Hi there, Naintarlow checking in.
Sorry for the late chapter, but this one was a literal monster to write. Now the story turns a little darker, I mean they are in a death game, you guys can work out the rest. And I think you will not be surprised if I tell you that now Natsu and his friends officially encountered laughing coffin. Fun times.
I'm still unsure about what counts as an M rating and so it would be greatly appreciated if you could tell me in case I needed to change the rating.
As for reviews:
Animeprinceprincess: thanks for the review, hope you enjoy the story.
DPSS: Sorry for that, but right now I want to focus a little away from the frontline. Though in canon the Heathcliff 'introduction' was more him putting Asuna in limelight and using her to basically run the guild and boss meetings, so Natsu didn't really interact with him yet. When he does, I hope I can make a proper scene with them.
Thank you for the reviews, favs, and follows. Let's start this chapter.
Level 9 Mystery in the labyrinth part 2
The previously cheery atmosphere turned tense and dreary in an instant.
"What are we gonna do?" Annabelle asked the young girl looked at the edge of a panic attack.
Unfortunately, she was not alone. Fives looked around warily as if he feared Illfang would make a reappearance so soon after its second demise. Ian also lost the easy smile he had on his face, while Grumpy quietly fumed by himself. Thankfully, the adults, Roger and Morgana remained calm, at least on the outside, likewise, Natsu and his group stayed confident since they made it out of much worse situations.
"We stay together and go forward. Sooner or later we should be able to find an exit or restore somehow our maps." Wedge told her, sending a reassuring smile to the younger kids."With our numbers, we should have no trouble with any mobs."
"I hate to be the one to ask this, but what happens if we don't find a way out anytime soon?" Morgana asked with a worried frown on her face. In response Wedge turned a lot grim.
"If by the time night arrives," everyone quickly checked their clocks, it was around 2 p.m." If we hadn't gotten away, we find a safe zone where we can camp out. Biggs and I will give our teleport crystals to Fives and Annabelle, so they along with Natsu and Basil can teleport out and get some reinforcements." he told them. Roger gave him a thankful nod, while the kids looked relieved.
"No." Natsu cut in, surprising everybody. He ignored their looks, instead, he looked straight at Wedge. "Basil and I are better equipped, with higher levels than any of them. We are also much more used to fighting for a long time. If it comes to that, we will stay." at his side Basil nodded resolutely, showing his agreement.
Wedge drew himself up as if he was readying himself to argue, before slumping forward, like he lost all his energy.
"I can't convince you otherwise?" he tried at last, though he seemed to know the answer already. Both boys shook their heads.
He threw his hands into the air as if saying that he gave up, before turning back to the other group who watched with various amounts of amusement.
"So what should we do? Should we split up?" asked Ian, who seemed more confident after the slightly comical byplay.
"No, without our maps to rely on, we could easily lose track of each other." told him Natsu after thinking over the idea."We should stick together."
"But the corridors are incredibly narrow. How can we fight effectively?" asked Morgana, a hand on her chin.
The KotSR members looked at each other, deep in thought. It was indeed a good question. A ten-person group was much too large of a group to fight with coordination in such tight quarters. In the end, the answer came from the most silent of them.
"We should move similarly to how we did up until now." Biggs told them in a soft voice, standing behind Wedge, ready, and alert.
"That's not a bad idea." his brother agreed quickly, getting what he was referring to."A tank in front and one behind in case of a surprise attack. With damage dealers between them, this tactic worked well for us. If we could modify it for the bigger group, it would save us a lot of headaches." he said with a confident smirk.
"I think I know how to work around that." stated Natsu with a growing smile.
In the end, they decided on a simple but effective formation. Basil walked in front, with Tsuna and Ian following in a V formation. Thanks to that, both of them were free to assist Basil the moment they encountered the monster. Roger, Fives, Annabelle, and Grumpy were in the middle. They were the safest out of all of them, but close enough to switch with anybody if the need arises. The rear guard was Bigg, with Wedge and Morgana in a revere v formation. Morgana, with her spear, could easily attack from next to Biggs, without taking too much a risk, while Wedge had free reign to attack mercilessly from behind the living shield that was his brother.
Deciding that it would serve no purpose to wait in one place they soon left, using a randomly chosen corridor. As they advanced they encountered a few monsters which they defeated with ease, allowing them to move forward with a sense of calm. Thankfully, Annabelle who was the most scared out of all of them calmed down somewhat since she found herself in relative safety.
"How did your group came together? Most players at the front line with the exception of a small minority are in guilds. But you guys don't belong to one, neither you are solos. How come?" inquired Wedge curiously.
"We mostly just found each other I guess." answered Ian, shrugging his shoulders."I and Grumpy knew each other in real life and stuck together since we met in-game. We found Fives and Annabelle trying to level up and we teamed up and didn't see a reason not to continue working together. It wasn't until a month ago when we encountered Roger who helped us reach the needed level for the Frontline. Morgana came a week later and we decided to join the cleaners. We planned to form or join a guild after we were done here." he explained honestly.
"And how did you meet, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Morgana with a light smile on her face.
"We mostly met back on the first floor." explained Natsu as they stopped at an intersection, before deciding to turn to the right. "We met at the first boss strategy meeting where Biggs and Wedge joined with our group. We later met up to form our guild." he said, not wanting to get into Basil's unique circumstances.
With that, they once again descended into silence. They dispatched the few groups of monsters they ran into, and briefly, Roger took Ian's place to give the younger man a bit of a needed break. Thankfully Natsu's group was more than used to long hours in dungeons, so they were good for the time being.
The monsters seemed to come in greater numbers against them, though nothing they couldn't handle. The area was full of dead ends and the maze was much more annoying without a reliable nap to at least determine which routes to try out.
"Is it me or we really seem to be going in circles?" asked Fives suddenly, when they caught a bit of a break.
