Author's Note - So a fun fact. 's PM functions consider 'Faerie' and 'Fairy' to be a slur and auto sensor it. So if anyone has PM'd me and gotten a weird reply, now you know.
As always, read and review.
Halkegenia Online v3.0 – Chapter 6 – Part 1
"So," the Leprechaun asked, looking out from beneath silver-gray bangs with dreamy eyes, like she wasn't quite all in the present frame, "how do you like it? It's good, right?"
Asuna, Dame Asuna, Maeve of the game world of ALfheim Online and now a Faerie Knight in service to the Crown of Tristain, felt anticipation mix with trepidation, an expression she need only look into the mirrored surface of the helm before her to see reflected back.
She'd been anticipating this for some time, and she still didn't know quite how she felt about it. A little pleased with the end result, but also uncomfortable. Now, standing here in the armory that had been reserved for the special use of the Yggdrasil Knights, she came face to face with her future self.
The Maeve took a step back to study the equipment from boots to helm. She'd seen the individual pieces before, during hours of fittings where the smiths and tailors had taken her measurements and made adjustments, but this was the first time she'd seen everything brought together as a finished piece.
It made it all so much more real this way.
Fitted over a wooden mannequin, the armor stood before Asuna as if it was already being worn, back straight, legs shoulder width apart, arms at rest, only lacking the sword at her side. Sleek, silver-white plates of mithril over a layer of spun silk, armor that she had been promised would be proof against even point blank musket fire. Asuna had every reason to believe that promise after witnessing the demonstrations.
The simple fact was, she wasn't going to be going into battle without it. Lord Mortimer, and even more so, Kirito, wouldn't allow it to be any other way, and being honest with herself, she wouldn't either.
Previously, in SAO by choice and Albion by circumstance, Asuna had avoided heavy body armor, getting by instead with her agility to dodge attacks and her high HP to, hopefully, save her if things went awry. She'd occasionally supplemented her stats with light metal equipment, usually a simple breastplate, but anything that slowed her down or encumbered her movements was a double edged sword and was usually unwelcome.
In Aincrad, people had argued endlessly over whether AGI or STR builds were superior, avoiding the damage versus Tanking it. Well in that case, Asuna had been a firm believer in the AGI strategy.
Not getting hit was still a very good strategy in the real world. In fact, it was an even better strategy than in SAO or ALO. Their bodies weren't simply avatars of Faeries anymore, damage and injury were not abstractions represented by an arbitrary subtraction from HP, nor could a person be restored instantly to health.
A strike that Asuna could have tanked in SAO and thought nothing more of could now be crippling. Slashes could cut muscles and tendons, stray bullets or arrows could strike her in the head or throat, and shrapnel from near misses could be driven fast enough to sever anything from an artery to a limb.
Looking at it that way, the fact that she'd survived all of her battles in Halkegenia as spells, bullets, and wood slivers flew about, was more than a minor miracle. Wearing armor was non-negotiable.
Queen Henrietta had agreed and had insisted on only the best for her new Knights, commissioning the elite crafters in Gouibniu and the TRIST engineering branch to provide equipment equivalent to Legendary and Ancient grade weapons and armor. Asuna doubted the Queen would be disappointed with the results.
"It's certainly very nice," Asuna said.
It really was very nice. No. The truth was that it was more than just nice, it wasbeautiful. Almost beautiful enough to lay her doubts to rest.
The Leprechaun gave Asuna a few moments to take everything in before continuing. "I thought you'd say something like that," Hegent said, deeply satisfied that her predictions had been correct. "We tried hard to take all of your feedback into account when we were making the adjustments. It's patterned on a suit ofLegendary grade armor that's popular with Undine players, but we used high grade mats like mithril alloy that you'd only usually find in Ancient grade gear. That allowed us to reduce the weight and provide maximum protection," the engineer announced proudly. From the sound of it, she had every right to be. "There were also a lot of artistic flourishes that compromised the strength of the armor, we took those out so it can actually do its job and protect you. So . . ."
