So, next chapter...
The premise for this one and its part two is simply Akinym and Sinon going on a quest, which, honestly, sounds like something I could've turned into a side story instead. Well, I could... if it wasn't for the fact that these two chapters will include some things that will be somewhat important later down the line. For instance, something that will happen in part two will lay the foundation for the three chapters after that, including two "Conversation" chapters. So, yeah...
Anyway, a "familiar face" will return in part one, although I'm a bit curious who of you will actually remember the guy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment or Sword Art Online in general.
In the morning on a seemingly average day in SAO, Akinym and Sinon headed towards the teleport gate plaza in Arc Sophia, but not in order to go to a higher floor for a quest or something like that. At least not yet.
First, they had to meet someone, and said someone stood near the southern gate of the plaza, waving and calling out to them as soon as they came through the gate.
Argo: Yo, Sinon, Akinym!
The two spotted Argo and walked over to her.
Sinon: Hi, Argo. I've heard you've got some "special info" to discuss?
Akinym: Yes, your message sounded as if it's important.
Argo [feignedly hurt, slightly teasingly]: The work of an ol' info broker like me is always important, Akinym! [slightly quizzical] By the way, I've noticed that yer name is such a mouthful! How 'bout I'll give ya a fancy nickname?
Akinym [dryly]: How about you don't and cut to the chase?
Argo [slightly upset and taken aback]: C'mon, dontcha be a sourpuss! Meh, but fine! Shall we?
Argo took a seat on one end of a nearby bench, and her gaze wandered from Akinym and Sinon to the opposite side of the bench, signaling them to sit down there.
Sinon: Argo, if we both sit on the bench, one of us will be in the way, so I'd say we keep standing for now. There isn't even enough space on that bench.
Argo [teasingly]: Why, ya can just sit on Akinym's lap, 'n problem solved!
Argo's remark was met with simple annoyed stares from Akinym and Sinon. Argo couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Argo [thinks]: Not what I hoped for… [says aloud] 'kay, if ya don't wanna! [seriously] Anyway, there is some important business I have for ya.
Akinym: What exactly are we talking about?
Argo: A dungeon on the ninety-fourth floor. KoB found it while clearin' the floor. They didn't manage to finish the thing, though. Now A-chan asked me to find someone to see what's at the end of it.
Sinon [slightly surprised]: Asuna did? [slightly worriedly] But if the KoB couldn't clear this dungeon, shouldn't it be… really hard?
Argo: Hm, it's not really 'bout difficulty. Ya see, it's just that the dungeon is freakin' long, 'n there's an insane amount of different obstacles and challenges. It drove the party who tried it nuts. It's really all 'bout stamina 'n adaptability.
Akinym [slightly contemplatively]: In that case, wouldn't it be better to send a full, versatile party? I mean, Sinon-san and I are only two players, so I don't know if we're really all that flexible.
Argo: I get yer point, but remember that the KoB tried to clear the dungeon 'n failed? The place is a cave, 'n for the most part, it's a darn narrow one. There's not enough space for a big party.
Akinym: Hm… Well, that explains why you've turned to a small team, [slightly doubtfully] but in case you don't know, neither of us is really good at fighting in narrow spaces either!
Sinon: Well, that's true… [slightly confused] If you ask me, I'd say that Asuna and Kirito are actually the better choice for that job.
Argo: I'd say ya're right, Sinon, but I wouldn't ask if that was an option, would I? Kii-bou 'n A-chan are busy at the labyrinth, 'n it might take a while. I guess they could explore that dungeon once we reach the next floor, but A-chan apparently wants the place explored as soon as possible. That's why I'm askin' ya. [slightly teasingly] Also, ain't ya two crafty ones? I bet ya can figure somethin' out! [seriously] Of course ya're free to say no, but ya'd do A-chan a favour if ya went. 'n me, too.
Akinym and Sinon exchanged a quizzical glance. Neither of them wanted to let Asuna down, and Argo owing them a favour was something that could come in handy. However, they still didn't know if doing this particular job was a good idea.
