The date was March 3rd, 2023, and Luna found herself walking the paved stone streets of an eastern-styled fantasy village on the eighteenth floor. It wasn't the latest floor to be reached, but she wasn't here for leveling or for higher level gear. She was here because the day before, she had received a message in her inbox, which was a surprise in itself, but it surprised her even more when she saw who it was from. The icon appeared in her vision and she tapped on it, revealing the contents of the letter.
"Luna, I hate to be a bother, but if you could, I could really use your help. Meet me tomorrow on the eighteenth floor, at the inn called Coughing Mug, it's, uhhh, better than it sounds, promise. Either way, can't wait to see you, hope to see you there. I mean, if you don't want to come, it's all good, but I am asking nicely so, well, either way. Oh, by the way, this is Trail. Bye." Luna had read silently in her mind, imagining the boy's youthful voice saying it in her place.
She couldn't help but shake her head and sigh at the request, but she also didn't refuse it. She couldn't say why, but something was telling her to help him out. If she was lucky, maybe today would be the day she got paid back for saving his life all that time ago. Now, however, she might be asking for more than just a few potions. She wasn't tight on money, quite the contrary actually, but it never hurt to have more. She just recently bought some new gear, after all, and it put a small dent in her funds to have it all made. As of two days ago, she was wearing a pair of black calf-high leather boots with some black knee high socks, all of which were accented with a dark blue color. Instead of pants, she had on a pair of dark black shorts that were actually much shorter than she was really comfortable with, but that was how they came out so she sucked it up and equipped them. Her shirt was a tight fitting black shirt with blue stitching on the hem, collar, and ends of the short sleeves, and over that she had on a cropped leather coat that was a similar coloration to the rest of her ensemble. The sleeves were long with buckles on the ends, and a hood was at the upturned collar.
She also wore some black leather gloves, and the belt at her waist hung at a loose angle to the left, her dagger's sheath positioned on the backside, and angled upwards with the incline of the belt, so it was slightly higher on the right side. She had shortened her hair as well, though she kept the brown color the same. Instead of it reaching the center of her back, she instead cut it so it ended near her shoulder blades. It wasn't a big difference, but it was more than she had done in years with her hair. Despite the new length in the back, she left her fringe mostly alone. The sides of her head were still curtained by the spiky mess, and so too was her face, having most of her left eye hidden behind the splits, while the right side of her bangs were swept out of the way so she could see better from it. She decided that it was time to try something slightly different, and what better time than in virtual reality, where if she didn't like the changes, she could always revert them back for a small fee. It didn't take months or years to grow your hair back here, it only took a few minutes and a couple of taps on a screen.
After some asking around, she found the inn that Trail had requested her to meet him at. The city wasn't as large as the Town of Beginnings, but it was still large enough to make her prefer the Singing Swordsman over this new inn. That was at least somewhere she knew by heart, and could have found it a thousand times easier than this place. It was a typical fantasy styled building, a rectangular structure made of stone, with a red tiled roof, and a few square windows along the outside. A wooden sign hung out front, right beside the front door on the wall. She climbed the few steps it took to reach the door and pushed it open. Inside was a much busier scene than what she was used to, given her preference for taverns. There were several groups of players, eating their breakfasts and going over their inventories before getting started on the day's events. This was something that gave rise to conflicted feelings within Luna. These people, who were trying so hard to prepare, might not come back when the day is done.
Some of them might die before sundown, no matter how many potions they had or how much armor they were equipped with.
"Another dreadful thought." she said, internally. "I really need to stop thinking that way."
"Luna! Hey, over here!" Trail's voice was instantly recognizable, partially due to the reason that besides Trail and the required traders that she had gone through to get her equipment made, she had little experience talking with other players. She didn't have a vast knowledge of voices in her head, so Trail's stood out in the handful of them that she had collected.
She saw the waving boy across the room and felt her face grow hot as the eyes of the many patrons found her. It was as if the boy had painted a target on her back.
"Something else he will pay me back for." he thought, angrily, approaching his round, empty table.
