Chapter V: Their World Changed
5th December 2022—Aincrad. Floor 1, Farmhouse
A fresh new start that most would look forwards to with a smile on his face, determined to get through it and make the most out of their time.
Right. Tell that to the thousands of people stuck in a videogame.
Well, Kirito felt that they could be positive. Keeps the hope strong so that they don't try to off themselves early, work together and clear these floors a little faster. He's sure that he's not the only one with that sentiment, but God damn is it hard.
Well, good news is that morale's at an all-time high, following the defeat of Illfang the Kobold Lord, boss monster of the first floor. It was a sign that victory wasn't impossible, and that they could indeed get out of this game if they worked together.
And that was definitely how things are going to be.
"Ah…" Waking up from sleep, Kirito had to shield his eyes a little as light pierced through the curtains, turning himself onto his side and instantly feeling awake. The senses in this game is a little too accurate, requiring him a few seconds to accustom himself to the light. "Last night… I was dreaming. But everything was real."
What an inception. In this very moment, he's technically dreaming, in a way, since his real body is in the real world while his mind is in this game. And then, last night, his mind dreams and he enters another reality.
And now he has a headache from thinking about it… Uuuurrrgh…
"I wonder if Vabel's already back…" He muttered to himself as he massaged his temple, thinking about how she showed up last night. "Probably is… Urgh, I need to get up already, or else the girls will never live it down."
He attempts to get up, only to fail and fall off his bed in his attempt to claim purchase, rolling off the mattress and landing on the floor face-first.
The groaning commences.
As if the god of misery (considering Norse mythology and their slew of gods, there's probably one in that category) wanted to have a field day with him, the door to his room chose that very moment to open. Soft chatter, all of which comes to a stop as the three girls stare at the boy laying on the ground, face down.
Argo blinks. Twice. Then, she looked to Asuna, then to Vabel. Then his bed, and finally him. "Are… you alright?"
The groaning resumes once more, louder this time.
5th December 2022—Aincrad. Floor 2, Urbus
The second floor was all savanna with rocks and dry plants, looking like the vast golden fields in Africa. Its main town, Urbus, is a 300-diameter-in-size town built inside of a crater, with all of its buildings crammed together with very narrow alleyways and wide paths.
This place doesn't exactly have the same feel as the first floor did. And by feel, it meant that not many people would choose to live here, judging by its somewhat morose music and the rather lacklustre sights to see, though that didn't stop the NPC's from choosing to stay in this place all the same.
Thankfully, with how sparse it was on this floor, it made sense if anyone intended to make use of some secluded spot for secret training. And that's exactly what Kirito intended to do.
"Not many people know of this place, huh?" Muttered Asuna as she looked around, where they were surrounded by several rocky cliffs and little plant life.
Argo nodded back, sitting on a rock and dangling her feet over the edge. "Yup. Considering that Kii-bou wanted someplace quiet, I thought this was the best place."
Granted, this place shouldn't be too secret, but the fact that there were some pretty tough monsters that spawn in this area was a good enough reason for most players to keep away from this spot. Fortunately for them, though, they were pretty high-levelled to take on the monsters, so cheers to them.
"And he looks more excitable than usual."
"Can't help it! I really want to do some quick practice about all this Persona stuff."
He literally pleaded Vabel to teach him more stuff, and considering how eager she was to help him, the girls knew there was no helping it. Then again, they wouldn't mind seeing it again.
"Yeah, he certainly is excited," muttered Asuna, to which the information broker nodded back. 'Like a child with a box of candy.'
To be fair, she'd probably be going through the exact same levels of excitement and screaming if she suddenly had some otherworldly powers that came out of nowhere. Although, she had a pretty good feeling that he knew just where it came from…
"Very well. If we can begin, Kirito," the boy perked up, staring at the other ravenette. "If you would."
"Yeah," nodding, he doesn't make much of an effort other than outstretching his right hand to the side, other hand buried in his pocket.
Without much trouble, he draws out his 'Regalia', undergoing the necessary metamorphosis. Clad in his black coat, he gives himself a quick look-over before looking to the other black-haired member of their little ragtag group, ignoring the whistle from Argo.
"So Vabel, considering how I've already awakened my Persona, I need to know how to use it properly," he says. "And there are a few things I wanted to test out, but that's for later. Is there anything that I should really need to know? You seem the expert here, so I'll need to rely on you for your help."
That's how everything works. Learn the basics and move on from there. Level up, grind, empower yourself. Rinse and repeat, and reap the benefits.
Granted, this might just be the basics of the basic, but even he knew that the simplest of things can grow intricated and complex with time, and he has no doubt that this Persona business will essentially be the same thing. Nah, who was he kidding? It's going to be too complicated that he'll be busy spending days poring over notes on the stuff instead of doing other important things.
Welp, if it means he gets access to a kickass power that's stylish just as much as it'll help free everyone from this game, then he's not complaining.
"There are quite a few, yes. Very well, let us begin," so saying, she takes her place at the centre of the clearing with him, all eyes on her. "Now, it goes without saying that Persona's are incredibly powerful. Understand that, upon drawing out your 'Regalia', you are immediately granted boosts in terms of physical and mental prowess. Said strength actually comes from your Persona, as the 'Regalia' helps to regulate their power into your body."
That's true. For some reason, he felt stronger, faster even. So he's actually getting all these boosts from Arsene? Nice.
"Considering that we are in a videogame setting, it is right to say that summoning your 'Regalia' is akin to equipping an accessory that will increase your stats, such as your strength, speed and defense," continued the ravenette. "You needn't worry about summoning your Persona, however. You already gain boosts just from having your 'Regalia' equipped."
"So he's already getting passive boosts just from having his 'Regalia' summoned? Jeez, talk about overpowered," the information broker, hardcore gamer as she is, shuddered at the thought. He agreed with her a hundred percent.
"Indeed. In your case, you are extremely lucky that your 'Regalia' is a sword," everyone perked up at that, awaiting further explanation. Explanation… which didn't come until Kirito had to ask her. After two minutes of silence. "Ah, a 'Regalia' is the materialization of one's soul. As I've said, you must be a fighter at heart, so it comes to reason that your 'Regalia' takes shape as a sword."