Argo [teasingly]: Think 'bout it: The whole place hasn't been explored, 'n there'll probably be nobody else, so ya two have this nice, secluded place all to yerselves, 'n ya can do whatever ya always wanted to do in the wild without anyone watchin'.
Akinym [sternly, slightly annoyed]: And how exactly is that supposed to convince us to go?!
Sinon [annoyed]: I second that! I thought you sell people information, not unwelcome innuendoes.
Argo [sighs]: Ya two ain't fun like Kii-bou 'n A-chan…
Akinym and Sinon [slightly sternly]: Good!
Argo: Hm, well, that's at least some kind of quality reaction… [seriously] 'kay, but for real this time: There's an unexplored area, so you know that there might still be treasure chests 'n whatnot that you can get. I'll also give ya all the intel we have on the place – for free, of course. Ain't that a good offer?
Sinon [slightly contemplatively]: Well, it is…
Akinym: I guess it is. We haven't really decided what to do today, so we could go to this dungeon… [slightly doubtfully] It's just that entering an unknown area… The worst part is that it's likely that it's going to be disadvantageous for us.
Akinym and Sinon continued to give it some thought for a moment. In the end, Sinon basically made the decision.
Sinon: Alright, let's help her out.
Akinym [slightly surprised]: Are you sure?
Sinon: It's as you said: We don't have any plans, do we? Going to this dungeon might be a good idea, and we can always just turn around and quit if we get the impression that it's too dangerous.
Akinym thought about it for a second, and he approved of the decision with a nod.
Argo [cheerfully]: Sweet! So, let's talk 'bout the place, shall we?
The labyrinth tower of the 94th floor was surrounded by a wide, extremely deep chasm, almost like a moat. When Sinon stood on the edge of it, she estimated that it was at least one hundred metres deep.
And they had to go down there…
Well, they didn't have to descend all the way to the bottom of the chasm. On the east side of the chasm, there was a narrow path that led downwards. To be more precise, it led directly to one of the huge waterfalls that plummeted into the depths.
When the KoB had explored this path, they had wondered why it was even there. They had almost missed that – as clichéd as it might be – there was a cave hidden behind the waterfall, and that was where Akinym and Sinon were headed.
They had to cross a small forest on the way to the path, but it was more or less the easiest part of the entire mission. There were a few monsters, but they were nothing that Akinym and Sinon couldn't handle.
Furthermore, they could make a slight detour to a nearby village, where the KoB had found a quest which they believed to be related to the cave. It was called "Plea of the Water Spirits", and the quest-giving NPC told them a story about gracious water spirits, which lived in the depths of a cave near the labyrinth. The NPC voiced his concern about the fact that the cave had been overrun by monsters, and he asked them to help the water spirits which inhabited the place.
Walking down the path that led to the cave was a rather nerve-wracking experience. It was merely a long ledge which was just big enough for a person to walk on. On top of that, the last part of the path was wet due to the water crashing down from above. They had to be careful, or else they might've fallen down, which would've been lethal for sure. Sinon could've sworn that Akinym was more nervous than he was before boss battles.
Speaking of the water, it fell onto some unshapely rocks at high impact velocity, and it cannoned off them and sprayed pretty much everywhere. By the time Akinym and Sinon had made it past the waterfall and were inside the cave, they had got quite wet. They weren't outright soaked, but it was bad enough.
Thankfully, they had prepared for that, and neither of them had worn their actual armour when they had gone down the path. Instead, they had worn a more casual attire, which they could change now. Just as they had done it when they had changed into these casual clothes before descending into the chasm, Sinon went behind a small rock formation to get changed.
After putting on their armour again, Sinon took out a portable lamp and lit it. They'd definitely need artificial light while exploring the cave. There were luminescent crystals in some parts of the cave, but they could never know if they'd have to traverse completely dark areas. Well… Actually, they did know. Argo had told them that the KoB had already found some areas that were indeed pitch-black, and there might be even more deep inside the cave.
Sinon was in charge of carrying the lamp. The plan was that whenever they encountered monsters, Akinym would quickly draw the aggro (as usual), and Sinon would put the lamp down on a suitable spot before joining the battle, so the surrounding area would be sufficiently lit.
