Now that vacations and family emergencies are over, I can actually get some writing done. Apologies for the delay.

Wandering Blade

Chapter 2

Despair in the Dark

"Do not fear the dark; fear what emerges from it."

Darkness was often a subject of Robyn's dreams.

Robyn did not fear the dark. The black of night and its corresponding silence was a comfort to him, a welcome reprieve from the suffocating overstimulation of everyday life. The constant sounds, sights, and feel of the world were stifling. There was too much to take in, Too much to analyze, and Too much to prepare for. The tranquility of the night brought a peaceful environment where he could be alone with his thoughts.

Most are not afraid of the dark, however. They fear what lies hidden in its depths. The constant paranoia causes many to seek a source of light and pray for the quick arrival of dawn.

Robyn was no exception to this.

While the constant ebb and flow of life implored him to seek shelter in the dark, there was still the threat of danger. The slightest tingle of paranoia in the back of his mind caused him to only allow himself a place in the darkness when every entrance to his place of solitude was secured and covered. Only then could he relax his nerves.

In Sword Art Online, there was no fear of immediate harm while in a safe zone. The clever enemy could divine methods around the game's laws. Enemies found manipulating a victim's menu using their hand to be easy, and too many innocent souls would find themselves prey to the schemes of the player-killers.

Robyn allowed himself to succumb to the overflow of his mind in a secure room on the second floor of an inn. The bubbling thought evaporated from his mind and chest as he sorted through his various thoughts and feelings from the day. His annoyance with the happy couple on the first floor, The irritation he felt in the large crowds, and his encounter with Kirito were compiled, sorted, and dissipated. But his solitary ruminations could not disperse the stronger feelings. The lingering feelings of hatred for Kayaba Akihiko. The endless rage of an animal trapped in a cage. The infuriating feeling of an unfinished puzzle. The unanswered questions. Every emotion that remained bubbled up in his chest and head until the questions overlapped one another, increasing in volume and crescendoing into screams as the conflicts crawled within his skull and the flames in his chest burned brighter than a wildfire.

As his emotions spilled out, the twitching came again. The contractions of his muscles tightened his limbs uncomfortably, and he writhed in discomfort. The screaming in his head echoed across the walls of his skull, bouncing back and forth and increasing in intensity as his emotions climbed. He covered his ears with his hands to no avail, hoping to muffle the cries of his mind. He drew his knees up to his chest, shook and twitched, desperately trying to banish the wails of confusion in his mind. The darkness's power had shut out the external stimuli of the world, but this resulted in a lack of distraction. There was nothing else to focus on, Nothing to take his mind off the madness in his head. In desperation, Robyn kicked the bedside cabinet with all of his strength. Then again. Then once more. The echoes ceased.

The kicks did no damage to the cabinet. Like all other items in an NPC inn, it was indestructible. But this would not lift the regret caused by the incident.

"To give in to one's primal instincts is to lower yourself to the level of an animal," Robyn thought. "Does this make me any better than the dumb beasts I destroy every day?"

Yet another question had been added to Robyn's arsenal of anger.

As the chaotic emotions slowly leaked out of his body, exhaustion replaced them. An urge for sleep overcame him, and he allowed it to take him without resolving his emotions.

Robyn's dream was empty except for himself. There was only darkness. But this dark brought him no comfort. It was abyssal, dangerous, and infinite. The unknown lay around him while the nothingness deployed the entire arsenal of his imagination. Now Robyn would hold no control.

In his life outside of the game, Robyn rarely dreamed. When he did, he did not receive nightmares. They had not haunted him since he was a child, but once he had become trapped in the game, they began to plague his mind once again.

Robyn's first instinct was to blame Kayaba. If one was able to trap the mind in a game, surely he could implant dreams into the subconscious?

Over time Robyn had come to dismiss this theory. While Kayaba was indeed responsible for their circumstances, he was a fair jailer. While his hatred for Kayaba burned in his chest, he begrudgingly respected that Kayaba seemed to follow his own set of rules and moral codes. Purposefully implanting nightmares into players' heads seemed out of line, even for him.

Robyn pondered this for a while, attempting to ignore the endless blackness surrounding him. For some reason, Robyn was subconsciously able to recognize that he was dreaming but was unable to bring that realization to the forefront of his mind. Much like one forgets a word, only to have it on the tip of his tongue when they need it. This often created a very frustrating dream state. While he could act according to the situation he was in, he could not take control of it. He could not force himself to wake from his nightmares.

A creak echoed through the darkness.

