A/N:
Sorry if anyone was waiting for this to drop last night; my internet decided to crap out a few hours before I would have posted and I haven't had the chance to post until now.
Anyhoo, I humbly present to you chapter 31. Enjoy!
It had started off entertaining.
"Eww!" Silica cried out. "Do I really have to use this thing?!"
A whole hour later, now it was starting to get annoying.
Kirito exasperatedly shook his head as he looked over at the young dragon tamer, who was now gingerly holding her newfound dagger as far away from her as she possibly could, her grip on the weapon defined by only her index finger and thumb. Honestly, she was handling the dagger like it would infect her with some disease.
When Silica scored the last attack on ((Aghyeller the Igneous Wyrm)), she was awarded a brand new dagger which was arguably the best dagger in the game at the moment, much like how Leonn's ((Hammer of the Taurus King)) and Sinon's ((Bullbous Bow)) were at the time those weapons dropped. Granted, both were weapons that were rarely seen and used anyway, but the point was that this was a top of the line weapon.
Unfortunately for the young dragon tamer, the appearance of this new dagger, ((Fang of the Crimson Drake)), was not nearly as glamorous as the other dropped weapons.
Honestly? It was kind of disgusting.
Like the name implied, the blade of the dagger looked like an oversized tooth, curving naturally like a fang would. Its forward edge was sleek and sharp like traditional daggers, but its reverse edge was serrated, giving it a rough and rugged look. That wasn't the worst part, though. The toothy part was relatively tame compared to the handle.
The rest of the dagger did not look to be made of metal or wood. While a few experimental knocks did confirm that it was metal, its appearance was more akin to a hunk of blackened gum that had been carved away to more or less resemble the shape of a dagger handle. For all intents and purposes, the whole weapon looked like a massive tooth that had been forcefully ripped out of Aghyeller's mouth itself. Kirito counted himself lucky that the gum was blackened and charred from the boss's propensity for fire breath; had it been pink and fleshy, even he would have found wielding it hard to stomach.
"You don't have to use it, Silica." Nautilus suggested, his lips curling into a grin that reminded Kirito of a certain information broker. "You could just go back to your old dagger, though you'd probably fall behind everyone else."
Silica pouted as she glared up at Nautilus. "I know what you're doing. I'm not a little kid, you know."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're below the recommended age for this game… right?" The ashen-haired swordsman asked.
"... Maybe." Silica huffed out. "Point taken; I'll use it. Jerk."
Nautilus let out a hearty laugh and was soon joined by some of the others around them. Kirito himself had to suppress a laugh, but ultimately failed when he let out a stifled chortle. Silica shot him a pointed glare, which made him instinctively whip his head away to avoid her gaze. The others might have been willing to laugh at her expense, but Kirito was not about to invoke the wrath of the dragon tamer if he could help it. She was effectively the guild's healer, thanks to Pina, and if there was any one lesson Kirito learned through past games, it was this:
Don't piss off the healer.
No, instead he decided to focus his attention on the road ahead. The reason it had taken them so long to reach the next major town on the 8th floor was not because of the distance or because of any delays. The reason it had taken them so long was because the "road" was less of a road and more of a wandering pathway that snaked its way through the branches of gargantuan trees, and usually in as roundabout a path as possible.
Every floor thus far seemed to have a theme to it. The 2nd floor was open savannah, the 3rd was dense forests, and the 4th was lakes and waterways, to name a few. For whatever reason, Kayaba designed this floor, the 8th, as being entirely arboreal, even more so than the 3rd floor, and covered the surface of it with water so deep that it was colored a dark blue. The only way to traverse this level was to remain in the treetops high above and walk along the wide branches in what appeared to be walkways carved into the very bark itself.
Kirito glanced downward. Fortunately, a fall wasn't necessarily lethal given the presence of a few ladders here and there that would allow one to climb back up, but it was an inconvenience nonetheless. Any poor soul unfortunate enough to fall would likely have to unequip their heavier armor pieces, only adding insult to injury.
