So, I'm back with another chapter. Yes, I'm indeed not dead and have, in fact, never been. Okay, that sounded weird...
Anyway, I know that when I added the previous chamber at the beginning of February, I said that I hoped to publish new chapters more frequently... and what happened? It took me two months instead of one to write the next one. Yeah... Well, work and moving to a town more than 400 kilometres away from my previous home kept me quite busy.
On a brighter note, now that I've settled into my new home (and job), I hope things will get better - which should be taken with a grain of salt in light of what I said in the previous chapter, I guess. In the end, even if there's not much left for me to do after moving, work will always leave me less free time than university, so I won't be able to continue writing as I once used to even under ideal circumstances. Well, that's life for you.
Now, with that background explanation out of the way, let's get to the actual chapter. Last time, after a long and complicated strategy meeting, the players could settle on an outline for the upcoming battle... only to run into trouble almost immediately as the goblins managed to destroy one of the Assault Team's two battering rams. Fortunately, Kirito seems to have an idea as to how to solve this problem... and it seems to center around Silica? Well, let's see what he has in mind!
The raid party and their lizardman allies had split into two groups for now, and each unit was waiting for their next orders on the slope of the hill their base camp had been set up on. The Goblin Guards that defended the area around the goblin HQ weren't in sight yet, so they could take their sweet time to get ready.
Alas, there was really only one thing they had to prepare, and the one who was in charge of that was Silica. Said "thing" was her new familiar, the pair of fire-breathing oxen she had tamed while helping Akinym and Sinon with their latest quest. She had stored Pina in her inventory for the time being, just as she had already summoned the oxen. The two oxen, which Silica had named Gozu and Ushi, were just standing on the spot, staring at their master listlessly.
Silica [doubtfully, slightly hesitantly]: Um, so – just to make sure I've got you right – what exactly do you want Gozu and Ushi to do, Kirito-san?
Silica looked inquiringly in Kirito's general direction. In a sense, she directed her question not just at him, but also at Asuna and any of the other leading figures who were in their group. She would've taken an answer from Kirito, Asuna, the other members of her party, Akinym or Sinon, and she wouldn't have minded Lind explaining the situation, either. There were a few more people present who she could've turned to, but it was unlikely that any of them knew Kirito's idea or Silica's abilities well enough to even grasp the situation. In fact, the majority of their group still thought that they had heard Kirito's plan wrong… which made them feel just like Silica.
Kirito [reassuringly]: I need them to charge at the wall! We lost a battering ram earlier, but I guess that we could use any method of attacking with brute force instead. These two bulls look like they're pretty strong, and as far as I remember your explanation, they really are pretty tough, so I think that they'd do a good job as surrogate rams. You only have to tell them to ram into the wall where our first attack has already weakened it.
Silica [hesitantly]: Okay… Got it, but… Won't that be kinda dangerous?
Asuna: Don't worry too much about that! A second group will divert as many of the outside goblin defenders as possible…
Asuna pointed towards the rest of the raid party. The other players and NPCs were waiting for her signal to feign a charge and distract the goblins.
Asuna: ...and we'll send the defensive unit from our last charge with your familiars as an escort. They should be able to shield them quite well from the archers' attacks as long as they focus on that.
This time, Asuna turned towards Max, who nodded firmly before making a show of setting his large shield onto the ground in front of him – as if to flaunt it.
Silica: Okay… [takes a deep breath, turns to Gozu and Ushi] Here goes nothing… [seriously] Gozu, Ushi, I need you to do something. I – and the rest of the Assault Team – we're counting on you! [points at the castle walls] You have to go and smash a hole into this wall! [determinedly] Now, charge and break through it!
Silica's resolute command prompted the oxen to… do nothing, to be honest. They stared at her outstretched arm, but that was the end of the story. This resulted in a moment of extremely awkward silence as everyone kept waiting for anything to happen.
Lind [doubtfully, slightly exasperatedly]: Is… that it?
Silica: I… I'm terribly sorry! I-it's just… Gozu and Ushi have joined me only recently, and… we still have some communication issues, I guess.
Lind [exasperatedly]: Communication issues… This… [annoyed] is ridiculous! It seems that newly-tamed familiars are likely to ignore orders! Isn't that what's going on?!
Silica [defensively]: Just give me a moment, okay? [seriously] Gozu, Ushi, what are you waiting for?! We're counting on you, so go and make me proud! Attack the castle walls!
Once again, nothing happened. Silica kept trying to assuage her oxen to attack, and as she continued her attempts, more and more of the players around her became increasingly restless and irritated.
Their patience was about to run out when one of the oxen turned around. It was a moment of hope, especially for Silica… until the ox stopped and stared at a rock on the ground, which seemed to be much more important than its master's commands. Meanwhile, the other ox began sniffing Silica's arm as if to find out whether it smelled more interesting than it looked. Apparently, it didn't, so the ox turned around as well before it stopped moving completely.
Asuna [thinks, worriedly]: That's not good… At this rate, the other players will snap at any moment. They'll definitely see this as nothing but an issue with the Taming system, so what can I do about that? Well, let's try this… [says aloud] Alright, everyone, this isn't proceeding smoothly, but I'd like to give Silica more time! Despite the difficulties, her familiars should listen to her eventually. Of course, you'll say, "Eventually?!" Yes, unfortunately, this is taking time, but if you're unhappy about that, I'll ask you not to spend that time venting or bottling up your frustration, but to think of anything that might help us make this plan a success! Therefore, if any of you has an idea what might get an unruly familiar to obey, even if it's based on experience from another game, a farfetched theory or hearsay, don't hesitate to share it!
Kirito had similar thoughts on the matter. Well, the whole plan to use Silica's oxen to break through the wall had been his idea, so of course he wanted it to succeed… and he had come up with an idea as to what might "motivate" the oxen.
Kirito: About that, there's something we could try… Do you mind, Silica?
Kirito stepped forward and walked up to the two oxen, stopping right behind them while looking at Silica, expecting an answer from the slightly confused girl.
Silica: W-well, I'm open to any suggestions, but what are you planning to do, Kirito-san?
Oddly enough, Kirito replied with a cheeky grin.
Kirito: Hehe, just wait and see!
He began rubbing his hands and turned towards the oxen. All eyes were on Kirito… except for Lisbeth's since she was more concerned about the troubled look Asuna had put on. Thus, Lisbeth walked over to the other girl and whispered to her.
Lisbeth: Hey, Asuna, what's wrong? Is there something to worry about? Because you totally look like there is!
Asuna: Huh? O-oh, Liz… It's just… That look… Whenever Kirito-kun looks like that, he's about to do something silly or outrageous, so yeah, there might be reason to worry… Then again, his crazy ideas work surprisingly well sometimes, so there's reason to hope as well.