Robyn jumped and quickly scanned his surroundings but saw nothing in the darkness.

Something thumped in the distance.

Robyn's heart began to race. He still saw nothing.

Then something cracked.

His sword hand twitched nervously.

Something large slid across the ground.

He began to reach for his sword.

A small object fell to the floor.

Robyn's hand grabbed frantically at the air. There was no sword on his back.

Whispers began to grow in the dark around him.

He turned quickly, trying to locate the source of the voice.

A hand grabbed his shoulder.

Robyn yelped and swung with his arm, only to have it intercepted by a warm hand.

Robyn struggled but ultimately stopped when he saw the familiar face close to his own.

"What's wrong, man?" the apparition asked.

Robyn stared hard at the face in front of him. The sight of a familiar scraggly boy with wiry blonde hair brought a sense of relief over him until he saw that the man's hand was made of bone and decaying flesh. He tried to wrench his hand free of his grip, but the decaying hand acted as though it was made of iron.

"Why'd you let this happen?"

Robyn tried to pull away again unsuccessfully. "No, I.."

"Why did you let me die?"

"I.."

"You were my friend."

"I didn't.."

Robyn's words died as he watched the man's face begin to melt. His skin flaked off, and his hair dried up, leaving only a skeleton with bits of rotting flesh.

"Why…?" The skeleton creaked with the last of the breath in his lungs.

His surroundings were suddenly lit, revealing a room full of similar-looking skeletons. Some were dressed in the everyday clothes of the real world, but some were dressed in the clothes of Sword Art Online, their hands still clinging fiercely to their weapons.

The air in the room seemed to get sucked out, leaving Robyn gasping for air.

The skeletons all looked at him remorselessly. "Why?" They creaked in unison.

There was no air for the scream that would have escaped Robyn's mouth.

Robyn suddenly sprang up in his bed and yanked his sword from his scabbard. On his feet, he frantically scanned his surroundings, only to find himself alone.

It was just an empty inn room.

As Robyn collected himself, he returned his sword to his sheath. Climbing down from his bed, he walked to the sink and gazed at himself in the mirror. If one could perspire in the virtual world, Robyn would be drenched in a cold sweat. But he looked the same as he had before he had fallen asleep.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror intensely. He had not dreamed of his late best friend since the incident. He did not know why he was appearing now, but he was determined not to allow it to sway him. Burying the memory, Robyn turned his thoughts toward the future.

He checked the time. It was 5:22 AM.

Sighing, he strode toward the bedroom door and into the morning air.

Urbus, the main settlement of the second floor, rested on top of a flat mountaintop inside a crater. Walking to the crater's edge yielded a fantastic view of the second floor. Like the first floor, the second floor was home to vast savannahs and rocky outcrops. The floor itself was barely mapped at this point, having only been unlocked several days ago. But the monsters that called the savannah home were noticeably superior to the simpler animals on the first floor. Robyn had carefully begun exploring the second floor the day before, having collected what little info currently existed before venturing out. The monsters he encountered proved to be more of a challenge than those of the previous floor, but the grinding he had done on the first floor had assured him that his skills were well up to par.

The dungeon was theorized to be in the same location as in the beta test. Therefore there were several parties already en route to the speculated location. Robyn preferred to leave the exploring and mapping to the parties if he could. That sort of work was better suited to groups. When the dungeon was found, he would assist there, where the narrow corridors of the dungeon would better suit his solo player status.

Until then, Robyn spent his time grinding and completing quests. Several in town suited to his playstyle, and they had rewarded him with a decent amount of col and several useful items. If he were lucky, there would be something here that would reward him with some better equipment.

The town square was quiet in the early morning. Many Players often slept late, spending their nights farming. But there were a few players whom, like Robyn, sleep eluded. These players tended to spend the early morning prepping for the day. However, some seemed to have nothing better to do than to wait. The one thing these people had in common was that they acted alone. Unlike Robyn, however, many were simply biding their time until their party members awoke from their slumber. For many, this was bound to be a long wait, as most players kept their poor sleep habits from the real world.

As the clock struck six, Robyn stepped through the town gate. The quest he received was simple: Collect a particular herb for an NPC apothecary. The information he had obtained assured him that it was an easy quest. There was no guardian for the herb; it was simply a long walk. Of course, the monsters that haunted the fields of the 2nd floor didn't make the trip safe, but the danger was what Robyn was counting on. He had yet to properly test his mettle against the creatures of the second floor, and this kind of simple quest would begin to unravel the true nature of the floor's monsters.