She took a seat across from him and glared into his dark brown eyes. There was something different about him, and it wasn't just the change in equipment. Somehow, he looked older since she had last seen him three or so months ago. He was now wearing a long brown cloak, a loose fitting white tunic, some metal boots, a pair of black pants, and some metal bracers on his forearms. Even the leather gloves he wore had metal plating on the top of them. He actually looked like a proper player now, and not some underleveled idiot that had never touched an RPG before. It honestly surprised her, and she was secretly glad that he had survived all of this time. She didn't really know him at all, but she didn't dislike him, and she definitely didn't wish death upon him. It was a pleasant shock to be greeted with, she knew that now.
"Man, I almost didn't recognize you," said Trail. "Change even a little bit in this place and it's all over, you might as well be a stranger." he tacked on, grinning widely.
"What gave it away, then?" she asked.
"Your eyes. I haven't seen many players with that shade of yellow in their eyes. To be honest, I don't think I've seen any other player with yellow eyes. It sure is an oddity. Is that your natural color?" he asked.
"Yeah, it is. I got it from my mom." she answered.
"She must be beautiful," said Trail, almost absent-mindedly.
"I'm sorry?" Luna growled.
"Nothing, I just mean, well, you're pretty, so I thought, if she looked like you, she, uhhhh… You're not going to hurt me, are you?" he asked, wincing as she moved to cross her arms over her chest.
"Not yet, but I'm considering it. I'm also starting to regret coming, so can you get on with why I'm here."
"I said it in the message. I need your help with something." he stated.
"Help with what?" she then asked, trying to stuff down her annoyance.
"Help with a dungeon. It's on this floor, and some info-broker offered me some money for the map data. I figured it would be easier with somebody else, and since I don't know anybody else willing to help, I thought I would ask you."
"Really, for some map data? I came all the way here for some map data? Trail, I was scheduled to farm this really awesome spot on the latest floor, and I came all the way here for this? God, I am stupid." she said, resting her cheek in her palm as she put her elbow on the table for support.
"Yeah, there's some good money to be had by selling this stuff. Plus, it never hurts to be on a dealer's good side. Information can be hard to come by, and expensive at that." Trail explained, knowledgeably. "And you're not stupid, you're helpful."
"That remains to be seen. Why couldn't you do it by yourself?"
"For safety reasons, obviously. It's not safe to solo a dungeon."
"I do it all the time." she hurriedly said. "Try again."
"I'm not as good a player as other people."
"If not, you wouldn't be able to afford that gear. Got another one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You are a tough one. Fine, I wanted to see you again." he said. "I only knew you for a moment, but I thought that maybe we could be friends. I also thought I would run into you at some point naturally, but I guess that didn't happen so I had to come with an excuse to get you here."
"It couldn't be because I've been avoiding people like the plague." she thought, sarcastically. "It's a big place, and we're all moving around in it quite a bit. Honestly, I didn't think I would ever see you again." she said, coldly.
"At least I know you'll never freeze to death, with a heart like that." Trail stated, his usual smile on his lips. "Look, I wasn't lying about the dungeon, and I wasn't lying about needing your help. It will make things easier, and I can pay you back once it's done."
"True, that would be nice." she muttered. "Fine, I'll help you out, but I want half of what you get for this."
"Half?" he gasped.
"Half." she repeated. "If I'm half of the party, and if I'm doing half of the work, I should get half of the pay. That's only natural, so be glad I'm not tacking on what you owe me as well. I could always ask for sixty percent instead of fifty."
After several seconds, Trail appeared to regret acting on his whim to call for her help, but he swallowed it down and forced a smile. "I guess that's okay, then. When will you be ready?" he asked her.
"Now, and it better be okay, seeing as you're paying for my time and company." she said, rising from the seat.
"You're a lot more feisty than I remember." he said, also taking out his feet. "I guess I can't complain though, I did ask you to come."
"Now you're getting it." Luna said, smiling back over her shoulder.
They left the main city and confines of the safe-zone behind them in order to venture into the vast wilderness that was the eighteenth floor. There were some mountainous hills and large stretches of plains, and even a few streams that carved their way through the earthy surface. Luna noticed other players farming up monsters in the fields, mostly in parties, but there were a couple of people going at it solo. Whether they were solo players or their party was just absent at the moment, she couldn't say. It was rare to see a true solo player though, seeing as it was an MMO, and in this world, numbers really did outweigh individual strength in most situations. Luna could easily handle anything on this floor in a one-on-one fight, but if there were three or four of any of the floor's creatures, she would have a desperate fight on her hands, one that she might even lose if she made a single mistake.
