Chapter XI : Losing Control
7th January 2023—Aincrad. Floor 5, Dungeons
Vabel witnessed, before her, not the awakening of a person's Persona. A process of breaking the chains that hold down on our old, weaker selves. To break free of such limits and embrace the strength the inner soul always possessed, but never had the chance to be expressed.
No. This was something worse.
'This… Castor is going berserk,' the aura it exuded was thick, filled with malice and grief amplified from Kizmel's being. 'Just like back then…'
The massive horse was wild, groaning as it spasmed. It was an uncontrollable force, a daunting thing that has refused any control from any master. Red eyes glowed from the rider's eyes as he stared down the humans from where he sat atop his horse, both towering over their host.
Kizmel.
She was crying.
"Kizmel!" She looked to Kirito, who looked so distraught. He wanted to reach her, but the flames around them prevented them from approaching her. And she'd doubted Kin-Ki would have just sat back and let them do so. "You bastard! What did you do to our friend?!"
"I simply reminded her of the truth," it said with little to no remorse, its stance unassuming. "Yet her inability to accept it is her own folly. That she suffers now is her own fault."
"Like hell!" Lisbeth cocked her mace back, everyone readying their weapons. "You clearly did something to her that she became like that! Don't even lie to us!"
He did. It was his actions that seemed to trigger something in their elven friend. And all of a sudden, Kizmel was screaming as she got pulled into the air, Castor keeping one grip over her throat with one hand while the other kept a tight grip over the reins.
Either something really did turn her berserk, or her Persona succumbed to her depression. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.
"Everyone, change of plans! We need to get Kizmel out of here! Her Persona's went berserk, so we might need to fight it down!" Kirito's orders had her drawing her rapier on automatic. "Leave Kin-Ki to me! Don't stay too long or you'll get caught up in the fire! Asuna, take the other players and get them out of here! We're heading out of this dungeon!"
"Not so fast!"
"Kh..!"
The golden being moved much faster than she gave it credit, somehow appearing before Kirito in a flash before throwing a swift jab at him. Both swords formed a cross to block the attack as he was sent flying backwards, only to then throw himself back at it, Arsene summoned and striking back.
She averted her gaze from her leader, focused now on the rampaging Castor. He hadn't moved just yet, merely staring them down with such a heat in its gaze that unnerved her.
Asuna was already herding the other group of players out of the dungeon, which made things a lot easier. They wouldn't have to worry about their safety, though now they had their own to be concerned about; either getting killed by Kin-Ki, a berserk Castor or getting burnt alive—she was certain she wasn't the only one who would prefer surviving.
"nO uSe…" The rider spoke in a cranky, mechanical voice as it craned its head in one direction. "aLl sHaLl DiE iN tHe EnD, sO wHy BoThEr..?"
Each Persona was a reflection of one's soul. A physical manifestation of one's inner weakness, fears, strengths and emotions. Just as Kirito had shown, he possessed a rather powerful spirit that showed in Arsene's versatility, showing no such weakness whatsoever.
Yet here she was. Her friend whose soul housed Castor, the very same Persona that Shinjiro Aragaki weld to his final moments in life. He met his end by a bullet. Would Kizmel die here as well?
A spark of anger. Vabel didn't realize when she'd suddenly moved forwards, but she knew that she couldn't let it happen!
*Clank!*
Kin-Ki was resistant to physical hits. By that rule, there was just no use to strike it with any form of direct attacks, knowing that they wouldn't help anyone.
And yet…
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
"You are wasting your time."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
An intense pair of black eyes were focused solely on the golden being before him as he moved faster than he had before, Annealed Blade striking uselessly against Kin-Ki's body while Arsene unleashed «Curse» magic, one blast after another.
Kizmel's screaming had stopped a while ago, yet the pain still resonated within his soul. Just hearing the utter despair in his friend's voice hurt him immensely, and he couldn't think of anything else.
Not the fire or his safety. This bastard hurt his friend, and he was going to use it as his anger outlet.
He dodged a swift jab, then the next hook, and the next haymaker. With no weapon of his own and Kirito's far superior speed, he was able to dodge each blow with little difficulty and returned the attacks viciously. He knew the damage he was inflicting did very little compared to what Arsene managed, but he didn't care.
"Hiyah!" A swift «Slant» into its shoulder was translated into a «Vertical» that cut down into its abdomen, leaving a bright red gash in its body that finally drew out a pained curse from the Shadow. "Arsene!"
The demon smashed his fist into Kin-Ki's cheek, amplified by dark energy that shattered the remains of its health. It felt so good to watch as the Shadow disintegrated into black smoke, a mark of its death, yet the laughter that faded away into thin air did nothing to ease the boiling blood in his veins.
No. No more. The Shadow was dead, and focusing anymore on it would do nothing more. Kizmel was of priority now. He needed to—
"Eeeyaah!"
"Eh? W-Whoa!"
Something was falling right down towards him. He moved on instinct, backpedalling to catch the girl in his arms, surprised at the pair of tails. "Silica?"
"K-Kirito-san!" She stuttered out a cry before a horrified look overtook her expression, a finger pointed at Castor. "W-We can't hurt him!"
'Huh?' He turned his head to the scene of everyone fighting against Castor… and he could clearly see how nothing they were doing made even a single thing to the horseman, who wasn't even lashing out. "The heck? What do you mean you can't hurt him?"
