Floor 1, In the city of Tolban...
(Luna's POV)
I stared across the open space of courtyard at my opponent, already a small crowd had gathered nearby to spectate the duel that was about to commence.
Perhaps Miss Rat had caught wind of our match and decided to spread that bit of news around. She is an info broker, so doing so would make sense.
Regardless, I steeled myself for the task set before me: to learn the secrets behind Sir Ryder and his comrades strength in the hopes of obtaining it for my own.
My opponent stared, smirking at me from a few dozen feet away. He twirled his one-handed black sword in his right hand, waiting for me to give a signal to start our duel.
Currently, I was in the middle of stretching out my limbs and body: a standard routine I did my utmost to follow before I partake in any form of combat.
"We seem to be drawing quite the crowd huh?" Sir Ryder said, turning his gaze to the players watching us from afar. "I'm surprised we're this popular when we haven't really done anything yet."
"Perhaps this is due to the cleaver workings of Miss Rat." I replied as I rolled my shoulders end over end.
"I wouldn't put it passed her to pull something like this." Sir Ryder replied with a smirk. "She's always one to spread the word for any interesting event happening. Hell, she always knew about them somehow, no matter how few people knew about them."
"It shows how commitment to her role as an info broker."
I offered my reply as pulled my right arm out with the left, then switched their roles after a few short moments. Once I was finished with my arms, I proceed to snapping my fingers.
Sir Ryder responded to my comment with a simple nod. He cracked his neck once as he shifted his feet. I suppose he sensed I was close to finishing my routine.
After I was satisfied, I breathed in a deeply, grabbing onto my broadsword. I exhaled, pulling my sword from its holdings.
I shifted into a fighting stance, holding my sword at chest level.
"Here I come, Sir Ryder!"
The latter replied by flipping his sword in the air, giving me a gesture to charge straight at him, then promptly caught his one-handed blade behind his back.
Clearly Sir Ryder fancies himself a show off.
I threw myself forward, preparing my sword for a simple thrust I already knew my opponent would dodge.
As I closed in, my prediction turned true as Sir Ryder moved to his left. However, he acted prematurely, allowing me plenty of time to correct my approach.
I swiftly came to a halt, planting my feet hard on the ground. I shifted my stance, bringing my sword down upon Sir Ryder. He managed to bring his sword up for a block, slightly surprised by my speed.
His health bar shrunk slightly, as the system installed within this game registers even blows intercepted by well timed blocks as damage.
Sir Ryder smirked at me. "Not bad." He praised.
"I am simply getting started." I replied in kind.
"So am I."
Before I could even utter a word, Sir Ryder spun free of my blade and whorled around me with inhuman speed. Once I noticed him, Sir Ryder struck me squarely in my unprotected backside.
I staggered forward, spinning around to face my foe as I went. I settled into a defensive stance, still in awe over Sir Ryder's superior speed and maneuvering.
My health bar shrank, yet not a significant amount. Still, tis a lower status that Sir Ryder's...
"That's one." Sir Ryder said, smiling wide. "19 more blows to go."
"You caught me off-guard, Sir Ryder." I replied, returning the man's smile with one of my own. "That mistake cost me one blow and granted me a lesson learned." I shifted my stance once more, taking a more offensive position as I plot my next move.
"You shan't make it past my guard again."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Sir Ryder countered, resting his blade on his shoulder. "I still have quite a few tricks up my sleeve, my lady."
"That maybe true," I took a half-step forward, preparing to launch myself once more as to take full advantage of the situation now that his guard is lowered. I had to take any advantage I could in order to learn the secrets behind Sir Ryder's strength, even if they may seem dishonorable.
I dashed forward, aiming for a clean vertical slash with my longsword. Sir Ryder backed up, yet I managed to close the gap between us with another heavy push of my feet.
With a roar, I sung my blade to my left. I could see the look of surprise in my opponent's face as I landed my first clean blow. Sir Ryder flew back, bouncing off the ground once before rolling onto his back.
