A/N:
It's official. I've written so much for this story that I had to start up an entire new Google Doc to continue since the first one reached its limit. Huh. Anyhoo, another small time skip awaits!
I think I'm going to start answering some of the comments and reviews for each chapter from now on. Not only do I appreciate reading them as they come in, but some of you have some insights that shouldn't go unanswered! To that end…
felipe potter medrado; I won't say what that piece of wood is for, but some of you have already guessed its purpose. Rest assured that I plan to use every Chekov's gun I've mentioned in this story. Yui WILL be in this story; the interactions she can have with the guild are just too good to pass up. Regarding Kirito and Asuna's canon… ahem… "night" that's expounded upon during the LN, I will not be writing any lemons for this story. I've got nothing against them, necessarily, but I'm not going to start writing them.
Syn1; Bold of you to assume that Yuuki is getting dual blades…
Aspect of Stories; That is something I fully intend on writing, and it's going to be very fun to explore those reactions.
Morte Cacciatore; Sorry to hear that! Here's hoping this story helps make that situation a little better for you! Hang in there!
Lord Destroyer; I'm sure you'll find a nickname for him soon enough. We'll have to see if Eugeo takes on a similar role to canon Kirito. Only time will tell, I suppose. We'll definitely see the real world repercussions of Kirisuna in due time. With how much Kirito is opening up to his friends and guildmates, I'm sure he'll mention his sister to them at some point, especially to Silica. Many of them already view her as a little sister anyway.
Otaku of Anime & TheGrimDragon; Interesting predictions…
Magnificent.
That was the only word that Lokuss could find to accurately describe Mythath Shantar, the capital city of the Forest Elves. The city of the Dark Elves, Mythath Nevae, was mesmerizing in its own right, but where the Dark Elves had built their city to reflect the tranquility of the night sky, the Forest Elves had built theirs to exemplify the serenity of the forest itself. Where Nevae's architecture reflected light in a way that mimicked the night sky, Shantar instead filtered sunlight through it like a canopy, creating a subtle contrast that only served to highlight the city's splendor.
Now that the Clearers had finally gained entry to the 22nd Floor, Lokuss knew he was running low on time. If the Renegades were going to claim the lost paradise of the elves, "Nelluon Arael," he needed to find the last pieces of the puzzle fast. Thus, he and his companions found themselves in an area none had ever tread before.
"I will be candid." Kizmel spoke up from his side. She seemed just as awestruck as the loremaster was, and he couldn't find himself to blame her. "If you had told me even a year ago that I would be seeing Mythath Shantar as a guest and not as an invader, I would have thought it a cruel joke. Yet here we are, in the vaunted City of Trees. Incredible."
"I completely agree." Lokuss commented.
Lokuss counted himself lucky that the Elf War campaign had turned out the way it did, with both elven factions ultimately deciding on peace rather than war. Without that crucial development, he suspected that the city within which he, Kizmel, Wolfgang, and Mako now walked would be nothing but rubble. Now he could appreciate all it had to offer.
However, he was a man on a mission. As much as he wanted to explore the city fully, Lokuss had a job to do.
"Think we'll find anything?" Mako asked as he and Wolfgang gazed around at the open market. Already they were getting some looks and glances, many curious but a few suspicious.
"I sure hope so." Lokuss admitted. "Like I told Agil, if we don't find something, I'm gonna be fuckin' pissed."
Kizmel sighed. "Must you be so crass, Lokuss? A proud warrior of the Renegades should hold himself to a higher standard."
Lokuss chuckled. "I'm no warrior, Kizmel. I'm the loremaster. I don't need to be strong or brave. I just need to keep sticking my nose where it doesn't belong."
"So basically Argo." Wolfgang snarked.
Lokuss shrugged. "Yeah, but with less sass and flirting. I like you guys, but not like that."
"And we appreciate that." Mako said.
"I fail to see how emulating her is a bad thing." Kizmel remarked. "She may have her… quirks… but she is a shrewd and clever young woman. You could stand to learn a thing or two from her. We all could."
Lokuss shrugged again as they collectively made their way to the Mythath Shantar library. After an awkward - albeit still cordial - reception, the quartet were allowed entrance. Unlike the Dark Elf library, which operated under the assumption that everyone within had decent night vision, the Forest Elf library was like a forest in how it treated light. Strategically placed windows along the perimeter, and even in the ceiling, allowed beams of light to pierce into this citadel of knowledge, illuminating the desks where one might place a book to read. Even more brilliant was the fact that these beams of light were not only gentle to allow for comfortable reading, but were not directly hitting the seats, which meant that one could read with optimal lighting without having to worry about being cooked alive by the midday sun.
A bookworm's dream.