They walked further into the cave, and it would take a while until they'd reach the actual dungeon. This part was basically the entrance area, and aside from the fact that it was damp and gloomy, there was nothing particularly troublesome about this section of the cave.
Well, except for the unexpected company, perhaps. When they were nearing the starting point of the dungeon, another light source appeared ahead. Akinym checked it with his Searching skill, and there was a full party of players up ahead. They were coming closer, so it was apparently a party that had tried to clear this dungeon, and now they were on the way back.
The other group came into view, and as it turned out, it was a party of the DDA. That alone wouldn't have been a problem. In fact, Akinym and Sinon could've just passed by without even exchanging greetings… if it hadn't been for the fact that one of these players had some history with Akinym.
DDA Member [very grumpily]: Well, look at that! If it isn't the Hollow Instructor.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, and Akinym took a look at the person who had addressed him by this… title. For a moment, he wondered what this particular DDA member might want from him.
Akinym [flatly]: Should I know you?
This reaction annoyed the DDA member even more.
DDA Member: Tsk! What?! Does the oh-so-proud Hollow Instructor, who did the important job of training new recruits for the Assault Team, not remember his former students?!
Akinym [thinks]: So he's one of them… [says aloud, slightly apologetically] I actually don't, sorry! There were too many of them to recognise all of them. I only remember the more important ones.
DDA Member [mutters, suppressed angrily]: The nerve…
Some members of the DDA party even chuckled. Only the party leader was absolutely not okay with continuing this… conversation.
DDA Party Leader [sternly]: Hey, that's enough! HQ waits for our report, so get moving!
DDA Member [sternly, annoyed]: The leaders will understand that we were delayed by running into him of all people. After all, they know just how much trouble he can make!
Akinym sighed. He knew this kind of "conversation" well enough…
Akinym: Well, they're gonna be happy that I won't delay you any further. Sinon-san, let's go!
Akinym continued to walk deeper into the cave, and Sinon followed him slightly hesitantly.
So far, she had just watched the scene to get an idea as to where this conversation was heading. She had recognised the DDA member when he had started to badmouth Akinym. He had been the one to tell Sinon and her friends about the bandit Akinym had killed.
Frankly, Sinon was a bit surprised that Akinym, who usually showed his irritation very clearly, was willing to let this guy's attitude slide.
DDA Member [scornfully]: Oh, so you're gonna try to clear an unknown dungeon for once? Well, I've heard that you've started to play at the front again, Hollow Instructor. What gives?! [very disdainfully] I thought you'd sit in your comfy, safe office the entire time, highly esteemed councilman, and "work for the good of the Assault Team"!
Akinym didn't react. He just walked past the DDA party, Sinon following close behind. When he was passing by, the DDA Member became even more angry.
DDA Member: What is it?! Hey, say something! [yells] I'm talking to you!
Akinym [dryly]: I've noticed!
DDA Member: Then look at me and ANSWER! Or is beneath your dignity to talk with the average player just as treating your students carefully was?!
Akinym: Nope. I just have other things to do.
The DDA member was basically fuming by now, but figuring that Akinym wouldn't give him much of a reaction no matter what he said, he tried his best to stay calm.
He turned to Sinon.
DDA Member [seriously]: You're the archer that the entire Assault Team talks about, Sinon-san, right?
Sinon stopped, and she pondered to what extent she should react to the question for a brief moment. In the end, she turned around to face the DDA member with a slightly stern, but overall very calm expression.
Sinon: That's right. What about it?
Akinym had continued to walk until he heard Sinon replying to the DDA member. Now, he stopped, too, and turned around slightly to see what was going on.
DDA Member: You've got a Unique Skill with a utility that puts even the Black Swordsman's Dual Wielding to shame. [annoyed] Why the hell are you teaming up with the Hollow Instructor?! [slightly angrily and suspiciously] I think you know what kind of guy he is. Pretty well actually, right? [sternly] You're honestly better off without someone who would probably ditch you when it's convenient!
