Chapter XIII : Keep Fighting
"One health bar left! Squad B, C, rush in and draw some aggro!"
"Archers, to your positions! Draw your bows! Lady Asuna!"
The fencer gave a nod and, as her gaze snapped towards the boss monster, she let loose her command. "Altogether, girls!"
Roaring in sync, the girls of the party rushed together forwards.
Thor the Annoying Troll, on its last dredges of strength, spurred the spawning of several minions to defend it. With a tremendous growl, the kobolds moved to meet their attackers head-on, maces swinging.
Yet none of them could get very far as a rain of arrows fell upon them. The several few that managed to dodge the attacks were met with swift ends as swords, spears and players charging right at them wiped them off the floor with wide-ranged «Sword Skills», multiple bodies erupting into beautiful sparks of polygons.
Left defenseless, the girls moved to attack Thor—"Swing! Split up!"
Right on time, as the boss monster had raised its weapon and prepared to turn Koharu into paste. She'd been faster, however, having gotten a good five feet distance from the range of its attack and spreading shockwave.
Her knife gleamed bright, and she leapt forwards!
"Now! Haah!"
*Ghraaa!*
In the form of a «Fad Edge», her weapon carved a gash in its side as she swung upwards. A mace slammed right into its spine sent it reeling forwards, stumbling right into Asuna's and Vabel's combined «Quadruple Pain»'s.
Thor swung its weapon once again, yet failed to land a single blow on anyone with how slow it moved. No, that wasn't right. Considering how it was a higher-levelled boss compared to the ones they've fought before, it would make sense to acknowledge the fact that its stats was significantly higher than its predecessors. So really, its speed, while not being its shining light, was certainly a jump from before.
But fighting the party of the Summoner Swordsman? None of that really mattered.
Not simply because they dominated the entire players' group in terms of strength and diversity. Well, that too was a legitimate point, but it also had to do with the fact that—
"Coming in hot! Literally! Asterius!"
"RhhuaaaaAAAAA!"
A massive arm was driven out of a pool of fire, only to slam right into Thor's body. With such a massive difference in strength, there was just no helping the fact that Thor was helpless against Asterius.
That was why, despite what should have been a difficult fight, was rendered practically unimpressive when considering how a single purple-haired girl started wrecking them with a massive humanoid goat-skulled monster, unable to be compared to everyone else's efforts considering how she'd so easily slap the boss around with her Persona's tremendous strength.
It was sad.
But also, meh.
"Quarter left! I repeat, quarter left!"
"One final push then! Altogether!"
The strength of the human raiders and the elven army combined, supported by the Summoner Swordsman's party and two Persona users (although Yui hadn't summoned hers, simply for the excuse of 'dramatic entrances', much to a lot of their frustrations and suspense), the battle against floor seven's boss Thor the Annoying Troll had largely gone down without much of an issue, and that was a cause for comfort.
Their numbers great, their strength even greater, the boss monster was swiftly defeated and was left to be forgotten as undoubtedly one of the easier fights yet.
Message would reach the players in the lower level, and they would rejoice yet again. Hope was strong as ever, and it certainly bolstered everyone's conviction to keep on fighting. The raiders and the elves looked high in spirits and were ready to keep moving forwards, possibly to search for some place to stay at—if that wasn't an option, they'd retreat to the lower floors.
Thankfully, as reported by one of the elves, the following floor had several elven settlements, primarily inhabited by Forest Elves. With the war event an ultimate bust and cooperation more necessary than ever, the chances of conflict between the elves was incredibly low. Hence, everyone had ultimately agreed to march on for Frieven Village (supposedly a village built from the remains of a massive tree) and reside there to recuperate before returning to the fray.
The promise of rest was, honestly, something Koharu was looking forwards to very much. Sure, they hadn't exactly done much fighting, and it wasn't like they'd been exploring so much. But even then, she kind of just wanted to find someplace to sit down or perhaps doze off until evening.
Sleep sounded really good.
"My Kingsmen will get to exploring the dungeon tomorrow at four in the morning, so I suppose we can leave that to them," Argo removed the message, putting a hand on her hip. "So, floor eight's got a village carved inside a tree. What's it going to be like, I wonder…"
"The floor is entirely covered by water, and the people build their villages and homes atop trees," the explaining drew a few curious 'Ooh's from Silica and Koharu. She nodded as she continued explaining. "People use suspended bridges to move from location to location. Beware not to fall down, for it will be rather difficult to return upwards."
Hair a shade of blue unlike anything she's seen prior to today. A gentle disposition that left her feeling more calm than ever. Her voice a soft tune that eased her spirit after that battle. So calm was she that it was hard not to compare her to Kizmel.
Koharu wasn't sure what to think about her. Finding her in battle against several mobs outside of the boss room was certainly unprecedented. More so the fact that she'd been fighting on her own—she made no mention of any others accompanying her, which meant…
Ooh, she didn't know what it meant! The suspicion was killing her!
'On one hand, she did technically help us fight the mobs and even the boss,' she reasoned in her head, laying down everything she knew about this mysterious elf on the table. 'On the other, she said she was 'looking for someone', whoever that someone is, and she doesn't remember her own name. Can't even call her an amnesiac because she clearly knows the things that are going around her and even knows the next floor. And now I'm just confused.'
