Floor 9 - Chapter 7 - The Final Countdown
Fortunately for the group, Kizmel was able to explain exactly why the six of them had come back with nearly thirty prisoners, and one wounded Kales'Oh commander, and thankfully for them, Idrehendis had ordered that Wendelin be cared for as if he were one of their own. Until Wendelin woke up, the group were to be debriefed on what had happened, and were then to help with the final preparations for the defence of Lyusula.
That part terrified all of them. There was an incredibly real chance that an all out war was on the horizon, and they were now along for the ride... all they could do was hope that they'd been able to get the antidote to the King of Kales'Oh in time, because that really was their final chance to prevent the inevitable.
In the end, it had taken until the next day for him to wake up, and unsurprisingly he'd woken up incredibly confused at not only where he was, but what had happened. None of them could blame him for that, really, and once the situation had been cleared up, the group had escorted him to the Queen's Chamber, where they were now...
Once they'd entered, Kizmel had closed, and barricaded the door, a sure sign that whatever was going on, was not to be known by the rank and file. Or anyone outside of that room. ''Ah, Wendelin, I believe. I am glad that our healers did their best to help you, and I assure you, none of your men have been harmed.'' Idrehendis began the meeting.
''They were not my men. They were the chancellor's. Their families were at risk, should they have sided with me, so I hold no ill will towards them.'' Wendelin seemed less angry at the fact he'd been captured by his own men, and more that the chancellor had managed to get to them instead. The man was a coward, and a snake, hell bent on gaining power, with little respect for anyone he viewed as beneath him.
''Yes, I realise now.'' Idrehendis sympathised with the commander. There were always troublemakers amongst each faction, but to stoop so low as to side with evil, and to involve innocents in their scheming, was truly despicable. ''I have it on good authority that you are standing against him?'' She asked, already knowing the answer.
''I am. I do not want this war, and I wish to be rid of the Fallen, once and for all.'' Wendelin spoke with resolve, a testament to his character. Of course, the argument that Jet had no doubts Mito would make was that he was programmed to be one of the good ones, but perhaps the AI involved was a little smarter than any of them gave it credit for...
''Then on that, we are all agreed.'' An unfamiliar male voice echoed around the room, much to the confusion of the group. The voice sounded rough, as if the person had only just gotten up from being... oh. Oh! Jet thought to himself, realising exactly who was speaking... they'd actually done it! The antidote had made it! Something told him that everyone else was just as thrilled at that news as he was, Koharu drawing him into a hug, whilst Rain and Philla high fived each other with grins on their faces, and even Mito looked pretty pleased at the news, this being the first time they'd seen her properly smile...
''Your highness?!'' Wendelin looked positively shocked at the voice, whilst Jet could've sworn he saw a slight smirk on the Queen's face, even if only for a brief moment. ''How!''
''That does not matter right now, Wendelin, but I must applaud you on your efforts, and unwavering loyalty. Thank you.'' The voice stated, almost with a sense of pride in there.
''It was my duty, sir, nothing more.'' In the time they'd known Wendelin, they'd known him to be no nonsense, and to see him bristling under the praise, was kind of amusing.
''Yes, well, that does not change your actions, commander. Your Majesty, Idrehendis, I apologise for the impolite nature of our meeting, but as you are aware...''
''Worry not, my own wounds from the Fallen haven't healed yet either. However, to business. Thanks to our human allies, we are aware of the Fallen's leader, N'itzaah, and we believe that he is working to release the First Fallen.''
A short pause from the voice, and a sorrowful sigh were a telling sign of his feelings on the matter ''N'itzaah, my son... I did not think that he harboured such hatred towards the elves, or this world in general, to be willing to unleash such an evil on it...'' Somehow, Jet figured that he didn't mean ''my son'' in the way a northern footie fan might have said, and meant it in a more literal sense.
The Fallen they'd fought certainly had years of experience under his belt, and looked to have been in his late forties or early fifties, if he'd really had to guess. Though, that was a terrible way of estimating ages with any kind of elf, Kizmel looked to only be around Strea's age after all, but in reality was likely much older, and he had no doubts that Idrehendis, despite her good looks, was exponentially older, and he wouldn't be surprised to find she was at least a century old. In other words, perhaps N'Itzaah was the King of Kales'Oh's son...
