Everything went white for just a second and then her sight returned to her. She found herself standing at the edge of a cliff with the ocean in front of her. "This is so odd." she muttered, holding her hand up to her face. She pinched her finger and stared back at the water. "It feels so much more real than any other thing I've played." Finally after taking in the view of the sparkling water, she turned back to see a sprawling forest in front of her. She was alone in a small clearing outside of the trees. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. Time for another round of this. She reopened her eyes and pressed forward into the tree cover.
Luna spent the majority of an hour just walking and getting her bearings of the surrounding areas. Luna tapped the small diamond in the center of the watch as she moved and navigated through the radial menu that appeared before her. "Skills like he said." she muttered, tapping the skill icon. There was only one icon in that menu which was a body with an aura of lightning surrounding it. "Lightning Dancer." she read. The name gave her a sarcastic smirk and a scoff followed it. "Of course he would name it that." She raised her right hand and stared for a minute. "He said I had more control over it now instead of just a skill set. Maybe if I…" She cut her words off as she began to imagine lightning flickering around her hand.
She heard a quiet chirping sound and when she opened her eyes, her hand was engulfed in arcs of blue lightning. She then imagined it running up her arms and so it did. Next was her body and so it proceeded to engulf her entire self. She felt lighter then, that and much quicker on her feet. The menu of her watch began flickering as the lighting coursed around her. She quickly dismissed the skill and continued back to her menus. Next she clicked the map icon and up a map came. The only thing visible was a small dot and an area around it that was colored green. To the east of the green was blue which she assumed to be the ocean.
"Green must be forest and that dot must be me." she gathered. The rest of the map was covered in a white mist so that she could not see what surrounded her. As Luna scrolled through the map she saw other symbols in the midst of the fog. Towers, buildings, landmarks, all of these and more had badges to represent them and were scattered all across the hologram. She clicked on a nearby tower and she saw a glowing trail of footprints appear on the ground in front of her. "Handy." she muttered. After closing the map, the character icon was the next thing she investigated. A screen with a picture of her face appeared and next to it had various information displayed within it.
"Lunasara Mirahai a.k.a Lightning Dancer (SAO Survivor) (Somerant Online)" was the first line of text next to her picture. "Age: 19 Birth: April 4, 2007 Height: 5'1" Weight: 105 lb Hair: Light Brown Eye Color: Yellow" read the second line. "A young highschool girl that survived the two years worth of struggles that came with the infamous VRMMO Sword Art Online. After returning to the real world she attempted a normal life before being attacked by a man she had fought with in the virtual prison. Now scarred both physically and mentally from her traumas in both worlds, she fights one final time for the sake of her friends and family." "A bio, really Fox?" she questioned as she closed the menu.
Next was status which had a heartbeat monitor and a display of her body next to it. Under that was an empty text box which read "Ailments/Injuries". She then proceeded to an icon labeled "Points/Ranking". A box was displayed that had "Level: 1/EXP: : 000" within it. Another box had read "Player Ranking: 50". "Fifty out of what though?" she questioned before tapping another icon. It brought her to a shop with a listing of different items ranging from weapons of all kinds, ammunition for a multitude of guns, and various gadgets, some of which she recognized. They all had a cost next to them, which she assumed based off of Fox's explanation, were the survival points. The first item in her list was the wrist strapped spools of wire she used in Somerant.
So this shop is set to my own preferences. The final one she checked was the one labeled "Benefits". Another list of things that were bought with the . They consisted of anything from player locators to placeable bounties. Another thing that stuck out to her was a symbol of a cell phone. "Call a friend" it stated. "Can I call Yumi with this?" By the time she finished a quick scroll through the lists she looked up and saw a massive radio tower ahead of her. The glowing trail of footprints continued towards it to guide her. A concrete building rested at the bottom of the tower which she hoped would have something to help her survive in this place. Or maybe some kind of information I could make use of.
The trees encircled around the structures leaving an open clearing where she could easily be spotted should she pass through it. Luna swiftly and skillfully ascended up a tree so she could get a higher vantage point. The door to the building was shut as far as she could see from her position. There were no signs of other players in the vicinity either, no footprints, no noises, and no movements which her eyes were naturally drawn to due to her fight training. Luna pulled the hood of her jacket up and jumped down from the branch before cautiously moving forward. The coat was long enough to conceal the weapons on the back of her waist so she figured that was at least some advantage. They knew not what she carried or where she was carrying them so it gave her some level of surprise over would be enemies.
As she moved, the nagging feelings of her knowledge of players possibly stalking around did not give her comfort. Luna reached the door unscathed and closed it behind her after entering. The quiet click of the door closing seemed to echo in her ears as it broke the eerie silence inside the building. Inside were at least a dozen wooden crates, a few lockers that resided along the back wall, and a computer residing on the desk that was pushed underneath a window. The dagger she then drew from her waist was one that she had never seen before. The blade was black as night and split down the middle so that it was a two pronged blade. The hilt had black leather wrapping around it which made for a solid grip.