"Alright, what are we looking for, boss?" Mako asked, cracking his knuckles and giving a wide scan of the bookshelves on the two stories that surrounded them.
Lokuss and Kizmel quickly found a few tomes of interest before they took a seat situated near the center of the circular room. The loremaster patted his lap to coax Gryd up before turning to Mako and Wolfgang, who stood ready at attention. "Just like last time, guys, we're looking for anything that might lead us to Nelluon Arael. Anything about the beginning years here in Aincrad, the 22nd floor, even legends concerning the journey down to the 9th floor. Anything helps."
As the two merchants sped off to find reading material, Kizmel took a moment to survey their surroundings, not with caution but with wonder. "I never would have thought to consult the Kales'Oh archives for anything regarding Nelluon Arael."
Lokuss gave a pained smile. It actually hadn't been his idea to come here. He'd been so focused on digging through the Mythath Nevae archives that he hadn't even considered checking with the other half of the elven people. Much to his own shame, it had been Silica who'd suggested it. When he'd told her that he'd been searching the elven archives by visiting the elven capital city, she'd misunderstood and asked what the Forest Elf city looked like, which in turn led to the revelation that he'd not checked the Forest Elf archives.
The resulting facepalm would have knocked him unconscious in the real world.
"It makes sense when you think about it." Lokuss said. "Your peoples had been in conflict for generations, but at the very beginning you'd been stranded here together. Just like your prophecies were two sides of the same coin, maybe their legends will complement yours."
"What were you able to discover thus far?" Kizmel inquired as she dusted off the tome she'd procured before.
"Bits and pieces, really, not enough to go on on its own." Lokuss frowned. "We know that Nelluon Arael was the first place that the then-united elven peoples settled in when they were first stranded here in Aincrad. Your legends describe it as a tranquil sanctuary within which the very spirit of the forest breathed. We know that both the Lyusula and Kales'Oh peoples left that paradise at some point and descended 13 levels of hell, which has to be a reference to the 13 levels until they reached the 9th level, where both capital cities are. Therefore, it has to be on the 22nd Floor."
"Sound reasoning. The timing couldn't be better, since we just unlocked the 22nd Floor yesterday." Kizmel remarked. "What are you hoping to find here then?"
"The other half of the story." Lokuss said succinctly. When Kizmel gave him a questioning look, he continued. "We don't know what drove them from their home, nor where it was located on the 22nd Floor. You know, the more important parts. No offense."
"None taken." Kizmel smirked. She opened up one of the tomes they'd procured and began to peruse its contents. "After the revelation concerning our prophecies, I'm not afraid to admit I do not know everything regarding our history."
Meanwhile, Wolfgang and Mako came back with stacks of books of their own, plopping them down on the table unceremoniously. The echoing *THUMP* that resounded through the otherwise silent chamber drew a few irritated scowls from the other library residents, causing the duo to shrink in on themselves a bit and offer silent apologies to those around. Lokuss himself jumped about an inch in his seat at the ruckus before grabbing a tome and rifling through its contents.
The next few hours, much to Wolfgang and Mako's audible chagrin, were mostly fruitless. Lokuss, on the other hand, found it all fascinating; the way that the history of the Kales'Oh somehow contradicted yet complemented what he knew from Lyusula's history was astounding. Oh, the racial bias and prejudice was there, make no mistake, but the stark difference in perspective shed new light on events he'd already read about before. Border skirmishes suddenly became the result of simple misunderstandings, diplomatic successes suddenly not quite so victorious, and everything in between.
What most intrigued him, and what he was subsequently searching for, were the legends. Most of the information lined up with what he knew from Mythath Nevae's library, but a few things stood out for him in particular.
"Hey Kizmel." Lokuss said, breaking the silence and drawing his companions' attentions. "I'm not familiar with this phrase here in this context. What's your take on it?"
Kizmel gingerly took the tome from Lokuss and read off the line he'd pointed at. "Tel' athal ath aia silath? Its literal translation means "the pit of two mountains'' but within this context the closest translation would be "valley.""
"So it's nestled in a valley then." Lokuss murmured. "Then that would make "olin oth nae tel' arael" the "secret gate to the heart". A tunnel, perhaps?"
"It stands to reason." Kizmel agreed before she stopped reading and her brow furrowed.
Lokuss looked at her with a mixture of intrigue and concern. "What is it? What have you found?"
"I've found another reference to the secret gate, and I may have possibly found Nelluon Arael." Kizmel explained.
"... then why the long face?" Lokuss hesitantly asked while Wolfgang and Mako looked on with similar concern.
"Sekkar eshaal tel' olin oth, nesh nae tel' arn tel' Nevae Alusfaen ath tel' Takal reverie aul tel' Arael." Kizmel spoke in flawless Elvish. Fluent Elvish was more a melody than a spoken language, in Lokuss's opinion, but the message within gave him pause.