The silence in the air after he'd stated that though, it was thick enough that Jet daren't draw his blade, lest he cut through it. Idrehendis was the first to speak again, 'Perhaps my sister would've tried to reason with him... but she is gone now, sadly. How do you plan to impose judgement on N'itzaah?''
''He is no longer our beloved child, and I feel that Calitheth would see it that way too. He has become a wicked monster, nothing more than a pawn of the First Fallen, the one who is bound to the Celestial Tower.''
That didn't seem to go down with either Koharu or Mito, both of whom seemed to be deep in thought at the sentiment. Jet could understand where the king was coming from - after all, it was because of him that he had nearly died, an experience which would colour your opinion of your own child, but he seemed far less upset at it than he perhaps should've been. It was almost a ''well, what can you do?'' type attitude, if it had to be put into words. Not one that would be expected from someone in that situation.
Koharu, on the other hand, read a very different tone from the situation. She could tell the despair in the king's voice, at the prospect of having to potentially kill his own son. She could feel a resolve to not lose what he evidently held dearly to him, the child from a clearly happy relationship once upon a time, but also that of a monarch, bound by duty to his people, and to the world at large. In that situation, as much as she would hate it, she accepted that maybe the king had a point - for the safety of everyone else, he would have to lose something. Unfortunately, that something was his son...
It was at that moment, that a frantic banging on the door took everyone present by surprise, and Kizmel quickly removed the barricade, to see what was going on. As she did, the door swung open to reveal a bloodied Lyusulan Knight, and what could only be described as carnage. Many badly injured, the knights acting as a protection detail had been knocked aside by an unknown assailant, leaving just everyone present to process what the hell was going on...
The first thought was an assassination attempt... but, had that been the case, wouldn't the attacker have rushed in when they opened the door? No, this was something else entirely, but what?
A wounded knight spoke up, in pain as he did so, ''They... they took the keys. The Fallen...''. Kizmel attempted to help the wounded knight, but he was in too bad a shape, and soon passed away, with little to no chance to do anything to help. If he was right, and the Fallen had infiltrated the castle to retrieve the keys, then...
The group's blood all ran cold. Even Kizmel couldn't tell them what would actually happen should the Cathedral be opened, as it was the closest thing to a religion they had, it was like asking what happened when you died. No one would, nor could, give you a solid answer in this case.
But it was one of two options - unlimited power for whoever opened it, or the end of the world.
The former was bad. Giving someone like N'itzaah that power was something that just shouldn't happen, but the latter was an even worse option. Somehow, Jet had a nasty feeling that Kayaba's death game wouldn't end if it were, and a failure here would spell the deaths of nearly 7900 people. No pressure then, he thought idly to himself...
Idrehendis, on the other hand, looked as if she'd decided on her course of action, and spoke with a true air of royalty, and a renewed purpose, ''So, that is his scheme. He plans to release the First Fallen, and open the Cathedral in one foul swoop. We cannot allow that to happen!'' She spoke slightly angrily.
The king spoke up again, but this time, he focused on the group for the first time, ''Young humans... relations between Lyusala and Kales'Oh have been cold for a long time, but when the Fallen harmed the Sacred Tree, we stood together as one united army. However, since Calitheth's passing, the War of the Nine Kingdoms, and the Great Separation, we have stayed fractured. Unwilling to talk, to back down... to understand, even. Each side has fought in complete confidence that we are the correct side in this conflict. Perhaps we are the architects of our own downfall, especially if all we have succeeded in achieving is nurturing the seeds of discord and doubt that the Fallen have sowed!''
''It appears we are soon to face our greatest trial, and to succeed, we must fix out past wrongs. Not with discord or hatred, but by sowing the seeds of hope! It may well be impossible for our generation to solve our past wrongs with an unbiased mind, but I truly have no doubts in our younger generation, not with allies like you and knights like Kizmel...''
''Wendelin, I want you to report back to our castle, and ready our troops. Once you have, head to the Celestial Tower, and put paid to my son's wicked plans!''
''Kizmel... please take our human allies to the armoury. Knights of Lyusula should be well equipped, after all...''