"I-It's exactly that! Nothing we do to it makes a single change!We really used all our powerful «Sword Skills», but it's like it's immune to everything we do!"
"An immunity to physical damage? My, my. What a powerful Persona Lady Kizmel possesses," he stared in shock at his Persona's words. First a resistance, now an immunity? Talk about freaking broken! "What do we do?"
"Urgh… Shit, so we can't even fight her?" He discarded the sudden thought of turning her into a tank, if only because it wasn't the right time and she so didn't fit the category of a tank. More of a rogue assa—hey! Thoughts later! "Crap, what do we do..? Wait, it's starting to move!"
The horseman suddenly seemed to whirl about, the horse wildly shaking about as it tried to find a direction. Everyone were shaken off for just a while before they returned to dishing out attacks, yet he could see it now; their attacks didn't really bounce off of it, yet there just didn't seem to be any sort of effect achieved.
But he couldn't even think about that. All he could focus on was Kizmel, who remained trapped in Castor's grip, her defeated expression somehow delivering to him the words in her soul…
'No more…'
"Oh… shit! They're trying to run away! Kizmel!"
Everyone screamed her name, yet nothing they did seemed to faze the elf. Desperate pleas that fell upon deaf ears as she remained listless, her clear surrender to the situation at hand a painful dagger to the heart that forced him to charge towards Castor, even as Silica cried out for him.
Arsene was summoned by his will, an amalgamation of dark energy spewing forth and bursting against Castor's body, yet the damage wasn't as high as he hoped it was. Was it a high resistance to magic, or a natural resistance to «Curse» magic itself?
Damn it, what was he supposed to do then?! He couldn't think of any other way to stop Castor! The power of the Persona was just one he was woefully unprepared to deal with, and certainly too powerful to handle with just a measly amount of ideas! If they didn't stop her, they'd escape!
And damn everything, he refused to believe it! Kizmel was stronger than this, he knew so! She was his friend! A girl he'd fought alongside for so long, it was as if they knew each other for a lifetime! There was no way she'd—
'Good…bye…'
"Kiiizmeeeeeel!"
The stallion brayed as it trounced forwards, its imposing body almost crashing into the black-haired boy. At the very last second, survival instincts took over and he was forced to throw himself to the side, avoiding getting in its way and getting rammed into.
"Kizmel!" He yelled one more time, reaching out for her. She was still moving, though, and he'd watched her leave. "Kizmel! Shit, where is she heading to?!"
Through all the flames and smoke, he couldn't make out where she was heading to. This room in itself was removed from the rest of the dungeons in a way that made it almost impossible to locate the exit from here. Was Kizmel planning to escape through the entrance, then?
No. If she was, she'd be intercepted by Asuna. And she, even in her lack of self-control, was able to reel in her Persona to prevent him from harming anyone.
Which meant that she…
'She was able to somehow break through the boss monsters and get here. How?' Logic dictated that it was because she was an NPC, and the game wanted them to meet. Yet such logic couldn't work anymore. Not with reason simply thrown out of the window and the world operating more on utter madness than anything else. 'There must be a path!'
"Kirito-san..!" A high-pitched cry was followed up by a small cough. Silica's eyes were watery, likely unable to tolerate the smoke of the room. "What do we do..?!"
His heart yelled for him to chase after Kizmel. That's what it wanted.
And he'd be damned if he didn't follow through.
"Silica, take the others and go first! I'm going after Kizmel!" His command wasn't well-received, judging by the look of horror on her face. He had to cut her retort short with a raise of his voice. "We don't have time! I'll be fine, just go! I'll be right behind you with Kizmel, hauled over my shoulder if I have to! Go!"
There wasn't even a chance for the younger girl to respond before the Beta Tester took off, using his superior speed to leave her far behind as he chased after the fleeing Dark Elf.
He cursed through the flames. There was no way he was going to leave his friend behind, no matter the cost!
As the black-haired boy gave chase to his fleeing friend whilst the rest of his teammates reluctantly flee from the burning dungeon, a single figure watches him from afar. Beautiful teal hair seem to glow for just a second before it walked away, towards the exit.
"Gah..! Ah, fresh air! Grhk..!"
"C-Careful, Ducker..!"
Smoke billowed out into the open world from the entrance of the dungeons, everyone coughing as they fell to their knees and hands, breathing in large gulps of virtual air that refreshed their systems. Light-headedness gave way for clarity, the greens around them finally coming into vision alongside the black particles of smoke, the blue of the sky and the whites of the clouds.
If this was the real world, her heart would have been beating nonstop from how exhausted she was from running. As it was, she was grateful that her bodily 'exhaustion' faded away with comparatively less than it actually would IRL, and soon enough she could think clearly once more.
"H-Hey, is everyone here..?" She heard Sasamaru asked, brown hair bobbing as he looked around in confusion. "We're, uhh… are we missing anyone?"
Asuna quickly made a count of all the heads in the area, was satisfied to know that all five players from the Moonlit Black Cats had made it out. That left her friends still inside, possibly fighting Castor to get Kizmel.
"Kirito and his group are still back there…" Panted Sachi, clutching her knees as she tried to steady her breathing. "I think… He was trying to get her to… They were fighting that… that thing. What do we do now?"