Lisbeth [slightly exasperatedly]: Well, now that you mention it, he has this "let's try something dumb" smirk… Ugh, great, now I have a really bad feeling about this.
Regardless, she, too, took a "wait and see" approach.
Kirito: Okay, you two: If you don't wanna obey, I guess you'll need a little push, so get going and crush that troublesome wall for us already!
The "push" Kirito was referring to was a slap on the flank of each ox. That way, Kirito meant to startle the oxen so that they would start running. It was based on something he had seen in a documentary on agriculture. That was indeed all there was to it.
Well, he succeeded at startling the oxen. They didn't charge at the castle wall, though. Instead, they turned around and glared at him. That turn of events sent a shiver down his spine, but Kirito didn't have any time to react before the oxen knocked him over and began to trample him down.
The violent stampede came completely unexpected – not just to Kirito, but also to the "audience". Every single one of them was too taken aback to do anything for a moment. That was quite unfortunate since the situation was actually very serious. This was a genuine attack, and Kirito's HP dropped significantly. Silica was the first one to regain their composure enough to react.
Silica: AAAH! Gozu, Ushi, what are you doing?! Stop that! STOOOP!
This time, the oxen listened, and they calmed down in an instant. It certainly didn't come a moment too soon. Not only had Gozu and Ushi brought Kirito's HP bar down into the yellow zone, Asuna had been on the verge of drawing her rapier and intervening.
Anyway, now that the situation was under control again, everyone relaxed to some extent. For instance, Akinym and Sinon didn't have to worry about Kirito's safety anymore, so they could focus on the fact that he had thoughtlessly got himself into trouble once again, and they showed their exasperation with matching judgmental, deadpan stares. Many of the other players among the audience shared this sentiment.
Meanwhile, Asuna and Lisbeth, who were still rather concerned, pulled Kirito, who was covered with hoof marks from head to toe, back to his feet.
Asuna: Are you okay?
Kirito: Y-yeah… kind of. Sorry, that went… horribly wrong.
Lisbeth: Yeah, no kidding! Geez, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack! What were you even thinking?!
Kirito [defensively]: S-sorry for worrying you, but I… [thinks, worriedly] She's only gonna get even angrier if I tell her that it was just a hunch, isn't she? [says aloud] Um…
Silica: Well, no matter your reason, I think it might be better to just leave this to me.
She may have said that, but the truth was that Silica didn't know what to do. She threw another worried glance at her oxen, wondering what to say. Alas, no matter how hard Silica thought about it, nothing came to her mind, so she took a deep breath and decided to simply try conveying her feelings to them once more.
Silica [seriously]: Gozu, Ushi, please, we need your help! I know that you probably don't have any interest in this battle. You didn't even choose to be here. Instead, I've taken you away from the home you knew, and given how short our time together has been so far, you probably don't see me – let alone any of the others – as your comrade. [slightly determinedly] The truth is, however, that none of us wants to be here, either, and we didn't choose to fight this battle! We simply need to in order to return home one day, and for that purpose, we'll need all the help we can get. Right now, that means that we absolutely need you! [determinedly] Therefore, even if I can't promise you anything in return, I beseech you to work together with us today!
Something Silica had said triggered a reaction. The oxen suddenly looked at her much more intently. Asuna didn't fail to notice that. Whether Silica had said anything in particular that had piqued the oxen's interest or she simply had luck this time, it seemed to work, so Asuna waved her rapier at the second group of players in the distance. This was the signal to start the diversion, so the other unit moved forward and drew the Goblin Guards' attention.
Meanwhile, Silica pointed towards the castle wall once more while fierce determination was glowing in her eyes.
Silica: All I ask of you is to create a path for us! Go and destroy that wall, break through where it's already weakened, and allow us to take the next step forward – to our homes!
Both oxen roared wildly before they took off and charged at the outer wall with great vigour. The sudden success caught Max and the oxen's escort a bit by surprise, so it took them a second to follow Silica's familiars. Naturally, the Goblin Archers opened fire immediately, and they dealt a small, but still noteworthy amount of damage to the oxen until the players caught up so that they could defend them.
A handful of Goblin Guards hadn't taken the bait the players had thrown out, and these monsters tried to stand in the oxen's path. Alas, when they charged straight at the familiars, the oxen answered with their own speciality: their fiery breath. Three of the Goblin Guards didn't relent even though the fire reduced their HP rapidly. They struck at the oxen and dealt as much damage as they could before they were trampled down and reduced to polygons.
The rest of the Goblin Guards tried to circle around their attackers in order to counterattack from the sides instead. The players intercepted them, although the Goblin Guards managed to at least bring some of them to a halt as a part of the oxen's escort stopped to fight the monsters.
Max: Don't bother killing the small fry! Focus on defending the tamer girl's pets! That's what matters here!
This reminder worked, and the players focused on maintaining the protective wall around the oxen. Even though they had to fend off volley after volley of arrows and the pestering attacks of the Goblin Guards, they succeeded in escorting the oxen to the wall safely.
There, the oxen crashed into the damaged section of the obstacle in their path at full force. The cracks widened and deepened visibly in an instant, and that development only continued as the oxen kept pushing with all their might. After a moment, they withdrew a little, only to ram the wall again.
Alas, the players couldn't shield the large animals completely from the hail of arrows. The familiars sustained more and more hits, and their HP began to run low. Regardless, it looked as if the oxen would last longer than the wall…
...until the goblins threw several rocks through the murder holes – just as they had done before to destroy the battering ram. Some of these rocks hit Silica's oxen while they were getting in position for another charge. This did not only cause considerable damage, but it also seemed to startle the oxen and to impede their movements. The familiars staggered, and for a moment, it was unclear if they could make the final push.
Silica and the players in the distance didn't fail to notice under what heavy attack their comrades on the front line were. However, none of them had expected how Silica reacted when the rocks hit her oxen: She headlessly ran straight towards them.
Lisbeth: Huh?! Wait, Silica!
Asuna: Hey, wait, Silica! That's too dangerous! You're entering the archers' shooting range!
This warning didn't matter. Silica wasn't even listening. She ran as quickly as her legs could carry her – and her Agility allowed her to move at a remarkable pace – and she didn't stop until she had reached the midway point between the players who had stayed behind and her familiars.
She didn't stop to turn around again, though. Instead, she shouted at the top of her lungs:
Silica: Gozu, Ushi, you can do this! I believe in you! You've almost made it, so don't give up!
Whatever Silica's encouragement may have had to do with it, her oxen snapped out of their daze immediately, and they rammed the damaged wall in front of them once more. It crumbled, and even before the goblins could throw more rocks in a desperate attempt to stop them, the broken section fell apart completely, leaving a gaping hole in the formidable obstacle.