I noticed his health meter shrink to about 75% of it's total. Half way to the agreed upon goal! Just a little more effort and I will learn all I need to become a stronger, overall better protector.
"Damn!" He shouted a moment after his body settled upon the ground. "Guess I can't take it easy on you, huh?"
"I'd be insulted if you were!" I proudly replied, as I felt joy at landing a single hit on one so strong. "Come at me with everything you have, Sir Ryder!"
"Alrighty," Sir Ryder hopped back to his feet, smirking as he stood straight up to face me. "Just remember, you asked for this."
I adjusted my stance to favor defense over offense. Now it was Sir Ryder's turn to attack and, somehow, I knew whatever move he will carry out next would be grant.
"Time to show off a bit..." He spoke before running towards me. I steel myself, preparing to meet his blow with my guard.
Sir Ryder's sword began to glow red, then blue, and finally black. I heard many surprising gasps from the crowd around us as they too were in awe over the vast colors.
Normally, a charged weapon would glow red or blue, not both and then black.
"Let's see how you manage this 7-hit combo!" Sir Ryder shouted, one again showing off inhuman speed as he vanished before my eyes.
"What is this?!" I shouted, almost instantly feeling several blows rock my body once I finished speaking. I felt myself flying backwards, if only a few messily inches off the ground, yet still enough to loose my footing.
I glance behind me as I fell, catching the backside of Sir Ryder.
"Assassin's Rush!" He shouted the name of the attack he unleashed upon me, spinning his sword around before sheathing it.
Upon that motion, I felt every last assaulted area on my begin pulse with newfound pain. I yelled as my body flinched midair. I watched my health bar dwindle to 70% as I hit the ground.
"Amazing..." I muttered under my breath, in complete and utter awe as I looked up at the blue sky. "Never had I experienced an attack such as that before."
"Yeah well it's a new trick I picked up not too long ago." Sir Ryder replied, sounding closer than I expected. "That's 8 hits by the way, in case you lost count."
"I had not, Sir Ryder." I pulled my feet forward, sitting up once I brought them closer. I noticed my foe a few feet from me, with that same smirk on his face as he looked down on me.
I closed my eyes, letting out a huff as I pulled myself to my feet. I opened my eyes as I patted off certain spots of my armor I suspected had dust on them.
"We can call it a draw if you want." Sir Ryder suddenly suggested. "I mean, is it really worth one of us getting humiliated in front of all these people?"
I frowned, annoyed by the very suggestion. A knight always sticks to their word! No matter what they promise, they keep to it for their honor's sake! For whom would trust a knight who only keeps their word when if favors them?
Even someone like Sir Ryder should know this truth!
Unless...
I smiled as I realized the true reason behind this insulting proposal.
"So you aim to test my resolve, Sir Ryder?" I said, confident I found the hidden motive behind his gesture. "Very well, then I shall reply with determination!" I swung my large blade forward, pointing it toward my opponent.
"I shall prove to you that I am worthy! That I am someone who keeps true to their word, even in the darkest and most desperate of times!"
"Nice attitude, though you might be thinking too much into it." Sir Ryder humbly replied. "If you want to keep going though, I'd be happy to oblige."
(Ryder's POV)
I settled into one of my favorite stances; holding my left hand out by my lower stomach with my right hand behind me holding my sword flipped so it's blade ran in near parallel with my backside with my legs spread out in a way so I can easily dodge or launch myself in any direction I please.
Luna's show of determination impressed me a bit, though I was honestly asking if she wanted to quit now while we still looked good. Oh well, if nothing else this made me look better as a sort of wise man or something like that.
We held our ground, staring intimidatingly into one another for the longest of moments.
I saw Luna's left leg twitch, giving me a hint at her next move. We both pounced at the same moment, I hugging the ground as she rose her sword above her head.