Several hundred feet down the path, the air shimmered nearby, spawning in a muscular, bipedal ox. The system's HUD identified it as a "Lesser Taurus Striker."

"Cow monsters, huh?" Robyn mused.

Ignoring his words, the ox charged at him with a large hammer. Robyn sidestepped the blow and readied a sword skill, easily cutting the beast in two.

Robyn figured other people might be on this quest, but he didn't think it would be him.

The endpoint of the quest was a lake in a small valley surrounded by rocks. A small patch of green jutted out of the ground near the lake. This was the Oxtail Blume, a small medicinal herb that temporarily increased one's agility by a minor amount. Standing in front of the patch was a player in a familiar black coat. He faced the lake, seemingly waiting for something.

Robyn silently approached, stopping about ten meters away from him

"The Black swordsman." he scoffed.

At the sound of his epithet, Kirito turned. "Can I help you?"

"I just need you to move," Robyn said coldly.

He strode forward and picked one of the herbs, adding it to his inventory. A notification on the corner of his vision indicated that a quest had been updated. He stood up and turned toward Kirito, staring into his black eyes.

"You want something?" Kirito asked politely.

"I do," Robyn sneered. "I-"

Robyn faltered as Kirito drew his sword. Robyn quickly drew his own and prepared himself, only to realize that Kirito's eyes were gazing over Robyn's shoulder. Robyn turned his head and saw nothing, but Kirito called out to a large outcrop of boulders, "Come out. I know you're there."

There was silence. Robyn was about to turn and admonish Kirito for the false alarm when a figure walked out from behind the rocks.

" Eh, you're pretty good to have noticed us hiding back here."

"I was on guard," called Kirito. "There have been reports of players ambushing and robbing players at the end of easy quests. I wasn't sure how real they were."

"And you came anyway?" replied the man. "How brave of you."

As the man came closer, he became easier to make out, not that there was much to see. He wore a ratty gray cloak with the hood up but carried himself with confidence. Robyn could tell that this was not the first time he had approached players like this. Behind the man, two more players emerged from the outcropping and began their approach.

"Well Blackie-sensei, I'm going to need you and Bluey here to hand over all your items."

"Unlikely," Robyn snarled.

"Behind us, whispered Kirito. "We're pinned down."

Robyn glanced behind him and muttered a curse. Two more players emerged from hiding places behind them with their blades drawn.

Robyn drew his blade. "I use a two-handed broadsword, and 'Blackie-sensei' over here uses a one-handed longsword. Between us, we have little defense. This may go poorly."

"You really want to risk going orange?" Robyn called out to the players, "you know you won't be able to get into town, right?"

The leader chuckled at them. "As if we care about something so trivial. Now, if you aren't going to give up your items, we'll take them by force! "

Kirito edged toward Robyn and pressed his back against Robyn's. "Whatever problem you have with me right now, we'll have to deal with later. Right now, it's in our mutual best interest to work together.

Robyn grunted in agreement and readied his sword.

"All right, boys," the leader shouted gleefully, "It's showtime!"

The five assailants leapt at the two swordsmen, weapons at the ready.

One's perception of time becomes warped in the fray of battle. The space around Robyn seemed to slow as he analyzed the situation around him. He currently faced fewer enemies than Kirito did on his side. The two enemies he faced were dressed in similar gray cloaks with drawn hoods. One held a hatchet and a rounded shield, while the other had a simple one-handed sword. They seemed well adjusted to fighting with each other, given that they moved instinctually. The man with the shield took the front position while the swordsman took up the rear. It was likely that they would take up a classic tank and DPS playstyle, absorbing his blows with the shield while the swordsman leapt through the gaps to land decisive blows.

Another problem with this fight was its unfamiliar and unexpected nature. Robyn had never fought with another player in a life-or-death struggle. His resolve hesitated briefly as he considered the ramifications of the fight. Would killing these men in self-defense be ethically right? Should he attempt to flee? He pushed these thoughts aside and steeled himself. His priority had to be self-preservation. In a world such as this, it was kill or be killed. There was no time to ponder the moral ramifications of his actions.

Launching himself forward, Robyn aimed a heavy blow at his nearest enemy. His opponent blocked the blow with his shield, but the strength of Robyn's blow achieved the desired effect of knocking his foe off balance. As the man reeled from the impact, Robyn brought his sword at his opponent horizontally, knocking him to the side. The hatchet-wielder rolled away several feet to the side, but Robyn barely had time to recover from his maneuver before he had to catch the other swordsman's strike with his blade.