No kidding. This sword basically outrivals just about any other weapon that he could think of. Even his Annealed Blade couldn't even hope to reach a fraction of it's—Wait a minute.
'Regalia', a materialization of someone's soul…
"Hey, Vabel, you told me that there used to be other Persona users, right?" Bringing up something so random like that wasn't exactly his plan, but something came to mind. Something quite interesting.
There was no reason to hide that. Not like it's anything world-changing. "Yes, I did say that."
"Then… considering how I got a Persona," because it sounds like a poor joke for someone like him to receive a Persona, yet succeeding all the same. "Is it possible that others might show up?"
"Hmm… Perhaps," a vague answer. Curious. Verily so. "Now then, onto the next part. Persona's," ooh, the fun part! "The shadows within the depths of your soul, it's safe to assume that they are the true demons within. A part of you that's shackled away from others. They, too, can be utilized in a fight, just as you have displayed during the boss battle."
"Yeah, I remembered," nodding, he only needs to think of shattering his 'Regalia'—he never brought it up before, but he could sense what its name was… Elucidator, it's called—before Arsene is summoned from a burst of blue flames. The gentleman thief looks amused, if anything else. "Arsene, remember the spell you used in that battle? I'm going out on a limb and assuming that you're naturally skilled with dark magic."
"Are you referring to «Curse» magic?" The demon asked, getting a tilt of the head. "What you refer to dark magic is termed as «Curse» magic. And if so, then yes."
"«Curse»? Ooh, I like that," why the hell is this Persona stuff so cool? Even the element names are amazing. He puts on a thoughtful look afterwards, humming. "Still… We are in a videogame, otherworldly powers aside. There must be some sort of ammunition or mana necessary for casting your spells, right? So this pink health bar must be related, yeah?"
"Pink health bar?" Asuna blinked, looking to the corner of her vision before staring back at with him a confused look. "What do you mean, Kirito-kun? There isn't a pink bar there."
"What? But it's right there. I have it. Got it ever since Arsene showed up."
"Allow me to take a look."
Below his green health bar, there was a pink one. And it's been there ever since he awakened Arsene, and he wasn't sure what it is.
The girl approaches him and glances at the pink bar, and nods to herself. "I see. Seeing how no one else possesses this bar, and you seem to have this upon awakening your Persona, this might be your mana bar, so to speak. Or perhaps SP, like HP. You will need this to cast spells."
Odd… Persona's aren't a part of this game, and yet… weird. Super weird.
So what? This power somehow integrated itself into this game for its wielders' benefit? Talk about overkill. And quite frankly terrifying.
"In truth, there are two separate powers that a Persona is capable of using, but we shall begin with the magic side of things," there's a small pause, time taken to think, before she resumes. "They are varied, incredibly so, granting you a major advantage in the fight and off it."
"Makes sense… I suppose. So what type of spells are there?" Asked Asuna after a while.
The ravenette pauses for a while before answering. "To simplify everything, magic is split into four kinds, which are offense, ailment, support and heal spells. Offensive magic simply to damage the enemy, while ailment spells include your typical sleep or confuse spells. Support magic that either buffs or debuffs a target, so you could include saboteur magic in there. And finally, healing spells, which is self-explanatory."
The three players (well, only two of them are genuine gamers, while one had only her first experience through this one) all stared at their teammate, letting the overflow of information sink in.
Hah! As if that was so much! That was still just the start to things!
"T-That's a lot…"
"Jeez, that makes Persona's way too overpowered in this game…"
He could agree with Argo on that sentiment so much. The potential is just limitless.
Too injured that a potion can't help? Instantly heal themselves with some magic. Need an extra boost to your strength? Enhancement magic is at the ready. Way too many monsters? Just make them fall asleep.
Kirito gulped at the prospect of magic in this otherwise medieval, magic-less world. It was a huge advantage that was frankly too much to give up on. Plus, it wasn't like they could afford to not use it. Their lives are at risk here, for crying out loud!
Silently thanking Igor, for whatever reason he saw fit to bestow such power to him of all people (again, why him?), he looks back to Vabel, seeing her emotionless look. "Umm… second power? You mentioned that earlier."
"Ah, I did mention that, yes," Argo didn't look pleased, but all of them knew at this point that the girl was capable of everything but sarcasm. She was honest at every moment. "Personae are capable of using magic, but there is another trick that you may use," she makes a gesture at the top left of her vision, indicating that she was telling them to look at their health bar. "In exchange for sacrificing some of your health, you are able to augment their strength and unleash stronger physical attacks."
'Physical skills, huh? Almost like how «Sword Skills» work, minus the health part,' he shuddered yet again. Unable to cast magic? Sacrifice some health to deal brutal damage. They really thought it all.
That's… really interesting. He's never heard of a videogame that forces the player to use their character's health in such a creative way. Perhaps not exactly creative, but incredibly useful.
Great. Now if only this came with some sort of menu that let him see what his Persona's skills are. Unfortunately, he looked through his menu already and found absolutely nothing, so his hopes of that were dashed right off the bat.
Oh well. Not like everything can be given to you on a silver plate.
"Uh-oh, tat's the look of someone's who's really in the mood. All so serious and deep in thoughts," Argo's snickering is what finally snapped the boy out of his head. "What a fine power ya' got there, Kii-bou. Guess that makes you the best player there is, huh?"
"Nngh… While I'd looove to give myself that title, I still feel like it has its own inconvenience," the looks of surprise he draws from the three girls is matched with his own concentrated look. "Think about it. My 'Regalia' is a sword. Elucidator is a really strong weapon in its own right, and I do use it to fight. But, while having Arsene summoned is good and all, considering how powerful he is," he was too focused with his thoughts to hear the words of gratitude the gentleman thief spoke to him. "It leaves me unarmed. That's not good…"
"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense," leave it to him to figure it all out, huh?
