Hello everyone! Boy, has the world been crazy. Snowstorm in Texas and everything else. Phew!
I want to thank everyone again for reading/reviewing/faving/following this story so far. Big shout out to cosmicblader12 for their reviews for the last few chapters. But also thanks to those like AliCynthesis for reviews that help me know to not be content with what I write, but seek to make it even better than it is.
Disclaimer: Reki Kawahara is the creator/author of SAO. I own nothing.
Now then,
LINK START!
Chapter 22:
Dark Corridor
In the dark corridors under the mountains, Alice uttered an incantation in the Alfheim language.
Oss naoa nott lysa auga
When she finished, the group was able to see the dark passage as if it was broad daylight. Leafa marveled at this, mostly due to how easily Alice had learned this one spell the fairy picked up from a traveling Spriggan some time ago.
"This is amazing," she said in awe as she looked all over the place.
"I'll admit, the language takes some getting used to," Alice admitted. "I should see about mastering its use while we are here in Alfheim." Leering at Kirito beside her, she added, "Unlike someone who shirked his Sacred Art lessons while at an academy."
"Will you give it a rest already," Kirito grumbled. "You badger me more than Eugeo did."
"Probably because he always knew to study, while you flaked most classes," she returned with a snark.
Looking back at the two, Leafa suggested, "Hey, let's get to town before you two start going at it. With how you are going at it, how come you two aren't engaged to each other?"
Upset by the notion, Alice replied, "How can you suggest such a thing? I would never betray Eugeo like this. Nor Asuna."
"Okay okay, sorry," Leafa said, coaxing her friend to settle. "I didn't mean to be mean. It just looks like you two are an old married couple is all."
"Don't even joke about that," Kirito mumbled aloud. And the three moved on, followed closely by Amayori.
As they walked, Alice looked over a spell list Leafa had given her, practicing the different words and asking Leafa for clarification where needed. Kirito pretty much kept to himself as they went, stewing in his own thoughts on matters at present.
It had been a couple of days since Asuna had been taken by Oberon. He didn't like to think about it, but he worried about what that creep was attempting to do with her to turn her into his ideal bride. He hoped Asuna would fend him off as long as she could, but he knew if he didn't hurry, she might not last long. And every minute that passed made him desperate to race for the World Tree, ascend its great height, and break into the palace said to be at the top so he could take her away. Then he looked at the Blue Rose Sword over his shoulder, being reminded of Eugeo. Quinella likely finished whatever ritual would make him an obedient follower and Integrity Knight. He glanced back at Alice talking with Leafa, thinking how she must feel. She probably yearned to go back home and seize the Central Cathedral herself, desperate to get Eugeo back. Yet here she was, helping him rescue Asuna first. It just added to his guilt even more.
Sensing his distress, Yui came onto his shoulder and reassured him, "Don't worry Daddy. We'll save both Mommy and Uncle before too long. Then your oath will be fulfilled, and you can all go back home."
Looking to her, he asked, "How can you be so sure? Oberon and Quinella are super powerful beings."
"Maybe, but you four did some things that limit what they can do," she explained. "I can even sense it around you and Auntie. It's like warm lights surround you, keeping you safe from harm. That's from the union ceremony you did back in Aincrad. Because of it, if you are faithful to each other, you can't be torn apart. Even if Mommy and Uncle are changed, they can be brought back because of your strong bonds." Pointing to his Night Sky Blade, she added, "Your sword epitomizes this power of connections you share. When you use its full power, you are given strength from those whom you are tied to. Everyone standing with you will grant you strength to overcome any obstacle. That includes me too."
"Yui…" Kirito breathed out, touched. Rubbing her head lightly with affection, he told her, "Thanks Yui. You're right. The four of us have an unbreakable bond. Nothing can separate us. And we'll all be together again."