The same thing could be said when going up against people, which was starting to become a more common thing in the last month or so. There were players known as Orange Players, players that performed some sort of crime against their fellow prisoners, be it stealing from them or harming them in any way. This went all the way to murder as well. These murderers, or PKers, were known as Red Players, despite sharing the same orange cursor as the rest of the criminals in Aincrad. These people, as far as Luna knew, weren't exactly commonplace yet, but she didn't have any doubt in her mind that things would escalate to that point eventually. Luna and Trail dispatched a few monsters on their way to the dungeon, which was apparently hiding in a crevice between a couple of the stony hills a few miles from town. It reminded her of the cave on the seventh floor that she had bookmarked in her memories.
It was a thin opening, one that would be a squeeze for even Trail, who wasn't all that much larger than Luna. He sucked in his chest and slid past the slim opening, and Luna easily followed him inside. She had him lead the way, seeing as this was his operation. She felt a little guilty for it, but decided quickly that he owed her his life, it only made sense that he should be in front, just for the purpose of keeping her safe. Besides, he was the guy, and weren't guys supposed to protect girls in these situations? She quickly shook her head at the thought.
"Stupid way of thinking." she murmured.
"What was that?" asked Trail, turning to face her.
"Nothing, keep your attention ahead. I got a search skill but it's still not that great yet, so I can only sense a few dozen feet ahead. Stuff can still easily sneak up on us, and some enemies have ways to counter the search skill altogether so pay attention."
"You sound like a real gamer now, Luna," he said.
"It's not like I never did." she replied.
"True, but it's just odd. I have an older sister, only by a few years, but the only things she ever talks about is makeup and boys and parties. It's a nice change of pace to see a girl my age talking about the things I like. I fall into the normal way of thinking, you know, the 'girls don't play games' sort of mentality. I guess, the correct way of putting it would be 'used to', huh?"
"It's not like I'm really all that normal. I've always been a bit of a tomboy. I never played with dolls or anything like that. It was always action figures and swords and fighting, all with my brother."
"I guess I can thank him for making you the way you are. After all, I like the way you are."
"Creep." Luna murmured.
Trial laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head, and the two continued on. The cave was dark, but there was an odd light around them that provided just enough visibility to not trip over the uneven terrain. It was damp there, so much so that Luna could feel the moisture on her skin, and she would be sweating from the humidity of the place if her digital body could produce it. There was also a musty smell to the air, and it was accompanied by an earthy musk, like wet dirt. She even felt her feet slip a few times while walking over the slick, rocky ground. Still, she could manage this. She never had a problem with the dark, and tight spaces were never a bother either. There would be no problem as long as there wasn't any…
"Water?" Luna gasped, as the pair of them came to a stop.
They were standing on the edge of the walkway, and overlooking a massive crater that was alight with sapphire colored bioluminescence. The entire indent in the world was filled with crystal clear water, and was shimmering brightly in the open chamber of the cavern. The room was easily large enough to fit a small village inside of it. In the middle of the underground lake was a stony island, all alone, and containing atop it a stone monument. It was thin, stood straight, and extended into the sky roughly six feet. She thought she saw some text or something on it, but from this distance, she had no chance of making out exactly what it was. Besides, she was more focused on the body of water and the lack of a bridge to cross over it. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, all looking like deadly, crooked needles that were on the brink of collapsing to the watery depths below them. They dropped so much moisture that the ripples in the lake surface below appeared similar to a puddle in a rainstorm, constantly in a state of distrubed motion from the impacting droplets.
The sound of the drips echoed in the chamber, reaching even Luna's location, which was easily thirty feet above the lake. From their position, Trail pointed out a descending ramp beside them, made out of the same slick stone they had been walking on for the last handful of minutes. Luna had to catch her breath, seeing as it fled at the sight of the rippling, illuminated liquid.
"What's the matter?" Trail asked, stopping and shifting to look behind him, where she was still frozen solid.
"I, uhhh… Nothing. It's nothing." she quickly said, and hurried past him to take the lead.