And a whole lot of wary, if she was being honest. It was impossible to call her an enemy, but there just wasn't enough to know about her to fully call her a friend, in her opinion.
Then again, if Kirito was here, he'd probably just welcome her with open arms. Just as he did with her.
The thought made her frown. Watching the elf get pulled into an animated conversation between Silica and Asuna certainly made it difficult for her to really distrust her much.
'Guess I can't be too sus of her. Might as well figure out what's going on along the way.'
"Whoooa, villages on treetops? Dang, I can't imagine that…" Silica bounced on her heels, her tails flapping up and down as she did. "Guess we gotta' check it out ourselves. Let's get moving!"
"Yeah! We managed to unlock the next floor, so it's only right if we explore it!" Strea added, throwing one arm into the air as her Regalia was willed away and she was wearing her earlier outfit. "Let's gooo!"
Their combined optimism sought to infect her, and they succeeded in that as she failingly fought down the urge to smile. Yeah, things were looking pretty good for them, and she was feeling pretty swell too. If they were feeling pretty pumped up, advancing now shouldn't be so bad, yeah? So they may as well get started on finding a village to stay!
So when they pushed the massive doors and stepped out, they'd been ready to find sunshine and bright weather.
*Dr-Duuur!*
Instead, just like the floor below, they were immediately struck by a great shower, water pelting against them without mercy and soaking them from head to toe, excitement taking a dive.
It wasn't much later before everyone looked amongst one another and sighed—save for Strea, who just shrugged with a lopsided smile. Guess asking for too much would just be impossible.
22nd January 2023—Aincrad. Floor 8, Frieven Village
"Guess we won't have to worry about getting sick from walking in the rain. Although mother would probably chastise me for something like this if I did it back home."
"Urgh, tell me about it. Oh, but you girl, you'll be fine?"
"Thank you, but I will be fine."
Yui tuned out their conversation, more focused on the sensation of cold water on her face and body as they walked on the suspended bridge, careful not to let it shake too much so that none of them fell. But she was too busy being fascinated by the floor to care at all.
Floor Eight, just as the elf told them earlier, was an entirely flooded floor. A look down practically told her that the surface of the entire floor really was covered with water. It gave off the appearance of a sea, which made her want to dive down all the more and just swim until she was satisfied—doing that would probably get her into trouble, though, so she held herself back.
Although, looking around, she noticed how there were a few boats moving around. Elves rowed with oars, so the NPC's probably provide boating services for anyone who needed them. That they still worked with the rain was rather impressive, if she had to say.
"Hey guys," Lisbeth's voice drew her gaze to the pinkette, who had a nervous grin on her face. "I know it's kind of obvious, but… well, Frieven Village really sizes the other settlements down, huh?"
"I'm pretty sure that's not how the expression should go," Koharu quipped, nodding slowly a few seconds later. "Although… you're not wrong about that."
Lisbeth wasn't wrong in her assessment. And, judging by how much it stood out compared to literally everything else, it wasn't difficult to discern just how important this particular tree was.
Larger than anything else they'd seen thus far, the tree was a titan of its own when compared to literally everything else. Spanning a radius of possibly five kilometres, an exact half of Aincrad's own size, it was incredibly massive. The tree stretched all the way to the top, connected directly to the underbelly of the next floor. The branches of the crown dipped downwards and spread out, millions and millions of leaves that gave it such a majestic view.
Make no mistake, Yui hated her creator. No matter what he did, he'd still locked up thousands of players in a world where they were ultimately fated to die if they couldn't fight hard enough to survive. But… But he was a genius, and this world that he's envisioned was just absolutely beautiful.
A shame that he'd turned this into a death game. She was certain all the critics would have loved this world of his.
Sighing, she continued the journey with the rest of the group, their small talk often enough to distract her from the sights around her. Not enough, but it was still entertaining to listen to the girls.
Much walking later, and as they finally came upon the base of the tree, they were most certainly surprised by what they were seeing.
The bridge was connected to a small flight of steps up, transitioning into a wooden platform that connected directly to the entrance, which was a large arch gate carved out of the tree. Coloured lights, beautiful and numerous, emanated from within and around the gate itself from unique flowers.
"Wow," Strea was right. Wow. "Come on, let's check this place out!"
Walking inside, Frieven Village blew her expectations out of proportions.
Lights were scattered across the interior of the tree, emanating from the flowers that sprouted everywhere. In the very centre of the tree, a small pool of water that she could tell was glowing, fireflies hovering above the surface. Wooden platforms and stairs gave access to the higher 'floors', houses built on the sides of the tree trunks. High above, she could see some sort of 'ceiling', made of wood and with a hatch-like entrance to something, possibly the dungeon that would grant them access to the next floor.
What a beautiful place this is. Frieven Village is definitely her most favourite village now.
A clap of thunder from outside elicited a yelp of surprise from Koharu, who leapt right into Strea's arms. The purplette blinked, confused at first, before smiling at the ravenette she was cradling.