"What does that mean?" Mako asked.
Kizmel looked at them, her expression grave. "Flee through the secret gate, for to the south the dark blood of the dragon sleeps in the Heart."
"A dragon?" Mako deadpanned. "Seriously?"
Kizmel shook her head. "Not just any dragon. Part of that script was a descriptor and a title. Nevae Alusfaen ath tel' Takal means "Dark Blood of the Dragon.""
"Okay, so it's got bad blood." Wolfgang said, not understanding the significance. "So?"
"In Elvish, "dark blood" is another way of saying "poison" or "venom."" Kizmel explained.
"You're not saying…" Lokuss trailed, following along easily.
Kizmel nodded. "A poison dragon has taken up residence in Nelluon Arael. We will likely have to vanquish it if we wish to reclaim the Hidden Heart."
Lokuss leaned back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling. This was not what he was expecting at all. Sure, he expected some sort of obstacle that they'd have to overcome before finding the damn place. Maybe a labyrinth, an ogre, or even a riddle. Hell, even a regular field boss like a bear or giant bird would have made sense, given what he already knew of the 22nd Floor's topography. But a dragon, and a poison one at that?
Only one phrase came to mind for the loremaster.
"God damn."
"Are we sure we want this place? Seems a lot of work."
Lokuss couldn't exactly blame Nautilus for having that opinion, though Yuna made her opposing opinion known through a quick finger-flick to the backside of the swordsman's head. He was obviously in the minority here, as the entire guild was now traipsing around the woods of the 22nd Floor looking for the "secret gate" that would ultimately lead to this (hopefully) new base.
Looking around, he could see why the elves considered this level paradise. The environment of the 22nd Floor was absolutely beautiful. Lakes and forests as far as the eye could see, crystal blue skies, and rolling grassy plains littered the landscape. Apart from the main city of Coral - which was more of a hamlet than an actual city - there were few settlements and seemingly fewer dangerous monsters. All in all, it was a tranquil and peaceful level, the kind of place Lokuss could see other players looking to settle in.
He supposed he could count himself among them, technically.
The serenity of this floor only made what they were walking into all the more… troubling. Just how dangerous was this poison dragon if it warranted the evacuation of an entire floor? Obviously the dragon's influence had waned in the time since the mass exodus of the elves - given how peaceful the floor looked - but the fact that they never bothered to return out of fear of the creature spoke volumes. Just what were they walking into?
It took them much longer than they cared to admit to finally find the tunnel they were looking for. It was remarkably well hidden, as the name of what laid beyond hinted at, and well off the beaten path. Silica, due to her smaller stature, was the one to find it behind several layers of dense brush. Once they found the mouth of the tunnel, Agil literally had to chop a few trees down to clear the opening until it was wide enough to comfortably fit everyone through. Yet they still found it, like a needle in a haystack.
The difference was stark.
Even standing at the entrance, Lokuss could see how tainted the area beyond was. A faint green mist wafted out of the mouth of the tunnel ominously. A quick glance at his HUD confirmed that a mild debuff to everyone's STR and VIT scores was in play. On top of that, a very small damage over time effect was also included in that neat little bundle of debuffs. It wasn't enough to cause any long lasting damage, as everyone's natural health regeneration outpaced it, but…
"Welp, I'm screwed."
Yeah. Leonn was screwed.
Lokuss gave a comforting pat on the back to the tank, whose Unique Skill was effectively nullified by the presence of the poison. His innate health regeneration from ((Defiant Soul)) would be canceled the second he took poison damage outside of his sword skill safety window or, as he called it, his "Absorb frames." He had no doubt the maul user could find a way to still be useful - after all, he'd done it just fine before getting his Unique Skill - but now he couldn't tank as effectively. Then there was the suspicion that many had; namely, that the poison's effects might increase the further they went into the cave or the longer they stayed in its mists.
Fortunately, the other Unique Skill users were unaffected. If anything, Yuna's presence was a great comfort in that her area of effect healing might be very useful in countering the slow health drain of the poison. Some of her other ballads might even help to offset the stat debuff that was present as well. Similarly, Kirito was unaffected in his ability to dual wield (still awesome, by the way) while Silica and Liz weren't even a part of the equation here.
They'd have to wait and see how things went, he supposed.
"This place truly is tainted." Kizmel observed as the guild began their trek into the cave. "It is a wonder the poison has not spread to the surrounding countryside."
"Maybe the dragon's weaker now compared to before?" Geeou asked.
Kizmel looked thoughtful. "Perhaps, but we should proceed assuming that it is still the danger it was so long ago."