She didn't want to admit her secret to him, not if it was unnecessary. For all she knew, they might not need to cross the lake, and even if they did, there was probably some sort of way across that would come rising from the surface the second they reached the shoreline. She was sure that had to be the case, and continued down the descending decline as it ran around the perimeter of the lake, slowly bringing them to the bottom level of the cave. When they reached the bottom, there was a shoreline of white sand. The sand could be seen going halfway around the body of water, starting where she was presently standing. The chamber was a circle, and the beach made up half of it. There were no signs of a bridge, no boats anywhere in sight, and past the island, where there was no land to be crossed, she saw another opening in the cave. This was presumably where they had to go next if they were going to finish the dungeon's map, but she had no means of getting across the lake.
"I guess we're swimming it." Trail said, coming up beside her.
There was an ease in his voice, but Luna was far from relaxed at this suggestion. It was an entirely normal assumption, to think that they had to swim to the other side, and Luna could normally see herself going along with this plan. However, there was a major flaw that prevented her from accepting what Trail said so easily. She took a step back from the water and shook her head.
"Luna?" asked Trail, looking back at her.
"I can't." she said, now standing a solid ten feet from the shifting surface.
Trail looked at the lake and then a grin found his face as realization entered his mind. "I see. You can't swim, can you?" he questioned, almost mockingly.
"I can." she argued, her cheeks taking on the puffing, pouty shape that they did whenever Jin would make fun of her.
"I don't know, you seem pretty brave to me. If you could handle taking on dungeons and monsters solo from the start of the game, all the way up to the twenty-something floor, I don't see why you should be afraid of water. That is, unless you couldn't swim in it, in which case, I would understand completely. But that couldn't be you right? The fierce assassin Lunasara could not possibly be incapable of swimming." he said, still in the overdramatic, mocking tone.
"Fine! Damn it, fine. I can't swim." she admitted, growing tired of his voice and the words it was saying. She got enough of that from Jin throughout her childhood, and didn't need it from some stranger in this prison she was stuck in. "Get it out of your system, laugh all you want. I can't swim, never could." she said, quietly.
"I'm not going to laugh, but it is a bit unexpected. I guess everyone has their weakness. It's good to know that if we ever get in a duel, I just need to bring you to a swimming pool to beat you."
"Shut up before I throw you in there and drown you." she snapped.
"I wouldn't drown, I can swim," he said.
"Good for you." Luna growled, as she leaned her back against the stone wall under the ramp they had descended. "I guess I'll have to wait here while you go on ahead."
"Nah, we'll find a way to get you across, promise." said Trail, looking around to locate any means of making that happen.
Trail walked back and forth on the sandy shore for nearly fifteen minutes before stopping directly across from the stone pillar on the island. He started walking towards it but stumbled as his foot struck something buried in the sand. Very quickly, he fell forward, planting his face into the shore as he landed, and sending a splash of water around him from the impact. Luna couldn't stifle her laugh in time, and apologized as Trail gazed at her, his hair dripping wet and his face covered in soaked clumps of sand.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Better now that you've smiled," he replied.
"Really?" she asked.
"Too much?" he questioned.
"Too much." she answered, walking over to him to examine whatever it was that he tripped over.
His foot kicked a bit of the sand away, revealing a transparent glass orb that had been buried previously. She lifted it up and the pillar on the island started glowing in response to the orb, which seemed to absorb light from the surrounding air.
"What's it doing?" he asked, brushing the white grains from his clothes and hair.
"I don't know." she answered, quietly.
As the sphere took in scattered remnants of light, it started becoming slightly more solid and a swirling liquid could be seen inside that almost looked like the water of the lake. After several seconds, it was similar to a snowglobe, with small glowing crystals swimming inside of it. The ball started growing hot in her hand, even through her glove, and the world around them began to rumble and the lake's surface became disturbed by a rising structure.
"It's making a bridge." Trail gasped, watching the long, glass platform rise from the depths of the lake.
The massive bit of artificial land seemed to be as fragile as porcelain, was so clear that it looked almost invisible atop the water, and appeared to be held up by the sloshing lake underneath it. The orb in Luna's hands grew so hot that the water inside began to boil, and she was forced to drop it before it started taking away her HP. When it hit the ground, the sand around it began to steam and a pedestal of glass rose underneath it, creating a podium that cradled the sphere comfortably within it. Luna was left dumbstruck at what she had just experienced, but as the quaking ceased, her mind seemed to come back to life.