Natsu privately had to agree. It's been two hours since they left the arena and they yet to find anything that could be used to restore their maps, the boss room, or even a safe zone. And since standing around did not achieve a thing, begrudgingly they had to go forward.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we are going the right way." said Wedge with an optimistic smile, trying not to spook the two younger kids. His smile quickly faded when turning around the corner they found themselves back in the arena they started from. The only positive thing that Illfang didn't seem to respawn since his last defeat.
"Looks like we're going in circles." said Grumpy snidely, glaring at Wedge who looked taken aback by the malicious gaze of the older man.
"Let's just calm down. It's no use fighting each other." Ian said, stepping between them and trying to diffuse the situation.
"I will not calm down. These little kids were ordering us left and right ever since they appeared and look where it got us? We're in the middle of a death trap!" he bellowed in rage, causing Annabelle to hide behind Roger in fright. "I had enough. I won't let a snot-nosed brat tell me what to do! None of you." he sent another glare to the teens before turning around and storming away into a nearby corridor.
"Grumpy, wait." Ian called after him and was about to walk after him when Roger stopped him with a hand placed on his shoulder.
"Let him go and cool off." he told the younger man, an understanding look on his face."He knows very well not to go too far away, he will be fine."
After a few moments, Ian relented, turning back to Wedge and the others with an apologetic face.
"Sorry about him." he apologized for his friend with a bow of his head."He is not really a bad guy, but he has this issue of not believing anyone younger than him should have any authority over him. Especially here in the game, he feels like younger people are more of a burden than any help."
"Don't worry about it." Natsu waved away his apology, a sad smile on his face."We are used to attitudes like his."
It was sad but true. Many adults felt that kids had no place near the 'battlefield', even now after almost half a year spent in this game. A lot of people told him, Ken, and Basil to go and play somewhere even if they were several levels higher than them and could mop the floor easily with them. Wedge and Biggs got a lot less flak about their age, but there were still those complaining at times.
According to Buzz, most of these people weren't really worried over them, it's more because their ego, their pride, whatever you gonna call it was wounded to be shown up by kids half or third of their age. Natsu thought that was idiotic since the top players included people like him, Kirito, or Asuna, all of them young kids who were with the Frontline since the start. And they were not the only ones.
"Still, this is not an easy situation." Basil admitted as he made a quick check of his remaining potions."We couldn't appreciate how easy the map made things until it was no longer there."
"Quite right. This a most troublesome trap." said Morgana, though to Natsu she looked distracted, looking at something in the corner of her eyes frequently.
He was about to inquire about that when a blood-curdling scream reached them, freezing them in their tracks. It was not the scream of a monster, but a man.
"Grumpy!" Ian cried out in fright before bolting forward at the same time Natsu began to dash in the direction the large shield user went, Basil following after a moment. The others also ran after them after recovering from their shock.
"What's happening?" Wedge asked from the back as he and his brother made sure no monster could attack them from behind even as they ran.
"Grumpy's health bar depleted suddenly. It's already in the red zone." informed Roger, huffing as he tried to keep pace with the others since he was one of the slowest in their group.
Natsu meanwhile reached Ian and even pulled ahead, following the now easily hearable sounds of fighting. Thankfully Grumpy didn't wander too far and it was easier to locate him.
Turning around a corner he froze in place as he found the man, lying helplessly on the ground, surrounded by 5 skeleton warriors who were attacking him prone form without a hint of mercy. Natsu was a small, yellow mark above Grumpy, showing the man was suffering from paralysis, unable to even defend himself.
It reminded him too much of the recent fight against the 25th boss. The boss did not have paralysis, but most of his attacks caused stun and most of Kibaou's attack force was crippled in short order, and by the time he and his friends reached them, almost all of the survivors were on the ground, crying out in pain and helplessness. Those cries kept him awake at night, where he couldn't escape from the guilt of not being faster and stronger.
"No!" Ian's heartwrenching cry thankfully snapped out of him, prompting him to move.
By the time he realized he was moving, he was already in the middle of launching a sonic leap. He felt his body propel forward and did his best to banish the memories, he needed to concentrate on the here and the now.
With a powerful yell, he crashed into one of the skeletons, pushing it back and away from Grumpy's prone form. Instead of capitalizing on the opening he made, Natsu turned his body and attacked another skeleton with a horizontal, gaining its attention. He didn't bother with the feeling of a sword slamming into his side, he hurried forward, trying to gain the attention of all of the skeletons attacking the downed player.
'Just a little bit more.' he told himself, ignoring the small decrease of his hp. "Don't worry about the damage, you can take it, unlike him. Aggro, I have to aggro all of them, so I can gain time until the others arrive. Just a little more!' he yelled to himself as he smalled a normal attack against the third skeleton.
Unfortunately, the other skeletons completely ignored him, their programming content to concentrate on weakened players, like Grumpy in this instance, who was at the very end of his rope. Natus also saw from the corner of his eyes, Ian watching the fight in fright, trembling violently, so he could expect little help from him.
"Natsu!" came a harsh cry, just as he noticed one of the skeletons next to him, battleax raised to catch him at his unguarded side. Even as he tried to move his body, he was well aware he could not make it in time. He resigned himself of trying to absorb as much of the blow as he could, before Basil appeared out of nowhere, blocking the attack meant for him. "I'll watch your back. Go!" the Italian teen roared as he continued to stand in the way of the skeletons' relentless attacks.
Trusting Basil without a doubt, Natsu turned back and unleashed vertical on the fourth skeleton, staggering it away from Grumpy and gaining its attention. For a moment, he began to hope that he can make it in time. Basil held back the other monsters, while the others could arrive any minute. As soon as his body could move from the post-motion delay he pivoted and hurled toward the last skeleton, needing to gain just a little more time for the surly swordsman.
But it seemed he was too late. As he went toward the fifth mob, to him it seemed to laugh at him as he plunged his rusty sword into Grumpy's body, who gave a silent cry as he saw his hp reach zero. He met Natsu's eyes, fear evident in his eyes, mouthing silent words that he would never learn their meaning. Without conscious thought he reached forward, guided by the irrational thought that if he could reach him, maybe the older man wouldn't die.
