Halkegenia Online v1 – Refactored – Chapter 2
"There are currently four thousand and sixty seven players within the bounds of Arrun. Seven hundred and sixteen Sylphs, six hundred and ninety Cait Syth, six hundred and eighty eight Salamanders, five hundred and seventeen Undine, four hundred and three Gnomes, three hundred and fifty five Leprechauns, three hundred and eight Spriggans, two hundred and thirty three Imps, and one hundred and fifty seven Puca."
"Wow!" Alicia Rue praised the pixie sitting in her lap. "Yui-chan is so smart!" The tiny girl's smile lifted even Sakuya's troubled spirits.
The leaders had commandeered the Arrun Town Hall as their temporary headquarters, and the private offices on the third floor as their inner sanctum. Sakuya reclined behind an ornate desk while the Cait Syth Leader, true to her race's theme, lounged casually on a sofa.
It had seemed like a strange request when Kirito asked them to watch over the pixie, and stranger still when the same pixie had loudly protested, however Sakuya could not overstate Yui's worth.
While by no means large in comparison to a real world city, Arrun's environs covered several square kilometers and included hundreds of buildings, homes, shops and stalls. Taking stock would be tedious to say the least.
Yui's ability to flawlessly record, recall, and collate the reports that continued to stream in was a boon for the two leaders as they attempted to keep the other players from tipping over the abyss into a full panic.
There was a knock at the door. A male Sylph with short, spiked blond hair and wearing the apparel of a mid level ranger let himself in.
"Lady Sakuya."
"What have you to report, Novair?"
The man handed Sakuya a folded piece of paper. She noted the rough edges where it had been torn from a blank book and quickly scanned the contents as he began his report.
"Guards have been assigned to the commercial district while we take stock of supplies. The storage areas of the shops we've examined so far have revealed that they contain varying quantities of the particular shop's standard inventory."
"You were able to pick the locks on the inventory rooms?" Alicia asked.
The man shook his head and grinned, "Actually, we broke them down."
Sakuya scanned the incomplete list. Loss of the player menu meant, among other things, that there was no way to access player inventories, which meant most players possessed only their equipped clothing and whatever items had been readied for quick use.
"Very well. We'll start constructing a rationing scheme. Place priority on distributing food and healing supplies for the time being." The man nodded and departed before Alicia could perk up.
"Rationing scheme?" the Cait observed. "Seems pretty draconian to me."
"Ideally we'd also confiscate food stuffs in homes and inns, but that might cause a panic," Sakuya said idly as she rested her cheek against her hand.
"Don't tell me we're taking that Spriggan's crazy ideas seriously now?"
"Of course not," Sakuya said. The Sylph Leader steepled her fingers. "But suppose that Kirito-kun's wild theories are not wholly wrong."
Alicia Rue's ears folded flush against her head as she frowned. "Hey now Sakuya-chan, don't be joking about something like that!"
Sakuya pressed her lips into a thin line. "Since we've awoken, we've not seen anyone log in or log out. Nor have we been able to contact the System Admins. In addition to that, many phenomena are being observed that exceed the capability of the AmuSphere. Unless we can prove otherwise we'll have to assume for the time being that what we are experiencing now is effectively real to us and take the necessary precautions. We cannot afford to take risks with the well-being of the other players. If nothing else we have to create the impression that someone is in control."
"Sakuya-san is correct," Yui blurted out. "Right now the players in Arrun are confused . . . afraid. If nothing is done soon, their fear will begin to overwhelm them. They will fall into panic and despair." The pixie's wings flattened against her back and she clenched her hands in front of her. Alicia gently cupped the girl in her hands.
Sakuya would not have believed until that day that a mere game AI could express such emotion. "Yui-chan, Kirito-kun said that you've been with him since the SAO incident. How is that possible?"
Yui stood up in Alicia's lap and clasped her hands together. "Sakuya-san, how much do you know about ALfheim's underlying architecture?"
Sakuya tilted her head thoughtfully. "I know that it was one of the first VRMMOs to come onto the market after the SAO incident, and that the game engine was derived from SAO's."
Yui nodded. "SAO and ALfheim share the same formats for graphics encoding, network authentication and character stats. ALfheim also uses a simplified version of SAO's central Game Master AI, the Cardinal System, to manage the game ecosystem. My original designation is Player Support Mental Health Artificial Intelligence Prototype 001, I was created to see to the emotional health of players in the game world of SAO."
"But the SAO servers were wiped clean when the players were logged out," Sakuya said. "The investigators claimed that nothing survived."
Yui smiled. "You're right Sakuya-san. I should have died when SAO's Cardinal System was erased." Sakuya looked startled. "But Papa rescued me by saving my core data to his Nerve Gear. Because SAO and ALfheim use the same game engine and AI base, when he first logged into ALfheim Papa was able to wake me up. The ALfheim servers detected me and classified me as a valid support AI, which is why I take this appearance." The pixie gestured to herself.
"So . . . if you were originally part of the central control system, does that mean you have Admin access?" Alicia asked.
Yui shook her head. "No. My administrative privileges only extended to the confines of SAO. My ALfheim privileges are no different than any other support program. And now even those don't seem to be working. It's like I'm confined to a local node."
"Yui-chan's existence raises some interesting questions," Sakuya said. "Why is Yui still here when all of the other NPCs have disappeared? Yui-chan is also a different form of intelligence, but she seems to be sharing in the same experience as the rest of us." She raised her hands to rub wearily at temples. "Talk to me Alicia, you're the one who knows about this stuff."
"And I'm coming up blank." The Cait shrugged her shoulders. "AI cognition's not really my thing. Sorry. We'll have to wait for our scouts to bring back more pieces of the puzzle."
The Sylph Leader turned her head to gaze out the window and across the still cityscape. For someone born in the information age, this business with couriers and scouts hand delivering notes felt like pulling teeth. 'Hurry back Leafa-chan, Kirito-kun,' she thought.
Leafa felt the cool kiss of air against her cheeks and the heart shaking sensation of overcoming inertia as she smoothly banked along the side of the World Tree. Kirito had been right, this did feel more real, and she was enjoying every second of it. She felt like she was born to the wind.
At her side flew five others players. Closest were Kirito and the Salamander tank named Carmond. Above and to her rear was a Cait Syth hunter called KoKo, and two representatives of Lady Sakuya.