"So?"
Asuna glanced over, she'd been just about to touch her index and middle fingers to the shiny metallic surface of the helmet, a little mystified by the complete lack of eye slits. She wondered how they made that work now that the equipment wasn't a game item, and decided it was probably Magic.
Hegent, the Leprechaun Hegent, engineer of the Faeries and official member of the TRIST, bounced up and down on the balls of her feet in anticipation. Clasping her hands behind her back, she grinned broadly. "You want to try it out right? We can have you fitted in less than half an hour."
Now that was a surprise. "Really?"
The Leprechaun's head bobbed. "Luckily we got all of your measurements as we were fitting the pieces, so there's just some small adjustments to make. The under armor is supposed to be easily adjustable so that we can account for changes in body shape."
"So what you're saying is, don't start packing on the pounds or everyone will know?"
Asuna rolled her eyes as she looked over her shoulder to where Caramella leaned against the wall. The former Army player and current Faerie Knight of Tristain had already been fitted in her own medium weight amalgam mail armor, colored in deep grays, greens, and blues as a homage to her past guild.
"I'll have you know I haven't gone one kilo over weight," Asuna sniffed with faux offense. And if she had, she'd burned it off through physical training to keep up her rapier skills. "And besides, shouldn't you be worrying about yourself first? Kino sure has been asking me for a lot of recipes lately."
"Eh?" Caramella shrugged. "A girl needs her protein if she's going to do strength training. I'm bound to thicken up a little. That's just the price of admission to the gun show," said the Nymph as she flexed her arms.
Thankfully, nobody else in the armory paid her much mind, save for Asuna who had to try hard not to burst out laughing. She supposed that sort of attitude was to be expected from a girl who fought with a decidedly tank build.
"Anyways, we can have you all fitted up right away," Hegent repeated, reaching for the clipboard she'd left on the table. "You can wear it around and get a feel for moving and fighting in it."
Asuna nodded. That was why she was here. There was no sense in waiting.
Hegent raised a hand to her mouth and called to another Leprechaun who had just finished giving a similar talk to a short and slight Imp named Ascherit in the far corner of the room. "Hey Yu-chan, can you get the fitting room ready, and call Alison-chan?"
The shorter Leprechaun seemed to jump in place, nodding quickly, then turned to apologize fervently to Ascherit. The Imp simply smiled and waved that it was alright. Asuna had spoken to him a few times since he'd been assigned to Kirito's squad for multi-team maneuvers, a soft-spoken young man who was so anxious not to offend that he sometimes grew high strung just being polite.
His mastery of Darkness Magic and an unconventional mind for tactics had caught her eye more than once. Asuna hadn't thought to ask for details, but she suspected his skill set was a result of being a Hogei-sen assassin, as was his nervous politeness.
"Alright then," Hegent smiled dreamily. "Go ahead and get naked."
Asuna blinked as the Leprechaun's words sank in, and then flushed furiously. "You don't mean right here!" Caramella snickering at her back. She couldn't!
"Don't be silly. The fitting room, the fitting room." Hegent chuckled. "What, did you think I wanted you to strip in the middle of the armory?"
"We had someone do that once," the other Leprechaun, 'Yu-chan', said with a note of disapproval. "He-chan just wants to see if she can get it to happen again." She looked reproachfully at the taller Leprechaun. "Stop that!"
"An experiment must be repeatable to provide validity!" the TRIST engineer answered cheerfully. "You keep telling me I shouldn't say it that way because itinvites confusion, but not one other person has gotten naked in the middle of the room, so obviously that was just an outlier. Honestly Yuyu, you need to think more like a scientist!"
Huffing something about being an engineer, Yuyu took Asuna gently by theshoulder and pointed her towards the rear of the building where a short hallway lead to offices, the storerooms, and the fitting room.
