Okay, it's taken a while, but here's the next chapter.
Sorry for the delay, but there's a reason for it. Two, actually. First, I had some more important stuff to take care of. Second, I just wasn't in the mood to write much recently. Regardless, now that the next chapter is finished, here it is!
Last time, Akinym and Sinon entered the dungeon that leads to the labyrinth on the 95th floor, and they have to solve the teleport stone riddles without fail if they want to get the rare material they're after. On their way, they meet Klein, Fuurinkazan, Kem'Pal the lizardman general and some other NPCs. They team up with them, but not only to fight, but also to use them as guinea pigs for the riddles - much to Sinon's dismay.
Now, let's see how that ends!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment or Sword Art Online in general.
Akinym, Sinon, Fuurinkazan and the lizardman NPCs that accompanied them kept clearing the dungeon that would lead them to the other side of the southern mountain range on the 95th floor. For the most part, making their way through the third stage wasn't a problem.
Right now, they were dealing with one of the more tedious obstacles. It wasn't a tough battle by any means, it was just… well, tedious. There was a locked gate blocking the path, and in order to progress any further, they had to retrieve the key from a special goblin monster, a Goblin Runner.
As the name suggests, this monster's primary feature was its ability to run fast and nimbly, and it would flee the second it spotted any kind of danger. That monster was so fragile that a single clean hit should be enough to kill it, but hitting it was exceedingly difficult.
After a few expectably fruitless attempts to hunt the Goblin Runner down, they sat down and discussed the situation.
Their best bet was to use Sinon's archery because of its longer range, but they had obviously tried that already. In the end, the Goblin Runner had always bolted before Sinon could've got ready for a shot. If they wanted to take their target out, they'd apparently have to catch it by surprise, which seemed impossible due to its excellent perception. They had even tried to sneak up with Hiding, but it had been no use.
While throwing in ideas, the members of Fuurinkazan mentioned how this challenge reminded them of a game of tag, which was something they had already encountered during a quest in SAO before. They recalled how they had systematically cornered their target in order to succeed, and this story gave Akinym an idea.
He proposed to search for patterns in the Goblin Runner's choice of paths, so they could analyse what route the monster would take if they split up and blocked certain points while chasing it. The idea was to lead the Goblin Runner to "prepared grounds", where Sinon would be waiting for it in order to kill it.
Sinon picked a place that seemed suitable for her, namely a comparatively narrow corridor, where the Goblin Runner would have to make a sharp turn to the left, so it couldn't move completely freely in that moment. If Sinon waited at the end of that corridor, she would have the chance to strike.
Their team split up to scout the area. They quickly devised a plan how to lure the Goblin Runner into this corridor. Fuurinkazan and the lizardmen split into smaller teams and took key positions along the way. Needless to say, they had to fight a few monsters that tried to interfere, but they didn't run into major trouble.
Once everything was set, Harry One, who was the remaining member of Fuurinkazan after assigning everyone else a position, looked for the Goblin Runner, waited until it was in a suitable position and chased it towards the next group.
That group would do the same thing: chasing the Goblin Runner into the right direction, so it would run straight into the group after them. That process repeated itself a few times until the Goblin Runner reached Klein and Kem'Pal, who would drive the targeted monster into the corridor where Sinon was waiting.
Speaking of her, she was waiting alongside Akinym, who was there to deal with any monsters that might spawn nearby, even though it didn't come to that. There was also the fact that each team informed the others when they had done their part, so everyone could follow their progress. Akinym received the messages on their end, so Sinon could focus on her own task.
Akinym: Dynamm-san just messaged me. Klein-san is next, so it's almost time.
Sinon just nodded and prepared an arrow. While nocking it, she wondered where exactly she should aim. After everything she had seen so far, she figured that the Goblin Runner would only need a second or two to spot her and react, and even in this narrow space, Sinon wasn't sure if she could hit the Goblin Runner once it started to dodge. It probably would turn tail and run before she'd get a chance, so she had to shoot almost immediately after her target showed up.
In order to solve this problem, Sinon pictured the arrival of the Goblin Runner in her mind… How it came into view, how it would have to slow down to avoid crashing into the wall, where it would come to a standstill before turning towards her…
Akinym: And now Klein-san… Get ready, it's almost here!
Sinon prepared to use Milion Howling. Frankly, the Sword Skill was overkill, but she wanted to greet her "prey" properly, and she had this strange hunch that a normal shot wouldn't be enough. To be fair, Milion Howling gave the arrow she fired a speed boost, which was quite useful in this situation.
The Goblin Runner came around the corner, and Sinon immediately fired her arrow into the direction she had decided on before. When the Goblin Runner noticed Sinon, it immediately swayed slightly to the side, and that was enough to dodge Sinon's shot. Well, at least almost. It still grazed the goblin's shoulder. That wasn't enough to kill it.
The force of Milion Howling still knocked it over, though. Alas, Sinon couldn't shoot again for a moment, and Akinym was simply too far away to do anything, especially since he hadn't been mentally prepared for the possibility that Sinon could miss.
Sinon didn't take it particularly well. She gritted her teeth, thinking that if she had aimed better, this wouldn't have happened. The Goblin Runner hadn't moved much to the side, so this failure had happened partially because her aim had been a bit off.
As for the Goblin Runner, it hastily got up and was about to retreat when it suddenly froze.
Klein: Oi, keep calm and wait!
After that warning, which was addressed at Sinon so that she wouldn't shoot again right now, Klein suddenly came into view. He was using the Sword Skill Tsujikaze to close in on the Goblin Runner, which, in turn, tried to jump to the side. Klein's attack still inflicted a shallow cut on its chest, and combined with Sinon's almost-hit, that was enough to take the monster out.
Klein: Heh, that job is finished! Good thing that I chased after that fellow just in case… This could've gone wrong!
Akinym and Sinon walked over to Klein. Akinym just acknowledged what Klein had just said with a quick nod, and Sinon's reaction was also a bit… lackluster.
Sinon: Hmm, I guess so… [slightly reassuringly] Anyway, I guess you really did a good job here, Klein.
In response, Klein chuckled with a boastful grin. Frankly, Sinon almost regretted praising him when she saw him so full of himself… Well, he probably would ruin whatever pride he took in that soon enough.
Now that Klein had got the key they needed as a drop from the Goblin Runner, they reunited with the other groups and moved forward. What they found on the other side of the now unlocked door was a bit… strange, though.
At first, a group of goblins appeared. Obviously, the group of players and lizardmen assumed that those were monsters which they were supposed to fight, but upon closer inspection, they noticed that these goblins had NPC cursors.
They had noticed that just in time for the next bizarre occurrence. Another group of goblins showed up, and while the first group of goblins consisted only of males, this one was all-female. Oddly enough, both groups were completely unarmed, but the players had yet to see the most peculiar part.
Before they knew it, they witnessed how the female goblins assaulted the male ones and started to beat the living daylights out of all of them. The exact method varied… One sat on top of her victim and slugged him in the face repeatedly, another one strangled a male goblin… As I said, what exactly they did varied, but it all eventually resulted in the death of the male goblins.
That, however, hadn't been the strangest part, either.
Once the male goblins had died, the female goblins turned towards the group of players. When they came closer, the players all got ready for a battle, but the female goblins didn't actually try to harm them. Instead, the one at the front gave Klein a seductive look while putting her hands on her hips and posing in a way that was probably supposed to be alluring. The other goblins followed suit, and they turned towards the different male players while seemingly starting all kinds of seduction attempts.
It was hard to tell who was weirded out the most: Akinym, Sinon or some of the members of Fuurinkazan. The lizardman NPCs, on the other hand, just drew their weapons and were about to attack when Klein stepped up.
Klein: Stand down! Don't just attack them like that! There are other ways to deal with this.