Yet, the moment ended, and before Natsu's eyes, Grumpy burst into a bunch of polygons, dead for all intents and purposes. There were several frightening cries around him, maybe even he cried, he was not too sure. He could only replay the scene of Grumpy looking frightened just before he ceased to exist.
He saw death before, not many times, but he did see players die before him, most recently on the 25th floor, but never like this. Never before he was so close to them, to see the realization that they were going to die and knowing he was just a moment away from being able to protect them.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed that the skeleton that killed Grumpy step toward him, sword raised to strike. Seeing that, something snapped inside him. He was faintly aware he was the one shouting as he rushed forward, his strongest sword skills, sharp nail already initiated. Then it became somewhat of a blur. He knew he attacked the skeleton with abandon, more like a berserker than his usual cautious, quick-footed approach.
By the time he was aware of the world around him once more, all the skeletons disappeared and he was leaning on his blade, head bowed, exhaustion clear. Even though his body was nothing more than data, his throat felt sore and there was deep tiredness in his body. A quick check of his health bar showed he was around 50 percent left of it.
"Natsu?" he almost flinched as the hand suddenly touched his shoulders. Looking up, he met the concerned face of Wedge who looked at him as if he was a wounded animal that he tried not to spook."Are you alright?" he asked softly and Natsu felt something wet on his face. Reaching up, he was surprised to find tears, he wasn't aware he was crying.
"I couldn't save him in time." he told Wedge in a hollow voice when he remembered the older teen still standing worriedly at his side.
"I know." he said, giving a reassuring squeeze to his shoulder. It felt good to be reminded he wasn't alone, because right now he felt lost.
"I'm sorry." for this one Wedge had no answer, but in the end, it wasn't him that he intended words. They were meant for the one he couldn't reach in time, Grumpleshorken.
Natsu brushed the last of his tears away, before raising his head and looking over the others. Ian was on his knees, sobbing uncontrollably at the same place he saw him last, staring at the place where his friend died with an empty gaze. Basin was at his side, trying to console him, though he noticed him looking over him every so often to check on him too. Annabelle was also sobbing, holding onto Morgana with everything she had, the older woman also held a shocked expression on her face. Fives was trying to hold back his tears, without much success, while Roger looked so tired, he appeared even older as he tried to reassure the young boy. Biggs's face could have been carved from stone as he stood behind everyone and kept an eye out for any more surprises.
"How horrible." commented Wedge in a low voice as he looked in the direction the older man died."We can adapt, we can even thrive in this world all we want, but events like these remind us what this really is. A death game." he had an angry look on his face, his fist clenched tight."Damn you, Kayaba." Natsu remained silent as he sheathed his sword and the two walked back to the others, his mind racing now that he was calming down.
"I don't understand." said Roger as he noticed them reaching them. Except for Ian who seemed lost in his grief, everyone looked over.
"What do you mean?" Basil asked gently.
"Well, usually these skeletons only attack with two maybe three of them at the same time, so how come they ganged up on him?" he explained, his face more haggard by the second. "Grumpy...he was no slouch. Even if they ambushed him, he should have been easily able to keep them off him and call for help, but instead, he had been just laying there helplessly." both Ian and Annabelle increased their sobbing at his words, and Fives looked like he would collapse anytime, prompting Basil to place a steady hand on the young boy's shoulders.
"Paralysis. He was affected by the debuff, paralysis, probably just at the start of the battle. With him practically defenseless, he didn't have time to cry for help." answered Natsu, a sour taste in his mouth as his mind arrived at the very conclusion he didn't want to. By the way, Wedge's face darkened, he realized the very same thing he did.
"Mob PK?" he hissed, more to himself as his hold on his sword reflexively tightened.
"What?" asked Morgana with furrowed brows, either unfamiliar with the gaming term or not understanding the situation. Meanwhile, Fives began to tremble almost uncontrollably, prompting Basil to place a hand around him, trying to offer some comfort.
"Paralysis and other debuff are extremely dangerous for solo and groups with few players, it's easy to get overwhelmed if one is not careful enough. That's why most players share information on most things we encounter on the front lines. Add to that, we have been frequenting this dungeon for a few weeks, aware of most attacks these mobs have and their abilities." Natsu explained, frowning heavily as he steadfastly looked at the ground in front of him, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes."There is no way these skeletons were able to cause paralysis." he admitted and he heard several horrified gasps at the revelation.
The realization was not an easy thing to swallow. In gaming terms, mob PK meant that other players purposely led stronger enemies to a weaker player and indirectly used them to defeat the player. In a game where there was a PVP element in it, it was an unavoidable part, but this was never just a simple game. Their lives were the only ones they had, if they died it would all amount to nothing. What was the point of such senseless killing?
Most probably the PKer had a weapon that could cause paralysis, maybe through some type of poison? That was more common than weapons with paralysis property. They got the drop on Grumpy, before luring the monster on him, who per their basic programming went after the defenseless, easier prey. It made him sick, the thought of people killing each other, he didn't understand what could they gain.
"It's the most probable explanation." Wedge agreed, a dark look in his eyes as he looked around as if expecting the mysterious PKer to jump out and proclaim his deeds. "In the last few weeks, a worryingly large amount of PKs happened, though mostly centered on power floors." he frowned as he suddenly remembered something."One of our guildmates is looking into it, and as far as I knew, this is the first time since something like this on a frontline floor."
"What?" cried out Natsu incredulously, snapping his head at Wedge along with Basil, neither of hearing anything about this before. Wedge actually looked chastised as he realized he was speaking out loud and he let something important slip. "This is the first time I heard about this!" the brown-haired kid said, an angry frown on his face.
"Buzz and Agil didn't want to worry you guys." he explained, but even he winced as the normally calm and reasonable Natsu's frown deepened."Buzz is currently working with Argo about looking into it more deeply since the last thing the frontline needs right now is a wave of PK related crimes disrupting things further."
"And just why did you think it was smart to keep us in the dark?" Natsu demanded hotly, glaring at the older teen, until Basil stepped next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Please, calm down." he pleaded."This is not the time to be at each other's throats." he then sent a look to Wedge, resolution clear in his eyes."Though I will also gladly listen to your reasons for this after we get out of here in one piece."