Alas, the goblins still let their projectiles rain on the oxen as if they wanted to take vengeance. The aforementioned rocks they threw through the murder holes hit the oxen, and the familiars that had been so intimidating before collapsed just like the castle wall had. In the end, not even the polygons they broke into remained.
Silica: G-gozu… Ushi…
Unfortunately, Silica didn't have any time even to take in the fact that her newest familiar had perished. With their previous target gone, the Goblin Archers took aim again, and their AIs determined that Silica – defenseless and out in the open as she was – was the perfect target. Doubly unfortunately, Silica simply was too shocked to react to the situation as it required it, so when the archers opened fire, they caught her completely off-guard. When she instinctively backed away, she even tripped and fell.
Naturally, the rest of the players didn't miss this development. Whether it was Asuna as the raid commander or Lisbeth and Philia as Silica's party members, they were all shocked and worried, wondering what to do.
Lisbeth, in particular, actually wanted nothing more than to run over to Silica to help her, but her instincts held her back, urging her not to enter the dangerous zone herself, lest she would end up in the same peril.
Just as her desire to help Silica was about to get the upper hand, she saw a black shadow rush past her, which caused her to stop. This shadow was Kirito, who hurried to Silica's aid.
Meanwhile, Silica had begun to instinctively try to retreat. She had to get up first, though, which proved somewhat difficult. She tried to support her body with her arms while standing up, but she slipped on the sandy ground so that she would've fallen flat on her face again if Kirito hadn't arrived in time to catch her. He swiftly lifted her up and ran back to the safe area as fast as he had on his way to Silica. Since Silica was small and light, Kirito had no problems carrying her.
It should be noted that this act wouldn't be remembered as a gallant gesture that could be straight from a novel about chivalry… for Kirito had simply grabbed her as he could get a hold of her with no regard for anything other than their escape. Thus, he ended up carrying her like a bag under one arm, not like a princess in both.
Obviously, the Goblin Archers continued to fire arrow after arrow… now at Kirito. Well, he could take a hit, that much was certain, so he made it back safely, although Asuna and the rest still had been a bit worried for a second.
Asuna: Are you two alright? It seems that your HP are in the yellow zone.
Kirito: Yeah, but… we're fine.
Philia: Yeah, thankfully! Seriously, don't scare us like that, especially you, Silica!
Lisbeth: You can say that again! Seriously, how reckless can you be! First, you, Silica, run out there as if it's nothing, and then you, Kirito… [slightly at a loss] well, do the exact same thing, kind of… [mutters, slightly dejectedly] Then again, I guess I should be thankful for that…
Lind: I hate to interrupt you, but there's still a battle to be fought! It seems that the escort unit is returning as planned, so we ought to prepare for our next step instead of chatting like this, right?
Kirito [slightly irritatedly]: Sure, we need to, but you could be a bit more sensitive and aware of the situation… Someone just escaped mortal danger here…
Sinon: I hate to break it to you, Kirito, but you could also show more "awareness of the situation". Right now, you really are one to talk…
Kirito: Huh, what do you mean?
Akinym: Well, you might want to consider your… luggage.
The fact that Akinym, who had answered in Sinon's stead, pointed at something at his side only confused Kirito even more… albeit only for a brief moment. Once Kirito took a look, he instantly realised the problem: He was still carrying Silica under his arms, and they drew stares from everyone around them, which seemed to be more than Silica could handle as the girl was bright red.
Silica: Um, y-yeah, Kirito-san… Could you put me down again, please?
Kirito: AAAH! Sorry, Silica!
Kirito reflexively dropped Silica right there and then. Thus, the girl fell flat to the ground… which, as goes without saying, wasn't what she had meant by "putting her down".
Kirito: S-sorry… again…
Philia [slightly awkwardly]: Y-you know, Kirito, maybe we'll take it from here.
Following that suggestion, Lisbeth and Philia helped Silica up.
Lisbeth: Yeah, I get the feeling this might be better… On that note, are you doing okay, Silica?
Silica [dejectedly]: First, Gozu and Ushi die… and now I'm treated like a piece of baggage…
Lisbeth: That's a "no"…
Under other circumstances, their banter would've earnt the girls an awkward smile from Asuna, but right now, she had to agree with Lind on one point: Their battle was far from over. With another look at Max and his group, who had just returned to the rest of the raid party, she thought to herself that it was time to regroup and to begin the next stage of their attack.
That next stage would start without her at the front line, though. A small unit led by Max and Agil was dispatched to infiltrate the yard. Their task was to press forward and to gauge the goblins' defense. If possible, they should secure their point of entry on the other side of the wall, but that wasn't a must.
Meanwhile, Asuna stayed at the large tent at the players' camp. There, she stood at the large table, bent over the Mirage Sphere and the holographic model of the castle.
Kirito: What are you thinking about? I'm sure you've been staring at the hologram for at least a minute now.
Asuna: Well, it's just… Now that I've seen that we can indeed break a hole into the wall with something other than the battering rams, I wonder what else we could use. It would be strange if we could use anything, though. But… maybe Blunt weapons would do.
Kirito [surprised]: You want to let our Blunt weapon users blast another hole through the wall?
Asuna [slightly irritatedly]: I'm not sure yet… [seriously] If need be, I'd like to have another option, you know? The problem is that we don't know how well this idea would work. There should be some correlation between the power of our attack and its effect. The battering rams are made specially for this task, and Silica's oxen were a fairly strong familiar, so I guess that's why they're effective means to break through this wall. I'm not sure if mere Sword Skills would work anywhere near as well… Not to mention that there are hardly any players who use Blunt weapons among us.
Kirito had to agree on that point. The only one he could think of at the top of his head was Lisbeth. He knew that there were more, and he had certainly seen Assault Team players other than Lisbeth use Blunt weapons with remarkable skill, but he hardly knew any of them. Well, he figured that Asuna, who generally had a better overview over these things, could remember at least a few of these people.
Regardless, he had other worries on his mind, too.
Kirito: Yeah, but it's not just that. If they really try to destroy the wall with their weapons, it's bound to put an insane strain on the Durability of their weapons. Keep in mind that hitting environmental objects reduces the weapon's Durability more than hitting a monster! Liz told me about that, too. I remember her saying that she uses separate tools for mining because her weapons lose more Durability when she uses them for farming ore. Well, more than they'd lose during a battle.
Asuna [slightly frustratedly]: Right… I forgot about that. I shouldn't ask them to do something so… costly. I'm sure they'd have to use several of their spare weapons… Given the col and materials they'd have to spend on repairs, I doubt any of them will be happy. We already had a fierce dispute about the distribution of the drops and treasure at the strategy meeting, so I think that demanding some of the players to do something so economically inefficient will bring more strife than results.
Asuna straightened herself and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Asuna: Here goes Plan B, though. I hope that I won't need one… As long as Max-san and his group are successful, we shouldn't have any trouble, so let's hope for the best if we can't even plan for the worst.