Sinon: Is that so? You're certainly quite sure that you know Akinym-san very well after being his student for… what? A week or two, perhaps?
DDA Member: I just think that the actions of [menacingly] that bastard [upset] speak for themselves!
Sinon: Hm, how funny. I'm tempted to agree. But keeping that aside, what exactly are you suggesting to do?
The DDA Member stretched his arms out to the side, literally welcoming Sinon with open arms.
DDA Member [determinedly, slightly excitedly]: Why, of course to join a better group, one that prioritises the well-being of all players! I know that you're friends with the Flash, but let me tell you that you're better off without a bunch of traitors like the KoB, too! Don't believe in any rumors and join a guild that's really eager to do what's best for everyone! The DDA would welcome someone like you at any time, and we'd make sure that you'll get to beat this game and play a major role in freeing all remaining players!
Sinon remained quiet for a moment. She had lowered her head while thinking, and in the dark cave, it was hard to make out the details of her facial expression, but she seemed to be relatively calm.
Sinon: So let me see if I got this right: After this foul-mouthed speech about my friends and my partner, you expect me to join a guild that hogs resources and has tried to gain control over the Assault Team through questionable means multiple times for all I know... because the rumors and what little I know about the DDA are obviously wrong while all the rumors and what little you know about Asuna, the KoB and Akinym-san are totally right? [sternly, slightly upset] Sorry, but if you want to interest me in joining you, you have to learn how to do so in a compelling manner first! For starters, you could try to learn using people's names! [flatly] Now, if you excuse us, as my partner told you, we have something to do.
With that Sinon turned around again and quickly moved along. She kept moving so fast and decisively that she had already overtaken Akinym by the time he proceeded further into the cave, and he had to get a move on in order to catch up to her.
There was a left turn ahead, so Akinym and Sinon quickly disappeared behind a corner before the DDA member could even regain his composure to the point that he could've uttered any kind of response. He just stood there, being completely dumbfounded and on the verge of fuming, while most of his party members scoffed.
He was about to shout after the duo, but the leader of the party intervened.
DDA Party Leader [exasperatedly, slightly sternly]: That's enough! We're wasting time here! It's time to head back to town. [sternly] That's an order!
The DDA member was visibly peeved, and he looked away for a moment, hesitating to give in.
DDA Member: Fine!
On the way out of the cave and back to the nearby village, the DDA member couldn't get his encounter with Akinym out of his head. It made him furious beyond words… Why was that guy doing so well for himself?
The DDA member remembered well how he had heard that the Hollow Instructor had come to the upper floors. Back then, he had been irritated by the thought of running into him, and he had hoped that it would never come to it.
However, it had come to it, namely when Akinym had proposed a method of gaining control over the Assault Team to the DDA. The very idea of his guild benefitting from anything the Hollow Instructor did had just disgusted him.
He thought about the time when he had joined the DDA. His wish to join the Assault Team had stemmed from the desire to partake in beating the game, so every player would return to the real world again. In his opinion, it was what every player should aspire to do: to be one of the heroes who prevailed over Kayaba Akihiko's creation.
One day, he had met Yamata at an inn, and the leading figure of the DDA had proudly told everyone at the place about his endeavour as a frontline member of the DDA. The tales about one of the heroes who fought for everyone's freedom had inspired him to join the DDA.
The DDA member thoroughly believed in the ideals of the DDA: The strong should fight for the sake of the weak, and the elite of the playerbase should clear the floors while the other players stayed behind, so they'd be safe – just as it should be, the members of the Assault Team should be heroes who carry the burden of beating this death game, selflessly risking their lives every day in the process.
There was no way that he'd let this ideal get defiled by a selfish, cowardly, murderous sociopath such as the Hollow Instructor. Thus, he had tried to stop whatever the Hollow Instructor had planned by siding with the KoB for once.
Alas, what had happened? The Hollow Instructor had just returned to Arc Sophia with Asuna, and they had founded the Assault Team Council, which had thwarted all plans the DDA could've used to gain control. On top of that, the Hollow Instructor had become one of the councilmen.