Klein looked at the goblin woman right in front of him. He took a few steps towards her and knelt down.
Klein: Ma'am, I'm sure these ruffians caused you a lot of trouble if you had to resort to violence, but worry not! I, Klein, the envoy of love and justice, pride myself in knightly manners. If you don't mind telling me what happened, I will make sure to do everything in my power to help you, milady!
Klein held out his hand for the female goblin to take it. He wore an expression fitting the cringiness of his actions.
Alas, he didn't care. After two and a half years of getting belittled and poked fun at by basically every female he had met, players and NPCs alike, he wasn't going to waste this one chance to have any female being show him some recognition.
Oddly enough, the goblin woman seemed bashful. After some hesitation, she was about to take Klein's hand, much to his delight…
...when Kem'Pal rammed its sword into her body. This startled Klein so much that he leapt backwards and let out a shocked scream. Now, he had to witness how Kem'Pal impaled the goblin, pinning the opposing NPC to the ground until her HP were depleted.
At the same time, the other lizardmen attacked the rest of the female goblins. Akinym gave them a hand as they mowed the goblins down, and he cut off their retreat. Meanwhile, Fuurinkazan remained passive, mainly out of sympathy for their leader… or out of exasperation. In Sinon's case, it was the latter.
After taking care of their "enemy", Kem'Pal turned towards Klein with a proud expression.
Kem'Pal: Haha, good work, Klein-dono! You distracted them, so it was easy to take care of these foes!
Klein [at a loss]: U-uh… Uuu-eeeh… [nervously, hesitantly, slightly dejectedly] Yeah, distracting them… That's… what I did…
Frankly, Klein couldn't remember when he had felt as much like crying as he did at that very moment.
The party got going again, and for the most part, they just wanted to forget what had just happened… except for Sinon, for some reason. Once she started to think about what had happened, something caught her attention, and both her current quest and this dungeon raid began to remind her of something more and more.
Akinym [slightly curiously]: Hey, what's wrong?
Akinym's sudden question snapped Sinon out of her thoughts and she turned towards him, who walked beside her. She was a bit startled, but only for a second.
Sinon: Huh? O-oh, that's… It's nothing, really. There's just this strange… coincidence about what just happened with these goblins.
Akinym raised an eyebrow. He was about to inquire what this "coincidence" was when someone spotted something ahead and called out to the others.
Dynamm: Hey, over here! I think we've found the next clue!
Dynamm and a few other Fuurinkazan members stood in front of a relief that seemed to depict a group of goblins. When Akinym and Sinon (as well as the rest of the group) came closer to take a look at it, they saw that the relief appeared to portray some kind of marriage ceremony with several pairs of male and female goblins.
The most interesting part, however, was a line of text at the bottom. Akinym and Sinon edged closer, and Akinym knelt down in front of the mural to tap the text, so that the translation popped up.
Akinym: Hm… "We approach the festive month, dedicated to the goddess that blesses our newlywed brides." Can… anybody make sense of this?
Sinon: Well, let's get over this step by step, shall we? The first question would be what part of this might refer to the teleport stone we have to choose.
Akinym: I think that's quite straightforward this time. This riddle emphasises a "month", and similarly to the last one, there is a connection to a number. We probably have to pick the stone that refers to the number of this month that is mentioned here.
Sinon [contemplatively]: Hm… Yes, that seems likely. If there are twelve teleport stones lined up, I guess it'll be safe to assume that you're right, so we'll see. [calmly] We still have to figure out what month the rest of the riddle hints at.
Dale: Well, it sounds as if that month has something to do with some sort of goddess, doesn't it? [slightly contemplatively] Is there any goddess like that? One that has to do with brides?
Akinym [looks at the relief]: Given what is depicted here, I'd say it's safe to say that that's the connection, so it's probably some sort of goddess of marriage or of weddings… Anything like that.
Akinym glanced at Sinon inquiringly, asking for her opinion. She noticed his glance after a few seconds, and while turning back to the relief, she nodded.
Trying to think of a goddess that fits that description, Akinym quickly came to a conclusion: This was absolutely not his field of expertise. He could've barely named a goddess of anything, but not of something like marriage.
In resignation, he turned towards Sinon once more and looked at her with an expression that seemed to ask, "Do you have any ideas?" When Sinon noticed that, however, Akinym's expression came across as a bit too expectant, and she answered with a stern and annoyed look that was supposed to say, "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm an expert on this!" Akinym, in turn, began to look at her exasperatedly, apparently expressing, "Your gender doesn't have anything to do with my question!"
Klein: Oi, you two, what's with the non-verbal communication?! Could you just tell what's going through your heads so, you know, we others also know what you're thinking about?
Akinym: Huh? O-oh, yeah. It's just that neither of us seems to have any goddess in mind right now.
Sinon [slightly exasperatedly]: Well, I wouldn't go that far. I've read a lot about mythologies, and there's a ton of marriage or fertility goddesses, but which one it might be…
Akinym: Well, I suppose we could also approach this topic a bit differently. This is about a "blessing" for newlywed brides, isn't it? Is there any special month regarding weddings? Like, is any month particularly popular or anything?
Sinon thought about it for a brief moment, only to shrug her shoulders and sigh in defeat almost immediately. Similarly to Akinym, that kind of stuff had just never been important to her.
The others seemed to be similarly confused… but that state only lasted for a few seconds.
Klein [crosses his arms, flatly]: I don't know, isn't this just about June brides? Kinda sounds like it to me.
Everyone else turned towards Klein with a varying degree of confusion. Being confronted with all these astonished gazes, Klein couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
Klein [slightly annoyed]: What's with all the looks?! Why are you looking at me as if I just said something completely weird?!
Sinon [slightly exasperatedly]: Keeping that aside… [mutters] as well as the question what this "June bride" stuff is about… [says aloud, calmly] there's Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. I didn't think of it before, but I vaguely remember something about "June" being a reference to Juno, so it wouldn't be farfetched to say that the month is "dedicated" to her.
Akinym: Sounds good to me, so now we only have to find the teleport stones.
Harry One: Hey, guys, over here!
Just as Akinym had stated their next directive, Harry One called out to them from the end of a corridor that led to the right, almost as if this had been his cue. While they were busy pondering over the riddle, he had taken a brief look into the next room, and now he signaled the rest of the group to come.
Upon arrival, they saw that they had already reached the teleport stone chamber. Just as Akinym and Sinon had reckoned, there were twelve teleport stones lined up at the opposite wall.
Sinon [mumbles]: ...ten, eleven, twelve. [says aloud] Twelve teleport stones, so I guess you were right on the money.
Klein [excitedly]: Well, so what are we waiting for? Let's take the sixth one and proceed to the next area!
Akinym [slightly sternly]: Wait a second!
Klein, who was already heading towards a certain teleport stone, stopped and turned around. Similarly, everyone else turned to face Akinym, too. He still stood right by the entrance and surveyed the room with a scrutinising look.
Akinym: Which one is actually the sixth one?
Klein: Huh? Shouldn't that be obvious?
Klein pointed at the teleport stone he wanted to use. The others seemed to agree, even Sinon, although she took another look around and quickly realised what Akinym was getting at.
Sinon: Oh… That's the sixth stone from the left. What if it's the sixth stone from the right?
Akinym [nods]: That's the question. There are still two options. I had hoped that there would be some sort of hint as to which teleport stone is supposed to be the first one or something like that, but this room is completely plain and empty except for these teleport stones.
Klein: Well, I guess you're right… [reassuringly, slightly excitedly] But if there are only two options this time, we can just check each of them and be done with it! What do you say, Kem?
Kem'Pal: Heh, I'm obviously in! Let us march forward and conquer this stronghold!