Kirito [slightly nervously]: That… might be an issue.
Asuna gave Kirito a surprised, quizzical look. She noticed that he wasn't even looking at her, though. Instead, he stared outside the tent uneasily. When Asuna looked outside, too, she noticed the reason for his concerns right away: Agil, Max and several others of the players she had sent ahead as a vanguard were returning to the base camp, and this didn't look like a triumphant return.
Asuna: W-what happened?! Why are you back already? I bet this were hardly ten minutes!
Max: I'm sorry, Vice-commander, but things turned out to be unexpectedly… complicated.
Agil: Yeah, we didn't really make any progress… although I dare say that, in hindsight, I'm not even surprised.
Asuna: W-why? [seriously] Wait, let me think about this calmly! For starters, tell me what exactly the problem is!
Max: Well, it's the archers. Once we'd passed through the hole in the wall, we were immediately met with a large squad of goblins. We've expected that much, and the plan was to push forward slowly but steadily. However, I think we've severely underestimated how much trouble the archers would cause.
Agil: Yeah, while we were fighting the melee-oriented goblin monsters in front of us, the archers behind us could rain constant fire down on us from outside our reach. They had it easy to give us a hard time.
Asuna: That much has been clear. For that reason, we've decided that you should… [slightly worriedly] Wait, you tried to put the shieldbearers as a second line right behind the first line, facing the archers and trying to block their arrows, just as planned, but to no avail, didn't you?
Max [nods]: Exactly. It was nowhere near as easy as we thought.
Agil: Right after entering the yard, when the archers could just fire at us straight from above, there was no way for our shield unit to defend any of the others anyway. Too bad that it actually didn't get much better once we'd made some progress.
Max: It was hard to coordinate our advance. I can't speak for anyone else, but personally, I found it particularly difficult to match my movements with the guy I was supposed to protect from behind, especially since I couldn't watch out for the archers' shots on one side and the person I should've guarded from these shots on the other side at the same time. All of us only have one pair of eyes after all.
Agil: I don't think that another pair for each of us would make much of a difference. When fighting these swift goblins, we can't fight while trying to stay covered. For instance, if you use a Sword Skill, there's no way for another player too keep up with you too the point that they can protect you with a shield at all times. And boy, do these archers know how to find an opening for a shot!
Max: Yeah, so far, we could lure the melee combatants away from the archers and fight under favourable conditions, but that's not an option anymore. In fact, I think it'd only get worse if we tried to proceed the same way. I'd say there's a whole regiment of goblins on the other side of that wall, and to push them back at a broad front, we'll need many players, and the only possible formation will be a long, connected line. Even if our initial plan of protecting our unit with shields from behind had worked, we don't have enough players with large enough shields to support an assault unit of the necessary size.
Asuna [sighs]: Okay… This is bad… Is there anything we could do?
Max: I think the key to success would be to take care of the archers first.
Agil: I agree. If we can secure the walls, we should be good.
Asuna: Fair enough, but how? Is there even a way for us to get up there?
Kirito: Actually, there is! Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember flights of stairs in each sector of the castle yard!
Asuna: There are?
Max [nods]: I can attest to that. I've clearly seen a staircase we could use, only about ten metres to the right of our point of entry.
Asuna took another look at the holographic model of the castle. Kirito directed her attention at a small kind of watchtower that was part of the outer wall. It protruded noticeably into the castle yard, and there was a staircase leading up to the outer wall on each side of it. The tower was situated in the middle between two of the inner walls which connected the outer wall and the main building and divided the yard into several sections. Furthermore, there were towers such as this one in each of these sections.
Asuna: I see, we should be able to use that. Can you secure the way to this staircase?
Max: That much should be doable.
Asuna: Alright. That only leaves the question what unit would be best to clear out the archers on the wall.
Kirito: Well, archers are rather annoying foes. They'll try to keep their distance, retreating once you'll get close. The party we send will have to corner them first, although I guess this won't be so hard within a limited space such as the wall… Or we could just…
Asuna: ...fight them with their own weapons. I guess there's one way to make things easier for us.
Without giving an explanation of the idea, Asuna rushed outside the tent for a moment, where she quickly scanned the area for a specific member of the raid party. Once she found them, she waved at them, signalling them to come over.
Asuna: Sinon!
Well, and this was the story how Sinon found herself within the perimeter of the castle walls, being tasked with clearing out "fellow archers" once again. She didn't have any objections to Asuna's plan, only a… bad premonition that this wouldn't go smoothly – a thought she couldn't even finish before the rattling sound of arrows hitting the shield that was held in front of her reminded her that this was hardly the time to think so much about something which had already been decided.
Right, she was on a battlefield… A small force led by Max had forged a path from the hole in the wall to the staircase to the platform on the wall. At the moment, she was climbing that staircase with the rest of the small assault party that had been formed for this purpose: Aside form her, there were Akinym – her usual partner – and the second party of the KoB.
Said party consisted of three players who used large shields in combination with one-handed swords (one of whom had the duty to protect Sinon (and Akinym, too) from the Goblin Archers' attacks), two lancers and the party leader, who used a two-handed sword. The two other shield-users protected the remaining three party members while they advanced. The lancers thrust their weapons whenever they got close enough to an archer, but since they fled immediately, the players could do hardly any damage that way. The leader was completely useless in combat since his heavy weapon had neither the reach nor the speed that was needed here.
Sinon couldn't help but think that she was the only one who dealt noteworthy damage to their foes as she shot another arrow at one of the Goblin Archers just when it was about to ran away from the players, who had caught up to the monster. The shot hit the mark, and it seemed to confuse the AI since the Goblin Archer halted, which allowed one of the spear-wielding KoB members to finish it off with the simple and quick one-hit Sword Skill Straight Thrust.
Alas, that did little to diminish the archers' resistance. Aside from the one guy who had been assigned to shielding Sinon, the KoB party had already advanced quite far, driving the Goblin Archers back to the middle of this section of the outer wall, but the only thing they had achieved was to transform the line of archers, which had stretched out across the entire wall, into a large bulk that retreated further and further.
The good news was that this bulk focused completely on the players on the wall and the staircase, so Max' unit didn't have to worry about ranged attacks striking them in the back while defending the way to the staircase against the numerous goblins who tried to aid their archers. The bad news was that this bulk focused completely on the players on the wall and the staircase, so Akinym, Sinon and the KoB members had to face a never-ending flood of arrows. This wasn't just a rain of arrows, it was nothing less than a storm. For instance, the lancer who had killed the previously mentioned Goblin Archer had been exposed only for a few seconds while doing so, yet five arrows had hit him during that period of time.