"Sun's going down and it doesn't look like the rain's stopping any time soon," Lisbeth crossed her arms behind her head, shrugging. "So, y'all wanna' just find a place to stay here for the night? Argo's group is gonna' handle the navigating bit, so we can just lay back and chill for the time being."
"That would be a good idea," Vabel nodded. "Miss, do you know of any place that offers lodging?"
Their elven companion thought about it for awhile before coming up with a response. "I believe they have an inn somewhere on the…" Her gaze moved upwards. "Second floor. Shall we head there first then?"
As impressive as it looked from the outside, Frieven Village truly shone when one stepped foot into the tree itself, where they could witness for themselves just how creative this world's creator really was when it came to environmental designing.
Platforms and bridges lead higher up, with several 'levels' that served different purposes. Reaching the second level, directly above the first one, there was a small restaurant serving meat-based dishes (and a couple of insect ones, which she found rather interesting, though sadly not something the other girls seemed to want to indulge in). Right beside that, the inn that their companion mentioned earlier.
So far, so well, she thought to herself.
Sheltered from the wind and the water, she couldn't help but feel more comfortable than earlier. Perhaps the heavy rain wouldn't affect them in any true way, but being out of wet clothes and feeling a lot more warmer certainly felt nice.
As she peered out of the window (in actuality, it was a hole carved out of the tree with some added fences that made it seem like a window, which was such an interesting design), all she could see was the wide expanse of green. Trees, millions of them, sprouting from the base of the floor, which in itself is already covered in water. It was a sight to behold, and left her in anticipation for how the next floors would measure up to this one.
Something tightened. Blinking out of her thoughts, she looked down. Her fingers were clenching the windowsill a little too tightly, would have snapped it in half if the window didn't have an «Immortal Object» status.
She immediately relaxed herself, letting her calm down. They were so close… So close to reaching the ninth floor. The Dark Elf's castle. There, they would finally reunite with Kirito and Kizmel.
"Ooh yeaaah! Now this feels gooood~..!" She wasn't too surprised to see their information broken in sleepwear sprawled out on the bed and stretching her body, making her look more like a cat than a rat, though she supposed semantics were just unnecessary. "Darn. I was hoping we could at least get some sun, since the previous floor was just rain and rain, but I guess Aincrad can suck it."
"No kidding. At least there were hot baths here, and man, I didn't know I needed that," nodded Lisbeth in agreement, taking a seat in the corner as she released a soft sigh. "On the subject of hot baths. Oi, Silica! You can't stay in there forever!"
That the inn they were staying over had hot baths for each room was… well, it sounded like an impossible thing to accomplish, considering how everything was made inside a tree, but it certainly added much plus points in the girls' opinions. Although, as appropriate with such top-quality treatment, they'd paid quite a lot, despite their stay being only for the night.
Then again, considering how money was the least of their concerns, spending it on some high-class lodging is nice every now and then.
"But it's so nice in here!" The young girl responded with a loud whine from where she was still dipping herself in a hot bath, voice ringing. It drew a snicker from Argo and a roll of the eyes from Liz.
"Uh-huh, but come on, get out of there already! It's pretty late, so we should get some sleep already! I'm not letting you just fall asleep in the bath til' morning! And if you do try, I will drag you out myself! Don't test me!"
"Awww, Liz-chaaan..!"
A soft chuckle came forth from their fifth companion who, in much more simpler clothing, looked more in her element than she would have in her cheap armour.
"Your family is quite energetic. I've never seen one such group of individuals that bicker this much."
"Ehh, it's kind of how it is. And even then, it's all for the sake of fun," shrugged Argo, grinning. "I mean, trust me, this is how it should be. A day without us being at each other's throats for even the smallest of problems would not be normal. We've gotten quite used to it, to the point that it's routine."
"Is that so? That sounds lovely…" She sighed, sitting more relaxedly now. "I must admit, that does make me feel like I'm intruding in your moment of bonding. Do forgive me for that."
Liz shook her head at that. "Not at all, girl! You've got nothing to worry about, really. Having you around doesn't change much. In fact, it just makes the place more livelier, so don't fret, yeah?"
She'd looked surprised but eventually nodded her assent, and Vabel had to wonder if she'd truly understood that or was just responding in a way that befit this game world's instructions… or perhaps she would have, before coming to the conclusion that the Dark Elf beside her was every bit alive as the rest of them were.
Yet, as she eyed the woman, there was something still nagging at her.
She doubted she was the only one who felt such. After all, she'd been fighting outside of the boss room intent on going up on her own. There was no quest activation notification, yet there was something about her that told her that she was someone important.
Her eyes found the silver blade she carried, now leaning against the wall close to the nightstand. There was something about its intricate design that fascinated her, having stared at it during their walk and even now.
"Vabel, you alright? You've been pretty quiet."
"Hmm? Do forgive me. I was simply… interested, by the sword."
"Oh, this one?" The elf moved to grab the sword in its sheath, handing it to the ravenette. "I wasn't certain why, but… when I woke up one day, I had this sword in my possession, so I've been fighting with it ever since."
"Sword of the Queen..?" Reading the name aloud, something just nagged at her. 'Queen… As in the Queen of the Dark Elves?'