Klein and Kem'Pal walked towards one teleport stone each and put their hands on the respective stones.
Meanwhile, Sinon directed a troubled look at Akinym. This time, they had a good clue, even though there was still one open question, which, however, might've been answered if they had put some thought into it. Maybe the missing hint was hidden somewhere. And yet… They were using Klein and the others as guinea pigs again.
Alas, Akinym didn't even react at all, sternly keeping his gaze at Fuurinkazan and the lizardmen. When these groups teleported away, the teleport stone that Klein had used shattered, while the other one remained intact.
Akinym: Klein-san can never catch a break, can he? Anyway, it's the sixth one from the left, so let's go.
With that, Akinym walked over to the teleport stone to get them to the next area, Sinon following him begrudgingly.
A while later, Akinym, Sinon and their temporary allies had made good progress in the fourth section of the dungeon.
They were currently approaching a right turn. Akinym walked in front of the rest of the group, and he carefully looked around the corner after checking the next corridor for monsters with Searching. The others waited closely behind him.
After a moment, he used a hand signal to inform Sinon that the way was clear. At the same time, he spotted something at the end of the corridor. There seemed to be an eye-catching obelisk, which was positioned around the next turn of the path, so Akinym also signaled Sinon that there was a potentially important object ahead. Given that he didn't know what was around the next corner, he also added a hand signal which expressed that they had to approach said object cautiously.
Sinon nodded with a hum and got ready. Klein, who stood right behind her, had a puzzled look on his face. During this dungeon raid, he had seen Akinym and Sinon use these hand signals a few times, and he still couldn't tell what any of them meant. Well, he gave a thumbs-up to mask his bewilderment…
Sinon walked around the corner, ready to generate and nock an arrow at any moment. Akinym did the same, walking down the corridor a bit ahead of her. They were watching out for any places where a monster such as a Goblin Assassin might hide. The rest of the group followed them, staying on-guard, too.
When they reached the Obelisk, Akinym quickly took a look around the corner into the next corridor, but he couldn't see anything suspicious. He turned towards Sinon for a second. It was her turn to check the area with Searching, and she shook her head to signal that she hadn't found any monsters in close proximity.
Now they could take a look at the obelisk calmly. There was a picture of a goblin warrior on the front side, but that didn't provide any useful information.
While Akinym (and the rest of the group) kept scrutinising the depicted warrior, trying to find anything unusual about the picture, Sinon walked around the obelisk and searched the rest of it for anything that might help. When she inspected the back of the obelisk, Sinon immediately found something.
Sinon: Hey, take a look at this!
There was a single line of text on the back side of the obelisk, and it stood out clearly. While the others were coming to her, Sinon checked the translation.
Akinym: Oh, you've found another message. What does it say?
Sinon: It's… [slightly at a loss] Honestly, I don't know what to make of it. It says, "To take the last hurdle and make it to the other side, you have to prove your strength first and your intelligence thereafter. Choose the stone:"
A moment of silence followed. Everyone waited for Sinon to continue, and since she didn't, Akinym raised an eyebrow.
Akinym: Which stone?
Sinon: That's what I want to know… The hint just ends there.
Klein: Huh? That's weird… This doesn't even sound like a hint. [quizzically] Could it be that there's a second part somewhere?
Sinon had already had a similar idea and kept searching the obelisk for other hints. The rest of Fuurinkazan did the same, but none of them could find anything.
Meanwhile, Akinym pursued a different lead. As usual, there was a line of cryptic symbols on this obelisk, and Sinon had opened their translation. However, this time, there was a second line, or rather another symbol beneath the actual hint. Akinym pointed at it.
Akinym: I think this "second part" might simply be that.
Sinon: Huh? What do you… Wait, do you mean this… or maybe rather these symbols at the bottom? Shouldn't they be part of the message already?
Akinym: I don't think so. They… I have seen a lot of different letters of the ingame alphabet, but these symbols here simply… don't fit the style. I'd say they rather look like romaji.
The others took a look at the symbols in question, and they had to agree. There was "IX" carved into the obelisk.
Akinym: If that was all, it might've not caught my eye, but this last part also stands out. I mean, there would've been enough space to add these symbols to the end of the first line, so why are they separated? So far, all of our hints have been one-liners.
Sinon: I mean, I get where you're coming from, but… IX… [at a loss] That's not much of a hint, you know?
Klein [contemplatively]: Yeah, it's just so… I don't know, does anyone have an idea?
Taking a look around, everyone else seemed to be just as clueless. Even Akinym had to admit that he wasn't sure what to make of this, although the "IX" reminded him of something. He couldn't say what it was, though. There was just a strange feeling of familiarity, almost like a sense of déjà vu.
Klein [casually]: Well, we can ponder over this at a more convenient time. How about we see what's ahead first? Who knows, maybe it's as simple as the teleport stone we'll have to choose having these symbols written on it or something, so how about we check that and keep thinking about it if it's more difficult than that?
As simplistic as Klein's proposal was, nobody could really complain since it seemed to be the best they could do for now. However, someone also argued that they should keep their eyes peeled and look for any additional hints, just in case Klein's initial guess that there was a part two somewhere happened to be correct.
With that out of the way, they moved on. The next area on their route was a large hall, which was lined with large stone statues on both sides. These statues reached all the way to the ceiling, and they took about half of the space in the hall, which left the players only a path that was around three metres wide to walk.
Klein: Man, I have to say we've seen a lot of stuff in this dungeon. Actually, I think we've really made a lot of progress in a short time. [slightly doubtfully] Or did we? How much time did this actually take?
Klein was curious how late it was by now, so he took a look at his clock… only to be shocked by what he saw.
Klein: Geez, it's past two in the afternoon! [slightly taken aback] We haven't even had lunch yet… and now that I said that I'm suddenly starting to get hungry. Does anybody else have the same feeling?
A few of his guildmates agreed, although they added that they probably wouldn't have had any issues if Klein hadn't brought this up.
Klein: Well, if that's how it is, how about we take lunch break now? This place might be as good as any, and I can't spot any monsters nearby.
Kem'Pal stepped up. The lizardman lifted its snout and began to inhale deeply through its nostrils to take in the scent of the surrounding area.
Incidentally, the lizardmen could spot targets by smell extremely well. Even if their visual camouflage was perfect, a lizardman NPC of this floor could detect a goblin, another monster or a player as long as they had a distinctive smell. However, if a player altered their smell accordingly with an item, lizardmen would lose this means of detection.
Kem'Pal: I can't smell anything, so I guess this area is indeed safe. If you want to rest, we can do that here.
Klein: Great, [opens his inventory] so let's get this sweet little thing ready.
Klein turned something into an object. It appeared to be a relatively large metal box. Frankly, it looked almost like a picnic basket that was made of metal. To be fair, that was a somewhat accurate description. When Klein opened the lid, his guild gathered around him and took a look at the box' content: rice balls and meat skewers. Klein began to distribute the rations.
Klein: Alright, everyone, there's enough to go around! Kem, I also brought something for you and your guys.
Kem'Pal: Hehe, how considerate of you, Klein-dono. I'll gladly accept your hospitality! However, my men seem to have a tendency not to eat anything when I'm around, so I think they'll pass.
Akinym and Sinon had sat down on the socle of a statue on the opposite side. They had been watching Klein's food distribution for a while, but now they were taking out their own lunch. In their case, that meant just one simple sandwich each.
Klein: Hey, you two have quite the spartan meal over there, don't you?
Akinym [slightly exasperatedly]: Well, that's how it is. We had a busy morning, and there was no time to get anything but this.
Sinon: Yes, we just had… [slightly irritated] other stuff to handle… [calmly] Besides, it's not like living on meager rations for one day will cause any malnutrition debuffs or anything.
