Stats (since I forgot for the last two chapters):
Level- 25 (it's been 7 in-story days since chapter 3, but he hasn't gone up a floor, so he'll temp softcap at some point.)
Strength- 75
Agility- 100
Stat Points- 0
Weapon- Anneal Blade +0
Skills:
One-Handed Sword, Level 38
Martial Arts, Level 20
Searching, Level 30
Hiding, Level 3
Acrobatics (unlocked at 100 Agility), Level 5
November 16th, 2022
0800 JST
Yofel Castle
"Kirito-san, wake up."
He was being shaken, but he didn't really feel like moving. He was way too drowsy, and instead did the opposite of what he was being asked, burrowing further into his pillow. These pillows were really smooth, for some reason… Whatever. They were still pretty soft, and he wanted to sleep.
Kizmel smiled softly, silently marveling at how innocent the boy looked, despite how he clung to her, face buried in her breasts. Though, that was probably her fault, considering how she had basically shoved his head there last night. She wasn't exactly complaining, however.
Still, she was surprised that the boy had managed to fall asleep at all, though was pleased that her plan worked. He was unable to worm his way out of her tight grip, despite his superior strength, so he had no choice but to stay put. However, even then he could have simply stayed awake. It was quite lucky that he didn't. Or, perhaps, couldn't.
After all, one could only fake something for so long before it became reality, right? He hadn't slept for a week, so his body… Mind, may have been trying to make up for it all at once.
Despite what she thought, however, Kirito began to stir soon afterwards. He groaned, squeezing the Dark Elf tightly for a moment, then let go and stretched, releasing a shrieking yawn. He smacked his lips together a few times, then let out a sigh of relief. Finally, Kirito opened his eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the sunlight streaming in through the partially-covered window. He sat up, glancing around the room in an attempt to regain his bearings. Once the fog seemingly cleared from his mind, his face scrunched up in confusion.
"Was I…?" he muttered to the air, somehow not noticing Kizmel right next to him.
"Sleeping?" she finished for him, "Yes you were, Kirito-san. I must say, I didn't expect you to be such a cuddler." She was teasing him now, but just the sound of her voice caused the boy to freeze violently. His head slowly- incredibly slowly- rotated, so that he was looking at her, his black eyes locking onto her own purple ones. They stared for a while, before Kirito snapped out of his momentary trance. For just a split-second, his gaze flicked downward, and then immediately snapped back up, but Kizmel had seen it. Her smile grew.
A blush rose to the boy's face, which was screwed up in a mix of irritation and panic. He settled for a thin veneer of calm.
"You're insane…" he muttered, though the Dark Elf's sharp hearing caught the words easily enough.
"Yes, and you seemed to be enjoying yourself. Did you like using me as a pillow?"
"Yes."
Kizmel's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that answer, and especially not so quickly. It appeared this boy was not as innocent as he looked while he was asleep.
"Ha!" Kirito crowed, taking victory in her shock. Kizmel's eyes narrowed in return, and a predatory grin spread across her face.
"Oh, Kirito-san~," she moaned, pushing herself up so that the covers slipped off her bare body, revealing her ample bosom. Kirito, in an impressive show of restraint, kept his eyes away from her general direction, answering with a noncommital hum.
"If you liked that so much, then I know of a few things that you will simply love," she purred. This time she succeeded in making the boy's cheeks turn violently red, and he turned so that his back was to the temptress.
"Alright, you can stop now! D-Didn't you say yesterday that we had stuff to do today!?" "Oh, I did. But, when did I ever specify what was so important?"
Kirito attempted to answer, only to draw a blank.
"So, what if I were to say that this was important?" Kizmel asked. She was not going to let this go.
"I-I would say that your priorities are fucked up and I'm outta here! Bye!" Kirito yelled, hopping up from the bed and sprinting out the room, putting his triple-digits Agility to good use.
Kizmel scarcely had time to comprehend what had happened before the boy was long gone, but when her mind caught up, she smiled. It proved to be a bit of a challenge getting to that boy, but the results were well worth it.
Kirito was extremely excited right now. Kizmel had kept her promise and talked to the Queen, and now he was the proud owner of a Queen's Knightsword, as well as a Ring of Cleansing. This was so awesome! The sword had originally been obtained on Floor 9 of the Beta, since that was where the final Quest of the Elf War Campaign was (as well as Lyusula Castle), and had been the strongest sword in the game at the time. The Beta players had only gotten to Floor 10, so he didn't know how long it would last, but to get it so early in the game… It had a base damage of 5,000!
The amount of damage the sword did was calculated like so: (Base Damage) + (Number of Sharpness Upgrades x 5)% + (Strength Stat x 2) + (One-Handed Sword Skill Level x 5)
For Kirito with the Queen's Knightsword, that would be: (5,000) + (0 x 5)% + (75 x 2) + (38 x 5)= 5,340
It was kinda pathetic that the base damage of the sword was what made up the majority of that number, but it was still incredible. He would probably be able to one-hit most monsters now, and if he got some Sharpness upgrades… Speaking of which, the Queen's Knightsword had an astounding enhance max of 20. He would probably do 15 Sharpness and 5 Durability.