Suguha gave her brother a concerned look from the corner of her eye. As much as he said he was alright, until Asuna was safe her brother could not really return from that world that had stolen him away from her.
They had set out from Arrun less than an hour ago with strict instructions to reconnoiter the surroundings. For most of that time they had flown low and slow to get a closer look at the terrain, before rising to a higher altitude to see the overall topography.
It was as if the World Tree had been cut right out of ALfheim. No, that wasn't quite right. The lake at the base of the World Tree was still there but was now fed by a different river, and Leafa could just see several slender relay towers off in the far distance. It wasn't like someone had just moved the World Tree so much as they had mashed everything together haphazardly.
That wasn't the only thing that was wrong. The sun was rising rather than setting, which meant that wherever they were it was morning, and not afternoon as it had been before the change.
"Look!" Carmond called and pointed ahead around the curve of the World Tree's trunk.
Leafa's eyes widened as she caught sight. Five thin towers speared into the sky around a thicker stone keep. A castle. "Kirito-kun, that definitely wasn't there yesterday," Leafa said. "And where there's a castle . . ."
"Right." Kirito nodded. "There should be people."
"Lady Sakuya ordered us not to travel too far," one of the Sylphs, Clyde, warned as he noted the black haired Spriggan beginning to drift off course. "We should come back with a larger party."
Kirito seemed unhappy at the advice but nodded reluctantly. "Roger."
Leafa caught something out of the corner of her eye. Looking down she saw a road winding out beneath them. And then . . . There it was again. A glint of light. With some squinting, she spotted movement along the side of the road. She made it out to be four people with . . . were those horses?
"Hey, guys!" She pointed to her discovery.
"Are those players or NPCs?" KoKo asked.
"I can't tell without a HUD," Emshel replied.
"They're human," Carmond said.
"How can you tell?" Emshel asked.
"The way they're moving around. Hiding in a ditch isn't an NPC behavior."
Kirito nodded. "We haven't seen any NPCs, so the conclusion is that they must be players."
The clothing worn by the group was like nothing that Leafa had ever seen. Not in ALfheim anyway. White blouses and dark skirts and pants. They would have looked almost like conventional summer uniforms in the real world.
As they descended one of the figures rose, an older man, hair retreating across his scalp. He took a low stance brandishing a staff as if ready for a fight. A caster? Leafa wondered. The others, teenagers probably around Suguha's own age, followed the man's lead.
A young girl with the pale blue hair of an Undine wielded another staff. The remaining two were equipped with what looked like a wand and . . . was that a rose? Kirito slowed to a stop and spread his arms to telegraph their peaceful intent. The rest of the party quickly followed suit.
"They don't look happy to see us," Carmond observed slowly. The big Salamander rested his hand gently on the hilt of his sword.
"They don't look like players," KoKo said.
"Or NPCs for that matter," Clyde added.
"Kirito-kun?" Leafa whispered.
"I know. Their stances. The blue haired girl and the old man probably have the most experience fighting."
"You can tell that much?" KoKo asked.
"It's a fighting posture," Carmond explained.
Kirito nodded. "KoKo, hunters have Illusion magic to confuse monsters, right?"
"Y-yeah," the Cait Syth player said. "But Dazzle's my only AoE spell. I can only cast Sleep on one person at a time and my success rate isn't very high."
"That's fine. I'm going to go talk to them. I'll be leaving myself exposed, so if they attack I want you to cast Dazzle and then fly as fast as you can back to Arrun and tell Lady Sakuya. I'll be right behind you."
"Are you sure about that, Commander?" Carmond grunted.
The Spriggan smiled. "It'll probably be okay. And I'm not anyone's commander, just call me Kirito." Leafa followed cautiously at her brother's side, noticing the way the older man and the small blue haired girl shifted their stances towards her as they approached.
"Hello?" Kirito called.
The man didn't lower his guard but his expression softened with curiosity.
"My name is Kirito of the Spriggans and this is Leafa of the Sylphs." Kirito cocked his head to the side. "Uhm, we come in peace?"
Leafa sighed. "Jeez, you're not any better at this stuff than you are in real life."
The Spriggan frowned. "When you say it like that it sounds bad."
"Stay back!"
Colbert had remained cautious on their approach to the base of the immense tree that was still some miles away. The old soldier in him had been on guard as soon as he saw how the terrain had changed. Low hills and strange forests rose and fell where before there had been flat plains.
"Not native," Tabitha had said.
"Hmm?" Kirche had asked.
"Local flora. Not native," Tabitha said again. She frowned a little. "Transported along with the tree?"
Under less pressing circumstances Colbert would have loved the opportunity to spend a day studying the groves and the grassy meadows. But for the moment, his attention was fixed solely upon the tree that dominated the landscape for miles around; if something so immense could even be called a tree. Its trunk was the color of weathered granite, and the roots at its base rose like foothills.
"I can only imagine how strong the wood must be to support such a tremendous mass. Perhaps it utilizes some inherent magic to lighten itself," Colbert spoke, partly to himself, and partly for the benefit of his students.
"It would have to be rooted in solid bedrock . . . then surely the tree would have an Earth affinity," Guiche suggested. "Does that mean the Zero's affinities lie with Earth?"
"What's this now?" Colbert was startled by the unexpected topic. "What do you think this has to do with Miss Vallière?"
"Miss Zerbst and Miss Tabitha mentioned it." The blond boy eyed his companions. "The Zero collapsed just before the summoning of that tree began."
Colbert relaxed a little in his saddle. Of course, nothing but childish speculation. "I see, so that's what this is about. Let me assure you that Miss Vallière being responsible for this is completely impossible."
"B-but . . ." Kirche began.
"Miss Zerbst," Colbert interrupted. "The power that a mage draws upon to summon their familiar is proportional to its size, magical power, and the distance of the summons. It simply is not a possibility. You have sound correlation, but lack a mechanism of causation Miss Zerbst."
They rode on silently before Tabitha spoke again. "Why was Louise exhausted?"
"There could be a number of causes. Sickness and anxiety can greatly weaken a mage's reserves of willpower," Colbert explained. "For some mages the combination of summon and contract familiar is an exhausting ordeal." Then the Professor shook his head angrily. "A coincidence. Nothing but coincidence. It is hardly something to . . . "
Colbert trailed off. He raised a hand to shield his eyes and squinted into the sky.