That was just the problem, isn't it? Having no weapon to use in battle, even if he technically has a powerful demon by his side to fight and protect him, is a terrible idea. He'd be leaving himself wide open to attack, and overly relying on Arsene would make him too lax. Careless.
In this game that's so determined to kill its players, the smallest amount of carelessness is bound to screw them over, no matter how paranoid he might sound. That's just lesson one in everything; never underestimate a game. In this case, he's overpowered and defenceless at the same time.
Sure, boosted stats, but there must be a way to—
"Oh!" He snapped his fingers. "I've got it! An idea!"
"That was fast," quipped Asuna.
"No kidding," Argo agreed.
He was already tuning them out, however, having pulled out his menu and doing some configuration. The girls looked to one another before looking to Arsene, who simply chuckled in amusement. "You will see."
Of course, it didn't take too long, considering how well-versed he is with the intricacies of the game's system. When the boy was done, he nodded to himself and closed it right after, only to then flick his left hand. An odd gesture out of the blue, until his reinforced Annealed Blade materialized in his grip.
"Oooh, hotkey," Argo was quick to point out, a smirk on her face. "Heh. Not bad."
"Well, it is a nifty feature, and anyone would be dumb not to use it. It makes getting items so much easier," he hadn't seen any other players make use of this hotkey system, considering how not many of them knew how it functioned to begin with. But once you understood the basic concept of it and learnt how to manipulate it, things become incredibly easy.
10 slots in total, able to house an assortment of items and actions. Well, it didn't free up his inventory, but it made getting them a lot more easier; after all, all it needed was some small action instead of having to navigate his menu.
Makes it easier in battles, for sure.
"Clever indeed. I can see why your peers seem to trust you quite a lot in this world," a deep chuckle permeates from his being, genuinely impressed. "It will be interesting to watch you from here on out."
"Then you'd better keep a close eye. I might just do something so unnatural even you'll be taken aback," he shot back with a friendly yet challenging tone, and the demon simply laughed in return. "Now I know what to do, just in case. A spare sword to fight in the case that I summon Arsene. So, I suppose that's the basics with this Persona stuff?"
"Indeed, that is all that you should know for now. You will get the hang of it through practice and experience," her words are reaffirming, and he nods his understanding.
"Got it. I guess I'll just have to settle for learning these things through hard work," what better way than that, right? "Thanks, Arsene. See you soon."
He wills the demon away into the depths of his heart, and Elucidator returns to his hand. He sheathes it at his back, feeling quite content.
"Well, I suppose that's enough of a study sesh for a day. Anymore and I think Aa-chan's brain will explode."
"Wha—Hey! I was catching on quite well!"
Screw that, if anyone's brains was going to do the exploding, it might as well be his, considering how he's the one with the Persona. And that better not happen any time soon! He doesn't want an early death just yet!
Vabel's mirth shows on her face for a mere second before it turns into a simple smile. "Now then, considering that we've already exhausted this topic, or I feel like we've exhausted some of it, what is our next plan of action?"
All the girls turn to look at him. He is their leader, after all, no matter how strange it seemed—for him, anyways.
"Ehh… I guess we should go get something to eat," he shrugged weakly, not sure what else there was to do. "Maybe strengthen Annealed Blade?"
"Again? Jesus, Kii-bou, that thing is crazy strong. Strongest sword for these current floors, Elucidator notwithstanding," she rolled her eyes, and he must be the weird one because he could literally feel the eye roll. "Plus, are there even any good blacksmiths on these floors? Pretty sure all that there is are just the NPC's."
He made to open his mouth, only to be interrupted by Asuna. "Oh, I know someone who can help!"
"You do?" Chorused the two Beta Testers at the same time, receiving a happy nod from the girl.
"Yup! It's a friend I made. Well, she's only starting last I saw her, but she really wants to be a good blacksmith. I'm sure she can help with your sword," she sounded confident, if the look on her face didn't indicate that enough. "Plus, it'll be good practice for her, so I'd like it if you could come with me to go see her."
"Err…" The boy shared a look with his fellow tester before shrugging back at his friend. "Sure? What's to lose, am I right?"
5th December 2022—Aincrad. Floor 1, Town of Beginnings
The town's bustling again. Not exactly strange, but it makes navigating the streets a little harder, considering how there are just so many people here.
Then again, it probably has to do with the fact that everyone is looking at him as if he was a celebrity… Oh crap, he technically is one, isn't he? Well, that's a bummer.
'I guess it's a really big deal. I'd be shocked if it were some else too,' he reasoned with himself, no matter how annoying it felt. Privacy looks even more pleasing than it ever has before now. "How far do we need to go?"
"Just on the other side of the town," muttered Asuna, apologizing as she lightly pushed someone out of her way, only to then shoot him an annoyed look. What? It's not his fault! "Could you perhaps do something about this?"
"What am I supposed to do? Ask everyone to move out of my way or I'll cut them down with my sword?" It was meant to be a joke, but everyone that were blocking the road immediately pushed themselves to the side to make space, all of them wearing looks of terror. "Wha—I was just kidding!"
"Nyahaha! Looks like you'll need to do better than that if you don't wanna' scare off all the players!" Chortled his friend, punching him in the shoulder once as she moved on ahead.
Kirito blinked, looked around him, and sagged. "I was just kidding…"
The rest of the trip isn't exactly eventful, though the murmurs and whisperings had no doubt been there from the get-go. All about that 'mysterious swordsman' with the 'strange power'. Most of them were harmless, but for every good in the world, there was bound to be a bit of negativity, and he could spot a few sneers or looks of displeasure amongst the crowd.
Perhaps followers of Kibaou's, wherever the hell he is. No sign of Diavel too, something that he worried about because if he wasn't there to lead these players, that meant Kibaou would have to do that. No way in hell someone like him should be leading.
Then again, it's not like he's going to lead either, so oh well.
"Liz!" The boy finally looked up from his feet, spotting his rapier-wielding friend rush over to the front of a counter. A vendor stall like any other, though with a nicer canvas roof, and an assortment of tools necessary for a blacksmith. "Liz, are you there?"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you. I'm right here, you know," there's a snort, followed by a happier hum as whomever it was finally moved to the front, a beaming smile on her face.