"Incredible." she mumbled.
"I know." Trail agreed, right beside her. He made the motion of taking a step before another voice called out, stopping him mid-stride.
"Stop where you are!" the voice ordered.
It was a deep pitch, low and gravelly. It sounded like it belonged to a large man, and when Luna looked over her shoulder, she saw its owner standing at the bottom of the ramp they had previously descended. He was an enormous figure with a bulging, muscular figure. He had a tanned complexion, short black hair, and steel armor with gold accents that outlined the edges of the metal. In his right hand, propped up on his shoulder, was a massive greatsword that was black in color, with a gold crossguard, and a black leather hilt. Beside him were two thinner figures, one a man, and one a woman. The man wore lighter gear, but it was still a metal material, and the woman was wearing lighter gear, starting with a black cloak that hid everything above her knees underneath it. Her violet eyes found Luna's golden ones before shifting to find Trail, who she then winked at. She had dark indigo hair with streaks of black. The thinner man had short silver hair, and black eyes that were small and beady. He drew a silver longsword from the sheath on his belt while the woman drew a dagger from her hip.
When Luna focused on the trio, their cursors appeared above their heads, as well as their health bars. All of their bars were full, but it was the cursors that really caught her attention. They were no longer the light green that every player should have, but instead were a deep shade of orange.
"Luna." Trail mumbled, reaching for his sword.
"I know." she replied, moving her hand to grab the dagger at her waist.
"Don't even try it, kids." said the greatsword wielder. "You see, me and my merry gang here are going to take your possessions, walk across that bridge, and complete this dungeon. You're going to hand over said possessions, and walk out of here without a second thought. Any arguments or signs of resistance, we'll simply kill you where you stand. Is that all easy enough to understand?"
"We're not handing you anything!" Trail said, loudly. It took Luna by surprise. She never took him as the confident type, or, not the strong type anyway. He always seemed like a bit of a pushover, but she supposed that she should have given him a bit more credit than that. Trail raised his sword and pointed the gleaming tip at the largest of the group. "Leave or you might get hurt."
The large man with the larger sword started belting out a terribly cackle that echoed around the entire chamber. Luna raised her dagger in its reverse grip, taking a defensive posture in anticipation for a fight.
"There's three of us, kid, and I guarantee you that our levels aren't low. Try your luck and we'll put an end to you. This will be your last warning, I won't repeat myself again."
"What's so special about this place?" asked Luna, without even knowing she was going to propose the question. "Is it really worth killing another human over?" she inquired.
"I assure you, girl, it is. According to a personal informant, what thai place offers is a rare, life-saving item. It would sell for six figures on the market, easily. Your gear also looked pretty expensive, so I want that as well. In fact, might as well get out of it now, it would be a waste for you to die with it on." the man said.
Luna lowered her body and prepared to rush at him. She hated to admit it, but that last comment sent a shiver up her spine, and the way his eyes looked at her didn't help ease the strange, disgusting sensation she felt crawling over her skin. It had also angered her, which was another emotion she couldn't help but give in to. Just as she was about to move, Trail held out a hand and she saw a serious expression plaguing his face, one that made him seem so much older than he normally appeared.
"This is the last time I'm warning you. Leave us alone, and get out of here." Trail said.
His voice wasn't as deep or intimidating as the man ahead of them, but it was fierce and willful, which Luna felt comforted to hear. He seemed calmer than she did as well, which only helped ease her own mind in this situation. She straightened up again, and the big man began to laugh once more. With a snap of his fingers, Luna's instincts kicked in and her brain started firing on all cylinders. She moved the second she saw the glint of silver from underneath the woman's cloak. Her dagger flashed and the sound of clinking metal filled the room, followed quickly by the soft thuds of the slim throwing knives planting themselves in the surrounding sand. Luna stood in front of Trail now, her dagger raised, and a single silver knife protruding from her right shoulder, having taken it in his place.
Her health dropped a few points, and she felt the stinging sensation in her shoulder that made her thankful there was a pain dampener built into the headset she was wearing in the real world. The woman rushed at her now, a dagger gleaming in her right hand while she drew two more thin knives from her belt. Luna deflected both of the throwing knives and with a loud cry of "Switch!", she stepped aside as Trail's red glowing blade thrusted past her. It barely missed her side and connected with the woman as she practically changed onto it. Luna moved into action quickly, stepping in front of the woman as Trail removed his blade. She spun and delivered a powerful kick to her face, sending her to the ground.
