Kibble Scribble: alright, so here we have the next chapter, a bit of world building and a small fight, I could have made it longer, but the next fight afterword's is going to be big, so the ending feels good where it is for this chapter I think. Hope you like it!
9/9/22 edit : spelling, punctuation.
Kirito scowled up at the starry and cloudless night sky that was above him. He could gaze in wonder at how the stars twinkled and shined in a way that he had never seen before, a sky devoid of industrial pollution or lights from cities, but instead all he could do was stare and think how he could not recognize or match any of them to the stars he was taught about while camping as a child. A sky that was so clearly not earths that it gave stark revelation to what had happened not even half a day ago.
The days of being trained had been one thing, the attack of the Thunderbird had seemed like entirety another, like a reveal to what was to come. In a way it was, but not to the extent that he had expected.
"You should be asleep boy."
Kirito sat up and turned to see Mara standing a few meters away, looking directly at him with a neutral and emotionless expression. "I should be," He agreed with a nod as he pushed the cover of his travel cot off of him and got up to face her. "It's not happening though, I just keep thinking."
"A dangerous prospect sometimes," Mara stated.
Kirito was about to snap back at her and the insult, but then saw her expression still was not changing at all. She was being serious, not making an insult.
"What do you mean?"
Mara motioned for Kirito to follow as she walked a bit away from the wagon and everyone laid out cots that were on the grass with the horses sleeping around the whole group. The clearing they were in was one they found just before dusk, almost eight hours after their encounter with the Tentacle Plant, and the way everyone cots were organized close together told of how it had made everyone feel. Mara stopped a few meters away by one of the horses who simply raised a head to look at her before going back to sleep, then turned to Kirito. " Tell me, what were you thinking of?"
"A few things. Home, how the stars here are different, and . . . this afternoon."
"About how the Tentacle Plant acted to you all?" Mara asked curiously. "Or about what I said after the fact?"
"Both."
"That is what is dangerous," Mara said seriously. "Mamano do not hold the same morals as other beings such as you humans or elves like the tribe I hail from. Speaking to a Mamano is a danger, sometimes one that is greater than engaging them in combat. That Tentacle Plant will likely skulk around looking for prey to corrupt in both mind and body because you all chose to let it live."
"But, why did it act that way when you said it was normally a shy species?" Kirito asked.
Mara seemed to pause for a moment before she nodded. "Human, you must understand that while Mamano are vile, a true curse and plague upon the world, there are only a handful of types of Mamano that can claim to live forever. Most Mamano still have mortal lifespans, even if they can be extended by being with a husband, and will eventually die. Just like all intelligent mortal beings, some things can drive their minds into dark places where their intellect and wisdom begin to wither."
"I understand that, I'm asking why you think that one went crazy," Kirito asked, a little irked that Mara was acting as if he understood nothing.
"Likely from a lack of contact with others, or a lack of mate," Mara said simply before she explained more. " Plant Mamano live longer than most, and rarely do they go crazy from isolation, but that is expecting that they will trap a man to make their own, or encounter others even intermittently."
"So, it went crazy from not getting, Laid?" Kirito asked nervously, finding the conversation now a little awkward.
"A crude, but accurate assessment," Mara said with a nod as she turned and looked off into the dark distance. "I do not believe any of you humans are even close to ready to deal with Mamano. Lenth may have good intentions, but I do not expect even half of all of your groups to last even a year. The time given to train was hardly adequate."
"You don't think we have what it takes?" Kirito asked, feeling slightly insulted. Sure he was no trained soldier in the army, but guns didn't exist in this world and he was very skilled with a sword after all.
"No, I do not," Mara said seriously as she turned to Kirito and in an instant had pulled a Dagger from some unseen location and pointed it at his face, the tip barely a centimeter away from his nose. "None of you are ready to take a life even in self defense! None of you even really understand what you are now part of, what madness you are expected to deal with! some of you are too naïve, while others are simply too expectant or excited, yet none of you have even a slight inkling of just how Terrible Mamano are -!" with her last word Mara seemed to seize up, dropping the knife as her arms wrapped around her body, clutching it as she fell to a knee.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kirito asked as hew knelt down to help, only for Mara to shy away from his touch.