To call the elf before her the queen herself would be impossible. After all, she was slain during the invasion, along with the rest of the elves present on the floor. And yet, why would an item so important be in the possession of such a random elf? There could be no way it had found itself in her hands by sheer chance, but still…
She looked to the elf for permission, slightly unsheathing the weapon. Receiving a nod in response, she drew the blade out of its sheathe, gripping its hilt tightly.
The blade reached quite far, straight yet wide. It lacked much decoration in terms of design, yet its bluish-silver hue granted it a unique appearance when compared to other weapons.
"It's an impressive sword," she said, returning it to its owner. "And you were just as great as a fighter back there. Were it not for you, I most certainly would not have survived."
"You give yourself too little credit," she shook her head, now looking to everyone in general. Only Argo met her gaze. Liz and Silica were still arguing with one another. "Seeing all of you in action earlier, I can see just how in perfect sync you were. You trusted one another, and that was all the more awing to witness."
Argo snickered. " 'Course. We're a team. And a team's only good if the people in it can work together. So look forward to being a part of our team, yeah? And who knows, maybe you'll remember your name if you stick with us."
Vabel watches understanding in the elf's gaze. A clap of thunder from outside draws her gaze to the window, peering through and seeing just how heavy the rain still was. And here she was hoping that it might just settle soon enough.
Although, it will make the sleep certainly something to look forward to.
23rd January 2023—Aincrad. Floor 8, Frieven Village (Level 4)
This village. Was. Amazing.
Lisbeth was just thankful that stamina didn't translate properly into this world as they moved on the bridges and climbed stairs to reach each individual level from the ground-up. But what really made this place all the more amazing of an experience to just walk in was how beautiful it was.
In fact, hands down, everyone believed that this was the most beautiful 'village' there is. Bonus points to its creative design compared to the typical settlements thus far. And there was certainly a lot of shops here! Really made this place a good go-to for shopping. The weapons vendor had some interesting crafts on his own, she had to admit.
And worth the price, if the pleased expression on Argo's face as she inspected her brand new knuckles said anything.
"I can only imagine just how much effort went into making this village. Just the thought of the construction process is enough to baffle me," admitted Asuna, looking to their elven companion, who met her gaze with a curious look. "How do you guys manage to do this, by the way?"
"Well… from what I do know, the process is strenuous. Obviously, as it comes natural with building something, it takes a lot of patience. Although, I have read once that the inside of the tree wasn't exactly hollowed through physical methods," a cue for a story session, which had everyone more interested as they leaned in to listen as they walked. "Supposedly, someone had once insulted the god of flames by desecrating his shrines and slaughtering his followers. As such, the elves pinned him to the tree, and the tree was struck down by thunder, thus burning the tree and the profaner together."
For a while, silence just seemed to be the defining feature amongst the group as everyone just stared at the elf. She didn't notice how quiet it had gotten before she finally looked at Asuna. Seeing the horrified look on her face, she then looks to the other girls.
On the other hand… "Whoa, that's crazy!"
"Indeed. I never knew someplace like Frieven had such a fascinating history…"
For some reason, she wanted to argue with the youngest-looking girl that the supposed fascinating history wasn't actually fascinating to begin with. An adjective more suitable with such a story was either awful, gruesome and / or absolutely what the fuck?, but she decided to just keep silent just for the sake of everyone's sanity.
Also, maybe they're just meant to treat this as normal?
"Umm. While that was… something," Koharu looked uncomfortable, wringing her hands with a nervous chuckle. "How is it related to Frieven's construction?"
"Ah, right. Anyways, many priests came together to pray for the recovery of the tree after it was burnt down. Their prayers were answered and the tree was replenished, and eventually, people came to turn it into a village in respects to the flame god. Many elves migrated here, and eventually, it came to be known as Frieven, named after the founder's daughter."
Now that bit of history wasn't bad at all! If only they could at least get that part first…
Nonetheless, the group of girls continued on their way until they eventually reached the fourth level. There was a row of houses built into the sides, lights hung from overhead strings and plenty of flowers blooming from the surface of the wood. Their destination was towards the centre, which had Silica somewhat nervous from how it was practically 'floating', despite the interconnected paths that formed a rather wide platform in the centre.
A rather nice-looking café that was open-air, with seats around and the main 'kitchen' situated somewhere to the side. The children looked excited to just run around and about, and a few wore the same nervous looks as Silica did. With how high they were (oh God, looking over the ledge was a bad idea), screw the fact that this was a Safe Zone.
There was no Cor in this world that could make her want to jump.
An image of her splat on the ground after such a great height sent a shudder down her spine, the rest of her hairs standing on end. Yeah, she's definitely staying away from the edge.
"So, waiting for anyone, Argo?"
"Yup. Gonna' get the reports for this floor's labyrinth and see what's what. I was meant to get them yesterday, but considering how everyone had been spending the entire day exploring the labyrinths, giving them rest would be the right thing to do, and—Oh, looks like she's here."
"Lady Argo," a girl's voice. One so soft yet firm all the same. "Sorry for the delay."