"We're coming up on the end of the Elf War Campaign, aren't we?" Asuna asked.
"Yeah, we are." Kirito answered, his features settling into a frown. "Next floor is probably when we'll see her for the last time."
An uneasy silence draped itself over the Renegades as they crossed from tree branch to tree branch. Kirito pursed his lips, trying desperately to find a way to lift everyone's spirits or at least dispel the feeling of sadness currently permeating the group.
"We can always come back and visit her though, right?" Yuna offered, her gaze shooting up hopefully.
"Y-yeah!" Silica exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. "We'll just come back and visit her!"
He hadn't thought of that. They could always come back and visit her. She might even prove to be a valuable ally and resource once she was free from the programming confines of her campaign quest. Somehow he doubted she would just disappear once the quest was over. She had already proven that she had far too much independence and agency for that to be an issue.
Kirito once again turned his attention forward as the next town started to come into view. Like the rest of the floor, the town appeared to be nestled in the crook of an enormous tree. It reminded him of the 3rd floor city Zumfut, but this time the city was exposed to the open air rather than housed inside the trunk. With 92 floors to go, Kirito couldn't help but wonder what new themes Kayaba could have thought up to keep things interesting.
He also sincerely hoped 'interesting' would never equate to 'deadly'.
"Hey Kirito." Asuna said, tapping his shoulder and interrupting his train of thought. "Argo just sent us a group message."
Kirito arched an eyebrow before he opened up his message notifications. Sure enough, there was a group message between the Rat, his vice-leader, and himself. He tapped the group thread.
[Argo - You free for a meeting tomorrow morning? I got somebody I want you to meet.]
"Wonder what she wants." Kirito muttered, mostly to himself but also to Asuna.
"I guess we'll find out!" Asuna said, her tone noticeably more upbeat than normal.
Kirito gave her a look. "What's got you so happy?"
Her mirth faltered for a moment as she gave him a half-hearted glare. "What, I can't be happy to see Argo?"
Kirito merely smirked. "I never said that, it's just not often I see you this relaxed and happy. I like it."
He almost immediately regretted saying that last part aloud. Not only did Asuna's face become a shade or two more red, but those within earshot were giving him knowing looks and glances. Silica looked particularly enthused by that particular comment. He mentally kicked himself; he was all too aware of the fact that some of his own friends thought he and Asuna had a thing for each other and now he just added fuel to the fire.
He was fond of her, he'd admit that much.
Well, not openly. That would be a surefire way to receive endless teasing from Argo, Liz, and Leonn. Fortunately, Asuna now seemed comfortable enough with him to not resort to knee-jerk reactions of violence when presented with innuendo-laden comments. He did not need that kind of drama when it was taking all of his sanity and willpower just to head this guild to begin with. It was a lot of responsibility, and hormonal teenage angst was not what was needed right now.
"L-let's get moving. We're almost there." Asuna stammered, her pace increasing.
He sighed and waved for everyone to follow. Hopefully this meeting tomorrow with Argo would be a welcome distraction.
Kirito looked across the table at Argo, who was not-so-patiently waiting for her contact to show. Her brow was furrowed and she was biting the inside of her lip with mild irritation. He and Asuna exchanged a glance before looking at the Rat.
"...They are coming, right Argo?" Kirito hesitantly asked.
"Yes, he's comin'!" Argo snapped, crossing her arms. "... he better be, at least. Where's the rest of yer group, anyhow?"
Kirito gestured over his shoulder casually. "Leonn and Geeou are leading them in the field for some light scouting and mapping before we resume the Elf War campaign quest. They'll be fine for now."
"So Argo…" Asuna asked. "Who is this guy anyway and why did you want to introduce us?"
Argo sighed. "I was gonna wait until he was here to tell ya, but it looks like he's runnin' late. Again. He's one of my sources of information. I owe him a few favors and he decided to cash in. He wanted to meet ya."
"Why did he want to meet with us?" Kirito asked, the slightest bit of suspicion seeping into his voice.