"What is it?" Kirche asked.
"I don't know. It appears to be . . . mages?"
"I don't see any mounts?" Kirche said, peering into the sky.
"No, they aren't mounted. They're levitating. To your left, they're about to pass in front of the tree."
Nothing more than black specks at this distance, skimming through the sky. There were of course simple spells that could allow a mage to take flight, yet they moved at great lateral speed and with a natural grace.
Colbert turned to his students, long dormant instincts taking hold. "Quickly, off of the road. Dismount and stay low." His students were curious but obeyed.
There were six of the dots, each borne aloft by translucent wings rippling in the air at their backs. "Perhaps combat mages . . ." Colbert thought aloud. Stupid not to think of that first, too much time spent forgetting . . . "that would explain their armor."
"Should we hail them?" Guiche asked nervously.
"Miss Tabitha, there should be a spy glass in my saddle. Would you retrieve it please," Colbert requested.
Under magnification he could make out the details . . his heart skipped a beat. Four of the 'mages' wore full helms, obscuring their faces from view. But the lead two flew unencumbered, Colbert's gaze fixed on their faces, and their delicately pointed ears.
"Elves," he whispered like a curse, and like a curse, it stole away his hope that this would end in anything but blood.
"Wha-!" Guiche shouted. Kirche and Tabitha each put a hand over the boy's mouth.
"What are Elves doing here?" Kirche whispered between death glances at the Gramont boy.
"Transported," Tabitha said.
"The tree must be from the Elven Territories." Colbert grimaced, if the Elves had transported something so large by magic, if it was intentional . . . this could be the beginning of a full invasion.
"Seen us," Tabitha hissed. Colbert's blood ran cold as the flight wheeled in their direction.
"Professor?" Miss Zerbst's persistent playfulness had all but vanished as realization of the grave danger they were in sank in.
Tabitha gave him a solemn nod and raised her staff. Miss Tabitha was certainly the most capable of his young charges, Miss Zerbst had great skill and talent as well. As for young Guiche, well, he was a General's son, there was that at least.
Colbert turned back to Kirche. "There's only one thing we can do. Prepare to defend ourselves and pray to the Founder that they are in a good mood." Colbert stood up and prepared to place himself between the oncoming Elves and his students.
The Elves were almost upon them, their strange gossamer wings, surely too delicate to support their weight, altered their configuration, first extending before folding flush with their backs, then fading away as they settled lightly onto the ground.
At this proximity Colbert could make out fine details of their garb. Three wore a motif of green, two in armor and one, shorter, a blonde haired girl, young even for an Elf, was clothed in a form fitting coat and short pants. Another in tan and yellow wore a helm in the shape of a feline head. The last, standing guard, was clad in heavy red armor and looked to be as large and broad as a pikeman. Finally, Colbert's eyes settled on the one in black.
The man, no, boy.
His skin had an ashen hue as if untouched by the sun. His eyes were dark and serious and his hair jet black and swept up as if set by long days facing into the wind. Colbert knew instantly that this one was the greatest threat.
It wasn't his size, he was no taller than the young woman beside him, nor was it his visage, which was still that of a child not yet grown into a man. It was in his eyes, his stance, the way his gaze came to rest on him and Tabitha, the calm way he moved, without any youthful swagger.
"Hello?" the boy Elf said with a strange lilting accent. "My name is Kirito of the Spriggans and this is Leafa of the Sylphs." He gestured to himself and his companion. "Uhm, we come in peace?"
Spriggan? Sylph? Was that some form of military rank? And were there more of them? Colbert thought. A small troop? A whole army? His train of thought was broken as the blonde Elf sighed.
Colbert blinked quickly as he watched the woman admonish her companion.
The boy frowned. "When you say it like that you make it sound bad."
"Stay back!" Colbert put every ounce of authority he could muster into his words. "Stay back. We do not wish to fight, but we will defend ourselves."
The boy raised his hands cautiously but it was the girl at his side who replied. "We don't want to fight either. We're just trying to understand what's happened." Colbert wanted to believe that he heard sincerity in her voice.
"What are Elves doing in Tristain?" he demanded. "Is this some form of Firstborn magic?"
The boy cocked his head.
"Do not play games," Colbert said. "You haven't even bothered to come under guise."
"We're not elves." The girl shook her head, "Anyways, it shouldn't matter what we are at a time like this, should it? We're all human in real life."
In real life? Colbert was mystified. "Is that supposed to be some Elvish trick?" Except a trick wouldn't be so transparent.
Before the girl could respond the boy raised a hand across her chest. "Excuse me, but I have to ask . . . does the term AmuSphere mean anything to you?"
"Am You Sphere?" Colbert parroted. He shook his head. "No."
"What about . . . " what the boy said sounded distinctly like 'Elfheim', no, he pronounced it with a short A at the beginning. Again Colbert shook his head.
The boy crossed his arms and hunched his head as if in thought. He turned to his companion and spoke with her quietly. The girl stood straight and then backed away "What?! That can't be right!"
Colbert watched as the boy placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. Then he looked to Colbert. "I think our leaders will want to talk with you. You should come with us."
"You just want us to be your hostages!" Miss Zerbst grimaced. "There's no chance we'll do that!"
"We all know what Elves do to their prisoners," Guiche added. "A son of the Gramont family will never allow himself to be taken prisoner by Elves!" The boy trembled, clutching his wand in white knuckles.
Tabitha simply sank into a lower guard and glanced quickly at the blonde girl. If it became a fight they might be able to even the odds by eliminating those two first.
"I told you we're not Elves!" The girl was growing visibly impatient.
"Excuse me," the boy interrupted once again. "But, these Elves, they have ears like this?" He asked, indicating his own.
"Y-yes," Colbert said, not sure what the boy was getting at.
The boy turned and called to one of his companions. "KoKo, could you take off your helmet?" The figure wearing the cat-like armor stepped forward and removed its helm.
The face beneath the helm belonged to a woman. Young with deeply tanned skin and large golden eyes. Her hair was short cropped, dirty blonde, and shot with dark spots. But most striking were the ears that peaked above her temples, large and triangular, like those of a cat. They twitched up and down as the woman turned her head from side to side.
"Do Elves have ears like this too?" the boy asked.
