Chapter Nineteen
"Hey Azure Knight! I see you've gotten back together with your trusty sidekick, the Black Swordsman." A blonde headed Stark bounced over. Was that kid ever not happy?
I had finally gotten Kirito to agree to party up with more than just me with clearing the floors. We had gotten into too many sticky situations that we almost didn't walk away from. We even had to run away from a mid-level boss on the last floor due to it being twenty levels above us. No matter how strong Kirito and I got together, there's only so much the two of us can handle before we put ourselves into unnecessary danger.
So I had recruited Stark and Charr to join us. Having a party this big meant we could get Kirito's level up higher by bussing him (when a low level character joins a party of high level characters to level up faster). It doesn't hurt to have more than one person watching your back in a fight, also.
We didn't have enough people to create a guild with the four of us, as a guild needed seven players in order to be formed. Agil had already joined a merchant guild and Asuna had joined the Knights of the Blood Oath, the red and white guild that generally runs the boss raids. She has a nickname now, the Lightning Flash due to her speed with her rapier. I'm glad she found her own niche in this hellhole, it means she will be safer on the frontlines.
Plus, now I don't have to worry about her and Kirito since he and I started dating.
Charr, on the other hand, has since backed off in his pursuit of me. The day after I confessed to Kirito, I had to tell Charr. I couldn't continue to lead him on, it wasn't fair nor was it right. I love Charr as a friend, and thankfully he understood that. He had told me that it wouldn't ruin our friendship, and that he would still be there for me if I needed him.
And now here we are, partying to clear the 47th floor. Players are calling it the floor of flowers because there isn't a spot on the whole floor where a flower isn't present. Even the monsters are Venus Flytraps and such. This floor would be a botanist's paradise. Or a romantic's wet dream.
"Help! Someone please help me avenge my guild mates! I'll give you everything I have! Please help me!" A young boy called out from the town's center.
Everyone passed him by, ignoring him. My heart ached to help him, so I looked to my gathered party members pleadingly. Charr and Kirito both sighed in resignation while Stark jumped up and followed me over to the boy.
"What is your name? And how can we help?" Stark grabbed the boy by the shoulders and lead him over to the table our other party members occupied. I pulled out my seat for him and crouched down to the boy's eye level.
The boy couldn't have been older than thirteen, about four years younger than Kirito and I. He felt familiar, so I assumed he was one of the kids that had gone through the boot camp that we ran on floor one. He had probably created a party with his training mates after defeating Illfang.
"Ah, Sensei! It's good to see you again! I don't know if you remember me, but you trained me and my party through the floor one boss!" The boy bowed to Charr.
"Ritsu, right? You were one of my first training groups. What happened to NagisaKiller, QweenBee, and Bentoboi?" The dragon tamer asked.
"That's why I am up this high, Sensei. A guild called Titan's Hand are attacking and killing players for their Col and items. They attacked us, and the rest of our guild. I am the only survivor, but that's because I had gotten into a fight with NagisaKiller and stormed off back to town. When I returned to the guild, I watched Titan's Hand killing NagisaKiller and stealing all of their stuff. So with what was left in the guild storage, I started going to all the higher floor towns to try and hire someone to take down Titan's Hand." Tears were streaming down Ritsu's face.
"You and NagisaKiller never could get along. I am sorry to hear about your guild. We will help in anyway we can, but you have to promise me one thing." With a nod from Ritsu Charr continued, "You have to promise me that you will keep fighting. Don't let your guildmates die in vain. Continue to cherish their memories by staying alive. Even NagisaKiller wouldn't want to see you dead." A single tear fell from Charr's eye. It hurt him to know that all of the training he put in this group of players were outdone by player killers.
When I looked to the rest of my party, I saw rage from Kirito and tear tracks on Stark's cheeks. My face was probably a mix of both, because I know I cried a few tears for the young boy but couldn't help the unfathomable anger I felt at Titan's Hand. How dare they hurt lower level players just so they could collect more Col and items. Instead of putting themselves on the line to get these items, they dared to kill others? Titan's Hand would regret the day they crossed paths with Bruiser and co.
"Do you know where to find the guild that killed your friends?" I asked in a choked voice. I was shaking with anger and held back tears.
"They attacked us on floor 32, but I know they were much higher levels to be down so low. Other than that, I don't have any information other than their leader is a green player called Rosalia." He answered, with shoulders hunched.
"Okay. That should be a start. We will go from there to bring justice to your friends. I promise." I rubbed Ritsu's shoulder.
"Before you go, I bought this so they can go to the jail that The Army has set up for orange players. Killing each other isn't the answer, they should be in jail for what they've done." Ritsu handed Stark a teleportation crystal.
We left Ritsu at the cafe in Floria and made our way down to floor 32, the last place he had seen Titan's Hand. We started asking other players if they knew of anything in regards to Rosalia or any other player killer guilds. When we came up with nothing, we decided to split up the party.
Obviously, I went with Kazuto to wander the local dungeons and forests to see if we could catch them in the act. Stark and Charr stayed in the main town to keep asking the other players for more information.
Deep in the forest, Kazuto and I heard voices. With a glance and a nod, we quietly crept closer to listen into their conversation.
"That pipsqueak is going to get herself killed. Her and that little lizard she calls a dragon. If she does make it out of the forest on her own, I'll be surprised. But that lizard isn't going to make it out alive. She will have to find a way to that rare item from the Hill of Memories, the Pneumia Flower on floor 47, to get her dragon back. And when she does, we're gonna strike her down and steal it." A female voice cackled. Kirito and I looked at each other in surprise.