She used it to pry open a few of the crates but found little in the way of helpfulness. She found a few flares and a couple of spare 9mm rounds. "I don't plan on using that thing anyways." she complained, but still she put the rounds in her pocket. She opened another one and found a brown leather messenger bag and pulled it on. Another crate held two boxes of military rations which she quickly placed into her newly acquired bag. The rest of what she searched might as well have been empty for all the good their contents held. The most useful thing she had grabbed was a single whetstone which she pocketed. Luna turned her attention to the computer and hit the power button. The screen remained black so she hit it several more times before hitting the table. "Damn it. Of course it doesn't work." As she glanced around the room again in a desperate attempt to think of something, an idea came to mind.
She put a hand on either side of the monitor and closed her eyes. After a quick breath and an image of coursing lighting, she felt her hair stand up slightly and was accompanied by the sound of chirping. Arcs of blue light traveled from her hands to the monitor and then the screen lit up. Seeing that her idea worked brought a smile to her face and then she began perusing the computer. Several images of files were dotted across the screen but only one actually opened anything. A map appeared and then her watch began to beep. Luna tapped the black diamond and a box appeared with the options of "Yes" or "No" appearing underneath another box that read "Transfer". After tapping "yes" a meter appeared on both her hologram and the monitor and once filled, a box appeared reading "Complete".
Upon the transfer's finish the computer went black again and the map icon on her watch was blinking. Another tap pulled up the large map which now had a section filled out. Dotted lines seemed to separate different areas on the map and now her current district was clear to her. "So each district will have one of these I'm assuming." she stated as she tapped the diamond once more to close her menus. She glanced out of the window and a sudden gleam of light caught her eye. It was a flickering glint off of some reflective surface from a far distance away. As sudden realization came over her, Luna dove to the ground just in time. In a second the glass shattered and rained down on her. She heard the bullet strike the metal door of a locker and the sound seemed like an explosion in her ears.
"Damn it." she gasped as she went to a crouching position. Just before she raised her head to the window once more, a metallic ball flew past her head. Luna barely had time to catch a breath as she turned her body before the explosion propelled her. She felt the warmth of the blast as well as the hundreds of shattered shrapnel striking her jacket. Her body was flung into a wall and she then fell to the floor. "Ahhh." she groaned as she rolled onto a side. The jacket prevented any shrapnel or heat getting to her but the impact against the wall left her slightly dazed and knocked the wind out of her lungs. Luna was left gasping for air for a minute before the sound of incoming voices forced her to her feet.
Instinctively Luna reached for her knife and drew it to her side. The door swung in so she waited against the wall behind it and waited as the voices approached. "Do you think we got her?" asked a young sounding man. "You blew this place to hell, if that didn't kill her then I don't know what will." said another man but in a deeper voice. She waited even after the door opened. She stayed still until she saw the rifle's barrel turn away from her and move from the door. A second set of steps followed and stood in front of the door. Her right hand began trembling heavily as the animalistic rage she so despised began creeping in. She could feel herself falling back into the feral image she held in her mind.
I need to live. I need to ki… She shook her head. No! I can't kill them. There has to be a way to avoid that. "Murderer! Monster!" she heard a young boy's voice say in her head. She shook her head again and tried her hardest to quell the shaking in her right hand. Not the time, I can't do this now. I need to act before I break down again. Luna in an instant kicked the door as hard as she could into the man in front of it, sending him to the ground. She ran to the surprised sniper and got too close for his weapon to be of any use. He attempted a swing which she easily dodged and slithered around him. Luna held an arm around his neck and then pressed the blade into his neck just under her arm. "Don't move!" she demanded of the fallen foe as he returned to his feet. "I don't want to kill him, or you. Please put down your gun." she begged in hopes of him giving in.
The man standing had on basic military looking gear with a black camouflage pattern. Over his black button up shirt was a vest which she assumed to be his bulletproof item that was provided by Fox. He had black curly hair and eyes as green as grass. His weapon of choice was a shotgun and he had a belt of grenades along his chest with one free spot among them. The man in her arms was wearing similar gear but lacked the explosives the other wielded. "Please." she pleaded. The shotgunner hesitated and Luna sliced a little deeper into her captive's neck, drawing a dribble of blood as it slid easily into the skin.
Her hand was now surprisingly steady as it was now the rest of her body that shook. "What do I care if you kill him?" asked the gunner. "That's one lass competitor I have to deal with later." he added to the prisoner's shocked look. "I'm your brother! You…" Before his sentence finished escaping his lips, the sound of a shot rang out and Luna was sent onto her back from the force. "I don't need a brother, I need to get home." said the gunner as smoke rose from his barrel. Blood gushed from the shredded chest of the man and as she saw the forming puddle ahead of her, everything went black. "No. Noooooo!" she screamed. Murderer. Monster! Kill! You know you want to. You know you need to. "Stop it!" she yelled as a high pitched chirping replaced the fading gunshot in the air.