When we closed in one one another, Luna started to bring her sword down hard. If the last attack taught me anything, it was to avoid that blade like the damn plague.
I pushed my left leg off the ground, using it to change my course to the right. I felt the 'wind' behind Luna's blow as it passed my leg, silently thanking myself for wisely dodging it.
I swung my right arm forward, turning my body as I aimed for my opponent's head. The latter ducked from the shot, though that was a given since it was a bit high.
That didn't stop my real attack though.
Still in midair, I kicked Luna square in her face causing her to fall back a few steps. Now I could land without the worry of a followup attack.
Once I could feel the ground beneath my feet again, I could hear the boos and yells of the crowd gather around us.
Clearly, they disagreed with my last maneuver.
"Shut up! I'm an equalist you morons!" I shouted to the crowd. "Women have been wanting equality for years ya know! So what's wrong with granting that wish huh?!"
"Still isn't cool to hit a girl dude!"
"What's wrong with you huh?"
"You should feel ashamed!"
With the crowds replies came a reminder of how hypocritical the masses truly are. This also reminded me why I don't socialize outside of games.
"We're dueling!" I placed my hands on my chest, speaking like I was explaining something to a five year old while trying to hold onto my patience. "Hitting each other happens in a duel!"
"Sir Ryder!" I heard Luna's voice from behind.
I spun around, gazing into a very determined look portrayed on the knight's face.
"Pay no heed to these plebeian masses!" She sounded proudly before pointing her sword towards me. "Focus only on me and my blade, nothing more, nothing less."
I smirked at the young lady.
Her little speech actually calmed me down a bit.
"You know just what to say and when to say it don't you?"
I let out a breach, slowly shifting into a fighting stance.
"Very well. I'll ignore these thoughtless nobodies and continue our little dance."
The crowded booed at that point, but I didn't care in the slightest.
Luna nodded in reply, then dashed towards me.
I bent to my side when she brought her sword straight down, then took a blow when she surprised me with a side punch to the gut.
Looks like she took my kick to the face move as a sign that all bets are off. Not that I have a problem with that.
I took two steps back, then took a kick in the same area as the first blow. I fell on my back, rolled to my side just in time to dodge another sword swing aimed at my head.
I didn't have time hop back to my feet as Luna followed me with her sword. We fell into a pattern of her swinging her blade forward and me barrel rolling out of her reach.
We repeated this cycle for at least 3 minutes before I decided to change it up.
I mean as fun as it is barrel rolling around your opponent, it tends to get tiring after awhile.
"Acceleration!" I yelled, activating the new skill I learned a few days ago.
Acceleration is a skill available to those whom bring their speed to a certain level. It doubles your base speed for about 3 to 5 seconds. Plenty of time to dodge a fatal blow, gain a head start in a desperate escape, move to a more favorable location and so on.
The only downside to this skill is that you can only use it once every 10 minutes, which is a long time during a battle.
With my new found speed, I quickly hopped to my feet and ran around Luna. I struck two blows before backing off, almost matching the moment my speed boost ended.
"Half way done Luna!" I shouted, hopping from one feet to another like how boxes do it when warming up or staying on their toes.
Luna glanced at me over her shoulder, then to her blade before turning to face me. She closed her eyes for a few moments, reopening them once a smile grew on her face.
"Tis time I showed you my signature move." She said, moving her blade to her side. "Forgive me if this it too much, yet I mustn't hold back against a foe such as yourself."
"Understood." I simply replied, returning the girl's smile. "Show me what you got."
"Without any delay."
Luna tightened her grip on her sword. Energy charged within the blade as she took a half step forward.
I felt a cold drop of sweat run down my face. This whole image screamed familiar and danger to me as I recalled seeming similar in various anime fight scenes.
"Hey now," I took a half step back. "You're not gonna fire an energy blast or something from that sword now right?"
Luna smiled and not in her usual fashion. This smile was the same smile some protagonist gave a worth foe before finishing them off in one massive blow.