They've already met a good number of the Kingsmen. Lueur was the eccentric skirts-chaser, while Sanya was the epitome of loyalty and hard-working. So who was…
Whoa.
That… looks heavy.
Lisbeth was no stranger to heavy equipment, having seen tons of players walk around in such bulky armour that made them look more like walking walls than actual person. Agil, especially, looked like a freaking titan with how massive his armour is—helped by his size, especially.
But she'd been rather used to seeing guys in such heavy armour. Nothing too bizarre there.
Seeing a girl in heavy armour? That was certainly new.
"Liten," greeted the Rat.
"Lady Argo," she bowed a little. With vivid orange hair, knightly armour that looked rather thicker than usual, finished off with a green cape clipped in front of her chestplate, she certainly looked the part. "We've mapped out the entire dungeon, just as you requested. It was certainly a lot more unique compared to the dungeons prior, though it functions, give or take, relatively the same."
"Thanks for that, Litty," accepting the sheets of paper, she gave them a thorough look-through before perking her brow. "Note: The dungeon is more forest-themed than the previous dungeons. Interesting. Any change in terrain?"
Ooh, a themed dungeon. Everything so far had just been the same. Plain designs and quite uninteresting so far, so if the dungeon was going to be themed now, Liz was kind of excited to see how it'll look.
"Floral growth here and there, water… The floor is now actual soil, uneven at times, so you may need to watch yourselves during your fights," shrugged the knight. "Expect a more natural setting rather than an actual dungeon. That is all."
Argo hummed, nodding her head. "Well done as usual. Give my thanks to Stilla. Anything else we should look out for?"
"A number of traps, apparently. More often than not, you'll come across specific pressure plates or tripwires that would activate trap mechanisms, be it arrows or fire," traps? Holy crap, that sounds dangerous! "They're rather easy to spot if you have a high level in your «Search» skill. Unless, you'd like to bring Lueur along with you?"
"No need. Ko-chan here is already pretty good, so she'll be our eyes," at the mention of her name, the girl in question nodded. "How 'bout mobs?"
"Killer Mantises now replace the Lizardman Lords, and Sly Shrewmen spawn as well."
"Oh, gods no. Sly Shrewmen?" Asuna groaned into her hands, receiving a couple of comforting pats to the back from Silica "They were bad enough on the fifth floor…"
"And, oddly enough, we haven't encountered a single Shadow in the dungeon. We're not sure why, but that's all there is to it."
"That so, eh? Well, that doesn't sound all too bad," shrugging, she put away the reports. "Good work again, Liten. You guys go and take a break, yeah? Leave the heavy lifting to us. Oh, and make sure you-know-who doesn't try to do the usual Reputation Improvement thing."
It's said with such deadpanning seriousness that leaves her rather curious. She couldn't possibly imagine just who in the Kingsmen could possibly annoy Argo in the—
Oh. Oh, she got it.
…Huh.
Somewhere on floor five, a certain red-headed individual finds himself perking up, wondering if it was simply his imagination or had someone just thought about him? And why did he get the feeling that whoever it was wanted his head on a pike?
Liten mutters something along the lines 'Definitely need to watch him more closely…' before giving a nod to the Rat. "Of course, milady. The best of luck to you."
Having taking her leave, Lisbeth pondered on the armoured knight's equipment. They weren't necessarily anything impressive, but the fact that they were larger than your typical set of armour and she was just walking around in those with nary a complaint everyday was just impressive.
In fact, she thought, it certainly made her the sentinel-class player. The kind of person who focused on tanking the damage and gaining the enemies' attention while the rest did the fighting.
Now, by no means was she a 'classes' expert. She had a firm belief that that was something more in line with Kirito's and Argo's expertise, more so the former considering how in-depth his gaming knowledge seemed to be at times. But it would be a pretty good idea to start investing in someone's skill set soon enough…
And sure, this was all just random thoughts, but she's the blacksmith of the team! Someone's got to look out after everyone!
"Say," Strea chirped, bright red eyes showing excitement. "When we go fight the boss, is it okay if we let Yui nee-chan go first? You guys never got the chance to see her Persona or her Regalia, right? This would totally be the best timing for you to actually take a look!"
"What, is this a trope now? Is everyone going to get a chance to showcase their Persona during boss fights now?"
"Oh, nothing like that! But it does make the reveal cooler, doesn't it?"
No one could argue against that. Not when, from what Asuna had told them one time during a girl's night together, how awed she was when witnessing Kirito's awakening midway through the boss battle against Illfang.
Urgh! Lucky!
"I do apologize for keeping it under wraps for some time, but there's actually a good reason. It's simply the fact that my Regalia works with a very tight criteria. Although…" And as the young girl blushed a little, seeing her cough into her fist to regain some composure only seemed to make her look cuter. "I could have summoned my Regalia in the last boss battle, but I wanted all of you to fairly assess Strea's capabilities, so using a boss battle as your opportunity was vital—"
"Aww, Yui nee-chan! You didn't need to give me the chance to show off!" With an over-the-top cry, the bustier girl trapped her younger-looking sister in a bear hug, Yui letting out a cry of shock. "Thaaaank yoooou!"