Her question prompted all of them to look back at the entrance, which was still ablaze. No damage had been done to the environment save for scorching of the grass and terrain, though there was no denying how hot it was. Even with the distance they'd claimed from it, they could still feel the heat against their faces.
Asuna gulped. There was… Kirito's Persona didn't necessary include a resistance to fire, but he was still strong. She knew that. The others, though…
"We… We're going back in there. Everyone, get your gear again. We need to go back and help somehow," once Keita recovered his breath enough to speak, he got back on his feet and faced the dungeon entrance. He'd been ready to march right back in there until Ducker stopped him. He frowned. "Ducker?"
"Dude, are you crazy?! That place was intense! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love to help! But if we try now? We'll only get ourselves killed! Don't you think we'd be acting a little recklessly?" She asked with a concerned tone, facing everyone as he spoke. "I mean… Kirito specifically told us to escape, not to go back in and save them. And we'd probably put ourselves in danger if we did, so…"
"So we're just meant to leave them in there?" He challenged. "I… I can't do that! Kirito just rescued my teammates and I, and we're just meant to stand by and do nothing?"
The Moonlit Black Cats were divided amongst themselves. The dagger-wielding blond was clearly against the idea, as was the green-clothed individual. The girl and the other boy seemed intent on going back in to find the two.
Asuna couldn't move. Ducker's words were true, but her heart disagreed. Were they simply meant to wait for them to come? It was such a dangerous thought, leaving them behind like this, and she struggled with the dissonance within her; her duty demanded she stand by and watch over her them. Her heart desired her to go back in there and save Kirito.
And Kizmel too! What happened back there? Was she and Kin-Ki somehow related? It seemed to recognize her back there, and a horrible feeling bubbled in her gut as she thought of what—
"We're coming through!"
"Ah, Argo!"
Asuna's heart palpitated as she watched the rest of her group finally exiting the dungeons, Silica yelping as fire seemed to flow overhead, forcing her to duck. She was practically bursting with relief as she reached Lisbeth's side, the other girl panting lightly as she accepted her help to move farther away from the entrance. The others followed suit.
"Thank goodness… All of you are alright," she whispered, looking between each of them with a warm smile. That was, until she'd noticed two people missing. "Wait a minute. Where's Kirito-kun and Kizmel-chan?"
Silence became a much greater distinction as everyone seemed to lose their voices altogether, all quieting down as they traded uncertain glances with one another. The earlier feeling of dread that had been snuffed out came back stronger.
She looked from Lisbeth, to Vabel, to Silica. No one seemed to want to say anything, until someone finally broke the silence.
"Kirito… is in pursuit of Kizmel as we speak," Vabel's revelation left her and the Moonlit Black Cats reeling. He… She wasn't being serious. He couldn't really think that he could… Could he? "He had given us the order to return to Castle Yofel for the moment while he chases after Kizmel. We are not to follow him."
"W-What..?" Asuna felt cold sweat wash over her being, and what a strange sensation. To feel such within a virtual world when she knew she couldn't sweat, feel pain or even grow tired. Yet now, she could feel all of that and more as her mind attempted to come to terms with what Vabel had just told her. "B-But that's dangerous! Why'd he go on his own?"
"Because that gives him the best chance of pursuing Kizmel," there was no pride in her words. Only bitter embarrassment in her tone that reflected her own feelings on the matter. "He is the only one with a Persona, after all. Were we to follow, we'd only hold him back and put ourselves at risk."
That… That wasn't fair! That's not how it worked at all! They were supposed to be a team! They were meant to fight together, no matter how difficult things got!
Asuna felt her heart drop. She… There was no way. How? Were they supposed to just leave them? And Kizmel! There was just no way that she'd—
Screaming. Crying. Anguish.
The memory of her elven friend in pain came to mind, and Asuna couldn't help the way she almost teared up. That was… What happened back there? What did Kin-Ki do to her? What was going on here? Why did her Persona finally awaken like… like that?
"We… They're gone…" She wasn't sure whose voice it was, but all she knew that she couldn't bear to believe them. There was no way. "You're kidding me…"
"We're anything but. And at this point, I'm more pissed than anything else to joke around," if her unsteady breathing didn't already say it, then she was certain Argo was probably just breathing fast for the fun of it. Her scowl said otherwise. "Damn it, damn it, damn it..! What do we do now?"
Pursue Kirito and Kizmel. Or return to Castle Yofel.
Risk against safety.
Her heart against orders.
What… What should they do? They can't just… She can't just leave her friends like that. Wasn't she supposed to be strong enough to protect the both of them?
"Perhaps… Perhaps we need a moment of respite to think on our next course of action," Vabel's counsel was a suitable one, yet she stared at the flames. Her body tense and eyes strained. It was easy to imagine what she really wanted to do. "That… Those are his orders, I believe."
Easy to say, yet none of them really wanted to leave. Vabel may have been right, but she didn't want to leave. Were they just meant to hope that their friends would be fine?!
And yet, as Argo wordlessly turned about and made her way back to town, the members of the party they saved earlier exchanging nervous glances amongst themselves before they trailed behind her. The rest of their party followed as well.
She turned back one more time towards the entrance of the dungeon. A hand on her shoulder and a muted 'She'll be okay…' has her hoping, more than ever, that Lisbeth's words were true.