Just then, Kirito was pulled aside by Alice while Leafa used a spell to conjure a wall to hide them. Alice put her finger to her lips to keep him quiet before turning to look somewhere behind them with Leafa. Amayori, unable to fit, clung to the opposite wall and folded her wings to make her seem like nothing more than a boulder. The group listened with bated breath for whatever might be following them, eyes squinting as they strained to see as far as they could. Then, they saw a red glimmer in the distance. This prompted Leafa to dispel the wall and use her projectile spell to take whatever it was down.
"Hurry!" Leafa urged. "That was a tracking familiar. We are being followed." She hurried deeper into the cavern, followed by Kirito, Alice, and Amayori. The dragon's footsteps shook the cave with small tremors, threatening the whole place to collapse.
"What kind of familiar was that?" Alice inquired as they ran.
"One from the Salamanders," Leafa answered. "They must be after us after what happened yesterday."
"Those guys really know how to hold a grudge," Kirito remarked.
To which Leafa told him, "You don't know the half of it. Part of the reason they've been at war with the Sylphs so much was because of some of our triumphs over their forces. They always look for an excuse to fight anyone and everyone they can to prove they are superior."
"Warmongers," Alice dubbed, to which Leafa agreed.
Before too long they left the cavern and entered an open part of the cave. They were on a ledge looking over a settlement on a large lake in the center. Without delay, the group went for the path leading down as quickly as they could, while Amayori glided down to the bottom to avoid crowding the humans and fairy. They made it down in good time and started crossing the bridge to enter Legrue.
"If we can make it into the city, we should be safe from those Salamanders," Leafa informed. But no sooner had she said that did a wall of stone get conjured up in front of them, blocking the entrance. Kirito drew his sword and struck at it. But he was easily repelled.
"I assume we can't circumvent this spell using our own," Alice figured.
"We'd have to defeat the caster to have any chance," Leafa answered. Turning to find a dozen pursuers, three knights and nine mages, she said, "We have no choice but to fight." Amayori growled at the oncoming threat, hunched low in preparation for an attack.
Just as she was about to draw her sword, Kirito spoke, "Leafa, don't take this the wrong way, but you need to stay back. If Alice or I get injured, we need you to heal us so we can keep fighting. It's our best chance at surviving."
Before Leafa could protest, Alice added, "Kirito and I have fought for several months back in Aincrad. We know each other's fighting style and can compensate the best that way. If we have someone in support, we can fight without too much concern." Leafa took Alice's reasoning and saw merit to it. She had only just been reunited with the two, meaning she wouldn't know how they fight as well as she could with her partner. Plus, her being more skilled at the spells here made for an ideal position of support. Without further argument, Leafa put away her blade and stepped back to allow the two to spearhead the fight.
As she drew her sword, Alice instructed, "Kirito, break their line as best as you can. I will vault over you and take care of the mages."
"Got it," he replied. With a great cry, Kirito charged the knights. He used Horizontal to try and break their line, but the shields withstood his attack. Regardless, Alice went forward and used him as a springboard to jump over. Right when she did, the mages behind fired fireballs at her that she was forced to protect herself from. The explosion pushed her back, causing her to roll a bit as she landed on the ground.
"Alice!" Kirito cried out. But he too was met with fireballs, ones he jumped away from to dodge before the explosion got to him. Leafa healed the two right away, allowing them to recover and concoct a new plan.
This time, Kirito ran straight for the knights and planned to jump off their shields. But they stuck their lances out and lunged at him, forcing him to break off and nearly get skewered. He and Alice had to dodge more fireballs, being pushed back further.
"Guys, this isn't working," Leafa called out to them. "We need to figure something else out."
"There's no other way," Kirito called back. "We can't let these bastards catch us. We're not losing to them."
"But we can't get past their defensive line," Leafa pointed out.
To that, Alice told them, "No. There is a way." She slowly stepped towards the Salamander group, her sword out to her side. Her approach seemed to cause the Salamanders to be taken aback by her brazen attempt. That is until she raised her sword above her head, and uttered a command that shocked everyone.
"System Call. Enhance Armament!"