Likewise, Sinon's "shield" had to step in front of her right after she had fired her arrow in order to protect her from the goblins' tenfold "repayment". These counterattacks generally made it very hard for Sinon to act. As if wiping out these troublesome archers hadn't been difficult enough to begin with…
Well, and there was also the doubt Sinon had been having about their current mission.
KoB Member: God, their numbers aren't decreasing at all, are they?!
Said number had indeed not gone down in the slightest. Sinon had already noticed that during the first assault on the outer wall: No matter how many archers she had killed, they had been replaced seemingly within a mere second. The same problem was occurring now, so the whole attempt to seize the wall seemed downright pointless.
Akinym [contemplatively]: It seems that way. Well, it is that way, but the important question is why.
KoB Member: Yeah, no kidding, Sherlock! Why don't you focus on figuring that out instead?! You're the only one here who doesn't have anything to do right now.
To give the man credit where credit is due, he spoke the truth: Akinym had simply come along as Sinon's partner in case she might need him for anything, but so far, he had only been staying hidden behind the KoB members shield just as Sinon. However, the KoB member's harsh remark only showed that he had yet to realise Akinym's contribution to this mission.
Akinym [dryly]: I've been doing just that, and that's what I was meaning to say. [seriously] The source of our problem is right over there!
Akinym pointed to the guardhouse at the intersection between the outer and the nearest inner wall… or to be more precise, he pointed at an inconspicuous crystal right in front of it. This crystal, standing in the farthest corner of this section of the outer wall, was so plain that hardly anyone had even paid attention to it so far. Not to mention that it was placed right behind the outer battlements – hidden from the eyes of anyone who might've searched for it from outside the castle yard.
Sinon had spotted it while scanning the wall for anything important, but it resembled a teleportation stone almost perfectly so that she subconsciously wrote it off as just that: a teleportation device or anything like that.
Sinon: You think that crystal is related to the archers?
Akinym: Just watch!
The KoB members who kept pushing back the Goblin Archers managed to kill yet another one of the monsters. Within a blink of an eye, a replacement spawned – right next to the crystal Akinym had brought to their attention, which had lit up briefly – only for the moment when the new Goblin Archer had spawned.
Sinon: I see… So you think the crystal controls the respawning of these monsters?
Akinym: It wouldn't make any sense for these archers to receive infinite reinforcements. That would be pretty unfair, and remember what Yui's said: The system is programmed with the directive to give the players a fair chance of success. There has to be some way to stop them, and this crystal is our best lead!
KoB Members [mutters]: Sounds laughable, talking about fairness in a game that's literally trying to kill us… [says aloud] Anyway, what do you suggest we'll do about it?
Akinym: Take another look at it! A close look, that is!
Sinon (and the KoB member, too) did just that, and they noticed easily what Akinym was referring to.
Sinon: It has an HP bar.
KoB Member: Okay, so we can just smash it to pieces? At least sounds like a plan. At this rate, the others will reach that crystal eventually, so they'll certainly notice the HP bar, too. So… We just have to wait for them to get there?
Akinym: I don't think that's the best idea. See how these archers are huddling together? Sooner or later, they'll be driven into a corner, and who knows what problems the sheer mass of monsters standing in their way can cause. Well, maybe we could eliminate them with AOE attacks in one fell swoop, in which case there won't be a problem at all, [looks at Sinon] but I've been hoping to deal with this issue before it could even come to that.
Sinon: Got it. Well, I reckon this crystal isn't even thirty metres away, so I shouldn't have any problems shooting at it… [slightly worriedly] as long as I still have a free field of fire, that is.
At the moment, that wasn't a problem. However, the rest of the KoB party was driving the Goblin Archers further and further into the corner. It wouldn't be long until the bulk of goblin monsters would block Sinon's field of fire.
KoB Member: I get it. They have to stop for a moment. Alright, let's try it your way! [yells] Hey, guys! Stop! Stop advancing for a moment, we wanna try something! Guys, listen! STOP! [quietly, annoyed] Dammit, they gotta be only about twenty metres or so away, so they should still hear me, right?
Akinym: They're too focused on the enemy in front of them to listen to the ally behind them.
Sinon: In that case, I simply have to hurry.
She readied her bow, but hesitated. There was a certain worry on her mind, which was put into words by someone else.
KoB Member: You better be careful, archer girl! If your partner is right about this, I bet these archers will go straight after you if you even try to aim at that crystal!
Sinon: Yeah, I know that. If we could just…
Akinym: Watch out!
Sinon [irritatedly]: You don't have to tell me tw…
Just as Sinon turned towards Akinym with the intention to scold him for stating the utterly obvious like that, she came to face a blade that was swung at her head, only to be parried and diverted by the tip of a spear. A Goblin Guard had slipped past Max' group, and it had gone straight after Sinon. Akinym had noticed the unexpected enemy, and he had managed to fend off the initial attack by a hair's breadth.
The Goblin Guard struck again, and Akinym used the top end of his spear to divert the blow to the side once again. He followed up by hitting the Goblin Guard with the rear end, pushing his foe down the staircase again.
This obviously wouldn't stop the monster, so Akinym attacked it with a thrust, but his opponent dodged easily. In reaction, Akinym yanked his spear to the side, tackling the Goblin Guard against the wall with the shaft of his weapon before the monster could reach him.
With even the arm it held its sword with trapped like that, the Goblin Guard could only try to struggle free again, and it did just that with all its might. Akinym understood to use that to his advantage by suddenly pulling back his spear and releasing the monster again while it was trying to break free so vigorously. With the hindrance gone, the push forward sent the goblin stumbling dangerously close to the edge of the staircase. It managed to stop just in time, but one kick in the back from Akinym was enough now to send it flying down, back to the "ground level" it had come from.
This whole manoeuvre had come at a price, though. Akinym had had to come out from behind the KoB member's shield in order to fight the Goblin Guard like that, and the Goblin Archers didn't fail to notice that one of the players who had come too close for comfort was suddenly so exposed. Right after delivering the final kick to the Goblin Guard, Akinym was struck in the chest and the stomach by arrows.
KoB Member: Hey, you better watch out! Get back so that I can cover you!
Akinym: No, this is our diversion!
KoB Member: Our diversion?! What the hell are you…
Sinon: The archers! They're focusing on him now, so maybe this gives me the chance to…
KoB Member: Yeah, but isn't that the problem here?! What about him in the meantime!?
Sinon [determinedly]: He'll be fine. He can do that!
The KoB member stared at Sinon with doubtful eyes for a second. Her expression portrayed nothing but confidence, even though it was a confidence the other player couldn't share. Sure, Akinym had dodged the next volley of arrows quite swiftly by doing a cartwheel to the side, which he managed to pull off without rolling down the entire staircase thanks to his Acrobatics skill. Alas, he wouldn't be able to do that again for another minute or two… or for however long the cooldown of this skill was.
