Chapter 2: Beater
Hey everyone! It's me, sakuraphoenix, and I'm back with a new chapter! I know, I'm late with the update. I'd explain, but it's one hell of a long story. To save us all some time, I'm hitting the disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online. I also do not own Blade. He belongs to my boyfriend Detroid434.
This chapter is gonna start in Blade's point of view. Enjoy!
It's been a month since this death game began. It's December 2, 2022 now. Two thousand people have died since this game began. The other day, I found this cathedral in the Town of Beginnings, and saw a list of player names. I was hoping that my girlfriend had used her real name when she entered SAO for the first time, and when I checked, there was only one player with her name… and it was crossed out. My girlfriend… she's dead. There have been moments where I wanted to commit suicide, but I vowed that I would clear this world, for her sake, even if she's not alive anymore. We're still on the first floor, and no one's found the boss room yet. I was a beta tester for this game, and even I haven't found the room yet. Today, there's going to be a meeting, on how to defeat the first floor boss. I wore a dark blue cloak over my face, so no one could see who I am, even if I recognized someone from the real world. Of course I upgraded my gear, even if I was using my beta test data. I just hope I'm strong enough. I made my way to the meeting place, and sat alone. I really don't want to lose anyone else now.
"Okay! Let's get started, people! Thank you for coming today! My name is Diabel. I like to consider my 'job' as knight!" exclaimed Diabel
That earned a good laugh from mostly everyone here.
"There's no job system in this game!" exclaimed one player
"A knight?" another player wondered
"Then, is this meeting a joke, too?" a third player wondered
"You should take this seriously!" a fourth player exclaimed
"Today, our party found the boss room at the top of the tower." Said Diabel
That immediately got my attention.
"We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone waiting at the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game. Everyone present here shares this duty! Do you all agree?" asked Diabel
Everyone silently agreed before clapping. Someone even whistled. This guy's definitely an inspiration to every player here. I'll give him that much credit.
"Okay, then let us begin our planning. First, divide into parties of six. An ordinary party has no chance against a floor boss. We'll need to form a raid group using multiple parties." Said Diabel
I quickly looked around, and saw that everyone else had formed a party, all except for a person wearing a purple cloak, whom was sitting in my row. I quickly scooted over to the player.
"So, did you get left out too?" I asked
"Not exactly. I'm not very good with my words, so I decided to stay out of it." The player said
I know that voice, but from where? What surprised me even more was not only was this player a rapier user, but was a girl as well. Maybe she's trying to be a speed player?
"In that case, will you form a party with me? Don't take this the wrong way, but the guy said that we can't defeat the boss on our own. Even though we'll be a small party, it's better than playing solo." I said
"Alright." The girl said
I began setting up the party, and when she accepted my invite, I noticed her name in the left corner of my stats. Sakura?
Sakura's P.O.V.
This guy's name is Blade? This reminds me of…
"Okay, have you formed your parties?" asked Diabel
He was about to say something when a voice cried out:
"Just a second!"
A guy with a cactus-like hairstyle just jumped in out of nowhere! Who the hell is this guy?!
"My name's Kibaou. I wanna say something before we take on the boss. Some of you here need to apologize to the two thousand who have died so far!" Kibaou exclaimed as he pointed one of his fingers into the crowd
"Kibaou, are you referring to the beta testers?" asked Diabel
"Of course I am! On the day this stupid game began, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared. They took all the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves, so only they could get stronger. And then, they just ignored the rest of us. I'm sure someone here was in the beta! They should get on their knees and apologize, and give up all the items and money they hoarded! Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us as party members, and they shouldn't trust us!" exclaimed Kibaou
Even though Kibaou makes a good point, making all of the beta testers here give up their money and items, and force them to apologize for the deaths of the two thousand players that were killed? That's way on the harsh side. This guy is definitely a conservative. A conservative with an attitude issue. I was about to go down myself and slap him across the face when a guy asked:
"May I speak?"
I looked to see the guy, and he was huge! That was definitely his real height, no thanks to the NerveGear on our heads in the real world giving our avatars the data. I'm surprised I was able to keep my pink hair from my first avatar.
"My name is Agil. Kibaou, tell me if I have this right. You're saying because the beta testers didn't take care of them, many beginners died. That they should take responsibility, apologize, and provide compensation." Said Agil
"Y-yeah." Kibaou said nervously
Agil then pulled out the guide book that everyone got on the opening day.