Sisterly synergy, but a rather odd one, considering how it involved allowing the other time to brutally massacre the boss and any other mobs or Shadows in the process.
A very beautiful, very brutal sisterly love.
If it was really palpable considering how, despite being the Mental-Health Counselling Programs, they might as well be more mentally… ahem, unstable compared to everyone else in this game, then she may as well not point out the writings on the wall.
"So, we're all in agreement to leave the boss to Yui?" When no one gave no word of objection, she simply shrugged. "Welp, that's that there decided then. We'll move out in two days. Yui-chan, don't disappoint us, 'kay?"
The little girl nodded, a firm 'Understood' that left her feeling content enough to trust their lives in her hands. Although it felt kind of weird that they were trusting a little girl like herself to handle the battles for them.
The fact that she was a part of this game's system didn't really mean much when she still looked like a child. And, though she was far more mature than a typical six-year-old, she was still a kid in their eyes. Everyone here practically shared the sentiment.
'Wonder how Kirito will react to meeting her,' she mused to herself, smiling as Strea began regaling everyone with a prediction of how Yui's battle against the eighth floor's boss would go down, much to everyone's and even her own sister's amusement. 'Perhaps, with how crazy he is, he might know how he's going to deal with them both a little better… I most certainly hope that's the case…'
24th January 2023—Aincrad. Floor 8, Dungeons
There was something magnificent about this floor. Something that told them that Kayaba had intentionally given a bit more care towards this floor in particular as opposed to the other ones. Perhaps simply for his own enjoyment or maybe he wasn't even being biased at all, but floor eight would come to be regarded as one of Aincrad's most unique floors to date.
After all, on a floor that's basically an ocean with large trees growing out from the bottom, and an entire village built in the interior of a tree, you had no shortage of unforgettable sights. If only cameras exist in this game…
The prospect of discovering an item capable of taking screenshots might be accessible in the future, but for the moment, Asuna couldn't help but be mesmerized at the sight she was staring up at.
Climbing the village to its topmost floor, it was simply a circular level with a hatch-like mechanism that acted as the entrance to the dungeon. Different, simple, but so refreshing.
"It's a rather small opening, so all of you may need to take turns climbing upwards," the elf guarding the entrance said, stroking his stubbled beard with a small grin. "Please be careful not to push each other, alright? And take care in the dungeon. Much as we'd love to reach the next floor, your safety's just as important, alright?"
Yui bowed in everyone's stead, though her sister followed suit. "You have our gratitude, sir. We promise to watch ourselves and handle the guardians. We will ensure that the path to floor nine of Aincrad will be unlocked, no matter what."
"Heh, aren't you mature, little lady?" With a strong tug, the hatch opened downwards. Vines spilled down, hanging loosely while some were attached to the lining of the tunnel. "Any of you claustrophobic? It's not too small, really, but I suggest you go one-by-one. Just to be safe."
"Oh, God. Tight spaces," Koharu gulped a little. "Different as this is, Kayaba must have been really looking forward to traumatizing us in other ways outside of the prospect of death."
"Don't worry, Ko-chan. If it'll make you feel better, you can just go up first and we'll wait until you've fully climbed up before we go. That way, there's no chance for you to get stuck in there."
"O-Oh. I-I'd appreciate you. You guys don't mind?"
"Not at all, Koharu-san!" Shook her head Asuna, smiling. "Go ahead. But don't force yourself, alright? If it makes you uncomfortable, just come down immediately."
The ravenette nodded her thanks, looking up the tunnel. With a small prayer and a promise to 'bury Kayaba in a box when she gets the chance', she gripped onto the vines. Rigid and strong, she began pulling herself upwards. There was no sound for a while as everyone waited, though the initial thought of waiting for minutes eventually turned into waiting for just one minute before she called for the next person.
The girls had the opportunity to go first, Asuna volunteering to be the last to ascend. Once Strea was done, she gripped onto the vines (whoa, these were really strong) and pulled herself upwards.
Slow movements. The girl grunted as she pushed herself using her feet and ankles, and kept pulling herself up. It wasn't difficult, per se, but she doubted she could pull this off IRL. She may not be the heaviest person around, but she might get held back by the unconscious fear of falling.
Eventually, however, she reached the end of the tunnel, and was helped upwards by Strea and Lisbeth. Thanking the two, she looked around herself, and gasped.
A corridor that seemed more fitting to be described as a nature-styled trip. There was a myriad of flowers that bloomed from the soil, breathing life to this beautiful place. Odd, considering how this was still a dungeon with traps, and everything here was probably meant to distract them and hinder their progress—
*Snap!*
"Whaa..!"
"Silica? Oh crap, hang on!"
Asuna was certain that traps meant arrows, darts and the occasional rolling boulders, just like those Tomb Raider movies she used to watch back when her brother insisted she try switching up her genre. Not sticky vines that latched onto a victim's ankle and pulled them to the ceiling and left them to dangle upside-down.
She felt a tic mark grow as she watched Silica helplessly flail her arms—one to showcase her panic and another to pull her skirt up (or is that down?) to cover herself, face blooming red.
Kayaba is many things. Perhaps a closet pervert is just one of them.
