.
"Um...alright then." he said.
Akira frowned as he left the pub, with less information then he wanted. He had at least found the woman he was looking for, so he was sure she had the information he needed. He continued on heading toward the teleport gate, stepping onto it.
"Wonder how this will turn out. Teleport: Nautilus." he cried out, and in a flash he was gone.
For an hour, Akira waited. Nautilus had been a rather popular place in Aincrad. It was the casino floor of the city, having some carnival-esque attractions. It wasn't futuristic, but it was exactly medieval either. He hadn't really explored the town as much as his friends had, he just hadn't been interested. Then again, Sasha had taken him to the house of mirrors, where they ended up making out for a long time. It wasn't until some intermediate players came around that they actually left, an embarrassed look on their faces. That was something Nick held on them for awhile. He sighed, a frown on his face.
"Well, you look rather sad."
He glanced up, eyes falling on the black haired woman he had met an hour ago. He had to admit, for an NPC, she looked really good. Her long black hair was neatly trimmed, extending down to her waist. She was wearing a black shirt, with a golden trim on it. She was also wearing an iron chest plate over it. Around her waist she wore a matching black armored skirt, with frills hanging from it. She was wearing black tights, along with a pair of black armored boots. She also had a sword attached to her hip.
"Huh, sorry. I...lost my wife not that long ago." he admitted. He inwardly chuckled. Spilling his feelings to an NPC, what a fool.
"I'm sorry to hear that. You aren't the only one who lost someone, I ended up loosing my husband not long ago. So it seems we have something aside from that key in common. You did bring it correct?"
"Yeah, I got it." he said, pulling the key out of his inventory. The woman nodded, gesturing for him to follow.
"The mark you have on your skin, it's the mark of the Sacred Hero. Legend has it, that there was a man who was able to quell the heart of a beast, saving a princess from doom. However, a harbinger of chaos corrupted that woman, turning her heart into ice. The Hero had no choice but to kill her."
"Oh...that's a shame." Akira said, not exactly knowing how to respond.
"Indeed...this woman...when she was dying she had been cared by the hero. The same man that took her life, it was only then that her heart finally thawed. With the last remainder of her life, she wished for them to meet again. And they did, every four thousand years, the two of them are reborn. However, the curse is still within the woman's heart, so she gets reborn as a Saint of Ice. The key opens the doors to a sacred battle ground."
"A battleground, to quell the raging princess?" he asked.
"Indeed...the Hero rises, not only to quell the princess, but to thaw out her heart. If her heart isn't thawed out, then she will freeze everyone to death. She is a caring woman, and loves humans just as much as the hero loves her, but the ice in her heart corrupts her. You have been chosen to thaw her heart out." Gentiana said, earning a curious look from Akira.
"So, I have to thaw out her heart? That seems simple enough. We have the key to the sacred coliseum, I'm assuming it's near Algade right?" he asked.
"Actually, that key won't open the door to the temple." Gentiana said firmly.
"Huh, but you said..."
"Yes, but this is only one key. We need to find three more of them to open the door. Sadly those keys have been scattered all over the place. Thankfully as the Hero, you'll be able to find the keys with your sacred mark. When the final petal appears on the flower, the Princess will appear in the coliseum, and it'll be time for your battle." she said firmly.
"Goddamn you Kayaba, and your goddamn fetch quests." he muttered under his breath.
"If you don't mind Akira, I think my expertise will be useful in this mission. You can't do this alone after all." Gentiana said, looking a bit sheepish. He saw a pop up window and glanced down at it, seeing the familiar glowing letters.
"Gentiana wishes to join your party, Accept/Decline?"
Akira shrugged and hit accept, seeing the new HP bar under his own. He glanced at the black haired woman, seeing the HP bar around her, a glowing green cursor above her head. He gave her a nod, glancing away from her.
"So, where would we find the second key?" he asked.
"I have some friends in Candle Cove that might now where one of them is. He was the one who appraised my key, so if he has more information it it, we'll be able to find them easily."
"Floor 46 huh, alright let's get going. The faster we find these keys, the better." he said, leading the woman toward the teleport gate, unknowingly being followed by another player.
Xxx
"I think I'm going to end the story here...look that NPC has an exclamation mark above their head." Akira said, pointing to a man that looked like a shop owner. Rain huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance.