"You got this guide book, didn't you? It was provided for free at the item store." Said Agil
"Sure, I did. Why?" asked Kibaou
"It was compiled from information given by the beta testers." Said Agil
Everyone was shocked about the information. Even me.
"Listen. Everyone had equal access to this information. And even still, many players died. I thought the topic of discussion here was what we could learn from their deaths, and how that can help us defeat the boss." Said Agil
Seeing that Kibaou's point was now mute, he sat down somewhere in the meeting place. Good. I didn't want to hear another word from that guy's mouth again.
"Alright. Then, can we resume? The latest edition of that guide book was just issued, and it contains information on the boss. According to it, the boss' name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. He is guarded by assistants known as Ruin Kobold Sentinels. He is armed with an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one enters the red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a Talwar. His attack pattern changes as well." Said Diabel
So, this boss is kinda like the Dragon Rider boss from the game Cloudstone. After I got his HP to the half-way point, his attack pattern changed a bit, but it was relatively the same, but seeing how this is a VRMMORPG, I doubt this is going to be like Cloudstone. (1)
"This concludes the briefing. Lastly, items will be automatically distributed. EXP goes to the party that defeats the monster. And whoever receives an item keeps it. Any objections?" asked Diabel
None from me.
"Okay, we leave tomorrow, at ten in the morning." Said Diabel
With no reason to stay, I left the meeting area. It was getting pretty late, but I didn't want to interact with anyone else for the time being. With just myself to my thoughts, I began eating some bread I bought earlier. I took small bites, seeing that I didn't want to eat it too fast.
"It's good, isn't it?" asked a familiar voice
I turned to see Blade.
"Blade." I said
"Mind if I join you?" asked Blade
"I don't mind. It's better than eating alone, anyways." I said
"Thanks." Blade said as he sat next to me
I moved a few inches away while Blade got his bread out from his inventory.
"Do you really think it's good?" I asked
"Yeah, but I try to switch up the taste a bit. Here, try using this." Blade said while pulling out another item from his inventory
I used the item, and what looked like cream appeared on my bread after I spread it. I took a small bite into it, and I couldn't help but devour the rest of my bread like a wolf. It was so good!
"It's the reward from a quest called 'The Heifer Strikes Back' from the village before this one. If you wanna do it, I can take you there." Said Blade
"Thanks, but I don't want to." I said
"Why?" asked Blade
"Don't take this the wrong way, but… when this game started, I was looking all over the place for my boyfriend in real life, but I was such a ditz, and I forgot to tell him my game name. Sakura isn't my real name. I'd tell you, but I don't want to tell anyone my real name until we're out of this death game. Just the other day, I went back to the Town of Beginnings to buy a new Iron Rapier, because I was on my last one, when I noticed this chapel, and I went in, and saw a list of player names. On the wall, there was my boyfriend's name, at least, I think it was. I don't know if he used his real name or not for his avatar, but… when I saw his name on that wall… it just… it made me feel like my heart was being torn in two." I said while trying to hold back my tears
"You really loved your boyfriend, didn't you?" asked Blade
"Yeah, I did, with all my heart. I even considered suicide for a while, and I still am." I said while still holding back my tears
"If he was alive, what would you say to him?" asked Blade
"I would say 'you're alive' and 'I'm so happy'. Why are you asking me this anyway?" I asked
"Because, to be honest, I did the same thing with my girlfriend on the first day." Said Blade
It can't be, can it?
"Blade, can I ask you a question? I know this is rude of me, but… can you… take off your hood, just for a second?" I asked
Blade, reluctantly removed his hood, and I saw his face. I immediately had a shocked look on my face before I hugged him.
"What are you…" started Blade
"It's you. It's really you. You're alive!" I exclaimed while crying tears of joy
"It can't be… babe? Is that you?" asked Blade
"It's me. It's really me." I said while crying tears of joy as I felt my hood falling off
The next day, Blade's P.O.V.
We were all walking in the Forest Field towards the dungeon on this floor, while I ditched the hood on my cloak while holding Sakura's hand. I was so happy that she's alive, and judging by the smile on her face, she is too.