At her command, strange circles flashed around her sword before it glowed golden. Then, the Osmanthus Blade erupted into some sort of cloud. As Kirito and Leafa looked closer, they realized the cloud was just a flurry of flowers. This unnerved the Salamanders, and the head mage called for all of them to fire spells at her. Even when they did, Alice swung the hilt, and the flowers deflected the fireballs with ease.
Under her breath, she spoke, "Bloom my flowers." And the shape of the flowers changed, now being pointed. With another sweep, they came to the side of the knights and pierced their armor, forcing them to drop the defensive line. At that, Alice barked, "Kirito, now!"
"Got it!" Kirito called back. And with a great shout, he used a Sonic Leap to finish off the knights. He then transitioned into Vorpal Strike, taking down the first line of mages and reducing them to Remain Lights. The main group began to break formation as they saw the manic look on Kirito's face. The head mage, a man with a buzzed head save for a tuft of hair on the top, ordered the mages to regroup and cast their spells, but Kirito made quick work of four using Horizontal Square. Three of the mages and the head mage were cut down, reduced to flickering flames. The last survivor tried to run but was stopped when an arrow landed at his feet.
Seeing the arrow, Leafa looked up to see her friend Sinon with another arrow notched, aimed directly at the mage. "Alright, what the hell were you jerks playing at with this attack?" Sinon demanded, coming down to their level as the wall disappeared. "I'm here to wait for my partner, and I have twelve asses trying to murder her. I should just kill you and take all twelve of you to Lady Rue."
The Salamander fell to his butt, fearful for his life. But Kirito interjected, "Maybe we can work a more diplomatic approach to this that doesn't involve taking you and your friends away. I bet you can help us a whole bunch."
Aghast, Leafa tried to protest, "Kirito, no! Just kill him already."
Sheathing his sword, Kirito bent down and proposed, "Listen, I wager those two fairies won't think twice about sticking their weapons where the sun doesn't shine. But I'm willing to let you go and get your friends revived. All you gotta do is give us some information, and we are all squared away. Sound good to you?"
Enraged, Sinon barked, "I'm not letting some jerk get away like that!" She shot her arrow at the man, but Alice intercepted it with her reformed sword.
"Kirito has it right," Alice told her and Leafa. "This attack bears investigation. If this grunt can give us intel, we can discern the Salamander's intentions for coming after us beyond the obvious." The mage seemed in disbelief that two humans were vying to let him walk in exchange for info. Especially since he had heard humans were monstrous. But if there was a chance he could walk and not get captured, he was taking it.
"I'll do it," he pleaded. "I'll tell you everything I know. Just don't let them kill me."
Putting a hand on his shoulder, Kirito assured, "Not our style. Besides, you'll be helping everyone in the long run." While Leafa and Sinon were miffed at this bargain, Alice was proud to see Kirito being proactive on the matter.
They had Amayori perch over his head to incentivize him not to lie or weasel out. But considering the master archer and angry Sylph surrounding him, the dragon was the least of his worries. But he spilled nonetheless.
"We were all told to meet up for a hunt earlier today," he revealed. "Our orders were to go after some human in black and a girl in gold, and either capture or kill them. We weren't told about any renegades, but it hardly mattered when we got Oberon's message."
"A message from Oberon?" Leafa questioned.
"Yeah, the one where he wanted us to find a boy in black who goes by the name Kirito," the mage affirmed. "When we heard that, we figured this was way bigger than anything before. Not to mention this is the first time in centuries since Oberon first spoke to us fairy folk. But it certainly isn't as strange as the large force heading for the south."
"What do you mean?" Sinon interrogated.
"Just like I said," the mage informed her. "Before we left, loads of Salamanders gathered with the general and went south. Couldn't tell you why or where exactly it was. I am just a grunt after all. But I know it's something big. Like 'conquer a whole territory' big. But beyond that, who knows why they are doing this."
Kneeling before him, Alice inquired, "Why is Oberon interested in Kirito?"