"Agreed." Kirito said as he equipped his second sword. Curiously enough, their guild leader didn't always have the second sword strapped to his back. This was particularly evident whenever they were in town. It made sense, he supposed. Kirito was not one to draw unnecessary attention if he could help it, and a second sword visible for all to see and gawk at would certainly do that. "Be ready for anything."
The trek through the tunnel didn't take too long. Somehow or other, Leonn had convinced Yuna to help him as he started singing - in as intentionally and obnoxiously loud a voice as he could muster - about the "secret tunnel," which Lokuss couldn't help but laugh at. Even little Silica, though she clearly didn't understand the reference, joined in on the little diddy. Of course, there were those who were "too cool" for it, like Kirito and Sinon, but the impromptu sing-a-long did wonders for morale and helped to pass the time.
Then they entered the valley and that morale petered out.
"Oh my…" Asuna trailed, raising a hand to her mouth in awe.
True to his research, the area they found themselves in was a valley of verdant green, with mountain ridges and cliffs bordering the sides and enclosing the space from the outside world. The space they had to work with was enormous, and could probably comfortably fit hundreds of people packed shoulder to shoulder, not that they would ever need it to. The area seemed to have two main halves to it, so to speak.
In the distance, on the far side of the valley, was a series of cliffs and plateaus that would be perfect to build structures and buildings on. A series of waterfalls cascaded down from their heights, feeding into a river system that ultimately led to a lake that was, more or less, centrally located within the valley.
Immediately in front of them was an old, wooden dilapidated bridge that spanned over that same lake. On the other side of the bridge was a small island, which in itself was dwarfed by an absolutely massive, albeit decrepit tree that reminded him of the sacred trees on the 9th floor. Lokuss could see the remains of several sets of stairs that led to wooden outcroppings or platforms built into the tree itself, all of which ultimately led to the top of the tree…
… where a rather large green creature slept.
If that wasn't enough, the waters were clearly tainted by the poison breath passively exhaled by the creature, and a sickly green miasma hung over what would have been an otherwise beautiful scene. The tree itself was barren and looked just about ready to fall apart, no thanks to the sizable dragon resting atop it.
"So what's the plan?" Agil whispered.
A quiet descended over the group as everyone took a few moments to analyze the situation. Lokuss would be the first to admit he didn't have the kind of strategic mind for something like this - that was Asuna and Kirito's territory - but that didn't mean he wouldn't try. Sure, his research had brought them to this place but he wasn't going to take a back seat to this. He would see this through to the end.
"First things first, we need to look at the creature itself." Asuna suggested.
Kirito nodded along. "Agreed. We won't know for sure how it fights, but a good look at its features may give us a clue."
"Okay, but how are we supposed to get a look at it without it noticing us?" Nautilus asked, bringing his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. He pointed up at the top of the tree. "We can only see the top of the beast from down here. That tree's too tall to get a good look from down here."
"We need a higher vantage point." Kirito mused as he looked around.
"Those cliffs along the backside would be good, up near the waterfalls." Asuna pointed out, gesturing to the area behind the tree on the far side of the valley. "We'd need to sneak around the perimeter of the lake and then climb up it."
"I'll do it!" Silica volunteered. When many of their number gave her doubting looks, she puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. "What? I'm no Argo, but I can be stealthy when I want to be!"
"I'll go with her." Lokuss chimed in. He pulled out his trusty grappling hook and began coiling it around his free hand. "I'm no stranger to skulking and climbing around."
Asuna nodded. "While you two do that, we'll start brainstorming strategies. Good luck."
Silica gave a firm salute, while Lokuss's was much more lax in its execution. With a quick nod of their heads, they ran off, going around the perimeter of the lake. It was slow going, given the width of the body of water, but not difficult by any means. The duo were already accustomed to jogging over great distances due to their stats and occupations, with Lokuss being a spelunker and Silica being a frontline Clearer. Prolonged physical activity was something neither were strangers to.
About five minutes later the duo found themselves at the far cliffside. It might have taken them longer, but fortunately the grapple had cut the time in half, by his estimate. Now they had a higher vantage point of the valley. Lokuss had to admit, the view was breathtaking, even if the lake and tree were giving off that creepy green poisonous mist still. From up here, they had a better view of the creature.
By all rights, it definitely looked like a dragon. Even though it was clearly asleep, he could tell that if it was up and awake, it would measure about the length of a bus. Its scales were a pale, sickly green that had a sheen when the light hit them. It had two frills on either side of its head and a small set of horns that extended out from the back of its skull almost like a crown. Its wings resembled a bat's and the end of its tail had a sort of webbed fin that was reminiscent of its frills and wings.
"Yep, that's a dragon alright." Lokuss observed as he hunkered down behind a boulder.
"Wyvern, actually." Silica corrected him as she joined him looking over the top of the rock.