"I've got a cute tail too." The woman wagged her eyebrows. "Wanna see?" A length of tawny fur that Colbert had mistaken for a sash twisted languidly behind her back.
"Not an Elf," Tabitha said. Colbert glanced at the girl. Was she blushing?
"It could just as easily be a disguise," Colbert reasoned aloud. In which case, it made no sense to cast an illusion only after they had been discovered. Slowly Colbert lowered his staff and sighed. "Nothing is served here by doing violence. We are all seeking answers it would seem." He turned back to the black haired boy. "You said you were Sylph . . . and Spriggan?"
"That's what we call ourselves," the boy explained. "Though what did you just call us? Demihumans? I kind of like the sound of that." He walked forward slowly and offered Colbert a hand, the Professor mirrored the gesture cautiously and felt the boy grip firmly for a moment before letting his hand free. "Like I said, my name is Kirito."
"Jean Colbert," Colbert said. He felt strangely faint. How was it that he was now shaking hands with an Elf? "Of the Tristain Academy of Magic."
"Tristain," the boy repeated almost for his own benefit.
"Surely you must know. You speak passable Tristanian."
The boy shook his head. If he was lying, it was an extraordinarily bold lie. That alone helped Colbert to believe it. "What land do you hail from?"
The boy's eyes softened and he glanced to his companions. "A land that is far away from this place," he said. "I think we have a lot of the same questions."
Colbert nodded. "I am willing to believe you. If so, you should speak with Old Osmond. If anyone can shed light on these events it is the Headmaster."
"You can't mean to bring them back to the Academy," Miss Zerbst protested loudly.
"I agree with her. We can't just let a force of heathen Elves onto the school grounds," Guiche added.
"Well, you could meet with our leaders in Arrun instead," Kirito said. "It's the town at the base of the World Tree."
"A town? You mean there's a whole town of your people?" Colbert asked. It shouldn't have surprised him of course. If something as large as this "World Tree" could be transported, a whole city could easily be lost in its roots.
"Won't be hostages," Tabitha shook her head.
The boy seemed to consider for a long moment before reluctantly nodding to himself. "Then, what if I become your hostage instead?"
"K-Kirito-kun!" his companion protested. Colbert himself was taken aback.
"Mmm. You can take me as your hostage, while one of you goes back to Arrun to meet with our leaders. Then we come back here and switch back." He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "Mmm. That would probably be fastest."
Would they trade one of their own simply to gain a prisoner? A part of him that had been dormant for a long time rose to the surface. It asked him to consider if the boy was really worth anything as a hostage. The boy had no way of knowing if Colbert was of any value as a prisoner, so the exchange was equitable in that regard. But . . .
"Your offer seems generous," Colbert said. "How do I know that you would not escape after we part ways?"
The boy smiled. "You'll have my word that I won't try anything."
Colbert frowned. In his experience, people who talked the most about words of honor were usually the ones that valued them the least. "And," the boy added, "I'll even let you bind me."
"Kirito," the large man growled. "Isn't that a bit risky?"
The boy's smile never wavered. "It's fine, it's like a handicap."
This was either an attempt at appeasement or a ruse. Colbert wanted to believe it was the former. "That would be . . . acceptable."
"Professor!" Kirche and Guiche protested vigorously.
Kirito unsheathed his sword and offered it to one of his companions, the large man in red armor, who took the weapon hesitantly. "Are you sure about this Kirito?"
Kirito smiled. "It'll probably be alright . . . Leafa?"
The blonde girl was already offering her own sword to the cat eared woman.
"Do you think I'd let you go alone?" she asked, giving the boy a stern expression as he looked like he was about to protest. She turned to Colbert, "Please allow me to accompany this foolish Spriggan." The girl bowed her head graciously.
Colbert agreed, though with some reluctance. If they really were Elves, two would not be much worse than one.
Colbert turned to his students. "Mister Gramont, if you would please?"
"R-right." Guiche lifted his ornate wand. Two plugs of earth flowed from the roadway and like water encircled the outstretched hands of the boy and the girl. The earth began to constrict, drawing their hands together and taking on a bronzed hue. "N-now, you listen here," Guiche fought to hide the stammer in his voice. "These manacles are enchanted to resist any tampering, d- don't try to struggle!"
If this would be the caliber of the next generation, Colbert despaired for the Kingdom.
"One more thing." Tabitha stepped forward and produced a pair of handkerchiefs. The girl protested as Tabitha reached up around her head as if to tie a blindfold, until Tabitha's intent became clear.
The young mage had tied the handkerchief around the Elf girl's head in a fashion not unlike that of the commoners and petty mages whose work took them into the forests and fields, covering her hair and hiding her ears.
"Extra precaution. Averts panic," Tabitha explained simply before turning to Kirito and repeating her work, this time tying the handkerchief in the fashion preferred by male laborers.
Tabitha inspected her handiwork and gave a small nod of approval.
Colbert took a slow breath and turned to his own soon to be captors. "Very well. If you are ready?"
The wide spaces of the crest of the World Tree echoed with the sounds of bare footsteps against hardwood. A girl ran along the tree's broad branches, garbed in sheer white. Long chestnut hair fell past her waist and brushed against translucent white wings folded flush with her back. The bark beneath her feet felt strange, rough and irregular, and tacky with sap.
Yuuki Asuna moved cautiously but quickly. Since whatever had happened . . . had happened . . . she'd felt lighter and stronger than she had in months, almost like her old self, but she dare not fall. Sugou had promised her that though she possessed a fairy's wings, he had clipped them himself, and she had no way of knowing what would happen if she plunged from the top of the World Tree.
Asuna froze as she heard a distant cry quite unlike the faint chirping of birds. It was a familiar sound to someone who had fought countless battles on the front lines of the death game known as Sword Art Online.
She looked about for something, anything she could use as a weapon. Even in a virtual environment Sugou would never have left anything in this place that she could use to harm him. There was nothing that she could use to make even a display of defiance.
The cry came again. Asuna grit her teeth. The cries were coming from the direction of that place, the lab. As much as she loathed to return to that place, she followed the sounds, coming once more to the stark circular corridor hewn into the bulk of the World Tree.
She walked softly on the balls of her feet. The sounds of battle grew louder and as she rounded the last corner. Asuna froze. For that one instant she was transported back. She was no longer a Faerie standing in Sugou's domain, she was back, back on Aincrad's 61st Floor, once more Asuna the Flash, Sub-Commander of the Knights of Blood.