"L-Luna?" I dropped my guard, taking two more steps back. "This is a joke right? You're not seriously...You wouldn't kill me know would you?"
"You shall only die if you can't dodge this next attack, Sir Ryder." She replied with her cool, concerning smile. "With your speed, such a feat would be child's play."
I was gonna die.
Least that's how I feel.
I mean, here I am about to get hit with a energy wave like slash and Luna thinks I'm bad ass enough to dodge it!
As much as I appreciate the flattery, goddamn it why you need to fire some damn laser at me anyway!
HOW THE HELL DOES ONE LEARN SUCH A SKILL IN THIS GAME SO EARLY ANYWAY?!
The energy charging in her blade began to glow brightly. Luna began to throw her blade forward and, honestly, I felt my heart skipping beats as the thing drew closer.
As a final act to confirm my fears, this female knight shouts the name of her attack.
"EXCALIBUR!"
The blade hit the ground, discharging all its energy into the ground.
My body froze up as I closed my eyes.
This was it.
I would die in a stereotypical anime fashion.
Hell it's one of the cooler ways to go out, but still I wasn't ready to die yet!
Couldn't do anything about it though.
I just waited to feel the heat of the blow wash over me before waking up in the afterlife.
...
Or not.
I opened my eyes, expecting to see some massive, yet slow moving wave of energy screaming towards me since it seemed to be taking so long to reach me.
All I found was Luna staring at me with her eyebrow raised and a transformed blade in her hand.
Her blade shrunk in size to the point were she could easily move it around with one hand, or so it appeared.
It looked completely different, with a golden pommel, a grip wrapped blue leather, a rounder gold and blue cross guard and a more decorative form of blade.
I gathered my thoughts, trying to piece together what the hell just happened.
"Wait...all that was...is a transformation sequence?"
Luna slowly nodded in reply. "Tis a release skill. It reveals my sword's true form."
What the hell?
What freaking genius thought it was a good idea to show off a freaking transformation sequence as some massive energy gathering method like in anime before someone fires off a massive wave of death?!
Probably Kayaba as I expect such bs from the guy, but either way fuck them.
"I thought you were about to fire a death wave at me!" I threw my arms at my sides. "The whole light show seemed convincing! Hell, even your speech basically confirmed it."
"Ah yes." Luna smiled, pulling her free hand up to her mouth. "Tis only a jest, I have no such secret skill."
"What the fucking hell Luna?!" I shouted, letting out my newfound frustration. "You nearly gave me a heart attack with all that build up!"
"Apologies, but I believe I deserved a little payback for all that teasing you afflicted upon me."
Well...She had a point.
Though half of that teasing was me throwing back what she said in the first place.
Whatever, so long as she's not throwing death lasers everywhere.
"Alright, fine I guess I owe you that one." I said, scratching the top of my head with my free arm. "Just no more flashy attacks like that, agreed?"
She nodded in agreement.
I let out a sigh. Jeez, how did she learn such a skill anyway? Unlocking a sword's true form huh...
"Now that we have cleared any confusion," Luna shifted her new sword forward, pointing it towards me. "Shall we continue?"
I gazed at her sword, realizing all the important facts I should have been considering instead of freaking out.
Her sword transformed, meaning its stats are completely different and probably far better than before.
Simply put: bad news.
I smiled, as eager as I am to learn what I can from this interesting skill as I am concerned that it may cause my entire bet scheme to backfire on me. "Let's see what your new sword can do."
"It's name is Excalibur." She replied, shifting her stance as she held the blade in both hands. "And no one has stood against her blade."
"Noted." I smirked, doing all I could to stay calm.
Hell, this is gonna be tricky at best.
And all cause I want to pick on Luna some more.
(Luna's POV)
I held my stance, glaring at Sir Ryder.
We stood as still as statues, waiting for the proper moment to strike.