Lokuss blinked. "What?"
"A wyvern." Silica continued. She extended a finger and pointed at the… wyvern, he guessed. "See how it only has two legs and two wings? Dragons like Pina have four legs and two wings on their back. Wyverns' arms are their wings. They're clumsy on the ground because of it but they're much better at flying than true dragons."
Lokuss gave her a disbelieving look. "Since when were you an expert on these things?"
Silica beamed. "You didn't think I was going to take care of Pina and not do my research, did you? You're not the only one who likes to do some heavy reading, Lok!"
He had to chuckle at that. Somehow, the image of the normally-antsy Dragon Tamer sitting in a library, nose-deep in a book was funny to him.
"Definitely a poison wyvern though." She added. "It's breathing out poison when it exhales, see?"
"Is that normal?" Lokuss asked.
Silica shook her head. "From what I've read, dragons and wyverns are good at controlling their breath so that they don't use up too much energy wastefully. This one must be really old if it can't control that anymore."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Lokuss asked. He wasn't much of a fantasy nerd, but he did recall hearing that dragons got stronger with age. Perhaps the same extended to wyverns?
"Normally a bad thing, but in this case it's a good thing." Silica explained. "Dragons and wyverns get stronger with age, but once they reach a certain point they get too old and start to get weaker. Just like any other animal, actually. Us included."
"You think this one is past its prime?" Lokuss asked.
Silica nodded. "Yeah! It'll be a piece of cake to take it down!"
Lokuss was about to respond when he saw the wyvern groggily raise its head, obviously having heard Silica's outburst. He quickly ducked down behind the boulder, dragging Silica down with him by the back of her shirt.
Silica had the decency to look embarrassed, at least.
"Sorry."
Lokuss chuckled under his breath. "Come on. Let's get back to the others."
"Piece of cake, my ass!"
Lokuss leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding a small explosion of poison gas behind him. He immediately regretted having shouted his opinion as he nearly choked on the resulting gasses. He scrambled out of the way, eager to get free of the noxious fumes. A bright light shot overhead, slamming into the wyvern's face. It recoiled from the shot before roaring defiantly at Sinon.
As it turned out, ((Raki the Noxious)) was still a menace, even past its prime. The way the damned thing was spitting poison everywhere, it was no wonder that the elves felt the need to get the fuck out when faced with such a monstrosity. What was worse about this whole encounter was that it spent half of the fight in the air, dive-bombing the Renegades. As such, only Sinon was able to consistently damage it.
"Well, at least we're working on our reflexes, right?" Geeou offered with an uneasy chuckle.
Lokuss had to scramble out of the way as Leonn came barreling through, trying desperately to outrun the poison gas that trailed behind him.
"Easy for you to say!" The tank cried out as he lumbered through. "You've actually got an AGI score!"
"We need to bring it down somehow!" Asuna cried out from behind the boulder she and Kirito were using as cover. "Sinon, can you do anything to knock it down?"
"I'm trying!" The archer spat as she loosed another charged shot.
"What I wouldn't do for a gun right about now!" Lokuss shouted in frustration.
Huh, that was weird. He could have sworn he saw Sinon flinch and Leonn shoot him a harsh glare, but he was probably just imagining things. The heat of battle was always a mess of emotion and poor decisions, anyway. Something to worry about later.
"Well, where are you aiming?!" Liz shouted after diving behind a downed log. Sinon seemed to recover from whatever had distracted her as she resumed her assault. "Try hitting its wings or something!"
Lokuss ignored the ensuing tirade from Sinon as he pulled out his grapple. It was risky, but maybe he could do something with it to turn the tide, maybe give Sinon a chance to punch some holes in the wyvern's wings. He sheathed his saber before unfurling a length of grapple. Spotting Raki making another pass, he began to slowly spin the head of the grapple to build up momentum.
"Lokuss…" Agil trailed. The merchant Clearer was situated nearby, his back up against a tree. "... whatcha doin' there, bud?"
Lokuss cackled. "Something stupid, probably, but we can't keep this up as is."
Before Agil could offer any kind of retort, Lokuss broke cover in a sprint and let the grapple fly. Fortunately, the grapple found purchase and hooked itself around the wyvern's neck. After a moment, the line pulled taut…
"Hah! Now let's see what - WHOA!"
… and immediately yanked Lokuss forward into an unceremonious dive into the dirt, face-first. After a moment, he was able to right himself and place his feet out in front in a vain effort to offer some resistance. The wyvern pulled him around, sometimes off the ground, other times along the surface of the disgusting water.
"What are you doing, Lok?!" Kirito shouted.
"Helping!" Lokuss answered. "... I think!"
"I swear…!" He heard Nautilus mutter before the swordsman jumped and grabbed Lokuss from behind. "You are one crazy bastard, you know that?"