A man in the brilliant white and red of the Knights of Blood was in the midst of his assault upon a monster that resembled a dark blue sea slug. The creature squirmed and writhed, whipping out with its tentacles in an effort to defend itself. The man dodged left and parried the blow with a heavy two handed sword before shouting out, "Switch!"
Another figure, shorter, slimmer, wielding a shield and sword and dressed in the armor of the Liberation Army Guild, stepped forward, and with a single clean stroke severed one of the slug's extended tentacles. The creature let out a low crooning moan.
"Noooooooo . . . . Puuuuhleeeesssssssssss sssssttttoppppp."
A sickening realization dawned on her in that instant. And no matter how much she should despise the creature . . . the person . . . its suffering moved her to action.
"Stop!" she shouted, throwing herself into the path of the swordsmen. The man wielding the broadsword staggered to a halt, barely catching himself. "Asu- Asuna-sama. Asuna-sama is that you?" the man whispered.
"Asuna?" the boy with the sword and shield asked before looking at her more closely.
Asuna studied the man. He sported the same pointed ears as she did, but the face was familiar. "Arguile-san?" she asked softly. "Arguile-san, it's you isn't it? It really is you?"
Her former subordinate nodded slowly.
"My Lady, why are you stopping us? These monsters are dangerous. They were attacking defenseless players."
"They?" Asuna's heart sank.
The shorter boy hooked a thumb over his back. Asuna could see the still twitching bulk of a dead slug. From behind her the remaining slug moaned softly, "Puuhhlleeeaasss Dddddooonnttttt . . . Ddddooonttt killllll meeeee."
Both swordsmen stood stiff with surprise. "The corpse of the first one hasn't vanished, and now this one is talking. Asuna-sama . . . What is happening here Asuna-sama?" Arguile asked.
"I don't think I know," Asuna said. "But we can get answers from this thing." She almost placed a hand on the slug's slimy skin, then thought better of it. "If it lives."
Death seemed to be a definite possibility as the massive creature, formerly one of her prison wardens, twitched and soaked the ground with its ichor. "Iiittttt huuurrrrttsssss. Plleeeeaassseee ddddooonnnttt killlll meeeee."
If it hurt so much, why didn't he just log out? He wasn't a prisoner like the rest of them. Maybe having his limbs severed had left him unable to utilize his user menu? Then good riddance.
"You mentioned other players," she said softly.
"Yes Asuna-sama, lots of them. We all woke up here not long ago."
Asuna's eyes widened. "Arguile-san, what is the last thing you remember. Please, tell me!"
The man looked startled but then concentrated. "It was the Boss raid. Heathcliff . . ."
His eyes widened " . . . Heathcliff was Kayaba Akihiko!"
The man clenched his jaw. "I remember . . . I remember him paralyzing all of us, and then . . . I saw you die, you and that Beater, Kirito. But how . . ."
Asuna followed his gaze and brought a hand up to her ears. She grimaced as she felt the elongated shape. "It's not important now," she said quickly. "You don't remember anything after that?"
The man shook his head.
"Me either," his partner said.
"Weren't we to be released if that Beater won the duel?" Arguile asked. "I suppose it was too much to expect for Kayaba Akihiko to keep his word, that snake."
Asuna looked away from them. She had seen what Sugou was doing to them. But if they couldn't remember it, then that was a blessing. In the dimness of the lab room Asuna became aware of others. The tall cylinders representing the avatars of Sugou's test subjects had vanished, and in their place huddled the players, restored to some semblance of their old selves. They were clustered together in the far corner of the room, a perimeter of armed players shielding those who were defenseless.
"Arguile-san, please do what you can for him. We need him alive."
The Knight looked confused, but bowed his head in acknowledgment. Asuna turned to the others within the room.
Her eyes swept across the gathered players. It was a varied group, some old, some young. Some wore the high quality armor of the clearing group while others were dressed in the day to day clothes of support players. The only constant seemed to be that they had all been altered in the same way; small, pointed ears protruded from every head.
"Asuna-san!" a voice cried out. An elderly man, gray haired and broad set, stood up from the huddled crowd.
"Nishida-san?" Asuna said, recognizing the elderly fisherman instantly.
Upon hearing her name the people in the crowd began to murmur.
"Asuna-san? As in Asuna the Flash?"
"What's happened to her?"
"What's happened to us?"
"Where are we? The game was supposed to be cleared!"
"Everyone, please. I will tell you everything that I know. But first calm yourselves," Asuna said. It was ridiculous to see such a crowd of people suddenly fall silent at just her words when she was dressed like this. But some of them remembered that decisive tone of voice and the swordswoman who had wielded it. Asuna the Flash was one of their heroes, one of the people who would save them from Kayaba Akihiko's deranged game, and regardless of her appearance she was to be taken seriously.
"I know you must all be confused, and are disappointed that we have not been returned to the real world. You're all probably wondering about your appearances as well. We are currently inside a game called ALfheim Online. When SAO was cleared and Kayaba Akihiko released the surviving players, a man named Sugou Nobuyuki captured some of us as we were logged off, confining us in another system. He wanted to use us as test subjects."
"Asuna-sama," a girl near the front of the crowd said, "how do you know that?"
"Sugou kept me as his prisoner," Asuna replied. "He came to me every day to gloat about what he was doing."
Asuna clenched her hands and felt the pain as her nails dug into her palms. The feeling was so welcome she didn't even pause to think about it. "I know it may be painful, but do any of you remember anything after hearing that SAO had been cleared?"
As the crowd mumbled negatives, Asuna gave a small prayer of thanks. At least they had been spared that. "Then this might be hard for you to believe," Asuna said, "but SAO was cleared three months ago. You've all been . . . unconscious . . ."
The crowd looked to one another nervously, whispering to those around them. "So what's happened now. What's changed?" It was Nishida who asked the question.
Asuna shook her head. "I don't know. The last thing I remember was the world standing still and then I was suddenly in pain," Asuna grimaced. She resisted the urge to throw her arms around herself. "When I woke up, I was outside my prison."
"What do we do now?" Arguile asked, walking up beside his former leader.