"Do not touch me!" she said with a hiss as she tried to control her breathing. "It should be obvious I am not okay, and you touching me will just make it worse."
" . . Why? What is wrong? Are you sick?"
"Sick in body, but not in mind," Mara said as she shuffled a bit away from Kirito and slowly managed to stand up before pointing at her skin and the strange dark blotches upon it. "Elves, are supposed to be fair skinned, with radiant golden hair. What do you think it means that mine is not?"
"That you are sick?"
"This is no simple sickness, it is corruption," Mara admitted with clear disgust. "Mamano energies fill the air across the whole world in very small quantities, and after generation my peoples, as well as other races that existed before the current demon lord came to power such as the dwarves and mermaids, have been subsequently affected. Males are born rarely, and if we get too emotional or lustful, we begin to start being corrupted by this curse, turning to Mamano ourselves."
Kirito looked at the blotched of darker skin and could tell that this was something that weighed heavily on Mara's mind. "How did it happen for you? How long?"
"I have been slowly getting corrupted in body for nearly thirteen winters now. As to how it happened . . . one who I once called a friend had been corrupted, I do not know how, but they attacked our village, intending on corruption everyone. I fought her to give the village time to relocate and hide itself, but in engaging her, I got far to angry at her actions, and her attacks carried a Mamano's Demonic energy with them. Neither of us were a victor, but she came away from that fight the winner, having started my corruption. I returned to my village only to tell them I could not stay, and I have not been home since."
"I'm sorry."
"Why? You were not there, and you can do nothing about it," Mara snapped before then shaking her head. "You humans are too idealistic. You think you can change the world when it is your kind that most often fall to Mamano. The order thought that simply killing everything non human could work, yet the god of battle now makes death in combat difficult, and the supposedly great human city of lescatie fell and is now a bastion of the demon realm. Corruption is more dangerous than any single Mamano."
Kirito thought that that last point was rather unrelated, but held his tongue on that matter, instead bringing up another question that sort of nagged in his mind. "What would you suggest then?"
"What?"
"You think were naïve and idealistic, so what would you suggest?" Kirito asked again before continuing. "We left own world behind to help this one, so while we may be naïve to some things , it is not like we were not expecting some difficulty, and I don't see how being idealistic is a bad thing as long as it is tempered."
"Idealism leads to being weak when hard choices come your way, and most of you are naïve," Mara scoffed. "You heard the others earlier this afternoon. Those who did not engage the Tentacle mocked the others, claiming they could do better when they did not know what was going on. Even the girl who had been grabbed acted like it wasn't that big of a deal, as if her very existence had not been in danger. The way I see it, there are maybe five of you who have a real chance of not dying or being claimed within the next three months."
"Who?" Kirito asked, now genuinely curious.
"You and the two girls with you as well as the young boy. I am told you engaged a thunderbird, and that he was almost taken. Your and their reactions were decent, and the boy despite being afraid acted instantly to protect others, yet clearly knew the danger. The four of you may yet survive if you can temper your naiveté and improve yourselves."
"And the fifth?"
"The large man with a letter for a name. He is cautious to everything around him, and that may save him," Mara stated before shaking her head. "The others are all either to optimistic, arrogant, or to self assured of their own power. Unless that changes they will not last."
"What do you think we can do to fix that?"
Mara looked at Kirito an scoffed. "You alone cannot. Only they can change themselves," she stated before she shook her head. "You should head to sleep, you will need your rest come the morning."
Realizing that Mara had no interest in continuing the conversation Kirito simply nodded and walked back to his cot letting mind wonder upon the question of how Mara said had merit.
Morning came without any pomp or circumstance, leading everyone to waking up groggy and disinclined to actually move, proving the cots were less than comfortable when compared to what many were used to.