Next was the sound of the shotgun pumping to load in another shell. "Now it's your turn, girl." he snarled as she looked up to him. There was fury in her eyes, a glare full of murderous intent. He shot and she lunged. She was however faster due to her ability. A string of blue arcing light trailed behind her and she was now atop the man with her blade cutting into his neck. Blood dripped out of the shallow wound and he looked up to her with regret and sorrow in his green eyes. His gun was now in two, the trigger half still sat in his right hand, the barrel was left on the ground beside them.
Luna snarled and growled as she breathed heavily above him. As she glared into his eyes she then saw Trail and an old memory creeped into her mind. Back in SAO she was atop her friend in this same position and under similar circumstances. Her sword cut into his flesh as he looked with the same sorrowful gleam up at her. They were full of fear, regret, and the realization that their life was teetering on the edge. "Please, don't do this." the man begged. She heard the sound of leaking water coming from his bottom half. "I gave you a chance. Why should I spare you?" she snarled in an almost unrecognizable voice. "Because you d-don't w-want to do this." he gasped as she cut deeper into his throat.
Her fingers gripped tighter along her hilt and she began pulling the blade across his throat but then she stopped. A flash of Yumi came into her mind. "Let me be your anchor." she recalled Yumi's words from the night they had shared together on Luna's birthday. Luna's breathing mellowed and her trembling began calming. Her knife pulled away from the gashed flesh as if being pulled back with somebody else's hands. Luna climbed off of the man's chest and stood above him. He quickly grasped the wound with his free hand.
"You almost killed me." he gasped. Luna was struggling to re-collect her thoughts. "I won't kill you. You deserve it but I won't do it. Leave, now, while I'm in my right mind." Lightning still flickered around her and her yellow eyes glowed brightly under her hood. The man scurried back to his feet and ran for the door. "Was he really your brother?" she asked in a growl. He gave a look to the dead man on the ground before running from the building without answering her inquiry. Luna sighed and would have fallen had she not grabbed onto the computer desk for support. "Murderer. Monster." she heard again, more faint than previously. "I am. Now leave me alone, please." She held a hand to her head and closed her eyes as she continued catching her breath.
Not even two hours and already there's a dead man, a traitor, and I almost broke down again. My walls are still too fragile for this. I almost killed him, I wanted to. She looked down at the body next to her feet. The clothing on his chest was shredded as he was not wearing any armor over them. It was all stained with blood and Luna swore she would have seen into his chest had she looked closer than she dared. Suddenly she felt the urge to vomit but forced it back down. Luna stumbled from the building and collapsed onto her hands and knees as she heaved with eyes closed. The feeling of her knife against his neck, the satisfaction it was giving her to cut into him, the pleasurable rage she was feeling, all of it persisted in her mind as she stayed still.
As the memory grew stronger she heaved two more times before something finally came up in the form of vomit puddling below her. She stayed there for some time as all of her conflicted emotions calmed and her nausea subsided. Luna looked up and saw a drone floating within the trees with a camera on the underside. It was watching her which caused her eyes to widen for a moment. That's right. This is supposed to be a show. Well, I hope he's enjoying it. She spit onto the ground and wiped her mouth on her sleeve as she rose to her feet. She looked at her watch to check the map once more and noticed a new icon on the menu. "Players." Luna tapped it and two names appeared.
"Sai Kijimi and Tai Kijimi." she read. "So they were brothers." Next to Tai's name was the word "Deceased". Upon tapping the name she saw the same information window she had. A picture, his name, age, etcetera. "Tai and his younger brother Sai lost their mother to cancer at a young age and was raised by a drunken father for most of their life before Tai moved them into the northern countryside of Japan to get away from him." read his bio passage. Next to his name he was labeled as a GGO player. "I can't believe his brother would do this to him. How could you kill your own family, let alone your own brother?" I shouldn't have let him live. Once again Luna shook the thought from her head. "Stop it." she said, smacking her cheeks.
What's done is done. I need to keep moving. I need to find a place to stay for the night. Going back to her original task, Luna opened the map again and began looking through the newly exposed region she was residing in. More map markers now dotted the land than before and she saw one that resembled a hotel. She tapped a finger to it and another set of glowing footprints led the way through the trees and brush. There were no visible signs of the fleeing brother that was visible to her while traveling to her destination. Nor were there any signs of any other players around her. The surprising lack of life both surprised her and put an unsettling fear in her. In Somerant she had better hearing due to her hybrid race benefit but here she only had access to her normal human ears.