With sword gripped firmly in my hand, I decided to move slowly forward, one step at a time.
Sir Ryder held his ground for the first dozen or so, then proceeded to matching my pace as he moved toward me.
Odd, but welcomed.
We stopped once neither of us could move forward, our swords lightly resting against one another.
I knew I had to move carefully from this point onward. One careless mistake and I could deliver a fatal blow to Sir Ryder.
This precaution comes from my newfound power granted to me through Excalibur. In it's true form, my speed doubles while my strength is increases three fold along with my defense by 5%.
Truly, it is a masterful art that will surely meet with Sir Ryder's approval and acceptance, assuming he has yet to grant such favors to me thus far.
Our eyes locked as our breathing seemed to slow. All the would around us seemed to vanish. Reality seemed to revolved around the two of us, at least for this point in time.
After a eternity of gazing into one another, Sir Ryder and I brought our swords back and clashed they against one another in the blink of an eye.
We exchanged three more blows before backing off in unison.
"That sword's impressive." Sir Ryder said, showering words of honest praise. "If you pulled that out from the start, you might have beaten me by now."
"I choose to test my limits against your strength Sir Ryder," I humbly replied. "I desired to know if I could defeat you without giving it my all. I was foolish to think otherwise, yet now I've come to understand what it means to fight someone worthy such as yourself."
"Thanks for the kind words, but flattery won't win this match for you."
"Of course."
Sir Ryder rolled his head once, closing his eyes as if pondering his options.
He started muttering, though I failed to make out most of the words.
From the sound of it, he was calculating his odds of fighting against by blade head on.
Seems he figured out my new found power in those three quick blows.
I decided to be curious and wait for my opponent, after all I wished to best anything he chose to bring at me.
"Hate to do this, but I think I need to use one of my unpolished skills against you." He said, reopening his eyes after minutes of mental debate. "Forgive me if it seems...crude."
I braced myself, tightening my defenses for whatever move was to come.
I watched as Sir Ryder spread himself out, taking in a deep breath then slowly exhaling. My eyes widening as his skin started to turn a reddish color.
Again, he took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled soon after. His skinned turned into a darker red, additionally his hair began to spike up.
As he took in his third breath, Sir Ryder's eyes lost their pupils yet I could tell his focus hadn't left my blade.
A cold rush ran over me. Emotions I long thought repressed lunged out from the dept of my mind to the forefront.
In that moment, my instincts screamed at me. They urged me to charge forward or run, to slay the monster before me or flee with all my might.
In that moment, were fear ran through my very being, I chose the forward.
I yelled, holding my blade high above my head as I charged. I noticed Sir Ryder's blade rush upward, his sword slicing against my chest and yet still I continued.
I brought my sword forward, bring all my strength with it.
Moments before my sword would make contact, a flash of light obscured my vision.
I felt my blow connect, but not against Sir Ryder's sword or any part connected to him. I blinked, regaining my vision and found a hooded figure standing between myself and Sir Ryder.
I noticed my sword found purchase against a small, round bronze shield that surprising withstood against the full force of my Excalibur, beneath it was a single broadsword reinforcing its defensive stats.
"That's enough now." The cloaked man spoke, his voice mature, wise and cold. It sounded familiar, yet that is impossible. I have no recollection of this mysterious man, nor have I ever meet him before now.
So why did he seem so familiar?
The man turned his head to face Sir Ryder, the latter whose face returned to normal aside from the drops of sweat that now covered his face.
"You managed to land 11 blows,"
The hooded man turned to me before continuing.
"And you managed to get his health down around 75%," He smiled underneath his cloak, I could make out a single strand of hair down his right side.
"So I say, let's settle this as a draw before it escalates any further. Besides, any further and one of you will die."
I raised an eyebrow at the mysterious man's statement, then realized the status of my hearth bar.
It held at 48%.
Impossible! All of the attacks I had received thus far barely managed to inflict so much damage upon me!
So how...
...
That last move...