Breakfast was a simple thing, simpler than the lunch or dinner from the night before, cutting into some peopled morale, but they quickly stopped caring about the food as the group continued down the road along the early morning light and mist that seemed to accompany it.
The morning of travel was rather quiet, with most everyone keeping to conversations to their little groups, for those part of them. Both Argo and Kirito had tried to start up a big conversation among everyone about how to work together against Mamano, but those like Xaxa and Rosalia saw to it the conversations did not go very far before.
Eventually they stopped for lunch in a small clearing that had a small shed of some kind, making it clear these stops were normal and had been set up since long ago. As the left and the afternoon began in earnest most everyone seemed to be back to a good mood, chatting amongst themselves in their groups as if they had nothing to worry about. Most of the conversation were on light topics, while Kirito, Argo and Lux were focused on a more important topic in their opinion, formations and how to survive while in this words where they still were not acclimated.
"So, sounds like the simple formation of Ki-bou as our attacker, myself as a support and flanker and Lux as ranged support will be best for us then, any complaints?" Argo asked the other two, her tone not a whisper, but much quieter than normal speech.
"No, not really," Kirito said with a light sigh." I wish we had a healer or something like it for a bit more balance, but none of us know magic, and I'm not sure how far MMO tactics will get us in the first place."
"Hmm, true but," Argo paused for a moment before leveling her gaze at Kirito. " What is eating you?"
"I , spoke to Mara last night and, among other things, she told me her thoughts on everyone. They were not positive," Kirito admitted quietly. " I guess I'm just nervous because of what she told me is all."
"What did she say" Lux asked curiously, as she scratched the palm of her left hand, something that seemed to be bothering her all day so far.
"Mostly just things about how corruption can effect some races, and her body is slowly being corrupted," Kirito simply said before looking to Lux. " That reminds me, how is your body? Has that physical corruption of yours gone down yet?"
"Not yet, no," Lux said with a gentle shake of her head. " Amily had told me it takes a long time for corruption of the body to dissipate, and that things like bathing is one of the few ways to speed it up."
"Something we haven't been able to do since arriving here," Kirito noted. " I hope Edgewood has a bath, or at least a lake near it."
"That would be nice, starting to really feel like I need one," Argo commented as she leaned back against the wagon, only to suddenly seem to perk up. "Do you hear that?"
Both Lux and Kirito looked at Argo for a second before they leaned back and tried to listen for anything particular or out of place. It took a few seconds, but Lux was the first to notice what was wrong.
"There are no bird sounds."
Kirito looked at Lux for a moment before suddenly understanding what she was meaning, snapping his head around and looking behind him at the nearby forest edge as the wagon they were on appeared to be going over a small wooden bridge that spanned a creek. He could hear the trickling water below, could hear the rustling of tree leaves in the wind, and could even see small birds by the creek and in it. But none of them were making sounds of any kind. It was also at that moment that he noticed the Wagon was slowing down, so he got up and moved to the front, much to everyone's surprise, to speak to Mara. "I think we have company."
"We do," Mara said seriously as the wagon came to a halt just off of the bridge. " Everyone get your weapons ready and get off the wagon, we need to pull it back across the bridge or-"
Mara was interrupted by a sudden chill wind that cut through everyone's clothes, and in the next few seconds water suddenly splashed up over the bridge behind them and froze into a meter tall wall, just before more ice of a similar height began to grow and form out of the creek wherever it could be seen, cutting off any form of escape.
"Dammit," she swore before standing up and taking out her bow and knocking an arrow. "Everyone get your weapons at the ready, we have company that is not intent on letting us escape."
"My, I am quiet happy you referred to us as company, and not as enemies," came a wispy, almost ethereal voice that seemed to come from multiple directions at once. "It will make these upcoming discussions so much more, comfortable."
Everyone in the wagon, most of who had responded slowly to Mara's words aside from Lux and Argo, began looking around nervously or jumping out of the wagon and then doing so. Kirito however climbed onto and over the front of the wagon and drew his sword. "Who are you? show yourself?"