The Floor 5 dungeons had been avoided for many a week by players and NPC's alike, following Argo's scouts discovery of three Shadows guarding the entrance to the boss room. It was with that reason that everyone agreed to steer clear of the dungeons.
The return of the Summoner Swordsman's party that day was with good news, and they were welcomed into Karluin with applause and cheers from every person. However, not all was positive.
Today's events shook the foundations of the world once more, a constant reminder that 'Sword Art Online' has gone from a death game to a death game determined to kill them. Perhaps the concept of otherworldly monsters hadn't really registered in anyone's minds save for the Summoner Swordsman and his party—and it was intentional, as they'd wanted to avoid inciting mass panic amongst the players and explain the bizarre concept of things coming from beyond the game—but there was no denying the great dangers that have come upon them.
What shocked most of them, however, was the apparent appearance of another Persona user. Kizmel, the very same Dark Elf that had accompanied the Summoner Swordsman, had somehow experienced the process of awakening her Persona during their battle with the Shadows, though not in the same fashion as he had.
And now, both she and the Summoner Swordsman were missing.
News spread like wildfire. Another Persona user! Yet, with the disappearance of both, the loss of power was greatly felt by the players. After all, for as infamous as he may be, he was an ally whose constant presence gave others the strength to push on.
They'd taken it for granted. And now, with him gone, people were terrified.
Ironically, everyone else had been bothered by her absence as well. After all, with Kizmel having been part of the party for so long, and seen very regularly on the frontlines, she had been established as a constant sight. And losing a familiar face had infected them with the same discomfort those close to her experienced.
Their absence left the rest of the party in grave distress, however. And not many, not even the hard-headed Kibaou, dared mock him.
Even so, everyone got back on their feet. With the Shadows gone, the self-nominated acting leader Argo had been quick to return to work immediately after. She issued an order to her scouts and Kingsmen to begin a thorough search across the upcoming floors upon the defeat of Fuscus. Countless players and NPC's alike volunteered to keep a look-out for the elf. From floor one to floor four, the search had been extensive.
And like that, with Fuscus the Vacant Colossus defeated and The Irrational Cube slain and floors six and seven unlocked, two weeks had come and gone.
20th January 2023—Aincrad. Floor 4, Yofel Castle
Argo loved teasing people. She was, as some would call her, the devil. Really though, she's The Rat more than anything else, but she supposed she couldn't blame them for their assumptions.
It was just a lot of fun to rile someone up and get under their skin. Seeing their reactions and watching their ego-defense coming into play as they tried to save face. It was refreshing to see their reactions and just typically watch them break down without her needing to do more.
Kirito always had the best reactions. Asuna, doubly so. The other girls had their cute variations of denials, shock and anger that really made it fun. Vabel and Kizmel were difficult to crack, though, and she would just delight in the day when she'd finally get to break down that wall and watch them squirm in embarrassment.
Really, she'd had plenty of moments when she got to tease her friends. Like right now, while she's lying on her bed in the bedroom she's sharing with Asuna and Koharu, the former entered the room with a look that certainly did not fit her whatsoever. She met her target with a hearty huff, crashing atop it in a prone fashion. The mattress sunk slightly underneath her weight, the cloth quivering as she groaned into it.
So unladylike.
Say what you might about The Rat—that she was selfish, greedy, and a huge pain all around. But she was also someone who understood people well. She could see through façades and masks that people wear, staring right through them and reading their hearts. The one person she felt most proud of understanding the most had to be Kirito; he was standoffish, serious, cursed a lot sometimes and sometimes awkward. But he was also loyal, protective of his friends—she couldn't ignore how he often trained alone to be countless levels above them. All for the sake of being able to watch their backs.
And if she could read the Summoner Swordsman? It made sense that she could understand how other people ticked, and Asuna definitely radiated the aura of a pish-posh girl. The kind who lived in a mansion and had servants. Her parents probably raised her to be, as they say, comme il faut.
So really, what would her parents say if they see their daughter being so unlike herself? She was practically being lazy! And lazy was just something no one would ever relate to Asuna!
Argo had about a thousand teases to use. But in that moment, she found herself just… lacking the energy to say anything.
She shifted a little to the side to give him space. "You okay?"
"Not really…" Her response was muffled in the mattress. Sensing this, she shifted so that her cheek was on the bed now, looking to her left. "Argo-san, I don't get it… How does Kirito-kun tolerate Kibaou? I just can't…" Her cheeks puffed out as she swallowed the curse (most likely Kirito's influence) before shouting something else. "I can't stand him!"
She rolled her eyes. Yeah, she empathised with her on that front. Kibaou wasn't the easiest person to do just about anything with; talk with, train with, fight with. Too greedy, too selfish and all-too prideful. In his head, the world revolved around him, and he was always right. She hated those kinds of assholes.
She pitied Kirito, really, she did. But if there was one thing that Kirito exceeded her that wasn't combat (because let's face it, he's the best at that compared to everyone else), it was patience. And knowing just how good he was at keeping a calm composure in most instances, it made sense to make him their representative in the boss raid meetings.
And that meant meeting other important people like Lind and… uurgh. Kibaou.
She wished she could join him, but she would usually be having meetings with her Kingsmen and scouts. The other girls would struggle to find any reason that they couldn't join him, if only they couldn't breathe in the same room as the cactus-haired guy.