'A girl?' Now that's a surprise. He would have never thought that a girl would even think of being a blacksmith. That's, like, a pretty boring job compared to everything else, so props to her for wanting to be a blacksmith in this game.
Pink hair, pink eyes. Those are probably dyed, right? Her outfit is just typical, nothing too special, but he could tell from a distance that she must be pretty good or, at the very least, better than the NPC blacksmiths. Maybe she's already upgraded it enough.
"So you're back, Asuna. How're things?" The blacksmith asked as she leaned against the counter.
"Pretty good. Oh, I should introduce you to my friends!" She gestured to each member of her party as she spoke their names. "This is Vabel-chan, and Argo, and this is—"
"Kirito," he raised his hand to make a little wave, his smile dropping slowly as he watched the girl's expression turn into that of shock. "Umm… is everything okay?"
"Wait a minute… That face, that sword… You're the swordsman!" Gasping, she pointed a finger at her. "T-The one with that crazy power!"
"Uhh, yeah. Damn it, how the hell do news travel so fast that everyone—Oh yeah," he turned a deadpanning look towards Argo, who suddenly found the ground way more interesting than everything else. "Argooo…"
"What? It wasn't me! The news just spread on their own! Can't blame little ol' me for everything that happens," scoffed the girl as she crossed her arms, the little bead of sweat on her brow betraying her words right off the bat. "A-Anyways! Aa-chan, this is..?"
"Oh, right! Everyone, this is a friend I made on the first day, Lisbeth. I just call her Liz because she asked me to," the girl introduced. "She's working to become a blacksmith right now, and I trust her skills."
"Haven't exactly gotten a lot of requests, but I make do," shrugged the girl, giving the sole boy a sidelong glance before quickly looking back to Asuna. "Anyways, what'cha need? Since this is your first time, I'll be more than happy to make your first forging a free one!"
"Oh, that's nice of you! But really, Kirito-kun here is the one that needs an enhancement," so saying, the boy walked up to the counter. "It's for his sword."
"I've already gotten it enhanced a few times before, but it won't hurt to make it stronger," he says with a shrug, unsheathing his blade and settling it on the counter. "Think you can help?"
"Think? Hah! I'm pretty sure I've got what it takes," snickering, she taps on the sword's surface to inspect it, eyes going a little wide. "Whoa, you weren't kidding. Well, I can definitely enhance it. What're you looking for?"
"Durability," he answers, looking to the rest of the team. "How about all of you? We've someone to help enhance our weapons, plus the offer she made. Let's make do with her services for now. That is, if you don't mind."
She waves off his concern with a cheeky grin. "Don't worry about it, it's fine! I don't plan to go back on my word! Now come on, just put your weapons on the table! Leave the heavy work to me!"
Asuna leaves her weapon on the table while Argo chooses her claws. Vabel doesn't opt to have her weapon enhanced, for reasons she didn't entirely explain, but are good as any—considering the person that they're talking about, that should be good enough.
It doesn't take too long, considering how easy everything is in this game. Just like cooking, the enhancement procedure has been incredibly simplified, allowing Lisbeth to work on their weapons in a matter of minutes. Even then, he could tell that it took some effort on her part, considering the sweat on her brow.
"Alright, here you go!" She returned the weapons to their wielders, a proud smile on her face. "How's it?"
"It's great," hummed the boy, glad that his Annealed Blade didn't break. "Thanks. You don't mind if we come here the next time we need a weapon forged or whatever?"
"Sure thing! Not like there's anything else I can do other than that," there was a small shift in her tone then, turning from casual to interested as she tilted her head at him. "By the way… is it true? You're the wielder of that crazy power?"
"Persona, and yes, I am," not exactly something he was planning to hide from the world, and certainly wouldn't hurt to talk about it with another person outside of his circle of friends. "You want a look?"
"Eh?" That was enough to break her calm, pink eyes blinking in surprise. "You don't mind?"
"His power doesn't exactly have some heavy criteria to use. He can just activate it at any time," Argo explained, giving a nod to her friend. "Go on."
Shrugging, he pulls on the power and lets his body get swallowed up by blue fire. His coat once more on him, his sword sheathed on his back, he grabbed his weapon and placed it on the counter.
"Take a look at it," he says, and the shellshocked girl hastily obeyed his order, tapping on its surface.
There's a small pause before her teeth grit together. "What the hell..? This weapon is so strong, I can't even inspect it just yet… In fact, I can tell that it's even better than any other weapons I've ever seen," she looked up to him, frowning. "Then why would you need such a weaker sword like that one?"
"Because of this," he takes back his sword and shatters it, summoning Arsene.
"Waah!"
"Greetings, milady."
Kirito rolls his eyes at his Persona, then turns back to look at Liz, who was busy staring up at the ridiculously tall demon. "In case you didn't see, the moment I summon my Person, I'm immediately weapon-less. That's just how it is. So I'll use my Annealed Blade as a backup."
"That's… reasonable," she muttered, looking to the rest of the group. "And the rest of you?"
"None of us are capable of summoning Personae," shook her head the other ravenette.
"So far, only Kii-bou's got the kickass power, so leave it to him to be smart with managing things," added Argo with a shrug.
All of them are surprisingly calm. Fair enough, considering that they're going to see him in action even more in the future.
The pink-haired girl looked up at… Arsene, was it? And gulped.
Seriously, she could feel its power from here…
"Anyways, since we're done with what we came here for, best we get moving on. No use wasting your time even further," humming, he wills Arsene back into Elucidator, sheathing both black swords. "Thanks again for the help, Lisbeth. We'll be sure to—Gah..!"
A sudden jolt in his head, like a lance piercing through his body. A pain far less from the hellish torment that came with awakening Arsene, but it still deserves enough attention that he finds himself gripping his head with one hand.