The fitting space couldn't be said to be large. In fact, it was quite small. It didn't need to be big, though. It had just enough room for a mannequin, a mirror, a small platform for fitting and a stool for the fitter. The room had been thoughtfully furnished with narrow windows near the ceiling to discourage peepers.
Asuna didn't have long to wait before a very tall, dark haired Cait Syth arrived with arms full of supplies. Yuyu followed right behind her with the first components for fitting. Asuna was instructed to disrobe as they set to work.
The armor was less a single article of clothing and more of a protective cocoon. It had layers, starting from the inside with a padded cotton and wool garment that was meant to help soften impacts such as from a sword swing or a bullet strike and also to provide cooling by drawing sweat away from the body to where it could evaporate more easily. Putting on the first layer felt like dressing in a full body sock, but it didn't stop there. After tugging and pulling at the form fitting garment and making some last adjustments, they proceeded to the next step.
The outer fabric component was less elastic and more constricting, comprised of a spun silk material that had to conform tightly to the wearer's body to help spread out an impact such as from a bullet or arrow. The silk jacket started out feeling snug and simply grew tighter as Alison drew it in, nimble hands working with near mechanical speed.
"Sorry about the big hassle," Yuyu apologized as Asuna felt her insides being squeezed to goo by the Cait woman.
"It's . . . fine . . ." Asuna sighed as the pressure gave way just a little and her ribs expanded back out. This must have been what it was like to wear a corset.
"Good?" Alison asked as she held a piece of cord between her teeth.
"Yeah," Asuna said, relieved, right until the pressure redoubled and the woman went to work tying everything off.
"Like I said, sorry and all. It has to be tight to protect you," Yuyu repeated. "The good news is that once we're done, the armor can be left assembled in the field so that you can take it off and put it on more easily. Oh, and if it's fitted properly you won't have anything to worry about from stray musket fire."
"That . . . is . . . good . . . news . . ." Asuna cringed as Alison pulled tighter and tighter, until it felt like the armor was becoming a second skin. Caramella hadn't been kidding about this equipment. It would probably loosen up a little with wear, she hoped.
The cloth components of the armor complete, they proceeded to the outer layer, the plate armor that was attached, piece by piece, adjusted, measured, and then adjusted again before finally being tied off. Shins, forearms, chest and back, supplemented by wyrm leather padding where flexibility was needed. Asuna was permitted to adjust the arm guards and gloves and was at last handed her helmet.
"Uhm, we've got a bit of problem back here," Yuyu spoke up.
"Oh?" Asuna answered in the fashion of everyone who had ever been to a tailor's by trying to turn to look at her own back.
"Yeah, the helmet's a pretty tight fight, not like that lender you've been using," Yuyu summarized. "You might need to start wearing your hair in a braid so it doesn't get all over the place. Either that or cut it . . ."
"Braid," Asuna said without a second thought.
"Are you sur-?"
"Braid!" Asuna repeatedly firmly. Definitely a braid! After her ordeal as Sugou's prisoner, she finally had her hair back to the way she liked it. She wasn't going to cut it short if she could help it.
"Braid it is then." Yuyu nodded. "Let me do it for you this time, okay?"
Asuna gave her thanks, turning her attention to the helmet in her gloved hands while Yuyu worked. It was just as smooth and aerodynamic as the rest of the armor, and devoid of anything that could so much as be called a face. The one concession to the living thing that would wear it was the pair of small, metallic fins that protruded to the sides, just large enough for a slim pair of Faerie ears.
When Yuyu was finished, she gave Asuna the go ahead to slip the helmet on and then showed her how to adjust the straps and netting that would hold it in place and provide padding while the helmet was being worn.
The first thing that surprised Asuna upon donning the helm was how well she could still see and hear. The fins must have contained protected ear holes, and the faceless, opaque surface that comprised the front section of the helmet was completely transparent when viewed from the inside. The only thing more surprising was how easily she could breath. She'd expected the helmet's padded interior to feel a lot more stuffy and confining, but other than the faint smell of leather padding, the air remained dry and fresh.