"He knows yer doin' th - " Argo began before a small black cat jumped up onto the table, clattering against the few pieces of dishware that were sitting out leftover from the light snack they'd ordered while waiting.
"Gryd!" A male voice called out. A boy, probably around Kirito's age, ran up to their table, seemingly out of breath. "What… what did I tell you about running off like that? I know you're excited to see Argo, but come on!"
The boy looked fairly average, sporting black hair and a pair of brown eyes. Strangely enough, he was wearing a pair of rectangular glasses, which struck Kirito as odd. Not only was correctional eyewear not necessary in SAO, but finding them was said to be difficult to do. He didn't look to be heavily armored, wearing only a light jacket, some leather gloves, and a regular pair of pants and boots. The only armor he was wearing was a chainmail shirt underneath the jacket and a metal… was that a face mask? It looked a little strange, but this metal-mask-thing, which seemed to cover only his mouth and nose, looked to be held in place by leather straps going around the back of his head. Certainly an interesting choice of attire, but memorable nonetheless.
Argo donned her trademark grin again. She gestured towards the newcomer, who was still panting while bent over, hands resting on his knees. "Kii-bou, Aa-chan. I'd like you ta meet Lokuss and his familiar Gryd. He's the one I was tellin' ya about. He's also late."
She placed special emphasis on that last word before shooting Lokuss a quick glare. The boy merely smiled in response. Well, he seemed to, based on the happy expression in his eyes. Kirito literally couldn't see his mouth.
"Sorry about that!" Lokuss said, although Kirito could tell the "smile" was forced. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I ran into a Forest Elf NPC on the 6th floor who had some information. I had no choice but to stay and listen a while!"
Argo let out a soft sigh before turning back to the Renegade leaders. "See, Lokuss 'ere is a lore junkie. He specializes in diggin' through the in-game lore and history of Aincrad and all that jazz."
"I prefer 'fine literature enthusiast'." Lokuss retorted. "Lore junkie makes me sound like I have an addiction."
"Movin' on…" Argo said, flashing a mischievous smirk at Lokuss. "Tell 'em what ya told me."
"Right!" Lokuss exclaimed, refocusing his attention back onto the two Renegade leaders. "I know some smaller guilds a few floors back who are doing the Forest Elf side of the quest and I'm pretty sure the Fallen are manipulating both sides of this war."
"Okay…" Kirito trailed. While interesting world-building, he failed to see why this warranted an entire meeting with a frontline guild. He wasn't being conceited or anything, but the time here could probably be better spent clearing the floor and starting the next phase of the campaign quest. "... so?"
"So having that information will be incredibly useful as you reach the final stages of the Elf War campaign." Lokuss concluded, retrieving Gryd from the table before the cat could knock any more dishware over.
Kizmel would probably find any information this guy had very useful. There was even the possibility that it could influence the way the quest chain played out. Kizmel had already demonstrated her ability to unintentionally alter the route of the quest line, as evidenced by her presence in the spider queen cave on the 3rd floor as well as her premature starting of the siege fight during the 5th floor questline.
Maybe it could be useful…
"Normally I'd be hesitant but maybe that information could change things when you consider Kizmel." Kirito said, glancing over at Asuna.
"My thoughts exactly, Kii-bou." Argo quipped. "Kizmel's a game changer. Literally."
"Sorry, who's Kizmel?" Lokus interrupted, looking around at the other three seated at the table for an explanation.
"Sorry, Kizmel's a friend of ours." Asuna explained. "She's a Dark Elf NPC we befriended on the 3rd floor at the start of the campaign."
"You befriended an NPC?" Lokus wondered aloud. "What, is she sentient or something?"
Kirito, Asuna, and Argo all exchanged looks with each other, which did not go unnoticed by the newcomer.
"Wait, really?!" Lokuss all but shouted.
"We're pretty sure she's advanced AI at this point." Kirito elaborated. "She remembers player names and seems to influence the direction of questlines. She behaves like a normal person, honestly."
"That's really cool!" Lokuss said. "Is there any chance I could meet her?"
"Are you asking to join us?" Kirito asked in kind.