With his doubtful expression remaining, the KoB member looked at Akinym again. For a moment, he appeared to be frozen in fear, although it might've been mere hesitation and uncertainty as to how to dodge the next volley of arrows. Well, in reality, it was something close to that: Akinym was waiting for the first group of archers to fire, so that he could jump away and to safety literally at the last second.
He dashed up the stairs again. The next group of Goblin Archers to take aim took that into consideration, and they aimed a bit more to the right before firing another volley. That way, almost a dozen arrows were about to skewer Akinym for sure… or so it seemed. Akinym abruptly stopped right as the archers were about to fire their arrows, knowing exactly how their AI would react to his movements. Thus, after stopping, he jumped back and dodged every single arrow.
The KoB member had to admit that this was indeed Akinym's masterful dodging technique that he had heard about, but he couldn't help but wonder how much longer he'd be able to keep this up.
Meanwhile, Sinon wasted no time on such thoughts. Instead, she went straight to doing her own job. In other words, she generated five arrows and prepared herself mentally. After taking a deep breath and assuming a stance close to the starting stance of her Sword Skill Quintuple Shot, which seemed the most suitable attack to use against a single, stationary target, she slid to the side, adjusted her stance ever-so-slightly and activate the aforementioned Sword Skill.
Just as Akinym had planned, the Goblin Archers were so focused either on the KoB members on the wall or on him that none of them could react to Sinon's actions in time. The first two shots of Quintuple Shot hit the crystal without any trouble. The third shot was actually blocked by one of the Goblin Archers which jumped into the line of fire, but the monster got knocked back, so the remaining two shots hit the crystal just like the first two. Four hits from this combo were still enough to reduce the crystal to polygons.
With their work done, both Akinym and Sinon hurried back behind the KoB member's shield. Back to safety, they could catch their breath… and so could their temporary partner from the KoB, who had held his without meaning to.
KoB Member: Honestly, it's been only about… what? Fifteen minutes or so? And yet I already think that you two are almost as crazy as the Vice-commander and her boyfriend! Geez… Then again, as long as it works out for us... Speaking of which, I hope that your plan works out, but we'll see that in a minute.
This time, they hadn't jinxed themselves. Any doubts the KoB member had voiced remained unnecessary, and their group could wipe out the Goblin Archers on the wall fairly easily after that. With the archers gone, the main unit of the raid party could finally advance.
In fact, with the outer wall secured, Sinon could even provide ranged support. No more monster seemed to appear on the captured section of the wall, so the majority of her escort could join the rest of the raid party in the castle yard. Only Akinym stayed with her in case anything unexpected were to happen. Well, and to relay any orders from Asuna to her or any information they got to Asuna.
Speaking of her, Asuna still remained at the base camp, and since the battle appeared to finally go smoothly, she allowed herself to breath a sigh of relief. Due to the Assault Team's progress, she could move on to contemplating questions such as where to move the command centre once the raid party had cleared the way into the castle, or how to divide their forces to explore and secure the hallways inside, or just which areas inside the main building held significant strategy value…
...or why Klein was coming back to the base camp already – and without Kem'Pal or any of his guildmates. Asuna hunched over the table, trying to fight back her oncoming headache. When Klein arrived, Asuna immediately held up one hand without looking up.
Asuna: Wait, give me a moment!
Klein felt a bit awkward because of this "greeting", and even more so when Asuna took several deep, calm breaths while rocking her body back and forth to the rhythm of her breathing. She looked as if she was doing some sort of calming exercises. Well, because she was.
Asuna: Okay, now's good. So, what did go wrong this time?
Klein [slightly confusedly]: Oi, isn't it a bit rash to immediately assume that something went wrong?
Asuna: Klein-san, you've come here alone and in person rather than sending a message, and you did so before I expected anyone to come back. On a day like this, what would I expect other than [annoyed] yet another problem?!
Klein: W-well, fair point… Truth be told, there is indeed a problem.
Asuna heaved a sigh – the "I knew it, I f***ing knew it!" kind of sigh. Or it might be better to call it a groan… Either way, Klein wasn't sure if he should really speak up. To be more precise, he knew that he had to, but looking at Asuna right now, he wasn't sure if he wanted to.
Then, Kirito stepped forward and presented the solution to Klein's "How do I break the news to the commander-in-chief?" problem in the form of… tea? As soon as he had seen Klein coming back, Kirito had anticipated a scenario similar to what had actually happened, so he had taken a thermosflask from his inventory and poured some of the tea within into the screw cap, which also served as a cup. Well, and now he handed said cup to Asuna.
Kirito: Keep calm, okay? At least until you know what's going on and if you can find a quick solution. For now, have some of the tea we made before leaving the house today, maybe it'll help.
Asuna: Fine… It sounds reasonable, after all.
Meanwhile, Klein didn't believe in Kirito's approach nearly as much as Kirito seemed to. He watched doubtfully as Asuna took a sip and apparently relished the flavour for a brief moment. Klein was quite surprised to see Asuna visibly relaxing. Well, even if this method of helping her keep her calm had failed, Kirito would've had five more at hand.
Asuna: Okay, this feels better. Now then, what's the problem, Klein-san?
Klein: Huh? A-ah, right… the problem at the castle… [thinks] which we can't solve with tea, I think. [says aloud] W-well, here's the thing: We did manage to get the upper hand once the archers were gone, but as you know, the path through the yard and towards the entrance to the main building leads through a complex of many smaller structures: walls, wells, huts… Well, you know the terrain, right?
Asuna: Indeed. So, what does this have to do with the problem we're facing?
Klein: The thing is that the gaps between all the small buildings are really narrow – much more than some of us expected.
Kirito: Yeah, they sure are. I bet that only one person can fit through them at a time.
Klein: Damn right. The issue is that we can't really get whole parties through them to fight the more formidable defenders… even though we'd need now. We've reached a point where we can only advance through three of these bottlenecks, but there's a Goblin Champion – you know, these relatively big, bulky goblin monsters – standing right at the end of each of these… alleyways of sorts.
Asuna: I take it that there's no way to fight your way through them?
Klein [slightly dejectedly]: There's not. We've tried, but those bastards stand right at the exit of our only passageways. Normally, they don't even give us enough space to squeeze through towards the sides. We've also tried sending our strongest players in hopes that they can somehow manage to kill at least one of these Goblin Champions one-on-one, but as soon as our guys attack seriously, the Goblin Champions back away slightly – just enough for the surrounding goblin monsters to join the fray and to attack from the sides. We end up being horribly outnumbered that way. Well, and since Goblin Champions are seriously tough, killing one isn't easy.