And the DDA member was convinced that this had been the plan all along. Everyone had been deceived. The Hollow Instructor had probably conspired with the KoB to set up the Council, and the price for it was a seat for himself. This would explain how they had found him so quickly, and why the Hollow Instructor had suddenly supported the KoB and Asuna's idea.
The DDA member certainly wouldn't put such a scheme past the KoB. In his eyes, it was a guild of potential accomplices of Kayaba Akihiko, who had probably hand-picked the sub-leaders as his henchmen. It was beyond him why the guild of the players' captor hadn't been disbanded, and the only reason he could think of was that the KoB's current leaders used the guild's fame and power to work for their former commander, who was pulling the strings behind the scenes as usual.
In reality, the KoB was – it had to be – a guild of traitors or false heroes such as the Black Swordsman, a former loner who was now considered their "greatest hope" as the "chosen bearer" of the Dual Wielding skill… despite the fact that he seemed to be more concerned about cultivating his circle of friends – or girls, actually.
Now, two out of three leading figures of the Assault Team were the Flash and the Hollow Instructor, and with the way the Council worked, this could end horribly. The DDA member had heard stories about what a hard time especially the Hollow Instructor had been giving Shivata during council meetings, and he read the protocols in the Argo Weekly, too. Something had to be done about this power imbalance between good and evil.
For crying out loud, he had tried to do something about it. After Akinym had been appointed as the representative of the smaller clearing guilds, the DDA member had told everyone "the truth" about the Hollow Instructor… to no avail.
Well, the DDA member had already been trying something else. He had come across the players Saburo and Typhon, and he had discovered their "little secret" more or less coincidentally, but he had figured that this had been a good opportunity to deal with the Hollow Instructor for good.
It had been around the time when Akinym had started to help various players on the upper floors with leveling, and it had been all thanks to the Slouch Hat of the Sage. As far as the DDA member was concerned, it was already unforgivable that such an item would end up in the hands of the Hollow Instructor. This item should've belonged to the DDA… and he had wanted to correct that "mistake".
He had left that task to Saburo, Typhon and their orange accomplices. The plan had been that they should've taken the Slouch Hat of the Sage before killing Akinym and any potential inconvenient witnesses. Afterwards, they should've teamed up with members of the DDA, so the guild could benefit from the EXP buff. In exchange, Saburo, Typhon and company would've received jobs and – if need be – protection from the DDA.
The DDA member had really looked forward to see how this plan would work out. It would've benefitted the DDA a lot, especially since Shivata wouldn't have to worry about Akinym during council meetings anymore, although that was something they hadn't seen coming at that point, but it would've been a great bonus.
If it had worked, that is… Yeah, the plan had failed terribly, and the DDA member was lucky that the DDA (and their reputation) came out of it unscathed. The leaders of the DDA hadn't been informed beforehand, so nobody could blame the culprit. The failure still made him really mad, though.
The DDA member stopped reminiscing, swearing that one day, he would do something about this menace.
Meanwhile, Akinym and Sinon made their way deeper into the cave. They walked in silence for a while… until said silence seemed to start to get on Sinon's nerves.
Sinon: Do you really not wanna say anything about that right now?!
Akinym didn't answer for a moment, and Sinon got the feeling that he was ignoring her as well now. It was quite irritating, and she turned towards him to complain, but she noticed that he was apparently thinking about something, maybe about what he should say, so she kept quiet.
Akinym: To be honest, I don't. Is there anything I should say in your opinion?
Sinon [slightly exasperatedly]: If there's anything… Why are you so… indifferent about this?! [upset] This guy had such an annoying attitude, I've seen you snapping at people for talking back much less than he did, so… [sighs, slightly confused] How comes that you… don't seem to care?
Akinym thought about his reply again, although only for a few seconds this time.
Akinym: That's actually not the case. [slightly dejectedly] To be perfectly honest, it is a bit frustrating to see some of my students – or anyone for that matter – acting like this. It… shows that they don't get what I try to do, but I've been thinking that this is partially my fault for failing to bring this across. Well, at least since recently. [seriously] Anyway, as for my reason to act the way I did, I guess it was mostly out of… acceptance.