"Yup! That's me!" Lokuss snarked with a sarcastic grin, tightening his grip on the rope.
"It's working! I think it's slowing it down!" Geeou cried out. "Someone else jump on!"
Lokuss cackled as he saw Wolfgang and Mako break into a dead sprint before the merchant duo grappled onto Nautilus. There was a noticeable change in the speed they were going now as the quartet dug their heels in in an effort to slow the massive beast.
"Sinon, you got a shot yet?" Kirito asked.
"Almost!" Sinon answered. "Slow it down more if you can!"
"I'm giving you all a STR buff!" Yuna shouted as she transitioned to her next song. "I can't heal at the same time during this song, so don't get hit!"
Kirito was the next to jump on the Renegade daisy chain, having sheathed both of his blades to do so. Finally, the wyvern's flight came to a crawl as it, in its advanced age, struggled to pull against the five players.
"Wolfgang! Mako!" Kirito grabbed their attention. "Hold onto me, I've got an idea!"
The merchant duo each took one hand to loop an arm around Kirito, leaving the Black Swordsman's hands free. Once the duo gave him a nod of confirmation, Kirito reached out and grabbed a passing tree with both hands, causing the quintet to lurch from the sudden shift in momentum. Unable to proceed forward any more against the tension, the wyvern twisted in mid-air so that it was backpedaling (back-flying?) while facing the players anchoring it.
"I've got it!" Sinon exclaimed as she let loose volley after volley at the beast's wings.
((Raki the Noxious)), in a panicked last effort to break free, belched a glob of poisonous gas, which rocketed forward on a direct collision course for the quintet of young men. Liz managed to jump in the way, shield raised, to intercept the blob, causing it to explode prematurely and well away from the five men. Not too long after, a screech resounded through the valley as the wyvern crashed to the floor, its wings shredded through constant arrow fire.
Immediately, the combined Renegade force descended on the downed wyvern but found that the creature was equal in difficulty to a field boss and was no pushover, even when grounded. It still had access to its poison breath, after all, and while it was clumsy when running it was adept at using its wide wingspan to kick up gusts of wind to scatter the players. Flanking it was not as effective either, given that it would use its finned tail to swat away any Renegades looking for a cheap shot. It didn't help that they were effectively down a tank, since Leonn wasn't able to outmaneuver such a large creature and the poison was nullifying his regeneration. Thus, Liz and Kizmel had to take over as the primary tanks, with Mako acting as an off-tank with his hand axe and shield.
If he had to sum the experience up in one phrase it would be organized chaos.
Then again, that was any raid encounter in a nutshell. Like Sinon had said once, "no plan survives first contact with the enemy."
"Why. Won't. This. Thing. Die?!" Nautilus grunted out with multiple swings of his sword. The swordsman then had to leap out of the way or face a point-blank poison shot. He stepped back for a moment and pulled out a health potion. While collectively they weren't getting hit all that much, the constant poison DoT was taking its toll. "And I'm really hating this poison!"
"Yup!" Leonn shouted as he absorbed a tail swipe. Almost immediately, the golden scrapes flared red as the latent poison nullified his regeneration. "It better go away once we kill this thing or living here's gonna be an issue!"
"I think it should!" Silica shouted, scoring a few slashes on the wyvern's ankle. Meanwhile, Pina was doing her best to fly around and spray everyone with a healing mist. "Poor thing can't control its poison breath so it's going everywhere!"
"No wonder our people evacuated!" Kizmel added, blocking a swipe of the wyvern's wing with her shield. She grimaced as she was forced back from the blow.
Now that the wyvern was grounded, Lokuss came to the realization that he'd fallen behind in his combat ability, mainly as it pertained to field boss level monsters. The few times he was able to move in and attack, his damage was pitiful, and he immediately had to retreat or risk taking severe damage. The most he was able to contribute to the fight, he eventually realized, was by using his grapple to latch onto the wyvern's horns and steer its poison spray away from its targets.
Small victories, he supposed.
At one point, he found himself next to Yuna as she kept up her buffs and healing. It was certainly an image, watching the Songstress in person as she played various melodies while absolute carnage erupted around her. He had to give it to her, she knew how to remain poised despite the chaos.
"How you're able to keep calm during this is ridiculous, Yuna." He commented.
Yuna shifted the main melody to her instrument so she could talk, a loophole she'd found soon after gaining her ((Chant)) ability. "I have to or my Ballads get interrupted. It's terrifying but I have to keep calm. Freaking out comes later."
Lokuss could only nod in understanding. "Makes sense, I guess. Still, I - "
"Watch out!"