"Oh, but why show just myself, when all of us could reveal ourselves?" The voice asked in a sing-song sort of tone that made everyone shudder and suddenly feel like they were very much in trouble, prompting everyone off the wagon to draw their weapons with speed.
"Girl, get up here with me. Keep your bow ready, and aim only for the torso if you take a shot," Mara said as she glanced back at Lux, and then down at Kirito and all the others. "If you can take on opponents in groups that give you a numerical advantage do it, jut do not stray to far from our supporting fire. Remember, you can kill, they likely will not aim to."
"But what if they are not here to fight?" The one girl, the one who had almost been grabbed by the Tentacle Plant asked nervously.
"They blocked our escape route," Hui commented with a smirk as she twirled her blades. "They Don't want us to escape unless it's with them."
Before anyone else could speak up everyone tensed on reflex as a number of individuals came out of the tree's ahead of them.
The first to come out was a woman dressed in a slutty witch outfit that showed off huge amounts of skin, and all of her breasts that it could while still covering them. She carried a staff and had an expression that was downright disturbed as it looked as if she was undressing people with her eyes while imagining the things she would do to them.
To her left was a tall and muscular woman whose skin was covered in tribal tattoo's, while her clothing was little more than tattered rags of cloth. She hefted a huge great sword over one shoulder, while her expression was completely serious.
On the other side of the mage like woman came a dark elf dressed in what appeared to be a bustier and hot pants. She was holding a rapier loosely in one hand, while her other was resting on her hips by what appeared to by a coiled whip.
And as soon as she smiled Mara screamed, surprising many. "You! What are you doping here?"
"Well hello to you as well Mara, it has been far too long!" the Dark elf declared with a strange tone, somewhere between excitement and disgust. "Still clinging onto the old ways are we?"
"At least I cling to something; What are you doing here?" Mara snapped in reply as she drew her bow as far as it would go and aimed it at the dark elf.
"We are all here, for the same reason," The Dark mage said as she took a step forward, marking herself as some sort of leader between the three of them. "We all are."
Before anyone could say anything they caught the movement and witnessed four more dark elves come out of the nearby trees, alongside the Tentacle Plant from before.
"They have us surrounded!" Akira almost hissed in alarm.
"That much is obvious, boy," Rosalia said with a roll of her eyes before she stepped forward on the one side of the wagon and pointed her spear at the dark mage. "You have not answered the question."
"I was getting there, you need not be impatient, you just need to look forward to what is to come," the dark mage said with a smile. " We wish for you all to come with us!"
Everyone was quiet or many moments, the only noise being the wind in the tree's. the first to break the silence ended up being Hui, who spoke up in a confused and surprised tone. "Wait, that's it?"
"Yes, it is simple, no?" The Dark Mage asked with a smile.
"She says it as such, but is not giving a choice, they intend to turn you girls into Mamano, and the men into their Incubi," Mara venomously stated.
"But of course," The Dark mage exclaimed with a lecherous smile. "We merely with to find husbands for ourselves, and to show you ladies what you are missing out on. Would you truly deny us such a good natured deed?"
"Losing our humanity doesn't sound like it is very good natured," Argo spoke up as she visibly made sure her knives were sharp and ready.
"My but it is, the power and strength of we Mamano can flow through you, and the great act of-" The Dark mage began to say, only to stop as the Tall Amazonian woman began taking steps forward until she was squarely ahead of all of her allies and between them and Mara's group.
She then pounded a closed fist against her chest above her breasts.
"I am the Amazon Warrior, Mystral," she introduced before pointing at Kirito. "What is your name, boy?"
Kirito glanced at Mara, who simply nodded slightly. "My name is Kirito."
"Good. Human Warrior Kirito, I challenge you to a duel. Fight me one on one!"
"Why should he?" Argo spoke up, wondering what the Amazon was trying to pull.