"I'm so happy you're alive babe." I said while smiling
"I am too sweetie. To be honest, I'm almost surprised that I am. I thought mom would've pulled off the NerveGear herself to get me out of SAO, since we don't have TV and all. I guess the news about the deaths and the NerveGear reached her in time." Said Sakura
"I guess so." I said
"I'd ask you about the, you know what and all, but with Mr. I-Hate-Beta-Testers around, I'll be patient." Said Sakura
"I agree with you there babe. I want to keep talking, but we do have to take care of the boss on this floor. We've been tasked with taking care of the boss monster's underlings, the Kobold Ruin Sentinels. I can use a Sword Skill to catch them off guard. Then, you switch out with me, so you can take them out." I said
"Uh, how do you switch?" asked Sakura
"You mean, you haven't been in a party before, babe?" I asked
"Until yesterday, no. Even so, I'm glad we formed a party together." Said Sakura
"I am too. Okay, this is how a party system works." I said
I began explaining the basics to her while we made our way to the boss room.
"Listen up, everyone. I have only one thing to say. Let's win! Let's go!" Diabel exclaimed as he opened the doors to the boss room
Everyone cautiously moved inside, looking for any signs of the boss. The boss was on the other end of the room, and the room lit up as the boss jumped to the center of the room. His stats were shown to us as three Ruin Kobold Sentinels appeared. The boss and his sentinels then charged at us.
"Commence attack!" exclaimed Diabel
The tank squads were the first on the job to attack the boss and his underlings.
"Squad A, Squad C, switch! Squad B, block! Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch. Now! Switch, draw, and prepare to attack from the side. Squads D, E, F, and G, keep the sentinel's off us!" exclaimed Diabel
"Got it!" I exclaimed
One of the Sentinel's was on the attack, to which I managed to block the attack.
"Switch!" I exclaimed
Sakura quickly ran in front of me and drew her rapier. If I didn't know that she was a beginner, I would've mistaken her for a beta tester. The way she's using not only her rapier, but the Sword Skill Quadruple Pain, she must have a high level on her Rapier Mastery. I then heard the boss make a roar, and saw the final health bar in the red. It's going to switch its weapons now.
"Looks like that information was right…" started Kibaou
"Stand back! I'll go!" exclaimed Diabel
"Weren't we supposed to surround the boss when it got to the final health bar's red zone?" asked Sakura
"Yeah, unless…" I started
"Unless what? Is there some kind of final attack bonus on the boss?" asked Sakura
"Yeah, but he wouldn't have known that, unless he was a Beta Tester." I said
The boss pulled out its weapon, and it wasn't a Talwar! It's a No-Dachi! This isn't like the beta at all!
"Diabel! Stop!" I exclaimed
"Jump back as fast as you can!" Another player exclaimed
But the Sword Skill had finished charging, and the system was forcing Diabel to move forward. The boss jumped around the pillars before it struck Diabel and sent him flying.
"Diabel!" Sakura, another player, and I exclaimed in unison
I ran up to him the same time as a player with black hair did. His health bar was quickly going down. We needed to help him, now!
"Why did you try to do it alone?" the player with black hair asked
He tried to give Diabel a healing potion, but he refused it.
"You two were beta testers too, weren't you? You know what I was doing." Said Diabel
I had a shocked look on my face. How did he know?
"You were after the last attack bonus rare item." The player with black hair said
"You were a beta tester too?" I asked
Diabel just nodded.
"Please, defeat… defeat the boss. For everyone…" Diabel said as his avatar turned into hundreds of crystalline virtual crystals
The other player and I looked shocked before I felt my right hand being held. I turned to see Sakura, whom looked like she was holding back tears.
"Let's not let his death be in vain." Said Sakura
I noticed before I charged for the boss.
"Let's try the same strategy for the boss." I said
"I was thinking the same thing." Said Sakura
The boss looked our way, and was letting loose a Sword Skill. I used one to block its attack before it could hit.
"Switch!" I exclaimed
The boss was about to attack her when she dodged at the last second. That was a close one. She then let loose five Linear attacks on the boss. The black-haired player from earlier came running at the boss and blocked another one of his attacks. Then his party member went in for the attack.
"Asuna!" the black-haired player exclaimed
Asuna then dodged the boss' attack, revealing her long orange hair before she struck the boss. We kept attacking the boss, until we got hit by its sword, pushing us back, until I felt Sakura catching me. The boss was about to strike when Agil covered us from its potentially fatal blow. Then the rest of the assault team when after the boss.