"Kirito-kun!" Asuna was by his side in a flash, her look of worry genuine. Vabel and Argo didn't waste any time either, Lisbeth at her stall looking on in confusion. "Are you alright?"
"H-Headache…" He mutters out, screwing one eye shut. "What the hell..? I can feel… something… Hh! Up there!"
His head snapped upwards, gritted teeth and wide eyes prompting everyone to look up as well…
The five players, along with every other man, woman and child trapped within this fake reality, bore witness to the sky, now filled with countless red 'ERROR's.
Everything was wrong. Everything was not making sense right now, and Kirito could say that without needing to hold himself back, not when basically everyone else agreed with the sentiment. Well, they would if they weren't so damned busy staring up at the sky.
The last time this happened, it had been during the first day of the game, when Kayaba decided to show up as some cloaked being (he refused to think of him as his own creation's god, no matter how true it was) and reveal the true nature of this game to everyone.
The group of four, plus Lisbeth, had immediately rushed to the plaza, a dreaded feeling building up in his gut. The moment this happened, he got a headache, which shouldn't be possible. Shouldn't, unless something really, really bad was happening.
And he had a feeling Kayaba wasn't the one behind it this time.
So many players took their attention away from the sky to look at him, but were quick to stare back at the sky, awaiting whatever was going to come next.
"Kirito!" The boy perked up, spotting wild maroon hair.
"Klein," he sighed, a little relieved at seeing his friend. "You doing alright?"
"That's my line! Considering your sudden popularity and all, I'm surprised that you're doing alright," snickered the young man before staring back, his expression turning grim. "Hey, you don't think..?"
"I don't know," and didn't that infuriate him? The logic was there, Kayaba probably wanted to say something to them, and yet… "I've got a really bad feeling about this… Guess we'll just have to wait and see."
The plaza filled up with even more people soon after, all standing around like idiots as they waited for whatever it was that Kayaba had to address them about. He wasn't betting on this being a normal thing, however, hence keeping his 'Regalia' present.
Call it a gut feeling, but things aren't about to be so simple.
It was somewhere around fifteen minutes that the sky brightened by a fraction, drawing even more attention from the onlookers. The chatter and conversation eventually died down, replaced with whispers and frightened hushes as they watched.
From between the cracks, blood seeped out and fell by gravity, only to then begin the formation of a cloaked being.
And the bad feeling from it was kicked into maximum.
"Players…" The voice of Kayaba Akihiko. The man who crafted this very world, now looking down on them like ants. It was more than enough to make most angry, Kirito included. "I have watched your progress over these few weeks and, to be frank, I'm quite impressed with what I've seen. You've managed to defeat the first floor boss together, and with no deaths… For that, I congratulate you."
If it wasn't Klein who was gritting his teeth hard enough that he could hear it, it was probably himself.
Lives were already lost before they found the boss room, and now he sought to congratulate them over one measly win? It was frustrating. He was underestimating them.
"But as a game developer, I am severely disappointed to know that you have relied on a cheater, rather than your own skills," his voice brought forth a slew of gasps from the players, all of whom had erupted into chatter. "After all, what use is a victory if achieved through unfair means?"
"Kirito…" He didn't know when Vabel had suddenly arrived at his side, nor when she was suddenly gripping his arm, but she must have known that he had tensed.
A cheater… That's not what he is. Too powerful, perhaps, but for a right cause with the right reasons. They're dying, and if he doesn't rely on this power, then they're good as dead.
"You know of whom I speak of. After all, he stands among you right now," and then, all gazes turned towards one person in particular. "Come forth. Allow me to see the face of the one who intends to cheat in my game."
There wasn't any subtlety to it. Cheater. His game.
Once upon a time, a young Kazuto Kirigaya would have never allowed himself to get riled up by such weak provocation. He might have just tuned them out or walk away, knowing a fight he couldn't win or just couldn't be bothered with.
After meeting so many people, fighting alongside them, only to know that their efforts meant nothing to him, despite the fact that they were in a game so keen on killing them? That they just want to go home to the life before all of this?
You could call him so many things in that moment. But pissed did him the justice he deserved.
"Yeah, I cheated. But that doesn't mean anything to you, does it?" He yelled back, stepping forwards as the players parted. "You don't care if I even cheat! All you want to see is us struggle! Dying! If you even cared, you'd have me killed before I took down Illfang, but you didn't! Here I am, Kayaba! You wanted to see your so-called 'cheater', and he's standing before you now!"
He couldn't afford to be afraid. Not when countless other players needed any form of beacon of hope. He wasn't planning on becoming that sort of beacon, but life just doesn't go the way you want it, does it?
"If using this power that I've been bestowed with lets me beat you and this accursed game, then don't expect me to hold back," the metal of his sword rung as Elucidator is drawn from its sheath, pointed straight at the cloaked being. "We'll fight you, and beat you, and get out of this game! No matter how long it takes!"
That's all that mattered in the end, did it not? The results speak for themselves, no matter how long it would take to get there.
Time was of the essence, yet it also was not. They were going to be trapped here in this world for years, no other way to it. He wasn't blind to that fact. He had torn away the cloth blinding him from the first day, and knew that there was no other way out but to fight and win this man's game.
No matter how dirty their tricks might get.
The silence is deafening, incredibly so. And yet, he stood firm, a silent reminder that his words weren't just for show. He would indeed fight this man no matter how difficult it would be, and he would fight alongside them. It's a silent rally against one shared enemy, and he couldn't let himself be seen as weak.
Not when the hopes of thousands rest on his shoulders.
"Hmph… Hmmhmm… Hahahaha!" Kayaba erupted into an uncharacteristic laughter after that silent pause, drawing a scowl from the young player. "I see, I see… Very well. I understand. However, understand that I can, at any rate, rig the game against you. Will you be prepared for such?"
"Hah, as if the game isn't already rigged against us from the start," scoffing, he swings his sword to his side. "Illfang with a change of equipment was telling enough. This game is no longer the same as it used to be, and we'd be fools not to see that. We'll adapt, and win all the same."
"I see… If so, you can certainly back up your words with action, yes?"