"Comfy? Good. Now then, I want to make sure there's no problems with your field of vision because of the way we have it fitted," Yuyu instructed, taking a card from her pocket and holding it high overhead. "Just tell me if you lose sight of this, okay?"
Asuna was made to stand still while the Leprechaun moved the card up and down and then, strangely, asked her if she needed her to repeat the test in reverse. When asked why that might be necessary, Yuyu had simply shrugged. "Some people prefer it that way, I'm not really sure why. So your vision is good all around? Good. Alison?"
The Cait was making the last adjustments to Asuna's scabbard, ensuring that it was properly attached to her belt and wouldn't come loose or interfere with her movement. Finally, she stepped back to admire her work. "We didn't do half bad,"she decided, a pleasant purr carrying beneath her voice. "That just leaves what Asuna-san thinks. So, how does it feel? Everything snug?"
Asuna shifted her weight from side to side, working her shoulders and arms. No serious restrictions to her movement, and Faerie strength made the armor feel quite a bit lighter than she would have expected. The fitting had done a good job of distributing that weight too as Asuna hopped down from the fitting platform and walked a narrow line from one side of the small room to the other. The balance was nearly perfect.
At last, Asuna turned to the corner of the room. She'd been careful not to look in the mirror while they did the fitting, now she surrendered to the temptation. What she saw gave the Maeve pause.
Seeing the suit fitted to her body was as different as inspecting it on the mannequin.
'Dame Asuna.'
There was something sort of embarrassing about being called that even though everyone around her took it very seriously. Probably because she hadn't felt like much of a Knight. But at least now she looked the part. Cocooned in her armored skin from head to toe, it would be hard to say for sure if the figure standing in front of the mirror was a person or a golem.
"Okay, try your wings now," Yuyu instructed. "They shouldn't have any trouble conjuring now that the armor's been adjusted."
Asuna did as she was told, feeling her wings unfurl from her back and then split into their three flight pairs. The Knight in the mirror replicated the motion exactly, six slender, gossamer appendages spreading wide. Her wings didn't have any trouble moving freely either.
"It's good," Asuna decided. She'd been expecting she'd have to sacrifice more for the protection she was getting in return. She'd been pleasantly surprised.
"Very nice, very nice!" The Leprechaun clapped her hands together. "You'll want to try it out for a while in case any problems crop up."
"Un." Asuna nodded, the motion exaggerated by her helm. "The training fields are clear right now, I want to try out some moves and get a feel for how it will affect my agility."
"Right then." The smith nodded. "Come back when you're done and give us any observations. We're always eager to improve our workmanship!"
Caramella was still waiting when she returned to the main room, grinning as she got a good look at the new 'White Knight.' Asuna was glad she hadn't taken off the helm just yet. It helped to hide how embarrassing that sounded.
"What? It looks good on you!" Caramella protested as they left the armory for the crowded central campus of the Champ de Mars training center. "I mean, really like a Knight in Armor." Looking very thoughtful she added, "Though I guess that would make Kirito the 'Black Knight'. Hopefully that doesn't end up being a jinx . . ."
"It better not!" Asuna warned as she tucked her helmet into the crook of her arm. This weather really was a bit hot to be in full armor.
She worried enough about Kirito's bodily safety as it was. Which was exactly why her Spriggan husband had found himself going through the same fitting process himself, settling on a similar suit of low profile full body armor that was, if anything, even more heavily reinforced than Asuna's own.
Armor of similar quality was also being issued to the Defense Force assault teams and combat skirmishers, although the expense and rarity of the necessary materials would almost certainly limit their issuance to the elite teams, while combat squads with lower priority were limited to 'mere' Legendary grade gear or below.
At least they could rest easy that the Faerie volunteers would be well protected, Asuna thought, though that left . . . Her eyes wondered to the soldiers passing all around them, commoners and mages alike.