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For the first time in a long while, Jet felt a sense of pride in his appearance, as he looked over his new armour. A gunmetal chest plate replaced his older silver plate, whilst his shoulder pad armour had been extended to cover his upper arms too. His fabric gloves were replaced two new gauntlets, and his boots were replaced by a much sturdier pair. Despite all of this, he still wore his coat over the top...
That pride had manifested itself in the biggest grin that anyone had ever seen, and even Kizmel, who was currently preparing herself for a long and hard battle, couldn't help but be amused by.
''Kizmel, when you got your armour for the first time... please tell me you looked a little bit less, well... that?'' Phillia asked, looking towards the grinning knight.
''I must admit, you are... unique, Jet. I cannot say I've ever seen anyone react quite like that before...'' Kizmel had a way to sound diplomatic, even when she perhaps should've been more straightforward, and Jet had figured out that she was trying her hardest not to insult him with that statement.
''Eh, I know. But after the week we've had, small victories mean a lot. It's not much, but it's something...'' Jet answered, as he equipped his new shield, a tool with far less coverage than his old tower shield, but far higher defensive stats, and far more structural integrity, especially as his old one was on it's last legs now, with it's durability at less than 20% of what it had been when he acquired it. He resolved to visit Lisbeth after this, see if she could work miracles on his old shield... god only knew that it needed it now.
''That is... understandable. Koharu?'' Kizmel looked towards Koharu, who was twirling her blade around as she sat quietly.
''Oh, uh, yeah.'' Koharu answered with no real clue as to what question she was answering.
''Something on your mind?''
''I'm just... it's just nerves, that's all.'' Koharu half answered. Jet, not being quite as clueless at reading people as Phillia made out, could read his girlfriend well enough to know that something was up, and made a note to talk about it when no one else was around. Whatever it was, it was clearly eating at her, as she'd barely been the same since... oh. Morte. The snake that had slithered back to it's dark, dank hole, having wrought carnage again. His mere existence put Jet in a state of unease, not because of what he was capable of... but because of what he signified. A figurehead for those who wished to harm people, for sick kicks. If he existed, how long would it be until someone much worse appeared? Until more of them appeared? Both of those were questions he didn't have the answer to, but filled him with a state of dread he hadn't felt since the first day of SAO.
''I truly believe that, between the five of you, you will persevere. The situation may be tough, but you have all shown that you will fight tooth and nail for what you believe in, and I especially believe that to be true when it comes to peace. Jet, that story you told me yesterday, the one about the travelling healer, and how that inspires you, perhaps that is what we need once this is over... perhaps I might even take up that role, in honour of Tilnel.''
''You'll be amazing, I just know it...'' Jet felt like hugging Kizmel, but chose not to. Just how much growth she'd made since they'd met, it made it impossible for him to see her as anything but a friend. Was she an NPC, a program designed to flesh out this world? Sure, but she'd come from seeking death, in order to see her lost sister, to becoming a peacekeeper, someone who would prevent others from losing their families. She'd grown so far, and even Mito, sceptical as she was in regards to the NPCs, had seen that Kizmel was something else...
''Thank you, Sir Jet...'' She said teasingly, a small smirk on her face, as Jet gave a small clap in recognition.
''Very funny, Kizmel...'' He rolled his eyes. She really had been spending too much time with Phillia, especially if she'd taught an AI a sense of humour! Something told him that the aforementioned girl had noticed the exact same thing, as she snickered into her sleeve from across the room.
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The group, now equipped with their new Lyusulan issued gear had begun the long walk to the dungeon. As was expected, Kizmel took the lead, whilst Rain and Philla followed her, discussing something about the upcoming battle. Koharu began to fall behind, and Jet fell back to talk to her, reminding himself of his earlier mental note. ''You holding up?'' he asked, knowing that she quite clearly wasn't alright.
''What if we're making the wrong decision here?'' she answered quietly, her reply barely being above a whisper.
''Maybe it is. But then again, maybe it isn't. For what it's worth, I think it's the right decision, I just can't see the logic of giving us an out like that.''