"Why?" the grief-stricken voice of Ian snapped them out of their debate. The young man looked up at them with a hollow look on his face, not even bothering to get up from the ground. "Why would someone do this? What could they gain from it?" he asked, desperate for an answer, but no one could give him an honest answer, instead, they looked away, empathizing with him.
In the end, it was Roger who knelt down next to the formerly smiling teen, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
"The sad thing, that sometimes there is no reason that. There are such horrible people in this world and even in this game, that they simply do it for the sake of doing it." he said, his shoulders slumping tiredly.
"I don't want this." Annabelle cried out of nowhere, tearing herself away from Morgana, who looked taken aback by the girl. She was hugging herself, tears poured down her face as she looked around with wide, panicked eyes. She was on the verge of a panic attack and that made all of them, save for Ian who once again descended into himself take a step back, not wanting to panic her further."This is insane. I never wanted this. I don't want to die, not for stupid reasons like these! I want to go home." her sobs increased as she fully lost it."I want to go home, worry about school, about mom not making enough money. I don't want to die here, I want to go home!"
"Annie..." Fives said softly, reaching out to her, trying to calm her down. Likewise, Morgana also stepped closer to her.
"Leave me alone!" she cried out, slapping away the outstretched hand of the former, before suddenly bolting forward, running away from them.
"No." cried out Basil in warning as she ran past him, too surprised to catch her in time.
"What are you doing?" Roger cried out, shocked.
"Wait, it's dangerous!" warned Wedge as he began to run after her, the others quickly following.
Natsu was shaken by the sudden action by the previously timid Annabelle, but quickly shook himself out of it, and put his stats to great use, overtaking even Wedge as he ran toward the panicking girl.
They were at the end of the corridor, just before an intersection, when Natsu sensed something. He was not sure, he didn't see, didn't hear anything. The corridor was empty save for them, no monsters, and even the basic use of searching skill didn't reveal amiss and out of their group he had one of the higher skill levels in this skill, though it did not guarantee that there wasn't anyone with better hiding skills.
Acting on the instinct that saved his life countless times, Natsu tackled the young girl, eliciting a surprised yelp from her. He was just in time, as he grabbed Annabelle he felt the wind generated by a sword lash just a few centimeters from above his head and the soft curse of their attacker as they apparently missed the young kids.
He used his body to shield her, as he forced them to roll away from their attacker, landing on one knee, the still form of Annabelle pulled close to him as he pulled out his blade and held it out in defense.
They were in the middle of the intersection, facing down the mysterious PKer. As he got a good look at them, he noted the dark cloak that helped her hide quite easily in the dark labyrinth and what looked like a tall, feminine shape. He also noticed the curved sword glinting in the faint light that almost took both his and Annabelle's heads a few seconds ago. He had little doubt that it was coated with some type of poison.
Their attacker looked at them for a moment, before suddenly jumping away, the flash of Wedge's linear skill rushing past where they had been a moment ago.
"Damn it." the older teen cursed as he only managed to nick the edge of their cloak. "Stay still." he said as he raised his rapier, the sword already shining with a sword skill ready to launch in an instant.
In short order, the others caught up, and by the time Natsu stood up properly, Basil was already in front of him, shield raised to block any sudden attack. For a moment the brown-haired teen thought to leave Anabelle to his friend, but the trembling form of the girl as she clutched into him as if she was drowning convinced to stay put for the time being. With a quick look passing between them, Basil gave a firm nod, both of them turning their attention to the attacker who was not in any hurry to leave, despite being severely outnumbered.
They were in the middle of an intersection, with Natsu, Basil, and Annabelle on one side, Wedge, Roger, and the others opposite of them. The player that almost beheaded Natsu stood between them with a corridor at her back, an easy escape route they could use any minute. They had a relaxed, uncaring stance and a lazy smile could be seen under the hood of their black cloak.
"Just who do you think you are?" growled Roger, mace raised threateningly. He was about to step closer, but a simple look from Wedge stopped him in his tracks. They needed to keep their heads cool, or it could easily end badly. They already lost one of their group, they couldn't afford any other.
"Me?" she asked in a haughty voice as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I'm just a lonely little girl, playing around." she said with a mock innocent tone.
"Why are you doing this?" Natsu asked in a soft voice, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. For some reason, her voice seemed familiar to him, but no matter how much he was racking his brain he couldn't tell where he heard it before."What's the point of killing other players?" he asked the question that nagged him the most. He just couldn't, for the life of him, why would any people want to kill others, lowering their chances of getting out of the game.
A soft giggle escaped the cloaked attacker at the question, which soon turned into full-blown laughter. Almost everyone wore an uneasy expression at that, feeling even more on edge. It didn't help that because they focused on her form, they could see an orange cursor in the place of the usual green one. It meant that she probably attacked and maybe even killed players before, marking her as a 'criminal' in the eyes of most of the players.
"Why you asked?" she asked with a sweet voice after she calmed down. "To play, of course." she extended her arms to the side, and a maniacal smile appeared on what little could be seen of her face."What's the point of being in a game if you don't play? And everyone game needs a proper villain after all PVP is an essential part of games like this."
"You are sick!" declared Wedge as he gripped his sword tighter, only Biggs's hand on his shoulder stopping him from dashing forward and attacking recklessly.
The others had similar reactions. Fives was horrified and used the large form of Biggs to practically hide from the crazy woman, shaking like a leaf. Roger and Natsu wore disgusted expression, while Basil simply faced her down with a hard look on his face.
"We will stop you." the blonde-haired teen said in a resolute voice, showing no hesitation as he regarded her. The cloaked woman in response only began to once again laugh to herself.
"Well, feel free to try, I was getting a little bored here." she told Basil with a smile that told them she knew something they didn't. "But don't you have somewhere else to be?" she asked in mock-confusion.
Natsu narrowed his eyes at her cryptic words and felt his attention wander over the others, wondering if anyone understood what she was talking about. It took for a moment for him to notice something amiss and it dawned on him what she meant. With a pale face, he called out to the others, hoping he was wrong.
