Humans were strange creatures.
It had been nearly a week since Kizmel had been saved by five seemingly random humans. That was strange because until then, she and many of her fellow Dark Elves had always seen humans as rude, intrusive, and sometimes even hostile. In the five days since her chance encounter with Kirito and his friends, they had completely changed the way she viewed the smooth-eared folk.
Kizmel silently reprimanded herself; calling them smooth-ears, even just thinking it, was rude and uncouth for a knight of her standing. She was a member of the Royal Guard, and she should hold herself to a higher standard. More to the point, these humans had proven themselves to be decent, honorable people. Not only had they saved her from the Forest Elf ambush and helped retrieve the Jade Key, but they had actively assisted her people on this floor time and time again out of the kindness of their own hearts.
She was glad to have them as comrades. They would not replace her old squad, who'd been killed in the Forest Elf ambush, but they were honorable and kind warriors she was proud to fight alongside.
Her silent musings were suddenly interrupted when Kirito held his fist up, signaling the group of six to halt. After having the Jade key stolen for the second time - which had been beyond embarrassing for the Dark Elf - the group had tracked down the thief to a cave complex that extended deep into the earth. Kirito and his friends had referred to it as a "dungeon," a term that she'd thought to mean a type of prison in a castle or keep, not a cave. As she looked around the dark, dank cavern halls of this Fallen Elf underground hideout, she couldn't help but find the odd term somehow fitting though.
"What is it, Kirito?" Asuna whispered, glancing around the hallway, rapier at the ready.
"I'm picking up two Fallen in the next room at the end of this hallway." Kirito replied in a hushed tone. "Get ready."
That was another thing. Despite their claim that they possessed no magical abilities, her human companions were able to accomplish truly incredible feats. The ability to spot hostile enemies in this dark cave with their limited sight was astonishing, for one. Their ability to manifest items out of thin air was arguably more confusing though, and Kizmel made a note to ask Asuna about that later.
Strange, indeed, but useful.
"Leonn, Liz, you two take point." Kirito instructed, motioning forward with two fingers. "Kizmel, Asuna, and I will flank them once you two engage. Call for a switch if you need it. Sinon, back us up and watch for adds."
Again with the strange terminology.
Leonn and Liz moved into position, standing shoulder to shoulder in the hallway, before charging into the room. Almost immediately, the two Fallen Elves took notice and rushed to meet them. The sound of metal striking metal echoed off of the stone walls as two elven blades met Leonn's maul and Liz's shield. Having swatted away the blade, Leonn immediately transitioned into his next attack, ramming his shoulder into the elf he was engaging. Liz simply stood firm, the elf's blade pressing against her shield as she whipped her warhammer across and into her opponent's shoulder.
With the two elves occupied, Kizmel moved in. Alongside Asuna, she pivoted to the flank of the one currently engaged with Leonn. Lashing out with a shield bash, Kizmel followed up with a two-strike combo, rending the elf's shoulder and causing a substantial amount of damage. Asuna was about to thrust forward with her rapier when an arrow flew past her head, striking another Fallen Elf that had joined the fray from a nearby hallway. Asuna span around and engaged the third Fallen Elf, nimbly avoiding the dagger thrusts and successfully pulling its attention away from her friends.
Kirito swore as he swung his sword at the elf attacking Liz, having only now seen the third hostile join the fray. He unleashed a two-hit sword skill on the elf, taking a moment after the skill had finished to glance Asuna's way.
"You alright over there, Asuna?!" Kirito shouted, raising his volume enough to overcome the clang of steel and sounds of battle.
"I'm fine, Kirito!" Asuna replied while dodging another two dagger thrusts. "I can keep him occupied, just finish those off!"
Meanwhile, Leonn swung his maul at the elf he and Kizmel were fighting, the enormous hammer whistling as it barrelled through the air. The elf tried to block it and was successful, but the force of the impact threw it backward.
Right into Kizmel's sword.
The Fallen Elf shattered and with that the two split up to reinforce their allies. Leonn charged into Liz's elf, throwing it off balance and giving his allies an opening. Meanwhile, another arrow flew past Kizmel's view, slamming into the elf Asuna was still actively dodging. Turning on her heel, Kizmel lunged forward, blocking a dagger thrust and affording Asuna the chance to go on the offensive.