Kirito didn't mind. In fact, he's always expressed how glad he was that they didn't show up, if only so that they didn't have to deal with the crap he had to put up with.
Nonetheless, with him gon… that is, temporarily missing-in-action, someone had to represent their group. And Asuna had made the brave (albeit foolish) decision to go in their stead.
The look of utter despair on her friend's face said it all.
"There, there, Aa-chan. Think about it like this. The moment Kii-bou gets back, you'll never have to see his face ever again. Well, except in raid battles, but that's beside the point."
"I suppose you're right… Then again, you'd be surprised to hear that he's planning something quite beneficial," and she quirked a brow in genuine surprise at the thought of Kibaou of all people doing something actually good for once. "Apparently, he's looking forward to forming a guild called the Aincrad Liberation Squad or something once we reach floor nine. And then, Lind will form the Divine Dragons Alliance," she sighed. "Talk about busy."
Heh. Took one to know one. And wasn't it ironic that they were just as incredibly busy as ever? The world never stopped moving, and they'd been included in just about every fight; one after another. It was incredibly tiring, but it was something they could do, so there was no use complaining.
They'd managed to get some rest these past few days, though, allowing them the opportunity to unwind and grab new gear—Castle Galey had, fortunately, survived the assault and, upon receiving aid from their former enemies, was more than willing to supply them with any material they needed. And with that, Lisbeth got to work.
She looked to Asuna's new epee. Slick and shiny, with a white blade and a pink guard, her Lily Blade certainly made her look the part. Hard to say that she looked like a rookie when she and everyone else practically look like professional players. And it's all thanks to Liz, who'd been so patient with helping them make their perfect gear.
'To think we've got a blacksmith in our group…' She mentally mused, looking up to the ceiling with a sigh. 'And an NPC.'
Acknowledging Kizmel as an NPC was… it was an absurd thought nowadays. With how animated and real she felt, they'd come to appreciate her as a close friend in their circle. A person, living and breathing just like the rest of them, who'd just suffered what Vabel assumed to be a mental breakdown upon her recollection of buried trauma.
Argo clenched her fists.
Two weeks. Two whole weeks that their friend went missing, ever since the battle with the Shadows… There'd been no sight of her on any of the floors thus far, and Argo's worry just grew with each night.
Crying.
Screaming.
Running.
She'd left them behind in her despair. Broken emotions and a shattered mind that no longer allowed her to choose what she could do now. All that she wanted now was to escape, in fear of dragging even more of those she cared to their deaths.
Kirito, the fool he was, ran off after her. Couldn't bother to let her be on her lonesome without having to grow white hairs (and was it weird that she thought he'd look good with dyed white hair? Hmm…) from fretting over her.
'He always was the kind of guy who preferred action over nothing,' she always did like that about him, but if it meant having to sit around while he's still out there with his life at risk?
"Lord Yofilis was willing to spare us some of his scouts to spread the search. I'd just received several reports from one of your scouts earlier too, actually. Said that they've covered the entirety of floors one and two and are going to try the higher floors soon enough," Asuna provided, dragging her out of her thoughts. "So Kizmel did go up. We just need to keep fighting the bosses."
"I see… That's good, I guess," she hesitated to get her words out, something coming to the fore of her mind that forced her to ask. "Hey Aa-chan… Where do you think Kii-chan is now?"
She heard her draw a breath, and the stress from simply thinking about it infected her as well. If they knew, they would have wanted nothing more than to march for the floor to find her and save her. She knew the rest of their party felt the same; she knew everyone well, after all. Everyone cared for one another. They wanted to save their friends.
Yet they were in the dark now, with absolutely no clue. Throughout the weeks, nothing abnormal had really occurred, and all that they had to work with were her scouts, Yofilis's scouts and the players promising to keep a look out for her while they're outside. And in the meantime, all they had to focus one were the boss battles.
Funny. Even with Kizmel gone, there just wasn't anything different from how they should be. Things have practically been the same thus far; the training, the boss battles, the grinding… the searching…
She heard Asuna give out a deep sigh, muttering something that would have gone unnoticed if it wasn't for her good sense of hearing. And the 'What was Kin-Ki talking about..?' certainly made her think.
Kizmel had shown up so long ago, it was hard to believe that they'd been friends for that amount of time. And though she'd come with the request for help in fighting off the Shadows and save her people, her friendship was genuine. But more than that, her undying conviction.
She'd remembered Kizmel's tale. She served Lady Astra, the queen of the Dark Elves, as her retainer. A knight in service directly to the queen, which was a pretty damn incredible role. There wasn't much talk about things, other than her usual jobs of guarding the borders and scouting enemy territory.
Enemy? Hah. This world still knew how to throw curveballs from unexpected places. Peace between the Forest Elves and Dark Elves? That literally went against the quests and main campaign of the Elf War of 'Sword Art Online', yet such was on the process of being achieved that day.
Really, though, it still felt so… bizarre. No quests had shown up related to the elves. There was no precursor to some great battle between the two. All there is now is two races struggling to survive against a common enemy.
Going back on track, she remembered the tale that Kizmel had, with a heavy heart, recounted. That, on the day of the peace treaty ceremony, they were assaulted by Shadows—in waves they came, and they wiped the kingdom clean of any elf. She'd managed to escape with her Persona's power, as limited as it may have been, believing that the monarchs were safe and they could save them once they'd get to floor nine.