Lokuss's head whipped over and saw that Raki hadn't taken too kindly to his previous interventions and had just spat a glob of poison their way. He jumped out of the way, but noticed that Yuna was a little slow on the uptake, her mindly clearly preoccupied with playing her music and making conversation with him. He cursed himself for distracting her like that. Now she was going to take a direct hit from that poison, which was crazy strong as it was.
Then something jumped in the way.
More accurately, Nautilus pushed Yuna out of the way, saving her from the impact. Unfortunately, that placed the ashen-haired swordsman directly into its path and he took a direct hit.
"NAUT!" Yuna screamed, completely dropping her current Ballad out of concern.
A roar of anger erupted from several of the Renegades as their assault renewed, likely furious at how one of their own had taken a direct hit like that and to divert the boss's attention away. Lokuss quickly got to his feet and ran over to where Nautilus was prone on the ground. Yuna was already at his side as he tried pushing himself up.
"That was stupid!" Yuna scolded Nautilus, as she fumbled with her menu. "You could have died!"
Nautilus coughed and gave a bitter chuckle. "Worth it."
Yuna finally managed to pull out a healing crystal. She practically shoved it in his face and shattered it, forcing the healing effect to wash over him. "How was that worth it?!"
Nautilus stammered as he pushed himself up, clearly at a loss for words. Lokuss smiled. Clearly the man needed a hand here.
"Because he saved you, Yuna." Lokuss commented, eliciting a furious blush from the Songstress's savior.
"I… I couldn't just let you get hurt, Yun'." Nautilus tried to explain as he awkwardly fumbled with his sword.
"Yuna!" Asuna shouted, drawing their attention back to the battle at hand. The fencer launched forward and landed a series of attacks on the wyvern's shoulder. "We need healing please!"
Yuna sighed and looked at Nautilus. Lokuss couldn't tell if her expression was one of fondness, reluctant gratitude, or restrained anger, strangely enough. "We're talking about this later."
Lokuss chuckled as he saw Nautilus sheepishly nod. Yuna began another Ballad while he and Nautilus charged back into battle. While they ran, the loremaster looked over at his friend. "Totally whipped."
"Screw you, Lok."
"Now what?"
Lokuss stared at the space where ((Raki the Noxious)) had died, the faintest remnants of pixels and polygons the only sign that the mighty foe of the elves had even existed. Even the poisonous gases that permeated the valley were beginning to dissipate. Meanwhile, the loremaster noted Yuna and Nautilus a modest distance away having a very pointed discussion between themselves.
"Now…" Kirito said, addressing the loremaster's question and dusting his hands off. "Now we do some exploring. Find out what we need to do to make this place home."
"I think those cliffs would make for a good spot for our guild base. They're wide enough to hold a few buildings comfortably and strategically, they provide a good vantage point over the rest of the valley." Asuna observed, crossing her arms and surveying the area with an analytical eye.
"Are you expecting us to come under attack or something, Asuna?" Liz asked jokingly. "And shouldn't this place already come with buildings or something? The place the KoB bought already came with structures."
"She has a point though." Kirito commented. "I'd rather us prepare for something like that and be ready to fend off monster attacks than be caught by surprise. Yeah, this floor is safe but you never know when an event boss or something will show."
"Fair point." Liz relented.
"And so far as buildings go, we're getting this for free, basically." Kirito added. His eyes glanced up at the edge of his vision. "As soon as we beat Raki, the quest to claim this valley started, so it wouldn't surprise me if we had to build the base from the ground up."
Lokuss looked up at his quest tracker and, sure enough, there were a new objective to complete now.
[Objective: Explore Nelluon Arael.]
There was even a breakdown of the smaller areas that contributed towards the larger goal.
[Ther Alus Cliffs - Progress: 5%]
[Suor Shanta - Progress: 0%]
[Ssri Uath - Progress: 15%]
[Nim Sanarek - Progress: 0%]
"Are we going to have to learn Elvish if we wanna live here?" Silica asked, giving a pout.
Kizmel laughed. "I would not think so. Between Lokuss and myself, I am sure we can address any translations needed here. I still cannot believe we found Nelluon Arael. Truly this is a historic day, my friends."
"Ther Alus means Sky-water, so that area in the back of the valley are the Sky-Water Cliffs. Probably a reference to the plateau area near the waterfalls. Suor Shanta means Holy Tree, which raises some questions about the tree in the middle there. Ssri Uath means Silent Lake, which I'll admit is a pretty accurate description." Lokuss informed them. "I don't think I've ever seen water so… tranquil before."
"Nim Sanarek means deep cavern." Kizmel added. "Perhaps there are mines here?"
"Mines?!" Liz exclaimed, stars in her eyes. "There's ore here?!"
"We should probably split up to cover more ground and explore the area quickly." Kirito suggested, ignoring Liz's outburst. "Lok, would you, Kizmel, and Silica be up to checking out the tree?