With the tide of battle turned, it wasn't long before the remaining two Fallen Elves were put to the sword. And hammer. Bow too, actually. Kizmel smirked at just how diverse the humans were that she'd found herself with. They covered each other's weaknesses well, and in combat they moved and fought seamlessly. Kizmel had no doubt they would go far in this world if they stayed together.
"We've got to be getting close, right?" Liz asked, wiping her brow. Kizmel had learned from Leonn that the blacksmith was the newest member of the group and before hadn't been a 'front-liner,' as they'd put it, so it wasn't surprising to see the craftswoman having some difficulty in keeping pace with the dedicated warriors. "We've been at this for almost an hour, Kirito."
"I'm about halfway down on arrows, too." Sinon added. "I don't want to run out before we track down this Fallen Elf Commander."
Kirito looked thoughtful for a moment. Kizmel couldn't help but wonder if the swordsman was drawing upon his clairvoyance again. This 'beta' knowledge that they'd mentioned to her seemed to be an invaluable tool in their adventures. She'd lost count how many times his foreknowledge had saved their lives or accomplished their goals more quickly.
Now that they were deep within enemy territory, Kizmel hoped this would be one of those times.
"We should be close." Kirito replied before pointing down the hallway to the left. "This way should lead to the commander. The other passageway has loot, but we should probably hurry and finish this quest."
Leonn sighed. "Too bad, really. I could use some new gear."
Liz gave Leonn's arm a light smack. "New gear? You've got the only weapon to ever drop from a floor boss yet and I enhanced it five times for you! What more do you want?"
Leonn seemed to consider that point before nodding. "Touche."
"If Argo's hunch is right, finishing this quest might give important info about the floor boss." Kirito interrupted as he led them down the hallway.
"I still don't see why we have to be the only ones doing this quest." Asuna complained.
"If memory serves, your allies believed that my presence would help us finish this 'quest' sooner than if they had attempted to investigate themselves." Kizmel interjected. She still didn't fully understand these allies of theirs. When she'd met them, they struck her as foolhardy, combative, and outright arrogant, especially in their dealings with Kirito's group. It did bring her a sense of pride to see just how intimidated they were by her; as soon as she'd made her presence known, they quickly settled down and decided to negotiate with Kirito. While Kirito would continue assisting her with acquiring the Jade Key, the Aincrad Liberation Squad and the Dragon Knights Brigade would explore the labyrinth and locate the guardian of this floor.
Kizmel was more than happy with that arrangement. She'd only met Kibaou and Lind once and already she did not care for them. On the other hand, Kirito and his friends were humans she could not only trust, but whose company she found herself enjoying very much.
"Here we are." Kirito said, coming to a closed door at the end of the hallway. "The commander should be just inside. Everyone ready?"
One by one they all nodded.
"Ready!"
She thought she was ready.
Liz hurriedly raised her shield to deflect the oncoming sword. It crashed into her shield and scraped off with a sickening screech. She quickly tried to swing out with her warhammer, but the ((Fallen Elf Commander)) was just too quick on the recovery, and used his momentum to speed past her, avoiding the attack completely.
Liz cursed her slower-than-average attack speed. Not outwardly, of course. Not only would that be distracting for her friends in the heat of combat, but she might accidentally offend Leonn, who had it far worse than she did with that comically large maul of his. He seemed to be doing just fine, though. That was one thing she'd found simultaneously curious and infuriating. His weapon style meant that his attacks were abysmally slow compared to other weapons, but he made it work. So far as she could tell, he didn't try to rush through his swings. No, instead he almost seemed to attack slower than he needed to, taking a moment to pause and time his next strike in anticipation of his foe's attacks, thereby maximizing his weapon's weight, utility, and damage. He had a rhythm that seemed to mirror whatever opponent he was fighting.