The small hopeful part in her believed they had what it takes to get there. The major, rational and pessimistic side of her, doubted it.
Since the day that everything changed, when they'd been force teleported to the first floor and fought against the floor two bosses, the game was just… different. She couldn't say for certain, but certain elements of the game had been changed, like NPC behaviour and little mechanics. Koharu had pointed them out once before, and it was hard to miss them.
So when she really thought about it, considering how Shadows had assaulted them with such large numbers, there was just no way anyone could have survived. Kizmel may have managed to do so thanks to her Persona, but that just made her wonder…
On one hand, how had Kizmel somehow forgotten? Why had she been unable to summon her Persona all this while? And why'd it show up now, of all timing? Was her memory literally being repressed from how severe the trauma had been?
Damn it… Fuscus and The Irrational Cube may have been defeated already, yet they were no step closer to finding their missing friends. Both Kirito's and Kizmel's lack of presence was a sorely missed one, and it affected the group in ways that she felt personally.
Funny. Kirito's name hadn't disappeared from their party listings, but he hadn't responded any of their messages. Lisbeth had tried spamming him once, yet nothing. It was enough to leave them feeling cold.
She looked to her friend. Asuna would usually be sitting in the corner of the room, probably staring at her rapier in her hands or reading a book quietly. Or maybe she'd stare off into space with a distant gaze, wondering where two of her closest friends was.
Silica would be talking with Lisbeth, as those two were close with one another. Yet their conversations would be incredibly muted, too afraid to ruin the silence.
Vabel would say nothing. She'd never said much to begin with, yet these two weeks, she'd been quieter than the walls that they'd kept around themselves. Koharu would be there with her, busy reading to spend the time than worry endlessly.
…Heh. Lose two friends, even if not to death, and they're just this broken. How would it be like when they really lost someone?
"Urgh, I'm so done with this crap… I want to go over to the top floor, beat the stupid final boss and go home," Argo groaned. Asuna replied with a drawled 'same' and they exchanged weak high-fives, surprisingly enough. "But we have so much work to do, it almost feels like there's just no rest nowadays… Whatever. All of that aside, what should we do about Sa-chan and her li' group?"
They exchanged glances for like a minute before Asuna quickly looked away, chewing on her bottom lip. Yup.
The Moonlit Black Cats was the group of five players that they'd saved that day during their battle against the Shadows. Honestly, their appearance had been completely unprecedented, and a great bother. Seriously, their carelessness really would have gotten them killed.
From a really pessimistic point of view, she knew that the group just weren't cut out for the frontlines. All that awaited each and every single one of them every day was battle after battle, which got really exhausting the harder things got, the more they went up. And she wished she could say good things about the group, who clearly want to be there with them to help, but she just felt like they're not meant for that sort of thing.
They were good people. Friends from the same school and same club, from what Asuna told him, who just didn't belong in a death game like this. They shouldn't have to fight the monsters because they don't deserve it.
And yet, she'd been watching Kirito lead this group for a pretty long while now, and she knew how hard he worked. So did the rest of her friends, obviously. And seeing Sachi and her group, she had to admit that they were good.
The Moonlit Black Cats had indeed put in the effort necessary to make them players worthy of joining the frontlines. In fact, their levels were much higher than most of the average players, which already gave them the green light to go ahead and sign up for the battles. And that should have been the plan.
'And now they feel bad about us having to go save their butts and want to join us to help,' she wasn't sure what frustrated her more. Their genuine kindness or their stupidity.
While their group was good, they weren't as good as hers. They had been facing these Shadows for an exceptionally long time, so they kind of knew what to expect when going into combat with them—plus, they had Vabel to guide them in that area. The Moonlit Black Cats were total noobs when it came to that, almost getting themselves killed in that last bout.
She couldn't trust them to watch their asses. No offense.
"I don't know. I've tried speaking to Keita about that exact matter, but they're just… too… nice," that basically summed up all of them. "I don't know what we should do with them. We could just ask them to leave us, but… I don't know. I'm worried about them. I heard they were planning to join the next boss battle again, just like Fuscus and The Irrational Cube. Either they're trying too hard or we're not trying hard enough…"
"Then we'll just have to make it up in the next battle, yeah?" Her nod couldn't have come any quicker, and she felt the same. Like hell they would slack off. "So, what's the plan?"
"So far, nothing has changed. We're still taking part in the boss battles as always. Soon, we'll get to floor eight, and finally reach our destination. The Dark Elves' castle," their eyes met and Argo knew then just whom they were thinking of.
Argo looked around the room and, with there being only the two of them, it was really quiet. Lisbeth and Silica had returned to the Town of Beginnings to pack up some stuff the blacksmith had left behind, while Vabel had gone off to who knows where, saying something about needing to find something. Koharu was training with the elves in the courtyard.
Dang… They've been together for so long. It had been her, Kirito, Asuna and Vabel for so long. Then Kizmel tagged along, followed shortly by Lisbeth and Silica. It felt weird without everyone together.
She sighed, relaxing into her bed. Maybe, once all of this is over, they could find their friend and go for lunch together… just like they always do.
When night came about, the rest of the girls had finally returned to Yofel Castle. Silica in particular apologized for their incredible delay, saying something about 'old folks in trouble' and 'a wagon on fire'. She didn't feel the need to forgive her on that, partly because it was nice that she tried to help and partly because she didn't really want to know what set the wagon on fire.