"Aw come on, we were getting to the good part." she said. He took a hold of her hand, giving her a grin.
"Forget the story for now, there's always time for that you know. Come on." he said, pulling her along. Rain blushed bright red as she was pulled along, not exactly knowing what to do.
They stopped in front of the man, who was placing a sandwich board in front of his store. He glanced up at them, a warm smile on his face.
"Hey kids, may I help you?" he asked.
"Yes, we're looking for a man named Udyr...have you seen or heard of him?" Akira asked.
"Ah, that young lad. He came by here a few weeks ago, rumor had it, he was trying to get to Valhalla." the man said.
"That's true. Do you know where he went perhaps?" Rain asked.
"Hmm...he mentioned something about facing a champion in battle. If I were to guess, he went to the big coliseum in Midgard to face Odin's Champion. Only then could he truly reach Asgard." the man replied.
"Thank you so much sir, we appreciate your help." Akira said, giving him a polite bow. He and Rain left shortly after, heading back toward the main square.
"So, we got a solid lead, this Udyr guy headed to Aincrad. I remember reading somewhere that Midgard was the human realm, and since humans used to inhabit Aincrad in SAO, it makes sense for him to go there." he said.
"Yes, but I don't remember seeing a large Coliseum in Aincrad, no wait...there is one. The one that Kirito and Heathcliff used for their duel." Rain said.
"Huh...if that's true then...no, that's on the 75th Floor. You mean to tell me we have to wait until all of those floors are cleared to continue this quest?" he exclaimed.
"Damn, I didn't even think about this. Just when we were getting close, I wanted you to beat this Hayato dick head." Rain said. Akira sighed, glancing at the ground.
"I'm so useless. I can't believe we all took a quest we can't even complete yet!"
"Stop it, it's an honest mistake. That doesn't make you useless, you aren't...not to me at least." Rain said, brushing some of his hair away from his eyes. They blushed and looked away, even though they were still holding hands.
"M-maybe we should go find the others." Rain suggested, earning a nod from Akira.
"Yeah, Sakuya has been playing this game longer than us. Maybe there's something we missed." he said.
"I'm afraid not...that man said Udyr went to Midgard, Colonia is the only place with a Coliseum. A big one anyway." she said.
"Damn Quests, the Cardinal System isn't going easy on us is it?" he asked.
"Nope, not at all." she said.
"Well, if it turns out we can't get that sword...there's only one other way we can beat Hayato..that's the old fashioned way. Power leveling! Maybe we can use your surgery to our advantage, you'll be diving for three days straight, so that'll give you an advantage. If the clearers open up the second floor, you can level up easily on the Oxen that inhabit the fields." Rain said.
"That would be a good idea, if Hayato didn't have Admin access." he said.
"Hmm...wait a minute...you said you used to work for Yvir right? Doesn't that grant you the same access he has? Can't you just use that against him?" she asked.
"No, that wouldn't be fair. Besides I gave up my GM privileges when I sold my shares remember? I want to beat him fair and square, with my own power." he said firmly.
"Well...there's one last thing I got that will work...it's my special skill." she said, opening her menu. With a few taps, she manifested a window, which she flicked over to him. His eyes fell on it, widening a bit.
"An Original Sword Skill? Thousand Sword Rain?" he asked.
"It's a sword skill that makes use of my Leprechaun magic. I can summon every single sword in my inventory in one shot and use it as a powered up magic attack." she said.
"But only Dual Wielders can use this skill. I mean, I can dual wield too but I haven't gotten that good." he said.
"Which is why I will train you. I may not have mastered Dual Wielding in SAO, but I assure you it's my most used skill set. The Original Sword Skills are something created outside of the system assist, remember that. You can mold them to do what you want, and this skill is the same." she said.
"Alright, I'll let you teach me Rain...if I win this fight with Hayato...I'll owe you one." he said.
"You'll...owe me one?" she asked, a blush on her cheeks. She shook her head, adopting a firm look.
"Fine then, let's talk to the others so we can get to work!"
"You got it teach!" he said happily.
"Let's find the others, but I want to hear more about this grand quest alright?"
"Yeah yeah, you wanna know something Nijika, you are really pushy about hearing this story. Perhaps you're part of it in some way."
"Huh...me? Pssh no, that would be impossible."
"Hmm...right...let's go, before those three tear each other apart looking for us."