"Yep!" Silica gave a thumbs up. "I kinda wanted to check out the old tree anyway."
"Liz, take somebody with you to find those caverns." Kirito said. "I know you're eager to find and use those as soon as possible."
"You bet!" Liz beamed, already stomping off in search of the caverns. "Come on, Leonn! Let's go!"
"You just want me along so I can carry any ore you find." Leonn grumbled.
Liz grinned. "Damn straight!"
"Me and the boys can explore the west side of the lake." Agil volunteered as he gestured to Mako and Wolfgang. "Someone wanna take the east side?"
"We'll take that side." Nautilus offered as he and Yuna rejoined the conversation.
"Geeou, Sinon." Kirito addressed the duo. "You two wanna join Asuna and I up top and check out the cliffs?"
"Sounds good to me." Geeou agreed, Sinon nodding along.
With everyone's areas assigned, Lokuss joined the Dragon Tamer and the Pagoda Knight as they approached the massive tree. Now that they were at the base of it, he could really get a sense of just how ancient the tree was. Though it had clearly seen better days and was in poor health, its ancient gnarled bark hinted at its rich history. After making their way around the base of the tree, the trio eventually found a set of stairs carved into the side, winding their way up the arboreal titan.
"This is just like those trees on the 8th floor." Silica mused.
Lokuss looked over the side timidly, tightening his grip on the grapple wrapped around his forearm. He gulped, a little dizzy at the height. "Yeah, but without the nice body of water to cushion our fall."
"There's always the lake." Silica retorted as Pina flew alongside them.
Kizmel shook her head. "While that may be true, the distance between the base of the tree and the edge of the lake is too wide. Unless one was launched off the side, you would hit ground before water."
"Don't fall." Lokuss awkwardly chuckled. "Easy enough, I guess."
On their way up, Lokuss noticed a few alcoves more or less carved into the side of the tree. He could easily see the space being enough to set up furniture or market stalls. The customization options for this guild base were limitless, it seemed. Tucking away that mental note for later, he continued on and followed his companions up the stairs to the top.
The top of the tree was remarkably flat, resembling a large platform. A series of large branches split off from the sides of the platform, reaching up into the sky. Lokuss had no doubt that if the tree were healthy, a rich and plentiful canopy would rest high above their heads from the massive boughs of the enormous tree. As it stood right now, though, it was a pale shadow of what could have been. What was most curious about this platform was the message that popped up onto their HUDs once they took a few steps onto it.
[Teleport Platform: Nelluon Arael unlocked.]
"Whoa, this is a teleport area?" Silica asked, dumbfounded while she looked around the massive platform. It had to span at least 30 feet across, so it could easily accommodate larger groups of people teleporting in. "Awesome!"
"Very convenient, indeed." Kizmel mused. "I wonder if this is compatible with the Lyusula and Kales'Oh teleportation trees."
"Worth looking into, at least." Lokuss commented before a bundle of debris on the far end caught his eye. "Is that Raki's nest?"
"Perhaps." Kizmel said, drawing her sword. "We should exercise caution. There may be more in the area if it nested here."
Lokuss drew his saber and signalled for Gryd to be on guard. Immediately, the cat's posture changed as the familiar prepared to pounce at the slightest provocation. Silica did the same with Pina, whose exploratory flight patterns changed to a more protective one, flying careful circles around them.
Lokuss was the first to reach the nest, which was much larger than any of them were. Cautiously, gripping his saber tightly, the loremaster peered over the edge to see what horrors awaited them. He'd seen enough science fiction movies to know that sticking your hand, head - or any body part, really - into a strange, unknown nest was always a bad idea. Alien had scarred him on some level.
"Allow me." Kizmel said, apparently sensing his hesitation.
Lokuss lunged forward to stop her. "Kizmel, wait… no!"
The Dark Elf pulled out what looked like a strange cantaloupe, covered in green scales. Actually, upon closer inspection, it was not a cantaloupe, but a large egg. Lokuss's horror gave way to curiosity and eventually glee. Sure, he couldn't use it, but he knew someone who could. Kizmel seemed to have the same idea, as she started walking towards Silica.
"Is that…" Silica murmured, hesitantly reaching out.
Lokuss grinned even as Kizmel handed her the egg.
"I think we found you a second familiar, Sil."
A/N:
The Renegades have claimed the site of their future guild base, and Silica has found her second familiar!
Yes, I'm aware that the KoB's canon guild base is on Floor 55, but there's no way that a guild of that caliber is just going to sit and twiddle their thumbs for over 30 floors until they get to Granzam. They're going to find somewhere to stay in the meantime.
Also to those of you who celebrate it, Merry Christmas in advance! Otherwise, happy holidays!
Til next week!