"We'll hold him off until you two recover." Said Agil
"You're…" started the player
Sakura quickly handed me a potion, which I immediately used, and went back at the boss.
"Not today!" I exclaimed
I used a Sword Skill to send the boss to the ground before it could kill anyone else.
"Sakura! Now! We'll get it together!" I exclaimed
"Right!" exclaimed Sakura
"Asuna! You too! One last hit! We'll do it together!" exclaimed the player
"Roger!" exclaimed Asuna
Sakura made the first attack before I did the second one, followed up by Asuna, and the black-haired player finished off the boss with a Sword Skill. There was a long pause of silence in the room.
"W-we did it!" one of the assault team members exclaimed
"But at what cost?" I muttered to myself
"We did it, yeah, but Diabel…" I started
"Why? Why did you two let Diabel die?" asked Kibaou
"Let him die?" asked the black-haired player
"Of course! You knew that technique that the boss used! If you'd told us that up front, he wouldn't have died!" exclaimed Kibaou
"They must be Beta Testers! That's how they knew all the boss' attack patterns! They knew, but they didn't tell us! Other Beta Testers are here too, right? Come out!" exclaimed a random player
"Hey! Cool your jets!" exclaimed Sakura
The black-haired player then suddenly started to laugh. Did he think this was a joke?
"A beta tester? I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies." Said the black-haired player
"W-what?!" exclaimed Kibaou
"Most of the thousand beta testers were beginners who didn't even know how to level up. You guys are better than they are. But I'm not like them. I made it higher than anyone else during the beta test. The reason I knew the boss' skills is because I fought monsters with katana skills on floors far above us. I'm going to assume that because he knew what the boss would do, he saw those katana skills as well, but regardless, I know a lot more. Way more than any information broker." Said the black-haired player
"W-what? That's worse than a beta tester! You're cheating! A cheater!" exclaimed Kibaou
"Yeah, a cheater!" exclaimed another player
"A beta tester and a cheater. A beater!" exclaimed a third player
"A beater… I like it. That's right. I am a beater. From now on, don't confuse me with the other testers." The player said before wearing a black coat
I can't believe it. He's… I was about to run up to him to give him a piece of my mind, when Sakura stopped me, before she mouthed the words 'he was acting'. He… acted? But why? I have to find out why. As I ran for the door, Asuna beat me to him.
"Wait. You called my name when we were fighting." Said Asuna
"Sorry for using just your first name. Or did I mess up the pronunciation?" asked the player
"Where did you learn it?" asked Asuna
"You can see another HP gauge below yours, around here, right? Isn't there something written next to it?" asked the player
Asuna looked to the area he specified.
"Ki-ri-to. Kirito? Is that your name?" asked Asuna
"Yeah." Said Kirito
"Oh, it's been there all this time!" exclaimed Asuna
Cue the anime fall for me. She really is a beginner, isn't she?
"You'll be really strong. So if someone you trust ever invites you to join a guild, don't turn them down. There's a big limit to what you can do as a solo player." Said Kirito
"Then, what about you?" asked Asuna
He remained silent as he disbanded the party he formed with her.
"You can't just tell your party member to find a guild and leave them! You have to take them with you." I said
He only remained silent as he continued onto the next floor. I then felt Sakura's hand holding mine.
"Yes babe?" I asked
"I know you're probably thinking that I think that you're probably a beater, but I don't. I could never think of you like that. I'm not going anywhere without you from now on. You're my boyfriend. I love you, and I never abandon the people I love." Said Sakura
"Thanks babe. Let's go." I said
I felt Sakura holding my hand once again, causing me to blush before I did the same. I know that it's going to be a while before this world is cleared, but with my girlfriend here, I'll live with it.
Done once again! My girlfriend took a while to finish this chapter, believe me but with how she had a long story, I'm doing her closure this time. Please, I have a poll up on my fanfiction page that I would love for you, the readers of Sakuraphoenix, to vote on for my Code: Dragon story. It would be really helpfully to me. Check out my page as well because I'm sure you'll find something to read of mine. Anyway, please review and until next time, I'm Detroid434, saying for my girlfriend, I Heart You and...
Blade: I'm Blade
Sakura: Sakura here
Both: Logging out for now! Kan dao ni!
(1) Cloudstone is a Facebook game so Sakuraphoenix doesn't own it either