Klein: Geez, no need to be that pragmatic, you know? Hey, how about we share some of our food with you, even if it's just a rice ball for each of you?
Akinym [slightly surprised]: Huh, really? Is that okay with you?
Klein: Sure thing! We're partners here right now, aren't we? Besides, haven't you heard what I said? We bought some stuff for Kem's soldiers, too, but now that they don't want anything, it would just go to waste. Not to mention that it's thanks to you that we've found this great store which sells this stuff. The same goes for this awesome insulated container.
Klein pointed at the metal box in front of him. Incidentally, it was a special item a certain craftsman had learnt to produce at some point during the last month. If food was stored inside that box, its deterioration would be slowed down significantly, and the temperature would stay the same.
Akinym: Well, that was all part of the promotion of shops which the Council does, so…
Sinon: You don't have to complain about a gift horse. Let's just take Klein up on his offer! Thanks, by the way.
Klein [slightly cheerfully]: Sure thing! Kem, would you?
Kem'Pal nodded and took two rice balls out of the box. The NPC walked over to Akinym and handed them to him. By the way, Akinym actually wanted to take only one of them, but Kem'Pal basically insisted that he would take both. It was a bit confusing for a moment until Akinym figured out what was behind that.
Well, Sinon, on the other hand, didn't, and she stared at Kem'Pal in slight annoyance.
Sinon: You know, I reckoned I'd get the one that was meant for me, too!
Kem'Pal [slightly surprised]: Huh? Oh… My apologies if you scaleless ones handle this differently, but I thought it would be pretty rude of me to give food to a female who isn't mine.
Sinon took on a quite confused expression now. Kem'Pal didn't explain what it had just said, so Akinym figured that he should say what was probably behind this.
Akinym: Apparently, it's a custom of the lizardmen that women only receive food from their partners. According to what I've heard, it's considered improper for male lizardmen to give food to any females but their respective mates.
Kem'Pal: Heh? You seem quite well-informed about our culture, Akinym-kun.
Akinym: I just hear a lot about the quests… I mean, about the requests of the lizardmen, that's all. All I heard about this comes from a young lizardman who asked one of our… allies to catch a Thyman Fly for him so that he could give it to someone he wanted as his mate.
Kem'Pal: Ah, I see. [slightly annoyed] Although that's a rather underhanded move. He ought to get one himself! [excitedly, slightly dreamily] Then again, I would want to give my female a nice, juicy Thyman Fly, too!
Lizardman Elite Soldiers: Tasty Thyman Flies!
Sinon [mutters]: Is this supposed to spoil my appetite? It sure feels that way…
Akinym: I can see what you mean, but Thyman Flies are considered a delicacy among lizardmen, and actually, they really are an ingredient. B-class, even.
Sinon [exasperatedly, slightly dejectedly]: Please tell me you're joking…
Akinym: Try that instead and don't think too much about it!
Akinym held one of the rice balls out to Sinon. Figuring that it was probably for the best to just drop the topic as he had suggested, Sinon put her sandwich on her lap, accepted the offered rice ball and took a bite. She knew the shop where Klein had bought this – in fact, she and Akinym often bought something there. The food tasted good and – even more importantly – not like fly.
Meanwhile, Klein wasn't quite as willing to stop talking about this.
Klein: Man, I had no idea you and your people had such courtship rituals, Kem. [exasperatedly] Then again, it's not like I get to talk to the ladies of your race all that much. Or at all. [dejectedly] They just keep ignoring me like all the girls. Geez! What does a guy have to do to get a lady to recognise him like you do, for example?
Akinym [mutters]: Hm, seems like Klein-san's curse isn't restricted to humans…
Kem'Pal [laughs]: You mustn't be disheartened, Klein-dono! If you want to attract someone, I think you already have the striking looks! [slightly contemplatively] But I guess you could try to increase them even further… You have to make sure to keep your eyeballs clean! [determinedly] Females always like clean eyes!
As if to emphasise the point, Kem'Pal licked its eyes.
The sight of the NPC's long, flexible tongue sliding over the lizardman's eyes sent shivers down Sinon's spine. It was even worse with Kem'Pal's soldiers. They all did that, too, but at random intervals, and their eye-licking was perfectly synchronised. Sinon honestly couldn't stand the sight of all these lizardmen simultaneously sticking their tongues out like that.
Klein: Huh, really? Hm… Well, maybe I'll try…
Sinon [mutters]: Please don't… Honestly… I get the feeling we really have to watch out or Klein will get even more weird ideas.
Akinym: Well, to be fair, Kem'Pal can't make it any worse that way.
Sinon [upset]: Are you kidding me?! He's suggesting that Klein licks his own eyeballs clean! That's not only utterly bizarre, but also extremely creepy! [slightly annoyed] It will definitely creep all girls out when Klein starts doing that to get their attention.
Akinym [dryly]: That's what I said: He can't make it any worse than it already is.
Sinon gave Akinym an annoyed look for a moment, although he didn't seem to be bothered by it in the slightest. In the end, Sinon turned away again.
Sinon: Touché.
She took another bite out of her rice ball while she kept thinking about this. Sinon had to admit that Akinym really was probably right. As far as she knew, Leafa still had minor nightmares about Klein's alarm clock, and that was only one instance of Klein's shenanigans…
In order to distract herself, Sinon tried to think of a different topic. Klein was currently keeping the rest of the group entertained with stories about his "adventures", and Kem'Pal seemed to be particularly interested while the rest of Fuurinkazan just went along. This gave her the opportunity to talk with Akinym in peace and quiet as long as they kept their voices down.
Sinon: You know, about the hint we've found earlier: We should probably put more thought into it to figure it out, shouldn't we? I mean, if it's really just this "IX", there has to be a deeper meaning. Do you have any idea what it could be?
Akinym: I'm not sure myself. I mean, I basically concluded that these symbols have a special meaning because they just stand out too much. [slightly contemplatively] Although I can't shake of the feeling that I've seen these symbols somewhere before.
Sinon: So, could it be that they actually are part of some game alphabet after all? You've seemed so convinced that they aren't…
Akinym: I still am. If I've really seen them before, I'd say it had to be in the real world.
Upon hearing that, Sinon wondered if they could refer to any form of written language in actual history. She couldn't think of anything useful right away, but to be honest, this might've been just because she wasn't very familiar with different writing systems. At the very least, her knowledge hardly went beyond that of a Japanese middle school student.
Her first idea was to ask Akinym about the context in which he might've heard about these symbols, but she figured that this had been his initial idea, too. Thus, she tried something more specific.
Sinon: Okay, let's say that's true: What could it be that's also related to our quest? Looking back at the previous riddles, the hints were mostly related to numbers. Could it be the same here? Maybe these symbols have some meaning in mathematics.
Akinym: Mathematics…
Sinon: Yes, I mean… Okay, this may depend on the curriculum, but if it's something you've learnt in high school, it would explain why I don't know about it, so maybe it's that?
Akinym didn't respond right away. He seemed to think about Sinon's hunch for a moment, although there was actually something slightly different on his mind.
Akinym: I get the idea, but I think it's something else. If these are special mathematical symbols, it's more likely that I've seen them because of my brother.
Sinon: Your brother?
Akinym: Yes, I remember now that I sometimes saw him dealing with different numeral systems, or with methods of encoding relatively large numbers using complex symbols.
Sinon [doubtfully]: Well, I'm not sure if I would call "IX" complex, [slightly contemplatively] but it does sound like a good lead. So, was there anything your brother did that looked like using western letters?
Akinym buried his head in his hands. He peeked through the gaps between his fingers, staring at the floor.
Akinym: I'm trying to remember, but right now, it doesn't come to my mind.
Seeing her partner like that, Sinon wondered what she might do to jog his memory. Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly familiar with the topic herself, so she could only give Akinym's mind some vague directions.