"Where is Ian?" he asked, prompted to others to look around in shock, trying to find the young man.
"Ian!" cried out Roger, hoping he was just lagging behind, instead of something happening to him.
"Don't tell me, he stayed back where we came from?" asked Wedge in disbelief, also taking his eyes off the cloaked woman. The soft sounds of steps made him look back, but by that time they looked back, she disappeared from view. Gritting his teeth, he told the others."Let's get to Ian, quickly, but don't under any circumstance separate." he ordered before he began to lead them back.
Natsu, as well as Basil, dashed forward after they passed the still too shaken to react Annabelle to Roger, quickly joining the others in sprinting back to the corridor where Grumpy died and where Ian most likely remained. Thankfully they weren't very far and the monsters in the way had yet to respawn, which wasn't a surprise if they slowed down and thought about it. Despite the whirlwind of events that they just went through it couldn't have been more than ten minutes since Grumpy's death.
Still, Natsu and others didn't let up and ran as fast as they could. Natsu gritted his teeth, urging himself to go faster. He already failed saving one comrade, he didn't plan on being too late to save another one. He did his best to lock away his turbulent emotions, concentrating on the matter at hand. He was pretty sure he will be an awful wreck when, and not if, they finally get out, but until then he had to keep it together.
No matter how tempting it sounded to break down and act like a terrified kid his age.
But unfortunately, no matter how fast they ran, in the end, they didn't make it in time. Natsu, Basil, and Wedge stopped in pure shock as they reached where they left Ian, Roger, Morgana just behind them, with Biggs herding and looking after Fives and Annabelle.
The light from the torches draw ominous shadows around Ian as he knelt on the ground, facing them, mouth opened in a silent cry. Behind him stood another cloaked figure, male from his shape and the cackling laugh he gave when he noticed them arriving, playing with a big dagger in his left hand. They could only meet Ian's desperate eyes, noticing the thin, red line going across his neck, before he burst into a bunch of pixels unceremoniously, the sound of shattering filling their eyes, signaling his death.
"No way!" Wedge breathed out, horror clear on his face.
"How horrible." Morgana gasped out, placing a hand before her mouth.
"Ian!" Roger cried out in shock, his body slightly trembling.
The others reacted similarly, save for Basil who only watched the scene with a grim expression on his face, before subtly tilting his head and looking at Natsu who after a moment caught his eye. He gave the Italian a firm nod, a similar expression replacing the shock.
Ian's executioner stayed in the same spot, looking at them, in no particular hurry. He wore a similar cloak to the woman they encountered and from the way he stood, they saw he wore some kind of leather armor. He was short, maybe around the height of Natsu and he had a smug, cocky air about him. He was throwing his dagger, up and down, catching it at the last moment, all the while he was grinning at them.
"You guys are here to play too? And here I thought it was gonna be boring." he asked them a toothy grin, enjoying their horrified looks."More the merrier, my departed grandma used to say., although..." he suddenly caught his weapon before jumping back, just avoiding the pair of diagonals sent by Natsu and Basil in perfect unison. "I didn't say you can start, yet." he laughed to himself as he slowly backed away, from the two young members of the keepers of the seven rings.
"This is not a game. It never was." said Natsu with gritted teeth and was ready to pursue when Wedge's voice stopped both him and Basil in their tracks.
"Stop! Don't go after him." Wedge called out, the others looking at him in surprise. By his posture, it was certain to everyone he would love nothing more than go after the guy himself, but he was holding himself back."We have to stay together. Up until now, they had kept us off-balance, we have been playing their game. They only came after us when we were separated. If we want any hope of getting out in one piece we have to stop and think." he urged them with a severe expression.
"But, still..." Natsu trailed off, still angry, but seeing the Wedge's point. It didn't mean he had to like it.
Wedge's eyes softened momentarily, looking at the young teen before him.
"I understand, Natsu. But we aren't alone in this, we have to think as a group." he warned and in the end, the brown-haired teen gave a nod of agreement.
Looking back Natsu noted that the man who killed Ian disappeared, using their distraction to get away. His shoulders dropping, he felt the anger as quickly evaporate as it came, leaving him with crushing sadness. Taking in his comrades, he saw all of them looked similar. Annabelle no longer cried but she simply sat on the ground, a still trembling Fives' arms around her, hopeless. Morgana was leaning n her spear, head bowed, her hair obscuring her face. Roger was leaning on a wall, deep in thought. Wedge and Basil were both tense, repeatedly looking around to make sure no monster could sneak up on them, not letting themselves think on what happened just yet, while Biggs was the one who looked the calmest out of all of them, keeping an eye on the younger kids, almost physically shielding them from the world.
An eerie silence descended on them as they all calmed down and processed what happened in the last few minutes. Still, it wasn't really the time to grieve. They weren't out of the woods yet so to speak, with the two, possibly even more orange players after them, hunting them like it was a game.
"Grumpy and Ian." Roger spoke up with a tired, hollow voice. "They're really dead." he admitted, the facts only hitting home now. Natsu looked away, furiously blinking as he also needed to face this truth.
"Yes, they are." Wedge agreed with a sigh, closing his menu, looking unsure for the first time since they arrived at the labyrinth."Still no map." he told them before he began to think on the next step.
"Then what should we do?" asked Morgana in a soft voice, but no one had a definite answer to her. It was clear they couldn't stay in one place for long, with the monsters respawning any minute, the cloaked players lurking around looking for weaknesses and their own lowered morale, it would be suicide. They had to move on, but the question was where? They were nowhere closer to getting out of the labyrinth.
"First of all, we have to get Annabelle and Fives out of here." Natsu declared after sharing a significant look with Basil, walking toward the two terrified kids. At the back of his mind, a small part of him found it hilarious that he referred them as kids when they were the same age. But it was true in a manner of speaking. Even though they were the same age, Basil, Ken and he grew up in a manner of speaking, to handle the burden of fighting at the frontline. They needed the ability to stay calm whatever happened, to be able to react to any sudden changes in the middle of a fight.