Accuracy was worthless, since you would have to be pretty bad to completely miss the opponent, which Kirito wasn't. Quickness was out- his emphasis on his Agility Stat covered that. Heaviness was… Weird. It did as the name implied, making the sword heavier, which made it harder to swing, and required more Strength to wield properly. However, it also meant that monsters without a sufficiently high Strength Stat would be unable to Parry or Stun you, so it had its benefits. Not that Kirito cared, because he still didn't use it.
He had only made the concession for the 5 Durability because he didn't want to end up with the same problem he had had for the past week; unable to use his Anneal Blade for fear of shattering it. He was surprised the sword had lasted as long as it had, however. Maybe he could repair it, then use it as a backup sword if the the Queen's Knightsword was ever low on Durability, then skip out on the Durability upgrades? Or maybe…
"Hey, Kizmel, where'd you get this sword, anyway?" Kirito asked his partner, who was sitting across from him at the breakfast table. She had just handed him the sword and ring, and watched in amusement as he fawned over the former. Sure, the ring was cool, and definitely useful, but at the moment, very few mobs could inflict Status Effects, so…
"In the armory. There are quite a few extra- I only had to ask the Queen to ensure she would be fine with me giving it to you, since you are technically an outsider, as well as to acquire the ring. Why?" She became a bit wary when she saw the glimmer in his eyes.
"I was thinking, if I got another one, then I wouldn't have to worry about this sword breaking in the middle of battle, because I'll have a backup. I think it's pretty necessary- and wouldn't it put your mind at ease, knowing that I'm even less likely to be endangered because of being unprepared?"
Kizmel sighed. The boy was using her own words against her now. It wasn't like there was any issue with him getting another sword, but it was just in the way he chose to do so that irritated the Dark Elf slightly.
"Well, I suppose I can show you the way to the armory. However, you are only allowed to grab another sword," she said, standing up and pushing in the chair.
"Yay!" Kirito cried, shooting up and around the table to crush Kizmel in a hug. She returned it after a moment of surprise, startled at how quickly how he had moved.
When he smiled up at her so innocently, her irritation could be forgotten. For the moment. Revenge would definitely come later.
He had another Queen's Knightsword now! This was amazing! He was unbeatable! A god amongst gamers! Well, he just happened to have access to better items, but this was still an MMO, where numbers were everything. It wasn't his fault nobody had figured out his little exploit back in the Beta, and they definitely would be too scared to try it now.
He definitely had to visit a blacksmith now, at least to see what materials were required to upgrade his swords. Probably a good idea to go to Zumfut, and then maybe get back to climbing the Floors. Aincrad wasn't going to conquer itself.
"Hey, Kizmel, what are we still doing here?" he asked the Dark Elf. She, thankfully, seemed to understand that he meant Yofel Castle, rather than just the armory.
"Well, the Queen has yet to assign us a mission aside from patrolling the woods and taking out any groups of Forest Elf Scouts we come across. You may leave, if you wish, since you are an Honorary Knight, and therefore not tied to Her Majesty's will, but as for me…" she trailed off, getting quieter the longer she spoke. Kirito blinked. He had not expected her to sound so sad, but he wouldn't deny that the thought of being separated from his only friend hurt him a bit, too.
"Well… Why don't we ask her?"
It was Kizmel's turn to blink in surprise. "Ask the Queen what?"
"To leave. Think of it as… Taking a vacation. Well, we probably won't actually be relaxing, so maybe an adventure?"
"I doubt she will grant me permission. She is rather reluctant to let any of her knights leave, and especially now, with the Forest Elf Rebellion… It won't work," Kizmel said, shaking her head sadly.
"So we're gonna have to take care of that first, huh…? Alright, then where are most of the Forest Elves?"
"I would think they are situated somewhere near, or possibly in, the Caste of Lyusula. The Queen has been down here in the Forest of Wavering Mists for quite some time, and messengers rarely return, so it is possible that much has changed. We will have to send scouts out to determine that... Even if we do find them, what are you planning to do, Kirito-san?"
Kirito was about to respond, when a sharp noise interrupted him. A system message popped up in front of him.
Ping!
New Quest Available! Retake Lyusula Castle from the Forest Elves?
Reward: 10,000XP, ?
"Well, I think I know where we can find them now. As for what I plan to do… Well, isn't that obvious?"
He accepted the Quest.
"I'm going to kill them all."
Stats haven't changed from what I posted at the top, since there was no fighting. That will go back to being at the bottom of the page net chapter
This may seem like filler, but I managed to plug in a few plot points that'll move things forward. Don't be too annoyed.
You may have noticed that, under the date and time, I've included the location. I'll be doing that from now, since I plan to have large time skips, in which Kirito continues to move forward. Think like how they did it in the anime.
Is anyone uncomfortable with the idea of Kirito x Kizmel, giving the former's age? He's basically a kid, barely through puberty, so it's kinda illegal, isn't it? Sure, this is Fanfiction, and I may not have the strongest moral compass, but even so, I'm unsure how to continue the relationship aspect of this story. Cut out Kizmel somehow and make Kirito continue the game how he was meant to play in this story; Solo? Or keep them together, with the title Solo referring to the lack of players around him? Some food for thought :P
K, bai :D