Liz, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as proficient in combat as any of her companions. Sure, she knew the basics of playing a tank. Hit things. Don't get hit. Keep things from hitting friends. Simple enough, but her new friends were on another level entirely. Each had their own rhythm to combat. Kirito and Asuna had blinding speed and reaction times, so they could just dance around their opponents. Sinon was careful and precise with that bow of hers, aiming for critical spots in her opponents' defenses. Leonn was slow and methodical. Liz had yet to find her rhythm, and that bothered her.
When this is all over, I've got to train with Leonn sometime. He might have tips for slow weapons.
Liz shook her head. Right now, she needed to focus.
Looking over at the ((Fallen Elf Commander)), she could see that it was currently engaged with Kirito and Asuna, who were both able to keep up with its quick recovery time with their own speeds. Sinon was landing near every shot, somehow managing to miss both Kirito and Asuna in favor of the elite mob itself. Kizmel, with her amazing level and stats, was able to sneak in attacks every so often, but the black-and-white blur were the main engaging force in this particular scuffle. That left Leonn and Liz, who weren't able to really engage at this time.
That was the problem with regular human-sized monsters in an enclosed space. Strength of numbers means little when you're likely to accidentally hit your allies in close-quarters combat. That was probably the reason Leonn hadn't engaged yet; the reach on that maul of his would undoubtedly hit either Kirito or Asuna if he decided to join the fray. Liz, on the other hand, was simply worried about getting in the way. Thus, both were forced to wait on the sidelines, ready to engage if necessary but unable to contribute without obstructing their allies.
"Hey Leonn." Liz started. "Can I ask you a question?"
Leonn spared a curious glance at the blacksmith before looking back at the fight in front of them. "Your timing leaves a little to be desired, but sure. Not like we can get in there right now, anyway. Ask away."
Liz hesitated, nervously twisting her warhammer in her hand as she sought the right words. "How are you all so good at this?"
"What do you mean?" Leonn asked in reply, tilting his head but never shifting his gaze off the enemy elf.
"I mean, you all fight so well and you each have your own roles." Liz explained. "I don't know where I fit in."
"Liz." Leonn glanced over at her. "You've been fighting alongside us for all of five days. Or is it six? Anyway, it's understandable that you're still figuring that out. We certainly didn't get this way overnight."
"I know." Liz admitted as she watched Kirito and Asuna pull off yet another successful switch. It would have been entertaining to watch if it didn't make Liz self-conscious about her own capabilities. "I just don't want to be a burden."
Leonn nudged Liz with his elbow, startling her at the sudden contact. "You've got nothing to worry about. You're not a burden. Take it from the slowest guy here, you're doing just fine."
Liz let a slight smile form on her lips. She'd have to thank Argo later for not sticking her with Lind or Kibaou; the former's group was giving her lustful eyes during the impromptu meeting a few days ago and the latter was just obnoxiously loud. Seriously, she wanted to punch one of them in the face.
On the other hand, Leonn, Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon had been more than friendly and welcoming to her. She hadn't known them for very long, but already she was feeling at ease with these people.
No, not these people. Her friends.
"Hey!" Leonn shouted, garnering glances from Kirito, Kizmel, and Asuna. "Mind if we tag in? Getting kind of antsy over here."
"Alright!" Kirito deflected the ((Fallen Elf Commander))'s sword strike before leaping backward. "Liz, switch!"
Fully expecting Kirito to have called Leonn for the switch, Liz spurred herself forward and swung with her warhammer with all of her might. The attack landed, striking the elf's shoulder with a sickening *crunch*. With the elf still recovering from Kirito's parry and Liz's bludgeon, it didn't have time to retaliate before its back was riddled with rapier thrusts. Snarling in pain and annoyance, the elf spun around to slash at the fencer. Like her partner, she too parried the strike, but unfortunately her strength was not enough and Liz watched as Asuna's hp took a small hit from the force behind the attack.
"Leonn, switch!"
Fortunately, Asuna was able to side-step using her superior speed to allow Leonn to step in, swinging the maul and catching the elf in the mid-section and pushing it back towards Liz. The blacksmith swung upwards with her warhammer, smacking the commander at the nape.
"Enough!" The ((Fallen Elf Commander)) shouted. "Bothersome gnats!"