There were Faeries too, scattered here and there, talking among themselves or with human soldiers. A pair of Sylphs gesticulating furiously as they described an aerial maneuver to a curious Dragon Knight. Several gigantic Gnomes shouldering light cannons and wagon axles like they weighed almost nothing. A trio of Salamanders hurrying to catch up with their training team.
Two Faerie Knights walking in their midst was bound to draw attention, the ones who knew Asuna either saluted of gave small deferential bows as she passed.
A growing feeling of self-consciousness took hold and refused to be pushed back down, and with it, more than a small feeling of guilt. The armor she was wearing was of the very best quality and had taken plenty of time to make. How many of those soldiers could be better protected for the cost that had gone into keeping her safe?
Gouibniu's smiths and crafters were doing good business with the soldiery that could afford Faerie equipment. Ambitious front line officers and Dragon Knights were being offered stipends by the army to improve their personal armament. A good cuirass and helmet of Gnomish steel was something that even a junior lieutenant could afford, and offered protection that was only rivaled by the best native armor.
By comparison, the commoners had yet to benefit much from Faerie craftsmanship. The effort to introduce mass production was still in its infancy, and without factories and a modernized system of distribution, the magicless forces of Tristain could be counted fortunate to be receiving their new muskets and uniforms on time.
Asuna reminded herself that she couldn't think of it that way. War was brutal and she was already unfortunate to have seen just a tiny sliver of it in Albion. Lessons with Lord Mortimer and the books he'd lent to her promised that as bad as what she'd seen was, it would only get worse. The whole point of becoming a Knight was to stand in front of that danger and protect those behind her.
Thinking of it that way, it was a heavy responsibility, but one that she could bear with pride.
"You've gotten quiet, something on your mind?" Caramella tilted her head to the side. "I wasn't serious about that whole Black Knight thing!"
"No, it's nothing like that," Asuna promised. "It's just . . . What's going on up there?"
It was clear by the shouting and cheers that something was happening in the parade square, and judging by the way soldiers were hurrying to see for themselves, chances were that it was something a little out of the ordinary. Furthermore, judging by a certain red haired samurai taking bets at the back of the crowd, Asuna was fairly sure she knew who was at the center of attention. A sense of dread wormed its way into Asuna's stomach.
"Oh boy." Caramella chased after her as Asuna went storming in to get to the bottom of things.
"Klein!" Asuna was feeling distinctly unamused.
"Oy, Asuna!" The Salamander waved her down. "Fancy seeing you here. Care to place a . . . hey nice armor! Finally siding with us tank builds, huh?"
"Klein!" Asuna repeated. "What's the meaning of this?" Though she already knew, or rather, dreaded, looking at the heaps of coins stacked neatly at the crouching Salamander's side.
The scruffy lizard scratched at the back of his head, his grin only growing slightly nervous. "Erm, well . . . it's . . . Let's just go with it being a training drill. How about that?"
No, not 'How about that'! "Training drills don't involve betting pools, Klein. This is a duel, isn't it?" Asuna squinted as she looked at the figures tallied on a piece of paper. "And why are Kirito-kun's odds only two to three?"
Kirito was synonymous in her mind with 'absolute strongest' so seeing anyone getting favorable odds was more than a little jarring.
Klein shrugged. "Hey, Kirito is the one who came up with this, don't look at me. He's splitting the take fifty fifty with the challenger."
"What?" Asuna craned her neck, trying to get a look over the human wall blocking off the view of the drill grounds before remembering that she could simply fly, hovering just high enough to see the duel that had so suddenly demanded everyone's attention. A good look was all that was needed for things to start to make sense.
The parade square was a large area fronting the Headquarters Building and designed to house the entire Champ de Mars barracks during morning muster. The surface of the square, by tradition, rather than being made of brick or laid stones was instead a single smooth surface of seamlessly fused stone.