"You mean the teleport crystals?" Morgana asked with a furrowed brow, looking displeased for a moment before the expression disappeared from her face.
"Yes." he nodded as he pulled out his own teleport crystal, while Basil did the same. His eyes were resolute, and Wedge closed his mouth before he could say anything. Natsu was most of the time pretty easy-going, content to let others lead, but there were a few times he stepped up and used his position as a guild leader to the fullest. When he got like this, it was simply not possible to deter him without really good reasons. And the older teen was very aware if they disregarded their age and his self-proclaimed duty to look after them, Basil and Natsu were very capable fighters and it would be more useful if they stayed if they wanted to get everyone out in the end.
It did not mean he had to like it. At all.
"But where should we go?" Fives asked uncertainly as he accepted the crystal from Basil, while Natsu handed it to Annabelle who clutched it into her chest while murmuring her thanks.
"Giltstein, the main city on the 25th floor." Natsu said without a moment of hesitation, ignoring the confused looks he got from them."Inside the safe zone, you could easily find the headquarters of the Knights of the Blood-Oath. When you arrive ask for Asuna, tell them that I sent you, and explain what happened so others won't walk into this trap blindly." he said, gaining a slightly confident nod from Fives. When he saw it, Natsu let a smile appear on his face, giving the young boy's shoulder a squeeze."Everything will be alright." he promised.
"The KOB HQ?" asked Wedge with a surprised expression. It was no secret, while Natsu liked and looked up to some extent to Asuna, he didn't like the leader of the guild, Heathcliff.
"It makes sense. We could easily get to them, after we get out of here, while Asuna could look after them until that time." explained Natsu, looking up, meeting the older teen's eyes."We will also need to get the word out, make other parties in the frontline more cautious because PKers even appeared here. Aside from Argo, the only way to quickly inform the rest of the clearing group is to talk with the KOB, since they are more frequently in contact with most of them than us."
"That makes sense. You must have thought about that a lot." Wedge admitted before a sly smile appeared on his face. "But admit it, the real reason you are sending them there is so you can visit your Big Sister Asuna." he said, bringing a slight air of levity to the tense atmosphere.
The others showed small smiles at his attempt at humor, something they desperately needed, especially when Natsu's serious composure crumbled with a large blush as he looked at Wedge as if he slapped him.
"Th-That's not it." he protested, but because of his initial reaction, there was no convincing the others of that. "Thanks to Asuna basically leading boss meetings, she can easily get the word out to others. And why are you guys always call her my big sister? We are not that alike." he complained, his over the top reaction even coaxing out a small giggle from Annabelle.
"Similar hair color, similar eyes, you guys even have similar builds." pointed out Wedge with a grin, counting the similarities with his fingers. Natsu's head dropped comically at each point, much to the others' amusement.
"Not to mention, the way she acts with you as if she was either your mother or big sister." explained Basil with a completely straight face, causing Wedge to lose his battle against the laughter that was intent on escaping and began to laugh with abandon.
"You too, Basil?" Natsu pouted at what he saw as a betrayal, while the blonde young teen only gave a small, earnest smile in response.
They soon calmed down, all of them feeling a touch lighter thanks to the little lighthearted pause in their grim reality. As he calmed down, Fives turned toward Roger who watched the whole thing with a grim expression, through there was a little softness in his eyes.
"Roger?" he asked softly, clearly asking for his opinion.
The older man sighed to himself once, before stepping away from the wall, closer to Fives, and looked at him.
"I think what they said makes sense." he told him, gesturing to Wedge and Natsu."Use the crystals and stay safe. We will join you as soon as we can." Roger said, affectionately ruffling the young boy's hair.
"O-okay." he agreed, wiping away a few stray tears from his eyes, before helping Annabelle up. He looked at the others one last time. "Please, don't die." he pleaded but knew they can't promise anything like that.
"Teleport, Giltstein." the two young kids cried out, soon disappearing in individual pillars of blue light.
As the light faded away Natsu felt his shoulder drop with relief. It was better for them to be away from the danger and also they could reach their friends and inform them of what happened. A quick check of the clock in the corner of his vision confirmed it was past 4 in the afternoon, doubtless, Agil, and the others were getting worried.
The previous atmosphere disappeared along with Fives and Annabelle. Looking around, Natsu met the eyes of the others. Morgana looked worried while Roger had a quiet steadiness to him. Though the man obviously was bothered by the death of two of his friends, he was able to push through that. Biggs and Wedge were talking quietly with each other, either comforting the other or talking about a plan, while Basil was keeping a lookout, looking a little antsy, ready to leave this place behind
"So what now?" Roger asked after a moment of silence from Wedge who stopped whispering with his brother.
"We do what we did until now." he said, walking next to Natsu, with a quick look asking if he had anything else in mind. After a quick shake of his head, the older teen elaborated."We will move slowly, trying to find either a way to regain our maps' functionality or get lucky and find the way out. At least I would like to find a safe zone, where we could rest a little easier."
"We should be cautious." added Natsu, a thoughtful look on his face."We don't know for sure how many orange players are here if they have access to the map unlike us or not. We find anything suspicious, out of place, don't ignore it." he said before a light blush appeared on his face and looked away when he noticed everyone looking at him.
"You're right." Wedge nodded, giving an affectionate pat to the younger teen's head. "The only advantage they had up until now was that they were able to separate us. No need to be cocky, but as long as we do nothing stupid we will be fine." he assured the others with a gentle smile.
With a last look to the corridor where both Grumpy and Ian died, they soon set out, intent on getting away and finding a way out. Natsu and Basil walked in front, Roger and Morgana in the middle, while Biggs and Wedge acted as rearguards. They rarely spoke even as they met many dead ends, made a lot of circles in the labyrinth. Unfortunately, the monsters didn't stop respawning, and after a lot of fighting all of them were more than ready to get out of here.