Being left without the acute senses she had grown accustomed to lately left her feeling more vulnerable than she was comfortable with. She kept her mind and what senses she had on alert, ready to make a move whenever necessary. It was nearing two in the afternoon when she came across the hotel she had marked on her map. It was ragged and seemed to be falling apart. Overgrown vines and foliage creeped up the walls and into shattered windows. The paint had been bubbled and peeling from the walls in noticeable sheets to reveal the raw cracked concrete underneath. The structure had clearly been abandoned for an extended period of time.
Once again there were no signs of players around but that didn't ease her caution. She gripped tightly to the dagger behind her coat as she stomped over the rubble that piled in the entrance. Inside looked to be in nearly as bad of shape as the exterior. Holes were in the roof to let light seep in, the walls were cracked and had chunks of concrete missing from them. The upper floor had large sections missing as they had collapsed to the floor below. Luna climbed what she could and managed to work her way to the upper floor where she found a long corridor of doors. Some were locked but she had found some that had not been. The room at the end on the right side of the building had a bronze colored plaque nailed to it with the number "112" stamped into it. The door swung open and to her surprise did not fall off the hinges as another door she tried previously had done.
The room was simple and didn't have much in the way of furniture but it's roof was clear of holes and the walls seemed stronger than some of the others. As she explored the room she found a bed in a room at the end of a hallway and there was an aged sofa with a few tears in it residing in the living area. "Not the comfiest of places but it will do for now." Luna sat at the end of the bed and threw her hood back. She raised her hand and willed lighting to consume it again. It webbed and arced around her fingers as it cast a blue glow against the area around her. "It's so odd being able to do this now." I'll need to see what I can do with this. There has to be a limit of some kind on it, I don't think Fox would let it go unchecked. The lighting flickered and faded and Luna returned to her feet. She locked the door to the apartment and proceeded to the sofa.
She sat cross legged and enveloped her whole body in arcing blue currents and remained still with her eyes closed tight. As she sat there, Luna could feel nothing other than her skill. There was no weariness or pain coming over her as she sat there. Luna remained there for nearly an hour and only then did she begin to feel a headache coming on. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurred slightly. As she let the skill persist on, the room began to spin and it was growing ever harder to form a thought. Not much longer after that her head felt like it would explode and she had to cancel the skill.
Her limbs were growing numb and she could barely keep an eye open. Any bit of light or movement nearly caused her to drop to the ground. Luna sprawled out on her back and draped her arm over her eyes to shield them. She was out of breath and was having a difficult time in keeping herself from vomiting. As the next hour went on, the effects began dying out and her head seemed to be coming back together. She finally felt well enough to sit up and even then she couldn't move suddenly for the world then seemed to tip sideways beneath her. Finally near the two hour mark the crippling debuffs seemed to vanish completely.
One hour of sitting still but then I'm out of commission for two. Would it deplete quicker if I was moving around and using it? Perhaps, I'll have to try that too. Luna stood and remained still for a second as now she was not used to the motionless floor. After a deep breath and a slow exhale, she once again activated her ability. This time she ran and jumped around her confined room. It was a familiar feeling, almost as if she was using the buffing ability from SAO and Somerant. She felt light as a feather and her body moved at such a rapid place, she assumed only the trail of lightning she left behind was visible. Even in the confines of the living room, she leapt from wall to wall for nearly ten minutes before the previous debuffs came upon her once more. With the unexpected sudden debilitation, the lighting flickered out mid-jump and her body hit the wall she was aiming for.
Her side struck it and then she dropped to the ground, groaning from the pain of both injury and side effects. Blue sparks danced around her for a second and faded into the ground, leaving multiple scorch marks in the wooden floor. She couldn't move for some time and once she was, it was well past nightfall. She cautiously peeked out of a window to see the moon brightly illuminating the star filled sky. Remembering what happened when she last looked from a window, she pulled her head back quickly and settled into her bedroom, which had no ways of peeking into. Sleep was hard to come by that night as she was haunted by the brothers she had met earlier that day. She saw the pooling blood, the gaping holes left in his chest, the way the younger brother so easily wrote the elder one off.
Next, as if to torment her further, was the pleasurable feeling she had upon cutting into the younger brother's neck. Luna quickly stirred from her sleep and nearly threw up again. She had rolled onto the floor and was dry heaving as her right hand trembled horribly. She had never taken a liking for her kills in the past but this time, she almost enjoyed the thought. It made her sick to the core of her very being. While killing those who had stood in her way came first as an idea, it was never one she found satisfaction in. It was always a means to survive, a primitive and almost subconscious instinct as it was either her or her enemy. Now, this time, it was different, and it was monstrous, and it was disgusting to her.