''Kayaba isn't that stupid to let us out this soon, he's got to have some master plan for us.'' Jet, in his target fixation, had completely forgotten about Mito, who'd followed behind them, apparently. ''I can see why you and Asuna get on though. You're actually thinking things through, and hoping for the best in people, which... (sighs) Look. I'd lost my faith in people, especially after all I've seen and done, but I think Lueur was right, I do think there's a hero amongst us now... but I think he was wrong as to who it was, don't you, Jet?'' Mito looked at Jet, and gave him a pointed look, as if he knew what she was on about. He decided to play along, despite his bewilderment...
''Uh, yeah, of course! I've known since day one!'' He over corrected, before offering an innocuous suggestion. ''Tell you what, after we've finished with the boss, how does a holiday sound?''
''Shouldn't we be focussing on clearing the game, not going off on holiday? People are relying on us.'' Koharu seemed almost offended at the suggestion of even so much as taking a break. As Mito had pointed out, they were the figureheads for some of the players, and how badly they'd look if they started slacking off. People would lose faith in them, they'd lose what little hope they still had...
''Koharu, you're right. People are relying on us to clear the game. One of the most important parts of that mission, is being alive to actually fight. Working ourselves till we drop dead, or worse still, are so tired we get ourselves killed isn't exactly conducive to that goal.'' Jet bluntly pointed out, as Koharu tensed up. As harsh as it sounded, it was needed in his mind. Koharu was many things to him, but she often refused to take a break if she thought that people needed her help. In other words, she was stubborn. Almost as bad as he was sometimes, and that was saying something.
As bad as he felt for his words, it looked as if he had actually gotten through to her as she looked away, a look of sadness in her eyes. ''Where would we go?''
''Dunno, your choice, Ko.'' He smiled towards her.
''We never did get to have that meal we said we would, did we?''
''Your wish is my command, mi'lady.'' Koharu giggled slightly, taken aback by the comment. ''But first, we've got to finish this quest! No point falling at the last hurdle, ey?'' Despite Jet's reassurance, Koharu began to look nervous again. He couldn't blame her, he was nervous too. This was the final obstacle to finishing the quest, no way was this going to be an easy fight, and in addition to that, he felt as if he had completely forgotten something in the chaos that had been the past few days.
What exactly was it though? It had to be something important, but not immediately relevant to him, and...
''Mito?'' - ''Oh, that was it.''
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The assault team had gathered near the cavern entrance, and as usual, the ALS and DKB were arguing over... something, Asuna neither knew, nor particularly cared. Probably just their usual bluster, or that either guild leader had said something inflammatory... again. Honestly, she wondered how exactly they'd gotten this far, considering the usual attitudes of the two guilds. The notable absences though were Jet, Koharu, Rain and Phillia, which somewhat worried her. Not that they relied on them, but she hoped they were just being themselves, and their lax sense of timekeeping, and not anything more worrying.
Those fears were allayed when she noticed a red spot, with two orange, a black and a two purple spots, walking down the hill nearby. She assumed that the first purple spot was Kizmel, and the second was Strea, but something became immediately obvious as they drew closer. The second purple spot had a very different build to Strea, and she didn't carry a scythe. That much was confirmed when she scanned her surroundings again, and saw Strea gathered with Fuurinkazen. Who exactly was that with them?
Then Asuna thought back to a few days ago, and the message that Jet had sent her... it couldn't be! Why would she turn up now?!
Kirito looked around, checking his surroundings - nothing but snow, and the assault team nearby. Idly, he looked back over to Asuna, and noticed her arms trembling. It was cold, sure, but that cold? No, that was something else, something he didn't know about...
Asuna steeled herself, and clenched her fists, trying not to show any emotions... ''Mito?''
{Author's Comments}
Thanks to anyone reading this for bearing with me over the past few weeks. Apologies for the slipping schedule, but I'm hoping I should be back to normal now I've recovered from COVID, and have sent my work in.
Sorry there's not very much action in this one, but there usually isn't in the lead up to a boss fight. Next weeks chapter will definitely be the boss fight, so we'll see if my writing's improved any for fight scenes...
Also, if anyone's interested, you're welcome to join the SAO Fanfiction Discord server: discord. g g / SrsdNgJPVR
Anyway, thanks for reading, and listen to me waffle on. If you've enjoyed the story, or want to leave me any feedback, drop a review or PM, follow/favourite etc.
Midland 2541, signing out.