"…Huh?"
There wasn't even a sense of fanfare to it. No indication or sign that he had just flipped the danger switch, other than how Kayaba had suddenly raised both arms into the air. Despite having a blanket of shadows for a face, he could imagine the smirk he had.
What came next was wholly unexpected.
From the sky, electricity began to crickle and crackle, snapping across his body like rampant serpents. Building up energy, growing stronger, brighter and more vicious.
It was only when Kayaba had his arms pointed to the ground—"Oh shit! Everyone, get away!" That it was too late.
A brief flash of light before lightning struck the plaza, sending a few players flying away, saved only by the fact that the Town of Beginnings was a safe zone.
Even that changed a second later.
From the lightning, two distinctly large forms took shape, revealing themselves to be bipedal bulls.
Beta Testers across the plaza, Kirito and Argo included, stared gobsmacked, not needing to even look as their names popped up above their heads. Not when they had faced off against the two monsters in the past.
Nato the Colonel Taurus, and Baran the General Taurus.
The mid-boss and floor boss of Floor 2.
"Player Kirito, wielder of Persona," the boy's eyes shot back towards the cloaked being, whose arms were outstretched to his side. "Prove to me this conviction of yours. Show me the extent of which you would go to save everyone. I will watch you from now, after all, so it would behove you to do your best. Fail to do so, and what awaits you is death."
His words spoken, his body shattered away.
The safe zone, rescinded of its status, turned into a warzone.
Everything went wrong in just the snap of the fingers. Kirito wasn't even sure if he had the time to curse at Kayaba if he already had to deal with these monsters.
"Damn it..! Arsene!" Elucidator broke away to reveal Arsene in his glory. "Take em out'! Everyone else, get out of here!"
A burst of dark energy manages to trip Nato, knocking it to the ground. Something that Argo and Vabel were quick to take advantage of as they built up their combo and nick away at its incredibly large pool of health before it raises his hammer and attempts to knock them back, the girls quick to backpedal.
A clash of steel, followed by Baran getting knocked back. In the distance, Klein and his teammates are busy handling the other bull monster. And knowing them and their great ability to synchronize, he trusted them to know that they'll get the job done.
"Why the hell are there two bosses?!" Shouted Argo as she hastily backs away from a deadly blow, her own disbelief something that Kirito share. "This doesn't make sense!"
"Kayaba, damn him!" Cursing, he wills Arsene into existence before unleashing a direct slash towards Nato's skull, causing it to tumble backwards. Vabel chooses that moment to go in for a fast «Quadruple Pain», striking the downed monster four times in its midriff. "Well, not like things could possibly get worse than this!"
Nato the Colonel Taurus, and Baran the General Taurus. Two gigantic Taurus's who are heavy hitters in their own rights which possessed the ability to stun players.
"Do not jinx us, Kirito!"
"I know that things will get worse, alright?! Oh crap!"
He hastily unleashed a «Horizontal» to cancel out Nato's incoming attack, knocking it back into a stagger, granting him an opportunity to unleash a «Curse» spell against the monster, which worked wonders.
A lot of players have already fled the area, giving them this entire space to fight. It was an even greater miracle that no one had died from the sudden entrance of these monsters. There was the teleport gate in the centre of the plaza, of course, but that was hardly something to worry about. Right now, all that mattered was cutting down the boss monster.
"Kirito-kun!" A shout from the distance turned into a whistle as her rapier sailed across the air, her «Linear» cutting right across Nato's chest. "I managed to call for some help! We just need to hold them off for a bit!"
"Works for me!" Grunting, he weld Elucidator in his left hand, Annealed Blade in his right. A stupid thing to do, considering how there's no such thing as dual-wielding in this game (or is there?), but it was better than nothing at this rate. "Get ready, everyone! We're taking these two down, no matter what!"
Nato released a growl, followed quick with his hammer striking into the ground, producing sparks that shot out on a five-feet radius. The players pulled away to avoid the electricity, Kirito summoning Arsene and, sacrificing a bit of his health, executing a powerful slash at the boss, knocking it back.
He gave it no time, immediately charging in with a «Sonic Leap», cutting across its body with Elucidator. Thanks to its impressive strength and his own boosted stats, the damage done far exceeded anyone else's damage output.
The bull finally managed to claim some distance by slamming its hammer into the ground, its ability «Numbing Impact» causing sparks to build up on the ground.
The boy was fortunate enough to have evaded the attack, the girls the same. In the distance, Klein proved his mettle in his ability to match Nato's strength with his own ingenuity and skill, his teammates providing every bit of assistance that they could.
They definitely have the chance to win this fight.
Gritting his teeth with renewed vigour, Kirito charges forwards with a «Rage Spike», stabbing Elucidator into the back of the beast before kicking off the monster, watching in his somersault as Argo unleashed a combo against the monster while Asuna and Vabel tag-teamed against the monster.
The moment he landed, he shatters his 'Regalia' through willpower alone and commands Arsene to clash against Nato—all the damage he's done to him was more than enough to draw all aggro onto himself, prompting it to run towards him. Hammer against claws, it turned into a stalemate as the two powerhouses pushed against one another.
Unfortunately for the boss monster, Arsene shared in his wielder's spirit; the stubbornness to win.
"Hmph. How foolish!" Shouting so, the demon ignited his claws and sent Nato staggering backwards, dealing a cross hit against its head; its unprotected body part that certainly is its weak point, which was more than enough to cause it to stagger backwards. "Hero!"
"Yeah, I hear you!" He rushes forwards and, with Annealed Blade in his hand, wills power into his blade. Red light wraps around it as his body moves in the appropriate motion, Arsene moving in to add to the combo. "«Sharp Nail»!"
One diagonal hit, one horizontal cut, and a final one that comes down from overhead. The last hit, accompanied by one augmented slash from Arsene, sends the last remaining HP Nato possessed to nil, causing it to explode into pixels.
He lets out a breath before directing his attention towards Baran next, which was definitely the harder obstacle out of the two. Argo and Asuna, and a large number of players, had already charged in to assist the samurai, a tank team going in to take some hits while the assaulters and support backed away to heal up.