Luna could never imagine taking pleasure in ending a person but then, she felt so willing, and she would have done it had it not been for her memory of Yumi. Luna climbed back into her bed and draped her jacket over her once again. "I don't enjoy it. I won't kill again." she told herself, quietly, and losing the certainty in her words as she spoke them. She repeated it one more time, in hopes of solidifying her self intended promise, and closed her eyes again. She did not fall back asleep that night, instead she listened to the soft booming of thunder in the distance and watched lighting illuminate the hallway outside her open door. By morning the sun was hidden behind dark and looming clouds as rain pattered against the windows in the living room.
A muffled sigh escaped her mouth and she pulled her head away from the pillow she had stuffed her face into. "Day two of this place." she said softly as she rose from under her jacket. After crawling from her bed she grabbed the belt she had hung at the door and returned it to her waist, with both gun and knife still holstered in the back. She did leave the jacket on the bed however, as she didn't feel it necessary at the moment. Luna rummaged through her leather bag and produced a ration she had taken from the tower building and opened it. Inside were two pieces of bread and a bottle of water. "I'm back to eating bread again I guess." she complained sourly before biting into the surprisingly soft slice.
While eating, Luna pulled up the map on her watch and examined it again. Her finger found the cliff edge she spawned on and she moved it west to find her current position. A decent distance for a day. It would be nice if I knew where to go though, I would be able to make better pacing with a destination. She had travelled due west of her original position and was now looking towards the north. I'm in the south eastern region it seems. Hmmm, The center will be around here maybe. Luna moved her finger along the hologram to the northwest and tapped a small cut out region that was circular in shape. It was covered by a fog but now that she knew there was a dotted border-line, she spotted it without much difficulty.
Maybe if I head there, I can escape this game without having to play it. It's not likely but perhaps Fox will be there and if he is, I can beat him and leave. At least I hope so. Luna didn't think Fox would watch this game from only the outside and if that was the case, then there might be a way to wake up from there. Some kind of console or computer or something that would allow her to go home, though the possibility was slim and Luna knew it. It was however, her only hope and it gave her a goal to work towards. Without that she would only have survival and she wasn't confident in how long she would be able to do that. I'm too damaged and I'm not as well as I thought I was originally. I need to get out of here and fast or this place will be the end of me.
At those thoughts she almost felt a pleasure in it. She saw Clair again in her mind, her blonde lover from the time she had spent in SAO. Luna swiftly smacked those thoughts away though, as she now had to live. Not just for her sake but for the sake of everyone she held dear to her. Luna took another deep breath to calm her nerves and finished her breakfast. After that she went to the shop and found her wire spools from Somerant. Due to her interactions from the previous day, she now held enough points to buy them. Upon tapping the picture, a confirmation message appeared, after that menu, she was prompted to hold out her hands.
In doing so, two leather bracers appeared and she clutched them firmly. The last time she had used these were on an elf character named Hollow back in Somerant. It was the beginning of her breakdown and now it all seemed too fresh a wound in her mind as she gazed down at the small metallic wheels. She pulled the bracers onto her wrists and ran lighting through the spool on the underside of her right wrist. The black wire unwound and she could move it at will, just as she could before. The somewhat familiar comfort brought a grin to her face but it soon faded as she rose back to her feet. "Time to get started for the day." she said wearily. After pulling on her jacket she pulled the hood over her head and left the room.
She left just as wary as she had entered and soon the hotel was behind her. Luna began heading north to a river she saw on the map. Thirty or so minutes from the hotel and a sudden impact against her back sent her to the ground with a grunt of pain. She rose to her hands and feet so that she was in a wolf-like stance and engulfed her body in blue arcing sparks. Her eyes darted around her as she waited for any sign as to what had attacked her. Her head followed the sounds of rustling leaves and bushes as her attacker ran around to flank her. Or to distract me. "Now!" someone yelled from the tree cover. Luna then heard a rushing set of footsteps as a man charged towards her from her rear.
Her eyes instantly went to the sword that was coming down at her. Luna rolled to the left and flipped back onto her feet. The sword kept swinging and pushing her back. In response Luna dodged as much as she could before finding a small opening to counter. She dropped under a wide swing and kicked the attacker's leg out from under him. As he fell down Luna leapt backwards to catch her breath. Just as her feet touched earth she heard the pumping of a shotgun and she swiftly dove towards the trees. A barrage of pellets shredded the tree she had fallen behind and chips of bark and trunk blew into the air. She let the lighting fade around her and she continued into the forest. When she was out of view, Luna scrambled up a tall oak and perched on a branch while listening to the coming stomps of feet.
There were three attackers as far as Luna could tell. Three sets of footsteps, all sounding different than the others. One was lighter and moved quicker, one was heavier and stayed further behind the third one which had a larger gap between steps to indicate longer legs and taller height than their companions. The first is the sword user, the second has the shotgun, the third, a sniper maybe? I was shot from a distance and it was a single shot. The shotgun would have been multiple hits and if the sword user used a pistol I wouldn't have been driven to the ground. It has to be a stronger gun with a decent range.