Sinon [confused]: Acceptance?
Akinym: I'm referring to the fact that this guy is thinking that way, and there's nothing I can do about it.
Sinon [slightly nervously and dejectedly]: What makes you think that way? I mean, that's not something I've expected to hear from you!
Akinym: Maybe, but let me tell you something, Sinon-san: I had to learn quite a long time ago that there are things that you can't argue about, and sometimes, this includes what others think about you. This guy from earlier had made up his mind about me before he said anything, I could tell. I've seen it often enough. As frustrating as it is – even for me – trying to reason with such a person, who honestly isn't even important enough, is a waste of time and energy. Also, it usually hits this kind of people harder if you just ignore them. It robs them of the satisfaction to see that they get to you.
Now it was Sinon's turn to think. In the meantime, Akinym walked ahead, and Sinon followed slightly behind at a noticeably lower pace. Well, that was actually the intended formation. Akinym was supposed to walk ahead to intercept any monsters that would come their way.
Speaking of which, Akinym wondered when they'd encounter the first foes. According to the map data and descriptions they had got from Argo, it should happen at any moment. There was nothing in sight, though, but that only made Akinym even warier.
Sinon [calmly]: You know, I don't agree.
Akinym looked over his shoulder at Sinon with a slightly surprised expression.
Sinon: I mean, I don't think that what you've described is the best way to handle this problem. [slightly frustrated] Or rather, I just don't like it.
Akinym [curiously]: Is there a particular reason why you think that?
Sinon: It's… It just sounds too much like what I did back in the real world. [slightly dejectedly] The other kids have always ragged me about… you know. And the adults treated me quite disparagingly, too. Well, and I… I just put up with it. [dejectedly] Because I was too weak to talk back.
Akinym [slightly contemplatively]: Hm, I see. Are you sure that "being weak" is the problem here, though?
Sinon [slightly defensively]: It's not as if I think about it the way you do! I… [slightly frustrated] I wanted to talk back. Maybe I couldn't tell them off for their attitude, but at the very least, I wanted to tell them to leave me alone. I… I never could, though.
Sinon took a look around, not to take in her actual surroundings, but to look at this entire world symbolically.
Sinon [slightly determinedly]: Here, however, I have the feeling that I can… muster the courage to do so. Therefore, at least here in this world, I don't wanna take the crappy attitude of anyone lying down! If I can't even do that, there's no chance that I'll ever be able to do it in the real world. But that's what I want to do! I want to change in that regard. [annoyed] And to be honest, this guy just really ticked me off. It wasn't just that he badmouthed you, he even did the same with Asuna and her guild. [slightly exasperatedly] Frankly, I think I didn't snarl at him enough.
Akinym couldn't help but smirk about this remark.
Akinym: I don't know. Given that you had had hardly any time to think of something, you told him off pretty well if you ask me.
Sinon put on a small smile.
A brief moment of silence followed, and Akinym pondered if this was a good opportunity to talk about something he had thought about lately.
Akinym [slightly playfully]: You know, I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of snark, too, and I'd say you have that snappish attitude down pat. That can't be just a matter of being in the virtual world. [seriously] Do you remember that conversation we had about this? Logging into a VRMMO doesn't change the person you are. That means that you can't get rid of feelings or problems from the real world, [reassuringly] but it also means that if you have a mindset in the virtual world, you can also have it in the real one. It just takes some effort, but that's something we could work at. [slightly insecurely] If you want to, of course.
Sinon: That… [slightly happily] I guess it would be nice if it works…
Akinym suddenly stopped. To be fair, his walking speed had been slowly decreasing for about a minute, but now, he had stopped abruptly. Furthermore, he raised his left hand, signaling Sinon to stop as well.
Akinym: We deal with that when we get to it, but for now, there's something else we have to take care off!
Sinon [seriously]: Monsters?
Akinym: Yeah. There… [seriously, slightly at a loss] I'm not sure how, but there should be two monsters right here.