"Everything we can. This can't be something Sugou planned for. We need to take this opportunity to find a way to break free. Before . . ." Before Sugou put them back in their prison. "There's an Admin terminal here. Nishida-san, we need to see if we can find a way to log out. If even one of us can get free, they can alert the authorities. I can guarantee that the people Sugou Nobuyuki works for would never tolerate what he is doing here."
Asuna turned to the gathered players, she stood straight, and took the posture of a commander by habit. "If anyone here has experience with network IT I want you to help with the terminal. I attempted to access it once, but I'm sure the security has been tightened. Anyone who has skills as a healer, help see to that slug monster's wounds. Anyone who can fight, stand guard over the prisoner. If he attempts to use a player menu to log out, sever his limbs." The crowd swung into action.
As they set to work Arguile placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded solemnly.
"It is good to see you alive, Sub-Commander."
"I'm sorry we aren't meeting again in real life," Asuna said.
"That isn't your fault," Arguile protested. "Heaven seems intent on giving us all another chance. I'm sure we'll find a way."
Asuna nodded, and a determined smile crept across her face. Memories of the day before came to the surface. "You're right. We have to find a way out of here, because that 'Beater' survived too."
Arguile's eyes widened. "You don't mean . . ."
"I can't give up as long as he's still alive." Asuna smiled fiercely. "Kirito-kun is the strongest person I know. But he isn't quite as strong as he thinks he is. We'll have to meet him half-way."
Princess Henrietta de Tristain, Crown Princess of Tristain and heir to her father's throne, found herself on her side, her head aching and her vision blurred. All around her lay buckled wood and broken glass. It dawned on the Princess that she was within the upended wreck of her carriage, light filtering through the damaged wood and canvas.
Henrietta shivered as she heard the sounds of battle. The shouts of her guards as they chanted spells, and strange unearthly cries and groans.
"Princess, Princess!" a voice called to her.
"Y-yes? Yes, I'm here!" It was one of her guards.
"Are you alright Princess?"
"Yes, I am unharmed," she shouted back. "But the Cardinal," she turned her eyes to the still form of her elderly regent. "Cardinal Mazarin is injured."
There was a pause of several moments. "Does he need immediate treatment, Princess?"
"J-Just one moment."
Her training as a healer told her not to move carelessly. The Cardinal's left arm hung limply, dislocated. She could feel two ribs that weren't moving properly as the man breathed, she leaned in and heard an unpleasant grinding noise as he wheezed in pain.
"Cardinal Mazarin, can you hear me?" Henrietta asked urgently. "Please, open your eyes if you can hear me."
The graying old man's eyes fluttered open. "Princess . . ." he wheezed, "you've been injured . . ." He reached out feebly.
When she glanced down she saw blood trickling from a rent in her blouse. Suddenly she felt the sharp sting of a deep cut.
"I am fine, Cardinal. It is you who needs help. Now be still, you've broken ribs, and . . ." She reached into her gown and withdrew her wand, summoning up a small light and shining it into the Cardinal's eyes. "You also have a concussion. You must remain still."
"Princess, stay here, and do not move until we come for you." She heard the guard jump down from the side of the carriage, and his footsteps faded off in the direction of the battle.
Henrietta turned her attention to the Cardinal. With Water magic the dislocation was easy enough to set without disturbing the chest, and a combination of a localized paralysis spell and a crudely fashioned sling made from torn seat fabric ensured that the Cardinal would not make things worse by moving his injured arm. As much as she wanted to, she did not numb the pain lest it mask some other injury.
The carriage rocked on its side as something struck the overturned roof.
Henrietta looked about, there had to be some way for her to see outside. Her eyes drifted to a narrow window at the front of the upended cabin.
There was a wooden slat over the window that could be closed to offer the carriage occupants some privacy. With some focused exertion it slid free. What she saw through the narrow window chilled her.
The carriage was lying turned in the middle of the roadway cutting through the forests of the borderlands. Of the team of unicorns, two of the sacred beasts had slipped their harnesses and run. One lay dead. The other had fallen on its side, becoming entangled and whinnying fearfully.
At first she could not see the assailant, or rather could not understand what it was that she was seeing. It looked for all the world to be an immense flower, its four huge petals painted with red and violet. It was as tall as a church tower and festooned with a thick curtain of vines that draped from its highest leaves. Low wooden groans shook the air as it shuffled about on a writhing bed of roots.
Circling Griffin Knights showered volleys of fire and wind. The flames impacted the plant, consuming its flank in wind fed the flames; leaves and vines smoldered.
The flower waved lazily from side to side, slowly its attendant vines began to twirl. With a flick of its stem they whipped up into the air, extending with a loud -crack-. One of the Griffin Knights was stricken from the sky, rider and mount separating in mid aid.
The other knight attempted to evade, partially succeeding. Blood ran freely from the wounded griffin's side. The knight managed to keep his mount under control as he descended into the forest. The remaining knights circled around for a second pass.
The flower, eyeless and earless, somehow watched them. Vines and leaves began to wrap around the stem, and the petals began to quiver and release a fine dust into the air. The pollen collected into a cloud and in a single, violent motion the leaves and vines unfurled.
Henrietta watched her guards drop like broken dolls, crashing into the ground and skidding to a halt in heaps of fur and feathers. Their mounts struggled to stand, but the pollen seemed to be doing something to them. When one of the griffins failed to rise, its rider dismounted and attempted to stagger onwards until he too collapsed drunkenly to the ground.
One by one mages sank to their hands and knees, stricken before they could realize what was happening. A faint sweetness reached Henrietta and she felt dizziness overtaking her. Quickly she brought a hand over her mouth and nose.
The plant seemed to regard the stricken knights, before bending over the nearest man. Delicately its vines plucked him up. He struggled feebly as he was hoisted into the air and swung slowly back and forth. The swing built momentum, and then finally he was swung over the top. In the blink of an eye something long and red snapped out and completely engulfed him, and like a toad eating a fly he was gone. The Princess clamped her hands over her mouth.
After its first morsel the plant seemed divided between the remaining knights and the wounded griffins. The knights were hardly a satisfying meal, but the griffins were admittedly quite large. A whinny made the flower aware of another option. A unicorn seemed like a nice middle ground between a human and a griffin.
Henrietta watched the thing approach; preceded by that wooden groan, it sounded like a whole forest was falling towards her. If she stayed here it would find her. Nor could she flee with it so near. She clutched her wand tightly and mustered her resolve.