"Luna, look out!" Trail shouted, and just as she raised her dagger, an insurmountable amount of force connected with her blade.
She was lifted off of her feet and thrown a dozen or so feet through the air. Her small body hit the glass bridge with a solid thud and she rolled twice before stopping on her side. Her dagger clattered against the ground beside her, sliding on the slick transparent surface, and stopping just before it reached the edge.
"Lun…" Trail started to yell, but the rest of his voice was muffled by a massive hand grabbing hold of his face. The greatsword user tossed him aside as if he was a small cat, and Trail went flying into the wall of the ramp.
"Stupid children." the large figure boomed, stepping closer to Luna, and ignoring Trail completely now. She gazed up at him with her ferocious eyes as they peered through the curtains of spiky brown hair that hid most of her face. "This is why I always hated children. They never listen to their elders. I say to do something, and they always feel the need to argue or to resist. You know, girl," he said, raising the massive steel sword to his shoulder again. "It would all be easier if you just did what you were told."
He brought the sword down but Luna rolled out of the way, scooping up her dagger in the process. She then leapt backwards on all fours, avoiding another downward strike of the gigantic blade, which created shockwaves from the impact. She was surprised that the whole bridge didn't shatter and collapse from the attack, but her faith in its durability was not as solid as the floor appeared to be. She was breathing heavily, and the fact that she could only move backwards on the narrow platform only made her heart race all the faster. She was surrounded on both sides by water, in front of her was the towering monster of a man, who easily outsized her by nearly a foot and a half, and behind her was the island. She continued creeping backward, holding her dagger out in front of her in a defensive stance.
"Quit trying, girl. You're fast, but I doubt you're all that strong. Your pathetic blade, combined with your weak amount of strength, won't be able to stand a chance against my sword. One swing with this thing and you'll go over. I'll watch you drown, nice and slowly."
Luna hurriedly threw three knives from under her belt, which were all blocked by the man stabbing his sword into the glass floor, the flat of which took the blades. She flipped backward with a handspring, and then launched into a backflip in the air. While she was flipping, she threw three more blades and landed closer to the island than she was before. Just as she was about to turn and make a run for it, the man was on her, swinging that massive beast of a sword. His agility stat must have been pretty high for him to move that quickly with that large of a weapon, but Luna didn't have the time to focus on that at the present.
He sent a downward, diagonal swing her way, which she barely avoided with a ducking sidestep. He then fluidly went into a waist-high horizontal swing, which Luna jumped over just in the knick of time. Using one of her legs, she kicked off of the beast's chest, pushing her into another flip backward. She landed and then sprung backwards again as another sword blow came towards her. Right when she landed, she drew another throwing knife, which began to take on a golden light, but before she had the chance to throw it, he was on her again. She raised her dagger and took the brunt of the impact. She flew back, and to her surprise, she felt her back hit the stone pillar she had been trying to reach. Her dagger flew from her hand and stuck, blade down, into the dirt of the island. Before her body hit the ground, she felt a powerful sensation dig into her gut and sling her aside.
The numbing sensation of a large wound filled her abdomen as she flew through the air, hit the ground, and slid towards the edge of the water. She caught a root while she was sliding and scrambled to pull her feet away from the lake edge, panting heavily, and clutching at her stomach with her free hand. Her eyes were wild with fright as she watched what was almost her watery coffin lap up on the shore and soak her boot, as if it was reaching out to drag her into its depths.
"Idiotic girl. I offered you a chance, and this is what you get for turning it down." said the greatsword user.
Luna then looked at him, her vision narrowing to that of a tunnel, and at the end of it, this man stood alone. All sound was blocked out. She could no longer hear the words of the monster ahead, the clashing of swords as Trail fought the others on the shoreline, or even her own pounding heart. Everything froze, and all of her focus went entirely on this man. Her left hand reached to her belt for another knife, and she grabbed it firmly between her thumb and index finger. As the man raised his sword, everything seemed to slow down momentarily. She instantly threw her knife, not aiming for a vital position, but for his knee. The second it left her hand, she was charging forward. The blade found its target, and like she hoped, the stunned man growled as he dropped to one knee. Luna was on him in a heartbeat, but she wasn't attacking him. Instead, as he put both hands on the hilt of his sword and swung it at her, she leapt up, vaulted over his body, and landed on the other side of him. He turned, bringing his sword around again, but Luna was waiting for him to do just that.