Their blades locked together, and the two pushed against each other's swords against each other in an unrelenting contest of strength and will. Robyn had an edge with a larger blade, but his opponent pushed forward with an unrelenting eagerness. Yet the cloaked man had underestimated the strength of the man he sought to ambush. Unbeknownst to either of them, Robyn's level exceeded that of his opponent, and he had placed more points into his strength stat. Their contest appeared equal for only a moment, but Robyn took a step forward and poured his strength into his sword, knocking his opponent off balance. As the man attempted to regain his footing, Robyn used his sword to slap his sword out of his hand, where it went spinning off into the lake. Robyn raised his sword to deliver a final blow when the hatchet-wielder suddenly returned to the fray, jumping between Robyn and his comrade to intercept his strike with his shield.

This time it was Robyn's turn to lose his balance, and his opponent quickly leapt in with his hatchet, but Robyn managed to barely dance out of its path. While he attempted to regain his footing, the hatchet-wielder went on the offensive, swinging his hatchet back and forth, attempting to hack Robyn to pieces. The strikes he could not dodge he was able to parry with his blade, but he was barely keeping it together. Behind his opponent, he could see the swordsman digging through his menu, attempting to locate and equip a replacement blade from his inventory.

Time was short, and Robyn knew he had to take down his opponent before his backup returned, or he wouldn't stand a chance. Steeling himself, Robyn jumped back and readied a sword skill. A glowing red light enveloped his sword as the system took hold of his body to execute the skill. What he had planned was risky and depended on his opponent acting exactly as predicted. As his opponent brought down his hatchet for a diagonal chop, Robyn activated a sword skill and brought his sword up to intercept. With a loud snap, the blade met the hatchet at the handle and cleaved the weapon in two. Robyn's body froze momentarily after the sword skill finished, but his opponent was too stunned to take advantage of the moment. As soon as he could move again, Robyn slashed horizontally at his opponent, who again managed to block it with his shield. But unlike before, he was sent tumbling into the lake. The second he had recovered from the move, Robyn lunged at his remaining foe, bringing his pommel down on his head right as he equipped a new weapon. The strike to the head sent him sprawling backward into a bush.

While his opponents were indisposed, Robyn took a moment to glance back at Kirito, who was managing to hold his own against his three opponents; an axe wielder, a dagger wielder, and an estoc wielder. He danced through his opponent's attacks, skillfully parrying and dodging their strikes, his reactions to their movements almost instantaneous. But despite his skill, he knew that Kirito would be unable to hold his own against three skilled players forever.

But Robyn could not assist him while he still had his opponents to deal with. They were down but not incapacitated. He considered his opponent in front of him, who was still struggling to extract himself from the bush. This was a man who held no reverence for human life. He would not submit to the sword and was ready to fight to the death. It was very likely that, should he escape here, he would continue to prey on the innocent. And he may not stop at thievery and robbery.

Robyn took a step forward and raised his sword above his head. The man in the bush stopped struggling as he gazed up at him. But he did not begin to beg or plead for his life. He did not even show fear. He merely smiled at Robyn. The expression held no innocent joy; it was a maniacal grin accented by the gleeful look in his eyes.

"You're one of us. You understand," he croaked, his voice barely holding back his excitement.

Robyn froze, staring at his helpless opponent. "I am one of them? Does he put me on his level?" he thought to himself. His arms began to tremble as the man's words ran through his head.

"Finish it," the man cackled. "End it. Prove it to me. Show me that you are a murderer."

Robyn continued to shake as the man laughed. His body was no longer responding to his mind's commands.

"Why shouldn't you?" A voice in his head asked. "He deserves it."

Conflicted, Robyn did not move. His instincts fought with his body and mind as he attempted in vain to resolve the conflict coursing within him. But before he could come to a conclusion, the man in the bush lunged at him with his bare hands. Robyn swung instinctively, bringing the blade down toward his enemy.

But the man was still tangled in the bush, and his attack fell short, causing his body to plummet into the bush, but not before Robyn's sword fell upon him, severing his hand at the wrist.

The man fell into the bush, crying out in pain. He clutched his arm while gazing up at Robyn from the ground; his eyes filled with tears. But there was no sadness. His face was still etched with mirth, and his laughter intermixed with the man's cries of pain.

Robyn froze once again, staring down at the huddled mass in front of him, emotions conflicting inside him. There was too much to think about, too much to comprehend.