Asuna had been informed that the monolithic construction meant that the parade square often developed cracks that had to be repaired by whichever mage happened across them first. Even if that person was a General, they were responsible for repairing the flaw. It was a show of constant diligence underlined by the fact that Asuna had never seen the parade ground looking anything short of perfectly unblemished.
Until today that was. All Asuna could think was that all of those hard working mage officers who had dutifully upheld their tradition were probably crying right now. Asuna would be crying too if her hard work had been turned into a shattered battle zone by six bronze giants and a swordsman in obsidian black.
'Kirito-kun'. Asuna grimaced.
Now that she had an aerial vantage she could see the challenger standing on the far side of the parade square, blond-gray mop of hair hanging loosely over gray blue eyes. General Belgen de Gramont held a thin lipped smile, his fingers tapping to a rhythm against his leg, while his wand waved to and fro like a Maestro to direct his golems.
And from the looks of it, the General had earned his reputation as a master of earth magic. Asuna had fought golems before in training, big and clumsy, and for all of their strength, surprisingly fragile. Those golems had been created by Dot and Line mages, and were nothing like the six bronze Valkyries that had taken the field against Kirito.
The General's golems were fast, much faster than any of the stone, iron, or wooden golems that Asuna had seen demonstrated, and they reacted with something that was almost like real intelligence, a testament to the ability of their puppeteer. Metal feet shattered stone or threw up showers of sparks as tons of bronze alloy sprinted and skidded from side to side, exploiting their fast movements to trade places with one another as they tried to surround their Spriggan challenger.
So far, Kirito was more than holding his own.
"Looks like they've got plenty of mages in place to keep things from getting out of hand." Asuna glanced to Caramella who had come to hover beside her. The Faerie Knight nodded to where officers near the front of the crowd stood ready to intervene if either the General or Kirito were in any real danger.
Even though duels of this type were sanctioned with appropriate precautions, Asuna felt her irritation growing. Doing something like this without telling her!
"Kirito-kun . . . Men are just . . . ugghhh!"
Caramella snorted. "If you ever wonder why I don't like guys? It's because of stuff like this."
The duel had hit a fast and furious tempo with the six Valkyries maneuvering together in an effort to corral Kirito towards the center of the battlefield where he could be surrounded and their numbers brought fully into play. As it was now, Kirito was keeping up a swift retreat so that he only had to engage one golem at a time, swords in hand to parry and counter.
The heavy grade Fae alloys of Onyx Arbiter and Ivory Maven had already taken bites out of the wrists and forearms of at least three of General Gramont's golems. A forth had lost the tip of its spear, and a fifth was fighting on in spite of a partly destroyed head.
Kirito, features hidden behind a faceless obsidian helm, it was impossible to tell how he was feeling, but he moved with the characteristic swiftness of complete focus. For Asuna, that fact was almost reassuring, it meant that he certainly would not lose.
Nearby in the crowds, Asuna's hearing picked out a few snatches of conversation.
"He's the one they call the Black Swordsman right?"
"Impressive for a boy playing at being a man."
"Didn't you hear? He's the one who killed Sir Wardes!"
"That may be, but he still stands no chance in a duel of honor. The General even took a handicap and uses only his golems!"
"Asuna?" Caramella gave her a worried look as the Maeve trembled. "Hey, Asu -"
"Win this one Kirito-kun!" Asuna declared at the top of her lungs. "Don't let that washed up old womanizer beat you!" She could worry about a suitable punishment afterwards, but first Kirito had to win!
General Gramont was proving his reputation as a first class mage however, his Valkyries had surrounded Kirito and were now relentlessly driving the Spriggan to just where they wanted him.
"If the General agreed to use just his golems, Kirito must have given up his wings," Caramella reasoned. Naturally, Kirito was the sort of person who would want to challenge an ally to a fair fight.
"He should still be more mobile than that," Asuna frowned.