Akinym looked doubtfully at the map window he had opened. When he had used his Searching skill mere seconds ago, the location of monsters on the small section of the map that was displayed there had been updated. It had revealed that two monsters should be right next to them.
Well, Argo had informed them that the KoB had encountered monsters that had appeared more or less out of nowhere in this area. However, it couldn't be that these monsters used the normal stealth ability. The Searching skill would've uncovered them, and if it hadn't, the monsters wouldn't have appeared on the map either.
Akinym wasn't sure what was going on, so he just tried something on spec. He closed his eyes and listened carefully to the noises in the area.
According to Argo, the monsters near the entrance of the cave were slim, bipedal and comparatively humanoid lizards. They were only around half a metre tall, and they overall couldn't compare to the relatively complex lizardmen-themed monsters. For instance, they didn't use any weapons or armour – and no shoes of any kind. Thus, Akinym focused and listened for the sound of small, bare, scaly feet scurrying around the rocky cave.
Akinym was surprised to hear this kind of sound coming from above. He looked up, and he spotted several small holes in the ceiling. They were nowhere near big enough for a person to fit through them. Not even Yui could've climbed through them. Small, slim lizards on the other hand…
This realisation hit Akinym just in time for him to react to one of the lizard monsters jumping through one of the holes. He thrust his spear at it. That way, he managed to fend off the initial attack, and the monster crashed into the wall of the cave when it pushed itself off the tip of Akinym's spear.
Akinym: Sinon-san, watch out! They're coming from above!
The warning came a little bit too late as the other monsters landed on the ground next to Sinon. Sinon instinctively backed away from it, and she managed to dodge that way when the monster swiped at her with its claws.
However, she was so startled that she dropped the lamp. It fell on the side, so the light was mostly cast upward onto the ceiling. This wasn't exactly perfect lighting, but they had to cope with that for now.
Akinym used the AOE Sword Skill Trapezoidal Slash to draw the aggro of the second monster, too. The first strike of the combo was supposed to counter the incoming attack of the first one, and it successfully repelled the foe for a moment. The second strike hit the monster again, and it helped Akinym to get in position to slash the other monsters side with the third blow.
Unfortunately, the rear end of Akinym's spear bumped against the wall behind him, and the force of the collision was strong enough to cause Akinym to lose his grip on the weapon for a second. With the post-motion delay, he couldn't react, so the spear was knocked out of Akinym's hands, and he couldn't pick it up before the monsters attacked him again.
For the time being, Akinym tried his best to dodge, which wasn't easy since the monsters were pretty fast and agile, and with the bad lighting, Akinym could hardly make out their movements in time. He sustained several hits on his arms and legs.
In the end, he managed to fend them off long enough to grab his weapon again at one point. One of the monsters jumped at him, and he ducked and smacked the monster with his right arm from below, essentially pushing it over his head. Thankfully, these monsters were lightweights, so that worked without problems. With the momentum of its own jump, the monster crashed into its "partner", which was about to lunge at Akinym from the opposite side. It took them a moment to disentangle their scrawny limbs after that.
In the meantime, Sinon gathered herself. She put up the lamp in an upright position and got ready to help Akinym with the fight.
Now that he could see his opponents well and had his spear ready in hand and pointed at the monsters, Akinym thought that the real battle could begin.
Akinym: Okay, time to start clearing this dungeon.
...which is what Akinym and Sinon will do in the next chapter.
I don't know how many of you remember Saburo and Typhon. They were mentioned in one of the "therapy sessions", but aside from that, they didn't have much... presence recently. Anyway, they're the two players that pretended to help Akinym and Sinon in chapter 23 when they went on a quest to get Sinon a new Sword Skill, planning to ambush them with a group of orange players to get Akinym's Slouch Hat of the Sage, the rare item with the EXP buff he's got in chapter 21.
I doubt anyone actually remembers this, but at one point in chapter 23, one of these two players (I think it's Saburo) says to Akinym that "at least the DDA will be happy" if he's gone. Well, now you know what was behind that.
Little Preview: Akinym and Sinon fight their way through the dungeon. There are countless obstacles on the way. Some might be surprisingly easy, but some are deadly.