"Alley-oop! There you go!" Slashing the vine with her dagger, she eased the younger knife-wielder back on her feet, getting a soft 'thank you'. "No worries. But man, Liten was right. We need to be careful, y'all. Who knows what other crazy traps are hiding in this place?"
"It most certainly would have been troublesome if that trap had ensnared Silica while we were engaged in a battle," the elf pointed out, shaking her head. "We would have been distracted from trying to help her down and fighting the Shadows and monsters. And some might just target her."
The logic wasn't lost on them, and as ridiculous as that trap had been, Asuna couldn't help but nod in agreement. That was dangerous, and they were just fortunate that it was only them.
"We'll need to be really careful as we move," she said, getting everyone's attention. They nodded back, all firm expressions and serious. Even Strea, with her smile, looked more cautious than ever. "Argo's Kingsmen did a good job helping us, but that isn't excuse for us to let our guards down. Just about anything is possible, so no matter what, we need to stick close. Argo, lead the way. Koharu, keep a look out for any traps. Let's move."
It was only until the entire armies were fully accounted for and a good number of fifty men and women, humans and elves, before they'd finally marched on for the dungeon's boss room. Guided by the maps drawn by the Kingsmen and eyes keeping track of their paths and any traps, everything went rather smoothly.
Down below, just about half an hour that's passed since the groups had gone up, right as the elf who guarded the hatch was ready to leave seeing that it was time for him to switch shifts with someone else, he noticed hasty footsteps coming his way. And, to his surprise, it was a human, who looked as if she had ran the entire way here.
Rather basic-looking gear and looking inexperienced, what should have been a quick conclusion to her character was offset by the eyes. No matter how tired she looked, there was no denying the fact that something was hiding behind that gaze.
"H-Has… Has people already gone for the… the boss battle..?"
"Well, yes. The frontliners have already gone ahead. Are you following them?"
Seeing her nod, the watchguard took a moment to consider how it was probably a bad idea to just let a single person into the dungeons without anyone else to accompany them… before doing a mental shrug at that idea and unlocking the hatch.
He wasn't sure why, but it seemed like a really good idea to let her through. No idea why, though.
Turns out, there were arrows, tripwires, spikes, and the occasional axes that threatened to decapitate her as she walked down the massive corridors.
While this dungeon was a lot more dangerous than all the ones before, there was no denying that the experience was a lot more enthralling. It had enough stakes raised to leave her anxious as she tiptoed around the areas and, much to her embarrassment, rely on Koharu and the elves to guide them around.
Liten hadn't lied when she said that there weren't any Shadows here. Only the typical Aincrad monsters that were just too predictable in their fighting styles that allowed them to handle the fights with ease. And she supposed a balance of both the old and the new made everything bearable.
At the front, Strea's tearing her way through a horde of Sly Shrewman after she jokingly tried to lure them out by leaving a sword on the ground. What no one expected was for it to draw a wave of those ratty things, and she was having a blast slaying them all.
Literally.
"Asterius, blow them to bits!" By her command, the goat-headed demon emerged from the ground and slammed his fist onto the ground, spawning an eruption of hot red flames that swallow up the mobs. They were killed too quickly before they had the opportunity to retaliate. "Aw yeah, one shot-ed them!"
A little far back, she sees Kibaou muttering something similar to 'What the hell?' to Lind, who gives him a shrug in return. Yeah, she knew that feeling.
This dungeon definitely got an improvement in terms of designs, but there wasn't much to say that it was any different from everything else. Asuna was fairly positive that it went through a 'reskin' if it wasn't for the additional traps, but so far, everything still worked the same all the way.
It was a rinse-and-repeat process in every of their dungeon excursion, and soon enough, they arrived at the foot of the doors. And wow, this was different too; doors crafted from pure wood, as if this was part of the tree itself, and vines grew all over them, keeping them shut tight.
"Do we burn them or cut them down?"
"Let's… umm, try cutting them. If that doesn't work, then Strea, it's up to you."
"Okay~!"
As it turned out, it did require fire, for every tool they used to sever the vines only worked to lower the durability of their tools. It was to Strea's joy that she got to summon Asterius yet again, setting the entire door on fire with a simple spark of fire. Thankfully, it didn't spread to the rest of the dungeon, only enough to burn the vines and disintegrate them into black ash.
Beyond these doors was going to be yet another boss battle. A constant of this game that she's gotten too used to.
Envy the Witch, based on the reports, was another boss that could make use of wide-ranged magic to dish prolonged damage on the players. It was also equipped with a broom that, from what the Kingsmen's reports said, it would use for sweeping attacks and could stun players.
Fairly simply to deal with, she felt. So nothing but the usual.
And yet, she couldn't help how tightly her fists were clenched.
While the people around her conversed with one another, Asuna struggled to keep herself from shaking. She was excited, without doubt, considering that the next floor was it. They'd wanted to go there with Kizmel all this time, and this time, it was their destination to save their friends.
How would it go? They'd gone almost a month being separated from one another, and she wasn't sure what to feel. How would the both of them actually be, considering how—
"Asuna?"
"Eh?"