His new armor wasn't that much heavier than her own, and Kirito edged her out in physical strength by a healthy margin thanks to the demands of his preferred one handed style. He shouldn't have had any difficulty breaking through or simply jumping over the Valkyries. Doing so without wings would be risky as the golems could very easily take advantage while he couldn't evade, but it would be better than letting himself be surrounded.
Kirito was smarter than that. General Gramont seemed to think so too as he arrayed his golems in two concentric groups of three, the inner group advancing to attack Kirito directly while the outer group held back to catch him if he tried to break through.
The Spriggan broke off from the leading golem, returning Ivory Mavin to its sheath and dropping into his preferred guard stance, free hand outstretched. Runes started to trace the air, the fine lines too far away to be read clearly before they interlocked and vanished.
So Kirito was going to use magic for this duel, Asuna thought. It really was a different sort of fight.
If Asuna hadn't been able to see it, then it was almost a certainty that General Gramont hadn't either. The golems hesitated and Kirito had his opening. Exploding forward like a shooting star, instead of aiming for the gaps, Kirito charged straight for the first golem, right into a readying swing that he would either have to dodge or block.
Kirito did neither, splaying his free hand wide and aiming for the golem's feet. Spots of blackness sprouted forth from the earth, reaching up to encircle and shackle the magic construct in place. Helpless in its prison of shadow binds, Kirito was free to relieve the struggling golem of its weapon wielding right arm with a heavy strike to an already weakened elbow.
Off balance, the animated bronze statue toppled over as the shadow type spell dissipated into thin air, Kirito already turning to advance on the next as he chanted a second spell and closed in on another of the previously damaged golems, evading its swing to land heavily on wide shoulders.
Keeping his balance while the golem tried to shake him free, Kirito tapped his free hand to the edge of his blade, a cloud of rune circles bursting to life down its length and then fading away as the air began to ripple and the sword's tip began to glow, first sullen red, then rising to orange, yellow, and at last white.
"That's not a shadow type spell," Asuna observed, trading a look with Caramella.
"Looks like either a Leprechaun enchantment or fire magic, maybe," the older swordswoman offered, shrugging helplessly. They both knew about weapon enhancement spells but neither had added them to their arsenal just yet. Kirito had done some extra homework it seemed.
Whatever type of spell it was, it was effective. Plunging Onxy Arbiter through the golem's head, the bronze construct seized up, shuddering as its neck and upper chest began to heat and then give way. Two more golems were coming to the rescue as the fifth and six held back and waited for an opening.
That was when Kirito was presented with a problem. The golem he was riding was barely functional, but it still retained enough magic to grab hold of his sword and pin the blade in place. There was no time to fight for the weapon, Kirito jumped clear, converting the energy of his fall into a roll as he drew Ivory Maven as a replacement.
The third golem had a damaged ankle. Maybe Kirito had hit it earlier, or maybe all of the running and hard stops were too much for the bronze to take. It was exactly the sort of weakness that Kirito had exploited against the first golem. Sword flashing out to strike and carry through, expanding the damage just enough so that on the next footfall, the ankle sheared under the load and sent the whole mass of metal smashing into the remains of the second golem in a shower of broken parts.
The voices in the crowds were starting to have a change of heart. Words like; 'He's not half bad', and 'The General should have gotten serious sooner!' were starting to crop up.
If General Gramont was getting flustered by his performance, the only sign was a thoughtful frown as he gathered up his remaining trio of constructs to face off one last time against Kirito. His tactics obviously hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped, so now he was resorting to brute force and numbers to see what would happen.
Kirito drew back to prepare, a third spell rippling the air around him before fading away. The Spriggan crouched low, holding perfectly still, just waiting for the charge.
When it came, all three golems started to move at once, less running and more bursting from side to side in a perfect display of coordinated movement, sparks flying as they dug rents into the ground, changing their direction of travel in the blink of an eye.
"That's a tri-star attack. He's got the General fired up now."
"Hope the referees are on their game."
"They'll pull him before it hits."