"Don't ask me. Why would he tell us what's so important about some human?" the mage replied. "He just said to kill the guy and that's it. No why or what to do about it. But that's all I can tell you about it." Looking to Kirito, he asked, "You weren't lying about letting me walk, were you?"
"Nope. I'm a man of my word," Kirito assured. With some reasoning, the group let the mage gather the Remain Lights and walk away.
"I should snipe him from here," Sinon proposed.
But Kirito told her, "Nah, I don't want to take on too much of the human label by having him killed here. Besides, he can't do anything now. We're all good."
With that settled, Leafa went next to her partner and introduced, "Kirito, Alice, this is my partner from the Cait Sith, Sinon. And Sinon, these are Kirito, Alice, Yui, and Amayori. Kirito being my brother and everything."
Looking at the boy in black, Sinon remarked, "So you're Kirito. Leafa said you were good with a sword. Based on how you and this Integrity Knight took down those Salamanders, I'd say I believe it. For now, anyway."
"Maybe later, you and I can have a little duel to see how good I really am," Kirito proposed. "I'd be up for fighting an archer for a change."
"Maybe some other time," Sinon replied. She looked to Leafa, then asked, "What did he mean about the Salamanders amassing such a large force like that? What are they doing?"
"Search me," Leafa answered. Then suggested, "Let's get into Legrue before more enemies pop up. I'd much rather not run into more trouble if I can help it." The group agreed, making their way into Legrue.
The city was a little reminiscent of the marketplace back in Centoria. There were shops and stalls down various aisles, selling items ranging from food to jewelry. Leafa looked around with great enthusiasm, amazed at seeing so many exciting things. Kirito stuck close in case she ran off, Yui hovering beside Leafa's shoulder as she also looked at everything being sold. Amayori was forced to wait at the gate, especially after the guards nearly attacked her out of panic. Alice and Sinon were in the back, watching the others as they went through stall after stall seeing all there was to offer.
Ever since meeting the archer, Alice had been feeling like Sinon was giving her and Kirito the cold shoulder. Especially with how she wanted to strike down that helpless mage just because he was a Salamander. She wasn't sure Sinon was one to really place her trust in, but Leafa held her in high regards. And since she had been Suguha before, that said a lot if someone had such trust with her. It reminded her of something from when she was younger.
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All four of them were playing near the Gigas Cedar at the time, maybe a year and a half before she had been taken by Deusolbert. It was a game Kirito came up with. He was chasing the others, and whoever he tagged was 'frozen'. And it would be up to the others to tag their friend to unfreeze them.
Just as Kirito was chasing Eugeo, they heard, "Kirito, mom wants you back to do the chores at home. Now." That came from his little sister Suguha. Begrudgingly, Kirito had to leave, ending the game.
A couple of days later they were at the river. Kirito and Eugeo had fallen in and were splashing each other. At some point, the boys got Asuna into the water, much to Alice's disbelief. But they were all laughing from the fun, and Alice decided to go get some towels to dry them off. When she got back, however, Eugeo and Asuna were on the bridge, with no sign of Kirito anywhere. When Alice asked, Eugeo said his sister came to get him for stuff at home. This news annoyed Alice a bit.
The day following their day of rest, Kirito was in the middle of sharing a story with the three. From the way he was telling it, they couldn't make any sense on what the heck it was about. But his acting out parts and doing silly noises and voices made them laugh on more than one occasion.
But then, Suguha came up and called, "Kirito, get back home. Dad needs to talk with you." Slumping over, Kirito started making his way over to his sister.
But he was stopped when Alice grabbed his wrist. "Kirito is playing with us," she stated. "I'll talk with his father, but he's not going anywhere." This behavior surprised the others, but none more so than Suguha.
Grabbing Kirito by his other arm, Suguha argued, "Father needs to see Kirito right now."
As his sister yanked him one way, Kirito felt Alice yank him the other way. "Kirito is playing with us."
"He's coming home."
"He's staying with friends."
The two started a bit of a tug of war, pulling Kirito back and forth. They didn't hear him request to stop, going on and on.