Luna reached to her belt and gripped the dagger before another set of trembles came over her hands. She moved her hand away again and looked back below her to see the three moving away from each other. "Disperse and find her. The Lightning Dancer is too valuable to let escape." instructed the sword user. It was a boy's voice, both young and soft. He couldn't have been no older than her, she assumed him to be a year or two younger. From above she could see him with a hooded vest made of the same black material her own jacket was made from.
"How do they know me?" she muttered as she watched them move apart. "I lost her trail, she probably went to the trees!" yelled the sniper. This was a woman with a sharp and enforcing tone. Lune saw her wearing a ghillie suit that matched the ground below her. Underneath that, Luna presumed to be a vest of some kind, like what the shotgunner she had encountered earlier wore. The man closest to her was the shotgunner that had peppered the tree she had just barely dove behind. "The same man." she growled. She felt both anger and fear rising in her chest. The anger from him pursuing her again, and the fear derived from her memory of the dagger cutting his skin.
They were now looking up into the trees and Luna kept a close eye on all of them. She began jumping through the branches to proceed farther away until she could find a safe place to drop down and continue forward. Just as her foot landed on another branch she noticed the shotgunner looking at her. Just before her feet touched another branch ahead it was splintered away by a splattering of buckshot. Luna rolled upon hitting the ground and tumbled into a sprint. "Get her! She's running!" the shotgunner called out. Her body sparked and illuminated as she kicked from the ground. She leapt from one trunk to another before a bullet of fire destroyed the tree she went to step on. Due to the lack of footing and the built up momentum Luna rolled and skidded across the forest floor before striking the base of a large oak.
She struggled to her feet as she saw the swordsman approaching with frost cascading from the blade. Luna canceled her lighting skill as to not use up too much of her time and reached for her dagger. Her hand shook as she grabbed the hilt and she removed her hand from it. "Scared, Lightning Dancer?" asked the swordsman. Luna scowled and hid the rising fear she felt. "Of you? Not really. I am curious why you think I am the Lightning Dancer though." Next to arrive was the shotgunner. "I would recognize that skill anywhere, I remember seeing someone use those same things in SAO and she happened to look exactly like you." Luna nearly growled at the man.
"You killed your own brother, how could you do that to him?" she hissed with fury showing in her yellow eyes. "He was in the way. I have my own life now and I want to return to it." "I wasn't going to kill you, you two could have just left and survived. It was such a waste of a life." "Nobody will miss him." stated the shotgunner. "I wasn't talking about him. You wasted my mercy and I can't guarantee I will show it again." Luna said back with venom in her voice. Her anger was growing out of control just as the situation continued to worsen. Her eyes began to glow a vibrant yellow as she looked between the two people standing in her way.
"Is this the time to be smiling?" asked the swordsman. Luna laughed in response. "Smiling? Me? Heh, maybe I am." "She's lost her mind." said the gunner. Luna glared into his eyes. "Lost it? No, I think not. I think I found it." she stated, grinning at the brother. It was a weird thing she felt at that moment. It was as if she wasn't herself anymore. Her head was clear and her shaking had ended. This all seemed funny to her as she watched the two pairs of eyes watch her movements. "I will kill you for what you did. And you, I may spare you afterwards." she said to the two in front of her. "Then I will find that sniper of yours and share my regards." Luna swiftly charged forward and with blue static arcing around her.
She still moved at a normal speed as to not waste her ability but wanted it as a safeguard in case she needed to move fast for any reason. The gunner was her first target and she approached before he could get a shot off. He was taken by surprise and Luna knocked his gun up and spun to kick his side. She put a bit of her lightning into the kick so she spun in the blink of an eye and launched his body into a nearby tree. The sword came down from behind but she easily dodged the swing and grabbed his arm. She pulled him towards her and did another spinning roundhouse aimed for his head. The front of her leg heavily impacted against his nose and Luna both heard and felt it shatter from the hit.
His body nearly flipped before falling onto his back. Blood gushed in between the fingers of the hand he held to his shattered nose. Lightning sparked wildly from her body and burned the leaves and foliage under her. Just as she was about to move towards the gunner she heard the sound of a gunshot and flipped backwards just in time to avoid the coming round of fire. A tree behind her exploded and she drew her dagger which began to glow with the arcing static. A dozen moving trails of light filled the gap between the two prongs of her blade. Two more rounds came and she cut through them before kicking off towards the trees. Luna laughed as she moved from one trunk to the other and was quickly upon the sniper.