Too deep in her thoughts to the point that she'd missed the way Yui had been patting her on the arm. The youthful expression of the girl was twisted in a concerned look. She couldn't help but want to smile to put her worries at ease, though she couldn't even bring her lips to move the way she wanted them to.
"Sorry, Yui. I'm just… deep in my thoughts," she admitted, looking at the massive doors in their way. "It's just… we're so close. I'm a little anxious, I suppose."
"Mmm, understandable. None of us know what awaits us beyond this floor, and any form of prediction on our part might not be enough to ward off your concerns," everything she said was true. Accurate, which befitted her as an MHCP. "However, you needn't worry. After all, you have spent much of your days fighting alongside Kirito's side. You understand him better than many others, and you know how strong he is, do you not?"
"I… Yeah. That's true," the thought of him brought forth a smile, unable to not imagine him hacking away at a horde of Shadows as he usually does. "He's protected us all this time, so it shouldn't be impossible for him to save Kizmel too, right?"
"Of course," her gaze moved towards the door, Asuna following suit. "Beyond here… one final barrier stands between us and your friends. Are you prepared to take up your sword and fight?"
She remembered the day she met the boy from the real world once more in this floating castle. How brave he was, and so stubborn, forcing an iron blade into her hands and, as he so put it, 'make her cut her own path'. She hadn't exactly understood what it was back then, considering how much stress she was in and how uncertain the future looked.
But now, the words made too much sense.
A lot of people were dying. There was no denying that. And she had a duty to fight for them in any way she can, just as he and all their friends were. She was weak, yes, but one had to recognize one's own weakness to grow stronger. And in that moment…
Well, as she drew her rapier and marched right at the door, her teammates right behind her and the armies awaiting her command… As they pushed the doors open, alerting Envy the Witch of their presence and triggering the boss battle… As she aimed her rapier at the boss and screamed as she charged forwards, many more rushing right behind her and Yui undergoing a transformation to reveal her Persona to everyone…
Well, she was definitely determined to win, no matter what it took. Screw this world and its ruler! They'll win, no matter what!
…i…el…
…op..!
Co…ack..!
…ero. Hero!
Black eyes snap open in a fraction of second, panic slowly dulling away into a quiet sense of trepidation as he moved his eyes to take a look at his surroundings.
Grey. Nothing but grey as far as his eyes could see. Powder and ash were swept up by the breath of the wind, forming a thin layer in the air as light helped him see the few speckles of white in the air. The ground beneath his body was coarse, his hand feeling cracks in the soil as he gently brushed his fingers along the edge. Bringing his hand up, only gray on his coloured fingers.
He looked around, tilted his head to take a good look at his surroundings. What should have been vibrant green was a deathly, pale grey that told him that they were possibly dead. The forest felt unnaturally still, calm, but in a way that didn't make him comfortable.
"Where… are we?" He muttered, slowly getting back onto his feet. "Arsene?"
"I am here," the demon was summoned forth, his familiar red coat and demonic smile somehow helping to calm him down. "It seems we've found ourselves in a completely new location, though which floor of Aincrad we are on, I am uncertain."
"Seriously..?" He looks around, frowning. "Was there… a floor like this before?"
So dull. So lifeless. Almost as if it was just mocking him, telling him he was all alone in this deathly world. And he'd almost believed it if it weren't for Arsene's presence beside him right now. Even then, he felt uncomfortable.
But there was no way he… wait, what happened? How'd he end up in this place? He didn't just… magically pop up in some random area by pure accident or glitch, did he?
A small headache builds as he tried to remember just what had happened prior to… what was he doing? "Hey Arsene, you remember what we were doing before this?"
The gentleman nodded. "Of course. We were in the dungeons of floor five. After doing battle with the Shadows, we gave chase to Kizmel, who was—"
"Kizmel!" Right, she suddenly went berserk! "Yeah, you're right. Her Persona went out of control. We killed Kin-Ki, and she… I'm sure we followed her all the way through the exit, and then… and then…"
And then nothing.
His mind drew blanks when he tried to recall what came after that, but he could remember not even a single detail. It was all too fuzzy, and just trying to remember hurt. The hell? A headache in a videogame, of all places?
All that he could be sure of was that they'd been separated from the rest of the party. Asuna and the others are most likely trying to climb Aincrad on their own, and while that was a pretty reasonable thing to do, he wasn't planning to be left out. He'd need to find Kizmel and reconvene with the group.
Thing is, though…
This world he was in now. It felt as if Kayaba had personally spilt grayscale ink upon the landscape, turning everything into some sort of old Western black-and-white show. Only this time, there wasn't room for comedy and romance.
"Where are we?"
It felt more like a thriller movie than anything else.
Author's Note:
The small addition to the bottom of this chapter is… well, essentially, it was going to be a look into how Kirito was doing. Like, I had a whole chapter dedicated to his earlier days, but I've dragged things quite a lot.
So, what's the solution? Speed things up, duh.
Admittedly, I didn't have much idea on how to write the sequences of Kirito's life on the new floor, so I thought I could try moving things along to at least get him to a point when he would be reuniting with his teammates. I'm literally rewriting a couple of chapters from this decision.
Do I regret it? Hell nah.