Baran lets out a tremendous roar as it starts swinging its weapon aimlessly, some players getting hit and knocked away while the sparks flying off of its weapon meet their mark and stun a few players, while the unlucky few were paralyzed.
"Keep up the momentum! Shield teams, keep drawing aggro onto yourselves! Assault teams, be ready to attack!" Commanded… the hell? Diavel? "Kirito!"
"Wha—Huh? Ah, yeah!" Well, that is most certainly not Diavel. What the hell? Why is there a Diavel-lookalike here?! "Yeah, I hear you!"
He kicked off the ground almost immediately, Vabel by his side as the two shot forwards like missiles, one unleashing a swift «Rage Spike» to the chest and the other activating a «Linear» that sliced across Baran's thigh—the double hits were enough to stun it long enough, almost toppling it even.
"Now!"
"Hrrhaaa!"
Assault teams comprised of the strongest fighters in their ranks rush in on cue, unleashing the strongest «Sword Skills» that they had at their disposal, and Kirito chooses to quickly assess their enemy. Out of all its five health bars, they still had three health bars to deal with.
Once it gets to two, they'll be in big trouble.
"Everyone, watch out! The moment it drops to its second health bar, it'll enter a rage state!" He shouted, readying his swords once more. "Girls, with me!"
A rinse-and-repeat strategy of wearing its health down, all while dodging its slow yet fatal swings of its hammer. Kirito lead the charge, switching between the use of Elucidator and Arsene's power to knock its health down rapidly fast. The other players switched every now and then, taking turns to land the hits and assist him.
Some moved to the back to heal up before returning to the fray, tank teams constantly pressured to move in to intercept Baran's heavy attacks. The few stuns he could manage just weren't enough, as he was heavily outnumbered.
It's health dropped to the second bar soon enough. And that was bad.
"Careful! Looks like Baran's entered its raging state!" Warned Argo, wielding her claws.
Lind scoffed before raising an arm, raising his voice to command the players. "Tank team, be ready to defend once more! Kirito, stun him again! Assault teams, on my mark!"
"Asuna, Argo!" The black-haired boy shouted, getting their attention. "I'll stun Baran! You two chain as much damage as you can in that small window of time! Vabel, aggro it for now!"
"Of course!"
"You got it, Kii-bou!"
"As you say."
Vabel makes use of «Taunting», a relatively simple skill in-game that can be activated by pointing at a targeted monster and shouting. This doesn't work in a PvP scenario, but against monsters like right now, it worked like a charm.
«Taunting» was technically the best way to just draw aggro onto themselves, and just like that, the enraged Baran had its sights settled on Vabel, who began running towards it—she technically just pointed at the monster and narrowed her eyes, but he supposed that would work. With a wild snarl, the gigantic monster rushed in her direction as well, concrete rattling beneath its heavy steps with hammer, glowing with electricity.
"Okay!"
"Tank teams, now!"
All on her lonesome, it was technically a suicidal attempt, but she was smart enough to simply slip between its legs, deftly avoiding the hammer, which had been slammed right into the ground, sparks flying everywhere. However, just as she predicted, Baran was quick to turn on its heels and attempted a second hit, one that would have hit her had the tanks not intercepted in that moment, slamming their shields back towards its gigantic hammer, causing it to stagger backwards.
It didn't do as much as striking it directly in the head, obviously, but that small chance was all that Kirito needed.
"Here I go!" Breaking off into another sprint yet again, he unleashes the power of the Persona. "Take it down!"
Flames erupted from Arsene's claws as he swung them down against Baran's exposed crown, the deafening blow in his attack all but sending it tumbling backwards.
Extremely high attack. Critical hit. Weak point. Its second health bar plummeted down to its red region.
"Here we go! Aa-chan!"
"I'm with you!"
"Assault teams, go!"
Asuna lets loose a battle cry as she unleashes a «Quadruple Pain» while Argo abuses the high-combo of her claw weapons. The assault teams charge in at that time, and all damage pooled together causes its second health bar to be depleted immediately, now left with its final health bar, which is already down to just eighty percent.
Baran gets up quickly and swings itself around, catching several players off-guard by its cackling weapon. Vabel spots an exposed thigh and swoops in for a fast blow before avoiding a fatal attack.
The sound of something shattering catches Baran's attention, but it hadn't enough time to do anything before it gets slashed in the face once more.
"Man, this battle is taking way too long!" Scoffing, he goes in for the kill, Elucidator shining a soft blue. Baran recovers from its momentary daze and readies its hammer, sparks flying. "Take this!"
The Hero swings his sword in the motion of a «Horizontal», his black blade intercepting the hammer and knocking it backwards, cancelling the attack. Arsene spawns and executes a strengthened slash against Baran, reducing Kirito's health in the process.
"Kirito-kun!" Staring over to where she was coming from, Asuna activates an «Aero Penetrator» that sends her into the air, thrusting her rapier into Baran's midriff before she strikes back down, initiating a «Linear» that sends her quickly out of the way of its attack. "You alright?!"
"I'm good!" Nodding back, he looked over to his health bar, seeing that it was still good. "Just a little more!"
Nodding back, the girl returns to the fight with renewed vigour. Even Argo and Vabel had dived back into the fight, all prepared to win this fight.
The remainder of the fight goes as well as anyone could hope it did, though more players had to swap out to heal themselves and whatnot. In at least half an hour, the final blow that Kibaou dealt to Baran with his mace ends its life just like that.
That should have been it. Yet the fact that there wasn't a large 'CONGRATULATIONS' that popped up in the air was a tell-tale sign of something even worse to come.
And his suspicions came true in the end.
God damn it.
"A-Another boss..?!"
"You've got to be shitting me!"
Yeah, that second guy was right. Kayaba has seriously lost his mind, the dastard.
Asterius the Taurus King makes his appearance without any fanfare. It simple materialized out of polygons and colours, yet its massive stature was a clear sign that they were going up against the true boss of this floor. Chainmail around its waist, six horns and a crown on its head and a hammer that just dwarfed Baran's own weapon, the sunlight blocked by its massive form.