That is until, "What is going on over here?" Coming up to them was Chief Gasfut, looking rather displeased.
Upon seeing him, Alice let go of Kirito and protested, "Father, Suguha claims her father wants to see Kirito. But Kirito is spending the day with us."
Looking at the other girl, Gasfut said, "Suguha, I am very disappointed in you. You know as well as I do that your father is in the middle of his Calling today. Lying is not condoned by the church's teachings." Suguha looked down to the ground in shame at his words. "I will speak to your parents about this behavior," the chief continued, "and I expect you to shape up. Especially with your brother soon to be getting his own Calling." And he walked away.
Asuna went over to Kirito to see if he was alright. But Alice looked at Suguha disapprovingly, her hands on her hips and her face scrunched up in anger. Suguha began to cry, tears falling down her face.
Looking at Alice, she screamed, "I hate you!" And she ran off in a huff. But those words shook Alice to her core. She couldn't understand why Suguha would say something like that.
The following day, Alice sat at the church's steps after another lesson with Sister Azalia. She had a hard time concentrating on her studies recently because of what Suguha said to her yesterday. It disturbed her that Suguha felt the way she did. Alice didn't really understand. And her father didn't help matters when he got Suguha in trouble for lying to get Kirito away from them.
When that thought entered her mind, Alice decided to do something. So she got up and went to Kirito's home. She knocked on the door and was met with Suguha, who immediately glared at her when she saw who it was.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
Hands on her hips, Alice responded, "I want to talk."
"Well I have nothing to say to you," Suguha returned in hostility.
Scoffing, Alice inquired, "Why are you doing this Suguha? Why do you consider me as someone to hate?"
"I don't need to tell you," the girl spat.
"Yes you do or we can't help Kirito," the blonde-haired girl returned sternly. "That's why you did all that lying. It was because you wanted Kirito for something."
Getting angrier, Suguha shouted, "I did not!"
Crossing her arms, Alice pressed, "Then why? Why lie and take Kirito away from us all the time?" Suguha didn't answer right away. She just glared at the other girl, as if trying to burn a whole through her. She eventually just stormed back inside, kicking the walls and throwing a tantrum. Alice watched on, neither judging nor condoning her actions.
Before long, Suguha just collapsed to her knees, beginning to cry. Then, in a voice Alice barely heard, she said, "You're taking him away from me."
Not sure she heard right, Alice asked, "Suguha, what did you say?"
Raising her voice a bit, Suguha repeated, "You're taking Kirito away from me. He never wants to be home anymore. He's always off with you, Eugeo, and Asuna. He never gives me any time. I don't want him to go away all the time. When he gets his Calling, he won't be home all that much. I just…" She paused, her emotions coming to the forefront.
As much as she wanted to respect Kirito's family, Alice ventured into the house and rested a hand on Suguha's back. This caused the girl to look at her, as Alice gave her a smile.
"Suguha, we're not taking Kirito away," she assured. "I know for a fact Kirito loves you dearly. The other day at the bridge, he told us he was worried about you. You didn't want to come do stuff with us and he was afraid he was doing something to hurt you."
Wiping her eyes, Suguha muttered, "He… He did?"
Alice nodded, then suggested, "We would love to bring you along to play with us. It'd be fun to play Kirito's game with more kids. And you could be with Kirito more until he gets his Calling."
"You really… want me to play with you?" Suguha asked tentatively.
Holding out her hand, Alice replied, "Very much." Suguha looked at the hand for a moment, before she reached out herself to take it.
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That had probably been one of the few times Alice had reached out and really bonded with Suguha back then. But she was glad the bond between her and Kirito was still present, even in this new life they lead. And it seemed perhaps she had extended that gesture to Sinon, if the archer's behavior was anything to go off of.
Speaking of said archer, Sinon's expression shifted as if she remembered something. Then she came over and alerted, "Leafa, I just remembered. I got a Moonlight Mirror from Recon."
Hearing about the other Sylph, Leafa looked to her friend and asked, "What was it about? Did something happen?"