With surprising speed, unleashed a three-hit sword skill on Liz, irritation and rage etched in his face. Liz raised her shield and braced, taking the first two hits with relative ease, but the third hit did not come.
Wait, where's the third hit?
That delay was enough to cause Liz to lower her guard just barely, but it was enough for the third attack to connect, pushing her back and thrusting her shield arm violently to the side. It threw her off balance, causing her to stumble backward. She looked forward only to see the elf rapidly closing the distance, sword in hand and a smug grin plastered across his face. Time seemed to slow as Liz came to a hard realization.
She'd messed up again.
Her friends were counting on her, and her ineptitude was yet again rearing its ugly head. She was fooling herself, thinking she could be a front line fighter. Even with her shield, she was knocked over far too easily. She was no tank. The only thing she was good for was repairs and enhancements as a blacksmith.
Fortunately, her self-deprecating internal rant came to a screeching halt as a familiar voice called out.
"Don't fight it! Spin and brace!" Leonn shouted.
Spin and brace? Liz thought to herself. Oh!
It made sense. Trying to pull her shield arm back into a blocking position after it had been swatted to the side would take too much time and energy. Pivoting on her heel, Liz spun in place and followed the momentum of her shield arm until it was again between her and the elf. Liz planted her other foot behind her, stopping the spin, and quickly braced behind her shield.
*CLANG!*
Liz peeked over the rim of her shield to see that the spinning maneuver had worked. Using the momentum of her failed block, she'd managed to recover in time to block the next strike. In fact, the ((Fallen Elf Commander)) was now actively pushing against her shield in an attempt to overpower the blacksmith. That turned out to be a mistake.
Liz didn't see the attack so much as feel it.
Suddenly, she felt a sudden jolt as the elf lurched forward and pressed against her shield. The abrupt impact was almost too much for her to bear; if she hadn't been bracing she probably would have fallen flat on her back. The sound of shattered glass echoed off the stone halls and as the cloud of polygons dissipated, Liz looked up to see that the elf hadn't lurched forward of its own volition. She saw the head of Leonn's maul resting against her shield.
He did not just hit me with his maul.
In a tag-team maneuver that they would later call "Striking the Anvil," Leonn had slammed his weapon into the enemy's back while it was focused on Liz, crushing the poor elf between his maul and her shield. He had a grin on his face at the successful attack, but once his eyes met Liz's, that smile quickly faded and his eyes grew wide.
"Sorry!" Leonn blurted out, apparently now aware that he had indirectly attacked Liz. "I wasn't trying to hit you. Well, technically I was, but not really…"
Liz smirked at Leonn's look of embarrassment and shame. She knew he wasn't trying to kill her, and she had to admit that the attack worked surprisingly well. Before she could give a sassy retort, Kizmel interrupted the tense moment.
"That was an incredible display of teamwork." Kizmel remarked, looking rather impressed at the now speechless duo. She walked over to where the ((Fallen Elf Commander)) had perished and picked up a satchel it had dropped. Opening the satchel, Kizmel pulled out the Jade Key and held it up for the others to see. "It would seem our mission is complete. Shall we return to the commander?"
"Good idea. We don't want respawns… I mean reinforcements to catch us off guard." Kirito added, correcting himself mid-sentence so as not to confuse Kizmel.
Fortunately, their walk back to the entrance of the underground hideout was rather uneventful, with most of the fallen elves having been dispatched or fled with the fall of their commander, but it gave the group time to discuss their next moves.
"Kizmel." Kirito started, catching her attention. "Do you or your commander know anything about the guardian of this floor that might be useful?"
Kizmel looked pensive for a moment. "I am afraid I know little about the guardian of this floor, save for that it is a powerful spirit of this forest that has been twisted to evil and madness. I will ask if the commander knows anything that would help you and your allies in your assault."
"Thank you, Kizmel." Asuna said, giving the Dark Elf a friendly smile.
"If I may ask…" Kizmel began with a hint of hesitation. "Why do you and your allies wish to challenge the floor guardian?"
There was an uneasy pause as the five humans struggled to find the right words for this explanation. Having to filter game expressions into more easily digestible world lore for Kizmel was becoming something they were getting used to, but by no means did it ever get easier.