Asuna gave it some thought. This was indeed a serious problem. So far, the players had been able to send forth single players, who had managed to push through the small fry on the other sides of the narrow passages Klein had spoken about. These players could draw the goblins' attention long enough for several other players to follow them through the gaps in the defense structures. Once the players had stationed a full party on the other side, this party could basically establish a bridgehead there, and they held the position until enough players could catch up so that they could drive the defenders back.
This, however, didn't work if more formidable foes blocked their way like yet another wall.
Kirito: Maybe the solution is quite easy this time… The buildings and walls throughout the yard aren't that big. Can't you just climb on top of them and bypass the well-fortified points by making your way across the rooftops? Or maybe Sinon can try to take out one of the Goblin Champions from the wall, or at least provide some kind of covering fire.
Klein [shakes his head]: Sorry to say it so clearly, but of course we've thought of that! Sinoji has no free field of fire, so that's not an option. We tried climbing onto the roofs of buildings, and this actually seemed to work. Too bad that when some players walked across the buildings to the other side, they were suddenly teleported back. We've tried again, but this time, the players got sent back as soon as they set foot on the rooftops.
Asuna [slightly confusedly]: Huh? What's that about? Well, some sort of obstacle to prevent us from circumventing the goblins' defenses, of course, but what's behind this strange way to stop us?
Kirito: Cardinal, I guess. The Cardinal system probably detected the players trying to cheat like that, and I reckon this auto-teleport was the fastest and easiest way to stop that approach. I guess you can easily overlook such a flaw in the castle's defenses, so the system had to adapt in order to keep us from taking the easy way.
Asuna [contemplatively]: I see. Yeah, I think you're right. If the Cardinal system doesn't allow us to go that way, we're definitely not supposed to solve this issue like that. Alas… I'd say that means that we're also meant to run into said issue, which also means that there has to be an intended solution for us to get out of this predicament.
Klein: Well, sure, but what would that be? Do you have anything in mind?
Asuna: Let me think for a moment…
It was then that the three of them were joined by a fourth person – with a fifth one following.
Sunny Tzu: Pardon me, but I couldn't help but overhear your… strategic discussion.
Lind: Yes, and we intend to do our part in solving this issue and bringing this raid to a success, so allow us to help you out!
Klein: Hm? What's that, you two have an idea already?
Lind [nods]: We have. [to Sunny Tzu] If you would.
Sunny Tzu: You see, after looking at this battle through the lense of what I know about siege tactics, I think we're approaching this battle from the wrong angle. In an actual siege, we'd need…
Klein [slightly exasperatedly]: Dude, spare us the history of your idea and get to the point!
Asuna: I'm with Klein-san on this matter. Right now, the question is what to do, so just tell me what you're suggesting!
Sunny Tzu [slightly annoyed]: As you wish… [seriously] We need to start the next attack somewhere else, not where we've already broken through the outer defensive line.
Kirito: What makes you think that?
Sunny Tzu [slightly huffily]: That's what the story I wanted to tell would've been about! Anyway, [seriously] if you think of this as an ordinary dungeon raid where you only have to slaughter your way through any monsters you come across, it's obvious that we end up in deadlock like this when the situation actually calls for more… sophisticated means. In a real siege, we'd need to utilise our superior numbers.
Kirito [flatly]: Well, that's exactly what the players at the castle can't do right now.
Sunny Tzu: And that's because we're approaching this from the wrong angle, just as I've said! The defenders are naturally at an advantage during a siege since they can use the… terrain. In this case, they've easily neutralised our advantage of leading a coordinated, large-scale attack by creating bottlenecks we can't push through. That way, we can't utilise the group tactics we normally would.
Asuna: That may be an astute assessment of our problem, but how exactly do you want to solve this by attacking somewhere else? Wouldn't that just cause the same issue there?
Sunny Tzu: Not necessarily! Say, Klein-kun, how many monsters are we facing where your group battled them? If I understood what I overheard correctly, there are just enough monsters to stop our advance, correct?
Klein: Well, just enough Goblin Champions. There are a bunch of other monsters, too. Maybe four dozen or so…
Sunny Tzu: They're not the biggest problem! Right now, I want to ask you why the goblins blocked our way forward only now. Why not earlier?! As you've said, our players at the front have made quite the headway, and now they've reached a point where there are only three of these narrow alleyways they can use as a path forward. Only now could the force we're facing stop us like that. Coincidence? I don't think so!
Asuna: So you believe that the numbers and variety of monsters that defend the castle are limited to what we're up against right now? [slightly contemplatively] Well, it's certainly plausible and a possibility, but how would that… Oh, I see.
Sunny Tzu: Good, it seems that you've caught up with my plan! For the rest of you: In a real siege, it'd be unwise to try forcing your way through a single, well-fortified point. Even though attackers normally have a considerable numerical superiority, they can hardly use that in any kind of enclosed space, at least not if they try to by brute force. You have to break through at multiple points in order to force the defenders to split up and defend each of those weak spots… until you inevitably overwhelm them.
Klein: Hm, I'll give you that: This plan might work. So… How do you plan to gain access to such an "other point" to attack?
Kirito: The walls, perhaps? Now that we've made it inside the yard, we could bring several parties up there via the stairs. There are gateways connecting the different sections of the outer wall, and we could use them to access different areas, slaying the archers like before and then going down the stairs there to advance through the yard.
Klein: I get where you're coming from, Kirinoji, but there's an… unexpected issue with that: Once the group that took care of these Goblin Archers on the wall climbed that one staircase, all the other stairs just… vanished. I mean, there was a similar staircase on the other side of that… watchtower – or whatever I should call it. Wasn't there? Well, when we went back to check it, the whole thing was just… gone!
Kirito found that strange, albeit just for a moment. He rationalised that this was a countermeasure to prevent the players from using the strategy he'd proposed as a shortcut. For a moment, Kirito considered bypassing this "obstacle" by rappelling down the wall where they needed to… or maybe they could just jump down. The walls weren't that high after all. Alas, in light of what had happened when the players had tried to circumvent the goblins that guarded the gaps between the inner walls and buildings throughout the yard, he figured that this would probably avail to nothing.
As he thought about alternatives, Asuna had already figured out what the DDA had in mind.
Asuna: The battering ram. You still have the second one, don't you? You want to use it to break through the wall to gain entrance to another section of the yard, right?
Lind: Exactly! The DDA brought this ram, so it's only natural that we'll use it to make this raid a success!
Asuna gave it some thought. Soon, there was a brief moment when she became visibly uneasy. It caught Kirito's eye, but nobody else paid it any mind… because Klein drew their attention with a certain observation.
Klein: You gotta be careful not to run into the same problem we did earlier, though. We cleared only a small section of the outer walls, so there are tons of archers left in the other areas – more than enough to give you a hard time if you try to attack using that ram, that's for sure!
Lind: The remaining raid party can send a party or two to perform a coordinated attack with us. They only have to distract the archers and keep them busy while we launch our attack!