"I am interested only in strength and am curious about yours. If you win you may do what you like with me, kill me, send me off, take me as yours, your choice. If I win, I may take you as mine if you prove strong enough, if not, I will leave," Mystral declared, only partly answering Argo's question.
The rest of the answer came when the dark mage spoke up, sounding quiet angry and confused, "Mystral. What are you doing? This was not part of the plan!"
"Your plan was simply to cut off their escape and take them, I am simply doing what I wanted to in regards to it," Mystral Replied without looking back at the dark mage.
"Then we should as-"
"If you interrupt my duel, I will kill you, mage," Mystral then declared, interrupting the Dark Mage's words and making her and all of the Dark Elves to look at her in shock.
"What, you would attack your own?" The dark elf that Mara had a clear grudge against asked grimly.
"You are not my own, you are simply useful temporary allies," She stated as she slowly drew her great sword and looked at the elf. "Allies who could be cut down like simply vines from the tree's if the situation deems it necessary, Lara."
The Dark Elf, apparently named Lara, Scowled but took a step back and her hands up, seeming acceding to Mystral's statement.
"You will regret this betrayal," the Dark Mage spoke up in a clearly miffed tone. "You realize that, yes?"
"Perhaps, but I doubt it. Will you get in my way, Terina?" Mythral demanded to know.
The dark mage, Terina, scowled and took a step back, slamming her staff into the ground and forming a light purple barrier of energy around the entire clearing. "Fine, have your duel, the rest of us, all of us, will simply watch."
Mystral, turned and looked at Kirito, seemingly waiting for him to accept her challenge.
"Can you win?" Lux asked, loud enough for most of them around the wagon to hear.
"I'm not sure, but I think finding out is worth having one less opponent for all of us," Kirito answered uncertainly as he took a step forward.
"Boy," Mara spoke up. "Amazons are known for having incredible strength and martial prowess. May the strength of the forest fill your limbs, for you will need it."
Kirito nodded, understanding that was likely Mara's way of saying good luck, and strode forward until he was across from Mystral and drew his sword. "I will accept your duel. Are there any rules that I need to be aware of?"
"We fight until one cannot, one gives up or surrenders, or until the time I believe I have seen enough of your strength. Questions?"
"Just one. How heavy is that blade?" Kirito asked.
Mystral looked at her blade and seemed to weigh it for a moment before taking her combat stance. "Eight pounds. Are you ready?"
Kirito felt himself swallow, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry at the number. He wasn't sure about the weights of European style blades, but eight pounds was much heavier than any Katana. "No, but I need to be. Let's begin."
His words seemed to impress Mystral, who visibly smiled. "Very good. Defend yourself!" She declared as she broke into a run, closing the distance as if her sword weighed nothing, and swung it straight down towards Kirito.
Kendo had taught Kirito a number of things, and one of the most important was stance and weight. Different sizes of sword weighed different amounts, and the heavier the blade, the harder it was to block or parry. This was important in kendo to know when to fully block a blow, or to parry it and divert its power and direction. A sword over twice the average weight of a fully metal Katana however, was far and away beyond Kirito's ability to block head on, meaning his options were to attempt to parry the blow, or to dodge it.
He opted to dodge and threw himself to the side, rolling to his feet just as the sword crashed into the ground where head had just been, digging itself deep into the soft earth and grass. Seeing this opening her true to move forward to swung his own word at Mystral, only for her to step to the side, putting her embedded blade in the way of the strike. When his sword struck hers, she then grabbed the pommel with her offhand and yanked the blade out of the ground at an odd angle, pushing Kirito's blade away, and sending earth and dust into the air.
Kirito guarded his face with his own offhand and took a step back to make space, and when he lowered his arm and could see he saw Mystral standing there at the ready with both hands on the handle of her massive blade, holding it to the side.