"That was part of the deal I had with him meetin' ya." Argo reluctantly admitted. "I'll pay ya to take him along with ya. The info he'll be feedin' me will be worth the investment.
Kirito turned to his vice-leader. "What do you think?"
Asuna looked thoughtful for a moment, cupping her chin pensively. She looked up at Lokuss. "How are you in a fight?"
Lokuss drew his weapon, a longsword-type weapon Kirito remembered being called a saber. It was identical in nearly every regard to the kind of longsword Geeou, Nautilus, and he used, but slightly curved towards the tip.
"Gryd and I can handle ourselves in a fight." Lokuss assured them. "We won't get in the way."
"I've been meaning to ask about that." Kirito said, leaning forward slightly in interest. "I only know of one other person with a familiar and she's in my guild. How'd you get yours?"
"It was an incredibly dangerous quest I did with my party." Lokuss said, his gaze seeming to shoot past Kirito and Asuna and focus at the wall instead. "I was the only one to survive."
Kirito and Asuna shared a look of pity and empathy for the boy. He could hear the fencer gulp as she addressed Lokuss. "... Really?"
"Nah, I'm just messin' with ya." Lokuss said, waving his hand dismissively. Argo immediately elbowed his side, startling him. He seemed to have a grin on his face before he saw the expressions Kirito and Asuna were giving him. Kirito could swear he saw a tick mark form on his vice-leader's forehead. Almost immediately, Lokuss's own expression faltered as he seemed to realize that the joke was probably in poor taste.
"Sorry." Lokuss apologized, visibly sweatdropping. "I found him during a quest."
Argo shook her head and sighed. "Jokes aside, I'll vouch for the kid. He might be able to help you out with his knowledge of the lore."
Asuna gave Kirito a noncommittal shrug, which he interpreted to mean she didn't care one way or the other. That meant they'd be taking him along since he could only help.
"Alright, we'll take you with us." Kirito said, nodding at their new party member. He looked to Argo, who fished out a bag of Cor and plopped it down on the table. Kirito added Lokuss to the party and then swiped the money off of the table.
"Good." Argo said, getting up from her seat. "You know I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got some rumors I need to go investigate, so if you'll excuse me…"
"What sort of rumors, Argo?" Asuna asked.
Argo looked to and fro, discerning if there was anyone listening in. She leaned in so that only those at the table could hear. "Word is there's someone goin' around and takin' out PK-ers. Somethin' that juicy is just askin' to be investigated."
Kirito was interested, but knew they'd get no more out of their friend until she could find more information herself, so he let the issue rest. As Argo left with a few casual waves, Kirito turned to Lokuss, taking note of Gryd sitting on the table nearby.
"Let's go introduce you to everyone."
The first thing they heard was the sound of combat.
"How the crap are we supposed to get over there?!" Nautilus's voice could be heard shouting.
"Sinon, how are you doing?!" Leonn shouted.
"I'm trying!" The archer replied.
"Stay behind me!" Liz roared out.
Kirito and Asuna shared a look of concern before they bolted ahead, coming around a bend in the tree-road. Lokuss and Gryd were right behind them, though definitely not running quite as fast. Once they found the rest of the Renegades, the duo - later trio once their guest arrived - found quite the scene awaiting them.
The Renegades were pinned down, situated on one massive tree branch while a nearby tree opposite theirs was occupied by about a half dozen Fallen Elves, who were all equipped with bows. Unfortunately, there was no way across to reach the elves that were harassing them, so all seven Renegades were hiding behind several outcroppings of tree bark, which fortunately gave them enough room to avoid enemy fire but not much else.
Geeou, Sinon, and Yuna were clustered together in one alcove, with the archer in front to take pot shots at the enemy archers. Her shots, like usual, were finding their mark but without any help she could only accomplish so much on her own. Leonn and Nautilus were similarly pinned down in another alcove nearby, but were helpless and could do nothing but wait. Liz and Silica were not too far away, trapped in their own alcove but considerably better off due to Liz's shield.