The true boss of the second floor, with six health bars in total. Here, on the first floor instead.
However, he didn't have time to conjure any form of cursing towards the maker of this world as Asterius suddenly started sucking in air through its mouth before releasing a blinding electricity breath, which broke all the players' formation and paralyzed more than a good few of them.
"Crap..! You've got to be kidding me! Six health bars, no less! Kayaba really is a sadist!" Everyone was tired, some were probably low on health, and his SP doesn't look so good. "No other way out of this! Everyone else, heal up! Girls, with me!"
Wielding Elucidator once more, with his teammates by his side, the four rush towards the true boss, which had noticed their presence and readied its hammer.
The ravenette wills power into his sword—
"Hrah!" And swings his blade through the motion of «Vertical», a powerful attack striking right at Asterius's hammer that sends it staggering backwards—an opportunity that the girls happily took to deal as much damage as they could.
The boss recovered from its forced delay and swung his hammer, but failed to land the blow, as the boy had already moved out of the way by then.
It was too easy. His 'Regalia' made him so much faster, so much stronger. The girls were quick in their own rights, and they wouldn't need to worry about getting hit.
Keep on their feet, never stop moving, and—
"Duck!"
"Huh? Oh, cra—"
His shout is cut short as he promptly throws himself into a roll, narrowly avoiding the massive hammer that almost connected with his head. "Arsene!"
He is summoned forth from a burst of flames and starts fighting back against Asterius. The sight of Arsene handling Asterius quite fine without his own input proved one thing for him; that a Persona doesn't have to be summoned solely for the use of «Persona Skills.
Annealed Blade in his right hand, he turns to look at the rest of the players. Some were still recovering, but it looks like most of them were ready to get back into the action.
He traded nods with Lind before staring back. "Okay, Arsene! Stay on the battlefield!"
"With pleasure!" Came his response, parrying an attack before deftly cutting into its torso with a well-timed swing of his claws, but it doesn't do much to faze it whatsoever. Asterius attempts to strike back but he simply sidesteps its attack.
It didn't take long for the other teams to start charging in, thankfully able to join the fray earlier than he expected. The beast takes hits without a flinch and strikes back as ruthlessly as it could, but Arsene is on point, parrying each of its attacks.
Edge of his sword shining, Kirito rushes forwards and unleashing a firm «Vertical Arc» that cuts into Asterius's leg. The small delay doesn't stop him from avoiding a blunt blow to his head.
"Switch!"
"Right!"
He leaps aside just in time for Asuna to go in with a strong «Aero Penetrator», the movement of said skill thrusting her into the air and allowing her to land a sharp blow on its head, causing Asterius to lose control for a moment and falling onto its knees.
An opening!
"Arsene! Give it a good one!"
"Will do!"
Ignition, health reduced—two deft strokes of his claws across Asterius without a shred of mercy, erasing whatever was left of its first health bar.
This is going to take a long time.
"Alright!" Shouted Lind. "Let's take em' down, everybody!"
"Oohrraaaa!"
*Ghhraoaa!*
Kirito clicks his tongue as Arsene lunges straight at the enemy, a cross strike with enough force that knocks it back a small distance, right into Asuna's «Quadruple Pain» and several players' axes and spears.
Halfway through its second last health bar, and it hasn't changed its attack patterns just yet. This time, he doesn't hate himself for knowing that it's definitely going to switch things up once it reaches its final health bar; the same happened with the other bosses that they have fought thus far, and the worry that might come out of it is certainly enough to make him wonder just what was it that it might go for.
Switching weapons? No, that's a little unlikely. He didn't see it having any other weapons on its person.
Wilder attacks? For sure. It might just start spamming «Numbing Detonation», and by God is that going to be a huge pain.
Asterius promptly stomps on the ground three times before releasing a breath of electricity, which spurred some of the players to quickly break formation, getting out of the trajectory of his attack—even the tank teams can't hope to block the attack because the ground would be filled with sparks by then, and they'd run the chance of paralyzing themselves.
It wasn't long later before Asterius makes the foolish move to start charging towards him, a nasty roar being released as it closes the distance between themselves, hammer coursing with electricity and ready to make quick work of its combatant.
But, with a glance to his SP bar, he most certainly had some to burn.
"Arsene! Give it a taste of your shadows!"
"With pleasure!"
A cloud of dark energy burst forth from the ground and explodes like a bomb the moment Asterius stepped foot in it, causing its body to cripple in on itself and falling to its knees.
"Everyone, chaaarge!"
"Hrhaaa!"
He unleashes a brutal «Vertical» with his Annealed Blade that tears right through Asterius's virtual flesh, just in time to build up a combo as the other players and his own Persona all but wreck Asterius with their «Sword Skills».
A blur of black and purple in the corner of his vision draws his gaze from the monster as he backs away, just in time for the boss to get back on its two legs, a tremor caused by its sudden stomping fit and earth-shaking bellows.
"He's entered his berserk stage!" Shouted Vabel.
"Final health!" Yelled Lind. "Come on, a final push, everyone! Group F, G, H! Aggro Asterius! Groups A and E, head back to heal…"
Nothing changes. No matter what anyone says. He looks down to Elucidator in his right hand, and nodded. Nothing will stop them.
Maybe that thought may have changed if he knew that 'Sword Art Online', and countless other virtual worlds—in that moment—had undergone a shift that no sane person could possibly understand, as all worlds have become interwoven with one another, and the fates of countless are tied together with The Hero.
Only time will tell, how this story will come to an end.
Author's Notes:
This wasn't meant to be a very long chapter, nor was it supposed to take foreeever to update. Sorry about that, by the way.
I've been watching anime, just recently got into Persona 5 Royal (hella' awesome!), getting even more ideas that it's not even funny anymore, and just enjoying life.
Sorry for the really late update, but this story is one I intend to finish, so don't worry, yeah?
Anyways, thanks for your patience, and hope to see you soon!