That is not to say they were not making any progress. Wedge and Basil somehow were able to devise a system to know which routes they took before and which they had yet to see where they lead. Without the ability to interact with their surroundings to leave signs for themselves, it was far from infallible, but it had been an hour since the last time they ended up in the large arena where they encountered Illfang. It looked like they ventured even deeper into the labyrinth, the walls changing to a foreboding black with various bones decorating it. Even the torches were now held by skeleton hands, increasing the creepy atmosphere around them.
"This place more and more unsettling the more we go on." mumbled Basil to himself as he avoided a man-sized spider-web hanging from a corner.
"Try to think positively. If this setup is any indication of the boss, it would easily belong to a horror movie." Wedge joked for the back."With our luck maybe we will even find the boss room while trying to find a way out."
"It's not out of the realm of possibilities." Natsu agreed with an absent nod as he surveyed the dark corridor before them."The way the monsters are becoming slightly stronger and more aggressive and the changes in surrounding we may be on the right track to the boss room."
"Even if we find it, it would be pointless to try and challenge it by ourselves." Wedge pointed out, before sending a stern glare at Natsu, though there was a slight smile on his face."Alright, Natsu?"
"Why would you think I would do something like that?" he immediately protested.
Wedge and Basil sent him dry looks, while Biggs coughed under his breath, though it suspiciously sounded like the 5th floor, and before long his shoulders slumped as he realized all of them thought the same thing.
"I'm not that reckless." he said, but he also sounded like he accepted he couldn't change their opinions. Roger and Morgana looked at them, confused by the byplay.
"You are." the three of them agreed as one.
"How can you act so carefree? Don't you realize how serious this matter is?" accused Roger them with a big frown, causing them to fall silent and look at him a little uncertainly.
"That' not it, Roger." Wedge protested, holding up his hands in defense."It's not that we don't realize how serious things are or we don't care, but we've been at the frontline for a long time. If you are too tense, you will only make mistakes." he explained, though Roger frown didn't lessen.
"We spent most of our time spent here in this game in the very heart of the fight, on the frontline." Basil decided to add in his thoughts as well."After a while, it wears on you, so we needed something to take our minds off when the situations are tense, hard to think. A moment of levity most of the time helps, so we could notice and think of things we otherwise wouldn't.
"It''s a bit like a coping mechanism. We are fooling around, but it helps with long times spent in dungeons and does wonders for morale. We have been like this since a long while ago, so even if we laugh and joke we are not any less alert." said Natsu, adding a small smile at the end. Roger did not look very convinced, but his frown disappeared and he seemed to let the matter go.
"Or it's more like because we spend way too much with Argo and Buzz." deadpanned Wedge, with Natsu and Basil unsuccessfully trying to muffle their laughter.
After that they once again descended into, broken by the occasional monster they encountered. They stopped several times when they heard suspicious sounds, or saw something from the corner of their eyes. All those seemed to be nothing more than their imaginations, at least as far as they know.
"It really is nerve-wracking. We are not even sure if those people are still here if they watching us or even planning an ambush. What can we do?" asked Morgana suddenly, clutching her spear to herself, looking around anxiously.
"We can't do much save for being cautious." said Wedge as he looked back to the corridor they left, feeling as if something moved within the shadows."These guys have some serious skills in hiding, making it harder to notice them in time." Natsu nodded in agreement. He couldn't see them with simply notice them with the search skill, he was only able to act thanks to his finely honed instincts. It was a hit of hit and miss if he would be able to act in time if they were attacked again.
"But their greatest strength lies in forcing us to fight on their terms, making us off-balance." Basil said in a serious tone, keeping a keen eye on the path forward.
"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Natsu asked with a quiet groan as he noticed what lay before them. The path they followed until now branched to two different corridors. What Natsu found strange about that, both paths seemed to lead in the same direction, lying parallel to each other. So, what do you think, creepy hallway one or creepy hallway two?" he asked with an impish smile, making Wedge scoff, though he was definitely holding back a laugh.
"Really?" he asks, but he lets it go as he walks closer to the two corridors, inspecting them. "I reckon we are close to finding the boss room." he adds with a rueful smile."But which way to go?"
"We could just form two groups and investigate separately." offered up Morgana, who was walking around the room they ended up and tried to find anything that could offer a clue. Unfortunately, there was little in there save for a couple of torches, bones decorating the walls, and a couple of skulls sitting abandoned on the ground.
"Wouldn't it mean we would work into the hands of the players who killed Grumpy and Ian?" Roger asked in a gruff tone, sending a harsh glance to Morgana who immediately backed down with an apologetic wince.
"It's not such a bad idea if we do it with a bit of ingenuity." Wedge said, thinking out loud with a hand on his chin. When the others looked at him in question with a shrug he explained."Instead of forming two groups, we should form three groups of two. Two groups could slowly and cautiously move forward at the two paths, while the third one remains here to guard so the orange players could not sneak up on us. The two groups move forward to the first intersection or until they find something worth noting then came back here, so we can form a plan of how to move forward." the others nodded to his words, impressed by the thought put into it.
"That could work." Basil agreed with a nod."If we make sure not to stray too far if one group gets attacked, the others could quickly come to their aid."
"It's...not such a bad idea." Roger agreed though he was clearly on the fence about the whole thing."If we do this, how would we make the teams?" he wondered.
"I have an idea." said Natsu, opening a window in front of himself, checking on something. "How about Basil and Roger take the right path, while Morgana and I take the left one?" he asked, gaining curious looks from the others."Wedge and Biggs are a great idea to leave behind since their teamwork is one where it is almost impossible to get past them. I worked a lot with another spear user, so I could easily coordinate with Morgana, while Roger and Basil could easily hold up until help arrives if they run into any trouble." he explained. As he talked, Wedge noticed something at the edge of his vision, narrowing his eyes and giving a brisk nod to Natsu who was watching him from the corner of his eyes, before his face smoothed out, none other wiser to the small exchange.
"That does sound good." he agreed with a nod, before turning to his brother."What do you think?" Biggs gave his agreement with a thumbs up to Natsu.
"I don't have any objection." Roger said after he took a moment to think things through. Basil also nodded in agreement.
"Then I'll be under your care." Morgana said demurely, giving Natsu a brief bow.