"Very much so," Sinon said in a serious tone. "He said one of the Sylphs betrayed their own. Specifically, Sigurd." When Leafa exclaimed in disbelief, the archer went on, "He said he followed him and two other Sylphs into the sewers and saw them meeting with two Salamanders. He didn't hear much, but they mentioned about the secret meeting between our leaders to form an alliance."
"Is Recon alright?" Leafa inquired worriedly.
"I don't know," Sinon admitted. "The mirror vanished when he heard something behind him. I think he was spotted."
Picking up on what was said, Kirito mentioned, "Wait, remember what that mage said? He said a huge force was heading south for some reason. A force to conquer. What if it was sent to crash this secret meeting?"
Realizing the implications, Alice asked, "Leafa, what would happen if the Salamanders killed the leaders of a fairy race?"
"Nothing good," Leafa told them. "Basically, they could capture or extinguish the leader's Remain Light. Then the race whose leader was killed comes under their subjugation. They basically become the victor's property."
"They can be killed, sold as slaves, used in wars as cannon fodder," Sinon listed off. "All in all, horrible stuff. Even if you survive, they might levy whatever taxes they think of in the territory. And that territory becomes theirs permanently." With that given, Leafa and Sinon took off for the southern exit. Kirito called after them, and he and Alice gave chase.
Once they left the town, Amayori came to Alice's side from the other entrance they had used. It added its footsteps as the humans went after their fairy companions.
Looking back as they ran, Leafa called, "This isn't your fight guys. Get going to Arun. Climb the World Tree and rescue Asuna. That's what you came here to do, wasn't it? Don't worry about us. Sinon and I make a pretty good team and we can hold off the Salamanders long enough to allow our leaders to get away." She started to slow to a stop, prompting everyone else to stop and watch her.
"We might have our Remain Lights captured and snuffed out, but it wouldn't matter so long as our people are safe," she said in a lower voice, her bangs hiding her eyes. Sinon looked at her partner with concern. She knew that was likely the case, but it didn't make it easy to hear it coming from someone so optimistic.
In response to that, Kirito came up and pulled his sister into a tight hug. "Don't even joke about that," he said in a tight voice. "Of course it would matter whether you lived or died. You might not think about it, but you dying would matter to other people. It would matter to people like Recon, and it would matter to people like Selka and me."
In a low voice, he told her, "I know how important life is in this world, having claimed the lives of others myself. At the academy, I killed another student to protect my page. And in Aincrad, I killed two people in a blind rage. Every time I think about the blood on my hands, I think I'm not worthy of being alive. But that's when I remember the people around me, and remind myself why I killed those people. It wasn't out of anger or impulse. I killed them to save lives. To protect the people I considered most important in my life. Asuna, Eugeo, Alice, Selka, Ronie, Silica, and especially you. And I know, if something happens to me, everyone would be hurt."
Alice then came in, "Hearing that you died before coming here still hurt us Leafa, even though we take solace in the fact you are here now. To lose you again would be catastrophic. So please, do not think so little of your life. Especially when there are others who value it highly." Leafa didn't respond to their words right away. Nor could she do such a thing. To hear that her brother and Alice still cared what happened to her was like finding the light at the end of a dark tunnel. She hugged Kirito back, touched by his concern for her safety.
Once they broke apart, Kirito told them, "We're going to help. If the Salamanders get too powerful conquering the Sylph and Cait Sith, we can't afford to ignore it."
"There's no guarantee we'll get there in time, let alone we can hold off the Salamanders when we get there," Sinon pointed out.
With a smirk, Alice mentioned, "That's why you have someone like me with you." She then pat Amayori to indicate her plan, which made Kirito blanch a bit.
Barely a few minutes later, any monsters living in the cave were blown aside or stampeded over by the great dragon barreling through. Both Kirito and Leafa were screaming and shouting as they were plowing through the caverns to the exit, while Sinon and Alice were stone faced and focused on the quest ahead. Before long they were arriving at the exit, and they erupted outside to the blinding light.