"Ahhhhhh!" she screamed, with all of her might, and all the ferocity of the feral canine beast she was so often compared to.
In the next second, the man's sword fell to the ground and he lost his balance, falling into Luna to keep himself upright. He let out a hoarse gasp, probably more out of surprise than anything, as she twisted the dimming dagger that was lodged in his torso. Her breathing was frantic, and she felt a burning sensation in her eyes as the man fell further onto her blade, and further against her body. As the man's head found her shoulder, his lips right next to her numb ears, a sound finally broke through to her. It was laughter. A wicked, menacing guffaw that was somehow terrorizing. It filled her body with a dreadful chill, and she felt even her limbs growing numb now. She had been called cold-hearted before, but at that moment, at the sound of that horrible laugh, she felt fully frozen, as if she was dead and soulless.
"You killed me." the man whispered, just after the laughter left his lips. "You murderer." the man mumbled. After that, he barreled into another fit of maniacal laughter as his body started growing light and shiny. "You killed…" he started, but before he could finish, his body exploded into the all too familiar shards of polygons that represented a dying creature in the world of SAO.
Only, this time, it wasn't a monster, it was a player, a man, a fellow living human, and she had killed him. When his weight vanished completely, it was almost as if he had been supporting her instead of the other way around. She dropped to her knees, her dagger falling into the dirt beside her, and tears started streaming down her face as the realization of what she did flooded into her. She needed to do it, it was self defense. It was her life or his, and she had come out on top. She won, and she survived. He was evil, and she was not. But even with all of this being true in her mind, she couldn't stop the pain that was in her chest, or the incessant stinging in her eyes, or the invading shiver that was causing her entire body to tremble.
"I killed him." she mumbled, and when she looked at her hands, she saw that she was digging her fingers into the earth, clawing into the dirt and taking handfuls of it into her clenched up fists. Small, shimmering droplets fell and splashed on her wrists, which then slowly turned into glittering particles that faded away in a matter of milliseconds.
"Luna?" came Trail's voice. Luna's breath caught in her throat so all she could respond with an inquisitive squeak. Trail must have understood it, as he then proceeded to ask, "Are you alright?"
She pulled her quivering hands from the dirt and wiped her eyes fervently on her sleeves in an attempt to clear the tears away. "F-fine." she answered, as she did one final pass of her right sleeve. "W-where are the others?" she questioned.
"One's dead, the other ran." he answered, slowly, and somberly. "The second the woman saw your attack land on the big guy, she took off running. I was already finishing with the guy. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." she answered, her hand gripping her dagger, as well as a clump of gritty dirt. She rose and flipped the blade around in her hand as she looked towards the other corridor, the one they had not explored yet. "Come on, let's finish this up." she prompted and started walking absently to the shoreline.
"Luna, the bridge isn't up yet." he pointed out, and when she stopped at the edge of the water, she noticed that her ankles were already submerged.
Trail pressed a hand to the stone pillar while Luna took a step or two back, putting herself on dry land. A fierce quaking arose again, bringing with it the birth of another bridge. There was only one chamber on the other side, and in it was a pedestal which housed another sphere like the one that was on the beach. Trail put a hand to it, and a message appeared in Luna's vision that read "Dungeon Completed", and a reward came up next that was labeled "Jewel of Regeneration" She didn't pay any of it any mind whatsoever. Instead, she turned and started walking back towards the exit, remaining silent the entire trip back to the town. She said her farewell to Trail, who was reluctant to leave but she insisted, and then rented a room at the inn for a night. She needed sleep. A little bit of sleep, and this would all wash away. The pain, the guilt, the nauseating sensation that was rising in the pit of her stomach, all of it would be nothing but a bad dream when morning came.
Unfortunately for Luna, this was not the case. She awoke in just as much distress as she was in the day before, and maybe even a little more. This was no dream, it was reality. She killed a man, and whether it was self-defense or not, she would have to live with that knowledge for the rest of her life, however long that might be.