The knights had dealt the flower a blow, it was not immortal, more importantly it would be distracted by the unicorn. When it went for the unicorn, surely if she could just sever the stem . . .
Henrietta began her incantation as the flower leaned slowly downward, the words resonating with something deep within her. This close, Henrietta could see where the roots met with the stem.
The chant complete, the last syllables of the incantation parted from her lips. The spell combined two Waters and an Earth. Unlike fire, which was at its most powerful when pure, water benefited from mixing with other elements. Groundwater erupted in a sudden geyser, carrying with it sand and gravel that cut like ten thousand knives. An abrasion sword.
At the very last instant the plant somehow sensed the oncoming attack. Its vines released the unicorn and gathered close in self defence. 'No!' Henrietta cried. Where the muddy jet touched, the vines were effortlessly severed. But it did not penetrate to the stem.
Henrietta was thrown back from the window. The carriage shook and began to roll. Slowly, the roof was pried free against the protest of wood and nails. Roots writhed as they probed blindly.
Beside her, the Cardinal tried to move. "Princess . . . run . . ." Mazarin said deliriously. The Princess thought desperately, she could not leave the Cardinal here to face such a fate, but if she were to lure the monster away . . .
Henrietta staggered to her feet, taking aim with her wand. A short jet knocked the roots aside, and then she was running, stumbling forward as she landed on uneven gravel. She inhaled the strange sweetness in the air and felt a faintness overtaking her, then grimaced. This was what had afflicted her Guards.
Holding her arm over her mouth and nose she recited another incantation, summoning together the vapor from the air to form a concealing mist that rolled over the clearing and masked the forest. She did not know by what means the creature sensed its prey, but more importantly, the heavy mist would help cleanse the pollen from the air.
The monster loomed, a dark shadow, its outline blotting out the sun. Though her first attack had been thwarted, she had done damage. Then she felt something hard and rough brush against her leg.
Henrietta screamed as the thing coiled serpentine about her ankle. She was pulled off her feet and dragged back through the mist towards the waiting flower. The roots whipped past her, lashing at her face and limbs. She almost lost her wand but managed to barely keep hold.
The vines snaked around her waist, hoisting her up. The last moments of the unfortunate Griffin Knight ran through her mind as she felt herself being lifted up, and up, and . . . down?
An intense dry heat washed across her face and then vanished. Henrietta felt herself plummeting, and then two powerful arms catching her, and then the rush of suddenly hurtling sideways before becoming to a stop. A voice spoke, deep and rough.
"Are you alive, girl?"
Henrietta opened her eyes slowly and went agape. She knew immediately that the man was not one of her guards. He was clad all in red, red armor, red cape, and fiery red hair. Even the man's dark skin gave an impression of redness. When she saw his pointed ears she almost fainted in terror, but she did not think they made Elves that big. He looked down at her with inquisitive violet eyes beneath thick eyebrows.
"Are you hurt?" the man asked again in a deep voice, his accent strange and vaguely reminiscent of a Romalian. Henrietta shook her head.
"Hmph." The man lowered her to the ground. Standing beside him, her head barely came to his sternum. "Stay put and try not to die. I have to kill this Boss first. Then you will answer my questions." He turned to face the flower which was now recoiling, shaking to and fro as if enraged. "A Venus Man Eater," the man muttered out loud. "What a pain. If it gets any closer to the town those cowardly Undines will scatter." Without taking his gaze from the monster, he raised his right arm. "Mage team. Continue to cast dispel. Lancer Squadron, corral the Man Eater from behind."
They were not alone in the clearing. A dozen . . . men . . . had arrived as if from nowhere. Six were garbed in deep red robes and wielded staffs. Mages. The other six wore heavy armor of the same deep red as her rescuer and wielded long lances, though Henrietta could see no mounts.
"B-but Gene-kun!" one of the lance wielders shouted, "You saw what happened to Garsk and the others! We can't . . . That thing might kill us!"
The huge man turned his head to his subordinate. "And if you disobey me, I will definitely kill you."
The protesting man stiffened in his armor. "Y-yes, General Eugene! Lance Unit, scatter and encircle!" Henrietta watched as translucent red wings formed from the backs of the armored warriors. With only a moment's hesitation they burst forward, skirting over the clearing.
As soon as the Lancers took flight, the mages completed their incantation. Unfamiliar runes that had inscribed themselves in the air were washed away and a sudden heat filled the air as the mist Henrietta had cast began to burn away.
The large man, General Eugene unsheathed a menacing two handed sword. The same translucent red wings formed from his back and stretched wide. In an instant he had covered the distance between himself and the monster. He swung, and his blade appeared to pass through the vines like mist. The stem shook like a tree struck by a hatchet blow. Vines lashed outward before falling limp.
"Lance Unit, strike!"
In rapid succession the Lancers were borne forward by their wings to skewer the stem. Their heavy lances and heavy armor leant more weight to their blows.
The flower was beginning to shake again. "It's starting to debuff!" the General shouted. "Mages, counter!" Pollen smoldered in the heat coming from the strange magic light. "Lancers, guard positions." And then he was moving again. The wooden moans emanating from the flower's base began to change and deepen. The writhing of the roots became frenzied.
"No!" One of the Lancers, the one who had protested suddenly shouted. "General! It's different! The attack patterns have changed! Lance team, fall back!"
The earth rose in a wave as if something was moving below, and just like a wave, it crashed. The ground cracked and split in the direction of the Elvish man, erupting into dark tendrils. There was no time to stop, his momentum bore him forward. The General roared like a beast in the wild as he swung his sword. The first root struck and was deflected, he shifted the blade and caught another, cleaving it lengthwise.
But there was another, and another.
They tore into his cape and dented his armor, they found the soft spots, a gap in his flank, and beneath his arm. The General was skewered through his shoulder and side. He stumbled, he fell, his body skidding across the earth. The man howled in pain as the roots twisted. Pained cries were swallowed by the moans of closing roots.
Seeing their leader struck down, the Lancers began to fall into a panic. One of them came gliding down beside Henrietta, falling backwards as he landed. Most of his face was obscured by his helm, but his eyes were visible, opened wide in terror.
"It's just supposed to be a game. This is just supposed to be a game. It's just a game, oh god, oh god . . . I . . . I . . ."