I jerked my thumb to tell him to go save the girl while I stayed behind to listen further. Kirito was a high enough level that he shouldn't have a problem beating the Drunken Apes that inhabit the forest. So I had no worries that he could handle it, hopefully he got to her before the Apes did.
"Rosalia, that's the best idea you've ever had! Oh that flower is going to make us so much money! I can almost taste it!" The speaker made a wet sound. I shivered at how sick in the head these people are.
"That is the reason why I am the leader of this guild. I come up with all the plans that make us rich." The female, Rosalia, laughed again. "Alright, I have to catch up with that group of idiots I partied with before they notice I've been gone for too long. They have some items with my name on it." Rosalia got up and left the group.
I debated on rounding up the guild right now, but if I did that, Rosalia would know and we would lose our chance at taking this guild down once and for all. And I didn't know if this was the whole guild or not. I did know, however, that they were planning on meeting up with the rest of their guild on floor 47. Probably to catch someone coming out of there with that rare item.
K,
I found Titan's Hand. They are planning on meeting the leader on floor 47 to attack someone coming out of Hill of Memories. They are looking for rare item that revives beasts that have been tamed. I will continue to follow the guild to make sure we get everyone in one lump sum.
S
I sent a similar message to Charr, knowing he would pass it off to Stark. With my messages sent off, I prepared myself for a long night of watching and listening.
Ding
A message from Kazuto popped up in front of me. He found the girl that Titan's Hand was talking about. And just like they predicted, her dragon had perished in the forest. Luckily Kazuto got there before the Drunken Apes killed her too.
He was going to take her to the rare flower so she could resurrect her dragon. They were also being watched by someone, probably another member of Titan's Hand. Rosalia was still currently with her party somewhere, but I had a feeling she was going to be there to intercept Kazuto and the girl dragon tamer.
The plan has been made. Kazuto was taking the girl to the Pneumia Flower and then back to town to revive the dragon, Charr and Stark were to be his backup, and I am to follow Titan's Hand until they make their move on Kazuto. All in all, it was a great plan. It meant that we would have all the members in the same place at the same time. And if they were about the same level as Rosalia, in the 40s, we wouldn't have a problem taking them down with our party at level 75 or so. Well Kazuto was a little lower at 68, hence why we formed a bussing party in the first place.
It took the better part of a day, but eventually Kazuto and the girl tamer made their way to a bridge on the outskirts of Floria Town. This is where Titan's Hand planned to make their move. And it was a hilarious outcome.
After Kazuto pushed the girl towards Stark and Charr for her safety, the guild went after Kazuto with everything they had, and failed. Big time. He didn't even raise a finger to defend himself. I couldn't help but laugh as I walked out of the treeline behind where the guild had been hiding. I leaned my shoulder against a tree not too far from where Rosalia stood and crossed one ankle over the other.
"And who the hell are you?" Rosario screamed in rage. She pulled her tri-tipped spear from her back and aimed it in my direction.
Kazuto sped over to hover his blade at her neck. He was so fast that if you blinked you would have missed his movement. One minute he was in the middle of the bridge, and the next he had his sword pressed to Rosalia's throat, the spurs on his boots spinning. "I don't quite like you pulling a weapon on my girlfriend." He grinned evilly. "I don't mind becoming a yellow player for a few days if it means protecting the ones I love." Rosalia started trembling.
"Rosalia, do you know who these two are? It's the Black Swordsman and Azure Knight! The beaters! They call them Bruiser cuz they look like a bruise when fighting. Oh we really messed up this time!" One of the boys from Titan's Hand yelled as he tried to back his way across the bridge, to attempt an escape would be my guess.
"Seems the nickname is still being used, even after your time apart." Charr said with arms crossed over his chest. He and Stark were standing at the other end of the bridge with the young girl behind them, preventing the members of Titan's Hand from escaping along with keeping her safe.
Poor girl. She looked terrified. Her light brown pig-tails were trembling from the crown of her head. Gripped in her hands was a small dagger, her only weapon. Not many people went around carrying only a dagger, as you had to be practically on top of the enemy to use it. She had to have all her skill points in speed in order to carry one and not die. Unless she partnered with someone who tanked and drew aggro in battles.
Rosalia screeched and stomped her foot when she realized she and her guild weren't getting away with the Pneumia Flower. But that didn't mean she and her guild were leaving here the way they came in.
"You have to be wondering why we are here, Rosalia. See, I've got this teleportation crystal that's gonna take you all to the jail that the Army oversees. It's where you and your guild are gonna spend the rest of their days until we're all freed of this world." Kazuto held up the crystal Ritsu bought.
"You know that guild you took out last week? Well one of them survived. And with every last bit of Col he had, he bought that crystal. He didn't want you guys killed. He wanted you to go to jail. He wanted you to pay for your sins against all of the players you've killed." I smirked. I noticed that the other members of Titan's Hand were trembling at our announcement. Rosalia was down-right shaking as she dropped her spear to the ground.
"We don't even know if people actually die IRL if they die in here. There's no proof that all those players really died!" Rosalia's lips trembled as she attempted to defend herself.
"Oh is that right? Well you wouldn't mind testing that theory, would you? How about I kill you here, and we will see if you open your eyes here or in hell?" Kirito whispered in her ear.
"Don't kill me! I don't wanna die!" Rosalia bawled and fell to her knees, defeated.
"Funny how you never gave all those players you've killed the same chance. But no worries, Kirito won't kill you. We will let the authorities decide your fate in the real world." I straightened up. "Alright Titan's Hand. Time to go to your new home. Now play nice, you hear?" I said as they all got to their knees and laid their weapons on the ground.
Merry early Christmas! And as a gift here is another chapter! Hope you guys are enjoying this fanfic!