Sinon: Well, it has to be something a player of this game might know, right? So, maybe it has something to do with encryption or computer code? It's something a computer freak might be into. For instance, I could see Kirito figuring this out. And if that's not the case, maybe it's about a historical numeral system? I think there are some, and anyone might know them, so it would be possible for the right person to solve this riddle.
Akinym: I was thinking about that. Among the encoding methods I can remember from what my brother told me, there was nothing that would fit here, but maybe you're right and it's something more… general like the numeral system of a lost civilisation. So, let's see… What's there…?
Akinym went through the mental list of different number systems he could recall. There were a few he had heard about, but even if the one he was looking for was among them, he didn't know enough about any of them to solve the riddle, so he could only hope for the best and try to think of a more familiar system.
The first thing that came to his mind was a Greece system… only that he couldn't remember if there even was any. He knew that there was an ancient Greece alphabet, and that this alphabet still had some meaning in mathematics and science, but the same couldn't be said about a numeral system.
From there, his thoughts wandered to another ancient civilisation.
Akinym: Roman… There are Roman numbers like this. Yeah, I remember now. [contemplatively] Let's see… They use capital Latin letters as numbers. There's… "I" for one, "V" for five… X… Right, "X" would be ten. Combining such symbols refers to addition of the numbers…
Sinon: Really? [slightly happily] Well, in that case "IX" would be eleven, right? If you're sure about that, I guess we've just solved that riddle.
Akinym still had a pensive look in his eyes. He had the feeling that something wasn't right, but he couldn't lay his finger on it…
His thoughts were disrupted by Kem'Pal's loud laughter. Klein had just finished telling his "lizard pal" an adventure story, which had apparently been quite exhilarating.
Kem'Pal: I really like your narrative style, Klein-dono! You know how to present the tales of your endeavours in an exciting manner!
Klein: Hehe, thanks, Kem! [slightly exasperatedly] You know, when I tell others these stories, they always say that I ham it up. Can you believe it?
Kem'Pal: Haha, don't let it get to you, Klein-dono! It is important to raise a monument of your deeds! [seriously] That is how heroes and even entire civilisations immortalise themselves.
Kem'Pal took a look around, eyeing each statue in the hall.
Kem'Pal: Just like the Scaleless Turnips did here.
Lizardman Elite Soldiers: Scaleless Turnips!
Kem'Pal [slightly irritated]: Yeah, sure, but keep it down, men! [seriously] What I'm meaning to say is: Take a look around! With these statues… No, with all these fortresses, they've created a monument of their existence that will show the greatness and the achievements of their civilisation even after we've wiped them out.
Klein: You seem to be strangely content with that, Kem.
Kem'Pal: Why wouldn't I? It is true that we lizardmen could have never built these fortresses across the great mountain range. We ought to pay even our adversaries respect for that.
Klein: Heh, that's a nice point of view, Kem! [excitedly] I'm totally on board with that!
Kem'Pal: Haha, as I've expected, Klein-dono!
Klein [seriously]: But still, I thought there'd be a bit more contempt. I mean, the goblins… um, the Scaleless Turnips are killing your brethren, aren't they? They're literally trying to eradicate your whole species.
Kem'Pal: So do we with them, Klein-dono. For both sides, it's a mere issue of survival, and we'll do anything to that end. In a sense, it's not different from the fight between predator and prey. Both fight a battle with their lives on the line, and neither side would hesitate to deliver the other one to a cruel fate. However, they don't despise each other. [slightly dejectedly] Yeah, under other circumstances, we could've coexisted in this world, but it's just not possible. [slightly determinedly] Regardless, if we looked down on them for their desire to survive, we'd also look down on ourselves.
While listening to the two of them talking about this serious topic, Sinon couldn't help but feel sad and uneasy. She wore a troubled expression, and before long, she turned to Akinym again.
Sinon: Hey, you said that you hear a lot about the quests on this floor, right? That's because you're in the Council, isn't it?
Akinym: As the representative of the smaller clearing guilds, I have to supervise clearing this floor. As such, I receive reports from the guild leaders about everything that regards the war campaign or anything that might give us information on the bosses we'll have to fight. [slightly exasperatedly] Some people, however, add reports about strangely minor quests…
Sinon: So that's how it is… [hesitantly] I'm just asking because… Um, well, this war campaign you've spoken of… the one on this floor… It's really supposed to end with the annihilation of the goblin race, isn't it?
Akinym merely nodded in response.
Sinon [slightly annoyed and dejectedly]: Don't fob me off with that! I mean… [slightly worriedly] I know that they're just monsters and NPCs, but we're still participating in genocide, even if it's just a simulated one. This just feels so… wrong. So… Is there really nothing else we can do?
Akinym, who had avoided looking Sinon in the eye, turned towards her with a serious look on his face. She answered with a somewhat pleading expression, but it didn't change anything.
Sinon: I mean, Kirito is looking into it, isn't he? Has he not found anything we might do instead?
Well, yeah… There was that.
Sinon was by no means the only Assault Team member who had an issue with the goal of this war campaign. As mentioned before, there had been a fierce debate about it among the guild leaders.
One reason was, of course, what Ashley had pointed out: Once the war would be over, the Assault Team would lose access to any drops or quests regarding the goblins. Conversely, if they had chosen to side with the goblins instead, it would've been the same issue with the lizardmen. Unsurprisingly, there had been a conflict of interests.
The other issue was the "participation in simulated genocide". Basically, it was the same old argument between those who sympathised with the NPCs and those who couldn't care less about them: The former felt extremely uncomfortable about destroying an entire civilisation, even if it was just in a game, whereas the latter only cared about clearing the floor, progressing in the game and getting closer to their freedom.
With the 100th floor basically already being within sight, the wish to make the last push and finally break free after two and a half years had become stronger. Thus, the radical faction outnumbered the pro-NPC faction. The latter had tried to argue that there had to be another way to clear this floor. To be fair, it wouldn't be the first time that there had been a hidden third option that was even better than any of the obvious choices. However, without anything substantial at their hands, the pro-NPC faction hadn't been able to persuade the opposing players.
Anticipating a crushing defeat in a majority vote, Agil, who had kind of taken patronage of the pro-NPC faction, had turned directly to Akinym for help. Luckily for him, Akinym had been worried about a certain problem: Even if the majority of the smaller clearing guilds had voted to choose a particular side in the war campaign, the left-out minority would've probably not been motivated to cooperate. Not even might they have not worked productively towards clearing the floor, they might've even refused to participate at all or become a hindrance rather than a help.
In light of that, Akinym had suggested to let someone investigate a potential different way to finish the war campaign at a council meeting, and upon hearing of that, Kirito had volunteered.
There had been some discontent because a member of the KoB was allowed to go to the 95th floor even though the smaller guilds had the priority there, but in order to deal with that issue, Silica had agreed to accompany Kirito as a "chaperone" of sorts together with Lisbeth, Leafa and Philia, who had joined their party by now. Later, Argo had joined their investigation unit. Knowing that the Black Swordsman and the Rat were on the case, the pro-NPC faction had been appeased.
As for their success, on the other hand…
Akinym: He's still trying to find clues, but so far, he has nothing. Honestly, I wouldn't count on him. Judging from our current progress, I estimate that in two or three days, we will reach the final stage of the war campaign. Unless he somehow finds a quest that might finish this campaign without wiping out the goblins until then, the Assault Team will finish it the normal way on that day.
Sinon: Is there nothing we could do to help? I mean, can't you at least give them more time? If you suggest that and…
Akinym [interrupting, sternly]: Completely out of the question!
Sinon was startled by Akinym's harsh dismissal. She looked at him a bit uneasily, but that didn't make his unrelenting expression waver, either.