Maybe Kirito's nonchalance has rubbed off on her. Just a bit.
Nonetheless, information about their missing friends was exchanged with one another. Word from Argo's scouts, some chatter with Yofilis, a bit of prodding from the residents of Aincrad and other players. There wasn't anything that really pointed them in a direction that diverged from their original intention so far, so their priority still remained the same.
Soon enough, Asuna felt the need to get some fresh air. She bade her fellow girls a good night and told them to get to sleep if she didn't show up soon enough—she had to ignore Argo joking about how, if it was Kirito going out, he'd probably be seeing another girl. And it took all her willpower to squash the sudden bout of annoyance in her chest.
Honestly! What he was trying to prove? Then again, he did have a few male friends, though the number was rather… measly. Klein, his friends and Agil were the only decent men in this game. Diavel was still pretty depressed after being chastised by him, Lind was a fervour fan of Diavel, and the less said about Kibaou was the better.
Why was it that she had the feeling like he's only ever going to end up meeting girls? It felt like a crazy thought.
Nonetheless, as she departed from Karluin using the teleport gate, she knew that there were certainly a lot of things that she could be doing right now. Like getting some extra training, find some special loot or plan their next trip.
As it is, the fencer ended up taking a walk through the city of Rovia. Aimless wandering was probably more of Kirito's thing, and this was probably a bad habit to pick up, but she'd told Argo that she wanted a bit of fresh air. And they could just message one another if anything came up. And she desperately needed the pretty sights.
From what she'd heard from Koharu, the city of water certainly had the most impressive glow-ups since its beta days. Gone was the simplistic grey city and grey pathways. Now, it was a city split up into five different sections, the centre being the teleport gate and the other four quadrants being different from one another. Bright lanterns from the gondolas lit up the waters, beautiful reflections of anyone who wished to peer into it and the stars in the sky, wavering due to the waves.
Beautiful… If there was one city she absolute loved, it had to be Rovia. It was a bit of an issue and a minor inconvenience to get from one quadrant to another—to do so would require the use of gondolas to travel across the canal system. Any impatient person just wouldn't be able to wait that long, but she felt like she'd come to grow more relaxed with time to be able to enjoy the trip.
Unfortunately, though, as she slowly sat down in the little boat and allowed the gondolier to row them off to their destination, which was the south-eastern market area, she couldn't really find herself at ease much. The slow rocking of the boat didn't make her too dizzy, and the lights weren't so bright that they irritated her eyes. She just felt uncomfortable.
"Silica, take the others and go first! I'm going after Kizmel! We don't have time! I'll be fine, just go! I'll be right behind you with Kizmel, hauled over my shoulder if I have to! Go!"
Did he know that he'd be gone for so long? What was he doing right now? Was Kizmel alright?
Asuna steadied her breath, relaxing her grip on the wooden seat of the boat when she realized she'd gripped it too tightly. She… She needed to calm down. A little walk would do her well. Take her mind off of things. They've arrived! That… That was dreadfully short. Why couldn't it be longer?
Nonetheless, Asuna thanked the gondolier and left, allowing herself to be thoughtless as she wandered through the bustling streets. Everyone were still lively, noisy, abuzz and about. Stall vendors were certainly proactive in trying to draw the attention of the customers, selling wares ranging from restorative tonics to cheap armour. There were a few materials that certainly caught her eye, though most of them seemed a tad bit too expensive. She noticed a few metalsmiths, though Liz definitely surpassed them in terms of performance and skill.
And just like that, half an hour had passed. Aimless wandering through the marketplace. Not much was of importance, really, and she doubted he'd wanted to buy anything. It was nice to see how lively everyone was, though, which felt odd; even with Kizmel and Kirito gone, the world still moved, time still ticking. And everyone still kept living.
Was that how it was back home? Even with thousands of players currently unconscious and relying on life support on what might just be their death beds, their families were still going on with their lives? Was her brother still working? Were her parents still working hard and waiting for her? Did anyone come over to their house to deliver the newspapers anymore?
Uurgh. Useless thoughts. Useless thoughts. Stop thinking unnecessary thou—
"Aah!" Too lost in her mind that she'd accidentally bumped into someone, causing the person to fall back on the ground with a small thud. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't see you, and—o-oh, let me help you up!"
"Oooh… I-It's okay," a small hand was raised into the air, prompting her to gently grasp it and slowly pull her up to her feet. "Mm, thank you."
Long black hair and wide, round black eyes that seemed more curious than hurt. The girl was certainly little, a lot smaller than Silica actually, with a stature that she would relate to a child. Considering the dress and cardigan combo that she wore, she most certainly was one.
An NPC, then. She lacked the cursor, after all. Yet, as she looked at her, she couldn't see an NPC anymore. Not since she befriended Kizmel. Not since she's learnt to fight alongside Dark Elves and Forest Elves. Not since Kayaba lost all reason to be called 'human'. This girl was every bit human as she and the rest of her friends were.
A small gasp from down catches her attention as the girl's eyes widened, staring up at him in genuine surprise. "Y-You're Asuna! The Flash!"
'The F-Flash? T-That's…' Embarrassment burnt her face red, right to the tip of her ears. Where'd that nickname even come from?!