She fired another round as she was only a dozen or so feet away and Luna barely rolled under it. While coming out of the roll she lunged forward with her dagger in hand. It cut the length of the gun, cleaving it in two and then the dagger met flesh. It glided cleanly up the sniper's arm and then she cut across her chest, leaving two separate blue wounds sparking on the body. Luna was now standing on the other side of her now and she turned to meet her. She met the sniper's gaze and smiled wildly and then laughed in her face. "You're crazy." stated the sniper, clinging onto her injured arm. "Hahaha, crazy? No, I'm broken, you need to get it right. Damaged, abused, destroyed, all because people like you. Why do you take my kindness and turn it against me? Why does showing mercy make me a target to you people? Can I not live happily like the rest of you or do I not deserve it?
Is that it? Do you deserve a happy life more than me? I found a new love, I had more friends than I ever had before, I was close to my brother again, and now, just as I was getting better, you all took it from me again. Can you tell me why I don't deserve to be happy? I know I killed people before, I know what I am, but I believed I could change, I believed I would be able to live normally now." Luna ranted and despite her smile, tears streamed down her face. "I don't want to do this." she whimpered before covering her face with her free hand. "I never wanted to." "I want to go home too." said the sniper. She used what strength she had left to swing her good fist at Luna. She met her fist with her blade and stabbed down through her hand. She yanked it towards her and spun so that the back of her fist hit the side of the girl's head. The side of her face was burned where her lighting engulfed hand made contact and she dropped to the ground unconscious.
She removed her blade from the girl's hand and looked down at her for a moment. "You should have left me alone." she muttered before stepping over her body. Luna re-entered the area where the other two were left. Through the shadows of the trees, she stepped out, engulfed in blue sparks with glowing eyes. The swordsman was leaning on the blade he had stuck into the ground. The brother was fumbling to his feet and loading more shells into his gun. Luna's face was glistening from tears and she looked at the two men. Her right hand was trembling again and she clutched her right arm with her left hand to help quell it.
"Don't make me hurt you again. Please just leave and don't come after me." she pleaded, watching their movements through her blurred vision. Her head was starting to throb to her pulse due to her use of the lightning ability. She already began feeling a tingling sensation at the ends of her fingers and it slowly creeped up her arms. "What happened to the girl?" asked the swordsman. "She's hurt but alive. If you go to her now then you might save her. I don't want her to die, please just leave and go to her." Murderer. Monster. Enjoy it. Luna covered her face again and heard Trail's voice echo in her head. Kill them like you did me. We both know you want to. "No. Please go away." she pleaded. Through her fingers she saw the gunner hold up his gun and she charged swiftly.
In a blur of blue light his back was up against a tree and her dagger was in his stomach. Luna smiled and stared into his eyes. "Do you want to see your brother again that badly? I can make that happen, quickly if you want." She twisted the knife and he let out a cry of pain as the gun fell from his hands. "Beg me to do it. Go on. I'm waiting to hear you say it. "Kill me please. I want to go home. Just end it." See, it's not that hard. Just ask nicely." Luna sent some lighting through the blade and smoke began to rise around the slit where her knife was lodged. She pushed it in further and he nearly dropped to the ground. Don't do this Luna. It's not you. It's not the girl I fell in love with. "You're dead, Clair. Leave me alone." she said aloud to the voice in her head.
"You really are crazy." said the swordsman from behind her. She turned and stared at him but her anger had become a type of glee. "You keep saying that but I think it's you two that are crazy. I told you to leave and you won't listen. You are asking for this." She twisted the knife again and heard the blood dripping down and staining the leaves and grass below them. "Here are my terms since I'm in a better mood. You go to your sniper and leave, don't come back here. If you do that, I won't kill him just yet. I'll let him go and his life will be in his hands. If you remain here, he dies, right here and now." The whole time she had a wicked grin on her face. "Fine. I'll go. I pity you, Lightning Dancer. You and those you know. You're a monster, a lost and heartless monster." "People like you made me this way. Go now and hurry off."
He did as she said and vanished into the trees without a second glance back. "Now, that only leaves us." she said towards the gunner that was at her mercy. "Let me live, you said you would." he said with gritted teeth. "I did. Unfortunately I have a tendency of breaking promises to people." The look on his face turned to one of extreme sorrow. It was the look of a person that knew his untimely death was upon him and it arose a feeling of butterflies in Luna's stomach. Stop, Luna. Stop it now. You'll regret this later. Luna scowled at Clair's voice again. "I won't regret nothing." Luna growled. Just as she tightened her grip on the dagger the butterflies turned to a tainted sickness in her gut.
"I…" she muttered before looking down at the weapon plunged into the man's stomach. "No. No, please. I didn't want this." she pulled the knife from him and stumbled backwards onto her rear. The knife dropped down next to her and she covered her face with her bloodied hands. The gunner fell limply to the ground and gasped as he laid there on his back. His hands clutched at the wound and he was struggling for life. Luna peered through her fingers and then crawled towards him. "No, please don't die. Don't, I can't…" He struck her face. It wasn't hard but she fell backwards. "You did this to me. You…" His words were cut off with another short gasp of breath. Then his eyes drifted as if he was staring at a far off place, miles away. "No. No!" Luna crawled to him again and began to shake his body.