"I as well." he said, returning the bow.
"All right, people." Wedge spoke up, gathering their attention. "We have a plan, so let's make it into a reality. Don't be overconfident, be cautious, and most importantly, stay safe." he told them.
"Always." Natsu and Basil answered as one, sharing a smile.
Soon the two groups began to walk, leaving Natsu with Morgana, who walked behind him, spear at the ready. They didn't talk, Morgana too anxious, Natsu busy with looking out for any hidden traps or the orange player lurking around.
It had been around ten minutes since they started and they found nothing, but a long, eerily silent corridor with torches giving some light after every few feet. They found no traps, no orange players, and surprisingly not even monsters. He wasn't sure if the last thing was good or bad. Either they found their way to a safe zone, or they walk into a very nasty trap.
"Natsu-kun, I didn't say it before, but I find it remarkable that you can fit so well in the frontline despite your age." Morgana told him conservatively, trying to keep the atmosphere light. "In your place, I think I would have been too terrified to leave the first floor, yet here you are, one of the most well-known high-level players. It's really admirable." she admitted with a nervous chuckle.
"That's not how I see it." he admitted quietly, though he kept his eyes front, alert all the same."For me, I think it would be a lot more terrifying to stay in a city and just wait for a miracle. I couldn't do that without worry driving me mad. Fighting in the frontlines, every day getting just a little closer to the end, step by step gives me proof. Proof, that even trapped in this game, I am here. I alive and most importantly, I live."
The blonde woman seemed taken aback by his heartfelt words. After a few moments she opened her mouth to say something, but she was silenced when Natsu held up his hand, stopping them from walking forward. He was looking ahead intently, using the search skill. In his vision, a small figure was highlighted with faint green at the end of the corridor, maybe a hundred or so feet away from them.
"Someone is ahead, at the end of the corridor." he informed her, looking ahead with narrowed eyes."They are not hiding, but not moving either. As if waiting for us."
"If it was one of the orange players, surely they would have hidden." protested Morgana, not seeing the point in being so cautious."Maybe we weren't their only targets or someone trapped down here just like us without access to maps. Maybe whoever they have a way out. We should go and see for ourselves." she told him and without waiting for him began to walk toward the figure, making Natsu sigh tiredly before following her. He did not like this whole thing.
He soon caught up to her and took his place at the front. Before long they reached the end of the corridor, stepping into a large hall, that left both of them breathless. But it was not because of beauty, more like fright.
The hall was massive, skeletons of various sizes and origins that seemed to suffer covered the walls. It looked as if the very walls were built around their very beings. Some of them even reached out of their prison, trying to ensure every unsuspecting traveler. Unlike the rest of the labyrinth, the four torches standing in the corners gave a faint blue light. In this light, the skeletons seemed to be slowly moving, but Natsu was really hoping it was his overactive imagination making him think that.
But it was the door at the end of the hall that made them stop and stare. It was without a doubt the boss room, that led to the 27th floor boss of Aincrad. It was a massive double door, and like all the others it contained an engraving, mostly giving clues about the boss that awaited behind them. What made especially Natsu froze in shock was the doors depicted the skeleton form of a very familiar two-headed giant.
"Ettin." he murmured the name of the 25th floor boss in horror.
It took him a minute to get over his shock, though a part of him was not so surprised. After all, he encountered a skeletal Illfang and reusing the stronger than most 25th-floor boss so soon was the kind of thing that he believed Kayaba Akihiko capable of. It was very sick humor.
As he got over the shock of the thought of once again facing the giant that killed so many players, and he knew he was not the only one among the cleaners to feel that way, he quickly noticed two glaring things. First, the doors that led to the boos were open wide, showing a similar hall looming behind them, the end of the room lost in darkness. The second was a comparatively small figure standing before the doors, showing their back to the two players.
The large, black coat hiding most of their body and the bright orange cursor above their head quickly clued them to who the figure could possibly be. Especially the curved sword at her side as she turned around to face them, giggling to herself, made Natsu recognize the woman who almost killed him and Annabelle.
"You." he growled in a low voice, his sword rising to his eye level, ready to fight.
"The little fly finally flew into the trap." she gave a mocking grin to the young boy, waving to him with her sword."It's time for the best part of the game. The ending." at the end, her tone gained a dark edge.
"Game? What are you talking about? This is not a game! You killed people." Natsu shouted in uncharacteristic anger, surprising even himself.
"Natsu-kun, please calm down." murmured Morgana behind him, but for some reason, a part of Natsu thought something sounded off in her voice.
"Well of course we killed people." the cloaked woman cooed, talking like he would to a small child. "After all, that is the game. I'm the predator and you are the helpless little fly who tries to defy me but dies in the end." she explained, still giggling to herself.
"Why?" he asked, really perplexed. Maybe he was naive, but he couldn't see the point of killing other people.
"Because it's fun, why else? After all, it's just a game." with that childish logic she seemed to take the talk with each other finished.
Natsu gritted his teeth, disturbed the lack of...sanity from the woman, feeling on the edge. Whatever her game was, it could happen any moment now. Seeing his reaction, the woman laughed to herself, before she lifted a hand to her hood.
"Like every good game this will have to end, but as my prey who was able to avoid my trap the first time, II will reward you with my name." she said as he pulled the hood down, showing a fair face with high cheekbones, grey eyes that held a wicked gleam and curly black hair that fell to her shoulders in waves. "I am Arachne, and you, my little fly will be my prey." she declared with a demented smile on her face.
Natsu stood there, frozen in horror as he looked at Arachne. save for the hair and the wicked look in her eyes, her face was a very familiar one. Alarmingly familiar, a face he has seen just a few moments ago. His eyes widened as he understood a few things that bugged him, Morgana and Arachne looked just the same.
He sensed the danger, but he was too late in reacting. He felt the attack coming from behind him, was able to turn his body sideways, preparing to jump away. He saw the wide, frenzied grin at Morgana's face as she thrust forward her spear and before long his eyesight was obscured by a punch of red pixels. His blood.