Sir Ryder...what was that last move you used?
As if reading my mind, the mysterious stranger spoke once more.
"I'm surprised someone learned the Berserk skill on the 1st floor, though it has been 2 months since we've all been trapped in this world."
He turned his head towards Sir Ryder.
"That move was a big gamble, one wrong move and the game would've ended for both of you."
"It's a double edged sword if you haven't mastered it. At best, it will take half of your health only for a single, critical blow or several dozen rapid, normal blows."
"I know the risks." Sir Ryder replied calmly. "Besides, one needs to test skills like these out if you want to master them."
"Your either a reckless fool, mad, or both."
"I get that a lot."
The cloaked man chuckled, yet said nothing in reply.
He turned his head to face me, smiling as if he knew me.
"Now onto you...You have your own unique skill. One I only heard rumors about. A sword transformation skill...how intriguing."
I frowned at the man as I felt mix feelings towards him.
"Yes well, it is a unique ability I obtained through great efforts."
The cloaked man smiled. "Perhaps you'd care to enlighten me on the specifics of said 'great efforts'."
"Perhaps you would care to properly introduce yourself before we discuss anything further."
It was rather insulting that this man whom openly talked to us dare withhold his given name.
True, I could have found that information myself if I glance at his status bar yet that was a complete and utterly shameful act to those whom believed in proper edict.
The cloaked man chuckled at the sentiment. "How rude of me." He said, placing a hand under his chin. "My name is-"
An message alert popped up in front of the cloaked man, drawing his attention away from me. He swiftly pulled up the message, frowned, then returned his gaze to me.
"Apologies, something just came up." He bluntly spoke as if all emotion drained from him. "Pleasure meeting the two of you, I hope we meet again sometime."
With that, the mysterious man marched off soon disappearing into the crowd before us.
I turned my heat to Sir Ryder once the man faded from view. He continued to stare into the gradually dispersing crowd.
"Heathcliff..." He whispered, yet low enough to avoid being picked up by my ears.
"Who?" I ask, confused yet having an idea of whom he spoke up.
"That's the name of that guy, or so his status bar says."
Again, such an act was a dismissive move for proper edict...and yet I've come to expect that from someone like Sir Ryder.
"Oh." I simply replied. Even though I knew this was the first time I meet this Heathcliff, I couldn't shake the feeling that I unbelievably knew the man.
"What now?" Sir Ryder asked, catching me off guard as I was in deep thought.
"Uh...what?"
"The duel. How do you want to settle it?"
"I suppose a rematch is out of the question?"
Sir Ryder shrugged. "Maybe another day when we get to the higher levels."
I shook my head, smiling. Ever the optimist and master of avoiding that which he thought is a hassle.
"We can call it even, if you share your knowledge behind those skills you used against me." I said, knowing that this maybe the only satisfying result I could acquire that Sir Ryder would be happy to comply with.
Besides, I sought after knowledge to gain much more strength. Did it matter if it comes pieces at a time?
Sir Ryder blinked a few times, obviously thrown off by my "generous" offer.
"Deal." He said, holding his hand out to me. I firmly grabbed and shocked the hand, glad my offer was accepted.
Without any further delay, Sir Ryder began his explanation.
"That first move I used is a skill called Whirlwind."
"It's a move that allows the user to spin around an opponent's backside at a speed that most can't keep up with. It's a one use per engagement skill though so you can't rely on it too much, though it makes for a nice bluff if your foe doesn't know about it."
"Interesting...I assume it's a skill one can learn if they put enough points into their speed factor?"
Sir Ryder smiled at my reply.
"Good guess and you're half right. You need to put points in speed sure, but you also need to specialize in fighting light, meaning no heavy armor or weapons."
"I see, so impossible for me then."
"Unless you want to change your whole fighting style. Giving what I seen I think that would be a serious waste. You are an ideal tank Luna, with time you can be one of the best I've seen."