"What happened?!" Kirito shouted as he rolled to dodge a stray arrow. He quickly took cover in another outcropping of bark, with Asuna and Lokuss joining him shortly thereafter.
"We were ambushed!" Geeou shouted. "We must be near the quest zone for the next elf campaign quest because these guys came out of nowhere!"
"Sinon's doing her best to take them out but there's too many!" Leonn added. "We can't move to find a way over without getting pelted with arrows!"
"Well this looks fun." Lokuss mumbled. Kirito whipped around, wanting to scold the newcomer for the sass but stopped when he saw him cupping his chin in thought. It looked like their resident loremaster was trying to think of a solution.
"How long?!" Asuna asked, trying to raise her voice over the sound of arrows whizzing through the air.
"Five minutes, I think!" Yuna replied.
"Longest five minutes of my life…" Kirito could hear Nautilus mumble nearby.
"Options?!" Kirito asked. Hopefully somebody was thinking of a way out of this.
"I can probably boost somebody over there but that's just asking to get hit with arrows!" Leonn shouted.
"I can give a little cover with my shield but that's about it!" Liz added.
Meanwhile, more arrows were flying through the air. Asuna suddenly cursed under her breath as a stray arrow nicked her shoulder. Kirito looked at her with concern, but she shook her head and smiled, silently conveying that the damage was not too bad.
"I knew we should have bought some rope when we were in town…" Kirito muttered, mentally kicking himself for not having that kind of foresight.
"I did!" Lokuss exclaimed, holding up three lengths of rope, each with a grappling hook attached to the end.
Kirito gave him a confused look. "Not that I'm complaining, but why do you have three of them?"
Lokuss merely shrugged. "When Argo hires you to find lore, you tend to do a lot of exploring in remote places. Having backups is always a good idea."
"Liz! Sinon!" Kirito shouted as he and Asuna took a grappling hook each. "Draw their attention!"
Kirito heard feet shuffling and spotted Liz coming out from her cover, shield raised. Similarly, the rate of Sinon's return fire seemed to increase. Peeking his head over his cover, he saw the half dozen Fallen Elves shift their focus over to the archer and the blacksmith. Now was their chance.
"Let's go!" Kirito said, breaking from his cover.
He and Asuna quickly threw their grapples up into the tree cover, both of which found purchase somewhere over the divide between the two trees. They both ran and jumped, swinging across the gap and messily landing on the other side. Kirito landed with a grunt and a roll, while Asuna's landing was slightly more graceful. She was the first to recover, dashing forward with her signature lightning speed and slamming into the nearest Fallen Elf with her rapier. Kirito was right behind her, then shooting past her to try and draw attention away from his vice leader. He lashed out several times with his longsword at every target within reach, if for no other reason than to distract them.
"WHOA!" Nautilus yelled out. Kirito looked up to see his fellow swordsman hurtling through the air, ultimately colliding with one of the Fallen Elves in front of him. The two tumbled to the side and slammed up against the tree trunk. The ashen-haired swordsman recovered soon after and engaged his impromptu elven landing pad in a duel.
Now that the odds were becoming more even, Kirito turned his attention to the Fallen in front of him. He immediately charged, not wanting to give the elf a moment to mount any sort of defense. He brought his sword forward, expecting to take the elf by surprise and take out a chunk of his health before he could retaliate.
What he wasn't expecting was a grappling hook to latch around the elf's waist.
Before Kirito could even get there, the elf was yanked off of the tree platform and into the water below. He glanced over in disbelief to see that Lokuss had used his grapple as a lasso to remove one of the Fallen Elves from the equation entirely. Sinon was right next to him, aiming her bow downward to finish off the helpless elf, who was now dangling with no means of defending himself from the onslaught of arrows that was to come. Kirito couldn't help but let a chuckle escape his lips at how ridiculous it was, but it did give him an idea. Knowing one of her skills would be perfect for this, he turned his attention towards Asuna.
"Asuna!" He shouted at his vice-leader. She glanced in his direction before dodging a dagger being thrust her way. "Knock him into the water!"