Whatever the it mentioned in their foreboding commentary, Asuna found herself holding her breath. The golems weren't slowing down, just getting faster and faster, never resting in the same place for more than the blink of an eye until suddenly, three screaming crashes sounded out as all three golems erupted into a charge, one after another.
The first spear was less than a meter from striking home when Kirito and the air all around him shattered into a million diamond shards. A reflexive gasp stole its way from Asuna's lips, the effect of the mirror spell shattering was entirely too much like an avatar death for her liking, but it had served its purpose, a black blur skidding between the legs of the lead golem, the swordsman hurriedly threw a second bind into the legs of the following Valkyrie.
Kirito must not have had time to chant the spell's full power effect, or maybe he'd meant to do it that way as the shadow bind grabbed the still charging golem by its right leg and proceeded to thoroughly trip up the animated armor before snapping under the strain. The second Golem collided with the first, both vanishing in a cloud of sparks and dust as the third came to a skidding halt and instead of thrusting with its spear, swung the weapon about and batted at Kirito as if with a polearm.
The unexpected move forced Kirito to duck low and opened a gap for the last Valkyrie, with surprising deftness of form, to swing its spear blade back around in a thrust.
There wasn't time for Kirito to dodge or to deflect with his sword, it looked like the fight was going to go to General Gramont for sure and the General's supporters had begun to prematurely cheer, when the Valkyrie's spear froze in place, the length of the shaft trembling with faint vibrations. The dust cleared to reveal the black armored Spriggan, boots sliding across the stone surface until they found purchase among the cracks and dents in the stone.
Kirito had dropped Ivory Maven to free his hands which were now wrapped firmly around the tip of the golem's spear. The trembling was from Kirito who had to be exerting all of his strength to resist over a ton of bronze trying with all its might to smash him into the ground. With the difference in size between the two and a half meter tall golem and Kirito's slight frame, it was like watching an ant fighting a rhinoceros beetle.
A creaking groan rose from the wreckage of the golems behind Kirito, one of the two magic armors was still functioning enough to push the other broken construct off itself and climb to its feet with the remains of its spear. Kirito was pinned in place resisting the third golem and couldn't raise a hand to defend himself.
That was probably why General Gramont was showing off by advancing the damaged golem at a casual saunter to present itself, looming over Kirito. Raising its broken spear it delivered a restrained strike to the shoulder which narrowly missed as Kirito twisted, shifting his grip on the spear he'd been holding at bay and redirecting it into the chest of the damaged golem.
Off balance and arms over extended, the last of the golems struggled to pull its spear free from its destroyed comrade as Kirito retrieved Ivory Maven, the blade beginning to glow white hot with the heat spell he'd used previously, an effect that bore a striking resemblance to a Sword Skill as he cleaved through the Golem's arms at the elbows.
The damage finally caught up to the Valkyrie, its animating magic shattering at it collapsed, bronze cracking and breaking apart as it tumbled down.
The silence that followed was broken only by a single pair of clapping hands, General Gramont advancing from the edge of the field to extend his congratulations. Despite the disappointed muttering from the General's subordinates, most followed their superior's example and joined in the applause, along with more earnest and heartfelt cheers from the supporters of both sides.
It had been a good duel was what everyone seemed to think. Asuna too as she sank back to the ground and then to her knees with a low sigh. Klein and Caramella were close at hand, both giving her worried looks and asking if she was okay.
"Klein-san," Asuna said, "I have to ask. How much was Kirito's take?"
The Salamander took a look at his paper full of scribbled calculations. "It should be this one here, half goes to General Gramont but the rest is Kirito's. Uhm, why?"
Asuna examined the number and then nodded, giving a small smile of relief. Kirito had won, so she couldn't really be angry. What she could do was remind him not to be so reckless.
"No reason in particular." Asuna extended her hand palm up, and beckoned. "I just think that should be more than enough to put towards a nice dress for Yui-chan so that she can come to the next gathering. Wouldn't you say?"