As he stood in silence, he failed to notice the hatchet wielder had escaped the lake and was now charging at him with a short sword. Before Robyn could comprehend what was happening, A black blur smashed into his would-be killer sending him flying. It was Kirito who had executed the sword skill Sonic Leap.

Robyn barely had time to register his surprise before Kirito turned and brandished his weapons against his previous enemies.

"Watch yourself. I probably won't be able to save you again."

Robyn's eyelid twitched, but he shook himself off, readying himself for the next exchange. The hatchet wielder prepared himself for the next bout. The swordsman climbed out of the bush, his sword clenched in his remaining hand. Kirito's enemies had also regrouped, weapons raised and ready for their next move.

"How's your health?" whispered Robyn.

"In the yellow," Kirito muttered back. "You?"

"I'm still full, thanks to you. But I don't think I'll be so lucky if this keeps going too long. Any ideas?"

"Not really. This is a bad spot."

The enemy leader sneered at the pair from under his cloak, then leapt forward, only to come to a skidding stop, swearing loudly.

"Scatter!" the man yelled, and his men reacted instantly, jumping away and sprinting in separate directions. This well-rehearsed escape routine reassured Robyn that these men were well accustomed to conducting regular ambushes. But bewildered by their choice to retreat, Robyn turned and surveyed his surroundings, looking for a source of their enemies' fear. The answer to his question came in the form of a party of five that had just walked into the valley, their weapons drawn at the sight of the commotion. None of them were familiar to Robyn except their leader, a tall, dark-skinned Axe-wielder who went by the name of Agil. Robyn had never personally spoken with the man, but he knew him from the first-floor boss fight, where he had distinguished himself with his leadership and battle abilities.

"Don't follow them," ordered Agil. "They'll just pick us off."

"Good timing, Agil," Called Kirito.

"I think you're just lucky, Kirito," Agil replied. "We just happened to walk in at the right time. Yet another danger that comes with being a solo player."

"I'll be sure to be more careful next time."

Agil's eyes turned to Robyn. "Are you okay?"

Robyn stiffened. "I'm fine."

"We've met before, at the first-floor boss," said Agil.

"Correct," Robyn answered. "But we never spoke."

"I see. I am Agil. Who are you?"

Robyn hesitated, and his head twitched before he reluctantly spoke. "Robyn."

"A pleasure to meet you, Robyn. Have you teamed up with Kirito?"

Robyn shook his head. "Merely a coincidental partnership. Right place at the right time. Those thugs came at us by surprise."

"You ever heard about this sort of thing, Agil?" Asked Kirito.

"I heard something briefly from The Rat back in town," Replied Agil. "A group of players turning orange and becoming Robbers isn't something new, but this group seemed to fit the rumors of a more vicious group."

"Their intent to kill was clear," Robyn noted. "They seemed to have no moral or ethical qualms with the concept."

"Then they fit the mold of the group Argo was telling me about. Laughing Coffin."

"Laughing Coffin?" mused Robyn. His mind flashed back to his fight with the swordsman and his unstable personality. "Seems to fit," he muttered.

Robyn sheathed his sword. "Anyway, Agil, it seems thanks are in order."

"Don't mention it," Agil replied.

Robyn took a step toward the exit, then did a double take. With the excitement in the valley, he had nearly forgotten why he had come there in the first place. He strode toward the patch of green by the lake and bent down to pick one of the Oxtail Blumes. A small marker indicated that the quest had been updated. Satisfied, he turned to leave but hesitated as he passed Kirito.

"It seems I also owe you thanks, Black Swordsman," Robyn admitted, Not looking at the player.

"Oh, uh, No problem," Kirito replied Awkwardly. "I owe you thanks as well. I could never have handled all five of them alone."

Robyn let out a grunt of acknowledgment and began walking back towards the path.

"By the way," called Kirito, "was there something you wanted before?"

Robyn stopped for a moment, but then resumed his walk. "It can wait, Black swordsman. For now, I'll leave you be. As payment for your help."

"Oh, uh, ok? thanks? I guess?" Kirito said with a perplexed look.

As Robyn walked away, he heard Agil ask Kirito, "What's with him?"

"I don't know," Kirito replied. "He seems to have a problem with me."

"Don't we all?" Agil remarked.

Robyn snorted to himself briefly but quickly reprimanded himself. Returning to his stony demeanor, he began the walk back toward town, determined to learn more about the group that assaulted him.

I'm operating on the canon that Laughing Coffin didn't start killing until the first new year in the game. Before that, they robbed players at knifepoint