The chesnut-haired fencer smirked and then proceeded to use her ((Stellar Slip)) ability that she learned on the 2nd floor. Admittedly, it was a skill Kirito rarely ever saw her employ due how niche its use was, but it was instances like this where it truly shone. When her Fallen opponent thrust forward again with his dagger, instead of parrying or attacking, she grabbed his wrist and pivoted herself to the side, throwing him off balance as she swiped out with her rapier, carving a thin red line across the elf's back. After the sword skill finished, she quickly wheeled around and gave a firm kick to the elf, sending him tumbling off the tree and into the water with a satisfying splash.
Kirito sized up the next elf just as he saw Geeou come flying over like Nautilus had, with Lokuss's familiar perched on his shoulder. Unlike his fellow swordsman, the flaxen-haired one managed to stick the landing and ran over to assist Nautilus with his elf. Meanwhile, Gryd hopped off and latched itself onto their enemy and began assaulting its calves with a series of hisses and scratches. With most of the elves either in the drink or currently engaged with a Renegade, Kirito dashed towards the one closest to him and struck out with his own martial arts skill, ((Meteor Fall)). Kirito lobbed his sword up into the air and followed it with a quick punch to the elf's midsection. Just as the elf retaliated with a horizontal strike, Kirito leapt up, caught his sword, and came back down with a gravity-assisted vertical strike. The elf cried out in pain before shattering into polygons. Apparently Sinon had scored a few hits on this one already before he arrived since this one skill was enough to finish it off.
Kirito knew he wasn't that strong.
"Haah!" A familiar female voice yelled out. Kirito looked over to see Kizmel come dashing around the corner and engage one of the remaining Fallen Elves with a sudden shield bash.
"Kizmel!" Nearly everyone cried out, obviously glad to see her.
"My apologies for arriving late!" Kizmel said as she blocked a dagger thrust with her shield. She countered with a slash of her sword, placing the elven archer on the defensive. "Our scouts reported Fallen Elf activity but needless to say I was surprised to see them already fighting with you!"
"No worries!" Leonn shouted from across the ravine. "Looks like I don't have to toss Silica over now!"
"Thank you!" Silica cried out, panic leaving her voice.
It was only a matter of minutes before the combined force of the Renegades, Lokuss, and Kizmel finished off the remaining Fallen Elves. After a short breather, everyone found their way onto one tree to recoup and reconvene, which was no small feat given how labyrinthine the web of traversable tree branches was.
"That was some quick thinking there, stranger." Leonn said to Lokuss once everyone was assembled again. "Didn't catch your name in all that chaos there."
"Name's Lokuss and this is Gryd." The boy said with a smile, gesturing to himself and his familiar. "Kirito and Asuna brought me on board to help with the Elf War quest!"
"COOL!" Silica shouted, startling everyone with her abrupt increase in volume. "Another familiar! It's so cute!"
"Yep!" Lokuss responded while Gryd walked up to Silica and rubbed against her leg. "We'll have to compare notes on familiars sometime!"
Geeou held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lokuss. I'm - "
Lokuss held a hand up to stop the flaxen-haired youth from continuing, then brought that hand down to shake Geeou's. "No need for introductions. I kind of already know your names."
"Wait, how?" Nautilus asked.
"All of the major frontliners are kind of famous." Lokuss said with an uneasy chuckle. "Especially you guys."
"It is about time you all receive some recognition for your deeds." Kizmel said with a chuckle. She then turned to Lokuss. "I am Kizmel, Pagoda Knight of Lyusula. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lokuss. Any friend of the Renegades is a friend of mine."
Lokuss stood there slack-jawed for a moment before he came to his senses. He exchanged a knowing glance with Kirito before turning to face the Dark Elf properly. "The pleasure is all mine, Kizmel. Kirito and Asuna have told me much about you."
"Have they, now?" Kizmel asked, looking at the two Renegade leaders this time. A smirk crossed her face as she studied their embarrassed looks.