Sinon: Why doesn't this bother you at least a little? I mean, when I heard Kirito and the others talk about the NPCs as "inhabitants of this world, just like the players", I thought it was silly, but… after living here for a while now, I think I've understood what they mean. When watching how some of the NPCs act right in front of you, it's hard to think of them as nothing but computer programmes. [slightly annoyed] Of course I'm not talking about these dim-witted NPCs that throw cringey lines at you when you're not even talking to them, [slightly sadly] but…
Sinon paused for a moment and took a look at Klein and Kem'Pal. Their conversation had left the serious territory, and now they were back to joking about Klein's "adventures".
Sinon: When I look at their banter, as ridiculous as it can get, [slightly exasperatedly] which is actually to be expected of Klein, [calmly] it… I don't know, it just feels as if you can't brush it off by saying that Kem is just an NPC. I mean, you don't treat Yui like a mere piece of technology, and I can't picture you being so unconcerned if this was about her.
Akinym: You might be right about that, but there's a decisive difference between Yui and Kem'Pal. Yui has proven that – while she probably won't stop being an MHCP – she can be more than just a part of SAO. Kem'Pal, on the other hand, will never be more than the general of the lizardmen on the ninety-fifth floor. Do you remember what he said about this place being a monument of the goblins even after they vanish? Well, he was wrong. This place might prove that the goblins existed in Aincrad, and it won't disappear alongside them, but when we clear the one-hundredth floor, it will be gone, too. So will the lizardmen. Really, the fate of both sides was sealed long before we reached this floor. There's no point in fussing over it now.
Sinon grimaced in response. She found herself unable to disagree, although a part of her wanted to.
Sinon: Yes, I guess so. That doesn't mean that we have to be the ones to seal their fate, though. Honestly, that's a burden I'd rather not carry. Maybe their settlements in this world won't be a lasting monument of their existence, but… well, we will be. [slightly jokingly] I don't think Klein will forget about his "lizard pal" anytime soon. Do you?
Akinym sighed. Yes, he was willing to acknowledge that much. However…
Akinym: What exactly do you expect me to do? [dryly] Should I use my position to suggest others to adopt a course of action that I'm not even convinced of myself?
Sinon [slightly annoyed and sternly]: Just give Kirito and the others enough time to search for a better solution! That's all I'm asking for.
Akinym: In that case, tell me something: What do you think will happen in the meantime?
Sinon answered with a confused look. She honestly had no idea what Akinym might be getting at this time.
Akinym: Okay, let me put this differently: You've seen what's going on in this game lately. These strange earthquakes, these orbs that can teleport players away… Recently, there was a report about a party that encountered a trap they couldn't disable because Trap Dismantling didn't work. It was a single occurrence, so Cardinal probably fixed that issue, but if such vital skills stop working, we're in a pinch. The game will probably only become even more unstable over time, so time – of all the things you could've asked me for – is something we don't have to spare!
That was yet another thing Sinon couldn't argue against, so she just turned away with a troubled expression.
Akinym: I get that you don't like this solution, and if Kirito-san finds a reasonable alternative, I will recommend it, [sternly] but that's as far as I'll go, and I won't give him any second more than he has now! [seriously] In the end, the life of a single player means more than all the NPCs in Aincrad combined, and I think it's a part of my role as a council member to make sure that the players don't forget about that.
Just as he had finished saying that, Akinym took another bite of his rice ball, resuming his meal. This seemingly simple action sent a clear message.
Sinon could only follow his example. In the end, she had the feeling that she could only agree with Akinym here. She didn't like this solution, but that didn't mean that she could ignore the problems which it was a solution to.
Their lunch break ended shortly thereafter.
The group continued to walk across the long hall, and before long, they spotted a single monster ahead. It was actually a bit bizarre. There was a goblin monster standing in the middle of the path, not moving an inch. It didn't even carry any weapons. The only remarkable thing about its appearance was its size, which was somewhere between Akinym's and Sinon's, so that monster was quite tall for a goblin.
When they got closer, the goblin monster looked up, and while most members of their group didn't notice it, a blue light appeared on the floor at the same moment. The light formed a perfect circle with a radius of about five metres around the goblin monster.
Sinon took a closer look at the monster and read the name that appeared above its HP gauge: Amycus, the Goblin Champion.
Sinon [mutters, contemplatively]: Amycus… Amycus… Where have I heard that?
Meanwhile, Klein was fired up to get started.
Klein: Just a single enemy? Man, it doesn't even look particularly strong! [suspiciously] Hm, a bit fishy if you ask me. [determinedly] Well, there's no point in overthinking this. Let's see what this Scaleless Turnip is made of! I'll go and feel him out!
Kem'Pal: Haha, you do that, Klein-dono!
The other players stood back and prepared to watch carefully how Amycus would react to Klein's attack. Speaking of which, Klein drew his katana and charged at Amycus with fierce determination.
Klein: Now then, I'm Klein, leader of Fuurinkazan, and I'm coming for your head! Give me your best shot!
When Klein crossed the shining blue line around Amycus, however, his weapon suddenly vanished. Noticing that, he became confused and stopped, coming to a halt after another two steps. He stared at his now empty hand for a second until Amycus took him by surprise and punched him straight into the face. The punch was so forceful that Klein flew backwards and landed at the feet of the audience.
Klein [sits up]: What… was that? What the hell happened to my sword?!
Sinon: Well, that was strange… It just vanished, and then, that monster attacked you like a boxer. Is this supposed to be a boxing match?
Sinon eyed Amycus carefully. The monster did indeed not wear any weapons, and it only wore scanty leather armour, or rather just a simple linen garment. After knocking Klein down, Amycus seemed to do some practice punches into the air.
Sinon [taken aback]: It's a bit bizarre…
She turned to Akinym to see what he was thinking about this. As it turned out, he was staring at Amycus pensively, but his eyes also seemed to dart a little to… the floor? Sinon checked what he might be looking at and noticed the blue light. So far, she hadn't really paid attention to it, but could there be a deeper meaning to it?
In the meantime, Klein was checking his status window as he couldn't figure out what had happened to his katana.
Klein: Dammit, where did my weapon even go?! It's not even equipped anymore. What's going on here?!
Akinym: Have you checked your inventory? I have a hunch that you'll find it there.
Klein: Huh? A-ah, good point.
Klein went from his status window to the inventory, and after scrolling all the way to the bottom of the list, he breathed a sigh of relief upon finding his weapon.
Klein: Man, don't scare me like that, SAO! [slightly contemplatively] But seriously, what the hell happened there?
Akinym: If I had to guess, I'd say that Sinon-san might not be that far off the mark. Judging from what I've seen here, the system automatically takes off your weapon when you go to fight this monster. [points at the blue light] It apparently happens right when you cross that line. Well, if this battle is a boxing match, I suppose this light marks the boxing ring.
Klein got up again and dusted himself off. After that, he put on a confident grin again.
Klein: Well, probably. But alright, if it's a fist fight you want, it's a fist fight you get! I'll give you a good beating!
With that, Klein charged into battle on his own again. To be fair, he did pretty well this time. Klein and Amycus circled around each other, dealing out blows that were either dodged or blocked. This went on for a while.
At some point, however, Amycus changed his tactic. It fainted a punch at Klein's face, and when he prepared to block, Amycus struck low with its other fist, hitting him in the stomach. That unexpected low blow threw Klein off, and he inadvertently pulled his hands to the side, leaving his head vulnerable. Amycus took the opportunity and blew Klein away with another punch in the face.
Klein landed on his head, and after a second or two, his body slumped down, too, and he fell on his back. The others watched him with varying levels of sympathy and bewilderment. Regardless, he got up again in no time.
Klein [upset]: You bastard, that was cheap! Just you wait, I'll teach you a lesson for messing with me!