"Wake up! You can't die! Wake up!" As tears blurred her sight, his body slowly seemed to change to Clair's. "Don't… Get up you idiot! No." she fell over his body and sobbed into his chest. Murderer. Monster. Heartless killer. "No." she cried in a near silent voice. She didn't know how long she stayed like that. Time seemed to stop moving but at the same time it seemed to accelerate. You have to move. Move, now. Luna raised her head and looked around her. She looked down again and saw the man's body in place of the blonde girl she had envisioned for a short time. The grin, the happiness, the laughter, it all came back to her and she vomited next to the body. There was barely anything in her stomach so it was mainly stomach acid so it burned furiously in her throat.
Luna rested her head in her crossed arms, against the ground, and closed her eyes. "I have to move." she said in a defeated and nearly silent voice after a bitter sigh. Luna struggled to her feet and stared back at the body. Another kill. What's wrong with me? Why am I like this? Luna reached down for her knife, causing her hand to shake before she forced herself to grab it. She quickly sheathed it at her waist and pressed onward towards the river. By the time she reached it, she was exhausted to the point of fainting and her body was going numb from the overuse of her ability. At the water's edge, she practically fell in as she lowered herself to drink from the water. Her hands instinctively planted into the mud below the river to catch her.
Reflected on the surface was her face but it also seemed so strange to her. Her hair was covered in a mix of blood and dirt and her face shared the same dinginess. Her deep brown bangs draped over her left eye and all of it stood in a frizzy state from her static. On her face, she saw a grin. It almost made her sick once more. "Why am I smiling?" She cupped a handful of water and noticed the taint of red flowing in the current as it washed the blood from her hands. She scrubbed them until she thought it was down to the bone and then she splashed handfuls of water against her face. Once her face was clean she untied her hair and ran wet fingers through it.
After it was as contained as she could get it, she tied it again and arose to her feet. She attempted a step and fell to her hands and knees. The tingling numbness was too much for her to move any further. "Damn it." she growled through gritted teeth. She tried to rise again and fell onto her stomach as her arms gave out from under her. Luna gave in and lied there, still as she could be. Her mind began to wander and her eyes were growing heavy as the rest of her strength left her body. I'll just stay here. I don't care if I'm found. I can't move anyways. Those were her last thoughts before any semblance of thinking abandoned her. She drifted into an exhausted slumber.
A rustling in some nearby brush caused her to stir awake. Luna grabbed her dagger and glared to the left of the river's edge where she saw a hare jump out from the bushes. It was followed by two younger ones and they proceeded towards the water, ignoring her completely. She watched them carefully as they started drinking the water. There's wildlife here? I've seen tracks but I didn't expect to find anything. Luna continued glaring at them and soon they bounced back into the forest. When Luna tried to stand, she felt the fullness of her injuries now more than ever. Bruises covered her scarred back and other places on her body, beit from walls, trees, or bullets from the last two days. She felt her muscles scream as she walked over to the water to cup it into her hands.
She drank slowly and then stared into the eyes of her reflection again. An unexpected beeping from her watch caused her body to start. She tapped the blinking diamond and a hologram of a man in a wooden fox mask appeared. "Well, my dear, enjoy taking another life?" "I'll kill you for this, Fox. I swear it, even if it's the last thing I do, I will kill you." she snarled. "Good, hold onto the desire and make sure to fulfill it. Carry it and let it drive you to the end so that you can make it to me. I will be waiting so don't disappoint me." "Oh I'm coming, Fox. I'm coming right now and when I get to you, you will regret ever pulling me back into this. I will take pleasure in cutting into your throat." "I can see that, with a smile like that there's no mistaking your enjoyment in the hobby.
Here I thought you despised killing yet you seem so happy now. No matter, I promised you could do whatever you want should you win my game." "No! I won't take satisfaction out of it if you don't fight back. I want you to beg and to plead for me to let you live. I want to see your face twist in pain and regret as I…" Luna stopped as she realized what it was that she was saying. "Hahahaha, you really are precious, my dear. I wish I could have seen you that happy and enthusiastic in SAO, hell, maybe I could have used you more would that have been the case. Don't worry, Lunasara, whatever you want, I will grant, should you win. Stay strong and just so you know, you're becoming a crowd favorite rather quickly. Bye bye, my dear." With that the hologram disappeared and Luna was left in speechless horror.
"What was I saying?" she nearly fell into another fit of tears but managed to fight them back. She slowly took to her feet and slapped her cheeks hard enough to leave red handprints among them. "I'm stronger than this. I have to keep moving forward." Even as she said it, she did not believe it any more than the last time she had told herself that. Despite her disbelief, she pressed on anyway. She continued following the river north in hopes of getting closer to her destination.