"Oh, right!" Lokuss stammered, causing Kizmel to look back at him with mild confusion. "Kirito and Asuna wanted me to pass along some information I found to you. It's concerning your continued conflict with the Forest and Fallen Elves."
"I see." Kizmel said thoughtfully. She motioned for the group to follow her as she walked off down the tree-road. "I would be happy to hear what you have to share, but not here. Let us head back to our encampment here on this floor, where we are less prone to prying ears."
As they followed Kizmel through the winding branches, Leonn seemed to slow his pace until he came level with Kirito and Asuna, who had been hanging back for the time being.
"So what's his story?" Leonn whispered, all while Kizmel and Lokuss seemed deep into a different conversation of their own.
"He's one of Argo's people." Kirito explained. "He's a lore enthusiast and he thinks he can help us find more information that will help by tagging along and interacting with the different NPCs, though I think he may have bitten off more than he can chew with Kizmel."
"Makes sense, I guess." Leonn conceded. "You think he'll find anything?"
Kirito looked back up front, where Kizmel seemed to be giving some sort of history lesson to Lokuss, who was eagerly listening and just eating the stuff up.
"I guess we'll see."
[Infiltrate the Fallen Elf encampment and look for evidence.]
Kirito had to suppress a scoff as his eyes read the updated quest log. In the beta, the conflict between the Dark and Forest Elves was supposed to go on until the 9th floor, culminating in a final, climactic battle between the two forces. Obviously the side the players chose would be the victor, but the losing side would be driven into hiding from their defeat.
Now? Things were shaping up to turn out very differently. For one, the Fallen Elves were supposed to be merely a balancing force to counteract the players, giving the opposing side the "necessary edge" in order to keep the players on their toes and to prevent them from completely pulverising the enemy force. Now, thanks to Lokuss or Kizmel - Kirito wasn't sure who was responsible, honestly - the Elf War campaign quest was looking like it would end with a fight against the Fallen Elves. Kirito couldn't exactly complain, though. Something about the Fallen Elves always rubbed him the wrong way.
As he led his half of the Renegades across the treetops, he paused when he heard Yuna address the group, which at the moment consisted of himself, Asuna, Kizmel, Lokuss, and the aforementioned songstress herself.
"So why exactly do you think the Fallen are the real bad guys here?" Yuna asked, her voice slightly hushed so as not to draw attention.
"I have some contacts who are in good with the Forest Elves." Lokuss began to explain. "The Forest Elves want to secure the six keys and open the sacred gate of the Elves."
"Indeed, that is the main reason why our two peoples are at odds." Kizmel said with a grim nod of her head. "The Kales'Oh believe that opening the sacred gate will restore magic unto our peoples again. We Lyusulans do not believe that is so. We know that opening that gate will only bring calamity."
"What's behind that gate?" Asuna asked.
"Behind that gate on the 9th floor rests our sacred trees, my friend." Kizmel said. "The sacred trees that are our namesakes, Kales'Oh and Lyusula, or at least what remains of them."
"What do you mean?" Yuna asked, tilting her head in slight confusion.
"The original trees are still Earthbound." Lokuss explained, drawing an impressed smirk from Kizmel. "The trees here in Aincrad are supposed to mere fragments of what they used to be."
"That is correct." Kizmel confirmed. "That is why our magic is so weak here in Aincrad, because the trees here are not the originals."
"Okay, that explains the Forest Elves, but why are we focusing on the Fallen?" Yuna asked again, bringing the conversation back to answering the original question.
"Because if my research is correct, the Fallen may have an ulterior motive for helping out the Forest Elves." Lokuss elaborated. "The Fallen hate both the Dark and Forest Elves. It's likely they have a different goal that involves wiping them both out."
"So that's why we're looking for evidence." Asuna thought aloud, piecing it together for everyone. "If we can prove that the Fallen are the real villains here, it might end the war or at the very least weaken the Forest Elves."
"Precisely." Kizmel said. "Those doors must remain closed or we are all doomed. Not just we, but your people as well."
"We're here." Kirito interrupted, pointing forward through the heavy brush. Just up ahead was a large tree, very much like the hundreds that littered this floor, but nestled within its center was an encampment of elves.