"Right, I remember! Apparently, one of the best fighters there is, and certainly one of the fastest too. The Flash herself."
"I-I see," she couldn't believe that even NPC's would know of her, though she supposed just about anything is possible nowadays. "W-Well, yes, that's me! Ahem. It's nice to meet you—"
"Nee-chaaaan! Nee-chaan! Where are you—Ah, there you are, Yui nee-chan!"
"Strea? Ah, sorry! I lost you earlier!"
Oh? She has a sister? Asuna silently giggled to herself. Considering how little this girl was, imagine how much smaller her sister must be. She'd be adorable. Maybe they're twins? Could be, and what a sight it would be.
Asuna was completely wrong.
Footsteps grew louder as the person approached them, gravel crunched beneath her boots. The fencer turned to look around and greet her. Onee-chan means older sister, she thought. And when she laid eyes on the girl that called this child her older sister, she was certain that she would have been spewing water if she was drinking some. In this instance, she could feel her eyes bogging out of her skull.
That is no little sister!
A radiant smile that certainly fit a beauty like herself. Long violet hair that held their own gleam despite it being night time, pure red eyes that reflected friendliness. Tall, much older-looking than the little girl whom she's supposedly calling her older sister.
Large.
A skimpy outfit that certainly did not feel like a typical armour set one would wear for battle. So much skin from the side and her arms were shown, though given the nature of this world being a videogame, just about anything was possible. Who invented battle bikinis, anyways?
Freckles.
"There you are, Onee-chan!" The girl skipped over to their side, two things in particular swaying as she caught up to the two. "Ah! You're Asuna!"
"I… am."
"Wooow! We've heard of you! You're friends with Kirito, the one with the special power, and you're fighting on the frontlines, aren't you? Onee-chan, you managed to find someone so amazing here? Good job!" Cheered the violet-haired girl as she pumped a fist up into the air.
Bounce.
She could feel the small twitch of her brow. Seriously? What was the world trying? Would Kirito be meeting this girl in her place had things turned out differently? Seriously?!
She forced all of that aside, putting on the friendliest smiles and the politest of tones. "Umm… Yes. It's a pleasure to meet the both of you."
"Yes, we feel the same. We were most certainly surprised to find a friend of the Summoner Swordsman down here," the black-haired girl traded glances with her sister before looking back at her. "In fact, what are you doing here? Are you not with anyone else at the moment?"
"Not really. I just… needed some time to myself," she refrained from mentioning anything else, finishing her statement with a shrug. "I suppose I'd been walking here for, what? Half an hour already? I wasn't really planning on buying anything, really. Just needed to enjoy the sights."
"Ahh, I see. Then we're in luck, actually. We've wanted to meet you for quite some time. There's something rather important we need to tell you."
"And we mean, like, really important," the purple-haired girl nodded again. "Are you busy right now?"
"No, I… I don't think I have anything at the moment," Asuna sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose (is this Kirito's luck? It has to be. No way this would happen in a normal situation) before smiling a little wider, gaze focused entirely on the little girl. "How may I help you?"
Well, it seems that they're finally experiencing some normality! Ignoring that earlier spectacle, being approached by two NPC's isn't all that odd. Perhaps they were going to trigger a quest for her to take up. She'd admit that she wasn't really in the mood for an actual quest, but she supposed something was better than nothing. And at this rate, it might just be nice to actually do something outside of boss battles, elf-searching and otherworldly monsters.
Sure, she was a little curious with these two. The two sisters were unique enough that their speaking patterns far exceeded any typical NPC—or at least it didn't matter anymore as everything got advanced all of a sudden. But she humoured them all the same, watching them exchange glances and nodded.
Asuna was ready for a request.
She got two girls surrounded by blue flames in turn.
Author's Notes:
The Alicization arc of Sword Art Online's anime has finally come to a close, and holy shit! That was so, so good!
I'd read the light novel purely out of the suggestion of a fellow reader, and even the book got me in tears and at the edge of my seat when I reached its depressing moments and the action-filled fights. I'd been prepared for the anime to do just as greatly.
It blew my expectations out of proportions.
The surprise entry of Yuna and Nautilus, the beautifully-drawn fights, the utter drama and emotions that accompanied the characters and viewers every step of the way... ddaeng. It's hard to beat this one, and I've seen plenty of anime (well, not really. By the time I'm writing this, I've only actually watched and completed a total of 128 anime's. A friend of mine has three times that number).
And soon, Progressive will get its own anime adaptation! Yosh! Here's to Reki Kawahara and the future of Sword Art Online.
And a moment of silence to all the great and lovable characters that died in the process of the anime... Done.
Aaah man, I already miss Sword Art Online. Even though I watched it last Sunday, which was literally four days ago, lmao.
Now, with the mainline series out of the way, writing this chapter is just crazy. I'd actually ended up with four versions of this chapter in total, and I'd ended up choosing this one just because. I was certain I'd wanted to wait a little longer, but I preferred introducing Strea and Yui this early just to get them integrated into the group faster than realistically should, because why not?
So this one is just designed to be a filler of sorts. I skipped a great number of days, yeah, but felt like the in-between was... well, it would probably be necessary, but knowing my bad habit, I'd just expand it so much to the point where it just feels dragged out. That's me, baby.
Welp, that's it for now. Thanks for reading, and see y'all another time.