Leonn was the one to break the silence. "In order to explain that, Kizmel, we have to explain why we are here to begin with."
Liz looked over at Leonn, chuckling as she noticed the nonchalant expression on his face. This would be the second time Leonn translated their experiences to Kizmel. Liz was almost impressed by how quick her friend was in that regard.
"You see, we and our allies are not native to Aincrad." Leonn explained. "There are a number of humans who live in the towns and cities here in Aincrad, but 10,000 of us were brought here against our will by a man named Kayaba Akihiko."
"We know of the ruler of Aincrad, unfortunately. It is said he had a role in trapping the three Elven races here in this castle when we were separated from the lands below." Kizmel said with a hint of disdain in her voice. "... but please, go on."
"We were lured here with promises of entertainment and adventure, with the assurances that death was not permanent, and that we could come and go as we pleased." Leonn continued. "When 10,000 of us arrived, Kayaba revealed to us his plan, which was to trap us in the floating castle. He removed the safeguards against permanent death and prevented us from leaving, stating that our only way of escape was to conquer all 100 floors of Aincrad."
"We've been here almost two months and we have already lost over 2,000 souls to the dangers of Aincrad, both physical and mental." Liz stated, continuing off of Leonn's explanation.
"Needless to say, those of us actively fighting to clear each floor are very eager to succeed in our mission." Leonn concluded. "The longer we remain trapped here, the more of us fall victim to Aincrad's terrors and monsters."
"I see. To think that a fifth of your people have already perished before even reaching the 5th floor is tragic and unfathomable." Kizmel said, her expression changing from sadness to determination. "I cannot speak on behalf of the rest of my people, but I vow to assist you in your mission however I can, whenever my duties allow me."
"That… is greatly appreciated, Kizmel." Leonn answered as he looked at everyone else.
Liz could see that everyone was just as stunned as she was. Here was an NPC, a rather sophisticated one at that, offering her aid and assistance in something that very clearly should not be involved in her programming. Kirito had explained that the Elf War campaign quest should complete on the 9th floor, and that they would not see any more of Kizmel or her people past that floor. More to the point, she had understood their plight and seemed to understand the gravity of their situation, responding directly to the fact that 2,000 players had died.
While Liz could appreciate Kizmel's words - they seemed genuine and heartfelt - it brought up the grim reality of their world. Death was a foregone conclusion in Aincrad, and it seemed almost weekly there would be one or two more names crossed off on the memorial in the Town of Beginnings. Liz truly hoped that the progress they made in the coming days would slow that trend, or perhaps even halt it completely. Something else truly haunted her thoughts, though; something that she tried not to think about as she looked at the people around her.
She hoped she wouldn't lose any friends to this game.
There was a chill in the air.
Not because of the weather. It was snowing, being the middle of December, but that wasn't the cause of the shiver that ran up her back. No, the chill permeating the air was one born of sadness and grief. The kind of atmosphere that hangs like a blanket over an area, one that spreads to any passersby, no matter how far removed they are personally from its source.
The kind of chill that surrounds a memorial.
Suguha was walking with Shinichi to school, just as she had every day since she told him of her brother's identity, when the two of them froze in front of the school's front gates. There, resting against the left side of the gate, was a small placard with a picture and some writing on it. It looked to be made out of hand-carved wood. Not the kind of ornamental piece that you could purchase from an arts and crafts store, but the kind that had just the tiniest of imperfections that would suggest that this was made by hand. Set into the placard was the picture of a young girl with short black hair, who couldn't have been a year or two younger than Suguha. She looked happy, this girl in the picture, which made the writing underneath all the more iconic and tragic.
"Yamasaki Sato. 2010 - 2022. You will not be forgotten."
Suguha frowned as she felt her heart drop. She didn't know Yamasaki personally, but she knew of her. The quiet and reserved type, but not disliked by anyone, really. Intelligent, with only a few friends she socialized with during school. A fact made all too clear by the relatively small number of tributes and flowers present at the makeshift memorial. Most of the students entering the gates paid the memorial little attention, maybe stopping to read the placard before continuing on their way. A boy and a girl, probably around the same age as Yamasaki herself, were standing in front of the memorial in somber silence, tears quietly slipping down their cheeks. They must have been Yamasaki's few friends.