Klein: Hm, yeah, I guess that might work. I reckon Sinoji could just keep sniping at these strange crystals that let the Goblin Archers respawn, and blast any of them to smithereens.
Kirito: Would it be that easy, though? If I understood the report Akinym sent correctly, she only had a free field of fire because she could shoot at the crystal from the staircase. That won't work in the other areas since the stairs there are gone.
Asuna: That might not be a problem. [looks at the Mirage Sphere] The walls are curved quite a bit, and the crystals seem to be placed at the far ends of the section of the wall they correspond to, so if Sinon shoots from the far opposite end of the wall, the monsters on it might not get in the way. Sinon can hit the mark at a distance of forty metres or more, so this shouldn't be the problem.
Lind: In that case, our course of action should be obvious, shouldn't it!?
Asuna [slightly hesitantly]: Very well… I don't see another way forward, so let's give it a try. [seriously] Where do you want to attack? The sector right next to the zone we're currently attacking?
As mentioned before, a system of inner walls divided the castle yard of the goblin HQ into several circular sectors. From the perspective of the players' base camp, there was another one of these sections to the left of the one the Assault Team was trying to conquer, and that's the area Asuna was pointing at on the holographic model.
However, Sunny Tzu stepped forth, shook his head and pointed at another area. To the left of the sector Asuna had had in mind, there was the passage that led from the large gate at the outer wall to the entrance to the main building. Sunny Tzu pointed at the sector of the yard that lay on the opposite side of that passage.
Sunny Tzu: We'd rather attack here.
Asuna [doubtfully, slightly suspiciously]: Why, though? Since that position is farther away, not only will our party on the walls have to clear a larger area, it might also be harder for our forces to coordinate their attacks. At the very least, it will take longer.
Sunny Tzu: The same will apply to the goblins. I presume the defending monsters inside the castle yard will react to our – that is, the DDA's – attack when we breach the wall. If they need longer to get into position and form another defensive line, it will allow us to secure key positions and to gain the most favourable fighting conditions!
The uneasy look in Asuna's eyes returned for a second, but it made way for a rather thoughtful expression before anyone could even pay it any mind.
Asuna: Alright, we'll do it that way. Take position at the foot of the hill where you want to start your attack, just outside the archers' shooting range. I'll let Akinym-san send you a message once they've secured the wall. Klein-san, on that note, can you return to the others and explain the plan to Max-san? He'll make sure to inform everyone and to take care of things at the front. I'd send him a message, but explaining this might work better verbally than in writing.
Klein: Got it!
Lind: Okay, we'll get into position and wait for the signal. [to Sunny Tzu] Let's return to the others! It's time for the DDA to head out!
All of them left to attend to their respective missions. Asuna looked after Lind and Sunny Tzu – especially Sunny Tzu – with wary eyes – something that didn't go unnoticed by Kirito. That, on the other hand, went completely unnoticed by her, so she kept staring unwaveringly at the two members of the DDA for about a minute until Kirito decided to speak up.
Kirito: I didn't see things. There is something on your mind, isn't there, Asuna?
Asuna [very surprised]: Huh?! A-ah, Kirito-kun… I… [slightly confusedly] W-well, I guess it was that obvious, wasn't it? J-just forget about it! Is there something you've wanted?
Kirito [thinks, slightly worriedly]: Wow she's gotta be really out of it. I bet she didn't hear anything I said, aside from the last part. [says loud] No, that's not it, but let's get back to you: What were you thinking about so deeply?
She was hesitant for a moment, but Asuna decided to open up to Kirito.
Asuna: I was just wondering if… no, rather what ulterior motive Sunny Tzu-san has. I don't think this plan is solely about making this raid a success.
Kirito [slightly contemplatively]: So you think he's up to something… Well, he doesn't have his reputation for nothing. [suspiciously] That, and it's hard to imagine that he suddenly had an idea how to solve our current issue, let alone that he planned it out so quickly. He'd probably prepared it carefully… and kept it up his sleeve for this moment. If he did that, he's probably up to more than he lets on.
Asuna: Yeah, that's so… [slightly exasperatedly] typical.
Kirito [curiously]: Do you have any idea what he might have in mind? I mean, since you've been thinking about it…
Asuna: Well, my guess is that he wants to "save" this raid now that it has come to a standstill. The DDA is always keen on improving their image.
Kirito: Hm, isn't that a bit… straightforward, though? I mean, it's quite obvious that they aim to… well, "save the raid" as you've said.
Asuna [shakes her head]: I reckon there's more to it than meets the eye. In particular, Sunny Tzu-san's idea to attack a point that's relatively far away from the bulk of the defending goblin monsters made me suspicious. In the end, his whole plan is supposed to provide a diversion, so it shouldn't even matter where they attack.
Kirito: Well, so what do you think he has in mind?
Asuna: Actually, I think his plan is to do exactly what he said: To get into a favourable position before the goblins can cause the DDA forces any trouble. If they can avoid getting blocked off at bottlenecks, they should be able to sweep aside any resistance. What I think he and the DDA are after is the glory to make it to the entrance of the main building first – in order to claim that this was made possible by Sunny Tzu-san's plan, not by mine. Well, and maybe he hopes that the majority of the goblins will stay in place to hold the line against Max-san's group… In that case, the DDA will probably move their forces to the other, more vulnerable flank of the goblins and start a pincer attack to wipe them out. If that succeeds, the DDA will truly be the major player in securing the castle yard.
Kirito [seriously, slightly worriedly]: I see… If that's the case, do you think it was really a good idea to approve of his plan? Should we try to stop them instead?
Asuna [shakes her head]: What reason – or rather, justification – would we have for that? It's bad enough if Sunny Tzu-san or the DDA keep causing trouble with their questionable PR tactics, especially if they deem them more important than the Assault Team's success, but if I stepped in right now and called them out for hindering the raid party for political reasons, wouldn't I do the exact same thing? What he proposed is still the best course of action, so I have no reason to stop them other than stopping their hunt for glory along with it. [slightly dejectedly] No, right now, I have no choice but to let them go through with it. I only hope they don't act recklessly or make a mess of things…
Kirito turned away from Asuna to watch the DDA parties depart for their mission. Yeah, he, too, hoped that this would at least work out.
If it will remains to be seen - to be seen next time. ;)
Fun fact: I initially meant to include the part that'll follow the end of this chapter here. The third chapter was actually supposed to end when the players make it inside the main building of the goblin HQ. However, given that it's been more than long enough since I published the last chapter, and since this one is already more than 10k words long, I figured that it might be better to end the chapter here.
Well, that way, I can at least put the final boss battle into its own chapter to end the war campaign. Only two more chapter until it's "all" over...
Anyway, see you next time, when the Assault Team's chaotic raid will continue!