His panic shook Henrietta to action. "Get a hold of yourself," she said as she hit his shoulder. "Your General needs you!"
He looked up at her distantly, confused, and then zeroed in on her face, on her eyes. He trembled. "I- I can't. This isn't really . . . This isn't supposed to be real . . . I'm not . . ."
"Look!" Henrietta waved at the battle. Already some of the other Lancers and mages had fled. "Are they not your comrades? Will you abandon them?"
The man shook his head fearfully. "B-but . . N-No."
"Then stand, soldier! I know not your name or creed, but we share one foe. If you can wield your lance, than guard me as I cast, if you can wield magic, then cast at my side! But first you must stand!"
Her words must have reached him, scrambling shakily to his feet. "Th-that mist from earlier, are you an Undine?"
Henrietta shook her head. "I am a Triangle of Water," she said. "Tell me, the stem is its weakness, correct?"
The man nodded. "Yes. Severing the stem completely should kill it. It will be stunned for a brief time after each strike before counter attacking with a debuff or paralyzing pollen, but I've never seen it do that before."
Henrietta didn't know what a "debuff" was, but the obvious solution was to do as she had first intended and finish this monster with one mighty blow. The abrasion sword was still her best chance.
She cast, the flower sensed her and a root snapped out to skewer. The Lancer intervened, charging forward with a fear filled cry. The root struck his shield like a bell and drove him back, his heavy boots digging into the earth, his crimson wings flaring into life.
"Hurry!"
A jet of muddy water erupted from the earth and licked at the stem. Roots threw themselves upward in a last defense, exploding in a shower of splinters, flying apart. For a precious instant the jet connected, eating halfway through the stem before expending itself.
The monster tipped forward, groaning at its base. The flower began to shake. A violent gale blew through the clearing, the pollen cloud thinned to nothing. A lone Griffin Knight ran forward on foot. He waved his sword with one hand, holding down his hat with the other.
The Man Eater leaned towards the knight, its petals drooping to touch the ground. Something shot from the center of the flower, long and red and filled with needle like teeth, but the Griffin Knight danced aside. Completing his chant the air around him gathered and condensed into a vortex, stretching, elongating, taking the form of a spear. The spell skewered the plant's maw, sending the flower reeling back.
The ground around the Griffin Knight exploded as roots pierced up from below and were just as quickly shattered as he defended himself. One of the roots grabbed hold of the man's arm and yanked him to the ground. Henrietta watched as the knight was overwhelmed beyond her reach.
At her side, the Lancer sagged to his knees. "It's over," he whispered, "we've nothing left." The fear had seemed to drain from him with the last of his strength. "You. Girl . . . run. I'll hold it off. Go, before I change my mind."
"I will not abandon my people!" Henrietta protested. She would not consign them to that fate. She would not . . .
The ground shook. Not like it had before. But faintly. And close.
An inhuman roar assaulted Henrietta's ears. Something was rising, the roots struggling to keep it pinned. They began to smoke, to smolder, and then in an instant were turned to ash in a brilliant flame that seared like the sun.
When the light cleared, out of the smoke stood the General. She did not know how he could remain standing. His armor was a shambles. Where the roots had struck him, blood oozed around severed stumps embedded in his flesh.
"Mage team!" the man roared, nearly doubling over with the effort. "Cast an attack buff!"
The frozen mages snapped from their stupor. As if seeing the unbelievable had given them new strength, the red clad warriors regrouped.
Runes inscribed themselves in the air once again. Was this some sort of elemental combination? But if it was, they were stacking far more than four units, they were stacking eight! No, that couldn't be right!
The mages looked up as their spell was completed. The General began to glow, outlined by a fearsome red aura. He charged again into the heart of the monster with one last roar. Like a berserker, like a wild animal breathing its last, he drove onward, shattering roots and tearing vines. His sword described a blood red arc towards its stem, carried through by inhuman might.
The flower ceased its wild thrashing as if some invisible thread had been cut.
Was it over? Henrietta wondered. A low moan issued once more from the base of the plant. "Oh no!" The sound began to attenuate, to crack and pop. The flower began to fall backwards, the last inches of its stem severing. With a crash the flower fell to earth like a shorn tree.
"Timber, you bastard," the Lancer beside her breathed.
In the silence that followed, General Eugene sank to his knees. Whatever strength had driven his final attack had faded. Henrietta turned to the Lancer.
"Mister . . ." Henrietta began and then paused, realizing that she had not heard his name. "What should I call you?"
"Call me . . . Kagemune," the man said as he sagged to the earth.
"A strange name." Henrietta shook her head. "But what of my guards?"
"If . . ." he took a breath. . . "if the pollen works as it should . . ." he sounded uncertain, "then they should begin to recover on their own."
Henrietta felt relief wash over her. "Thank the Founder."
A stirring came from the roots of the dead plant as the brave Griffin Knight blessing. Henrietta began to walk towards the defeated monster, pausing for a moment at the edge of its bed of roots before wading into the mess.
"Princess," the knight called, "are you unharmed?"
Henrietta nodded. "Thanks to these strangers."
The man eyed the red clad group warily. "My Lady?"
"I cannot say. . ." she hesitated, not recalling the man's name.
"Viscount Wardes, My Lady. Captain of the Griffin Knights."
"Thank you Captain, I do not know if the creature would have been slain without your help . . ." Henrietta heard the panicked voices of the red garbed men who were gathered around their General.
"I'm out of mana."
"Me too."
"What about pots?"
"Shit. I can't access my inventory. Nobody kept anything in reserve?"
"Commander Kagemune, what about you?"
The Lancer who had come to Henrietta's aid shook his head. "I'm exhausted as well."
"K-Kagemune," General Eugene was still conscious. He gave a fearsome grin to his subordinate. "I see you didn't run away, so I suppose I won't kill you . . . I will leave the punishment of your cowardly subordinates to you."
"Gene-kun!" Kagemune whispered. "Please Sir, hold on."
"Tell my brother . . . tell my brother . . ."
A faint glow began to emanate around the General's wounds, the oozing blood slowed and then stopped. Henrietta, wand in hand, began to incant.
"What are you . . ." Eugene began, only to stop as Henrietta placed a hand against his shoulder.
"Please stay still and try not to die," Henrietta said, focused on her task. "I have to save you. And then you will please answer my questions."