Suguha looked over at Shinichi, whose expression was similar to her own. Silent sadness out of respect for the fallen, a stark change from the overly enthusiastic and awkward boy she'd grown accustomed to. Had he known her too? Regardless, Suguha felt she needed to do something.
Slowly and carefully, she walked up to the memorial and stood alongside the two mourning teens. "I'm sorry for your loss."
The girl sniffed while the boy's tears seemed to fall more readily now. The girl answered. "Thank you."
"Was she…?" Suguha began to ask before abruptly stopping. That would have been rude. She cursed internally at her callousness. No one wants to be reminded of the way their loved one died.
"Yeah." The boy answered as he hurriedly wiped away his tears. Suguha could see bandages peppering the palms of his hands. "SAO."
Suguha could feel her eyes begin to water, any words or thoughts she might have had in response falling to the side at the grim reminder of the game which trapped her brother. Was this to be his fate as well?
"It's a fine memorial." Shinichi said, stepping up to stand next to Suguha and looking towards the boy. "Your work honors her memory."
The boy looked caught off guard. "What?"
"Your hands." Shinichi said, pointing towards the boy's bandages. "You carved that yourself, didn't you?"
Suguha looked at the bandages again. Leave it to Shinichi to notice the smaller details. He was intelligent and clever like that. When he had watched the 2nd floor boss fight with her, he'd practically dissected the fight down to its finest detail, explaining game mechanics and the strategies he could see unfolding. His analysis of the fight bordered on the obsessive, but he had taught her so much more about the game and, by extension, the man her brother was becoming while trapped in SAO.
"I did." The boy answered. "Never done anything like that before, so it's not the best looking."
"It looks lovely." Suguha said, having composed herself. "I'm sure she'd be proud."
The two mourning teens fell silent then. A few moments of respectful silence followed, simultaneously feeling like an eternity and yet feeling all too short. The girl was the first to break the silence.
"Thank you for stopping and paying respect." She said, bowing deeply at the two strangers who had stopped to talk with them. "You're the only ones who have.."
"My brother's trapped there too, so I understand part of what you're feeling now." Suguha admitted, a frown crossing her face. She felt Shinichi's hand gently resting on her shoulder. She looked back to see a small half-smile on his face as he tried his best to comfort her.
"We should probably be getting to class." The girl said, sniffling as she tried to compose herself. The boy nodded in agreement. The both bowed and walked in the gates.
Suguha turned back to the memorial. Yamasaki's family was likely just as in pain as the two they'd met, if not moreso. The fact that this girl's existence had been wiped away so easily, so carelessly by Kayaba absolutely infuriated Suguha. That anger turned to sadness, however, when another thought crossed her mind.
Those they left behind might suffer alone if they were as reclusive as Yamasaki was. That was fairly likely given the introverted stereotype surrounding gamers like Yamasaki and even her brother Kazuto. Ironically, the people inside the game probably felt more like a community than those they had left on the outside. If the broadcasts were to be any indication, the people trapped inside were banding together to face their hardships together.
"Suguha." Shinichi said, grabbing her attention. "You ok? Class is going to start soon."
"I'll be fine." Suguha said, thankful that the placard before her did not have her brother's name on it. She wanted so badly to be able to do something to help those affected by Sword Art Online like she was.
Then a thought came to her. An idea.
It would take some time to put it together, and there was no guarantee it would even be possible. They might not even be willing to cooperate like that. She'd have to think more about it, maybe reach out to Kikuoka at some point. He'd be the only one with the right connections to make it happen. The man seemed appreciative of her brother's role on the front lines, how he and his party were not only helping the trapped players escape the game, but also keep them safe from persecution. Kikuoka might be receptive to this idea of hers. If this worked out, it would help a lot of people who were hurting.
Like Kazuto, Suguha was determined to help those in need.
"Yeah." Suguha replied, a smile crossing her lips as she caught up to Shinichi.
"I'll be just fine."