Once again, Klein dashed at Amycus, but quite heedlessly this time. Klein threw a sweeping punch at Amycus right away, but the monster just ducked, and after dodging, it countered with an impressive uppercut, which Klein couldn't defend against after letting his guard down.
The punch lifted Klein into the air. When he fell to the ground again, Amycus got ready and pushed him upwards with another uppercut. The others followed Klein's body with their eyes as this process was repeated a few times until Klein finally landed outside the ring. Now he lay there on his stomach while letting out strange groans.
At the same time, Amycus took on a clichéd crane stance and even let out a weird "hooooowwwuaaaah" kind of battle cry that made it look as if the monster was at the casting for a cringey kung fu movie.
Issin [upset]: Hey, who do you think you are to ridicule our leader like that?!
Kunimittz: Yeah, the only ones who get to do this are women!
Dynamm: And he himself!
Kunimittz: Well, yeah, and he himself, too.
Following these… declarations, the other members of Fuurinkazan stormed onto the battlefield to avenge their leader… only to fail spectacularly. Amycus sent them flying one after another, and the various players crashed into the surrounding statues or directly onto the floor. Thankfully, Amycus Attack was surprisingly low, so they hadn't taken much damage. Well, their pride had, but that was an entirely different issue.
Kem'Pal: Hm, this foe seems to be particularly tough…
Sinon [sighs]: Well, for a bunch of muscleheads, perhaps. [generates some arrows] Let's deal with this in a more sophisticated manner, shall we?
Figuring that the automatic removal of weapons shouldn't be a problem when using ranged weapons, Sinon got ready to fire arrows as Amycus. When she used Quintuple Shot, however, she had to witness how each of the five arrows burst into polygons upon impact without affecting the target at all.
She was dumbstruck for a moment, but Akinym, who had had a hunch that something like this would happen, quickly delivered an explanation.
Akinym: Yeah, I figured that this would've been too easy. Ranged combat obviously gets nullified. All these attempts to just have a boxing match with this monster won't get us anywhere, either. If nothing else, normal punches don't deal damage, so it's pointless to fight it that way.
Sinon [exasperatedly]: Why didn't you say that sooner?! Really, we could've avoided… [looks at the Fuurinkazan members] this sad picture!
Akinym: I had to get an idea of our opponent's fighting style and abilities. Judging from what I've seen, I guess we're supposed to fight it using the Martial Arts skill. At least that's the most suitable skill for this situation.
Sinon [frustrated]: Great… Does any of us even have that skill?! Besides, wouldn't that mean that less than a dozen people could defeat this monster?
Akinym: Well, yeah, and that could be a bit of a problem… but it also makes me wonder if there's another way…
Akinym looked past Amycus. There was one thing he could try. He only had to wait for the members of Fuurinkazan to get up again for his plan to work.
Akinym: Okay, everyone, I'm gonna try something. I don't think we actually have to kill this monster. If my plan works, I'll give you a signal and you'll run past it. Once you cross the blue line on the opposite side, I don't think this monster will follow you. I'll make sure that it can't get in the way, so you just get ready!
The others could only nod affirmingly while Akinym already put his weapon away before approaching Amycus. When Akinym entered its boxing ring, Amycus looked at its new challenger in a provoking manner, but Akinym didn't attack. Instead, he took a rather defensive stance.
However, a thought occurred to Akinym: If the special monsters he had seen on these high floors so far were anything to go by, Amycus probably had a quite adaptable AI. Therefore, if he acted extremely cautiously here, the monster in front of him would probably do the same. Could he defeat a martial-arts-themed opponent with his usual techniques if that foe kept its guard up? Akinym had his doubts about it.
On the other hand, Akinym had watched how Amycus had dealt with the frontal attacks of the Fuurinkazan members, and even though his initial intention had only been to observe Amycus' moves, he had also seen that this goblin boxer had become accustomed to such straightforward attacks, and it would likely counter them quickly.
With that in mind, Akinym came up with a different tactic. He moved his arms to the side, and while doing that, he pulled back his right arm and formed a fist with his right hand. At the same time, he shifted his weight forward as if he was about to lunge at his opponent. Akinym did all that as quickly as possible.
The sudden shift towards an offensive stance caused the desired reaction from Amycus. The monster dashed forward at a remarkable speed. Amycus bent his upper body forward and aimed his right fist at Akinym's stomach. Furthermore, it held its other arm up relatively high to prepare blocking Akinym's attack. Akinym held his left arm too high to fend off a low blow, so from the AI's perspective, this was the perfect counterattack.
To its utter surprise, however, Akinym didn't aim his punch at Amycus' head, which the monster shielded with its left arm, but its right arm, which it thrust at him. That way, Akinym deflected the punch to the side, and carried by its momentum, Amycus crashed into his body. The goblin monster was taller than the average goblin, but it was still a lightweight, and since Akinym had kept an overall steady stance, he could absorb the impact.
After that, Akinym's right arm was stuck between his body and Amycus', and he used that to push the monster away by pressing said arm forward. Akinym did, however, grab Amycus' left shoulder, so while the monster couldn't help but stagger a bit, it didn't keel over. With his left hand, Akinym grabbed Amycus' right forearm. Now he had a firm grip on his opponent's body.
Next, Akinym used Acrobatics for a frontflip, and Amycus was inevitably swept away. The way Akinym twirled this actually fierce and formidable enemy around was so over the top that the audience, at least Fuurinkazan, couldn't help but think that they'd normally expect this kind of show from trapeze artists at a circus.
After landing, Akinym let go of Amycus, and the goblin crashed onto the ground. The impact was so strong that it bounced up again a little, and the monster needed to recover from this after what had just happened, so Amycus kept lying on its stomach for a moment.
Akinym used that time to grab both of its arms, and he twisted them and bent them behind its back, forcibly crossing them there. He also pressed one knee at the spot where Amycus' arms overlapped. To the others, it looked almost as if he was trying to tie a knot with Amycus' limbs.
Regardless of looks, Amycus couldn't move or shake Akinym off in its current state.
Akinym: Now, go! Go!
The members of Fuurinkazan needed a moment to react, and Sinon and the lizardmen hesitated a bit to follow the order due to different reasons, but after a few seconds, they all hurried past Akinym and Amycus and to the other side of Amycus' battle area.
Once they were there and (presumably) safe, Akinym waited a moment before catching up to them. To be precise, he waited for the cooldown on Acrobatics to be over. When he finally let go of Amycus and got up, he used that skill for a forward dash to get away from the monster before it could stand up and cause any trouble.
By the time Amycus got to chase after Akinym, he had already left the blue circle. At that point, Amycus stopped and just glared at the group.
Klein [slightly at a loss]: Well, that's it, isn't it? It… feels kinda underwhelming to do this like that, am I the only one who thinks that?
Harry One: It's a strange way to deal with a monster, just circumventing the battle, that's for sure.
Akinym [shrugs]: It worked, so, honestly, I don't see a problem here. Rather than fussing over this, let's get going!
The members of Fuurinkazan were still a bit dumbstruck, but they followed Akinym nonetheless, albeit hesitantly. The only one who seemed perfectly satisfied with Akinym's remark was Sinon, who had "fought" such battles with Akinym numerous times before.
After the players had left, Kem'Pal and his soldiers remained behind for a moment. The lizardman general looked at Amycus with an expression that showed its longing for a fight, but also the regret that it wouldn't come to that. In the end, Kem'Pal let out a small, slightly disappointed huff and followed the others.
Shortly thereafter, the group reached the end of the long hall and found the entrance to the teleport stone chamber of this fortress. Inside that chamber, there were twelve teleport stones lined up at the wall.