Fallen Elves, to be precise.
There was a gap between the tree they were on and the encampment, so crossing over the body of water below while remaining undetected would be near impossible. They would certainly be spotted trying to grapple across the divide and would probably be shot down. Kizmel was the only one with a shield so surviving a barrage of arrows like that would be unlikely. That wouldn't be an issue, however.
"Are they in position yet?" Asuna whispered.
Kirito opened his map and set it visible for everyone behind him to see. Much to his surprise, even Kizmel leaned in to view the overhead map. While Kirito and his group were in position, it looked like the group headed by Leonn and Geeou was still a minute or two out.
"Doesn't look like it yet. We can't start without them." Kirito whispered back.
"I still do not understand how your people have such magic and abilities at your disposal." Kizmel muttered, keeping her voice low. "Summoning a map like that…"
Yuna shrugged. "I… I'm afraid we don't understand it fully either, Kizmel. I wish we had an answer for you."
The Dark Elf smiled gently. "Worry not, I was merely thinking to myself. We have more important issues to worry about right now."
"There they are." Kirito whispered just as the six dots on the map moved closer, coming up near the encampment. He looked over the bush they were hiding behind - as did everyone else - to see Liz and Leonn leading the charge, leaping out of the bushes and ambushing the Fallen Elf guards posted just outside the camp. The sudden commotion immediately garnered the attention of the elves in the camp. Kirito could literally see the elves in the camp shifting from one side over to the other to address the attackers.
"Alright, now's our chance." Kirito said, turning to the others behind him. He brought out his grappling hook and rope, as did everyone else. "They won't be able to keep them occupied forever."
"Let's go!"
A/N:
Yes, I've introduced yet another OC.
No, I'm not going back on my policy on OC's and their place in this story.
You can rest assured that, as of this moment, I have no more OC's planned. If I do decide to plant in more OC's, it'll be for a damn good reason. For some reason, I feel the need to justify the OC's and their place in this story. If you couldn't care less then feel free to ignore this bit. Each OC introduced so far represents an aspect of online gamer culture that I felt was missing from SAO canon. These kinds of players exist, and frankly I think their presence will help spice the story up a little without detracting from the main cast.
Leonn, if you couldn't already tell from his introduction way back in Chapter 1, is the kind of player who plays games as a sort of heroic wish fulfillment; sometimes (not always) these players exaggerate in this way to hide insecurities. His original avatar was a giant of a man who wielded a maul, a weapon that's known for being relatively unstoppable in terms of raw power. When Kayaba's mirror did its thing, that curtain was pulled back to reveal a modest looking man whose stature would probably suggest something far less impressive and physically intimidating. For quite a while now he's had to deal with the idea that the physically macho warrior man he wanted to be is irrelevant to his value as a frontline player and as a person.
The other two OC's were collaborations between myself and some friends of mine.
Our mysterious as-of-yet unnamed ninja girl - and yes, she is a player, not an NPC - is representative of the roleplaying community. These are players who more or less method act when it comes to their online personas, completely masking any semblance of who they are as people in real life. It's similar to what we first saw with Leonn, but dialed to eleven. We already saw a glimpse of that with Fuumaningun on the 2nd floor, but it's still a significant type of player that is present in many RPGs. We'll eventually meet her and learn her story. I think you'll like her; at least if I write her well enough you might.
Lokuss is, more of less, the kind of player who plays these games for the story. Often called lore fanatics or lore junkies, these are players who thrive on the narrative and less on the actual gameplay itself. In Aincrad, it only makes sense that these players would be invaluable sources of information for brokers like Argo. As time goes on, we'll get to learn more about Lokuss and what makes him tick. If you thought his description was a little odd, that's by design. We'll also learn why he's decided to look the way he does in due time.
Anyway, that's the end of my rant. Here's hoping you enjoy (or at the very least tolerate) these OC's I'm sprinkling into the story. Lemme know in reviews what you think because, yes, I do read them and take your advice to heart.
Til next week!