Kirito scowled as he looked at her. Her absurd strength meant that she could move her massively oversized blade around as if it was a much smaller one, and its reach meant that it would be more difficult to dodge it. A single blow could be crippling if not outright fatal, and her strength and speed meant that normal swordplay tactics likely would not help him here. He needed to get inventive, more inventive than Kendo would allow, more inventive than SAO's Beta Test had allowed.
Taking in a deep breath and letting it out Kirito flourished her blade and then held it vertically parallel to his shoulder in a stance no kendo practitioner would ever be caught dead in.
Mystral either did not notice or did not care about his stance as she rushed forward again, sword to her side, and swung it upward at Kirito as she approached.
Kirito, watching her blade as she approached and noting her distance, sidestepped to his left twice and ducked, almost misjudging as the blade sailed through the air and gently missed his hair. Then, having lowered his blade as he sidestepped, thrust his blade forward like a spear at Mystral's midsection while her blade was high in the air.
She noticed, but was only able to shift her stomach a bit to the side, causing the blades tip to puncture her flesh and dig deep into the side of her belly. Hardly a fatal injury, but painful regardless.
Grimacing from the pain Mystral twisted her upper body and fought against her own blades momentum, bringing it down and back towards Kirito far faster than he thought possible and striking him right in the side with it. Due to her sudden shift however, the blade hit him with its flat side, sending him backwards to roll across the grass, letting go of his blade in the process.
Everyone by the wagon gasped in shock when he was hit, and murmurs of worry began forming on lips as he did not move from his position on the grass.
A second later Mystral stabbed her blade into the grass and then walked up to Kirito's prone form, bent over, and gently picked him up with both hands.
"Let, let go of him!" Lux yelled as she pointed her bow at Mystral, who simply turned and looked at her, seemingly unworried.
"If you shoot, you will likely hit him, and not I," she stated as she then, much to everyone's surprise, walked over to the wagon and stopped a meter or so away from Argo, who just happened to be standing most forward, and laid Kirito down on the grass. "The boy was unlucky; his head struck a stone as he hit the ground and he is unconscious. He will be bruised, and may be out a few days, but will likely be fine."
"Wait, you are not, taking him?" Argo asked in surprise, having heard the rules of the duel like everyone had.
"He is skilled, but he is not strong enough for my liking. I will return in the future to challenge him again, but he shall not be mine this day."
"And what of those behind you who aim at all of us?" Rosalia spoke up warily. "will you just let them take him then?"
"They would need to defeat all of you to do as such. I do not see it likely," Mystral said much to everyone's surprise as she turned around. "put him in your wagon and be prepared."
"Do it, quickly," Mara almost hissed, causing Akira and M to be the ones to react, carefully picking Kirito up and bring his prone form to the wagon, Though M did much more of the lifting than Akira did.
As they did this, Mystral walked back over to her Sword and pulled it out of the ground, then began walking toward where the tree's met the iced over river, near neither group.
"Mystral, this was not pat of the plan, where are you going?!" Terina demanded to know as Mystral neared the purplish barrier she had put up before.
" I have done what I came to do, so I am leaving," Mystral declared before suddenly spinning in place and then thrusting her blade at the barrier, piercing it and causing the entire thing to shatter with a sound not dissimilar to breaking glass. "Terina, I would leave if I were you."
"What? Why?" Terina demanded to know, sounding and looking absolutely furious.
"Because from fighting the boy I was able to realize something important. That all of these humans are not just marked by a God, they are blessed. They are heroes," Mystral stated casually as she walked forward into the tree's and out of sight.
Several seconds passed in silence before Lara let out a comical laugh. "Well, I don't think she thought her warning through very well, because all of you being heroes just makes you all the more irresistible!" Lara declared before she looked to Terina with a grin. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, it does indeed. And while I am angered by her leaving, at least our soon to be allies are down a fighter as well," Terina stated as she took a step forward and gripped her staff, forming s ball of purplish fire above it as she smiled at everyone by the wagon lecherously. "Now then, with that little hindrance out of the way, shall we begin showing you just how much happier you will be alongside us?"