Klein [excitedly]: Alright, everyone! It's time to get this riddle solved! Let's see... [looks around the room, slightly contemplatively] Now that I get to take a look… I find… um… [at a loss, slightly dejectedly] nothing out of the ordinary, actually.
Sinon [sighs]: Don't wreck your brain over it, Klein, we've already figured out what the riddle means.
Klein [surprised]: You did?!
Sinon: Yeah. This "IX" is a Roman numeral. It represents the number "eleven", so we have to take the eleventh stone.
Klein: Really? [impressed, slightly dejectedly] Man, you figure these things out… I don't know what to say. But still… [dejectedly] To think that I couldn't solve a single one of them by myself… What a downer! [sighs, slightly determinedly] Well, there's no helping it. Let's get this done and clear this dungeon!
With that, Klein turned around and walked towards the eleventh teleport stone from the left.
At the same time, Akinym had this feeling that he had overlooked something. Now that it had returned, it bothered him even more than before, but he still couldn't tell what caused this feeling. In an attempt to focus on the issue, Akinym looked up to the ceiling so he wouldn't get distracted by the others.
Oddly enough, there was something at the ceiling which distracted him even more. In this chamber, the roof was supported by five crossbars. Two pairs of them formed crosses, and the fifth one was between them, almost as if to separate the two crosses. When he looked back and forth between these crossbars, something came to Akinym's mind.
Akinym: Wait!
Klein had already put his hand on the teleport stone, and he was about to give the command to teleport his party when Akinym's outcry made him stop.
Klein: Huh? W-what's wrong?
Akinym: It's not eleven, it's nine. The number "IX", I mean. It's nine, not eleven.
Sinon: Huh? Wait, didn't you tell me that putting these numerals together means adding them? So why would "IX" be nine?
Akinym: That's… [mutters, contemplatively] Ugh, how can I explain this? [says aloud, calmly] There's something I didn't remember until now. Basically, according to what I said before, what would be the difference between "IX" and "XI"?
Sinon thought about it for a moment. There shouldn't be any, should there? She tilted her head in slight confusion and looked at Akinym as if to ask if these two sequences of numerals should represent different numbers. To be fair, it would make sense, but Sinon didn't know anything about the Roman numeral system, so she simply couldn't tell.
Akinym: Well, the thing I've just remembered is that there's a difference between putting lower numerals left or right to higher ones. If they are placed to the right, they're added, but if they're placed to the left, they're subtracted. So "IX" isn't "ten plus one", it's "ten minus one".
Sinon [contemplatively]: How sure are you about that?
Akinym: I'd say about seventy per cent.
Sinon seemed to think about that for a moment. She turned towards the teleport stones, looking at the ninth from the left.
Sinon: Well, in that case, we might as well be the first ones to go, right? I'd like to be the first one to leave this place, [glances at Akinym] and we've always stood back at first so far, haven't we? I guess this would be a good opportunity to step forward.
Akinym flinched upon hearing Sinon's proposal. Honestly, just what was she thinking? He could hardly refuse without stating the reason clearly… or at least not without raising suspicion. Klein and the others already looked at Akinym and Sinon quizzically, and given that they made no move to use the teleport stones, they were willing to go along with Sinon's "request".
In that situation, Akinym saw no other way but to walk much closer to Sinon to discuss this in a whisper.
Akinym: What was that?! You know what will happen if I'm mistaken, and I don't want to risk that! Why do you?! I thought we had talked about this.
Sinon [upset]: What's the matter? I thought you were so sure about this, so what's the harm in going first?!
Akinym: You know what is, and keep your voice down!
Sinon: Why? Why can't we discuss this normally with everyone else?!
Akinym: As I've said, we've talked about this! By all means, you should be able to answer that yourself!
Sinon: That is… Ugh… [whispers] You want to whisper about this? Fine! In that case, I'll whisper to you that this has been bothering me from the very beginning! For starters, I've never wanted to do this quest that way! [slightly frustrated] Okay, I get that you have your reasons for doing this, [upset] but at this point, why can't we at least tell them what's going on?! There's no way that they could catch up to us with this quest now, even if they tried!
Akinym: We still don't know how they'd react! Sure, we'll have to explain this eventually, and I'll do that, but I want their help at least until we're done with this quest!
Sinon: Ugh, this wish for secrecy of yours is just a pain right now!
Akinym: So is the fact that you keep questioning my strategy! I've told you, this quest is too important for us to let pride or something like that get in our way! Besides, why do you even have a problem with my secrecy?! It's not like you don't have something you won't tell others, do you?!
Sinon immediately understood what Akinym was talking about, and his remark made her flinch and grunt in utter displeasure. She glared at him with a pained expression.
Klein [defensively, slightly worriedly]: Oi, oi, you two! I don't know what's going on, but don't jump down each other's throat, okay? [worriedly] Geez, let me check this teleport stone, and you two play nice!
Kem'Pal: Why don't I give you a hand, too, Klein-dono? I'll follow Akinym-kun's new suggestion, and you take the teleport device in front of you. Let fate show which one of us ends up with the lucky choice!
Klein: Hehe, fine with me, Kem!
After that, they got ready and teleported away at the same time. Much to Sinon's surprise, the two teleport stones they had used shattered after Klein and Kem'Pal's respective groups had disappeared.
Sinon [mutters]: They… were both wrong? Which means… that if we had used one… [says aloud, slightly at a loss] No, wait, more importantly, which one is the right stone if these two weren't?
Well, Akinym had an idea. Kem'Pal had used the ninth teleport stone from the left, so his guess was that they had to use the ninth one from the right. Thus he walked towards that teleport stone.
However, he stopped in front of it, wondering what to do. There was still a chance that didn't remember correctly what his brother had taught him about Roman numerals. In light of that, it might've been better to wait for Klein to return and let him test this new hypothesis. Well, Akinym didn't know where the teleport stones had sent Klein and the others. In the worst case, they had been sent back to the start of the long hall, in which case they'd have to get past Amycus again…
Besides, there was something else that bothered Akinym. He glanced over at Sinon, who turned away grumpily. Right now, he couldn't figure out why exactly she was suddenly so peeved. Okay, she had voiced her complaints about his methods here clearly, but as far as Akinym could see, this alone didn't explain why she was in that bad of a mood all of a sudden.
Regardless, he had to deal with that, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that he should at least meet her halfway in this matter. However, there was still the issue regarding what would happen if he was wrong.
Frankly, it was extremely difficult for him to make a decision. This problem was only made worse by the fact that a similar situation from that time when he and Sinon had raided a dungeon on the 94th floor came to his mind. Back then, logic had dictated a certain course of action, but he had been just as dissatisfied with it as he was now.
Alas, his current indecisiveness bugged him even more.
Akinym [puts his hand on the teleport stone]: Teleport!
Sinon turned towards Akinym in surprise, but she didn't get to say anything before they were teleported away. However, before the teleportation was complete, they could hear a strange voice.
System Announcement: Quest flag detected. Altering teleport destination.
After that, Akinym and Sinon found themselves in a completely different room… somewhere.
...and that will be the starting point for the final part of the "Akinautica".
Regarding the myth that this part of the story is based on, there were two hints towards it in this chapter. This time, however, they're not hidden well enough for anyone who discovers them to get a cookie, not even an imaginary one. Sorry.
To be honest, I don't know if Japanese schools teach students about Roman numerals. Frankly, it could be that they do, in which case the players' confusion about the final hint in this chapter might not be justified. Regardless, I just went with the scenario that these numerals are not common knowledge, so that's behind that.
By the way, I intend to write a side story about Kirito's "adventures" with the girls which are mentioned in this chapter after finishing this particular part of the story.
Little Preview: Akinym and Sinon finally find the Fleece of the Ancestral Ram, but in order to claim it, they have to pass a final trial. In order to do that, they'll need even more help.