"I thank you for the complement Sir Ryder, however I wish to gain strength and if that means changing the way I fight then so be it."
Sir Ryder smirked. "Good to know you have that mind set, but still you should stick with what you're good at. If you want, I can have TJ and Micky show you a thing or two."
I crossed by arms, tilting my head. Normally, this would be a good offer and yet...
"While I have no qualms with Sir TJ, Sir Micky is a barbarous naive who only things with the junk in his loins than with what's in his head."
Sir Ryder let out a laugh. "Well I never heard someone put it like that before, but you're right mostly about Micky. Don't worry though, I'll make sure he doesn't try anything should you take me up on that offer."
"I'll keep that in mind Sir Ryder." Though I doubt I will follow through with it, at least with Sir Micky.
I unfolded my arms, eager to continue.
"What about that Beserker skill?"
As I asked, I suddenly remembered the dreadful intensity of that move. Of how it felt like staring a monstrous creature straight in the face.
Of how it forces one's instincts to kick in, screaming to flee or fight.
Of how I felt fear for the first time as far back as I could remember.
Sir Ryder let out a sigh. "That one huh? Well I haven't perfected it and probably won't as long as we stay on this floor but..."
"It's a skill learned after experiencing near death multiple times against many foes and emerging victorious."
I blinked, taken aback by what I just heard.
Sir Ryder is willing to nearly die again and again to gain greater power?
Such an act is...is far to risky!...Yet...yet it clearly comes with great benefits...
Is this perhaps the key behind Sir Ryder's strength? The willingness to face the abyss of death so many times and come back?
"Luna, don't think about trying to get that skill. Not yet anyway."
Another statement that took me by surprise. I opened my mouth in protest, but before I could utter a single word Sir Ryder explained his reasons.
"That's a skill you only use when you have nothing else to lose. When you're about to die, yet desire to take the bastard about to do you in down with you. Besides, unless you have a crack team as back up in case something goes wrong, then even trying to learn that skill is a death wish."
"Then why do you desire to master this skill?"
Sir Ryder lowered his head. I raised a hand to my cheek. Perhaps I said too much.
As I attempted to express that he needn't explain his reasons if he wished to keep them secret by reaching my hand out in an act of comfort, I heard Sir Ryder mutter something I shan't forget as long as I remain alive.
"There's someone here. Someone I hate with such a burning passion that I want to destroy everything he hold dear. Someone whom I will kill, by any means necessary."
We stood in awkward silence as I process what I just overheard. Such a goal as that...Sir Ryder...you willingly walk down a path of darkness for revenge?
Who was this person to begin with? What transpired between these two that caused such a negative relationship?
"Well, let go meet up with the others." Sir Ryder said with the turn of his boot. "We have a big day tomorrow and I'd like to make sure we're as prepared as we can be."
I followed Sir Ryder as we headed out to meet with the rest of our companions. Though I was surprised none of them showed up to watch our fight, they simply stated that they wanted to results to be a surprise upon our return.
Either they underestimated by abilities or had great faith in Sir Ryder's. Or they were simply being sincere in wishing the results to be a surprise.
In any case, they would surely be in for a surprise.
Though I had more questions than answers, I was satisfied with what I learn this day.
For now I had a new goal, one that runs parallel with my chivalrous spirit.
I swore to myself that would save Sir Ryder from the dark path he now treads upon.
CH 4 Wagering Duel
Yo ladies and gents, thanks you all for reading this new entry of SAO Renegade!
This time's a bit different than what I initially planned, but when I got the thought of having Healthcliff (cough cough Kayaba cough cough) make a cameo it completely changed how I originally planned the end which honestly turned out to be a good call given what I plan to do in the future.
I show cased a few skills I believe would be interesting/possible in the world of SAO.
That and I really wanted to make a Fate reference in there. Don't worry, I intend to explain who Luna has such a skill in due time.
In any cause, thanks one again and see you all next time!